NATA Rolls Out New Flight Release System Next Week

On June 10, at its 2008 Air Charter Summit, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is rolling out "IC Check" - the only comprehensive compliance-driven flight release system for professionally flown general aviation aircraft operations.
The development of the program was prompted by last fall’s revocation of TAG/AMI’s Part 135 certificate, triggered by 59 non-compliance charges, which also triggered the operational control controversy. Related Story The certificate revocation also included a $10 million fine. Of the FAA's charges, more than two-thirds could have been addressed to some degree by the use of IC Check, said NATA.
IC Check is an online application similar to online banking or airline reservations systems that applies up to 300 algorithms to individual flight data to confirm compliance with all applicable Federal Aviation Regulations. It also confirms compliance with other government regulations as well as company, customer, industry and insurance standards applicable to professionally flown general aviation flights.
"The Part 121 community has been using flight releases for decades to ensure regulatory compliance and improve safety," said President James K. Coyne. "After three years of development and testing, professionally flown general aviation aircraft operators now have a cost effective and easy way to confirm and track compliance on a flight-by-flight basis. We're very excited about the potential IC Check holds for improving the safety, security, efficiency and market advantage of the progressive operators who already are using the program.”
IC Check's primary goal is to assess whether individual flights, for which an operator exercises operational control, are flown only with legal crew, legal passengers, legal aircraft and legal flight parameters. If IC Check's calculations indicate that the flight is "in compliance" with all operator-specified requirements, the program issues a "release" prior to flight in a process similar to that followed by many Part 121 air carriers. Once initially configured for an operator, the IC Check flight release process typically requires two minutes of data entry per flight, much of which is automated. Results are instantaneous.
IC Check has been integrated with CTA/FOS and Bart with integrations pending with Avtrak, ATP, ARGUS, Wyvern, Skybooks and several other programs. Additionally, IC Check has been integrated with the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration's weather data feed to record conditions at the origin of the flight, destination and en route. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Situation Display to Industry (ASDI) flight tracking data also will be attached to individual flight records to prove compliance, per the request of FAA officials who have reviewed the program and are influencing its design.
IC Check's key benefits include:
• Proves compliance with all applicable regulations.
• Forces operational consistency.
• Strengthens safety culture through flight-by-flight compliance assessment, tracking and risk assessments.
• Prevents planning errors.
• Increases reliability of operational control systems and procedures.
• Reduces FAA inspection burden.
• Supports safety audits via online availability of comprehensive, flight-by-flight compliance records.
• Consolidates and streamlines company recordkeeping.
• Encourages the adoption and use of best industry practices.
• Fosters piece of mind through independent, automated confirmation of operational standards.
The program was developed by and is hosted and managed by NATA. It is available by subscription on a per tail basis.