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The Navy may have learned something in the PR department with its attempt to create an MOA in California’s Central Valley. AOPA says the Navy has launched a “sophisticated campaign” to establish the MOA over Lemoore Naval Air Station near Fresno. Williams said there is already plenty of special-use airspace in the area and no […]

AOPA has joined the battle and has accused the FAA of not providing proper notification of the 30-day comment period regarding the Navy’s intentions in North Carolina. AOPA spokeswoman Heidi Williams told the Daily News it only heard about the plan because a member who was “one of the very few to receive notification” faxed […]

Locals, AOPA Battle MOAs On Both Coasts… If it wasn’t hard enough threading your way through all the TFRs, NSAs and other acronyms for places you’re not especially welcome, the military (specifically the Navy) wants even more airspace. The Navy is under fire in both North Carolina and California for trying to get huge blocks […]

And, just to show how utterly useless those devices can be in the face of even a modest amount of imagination and preparation, British newspaper reporter Anthony France atoned for NBC’s ham-handed attempt at a security breach by lying his way into the cargo hold of a Thomas Cook Vacations Boeing 757, which was being […]

There’s no point in letting security get in the way of passenger convenience and scheduling, at least in the eyes of Australian lawmakers. While scheduled passengers from Boise to Biloxi are shedding their shoes and (our favorite) opening their belt buckles, the Aussies have directed security staff at 146 “regional” airports not to use their […]

(Another) U.S. Paper Frets About Small Planes… In the U.S., mainstream media continue to look for holes in aviation security and The Arizona Republic recently discovered the 12-5 rule, which exempts aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds gross from security checks. It seems a couple of local operators have started scheduled service using Cessna Caravans […]

The FAA, often with help from NASA, is always at work on new technology to address congestion. In some cases, that’s welcomed by controllers, when new systems increase their situational awareness. But some initiatives are practical and theoretical nightmares, according to Doug Fralick, NATCA’s director of safety and technology. NASA and the FAA are currently […]

So, aside from avoiding O’Hare in the big aluminum tubes, what does that mean to you? The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) says O’Hare’s problems are the “canary in the coal mine” for system-wide problems and the controllers are singing a familiar tune. “The only acceptable and workable solutions to the Chicago O’Hare capacity […]

Airlines “Volunteer” To Shift Flights… Last week’s “voluntary” move by American and United Air Lines to cut peak-period flights into O’Hare was the only practical option left to temporarily solve the scheduling problems there. But it raises questions of how capacity problems will be addressed in the future and whether the FAA, and not pilots […]

Taking over from Wolf (as vice president and general manager) is Ian Walsh, Textron’s former director of pricing strategies. Walsh is a former Marine Corps Cobra attack helicopter pilot who joined Textron in the marketing and sales department at Bell Helicopter five years ago. But Walsh didn’t let any grass grow under his feet while […]