FAA and Regs

Last Sunday’s Cirrus ditching off Hawaii was so well documented via video that it has raised some interesting questions about how the CAPS system performed. Not the least of these was that seemingly interminable nosedown moment after the initial deployment. Did that take longer than it was supposed to? Not really, according to Boris Popov […]

The FAA reminded drone operators on Wednesday that the perennial Super BowlTFR (PDF) applies to them too, not just pilots of manned aircraft. The NOTAM, published earlier this month for Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona, includes the standard restrictions of GA operations such as flight training and sightseeing as well as “model aircraft […]

Dr. Brent Blue, a senior FAA medical examiner, was one of the many who critiqued the FAA’s proposed sleep-apnea policy for pilot medical exams when it was released in late 2013. AVweb’s Mary Grady asked for his take on the revised policy the FAA announced last week. Duration: 8:06 File Size: 7.4 MB download here

Fourteen GA groups told the FAA on Friday the agency must straighten out issues with the ADS-B Out compliance rules if aircraft owners are to meet the 2020 deadline for the new equipment requirements. In a letter to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta (PDF), they highlighted concerns including compliance for experimental aircraft, which don’t have type […]

Advocates of third-class medical reform hope their campaign will forge ahead with help from new leadership announced this week in the Congressional GA caucuses. Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark., and Joe Manchin, D-W.V., will co-chair the Senate caucus. In the House, Reps. Sam Graves, R-Mo., and Marc Veasey, D-Texas, will serve as co-chairs. Boozman and Graves […]

Fresh into an all-New Year, it’s tempting to hope that somehow, this year things will be different. The old traps and habits and flaws of the past will fade away, as transient as champagne bubbles and confetti, and life will be shiny and new. Yet a few weeks later we find ourselves back in our […]

Letter of the Week:First Officers on the Ground I’m sure the FOs can work remotely – but why? The airline is still paying the FO’s salary. Additionally, how will the FO get stick time? The incidental expenses the airlines saves by keeping the FO home likely won’t pay the legal settlement the next time a […]

One of the most thankless jobs in aviation has to be that of an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI). This cadre of experienced aviation professionals has made the choice to work for the government bureaucracy that is the FAA and by doing so, are in many cases the front line for safety in aviation. But […]

Letter of the Week:Third Class Medical Issues Regarding Woody Beck’s article on the decline of GA: He states the following,“Over the longer term, changes in the third class medical will have no significant impact because its cost is negligible, roughly the cost of 15 gallons of av fuel every two years for us older pilots.” […]

Transport Canada just released some proposed guidance on the commercial operation of light unmanned aerial systems. Drones. If you haven’t had a chance to look it over, here’s the link (PDF). I suggest at least skimming it. (I’ll wait while you do that.) Clearly, our friends north of the border have come adrift from reality […]