Members of the Lincoln aviation community now have an on-line forum dedicated for their use. This feature will allow faster communications between the Association and its participants as well as providing an easy way for individuals to share their ideas, thoughts, and rants. Tune in to the UNICOM and join the fun! Just click on the "LRAA UNICOM" link in the menu on the left.

What’s at Issue
Rules issued by the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) threaten to harm California flight schools irreparably. Assembly Bill 1140 (AB 1140) has been amended by Assemblyman Roger Niello to provide a one-year delay in implantation, for flight training, of these rules. Ensuring passage of AB 1140 requires your support!

Why It’s Important
Without the delay in implementation offered by AB 1140, the rules issued by the BPPE will go into effect at the beginning of August and flight schools wanting to remain in operation in the state will have to submit to stiff fees and other onerous requirements as detailed in NATA’s May 6, 2010 regulatory report. The delay offered by AB 1140 will provide the time needed for the California legislature to work with the flight training industry to understand more fully the issues with compliance and to develop a working long-term solution.

What to Do
NATA urges all of its California members and others concerned about the outcome of this issue to contact their Assemblyman and State Senators and ask for support of AB 1140. The links below provide a letter that can be edited and sent to your Assemblyman and Senator as well as a tool to help you determine who your representatives are and their mailing addresses.

Sample Letter: MS Word format     Adobe pdf format

Find your State Legislators: State Senate     State Assembly

(Here is the original NATA "Call to Action" document.)

The California Pilots Association's Airport Advocate newsletter is now available through the LRAA website. Simply click on the Airport Advocate link under the CalPilots logo in the navigation bar to the left and you'll be taken to the Advocate webpage where you can download current and past issues. A paper copy of the Airport Advocate can also be found in the Pilots Lounge at the airport ... just look for the binder in the LRAA Corner!

In a prepared statement released on May 17th, AOPA Director of State Legislative Affairs Mark Kimberling said it’s important people understand that implementation of the law is still being determined. “Despite some speculation within the industry, the legislation does not specifically target individual flight instructors, and the effect on them is not yet clear,” Kimberling said. “Yet it will clearly impact traditional ‘brick and mortar’ flight schools financially. While business accountability for flight schools is not necessarily a bad thing for students who invest in flight training, we want to be careful that this regulation is not overly burdensome to the point that the quality and availability of flight training in the state is significantly diminished.”

A hearing on how to best implement the law will take place June 7 at 10 a.m. at the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, 2005 Evergreen Street, Sacramento, Calif. Although I am hopeful the regulations don't extend their tentacles past the realm of FAA Approved Flight Schools (14 CFR §141 and 14 CFR §142), the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education is part of the California state government and may see this as a method of gleaning more fees from those involved in the flight training industry. The deadline for submission of comments is also June 7, 2010 so there are a couple of weeks to get over the initial shock, make an effort to become educated on the topic, and formulate a concise and logical letter citing the reasons flight training, particularly that under 14 CFR §91, should be exempt from the burdens the regulations (as written) would impose.

A good place to start the educational process is on the BPPE Regulations Resource Page of the LRAA website. Here you'll find letters and commentary from industry experts as well as the actual documents from the State containing the proposed regluations and the laws authorizing the creation of the BPPE. (If you discover any other sources that should be included on this page please contact me and I'll add them to the list!)

Every now and then the Government does one of those things that just makes you shake your head and wonder, "what were they thinking"? Assembly Bill 48, the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009, passed into law last October is one of those things. With a single stroke of the pen, the Act created a new State Bureau charged with imposing regulations on private postsecondary training institutions.

So how does "private postsecondary education" affect the average aviator? Well, it's like this ... flight training falls under the Bureau's jurisdiction as an activity identified in the regulations (that the Bureau itself composed). Actually, flight training is not in the itemized list but rather is included by its omission from exemption. Simply put, while the FAA retains the authority to prescribe the curriculum for obtaining a pilot certificate, the State has taken the authority to regulate the business of providing flight training. Every flight school and, yes, every independent Certificated Flight Instructor in California becomes accountable to the new Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education when conducting flight training of any type, including recurrent, proficiency, or even new aircraft checkouts.

There are many details in the rule, but the most obvious impact is the requirement for training providers to be "approved" by the Bureau in order to operate in the State. For this privilege, the provider must submit an application along with the application fee of $5,000.00. Yes, Five Thousand Dollars! In addition, the provider would submit 0.75% of their annual revenue as an institutional fee. And did we mention the 0.25% of the charges received by the provider that will go to fund the State's Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF)? The financial impact is huge; the Bureau itself admits "the proposed regulatory action may have significant statewide adverse economic impact directly affecting business, including the ability of California businesses to compete with businesses in other states." Amazing.

Having read the text of the regulations, my guess is that even if an independent CFI could afford the fees, the mammoth record keeping, reporting, and audit requirements puts them out of business before they even open an airplane door. If these CFIs are gone, who will conduct your next BFR? Will you be forced to fly out of state just to find a Flight Instructor? (The consensus seems to be that independent Ground Instructors may be subject to the same onerous rules!)

You would think that such overbearing regulation could only have been the result of an oversight. In the previous law regulating private postsecondary education that expired in 2009, flight training was specifically exempted from the costly and seemingly inapplicable sections of the law. This time, however, we've learned from AOAP's Representative for California, John Pfeifer, that Rep. Niello (R-5th Dist) encouraged deleting the flight training exemption. Why? Rep. Niello's district includes McClellan Airport, the former location of a large flight training operation belonging to Silver State Helicopters. SSH's operational practice was to receive payment for the entire training program up front, requiring students to take out substantial loans or reduce their personal savings. When SSH declared bankruptcy, many individuals lost their deposits or were saddled with loans for services they would never receive. The intentional removal of the flight training exemption appears to be Rep. Niello's attempt to be responsive to his constituents complaints.

Part of the outrage against this new regulation is the suddenness that it was thrust upon us. The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) wrote in its letter to Governor Schwarzenegger, "Most of California’s flight training providers were unaware of this major shift in regulatory policy until they received letters from the bureau demanding payment of a $5,000 approval to operate application fee. These providers then began to learn of the many other onerous provisions they would have to meet in order to continue operating their businesses in the state ..."

How did the entire state flight training industry, including all the "alphabet groups" (AOPA, NATA, etc.) miss this rule? Mr. Pfeifer sums up the scenario this way. Each national organization possesses an extremely powerful computer loaded with a robust search engine. These computers are constantly scanning the internet seeking any references to "flight training," "aviation training," "flight instruction," and hundreds of other key terms and phrases. In the case of the BPPE's proposal, all references to flight training had been removed. The computers are incapable of bring attention to something that just isn't there. In other words, the regulations were imposed through the process of "inclusion by omission."

What is the next step if we're to protect flight training from the far and deep reaching tentacles of the BPPE? My recommendation is simply to pause and take a breath. Yes, the threat to our aviating activity is both real and immediate, but the absolute best people in the industry are working the issue at the highest levels. Our first task as members of the General Aviation Community is to become educated about the issue. The LRAA has created a BPPE Proposed Regulations Resource page. Visit this page (or visit each source page individually), read the information, and become knowledgable. Then, compose an email or letter to your State Senator and Assembly Representative explaining why you support an exemption of aviation training.

An opportunity to address the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education directly will be available through a public hearing scheduled on Monday, June 7, 2010 at 10 am at the Department of Consumer Affairs at 2005 Evergreen Street in Sacramento. If you can't attend the hearing in person you may submit comments via email, fax, or mail to:

Joanne Wenzel
Staff Services Manager III
1625 N. Market Blvd., Suite S 202
Sacramento, California 95834
Telephone No.: (916) 574-7784
Fax No.: (916) 574-8652
E-Mail Address: Joanne_Wenzel@dca.ca.gov

Lastly, and presented solely as a thought with no intent of arm twisting, this may be a good time to make a contribution to your favorite pro-aviation Political Action Committee.

One of the LRAA's purposes is to promote aviation activities throughout the Lincoln region. This week we'd like to give extra visibility to an entire day of events being presented by our friends at McClellan Airport [MCC].

The morning starts out with Young Eagles Flights from 8 am to 12 noon hosted by EAA Chapter 52. Concurrently, the EAA's beautifully restored B-17 "Aluminum Overcast" will be available for rides and static tours. It's also "International Learn To Fly Day" so look for opportunities to talk with flight instructors and get information about becoming a pilot!

In the evening, return to the Garden Pavilion at McClellan Airpark to soak in the ambience at the "Aluminum Overcast Gala Dinner & Dance." Enjoy music of the 1940's Big Band Era. Have dinner with the B-17 flight and ground crews. Be entranced by Guest Speaker Neil Morrison reveal his experiences as a B-17 Pilot. Tickets for the evening are $60 and may be purchased through the EAA Chapter 52 website or through the contact listed on the event flyer.

Note: Mr. Morrison's presentation is an activitiy sanctioned by the FAASafetyTeam and which you may receive credit for the knowledge requirements applicable to the FAA "Wings" Pilot Proficiency Program. See the event listing at FAASafety.gov.

The Lincoln-based Pacific Gold Aviation Association welcomes everyone to come take a look at their fleet of beautiful Piper aircraft on Saturday, April 24th. The PGAA is a shared equity company that allows individuals to participate in the joys of airplane ownership without having to go it alone. This educational open house will allow you to learn how the share arrangement works, meet other owners, and, if your checkbook's willing, even become a share owner! Look for the signs and the three Pipers in a row on the tie down ramp north of the fuel pumps. You can also visit the Pacific Gold Aviation Association's website (www.pgaafly.com) or call Gerard Adriani (916-435-2637) or Jeff Richardson (916-759-3436) for more information.

The Lincoln Regional Airport aviation community will gather on Saturday, April 17th for a day of aviation events and activites. We’ll be engaging in the “big 3”: Entertainment, Education, and Eats! Come join your fellow flying enthusiasts in the festivities!

I'll post additional details about the day's events on the website soon. Until then, here's the short version:

• 8:00 am - Lincoln Aircraft Display Day [ Display Day web page ]
• 10:30 am - LRAA Annual Members Meeting
• 11:30 am - Aviators Cookout sponsored by the LRAA
• 1:00 pm - FAA’s “National Safety Stand Down” [ FAASafety Team website ]

The “Display Day” will take place on the flight line area north of the fuel pumps. All other events will be at the hangar at 1850 Flightline Drive (next to the wash rack) and accessible from the street through the pedestrian gate.

NOTE: While there is space for 150+ people at the hangar, the LRAA has a limited supply of chairs. We're pulling out all the seating we can find but If you can bring a chair or two with you it would certainly be helpful!

A fixture at the Lincoln Regional Airport since 1972, Kracon Aircraft Refinishing has taken the initiative to extend the reach of the LRAA in serving its membership. Terry Wingfield, Kracon's owner and LRAA member, offers LRAA members discounts on aircraft painting and refurbishment services. This act was completely unsolicited; Terry made the offer concurrent with the submission of his recent LRAA membership form. Thanks, Terry! (A "formal" discount percentage program has not been established and each job will be quoted based on the specifics of the tasks involved.)

Even if you're not in the market to paint your aircraft right now, drop by the Kracon office at 1406 Flightline Drive and say hello to Erin and the other Kracon employees. Have her show you the shelves of photo albums reflecting their gorgeous work. Its worth the stop just to oogle the pictures! (Ok, I'm a little biased since they painted my '77 Grumman-American Cheetah a year ago ... but still, their work is simply awesome in my opinion!)

Kracon Aircraft Refinishing's business hours are 8 am to 4 pm weekdays. They can be contacted through their website, www.kracon.com, by telephone at 916-645-1614 or by email, <erin@kracon.com>.

Local skydivers will kick off another action-packed parachuting season by gathering for a day of refresher training and jumping. Established by the U.S. Parachute Association in 1997, the annual nationwide Safety Day event focuses on making the sport safer and prepares jumpers for the year ahead. Seasoned skydivers and rookie jumpers alike can evaluate equipment, brush up on basic skills and learn new procedures that will keep them safely soaring through the skies.

Safety Day includes a series of skydiving seminars and training drills that serve as both a refresher course and an introduction to new developments, equipment, disciplines and training methods. And, of course, there will be plenty of skydiving, weather permitting.

Non-skydiving aviators aren't left out of the parachuting awareness and safety programming. Those not engaged in falling through the sky are encouraged to participate by attending a 10:00 am session at Skydive Sacramento that will allow pilots and skydivers to exchange information about each other's operational procedures and requirements. Those not wishing to go to the Skydive Sacramento facility may participate in a "hangar side" review of FAA and local air traffic procedures established to allow skydiving and non-participating aircraft to safely operate concurrently. FAA Safety Team Representative (and LHM-based aircraft owner) Corl Leach will be in the Karl Harder Pavilion (the shelter north of the fuel pumps) from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon to address the topic. Drop by for some discussions, enlightenment, and, of course, a cup of coffee or two!

This afternoon, Austin, Texas became the national face of General Aviation and it wasn't wearing a smile. I'm not going to delve into the issues that led to Joseph Andrew Stack flying his Piper Dakota into an office building; we'll be hearing about that for days or weeks to come. However one thing is factual: this General Aviation pilot has given us all a reason to pause and think about what we as fellow aviators do to promote our activity and assure that it is not perceived in a negative way. Do we "fly friendly"? Do we avoid overflight of congested areas when possible? Do we avoid making abrupt maneuvers or unpredictable course changes? When we're not in the air are our aircraft safely secured in their tiedowns or hangars?

These are not only questions that we want to answer for ourselves, they are also questions the public wants to know ... and that means the news media has a new task. For most people, having a microphone shoved in your face while the lights glare and the cameras roll is an intimidating proposition. It creates a situation where they are not comfortable and, unfortunately, rarely able to express their thoughts the way they were intended. We've seen other pilots actively seek the spotlight with the resulting boastful and exagarated remarks tarnishing General Aviation's image even further. So what's my message? Simply this: be prepared and know what you want to do if approached by a media representative. In most cases, this may be to simply refer the reporter to someone more knowledgeable about the specific topic, or even just to someone who has more experience in talking to reporters.

If, on the other hand, you feel competent and capable of addressing the media personally, the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association has put together a brief video highlighting a few ideas to help you. Follow this link to view AOPA's Guide to Talking to Reporters.

In any situation, as you'll learn in the AOPA video, the first goal is to have had an opportunity to think about the questions that will be asked and formulate your responses before you get in front of the camera. Write notes if necessary (hire a teleprompter if you're so inclined!) but do your best to avoid surprise. Isn't that one of the first lessons we're taught when learning to become a pilot: plan your flight; fly your plan. Speaking to the media is no different.

If you have questions, or simply want to pass media inquiries along, the LRAA President, Corl Leach, is willing to take your call at any time of the day. He is in contact with not only the AOPA Media Relations office but can get support from the state California Pilots Association as well. The goal is to keep Lincoln and its aviation community free from emotional journalistic attacks and ambush reporting. It can be done effectively, but it will take all of us working together and knowing when to speak up or say nothing.

The Lincoln Regional Airport boasts an impressive number of aircraft hangars. Very few aircraft spend their time tied down on the ramp. While this is great from the perspective of protecting the aircraft from the elements, it creates a very poor environment for airport bums and other aviation enthusiasts who enjoy looking at aircraft. Fortunately, there is a way to make everyone happy, especially since it has been announced that there will not be an airshow in 2010.

Beginning on Saturday, January 23rd from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon, then continuing on the third Saturday of each month thereafter, the LRAA and the Lincoln Regional Airport will co-sponsor monthly "Aircraft Display Days". Plane owners will be encouraged to pull their birds out of hangar and congregate in the open for the purpose of sharing our pride with members of the local community. Fly-in participants will be welcome, too! To support our local antique and classic aircraft owners, these events will also qualify as "display periods" for those seeking exemptions for Aircraft of Historical Significance.

During the year, various themes will be combined with the general aircraft displays. For example, the May Display Day falls on "Armed Forces Day" and efforts will be made to invite warbirds to attend. Other months may emphasize narrower interests such as experimental projects, rag-wings, or aircraft types (think a fly-in of Mooneys or the like). In each case, the public will be invited during the morning hours to share our passion, engage in the camaraderie, and enjoy what we already know -- the fun of aviation!

On Monday, December 28th, the California Supreme Court eliminated the last challenge that would have kept the Elk Grove Airport (E27) open and operating. In 2004 the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors had denied the renewal of the airport's Conditional Use Permit stating the airport "has been determined to no longer be compatible with its surroundings." Their intent was to let the permit expire upon which time the airport would cease to operate and neighboring properties, free from the restrictions of the State's Land Use Compatibility Program would be eligible for increased development.

The Sacramento Bee newspaper provides additional information related to this situation in THIS ARTICLE.

This page updated: 08-14-2010
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Contents of this website not specifically attributed to other entities are copyright © 2007-10 by the Lincoln Regional Aviation Association, Chapter of California Pilots Association. Reproduction prohibited without prior permission. If you have questions, comments, or ideas regarding this website please send an email to "website [at] LRAA.aero".