Sun, Sep 20, 2009
HAI President Matt Zuccaro testified
before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure's Aviation Subcommittee on
Wednesday, September 16, concerning the Hudson River airspace, and
management of uncontrolled airspace corridors. The hearing was
prompted by the mid-air collision over the Hudson River of a
helicopter and a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane in August, resulting in
the deaths of all nine people onboard both aircraft.
Providing an overview of the safety of helicopter operations,
Zuccaro testified to his activities as a member of the recently
convened FAA N.Y. Airspace Task Force, along with his almost 30
years of past experience as a pilot and executive manager for
flight operations within the N.Y. Class B airspace, and his service
on a number of study groups involving the airspace. He stated that,
by making mandatory the existing voluntary practices, which have
been used safely for the past 26 years, the FAA would eliminate any
ambiguity, and would standardize procedures within the airspace. He
went on to say that the FAA's proposal to establish three tiers of
airspace would enhance separation of transiting aircraft, and
agreed that the FAA's recommendation to standardize the floor of
the Class B controlled airspace at 1,300 feet, would simplify the
airspace structure.
Zuccaro concurred on the need to standardize the procedures for
fixed-wing aircraft entering the Hudson River Exclusion, and also
the three aeronautical maps which relate to this airspace, as well
as the reallocation of the available Unicom frequencies utilized at
New York City heliports, which he believes will reduce frequency
congestion and enhance pilot communication capability. Zuccaro
pointed out that no single recommendation is a silver bullet, but
together, each of these recommendations offered would make a real
difference towards enhancing safety. Zuccaro also testified that
training is the cornerstone to any effort to reduce accidents and
improve safety, and said that HAI looked forward to working with
the Subcommittee and other interested parties to ensure the highest
level of safety within the New York Class B excluded airspace, and
similar such environments throughout the National Airspace
System.
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