Throughout his appearances, Babbitt conveyed a
consistent theme: a desire to discuss, learn more, debate,
collaborate, and discover sound solutions. Far from a
comprehensive investigation of his position on the numerous
regulatory issues confronting general aviation, here’s a quick
review of Babbitt’s thoughts on aviation issues:
• On EAA AirVenture Oshkosh: “It’s a place where,
if you want to feel that passion of aviation, you just have
to come. I don’t think you can take enough pictures to
show people how much happens here. It’s a great place.
If it has flown, is flying, or may fly in the future, it’s
probably here.”
• On his first 60 days in office: “It’s been exciting.
The good news is there’s a terrific corps of people at
the FAA. My one regret is that they don’t often get the
recognition that they deserve. We do a million things
correctly every day: 70,000 operations every day, 753
million people we carry every year without getting them
hurt. One accident is one too many— but, boy, one
accident sure makes the front page. It’s an incredibly safe
system, and we’re keeping our focus there.”
• On managing air-transport and general-aviation traffic: “The next generation of navigational
systems—how we space aircraft and separate them—
will improve our system and make it more efficient.
I’m excited about the potential of NextGen to provide
approaches at literally thousands of new airports. We
could not afford to put ILS approaches into another
thousand airports. But with satellite navigation
systems, those processes will allow us to design
approaches at thousands of airports. General aviation is
going to be safer and more efficient as a result.”
• On funding the FAA and the national air traffic
control system: “At one time our system got a lot of
its money from the general fund…. When aviation
boomed, the amount of money available to it from
the general fund was reduced, because aviation was
prospering so much. Now, however, we see just the
reciprocal. Passenger traffic is off, ticket prices are down,
people are flying less in their GA aircraft, aviation fuel
has been expensive, and it’s not a robust economy. And
we now have many more efficient aircraft burning less
fuel, meaning the fuel excise tax generates less revenue.
“So, we have a problem. All those things together have
taken away from all the sources that we’ve used to fund our
whole federal aviation system. Maybe we should return to
having the general fund pay more for it, quite bluntly. I
think we will find a consensus; I haven’t heard the perfect
answer yet. We need some stabilizing and continuity. If you
look at user fees, they’re not any less immune to those ups
and downs than anything else I’ve mentioned.”
• On general aviation security requirements:
“There definitely is a role the FAA can play in cultivating
a better understanding of GA among the agencies tasked
with securing our nation’s transportation systems. I’d
like to meet with a confirmed administrator of the
Transportation Security Administration, which is a
pending appointment. We have thoughts to share. We
see there are some choke points here and there, and
we’re certainly getting feedback from the GA community.
The goal is a safe and secure aviation system. Our hope is
to see the agencies come up with something that is a lot
better than what we’re doing today.”
Tyson Rininger
Piperjet
Tecnam P2006T piston twin
• On the sport pilot, light-sport aircraft
movement: “It was a bold experiment to let an industry
regulate itself. FAA said, ‘Fine, you live up to those
standards.’ And they have done it. The statistics support
it. Accident ratios support it. And now there are 8, 100 of
these aircraft! To bring aviation to young and old, anyone
who wants to learn to fly, you’ve got to put it closer
within their reach. That’s what sport pilot does. It’s a
grand experiment, and a successful one.”
AROUND THE FIELD
New, innovative, and interesting aircraft and aviation accessories could be found throughout
the AirVenture grounds. Here’s a recap of some of the
most interesting aircraft that caught our eye. Next
month, we’ll cover engines, avionics, and more.
flights are expected in early 2010.
The Eagle 300T builds on Rotor Way’s more than 40
years of experience in producing cost-effective helicopters
kits, with more than 2,400 helicopters operating in 52
countries throughout the world.
Like the Rotor Way Talon helicopter, the Eagle 300T
will seat two. Its useful load is 1, 100 pounds, and with a
capacity to haul 80 gallons of fuel, the Eagle will have a
two-hour duration and a cruise of 110 knots.
In addition to filling a niche in the initial turbine training
market, the Eagle 300T can be a cost-effective way for a
professional pilot to build turbine hours. Reservations for
the 300T are being accepted for $5,000. www.Rotor Way.com
Rotor Way Debuts Eagle 300T Turbine Helo
For helicopter enthusiasts, Rotor Way International CEO
Grant Norwitz made one of the biggest announcements
of the week at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 when
he introduced the company’s newest helicopter, the
Eagle 300T. Powered by a Rolls-Royce RR300-B1
engine, RotorWay is positioning this airframe/engine
combination as the most cost-effective turbine trainer
in the world and plans to certify it for that market. First
Tecnam Twin
It’s not often that a new piston twin makes its grand
entry to the U.S. market at AirVenture. Actually, it’s not
often that a new piston twin makes its debut, period,
but on July 27, 2009, the Italian plane maker Tecnam
introduced its new P2006T piston twin. What makes the
P2006T appealing is that flight schools, students, and
recreational pilots looking for the security of a second
engine may burn automobile fuel in its two 100-hp Rotax
912S powerplants.
Designed by the same team that worked on the
well-known Italian Partenavia twins, the P2006T is
certificated in the United States to FAR Part 23 standards
