WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA has the highest per employee whistleblower count in government. This startling statistic was sent to the President and Congress in a letter from the Office of Special Counsel, the agency responsible for protecting government employees who report problems where they work.
The FAA is accepting comments until June 8 on its latest proposal to allow pilots to block their flight information from public view.
The FAA has released a study called “General Aviation Airports: A National Asset.” The 18-month study was conducted “to capture the many diverse functions of general aviation (GA) airports,” FAA officials said, in the hopes that the “general public will have a better understanding of GA airports in the community and within the national air transportation system.”
The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) recently delivered the eighth in its series of “Seminar-in-a-Box” products for use by the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam), “Teaching and Testing CFIT Avoidance.”
The FAA has published new procedures that would give aircraft owners broader control over their flight information’s disclosure, according to a report at AOPA.org. The agency will accept comments on its notice of proposed process until June 8.
LeRoy Brown should hate me, but he doesn’t. He should at least be mad at me, but he isn’t — and for that I’m eternally grateful.
You see, I met LeRoy in the worst of circumstances for an editor. We had published a story from a freelancer that told of the long-ago exploits of a pilot and his B-17. Great story — problem was the guy who told it was the wrong guy. He was giving himself credit for things LeRoy had done. So understandably, LeRoy was upset when he called our offices.
We were able to smooth things over a bit — but it still galls LeRoy to this day that that man would lie so much — but remarkably, he has not only forgiven me, he has become my friend.
The Driving While Intoxicated case that led to Randy Babbitt’s abrupt resignation as the FAA’s leader has been dismissed, according to a report at AOPA.org. Babbitt told reporters he bears no ill will against the police officer who arrested him for driving while intoxicated in December, after a Fairfax, Va., judge ruled May 10 that the traffic stop was made on a “mere hunch,” and without just cause.
Many years ago when I took my Commercial checkride, the Designated Pilot Examiner told me that a pilot’s commitment to safety ebbs and flows. We are at our safest right after a checkride. As we gain experience, our vigilance can diminish, replaced by a new-found confidence that can lead to complacency.
Over the years efforts to keep pilots at that just-back-from-the-checkride level of safety has led to the creation of FAA-sponsored safety programs. The most recent incarnation is the FAASTeam, the name derived from FAASafety Team.
The FAA recently issued its 20-year forecast for aviation, showing growth prospects for business jets and LSAs. It also forecasts a decline in the total number of piston-powered aircraft. Viewed from a distance, this might seem beneficial to LSA producers and sellers. Reasonably, FAA’s report appears to suggest recreational pilots will enjoy more hours aloft in a growing fleet of LSA.
Against a backdrop of what seems to be continuously increasing prices for avgas — some believe 100LL might even disappear — the fuel efficiency of LSAs becomes more important. For example, Rotax just launched its 912 iS fuel-injected engine boasting a 21% reduction in fuel consumption, taking the popular engine from burning about five gallons per hour to a theoretical four gallons in an hour of flying. Should we LSA enthusiasts celebrate these facts?
Regretfully, I find FAA’s forecast improbable (see details below). Continue Reading »
The May/June 2012 issue of FAA Safety Briefing is now available online. The issue focuses on extreme weather. Articles provide tips on how to detect, prepare for, and avoid some of the more extreme varieties of weather conditions you may encounter in your region of the country. The issue also highlights several weather-related tools and resources for improving general aviation safety.
The General Aviation Airport Coalition has initiated a petition on the White House website that, if signed by 25,000 people or more by May 16, 2012, will elicit...
Air Racers 3D, the first IMAX movie devoted to the Reno Air Races, is rolling out across the country at select IMAX theaters, including the Naval Aviation Mus...
Really? Are there only 3,035 general aviators out there who are against paying a $100 per flight user fee? Click here to sign the petition. If you’re not a...
This May 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn fro...
This May 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn fro...
