The FAA’s NextGen Implementation Plan is now available. The 100-page report chronicles the accomplishments of NextGen in 2011 and outlines plans for the current year and moving forward. During 2011, the FAA improved airport access for general aviation by continuing to publish Wide Area Augmentation System Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance approaches, bringing the total […]
FAA
By demand: More on WAAS
By JEFFREY BOCCACCIO. This is the eighth in a series of articles looking at the impact of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) on GA pilots. First I would like to thank all the readers who have responded to the NextGen series. Feedback is always beneficial in providing a clearer understanding of each article’s […]
General aviation pilot input needed for survey
Researchers at the University of Michigan are surveying general aviation pilots on their experience with modern Primary Flight Displays (PFDs). The survey is conducted as part of an FAA-funded project that focuses on the evaluation and certification of modern flight deck displays, according to Principal Investigator Dr. Nadine Sarter, University of Michigan, Department of Industrial […]
Could NextGen ground GA?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — When good developments are made, most people are delighted and few consider the secondary effects. These, however, are often significant. Take the unintended consequences of NextGen. It has been said a secondary effect of the development of the cheap transistor radio was important in bringing turmoil in the Middle East. Prior to […]
Helicopter operations added to FAASafety options
For those who subscribe to FAA Safety Team continuing education content at FAASafety.gov, helicopter specific information is now an email notification option. From their news release, “We are beginning to realize that we need the ability to send pertinent information to helicopter operators who fly low-altitude operations. Included in this group are EMS operations, helicopters […]
A banner year for general aviation
This has actually been a banner year for general aviation, according to U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), who hosted a Town Hall Meeting Saturday morning on the Sun ’n Fun campus. “We got a lot done in the FAA reauthorization,” he reported. Among the victories were amendments that protect Through The Fence agreements — “I think […]
Master Pilots honored at Sun ’n Fun
On Friday, March 30, a distinguished group of aviators received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award during a ceremony at the FAA Production Studios on the Sun ’n Fun campus at Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport (LAL). The seven recipients, plus their friends and family, packed the room, as FAASTeam Program Manager Jim Minardy hosted the festivities and […]
Huerta nominated to be FAA Administrator
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Michael Huerta, current acting administrator of the FAA, has been nominated by the President to be administrator, tasked with the priority of moving the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) along.He was hired for the assistant’s position primarily because of his experience and expectations to move along the struggling NextGen program. President […]
FAA certifies GE Aviation’s H80 engine
The FAA has approved type certification for GE Aviation’s H80 turboprop engine. FAA engine certification follows similar certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) that the engine received in December. “The U.S. FAA type certification on the H80 engine paves the way for entry into service on the Thrush 510G agricultural aircraft,” said Paul […]