EAA Works with FAA Toward One Waiver Process for Aviation Events

June 7, 2018 - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 saw the prototype of a single FAA event waiver that incorporated the three different lines of business within the FAA — ATO (Air Traffic), AFS (Flight Standards), and FAA Airports. Prior to last year, each entity had its own separate process for ensuring safety and mitigating risk within its specific area of aviation events. This “silo” approach did not foster good cross-communication between FAA’s areas of expertise. It was also difficult to ascertain where the authority for one line of business ended and the other began. Most importantly, it did not bring together combined knowledge to make the best possible decisions for the event and aircraft operations associated with the special nature of AirVenture.

The single waiver process was prototyped/introduced last year at Oshkosh with the close involvement of EAA’s government and air operations teams. It is clearly making a difference to maximize coordination and assist with technical expertise as needed. The coordination within FAA is improved and the best outcomes are being developed from a safety standpoint. EAA’s goal is to see our prototype efforts become a national policy that will benefit aviation events throughout the country.