Aviation News

Last Friday, the Transportation Security Administration enacted a new security directive, SD-8G. The new measure replaced one that was much more restrictive, and would have required transient pilots to undergo separate background checks and acquire security badges for every airport they might visit that also has commercial airline service. (Estimates place the number of such […]

In June 2006 a Beech B36TC Bonanza, fresh out of annual inspection, lost power while cruising at 5,000 feet on the way from Kalamazoo to Ypsilanti, Michigan. Although conditions were day VMC, the 950-hour pilot had filed an IFR flight plan. He advised the controller of the situation and asked for a vector to the […]

Former FAA Administrator Jane Garvey will head a panel of three mediators in an attempt to end a long-running contract dispute between the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). The sessions began last week and are expected to run through the first part of next month. Both feuding parties signed a process […]

Fallout from the crash of the Colgan Air Q400 is bringing down greater scrutiny on the regional airline industry. Four senators have called for the Inspector General of the Transportation Department to investigate safety within the industry. Their focus is on crew rest, compensation, training and other safety issues-all brought into question as part of […]

Department of Homeland Security head Janet Napolitano got an earful from no fewer than five general aviation groups. The aviation groups were unified in their resistance to the Transportation Security Administration’s plan to require badges for GA pilots to access certain areas of airports where there is airline service. Each airport would be responsible for […]

With the potential for a $5,000 fine-or worse-pilots and aircraft operators who leave the United States need to be aware of new customs rules on border crossing. The new rules went into effect last week and require a passenger manifest to be filed online through U.S. Customs’ electronic Advance Passenger Information System (eAPIS). For help […]

Congress has confirmed President Obama’s choice of Randy Babbitt as new FAA Administrator. Babbitt is former head of the Air Line Pilots Association and an aviation consultant. Besides living from hand to mouth through a series of temporary funding bills, the FAA has also operated under acting administrators Robert Sturgell (September 2007 to January 2009) […]

Last week, the House of Representatives voted in favor of H.R. 915, the 2009 version of an FAA funding authorization bill. The legislation is said to be virtually identical to the House bill that passed in 2007, only to be defeated in the Senate. Like the 2007 House proposal, this year’s funding bill does not […]

“No. Hell no.” is the way one skeptic describes the reaction of most general aviation stakeholders to a proposed FAA redesign of New York airspace. As currently proposed (it changes subtly from meeting to meeting), the plan calls for extending Class B airspace out another five miles and lowering the floor from 3,000 feet to […]

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is the trade group representing FBOs, charter operators and other segments of the general aviation industry. NATA coordinates an annual ‘Day on the Hill’ meeting between leaders of the general aviation industry and members of Congress on Capitol Hill. This year’s session, the 13th annual event, included close to […]