Part 135s Talk Safety; Security

The On-Demand Charter Safety Record
In March, Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) president James Coyne testified before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation at a hearing titled “FAA’s Oversight of On-Demand Aircraft Operators.” The hearing addressed a recent DOT Inspector General’s report, “On-Demand Operators Have Less Stringent Safety Requirements and Oversight Than Large Commercial Carriers.”

“The DOT IG’s report issued last July fails to present an accurate picture of the Part 135 regulatory environment,” says Coyne. “The report cited numerous examples of differences between Part 135 and Part 121 regulations but did not offer adequate explanation for the reason for the variances and failed to explain the wide variety of aircraft included in this classification.”

Coyne highlighted how Part 135 accident rates have steadily improved in recent years, with two fatal accidents occurring in 2009. In addition, fleet trends and advancing technology promise continued safety improvements, he says.

“The continued efforts of the FAA, NTSB, and industry have made improvements to safety that have elevated it to the high level at which it stands today,” Coyne says. “The FAA’s advancement of NextGen, SMS, and continual safety improvements in standardization and the safety recommendations program are essential components in improving Part 135 safety.”

NATA’s RA Check
At last month’s Air Charter Safety Symposium, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) launched a new online risk assessment tool for members — RA Check.

According to the association, RA Check fully automates the FAA-published Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT), a worksheet-based tool designed to consider the probability, severity, and weighted value of 38 leading accident causal factors.

Developed by FAA officials, aircraft operators, and other industry representatives, the FRAT is designed to identify potential hazards prior to flight and weigh the risk associated with each hazard through a five-step process. To use the FAA-published tool, operators must create numerical thresholds that trigger additional levels of scrutiny prior to a flight.

RA Check removes subjectivity and standardizes results, saving operators time and money while improving safety, according to NATA. RA Check streamlines data-entry processes and provides further convenience as it is fully integrated with the Computing Technologies For Aviation Flight Operating System.