FAA and Regs

A federal court of appeals has ruled that the Federal Aviation Administration’s informal letters and emails ordering some drone users to stop using the devices are not legally binding. In April, a Texas search-and-rescue group asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to set aside an FAA order to stop using remotely […]

With the FAA reportedly scrutinizing apps and websites that have sprung up to match general aviation pilots and potential passengers to fly and split expenses, at least one startup has formally asked that the FAA rule on its legality. According to TechCrunch, AirPooler‘s request will be ruled upon in the next few months. In the […]

Standards must be slipping at CNN. Early Saturday morning, they didnt have the United 777 diversion to Midway story. I expected the network to have summoned their stadium full of talking heads to connect that incident to–what else?–Malaysian 370. I figured they could spin a couple of days of 24/7 speculation out of the Midway […]

On July 9, 2014, Amazon Prime Air petitioned the FAA for an exemption to allow private research and development flight testing of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) outdoors on its private property near Seattle, Wash. In its petition, Amazon states that the operating rules it will follow will be no different than those followed by […]

The FAA is about to begin the next step in its search for an unleaded general aviation fuel through the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI). The FAA announced today it has received nine replacement fuel proposals from producers Afton Chemical Company, Avgas LLC, Shell, Swift Fuels and a consortium of BP, TOTAL and Hjelmco, for […]

Two brothers riding in a parasail at Myrtle Beach, S.C., got a different flight than they expected when the banner being towed by an airplane cut through their parachute last weekend. Despite damage, everyone involved landed safely. The older brother, Riley, said he knew something wasnt right when he noticed an airplane flying very close […]

We get e-mail from readers who have had what they often prefer to call prop incidents as to possibly avoid the term prop-strike, and its frequent need for a recommended or mandatory engine tear down. In our response to readers we quote the latest manufacturer directives and FAA guidance, and add our perspectives and experience […]

In testimony regarding the progress of NextGen before the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation, FAA Deputy Administrator Michael G. Whitaker said unequivocally that the 2020 deadline for installation of mandated ADS-B equipment in general aviation aircraft is hard and fast. There had been rumors within the industry that the FAA was going to let the deadline […]

Commercial drones expected to fly U.S. skies in coming years, delivering pizza or monitoring power lines, would be dangerously vulnerable to hackers without a variety of potentially costly countermeasures to their GPS navigation systems, results of a federal study indicate. According to an exclusive report in the Christian Science Monitor, a serious, but not well […]

This is the last month in which a pilot can take the ATP written (knowledge) examination before a new, onerous and expensive prerequisite requirement takes effect. As of Aug. 1 of this year, FAR 61.153(e) requires that anyone seeking to just take the written-not the checkride-must have completed an FAA-approved airline transport pilot certification training […]