FAA and Regs

For the first time in its history, the FAA has issued a special flight authorization to allow Boom Supersonic to break the sound barrier. The approval will allow the Colorado startup to fly its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft faster than Mach 1 up to 20 times over the next year in the Black Mountain Supersonic Corridor […]

The FAA has launched a barrage of social media posts aimed at gathering applicants for its next intake of air traffic controller trainees. The next application period begins Friday and lasts until May 8. The agency is short about 3,000 controllers and is under pressure to get those posts filled in light of a rash […]

A Boeing engineer and whistleblower is calling for the grounding of all the more than 1,000 Boeing 787s for an issue Boeing says has been addressed and signed off on by the FAA. In an exclusive interview tonight on NBC Nightly News, Sam Salehpour says he’ll tell a Senate committee on Wednesday he believes the […]

The FAA has notified Santa Clara County it is investigating noncompliance issues at Reid-Hillview and San Martin Airports with an eye to getting safety issues fixed. In an April 8 letter, the agency detailed a long list of areas it would be looking at on the field including signage and runway markings, areas of pavement […]

The FAA has barred a wing walking company from conducting flights and revoked the owner’s pilot certificate, deeming the operation unsafe and reckless, according to a report from The Seattle Times. Mason Wing Walking, based in Sequim, Washington, in the summer and Ventura County, California, in the winter, gives thrill-seeking amateurs the opportunity to strap […]

The FAA has allowed a Texas drone company an exemption that will allow the commercial use of drone swarms in agriculture. Hylio asked for the exemption to help it make drone aerial application economically viable. Under drone rules, a commercial drone has to have a remote pilot and spotter, but the exemption allows the same […]

United Airlines has given its employees a heads-up to expect more FAA inspectors across all its operations after a cluster of incidents involving its aircraft. In the last couple of weeks United planes have been involved in a variety of mishaps, none of which resulted in any injuries. Most involved Boeing aircraft but Airbus products […]

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker called on Boeing to “make a good airplane” during one of a series of media interviews he gave Tuesday after a tour of a Boeing plant in Washington State. He told NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt the company is too focused on production and not concentrating enough on safety. “There […]

On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the implementation of a new surface safety tool that warns air traffic controllers when an approaching aircraft is not lined up on its assigned runway. The FAA outlined plans to deploy Approach Runway Verification (ARV) technology at several airports across the U.S. this year through 2025, with […]

The FAA last month extended the comment period for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC). The extension adds a memo concerning a conversation between an FAA representative and members of the Light Sport committee of ASTM International about a technical error in the NPRM. That exchange didn’t make […]