FAA

The Inspector General’s office of the DOT recently audited the FAA’s efforts to reduce runway incursions following a 2015 agency effort to improve safety. The inspector general’s office traditionally functions as the common sense review arm for projects within the DOT. The IG learned that overall, the FAA has experienced a nearly 83 percent increase […]

The pilot shortage sweeping through the regional airline industry has also been partially responsible for a shortage of available flight instructors. Buried inside the data on that shortage is the realization that we’re also short of designated pilot examiners, mostly the local CFIs given the nod by the FAA to deliver checkrides on behalf of […]

A final FAA rule published in the Federal Register has removed one more major roadblock to certifying more pilots. The updated Part 61 will soon approve the use of a technically advanced airplane, like a Cirrus, as a substitute for the traditional complex aircraft used for commercial and flight instructor checkrides. Some of the changes […]

In late April, much of the industry began breathing a sigh of relief that House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster’s (R-Pa.) last minute attempt to reintroduce a plan to separate the nation’s air traffic control system from the FAA’s core infrastructure role was pulled by the Pennsylvania Congressman. Now, just 60 days later, […]

A whistleblower has come forward with allegations that the FAA allowed unsafe airplanes to fly commercial operations, according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which said it investigated the complaints and uncovered troubling abuses from within the agency. In a June 13 release, the OSC described that the whistleblower uncovered that the FAA approved […]

The final rule overhauling Part 23 Airworthiness Standards for GA aircraft officially took effect last summer. Recently the FAA issued 63 means of compliance (MOCs) for Part 23 intended to ease installation of innovative, safety-enhancing technologies into small airplanes while keeping costs down. The FAA participated with industry and other stakeholders in developing the standards […]

In an update posted on the agency’s website, the FAA said although two unleaded replacement fuels have been chosen for the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI), flight and some engine testing has been paused to assess the effects they will have on the larger GA fuel producing industry and the GA fleet. Both fuel producers, […]

The FAA’s Southern Region has rejected the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s claim that “egregious” FBO pricing at Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina violates federal airport grant assurances, calling the Part 13 complaint the association filed last summer “unpersuasive.” The FAA Southern Region Airports Division wrote in a June 7 letter to AOPA general […]

Following closely behind the National Transportation Safety Board’s successful Loss of Control Inflight Roundtable, Phoenix-based Aviation Performance Solutions said a key reason LOC-I continues to be such a persistent and lethal threat to aviation safety stems from a number of misconceptions that continue to be either neglected or go unrecognized by agencies and organizations. A […]

Pilots and flight instructors have a new FAA advisory circular, AC 61-98D, to guide them through both the flight reviews and instrument proficiency checks required under Part 61. This newest version of the circular addresses changes in technology and the operational environment, their impact on recurrent training and proficiency checks. The FAA added important safety […]