Briefing: May 2017

President Donald Trumps first budget proposal, released in March, aims to privatize air traffic control. General-aviation advocacy groups were quick to rally against the effort, although AOPA said it was open to discussion as long as user fees were off the table. The airline industry has been lobbying since Trumps election for the formation of a nonprofit corporation to run the national airspace system, with a board of directors dominated by airline representatives. Proponents say the change would create a more stable funding mechanism for ATC than todays budget-driven method, but GA opponents say the change would amount to handing the nations airspace over to the airlines.

Editorial Staff

Monday, April 10, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The Trump administration's budget proposal to privatize air traffic control sparked debate, with airlines supporting the change and general aviation groups expressing concerns, while also targeting other FAA programs.
The Aircraft Electronics Association convention showcased new avionics products and software updates, including L-3's Lynx transponder revisions, Avidyne's synthetic vision update, and updated NavWorx ADS-B units.
John King of King Schools successfully had his FAA medical certificate restored after a two-year battle, while Continental Motors announced a $70 million investment in a new manufacturing plant.
March saw multiple events celebrating and encouraging women in aviation, including International Women's Day, WOAW Week, and the Women in Aviation International conference which awarded over $600,000 in scholarships.

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Aviation Budget Battle Heats Up

President Donald Trump’s first budget proposal, released in March, aims to privatize air traffic control. General-aviation advocacy groups were quick to rally against the effort, although AOPA said it was open to discussion as long as user fees were off the table. The airline industry has been lobbying since Trump’s election for the formation of a nonprofit corporation to run the national airspace system, with a board of directors dominated by airline representatives. Proponents say the change would create a more stable funding mechanism for ATC than today’s budget-driven method, but GA opponents say the change would amount to handing the nation’s airspace over to the airlines. Also in the budget crosshairs are the FAA’s contract-tower program and subsidies for essential air service.

New Product Updates Debut At AEA

The Aircraft Electronics Association held its 60th annual convention and trade show in March, in New Orleans, showcasing the latest innovations in avionics. L-3 debuted a major revision of its Lynx ADS-capable transponders with a host of new features, including traffic alerting, Stormscope display capability, and terrain display. Avidyne announced its long-awaited software revision (R10.2), which adds synthetic vision and in-cockpit wireless capability to its IFD500-series navigators. NavWorx showed off two revised (but not new) ADS-B products, including the $1499 ADS600-B and the $2020 ADS600-B, which includes an onboard WAAS GPS source.