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MEDICAL REFORM CONT. FROM P1
Huerta said an exemption, as the original petition called for, can only be of limited duration, and that the long-term policy changes sought by general aviation advocates can only be achieved through rulemaking. “The easy thing would be to say ‘No’ to the petition,” Huerta said. “Our objective is to try to say ‘Yes.’” The agency hasn’t ruled out a temporary exemption, he said, “But we don’t want to prevent ourselves from expeditiously completing the rulemaking process,” he added, noting that the staffers who would draft an exemption are the same as those involved in the proposed rulemaking. The proposed rule now goes to the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the FAA has tried to expedite the review process by conducting pre-briefings with DOT staffers. “This does represent a very significant policy change, so we try to focus the discussion on why it makes sense to consider this policy change,” he said. After review by all applicable agencies, the proposal will be published as a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), and will
be open for public comment for at least 60 to 90 days. Then, the agency will review the responses and revise the proposed rule accordingly. Huerta estimated the process could take six months to two years. “We are working very hard to tighten the time,” he said. “I will tell you this, it’s a C high priority.” Turning to NextGen, Huerta noted this year the network of 630 transceivers for the nationwide ADS-B network, one of the foundations of NextGen, has been completed. Addressing the January 1, 2020, date by which aircraft operating in areas currently requiring Mode C transponders must be equipped with ADS-B “out” capability, Huerta encouraged operators to “equip before the deadline to avoid delays at repair stations as the date draws closer.” He also reminded attendees the FAA has a service that will check the calibration of ADS-B equipment without charge, and already has performed the service for installations in 300 aircraft. Huerta said the agency also is working hard to streamline the certification process for safety equipment, pointing to the recent design approval process used to certify AOA (angle of attack) indicators.
“That makes it easier to install and less expensive for manufacturers to make this device,” he said. Huerta also said the FAA supports, in the interest of safety, EAA’s “second pilot” concept, which would allow an experienced pilot to fly with a homebuilder before the aircraft has flown off its required hours. This would respond to unnecessarily high accidents rates involving newly completed amateur-built aircraft. Since the builder may not have experience flying the type of aircraft he or she is building, or their skills may have lapsed during the build process, allowing a second, experienced pilot is a change EAA has identified as a way to enhance safety. He also said the agency is improving the training and testing procedures for certification of airmen, while assuring the audience that “the standards are not changing, the checkrides are not changing; the material is simply being presented in a better way.” Looking ahead, Huerta addressed legislation to reauthorize the FAA, noting his agency went through four-and-a-half years of temporary funding before the last reauthorization bill was enacted, severely hob-
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bling its operations. That legislation is due to expire next September. “We need stability, we need a clear and understandable framework to be provided by Congress for more than one year at a time,” he said. Among audience questions at the forum, a sport pilot from Cleveland asked Huerta to add electric propulsion to the existing regulations, and after a lengthy response regarding the difficulties of making the change, Huerta said, “That’s a long way of saying we’re working on it.” The same is true when it comes to reforming the agency’s medical-certification requirements. PHOTO BY MARIANO ROSALES
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta