Another ATC Win for Skydiving!

Less than 24 hours after members of USPA and other general aviation groups began contacting their Congressional Representatives, House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster has withdrawn his surprise amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that would have removed air traffic control from the FAA and placed it within the U.S. Department of Transportation, to be overseen by a new, airline-oriented board of directors. Shuster introduced the amendment late on April 23, in anticipation of a House vote within days. But the general aviation community caught wind of the legislative maneuver and immediately began asking their members to contact Congress to oppose the move. USPA emailed an action call to members in the early evening of April 24. The action calls worked and it now appears that the needed FAA funding bill will pass without changes to the structure of air traffic control. “Once again, we thank our members who made the calls in defense of skydiving’s airspace needs,” said USPA Executive Director Ed Scott.