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One way to keep the number of active pilots from slipping is to ensure those who already have certificates keep flying as long as possible. As part of its campaign to battle the shrinkage of pilot ranks, AOPA is petitioning the FAA to relax medical standards for the recreational certificate by allowing pilots medical certification […]

Meanwhile, ADS-B is also being used in Australia, a place similar to Alaska in its dependence on small aircraft for transport across huge, empty areas. But Dick Smith, a prominent businessman and former chairman of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, has raised questions about the security of the system. Smith said that a hacker using […]

Rick Thompson, NATCA’s regional representative in Alaska, told AVweb that before last month, controllers had been working on the understanding that ADS-B and radar returns were to be treated the same. But recent communications from the FAA had referred to a “mixed environment” and it became clear that not everyone was on the same page. […]

Next Thursday, air traffic controllers in Anchorage can resume the use of ADS-B information to separate traffic in the remote Bethel, Aniak, and St. Mary’s areas of southern Alaska, the FAA says. The service was discontinued last month while the FAA reviewed its separation standards. The FAA now says ADS-B targets will be separated from […]

AOPA says pilot numbers — and new pilot starts — are dwindling. The light sport aircraft category is the highest growth sector of general aviation, Cessna said. But that’s not the only attraction of the market. “An important part of our thought process in looking at LSA is the value in terms of new pilot […]

With few recent mutterings regarding progress on its “Cirrus killer” design, Cessna is now (also?) studying the feasibility of developing and producing a light sport aircraft (LSA). The company said Tuesday in a news release it will display a full-scale proof-of-concept aircraft at EAA AirVenture next month at Oshkosh. “As the world’s largest producer of […]

Despite last night’s disappointment, NATCA President John Carr noted that “a clear bipartisan majority” of the U.S. representatives voted in favor of the union’s position that the contract negotiations should be reopened. “We hope the FAA has received that message,” Carr said in a statement sent to AVweb last night. “NATCA will continue to pursue […]

“Under the terms of our statute, the FAAs proposed change takes effect as of today, and we will begin the process of implementing our proposal,” said FAA Administrator Marion Blakey on Monday, setting in motion a new era in the long history of FAA relations with its air traffic controllers. Not since the days of […]

A total of 44 aircraft on display and more than 3,000 people attended AOPA’s annual open house and fly-in. The event has been dogged by bad weather in recent years but this year the organizers’ luck changed. Saturday morning started out with low ceilings but skies cleared by the afternoon and events went ahead as […]

Central to Project Pilot is a Web site designed for students and mentors to keep in contact. Students can use the site to track their progress and celebrate training milestones and also as a resource for the innumerable questions that always arise during training. Mentors nominate prospective students and, in turn, AOPA contacts them via […]