FAA and Regs

The FAA is proposing a total of $182,000 in fines to an unlicensed drone pilot who was warned three times to stop making illegal flights around Philadelphia. After a warning letter was sent in October of 2019, the FAA contacted him twice more in November of 2019 to explain the ways in which he was […]

The FAA has established the new Airport Coronavirus Response Grant Program to distribute $2 billion in funds designated to provide economic relief for airports impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. According to the agency, grants will be offered to eligible U.S. airports to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to” COVID-19. The funds are part of […]

AIRMET Tango for turbulence was spot on. You’re given “climb and maintain six thousand,” but with the bumps you accidentally enter 7000 in the altitude preselect. Passing through 6,300 feet, you hear your call sign and, “verify level at six.” You stop the climb and head back down. All seems good until 10 minutes later […]

A TFR remains in place over downtown Nashville until Dec. 30 even though authorities have determined the man who blew himself up in a motorhome on Christmas morning likely acted alone. Police confirmed Sunday that Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, was inside the RV that exploded about 6:30 a.m. Friday, damaging buildings and injuring three people. […]

Wipaire is engineering a fix for a long-standing issue with Cessna 206 aircraft in which emergency escape from the rear seats is hampered by deployed flaps. Wipaire VP of Engineering Brad Kutz said they’ve moved the latch for the rear cargo door to the inside from the door frame to make it accessible during an […]

As expected, the FAA has approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for use by controllers and pilots with a 48-hour waiting period. The FDA approved the new vaccine on Saturday and the FAA quickly announced its approval. It’s still adding the rider that the approval could be pulled if problems crop up. The agency said it […]

An overhaul of the aircraft certification process is likely part of the omnibus spending bill that Congress will likely pass Monday. The bill is expected to pass along with a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill that has been mired in partisan bickering. The clause on the FAA suffered no such political hand wringing, however. It […]

Correspondence from the FAA is enough to elevate a pilot’s heart rate well into triple digits. A letter from the FAA stating that the pilot’s competence has been called into question and requesting that the pilot take a reexamination checkride with an FAA inspector will make even the toughest pilot go weak in the knees. […]

Cargo carriers all over the world are loading up aircraft with up to five times as much of a hazardous substance than they would normally be allowed to carry in the name of delivering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. With the recent approvals granted by various governments for use of the vaccine, the race is now […]

The FAA has cleared pilots and air traffic controllers to take the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine as long as they take 48 hours away from the cockpit or console to clear any immediate side effects. The agency issued a news release on Saturday, the day after the FDA gave emergency use authorization for the vaccine, which […]