March 5, 2010 - Aviation and Airport Development Updates

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Steven Taber

March 5, 2010 - A summary review of Aviation and Airport Development related news and information that was made public during the past ten days.  These were all first posted, in abbreviated form, on http://twitter.com/smtaber. Trisha Ton-Nu also contributed to this post. If you would like to receive this update in an e-mail delivered to your inbox every week, please send an e-mail to subscribe@calairlaw.com with the word “subscribe” in the subject line.

 

Senate to Revive Long-Stalled FAA Bill to Modernize Air Traffic System. --- Dave Michaels, The Dallas Morning News, February 24, 2010
The Senate will soon bring up the long-stalled Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. The bill would create thousands of jobs and is additionally loaded with elements that affect the oversight of airlines, background checks for pilots, and protections for passengers stranded on tarmacs. It also contains a provision that would require air-traffic system modernization by 2018, instead of the previous target date of 2025.
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Flight Attendant Leaders Push for Progress on FAA Reauthorization. --- PRNewswire, February 26, 2010
Leaders from the Association of Flight Attendants and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants met with the offices of several Senators to promote moving forward with the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, which includes many key provisions for flight attendants. The bill includes fatigue study information and workplace safety and health protections, cabin air quality provisions that would identify the equipment and technologies available to detect and filter highly toxic contaminants in the air supply, English language standards for flight attendants, and a “Return to the Cabin” program that would allow flight attendants an opportunity for rehabilitation after testing positive for drug or alcohol abuse.
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AAAE Urges Airport Provisions in FAA Bill. --- Aviation News Today, February 26, 2010
The American Association of Airport Executives is calling on Senate leaders to endorse a number of airport-related provisions in the upcoming Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. The provisions would enhance aviation safety, increase capacity, improve small community air service, and save or create much-needed jobs.
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Runway Improvements Planned for PalomarAirport. --- SanDiego6.com, February 24, 2010
McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, California will close alternating weeks starting April 25, when work will begin to replace the 5,000-foot-long runway. Testing found that the supporting soils under the existing runway and the pavement surface are deteriorating. The $7.9 million cost of the project will be covered by Federal Aviation Administration funds.
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Airport Leaders Describe Plan to Allow For More Private Jets. --- Stephen Baxter, Community Neighborhoods, February 24, 2010
Airport officials at Mineta San Jose International Airport in California plan to ask the San Jose City Council to change the airport’s master plan and allow for the transformation of more space for private jets. Residents who live near the flight path express concern about noise, but private planes are often quieter than commercial jets, and certain loud activities could be restricted to specific operating hours.
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Somerset Windmills Would Not be Aviation Hazard, Feds Say. --- Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 25, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a “determination of no hazard” January 21, 2010 for the proposed Gamesa Energy USA wind energy project that would put 30 windmills atop an ecologically sensitive ridge on Shaffer Mountain in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Studies found the structures would not exceed obstruction standards or adversely impact air space and flight routes above the ridge. Local groups oppose the project because its proposed location places it in the watershed of two of the state’s highest quality native trout streams and on a major bat and bird migratory route.
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FAA Approves Wind Farm. --- Kathy Mellott, The Tribune-Democrat, February 25, 2010
Two months after voicing concerns that the proposed Shaffer Mountain Wind Farm would potentially create problems for local airports, the Federal Aviation Administration is giving its OK to the project. The only conditions set forth by the agency are that the proposed turbines must be marked and lit in accordance with FAA requirements, including white paint and synchronized red lights. The project has been delayed at the state level as the Gamesa, the energy company behind the plans, is seeking approval from the Department of Environmental Protection for a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit. Ray Jennings, manager of nearby single-runway Bedford County Airport, is also frustrated because he says the location of some of the turbines could force aircraft taking off from the airport to fly 400 to 500 feet higher than at present.
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U.S. Airline Pilots Skipping Sleep Targeted in FAA Data Search. --- John Hughes, Bloomberg, February 25, 2010
After last year’s plane crash near Buffalo, New York raised fatigue concerns, the Federal Aviation Administration will ask carriers to examine voluntary safety reports by flight crews to see how often pilots skip sleep the night before a flight. The agency has already asked the industry to restrict pilot commutes, because the risk of fatigue may be boosted by major carriers’ increasing use of regional jets with low-paid pilots who can’t afford motel rooms.
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AOPA: Why the User Fees Battle Isn’t Over. --- Glenn Pew, AVweb, February 25, 2010
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says the user fees battle isn’t over, because the country’s fiscal woes and the Federal Aviation Administration’s shrinking general fund could lead legislators to seek alternate forms of funding, like user fees. The FAA reauthorization bill has not made it past the Senate, either, and user fees could be incorporated into that bill or through other legislative means.
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Airport to Seek Appropriation for Terminal. --- David Still, The Barnstable Patriot, February 26, 2010
Barnstable Airport in Massachusetts hopes to see its over-$21 million appropriation order for a new terminal on the docket for its March 4 meeting with the Barnstable Town Council. Airport Manager Bud Breault says the airport can show completion or progress on each of the 19 conditions placed by the town council in September 2007 that had to be satisfied before any funding request would be recommended. The Barnstable Municipal Airport Commission is planning to cover the cost through expected state funds, airport reserve money, a town-backed general obligation bond, and stimulus funds, and even has surplus land that it could sell if necessary.
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Expiration of Funds Leads to Rush on Runway. --- Christine Cullen, OceanCity Today, February 26, 2010
Ocean City in Maryland is rushing to reconfigure a runway at Ocean City Municipal Airport, to prevent losing $2.8 million from an account dedicated to airport improvements. The city will have to remit that money to the federal treasury if it is not used by December 2011.
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Court Rules Against Long-Term Protection of Aircraft Tail Numbers. --- Mike Mitchell, AvStop.com, February 28, 2010
A United States District Court judge has ruled that a list of private aircraft, whose aircraft tail numbers are blocked from the public view, must be released under the Freedom of Information Act. The National Business Aviation Association sued the Federal Aviation Administration to prevent it from releasing a blocked list to ProPublica, Inc., an independent, nonprofit organization that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Anyone can go to the FAA website and look up an aircraft registration, but there are a select few who wish to keep their aircraft tail numbers anonymous, like corporations.
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Court Upholds Release of Corporate Jets List Sought by ProPublica. --- Michael Grabell, Herald de Paris, February 27, 2010
ProPublica will be able to obtain a list of which companies have been seeking to block their planes after a federal district judge ruled that the list should be made available under the Freedom of Information Act. Companies sometimes request that their flights and tail numbers be kept secret to protect the security of their executives and to prevent disclosure of business trips that could affect stock prices or give competitors an edge about potential deals. ProPublica has been seeking the list ever since the CEOs of the “Big 3" automakers flew to Washington, D.C. on corporate jets to ask Congress for financial help.
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Aviation Industry Jobs Entail More than Just Airlines. --- Nathan Phelps, The Northwestern, February 28, 2010
One of the biggest misconceptions about the aviation industry is that everyone must work for an airline. The industry extends well beyond the cockpit and hands-on jobs with aircraft to a number of other specialties like human resources, accounting, information systems, and marketing. The aviation industry is a business, and a compelling one at that, accounting for more than $1.2 trillion in economic activity in the U.S. in 2008, as well as being a much “bigger world” than just becoming a pilot or just working for an airline.
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Dassault Falcon Jet Joins EPA Partnership, Pledges Mercury and Lead Reduction. --- Environmental Protection Agency, March 1, 2010
Dassault Falcon Jet has partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency National Partnership for Environmental Priorities to set goals to eliminate mercury containing devices throughout its Completion and Service operations. The company is also in the process of identifying a viable replacement for lead plate utilized as ballast during initial “ferry” flight operations of Falcon business jets between France and the U.S. The NPEP is a voluntary program with 266 members from private and public organizations committed to the reduction, reuse, or recycling of 31 priority chemicals, long-lasting substances that can build up in the food chain and cause harm to humans and the environment.
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D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Sends Pasternack v. NTSB and FAA Back to Agency. --- Leagle, February 26, 2010
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals granted Fred Pasternack’s petition and remanded it to the National Transportation Safety Board for further proceedings. The Federal Aviation Administration revoked Mr. Pasternack’s airman certificates because he refused to take a mandatory drug test, and the NTSB upheld the revocation order, but the Court vacated the Board’s decision on the ground that a key finding on which the Board relied was not supported by substantial evidence.
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Taxes and Fees Grow for Air Travelers. --- Susan Stellin, The New York Times, March 1, 2010
Governments are increasingly turning to travelers to raise revenue in lean times, and there is little oversight over how the money is spent. Taxes and fees are small individually but can add up to a significant share of the price of a ticket. Carriers have been lobbying against proposals to increase these fees, but international travelers will likely feel the pinch most as governments around the world have increased passenger fees to pay for security, airport improvements, customs inspections, tourism promotions, and environmental concerns.
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TradeWind Energy Approved to Install 100-Meter Met Tower in Indiana. --- North American Windpower, March 2, 2010
Kentucky-based TradeWind Energy has received approval from local authorities to build a 100-meter meteorological tower in Pleasant Township, Indiana. The tower would be the fourth such tower erected by the project developer at project sites under development in the Midwest. Because of its height, however, it will require a Federal Aviation Administration permit.
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Hartsfield Airspace Plan Adjusted, More Changes Possible. --- April Hunt, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 2, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration adjusted its proposal for how planes come in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, by changing the airspace above nearby Covington Municipal Airport. The proposed change removes the airspace above the Covington Airport from its Class B proposal, meaning an aircraft flying in and out of that airport would not be required to contact air traffic control. The change comes after concerns that pilots would abandon Covington because of the new restrictions, but the region’s smaller airports will be impacted with their planes being forced to fly lower and for longer.
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Wind Farm Proposed for PoorMountain in RoanokeCounty. --- WDBJ7.com, March 2, 2010
Invenergy, a private company, announced that it wants to build an electricity-generating wind farm on Poor Mountain in Roanoke County, Virginia. The project would set 15 turbines on about 2,000 acres of land and produce enough electricity to power approximately 8,000 households. The company says it will begin the permitting process soon by filing a hazard evaluation report with the Federal Aviation Administration, and the project will also have to be cleared by the State Corporation Commission and Roanoke County.
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Senator Grassley Announces FAA Grant for Sioux Gateway. --- Lynn Zerschling, Sioux City Journal, March 2, 2010
Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa announced that Sioux Gateway Airport will receive nearly $395,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration to help pay to install guidance signs, which will improve safety and efficiency of the airport. Sioux Gateway is one of six Iowa airports to be awarded $2.32 million in federal funds.
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South Bend, LaPorte Airports Among Federal Grant Recipients. --- South Bend Tribune, March 2, 2010
Seven Indiana airports, including South Bend Regional Airport, LaPorte Municipal Airport, and Starke County Airport, will receive Federal Aviation Administration grants totaling over $5 million.
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FAA Plans to Move Radar From WillardAirport in 2014. --- Michael Maione, Daily Illini, March 3, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to move the radar control rooms in the air traffic control tower at Willard Airport in Champaign, Illinois to its facilities in Elgin, Illinois, by 2014. The FAA cited the need for an updated tower as the impetus as the change, and said that putting the radar in one centralized location can save taxpayer money. The air traffic controllers union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, and even pilots have presented objections or concerns about the plan.
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Kid Directs Traffic at NY’s JFK Airport. --- CBS News, March 3, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how a child was allowed to direct air traffic at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The first incident being investigated occurred February 16, when a boy was allowed to make at least five transmissions to commercial jets. The same air traffic controller also brought a different child, presumably his own, into the tower the following night.
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AA Flight Attendant Talks Continue Around the Clock. --- Scott Friedman, NBC DallasFort Worth, March 3, 2010
The union that represents American Airlines flight attendants continued around-the-clock meetings with airline management and federal mediators in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, the last day of scheduled negotiations. If an agreement is not reached this week, the union has said it may ask to be released from federal mediation, a move that would trigger a 30-day cooling-off period and could lead to a strike.
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AA, Flight Attendants End Talks With No Deal, Talk of Strike. --- Scott Gordon and Scott Friedman, NBC DallasFort Worth, March 4, 2010
Leaders of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants accused American Airlines of “walking out” of the contract negotiations talks in Washington on Wednesday and said they would discuss setting a strike vote this weekend. Airline managers countered that they did not walk out of the talks and concluded them at the end of business on Wednesday as scheduled, and said the airline looks forward to continuing to bargain when the federal mediators establish the next round of dates. The union announced that it would seek to be released from mediation.
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FAA Tells Dartmouth to Lower Height of South Turbine by 5 Feet. --- Curt Brown, SouthCoast Today, March 5, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered the town of Dartmouth, Massachusetts to lower the height of its 462-foot south turbine by 5 feet, saying its proposed height presents a hazard to aviation at New Bedford Regional Airport. The agency said the maximum allowable height for the south turbine is 457 feet, and in an earlier decision found the town’s planned north turbine was also a hazard to aviation and set its tallest allowable height at 417 feet. The chairman of the town’s Alternative Energy Committee said the town’s engineers will conduct ground surveys and file new applications with the FAA for both the north and south turbines.
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February 19, 2010 - Aviation and Airport Development Updates

Posted on February 19, 2010 by Steven Taber

FAA Safety Reforms Finally Going to Senate. --- Jerry Zremski, The Buffalo News, February 11, 2010
A week of the U.S. Senate floor time will be scheduled in March for the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, including its safety provisions. Several of the provisions address concerns that the National Transportation Safety Board listed last week as part of its investigation into the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York, last year. The bill would raise pilot-training standards and set requirements for the airlines’ remedial training programs, as well as mandate other increased safety initiatives. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid finally made the commitment to move the FAA bill up by six months because the Senate has passed its version of health care reform, which had kept it occupied for months, and because the latest in a series of short-term extensions of the FAA bill is set to expire March 31.
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Senate FAA Reauthorization Bill Expected to Finally Move in March! --- Rotor News, February 12, 2010
Senator Charles E. Schumer has persuaded Senate leadership to move ahead with the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill in March. FAA authorization and safety reforms will be considered over the course of a week, though it is unknown if the Senate Finance Committee will mark up the bill before it goes to the Senate floor for debate.
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FAA Reauthorization and Rule Changes to See Debate in March. --- Glenn Pew, AVweb, February 12, 2010
A week of Senate floor time will be scheduled in March to address aviation safety reforms and the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. The FAA reauthorization bill has been through several short-term extensions which are set to expire March 31. The bill’s current provisions address pilot safety standards and set requirements for remedial training programs for commercial carriers, as well as call for independent study of pilot fatigue research to be considered in new flight-time and duty-time rules for pilots. The House already passed its version of the reauthorization bill but it is considered more stringent than the bill the Senate has proposed, and whatever the Senate passes will have to be merged with the House bill by a House-Senate conference committee.
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Airport to Conduct Study on Wildlife Hazards for Planes. --- Eve Byron, Independent Record, February 12, 2010
Helena Regional Airport in Montana is undertaking a wildlife hazard assessment over concerns about the potential of a devastating collision between birds and airplanes. The one-year study, paid for with $125,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration, will look at birds, deer, elk, and other wildlife that could cause problems at the 13,050-acre airport. A qualified airport wildlife biologist will be hired to complete the study and that person will also look at wildlife habitats in and around the airport, and may be able to make suggestions, like changing flight patterns if birds are a problem.
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A Year After Fatal Regional Airline Crash, Claims of Safety Progress Questioned. --- Joan Lowy, Associated Press, February 11, 2010
Little has been done in the year since the crash of a regional airliner near Buffalo, New York. The Federal Aviation Administration has failed to require improved airline safety on key fronts, like addressing the tiring long-distance commutes of many regional companies’ pilots, despite claims to the contrary. The National Transportation Safety Board, the Transportation Department’s inspector general, and even members of Congress are questioning the FAA’s so-called progress and complain that the agency has bent to industry pressure to delay or weaken new requirements before they are proposed.
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Critics Say Airline Safety Changes Coming Too Slowly. --- David Dykes, Greenville Online, February 12, 2010
The crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York highlighted several safety lapses, but it is unlikely that change is quickly forthcoming. Regulators in the past have taken years to adopt new regulations, and it will take federal legislation to resolve differences in pilot qualifications and airline safety management programs among commuter airlines and larger carriers to create two levels of safety for the flying public. After a thorough investigation of the crash the National Transportation Safety Board made several recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration, but the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General found that the FAA’s progress in implementing any measures has been slow.
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FAA Still in Lubbock Testing ILS. --- Katie Bauer, KCBD, February 12, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration’s technical teams have been testing the instrument landing system at Lubbock International Airport in Texas, where flights have been cancelled or delayed for more than a week, due in part to weather but mostly to the instrument landing system. The FAA is trying to pin point the problem and believe some sort of radio interference is responsible. They have made test flights and had crews on the ground from the FAA and Federal Communications Commission monitoring the approach path and surrounding area, listening for potential sources of radio or electronic interference.
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Clear Weather Helps FAA Fix ILS. --- Melinda Alvarado, Fox 34, February 13, 2010
Clear blue skies are helping the Federal Aviation Administration investigate the instrument landing system problems at LubbockInternationalAirport. The Federal Communications Commission and the City of Lubbock partnered with the FAA and found that a handful of power poles and a sub-station north of the airport were emitting intermittent but significant radio frequency energy that was causing the problems. The FAA said the ILS is now reporting properly though it is limited in service, and if weather is good, the agency is hopeful problems will be nonexistent.
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New Runway at Charlotte Douglas Could Save Travelers Valuable Time. --- WSOCTV.com, February 12, 2010
With the new runway at CharlotteDouglasInternationalAirport in Charlotte, North Carolina becoming fully operational Friday, February 12, up to three planes can now land at once. The option is valuable because it will save airlines tens of millions of dollars in substantially lowering the number of delays, and might even save time for air travelers. Another positive is that an airport that can handle more passengers as well as endure fewer delays could also entice businesses to relocate.
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Airline On-Time Performance Improves in 2009 as Rate of Mishandled Baggage Increases. --- eNews Park Forest, February 13, 2010
According to the Air Travel Consumer Report recently released by the Department of Transportation, the nation’s largest airlines had an on-time performance rate in 2009 that was their best since 2003, but the carriers’ rate of mishandled baggage last year was the lowest recorded since 2004.
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Algae to Solve Pentagon’s Jet Fuel Problem. --- 2012 Changes are Now, February 14, 2010
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) at the Pentagon says it is just months away from producing a jet fuel made from algae. DARPA’s research projects have extracted oil from algal ponds at a cost of $2 per gallon, and it is now on track to begin large-scale refining of that oil into jet fuel at a cost of less than $3 a gallon. Unlike corn-based ethanol algal farms do not threaten food supplies, and the innovation represents a boon for the military, the nation’s single largest consumer of energy, as well as holding the promise of low-carbon driving and flying for all.
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MichiganRegionalAirport Radar Merger Draws Fuss. --- Associated Press, February 14, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration is looking to consolidate radar operations at four regional airports at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, but the decision is being questioned by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. An NATCA spokesperson told the Grand Rapids Press that representatives of the air controllers group met with pilots at GeraldFordInternationalAirport in Grand Rapids, saying they want to pressure lawmakers to give them a say in discussions on the consolidation, which is expected to occur about a year from now.
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Alternative Plans Made for Airport. --- Cassandra Shofar, The News-Herald, February 15, 2010
Cuyahoga County, Ohio commissioners are working on runway extension alternatives more than a year after the Cuyahoga County Airport master plan was approved. The Federal Aviation Administration asked the airport to come up with an immediate alternative that addresses runway safety area issues, but the airport continues to support and believe that it has the justification for an extension as part of a long-term plan. Proponents argue the extension would make the airport safer for pilots and note that the plan would not require any residential land to be acquired, but critics fear increased air traffic and decreased safety, home values, and standards of living.
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Airlines Invest in Biofuel Companies. --- All Things Aviation, February 15, 2010
Driven more by higher fuel costs than a desire to reduce emissions from jet aircraft, some 14 airlines have been working with biofuel companies to develop a camelina-based jet fuel. Camelina is a crop that can be grown on marginal land and does not compete with food crops, requiring little water or nitrogen. The International Air Transport Association and Airbus are calling for governments to support the aviation industry’s efforts to gain access to biofuels, but aviation accounts for little more than 12% of transportation fuels so it is unlikely the industry will receive much support.
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Bird Strikes Plane, Forces Landing at FortLauderdale-HollywoodInternationalAirport. --- Juan Ortega and Ken Kaye, Sun Sentinel, February 16, 2010
A Spirit Airlines plane made an unscheduled return to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida on Monday, February 15 after a bird struck the jet’s nose after takeoff. No one was hurt and an inspection found no damage to the plane, and the passengers were placed on other flights. U.S. airplanes collide with birds more than 2,500 times a year, with bird strikes causing an average of $400 million in damage.
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$6 Million Dayton Airport Project Delayed by Compiling of Buy-American Data. --- John Nolan, Dayton Daily News, February 16, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration will not release the funding for a $6.1 million project to install a new electronic security system at Dayton International Airport in Ohio until the contractor provides information that shows the project complies with a law requiring the use of steel and manufactured goods produced in the U.S. The airport must give the FAA the buy-American information, or request a waiver. Officials of the airport expect to complete the project by 2010, even with the delay caused by securing the data.
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Passengers Rights Groups Give Airlines Failing Grades for Tarmac Delays. --- Alison Grant, The Plain Dealer, February 16, 2010
FlyersRights.org, a passenger rights group, issued an air travel consumer report card on Tuesday, February 16, and gave Continental Airlines and five other carriers an F grade for tarmac delays of two hours or more. The group claims the carriers trapped fliers in “metal tubes” during weather delays without food, water, or medical assistance, and with overflowing toilets. The report was optimistic about some form of legislation being passed this year, as a passenger bill of rights was included in the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill pending in Congress.
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FAA Administrator Discusses Aviation Safety With Rockefeller. --- West Virginia Media, February 17, 2010
Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt and aviation officials from YeagerAirport in West Virginia met with U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller to discuss the importance of airport safety, particularly as it applied to a January incident at YeagerAirport that required the use of the airport’s Engineered Material Arresting System. Senator Rockefeller and Mr. Babbitt viewed the work being done to fix the EMAS system, which was funded through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program.
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American Airlines Union Moves Toward Strike. --- World Travel Service, February 18, 2010
The Transport Workers Union said it will ask federal mediators to let the employees walk away from contract talks if there is no deal by March 8. Strikes have become very rare in the airline industry, but if federal mediators agree, it could be the start of a countdown toward a strike. An American Airlines spokeswoman said the talk of ending mediation was premature, however.
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Watchdog Finds Aircraft Maintenance Problems at American Airlines, Calls FAA Oversight Weak. --- Joan Lowy, Associated Press, February 18, 2010
According to a report released Thursday by the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Aviation Administration’s lax oversight of aircraft maintenance at American Airlines raises concerns about the agency’s ability to regulate aircraft maintenance in general. At least four maintenance-related allegations made two years ago have “potential safety implications,” and despite a significant increase in maintenance problems at American, the FAA did little to address the issues. The report questions the FAA’s effectiveness and notes that the FAA only ever took action after the department had briefed agency officials on the need for them.
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February 12, 2010 - Aviation and Airport Development Updates

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Steven Taber

February 12, 2010 - A summary review of Aviation and Airport Development related news and information that was made public during the past ten days.  These were all first posted, in abbreviated form, on http://twitter.com/smtaber. Trisha Ton-Nu also contributed to this post. If you would like to receive this update in an e-mail delivered to your inbox every week, please send an e-mail to subscribe@calairlaw.com with the word “subscribe” in the subject line.

Families of Those Lost in Crash of Flight 3407 Angry With FAA. --- Scott Brown, WGRZ, February 6, 2010
The families of the victims of Flight 3407 are increasingly frustrated and angry with the Federal Aviation Administration, critical of what they see as the agency’s inaction. They are pushing for first officers on regional airlines to have the same flying experience as the pilot’s, but Randy Babbitt, FAA Administrator, said while numbers might be important, the FAA needs to take “a hard look” at all of the elements of training a pilot has been exposed to. The families are now shifting their focus to Congress, where the House has already passed a flight safety bill and the Senate has a similar bill.
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No Way to Run Airlines: FAA Has Done Nothing About Roots of Buffalo Crash. --- New York Daily News, February 8, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration has done little about the safety lapses that were partially responsible for last year’s crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York. Despite repeated pressure from the National Transportation Safety Board, which made recommendations “time after time,” the FAA ignored them and has a reputation of long and ineffectively attempting to cajole the airlines into reforming themselves.
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Pilots Risk All for Low Hours, Low Pay. --- Miles O’Brien, Marketplace, February 9, 2010
Regional airlines like Colgan have been involved in every one of the last six fatal commercial airline crashes in the U.S. Safety sometimes takes a bottom line at these airlines because they are often paid by the majors on the number of flights they complete, and not the number of passengers they carry. Pilots, too, are only paid for the hours they fly though they may be on duty for many more; as a result they are underpaid and overworked. The current pay scheme could and seems to have undermined safety, though the Regional Airlines Association president insisted profit never trumps safety.
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FAA May Consolidate Northern Ohio Air Traffic Controllers for Efficiency’s Sake. --- Associated Press, February 5, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to consolidate air traffic control operations for Akron, Mansfield, Toledo, and Youngstown airports at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio. The agency said no decision has been made and the upgraded Cleveland facility will not be ready before 2015, but that the proposal is considered an efficiency move. The controllers union opposes the move, asserting that emergency flights would be denied contact with controllers who know the local terrain.
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Airport Meeting Yields Ideas, No Decisions. --- Brad Dicken, The Chronicle-Telegram, February 5, 2010
Lorain County, Ohio officials had a private meeting with pilots, condominium owners, and others with a vested interest in Lorain County Regional Airport, but no decision was reached on whether the airport will not be closed. County commissioners intended to close the airport January 15 but faced opposition from airport users and the Federal Aviation Administration, which warned the county it could face a federal lawsuit to keep the airport open. The county is examining ways to increase traffic and thereby revenue at the airport, and how to get federal stimulus money to improve the airport.
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Airport Asks for FAA Help to Keep Wanderers Off of Taxiway. --- Andrew Travers, Aspen Daily News, February 8, 2010
Airport officials for Sardy Field in Colorado have requested the Federal Aviation Administration visit the airport and observe the number of people walking into an area where planes taxi to and from the runway in the section reserved for private jets. The phenomenon is potentially dangerous and the airport is hoping the FAA can assist in brainstorming a way to stop it. Airport director Jim Elwood pointed out that none of these incidents have interfered with flight traffic or put anyone in danger, but said the airport just wants to ensure it is operating at “the highest standard of safety.”
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Agencies to Fault American on Maintenance. --- Andy Pasztor, The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 2010
The Department of Transportation’s inspector general will soon release a report outlining apparent failures by AMR Corp. to identify and promptly resolve aircraft maintenance problems in 2008. American Airlines will be under sharp criticism from the DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration, which both accuse it of serious maintenance lapses.
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Southwest Airlines Facing FAA Safety Investigation. --- Dave Michaels, The Dallas Morning News, February 9, 2010
In the third such investigation in two years the Federal Aviation Administration is examining violations of safety directives by Southwest Airlines. FAA inspectors believe Southwest and a Seattle-area repair station failed to follow federally approved procedures when they carried out repair work on sections of the fuselage. The FAA could levy a fine in the tens of millions of dollars because 44 planes flew more than 100,000 flights while out of compliance. The agency has also become stricter in regards to federal airworthiness regulations after a 2008 congressional investigation found some FAA officials in North Texas became too “cozy” with carriers like Southwest.
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American Airlines, Southwest, FAA Under Fire. --- Gary Stoller, USA Today, February 10, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines over aircraft maintenance problems. The investigations may result in the biggest fines in aviation history and could approach the $10.2 million fine the agency proposed against Southwest two years ago. The FAA itself is under scrutiny as the Transportation Department’s inspector general will soon release an audit criticizing the FAA for its lax maintenance oversight of American.
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Report: American Airlines May Face Eight-Figure Fine. --- Triangle Business Journal, February 10, 2010
Though sources told the Associated Press that the Federal Aviation Administration could hit American Airlines with a fine similar to the $10.2 million penalty assessed against Southwest Airlines in 2008, an FAA spokesman said the investigation was not finished and that it was too early to speculate on the amount. The investigation was launched in 2008 after safety concerns were raised about nearly 300 of the carrier’s MD-80 aircraft: improper bundling of wires in the wheel well posed a fire hazard. The problem has been fixed but the probe uncovered other possible irregularities and violations in American’s maintenance operations.
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DOT Temporarily Grants Delta/US Airways Slot Waiver. --- Department of Transportation, February 9, 2010
The Department of Transportation has tentatively decided to grant the waiver requested by Delta Airlines and US Airways to proceed with their proposed slot swap transaction at Reagan Washington National Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The airlines are required to sell some of their slot interests to carriers with no or limited service at the two airports, to lessen the harm to consumers that might otherwise result from the two airlines’ increased dominance there.
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More articles on this topic:

Delta, US Airways May Call Off Slot Swap. --- Andrew Compart, Aviation Week, February 11, 2010
Delta and US Airways said they will cancel their slot swap deal at Washington National and New York LaGuardia airports if the Federal Aviation Administration does not change the conditions it wants to attach to approval of the transaction. The carriers believe that the requirement to sell some of their slot interests to carriers with no service or limited service at the two airports would negatively impact consumers and the economic benefits created by the swap. The FAA’s decision is not final and interested parties have 30 days to comment on the tentative decision before it is made final or finalized with changes.
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FCC Joins Search for Solution to Airport’s ILS Woes. --- Walt Nett, Avalanche-Journal, February 10, 2010
The Federal Communications Commission has joined the Federal Aviation Administration in searching for the causes of interference that have plagued the instrument landing system at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport in Texas for more than a week. An FAA check airplane flew several approaches and gave the system a clean bill of health on Tuesday, February 9, but pilots later began reporting sporadic interference with the signal.
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Time for the City to Privatize Midway Airport. --- Jerry Roper, Chicago Tribune, February 10, 2010
Mayor Richard Daley should affirm his commitment to privatization of Midway Airport in Chicago, Illinois, an initiative that could provide money for infrastructure improvements and shore up public pensions. Midway has become a phenomenal success story under the mayor’s leadership, but it must be privatized for the city to tap into its value. Economic conditions are significantly better than they were two years ago when a similar plan to privatize the airport fell through, and the mayor will hopefully relaunch the long-term lease of Midway soon.
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Modifications Could Affect Local Airport., --- Crystal Tatum, Newton Citizen, February 10, 2010
A Federal Aviation Administration proposal to expand airspace for Class B commercial aircraft at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia could affect aviators at nearby Covington Municipal Airport and city and county residents. The proposed changes come in response to air traffic controllers’ having difficulty spotting aircraft in the current airspace. The modifications would mean more noise and more traffic congestion as all the larger aviation will be flying closer to the ground and pushing general aviation below them.
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Smaller Jets Gain Bigger Role at O’Hare. --- Chicago Tribune, February 11, 2010
Smaller jets are taking on a larger role at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, with United and American Airlines, the airport’s two major tenants, scheduling two regional jet flights for every one flown on larger jets. The airlines are making the changes because the regional jets are cheaper to fly and they are increasingly deployed for travel to big cities such as Boston, New York, and Miami, but passengers are not thrilled as the regional jets are less comfortable. Aviation consultants say airlines’ increased reliance on regional jets is a trend that is not likely to abate in the future.
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FAA Safety Reforms Finally Going to Senate. --- Jerry Zremski, The Buffalo News, February 11, 2010
A week of the U.S. Senate floor time will be scheduled in March for the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, including its safety provisions. Several of the provisions address concerns that the National Transportation Safety Board listed last week as part of its investigation into the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York, last year. The bill would raise pilot-training standards and set requirements for the airlines’ remedial training programs, as well as mandate other increased safety initiatives. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid finally made the commitment to move the FAA bill up by six months because the Senate has passed its version of health care reform, which had kept it occupied for months, and because the latest in a series of short-term extensions of the FAA bill is set to expire March 31.
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Airport to Conduct Study on Wildlife Hazards for Planes. --- Eve Byron, Independent Record, February 12, 2010
Helena Regional Airport in Montana is undertaking a wildlife hazard assessment over concerns about the potential of a devastating collision between birds and airplanes. The one-year study, paid for with $125,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration, will look at birds, deer, elk, and other wildlife that could cause problems at the 13,050-acre airport. A qualified airport wildlife biologist will be hired to complete the study and that person will also look at wildlife habitats in and around the airport, and may be able to make suggestions, like changing flight patterns if birds are a problem.
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November 13, 2009 - Aviation and Airport Development Updates

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Steven Taber

A summary review of Aviation and Airport Development related news and information that was made public during the past week.  These were all first posted, in abbreviated form, on http://twitter.com/smtaber. Trisha Ton-Nu also contributed to this post. If you would like to receive this update in an e-mail delivered to your inbox every Monday, please send an e-mail to subscribe@calairlaw.com with the word “subscribe” in the subject line.

FAA: 2 Planes Came Within 90 Feet on Ground at LAX. --- Associated Press, October 28, 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration determined that a runway incursion at Los Angeles International Airport brought two passenger planes within 90 feet of each other on Sunday, October 25, 2009. A Midwest Express jet taxied toward a runway on which a Northwest Airlines Boeing 757 was taking off, though the jet was supposed to stop. The pilots of both planes will be questioned.
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FAA Issues Notice of ROD for FEIS Concerning Proposed Improvement Activities at Rocky GutierrezAirport in Sitka, AK. --- Federal Register, October 29, 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration gave notice that it had issued a Record of Decision for the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act Section 810 Evaluation for Proposed Improvement Activities at Rocky Gutierrez Airport in Sitka, Alaska. The ROD included descriptions of the projects proposed by the Airport Sponsor and evaluation of the projects, as well as federal, state, and local actions that are needed prior to the implementation of the projects. The ROD also identified several of the FAA’s preferred and environmentally preferred alternatives, and alternatives selected by the FAA for implementation.
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Military Says Fighters Should Have Been Launched When Northwest Flight Overshot Airport. --- Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press, October 29, 2009.
A top commander said the military would have launched fighter jets to track down the Northwest Airlines flight that overshot its destination if officials had been notified sooner. General Gene Renuart, head of U.S. Northern Command, learned of the incident only minutes before the Federal Aviation Administration regained contact with the pilots. He said delays must be corrected, and Northern Command is doing an internal review of the incident.
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FAA Finds Proposed Chiofaro Towers a Hazard. --- Casey Ross, Boston Globe, October 29, 2009.
Preliminary Federal Aviation Administration findings indicate that developer Don Chiofaro’s proposed towers near the New England Aquarium will have to be cut in half, because the tower complex with its proposed heights of nearly 800 feet would pose a hazard to planes taking off and landing at nearby Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. A principal at Chiofaro’s development firm said that the ruling was expected and the company still plans to pursue high-rise development on the property.
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Atlanta Airport Project Gets Stimulus Funds. --- LexisNexis, October 30, 2009.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia was awarded almost $34 million in stimulus funds through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program, to help pay for construction of a new terminal. The total cost of the terminal, expected to be completed by spring 2012, is $1.35 billion, and the 12-gate facility will connect to the existing international Concourse E, creating a 40-gate international air travel complex.
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Air Transport Association Urges U.S. Climate Negotiators to Oppose Climate Change Tax Targeting International Air Passengers. --- PRNewswire, October 30, 2009.
The Air Transport Association of America urged climate negotiators to oppose the “International Air Passenger Adaption Levy,” which would single out aviation to raise $10 billion per year for climate-change projects to be built in developing countries, and would likely take the form of an exorbitant climate change tax imposed on airlines and their passengers. In a letter to Todd Stern, the U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change, the ATA impelled the United States to oppose the tax and instead support the industry’s proactive proposal for a global and sectoral approach to aviation and climate change.
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FAA Issues Intent to Rule on OAK’s Request for a PFC to Connect OAK to BART. --- Federal Register, November 2, 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to rule on and invited public comment on a proposed Passenger Facility Charge at Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, which would go toward providing a direct people mover connection between the Coliseum Bay Area Rapid Transit station and the airport.
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Federal Officials Reject Restrictions on Night Flights at BobHopeAirport. --- L.A. Now, November 2, 2009.
A request by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority for a curfew at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California was rejected by the Federal Aviation Administration for being unreasonable because it would create an “undue burden on commerce” and negatively affect the national air transportation system. The FAA found that the airport failed to meet four of the six conditions required of a restriction proposal, and several major cargo companies including Fed Ex and United Parcel Service opposed the implementation of a curfew.
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Hawaii Airport Getting New Control Tower. --- Associated Press, November 2, 2009.
Construction on a new $39 million air traffic control tower at Keahole-Kona International Airport in Hawaii is to begin in December, and is expected to be put into use in May 2012. The current 51-foot tower was built in 1970 to control a 6,500-foot runway, but after it was extended to 11,000 feet in 1993, it was more difficult for controllers to see the north end. The new tower should provide controllers better views of the airfield.
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Small Airports Land Big Money. --- Thomas Frank, USA TODAY, November 2, 2009.
A USA TODAY analysis shows that Congress has steered $1.1 billion since 2001 to “pet projects” at airports that cater to private planes, with approximately $100 million being allocated to low-priority projects. These “earmarks” projects have been criticized for potentially detracting from federal aid that could be used for projects to ease flight delays at the nation’s busiest airports, but a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said that the earmarks account for only 5% of airport grants.
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Stealth-Mode Wind Turbines. --- Peter Fairley, Technology Review, November 2, 2009.
Danish wind turbine company Vestas and United Kingdom defense contractor Qinetiq believe they may have the solution to the wind-turbine-related aviation radar interference problem: the first “stealth” wind-turbine blade. Turbines can interfere with radar by reflecting radar systems’ microwave signals and creating shadows that erase planes from radar operators’ screens and clutter those screens with the turbines’ signature. The stealth blade is constructed of material that absorbs radar, and the blade produces a markedly smaller signature in comparison to conventional blades.
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Congressman Sherman Proposes Legislation to Allow Nighttime Curfews at Valley Airports. --- California Chronicle, November 3, 2009.
In the wake of the Federal Aviation Administration’s rejection of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority’s application for a waiver to impose nighttime curfews at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California, Congressman Brad Sherman is proposing legislation that would allow Bob Hope and Van Nuys Airport to implement mandatory nighttime curfews from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
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FAA Issues Airworthiness Directive for ATR Model ATR42 and ATR72 to Correct “An Unsafe Condition.” --- Federal Register, November 3, 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration adopted a new Airworthiness Directive for ATR Model ATR42 and ATR72 airplanes requiring action to address an unsafe condition related to the “unacceptable” probability of ignition risk.
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Safer Standards Urged After North Las Vegas Crashes. --- Keith Rogers, Las Vegas Review-Journal, November 2, 2009.
A Clark County Aviation Department report found that 75 percent of the accidents involving experimental and other aircraft at North Las Vegas Airport in Nevada were caused by pilot error. The report gave several recommendations for the Federal Aviation Administration, which the agency is reviewing and considering, barring those recommendations that have already been implemented.
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IG Report Faults NY Delay Initiative. --- Adrian Schofield, Aviation Week, October 30, 2009.
The Department of Transportation’s Inspector General found that benefits have been seen in just five of the Federal Aviation Administration’s 30 completed New York airport and airspace initiatives. Most of the completed initiatives were either not used or used infrequently, and the IG questioned their viability as “effective delay-reduction solutions.” The IG’s report also found that the FAA lacks an effective process for evaluating the usefulness of the individual initiatives, thereby preventing it from determining if the initiatives provide any benefits.
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Lawmakers Seek Ban on Laptops in Airline Cockpits. --- Joan Lowy, Associated Press, November 3, 2009.
Senator Byron Dorgan, chairman of the aviation subcommittee, said he is planning on introducing a bill that will ban the use of computer laptops and other personal electronic devices in airline cockpits, to prevent an incident like the Northwest Airlines plane that overshot its destination from occurring again. Currently the Federal Aviation Administration does not prohibit pilots from using such devices, except below 10,000 feet when the plane is taking off or landing. Other lawmakers have also indicated that they would support such legislation.
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Acadia to Develop Air Tour Regulations. --- Heather Seavey, WCSH, November 4, 2009.
Acadia National Park in Maine and the Federal Aviation Administration are working together to develop new regulations for scenic air tours that fly over the park. The new regulations would be designed to limit noise for park visitors and wildlife, and would extend to a ½ mile perimeter around the park boundaries and up to 5,000 feet above ground level.
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Northwest Pilots Appeal License Revocation. --- Joan Lowy, Associated Press, November 5, 2009.
The Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles and had their licenses revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration are appealing the revocation with the National Transportation Safety Board. The FAA revoked the pilots’ licenses because they said the pilots put the 144 passengers of the flight in serious danger, and highlighted the incident as an example of the “erosion of professionalism” among commercial pilots.
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FAA Proposes Millions in Penalties Against United Airlines. --- Business and Legal Resources, November 5, 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a $3.8 million civil penalty against United Airlines for operating one of its Boeing 737 aircraft on more than 200 flights in a less-than-airworthy condition. The airline had violated its own maintenance procedures on one of the plane’s engines—two shop towels, and not the required protective caps, had been used to cover openings in the oil sump area.
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FAA Tracking Planes That Flew Over House Hit By Ice. --- ChicagoBreakingNewsCenter, November 5, 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident wherein a large piece of ice fell from the sky and hit a home in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, November 4, 2009. The house lies under one of O’Hare International Airport’s flight paths, and FAA investigators will seek to identify which planes were overhead at the time of the incident, and if any may have reported a leak, which could then be the source of the ice.
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Are Some Airlines Just Too Dangerous to Fly? --- Richard Korman, Miller-McCune, November 4, 2009.
A recently-conducted study found that certain old planes operated from Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa have more accidents. Developing countries are more likely to use old planes beyond their “designed economic life,” and maintenance of these planes may fall short of international standards, though it is difficult to establish global standardization. The European Union launched an airline blacklist in 2006, and passengers should avoid those carriers or carriers from Federal Aviation Administration-downgraded countries, though international maintenance standards should be implemented and enforced.
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Photos Show AA Plane at Center of Safety Investigation. --- Scott Friedman, NBC DallasFort Worth, November 4, 2009.
American Airlines is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration after the airline voluntarily self-disclosed a discrepancy in several of the screwheads used to hold AA plane #279’s skin. The screws appear to be ordinary and unlike the rivets generally used, but the carrier insists that they are aerospace quality and were only installed just before the plane was moved to the New Mexico desert and retired. The FAA is investigating whether the plane carried any passengers with the changed screws, and whether the plane was deliberately moved to the desert graveyard to keep it out of sight of inspectors.
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Barclay Urges Senate to Pass FAA Bill; Eliminate AMT Penalty. --- Aviation News, November 4, 2009.
Charles Barclay, president of the American Association of Airline Executives, is urging the Senate to pass the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill quickly and permanently eliminate the AMT penalty on airport private activity bonds.
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Director of Singapore Firm Sentenced for Illegally Exporting Controlled Aircraft Components to Iran. --- Department of Justice, November 5, 2009.
Laura Wang-Woodford, one of the directors of Singapore-based Monarch Aviation Pte Ltd., was sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn to 46 months in prison for conspiring to violate the U.S. trade embargo by exporting controlled aircraft components to Iran. Along with her husband, Brian D. Woodford, who served as chairman and managing director of Monarch and who remains a fugitive, Ms. Wang-Woodford illegally exported aircraft parts and U.S. military aircraft components. At the time of her December 23, 2007 arrest in San Francisco, she was also in possession of catalogues from a Chinese company from which all U.S. citizens and entities are prohibited from engaging in business.
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FAA Chief: Pilots Must Refocus on Professionalism. --- Joan Lowy, Associated Press, November 4, 2009.
Federal Aviation Administrator Randy Babbitt told an aviation club that pilots must refocus on professionalism, and that recent incidents like Northwest Flight 188, which overshot its destination by 150 miles, and the Buffalo, New York crash that killed 50 people, were caused because the pilots forgot their first job was to focus on flying the plane. Babbitt has been stressing a need for stronger professionalism among airline pilots, and he has urged veteran pilots to mentor less experienced pilots.
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$3.7 Million to Study O’Hare Terminal Airlines Don’t Want. --- Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times, November 4, 2009.
Consulting firm Landrum & Brown was awarded a $3.7 million contract to plan for a new western terminal project at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois that the major airlines are refusing to fund and consider ill-conceived. The Federal Aviation Administration, which provided the funding for the study, believes the Western Terminal Planning Study is an “important and necessary tool” to help the agency coordinate with the state to provide regional and local roadways for western access to O’Hare.
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Airport Weight Debate Goes to Commissioners. --- Kurt Hildebrand, The Record-Courier, November 4, 2009.
Douglas County, Nevada commissioners will look at a proposal analyzing what might happen if Minden-Tahoe Airport loses federal funding. The Federal Aviation Administration has already withheld some funding due to the county’s failure to alter the airport’s entry in federal publications, and the FAA would be less likely to continue to provide funding if the airport does not comply with assurances representatives made that the airport would be maintained. The county is analyzing potential options for maintaining the airport without federal funding if the county is held in non-compliance and does not receive federal funds.
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How to Keep Planes From Colliding with Lasers. --- Physics Today, November 5, 2009.
Researchers have created a radio-tracking device that can detect aircraft entering the vicinity of a laser beamed into the sky, which would greatly aid in the prevention of plane-laser collisions. The current method involves using human observers to watch for planes flying with 25 degrees of the laser beams, but the new device would have none of the potential for human error.
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FAA Investigates Clem’s Airport Lease Deal. --- Alan Gustafson, Statesman Journal, November 6, 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a controversial lease awarded by former aviation director Dan Clem to a developer at Aurora State Airport in Oregon. The inquiry concerns whether the lease complied with federal grant conditions for airports that receive FAA funding for improvements, and the Oregon Department of Justice is conducting its own investigation into Clem’s handling of the lease. Mr. Clem resigned as state aviation director on October 19 of this year.
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MontanaAirport Hopes to Build Control Tower Soon. --- Associated Press, November 6, 2009.
Missoula International Airport, Montana airport administrators hope to begin building a new control tower in spring, after the Federal Aviation Administration approved about $6.7 million in funding for the tower. The new tower will likely be about 120 feet tall, approximately double the height of the current tower, which was built in the early 1960s.
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Noise Pollution Control. --- Save the Earth!, November 6, 2009.
Noise pollution is displeasing human-, animal-, or machine-created sounds, damaging to physiological and psychological health. In the early 1970s the Environmental Protection Agency developed federal noise-emission standards, and the Federal Aviation Administration adopted Ldn (day-night equivalent level) as the noise descriptor in assessing land-use compatibility with various levels of aircraft noise. The EPA, FAA, and other government agencies work to identify major noise sources in the United States and craft measures to curb noise pollution.
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Notice of Availability of a Record of Decision for Streamlining the Process of Experimental Permit Applications. --- Federal Register, November 6, 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced the availability of a Record of Decision for streamlining the environmental review of experimental permit applications for the launch and/or reentry of reusable suborbital rockets. The ROD provides a description of the Proposed Action—the FAA’s Preferred Alternative and the environmentally preferable alternative—and includes a discussion of environmental impacts associated with the Proposed Action for each resource area.
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ExhaustConeFalls Off Jet Onto NY Home’s Lawn. --- David B. Caruso, Associated Press, November 6, 2009.
An engine tailcone fell off a Delta Air Lines Boeing 777 and landed on a lawn in a Long Island, New York residential neighborhood, though neither pilots nor anyone on the ground immediately noticed the mishap. The aircraft does not need the part to fly, and carried on safely to its destination in Tokyo, where Delta personnel reported the engine part missing following an inspection after the plane landed. Delta is conducting an investigation to determine what went wrong.
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FAA Streamlines Experimental Space Flight Access. --- Michael Cooney, Network World, November 6, 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration says it will streamline the environmental review part of permit applications for the launch and/or reentry of reusable suborbital rockets to help bolster a young commercial space market. The Processing of Experimental Permit Applications (PEIS) is the central and important document of the ruling, because it presents information and analysis common to reusable, suborbital rockets and effectively focuses on environmental impacts specific to an applicant’s proposed experimental operations.
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Van Nuys Would Like To Be Paid Back For All That Soundproofing. --- Curbed LA, November 6, 2009.
The Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council is seeking reimbursement from the City of Los Angeles for the cost of installing insulation in homes near Van Nuys Airport in California, after the Federal Aviation Administration rejected plans to enforce a curfew at Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport which would have resulted in the diversion of planes to airports like Van Nuys. The figure is in the $10 million range, but will likely increase when the cost of noise consultants is factored in.
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NBAA Welcomes FAA Ruling Against Curfew Proposal. --- Charter X News, November 7, 2009.
The National Business Aviation Association applauded the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to deny a proposed ban on nighttime operations at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California. The NBAA had submitted an extensive legal filing in opposition to the curfew proposal, one of the documents cited by the FAA in support of its decision.
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Buzzing of Santa Monica Pier Leads to Questions About Aviation Safety. --- Dan Weikel, Los Angeles Times, November 8, 2009.
A November 2008 incident at Santa Monica Pier involving a low-flying military jet has focused attention on the use of high-performance military jets by civilian pilots and the hazard they can pose to people in the air and on the ground. In the Western Pacific region of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii there are about 5,600 experimental exhibition planes that are restricted by the government to air shows, flight demonstrations, or training flights over sparsely populated areas, but there is little to stop those who own or operate those planes from using them in unapproved and dangerous ways. David G. Riggs, the pilot and owner of the jet involved in the Santa Monica Pier incident, may have illegally sold rides in such unapproved planes and may even have failed to adhere to proper maintenance standards for the planes.
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FAA Gives Hope to Cargo. --- Aircargo Asia Pacific, November 9, 2009.
The air cargo industry praised the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to reject BobHopeAirport’s request for a ban on nighttime operations at the Burbank, California airport. Daniel Fernandez, director of the International Air Cargo Association, said that the decision sends a clear message to other airports that may have been considering similar restrictive actions.
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City Council Committee Approves Delta-Airport Lease. --- Kelly Yamanouchi, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 9, 2009.
The Atlanta, Georgia city council transportation committee approved the proposed lease between Hartsfield-JacksonInternationalAirport and Delta Air Lines after the Federal Aviation Administration wrote in a memo that most of its concerns about the deal had been addressed. Key issues involved potentially anti-competitive provisions in the lease, including the restriction of gate usage—a representative for American, Continental, US Airways, and United told the transportation committee that the agreement will restrict those carriers because they will lose five of their gates. The full council will take up the measure at its November 16, 2009 meeting.
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Aircraft Owner Group spent $770,000 Lobbying in 3Q. --- Associated Press, November 9, 2009.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, representative of private pilots, spent $770,000 lobbying on issues related to small aircraft, security, and airport fees, in the third quarter. The group lobbied for legislation that would require the Homeland Security secretary to go through a negotiated rulemaking process before issuing rules aimed at general aviation aircraft, as well as issues like greenhouse emissions, fuel, reauthorization for the Federal Aviation Administration, and authorization for the Transportation Security Administration.
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US Airways Spent $410K Lobbying Government in 3Q. --- Associated Press, November 9, 2009.
US Airways Group Inc. spent $410,000 lobbying in the third quarter. The carrier lobbied on the cap-and-trade energy proposal and aviation regulation issues, and on bills aimed at curbing speculation in the energy markets. US Airways also lobbied on reauthorization for the Federal Aviation Administration and air cargo security issues, aircraft engineering, flight operations, and maintenance issues.
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Senators Call for Passage of FAA Bill. --- Aviation News Today, November 9, 2009.
A group of lawmakers called on Senate leaders to pass the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. The Senate Commerce Committee approved the FAA Air Transportation and Modernization Act of 2009, S. 1451 on July 21, 2009, but the bill has stalled in the Finance Committee, which has yet to consider the tax portion of the bill.
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Airbus A319 Drops Parts on Dallas. --- Associated Press, November 10, 2009.
A left overwing emergency slide and the door over the compartment in which the slide was stowed fell from an Airbus A319 jet making a test flight in Dallas, Texas. The jet was undergoing maintenance when the incident occurred, and no injuries were reported and the plane was able to land safely.
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