10W,
"in Europe, there is a 7 year lead in time between advising industry and the legislation being passed. That's the law."
Hmmm....
8.33 KHz channel spacing? ACAS? Automatically deployed Emergency Locator Beacon?
8.33 KHz channel spacing was rushed through before equipment was designed and certified. As a result there were a number of problems with obtaining upgraded transceivers in time to meet the deadline. "ACAS" requires upgrading TCAS software to version 7.0. Not only was version 7.0 not available but Boeing has flatly refused to provide retrofit service bulletins for their aircraft so we are forced to install modified TCAS Processors using STCs obtained from the equipment vendors. Honeywell have just scraped their STC (for B767s) through in the nick of time. We are still not certain that all TCAS Processors can be rolled over through the workshops for modification within the deadline. The JAA tried to mandate installation of an emergency locator beacon that is not only automatically activated but also automatically ejected from the aircraft on impact. They had to back down and postpone this requirement indefinitely as no such piece of equipment is even in the design stage yet.
No, I don't think that seven years notice is the law. We engineers only wish it were!
**********************************
Through difficulties to the cinema