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>PAI Team >Employees >Elisabeth R. DeFrancesco

Elisabeth R. DeFrancesco, Senior Aviation Analyst

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Bachelor of Science, Industrial Relations, 1983

Ms. DeFrancesco has extensive experience managing and supporting several regulatory projects for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC), and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).  She has conducted research and prepared notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRMs), advisory circulars (ACs), final rules, historical reviews, economic evaluations, manuals, summaries of comments to proposed rules, and aviation-related studies. 

Ms. DeFrancesco managed the development of flight operations and maintenance regulations, operations specifications, and operating manuals for the Civil Aviation Administration of China. 
In addition, she participated in cabin safety inspections training for the Civil Aviation Authority of Venezuela.  Ms. DeFrancesco participated on a team conducting an airline systems audit of a Mexican air carrier on behalf of the Mexican Civil Aviation Authority.  She was responsible for reviewing the air carrier’s operating standards and practices for crew scheduling, flight attendant training, and hazardous materials handling, and comparing these areas to standard industry practice. 

Ms. DeFrancesco provided oversight on the update of the Program Plan for the Development of Bilateral Maintenance Agreements and the development of guidance material on the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA)/Maintenance Implementation Procedure (MIP) process.  Ms. DeFrancesco also drafted portions of an NPRM amending regulations for Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Part 145 repair station operations and assisted with the preparation of an economic evaluation associated with the NPRM.  In addition, she helped prepare a draft NPRM on the Revision of Certification Requirements for Mechanics and Repairmen that was published in the Federal Register.  She also summarized comments submitted to the docket on another NPRM on that same issue.  Before drafting the NPRM on revising certification requirements for mechanics and repairmen, Ms. DeFrancesco prepared a review of historical FAA actions in support of the regulatory review of Part 65, subparts D and E.

Ms. DeFrancesco has direct experience with airline operations involving in-flight services,
aircraft cabin safety issues, ground services, and security procedures, and has conducted several Part 121 air carrier and corporate flight department operational audits.  Ms. DeFrancesco has directed air carrier evaluation teams in the customer services and in-flight services areas, which included an extensive review of the carriers’ customer service, flight operations, and in-flight services manuals; in-flight training program; and recordkeeping systems to ensure compliance with 14 CFR.  She also has participated in several corporate flight department evaluations, where she reviewed and reported on pilot and flight attendant flight and duty time practices, work schedules, training programs, and associated records and information systems for compliance with company and FAA requirements.

As a Senior Aviation Analyst at PAI, Ms. DeFrancesco supports FAA special studies related to aviation safety, including data analysis, process reviews, and compliance reviews.