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For more information, go to:   Transportation Safety Board’s   the industry is pressing ahead on
  https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/ equipadsb/privacy
NOTAM Improvement Bill Approved by House
In early November, the Notice to Airmen Improvement Act of 2019 (H.R. 1775) passed a voice vote in the House and is headed to the Senate Commerce Committee for consideration.
H.R. 1775 calls on the FAA to establish a task force that is comprised of a cross section of industry, safety and human factors experts to review existing means to present NOTAMS and flight operations information to pilots; review regulations and policies surrounding NOTAMS; determine best practices to organize, prioritize and present flight operation information in an optimal manner, and provide recommendations to improve NOTAM information.
Rep. Pete Stauber (R­Minn.) introduced the legislation and said, “Although NOTAMS contain critical safety information, they are often lengthy and difficult to understand. These inefficiencies have the potential to create life­threatening situations. My legislation will ensure the continued safety of air travel by requiring that safety protocols are consistently maintained and improved upon.”
recommendation to the FAA in 2018 to establish a group of human factors experts to review information presented to pilots.
NBAA and IBAC Respond to Calls for Restricting UK Airport Access to BizAv
The NBAA and the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) responded to calls from some British political leaders for restricting business aircraft access to airports in the United Kingdom (UK) on emissions grounds.
The two associations emphasized that such proposals disproportion­ ately target a single transportation mode with a proven record on car­ bon reduction and an aggressive push underway for the availability and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). These non­fossil fuel power sources can reduce aviation’s carbon lifecycle emissions by up to 80%. The fuels are fully certified, safe and ready to use in all turbine engines today.
Despite the industry’s focus on sustainability, representatives of the Labour Party in Britain’s Parliament recently cast their support for such a plan, calling an eventual ban on airport access for business aircraft powered by traditional fuels “a sensible proposal.”
“Even though business aviation accounts for only a minuscule
SAF,” said IBAC Director General Kurt Edwards. “Instead of singling out business aviation for prohibitive restrictions on airport access, UK leaders should focus on efforts to make SAF more widely available in the UK through positive incentive policies to encourage production and use of SAF in greater quantities.”
“Business aviation has continually led the way in promoting products, procedures and policies to reduce aircraft emissions, with proven results,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We urge leaders in the UK and elsewhere to set aside punitive proposals like this one, and work with us to build upon the significant progress made to date.”
Edwards and Bolen pointed to the decades­long industry investment in satellite­based avionics, winglets, airframe composites, advanced propulsion systems and other innovations that have made aircraft ever more fuel efficient, thereby continually reducing carbon emissions. Thanks to these and other advances, over the course of the past four decades, carbon emissions from business aviation have been reduced by 40%.
Ten years ago, business aviation leaders redoubled their commitment to emissions reduction, uniting behind a plan to reduce the industry’s overall emissions 50% by the year 2050, relative to 2005 levels. A central pillar of this commitment
The report that accompanied
the bill pointed to the National   portion of transportation emissions,   has been the development of SAF.
  “At a time when leadership is needed on sustainability, the proposed ban lacks meaningful value. It will have a de minimis impact on emissions overall while denying connectivity for London and hindering competitiveness for companies of all sizes in the region and beyond,” Edwards said. “Let’s focus on proposals that would have a real effect on emissions reduction while also promoting aviation connectivity and sustainability.” KA
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  20 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
DECEMBER 2019
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