FAA and Regs

In aviation news this week, we received news that Penn Yan Aero had extended the warranty on its overhauled engines, Diamond is offering engine upgrades to existing DA42 TDIs, the FAA has approved Jeppesens electronic flight bag on iPad minis and a lightweight Angle of Attack display developed by Ack Emma LLC, has received FAA […]

If theres an aviation version ofrealpolitik, we saw it on Friday when EAA announced its caving in to FAA demands that the association pay for air traffic services at AirVenture. This decision will be bitterly disappointing for many members, while others will just accept it as the cost of doing business and an inevitability. Its […]

One of the ongoing bright spots in the world of public perception of general aviation is the growing recognition that pilots are quietly volunteering their time, skills and aircraft to make flights that benefit others. The purposes of the flights vary widely-they may help many people at once, such as through documentation of environmental degradation, […]

A joint FAA/Boeing design review team reported (PDF) that the Boeing 787 is safe, but made recommendations for improvement for both the FAA and Boeing. Specifically, the joint team of FAA and Boeing technical experts found that the aircraft was soundly designed, met its intended safety level, and that the manufacturer and the FAA had […]

Our weekly survey of aviation news found the newest formal recognition of top aviation professionals, an aircraft now being offered for sale on Amazon.com, a survey reporting that hiring in aviation is expected to be up this year and FltPlan now offering Velocity Weather by Baron. Every year for the past 50 years, the General […]

If industry forecasts about the growth of the unmanned aerial vehicle market are correct, there could be as many as 1.2 million drones buzzing around the national airspace during the next decade and someone will need to maintain them. A new company called Robotic Skies sees a robust market in supporting and servicing UAV systems […]

Update: On Feb. 7, the FAA announced that it has appealed the dismissal of its civil penalty action against commercial drone operator Raphael Pirker to the full National Transportation Safety Board. The appeal has the effect of staying the law judge’s decision until the full Board rules. NBC Newsreported that a National Transportation Safety Board […]

In a strongly-wordedposting on its website, the FAA directly addressed what it called misconceptions and misinformation about unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) regulations. It listed seven common myths and set out the underlying facts on each. The myths include that the FAA doesnt control airspace below 400 feet-it is responsible for all U.S. airspace from the […]

During March, the NTSB will offer two courses related to accident investigation and one on accident response and victim family support at its training center in Auburn, Va. The Aircraft Accident Investigation course will run from March 31 through April 11 and is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the procedures and […]

The FAA today published a notice in theFederal Register of the availability of two new and eight revised consensus standards for certification of certain light sport aircraft and requested comments on the standards. Under light sport rules, ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials) Committee F37 on Light Sport Aircraft […]