FAA and Regs

A well-known Ohio pilot and aviation columnist may be the first to run afoul of a new regulation triggered by the ADS-B mandate enacted in 2020. Martha Lunken, 78, who pens a popular column in Flying Magazine and is a fixture in Midwest aviation, flew under a bridge near her home airport, which bears her […]

The FAA is throwing the book, and a proposed $1.56 million fine, at a small town whose airport is a lot bigger and more expensive to maintain than its traffic warrants. The agency announced via a news release that it was citing Anniston, Alabama, for a laundry list of violations from broken pavement to missing […]

Boeing has told 16 airlines to ground some Boeing 737 MAXes until they confirm a proper ground connection on part of the electrical system after discovering a potential manufacturing fault. Dozens of aircraft all over the world are affected. Southwest pulled 30 from service, American 17 and United 16. None of the airlines has reported […]

Piedmont Airlines is under scrutiny after denying pilots time off to get COVID-19 vaccinations last weekend in order to maintain its schedule. FAA rules require pilots to take 48 hours off after getting the shot and last weekend was the start of spring break, a big deal in the Southeast where Piedmont, a wholly owned subsidiary […]

Even though airplanes are a lot quieter than they used to be, they annoy people on the ground far more these days. The FAA’s recently released Neighborhood Environmental Survey says almost two-thirds of the 10,000 people surveyed, who live near one of 20 U.S. airports, are “highly annoyed by aircraft noise over the entire range […]

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson announced he’s extending the so-called “zero tolerance” policy for noncompliant passengers because the message clearly hasn’t been heard by some people. “The number of cases we’re seeing is still far too high, and it tells us urgent action continues to be required,” Dickson said in a statement. “The policy directs our […]

The FAA has announced that the final rules covering remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drones) and drone operations over people will now go into effect on April 21, 2021. The original effective date for both rules was March 16, 60 days after they were published in the Federal Register. According to the FAA, the […]

The FAA safety engineer who says he should have signed off on the Boeing 737 MAX Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) during the certification process says the system should be scrapped entirely. Joe Jacobsen told the Seattle Times the system addresses relatively minor control feel issues that pilots can easily adapt to compared to the […]

Transport Canada has imposed its second emergency AD in two weeks on Bell’s newest helicopter after the collective handle on a nearly new 505 Jet Ranger X broke in the pilot’s hands during a preflight control check. The aircraft is built and was certified in Canada. The handle busted above the floor on a 2019 […]

The FAA has chosen five host airports to test technologies designed to “detect and mitigate potential safety risks” presented by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drones). The airports selected are New Jersey’s Atlantic City International Airport (ACY); Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) in New York; Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus, Ohio; Huntsville International Airport (HSV) in […]