Flight Safety

Third-class medical reform is on its way to becoming law after the Senate voted this afternoon to approve the measure as part of a short-term funding bill for the FAA. The legislation, which won House approval on Monday, is expected to be signed by President Obama before the FAA’s current authorization expires on Friday. Many […]

Following on its successful effort to encourage the use of angle-of-attack indicators in general aviation aircraft by simplifying the approval procedure, the FAA says it will expand its expedited process to include more safety gear. The policy will reduce costs and streamline installation for “non-required safety-enhancing equipment” (NORSEE) in the GA fleet, the FAA said. […]

General-aviation advocates are confident that medical reform will be a reality soon, after the House last night passed an FAA funding bill that includes changes to the medical certification system for pilots. The Senate is expected to okay the bill later this week, and send it to President Obama for final approval. “This is a […]

Heard on a recent flight ATC: Skymaster 12345 clear to land 12345: I don’t know about a “Master” but my instructor thinks Im a pretty good pilot. Clear to land thanks. Greg Mills

A Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Denver was diverted to Tulsa Saturday after up to 15 of the 150 passengers got sick. The passengers displayed symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning including headache, nausea and dizziness. Firefighters later reported finding elevated levels of CO. Tulsa Fire Captain Stan May told reporters that once the […]

A British pilot could face criminal charges in the crash of a Hawker Hunter vintage jet at the Shoreham Air Show in August of 2015. Andy Hill, 52, survived the fiery crash into a busy highway that killed 11 people on the ground. Although he has not been formally charged, the Daily Telegraph is reporting […]

Now that the summer ditching season is in full swing, it’s time for my periodic public service announcement to remind you about beach landings. The last couple of weeks saw a bumper crop of unplanned water landings, three off beaches and one on a beach near Galveston, Texas.As I’ve said before, I’ve taken it on […]

Many of our ranks are professional pilots because they simply love to fly. They find a way to fly no matter what. For them, retiring from a career in aviation simply means they no longer get paid to fly, but they’ll find a new ride. These are usually superb pilots—pilot’s pilots—but they can sometimes struggle […]

Two Bell Helicopter employees were killed Wednesday when the twin-engine rotorcraft they were test flying crashed near the company’s facility in eastern Texas. Debris from the 525 model helicopter was concentrated at the crash site in Ellis County, but pieces of the aircraft were discovered farther away, including a part of the boom found about […]

The FAA will get a 14-month funding extension that includes third-class medical reform as part of joint approvals announced Wednesday by House and Senate transportation committees. The extension (PDF) would take effect when the FAA’s current authorization expires on July 15 and continue through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2017. Medical […]