FAA

Note: The FAA has temporarily unpublished the SFAR to make updates. The new ruling will be published on May 4. The FAA has published on April 29, 2020, a SFAR (special federal aviation regulation) regarding the extension of certain pilot and technician recency of experience, testing, and medical certification requirements in response to the international […]

Some 100 FAA control towers around the US will soon have their operational hours temporarily culled due to significant COVID-19-based reductions in local air traffic. The agency said in a news release, “Making these adjustments allows for continued safe operations throughout the national airspace system while minimizing health risks to our workforce.” The control towers […]

The National Business Aviation Association and a number of other alphabet groups last week participated in a conference call with senior Flight Standards officials to reiterate the importance of providing general aviation operators with regulatory exemption and accommodation in the face of the devastating industry effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Agency officials said they are […]

The FAA last week ruled the Collings Foundation could no longer accept money from people who wanted to ride on the organization’s World War II aircraft. The ruling included a critical look at the NTSB and the agency’s finding following the October 2, 2019, crash of the foundation’s B-17G, “Nine O Nine” at Bradley International […]

With a speed well-suited to its shiny new Mach number, the updated version of the Embraer Phenom 300E attained certification this week—and not just under FAA authority, but also with the blessing of EASA and Brazil’s ANAC. Embraer Executive Jets reports that the new 300E met its goals with the intercontinental range extended to beat […]

The cover story in The New York Times magazine for September 22, 2019, was entitled, “What Really Brought Down the Boeing 737 Max?” The writer, William Langewiesche—son of the sainted author of Stick and Rudder, Wolfgang Langewiesche—is a veteran of Flying, an experienced pilot, and a thorough and technically savvy researcher of his wide-ranging articles […]

The FAA has taken emergency action against Paradigm Air Operators, of Dallas, Texas, revoking the company’s operating certificate. The agency alleges that Paradigm conducted illegal charter flights using pilots who were not qualified for Part 135 operations, and lacking appropriate management and safety personnel. Paradigm’s current operating certificate had allowed it to operate flights that […]

On March 8, 2017, the FAA granted Boeing an amended type certificate for the 737 Max 8, the 12th derivative of the 737 and the first successor aircraft to the 737 NG series. The first fatal crash of a Lion Air 737 Max 8 occurred just 17 months later near Jakarta, Indonesia. Another Max 8, […]

Transport Canada and the FAA are looking for input on the operation of the cargo doors on certain models of the Cessna 206, particularly those involving floatplane installations. An August 2018 accident in the Northwest Territories, Canada, trigged the request. The pilot of the Simpson Air Limited Cessna U206G had four passengers on board the […]

Drone operators, including DJI, a world leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, have filed more than 51,000 comments to the FAA’s recent Remote ID rule, urging the FAA to reconsider requiring two means of compliance to the rule. DJI’s 89-page formal comment outlines a path where drone pilots could choose one of two […]