Thursday, July 07, 2011 3:36:17 AM
Sen. Inhofe Pushes His Luck
James Fallows
Jul 6 2011, 4:17 PM ET
As reported here back in April [ http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/04/stories-we-live-by-inhofe-v-halaby/237443/ ], Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, a long-time pilot and advocate for aviation, had two unusual aviation experiences recently.
The first was that he landed on a runway that was closed and under repair, "sky-hopping" over construction workers who were on the runway at the time. This move led the airport manager to say, in a phone call recorded by the FAA, "I've got over 50 years flying, three tours of Vietnam, and I can assure you I have never seen such a reckless disregard for human life in my life." Inhofe apparently begged to differ, steaming out of the plane on arrival and telling the airport staff, "What the hell is this [ http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/bizarre/inhofe-scared-crap-out-airport-workers-192645 (the post to which this is a reply)]? I was supposed to have unlimited airspace."
The second was that the FAA decided that the appropriate sanction for Inhofe was "remedial training," mainly a discussion and check flight with an FAA inspector, rather than any of the "certificate actions" (suspension etc) that pilots dread and that typically follow "pilot deviations" of this sort. I don't wish enforcement actions on anyone, but the question is whether the "remediation" approach had anything to do with his status as a big shot. I quoted a retired FAA safety inspector as saying:
>>"Senator got a pass - no doubt about it. That would USUALLY mean the decisions came from the top down. But no guarantees. Inspectors who have been around a while can do some finagling too."<<
Another former federal employee wrote in to recall how Najeeb Hallaby, who was JFK's head of the FAA (and whose daughter Lisa is now known as Queen Noor), responded when he made a mistake while landing a plane. "Forget about who I am," he reportedly told the FAA inspector [ http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/04/stories-we-live-by-inhofe-v-halaby/237443/ ] who suddenly realized that the errant pilot he was about to cite was his agency's boss. "Just do your job."
It seems that Inhofe is still imbued with the "What the hell is this?" spirit. Presenting himself as the victim of out-of-control Federal tormentors, he has introduced a "Pilot's Bill of Rights" [ http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=505&articleid=20110706_16_A11_CUTLIN890205 (last below)] to guard his fellow pilots against ordeals like the one he has endured. "I did nothing wrong, but at any time I could have suffered the revocation of a license," he told the Tulsa World. I am sure the workmen on the runway share his outrage at the injustice of it all.
As a flight-instructor friend of mine wrote when sending me the story, "More evidence of my long-standing assertion that a major problem in today's world is that those in power have no sense of irony." Or gratitude.
Copyright © 2011 by The Atlantic Monthly Group
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/07/sen-inhofe-pushes-his-luck/241515/
===
Sen. Inhofe Wants To Ease 'Desperation' Of Pilots Faced With FAA 'Overreach'
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Ok., speaks at the FRC's Values Voter Summit in Washington on Friday, Sept. 17, 2010
Jillian Rayfield | July 6, 2011, 1:19PM
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) is pushing a bill that would protect pilots from "agency overreach" by the Federal Aviation Administration, in response to his own experience at the mercy of the FAA after he "scared the crap out of" airport workers last year when he landed his Cessna on a closed runway.
"I was never fully appreciative of the feeling of desperation until it happened to me," he said.
The bill is expected to be introduced Wednesday and called the "Pilot's Bill Of Rights." As Jim Myers of the Tulsa World [ http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=505&articleid=20110706_16_A11_CUTLIN890205 (below(] reports:
Inhofe said his bill also would address what he called the "rubber-stamp" approach routinely taken by the National Transportation Safety Board when FAA actions are appealed; would allow a pilot to appeal to a federal court; would simplify the so-called Notice to Airmen system for providing relevant information to pilots; and would require a review of the current medical certification process. "It's our job in Congress to ensure that there are appropriate safeguards in place to prevent agency overreach," Inhofe said. "This bill provides that."
"Now that is just a matter of fairness," he added. "If a person is going to be accused of something, he has to know what he is being accused of."
Inhofe agreed to and completed [ http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/sen_inhofe_scared_the_crap_out_of_out_of_airport_w.php ] a "program of remedial training" in place of legal action in December of 2010, according to an FAA report, after he landed his plane at Cameron County Airport in South Texas last October on a closed runway marked with a large X. According to the report, Inhofe saw the X but "still elected to land avoiding the men and equipment on the runway."
Audiotapes of a call from Sidney Boyd, who was supervising runway construction, to the FAA identify Inhofe, and describe how he "sky hopped" over six vehicles and construction personnel on the runway, before he landed. The landing "scared the crap out of us," Boyd said.
Inhofe said that part of the reason for his legislation was how difficult it was for him to get a hold of the audiotapes. "When I tried to get the voice recording, it took me four months, and I'm a United States senator."
He also maintains his innocence: "I did nothing wrong, but at any time I could have suffered the revocation of a license."
© 2011 TPM Media LLC
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/07/sen_inhofe_wants_to_ease_desperation_of_pilots_fac.php [with comments]
===
Inhofe to introduce 'Pilot's Bill of Rights'
Fairness issue
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe: "I did nothing wrong, but at any time I could have suffered the revocation of a license."
By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
Published: 7/6/2011 2:04 AM
Last Modified: 7/6/2011 8:54 AM
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, a veteran pilot who agreed to take remedial training after he landed on a closed runway in Texas, announced Tuesday that he has prepared a bill to add more fairness to Federal Aviation Administration enforcement actions.
"It's our job in Congress to ensure that there are appropriate safeguards in place to prevent agency overreach," the Oklahoma Republican said in a preview of what is expected to be called the Pilot's Bill of Rights. "This bill provides that."
Inhofe said his legislation will be introduced Wednesday and would require pilots facing enforcement actions to be given all relevant evidence, including air traffic communication tapes, before action could proceed.
"Now that is just a matter of fairness," he said. "If a person is going to be accused of something, he has to know what he is being accused of."
Inhofe said that before his own recent experience with the FAA, he believed that air traffic controller recordings had to be kept and made available to pilots.
"I found out that isn't true," he said. "When I tried to get the voice recording, it took me four months, and I'm a United States senator."
Inhofe said his bill also would address what he called the "rubber-stamp" approach routinely taken by the National Transportation Safety Board when FAA actions are appealed; would allow a pilot to appeal to a federal court; would simplify the so-called Notice to Airmen system for providing relevant information to pilots; and would require a review of the current medical certification process.
Inhofe repeated his assertion that the incident in which he landed on a closed runway at a south Texas airport last year was not his fault.
"I did nothing wrong, but at any time I could have suffered the revocation of a license," he said.
Even though Inhofe agreed to take the remedial training program and the FAA agreed not to pursue legal action against him, Inhofe said earlier this year that he would pursue legislation to help general aviation pilots.
"I was never fully appreciative of the feeling of desperation until it happened to me," he said.
Original Print Headline: Runway incident leads to new 'Pilots Bill of Rights'
Copyright 2011 World Publishing Co.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=505&articleid=20110706_16_A11_CUTLIN890205 [with comments]
James Fallows
Jul 6 2011, 4:17 PM ET
As reported here back in April [ http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/04/stories-we-live-by-inhofe-v-halaby/237443/ ], Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, a long-time pilot and advocate for aviation, had two unusual aviation experiences recently.
The first was that he landed on a runway that was closed and under repair, "sky-hopping" over construction workers who were on the runway at the time. This move led the airport manager to say, in a phone call recorded by the FAA, "I've got over 50 years flying, three tours of Vietnam, and I can assure you I have never seen such a reckless disregard for human life in my life." Inhofe apparently begged to differ, steaming out of the plane on arrival and telling the airport staff, "What the hell is this [ http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/bizarre/inhofe-scared-crap-out-airport-workers-192645 (the post to which this is a reply)]? I was supposed to have unlimited airspace."
The second was that the FAA decided that the appropriate sanction for Inhofe was "remedial training," mainly a discussion and check flight with an FAA inspector, rather than any of the "certificate actions" (suspension etc) that pilots dread and that typically follow "pilot deviations" of this sort. I don't wish enforcement actions on anyone, but the question is whether the "remediation" approach had anything to do with his status as a big shot. I quoted a retired FAA safety inspector as saying:
>>"Senator got a pass - no doubt about it. That would USUALLY mean the decisions came from the top down. But no guarantees. Inspectors who have been around a while can do some finagling too."<<
Another former federal employee wrote in to recall how Najeeb Hallaby, who was JFK's head of the FAA (and whose daughter Lisa is now known as Queen Noor), responded when he made a mistake while landing a plane. "Forget about who I am," he reportedly told the FAA inspector [ http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/04/stories-we-live-by-inhofe-v-halaby/237443/ ] who suddenly realized that the errant pilot he was about to cite was his agency's boss. "Just do your job."
It seems that Inhofe is still imbued with the "What the hell is this?" spirit. Presenting himself as the victim of out-of-control Federal tormentors, he has introduced a "Pilot's Bill of Rights" [ http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=505&articleid=20110706_16_A11_CUTLIN890205 (last below)] to guard his fellow pilots against ordeals like the one he has endured. "I did nothing wrong, but at any time I could have suffered the revocation of a license," he told the Tulsa World. I am sure the workmen on the runway share his outrage at the injustice of it all.
As a flight-instructor friend of mine wrote when sending me the story, "More evidence of my long-standing assertion that a major problem in today's world is that those in power have no sense of irony." Or gratitude.
Copyright © 2011 by The Atlantic Monthly Group
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/07/sen-inhofe-pushes-his-luck/241515/
===
Sen. Inhofe Wants To Ease 'Desperation' Of Pilots Faced With FAA 'Overreach'
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Ok., speaks at the FRC's Values Voter Summit in Washington on Friday, Sept. 17, 2010
Jillian Rayfield | July 6, 2011, 1:19PM
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) is pushing a bill that would protect pilots from "agency overreach" by the Federal Aviation Administration, in response to his own experience at the mercy of the FAA after he "scared the crap out of" airport workers last year when he landed his Cessna on a closed runway.
"I was never fully appreciative of the feeling of desperation until it happened to me," he said.
The bill is expected to be introduced Wednesday and called the "Pilot's Bill Of Rights." As Jim Myers of the Tulsa World [ http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=505&articleid=20110706_16_A11_CUTLIN890205 (below(] reports:
Inhofe said his bill also would address what he called the "rubber-stamp" approach routinely taken by the National Transportation Safety Board when FAA actions are appealed; would allow a pilot to appeal to a federal court; would simplify the so-called Notice to Airmen system for providing relevant information to pilots; and would require a review of the current medical certification process. "It's our job in Congress to ensure that there are appropriate safeguards in place to prevent agency overreach," Inhofe said. "This bill provides that."
"Now that is just a matter of fairness," he added. "If a person is going to be accused of something, he has to know what he is being accused of."
Inhofe agreed to and completed [ http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/sen_inhofe_scared_the_crap_out_of_out_of_airport_w.php ] a "program of remedial training" in place of legal action in December of 2010, according to an FAA report, after he landed his plane at Cameron County Airport in South Texas last October on a closed runway marked with a large X. According to the report, Inhofe saw the X but "still elected to land avoiding the men and equipment on the runway."
Audiotapes of a call from Sidney Boyd, who was supervising runway construction, to the FAA identify Inhofe, and describe how he "sky hopped" over six vehicles and construction personnel on the runway, before he landed. The landing "scared the crap out of us," Boyd said.
Inhofe said that part of the reason for his legislation was how difficult it was for him to get a hold of the audiotapes. "When I tried to get the voice recording, it took me four months, and I'm a United States senator."
He also maintains his innocence: "I did nothing wrong, but at any time I could have suffered the revocation of a license."
© 2011 TPM Media LLC
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/07/sen_inhofe_wants_to_ease_desperation_of_pilots_fac.php [with comments]
===
Inhofe to introduce 'Pilot's Bill of Rights'
Fairness issue
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe: "I did nothing wrong, but at any time I could have suffered the revocation of a license."
By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
Published: 7/6/2011 2:04 AM
Last Modified: 7/6/2011 8:54 AM
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, a veteran pilot who agreed to take remedial training after he landed on a closed runway in Texas, announced Tuesday that he has prepared a bill to add more fairness to Federal Aviation Administration enforcement actions.
"It's our job in Congress to ensure that there are appropriate safeguards in place to prevent agency overreach," the Oklahoma Republican said in a preview of what is expected to be called the Pilot's Bill of Rights. "This bill provides that."
Inhofe said his legislation will be introduced Wednesday and would require pilots facing enforcement actions to be given all relevant evidence, including air traffic communication tapes, before action could proceed.
"Now that is just a matter of fairness," he said. "If a person is going to be accused of something, he has to know what he is being accused of."
Inhofe said that before his own recent experience with the FAA, he believed that air traffic controller recordings had to be kept and made available to pilots.
"I found out that isn't true," he said. "When I tried to get the voice recording, it took me four months, and I'm a United States senator."
Inhofe said his bill also would address what he called the "rubber-stamp" approach routinely taken by the National Transportation Safety Board when FAA actions are appealed; would allow a pilot to appeal to a federal court; would simplify the so-called Notice to Airmen system for providing relevant information to pilots; and would require a review of the current medical certification process.
Inhofe repeated his assertion that the incident in which he landed on a closed runway at a south Texas airport last year was not his fault.
"I did nothing wrong, but at any time I could have suffered the revocation of a license," he said.
Even though Inhofe agreed to take the remedial training program and the FAA agreed not to pursue legal action against him, Inhofe said earlier this year that he would pursue legislation to help general aviation pilots.
"I was never fully appreciative of the feeling of desperation until it happened to me," he said.
Original Print Headline: Runway incident leads to new 'Pilots Bill of Rights'
Copyright 2011 World Publishing Co.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=505&articleid=20110706_16_A11_CUTLIN890205 [with comments]
Greensburg, KS - 5/4/07
"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
from John Philpot Curran, Speech
upon the Right of Election, 1790
F6
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