Election Results Related to the Aviation Industry For some notable legislators who have supported aviation, there were some close races and some losing their seats. In what media is calling a “stunning” loss, Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), who served as the chairman of the House aviation subcommittee and then of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,…
Phase One of the Southern California Metroplex Project will begin on November 10, 2016. The Metroplex Project, approved in early September, is designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of the airspace in Southern California by utilizing performance-based navigation procedures, as well as optimizing the air traffic sectorization at the local FAA facilities. There is…
Deadline Coming Soon for Part 135 Operators and EASA SMS Requirements Per a new European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulation, U.S. Part 135 operators will need an approved safety management system (SMS) program to fly throughout Europe under the Third Country Operators (TCO) regulation. EASA defines a third party operator as any operator holding an…
Congress Passes FAA Funding Extension The House and Senate passed legislation extending funding for the FAA through September 30, 2017, as Congress continues to debate a full FAA reauthorization bill. The extension bill, which was signed into law by President Obama on July 15, includes several priorities advocated for by the general aviation community, while…
Concern Over Another Extension on FAA Bill Aviation groups are becoming increasingly concerned that the U.S. Congress is headed for another extension of the FAA’s operating authority. The FAA is already functioning under its second extension, and Congress has until July 15 to pass a comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill or opt for a third extension.…
Study Recommends New Go-around Procedures Anew study, which was commissioned by the Flight Safety Foundation and presented at a recent Flight Safety Foundation/NBAA Business Aviation Safety Seminar, recommends redefining approach criteria for business and commercial aviation operations. Only three percent of commercial pilots comply with SOPs mandating go-arounds if the aircraft is not on a…
Senate Passes FAA Reauthorization Bill, While House Still Reviewing On April 19, 2016, the U.S. Senate passed Bill H.R. 636 to reauthorize funding and programs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The bill, which passed with significant bipartisan support, includes measures highly supported by the aviation community for streamlining the certification process for aviation technologies,…
In mid-March, Congress passed legislation to extend current FAA programs and funding through July 15, which is needed to give both the House and Senate time to reach an agreement on a long-term FAA reauthorization bill. Currently the House and Senate have two different directions in their bill recommendations. In early February, a House Committee…
The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) recently named its Most Wanted List for this year. This list, published every year, “highlights safety issues identified from the NTSB’s accident investigations to increase awareness about the issues and promote recommended safety solutions.” All modes of transportation are included in the study to create the list and some of the points crossover…
As of Sept. 24, flight crews should use the flight service common frequency of 122.2 MHz for flight watch services that were formerly available on 122.0 MHz and Emergency Flight Advisory Service (EFAS), more commonly known as “Flight Watch.” The change means that most pilots will utilize a single frequency for access to all enroute…