Aphis, the U.S.
Regulations and Government
News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA reauthorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.
November 21, 2006 - 11:50am
Over the last several months, the FAA has redesigned its Web site so that it’s easier to use, better organized, carries more information and introduces several new features.
November 21, 2006 - 11:47am
The FAA’s funding stream being tied to the price of an airline ticket is not sufficient or reliable enough to fund the agency and “a new funding mechanism” is required, according to FAA Administrator Marion Blakey. In a speech at a recent meeting in San Diego of the American Association of Airport Executives, Blakey said, “The FAA needs a consistent, reliable funding stream.
November 21, 2006 - 10:42am
There is still a short time remaining to alert Congress about what NBAA calls “harmful” tax proposals in pending federal legislation.
November 21, 2006 - 10:11am
The FAA has been working for years to revise Part 121 and 135 flight time, duty and rest rules, but it’s still not close to issuing new proposals or final rules. Meanwhile, confusion persists over interpretation of certain aspects of the rules that pertain to Part 135 on-demand operations. Recently, the agency received several requests for an interpretation of FAR 135.263(d) and 135.267(b), (d) and (e).
November 21, 2006 - 5:40am
Described by some Honeywell engineers as the “son of Primus Epic,” the Phoenix company’s Apex integrated avionics system is undergoing a makeover that aims to make that moniker more appropriate than ever. The enhanced version of Apex now under development for the Grob SPn Utility Jet will feature better integration of TCAS II, weather radar and other functions thanks to greater software processing power.
November 21, 2006 - 5:28am
The FAA postponed until January 1 next year a decision to limit “priority service” for aircraft registration in connection with conducting international flights to allow only one request per aircraft (by N-number) in any three-month period. The original implementation date was June 1.
November 21, 2006 - 4:37am
Transport Canada on Thursday released “Flight 2010,” a strategic plan for enhancing the safety levels of the country’s civil aviation sector over the next five years. Among the plan’s goals are to sustain a strong safety culture, gain the “trust and confidence” of stakeholders, align expectations of management and stakeholders and ensure compliance with regulations.
November 17, 2006 - 6:36am
The verbal sparring over ATC funding and user fees reached the front page of The Wall Street Journal today in a long article, “Why Big Airlines Are Starting a Fight with Business Jets,” that impartially lays out the opposing positions of business aviation and the airlines. Front-page, left-column placement of the story shows the importance the newspaper’s editors place on the issue.
November 17, 2006 - 5:43am
In the war of words between the airlines and general aviation about who should pay how much for ATC services, Pogo’s Robert Crandall argues that more of the general public should pick up the tab. In a recent presentation before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, he said, “The big problem is that the Administration keeps reducing the amount contributed by the general fund.
