FAA and Regs

The FAA has cleared Doc, one of two flying B-29s, for passenger flights and they’ll start at the Heavy Bomber Weekend in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 20. Doc will be at AirVenture 2018 but so far no ride program has been announced. The big bomber has been on the airshow circuit for more than a […]

A 55-year-old man has been arrested in Scotland after a Greenpeace protester flew a powered parachute within a few hundred feet of U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday. The unidentified man is accused of buzzing the crowd watching as Trump toured his golf resort in Turnberry. The pilot unfurled a banner that read “Trump Well […]

The governor of Hawaii signed a bill removing criminal penalties for many airport violations last week. Prior to the bill’s passing, Hawaii was the only state where violations unrelated to airport security could result in criminal misdemeanor charges. Many local and national pilot groups have been working toward decriminalization legislation, with AOPA calling it the […]

On the Way to OSH: U.S. Air Force National Museum Thank you, Tom. Like you, I was a young admirer of the B-70. Today as an engineer that admiration has only strengthened. I remember the last (and only) time I saw this magnificent machine in person. Fifteen years ago, I spent two days at the […]

A government report says a longtime FAA inspector allowed unqualified pilots to fly for the U.S.’s largest airline. The report issued by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Transportation says that the 28-year veteran “seems to have been affected by his relationship with [American Airlines].” The safety concerns—which only involved maintenance […]

The FAA issued a statement on Wednesday warning drone owners to steer clear of people and companies offering to help register their drones with the agency. According to the FAA, it “neither regulates these entities nor will speculate on their legitimacy” and cautions that some of the vendors offering these services have made attempts to […]

Turbofan engines for airplanes should be required to pass tests showing they could keep flying after ingesting a medium-sized bird during climb-out or landing, the FAA said in a proposed rule published on Friday. The proposal is based on a 2015 report following the “Miracle on the Hudson” flight in 2009, when an Airbus A320 […]

The FAA says owners of certain Bonanza models can use an exhaust clamp made for Cessna aircraft as an alternative means of compliance for an AD that has grounded some Bonanzas. According to AOPA, the agency issued the AD requiring replacement of exhaust v-band clamps on A36TC and B36TC Bonanzas after one failed and led […]

The FAA is sticking to its decision that there is no safety reason for the agency to regulate airline seat size, according to a letter published by the agency on Monday. The letter comes in response to a 2017 court order that called for the FAA to reconsider its decision to deny a petition from […]

As private space launches increase and diversify, those activities are causing “significant impacts” on commercial aviation, according to a white paper (PDF) published by ALPA last week. Those impacts include flight delays, flight-plan alterations, increased distance flown, longer flight times, flight cancellations, crew duty cycle changes, gate slot management and added fuel burn. As one […]