FAA and Regs

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 […]

Judgment is the cornerstone of the air traffic control profession. This basic trait, common among thousands of successful air traffic controllers worldwide, allows controllers to face a variety of situations-including unusual pilot requests-and act appropriately. As with the folks in the cockpits, a controller relies on situational awareness. She takes a multitude of things into […]

The FAA wants to reduce the allowable height of buildings near hundreds of airports – a proposal that is drawing fire from real estate developers and members of Congress who say it will reduce property values. The proposal, supported by airports and airlines, is driven by encroaching development that limits safe flight paths for planes […]

The FAA has published its interpretation of the special rule for model aircraft (PDF) established by Congress and set a public comment period on what the FAA considers to be a model aircraft and thus exempt from future rulemaking action by the FAA. It also confirmed that it has the authority to take enforcement action […]

Letter of the Week:USA Today‘s Strategy Only a personal injury lawyer would write a Lettre de Cachet like the black adventure story published in USA Today. My sympathies for their reduced ad revenues and declining circulation. But holding public executions and sensational smear campaigns has never worked for any publication. Even the networks hesitate to […]

FlyersRights.org, an airline passenger advocacy organization, has released a statement expressing criticism of the FAAs Extended range Twin Operation (ETOPS) approval for the Boeing 787 and the 787-9 for up to 330 minutes flying time from a primary or alternate airport. It allows the aircraft to be used over routes traditionally reserved for three- and […]