FAA

One topic that sometimes receives scant attention during flight training is the effect of temperature on a pilot’s ability to understand just how much air separates them from the ground. Aircraft altimeters don’t operate normally when subjected to extremely cold temperatures. In cold regions of the globe, failure to compensate for extreme cold can induce […]

The FAA announced last Thursday that its final low altitude authorization and notification sector had gone live. LAANC allows drone pilots to quickly receive automated airspace authorizations from approximately 300 air traffic facilities serving nearly 500 airports nationwide. FAA Administrator Dan Elwell said in an agency video, “LAANC is a technological solution that helps us […]

Loss of Control, also referred to as LOC, is one of the most common causes of fatal general aviation accidents, representing more than 1,200 fatal accidents in the past 10 years, according to the FAA. As such, it is one of the focuses of the FAA’s effort in reducing the risk of flying. The effort […]

The FAA is warning drone operators to fly clear of areas that have been affected by Hurricane Florence. According to statements released by the FAA on its website and Twitter, flying drones in the impacted regions could interfere with local, state, and federal recovery missions. Drone pilots caught breaking this rule could be slapped with […]

It’s not exactly breaking news that the aviation industry is running short of pilots and maintenance technicians. Boeing recently said the industry worldwide will require nearly 800,000 flight crew and nearly the same number of technicians over the next 20 years. The FAA last week held a Workforce Development Symposium in Washington to call attention […]

Swift Fuels has suspended its work with the Phase-II Piston Alternative Fuels Initiative (PAFI) — the FAA’s initiative to test and develop ASTM standards for unleaded replacements for the low-lead aviation fuels currently used in approximately 167,000 aircraft. Swift Fuels and Shell were the two finalists in the program. In June it was announced that […]

The regular battle to keep the FAA operational has become too much for a long list of groups affected by the government authority. Since 2015, the senate has only authorized short-term extensions. The latest reauthorization of FAA activities spanned six months and will expire at the end of September, continuing the uncertainty in the aviation […]

Nothing ruins a pilot’s day more than landing on the wrong runway, or even worse, touching down on a taxiway the pilot mistakenly thought was the runway. While a slap to the head is certainly in order for anyone who falls prey to a case of mistaken runway identity, there’s also the potential for much […]

The FAA last week committed to immediately address the industry’s growing shortage of designated pilot examiners available to give checkrides for all categories of pilot certificates. The Flight School Association of North America says some of the areas hardest hit by DPE shortages include “Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Texas, the Carolina’s and areas in […]

The National Transportation Safety Board held its first ever road show event yesterday at AirVenture with an entire day focused on loss of control, an industry epidemic that claims more lives than any other single cause. NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt, a retired airline pilot, emphasized the importance of solving this nagging problem during his opening […]