AOPA said it was satisfied with the FAA’s report. “The FAA heeded our recommendation and will likely issue a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) to require specific MU-2B training,” said Luis Gutierrez, AOPA director of regulatory and certification policy. “We think this is the right result and a much better solution than issuing an airworthiness directive.” But AOPA did have a nitpick with the report, which says that for single-pilot IFR operations using an autopilot, compliance with the AD requiring the installation of trim-in-motion and autopilot disconnect systems is recommended. “The report doesn’t mention the alternate means of compliance (AMOC) to this AD, which we believe offers an equivalent level of safety,” said Gutierrez. “The FAA should make it clear that the AMOC is also acceptable.”
New Rule Expected
Key Takeaways:
- AOPA expressed satisfaction with the FAA's report on the MU-2B, particularly the likely issuance of a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) for specific training, which AOPA considers a better solution than an Airworthiness Directive.
- AOPA's primary concern was that the FAA report, while recommending AD compliance for trim-in-motion and autopilot disconnect systems, failed to acknowledge the acceptable Alternate Means of Compliance (AMOC).
- AOPA asserted that the AMOC offers an equivalent level of safety and urged the FAA to clarify its acceptability as a compliance option.
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