Contributor

Mark Huber

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is holding hearings today examining the National Parks Air Tour Management Program (ATMP). Critics of the ATMP maintain that the new rules governing these flights are draconian and will cripple the air tour industry at these locations, virtually eliminating them in some instances.
Opponents also claim that the rules were constructed by the National Park Service (NPS) and the FAA without sufficiently consulting the industry and stakeholder National Parks Overflights Advisory Group (NPOAG). NPOAG was formed by the FAA and the NPS in the wake of the National Parks Air Tours Management Act becoming law in 2000.
Ruling on a suit brought by environmental groups, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 2020 ordered the FAA and the NPS to implement ATMPs or voluntary agreements for 23 NPS areas. The agencies were given 24 months to comply, a deadline extended through this year with the consent of the court.
The Helicopter Association International (HAI) and other groups and operators have charged that hastily drawn agency compliance rules, resulting from the court’s ruling, either eliminate air tours over certain areas—such as South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore—or are so restrictive as to make them uneconomical. They also believe that some altitude, route, and radio frequency mandates pose safety issues.

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.

Congress Takes Up Parks Air Tour Management Program

Critics charge that new rules will cripple air tour industry 

Critics of the National Parks Air Tour Management Program, or ATMP, believe that the new rules governing these flights will cripple the air tour industry.