Within 6 Months

May 18, 2015

NTSB Proposes To Amend Certain Rules  

The NTSB is proposing to amend provisions within its regulations that govern the Board’s procedures for holding investigative hearings, various types of meetings, issuing reports and responding to petitions for reconsideration. This notice also proposes a number of substantive and technical changes. In particular, the NTSB proposes to reorganize parts of its regulations into different subparts to ensure each part is easy to follow. Comments must be received by May 18.

May 22, 2015

DOT Proposes eLoran as GPS backup

Comments are sought regarding potential plans by the DOT in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security to implement an enhanced long-range navigation (eLoran) system as a complementary positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capability to the Global Positioning System (GPS). The plans calls for the two agencies to “develop, acquire, operate and maintain” eLoran to “back up PNT capabilities that can support critical transportation, homeland security and other critical civil and commercial infrastructure applications in the event of a disruption of GPS.” Comments are due by May 22.

May 26. 2015

Fixed-wing Special VFR Prohibited at IAD

In a direct final rule, Special VFR operations for fixed-wing aircraft at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) will be prohibited. The FAA issued the new requirement as a direct final rule because the continued growth in the number of IAD instrument operations and complex airspace has long qualified the airport for this restriction. Although the requirement is scheduled to become effective on May 26, any negative comments the FAA received before April 27 could serve to revoke the rule before it goes into effect and possibly initiate a full NPRM process.

June 1, 2015

Pilot CPDLC Recording Policy Updated

A new policy statement, effective June 1, updates how the FAA will determine when datalink communications must be recorded on the CVR. Since 2010, implementation of the controller pilot datalink communications (CPDLC) recording requirement has become more complex, costly and confusing. At issue are more than 2,100 Part 121 and 135 aircraft that were manufactured before the effective date of the rule (Dec. 6, 2010) that require widely varying levels of additional equipment or software for the CPDLC to be fully functional. Under the new policy, the recording requirements are specifically delineated and differentiated between aircraft built before Dec. 6, 2010, and those built after this date.

June 30, 2015

Within 12 Months

Dec. 1, 2015 and Jan. 1, 2017                                                                                                                      

European Union Tcas Version 7.1 Directive                                                                                

Turbine aircraft that are approved to carry at least 19 passengers, certified before April 1 last year and equipped with Tcas II version 7.0 must be upgraded to the latest version of 7.1 traffic alert and collision avoidance system software by Dec. 1, 2015. ICAO does not require that version 7.1 software be installed for international flights as a retrofit until Jan. 1, 2017. All other applicable airplanes were required to have 7.1 Tcas II software installed by April 1 last year. 

Dec. 31, 2015                                                                                                                                   

Deadline to Meet Stage 3 Noise Levels                                                                                                                 

Eight months remain to the Dec. 31, 2015 deadline after which jets up to a mtow of 75,000 pounds may no longer operate in the contiguous U.S. unless they meet Stage 3 noise levels. When the rule was published on July 2, 2013, the FAA said the mandate affected 457 U.S.-registered owners of 599 principally Stage 2 business jets, though several models can now be, or will be able to be, hushkitted or re-engined to meet Stage 3 before the deadline. The rule also applies to non-U.S.-registered aircraft. At least 50 countries have a total of 392 registered airplanes like those banned in the U.S., according to the FAA, with nearly 50 percent of these jets registered in Mexico.

Beyond 12 Months

June 8, 2016 and June 7, 2020

The earliest ADS-B Out requirement in Europe is June 8, 2016, for new aircraft and June 7, 2020, for retrofit. The date for retrofits is about six months later than the U.S. ADS-B Out mandate, which requires the equipment to be operational in aircraft that fly under IFR and where transponders are currently required starting Jan. 1, 2020.

Jan. 1, 2020                                                                                                                                           

U.S. Installation Deadline for ADS-B Out Avionics 

A final FAA rule requires installation of ADS-B Out equipment by Jan.1, 2020 for aircraft flying in Class A, B and C airspace. The equipment is designed to allow air traffic controllers to know where aircraft are with greater precision and reliability than current ATC radar can provide.