Oct 13, 2008

U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it has transmitted to the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would strengthen the security of general aviation by further minimizing the vulnerability of aircraft being used as weapons or to transport dangerous

U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it has transmitted to the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would strengthen the security of general aviation by further minimizing the vulnerability of aircraft being used as weapons or to transport dangerous people or materials. The proposed regulation would reduce the susceptibility of large aircraft misuse by individuals wishing to harm the United States and its citizens.

The Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) regulation would require all U.S. operators of aircraft exceeding 12,500 pounds maximum take-off weight to implement security programs that would be subject to compliance audits by TSA. The proposed regulation would also require operators to verify that passengers are not on the No Fly and/or Selectee portions of the federal government's consolidated terrorist watch list. [sup.3]General aviation operators are excellent security partners and this will give them a strong common framework for security that will reduce risk while supporting the open nature of the general aviation industry,[sup.2] said TSA Administrator Kip Hawley.

TSA said the Large Aircraft Security Program is a significant component in the department[sup.1]s plans to enhance domestic general aviation security. The LASP would require currently unregulated general aviation operations over a specific weight threshold to adopt security measures, which would align these operations with operations currently regulated for security purposes. For more information, visit www.tsa.gov Oct 11, 2008

TSA proposes new screening requirement for general aviation. Passengers hoping to board private jets will have to pass a background check under a TSA proposal announced Thursday. The agency wants all passengers to provide names and birth dates, which would be checked against terrorist watch lists just as with commercial passengers. With some 15,000 private jets in the U.S., the program would cost about $200 million per year, TSA estimates. An additional 150,000 piston aircraft would be exempt from the new requirements. Oct 9, 2008

Transportation Department says nine big U.S. airlines now hire outside contractors for 70% of their major maintenance work, double the rate of four years ago. With heavy maintenance outsourced to Central America and Asia, the DOT inspector general worries that FAA inspectors assigned to individual airlines are unable to visit repair stations on a regular basis. "We actually concur with all the inspector general's recommendations," said an FAA spokesman. "We have procedures in place that already address some of the recommendations, and we have some projects in progress that address others." Oct 6, 2008

Bombardier

Bombardier DHC-8-Q400 landing gear to retract after take-off have prompted US FAA officials to propose a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the turboprop. The proposed AD would mandate incorporation of new weight-on-wheels (WOW) and steering harnesses that have a new conduit construction, says the FAA today in a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). It estimates that about 42 products of US registry will be affected, and that the cost to operators of implementing the AD will be $43,680 or $1,040 per unit. The action described in the NPRM was previously addressed in a mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) document issued by Transport Canada after several cases were reported whereby the landing gear did not retract after take-off. Oct 10, 2008

CMC Electronics

CMC Electronics has attended since its acquisition by Esterline 18 months ago. Bruce Bailey, Esterline CMC[sup.1]s vice-president, commercial aviation, says visitors should not miss the double-decker booth, which also features products from three other companies in the Esterline group. Bailey says: [sup.3]Business aviation continues to grow for us - in 2005 it represented about 10% of our commercial aviation turnover, but by next year we expect that to have grown to around 40%. CMC is keen to show visitors its SureSight enhanced vision system (EVS) products, which help increase flight crew situational awareness by helping pilots see through fog, haze, precipitation and at night. The EVS provides an image on the Head Up Display (HUD), a Head Down Display (HDD) or both to enable the pilot to see the terrain/airport environment in low visibility situations. Oct 6, 2008

Dallas/Fort Worth International

FAA says it will begin testing a new system of runway lights at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport later this fall. The Final Approach Runway Occupancy Signal system warns approaching pilots with four blinking lights when a runway is occupied by another aircraft. FAROS was tested last year at Long Beach Airport in Southern California and deemed a success. The Dallas test is expected to last about three months. Oct 7, 2008

Horizon Air

Horizon Air says it is cooperating in an FAA investigation of YouTube videos allegedly shot from the cockpit of Horizon flights during takeoff and landing. Federal regulations ban the use of electronic devices during takeoff and landing, and flight crews are prohibited from engaging in any distracting activities under 10,000 feet. "We do not condone anything like that," a Horizon spokesperson said, noting that the videos had been removed from the Web site. "We were all over it right away and immediately talked to our entire pilot crew." Oct 7, 2008

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