Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

Hawaii’s two U.S. senators, Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, have introduced legislation that would mandate all air tour and skydiving flights be conducted under FAR Part 135 and that all aircraft used for such purposes be equipped with crash-resistant flight recorders capable of supporting flight operations quality assurance programs.

 


The <a href="https://www.schatz.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/ERN20525.pdf">Air Tour and Skydiving Safety Improvement Act</a> would also require establishing and implementing a performance-based standard for remote flight data monitoring, flight data monitoring programs for tour operators, and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) training, as well as a requirement for tour and skydiving aircraft to have TAWS. Schatz said the legislation is necessary in the wake of several high-profile skydiving and air tour accidents in Hawaii over the last 18 months.

 


He added, “The tragic number of air tour accidents we’ve seen in Hawaii has made it clear that we need to do more to protect passengers and pilots. Our new bill will apply essential safety standards recommended by the NTSB, protecting passengers and improving the safety of air tours for everyone.”

 


The&nbsp;bill from the Aloha State senators comes just days after several of their Senate colleagues introduced legislation that would mandate installation of helicopter TAWS (HTAWS) and crash-resistant flight data and cockpit recorders on all transport-category (Part 29) turbine helicopters that can carry six or more passengers.&nbsp;

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

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