The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) now has a team at its Washington headquarters devoted to handling issues and problems from Part 135 operators.

Formed last month, it is a four-man operation within the flight standards unit, dubbed ASS 250. It responsible for both Part 135 and Part 142 operations, said spokesman Hank Price. The division includes a manager and three staffers.

The office will handle on-demand charter operations, some smaller scheduled passenger carriers, sightseeing flights, cargo operators and mail handlers. It will also handle air ambulances under Part 142.

Part 135 operators have long needed to have a centralized contact point in the FAA's Washington headquarters, said Stan Bernstein, president of the Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA). The trade group, composed primarily of Part 135 operators, first proposed this office more than two years ago, he noted.

"We are convinced that a 'one-stop shop' for operators and FAA personnel alike will be of great benefit to the agency and the industry it regulates," he said.

"We believe having a Part 135 branch at headquarters will go a long way towards standardizing operating and safety standards," Bernstein said. The office will also help resolve disputes between the carriers and the FAA's field safety officers. There hasn't been a clearly designated point in Washington to handle an operator's complaint to appeal a regional office decision. The new office will be similar to the Air Carrier District Office structure that handles issues concerning Part 121 carriers, he noted.

The lack of a standard direction has become apparent in the way the FAA has handled safety issues concerning Mitsubishi MU-2, and icing issues impacting the Cessna 208 Caravan. Concerning the MU-2, a hearing revealed "enormous differences in cockpit procedures around the country that vary from operator to operator. How could one airplane vary so widely in what is required? This alerted the FAA of the need to standardize these things," Bernstein said.

While the creation of this new office is separate from the ongoing rewrite of the Part 135 and Part 125 regulations, Bernstein said it is RACCA's hope that once the new rules are adopted that this new office "will go a long way towards resolving various issues that may arise. Perhaps, it will make for speedier implementation."

By summer, the FAA plans on circulating a draft of the new rules and will begin the formal comment period. An advisory committee submitted its draft to the FAA this past summer after spending nearly two years reviewing a multitude of issues, including weight limits, flight duty-time rules and the extent to which charter companies can advertise to fill empty seats.

>>Contacts: Stan Bernstein, RACCA, (508) 747-1430; Hank Price, FAA, (202) 267-3883.<<