Rob Mark

The Trump administration’s admission today that efforts to privatize the nation’s air traffic control system have earned a line in the president’s upcoming budget is expected to quickly ignite opposing efforts from the general aviation community. Pushback on ATC privatization in the past has focused on two key issues: who will control the new corporate […]

Worries about Congress separating ATC from the rest of the FAA aren’t the only concern for much of the aviation industry. Following the near shutdown of most of the nation’s contract control towers during sequestration in 2013, 11 alphabet group executives yesterday said they want confirmation that financial support for the program covering 253 towers […]

As the countdown continues to the Dec. 31, 2019, deadline for ADS-B Out installation, the pace of updates is expected to increase significantly and the agency is concerned about shops rushing to complete the required work. The FAA, in a safety alert for operators (No. 17002), recently warned of adhering to proper testing procedures for […]

Despite piloting a Gulfstream G650 these days, Bob Agostino still thinks of himself as a student of aviation safety as well as the art of flying. A former member of Bombardier’s internal accident investigation team, he also happens to be a particularly good source to query about the company’s first safety meeting that he helped […]

Landing gear gets as little respect as that old comedian Rodney Dangerfield — not much, really, which is surprising when you consider that almost everyone seems to measure the quality of the flight by the smoothness of the touchdown. That final transition that turns a flying airplane into a taxiing one, even when the distance […]

Members of the International Helicopter Safety Team said Wednesday at the Heli-Expo show in Dallas that they’re encouraged by a trend that shows the total number of accidents has declined in the 50 countries around the globe the IHST surveyed. In the United States, for instance, total accidents in 2016 declined to 106 from 121 […]

Not long ago, fleet operators like PHI worked hard just to keep track of their helicopters and aircraft. After Tuesday’s announcement by Sikorsky of its partnership with PHI and Metro Aviation to begin sharing real-time data on the health of PHI’s aircraft anywhere in the world, the game has changed. The triad team of companies […]

Bell Helicopter president Mitch Snyder today called the new FCX-001 concept a “vision of the future” when he pulled back the curtains to show off the mockup at Heli-Expo in Dallas. The sleek new helicopter, reminiscent of an X-plane, features a single pilot seat in the center of the cockpit confirming this next-generation machine will […]

Anyone who offers up hard numbers for the drone population in the United States is merely guessing, especially since the FAA’s new Part 107 rule took effect last year. While the precise number isn’t really known, the trend is certainly clear: there will be more and more drones from now on. What worries people who […]

A group of European scientists says it discovered that not all parts of the atmosphere surrounding the planet react to aircraft emissions in exactly the same way. The scientists believe rerouting aircraft to avoid the more sensitive areas of the atmosphere could reduce the impact of aircraft on greenhouse gases. Volker Grewe of the Deutsches […]