NATA Miffed at FAA over Landing Performance ARC

By Chad Trautvetter

September 2, 2008
Government, Airports, Safety

In a letter sent on Wednesday to FAA Flight Standards Service director James Ballough, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) conveyed its concerns about the progress of the Part 91K/125/135 takeoff and landing performance assessment aviation rulemaking committee (ARC). While Ballough previously said the ARC was created for the FAA and industry to work together on an alternative solution to prevent runway overruns, NATA is “increasingly concerned with the non-collaborative approach demonstrated by the FAA team…[which] appears to have entered into the ARC with a predisposition toward the 15-percent solution put forth in Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) 06012.

According to NATA, the problem lies in the fact that the FAA team on the ARC is the same landing performance team that developed the SAFO, putting them in a position where they might feel the need to defend their prior work. “The message being received by industry participants is that the mission of the ARC is merely to justify and implement the SAFO,” NATA said.

“This is absolutely contrary to the process we have come to anticipate as a member of prior ARCs. NATA is asking Ballough to intervene to help “produce meaningful results endorsed by industry that will have a positive impact on safety,” rather than a “rubber stamp” of the SAFO.

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