Now that reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM) operations have been running smoothly in the U.S. since Jan. 5, 2005, business jet operators are angry about the FAA’s rigid stance on the approval process and FAA inspectors’ inability to process approvals quickly. Of most concern to operators is that even if they already have an RVSM letter of authorization (LOA) for other aircraft in their fleet, they need a new LOA when adding another jet, even one that is fresh off the factory floor with the latest avionics.
Director of operations Al Cherry told AIN that his FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) took four months to approve his company’s initial RVSM manual. After receiving the approval, he attended a local listening session with agency specialists and asked the FAA personnel this question about RVSM: “What level of operational safety or efficiency is advanced by having to have an LOA? The airplane is group certified, all my pilots have attended formal training, the regulations are already in place to govern how we operate. So what is improved by having the LOA?”
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