Originally Posted by
AerocatS2A
Almost every accident and incident that occurs was done flying a procedure that everyone does every day. And every time a change in SOP or regulation comes out in response to an incident, it is a case of a restriction being applied to the majority in response to a mistake by one person. This is nothing new.
The so-called safety bulletin the FAA issued is a knee-jerk reaction of a somewhat dysfunctional aviation regulatory agency. The bulletin doesn't even mention the airline-rolled (as in, roll your own cigarettes) Flight Management System RNAV database visual flight procedure (RVFP), which was Air Canada's approach clearance.
The bulletin is negligent in its omission about the operating requirements and limitations of RVFPs. This is likely because the FAA doesn't have any criteria or operational guidance for the use of RVFPs. They are wholly a procedure developed by the airlines for the airlines. In this respect, the airlines are regulating themselves.
That's not the way the system is supposed to work.