FAA

After test deployments in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, Louisville and Philadelphia, the FAA announced last week it has approved full deployment of Automatic Dependent Surveillance — Broadcast (ADS-B) technology. The agency reported ADS-B will be fully operational by 2013. Tests of the combination satellite and ground-based hardware proved it would operate in the most […]

Last week, the FAA announced it was merging two safety programs for efficiency and to “help guide safety decisions” in the future. Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers have long been able to confess their gaffes in a “non-punitive environment” through the FAA’s Safety Action Programs — ASAP (Aviation Safety Action Program) for pilots and ATSAP […]

A group called the Clean 100-Octane Coalition met with FAA last week and made it clear that any 100 Low Lead (100LL) replacement fuel must be able to accommodate high-power piston engines. There has been controversy surrounding proposals to develop fuels that would operate well with most piston aircraft engines, but not the higher-powered models, […]

From the ‘What were they thinking?’ department: the FAA’s Electronic Special Traffic Management Program (eSTMP) had announced it was updating its computers, beginning tomorrow and running through Monday (July 23-26). That’s the four days immediately before EAA AirVenture, the largest gathering of aircraft in the world. The eSTMP system coordinates IFR slot reservations at venues […]

As soon as this fall, owners could be required to re-register their aircraft with the FAA every three years. The current policy is a one-time registration with a five-dollar fee. The fee for re-registration, if any, has yet to be announced. The re-registration strategy was first proposed two years ago as a means of updating […]

As of April 20, a computer has been generating digital notices to airmen (NOTAMs) for Atlantic City (NJ) International Airport (KACY). The technical innovation, set to expand to several other airports soon, is said to offer numerous advantages over human-generated notams, according to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. For example, notams may now be transmitted to […]

It you are one of the pilots who has not yet traded in your old paper certificate for an updated, tamperproof version, you have until March 31 to make the change. After that date, you will be ineligible to exercise your privileges with a paper certificate. When you do make the change, you can also […]

Fly-in communities, where homeowners have access to a runway from hangars on their property, now face a threat from the FAA. Such communities depend on so called “through the fence” (TTF) access, and new security concerns have the FAA challenging airports that already have the practice well established, including clauses written into property deeds and […]

With a high pressure system forecast to continue dominating the weather, today looks like good VFR day in the New York City area. Pilots planning to navigate the Hudson River Class B exclusion zone need to be aware of new rules that are in effect. Following the fatal collision this summer between a VFR Piper […]

The current issue of FAA Aviation News concentrates on flying safely through the winter months. It features advice on a range of flying hazards, including avoiding ice and frost accumulation on the ground, in-flight icing, operating from icy and slushy runways – even the increased danger of carbon monoxide poisoning with the resumption of using […]