I'll be at an Ohio Aviation Association conference in Toledo today, so this evening will be the first chance for blogging. An Afghan Watch entry has been accumulating, and I may begin with that. Good hunting!
THERE AND BACK AGAIN: Twelve-hour days are good for the soul. And overtime. More to come in a little bit but for now, know that the keynote speaker was an absolute ham. A great fellow, from North Carolina; thanks to his presentation, I remembered how hilarious this little un-proofread gem is.
THE CONFERENCE IN PERSPECTIVE: Our party arrived just after seven this morning. Festivities began at eight, so we joined the boss who'd spent the night at the hosting resort, tended the vendor booth and engaged in the old meet-and-greet (which was fine, since I don't have any hypochondriatic tendencies). The most interesting and politically pertinent information came from presentations by an Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) representative, a former homicide cop and an aviation lawyer.
The fellow from ODOT informed us of a tax on airport storage, including aircraft in hangars, being debated in Columbus. Poor returns on new taxes levied in an economically sagging state seem not to be on the minds of legislators; luckily for pilots, active aircraft may not be considered storage and would therefore be exempt from the tax. But of course the best choice would be abandoning a market-killing bill such as this one.
ODOT addressed another issue. In the 2004-2005 state budget, aircraft registration fees were significantly altered to transfer more funds from aviation to the state's coffers. Previously, planes were classified by passenger capacity: up to two seats would cost $6; $8 for three seats; $12 for four; $15 for five; and $15 plus $5 for every seat over five for planes seating six or more. Under House Bill 0095, legislation recently signed into law, the registration fee has been made a flat $100. Do the math: a two-seater Cessna 150, a staple of private pilots and flight schools, now costs the same as a commuter workhorse Beech/Raytheon Kingair. Private pilots and commerical airlines flying a handful of planes are likely to bear the additional burden; after all, a few hundreds of dollars amount to small change compared to equipment upgrades, maintenance costs and inspection fees. Moreover, the minimum charge of $3 per seat has escaped inflationary increases for decades. And even though this additional duty will be directed to a relatively new dedicated aviation fund, does that obviate any responsibility to fair application? There's a fine line between efficient public institutions and taking a man's money away from him so you can demonstrate your generosity by lending part of it back to him.
We know the ODOT representative well, of course: he's just as loony as the rest of us, and added a bit of spice to the conference by ending his presentation with an airsickness story I'll never forget.
The former police officer used the death of Aaliyah as a springboard for his topic on the scope of preventative measures airports can take against unauthorized flying, negligent behavior and dangerous circumstances, overloading and potential acts of terrorism. How far can a fixed base operator go to question a pilot or suspend his activities before requiring law enforcement agencies? Some interesting comments came from the audience; operators felt that most pilots, particularly post-September 11th, would be happy to flash their credentials. The officer agreed; he could not remember a situation in which unlawful restraint was filed against a ground administration wrongfully accusing a pilot.
The lawyer touched on many of the officer's points, speaking on a legal case-by-case basis. From his most vivid story, I've taken the following notes:
When piloting a loaded MD-80 in winter, pay special attention to weather advisories and observed conditions. If hazards are not properly considered, do not engage ILS autoland. If said feature is engaged and said MD-80 hurtles out of control down a Cleveland-Hopkins runway, do not reverse jets, particularly if jet is hurtling perpendicularly. If none of these suggestions are followed, do not be surprised to hear an attorney for Cleveland-Hopkins Airport refer to you not as, say, "Captain Jones" but instead "Passenger Jones."
As I related above, the keynote speaker was a belly-laughing good time - the height of a well-spent day. Another delight was seeing my graphic work not just at our booth but on the conference's signs and folders for handouts. To top it all off, the day's dreary, rainy skies opened up a tiny bit on the western horizon, offering a nice pink glow to the highway drive back to Cleveland. The final delight I'll revel in soon, when I can hit the sack (and wake back up tomorrow) at a decent hour.
