The FAA (they call it the Federal Aviation Administration... I prefer The Federal Adventure Assassin) is currently exhibiting one of the typical characteristics of federal agencies... they're expanding their regulatory reach. It's a classic example of "give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile".

This "reach" is a small one, so small that the media won't concern themselves, so many of the people affected won't even be aware of it until it's too late. The people harmed by the action are few in number and relatively powerless.

Have you ever taken a ride in an old airplane, perhaps a biplane or some other antique? It's a tradition, often called "barnstorming", that's almost a century old, and it's introduced millions to the excitement of flying in small planes... an excitement you simply can't get from airline flights. The FAA is about to destroy such excitement forever. Last September, I wrote about one great example that provided lots of people with such experiences:

Recently, the National Air Tour visited the Anoka County airport in Blaine as part of 27-city tour by a couple of dozen aircraft built in the 20's and 30's. 5,000 excited fans greeted them in Blaine, and they've had big crowds in each city visited to date. The tour is a re-creation of tours that were made during the 30's... tours that helped make aviation part of everyday life.

Now, the FAA wants to regulate such small operators as airlines, which will increase the regulations covering such short, slow, safe, local tour flights to those rules and requirements covering what we normally think of as airlines. The simple fact is that doing so will eliminate such tour rides as this one:

All this is despite the fact that tour rides are twice as safe as airline travel. The possible excuse they may have for increasing this regulation is that there are some helicopter rides, mostly over water, that have had some accidents... but, like all government regulators, they paint with a broad brush, sweeping more under their control.

Between 1993 and 2000, seven people died in sightseeing aircraft accidents. Seven people in 8 years. Even on a flight hour basis, sightseeing airplanes had a 25% lower accident rate, and a 60% lower fatality rate than all forms of general aviation flying.

It's far more likely that safety really has nothing to do with it at all. The increased regulation is not likely to increase safety at all, but like all federal agencies, the FAA has a natural incentive to increase its scope, which will increase its size, its budget, and its employee roster. As Ronald Reagan said:

No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!

This sort of regulatory crap goes on virtually every day, with the result that government continues to get bigger, freedoms disappear, more small operators are squeezed out of business, and once again, we're told that we're too damned stupid and ignorant to survive without government to guide and protect us.

If this makes you angry too, join me in giving the FAA your comments. Maybe... just maybe... if they get enough public opposition, they'll back off on this destructive silliness. Check out the website "Save the Sightseeing Flights!" for help on submitting your comments.