Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

House and Senate lawmakers have introduced companion bills designed to free up funding for general aviation and small airports and ease the process for improvement projects at those airports.


Introduced last week by Sens. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) in the Senate and Reps. Sam Graves (R-Missouri) and Cheri Bustos (R-Illinois) in the House, the bills would reform “non-primary” airport entitlement funding to ensure general aviation facilities have the time to obtain the necessary FAA funding and have access to discretionary funding. The bills further would expedite the environmental review process in certain cases, establish a public-private partnership to enable general aviation airports to attract private investments and designate certain airports as “disaster relief airports” to enable access to emergency planning and other funding. Finally, the companion bills would clarify definitions to ensure that construction of recreational aircraft is considered aeronautical activity at airports.


“Oklahoma is home to 96 GA airports, which will need $303 million in critical infrastructure updates over the next five years,” Inhofe said in introducing S.1320, the Forward Looking Investment in General Aviation, Hangars and Tarmacs (Flight) Act of 2017. “As a pilot myself, I know firsthand the need of the GA community, and the Flight Act makes a number of needed reforms to facilitate GA airport infrastructure investment.”


“Our facilities need to be modernized to continue providing reliable service to [small and rural] communities,” added Graves in introducing the companion H.R.2879. “The Flight Act will give GA airports investment flexibility by opening up existing funding sources, presenting a much needed commonsense solution to the problems facing our nation’s small airports.”


The bills were introduced as House and Senate lawmakers begin to assemble comprehensive FAA reauthorization legislation, providing a possible vehicle for consideration if they do not move forward as independent bills.


A cross-section of general and business aviation, airports, states and other organizations strongly backed the bills. Nearly 30 of those organizations wrote the lawmakers endorsing the legislation, saying the measures would provide “long overdue flexibility, within existing budget parameters.”


The organizations noted that for a number of reasons, <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2017-04-11/most-us-genav-airports-leave-grant-money-table">non-primary airports have not been able to fully use their federal airport grants</a> on upgrade and infrastructure projects. “The Flight Act addresses these concerns in a fiscally sound manner,” they said.

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

House, Senate Bills To Ease GA Airport Funding Access

Companion bills introduced in House and Senate have gained broad support from airports, states and business and general aviation groups.

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News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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