Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/126719
FCC Out of Bounds by Limiting/Banning 121.5 ELTs EAA has strongly criticized the Federal Communications Commission for its latest attempt to curtail future use of 121.5 megahertz emergency locator transmitters (ELTs), frankly telling the commission that it is infringing on aviation safety policy that rightly belongs to the FAA. EAA's comments came in response to the FCC's third further notice of proposed rulemaking that invited comments on whether the FCC should prohibit the certification, manufacture, importation, sale, or use of 121.5 megahertz ELTs. "There is a long list of reasons why we oppose this FCC rulemaking effort, not the least of which is that the commission is overreaching its knowledge and authority by proposing an outcome that FAA has already analyzed extensively and determined to be unjustified in terms of both safety and cost," said Doug Macnair, EAA's vice president of government relations. "While the FCC has failed to undertake even the most rudimentary analysis in this rulemaking, the most glaring error is that a mandated change to 406 megahertz ELTs does nothing to prevent aviation accidents," Macnair said. "ELTs have also played a very limited role in survival rates post-accident. There is little justification for imposing hundreds of millions of dollars in new equipment requirements on general aviation aircraft owners." The final EAA comments also remarked that the FCC had failed to conduct any cost-benefit analysis or study on the impact to small business and entities, as required by law. The commission also failed to provide a specific proposal but rather sought comments on a range of proposals that could be part of a final rule. In addition, the FAA has already stopped the certification of new 121.5 ELT units, which means the GA fleet will eventually move to new technology, whether that is an ELT broadcasting on 406 megahertz or new equipment within the proposed NextGen system such as automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast. "There's been a long debate over the true usefulness of the ELT equipment, which was mandated by Congress 40 years ago in response to a single high-profile accident," Macnair said. "Regardless of that, emergency locating capability should be based on performance standards and not tied by regulation to specific decadesold technologies. "The FCC is essential to ensure that any new equipment operates appropriately within the aeronautical frequency spectrum, but this attempt at rulemaking pushes the commission into aviation safety policy that is under FAA control. EAA will strongly oppose any such FCC move." FAA Announces Change in Special Issuance Medical Certiļ¬cation In early April the Federal Air Surgeon announced a major change to the medical certification process for several common diagnoses that have previously required a special issuance and a review process by the FAA prior to issuing a medical certificate. The AME will require certain documentation, but this does not have to be forwarded to the FAA as in the case of a special issuance. The resulting medical certificate is good for the normal duration, depending on the age of the applicant and/or the class of medical. Under the new policy, termed "Certificates an AME Can Issue" or "CACI," applicants with arthritis, asthma, glaucoma, chronic hepatitis C, hypertension, hypothyroidism, migraine and chronic headache, pre-diabetes, or renal cancer can receive their medical certificates directly from their AME. Further diagnoses are expected to be announced in the coming months. Members of the EAA Aeromedical Advisory Council were heavily involved in bringing about these changes. "We are incredibly fortunate to have the Aeromedical Advisory Council at EAA," said Sean Elliott, EAA vice president of advocacy and safety. "These six AMEs are among the most experienced and respected doctors in the aeromedical business, and this announcement represents the culmination of several years of hard work." EAA Experimenter 7