FAA and Regs

The FAA plans to issue a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin and an Airworthiness Directive in coming days concerning the rollout of 5G cellular phone service in 46 major metropolitan areas of the U.S. on Dec. 5, according to Reuters. The actions are expected to limit the use of automated systems on aircraft that rely on […]

The FAA announced on Monday that it has seen a rise in the number of laser strikes reported by pilots for the fourth year in a row. For 2021, 7,186 laser strike reports for had been received as of Oct. 14, the highest number recorded by the agency since 2016. 6,852 laser strikes were reported […]

The Transportation Department’s inspector general says the FAA allowed American Airlines to fly snagged and even non-airworthy aircraft without following up on whether repairs were made. According to an Associated Press report, the IG was generally critical of the performance of both the airline and the regulator in the new safety enforcement environment of safety […]

On average, aviators know what a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is. However, do they know that depending on the TFR, there are exceptions to the “No Fly” edict? But wait. “Depending on the TFR?” Okay, so there is obviously more than one type, but just how many different TFRs are there? Enough for you to […]

The FAA announced on Monday that drone pilots with current Part 107 remote pilot certificates can now receive authorization to fly at night via the low altitude authorization and notification capability (LAANC) network. LAANC, an automated system designed to provide near real-time authorizations for drone pilots looking to operate below 400 feet in controlled airspace, […]

The FAA and NASA have wrapped up research and testing on software designed to minimize taxi delays and ease ramp congestion along with saving fuel and reducing carbon emissions. The new NASA-developed software capability, which is designed to calculate gate pushbacks to allow aircraft to “roll directly to the runway and to take off,” will […]

Republican politicians are demanding an investigation into the FAA’s decision to ban drone flights over a bridge in Del Rio, Texas, that was the site of a mass encampment of migrants. The GOP is alleging the move was politically motivated and designed to prevent images embarrassing to the Biden administration from being gathered by media […]

The number of incidents involving unruly passengers on commercial flights has dropped significantly since launch of the FAA’s “zero tolerance” campaign, according to data released by the agency on Thursday. The FAA adopted the approach earlier this year in response to what it described as “a dramatic increase in unruly or dangerous behavior” from commercial […]

The Air Line Pilots Association is pressing the Department of Transportation to get going on requiring “secondary barrier” protection for airliner flight decks. ALPA is hoping for a new rule to be announced by the 20th anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks in a few weeks. As part of the 2016 FAA reauthorization, Congress told the […]

Flight attendants are trying to even the odds of ending their shifts in one piece by taking self-defense classes. The uptick in in-flight violence by passengers has made airliner cabins a potentially perilous place to work and the focused curriculum of the classes, taught by federal Marshals, is specifically aimed at handling problem passengers in […]