Avionics News March 2013 - 83

FAA and Industry
Rotorcraft Forums
Discuss Challenges of

Modernizing cockpits

I

S T O R Y

B Y

t’s been said that helicopters are really a bunch
of parts flying in relatively close formation – all
rotating around a different axis. Everything works
well until one of the parts breaks formation.
Well, that also sums up the current state of the Federal
Aviation Administration’s field and supplemental type
certificate approval processes. Try to install a new avionics product or system and the whole process just flies
apart – or worse yet, grinds to an agonizing halt.
This is not only bad for business, it also pulls in the
reins on the timely fielding of some new products and
systems that can help dramatically improve the safety
records of all types of helicopter operators.
With the general aviation industry and the FAA
seemingly flying in increasingly opposing directions,
the decision was made to bring the parties together

Ironing out differences in
project definitions between the
industry and FAA – or at least
beginning the dialog – is a major
benefit of the face-to-face time

D A L E

S M I T H

in a series of scheduled FAA and Industry Rotorcraft
Forums. Since the forums began in 2011, three of the
sessions have been hosted at various locations, including
the Aircraft Electronics Association international headquarters in Lee’s Summit, Mo. And according to those
in the know, each one has been better attended and more
valuable than the previous event.
“The last Rotorcraft Forum I attended had 35 or 40
folks there,” stated Dan Devitt, American Eurocopter’s
senior director of engineering and certification. “And 12
individuals were from various offices of the FAA – all in
one place for 2 ½ days. I felt that level of attention was
unprecedented. The FAA Rotorcraft Directorate is located near us in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and we don’t
have the level of access and attention we had at the
forum. There’s a message out there that the Rotorcraft
Directorate’s manager, Kim Smith, and her staff are supporting this and want to know what’s going on.
“Mixing all of the helicopter OEMs in the room is
always fun. MD, Bell, Sikorsky, Augusta – we all have
the same issues, but we also have different solutions.
And since we all work with different members of the
FAA in different regions, we also get different shades of
grey. To get us all to come together and understand what
each other is facing is very beneficial.”

You Can’t Tell a Player Without a Scorecard
“I guess one of the biggest challenges we run into
between the different FSDOs is what each considers

during the Rotorcraft Forums.
Continued on following page

avionics news

•

march

2013

83



Avionics News March 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News March 2013

Point of Communication
AEA Now
The View from Washington
International News and Regulatory Updates
Android Devices and Software to EFBs, Tablets and Accessories
Member Profile
Testing Technology
Avionics News Through the Years
A Conversation With...
Member Profile
AEAviators
Minimal Panels
Before & After
Clear Skies Ahead
Aviation Aces
Legal Ease
Meat and Potatoes Avionics
Business Basics
Lines of Communication
What's New
Avionics News March 2013 - Intro
Avionics News March 2013 - Cover1
Avionics News March 2013 - Cover2
Avionics News March 2013 - 1
Avionics News March 2013 - 2
Avionics News March 2013 - 3
Avionics News March 2013 - Point of Communication
Avionics News March 2013 - 5
Avionics News March 2013 - AEA Now
Avionics News March 2013 - 7
Avionics News March 2013 - 8
Avionics News March 2013 - 9
Avionics News March 2013 - 10
Avionics News March 2013 - 11
Avionics News March 2013 - 12
Avionics News March 2013 - 13
Avionics News March 2013 - The View from Washington
Avionics News March 2013 - 15
Avionics News March 2013 - International News and Regulatory Updates
Avionics News March 2013 - 17
Avionics News March 2013 - 18
Avionics News March 2013 - 19
Avionics News March 2013 - Android Devices and Software to EFBs, Tablets and Accessories
Avionics News March 2013 - 21
Avionics News March 2013 - 22
Avionics News March 2013 - 23
Avionics News March 2013 - 24
Avionics News March 2013 - 25
Avionics News March 2013 - Member Profile
Avionics News March 2013 - 27
Avionics News March 2013 - 28
Avionics News March 2013 - 29
Avionics News March 2013 - Testing Technology
Avionics News March 2013 - 31
Avionics News March 2013 - 32
Avionics News March 2013 - 33
Avionics News March 2013 - 34
Avionics News March 2013 - 35
Avionics News March 2013 - Avionics News Through the Years
Avionics News March 2013 - 37
Avionics News March 2013 - A Conversation With...
Avionics News March 2013 - 39
Avionics News March 2013 - Member Profile
Avionics News March 2013 - 41
Avionics News March 2013 - 42
Avionics News March 2013 - 43
Avionics News March 2013 - AEAviators
Avionics News March 2013 - 45
Avionics News March 2013 - 46
Avionics News March 2013 - 47
Avionics News March 2013 - Minimal Panels
Avionics News March 2013 - 49
Avionics News March 2013 - 50
Avionics News March 2013 - 51
Avionics News March 2013 - 52
Avionics News March 2013 - 53
Avionics News March 2013 - Before & After
Avionics News March 2013 - 55
Avionics News March 2013 - Clear Skies Ahead
Avionics News March 2013 - 57
Avionics News March 2013 - 58
Avionics News March 2013 - 59
Avionics News March 2013 - Aviation Aces
Avionics News March 2013 - 61
Avionics News March 2013 - 62
Avionics News March 2013 - 63
Avionics News March 2013 - Legal Ease
Avionics News March 2013 - 65
Avionics News March 2013 - 66
Avionics News March 2013 - 67
Avionics News March 2013 - 68
Avionics News March 2013 - 69
Avionics News March 2013 - Meat and Potatoes Avionics
Avionics News March 2013 - 71
Avionics News March 2013 - 72
Avionics News March 2013 - 73
Avionics News March 2013 - 74
Avionics News March 2013 - 75
Avionics News March 2013 - 76
Avionics News March 2013 - 77
Avionics News March 2013 - Business Basics
Avionics News March 2013 - 79
Avionics News March 2013 - 80
Avionics News March 2013 - 81
Avionics News March 2013 - Lines of Communication
Avionics News March 2013 - 83
Avionics News March 2013 - 84
Avionics News March 2013 - 85
Avionics News March 2013 - 86
Avionics News March 2013 - 87
Avionics News March 2013 - 88
Avionics News March 2013 - 89
Avionics News March 2013 - What's New
Avionics News March 2013 - 91
Avionics News March 2013 - 92
Avionics News March 2013 - 93
Avionics News March 2013 - 94
Avionics News March 2013 - 95
Avionics News March 2013 - 96
Avionics News March 2013 - Cover3
Avionics News March 2013 - Cover4
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