FAA

Yesterday, the FAA’s Part 107 small UAS rule took effect, essentially eliminating the need for commercial drone operators to file time-consuming exemption paperwork to use their machines, as long as pilots abide by Part 107, of course. The agency’s explanation yesterday of efforts to minimize risk to people on the ground and in the air […]

Operators of drones weighing more than half a pound need to earn an FAA remote pilot certificate. The only exception is recreational operators. The FAA begins accepting applications for the new Part 107 remote pilot certificate August 29. The agency’s recreation versus commercial operator decision tree should get applicants headed in the right direction. Remote […]

While the use of tablet computers as portable electronic flight bags (EFB) has certainly cut down on the paper most pilots carry with them these days, one item that hasn’t changed in the move to electronic charting is the symbology displayed on those charts. No EFB in the world will help a pilot who doesn’t […]

A new FAA order — specifically JO 7110.65, paragraph 5-7-1 — may leave some pilots wondering if they’ve misunderstood ATC’s instructions when they’re asked to fly airspeeds such as 255 or 195 knots, speeds all calculated in 5-knot increments. At or above FL 240, crews can expect Mach number instructions in 0.01 increments for turbojet […]

The FAA has ruled that the city of Santa Monica must keep Santa Monica Airport (SMO) open through 2023, dealing a significant blow to officials who want it gone. In a ruling released Monday, the FAA denied an appeal of an earlier decision and maintained the city is required to keep the airport open because […]

The FAA has published a controversial airworthiness directive requiring the removal of Engine Components International (ECi) cylinders in some 6,200 Continental engines. The average cost to comply with AD, the FAA says, will be $11,520 per engine. The AD goes into effect on September 15. The FAA cited a total of 82 ECi cylinder failures […]

The FAA has selected teams from the University of Oklahoma and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) to lead the new Air Transportation Center of Excellence focused on Technical Training and Human Performance (COE TTHP). The COE will conduct technical training research and development for air traffic controllers, aviation safety inspectors, engineers, pilots and technicians, as well […]

A Change for the Better The ACS will save lives, making situational awareness a habit. By John King/Flying He was leaving from a job in his beloved Cessna Cardinal. He took off from a remote airport on a dark night. Light snow was falling. He did not make it home. He had simply exceeded his […]

The Airport and Airway Trust Fund has missed out on between $1 billion and $2 billion in the past 10 years, according to estimates from a report released Monday. At the beginning of fiscal year 2006, Congress set the tax rates of both diesel fuel and jet fuel to $0.244 per gallon in order to […]

High-speed takeoff aborts are an extremely serious, though seldom-practiced, maneuver, as are landings following unstable approaches, with both events tied to accidents and fatalities in a wide range of aircraft. The FAA believes its new Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment (TALPA) initiative will help reduce the risk of runway overruns by delivering better runway condition […]