WHAT IN THE $%^* IS WRONG WITH OUR GOVERNMENT!

I love this Country and am very thankful for being able to live here! I have lived in 2 wonderful cities in my life, growing up in Atlanta and having lived the last 32 years in Scottsdale.

What has happened to our Government? Two weeks ago it was a mandate from the FAA that anyone flying in Class A, B, or C airspace or anyone flying above 10,000 feet must have ADS-B out by 2020. ADS-B out does not provide any benefit for GA. Along with ADS-B out we will still have to have mode C and a transponder on board. This is all for the benefit of the airlines, not GA.

Now the latest mandate has come down, not from the FAA but the FCC. It states that in 60 days all aircraft must be equipped with a 406mhz ELT. If you don’t have one by then, your aircraft is grounded. What the hell was some government employee thinking! It is true that the 406mhz ELT is now being monitored by satellites, however CAP, the Airlines and ATC still monitor 121.5 ELT’s. There is just no common sense left in government.

In Phoenix Luke Airforce Base was just granted a SATR. It reaches to 11/2 miles from Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT). DVT is the busiest GA airport in the world. It has 2 of the largest flight schools in operation. When one flies westbound from DVT VFR, you have to request an early frequency change so as not to bust the Luke SATR. By doing this you loose the traffic calls of all the flight school traffic. Flying eastbound from Luke to DVT by time you are released to contact DVT, you don’t have time to pick up the ATIS and will be in DVT airspace in less and 11/2 minutes. This could be solved if Luke would supply squak codes to DVT on the ground. Then one would automatically be cleared into the SATR. AOPA is working on this. When I leave Palo Alto airport, which is under the Class B and in Class C airspace, one is given a squak code on the ground which clears you into Class C airspace automatically. So it can be done.

Phoenix has controlled airspace everywhere. Now Phoenix Mesa Regional (IWA) is requesting a Class C. There is nowhere one can fly in the Valley any longer without a clearance.

Pilot starts in GA are abysmal. I see young people flying for airline training. The debt these people incur is equal to studying to be a doctor. The casual pilot can’t afford flight training until he is in his/her 50’s. The airlines are finally going to get their way as the GA population dies off.

Arthur Rosen is a retired Judge, AOPA-ASN for Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT), Chairman Emirates of the Scottsdale Aviation Commission, served on the Super Bowl Committee for Aviation and Aviation Expert for ABC TV-Phoenix. Arthur can be reached at Judge613@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at Judge613.