R

RV8N

Well Known Member
I just got a post card in the mail from the FAA c/o PA Consulting Group. The card says "Each year the FAA conducts a survey to calculate fleet size and the hours flown by the general aviation community..."

My RV has been flying since 2003 and I've never gotten anything like this before. I'm very suspicious. Sounds like they are trying to determine how much money they will make with the new user fees. Personally I'm not playing. I don't think it will matter either way but I just don't think its any of their business how much I fly.

Anyone else get one of these cards? Anyone else suspicious?

Karl
 
The FAA wants to know

I got the same cards, one for each airplane.

I have gotten them before, maybe 5 years appart.

One of course grows more suspicious about the need to know under the current climat.
 
Got one too!

Trashed it. Will trash the paper copy to follow too. Big Brother watches intersections with cameras, monitors bank accounts and constantly erodes our personal liberties. Why use a computer, allowing the FAA to record your internet protocols, possibly writing cookies to your hard drive, etc., to give them personal information that may be converted in to subjective data used to justify user fees, future restrictions and create more obstacles that the alaphabet organizations will need to fight.

Remember, this is from the same "we are here to help you" agency that ignored the destruction of Meigs Field! Forgive, maybe. Forget, NEVER!

FWIW and I am not paranoid, so quit watching me!
 
Been There, Done That....

This came up a couple of days ago on THIS thread.

Karl, you don't think the Guv'ment doesn't already know everything about you? You worked here Long enough..... :rolleyes:

After doing this every year for a long time, I bet the FAA already knows exactly how to correct the statistics based on the number of folks that won't respond..... :cool:
 
You already are required to report your total flight hours and hours-in-the-last-6-months on your medical paperwork every few years. I'm surprised that the FAA is collecting this redundant data, and that y'all are so paranoid since they do already have this data.

Assuming you keep your medical current and report honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. Geesh, the medical paperwork asks a lot more nosy questions than this :)
 
Guys, since this data collection effort has been going on for years, seems illogical to me to attribute it to the recent taxation proposals.

Fleet size and usage rates are how the Feds compute accident rates.
 
Maybe, but first one for me!

The medical data is a separate issue, although I agree it is redundant. Somebody start a new thread and lets see where the AME lobby stands. If the DMV says I can drive, I should be able to fly day VFR.

Oh, I forgot the anti NRA efforts by BB in my last post.

BB is trying to eliminate the possibility of another Boston Tea Party. Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it. Life, liberty, the persuit of happiness, all men created equal and the like were not the cries of the apathetic, but paid for with blood and sacrifice. We are the benifactors of these efforts and stewards charged with protecting that investment. Please do not for get that fact, not to mention how much BB paid for the post cards.
 
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No Robbie, it's not redundant. When I fill out my medical application every 6 months, the Feds have no way of knowing if my flight hours are civilian, military, GA, experimental GA etc. The mailings in question are make and model specific (your N-Number) and give the Feds the data they need to determine fleet mix and usage.

The DMV makes no determination of your health, aside from an eye test. Why should this be used for airplanes?
 
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Yukon said:
The DMV makes no determination of your health, aside from an eye test. Why should this be used for airplanes?
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Has been for decades: Gliders, LTA, and more recently Light Sport :eek:
 
In some states, doctors are required to report to the state DMV/DOT of persons medical conditions if the doctor feels it would hinder driving.

My father had a bought of uncontrollable seizures in the 80's/90's for which he lost his driver's license. Once the medical condition was under control (he's hasn't had a seizure since 93), he was allowed to get his license reinstated.

A quick google search turns up several examples. Yeah, not to the level of a third-class medical...but I don't think we can reasonably say that ANYONE with ANY medical condition can get a driver's license. Obviously sometimes folks squeak by in one way or another.
 
DMV

Unless you are legally blind, completely deaf, suffer from a terminal illness or have had multiple felonies, you can get a PPL. It comes down to how many hoops will you jump through and how much money you are willing to spend. First, let me state that I firmly believe that night flying should be IFR. With that stated, there is no difference in the act of take off, flight or landing a light sport single engine aircraft and performing the same tasks, day VRF, with a PPL. If you can get a light sport license with a DL, you should be able to get a PPL Day VFR to fly any small certified/experimental plane with a DL. Furthermore, if you can pass the IFR checks, I believe you should also be able to fly IFR with a PPL secured with a DL.

Flying for fun is expensive and any effort to make the process more expensive and more difficult to enjoy legally will only hurt the efforts of the EAA and AOPA to keep this wonderful experience available for future generations.

BB keeps our borders relatively safe(balancing civil liberties and all) and overall does many things well, like our National Parks. BB also needs to be limited before we get to the point where justice is only color blind and everyone is innocent until proven broke!

FWIW
 
EAA Endorsing filling out the card

Just saw this on an EAA E mail, passing it on.....Personally I think they know enough about me already....

ANNUAL FAA SURVEYS MAILED LAST WEEK
For years general aviation aircraft owners and operators have participated in the annual General Aviation and Air Taxi Activity and Avionics (GAATAA) Survey. Late last week notices to participate in this year's (calendar year 2006) survey, now called the FAA General Aviation and Part 135 Activity (GAP135) Survey, were mailed to roughly a third of the active GA/Non-scheduled Part 135 fleet, representing more than 84,000 aircraft.

The FAA is asking general aviation pilots and aircraft owners to respond to the survey, which will help the agency, NTSB, trade associations and other groups accurately measure fleet size, hours of operation, avionics equipage, and more. So if you have received a post card asking for your participation, EAA urges you to do so. It's completely confidential and there are several ways to participate, including Internet and paper (mail) versions.
Results from past years' surveys can be found on the FAA website.
 
Confidential my posterior!

How can it be confidential when the first thing required is your N#? Ever heard of the FOI Act. Anyone can get this info with just a free FOI filing.
 
I don't have a clue if they are doing it in this case, but they are using an independent contractor to do the survey, sort of like NASA administers the ASRS program. In the ASRS, NASA gathers the info, including your name, and then strips all identifying info before giving the reports to the FAA. The might be using the separate survey contractor for the same reason - or, the survey contractor is somebodies sister-in-law's second cousin that needed a little pork-barrel money....(see, I can be pretty cynical too!)

Paul
 
NASA TOO!

Hey Paul:

I forgot to say that BB does NASA purdy darn good too! At least they were smart enough not to run you off.

LOL
 
I've been avoiding this

I just got my third survey request today. The previous two found their way into the round file, but they seem to just send out another. Can anybody come up with a good reason to fill it out?
Thanks,
 
Bryan Wood said:
I just got my third survey request today...
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Me too. The first one I trashed because my logbooks are elsewhere at the moment. The second I filled out with estimated data. Still got another one today.
 
Round 3 for me too.

RD the Wonder Dawg placed it in the round place of honor with the rest. Your wasted tax dollars at "work"!

Trash it Bryan.
 
RV6_flyer said:
The FAA occasionally will put a REGISTRATION AT RISK if they cannot verify the owner.

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/nnumSQL.asp?NNumbertxt=489J

The example above appears to be an undelivered tri-annual questionaire.

Not sure this will happen to you if you do not fill it out but if the questionaire gets returned undelivered to them, it more than likely will happen.
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Good enough for me! Thanks Gary... Gotta pick my battles

Best,
 
Fine example of lousy management: (1) Pay big bucks to an outside consulting firm to gather customer information via survey, while (2) conducting a campaign guaranteed to anger the customer base enough that a high percentage won't cooperate. In short, lots of money spent for poor results.

And they want more money?
 
provided my input today

I completed the survey.

I had received the postcard recently, then read the May 2014 Sport Aviation article on counting aircraft and pilots. To my mind, providing accurate data is in our collective interest.

As ever, YMMV
 
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