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IAOPA Resolutions

WORLD ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS

30th IAOPA World Assembly: Combined Resolutions

27th World Assembly: Combined Resolutions | IAOPA Policy Manual

RESOLUTION 27/1

Gratitude for the Host

Whereas:
the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China has graciously hosted the 27th World Assembly of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations in Beijing, China; and

Whereas:
the leadership, staff and members of AOPA China have given generously of their time and talents to make this Assembly a success and have extended their warm friendship and hospitality to the delegates and guests; and

Whereas:
the delegates assembled wish to express their sincere appreciation to these persons and entities; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly, resolves:
to extend its deepest gratitude to all of the dedicated AOPA China personnel and members for their work in hosting the Assembly, including

  • President LI Wenxin
  • Vice President HAO Jianhua
  • ZHANG Feng, Secretary General
  • Angela Guo, Deputy Secretary General
  • Frank Yu, Deputy Secretary General
  • CHEN, Guohua, Deputy Secretary General
  • Guo Pei, LI Zhen Tony Xue, Wenny Zhang, CUI, Wenli, Alex Bai, CAI Fei, REN Tingting YANG Yang, YANG Jiangping
  • Isabella Wang, SHANGGUAN Qilin
  • Liang Wenguang, Roland Nissim
  • Wei Chen, Director AOPA China
  • and the other members of AOPA China.

RESOLUTION 27/2

Gratitude for the Sponsors

Whereas:
the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China has graciously hosted the 27th World Assembly of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations in Beijing, China; and

Whereas:
a number of organizations have generously sponsored special events; and

Whereas:
the delegates assembled wish to express their sincere appreciation to these persons and entities; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly, resolves:
to extend its deepest gratitude to all of the sponsors which include:-

  • Jeppesen
  • Continental Motors
  • Cirrus Aircraft
  • Capital Helicopter Corporation
  • Air Union Insurance Brokers
  • Zhu Ye Qing Tea
  • Ifeixing Aero Club

RESOLUTION 27/3

Gratitude for International, Government and Industry Support

Whereas:
several government and aviation industry representatives have participated in the 27th World Assembly of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations hosted by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China from September 09 to 13, 2014 in Beijing, China; and

Whereas:
the delegates assembled wish to express their sincere appreciation to the representatives of China and to the officials and agencies who participated in the Assembly; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly, resolves:
to thank the representatives of China and other organizations for their cooperation, and especially the following officials for their generous and valuable participation:

  • Civil Aviation Authority of China Beijing
  • Municipal Government Xiao Jing, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
  • Steve Brown, National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)
  • Kai Duell, General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA)

RESOLUTION 27/4

Proposed by AOPA Netherlands

Whereas:
EGAST, the EASA General Aviation Safety Team, reported recently the incident figures of 2013; and

Whereas:
EGAST reported Abnormal Runway Contact (ARC) is the number on contributor to non-fatal accidents; and

Whereas:
the reason for these accidents is reduced training options for GA due to high cost for touch and go training movement; and

Whereas:
the touch and go flights are training flights for students as well as for licensed pilots; and

Whereas:
in several countries there is no airfield charge or air traffic charge for these touch and go movements therefore reducing the cost to a minimum administrative cost of a few dollars per movement; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly, resolves:
to urge, in the interest of safety all national regulators and Departments of Transport, to promote all Airport Authorities and the Air Traffic Control organizations, to reduce the cost for touch and go movement to no charge thus serving air safety and airport safety.

RESOLUTION 27/5

Proposed by AOPA Netherlands

Whereas:
Aeromedical safety is maintained because pilots properly assess their physical fitness to fly, prior to each flight

Whereas:
Pilots value their own safety and that of their passengers which will continue to be true with or without the requirement for medical certification.

Whereas:
Due to the significant cost associated with obtaining a medical certificate, renewing it, the fear of being denied and sent through the bureaucratic hoops and extensive testing required to get it back, many pilots have chosen to stop flying for personal transportation and recreational purposes—no longer participating and enjoying the freedom to fly.

Whereas:
All pilots are required to undergo a flight review, conducted by a certificated flight instructor at least every two years in order to act as pilot in command. During these reviews, instructors continue to evaluate each pilot’s cognitive condition, as well as his or her physical ability to safely operate an aircraft. If either is in question they will not endorse the pilot.

Whereas:
The resources now being used on the medical certification process could be reinvested in ways that do far more to enhance safety, including increased proficiency flying and installing new safety equipment on aircraft.

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly, resolves:
That, national regulators should adopt requirements for private pilots similar to those currently being considered in the United States which expands upon the FAA’s successful Sport Pilot Rule and that ensures safety is maintained while significantly reducing burdensome regulatory barriers. This approach also provides regulators and the general aviation community with a responsible and appropriate approach to addressing medical fitness for pilots who are flying for private and recreational purposes.

RESOLUTION 27/6

Proposed AOPA Sweden

Whereas:
responsibility for aerodromes are commonly left to regional and municipal authorities; and

Whereas:
governments increasingly tend to divest of the responsibility of preserving general aviation aerodromes; and

Whereas:
regional and community aerodromes close their operation when there is no scheduled traffic; and

Whereas:
authorities recognize the importance of general aviation; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly resolves:
to urge the communities, states, regional and administrating authorities to:

  • share the responsibility for general aviation infrastructure and to ensure that all regions of the country have sufficient access to general aviation aerodromes; and
  • develop a plan whereby the network of aerodromes may be realized.

RESOLUTION 27/7

Proposed AOPA UK

Whereas:
growth of General Aviation can be impeded through over-regulation; and

Whereas:
operating rules are required for the safety of all airspace users; and

Whereas:
the costs associated with regulation oversight can lead to lower levels of activity; and

Whereas:
the ICAO Secretary General, in his opening statement to this assembly, highlighted the impact of over-regulation in deterring the growth of general aviation; and

Whereas:
basis for regulation should be data driven; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly resolves:
that regulatory systems need to be risk based and proportionate to the activity and that regulators understand the risks that they seek to address and regularly review their existing regulations.

RESOLUTION 27/8

Proposed by AOPA UK

Whereas:
ICAO separates the definitions of General Aviation and Aerial Work operations; and

Whereas:
IAOPA has historically represented the interests of general aviation including aerial work operators and small commercial operators; and

Whereas:
aerial work operations use typical general aviation aircraft; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly, resolves:

  • to continue to represent the interests of general aviation including aerial work operations as well as small commercial operators; and
  • ICAO should work with IAOPA to develop appropriate guidance in Annex 6 by creating a separate Part 4 that will address the operational requirements of this area of general aviation operations.

RESOLUTION 27/9

Proposed AOPA CHINA

Whereas:
ICAO contracting states apply the ICAO airspace classifications; and

Whereas:
China is committed to opening up the lower altitudes of airspace in supporting the economic developments of general aviation; and

Whereas:
the process needs to make quicker progress; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly resolves:
that opening of airspace in line with the requirements of ICAO Class G, China will further the development of VFR flights.

RESOLUTION 27/10

Proposed AOPA CHINA

Whereas:
IAOPA is concerned with the supply of aviation fuel for operators of general aviation aircraft in China; and

Whereas:
there is a need for wider distribution to airports serving the needs of private aircraft owners; and

Whereas:
availability of fuel is linked to flight safety and operational efficiency; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly resolves:
that fuel supply needs to be available without restrictions.

RESOLUTION 27/11

Proposed AOPA CHINA

Whereas:
general aviation aircraft are being imported into China; and

Whereas:
in future aircraft may be exported from China; and

Whereas:
taxes and levies, when applied, may cause unnecessary restrictions; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly resolves:
that the burden of taxes/levies should not be at a level which restricts the individual’s freedom to buy and sell aircraft and should be fair and reasonable.

RESOLUTION 27/12

Proposed AOPA CHINA

Whereas:
the growth of general aviation in China is restrained by current government policies; and

Whereas:
there is a desire to free up the general aviation market place; and

Whereas:
general aviation can provide real economic benefits to the local and national economies; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly resolves:
to encourage all government to recognise the benefit that general aviation can provide to the economy of a state where there is minimum interventions from the state, fewer controls can speed up growth in this important sector of aviation.

RESOLUTION 27/13

Proposed by AOPA NEW ZEALAND

Whereas:
airspace modernization efforts are underway around the globe transitioning from a ground based system to a satellite based system; and

Whereas:
the implementation of Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) such as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and its European counterpart EGNOS, provide IFR capabilities to airports at a significant cost saving over ground based systems (ILS); and

Whereas:
implementation of SBAS systems has been proven to improve aviation safety; and

Whereas:
many States, in complying with ICAO resolution 37-11 have chosen only to implement BaroVnav APV approaches or a more costly Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS), both of which are cost prohibitive for general aviation aircraft to equip; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly, resolves:
that the safety needs of general aviation aircraft must be included in any airspace modernization plan by the development and implementation of a SBAS system providing LPV approaches at general aviation airports capable of instrument approaches.

RESOLUTION 27/14

Proposed by AOPA UK

Whereas:
ICAO establishes standards and recommended practices, it is not the only standards body that can affect the general aviation industry; and

Whereas:
new regulations are being proposed throughout the globe for example EU regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) (EC1907/2006), which impacts most industrial products. Whilst the intent of REACH is to provide a high level of protection for human health; and

Whereas:
certain chemicals are used in aviation, some chemicals such as Halon are carried for the purpose of extinguishing fires; and

Whereas:
there is a need to achieve the right balance particularly in the health of humans, the non-availability of key substances impact directly on aircraft and product sales, maintenance of in-service products plus the administrative burden of the legislation on individuals and SMLs; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly, resolves:
that aviation products critical to the safety of life needs to be exempted from this legislation and that ICAO should take a leading role in this debate to ensure the aviation safety is not adversely affected.

RESOLUTION 27/15

Proposed by The President - IAOPA

Whereas:
IAOPA represents the general aviation interests in 73 countries; and

Whereas:
IAOPA has a presence at ICAO in order to assure its relevance on the world stage; and

Whereas:
your leadership of this world body is most respected; and

Whereas:
your kind words conveyed to us in your video message were a highly valuable contribution to the success of our World Assembly; therefore

IAOPA, at its 27th World Assembly, resolves:
that the delegates deepest gratitude is expressed to you, Secretary General of ICAO for your interest and dedicated support evidenced by your insightful comments transmitted to our Assembly.

Resolution 25/1

Gratitude for Sponsors and Supporters

Whereas:
the Israeli Association of General Aviation (AOPA-Israel)  has graciously hosted the 25th World Assembly of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) in Tel Aviv, Israel; and

Whereas:
the leadership and staff of AOPA-Israel have given generously of their time and talents to make this Assembly a success, and have extended their warm friendship and hospitality to the delegates and guests; and

Whereas:
a number of organizations have generously sponsored the Assembly and its special events; therefore

Whereas:
the delegates assembled wish to express their sincere appreciation to these persons and organizations; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves: to extend its appreciation to the following individuals and organizations for their excellent services and sponsorship:

  • Yaron Efrat, President AOPA-Israel
  • Nathan Sharon, AOPA-Israel
  • Moshe  Akler, AOPA-Israel
  • Yigal Mairav, AOPA-Israel
  • AOPA-Israel member volunteers
  • Jeppesen
  • Ronen Shapira, Chief Test Pilot, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)

Resolution 25/2

Gratitude for International, Government and Industry Support

Whereas:
representatives from a number of international, regional, national and industry organizations have participated in the 25th World Assembly of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations, providing a significant contribution to the success of the Assembly; and

Whereas:
the delegates assembled wish to express their sincere appreciation to all of the representatives who participated in the Assembly; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves: to thank the following representatives for their insight, support and participation:

  • Daniel Calleja-Crespo, Director Air Transport - European Commission
  • Mikolaj Ratajczyk, European Commission - Aviation Safety
  • Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General, ICAO
  • Mitchell Fox, Chief of Flight Operations, ICAO
  • Moshe Talmor, Dov Hoze Airport Manager
  • Rafael Harpaz, Director Economic Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Giora Romm, Director of Israel Civil Aviation Authority

 

Resolution 25/3

Recognition of Non-Certified Aircraft Operations

Submitted by the Secretariat

Whereas:
non-type certified aircraft (ultralights, light sport aircraft, homebuilt, owner-maintained aircraft) are increasing in proportion to the total general aviation fleet; and

Whereas:
general aviation has traditionally been the training ground for new pilots and mechanics; and

Whereas:
the growing fleet of non-certified aircraft require a new set of mechanics, instructors and training curricula to be developed to assure continued safety of this growing sector; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves: that affiliates work with their national aviation authorities to enact provisions which will assure:

  • the recognition of the contribution that non-type certified aircraft make to all civil aviation activities; and
  • recognition of the training opportunities non-type certified aircraft provide for all pilots and mechanics; and
  • integration of non-type certified aircraft into the regulatory structure to permit training of both pilots and mechanics on these aircraft to be recognized toward the experience requirements for certified aircraft licenses; and
  • the collection of appropriate non-type certified aircraft operational statistics to measure the impact of these operations on all civil aviation activities; and
  • to the extent practicable, national aviation authorities should permit the crediting of flying time and mechanical training experience in non-type certificated aircraft toward higher licensing.

 

Resolution 25/4

IAOPA Affiliate Aerodrome Support Programs

Submitted by the Secretariat

Whereas:
aerodromes are an essential resource for all general aviation operations; and

Whereas:
the number of aerodromes in all States has been reduced significantly over years past. This diminished number has made it increasingly difficult to operate general aviation aircraft in an efficient and economical manner. Pilots and aircraft owners leaving aviation because of the resulting operational inconvenience; and

Whereas:
the loss of aerodromes arises in large part from local governments, businesses and residents not realizing the value of general aviation to their community. Additionally, land values near metropolitan areas have risen to the point where property developers can easily outbid airport operators in purchasing the land on which they are located; and

Whereas:
local users of these aerodromes often do not perceive the threats to their facilities in a timely manner to prevent the loss of the aerodrome. This may be because the users are not adequately engaged with either aerodrome management or surrounding communities to realize the potential threats to their aerodromes; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves: that all IAOPA affiliates:

  • devise programs to motivate and educate their members regarding the preservation and protection of all general aviation aerodromes within their State; and
  • form aerodrome support groups and networks for each active general aviation aerodrome within their State; and
  • actively monitor continued viability of general aviation aerodromes within their area of influence; and
  • affiliates should share best practices information regarding aerodrome preservation and advocacy.

 

Resolution 25/5

Removal of Requirements for Rescue and Firefighting Services at Aerodromes

Submitted by the Secretariat

Whereas:
ICAO Annex 14 Aerodromes requires rescue and firefighting services to be available at all aerodromes capable of serving international flights, regardless of aerodrome size or activity levels; and

Whereas:
many States have chosen to adopt this requirement for all their aerodromes, significantly increasing aerodrome operating expenses, consequently levying increased landing fees to cover these costs; and

Whereas:
very few accidents occur at small general aviation aerodromes requiring on-aerodrome rescue and firefighting services; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves to: propose that ICAO and States remove the requirement for rescue and firefighting services at aerodromes classified as ICAO Class 1* or those with a runway length of less than 1,000 meters.

* Aerodromes capable of accommodating aircraft with a maximum length of 9 meters or fuselage width of 2 meters.

 

Resolution 25/6

Meeting the Demand for New Commercial Air Transport Pilots and Technicians

Submitted by the Secretariat

Whereas:
the ICAO Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) symposium held earlier this year concluded that there will be shortfalls of well-trained pilots and technicians for the commercial air transport industry over the next decade; and

Whereas:
requirements within these occupations have been estimated as follows:

  • in the next 20 years, airlines will have to add 25,000 new aircraft to the current 17,000-strong commercial fleet; and
  • by 2026, we will need 480,000 new technicians to maintain these aircraft and over 350,000 pilots to fly them; and

Whereas:
individual self-funding for qualification as an airline pilot or mechanic is  expensive and beyond the reach of the average young person; and

Whereas:
training for pilot or mechanic certification begins with general aviation; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves to: work with States, ICAO, commercial air transport organizations and aviation training operators to:

  • highlight the fact that a high proportion of all aviation training and qualification begins with general aviation; and
  • emphasize the need for increased recruiting efforts in aviation operational occupations; and
  • devise  financial incentives to support selected aviation career candidates; and
  • find ways of lowering flight training and proficiency costs to encourage more rapid achievement of and improving pilot qualifications.

 

Resolution 25/7

Financial Incentives to Promote Flight Training and Proficiency

Submitted by AOPA-Botswana

Whereas:
the cost of training pilots has escalated over the past few years due to continuing and rapid increases in fuel and oil prices, maintenance costs and landing and navigation fees. These increased operating costs are passed on to the student pilot through increased hourly training rates; and

Whereas:
many young student pilots cannot afford flight training costs over a short period of time. Therefore, the total amount of training time required to obtain a private pilot license (PPL) increases due to the necessity of reviewing previous lessons. As a consequence, the number of student PPL course completions is falling each year due to the expense involved. Furthermore, the number of hours flown each year by new pilots is also decreasing due to these escalating costs. This results in reduced pilot proficiency and ultimately affects safety; and

Whereas:
with fewer pilots being trained each year there are fewer PPL holders progressing to receive a commercial pilot license. Therefore, fewer pilots are able to become airline pilots when the demand for them is increasing worldwide; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, resolves: to urge States and responsible authorities to:

  • recognize the potential shortage of pilots in years to come and take measures to reduce training costs by eliminating landing and navigation fees for all flight training operations, and
  • provide financial incentives to reduce the cost of fuel purchases used for flight training and proficiency flying; and
  • reduce operating costs for all general aviation aircraft; and
  • ensure that aviation fuel taxes are used to fund the aviation infrastructure.

 

Resolution 25/8

Pilot Proficiency Requirements

Submitted by AOPA-Philippines

Whereas:
with the introduction of advanced technology devices in aircraft, operators become complacent and reliant on technology, thereby compromising the need to concentrate on basic airmanship skills and procedures; and

Whereas:
technology has obscured the need to emphasize airmanship through retraining activities and regular evaluation; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: to urge State licensing authorities to:

  • adopt competency based evaluation tools to determine the proficiency and competency levels of airmen and pilots; and
  • require approval of aviation training organizations and their training personnel.

 

Resolution 25/9

Recognition of Government Responsibility of Aerodromes for General Aviation

Submitted by AOPA-Sweden

Whereas:
responsibility for aerodromes are commonly left to regional and municipal authorities; and

Whereas:
governments increasingly tend to relieve themselves of the responsibility of preserving general aviation aerodromes; and

Whereas:
the international general aviation community recognizes the importance of general aviation airports; and

Whereas:
the European Community recognizes the value of general aviation aerodromes and urges governments and member States to ensure the viable network of general aviation aerodromes; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: to urge States and administrating authorities to:

  • share the responsibility for general aviation aerodromes and to ensure that all regions of the country have sufficient access to general aviation aerodromes; and
  • research various ways by which the network of aerodromes may be realized, and
  • recognize the importance of aerodromes to the national infrastructure.

 

Resolution 25/10

Growing the Pilot Population

Submitted by AOPA-USA & IAOPA

Whereas:
all IAOPA members seek to attract more individuals into aviation; and

Whereas:
all IAOPA members have the ability to share flying experience with non-pilots throughout the year; and

Whereas:
IAOPA will be strengthened through efforts to grow the pilot population; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: that IAOPA affiliates:

  • exchange information among affiliates regarding growing the pilot population; and
  • develop ‘best practices’ describing successful approaches that attract individuals to flight training programs; and
  • make these issues a topic of ongoing discussion and the subject of a  report to the affiliates and the agenda to the next IAOPA World Assembly.

 

Resolution 25/11

National Pilot Ratings within the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)

Submitted by AOPA-UK

Whereas:
within EASA there are a number of national pilot ratings for which there will be no equivalent under the 2012 EASA member State harmonization program. This will result in the loss of established valuable national ratings based on an administrative change; and

Whereas:
an example of this is the UK Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) rating, with over 20,000 issued to date. This rating offers the privilege of flight in IMC outside controlled airspace with approach privileges without the requirement of a full instrument rating with its associated training requirements, cost and ongoing currency commitments. The benefit of this rating is improved flight safety; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves:

  • that it will communicate to EASA the value of this rating and the ability of national authorities to retain ratings, subject to national laws, where there is a demonstrated safety benefit and no such equivalent rating is available through EASA regulation; and
  • to encourage other States to consider the safety benefit of such a rating.

 

Resolution 25/12

Grandfather Rights

Submitted by AOPA-UK

Whereas:
it is necessary to ensure that pilots do not lose license privileges as a result of regulation evolution (grandfather rights) particularly with the regulatory changes and harmonization at present taking place within European region; and

Whereas:
certain types of licenses issued by national authorities have no equivalent under the 2012 harmonization proposals which will deprive pilots, in some cases, of an ability to earn a living (a human rights issue as well); and

Whereas:
an example of this is the UK Basic Commercial Pilots License (BCPL) which was introduced to allow UK PPL instructors to continue to instruct for remuneration under JAR when it became a requirement to hold a CPL to instruct for remuneration; and

Whereas:
there is no equivalent of a BCPL within present EASA proposals.  Whilst it is a basic human right to earn a living it cannot be right that new European rules take away the right to continue earning a living on the same basis; and

Whereas:
a similar issue is the proposal for overseas flight training instructors to hold a full EASA Instructor Certificate in order to teach for the issue of a European license. This requires completion of an approved EASA flight instructors course, with associated costs, particularly where there is no credit for existing instructor qualifications; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves:

  • to pursue through the European Commission and EASA the issue of  grandfather rights to ensure a like for like replacement of licenses without the requirement for additional training, examination or technical requirement; and
  • to ask the Commission to address the need for instructional flight time credits to apply to overseas flight instructors.

 

Resolution 25/13

FAA (N-Registered) Aircraft in Europe

Submitted by AOPA-UK

Whereas:
EASA is proposing requirements that an aircraft owned under a Trust agreement must demonstrate that the aircraft meet all aspects of the FARs equivalent to European regulations in excess of those already applicable to N-registered aircraft that are permanently based in Europe; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: that Europe should recognize that the FAA complies with ICAO standards, has a  fully compliant registry with a safety record comparable to that of Europe while offering adequate oversight, and should therefore accept properly N-registered aircraft as compliant to operate without further requirements in Europe, where the aircraft is being used for private purposes only.

 

Resolution 25/14

Aircraft Certification and Airworthiness Bilateral Agreements

Submitted by AOPA-UK

Whereas:
EASA has taken over the initial certification and continued airworthiness rules for aviation in Europe in order to reduce costs; and

Whereas:
the FAA has for many years fulfilled the role of certification of aircraft and equipment and has had many bilateral agreements with a number of States.  No such agreement exists between the European Commission and its agency EASA, and the US Department of Transport and its agency the FAA; and

Whereas:
this lack of bilateral agreements affects AOPA members when, for example, STCs are not automatically accepted; and

Whereas:
this increases costs to members as they need to apply for an STC and pay for the involvement of a design firm.

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: to pursue at the highest political level the need for Europe and the USA to enact bilateral certification and airworthiness agreements as they may apply to general aviation.

 

Resolution 25/15

Network of Airports to Serve General Aviation

Submitted by AOPA-Canada

Whereas:
airports are under significant threat of closure, due in large part to a lack of understanding of their role in the national transportation infrastructure; and

Whereas:
a network of airports that serve general aviation is an essential requirement for general aviation to be a viable part of a State’s national transportation infrastructure; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves: that States be encouraged to include in their Air Transportation Policy a statement that defines an appropriate network of airports to serve general aviation so that it remains a viable mode of transportation for the State.

 

Resolution Number 25/16

Global Recognition of Light Sport Aircraft

Submitted by IAOPA-Secretariat

Whereas:
the expenses associated with operating training aircraft have grown to the point where the cost of training the next generation of aviation professionals is prohibitively expensive; and

Whereas:
these costs will limit the number of students that could afford to learn to fly, as well as those owners and pilots that could continue to fly; and

Whereas:
there are no aeroplanes on the market that are lower in cost to operate and these aeroplanes are a growing segment of general aviation; and

Whereas:
recognizing that these new aeroplanes or light sport aeroplanes (LSA) are now highly capable, and have the capacity to meet the need for lower cost general aviation aeroplanes; and

Whereas:
recognizing that the production and certification of  LSAs is not globally harmonized and that in accordance with Article 33 of the Convention of International Civil Aviation that this may place a barrier on the recognition of the pilot’s license and certificates of airworthiness; and

Whereas:
recognizing that the lack of international regulatory framework to support the multi-national recognition of  LSAs and associated pilot licenses may raise the cost of operation of  LSAs and the resulting cost to operators, pilots and trainees; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly resolves to:

  • call upon the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to review the need for high level certification standards for LSAs; and
  • call upon ICAO to review the current Annex 1 Licenses to assess the need for the establishment of LSA pilot licensing standards; and
  • emphasize the need for any future licensing and/or certification standards to follow the concept of proportionality to reduce the burden of any future regulatory requirements on the industry and the operators; and
  • call upon the States to establish the regulations in accordance with any future ICAO standards as a means to promote uniformity and the recognition of certificates and licenses for LSA.

 

Resolution 25/17

Standardizing Airspace Classifications

Submitted by AOPA-Italy

Whereas:
general aviation needs two essential resources (other than money) with which to operate: aerodromes and airspace. A persistent threat concerning airspace access plagues general aviation, especially those operating under visual flight rules (VFR). This is the random, unplanned and non-standardized placement of tightly controlled airspace in areas frequented by general aviation, generally areas not requiring a high degree of control; and

Whereas:
little guidance is provided to States regarding airspace design and justification. The result is that airspace segments are designated at the whim of the regulatory authority, yielding little standardization among States, even contiguous ones; and

Whereas:
enroute navigation while avoiding restrictive airspace makes VFR operations increasingly complex. This complexity aggravates a number of other potential hazards: marginal weather, dwindling fuel, rising terrain and apprehensiveness about a possible airspace violation all conspire to increase risk and reduce safety for the VFR pilot; and

Whereas:
little or no consistency in airspace standardization exists from one State to another, especially with regard to the airspace above 3,000 feet AGL or within terminal areas. One State’s Class D airspace becomes another’s Class C or another’s Class B. Since many States erroneously equate a high degree of air traffic control with safety, much airspace is over-classified; therefore

IAOPA, at its 25th World Assembly, reaffirms its 24th World Assembly resolution: to urge ICAO, State and military regulatory authorities responsible for classifying airspace to:

  • classify airspace at the lowest possible level commensurate with the type of operations conducted; and
  • involve stakeholders and use their input when developing airspace classification policies, standards and locations; and
  • coordinate airspace classification policy with nearby States and regional groups; and
  • design airspace using risk assessment and cost benefit analysis techniques.