By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves took time out during the Sound of Speed Air Show Sunday to discuss passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act with pilots, St. Joseph city officials, as well as officers with the Air National Guard 139th Airlift Group.
Graves, chair of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says the House version of the legislation prevailed for the most part.
“Eighty-five percent of the bill is the House bill, which I wrote,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I’m very proud of that and it’s a very technical bill and I think that’s as a result of my understanding of aviation and just being a user of the system, which makes a big difference. And it made a big difference, too, in dealing with the Senate and just knowing more about those aviation policies than many of my Senate colleagues.”
Graves, a Republican, says the bill focuses on some fundamental issues of aviation; fundamental, yet too often neglected by Congress when writing the regulations that guide the aviation industry. Graves says the new legislation places a big emphasis on General Aviation.
“Because it’s the foundation and where most people get their start when it comes to aviation,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “They get their start through, things like this, the Air Show where they show an interest in aviation, whether that’s being a mechanic or maybe an air traffic controller or being a technician or a pilot themselves and they get started in general aviation and then move the way through ultimately to, if some go on to be commercial pilots or airline pilots.”
Other aspects of the industry have been neglected for too long, according to Graves.
“Workforce being one of those,” Graves says. “We have to make sure that we maintain a very healthy workforce within the aviation community and, again, that’s anything from mechanics to controllers to pilots, whatever the case may be.”
Graves says the bill will also maintain the standard of safety the United States is known for.
Graves, who is a pilot, participated in the Sound of Speed Air Show.
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