Air battle: Inhofe's tussle will benefit pilots

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, has an ax to grind with the Federal Aviation Administration. But the bill he recently introduced to strengthen the position of pilots in contesting FAA disciplinary procedures has merits in getting the agency to open its records.

The FAA ordered Inhofe to take remedial piloting lessons after he landed his small plane on a closed runway at a rural South Texas airport in October and sent workers on the ground scrambling. He was irritated by the agency's lack of response as he prepared his defense for the case.

"With any bureaucracy that has the power to take action against an individual, it's our job in Congress to ensure there are appropriate safeguards in place to prevent agency overreach," Inhofe said.

Inhofe's legislation requires pilots facing enforcement actions to be given all relevant evidence, including air traffic communication tapes, before action could proceed. It seems only fair that such information be made available to pilots facing disciplinary action.

"When I tried to get the voice recording, it took me four months, and I'm a United States senator," Inhofe said.

It makes you wonder how long it would take an average citizen to get the evidence.

Inhofe's bill has the support of several private pilots groups. They include the powerful Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, which has about 400,000 members, and the Experimental Aircraft Association, which has about 170,000 members.