Story ID: 
FAA Nudges on Aircraft Charter Oversight
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: During a House aviation subcommittee hearing on oversight of on-demand (Part 135) aircraft operators last month, DOT Inspector General Calvin Scovel III sa
Word Count: 143
During a House aviation subcommittee hearing on oversight of on-demand (Part 135) aircraft operators last month, DOT Inspector General Calvin Scovel III said, “The FAA’s oversight of this industry is based primarily on compliance with outdated regulations…[for areas such as] flight crew training requirements and aircraft maintenance inspections.” The IG’s office found that a targeted risk-based oversight approach could help mitigate safety issues associated with on-demand operations. Air Charter Safety Foundation president James Coyne and NBAA president Ed Bolen also testified at the hearing. Coyne said a DOT IG report issued last July “fails  to present an accurate picture of the Part 135 regulatory environment,” and noted that on-demand safety has “steadily improved in recent years.” Bolen pushed for the adoption of all 140 recommendations issued in 2005 by the Part 125/135 Aviation Rulemaking Committee, of which he was a member.