FAA and Regs

A new bill introduced in Congress aims to digitalize pilot certificates—eliminating the need for pilots to carry physical copies of their medical and airman certificates. Congressman Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., introduced the Pilot Certificate Accessibility Act earlier this month, aiming to improve efficiency by allowing pilots to store these documents on electronic devices or cloud platforms. […]

A consortium of 30 aviation groups representing the broad spectrum of the industry have written President-elect Donald Trump asking him to consider funding changes to the FAA that will give the agency the resources it needs to modernize. Specifically, the group is urging use of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund to “upgrade and modernize […]

Influential libertarian think tank the Reason Foundation has written an open letter to the incoming leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency to make air traffic control a “user-funded utility.” The foundation, which is credited with coining the term “privatization,” says most of the rest of the world (83 countries) has already distanced ATC from […]

The FAA has backtracked on a policy change regarding medical denials and deferrals after facing backlash from the industry. Five days after receiving a letter from 14 pilot organizations, the agency says it has deferred implementation of the policy pending further consultation. The new policy would have resulted in medical deferrals sent to the agency […]

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker announced on Thursday that he will step down from his role on Jan. 20, 2025, after just over a year in the position. Whitaker, who was appointed in October 2023, shared the news in an email to staff that was later posted on X.   “Serving as Administrator […]

The FAA has enacted a final rule that, among dozens of other fine print details, allows certain types of pilot training, testing and checking in experimental aircraft without the need for a letter of deviation authority (LODA). The rule fixes a situation that resulted from a court decision five years ago concerning for-hire sightseeing rides […]

The FAA will likely issue an emergency AD in coming days directing pilots of Boeing 737 MAXes to shut off bleed air from at least one engine during takeoff and initial climb to prevent bird strikes from filling the flight deck with smoke. The Seattle Times has obtained a memo from FAA investigators to their […]

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) is conducting an audit to check if the FAA is consistently applying its rules for Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs), as required by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. In a Nov. 13 memo, the watchdog noted the audit would be the first in a series […]

On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it has set a new record, overseeing 148 licensed space operations in Fiscal Year 2024—a 30% jump from last year.  The agency also forecasted that the number of commercial space operations could more than double by 2028, signaling unprecedented growth in the sector. To keep pace with […]

The Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) shortage is improving, according to officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). During this year’s 2024 annual Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) Designated Pilot Examiner Symposium, FAA leaders highlighted ongoing efforts to expand the DPE pool—noting that more than 100 DPEs have been added to the system. The […]