FAA and Regs

Tamarack Aerospace announced that the FAA has approved an alternative method of compliance (AMOC) that will return Cessna CitationJets equipped with the company’s active load alleviation system (ATLAS) winglets to service once “all existing product improvements” have been incorporated. The modifications, which are described in EASA Service Bulletin SB1480, include fixes to improve reliability of […]

Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted 14-12 along party lines in favor of former Delta Air Lines executive Stephen Dickson becoming the next administrator of the FAA on Wednesday. Dickson was nominated for the position last March. As previously reported by AVweb, the nomination process was slowed when allegations […]

Some Cessna 177 and 210 owners will need an immediate inspection of the spar that holds their wings on after Textron reported potential corrosion and subsequent cracking problems on some aircraft. The company issued a mandatory service letter requiring inspection and repair of the carry-thru spar on the aircraft. The spar is a main structural […]

The FAA has given the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) the task of reviewing all policies and regulations related to designated pilot examiners (DPEs), according to a notice (PDF) issued by the agency last week. The action comes in response to Section 319 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which calls for a full […]

NASA and the FAA dropped a 33,000-pound Fokker F28 regional jet from more than 150 feet in the air as part of a crashworthiness test last week. Along for the ride were 24 crash dummies, designed to mimic a range of individuals from a 3-year-old child to a 273-pound adult. In addition to helping the […]

FAA Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell has announced that the FAA will soon be publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) designed to streamline regulatory procedures for obtaining FAA approval to test supersonic aircraft. According to Elwell, the NPRM will ensure that companies with supersonic aircraft projects currently under development have access to necessary information and […]

Tamarack Aerospace Group says most of the Citation 525 series jets equipped with its ATLAS active winglets grounded by AD in May are now fitted with revised hardware. The company—and owners—are awaiting technical reviews from EASA and the FAA to clear the AD and return the airplanes to service. The ATLAS system was introduced in […]

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg told reporters on Sunday that the company made a “mistake” in not immediately telling regulators, pilots and airlines about the problems it was having with the angle of attack disagree warning on the Boeing 737 MAX. It only worked if the customer bought an AOA cockpit indicator and it took Boeing […]

FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Ali Bahrami has indicated that the grounded 737 MAX will likely return to service in the U.S. by December, according to Bloomberg. Bahrami, speaking in an interview on Wednesday, reportedly emphasized that no timeline has yet been committed to. His remarks echo similar comments made by Boeing CEO Dennis […]

The rise of the regional jet has displaced twin turboprops in the short-haul airline market and that, in turn, has relegated a certain term to the dustbin of dead words: puddle jumper. Remember it? Nervous passengers applied it to the unfairly maligned Beech 99 or Embraer Bandeirante poised on the ramp to whisk—OK, plod—them from […]