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.
Aircraft
New Prop-plane Noise Standards Eased
New amendments to Part 36 require a minimum 3 dB–noise reduction for small single-engine propeller aircraft– including turboprops–weighing more than 3,307
Safety
Training To Meet New Hazmat Rules
Dangerous Goods International of Redwood City, Calif., designs training modules and conducts compliance seminars in various cities for regional airlines an
Safety
NTSB Wants an AD for Eurocopter AS 350s
Investigations into two accidents involving Eurocopter AS 350 helicopters led the NTSB to determine that the hydraulic pump drive belt (P/N 704A33690004) p
Regulations and Government
Drug/Alcohol Testing Rules Clarified
The FAA recently amended Part 121 regulations governing drug and alcohol testing to clarify that “each person who performs a safety-sensitive function for
Charter & Fractional
Fractional rules divide EBAA
The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has been split by a major disagreement over what operating rules should apply to fractional ownership in
Regulations and Government
Controversial Insulation Rule Is Amended
The FAA has amended new regulations regarding aircraft thermal and acoustic insulation in response to industry concerns that the requirements applied to a
Regulations and Government
Delayed SDR Rule Withdrawn
As expected, the FAA withdrew a delayed final rule that amended the service difficulty reporting (SDR) requirements for air carriers and repair stations.
Regulations and Government
New Crew Oxygen Rule Quickly Withdrawn
The FAA quickly removed a new requirement easing crew oxygen use in Part 121 operations upon learning that it apparently used inaccurate data to justify th
Regulations and Government
More teething troubles ahead for EASA
Sir Roy McNulty, chairman of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has said that management and financial problems at the European Aviation Safety Agency
Regulations and Government
Inmarsat To Manage Galileo Network
Inmarsat announced it has been selected to manage the company that will look after Galileo’s global network operations, including performance monitoring an
ATC
FAA moves ahead on RNP and Rnav implementation
The FAA is making progress toward instituting a future Rnav and RNP (required navigation performance) environment across the National Airspace System (NAS)
ATC
Europe considers a new plan for ATM integration by 2020
Faced with the likelihood of the number of flights in Europe doubling to 17 million by 2020, the European Commission launched the ambitious Single European
ATC
Europe and Russia build satnav networks
On December 28, the European Space Agency launched the first test satellite of its future Galileo navigation system.
Regulations and Government
Congressional Observer: April 2006
• Controlling earmarking, or “pork” amendments, and restraining lobbyists’ largesse continued to command the attention of lawmakers, and that led to a
Safety
Proposed rule changes target icing accidents
Eleven years after the October 1994 crash of American Eagle Flight 4184 in Roselawn, Ind., the FAA proposed a revision to Part 25 certification regulations
Regulations and Government
FAA funding troubles fuel industry concerns
FAA financing and the prospect of user fees to help pay for modernization of the ATC system is the primary issue facing general aviation in the coming year
Regulations and Government
Category I WAAS coming at last?
The FAA’s announcement last month that its GPS wide area augmentation system (WAAS) will support ILS-like 200-foot Category I approaches marks the agency’s
Regulations and Government
Concerns raised over airline bias in ADS-B plan
FAA Air Traffic Organization (ATO) officials early last month briefed government and industry representatives on the cost-benefit analysis of nationwide AD
Regulations and Government
Project Mercury ADS-B Initiative Moves Quietly Ahead
First revealed publicly by AIN (December, page 20), but still not reported in other aviation media, the aerospace industry’s hitherto secret Project
Regulations and Government
Independent flight crews draw more IRS scrutiny
Some flight departments employ independent contractors as a way to keep their costs in check.
Safety
ARSA asks Feds to review FAA drug/alcohol policy
The cost of having a business aircraft worked on by a certified repair station that also works on airline aircraft may go up as a result of new FAA drug an
Regulations and Government
Experts finally feel aviation budget woes
Have you ever heard the comments about Washington, D.C., being a merry-go-round or the suggestion that reality stops at the Beltway? There’s a host of such
Regulations and Government
NBAA, along with the FAA and industry representatives, is looking at a way to reduce delays in the flow of air traffic during the severe weather seasons
The effort began in May last year with the formation of a collaborative decision-making workgroup.
Regulations and Government
Kenneth Mead resigns DOT post
Transportation Department Inspector General Kenneth Mead, a tireless ally of disgruntled airline passengers and often a thorn in the side of the nation’s a
ATC
The great New York Tracon experiment will end on May 13
The 90-day performance tolerance standard assessment was prompted by a review at New York Tracon conducted last year that revealed some small operational-e
Regulations and Government
Temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) covering the U.S. border with Mexico in Arizona and New Mexico may not be as temporary as some would wish
Though active only in evening and night hours, they will be in effect through December 31 and are likely to be renewed.
Regulations and Government
NTSB Recommits to GA Safety
When the GAMA executive board was in Washington, D.C., for the industry briefing earlier this year, acting NTSB chairman Mark Rosenker assured GAMA members
Aircraft
UAVs ‘Next Great Step’ in Aviation
Testifying before the House aviation subcommittee on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), FAA associate administrator for aviation safety Nick Sabatini called
Regulations and Government
Congressional Observer: May 2006
— Congress returned from a 10-day break over St.
