FAA and Regs

The FAA’s Piper PA-28 and PA-32 wing spar inspection AD takes effect Dec. 28 and it involves 11,476 aircraft. The FAA issued the notice on Nov. 23 and requires operators of the affected aircraft to have a look at the hard-to-reach section of spar within 100 hours or 12 months of that date. Extensive input […]

The FAA announced on Monday that it has published airworthiness criteria for the proposed certification of ten unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drone) models. Calling the move a “a crucial step to enabling more complex drone operations,” the agency emphasized that applicants still need to demonstrate that they have met the posted requirements prior to certification. Separate […]

The European Aviation Safety Agency has announced it will likely allow the Boeing 737 MAX’s return to service in January after it has completed its own review of changes to the aircraft. EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky told an online aviation forum on Saturday that so far there have been no major snags in the […]

A 22-year-old drone operator who wanted to “see what was going on” could face a one-year jail term after his aircraft hit a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter Sept. 18. According to Fox News, Andrew Rene Hernandez’s drone hit the fuselage of the chopper, prompting an emergency landing but no injuries. It’s not clear if […]

The FAA announced on Tuesday that it has finished the second phase of its Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS/drone) Traffic Management Pilot Program (UPP). UPP Phase 2 objectives included “testing of Remote Identification (RID) technologies and operations with increasing volumes and density.” According to the agency, program results will be used as a proof of concept […]

With vote counting ongoing in the U.S. election, the FAA has extended a temporary flight restriction (TFR) over Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s residence in Wilmington, Delaware, through Nov. 11. The TFR was initially put in place over the area for “special security reasons” on Nov. 4 with an end date of Nov 7. The […]

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao has announced the completion of the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS/drone) Integration Pilot Program (IPP), a three-year initiative designed to test and evaluate the integration of drone operations into the national airspace system. IPP is followed by the BEYOND program, which officially launched last week. BEYOND is expected to […]

It’s not often that passengers hear from the captain days before their flight but American Airlines is employing those calm, soothing voices to ease the reintroduction of the Boeing 737 MAX. As we recently reported, American plans to resume MAX flights starting Dec. 29, assuming all the regulatory approvals are in place. Its plan to […]

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has declared the Boeing 737 MAX  is “safe” and is predicting the type will return to revenue service before the end of the year in the countries of the European Union. EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky told Bloomberg it still wants Boeing to add a third AOA sensor to the […]

Flight 1549 Capt. Chesley Sullenberger says he’ll fly on the recertified Boeing 737 MAX but he wants to see improvements to the aircraft and its ancestors for flaws laid bare in the investigation of the MAX flight control system. “People are going to fly on it and I will probably be one of them,” he told […]