WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA is entering its midterm implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and, while advances have been made, there remain many issues and challenges. That is pointed out in a new report put together by the Government Accountability Office at the request of leaders of the House Committee on […]
FAA
FAA changes Special Issurance medical certification
A major change has been made to the medical certification process for several common diagnoses that previously required a special issuance and a review process by the FAA prior to issuing a medical certificate. According to a report at EAA.org, under the new policy applicants with arthritis, asthma, glaucoma, chronic hepatitis C, hypertension, hypothyroidism, migraine […]
Aviation groups urge White House to exempt controllers from furloughs
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the FAA begins furloughing air traffic controllers, 11 aviation organizations have asked the White House to assure the FAA it will have enough money to prevent further furloughing of controllers. In a letter to Denis McDonough, White House Chief of Staff, the aviation leaders said without action, it will be challenging […]
Pilots file suit to stop controller furloughs
Pilots and an airline group have filed a lawsuit to stop the federal government from cutting work hours for air traffic controllers, saying the furloughs will lead to travel delays of up to an hour across the country. A report in the Los Angeles Times notes that the lawsuit asks the U.S. Court of Appeals […]
Senate committee questions tower closings
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan group of 30 senators have sponsored a bill to prevent the FAA from closing any air traffic control tower in fiscal years 2013 or 2014, while the chairman of the Senate committee concerned with aviation warns all the progress made by the FAA is at risk because of sequestration. Senators […]
Congressional leaders express safety concerns about tower closings
Washington, D.C. – Leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation sent a bipartisan letter today to the head of the Department of Transportation and the FAA expressing disappointment with the FAA’s “unprecedented decision” to close 149 air traffic control contract towers to meet the […]
Sequestration’s silver lining
The news last week that the FAA will delay closing 149 contract control towers should come as a bit of a relief to the folks at SUN ’n FUN, since Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport was among the first slated to close. That meant SUN ’n FUN had to come up with the money to pay controllers […]
FAA delay tower closures
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FAA will delay the closures of all 149 federal contract air traffic control towers until June 15. Last month, the FAA announced it would eliminate funding for these towers as part of the agency’s required $637 million budget cuts under sequestration. This additional time will allow the agency to attempt to […]
Do we need this control tower?
There is a lot of chatter about the pending tower closures. Yet I don’t hear anyone asking, “Do we need this control tower?” Immediately after the FAA released its tower closure list, the newly elected Congressman from my district, Denny Heck, issued a press release regarding Olympia Regional (OLM) and Tacoma Narrows (TIW) airports: “This […]