A retired major general with 35 years experience in the intelligence community has been nominated by President Obama to head the Transportation Security Administration. He is Gen. Robert Harding, who retired in 2001 and, in 2003, founded Harding Security Associates, a company of more than 400 professionals providing security solutions to U.S. government agencies. At […]
House committee approves NTSB reauthorization
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has approved reauthorization of the National Transportation Safety Board, increasing funding each year over the next four, the reauthorization period. The bill now goes to the full House for approval. Funding starts at $117.4 million in fiscal year 2011 and increases to $124.2 million in 2014. These levels […]
GA to lose strong supporter in Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Vern Ehlers, Republican Congressman from Michigan’s third district and a strong supporter of general aviation, will not run for reelection this fall. He has served 16 years in the House of Representatives and often been in the forefront of supporting general aviation. Ehlers has expressed openly in Congressional hearings that he had […]
Austin crash stirs up GA’s critics
WASHINGTON, D.C. — After several years of making forward steps in building public and government support for general aviation, a single act by a disturbed individual saw the industry lose some ground and, again, bring the alphabet groups into an all-hands-on-deck mode of damage control. The individual who deliberately crashed his Piper Cherokee into the […]
Airplane shipments down worldwide in 2009
Aircraft shipments and billings were down in 2009 from the year before and, for the first time, more than half the business jets went to customers outside of North America, with export billings accounting for more than half all aircraft sales. This was reported at the annual industry review held today by the General Aviation […]
Changes to Sport Pilot finalized
The FAA has announced changes to the Sport Pilot regulations, addressing issues the agency says have arisen since it first issued the rules for Light Sport Aircraft in 2004. The amendments, which become effective April 2, also will bring Sport Pilot ratings more in line with requirements for other ratings, according to FAA officials. The […]
Good works, good PR
General aviation proponents, national and local, are far more aggressive now than in the past seeking and getting favorable news reporting, giving many in the industry reason for optimism. Helping to get this more favorable reporting is the dedicated work of general aviation interests in rushing aid to Haiti for earthquake relief. General aviation is […]
User fee decision only a breather
General aviation groups and many members of Congress gleefully commented on President Obama’s decision to not ask for general aviation fees in the 2011 budget, but all agree there is a need to keep their guards up to prevent the charges from being called for again in coming years. The Air Transport Association, which represents […]
Aviation security remains in the spotlight
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Confusion, confessions, and condemnation marked hearings by two Senate committees on the same day over aviation security and the Transportation Security Administration. Erroll Southers’ withdrawal of his name to be administrator of the TSA added to the uncertainty of government actions following the embarrassing failure to recognize and stop the terrorist boarding […]