Worried sightseeing operators await imminent publication of new FAA guidelines, following spate of accidents
US scenic air tour operators are awaiting with trepidation the final version of new, tougher US Federal Aviation Administration regulations for the sector, which the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) says could be published "any time now". The original notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), published in October 2003, called for dramatic changes to operating procedures and equipment, citing 128 accidents involving air tour aircraft between 1993 and 2000.
NATA vice-president government and industry affairs Eric Byer says he does not think the FAA's final rule will be as stringent as the original NPRM, but acknowledges there will definitely be changes. He admits, however, that no-one in the industry will know the detail of the new rules until publication.
Meanwhile, since the NPRM was published three years ago there has been heavyweight lobbying of Congressional representatives on behalf of the industry, says Byer. The FAA estimated the rule changes will affect 2,100 operators and 4,400 aircraft, and cost them about $7.5 million a year. About $6 million a year of these costs will be borne by those operating under Part 135 rules, but the remainder will be borne by the 1,670 operators who conduct single-pilot operations under Part 91, according to the FAA.
Byer points out, however, that air tour safety standards have improved dramatically since the period studied by the FAA without any changes in regulations, which makes him optimistic that changes will not be as draconian as feared. He says his best guess as to when the regulation will be published is "early in the new year", although it could happen before then. The final stage in the scrutiny of the draft regulation - review by the White House Office of Management and Budget - was completed on 22 November.
Source: Flight International
