The FAA wants your opinion on whether photos should be on pilot certificates. The FAA announced the proposal Thursday, Nov. 18, and set a deadline of Feb. 17, 2011, for submitting comments. Under the current proposal, a new pilot certificate would cost $22 and be valid for eight years. At the end of that time […]
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Security measures must constantly change, TSA administrator tells senate panel
Transportation security is constantly evolving and aviation can expect more changes as terrorists probe for ways to cause destruction and technology perfects ways to keep ahead of them, John Pistole, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, told a Senate Committee Wednesday, Nov. 17. The possibility of more security actions affecting general aviation became apparent early […]
Aircraft shipments dip again in third quarter
Factory shipments of general aviation aircraft dipped again in the third quarter of the year with business jets dropping 20.3% from last year while pistons declined only 6.6% below 2009, according to figures released by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. In the first nine months of 2010, total general aviation airplane shipments fell 14.5%, from […]
Oberstar’s defeat stuns aviation community
After 36 years in the House of Representatives, Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) went down to defeat and his congressional seat will be taken over by a former airline pilot, an event that has members of Washington’s general aviation community shaking their heads in disbelief. A Democrat, he was swept away by what he termed “a […]
Study shows FAA delays and inconsistencies inflate costs and slow production
Irregular procedures, delays, and consistency problems in FAA’s programs to certify aircraft, aviation equipment and systems can inflate costs, lose production time, and put U.S. firms at a competitive disadvantage, according to a study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The study says there is a lack of uniform standards and evaluation criteria with FAA […]
Smile! Proposal to put photos on pilot licenses expected by end of year
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Smile, you might soon see your face on your pilot certificate. The FAA says before the end of this year it will issue a Notice of Proposed Rule Making to require photos on pilot certificates. This follows years of prodding by Congress and others after a bill requiring photos on IDs in […]
Controller errors up 51%
Errors by air traffic controllers increased a record 51% this past fiscal year, according to a report in The Washington Post. The newspaper said this increase represents only a portion of the errors, as not all mistakes are recorded. For three years the FAA has encouraged controllers to voluntarily report errors and be shielded from […]
‘Sitting on our assets’
A Congressional committee that oversees the Department of Transportation says billions of dollars of taxpayer money can be saved by making a few changes. In a report titled “Sitting on our Assets,” Republican members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee cite areas where there is the potential for savings of a quarter of a […]
Europe delays action on “Third Country” regulations
The European Union Commission (EUC) decided in a closed-door meeting to delay action on the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) recommendations to restrict acceptance of pilot and aircraft certificates issued by third countries. This gives persons living in Europe but operating on certificates issued by other countries, including the FAA, at least three more months […]