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
The aircraft certification process
You are sitting in a diner, sipping your fourth cup of coffee, solving aviation’s problems with an old friend, when the idea comes to you in a caffeinated
Regulations and Government
Control issues: 25 years after the Patco strike
In the late 1970s, Continental Airlines president Frank Lorenzo used a court of law to confront his pilots with an existing, although seldom used, negotiat
Regulations and Government
GAO: NTSB Must Get Academy in the Black
In response to a congressional inquiry, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has determined that the NTSB Training Center near Washington Dulles Inte
Regulations and Government
Aerospace Worker Shortage Addressed
In one of its last acts before the 109th Congress ended last month, the Senate approved a House-passed bill that creates a federal Interagency Aerospace Re
Regulations and Government
Congressional Observer: January 2007
• Congress took a three-week break on November 16 to allow lawmakers to ponder the results of the election.
Regulations and Government
AOPA Sues N.Y. Over Background Check Law
AOPA and seven New York flight schools filed a lawsuit in federal court, challenging the constitutionality of the state law requiring criminal background c
Regulations and Government
UK Defers Action on Foreign-registered Aircraft
Britain’s Department for Transport (DfT) has decided not to act unilaterally to impose new restrictions on UK-based aircraft that are registered overseas.
Regulations and Government
Repair Station Quality Rules Proposed
Nine months later than planned, the FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for repair stations that would revise the system of ratings and requi
Regulations and Government
Age 60 Panel Issues a Split Decision
In what many observers predicted, the FAA/Industry Age 60 Aviation Rulemaking Committee was unable to reach consensus on whether to raise the mandatory ret
Regulations and Government
Approach Limits Raised in Canada
Responding to recommendations from Canada’s Transportation Safety Board after at least two low-visibility landing accidents, Transport Canada increased the
Airports
Will ’Voluntary’ Efforts by TEB Users Be Enough?
Six weeks after the Teterboro Airport Industry Working Group, a cooperative effort between airport users and neighboring residents, reached agreement on se
Regulations and Government
NATA Warns about Fuel Pump Requirement
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) warned its members of a new requirement imposed by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries
Regulations and Government
Brazilian ATC Chief Replaced
In the wake of the September 29 midair in Brazil between an Embraer Legacy 600 and a Gol Airlines 737 and the subsequent disruptions in ATC services that h
Regulations and Government
Imported Fruit and Vegetable Inspections Delayed
The effective date has been delayed to March 1 for the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Aphis) interim rule that eli
Regulations and Government
DOT IG Responds to ATC Outages in California
In a November 7 response to a request by Sen.
Regulations and Government
Proposal Aims To Improve DFDR Information
The FAA is proposing to amend the digital flight data recorder (DFDR) regulations of Parts 121 and 135 to prohibit filtering of original parameter sensor s
Regulations and Government
Crash Report Clarifies Canada Caravan Ops
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) released the final report on the fatal icing-related crash of a Cessna 208 Caravan on Oct.
Regulations and Government
Security rules tighter for some European operations
Business aviation, long a bastion from the sometimes unfathomable airline security rules, is now facing similar regulations in some European Union countrie
Regulations and Government
FAA Safety Office Gets ISO 9001
The FAA’s office of aviation safety has been recognized as the first federal agency to achieve certification to the International Organization for Standard
Regulations and Government
Congressional Observer: December 2006
• Election Day results delivered a knockout blow to Republican hopes of retaining the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Regulations and Government
New ICAO retirement age fuels debate about U.S. rule
The FAA aviation rulemaking committee (ARC) on the age-60 retirement issue had not completed its work at press time, but the new International Civil Aviati
Regulations and Government
Comment Window To Close on Slot NPRM
The comment period on a proposal to continue the reservation and slot program under the high-density rule at New York La Guardia Airport (LGA) closes Decem
Regulations and Government
FAA consolidates and updates sim requirements
The FAA has adopted its four-year-old proposed rule to revise simulator and flight training device (FTD) requirements and consolidate them into a new FAR P
Regulations and Government
Drug/Alcohol Testing Rate Unchanged
The FAA has determined that the minimum random drug and alcohol testing percentage rates for next year will remain at 25 percent of safety-sensitive employ
Regulations and Government
Alphabets bring user-fee case to AOPA
At the AOPA Convention in Palm Springs, Calif., last month, the specter of user fees cast its long shadow over operators and potential operators of the new
Regulations and Government
NTSB wants action to ensure restarts
Manufacturers should be required to determine if engine restart capability exists after high-power, high-altitude flameouts, according to the NTSB.
Regulations and Government
Safety Board Comes Out ‘Clean’
The DOT Inspector General office has given an unqualified, or “clean,” opinion of the financial statements of the NTSB following an outside private audit f
