FAA and Regs

Whether or not to raise the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots from 65 to 67 is high on the list of issues to be discussed at tomorrow’s Executive Session on FAA reauthorization. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will meet at 10 a.m. in Washington, as announced today (Feb. 7) by Ranking Member […]

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker Tuesday quantified the agency’s plan to increase surveillance of Boeing and Spirit Aerosystems’ production lines. Whitaker told a House Aviation Subcommittee that about 25 inspectors will be on the 737 MAX production line in Renton, Washington, and about six will be at Spirit’s Wichita plant. Spirit makes MAX fuselages, which are […]

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Aviation Subcommittee will grill FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker on the agency’s actions and future actions on oversight of Boeing Tuesday, and they gave him some homework to help him prepare. He will be asked whether the agency found ongoing quality deficiencies before an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-9 went […]

Comments for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA’s) proposed rule to increase cockpit voice recorder (CVR) times closed Friday with mixed reaction from industry representatives in the 99 comments received.  The Dec. 4 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) would extend the CVR recording time to 25 hours for all newly manufactured aircraft. According to the FAA, the […]

Despite what the FAA describes as a “vigilant campaign to heighten awareness of the serious safety risks,” laser strikes on aircraft increased markedly last year after a slight decline for the previous year. According to an FAA press release today (Jan. 30), there were 13,304 reported laser strikes last year, up from 9,457 in 2022. […]

The FAA has approved a pathway for Boeing MAX 9s to return to service. The inspection process is expected to take 12 to 24 hours and both Alaska Airlines and United have announced their MAX 9s will begin returning to service on Friday (Alaska) and Sunday (United). In addition, Copa Airlines, the national flag carrier […]

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association says it supports almost everything about the proposed Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) initiative but isn’t convinced the FAA has properly considered the risks of one of its main proposals. In its comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the organization, which represents about 150 OEMs, parts and subsystem […]

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minucci told NBC News Tuesday technicians have found “many” loose bolts on door plugs in Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft since the planes were grounded more than two weeks ago. The NBC interview was scheduled to run on the NBC Evening News. The FAA […]

Four major aviation groups have signed on to comments to the FAA that would tweak the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to expand its benefits to recreational aviation. Monday was the comment deadline and EAA submitted the comments that were co-signed by AOPA, NBAA and the National Air Transportation […]

The Seattle Times says Boeing says is beefing up its quality control efforts and allowing inspectors from airlines into its factories to examine its future aircraft in production. The moves come 10 days after a door plug separated from a 737 MAX 9 over Oregon and a week after the FAA grounded the fleet in […]