Regulations and Government

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Regulations and Government

Mach number: True or false

Business aircraft crews are being urged to ensure they are using true Mach numbers in all airspace where the Mach number technique (MNT) is applied for lon
Aircraft

Repaired Learjet 45s Return to the Air

Bombardier said its Learjet 45 replacement horizontal stabilizer actuator received FAA approval on September 10 and shipments started immediately at a rate
Aircraft

Embraer Legacy Will Be India’s Air Force One

Last month the Indian Government signed for five Embraer Legacy Executives for head-of-state use.
Regulations and Government

Influx of Non-U.S. Aircraft Prompts DOT IG Audit

The DOT’s office of inspector general is auditing the FAA’s parts certification and surveillance procedures to determine the effect of the increasing U.S.
Regulations and Government

Italian government takes 20-percent stake in Piaggio

Sviluppo Italia, the Italian government industrial investment agency, has bought more than 20 percent of Piaggio Aero Industries, parent company of Piaggio
Regulations and Government

FAA Urging Pilots To Change Certificate Numbers

To help prevent “identity theft,” the FAA is urging pilots who hold an airman certificate that uses their Social Security number (SSN) as their certificate
Regulations and Government

FAA harassment lawsuit downed by federal judge

A federal judge in Kansas City, Mo., dismissed a $1 million lawsuit against the FAA over the 1999 fatal crash of a Cessna CitationJet.
Avionics

Patco Is Alive if Not So Well

In 1981 President Reagan fired virtually all aircraft traffic controllers and banned them from reapplying for controller jobs after their union, the Profes
Safety

NTSB wants more data on Part 135 ops

Perhaps as an example of the NTSB moving forward on long-outstanding issues, it has asked the FAA to require nonscheduled Part 135 operators to report acti
Safety

NTSB: Severe Turbulence Calls for Severe Inspections

The NTSB has called on the FAA to require more extensive inspections of transport-category airplanes for possible structural damage after they encounter se
Maintenance and Modifications

New Repair Station Rules To Be Delayed–Again

For the second time since being adopted on Aug.
Aircraft

Inspection Required of GV Balance Weight Installation

A one-time inspection is required to ensure that all installation fasteners are in place for the left and right aileron balance weights on Gulfstream Vs, i
Airports

HPN Expansion Opposed Due To Reservoir Concerns

Bronx city councilman Oliver Koppell introduced a resolution into the New York state legislature calling for curtailing any plans to expand Westchester Cou
Airports

Customs Desertignates User-fee Airports

Williams Gateway Airport in Mesa, Ariz., and Roswell Industrial Air Center in Roswell, N.M., have been designated by the Customs and Border Protection Agen
Regulations and Government

MX Software eases working with regs

Aircraft Technical Publishers (ATP) has launched its newest software platform–Navigator V.
Regulations and Government

EASA springs to life, but it’s still in infancy

The new European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) came almost silently to life last month–as if echoing the muted expectations that many in the aviation indus
Regulations and Government

Bell to appeal dismissal of Able Engineering suit

On September 16 Bell Helicopter Textron officially filed its intent to appeal the dismissal of a lawsuit the OEM had filed against Able Engineering and Com
Charter & Fractional

Fired pilots and Flight Options settle lawsuit

A lawsuit in which four former Raytheon Travel Air pilots alleged they were fired because of their union-organizing activities when the company merged with
Regulations and Government

DOT bashes Stars, calls on FAA to stem runaway cost

In a September 9 report to the FAA Administrator, the DOT’s inspector general called upon the agency “to reevaluate the costs of Stars [the standard termin
ATC

Washington Report: No Foul, but Was There Any Harm?

After investigating an allegation that the FAA destroyed an audiotape of six New York Center controllers’ accounts of the 9/11 attacks, Transportation insp
Regulations and Government

Washington Report: AIA Lauds Senator’s Floor Speech

Aerospace Industries Association president and CEO John Douglass commended Sen.
Regulations and Government

Congressional Observer: June 2004

Ah, yes, there is considerable trouble in River City, and it isn’t a pool hall like in the 1950s Broadway musical.
Regulations and Government

Signs of recovery tainted as EC wages regulatory assault

Two years on from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Europe’s regional airlines are still struggling to recover from some of the toughest business conditions they
Airports

Dusseldorf imposes new slot fee

Germany’s Dusseldorf Airport is to introduce a new E160 ($176) “slot allocation charge” for each takeoff and landing, which operators have to pay even if t
Regulations and Government

Politics count more than need in PSO game

Local politics–not economic necessity or distance from commercial centers–might influence the administration of Europe’s public-service obligation (PSO) ai
Regulations and Government

FAA’s ASAP hasn’t flown with maintenance techs

The FAA’s Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is designed to identify and correct dangerous operational situations that might not come to the attention o
Regulations and Government

NTSB Closes Docket On Repair Station Security

The Transportation Security Administration’s notice of public meeting and request for comments on “Aircraft Repair Station Security” (Docket No.