Story ID: 
Comments Due Friday on FAA’s Wet-lease Guidance
By: Gordon Gilbert
Caption: November 25 is the comment deadline for FAA’s proposed guidance on business aircraft wet leases.
Word Count: 178
November 25 is the comment deadline for FAA’s proposed guidance on business aircraft wet leases. The notice stems from several incidents–including the February crash of a Challenger at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey–in which the FAA said air carriers evidently allowed aircraft owners and lessees who do not have commercial certificates to conduct operations under Part 135, and in a few cases falsely hold “themselves out to the public as air carriers themselves.” The guidance proposed in the notice is intended to clarify when wet leases are considered unlawful and those that would be permissible, and to establish clear and proper command and control of flights. NBAA and the National Air Transportation Association are troubled by some of the guidance language, which NATA says goes beyond current regulatory requirements, “establishing new regulations without adhering to the required rulemaking process.” Besides NATA and NBAA, to date there are just three other responses, including from Aero Jet Services in support of the notice and United Air Lines which also expressed concern over some sections of the notice.