[navydevildoc]

Norman Mineta, the secretary of Transportation, is resigning.

Link

This is really bummer news for private pilots. He was really the only one standing in the way of a "user fee" system that would charge pilots for every use of the National Airspace System. This has always ensured that pilots never hesitate for the radio when they need help from controllers or weathermen. If they now have to pay a fee for each service, pilots may be more inclined to head towards bad weather because they think they can make it, versus calling up Flight Watch and making sure.