Expert Opinion
AIN Blog: Senators Want a Second Bite at GA
Senators look to add helo air-tour restrictions to highway bill.

The Senate likely will take up a pair of amendments to the $52 billion federal highway bill (S.1813) beginning tomorrow that, if passed, would negatively affect the helicopter taxi and tour business nationwide. Attempts at this sort of mischief-making were stripped from the recently enacted FAA reauthorization bill, so now, U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) are attempting to “Christmas tree” them onto the highway legislation.

Schumer’s attempts to mandate potentially dangerous offshore helicopter routing over Long Island has been ongoing for several years now. But his latest gambit also incorporates language from legislation previously offered by California congressmen and senators to regulate civil helicopter traffic over the Los Angeles basin more stringently.

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Mark Huber
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About the author

Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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