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It’s too early to say what the ultimate impact of these changes will be on the GA pilot, FAA spokesman William Shumann told AVweb yesterday. But initially, “pilots won’t see any difference,” he said. “They will still be talking to the same people at air traffic control and at the Flight Service Stations.” Any changes […]

Agency To Reinvent Itself… On Tuesday, the FAA announced a major overhaul of its organizational structure, with the aim of making the agency leaner and more efficient. The new Air Traffic Organization (ATO) business structure will consolidate the FAA’s air traffic services, research and acquisitions, and Free Flight Program activities, and focus on providing the […]

This latest conflict at Hanscom, pilot Peter Schmidt told AVweb yesterday, “has been a real wake-up call that it’s time for the aviation community to do something proactive.” Schmidt, who flies a Pitts, has formed the American Free Skies Association to seek long-term solutions to such conflicts by building bridges between pilots and the people […]

Mike Goulian, a national aerobatic champion and president of Executive Flyers Aviation, is also named in the suit, and faces tough choices. “It’s going to cost us at least $20,000 to $50,000 to fight this,” he told AVweb yesterday. “That’s a big expense. The worrisome part — besides the money, and my future and my […]

Aircraft Noise Battle Becomes Lawsuit… A long-simmering feud over aerobatic flying near busy Hanscom Field, just outside Boston, Mass., has reached a new level, as a group of local residents is pressing a million-dollar lawsuit against several pilots based at the airport, alleging that they are creating a noise nuisance. One of the pilots named […]

Most of the proposed regulations will affect businesses actively engaged in “air tour” activity. As Business AVflash reported last week, Part 91 operators will have to upgrade to either Part 121 or Part 135 status to continue offering air tours and it’s estimated by the FAA that 700 Part 91 operators will simply stop doing […]

Lawrence said, “They’re going to get stacks and stacks of paper that they’re not going to have time to go through, anyway.” For the average pilot, the only impact will come if they offer their services and airplane for a charity fundraiser. The rule boosts the required experience from 200 to 500 hours; Lawrence said […]

Alphabets May Band Together… EAA is demanding a full rewrite of proposed rules that would govern air tour operators. AVweb originally told you about the rules in our premiere Business AVflash issue and now Earl Lawrence, the vice president of government affairs, told AVweb the more he and his staff look at the Notice of […]

At Potomac Airfield, manager David Wartofsky shared with AVweb a security incident that raised an entirely new set of questions. A Connecticut doctor was intercepted in restricted airspace and escorted by a Blackhawk helicopter to Potomac. Once on the ground, it was clear the good doctor was no threat and, as far as the authorities […]

At Hyde Field, manager Stan Fetter said no unauthorized flights have actually made it into his airport but it’s not for lack of trying. Fetter said he gets at least a dozen calls a week from people asking for information about fuel availability and the like and he has to politely remind them that his […]