FAA and Regs

The FAA administrator comes to EAA AirVenture just about every summer, and as a rule the main thrust of the current officeholder’s speech is pretty predictable — whoever is in the job will talk about how great GA is and how much they support it, but how hard and slow it is to change any […]

When the FAA changed its certification process in April to include TSA security vetting, one unintended consequence was that the tradition of student pilots flying their first solo on their birthday fell by the wayside — until today. Acting on a request from GA advocates including AOPA and EAA, the FAA said today it has […]

Small piston aircraft were exempted from today’s “endangerment finding” issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but the finding means new regulations will be forthcoming to target greenhouse-gas emissions from many jet engines, the agency said. “Aircraft are the third largest contributor to GHG emissions in the U.S. transportation sector, and these emissions are expected […]

The FAA has developed new protocols for ATC to use when telling pilots about runway conditions that might affect their landing. The new standards, which take effect Oct. 1, are meant to reduce the risk of runway overrun accidents and incidents due to runway contamination caused by weather and other factors, the FAA said. The […]

Third-class medical reform was signed into law today after Congress approved the changes earlier this week as part of the FAA’s short-term authorization bill. GA organizations including EAA and AOPA have updated their outreach efforts to explain the upcoming changes, which aren’t expected to take effect for a year to give the FAA time to […]

Third-class medical reform is on its way to becoming law after the Senate voted this afternoon to approve the measure as part of a short-term funding bill for the FAA. The legislation, which won House approval on Monday, is expected to be signed by President Obama before the FAA’s current authorization expires on Friday. Many […]

Following on its successful effort to encourage the use of angle-of-attack indicators in general aviation aircraft by simplifying the approval procedure, the FAA says it will expand its expedited process to include more safety gear. The policy will reduce costs and streamline installation for “non-required safety-enhancing equipment” (NORSEE) in the GA fleet, the FAA said. […]

General-aviation advocates are confident that medical reform will be a reality soon, after the House last night passed an FAA funding bill that includes changes to the medical certification system for pilots. The Senate is expected to okay the bill later this week, and send it to President Obama for final approval. “This is a […]

The FAA will get a 14-month funding extension that includes third-class medical reform as part of joint approvals announced Wednesday by House and Senate transportation committees. The extension (PDF) would take effect when the FAA’s current authorization expires on July 15 and continue through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2017. Medical […]

A California man has become the first to have his private pilot certificate revoked for allegedly operating a drone illegally. Ralph Rebaya is appealing the emergency revocation of his ticket, which happened June 1, more than six months after he allegedly violated about 20 conditions of his FAA exemption for drone operation. Among the requirements […]