FAA

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and Sally French, “the Drone Girl,” led a panel discussion about the future of small unmanned aircraft at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin on Monday. In his opening remarks, Huerta outlined recent progress on the FAA’s UAS registration program that is expected to pass 400,000 registrations this week, as well […]

As the Senate continues to hone its version of a long-term FAA spending bill, the issue of ATC privatization being pushed by some members in the House threatens to delay legislation that includes many provisions GA leaders are eager to see adopted. The House passed a short-term extension that funds the FAA through July 15, […]

The Senate has introduced a bill that scraps a House plan to privatize ATC but includes lots of other provisions, including third-class medical reform, new aircraft certification rules and a requirement that UAV pilots pass a written exam covering aviation regulations. The bill’s third-class medical reform language is being championed by AOPA and the Experimental […]

After years of what has appeared to be a lot of talk and little action, the FAA has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for new certification rules to replace the current Part 23 regulations. If adopted, the new rules would apply to aircraft with a max seating capacity of 19 passengers and a […]

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was Scaled Composites’ failure to consider and protect against the possibility that a single human error could result in a catastrophic hazard to the SpaceShipTwo vehicle. This failure set the stage for the copilot’s premature unlocking of the feather system as a […]

In what must have been a desperate attempt to meet gender quotas, the FAA hired me as an inspector in the Chicago O’Hare Air Carrier District Office in 1980. Six months later, somebody realized I knew absolutely nothing about jets or air carrier operations and farmed me out to the DuPage General Aviation District Office (GADOs then, […]

A sigh of relief could be heard last week by many in the aviation industry as the bill that, if passed by Congress, would have privatized air traffic control was tossed out. At least for now. ATC privatization has been a high priority for the Committee’s chairman, Bill Shuster, who is known to be closely […]

The FAA says it’s receiving more than 100 reports a month from pilots and others who spot unmanned aircraft flying close to airports or airplanes. The agency has partnered with CACI International to explore how the company’s prototype detection technology could help detect UAS in the vicinity of airports. CACI’s proof-of-concept system uses radio frequency […]

The controversial FAA reauthorization bill now being debated in Congress includes a provision that would allow private pilots to use the Internet to connect with people who want to share the costs of a flight. The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC), could upend FAA rules that prohibit flight-sharing websites like Flytenow.com. Flytenow took […]

When the Environmental Protection Agency began phasing out leaded gasoline in the 1970s with the passage of the Clean Air Act, aviation got a pass. Because lead was needed to boost octane levels and prevent detonation (also known as “knock”) in high-­compression piston aircraft engines, leaded avgas was exempted from the law. Lead is a […]