Chad is the editor of AINalerts, AIN's daily business aviation newsletter, and is also the news editor at AIN Media Group.&nbsp;He has been writing about aviation, with an emphasis on business aviation, since 1994. Chad started his writing career at The Avion,&nbsp;the&nbsp;student newspaper at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, serving as editor-in-chief before graduating with a bachelor's in aeronautical science. After a stint as managing editor at Professional Pilot&nbsp;magazine, he joined&nbsp;AIN in late 1998. Chad holds a commercial pilot certificated with instrument and multi-engine ratings, and he also is a CFI/CFII. He lives and works from his home in Venice, Florida.

Online Editor

Chad Trautvetter

An FAA reauthorization bill that is expected to be introduced next week would not only privatize the U.S. air traffic control system and introduce aviation user fees but it will also likely choke general and business aviation’s access to airspace and airports near busy airline hubs, said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. Speaking today at the association’s regional forum at Atlantic Aviation in Palm Beach, Fla., he said, “The bill would make ATC a nonprofit private corporation with a board dominated by the airlines,allowing them to control access to airspace and airports.”

 


“Worldwide, when ATC has been spun out, investments and priorities change,” Bolen noted. “In London, there has been more of a focus on long-haul airline flights, to the detriment of short-haul flights and general aviation.In Australia, there has been a shift to prioritize airline traffic. And in Canada, user fees were raised at the wrong time in 2008,” as aircraft traffic fell alongside the economy.

 


If ATC is privatized and the airlines inevitably control its board,&nbsp;“Business aircraft could be forced to wait longer on the ramp,” Bolen said, acknowledging that access at Teterboro Airport, wedged into New York City’s busy airspace, could be particularly vulnerable.

 


Bolen urged forum attendees to use <a href="https://www.nbaa.org/advocacy/contact/">NBAA’s Contact Congress page</a> to “let their voice be heard” by their representatives. He further challenged attendees and their colleagues to send 2,000 comments opposing ATC privatization through this page before the forum closes tonight.

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Bolen: Bizav Access to Airspace, Airports Under Threat

Bolen fears ATC privatization would cede control of airspace and airport access to the airlines, limiting business aviation's access.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

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Thune Move to Senate Majority Leader Draws Bizav Praise

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News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.

Inflight refueling aircraft slated for first autonomous flight in 2025

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Tax issues among first anticipated on Capitol Hill's plate next year

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Tariffs, Schedule F, sustainability, audits all possible changes

New White House Sets Stage for New Aviation Policy

AmyWilder

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Report identifies vulnerabilities in labor, materials, and infrastructure

Task Force Details Aerospace Supply-chain Weaknesses

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News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

Issues regarding financing of aircraft; aviation insurance; tax issues for aircraft operators; new companies and people in the aviation financing and insurance industries.

Rising development costs have meant increased net losses at the Embraer spinoff

Certification Criteria Set as Eve Conducts eVTOL Flight Trials in São Paulo

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

PRD ushers in a new era of efficiency and a new bureaucracy

The Double-edged Sword of the Pilot Records Database

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

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