On 19 March, Cobb County commissioners voted 4-0 to deny a settlement to ongoing litigation with the Bankhead C&D regional waste site.  Tuesday's unanimous vote means litigation between the county and Bankhead will likely continue over the disputed application for expansion of the trash transfer station.  Bankhead already runs a transfer site for construction and demolition debris but wants to expand the site near Mableton to include household garbage.  This could attract birds, which could be an issue affecting the safety of planes flying in and out of nearby Charlie Brown Airport, which is just over the county line in Fulton County.  GBAA Chairman Dave Small wrote to the Cobb County commissioners on 15 February expressing opposition to the proposed site expansion citing several safety concerns.  "Several of our GBAA member Fortune 500 companies operate business jet aircraft out of the airport.  They have expressed concerns with the potential transfer of garbage in such close proximity to the airport traffic area.  The speeds at which jet aircraft operate and birds, do not mix well.  Bird strike damage can affect aircraft controllability, cause engine failure or shatter windshields causing severe injury to flight crews.  The Cobb County Board of Commisioners voted unanimously last May to deny the company's application to accept municipal solid waste.  This was the right thing to do because of the potential bird hazard and negative impact for the future development of South Cobb" wrote Small.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The GBAA Board of Directors has approved the establishment of an ad hoc Government and Regulatory Affairs Committee.  Given the myriad of issues affecting Business Aviation, our goal is to increase advocacy on behalf of our membership throughout Georgia.  We will focus on major issues such as user fees, EU-ETS, FAA Modernization, proposed local airspace changes (ATL Class B), security issues (BARR & LASP II), Customs/CBP issues and continue to support NBAA initiatives in these and other areas.  Jim Kazin will chair the newly established committee and be joined by fellow board members Dave Small, Chris Algee, Dan Lucey, Pat Trudell and Jim Gardner.

 

 

On February 6, several GBAA Board Members attended the 3rd Annual Georgia Aerospace Legislative Breakfast at the State Capitol building.  The event was coordinated by the Georgia Aerospace Policy Working Group and sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Georgia Airports Association (GAA) and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).  We had the opportunity to meet with several of our State Representatives and Senators to discuss why aerospace is important to their communities and the state of Georgia.  Airspace issues, business aviation and aviation curriculum & education in Georgia's high schools were also discussed.  Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle also addressed the group regarding the significant economic contributions that aviation brings to the state of Georgia.  A proclamation supporting the Aerospace Industry in Georgia was also presented in the House and Senate chambers.  We also had the opportunity to meet and network with other like-minded business owners and operators who were there to represent General Aviation such as TIMCO, Epps Aviation, Georgia Tech, Atlanta Aero Club and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).

 

 

The Georgia Business Aviation Association recently sent letters to the entire Georgia Congressional Delegation, in opposition to the proposed $100 per-flight user fee included in the Administration's ongoing deficit reduction and budget proposals.  The February 11 letter, on behalf of the GBAA membership, highlighted general aviation's contributions to economic development and job opportunities within Georgia, including the use of the airplane as an essential business tool.  "We are concerned that the proposed per-flight tax not only imposes significant new economic and administrative burdens on general aviation operators, but will also necessitate the creation of a costly new federal collection bureaucracy," wrote David Small, GBAA's Chairman.  The letters also stated that the GBAA stands ready to work with the Senators and Representatives to educate others about the importance of business aviation and its value to the State of Georgia and the nation as a whole.  View the letters here.

 

 

A new configuration of the Class B airspace in Atlanta, GA, that takes effect March 7 will mitigate many of the concerns expressed by general aviation pilots during the airspace redesign process, AOPA said.  Overall, the new airspace rule contains positive responses to comments submitted during the rulemaking process, including reducing the potential for traffic compression in the vicinity of Dekalb-Peachtree Airport, placing another satellite airport outside the Class B airspace's eastern boundary and providing for variety of VFR navigation options around the Class B area.

 

The final airspace design set the Class B floor at 7,000 feet mean sea level above Dekalb-Peachtree, down from the present 8,000-foot-msl floor but 2,000 feet higher than the reconfiguration's earlier design.  The FAA noted in the final rule that the change would still satisfactorily accommodate departures from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  Reduction of the overall airspace footprint will place Covington Municipal Airport outside the Class B airspace's eastern boundary at its location 29 nautical miles from the Atlanta VOR.

 

For more information go to http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2013/130110atlanta-class-b-airspace-change.html