AV8News-03/14/10
THIS JUST IN / *UPDATE* WA STATE TAX BACK ONSLATE
The House reintroduced HB 3191 on Monday and retained it in its present status. It still contains the ½ of one percent tax on all aircraft, with no provision for the lower tax on older aircraft that we saw last week in a House amendment to a Senate bill, SB 6143.
The lower tax only appears in a House amendment to a Senate bill. The reintroduction and retention of HB 3191 in the House without that change appears to send a message that they are pressing forward with the original tax proposal. The House amendment to the Senate bill might have been nothing more than smoke and mirrors, or an attempt to ‘divide and conquer’ us aircraft owners, since in the end the House didn’t make the same change in their own bill.
If we don’t continue to fight this tax, we are going to be stuck with it. The Legislature is under a lot of pressure to produce a budget ASAP, hopefully by the end of this week. Letters, emails, phone calls, personal visits – whatever it takes, whatever you can do, now is the time.
FAA Requires Inspection Of Certain Boeing 737s
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive Friday requiring that airlines inspect about 600 Boeing 737s within 12 to 30 days to check a mechanism that controls the flap on the horizontal tails of the jets.
( http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2011337545_boeing737s13.html )
FAA Requires Plastic Pilot’s Licenses By End Of Month
The Federal Aviation Administration is requiring pilots to trade paper licenses for plastic licenses by March 31. The cost to receive a new license in the mail is $2. “We’ve been working on this since 2003, we’ve been starting to convert, and by now over 90% of pilots have converted,” said FAA spokesman Roland Herwig. KFOR-TV (Oklahoma City) -AOPA
Washington Pilots Protest GA Tax
Washington state pilots are protesting a proposed tax hike for general aviation. Senate Bill 6143 would impose a 0.5% annual excise tax on aircraft manufactured after 1970. A coalition of pilots warned the tax could drive general aviation businesses out of state. General Aviation News
(EXTENSIVE AV8NEWS COVERAGE BEGINS BELOW)
Wednesday: Pro School – “Back Country Decision Making”
Wednesday March 17, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Location:
Spokane Turbine Center
5627 E Rutter Ave (Felts/Spokane)
Directions:
Fly – Low red brick building located just south of the approach to RWY 3R @ KSFF. Transient tie downs to east on ramp. Drive – From I-90, take exit 286. Turn north on Park Street, left on Rutter Ave, first right past Fancher Blvd.
(http://www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event_details.aspx?eid=30807) Select Number: NM1330807
FAAST Gets A New “Look”
For those familiar with the FAA’s online safety team F.A.A.S.T. you may want to log back in and get familiarized with the “new look” of the site. Everything is still on there (they haven’t changed your WINGS credits, don’t worry) but it does take some re-acclimation to find your WINGS page and previous events completed. You can find a document of site changes located at this link:
https://www.faasafety.gov/files/notices/2010/Mar/Summary_of_Changes.pdf