Flight Safety

AVweb’s Flight Safety section offers in-depth coverage of aviation safety topics, including accident analyses, risk management strategies, regulatory updates, and pilot training insights. Designed for pilots, instructors, and aviation professionals, this section provides timely information to enhance situational awareness and promote best practices in flight operations.

The Drones Are Coming: Who Will Fly Them?

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are scheduled for integration into the national airspace system (NAS) in 2015, spurring job growth and a forecast economic impact of $13.6 billion by 2019. But while the growing industry will be adding to the overall workforce, the segment might also be changing the employment landscape for people seeking professional pilot […]

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When The Lights Go Out

Handling in-flight electrical failures requires knowing the affected systems and where good weather is. Radio silence: that’s what most pilots say got their attention and made them realize they had encountered an in-flight electrical failure. Too bad, because by the time the radios no longer worked, odds are that your electrical system had sucked all […]

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Airline Delays May Spark Action On FAA Sequester Cuts

Amid speculation as to whether a spike in airline delays concurrent with recent FAA furloughs have been created as a tool for political leverage or are an inevitable result of sequester cuts, the White House Wednesday hinted that changes may soon come to FAA spending restrictions. White House press secretary Jay Carney Wednesday told reporters […]

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Pilot’s In-Flight Suicide?

The NTSB may remove itself from further investigation of the fatal crash of an RV-4 at Laughlin Bullhead International Airport, Ariz., Saturday April 20, after an autopsy determined the pilot died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head prior to the crash. First reports speculated that the pilot and sole occupant, 44-year-old Thomas Joseph, […]

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ATC Trainers Laid Off Due To Sequester

About 300 contract workers, most of whom provide training for air traffic controllers at the FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, have been laid off due to federal budget cuts. The workers are employed by Raytheon and subcontractor ISG, according to local news reports. “This is something that is happening because of the […]

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ATC Sequester Furloughs Now In Effect

Despite efforts on several fronts to stop or at least postpone the FAA’s furloughs of air traffic controllers, which are mandated by the federal budget sequester, the staffing cuts began on Sunday. By midafternoon on Monday, delays up to three hours had been reported at major airports in New York, Los Angeles, and Baltimore, but […]

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FBO of the Week: Harrison Aviation (KGKY, Arlington, Texas)

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb‘s latest “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Harrison Aviation at Arlington Municipal Airport (KGKY) in Arlington, Texas. AVweb reader Carol Goldberg found warm Texan hospitality awaiting her here on a recent diversion: Due to weather, we diverted to Arlington, Texas on our way home from […]

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IROPS The New SOP?

The U.S.’s largest pilots union is warning its members that “irregular operations” (IROPS) could become the new normal as the FAA pushes ahead with its plan to furlough employees, including air traffic controllers, for a day every other week. The Airline Pilots Association International (ALPA), which filed suit against the FAA Friday, along with industry […]

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FAA: 787 Battery Redesign Approved

Friday, the FAA approved a redesigned battery system for the 787 Dreamliner created by Boeing to protect the aircraft from potential battery fires, meaning the airliners may soon return to service. The 50 jets in service have been grounded since January, when two 787s suffered fires. Boeing must now issue a service bulletin that details […]

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FAA Discusses Safety Issues Surrounding Tower Closures

It appears the FAA is backtracking on an earlier directive that forbade at least some of its FAA Safety Team (FAAST) representatives from talking about pending tower closures. On Wednesday the FAAST Safety Team issued a general note of advice about operating at non-towered airports (the FAAST Team doesn’t like the term “uncontrolled”) and touched […]

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