DOT rule protects air passengers from e-cigarette aerosol

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Over the last few years, DOT has issued historic consumer rules protecting the rights of the flying public.  And today, we took one more step toward ensuring better treatment of passengers by finalizing a rule that explicitly bans the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) on commercial flights.

The rule applies to all scheduled flights of U.S. and foreign airlines flying in, to, and from the U.S.

While DOT has viewed its current regulatory smoking ban to be sufficiently broad to include the use of e-cigarettes, the prior rule did not explicitly define “smoking.” We took this action to eliminate any confusion between tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes by applying the same restrictions to both.

The ban protects airline passengers from unwanted exposure to e-cigarette aerosol when electronic cigarettes are used onboard airplanes.  Studies have shown that e-cigarette aerosol can contain a number of harmful chemicals.

This ban will be especially beneficial to vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, and passengers with respiratory issues, who will be protected from unavoidable aerosol exposure within a confined space.

Under this rule, the use of e-cigarettes in all forms –including, but not limited to electronic cigars, pipes, and devices designed to look like everyday products such as pens– is explicitly banned.  The ban does not include the use of medical devices such as nebulizers.

The Department also extended the ban on smoking –including e-cigarettes– to all charter (nonscheduled) flights of U.S. airlines and foreign airlines where a flight attendant is a required crewmember.

In addition to addressing health concerns raised by the use of e-cigarettes, DOT is committed to ensuring they are transported safely on aircraft.  Last October, DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued an interim final rule prohibiting passengers from carrying battery-powered portable electronic smoking devices in checked baggage and prohibiting them from charging these devices or batteries on board aircraft.

To learn more about how DOT is protecting aviation consumers, please read “Fly Rights.”

 

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The Fort Lauderdale Air Show will be hosting the new F-35

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The Fort Lauderdale Air Show will be the first civilian show to feature the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter plane.

Returning from a two-year-hiatus, the air show is set to take place over Fort Lauderdale beach May 7 and 8.

The combat aircraft, also called the F-35 Lightning II, is a single-seat, single-engine plane currently undergoing final development and testing by the U.S. Department of Defense. The stealth fighter plane is designed for ground attack, aerial reconnaissance and air defense missions.

“Fort Lauderdale will be the first place that the general public will be able to see the future of Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps aviation perform,” Bryan Lilley, president of the Fort Lauderdale Air Show, said in a release.

Models of the F-35 will eventually be used by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. As the aircraft performs alongside the P-51 Mustang used in World War II this May, the Fort Lauderdale Air Show will showcase the past and future of the Air Force.

The air show will also feature the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, Canadian Air Force Snowbirds and Breitling Jet Team as headliners. Recently, locals gained a tiny preview of what’s to come when aThunderbird F-16 flew over the beach in early February to survey the area ahead of the show.

Tickets to the Fort Lauderdale Air Show are on sale now. Single-day tickets in the Drop Zone start at $29 per day for adults and $18 for children.

For $149, VIP spectators can watch the show from a private beach area with chairs, or underneath a clubhouse tent with covered seating. They’ll enjoy lunch and reserved parking near the Air Show Center.

The Fort Lauderdale Air Show will be the first civilian air show in North America to feature a flight performance of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. The F-35 will fly together with the P-51 Mustang in a Heritage Flight showcasing the past and future of Air Force technology.

 

The F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, is single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth fighter undergoing final development and testing by the U.S. Department of Defense. The fifth generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground attack, aerial intelligence and air defense missions. The F-35 has three main models: the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing version that will be used by the Air Force, the F-35B short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) version that will be used by the Marine Corps, and the F-35C carrier-based version that will be used by the Navy.

 

The F-35 Heritage flight will begin with a pass-in-review coming from behind show right, the best opportunity for a photo of the F-35 as the two aircraft cross in front of Show Center. The F-35 Heritage Flight will then set up for a second pass flying down the water line coming from show left. The third and final pass will come from behind the crowd with the F-35 and P-51 performing a separation maneuver to create separation between the aircraft followed a few seconds later by a single simultaneous aileron roll by both aircraft. During the flypasts there is a musical accompaniment played through the public address system. The music that is normally played is “We Remember” by Dwayne O’Brian. After the roll maneuver each of the aircraft will then enter the airfield traffic pattern, typically performing an individual pass before the crowd and then “pitching out” into an approach pattern and landing.

 

The U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight program presents the evolution of USAF air power by flying today’s state-of-the-art fighter aircraft in close formation with vintage fighter aircraft. t was created in 1997 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the United States Air Force. It incorporates fighters from World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War and other conflicts in which the USAF has been involved. There will only be 10 air shows in the nation in 2016 to feature an F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter in a Heritage Flight.

 

An Air Force Heritage Flight performance involves a current USAF fighter with an Air Combat Command trained military Heritage Flight pilot and flown with a historical warbird piloted by a trained and certified civilian Heritage Flight pilot. The Air Force Heritage Flight formations of modern fighters flying with World War II, Korean, and Vietnam era fighters such as the P-51 Mustang and F-86 Sabre, dramatically display our U.S. Air Force air power history and proudly support our Air Force’s recruiting and retention efforts.

 

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