MediCorp Authorized for Escape Pod Inspections

MediCorp has recently announced that it has received approval from the Pilots’ Federation to conduct the new periodic inspections of escape pods installed on Fleet Carriers. A new role for MediCorp members?

New RONFA standard

For over two years, the renowned organization responsible for establishing intergalactic standards, under the auspices of the Pilots’ Federation, has been working on extending the regulatory requirements imposed on escape pods installed on ships. While these pods have been subject to annual checks by Accredited Organizations for decades, undergoing a comprehensive inspection every three years, nothing so far has addressed the escape pods installed on Fleet Carriers. This legal and regulatory gap, relatively overlooked, has long been a concern for MediCorp and other galactic rescue organizations.

“It was quite incredible that the regulations for periodic checks could be so lax for Fleet Carrier escape pods. We have often encountered malfunctioning pods due to the lack of checks and replacement of basic components,” emphasized the quality control manager at MediCorp.

RONFA has addressed this issue under pressure from the Pilots’ Federation and rescue NGOs and will publish a decree this week applicable to all systems under the jurisdiction of the Empire, the Federation, and the Alliance. For legal reasons, this decree is not yet applicable to Fleet Carriers registered in anarchic systems, which, for MediCorp, is a “clear call to avoid registrations in anarchic systems where standards are, in fact, more lenient. Unfortunately, it’s the pilots who will be the first victims!

MediCorp authorized to inspect escape pods on Fleet Carriers

With the publication of the decree by RONFA, MediCorp rescuers will be authorized to carry out annual and triennial inspections on escape pods installed on fleet carriers. They will test the complex ejection mechanisms, audit the survival and alert launch systems, as well as check the battery charge of the pods. They will also be allowed to perform a complete test by ejecting themselves if they believe it is necessary. At the end of the audit, a report will be recorded in the safety log of the fleet carrier with recommendations and points to monitor. Finally, they will affix their seal to the identity card of the pod and indicate the date of the next visit.

Fleet carrier owners opposing this new periodic inspection could be fined and, in the worst case, could lose their ownership or operating rights.

Already, several voices have risen against what many pilots see as “an additional accumulation of constraints, standards, and bureaucracy diverting pilots from their main function.”