Part I

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW

1

Regulatory Agencies and International Organizations

Review Questions

You are the human resources director for a regional U.S. airline. One of your duties includes screening new pilots and maintenance personnel applying for jobs with the airline. As part of the process, your staff should check the FAA’s records on each applicant’s certificates, ratings, accident history, and FAR violation history. Where would they find this information?

You are an engineer for an avionics company that is designing a new navigational system for civil aviation use. What organization establishes the technical specifications for radio aids to navigation? In what series of publications would you look to find these specifications?

Your aircraft has been involved in an accident. What agency or agencies will investigate the accident? What agency will determine the probable cause of the accident?

An agency of the U.S. government is presently experimenting with and assisting in the development of technical standards for the components of the next generation air traffic control system (NextGen). What agency is responsible for that work, and where is it being carried out?

An agency of the U.S. government is conducting research and experimentation on methods for detecting airframe ice and conveying the information to the flight crew in a useful format. What agency would be responsible for such experimentation? If that research and experimentation leads to a new technology, what agency of the U.S. government would establish the airworthiness standards for incorporating that technology into U.S. civil aircraft?

An emerging nation wishes to enter into an agreement with the United States to facilitate regular airline service between the two nations. Which of the so-called five freedoms of the air would this involve? What agency of the U.S government would it deal with to negotiate a treaty to provide such service? Once the treaty has been negotiated, is any further action by the U.S. government required to bring it into effect?

The treaty (discussed above) providing for reciprocal air service is now in effect. The other nation wishes to designate its new national airline to provide a portion of the service under that agreement. Does the U.S. government have any say whether that airline will be permitted to provide that service to the United States? If so, how?

What has proved to be the most intractable problem facing international civil aviation on which to gain global agreement? Why?

Does the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have any aviation responsibilities not relating directly to aircraft accidents? If so, describe.

Does the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have any aviation responsibilities other than technological and aerodynamic research and development? If so, describe.

What are the powers of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) today?

To what extent, if any, may state governments regulate the routes served and rates charged by airlines?

Which agency of the U.S. government regulates labor relations in the airline industry?

What authority, if any, does the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have over labor relations in:

The airline industry?

Aerospace manufacturing?

General aviation?

Which agency of the U.S government has the primary responsibility for regulating aviation safety?

Describe and distinguish FAA and NASA responsibilities in regulating commercial spaceflight operations.

Distinguish U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) responsibilities from those of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

You want to determine who owns a particular aircraft. Which agency of the U.S. government would have that information, and where would it be found?

Until Congress passed and the president signed the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, which agency of the U.S. government regulated airline economics (routes served and rates charged)?

Which agency or agencies of the U.S. government operate radio aids to air navigation?

Are there any privately owned and operated radio aids to navigation in the United States?

If the FAA and its counterpart agencies in other nations were interested in collaborating to make civil aircraft certification standards globally uniform, what organization would logically coordinate that effort? Where is that organization headquartered?

Why did the nations represented at the 1944 Chicago Conference not agree to the five freedoms of the air then proposed by the United States? If a similar conference were held today, do you think the international community would take the same position? Why?

Which agency of the U.S. government and which office of that agency is responsible for the production of aeronautical charts?

NASA research relating to general aviation focuses on what areas?

Which agency of the U.S. government is responsible for the day-to-day screening of airline passengers, baggage, and cargo?

That agency is now included in what federal department?

Is the regulation of workplace safety and health conditions in the U.S. preempted (regulated exclusively by) the federal government, or do the states have a role?

What federal agency is responsible for assuring the coordination and sharing of intelligence relating to threats against transportation?

What federal agency and what office of that agency is responsible for screening foreign applicants to U.S. flight schools for security risks?

Airlines providing international air service to the U.S. are required to transmit crew and passenger manifests electronically to what federal agency, prior to departure?

What are open skies agreements?

Online Research Assignments

As assigned by your instructor, prepare to present in class or post online one or more of the following research assignments, including hyperlinks to all online resources relied on:

For any one of the U.S. federal agencies identified in this chapter, identify the head of the agency by name and title, describe that person’s background and qualifications, and include an image of that person.

For a nation or union of nations other than the U.S., identify a government agency that performs functions equivalent to those provided in the U.S. by the FAA; then identify the head of that agency by name and title, describe that person’s background and qualifications, and include an image of that person.

Describe the goals, methods, status, and projected implementation of the FAA’s NextGen ATC system, discussing the expected benefits and costs to system users.

Update the progress of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) efforts to achieve global agreement on regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by civil aircraft and the status of application of the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to civil aircraft.

Describe in detail the current status of FAA efforts to safely integrate operations of civil unmanned aircraft into the U.S. National Airspace System.

Describe activities and efforts of ICAO