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In practical terms, not many people were directly affected by the Sept. 1 enactment of the rule. For those few, however, the change could be significant. Anyone with a pilot certificate who has let his or her medical lapse, for whatever reason, can now legally fly (VFR only) a plane meeting the LSA standards. The […]

Light-Sport Aircraft/Sport Pilot Now Official… So, did you feel any different on Wednesday morning? Was the grass a little greener, the sun a little brighter? Well, it might not have been a cosmic event, but for pilots and the aviation industry, the world changed significantly on Sept. 1. The Light-Sport Aircraft/Sport Pilot rule came into […]

Steve Phillips has nothing against the Cleveland National Air Show but he’s hoping the FAA sticks to its guns … keep reading. Phillips, of Philadelphia, is one of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of banner towers and promotional hot-air balloon pilots effectively grounded by the same rule that is causing problems in Cleveland. He said the legitimate […]

Meanwhile, AOPA has been pulling strings in Washington trying to find a way around the law, which was enacted last January. AOPA President Phil Boyer insists the air show could be accommodated within the law, but the FAA isn’t budging. “This air show has a history going back to 1929 and has been a very […]

No Waiver For Civilian Performers In Cleveland… An FAA spokesman says the agency will stand firm on a decision to ban civilian pilots from flying at the Cleveland National Air Show on Friday evening. FAA representative Tony Molinaro told AVweb the agency has no choice but to ban the flights because of a Cleveland Indians […]

We warned last month that it was happening, but amid all the angst over controller shortages, it seemed implausible that the FAA would actually yank its funding from a training center that churns out up to 70 percent of its en route controllers … but that’s what happened. The air traffic controller training center at […]

Shortage Is Already Here, Union Says… With growing impatience, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) last week stepped up its call for more hiring, saying that it’s not only a matter of a looming shortage — many facilities already are understaffed. “We need action,” said NATCA spokesman Doug Church in a news release Thursday. […]

AOPA was quick to dash off a letter to The Boston Globe’s editors, denouncing the story as “irresponsible,” and noting that numerous GA security programs have been implemented since 9/11. Next time the Globe reports about GA issues, it should consult AOPA, the letter said. AOPA President Phil Boyer also responded to the story in […]

The Globe story quoted CSIS staff who said that Al Qaeda is known to have considered the use of small aircraft and helicopters for attacks on U.S. soil, and that sports stadiums are a “perfect target” for a Cessna 172 loaded with radiological material and explosives. “The no-fly zones over these stadiums are loosely enforced,” […]

Globe’s Quotes Out Of Context, Think Tank Says… A story in Thursday’s Boston Globe that warned in great detail of a neglected “small-plane terrorism threat” has drawn a response from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) — the Washington think tank whose staff is quoted in the Globe as the basis for the […]