learn How to Fix the Helicopter EMS Accident Price
Helicopter Emergency Clinical Services and products(HEMS) is an business in danger. Because of a rash of deadly accidents, the trade is sicker than the sufferers being flown. The air med trade is dying as a result of, instead of saving lives, it's killing folks, specifically helicopter crews, and steadily their sufferers.
The issue didn't happen in a single day; the solution received't come quick, either.
From the beginning, air clinical helicopters have skilled a high accident fee. The danger can by no means be eliminated, however it may be mitigated and decreased to the point the place an air med accident is rare. The following treatise tells how that can be completed. If all the initiatives listed right here have been put in place tomorrow, the HEMS accident rate would drop to near zero. right Here's the road map of how that can occur.
" First recommendation: for these applications requesting it, a right away security stand-down for FAA or different outside celebration overview on all aspects of the HEMS operation.
Probably the most difficulties with the accident fee in air clinical is simple semantics. What is an accident, and the way are the records compiled? Here's the bottom line: the stated expectation need to be a 0 accident charge.
A Special FAR is required, a new law aimed namely at air medical operations similar to the regs in situation for helicopter tour operators. For years the FAA has been unwilling or unable to simply shut down an operator or particular person application web page for security or regulatory violations. There must be the establishment of an anonymous tip line to the FAA, a whistle-blower characteristic for passengers, crew, or other workers of the more than a few operators to use, one thing just like the NASA safety reporting type. The opportunity of abuse is always current with this type of machine; however the potential for elevated transparency is, as smartly, and the problem is critical.
" Pilots have to be higher vetted and trained.
There are too many packages, and too many helicopter operators such that the pilot staffing pool is simply too skinny. With decrease experience ranges, and more packages flying more plane more hours, a rising accident fee is nearly inevitable. An immediate hyperlink can be made between the beginning of hostilities in Iraq, and the latest rise in the rate of air medical accidents. Many veteran pilots with a armed forces affiliation are flying overseas, leaving packages at house understaffed, or with less experienced pilots in cockpits, or both.
Given the truth that most air medical accidents are climate associated this makes sense. Defense force pilots are better in a position to deal with control in IIMC. The skills militia pilots gather, both in flight and with get entry to to simulators, additionally confer a stage of confidence unavailable to non-armed forces pilots.
Every other reason air med requires extra professionalism and oversight is, that applications are 24/7 operations, with a excessive percentage of flying at evening. Pilot error is the only commonest factor in air medical accidents, and present crew leisure principles are insufficient to address that. Shutting down a software after darkish is just not an choice*, as these are emergency response vehicles, and need to be staffed therefore.
" Instrument Flight capability for restoration best in all air clinical helicopters.
If used as it should be, IFR capability is a formidable threat reducer in HEMS operations. What operators regularly change for IFR capability is company coverage which demands that pilots keep away from instrument climate in any respect price. But denial of upgraded capability is inexcusable in an organization which offers aviation property to the general public. The FAA must demand IFR capability for air medical helicopters as part of the brand new SFAR. This might serve two purposes: it will give pilots wanted choices; it will elevate the standard of companies competing for air med trade, force marginal operators away.
Let me be clear about this: I propose IFR functionality for restoration simplest, not for launch. IFR tools, coupled with ongoing instrument coaching, will go a long way toward removing air med accidents.
Most fatal accidents have took place en-route to a patient pickup, or after a pilot has aborted the flight, and turned towards residence base. This says that air med crews are accepting missions in climate that's marginal at absolute best, an attempt to take off and test stipulations over a commonly flown route. In order that, the more emphasis placed on climate avoidance, and dismissal of IFR functionality in lieu of climate minimums and dogmatic measures, have made air clinical much less protected.
Pilots should to find the delicate stability between application wants and their skilled standing. Air med pilots are simply charter pilots with a single client. However the trappings of the air med program, the flight suits, trademarks, and close interplay with clinical staff is a constant enforcement of the group thought at a shopper clinic. There's nothing mistaken with staff spirit. However the elite nature of air med flight crews can dilute a pilot's command authority in scenarios where affected person need seems to override aviation concerns. Weather elements may also be minimized. Nuisance repairs considerations unnoticed. Crew rest instances can be arbitrarily extended to pursue a patient mission at crew alternate time. At most packages, pilots are shielded from affected person data, to avoid undue power on them to accept or reject a flight. This can be a just right protocol. But the easy reality is, that pilot publicity patient scientific situation is unavoidable at the onset of the mission, or at any time right through the flight. What's wanted is a more skilled, more goal pilot within the first location.
Give site managers the authority they need to implement secure practices. Web Site managers have little authority to put into effect pilot codes, or punish unprofessional behavior. Most accidents start in the hiring section, mendacity in look forward to the proper stipulations. Posting a pilot to a contract site is expensive. But when a client hospital demands a pilot's removing, or a site supervisor learns of security infractions, that manager must be capable to take action.
Air clinical flying has all the time had a recognition for having an emergency, fast-response ambiance. This sheen of pleasure is what attracts sure people to it, the so-referred to as adrenaline junkies. From my twenty years in a HEMS cockpit, I will attest to the excessive-profile nature of the work. There's nothing extra thrilling than having the helicopter clatter out of the sky, arrive on scene, and land to avoid wasting the day. The feeling is intoxicating, even if it is illusory. It's straightforward to lose sight of the aviation side of it.
The bottom line is, that pilots at air med applications are locked and loaded to fly, and not each pilot is lower out for it. Accepting a mission is the default mode. But instead of being paid to fly, pilots should take into account that they're being paid for the judgement to no longer fly every now and then. FAR phase one hundred and five, the so-called 'pilot-in-command' rule, no longer best protects pilots and the choices they make, nevertheless it eliminates the prospective hazard of a diluted determination, a call made via a committee. Especially with the speedy boom of the HEMS industry, hour necessities and vital experience levels have dropped. The pilot pool has reduced in size past the competence level required.
" Multi-engine aircraft in air clinical operations.
All air scientific applications will have to container multi-engine helicopters. If that proves an excessive amount of for the funds, the health facility must abandon the air clinical software, or are seeking a consortium association.
Having two engines, and the doubling of other on-board methods, merely brings the aviation asset up to par with the clinical equipment it consists of. Medical body of workers mechanically have backups for the whole thing; their plane must have nothing less.
Multi-engine aircraft also obviate further mechanic staffing. Two mechanics are extra efficient, higher rested, doubly skilled, and have extra latitude towards performing required duties to maintain the equipment working.
Every other much less obvious benefit to fielding twin-engine plane is the potential of pilot coaching. Depending on the aircraft, an extra seat is on hand within the cockpit on each flight. That vacant seat ought for use for an observer, a rookie pilot, or a brand new hire to experience alongside, to see first hand how the operation works.
Some other advantage of this transformation is, that the copilot could be someone in coaching. If performed correctly, this position can be a earnings source for modern operators prepared to assist a pilot building up his or her logbook, and keen to pay for the chance, to the good thing about the operator's base line.
" CVR/FDR/TAWS/GPS transferring map installation in air med helicopter cockpits.
The FAA must mandate cockpit voice recorders, and/or flight knowledge recorders in every HEMS cockpit. This is able to add transparency to every air med mission. These bins would have two further advantages: they’d assist in an accident investigation, a use for which they have been designed; and they’d facilitate repairs work by using recording and archiving gadget working parameters. TAWS is nothing greater than floor avoidance expertise, every other layer of protection. GPS must be a requirement in all HEMS cockpits.
" De-emphasize speedy response/takeoff time.
In spite of programs' PR efforts, and patient affect evidence to the contrary, a fast response handiest places the aircraft and crew in danger, makes negligible difference in affected person consequence, and will have to be de-emphasised. A launch time of ten minutes will not be unreasonable. No different phase a hundred thirty five operation would promote a five minute takeoff time, nor would the FAA provide operations specs for this kind of thing. In actual practice, the HEMS mission is, by way of and large, a transport system to offer a secure, monitored setting for patients between hospitals.
" Greater application weather minimums, and obligatory down-standing.
Climate is a factor in 50% of HEMS accidents. Software and FAA-mandated weather minimums are generally stringent, but at most applications they still border on marginal VFR. The surroundings wherein air scientific plane operate is in most cases the place weather knowledge is least to be had and/or reliable–beneath three thousand toes, a ways from weather reporting outlets, and steadily under radar protection.
" Health facility administration should be more concerned.
The administration of air med packages should transform more intimately occupied with day to day operations. Launch decisions must be reviewed; obligatory short takeoff instances should be abandoned; borderline pilots, or folks who consistently make poor decisions should be held to blame; protection committees will have to be based, with authority to make major choices, together with the configuration of the airplane.
Clinical directors should apprise health practitioner team of workers of issues of safety concerning air medical, including the necessity for higher triage to eliminate non-emergent air transports. A tradition of toughen must be effected for no-go selections. The tendency for medical personnel receiving a transport request is to use the helicopter if any indication exists that it's wanted. The underlying assumption is, that the affected person must be flown, or a health care provider should not have called.
But sufferers are ceaselessly flown just for mundane logistical reasons. More than a few EMS products and services are available on a restricted foundation. Taking a floor rig away leaves the county uncovered for lengthy classes. The helicopter is regularly used as an alternative in these circumstances. As a consequence, the air clinical asset closest to the patient is often used when there's no indication the affected person needs to be flown.
I used to be a pilot answerable for an air medical helicopter for twenty years. I be aware the pressures and contingencies, laws, surroundings and politics that air med pilots are uncovered to daily. From my first air scientific flight in July 1983, to my closing in October 2003 I noticed considered one of each more or less affected person mission there is, excluding one. I by no means witnessed a birth on board the helicopter. That simple fact, that in three,200 affected person missions I never as soon as witnessed a delivery is instructive. It method triage for women about to deliver used to be carried out with utmost care. Both attending and receiving physicians knew to not name the helicopter.
The point is, that enough triage, better consultation, or both, particularly with these days's technical capability for doctors to share knowledge, is a key in the air scientific safety puzzle, as a result of it means fewer flights, as a result extra consideration to truly pressing flights.
With 4 pilots per contract, and the place application hours are low anyway, the operator may just (rightly) be all for less flying skillability. In this case the sponsoring health facility will have to contract for extra coaching hours, healthy their property with every other sanatorium in a consortium association, or cede the air scientific transport carrier altogether, subsequently saving wanted health care bucks.
Do fewer flights mean diminished service to potential purchasers? No, it way higher service to purchasers who need the carrier extra. While flying a routine, stable clinic transfer patient, the helicopter is out of provider to reply to a trauma, or different emergent affected person.
"The underside line must be secondary to protected practices, and difficult aviation realities.
Usually, a hospital based totally helicopter device is set up on a blended personnel foundation, with pilots and mechanics employed by means of the aviation seller, and the medical institution body of workers employed in house. Sponsoring hospitals can finances for aircraft services; they have the choice of renewing a contract with a seller–or no longer; they don't suppose the burden of airplane upkeep, or group of workers coaching; and they avoid out of provider time with the aid of having a backup airplane within tips based in the contract. Leasing the asset additionally provides a clinic the chance to more simply upgrade to further application performance, comparable to IFR, NVG, multi-engine, or other changes.
But contracts provide most effective so much, and therein lies one of the extra entrenched problems, with air clinical protection regularly hanging within the balance: innovation is stifled, and security initiatives shuttled between client and vendor, with little or no, or extraordinarily slow resolution. There's no direct connection between funding and safety, in fact. However there needs to be more attention paid to backup methods for HEMS operations. No doctor would function when the health center's standby generator is out of carrier. No flight nurse would take off without a backup batteries for a heart reveal, or extra oxygen bottles. No hospital would situation its million greenback MRI equipment uncovered within the car parking zone, uncovered to the elements.
But hospitals use single-engine helicopters, with VFR simplest cockpits, no NVG or GPS or TAWS functionality, one electrical system, one hydraulic gadget, and one pilot on the overwhelming choice of air med missions. The airplane is most often parked on a pad out of doors, exposed to wind, rain, icing, warmth, and all manner of corrosive elements, when hangarage can be obtained for little price, keeping the helicopter dry, clean, ice and snow free, lowering upkeep concerns, and extra fast prepared for flight.
Accountability is a very good thing. But because of the glacial % of exchange in any institution, and given today's focal point on lowering health care prices, any innovation, regardless of how interesting or relevant to minimizing risk in the air clinical surroundings, is inevitably caught up within the keep an eye on/justification/funds triangle, with numerous layers of bureaucracy. In the meantime, needed innovations and safety measures are shelved, or passed between consumer and vendor, with neither accepting monetary accountability. Until such time as protection prevails in the air scientific box, contracts must be renegotiated 12 months to year, with an escape clause for both parties. This could allow clients to better finances for brand new innovations, and for operators to escape exhausting contracts, higher serve purchaser calls for, and be extra attentive to the bottom line in a container already suffering from bankrupt operators.
One advisable byproduct of yearly contracting could be to pressure out marginal operators, through recognizing that handiest higher, extra versatile firms can bid on and expect to win health center contracts, which require a fast turnaround of property. Any other benefit to 1-year contracts is, that this might drive standardization of equipment. At the moment, even two plane sited at the comparable sanatorium frequently have different medical installations, radio applications, lighting, warning programs and cockpit instrumentation. This is probably not an issue for a contract web site using the same pilots all the time, (or it could be an important downside), but the lack of standardization precludes every other strategy to the air scientific accident puzzle.
Pilots at a selected software function with little or no oversight from company headquarters. In such an arrangement, pilots regularly share best among themselves the more than a few issues, maintenance gripes, and operational system defects. There exists no mechanism for collective focus and sharing of protection information firm-extensive, excluding for contact thru annual test flights, or an organization publication of some kind. That is yet any other purpose client hospitals will have to employ better firms, as they have extra latitude to hire and rent take a look at pilots and aid pilot team of workers to go with the flow between programs. Doing so would disseminate just right data and protection practices across the corporate.
Higher companies are also better able to make use of every other innovation that may fortify safe operations: the switch, or shared pilot concept. Transference between contract web sites would add to the transparency and oversight of applications, and elevate the extent of professionalism. That is yet another motive hospitals must box multi-engine aircraft. The unoccupied cockpit seat might be used to orient a relief or transfer pilot, as an organization check pilot station, or again, to coach a new hire pilot, a functionality unavailable to single-engine operations.
Along with the transparency and elevated knowledge base, travelling pilots would offer the scientific team of workers an function forum to speak about deficiencies in this system, or challenges with sited pilot staff. It could even have the desirable effect of reducing whatever level of protective opacity that may exist within the 'staff oriented' atmosphere.
But any other option to protected operations is to lower the level of crew cohesion that can promote a protecting amnesia about dangerous or marginal individuals, both aviation or medical body of workers. Client hospitals will even imagine altering the makeup of flight workforce, changing the normal flight nurse workforce with floating medical team of workers to associate with journeying pilot personnel. This may situation extra emphasis on the 'air', and not more on the 'medical' a part of the equation, growing the level of protection. Sufferers and nurses don't crash; pilots and helicopters do.
One approach to this dilemma has already been listed, an answer that’s open heresy to the air clinical group. There are simply too many air clinical helicopters, operating at too many hospitals, by using too many providers. If patient outcomes, mortality and morbidity had been being positively affected, all to the good. However, after thirty years of operating air clinical helicopters, there's no goal evidence either of those is going down. Period in-between, extra air clinical crews are demise in accidents. There's plenty of anecdotal knowledge, and hundreds of patients will testify to the nice these airplane and crews have finished, as will I. But the easy, stark fact is, that air medical aviation is sicker than the patients it's making an attempt to reach. Measures need to be taken to alter the situation.
" Cut back operating areas at night time, or use two pilots/ IFR/NVG and TAWS.
Some of the boldest options to the air medical accident fee will even be essentially the most controversial. Given the nature of air medical, in particular in mild of its picture Vs reality, hospitals all for lowering dangers, and raising the usual of security must consider decreasing their response radius after a undeniable time, midnight being the doubtless cutoff, to a distance of twenty-five miles from the house facility. This limit would advantage security in several methods: it could automatically cut back fatigue ranges in air med crews; it will be an automated triage operate, striking inquiring for hospitals and physicians on notice that a affected person needing air transport have to be flown prior to middle of the night, or wait until morning. A reduced operations area would reduce the danger of climate-associated accidents, striking helicopters closer to the house medical institution, as a result obviating the airplane's use for handiest emergent sufferers. Shrinking the response area would also forestall much of the chance associated with climate adjustments en-route, or due to lengthy wait times at outer hospitals and/or loiter points. Another benefit, specifically at packages with two or more plane, is the elevated availability for repairs. It could additionally shop sponsor hospitals cash, since the income hours flown would possible be less. Plus, the chance exists that fewer pilots would be needed with a lowered protection space after nighttime.
An alternative choice to this notion is the usage of IFR cockpits, NVG outfitted crews (including medical group of workers), and adoption of proposed Terrain Attention & Warning Device in all air clinical helicopter cockpits per Section 508 of S. 1300*, a invoice within the U.S. Senate aimed toward rectifying the accident fee in HEMS operations**.
Every software's facts are totally different, and air clinical is, in the end, an emergency rescue service. However limiting the rescue carrier would not be the intent; the intent is increased oversight through higher triage of transport requests. At most packages, so-called on-scene missions comprise the lowest percentage of response flights. The higher quantity is stable, non-emergent affected person missions. It's been debated for years whether or not the usage of helicopters impacts affected person mortality and/or morbidity. That debate will continue. But unless the protection issue is adequately addressed, it will override all others. And except protected flight of air clinical helicopters becomes a given, advisability of the use of them for patient transport need to be watched more sparsely.
The HEMS accident charge will simplest be reduced when the three legs of the stool are in place: pilots; plane & equipment; and sanatorium/operator oversight. Except the modifications listed herein are regularly occurring practice in air scientific flying, accidents will proceed to plague this vital business. It's my hope that every one concerned can step away from the habits of the previous, and center of attention on the adjustments wanted to make HEMS the secure, efficient affected person transport system it can be.
Accidents are not inevitable; they happen when factors conspire in opposition to a program and pilots which might be comfy and complacent in regard to safe practices. Helicopter air scientific is terribly unforgiving of forget and incompetence; operators, pilots and their colleagues, and sponsor hospitals must be aggressive in opting for and addressing any and all issues of safety instantly, without regard to personnel, political, monetary or administrative matters. There's an excessive amount of at stake to maintain a cavalier perspective, or think that an accident can't occur. Helicopters are flown safely at all times. But it surely doesn't occur unintentionally.
In abstract, my recommendations for raising the safety level of air scientific helicopters are the next:
*Senate Rule S.1300 is listed.
- For these programs asking for it, a right away security stand-down for FAA or other outdoor birthday celebration assessment and report on all factors of the operation.
– Pilots have to be higher vetted, and skilled emphasizing weather incursion restoration.
– Instrument flight functionality for recovery simplest in all air medical helicopters.
– Higher pilot hours within the plane being flown, to include a minimum of 2,000 hours to be hired, 20 hours in sort, 10 hours at evening, and 50 hours of actual or simulated weather time.
– Multi-engine aircraft in all HEMS operations.
– CVR/FDR/TAWS set up in air med helicopter cockpits + modular installations.
– De-emphasize speedy response/takeoff time.
– Greater program climate minimums, and mandatory down-standing.
– Clinic administration need to be more involved.
– The contract bottom line have to be secondary to safe practices and difficult aviation realities. Each year contracts to expedite innovation time for protection proposals.
– Scale back working areas at night, or use two pilots.
– Requirement for availability to all medical crews of a no-flight or abandon-mission protocol without worry of repercussion.
– Site supervisor a medical institution employee with authority to rent and hearth, with pilot status a plus.
– FAA SFAR for air clinical helicopter operations codifying climate minimums, IFR tools, NVG, TAWS, dual pilot functionality, and op specs required for multiplied house operations after dark or beneath explicit climate values.
– All air medical flights conducted below part a hundred thirty five despite patient presence.
Equipment Requirements:
Multi-engine aircraft.
IFR for restoration simplest.
NVG functionality.
TAWS.
Wire cutters.
CVR/FDR.
GPS moving map.
Climate get right of entry to in the cockpit in actual time.
Law, S. 1300, has been introduced within the U.S. Senate to authorize appropriations for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for fiscal years 2008 thru 2011 to enhance safety and capability and to modernize the air traffic keep watch over gadget. In addition to the problems previously mentioned regarding user fees and surcharges and a rise within the fuel tax, S. 1300 additionally would mandate significant changes for helicopter emergency medical carrier operators.
Section 508 of S. 1300 would mandate compliance with Part a hundred thirty five rules each time medical crew are on board, with out regard to whether there are patients on board the helicopter. Inside 60 days of the date of enactment of S. 1300, the FAA could be required to provoke rulemakings to create standardized checklists of chance comparison factors and require helicopter EMS operators to use the checklist to decide whether a mission must be established. Moreover, the FAA could be required to finish a rulemaking to create standardized flight dispatch strategies for helicopter EMS operators and require operators to use those tactics for flights.
Any helicopter used for EMS operations that’s ordered, bought, or in any other case bought after the date S. 1300 used to be enacted would even be required to have on board an operational terrain cognizance and warning device (TAWS) that meets the technical specifications of part one hundred thirty five.154 of the Federal Aviation Laws (14 C.F.R. one hundred thirty five.154).
To beef up the data to be had to National Transportation Security Board (NTSB) investigators at crash web sites, the FAA would also be required to finish a feasibility research of requiring flight data and cockpit voice recorders on new and present helicopters used to EMS operations. Subsequent to the feasibility study, the FAA would be required within two years of S. 1300's enactment to finish a rulemaking requiring flight knowledge and cockpit voice recorders on board such helicopters.
All Helicopter Affiliation Global (HAI) operators conducting EMS operations are strongly encouraged to review the provisions contained in *Part 508 of S. 1300. HAI is thinking about listening to from you with recognize to any issues you will have over the necessities contained on this law. Please contact David York or Ann Carroll via email at david.york@rotor.com or ann.carroll@rotor.com.
HAI continues to research regulation in the U.S. Home of Representatives and the U.S. Senate with admire to FAA reauthorization and common aviation person fees, surcharges, and other safety provisions. Extra knowledge will be supplied on the HAI Site as developments happen in Washington.
Part 508 of S. a hundred thirty
S.1300
Aviation Investment and Modernization Act of 2007 (Introduced in Senate)
SEC. 508. INCREASING SAFETY FOR HELICOPTER EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE OPERATORS.
(a) Compliance With 14 CFR Section 135 Regulations- No later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, all helicopter emergency scientific provider operators shall conform to the regulations in part 135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations whenever there is a medical crew on board, with out regard to whether there are sufferers on board the helicopter.
(b) IMPLEMENTATION OF FLIGHT RISK EVALUATION PROGRAM- Inside 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal Aviation Administration shall provoke, and full inside 18 months, a rulemaking–
(1) to create a standardized guidelines of risk contrast components in response to its Notice 8000.301, issued in August, 2005; and
(2) to require helicopter emergency scientific service operators to use the checklist to decide whether a mission will have to be frequent.
(c) COMPREHENSIVE CONSISTENT FLIGHT DISPATCH PROCEDURES- Inside 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal Aviation Administration shall initiate, and full within 18 months, a rulemaking–
(1) to create standardized flight dispatch methods for helicopter emergency clinical carrier operators in line with the laws partly 121 of title 14, Code of Federal Laws; and
(2) require such operators to make use of these procedures for flights.
(d) IMPROVING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS- Any helicopter used for helicopter emergency medical service operations that is ordered, purchased, or otherwise received after the date of enactment of this Act shall have on board an operational terrain awareness and warning device that meets the technical specs of part one hundred thirty five.154 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 C.F.R. a hundred thirty five.154).
(e) Enhancing the Data To be had to NTSB Investigators at Crash webSites-
(1) STUDY- Inside 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal Aviation Administration shall full a feasibility study of requiring flight data and cockpit voice recorders on new and current helicopters used for emergency clinical provider operations. The study shall address, at a minimal, considerations associated to survivability, weight, and financial issues of the sort of requirement.
RULEMAKING- Within 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal Aviation Administration shall full a rulemaking to require flight data and cockpit voice recorders on board such helicopters.
Attention Flying Enthusiasts!
Click Here!
5 Obtain Master Instructor Designation In September
FAA Has Approved The Curriculum For CFI Renewal Five instructors have acquired for the first time or renewed their Grasp Trainer designation in the month of September.
Chicago-area ops improving – AOPA Pilot
AOPA PilotChicago-area ops recoveringAOPA PilotThis 2009 AOPA file photograph displays the Harrisburg tracon in motion. The FAA shifted Chicago Center's workload to surrounding ARTCC and tracon facilities to maintain flights shifting. As the FAA contractor accused of surroundings a Sept. 26 hearth that took the Chicago …and extra »
CFI Renewal – Gleim