FAA

The FAA has awarded $19 million in research grants to 14 U.S. universities to study ways to reduce aviation noise and address other environmental issues. The noise-related projects fall into three categories: looking at sound as it relates to new aircraft; communities; and advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, drones and rotorcraft. Participating universities include the […]

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on Wednesday to look into the FAA’s progress on implementing reforms mandated by the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act of 2020 (ACSAA). Stemming from the fatal crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610, both Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, ACSAA […]

The FAA’s Integrated Airman Certification and/or Rating Application (IACRA) system experienced several database issues on Monday, Feb. 27, resulting in a system restore and the loss of some user data, according to a notice issued by the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) on Thursday. The notice stated that the problem may have affected actions completed in […]

Joby Aviation announced on Thursday that it has essentially finished the second of five stages required by the FAA to type certify its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. According to Joby, it is the first eVTOL company to complete this step, which lays out the means of compliance with the certification basis established […]

The FAA is asking laser manufacturers and distributors to add a label warning of the safety risks and federal laws related to laser use to their product packaging. The agency suggested that the label read: “Pointing a laser at an aircraft threatens pilots, and it is a federal crime. U.S. law enforcement agencies and the […]

Construction is underway on a new air traffic control tower at North Carolina’s Asheville Regional Airport (AVL). The airport’s existing tower was built in 1961 and is currently one of the oldest in the national airspace system. The new tower will be 127 feet tall with a 440-square-foot cab and a 13,300-square-foot base building. “It […]

The FAA has signed a Declaration of Cooperation with the Korea Office of Civil Aviation (KOCA) to collaborate on future advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft development and operations. According to the FAA, the agencies will “work together to promote the safety oversight of AAM, including airworthiness, licensing, and operations.” Similar partnerships are in place with […]

The FAA has proposed a rule that would add powered-lift operations to the regulations covering commercial ops. The rule primarily proposes updating the definition of “air carrier”, which currently only refers to “airplanes” and “rotorcraft.” According to the FAA, the proposed changes are part of “a multi-step process of updating the regulations that apply to […]

The FAA has released its initial design guidelines for vertiports aimed at supporting advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities. The design standards are intended to “serve as the initial step to provide key information for airport owners, operators and infrastructure developers to begin development of facilities that will support […]

The FAA has denied a Republic Airways petition for an exemption from regulations requiring pilots applying for an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate to have logged 1,500 flight hours. In the petition, the airline asked that graduates from its Leadership in Flight Training Academy (LIFT) be allowed to apply for a restricted airline transport pilot […]