Risk Management

The longest-ever presidential TFR in South Florida goes into effect on Dec. 21 as President Donald Trump heads to his West Palm Beach resort for up to 16 days. The FAA issued the alert earlier this week. Trump’s last Christmas and New Year’s vacation went from Dec. 22 to Jan.1. It’s also not clear if […]

For today’s preposterous aviation idea, think of something an aircraft salesman would never, ever say: “We’re sorry, although we would like to sell you one of our airplanes, we just don’t think you’re qualified to fly it.” OK, maybe a sales force somewhere, somehow has actually said that to a would-be customer, but I’ll bet […]

Bird strikes cause damage in the millions to aircraft every year and shooing them away is a difficult task. Airport operators use everything from propane cannons to rubber owls and, in the case of Cherry Capital Airport in Michigan, a smart-as-whip Border Collie. In this exclusive video from Great Big Story productions, see how a […]

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is calling on Transport Canada to tighten up enforcement of de-icing requirements after it discovered that pilots in the far-flung northern areas routinely take off with contaminated lift and control surfaces. “Our questionnaire results are clear: The lack of adequate de-icing equipment at remote northern Canadian airports and the frequency […]

Mexican authorities are trying to determine if a drone collision smashed the radome and damaged some aluminum on the nose of an Aeromexico Boeing 737-800 landing at Tijuana Dec. 12. Whatever the airliner, which was on its way from Guadalajara, hit, it crumpled the fiberglass and left scratches farther back on the nose and didn’t […]

A pilot was injured in the runway crash of a prototype flying car at Willow Run Airport near Detroit on Friday. WDIV TV reported the crash happened about 1 p.m. while the Detroit Flying Cars WD-1 was undergoing taxi tests. The station said it was told by Wayne County Airport Authority officials that the WD-1 […]

Fuel Strainer Lottery A significant omission from Jeff Parnau’s very interesting article is the Decathlon’s fourth fuel drain point under the rear fuselage aft of the rear seat that is easily overlooked. It is there because the gascolator is not the lowest point in the fuel system when the aircraft is parked. The plumbing to […]

Thanks to budget constraints and bureaucratic wrangling, investigators still haven’t recovered the cockpit voice recorder from a Lion Air 737 MAX that crashed into the Java Sea off Jakarta six weeks ago. Indonesian investigators told Reuters this week that they need a specialized ship to find the CVR. “We don’t have further funds to rent […]

Eighteen months after a serious fatigue-related close call at San Francisco Airport involving an Air Canada airliner, Canada has announced it’s tightening crew rest requirements. Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Wednesday the new regs will bring Canada in line with most other countries in applying rest requirements that vary according to the time of day […]

It was to have been a quiet Friday evening at home. The weather was that chilly, misty, rain-threating mix that seems to define November, there was a crackling hot fire in the wood stove and the idea of going anywhere wasn’t the least bit inviting. The bed with its thick comforter was starting to call […]