A major step to informing the public of general aviation’s value was taken Sept. 30 when the Alliance for Aviation Across America launched a new website that highlights the economic impact and importance of general aviation and its airports state-by-state across America. Alliance officials hope the new website will help dispel much of the negative […]
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The Times They Are a-Changin’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Popular musician Bob Dylan said it with an album several years ago: “The Times They Are a-Changin’.” That phrase applies to general aviation today. The times they are a-changin’ is how aviation associations, politicians, agencies, and the public are seeing general aviation — and how these groups are affecting changes. For too […]
NextGen: Will it cause more problems for GA than it solves?
Air traffic control has been ground based since its beginning, but under the FAA’s Next Generation (NextGen) program it will be out of this world — and it may cause general aviation some out-of-this-world problems. Air traffic control began in 1929 at St. Louis Lambert Field when Archie League was hired to direct the movements […]
New Hudson River rules based on Oshkosh
The FAA’s proposed changes for handling traffic in the Hudson River corridor are based on the success of air traffic control at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, the head of FAA’s air traffic department told a House Aviation Subcommittee Sept. 16. Hank Krakowski told the representatives that Oshkosh handles more than 3,000 aircraft […]
FAA proposes revamping pilot certifications
Washington, D.C. — The FAA’s Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) to change pilot licensing certification should bring welcome changes and, perhaps, some unwelcome rules. Some are changes needed to bring aviation up to date. The trouble is, the changes are about 40 years late. In the 1960s, the Utility Airplane Council, predecessor of the […]
Proposed Hudson River changes might be used in other places
Pending changes in flight operations in the Hudson River airspace — where a collision between an airplane and a helicopter took place last month — might have national applications, according to the FAA’s senior vice president for operations, air traffic organization. Testifying to a Senate committee, Rick Day said the agency will analyze the effectiveness […]
A full plate for Congress
Back at work after spending August hearing from constituents in so-called town hall meetings, Congress returned to Washington to find it has much to do. Health care issues, with several bills — each more than 1,000 pages long — will hold the primary focus. However, other issues need action. As of the day after Labor […]
Ex-FBI agent nominated to head TSA
On the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, President Obama announced his intention to nominate a former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent with airport police security experience to be the new head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a moved met with pledges of cooperation from general aviation interests. Erroll Southers currently serves […]
Are controllers dead tired?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Controller fatigue and on-the-job training are growing problems for air traffic control, according to a report recently issued by the Assistant Inspector General at the Department of Transportation. The FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association have been at odds for several years since the two have been unable to get […]