FAA and Regs

Operators who fail to have ADS-B out equipment installed by the January 2020 deadline will get a very cool reception from air traffic control according to an FAA policy statement issued yesterday. The rule, published in the Federal Register, says both scheduled and unscheduled operations with ADS-B equipment missing can receive rarely issued waivers to […]

Everything from gliders to state-of-the-art business jets will be on display as the flying world flocks to Lakeland, Florida, for the official start of the airshow season at Sun ‘n Fun 2019. Exhibitors were already setting up on Sunday in preparation for opening day on Tuesday. Thousands of aircraft will be visiting Lakeland Linder International […]

The FAA has proposed a new rule that aims to “streamline and increase flexibility” in federal commercial space transportation regulations. The FAA says the rule would “consolidate and revise” existing regulations along with defining safety requirements and how to get and maintain a vehicle operator license for commercial space travel. The rule (PDF) was developed […]

The world’s largest floatplane-only airline says it will be the first electrically powered airline and will convert its entire fleet of 41 vintage de Havilland Beaver, Otter and Twin Otter aircraft and one Cessna Caravan to electric motors. Harbour Air, which is based in Vancouver, Canada, runs daily scheduled service between Seattle and Vancouver and […]

Boeing and the FAA say they expect to finish a software and training update for the 737 MAX series of aircraft shortly. Boeing said it’s been working on the update since the crash of a Lion Air MAX 8 last October but the crash of an Ethiopian MAX 8 in early March prompted the issuance […]

The NTSB says a United Express Embraer 145 that ended up off the runway at Presque Isle, Maine, in early March also started there. In its preliminary report, the board said the regional jet, with 31 people onboard, lined up between the runway and taxiway on its first aborted landing attempt. On the second try, […]

James Baker famously called it “the worst ^%$&ing job in government.” He was referring to the job of White House chief of staff but he may as well have been talking about being FAA administrator. If it’s not the second-worst job in government, it’s surely in the top five. Now comes Steve Dickson, late of […]

The FBI has reportedly joined a criminal investigation into the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX in the wake of the crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610, according to The Seattle Times. The report comes after Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine Chao issued a memo (PDF) on Tuesday confirming […]

Image: Delta Former Delta Air Lines executive Steve Dickson has been nominated by President Trump to become the next FAA Administrator. Recently retired as senior VP of flight operations at Delta, Dickson will, if approved by the Senate, take over an agency whose aircraft-certification procedures are under tremendous scrutiny after the second fatal crash of […]

The future of package delivery has arrived in Reno, Nevada with the FAA’s approval of beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone operations by Flirtey. The company’s drones will first be able to deliver automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to medical emergencies. The drones will be operated by pilots using onboard cameras to maneuver the aircraft. The medical deliveries are a […]