RedbirdUnveilsProofofConceptforMixedRealityTrainingDevice13 RetiringSenatorInhofeWinsEAA’sFreedomofFlightAward AirForceReservist/PhilanthropistDevelopsE-Course

EAA’S FREEDOMOF FLIGHT AWARD GIVENTO JAMES INHOFE, LEAVINGA LEGACY

In the 35 years since he was first elected to Congress, Sen. Jim Inhofe (ROklahoma), EAA 179992, has continually fought for the rights of pilots and the general aviation industry as a whole. After three-plus decades in Congress, Inhofe has decided to retire at the end of the 117th Congress, which concludes on Jan. 3, 2023.

For his many years of service and advocacy in support of general aviation, Inhofe was presented with EAA’s Freedom of Flight Award on Aug. 26. The Freedom of Flight Award is EAA’s highest honor, bestowed annually to recognize contributions to aviation that closely mirror the integrity, entrepreneurship, and innovativeness of EAA members.

“I think it’s great. It’s really something when you think about the number of people who’ve done some good things [who also earned the award],” Inhofe said.

In his final trip to Oshkosh as a sitting U.S. senator, Inhofe reflected on the two aspects of attending AirVenture that he enjoys most – the friends he sees and the aviation-related legislation he gathers support for.

“People will ask, ‘What rewards you the most?’ There are really two things,” he said. “The first is the people. There are people that I’ve known all my life, and I only see them once a year. I look forward to it. They know me; I know them. It’s just fun spending time with them. The second thing is probably the most productive thing, and that’s getting things passed.”

The legacy Inhofe leaves when it comes to legislative wins for general aviation is impressive. As an avid pilot with more than 11,000 hours, Inhofe’s passion is aviation, and it shows with what he’s been able to accomplish in Congress.

When legendary military, test, and air show pilot Bob Hoover’s medical certificate was revoked by the FAA, Inhofe helped shepherd legislation through the Senate to protect FAA certificate holders from bureaucratic overreach by providing pilots the ability to immediately appeal emergency revocations of their certificates to the National Transportation Safety Board.

“Nothing was more significant than seeing the look on Bob Hoover’s face that he was back in the air,” Inhofe said.

To match the international standard for commercial pilots, Inhofe helped pass legislation to raise the mandatory retirement age for American pilots from 60 to 65 years. Inhofe was also instrumental in helping to create the Pilot’s Bill of Rights, which creates a level playing field between individual pilots and the FAA by ensuring pilots have access to all the information required to appropriately defend themselves during an FAA enforcement proceeding or NTSB review.

Inhofe’s involvement in third-class medical reform also cannot be understated. The result was BasicMed, which eased the medical certification process for pilots by cutting bureaucratic red tape and encouraged pilots to disclose and get treatment for medical conditions that may affect their ability to fly.

To address the shortage of pilots and aviation maintenance professionals, Inhofe created the Aviation Pilot and Maintenance Workforce Development Program that supported career development, as well as directed the FAA to modernize the mandatory curriculum for aviation maintenance technician schools for the first time since the 1960s.

Recently, Inhofe was vital in defeating the ATC privatization movement, which was an effort to take away the freedom to fly from GA pilots by privatizing air traffic control. Additionally, he’s helped in designated pilot examiner reforms, which ensured the FAA updates regulations and policies related to the selection, training, and deployment of DPEs to ensure commercial and recreational pilots have access to an adequate number of examiners.

As someone making his 43rd

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), shown here at EAA AirVenture 2022, was awarded EAA’s highest award last month. (Courtesy EAA)

The full-size, pilot-friendly, rugged folding mountain bike.

Remote airfields, here we come.

EAA’s Freedom of Flight Award

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straight trip to AirVenture (excluding 2020’s cancellation), aviation events like Oshkosh are close to Inhofe’s heart, and he’s passed legislation that directs the FAA to provide air traffic services for these types of gatherings without additional cost to participants.

In his remaining months in Congress, Inhofe does have some legislative goals when it comes to general aviation, particularly when it comes to the transition to unleaded avgas.

“On top of my mind this year is how we can provide a safe and smart transition to unleaded aviation gas so that pilots can keep flying,” he said. “We must all work together to provide the smoothest transition to an unleaded aviation gas. One of the ways we can ensure this is to make sure airports continue to make available for sale 100LL aviation gas until there is an unleaded fuel solution approved for use and available, enabling pilots to keep on flying. Second, we can provide airports across the nation with additional flexibility to use Airport Improvement Program funding to make the infrastructure upgrades necessary to quicken the transition to unleaded aviation gas.”

In addition, Inhofe supports a number of other initiatives to help general aviation. The National Center for the Advancement of Aviation (NCAA) ensures the development and sustainability of the civil and military workforce via

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Tecnam’s Gran Lusso

Tecnam’s Gran Lusso is a four-seat highwing aircraft that made an exciting appearance at AirVenture. (Courtesy Jeffrey Decker)

Standard FMS accompany the Garmin NXI touch-screen suite in Tecnam’s Gran Lusso. (Courtesy Jeffrey Decker)

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annually. Of the four varieties, he projects up to 30 percent will be Gran Lussos; up from an initial estimate of 10 percent. With fewer suppliers than competitors, Tecnam manufactures as much as 80 percent of each aircraft, starting with raw materials. Since the P2010’s first flight in 2012, Sferra says Tecnam’s manufacturing capacity has tripled. Growth north of Naples continues. “We already bought the land and work is underway to double this,” he reports.

Learn more about Tecnam Aircraft on their website: https://www.tecnam .com.