General aviation groups including AOPA, HAI and the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), sent a joint letter to House leaders opposing legislation that would make it harder for veterans to pursue aviation careers.<\/p>\n
H.R. 3016, the Veterans Employment, Education, and Healthcare Improvement Act, would cap flight training tuition and fee benefits at $20,235, a move the Feb. 9 letter warns will \u201ccause immediate and alarming changes to collegiate flight-training degree benefits for our nation\u2019s military veterans.\u201d
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\n\u201cThere are great jobs in aviation and our nation\u2019s veterans have earned a right to pursue those opportunities,\u201d Jim Coon, AOPA senior vice president of government affairs. \u201cBy capping flight training benefits, this legislation would effectively put flying careers out of reach for many vets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Without a sizeable, out-of-pocket investment, \u201ca veteran would be unable to attain an aeronautical college degree with a commercial pilot license,\u201d the groups wrote. <\/p>\n
The letter opposing H.R. 3016 was also signed by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), National Air Transportation Association (NATA), and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA).<\/p>\n