NBAA welcomed the FAA's issuance last week of a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would eliminate a costly and time-consuming requirement for operators to develop and submit a separate maintenance program for equipment required to operate in reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM) airspace. The NPRM follows a joint industry-agency effort between NBAA and the FAA to streamline requirements for business aviation operators seeking RVSM approvals.
Currently, FAR Part 91 operators seeking RVSM approval must develop and submit to their local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) a separate maintenance program for RVSM-related equipment in addition to other aircraft maintenance requirements. However, the proliferation and acceptance of RVSM-related equipment on board business aircraft have made that requirement a costly and time-consuming redundancy for both operators and FSDO inspectors.
"RVSM was brand new when the initial rule was implemented in 2005, and the FAA initially took a deliberately cautious approach toward maintaining this critical—and, at the time, largely unfamiliar—equipment,” said Mark Larsen, NBAA senior manager of safety and flight operations. "Today, RVSM is an integral and recognized aspect of aircraft systems, with required maintenance on this equipment covered by other approved regular-maintenance programs and regulations.”
