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New Night Vision Advisory Council invites participation

Aug. 24, 2012, Dallas, Texas — The newly formed Night Vision Advisory Council (NVAC) is seeking additional members with a desire to aid in shaping the future of the night vision industry.

NVAC Group Photo

On Aug. 8, in response to an open invitation to industry, a group of Night Vision Goggle (NVG) industry professionals convened in Dallas, Tex. Hosted by FlightSafety International, the purpose of the meeting was to develop a council of NVG subject matter experts to provide recommendations on safety, education, standardization, and other issues pertinent to the NVG industry. These recommendations will be provided to government entities to include the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other entities engaged in night vision oversight.

The formation of the Night Vision Advisory Council (NVAC) is in response to an FAA request at NightCon 2011 for industry specific night vision recommendations. The NVAC will function as a tier-based, industry driven council. The NVAC is divided into seven industry segments to include: Air Medical/135, A/C Integrators/Maintainers/145, Firefighting/133/137, Law Enforcement/91/Public Aircraft, Maintenance (NVGs) 145/43, OEM (NVG), STC Holders/PMA/21, and Training 61/141/142.

NVAC is now seeking additional members with a desire to aid in shaping the future of the night vision industry. NVAC consists of night vision manufacturers, trainers, and operators providing guidance to enhance regulatory issues. NVAC members are aviation professionals that have an interest in regulatory and operational oversight of the night vision industry. Initial NVAC focus will be night vision goggle (NVG) related issues.

NVAC will function autonomously without influence of interest groups or organizations. The primary purpose of NVAC initiatives will be safety, education, consultation, and facilitation of night vision related activities. NVAC members will be encouraged to participate in other aviation interest groups to educate and support night vision related topics.

The first NVAC meeting is scheduled for September 19th in Dallas, Texas. This setting was fitting as the meeting precedes NightCon 2012; the civil industry’s only night vision conference. Night vision organizations interested in Night Vision Advisory Council participation should contact Randy Rowles with questions or comments at 1-561-386-6078 or rrowles@eratrainingcenter.com.