Rob Mark

The FAA’s latest Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in yesterday’s Federal Register will soon require drone operators to prominently display their FAA registration number on the outside of their machines, just like those on regular aircraft, only smaller. Owners and operators may no longer place or write registration numbers in an interior compartment. The markings […]

Bye Aerospace’s electric Sun Flyer 2 successfully completed the first official flight test last week powered by a Siemens 57 lb.-SP70D electric motor with a 90kW peak power rating (120 HP) and a continuous power setting of up to 70kW (94 HP). The Sun Flyer family of aircraft, including the 2-seat Sun Flyer 2 and […]

With Friday’s deadline and another partial government shutdown looming over the President’s demand for a border wall, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-4-OR) and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Rick Larsen (D-2-WA) introduced a bill to allow for a seamless funding stream for the FAA. Should the legislation pass, agency employee salaries […]

Gulfstream Aerospace’s G500 recently earned an innovation award for its introduction of the Symmetry Flight Deck and the safety advancements it brings to the business-jet industry. The award came from the Business Intelligence Group, that rewards vision, creativity and persistence in the world’s leading companies and individuals. The G500’s innovations include active control sidesticks, an […]

This year’s NTSB Most Wanted List included a few changes from the 2017-2018 edition. Noticeably missing from the 2019 list was loss of control inflight, an issue that remains the top killer in aviation. The NTSB Most Wanted List was created as the Board’s primary advocacy tool to identify top safety improvements that can be […]

Much of the skepticism about whether the Aerion SST 12-seat business jet might ever fly was probably squashed when Boeing NeXt said this week it was making a significant investment into the Reno, Nevada, aircraft builder. Boeing NeXt’s portfolio includes autonomous air vehicles and passenger-carrying hypersonic aircraft. Founded in 2003 to develop new, more efficient […]

Much of the industry has been focused on the 206,000 pilots a recent Boeing report says will be needed in the U.S. over the next 25 years. Not nearly as well publicized, however, is that same study calls for 189,000 aircraft maintenance technicians by 2045. In a new white paper, AAR says the personnel shortage […]

Paul Rinaldi spent 16 years controlling air traffic at Washington Dulles Tower before accepting the reins at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association in late 2009. At a National Press Club luncheon last week, he reflected on the effects of the 35-day partial government shutdown that peaked for the aviation industry on January 25 when […]

Although the nearly six-week long shutdown ended last Friday, the Regional Airline Association is looking ahead to February 15th and the storm clouds it sees brewing for commercial aviation should the nation experience another government shutdown. The 35-day shutdown seriously impacted the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration, forcing air traffic controllers to slow the […]

The Flight School Association of North America says the association is trying to mitigate effects of the government shutdown on some flight training providers, specifically FAA Part 141 and 142 training school authorizations set to soon expire. Without relief, some schools could be left providing training under Part 61 that does not allow for some […]