FAA and Regs

It had been a fun morning. The heater had broken in the TRACON radar room. It was 20 degrees outside, not much better inside, and the hot chocolate I was drinking was losing its steam—literally. On top of that, busy last-minute holiday traffic had been giving our morning skeleton crew a kick in the teeth. […]

The FAA’s rules currently forbid any operator to fly a drone above people, but the FAA now is reviewing that decision, based on a report (PDF) and recommendations from an aviation rulemaking committee. The ARC’s consensus report, submitted last Friday, recommends establishing four small UAS categories, with the risk level to people defined primarily by […]

As expected, EAA and Dynon Avionics announced Wednesday morning at Sun ‘n Fun that working with the FAA, they’ve developed an AML-STC that will allow Dynon’s D10 EFIS to be installed in certified aircraft. Initially, the STC covers Cessna 150s and 172s and the Piper PA-28/38 series, but in making the announcement, EAA Chairman Jack […]

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, the biggest story here at Sun ‘n Fun this week was one we didn’t even expect: EAA’s announcement that it has partnered with Dynon Avionics to bring less expensive, non-certified avionics to the cockpits of certified aircraft. The first AML-STC list is modest: Cessna 172s and Piper’s PA-28 and […]

The rules that determine how airplanes are certified are changing. Tom Peghiny, president of Flight Design USA, talks with AVweb’s Mary Grady about the impact. Duration: 5:16 File Size: 7.2 MB download here

New FAA rules affecting how student pilots are certified took effect today. The new rules require all applicants to be vetted through the FAA’s Airmen Certification Branch, a process the FAA says will take about three weeks. Currently, the FAA completes the same vetting process, but not until after a student certificate has been issued, […]

Certified drone operators may now fly small UAS, weighing less than 55 pounds, up to 400 feet AGL, the FAA said today, expanding the flight zone from the previous limit of 200 feet. The policy change follows a “comprehensive risk analysis,” the FAA said. Operators still are restricted to daytime VFR. They also must still […]

Unleaded aviation fuels developed by Shell and Swift Fuels will move on to Phase 2 testing in the FAA’s Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative, the FAA announced today. The tests are part of the FAA’s ongoing efforts to develop an acceptable unleaded fuel for small airplanes. “Small aircraft are the only mode of transportation that still […]

An American Airlines first officer was arrested for suspected alcohol impairment and handcuffed in front of the passengers he was supposed to help fly from Detroit to Philadelphia early Saturday. Police say the unidentified 50-year-old man from Philadelphia failed a field breath test and then a second one after a security agent noticed he was […]

The FAA is proposing that Cirrus’ new SF50 Vision be able to skip airborne testing of the whole-plane parachute as part of its certification. In a Notice of Proposed Special Conditions issued March 18, the agency says that since the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) is a “supplemental” safety system on the SF50 and not […]