FAA and Regs

Cancellations mounted at Spirit Airlines on Friday as the airline cited “necessary” inspections for some of its aircraft. Data from FlightAware  shows Spirit had canceled roughly 100 flights or 11 percent of its daily operations by Friday afternoon. Spirit said 25 aircraft were being inspected and the FAA was aware of the situation. It did not […]

The FAA has officially closed its investigation into the crash of Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital rocket system shortly after launch on Sept. 12, 2022. According to the agency, the loss of the uncrewed research mission was the result of the “structural failure of an engine nozzle caused by higher than expected engine operating temperatures.” […]

A coalition of sports leagues including the NFL, MLB and NASCAR are opposing a provision in the FAA Reauthorization Bill, currently making its way through the Senate, which relaxes flight restrictions over the nation’s stadiums during sporting events—a first since 9/11. As it stands, the FAA issues a temporary flight restriction above any stadium or […]

Law enforcement and aviation officials in the Boston area are trying to figure out who is using lasers to target aircraft. Last week there were three incidents of laser strikes from the ground. The first two occurred in the predawn hours Thursday and involved two JetBlue aircraft. Both were reportedly struck by green lasers while […]

The FAA has proposed a rule designed to limit new orbital debris from commercial space vehicles, citing the need to “reduce the potential for collisions with spacecraft and satellites to promote a sustainable space environment.” According to the agency, current estimates put the number of orbital objects measuring 10 cm or greater at over 23,000 […]

The FAA has authorized drone delivery and logistics company Zipline to make commercial deliveries using drones flying beyond the operator’s line of sight. According to the agency, Zipline will use its Sparrow drone, which releases payloads via parachute and is capable of traveling up to 120 miles, for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. […]

A coalition of aviation organizations sent a letter last week calling for the U.S. Senate to move forward as soon as possible on an FAA Reauthorization bill and confirming the next FAA Administrator. FAA reauthorization legislation was introduced in both the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives last June. A bill was passed by […]

The FAA has given drone operators an extra six months to install mandatory electronic identification gear on their aircraft. Operators now have until March 16, 2024, to add the tiny modules or buy factory-equipped aircraft so they can broadcast the identification and location data the FAA mandated a couple of years ago. The agency said […]

The FAA has ordered SpaceX to fix 63 deficiencies in its Starship megarocket system before it can attempt another launch. Earlier this week the company said it was ready to take a second crack at getting the Starship into orbit after a spectacular failure in April. The agency said Friday that its joint investigation into […]

The White House confirmed on Thursday that President Joe Biden is nominating Michael Whitaker to serve as the next FAA Administrator. Whitaker was deputy administrator at the FAA from 2013 to 2016 and spent 15 years at United Airlines, where he held positions including director, vice president and senior vice president. A private pilot, he […]