Regulators talk weather cams, SMS at VERTICON 2025 The annual Meet the Regulators panel discusses the potential expansion of FAA weather cameras with state departments of transportation equipment and the importance of a safety management system compliance declaration for all operators. By Mark Huber At the annual Meet the Regulators panel Mar. 12 at VERTICON 2025 in Dallas, Texas, FAA officials discussed the safety management system (SMS) mandate for Part 135 operators (addressed in Part 5 of Title 14 of the US Code of Federal Regulations) and the potential expansion of FAA weather cameras with state departments of transportation (DOTs) equipment, among other topics. “Weather cameras, from a risk-management standard, improve safety,” said Robert Reckert, division manager of the FAA’s Air Transportation Division, at the event. “The challenge is paying for and maintaining them. The other challenge is to get government to work within itself to incorporate other cameras maintained by other organizations throughout the country.” While state DOT cameras can’t provide the same granular information as an aviation weather camera, they can provide enough information to enable a go/no-go launch decision, according to Reckert. With regard to the 2027 deadline for Part 135 operators to implement an SMS, Reckert said the FAA likely would focus oversight on large operators first but that it was important for all operators to submit a declaration of compliance to their certification management team by the May 28, 2027, deadline. Reckert acknowledged that SMS still had “nonbelievers” even within the FAA, saying: “This is a large step. It’s not just an educational piece to the industry, it is an absolute educational piece inside [the FAA].” Attendees also had questions about upcoming FAA requirements for drug and alcohol testing of Part 145 certificated repair station employees located outside the United States. On Mar. 11, the FAA announced that it was exercising its enforcement discretion and would not enforce these provisions until Mar. 20, 2025. Mark Huber is an aviation journalist with more than two decades of experience in the vertical flight industry.
