FAA and Regs

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson has told staff to ignore pressure to return the Boeing 737 MAX to service and to take all the time they need to ensure the aircraft is safe. In a video address released on Friday, Dickson said he will personally support FAA staff in their thorough review of the aircraft and […]

The FAA has issued an AD affecting more than 4100 Bonanzas and requires an inspection of the right aileron flight control cable end fittings. There have been 17 failures reported on E33A, S35, V35 and A36 models but the agency has included E33, E33C, F33, F33A, F33C, G33, 35-C33, 35-C33A, K35, M35, N35, P35, V35A, […]

Bloomberg is reporting the independent group of experts formed to evaluate Boeing’s fixes for the 737 MAX has signed off on changes to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System. The Technical Advisory Board was convened shortly after the aircraft was grounded last March and presented its preliminary report to the FAA, Congress was told by the […]

All 20 airports slated to receive the FAA’s Runway Status Lights program are fully operational, says the agency. The RWSL is made up of lights embedded in the tarmac across runway crossings as well as at the departure hold zone; they illuminate when it’s unsafe for an aircraft to proceed.  According to the FAA, “at […]

CNN is reporting that the FAA will allow some insulin-dependent diabetics to earn commercial pilot certificates thanks to the strides made in treatment and management of the disease. CNN’s sources say the announcement could be made early this coming week that the agency will allow insulin-dependent diabetics to apply for first and second class medicals. […]

The FAA is warning officials in Silicon Valley they face a long expensive battle to close an important reliever airport for San Jose’s Mineta Airport. According to AOPA, Santa Clara County supervisors have voted to stop taking federal Airport Improvement Fund grants to begin the process of timing out the obligations that come with them. […]

Tamarack Aerospace hopes to emerge from Chapter 11 protection by the end of the year and then resume expanding the range of aircraft that can benefit from its active winglet installation. The company was rocked by an emergency airworthiness directive that grounded more than 100 Cessna Citations equipped with the system earlier this year. The […]

A critical step in the integration of unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System is scheduled for Dec. 20 as the FAA releases its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on remote identification requirements for drones. The agency will require that all drones emit some kind of signal giving aircraft and ownership information and that’s considered fundamental […]

Timing, as they say, is everything and the tragic crash of the Collings Foundation B-17 in Connecticut earlier this month came a month after it submitted its application for exemptions to various FAA rules that allow it to fly its collection of aircraft and carry paying passengers to help cover expenses. The group is now […]

The FAA has established a Women in Aviation Advisory Board, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced on Wednesday. According to the FAA, the purpose of the new board is to “provide independent advice and recommendations to the FAA in supporting women’s involvement in the aviation field.” It will focus on “analyzing industry […]