The FAA has issued an exemption allowing helicopter air ambulance (HAA) operators to conduct rescue flights if their radar altimeters are affected or could be affected by interference from 5G cellphone signals. Helicopter Association International announced the welcome news Friday. “This exemption will allow HAA operators to continue to do what they do best—save lives,” […]
The FAA has issued its list of 50 airports that will be protected from Verizon and AT&T’s 5G signals for six months and the criteria it used suggests the list would have been a lot longer if the FAA had its way. The list was released Friday, a few days after the telecoms agreed to […]
Verizon and AT&T say they’ll turn down the power of 5G broadband signals near major airports of their choosing for six months but otherwise the rollout of the much-anticipated system will go ahead as planned on Jan. 5. In a scathing letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Steve Dickson released by The […]
The FAA has prepared samples of the NOTAMs it may start issuing starting Jan. 5 when 5G broadband service begins in 46 cities. If the NOTAMs are issued, they would drastically affect operations of airlines, commuter airlines and many charter and business aircraft. In a statement issued Dec. 23, the agency said it will disallow […]
The FAA is investigating an array of safety concerns including a ban on the sale of leaded aviation fuel at two airports in California’s Santa Clara County. In a letter to the County, the agency noted that it has “received multiple complaints from airport tenants and users, along with a group representing industry stakeholders” alleging […]
It may be back to the legislative drawing board for aviation leaders trying to undo a disruptive policy change at the FAA they say has added unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy to specialized flight training. Deep within the National Defense Authorization Act passed by both the House and Senate was a bill to eliminate the need […]
The FAA says its astronaut “wings” program has served its purpose and it will stop handing out the mementoes in the New Year. But that also means Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Virgin Galactic head Sir Richard Branson and Star Trek’s Capt. Kirk, actor William Shatner, along with about a dozen others, will each be officially […]
The FAA has issued two airworthiness directives (ADs) requiring flight manual revisions “to incorporate limitations prohibiting certain operations requiring radio [also called radar] altimeter data when in the presence of 5G C-Band interference.” The ADs stem from concerns that the planned rollout of wireless broadband operations in the 3.7-3.98 GHz frequency band (5G C-Band) could […]
A NOTAM is still a NOTAM but the words represented by the acronym now represent the FAA’s foray into modernizing and gender-neutralizing aviation terms. As of Thursday, NOTAM means Notice to Air Missions, which the agency says is “more applicable” to the role of the notices and is “inclusive of all aviators and missions.” The agency […]
The FAA will start vetting the engineers Boeing designates as safety inspectors after the agency found many didn’t have the qualifications or experience needed to be effective in the job. In a letter of complaint to Boeing obtained by the Seattle Times, the agency said it came across inspectors, who are designated to sign off […]
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