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Sir Airworthiness
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- Apr 20, 2002
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Press Room - Press Releases
INHOFE OFFERS TWO AMENDMENTS TO FAA REAUTHORIZATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a pilot with over 10,000 flight hours and a member of the Senate General Aviation Caucus, today offered two amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill that is currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate.
Non-Scheduled Air Carriers Crew Rest and Duty Time Amendment
One amendment deals with flight crew rest and duty time for non-scheduled air carriers. These air carriers play a vital role for the Department of Defense in the movement of troops and materials around the world.
About this amendment, Inhofe said, “It is extremely important that we maintain separate yet safe flight and duty time rules for supplemental carriers. One size should not fit all, because supplemental airlines must continue to have the flexibility allowed under current rules to respond to customer demands; this includes both commercial and military. In more than 15 years, the NTSB has not cited fatigue as the primary cause in any non-scheduled airline accident while flying under the current rules, and there have been no fatalities attributed to any accident where fatigue was even remotely considered a contributing factor.”
Currently, these supplemental air carriers operate under different FAA regulations than those that apply to scheduled airlines in regards to flight and duty time. In 2009, the FAA began the process to revise the current flight and duty time rules. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was released in mid-September 2010. It is expected the final rules will eliminate the difference in regulations. If this occurs there will be no distinction between scheduled and non-scheduled carriers, notwithstanding the significant differences in their operations.
The Inhofe Amendment would require that the FAA consider non-scheduled air carriers separately when promulgating new rules affecting flight crew duty and rest requirements. The amendment does not prevent the FAA from promulgating new safety regulations for supplemental carriers, but will ensure fairness in the process by treating supplemental carriers like the vastly different industry they are.
Volunteer Pilot Organization Protection Amendment
The other amendment provides liability protection for non-profit, charitable Volunteer Pilot Organizations that provide free transportation to people in need of specialized medical treatment in distant lands due to family, community or national crises.
About the amendment, Inhofe said, “Volunteer pilots provide free air transportation for people in need of specialized medical treatment, and they step in when commercial air service is not available for middle-of-the-night organ transplant patient flights, disaster response missions evacuating special needs patients, and transport of blood or blood products in emergencies. Despite this goodwill, there is a loophole in the law that subjects these heroes and charitable organizations to frivolous, costly lawsuits. Although volunteer pilots are required to carry liability insurance, if they have an accident, the injured party can sue for any amount of money, and if that amount is higher than the liability limit on a pilot’s insurance, then the pilot is at risk of losing their personal investments, home, business and other assets, potentially bringing them financial ruin.”
Exposure to this risk makes it difficult for Volunteer Pilot Organizations to recruit and retain volunteer pilots and professional staff. Instead of focusing on serving people with medical needs, these organizations are spending considerable time and resources averting a lawsuit and recruiting volunteers.
Additionally, the cost of insurance and lack of available non-owned aircraft liability insurance for organizations since the terrorist attacks of September 11th prevents Volunteer Pilot Organizations from acquiring liability protection for their organizations, boards, and staff. Without this insurance, if a volunteer pilot were to have an accident using his or her own aircraft, everyone connected to the organization could be subject to a costly lawsuit, despite the fact that none of those people were directly involved with the dispatch of the flight, the pilot’s decisions, or the aircraft itself.
Inhofe’s amendment protects these organizations, their boards, paid staff and non-flying volunteers from liability should there be an accident. It will also provide liability protection for individual volunteer pilots over and above the liability insurance that they are currently required to carry, as well as liability protection for the referring agencies who inform their patients of charitable flight services.
INHOFE OFFERS TWO AMENDMENTS TO FAA REAUTHORIZATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a pilot with over 10,000 flight hours and a member of the Senate General Aviation Caucus, today offered two amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill that is currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate.
Non-Scheduled Air Carriers Crew Rest and Duty Time Amendment
One amendment deals with flight crew rest and duty time for non-scheduled air carriers. These air carriers play a vital role for the Department of Defense in the movement of troops and materials around the world.
About this amendment, Inhofe said, “It is extremely important that we maintain separate yet safe flight and duty time rules for supplemental carriers. One size should not fit all, because supplemental airlines must continue to have the flexibility allowed under current rules to respond to customer demands; this includes both commercial and military. In more than 15 years, the NTSB has not cited fatigue as the primary cause in any non-scheduled airline accident while flying under the current rules, and there have been no fatalities attributed to any accident where fatigue was even remotely considered a contributing factor.”
Currently, these supplemental air carriers operate under different FAA regulations than those that apply to scheduled airlines in regards to flight and duty time. In 2009, the FAA began the process to revise the current flight and duty time rules. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was released in mid-September 2010. It is expected the final rules will eliminate the difference in regulations. If this occurs there will be no distinction between scheduled and non-scheduled carriers, notwithstanding the significant differences in their operations.
The Inhofe Amendment would require that the FAA consider non-scheduled air carriers separately when promulgating new rules affecting flight crew duty and rest requirements. The amendment does not prevent the FAA from promulgating new safety regulations for supplemental carriers, but will ensure fairness in the process by treating supplemental carriers like the vastly different industry they are.
Volunteer Pilot Organization Protection Amendment
The other amendment provides liability protection for non-profit, charitable Volunteer Pilot Organizations that provide free transportation to people in need of specialized medical treatment in distant lands due to family, community or national crises.
About the amendment, Inhofe said, “Volunteer pilots provide free air transportation for people in need of specialized medical treatment, and they step in when commercial air service is not available for middle-of-the-night organ transplant patient flights, disaster response missions evacuating special needs patients, and transport of blood or blood products in emergencies. Despite this goodwill, there is a loophole in the law that subjects these heroes and charitable organizations to frivolous, costly lawsuits. Although volunteer pilots are required to carry liability insurance, if they have an accident, the injured party can sue for any amount of money, and if that amount is higher than the liability limit on a pilot’s insurance, then the pilot is at risk of losing their personal investments, home, business and other assets, potentially bringing them financial ruin.”
Exposure to this risk makes it difficult for Volunteer Pilot Organizations to recruit and retain volunteer pilots and professional staff. Instead of focusing on serving people with medical needs, these organizations are spending considerable time and resources averting a lawsuit and recruiting volunteers.
Additionally, the cost of insurance and lack of available non-owned aircraft liability insurance for organizations since the terrorist attacks of September 11th prevents Volunteer Pilot Organizations from acquiring liability protection for their organizations, boards, and staff. Without this insurance, if a volunteer pilot were to have an accident using his or her own aircraft, everyone connected to the organization could be subject to a costly lawsuit, despite the fact that none of those people were directly involved with the dispatch of the flight, the pilot’s decisions, or the aircraft itself.
Inhofe’s amendment protects these organizations, their boards, paid staff and non-flying volunteers from liability should there be an accident. It will also provide liability protection for individual volunteer pilots over and above the liability insurance that they are currently required to carry, as well as liability protection for the referring agencies who inform their patients of charitable flight services.