FAA and Regs

The Federal Aviation Administration said there were nearly 13,000 reports of laser strikes in 2024, a slight decrease from the previous year, but the agency says the number is still too high. In 2023, laser strikes reached an all-time high, with a staggering 13,304 incidents, marking a 41% increase over 2022, which saw 9,457 reported […]

The Federal Aviation Administration is deploying runway safety technology upgrades at 74 air traffic control towers in the U.S., the agency announced Wednesday. The Runway Incursion Device (RID) is designed to assist air traffic controllers by providing real-time alerts when a runway is occupied or closed. With the ability to monitor up to eight runways […]

Airport neighbors in Chatham, Massachusetts, are filing a town meeting petition to restrict the Chatham Municipal Airport to only Design Group I models (less than 49-foot wingspan). Because the measure received the requisite number of signatures, there will be a vote on May 10. But the town’s attorney along with the airport commission attorney warn […]

Aviation groups are endorsing President Donald Trump’s nomination of Bryan Bedford as FAA administrator. As we reported earlier, Bedford, the CEO of Republic Airlines, has broad support as Trump’s pick and doesn’t appear to trigger any red flags for Senate approval. National Air Transportation Association President Curt Castagna said Bedford’s long career in the industry […]

The FAA wasted little time following NTSB recommendations to sharply restrict helicopter operations around Reagan National Airport in Washington. In its preliminary report on a crash between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle CRJ last month that killed 67 people, the NTSB urged the FAA to eliminate helicopter traffic that might conflict […]

Bryan Bedford, CEO of Republic Airways, is reportedly the leading contender to head the Federal Aviation Administration, according to sources cited by Reuters. The FAA has been without a permanent administrator since Jan. 20, following the resignation of Mike Whitaker, who stepped down a little more than a year into his five-year term. Deputy Administrator […]

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says it will take a maximum of 18 months to “rebuild the air traffic control system” if Congress will up-front the funding. But it sounds like the scope of the overhaul he was describing might be limited to modernization of communications systems. In a 10-minute interview aired by Fox on Saturday, […]

The Federal Aviation Administration is reportedly on the verge of terminating its $2.4 billion contract with Verizon in favor of Elon Musk’s Starlink to upgrade the communication system that supports the nation’s air traffic control network. Verizon was awarded the contract in 2023 to modernize a platform that facilitates communication between various air traffic control […]

The Short Wing Piper Club is proposing an alternative method of compliance (AMOC) that would blunt much of the cost and inconvenience posed by a sweeping airworthiness directive set by the FAA last week. The AD, which mandates replacement of the rudders with posts made of 4130N low-alloy steel, covers almost all 31,000 high-wing Pipers […]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a final airworthiness directive (AD) requiring the replacement of rudders on specific Piper series aircraft. The AD, effective March 20, 2025, addresses safety concerns stemming from reports of rudder failures due to fatigue and corrosion in rudder posts made from 1025 carbon steel. Under the new requirements, these […]