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
Sturgell nominated to head FAA
Industry reaction has been mostly positive to President Bush’s nomination of acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell to a five-year term to lead the agency
Regulations and Government
Will FAA Bill Pass This Year? Flip a Coin…
“In Washington, D.C., no bad idea ever dies,” National Association of State Aviation Officials president and CEO Henry Ogrodzinski said of aviation user fe
Regulations and Government
FAA, Natca Differ On Controller Staffing Stats
The ink was scarcely dry on an FAA press release about successfully hiring new controllers when the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (Natca) sa
Regulations and Government
FAA Orders Better Bird Ingestion Tolerance for Turbines
Beginning next month, engine manufacturers seeking FAA type certification for new turbine designs with inlet areas greater than 2.5 square meters (roughly
Regulations and Government
Simultaneous Runway Use Circular Released
The FAA has released Advisory Circular 90-98, “Simultaneous Closely Spaced Parallel (SCSP) Operations at Airports Using Precision Runway Monitoring (PRM) S
Regulations and Government
More Than 615 Comments on License-Yanking Rule
More than 615 comments–the great majority negative–were submitted on rules adopted in January that permit the FAA to immediately suspend or revoke the airm
Regulations and Government
TCAS Rule Revised To Include Cargo Airplanes
Virtually all cargo-dedicated airplanes will be required to have traffic alert and collision avoidance systems type II (TCAS II) installed by December 31 n
Regulations and Government
Revised Advisory on Icing Open for Comments
Comments are due May 10 on a draft advisory circular on icing certification that is intended to update a 32-year-old document.
Regulations and Government
DOT top cop blasts FAA business practices
Reporting to Congress on the state of the FAA, DOT inspector general Kenneth Mead–the department’s program and fiscal watchdog– didn’t mince words in his a
ATC
Bill Introduced to Prevent ATC Privatization
A bipartisan team of representatives last month introduced H.R.1711, legislation that would prohibit the privatization or contracting out of the nation’s A
Regulations and Government
Congressional Observer: June 2003
Congress recessed for 16 days in mid-April and when it returned, the major issues facing both houses were President Bush’s proposal for $726 billion in tax
Regulations and Government
Clock is ticking for FAR Part 60 simulator rules
The FAA’s proposed Part 60 “Flight Simulation Device Initial and Continuing Qualification and Use” continues slowly on its journey toward implementation, b
Regulations and Government
CAE SimuFlite Expands Gulfstream, Helo Training
All holders of Part 135 certificates would be required to have an FAA-approved training program for handling designated hazardous materials, whether or not
Regulations and Government
Hazmat Rule Proposed To Include All Part 135s
All holders of Part 135 certificates would be required to have an FAA-approved training program for handling designated hazardous materials, whether or not
Regulations and Government
FAA funding headed for President’s OK
By the middle of last month, both houses of Congress had given preliminary approval to separate legislation that would reauthorize appropriations for the F
Regulations and Government
Legislation Would Allow Air Taxis Back into DCA
The House subcommittee on aviation late last month signed off on the Aviation Security Technical Corrections and Improvement Act, legislation that would re
Regulations and Government
NBAA Troubled by Delays in Background Checks
In a letter sent in late April to U.S.
Regulations and Government
Airworthiness Action Expanded for Cessna 441s
A May 1 AD (2003-09-09) extends the provisions of an earlier airworthiness directive calling for a one-time inspection to check for chafed or damaged wirin
Regulations and Government
GA groups outraged over DHS advisory, more TFRs
General aviation interests expressed consternation over a May 1 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) advisory warning the GA community against planned Al-
Regulations and Government
Tax Act increases depreciation for aircraft
President Bush planned to sign legislation that will increase from 30 percent to 50 percent the first-year depreciation allowance for capital goods, includ
Regulations and Government
Australia To Revamp Civil Aviation Authority
The structure of the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is undergoing a major overhaul as the government responds to constant pressure from
Rotorcraft
NYPD Buys Bell…Again
Displaying the sort of brand loyalty most manufacturers only wish for, the New York City Police Department aviation unit has taken delivery of yet another
Accidents
Bell Helicopter Goes To Court over Crash Deaths of Paramedics
Bell Helicopter must face trial over the deaths of three paramedics killed in a 1998 helicopter crash in Los Angeles, after the California Supreme Court de
Rotorcraft
Air Methods Pilots and Employees OK Union
A marginally sufficient 55 percent of the 540-strong force of eligible employees at aeromed operator Air Methods recently voted to approve representation b
Rotorcraft
Do as you say, insists helo op
They say that turnabout is fair play, and that’s evidently what a proactive North Carolina tobacco grower thought he was doing when he sued a local high sc
Security
9/11 helo aftermath: ‘normal’ but not quite
It has been just over two years since four hijacked jetliners stopped the world in its tracks on what was for residents of the New York City and Washington
Regulations and Government
News Note: Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be the lead partner in a Center of Excellence program
The FAA selected the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be the lead partner in a Center of Excellence program on aircraft noise and emissions mitigat
Regulations and Government
Washington Report: NTSB Revises “Most Wanted” List
In one of her first acts as chairman of the NTSB, Ellen Engleman vowed to take a fresh look at the Board’s safety advocacy programs, including its “Most Wa
Regulations and Government
Congressional Observer: October 2003
Keeping with custom, Congress deserted Washington for the dog days of August with some small sense of accomplishment.
Regulations and Government
Congressional Observer: June 2002
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has raised its estimates of budget deficits.
