Safety

ATIS AVIATION
NEWS ROUNDUP
Got Data?
Last spring the FAA launched an External Data
Access initiative (EDAi) to increase and improve the
public’s access to FAA data. The intent of this initiative
is to spur innovation, provide better opportunities
for the development of new applications and
services, and ultimately, advance the safety and
efficiency of the aviation industry.
The initiative’s first phase focuses on the release
of data in the aeronautical domain, e.g., data used
to create charts. Subsequent phases will evaluate
the release of FAA data from other domains, such as
safety, flight, etc.
Speaking at the Sun ‘n Fun International Fly In
and Expo in April with general aviation (GA) manufacturers
and pilots, FAA Deputy Administrator Mike
Whitaker said that “our goal is to help industry be in
a position to create innovative products and technologies
that improve safety and efficiency.”
The initiative includes improved access to data
such as airports, navigation aids, fixes, obstacles,
holding, approaches, and Temporary Flight Restriction
information. The agency also seeks to identify
additional data resources that may be needed by the
GA community.
We’ve got the data; you’ve got the fresh ideas.
Let’s bring them together. Take the online survey at
http://surveymonkey.com/r/GotData to help the
FAA get better aeronautical data into GA cockpits.
Reducing Radio Frequency Redundancy
For more than 50 years, pilots have used inflight
radio frequencies to obtain weather briefings, file
flight plans, and receive other services; however,
with technology advances many pilots now use other
ways to obtain these services, including satellite and
mobile platforms. As demand reduces, there is no
longer the need to maintain the large network of frequencies
we have today.
To increase efficiency, the FAA issued a notice
of proposal in the Federal Register, online at https://
federalregister.gov/a/2016-09992, to reduce the
number of radio frequencies used by Flight Service
Stations to communicate with aircraft inflight. The
proposal excludes frequencies designated for emergency
or military use and those in the state of Alaska.
The FAA maintains a network of more than 2,100
remote communications outlets (RCOs) throughout
the continental United States (CONUS), Hawaii, and
Puerto Rico. The frequency infrastructure requires
modification to eliminate duplicate, overlapping
and seldom used frequencies. In addition, since
2005, requests for flight services delivered by a Flight
Service specialist show a decrease of more than 83
percent across the CONUS, and inflight radio calls
have decreased by 80 percent.
The FAA contracted MITRE to study the areas
covered by RCO and VOR frequencies for removal
without significantly affecting the area of coverage.
The study concluded that removal of 666 frequencies
would still provide 99-100 percent coverage at
5,000 feet; 98-100 percent coverage at 3,000 feet; and
93-100 percent coverage at 1,000 feet. The savings in
maintenance costs alone is approximately $2.5 million
annually. Go to http://1.usa.gov/1T1uR8v to see
a list of affected frequencies and a MITRE briefing on
the effects of radio reduction by area.
NPRM to Provide Regulatory Relief to GA
Pilots
In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
issued on May 12, 2016, the FAA aims to provide
some regulatory relief for pilots in several areas of
general aviation training and certification. Among
the proposed changes is an increase in the allowed
use of aviation training devices with regard to instrument
training and instrument recency experience
requirements. This rulemaking also addresses
changing technologies by accommodating the use
of technically advanced airplanes as an alternative
to the older complex single engine airplanes for the
commercial pilot experience requirements. Additionally,
the NPRM would broaden the opportunities
for military instructors to obtain civilian ratings
2 FAA Safety Briefing July/August 2016