Every six months, the U.S. Department of Transportation publishes an agenda of future rulemaking projects scheduled by all its agencies, including the FAA. This year’s semi-annual agenda includes four potentially significant FAA rulemaking efforts. 

In January, look for a proposal to establish fees for new airman certificates, medical certificates, and legal opinions pertaining to aircraft registration or recordation. This rulemaking also would revise existing fees for aircraft registration, recording of security interests in aircraft or aircraft parts, and replacement of an airman certificate.

Scheduled next month is final rulemaking to require certain airport certificate holders to develop, implement, maintain, and adhere to a safety management system (SMS) for aviation-related activities. The final rule is expected to reflect comments to a notice of proposed rulemaking first published in December 2010.

No timetable was given for planned rulemaking to establish additional safety requirements for the conduct of pilot guide operations in Alaska. In addition, the rulemaking would add a general provision applicable to pilots operating under the general operating and flight rules concerning falsification, reproduction, and alteration of applications, logbooks, and records.

Finally, future rulemaking would develop requirements for helicopter air ambulance crew resource management, flight risk evaluation, and operational control of the pilot-in-command, as well as standards for the use of flight simulation training devices and line-oriented flight training. Additionally, it would expand requirements for the use of safety equipment for flight crewmembers and flight nurses. A timetable is yet to be determined, but the FAA said, “Without these changes, the helicopter air ambulance industry may continue to see the unacceptable high rate of aircraft accidents.”