FAAST Blast Notice Number: NOTC5047

 FAAST Blast — Week of Nov 10 – Nov 23, 2013 

Biweekly FAA Safety Briefing News Update 
FAA Issues New Pilot Training Rule            As part of its ongoing efforts to enhance safety and put the best qualified and trained pilots in the flight decks of U.S. airplanes, the FAA today issued a final rule that will significantly advance the way commercial air carrier pilots are trained.  
The final rule stems in part from the tragic crash of Colgan Air 3407 in February 2009, and addresses a Congressional mandate in the Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act of 2010 to ensure enhanced pilot training. The new rule is one of several rulemakings required by the Act, including the requirements to prevent pilot fatigue that were finalized in December 2011, and the increased qualification requirements for first officers who fly U.S. passenger and cargo planes that were issued  in July 2013.
The final rule's requirements touch on several areas, including ground and flight training to prevent and recover from stalls and upsets; tracking remedial training for pilots with performance deficiencies; training to improve pilot monitoring; expanded crosswind training, including training for wind gusts; and enhanced runway safety procedures. The rule is available online at http://go.usa.gov/WKdH.
FAA Releases Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap
Forecasts estimate an expected 7,500 small unmanned aircraft in the national airspace in the next five years. For now, almost all of the unmanned aircraft operations that are approved are for public use and research purposes, and on a case by case basis. A new UAS roadmap document, developed with key stakeholders, will outline what is needed to safely integrate unmanned aircraft into the national airspace.
 
The roadmap, found here http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/uas/, addresses the policies, regulations, technologies, and procedures needed to integrate unmanned aircraft on a routine basis. To accomplish this, there must be a change in the way business is done. Operational goals, as well as safety issues must be considered when planning to expand the use of unmanned aircraft. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta had this to say about the FAA’s role in UAS integration, “As the provider of air traffic services, we must ensure the safety and efficiency of the entire airspace, including all aircraft, people and property – both manned and unmanned – in the air and on the ground.”

Newest Edition of FAA Safety Briefing Coming Soon!             Due to the government shutdown in October, the November/December issue of FAA Safety Briefing has been delayed.  The edition is expected to be released on or about November 22, 2013. We regret the inconvenience of delayed delivery.
 
Produced by the FAA Safety Briefing editors, http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/
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