"The FAA announced that it would no longer allow air traffic controllers and pilots to rely on visual separation to avoid collision. Air traffic controllers will need to use radar to determine the distance between airplanes and helicopters to keep them separated."
"Shawn Pruchnicki stated that the change shifts the responsibility for keeping aircraft apart from pilots to air traffic controllers, meaning controllers must maintain a larger separation distance."
"The new rule comes just a week after the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that the FAA prohibit helicopter operations near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when flights were using certain runways."
The FAA has mandated that air traffic controllers must use radar instead of visual separation to maintain safe distances between helicopters and airplanes. This shift transfers the responsibility of collision avoidance from pilots to controllers. A recent incident at Hollywood Burbank Airport involved a private plane and a helicopter nearly colliding, prompting this regulatory change. The FAA's decision follows recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board regarding helicopter operations near busy airports, highlighting ongoing safety concerns in air traffic management.
Read at SFGATE
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