The U.S. Senate version of the FAA Reauthorization Act (S.1939) passed earlier by the Commerce Committee this month would require nonstop sightseeing and skydiving flights to be operated under Part 135, provisions not contained in the version of legislation passed in July by the House of Representatives (H.R. 3935). Those operations historically have been conducted via FAA issuance of a letter of authorization under Part 91.147.
This morning, aviation alphabet groups including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, U.S. Parachute Association, and the Commemorative Air Force urged leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Aviation Subcommittee to remove these provisions from the final version of the legislation as it is considered during a House-Senate conference. The groups warned that if the Senate bill were enacted, it would “have significant and insurmountable direct impacts on thousands of small general aviation businesses and the airports at which they operate” and would “negatively impact those conducting air tours and sport parachuting operations.”
Citing the high costs and regulatory burden associated with obtaining and maintaining a Part 135 certificate, the groups maintained that the requirement “would be nearly impossible and financially unattainable for these small businesses, resulting in their likely closure.” They also claimed that it would overburden the FAA, tax its already limited resources, and be harmful to its overall mission of aviation safety.