WASHINGTON, D.C. — At a time when laser beams aimed at aircraft are coming under scrutiny with Congress and others seeking methods to counter the potential danger, the military is testing a dual-based laser program to aim at aircraft that might penetrate the no-fly zone around the nation’s capital. This was revealed at a hearing […]
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Better weather on the horizon, thanks for NASA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thanks to NASA and a regional airline, pilots soon will have better weather information. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has teamed with Mesaba Airlines to equip dozens of Mesaba aircraft with the Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Report (TAMDAR) instrument. According to NASA, the TAMDAR sensor allows aircraft flying below 25,000 feet […]
FAA moves to continue limiting flights at O’Hare
Washington, D.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration plans to extend its temporary order limiting the number of flights at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Officials soon will issue a notice of proposed rule making to set a specific length of time these limits will be in place. The present order expires April 30, unless extended. So what […]
Wailing and gnashing of teeth over 2006 federal budget begins
WASHINGTON, D.C. — That loud explosion you heard earlier this month from here wasn’t a terrorist attack — it was reaction to the Fiscal Year 2006 budget submitted to Congress by President Bush. Howls from general aviation interests were loud, but only a small blip in the sound level generated by the politicians and lobbyists […]
Lasers: A serious issues that’s nothing new
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The news of pointing lasers at aircraft in recent weeks has focused primarily on scheduled airline incidents, but with general aviation aircraft outnumbering commercial planes more than 25 to 1, the danger to individual flights is obvious. Laser pointing at aircraft is not new. It began about 1990 in the Los Angeles […]
Too many rules
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Do you ever get the feeling that there is an increasing number of rules and regulations for flying? I do, because here in Washington I am constantly exposed to what the FAA, Congress, NTSB, Homeland Security, and other agencies and departments are doing. I did some cursory research to see just how […]
Significant changes in the works for the future of aviation
WASHINGTON, D.C. — When Congress passed the Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act in December 2003, it called for the development of an integrated plan to “”ensure that the next generation air transportation system meets air transportation safety, security, mobility, efficiency, and capacity needs beyond those currently included in the FAA’s Operational Evolution Plan.”” Norman Mineta, […]
Where do most accidents happen?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Insurance companies say they pay more for ground-based accident claims than for any other area of aviation. That’s why the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is undertaking a program to cut accidents on the ground in half within five years. This initiative was just one of the subjects discussed by NATA President […]
He’s making a list… checking it twice
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Santa always has a special bag of goodies that he brings to the busy aviation folk here in the nation’s capital. Information about the contents of this year’s bag, like every other secret in this city, was leaked to the press. Fortunately, Santa considers General Aviation News a top news source, so […]