Right now something very exceptional is going on. It’s call the American Barnstormers Tour and it is flying around the upper Midwest entertaining people with General Aviation. (www.AmericanBarnstormersTour.com)
 

This great event was started after the 2003 National Air Tour (see: www.NationalAirTour.org) . It is operated and participated in, by several original 2003 NAT participants 
 

The third biannual Barnstormers Tour is flying through July 5th and is headed up by original NAT participant Clay Adams. Clay gets a group of barnstormers together, sets up and promotes a route and gets local airports and communities to help support each stop. There, about half-a-dozen vintage ride planes operate carrying passengers for hire while another dozen of so vintage ships provide background color and a static museum of sorts at each stop. It’s fabulous. People love it and the local participation is hands down fantastic.

 

At each stop there is music playing, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, high school boosters and other local organizations selling food, snacks and other things in support their community activities. People are happy just to be there. They watch the goings-on with enthusiasm, even if they don’t take a ride. All the activity is centered around aviation their local airport. That, my fellow pilots, is a wonderful thing!

 

The tour consist of twenty meticulously restored vintage aircraft from the 1920s and 1930s. It started on June 17th and runs through July 5th. Tour aircraft will be on display at each stop from around 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Biplane rides available for $60.00 per passenger and Stearman 'hands-on flights' for $200.00 per passenger. Admission is free for everyone.

 

Here is the remaining Barnstormer’s Tour Schedule.  I only wish there were more events like this going on around the country!

 

Watertown Regional Airport (KATY) June 23

Watertown, SD

 

Aberdeen Regional Airport (KABR)  June 24-26

Aberdeen, SD

 

Bismarck Airport (KBIS) June 27-29

Bismark, ND

 

Jamestown Regional Airport (KJMS) June 30-July 2

Jamestown, ND

 

Chandler Field Airport (KAXN) July 3-5

Alexandria, MN

Good luck to Clay and all of the other particupants of the American Barnstormer's Tour. Thank you for sharing aviation with so many people.

A very senior pilot was asked, "How might I fly through a thunderstorm that I could not avoid?"

The answer he wanted to give was either, "You can't." or "Don't try."

But the question needed to be answered. Here is his advice:

Just about the only way to inadvertently get into a thunderstorm is by flying instruments in clouds with embedded thunderstorms and without either weather radar equipment onboard or ground-based weather radar available to your air traffic controller. Let's assume this is how Fate dealt you such a poor hand.

The greatest risk in thunderstorms is structural failure. My advice is: don't do anything that helps the thunderstorm break your airplane. When you realize that you are in trouble, slow down. I mean not just to maneuvering speed but much slower than that. Slow to what is known as 'slow cruise' - the speed that you use in holding patterns. This will be fairly close to the best rate of climb airspeed for your airplane. Slow cruise is slow enough to minimize the adverse effects of turbulence and fast enough to keep your controls responsive. Consider putting your wheels down. This will help you stay slow. Most airplanes are not as strong with flaps out, so don't use flaps unless there is no restriction against it in your pilot's handbook for the airplane.

The reason to slow down is that the higher your airspeed, the greater force turbulence can impart on your airplane. That destructive force comes in the form of lift. Remember that lift is proportional to the speed of the airplane squared. Slow is good.

Too slow is not good simply because the last thing that you need is to stall and spin when you are in a thunderstorm.

There is an expression in aviation that says a pilot's priorities are aviate, navigate and communicate, in that order. I agree. Certainly your most important task is to fly the airplane. However, you need all the help you can get. So tell air traffic control (ATC) that you are in trouble and need help. Ask them to vector you out of the thunderstorm. Tell them that you cannot maintain the assigned altitude - because you cannot. Ask them to vector you away from high terrain. Be aware that your inability to maintain altitude can easily put you in a position where you cannot communicate with ATC for some period of time.

The intensity of rain in a thunderstorm can be truly phenomenal. Quite possibly your engine or engines can start to ingest a great deal of water. This water can turn to ice in your carburetor especially at high altitudes and low power settings. When you apply carburetor heat, the mixture enriches forcing you to lean the engine or risk fouling the spark plugs. Tuning the engine is an integral part of flying the airplane, your most important task.

The updrafts and downdrafts in a thunderstorm can far exceed a general aviation airplane's ability to climb or dive. So just ride them out. Don't start building airspeed by pushing your nose down to stay at your assigned altitude in a strong updraft. If you get caught in a strong downdraft, go to your best rate of climb airspeed at full power. You will still go down - just not as fast and not so far. When the downdraft dissipates, you can start climbing back to your assigned altitude. If you have oxygen and perhaps if you don't, ask ATC for a higher altitude so you will have a greater margin of safety when you enter your next overpowering downdraft. If ATC will not grant you a higher altitude, do not be afraid to declare an emergency and tell ATC that you are going to a higher altitude.

There are two things that you should remember here. First, if the FAA issues a violation, it is better to argue in court that you needed that higher altitude than it is to have the surviving members of your family argue in court that the FAA should have cleared you to a higher altitude. Second, when you go high without oxygen, you get so stupid you don't know how truly stupid you are. Having said that, when you are at 10,000 feet facing 12,000 feet peaks and a known thunderstorm behind you, the options start to narrow. For me, it is better to face hypoxia than certain death.

To sum it up: Plan your fight and check your weather well enough to know that you are not going into a thunderstorm.

If, by some fluke of nature, you end up in a thunderstorm that was not predicted and you could not see, then

1.) Slow down.
2.) Remember that flying the airplane is your most important task.
3.) Get out of the thunderstorm as quickly as possible.
4.) Keep going straight with wings level while you ride out overpowering up and downdrafts.
5.) Tell ATC.
6.) Ask for help.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author: Doug Daniel a is long time pilot, flight instructor, software engineering manager and author. His department developed the software for the out-the-window-displays for the space shuttle, F-117, RS-71 and numerous other exotic airplanes. His writing focuses on flying techniques designed to make flying easier and safer. If this was interesting, visit his website at http://www.FlyingSecretsRevealed.com/flying_questions/

Tiny Teterboro, New Jersey is situated just south of Hackensack at the edge of the Meadowlands only twelve miles from midtown Manhattan. This Bergen County borough is mostly known for its airport, as the residential properties in the town are few. Indeed, recent census figures put the town's population at just 18 souls! Meanwhile, business dominates the town and the airport, named for the town, is the chief job generator in the town as well as in surrounding communities.

At just over one square mile, Teterboro certainly is easily missed. Bordered by state highways 46 to the north and 17 to the west, the town would certainly be overlooked unless you failed to notice the regular flow of general aviation traffic entering and leaving the airport. Indeed, Teterboro Airport {TEB} ranks as one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country serving Piper and Cessna owners all the way up to Gulfstream V charter operators.

In 1917, a Mr. Walter C. Teter purchased what is now known as Teterboro from North American Aviation, who had operated a plant on its site during the first world war. Over the years, the airport changed hands several times until, finally, in 1949 the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey purchased the airport. Since then the authority has operated the airport through contractors or has managed it directly; vast improvements to Teterboro Airport have been made since the authority assumed control.

Teterboro is the home to numerous aviation companies including Atlantic Aviation, Million Air, Jet Aviation, First Aviation Services, and Signature Flight Support. All five companies operate what are known as Fixed Based Operations {FBOs} which provide essential airport services including aircraft fueling, passenger processing, and more. In addition, aircraft hangars occupy key sections of the airport for operators to house their expensive business jets within.

One of the most famous landmarks in the Teterboro is the Aviation Hall of Fame & Museum of NJ. Located on the airport grounds the museum, which opened in 1972, was the first state aviation museum in the nation. Aviation pioneers Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhardt both flew in and out of Teterboro.

Towns bordering Teterboro include: South Hackensack, Little Ferry, Moonachie, Wood-Ridge, and Hasbrouck Heights. Indeed, the entire lower third of the airport actually falls within the boundaries of Moonachie.

 

An international airport is a hub of activity; with holidaymakers, business people and others travelling en mass, it is essential to create a calm and tranquil atmosphere. It is also important to plan and design the airport so that a large number of people can pass through with minimum disturbance to each other and to the operations within the terminal itself.

There are, however, smaller general terminals and military bases that form a large part of the aviation industry and the design and development of each of these has different priorities.

The smooth running of these large projects takes a level of organisation and planning that requires the amalgamation of many skills in the engineering industry. In recent years the building of any industrial development has had to conform to new environmental impact legislations.

To guarantee that the development meets these regulatory standards it is essential to implement an Environmental Management System. This will ensure that every step of the airport design has been considered in accordance with any future environmental impacts it might have.

Environmental engineering takes many environmental factors into consideration and meets the 'green' standards expected by a concerned public and demanded by government regulations. Using resources wisely and setting high standards that will meet tomorrow's sustainability requirements are a priority.

It is now widely understood in business that an increase in environmental performance translates as a rise in general performance and profits; it is this kind of understanding that is allowing the boundaries of design to be pushed and for developments in airport design to embrace the future of technology.

The aesthetics of an airport differ depending on whether it functions as a consumer-facing international air terminal, a military base or a general aviation airport, due to significantly different end user requirements. In a commercial airport, the design is tailored toward creating a calm, open atmosphere.

The users of this type of airport are generally waiting for long amounts of time to board a flight and will spend this interval shopping in the many tax free boutiques and eating and drinking in the terminals bars and restaurants. The way these airports function has to facilitate a large number of people queuing and moving between areas. This requires wide, open walkways and an environmental control system that ensures passengers are comfortable while they wait to board.

If you compare this with the functioning of a military air base, the differences in design priorities are startling. At military air bases, comfort and aesthetics take a lower priority than functionality because a military establishment is primarily a place of work. There is no need to create a consumer-friendly atmosphere culture and the volume of personnel that military airports have to process is dramatically reduced.

A small local airport often has to accommodate a unique demographic that needs more functionality than an international terminal because some of the clientele are pilots and others are passengers, so a certain level of consumer-friendly aesthetics are built in and the facilities on offer mirror those that would be expected at a major airport, such as restaurants and shops.

Understanding and unifying aesthetics and functionality in accordance with a sustainable way of development is the major challenge facing airport designers today. When you have passengers who seek five star service and airport operators that aim to meet a target of zero carbon emissions, formulating a green project that gets the green light can seem like pie in the sky.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author: Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the engineering industry.
Find out more about airport design and why the new environmental legislation is affecting the aesthetics of airports.

Aircraft insurance is a specialized industry, which differs in lot of ways from other insurance industries. The first insurance for an aircraft was done in the early 20th century by Lloyds of London in 1911. However, the airline industry was well established in 1933 and a need for specialized aircraft insurance industry was realized. The International Union of Marine Insurance set up an aircraft committee and by 1934 eight European Insurance companies were established.

Aircraft Hull Insurance

The task of accepting the risk of major airlines can not be handled by a single insurer as aircraft accidents involve loss of million of dollars. So the industry tends to use different kinds of syndicates.

Almost every airline arranges fleet policies to insure all aircrafts they own and operate. Most of them are covered by 'All Risk Policy', but this includes a fairly high deductible amount. This deductable can lengthen between $50,000 for a Twin Otter to $1,000,000 for a huge bodied jet aircraft.

Aircraft Liability Insurance

This consists of two types of insurance categories:

1. Liability covering baggage, cargo, passengers, mail and crew of the aircraft. It is concerned with the operations that an airline performs.
2. Another is the third party liability insurance which is for the damage caused to the property or people who are not boarded on the plane.

Every airline should cover both the categories and try to get them in a single policy. Small aircrafts use small airstrips which have less potential risk exposure in comparison to the large operators using main airports.

General Aviation insurance

Many of the aircraft companies cover other end of the market, consisting of privately owned airplanes and helicopters. However much of the insurance institutions do not provide insurance facilities for both the aircraft itself and any liability attached to it. There are other specialized insurance available such as flight instructors, which aims at protecting flying instructors against any sort of negligence claims. Insurance is also provided for a rent out, leased out aircraft and also for the pilot if he is hired for flying the aircraft. Certain benefits are also meant for the family members of the pilot and crew in case of any incident.

Aircraft insurance is a specialized industry, and those willing to take it should go for an advice from an insurance company or an insurance broker.

For more insights and further information about Aircraft Insurance, Aircraft Financing and Aviation Insurance visit our site:- http://usaviationfinance.com/

Visitors to Florida will be happy to know that there are plenty of low-cost and even free attractions that are every bit as exciting as theme parks for which this state is famous. One such attraction is the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola.

The museum is part of the Naval Air Station at Pensacola and contains more than 150 historic aircraft as well as thousands of artifacts representing the history of the air services of the Navy, Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. In addition the museum also contains memorabilia representing nearly a century of Naval Aviation history, including personal mementos from historic battles, flight logs, vintage equipment and flight clothing

 

If you are visiting during the months of March through November you can watch the aerial exploits of the Blue Angels. The practice sessions of the Blue Angels take place on most Tuesday and Wednesday mornings of these months and are followed by autograph sessions that are sure to be a hit with your kids.

 

Regardless of when you visit, the museum has plenty of exhibits that will make you appreciate the 100 year history of naval aviation. Special exhibits include Faces of Aviation History, Medal of Honor, Enlisted Pilots, P.O.W. Exhibit, Hall of Honor, Then and Now Frontiers of Aviation History , Lighter than Air, WWI, Space, World War II and the Age of Carriers and several others.

 

Entrance to the museum and all of these exhibits is free of charge and that includes the Blue Angels sessions too. In addition the museum also offers several tours that are free of charge.

 

Admission to the museum's thrilling aerial simulators and its huge seven storey IMAX however are not free, but you will be happy to know that the fees are quite reasonable and affordable.

 

The IMAX Theater at the museum has a number of films that are entertaining, thrilling and educational at the same time, as well as visually awesome when viewed on the huge screen. Films on the bill include "Straight Up! Helicopters in Action," "The Magic of Flight," "Grand Canyon Adventure - River at Risk," and "Fighter Pilot." The museum describes the Fighter Pilot film as the "closest to air combat you can get without joining the military!" Admission to the IMAX Theater costs $8.00 with discounts for seniors, military personnel and others.

 

The flight simulators are another stand-out item at the museum. The museum has two flight simulators. There is the Motion Based Simulator which is a five minute ride that combines high definition audio-visual images, surround sound and a moving simulator capsule that lets you and 14 other passengers experience movement in six directions as well as horizontal rolls, longitudinal pitches and vertical climbs.

 

The motion based simulator offers two options, a Blue Angels simulation on a high speed low-level flight with high-performance turns and maneuvers, and a take-off from an aircraft carrier in a Desert Storm simulation that includes a battle in the Iraqi desert.

 

The other simulator is the Top Gun Air Combat Simulator which is the actual two person simulator that was used to train the pilots of the Navy F-14 Tomcat. In this simulator you can test your flying skills, engage in a dog fight and land on an aircraft carrier.

 

If flight, thrills or history is your thing, then a visit to the National Museum of Naval Aviation should be put on your must-see list. Here are the contact details: National Naval Aviation Museum, 1750 Radford Blvd., Suite C, Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL 32508, Phone: (850) 452-3604 or (850) 452-3606, Fax: (850) 452-3296

 

About The Author: Mark Whichard is a frequent writer on Orlando area tourism. He is the proprietor of Orlando's Finest vacation homes and you can get great deals on Orlando Vacation Homes by visiting his website at http://www.orlandosfinest.com

Many years ago I started a Web site just for fun called Fly-ins.com.   It’s a simple site and we have not updated the software since day-one but it still works. 

 

At www.Fly-ins.com you can find fly-ins or aviation events going on in your state this weekend and on into the summer. Also, if you are hosting and event or know of one not posted, you can post it yourself (it may not come up immediately as we need to review all the postings first, but it won’t take long).

 

If you subscribe to our free notification service you will receive an e-mail about events you have expressed an interest in; once when they are first posted then a reminder notice a few days before the event.  It’s simple but it works and it costs nothing.

 

I have a couple of event’s coming up and I think we will pull the tri-motor out!  Should be fun.

 

Fly safe!

Greg

 

Apparently Honeywell is testing some exciting new avionics technology that will audibly call out the aircraft location on the taxiway. This is a huge deal for airports with thick fog and confusing taxiway and runway layouts.

Besides that, the technology goes much further in providing audible cues than current technology.

Read more at Planeology.com

NextGen is shorthand for the FAA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System, a long-term, ongoing, wide-ranging transformation of the National Airspace System (NAS). Everyone who is responsible for moving aircraft through space and time needs to know that this is much more than just an upgrade. It’s an evolution in the way we fly. NextGen will transform the NAS from a ground-based air traffic control system to a satellite and performance-based air traffic management system.

 

The latter term, management, implies a more proactive approach to the flow of air traffic, made possible by a sophisticated framework of new technologies, processes, and infrastructure. The goal is to address growth, improve safety, increase user access to the NAS, and, at the same time, reduce environmental impacts. The overall concept is built upon relying more extensively on the satellite-based Global positioning System (GPS) as the primary means for determining aircraft position and less on ATC radar.

 

Advances in digital communications and networking will allow all players in the NAS— air traffic controllers, pilots, dispatchers, weather forecasters, and others—to have instant access to the information they need to do their jobs. As the NextGen infrastructure continues to mature, avionics choices are likely to expand to include a broad selection of panel-mounted systems as well as handheld devices that run all sorts of applications. The possibilities are wide open.

 

When fully implemented, NextGen will safely allow more aircraft to fly more closely together on more direct routes while reducing delays, carbon footprints, and noise. Pilots can expect to have access to richer and faster in-flight traffic and weather data. Here’s a snapshot of where we are today and what we can expect in the months and years to come.

 

Timeline for Implementation

If money is what makes airplanes fly, then NextGen is a giant engine with an equally massive appetite for cash. On February 1, 2010, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that President Obama’s $79 billion budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation includes $1.1 billion for NextGen air traffic control technologies, an increase of $275 million, or 32 percent, over the previous year’s budget.

 

“There is much to be done and the timeline for completion is drawing near,” LaHood said.

 

The clock is ticking, indeed. As of this publication’s deadline, the final rule defining the operational requirements for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) within the NAS was set to be published in the Federal Register in April/May 2010, officially opening the door for the aviation industry to bring ADS-B products and services to the market. While NextGen includes a diverse cast of characters, the star of the show is ADS-B. The ADS-B orchestra of ground stations, satellites, and cockpit avionics is offering pilots new ways to maintain situational awareness. Though ADS-B has existed in some form for more than decade, the NextGen version of ADS-B is slated to be available throughout the NAS by 2013—fewer than three years from now, with mandatory equipage and compliance by 2020.

 

“NextGen benefits will be maximized when the majority of operators are properly equipped,” said Leslie Smith, Manager, FAA Flight Technologies and Procedures Division. “While these avionics will also support capabilities implemented beyond 2018, additional equipage may be necessary to take advantage of capabilities introduced beyond the mid-term.”

 

Enabling Technologies

NextGen isn’t so much a comprehensive overhaul of our national airspace system as it is an information technology project of grand proportions, with teams of software engineers working to build the network of systems that will keep everything humming. With that in mind, the FAA has identified six “enabling technologies” of NextGen, with ADS-B positioned at the top of the list. The other five are the subsystems that allow ADS-B and all of the other NextGen technologies to function.

 

System-Wide Information Management (SWIM) is the information technology standards base that will help to make sure that every NextGen application is compliant within the NAS. The goal of SWIM is to improve operational decision making by allowing easier data exchange between systems. The program’s first segment will focus on applications related to flight and flow management, aeronautical information management, and weather data dissemination.

 

The Data Communications (Data Comm) subsystem defines the increasing importance of digital communications between air traffic controllers and aircraft, in addition to traditional analog (radio) voice communications with pilots, which are workload intensive and prone to errors in both delivery and receipt. (“Potomac, was that approach clearance for Seven Papa Whiskey or Two Papa Whiskey?”)

 

Initially, data communications will be a supplemental means for two-way exchange between controllers and flight crews for air traffic control clearances, instructions, advisories, flight crew requests, and reports. As the system matures, the majority of air-to-ground exchanges will be handled by data communications for appropriately equipped users.

 

NextGen Network Enabled Weather (NNEW) will serve as the infrastructure core for aviation weather support services, providing access to a NAS-wide common weather picture. NNEW will identify, adapt, and use standards for systemwide weather data formatting and access. The FAA is calling this collaboratively built, but centrally accessed, data source the “4-D Weather Data Cube,” where aviation weather information from multiple agency sources will be developed and stored. The Cube will provide a single national—and eventually global—picture of the atmosphere, updated as needed in real-time and distributed to authorized users and systems. The National Weather Service will have primary responsibility for operational management of the Cube, while the FAA will define requirements and coordinate and implement changes to FAA infrastructure that support it.

 

National Airspace System Voice Switch

(NVS) is a program to replace current voice switches, some of which are more than 20 years old. With the current voice architecture, linkages do not support sharing of airspace within and across facility boundaries, reconfiguration capability of controller position to radio frequency and volume of airspace is inflexible, and reconfigurations are laborious and time consuming.

 

Performance-Based Navigation (PBN)

includes both area navigation (RNAV) and required navigation performance (RNP). RNAV enables aircraft to fly on any desired flight path within the coverage of ground- or space-based navigation aids. The concept is not new—VOR/DME and LORAN were types of RNAV systems—but the NextGen application of it is new, with the emphasis on GPS as the position source. RNP takes RNAV and adds an onboard performance monitoring and alerting capability. A defining characteristic of RNP operations is the ability of the aircraft navigation system to monitor the navigation performance it achieves and inform the crew if the requirement is not met during an operation.

 

What NextGen Means for General Aviation

The NextGen component that is likely to have the most immediate impact on general aviation is ADS-B. Pilots will have access to improved traffic and weather information in the cockpit, which if used properly can enhance situational awareness and safety. But since so much of this is, as they say, a coming attraction, the best we can do right now is educate ourselves about what’s coming, and be ready to play ball when the first pitch is thrown.

 

Meredith Saini is a flight instructor and active general aviation pilot. She works as a contractor supporting the Flight Standards Service, General Aviation and Commercial Division at FAA Headquarters in Washington, DC.

In a world of ever-advancing technology, aircraft owners can be easily overwhelmed with the many new ways to improve the look and feel of their aircraft, beef-up engine performance, or navigate from point A to point B with greater accuracy. Equally overwhelming can be the process of obtaining authorization to make these changes, which in some cases can be done with a field approval.

 

While securing a field approval is not usually on an aircraft owner’s favorite-thing-to-do list, there are some changes in the works that should simplify the process, especially when it’s time to outfit your aircraft with equipment needed to leverage the exciting benefits of NextGen technology.

 

What Is a Field Approval?

A field approval is one way FAA approves the technical data for either a major alteration or major repair to a type-certificated product. The field-approval process provides a method to have acceptable data approved by the FAA to return-toservice a product after a major alteration or repair. The FAA Form 337 (or the electronic e 337) is used to document the details and approvals of a major alteration or repair. Once approved, the Form 337 becomes part of that particular altered or repaired product’s type design. An FAA aviation safety inspector (ASI) approves the acceptable data in block 8 by signing block 3 of the Form 337. This approval verifies the changes made to that particular product’s type design meet your aircraft’s certification requirements.

 

During the review process, an ASI may decide a field approval is not required. This may be because the ASI determined the repair or alteration to be minor or because FAA already approved previous data specific to this type of repair or alteration. Yet, a field approval can be denied, usually for not having all the necessary data to support the procedure or because, in the case of the alteration, the alteration exceeds the scope of a field approval and requires an amended type certificate (TC) or supplemental type certificate (STC). [See 14 CFR section 21.113]

 

With so many possible variations and combinations of aircraft and equipment, it’s not surprising how determining the need for a field approval can challenge even the savviest aviation maintenance technician (AMT). Contributing to the confusion has been a lack of details and standardization in some of the guidance materials. This is often compounded by the fact that policy changes have lengthy turnaround times, which in turn, makes keeping guidance up-to-date a constant challenge.

 

FAA has made some changes in the guidance that facilitate more efficient field approvals. “What we’ve developed,” says FAA Avionics Maintenance Branch Manager Tim Shaver, “is a checklist-type approach for evaluating an installation that stresses core items like electric load analysis and electromagnetic compatibility. By getting away from the specifics of each type of new technology and standardizing the common threads in these new systems, AMTs will be able to address the common factors on how to evaluate, as opposed to what to evaluate.”

 

Individual field-approval requests will continue to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure proper and consistent application of the approval criteria. This consistent approach is important. “Our goal is to help eliminate confusion often caused by having to analyze and compare installation requirements on a component-specific basis,” says Shaver.

 

Changes to the field-approval guidance are scheduled to be published in the Federal Register in about a year, along with a companion Advisory Circular (AC) update. And, to prepare the ASI workforce for this new change, a training course is scheduled to be available in summer 2010. The three-day avionics course is designed to allow ASIs to apply this information out in the field today before the scheduled implementation.

 

How Can I Increase My Field-Approval Chances?

Upcoming guidance will help streamline the process for field approvals, but here are some steps you can take now to help secure your chances of a successful approval request. “The most important step is to establish clear lines of communication with the FAA,” says Shaver. “Let the ASI assigned to your request know what you plan to do and provide as much specific information as possible.”

 

FAA recommends using a standard data package (SDP) that includes the following:

• Field-approval checklist (see Appendix 1 of AC 43-210)

• Data describing the alteration (drawings, photos, manuals, etc.)

• FAA Form 337 (paper or electronic)

 

Using this approach is not the only way to present data to the FAA, but it can be the fastest. You should also review FAA Order 8310.6 – Airworthiness Compliance Check Sheet Handbook. The order provides easy-to-review lists to help ensure that you address relevant certification rules and their means of compliance.

 

Working Together

FAA Program Manager Steve Thompson, who works with the Small Airplane Directorate, sees the field-approval process as a collaborative effort. “If you believe an engineer’s (see article on page 26, “When Engineers Get Involved in Field Approvals”) or ASI’s decision on your project is inconsistent with FAA regulations and policies, talk with the engineer or inspector about your concerns.” Thompson also suggests elevating your concerns up the chain of command if you are unable to resolve your concerns. “We know the approval processes may be frustrating at times,” says Thompson. “But we are committed to helping make the process as simple as possible.”

 

Tom Hoffmann is associate editor of FAA Safety Briefing. He is a commercial pilot and holds an A&P certificate