Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
US AVIATION groups have commended the US Federal Aviation Administration for finalising the single-engine instrument flight rule (SEIFR), permitting revenue passenger operations in single piston- and turbine-engine aircraft.
Regulators had previously feared that engine failures on single-engined aircraft flying in weather on instruments would be likely to result in fatal accidents.
Many air-taxi operators, particularly in Alaska, fly single-engined aircraft. In marginal weather, some have had to fly at low altitudes to comply with the old visual-flight-rules-only regulation.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says that accident data show that the incidence of controlled flight into terrain under marginal visibility conditions exceeds the rate of engine failure. It is believed that permitting single-engine IFR air-taxi operations may result in an increase in safety.
The National Air Transportation Association says the rule change allows pilots to take advantage of airspace reserved for instrument-equipped aircraft. "The new rule also paves the way for new design concepts in single-engine aircraft technology," it adds.
The new rule officially comes into force on 3 May 1998, but operators which can demonstrate compliance with its conditions may be allowed to operate SEIFR flights before then.
Source: Flight International
