Chairman Shuster should be commended for making passage of the 2015 FAA Reauthorization Act (now designated Aviation Innovation, Reform and Reauthorization Act (AIRR)). He began teeing up the issues over a year ago and called for ideas which would be “transformational.”
The issues in these matters are quite complex and there are valid arguments on both sides. It is hard to determine what side is right and what opinions are biased; so it is useful to hear from an outside expert and the FAA’s primary researcher who documented the validity of the BA instrument.
President Obama nominated Dr. Beverly Scott to fill a vacancy on the NTSB. This addition of this seasoned veteran could be valuable for its transit investigations.
Recently Vice President Biden and Governor Cuomo jointly announced the comprehensive redesign of LaGuardia Airport. The goal is to start this project by 2016 and to spend $4 billion to recreate the currently disjointed set of buildings into a single, integrated terminal within five years.
It is time NOW to begin trying to have the 2016 Presidential Candidates hear about aviation issues. This is an important message; unfortunately, only one candidate’s record provided a useful example by using Mr. Trump.
Imagine a New York Times headline which announces “FAA decides location of the NY/NJ/CT Airport for the future.” A national commission made the strategic decision of where the UK’s future airport capacity will be built. [Other countries prefer to follow the English view of centralized planning.] Is such a process better or worse than the US’ locally initiated/sponsored policy?
Recent events, claims of hacking and an April, 2015 GAO report have highlighted the potential risks of an aircraft to cyberattacks. In response to those warnings the FAA convened a “private meeting” to address the security of these systems. Obviously the sensitivity of this issue is the reason for this non-public review (the group may be empowered by a federal advisory charter). What remains to be seen is the technical scope of their work.
The conversion of Russian military helicopter to civilian use may fill an important, immediate need for America, but it will be tough to get through the FAA.