FAA

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced a new FAA rule in the Federal Register created to enhance the professional development of pilots operating at Part 121 and Part 135 commercial carriers. A DOT news release announcing the effort said, “All captains are now required to receive leadership and command training, as well as mentoring […]

Following a well-publicized ground fire on December 27, 2019, beginning in the cabin of a Cirrus Vision Jet in Santa Monica, the company released a service bulletin (SBA5X-23-03) on February 7 to correct the problem, which was traced to a potential malfunction of the audio interface circuit card that could have resulted in the overheating […]

When H.R.2115, the Vision 100 Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, was signed into law in December 2003, it endorsed the concept of a Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) to be developed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A month later, the DOT secretary announced plans for a new, multi-year, multi-agency effort to develop an […]

Bombardier Business Aircraft announced this week that the FAA has now certified the latest update to the popular Garmin G5000 avionics suite aboard Learjet aircraft. The upgrade will be incorporated on new Learjet aircraft deliveries and will be available as a retrofit in early 2020 for in-service Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 aircraft. The updated […]

The FAA seeks pilot input on its testing and exam process, while a new webinar delivers info on those new processes that went into effect on January 13, 2020. The Airman Certificate Testing Service recently implemented by the FAA seeks to provide a “comprehensive, best-practices approach to enhance the overall quality of the FAA Airman […]

As we turned over the calendar on 2020, the era of required ADS-B equipage in the United States began—with certain exceptions. To this end, the FAA released its advisory circular, AC 90-114B, “Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Operations,” on December 30, to provide guidance for those pilots flying under Part 91. Specifically, the AC expands upon the […]

Unmanned aerial vehicles—drones, as we all like to call them—have dramatically affected the world over the last decade with their ability to handle tasks considered either too dangerous or too mundane for humans. Public safety drones, for instance, are capable of heading into the teeth of a brush fire to gather critical intelligence, a place […]

It stands to reason that if a passenger pays for a charter flight, they’re entitled to expect a significantly better level of safety than if they accept a free ride from a neighbor in their single-engine trainer. That’s because the FAA has said, “Pilots who transport paying passengers must have the required qualifications and training, […]

The FAA announced that on January 13, 2020, it would launch changes to the pilot certification process, including the requirement for an FAA Tracking Number for knowledge exam testing, and additional updates for airman knowledge exam results. The FAA Tracking Number, or FTN, should be familiar to those who have undergone a practical test in […]

The Monday, December 16, 2019, announcement at Boeing’s Chicago headquarters of the company’s plan to halt 737 Max production in January 2020 was not much of a surprise to anyone. Despite the troubled airplane’s grounding in March 2019, America’s top manufacturing exporter continued building 42 airframes each month, creating a backlog of more than 400 […]