Senator Diane Feinstein Demands Heli-Changes Before NTSB Investigation is Complete

Senator Diane Feinstein has hit the airwaves with her demand for additional regs in the wake of the tragic accident that killed nine people while flying in limited VFR conditions through Southern California. Among those lost were Basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, GiGi.

Feinstein joined Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) in jumping on the media bandwagon long before the NTSB could complete a proper investigation.

A long-time California Senator, Ms. Feinstein has been at odds with aviation interests a number of times over the years and is not a pilot or otherwise aeronautically educated, as evidenced by some of her anti-aviation stands.

Nearly two decades ago, the NTSB recommended TAWS installations for helicopter use in airframes carrying six or more people, at a time when the technology was still limited, expensive, not as widely available as it is today, and an installation challenge. Recent advancements form the avionics community have significantly minimized cost, wight complexity and increased over all capabilities... especially in terms of the technology's integration into the current generation of Primary and Multi-Function Displays.

Still; without a proper investigation, no one yet knows for sure whether TAWS capability would have led to a safer outcome for the S-76B flying through Special VFR conditions near Calabasas, CA.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov