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

The first three months of 2018 will be a critical period in the debate surrounding the organization of the U.S. air traffic control system. Congress is facing a March 31 deadline to resolve lawmakers' differences on the proposal that was tucked into comprehensive long-term FAA reauthorization legislation. The FAA is operating on a short-term extension of its authorization, but that is set to expire March 31.

 


While Congress could simply adopt another short-term extension, many believe that lawmakers lack the political will to continue down that path.&nbsp;

 


Opponents to the ATC measure are hopeful that lawmakers may move ahead on comprehensive reauthorization without the measure, if a resolution cannot be achieved before the March 31 deadline.

 


This sets the stage for an intense period of lobbying—on both sides of the ATC issue—in the first quarter of 2018 as lawmakers seek to come to a resolution on whether to create an independent, user-funded ATC organization.&nbsp;

 


Aside from the ATC proposal and a few other provisions, House and Senate versions of comprehensive FAA reauthorization legislation have strong support from industry and on Capitol Hill.&nbsp;While the ATC proposal hamstrung progress of the House FAA reauthorization bill, the Senate bill has stumbled on a measure to ease the 1,500-hour requirement for air transport pilots. However, most believe that is the easier of the two issues to resolve.

 


The Senate has awaited House action, but Senate Commerce Committee chairman John Thune (R-South Dakota) is believed to be ready to move the Senate bill early in the year in the absence of a House vote.

 


Even if Congress were to move on reauthorization without the ATC proposal, other options are available to the architect of the proposal, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pennsylvania), including a massive infrastructure package that is in the works. However, the prospects of success for such a package have been unclear.

 


Shuster will make a formidable push for the ATC proposal this year, his last as chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Many speculate that if unsuccessful this year, the issue may be shelved, at least for the time being.

 


NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen has repeatedly called the proposal “a bad idea” and asserts that in Washington, such ideas never go away.

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.

Look Ahead: ATC Debate To Heat Up Early in 2018

Many believe lawmakers lack political will to pass further  short-term FAA authorization extensions, setting the stage for intense debate early in 2018.

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