The FAA has awarded Crown Consulting a five-year $12.5 million contract to assist the agency’s Aviation Fuel and Engine Test Facility (AFETF) at the William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center in performing research, test, and engineering analysis to develop standards and aid in selecting unleaded gasoline for general aviation. The company “will play a critical part in the scientific […]
FAA
New report criticizes NextGen rollout
The FAA’s efforts to modernize the air traffic control system — known as NextGen — has had such a bumpy rollout that costs associated with some of the core technology outweigh potential benefits, according to a report by the Transportation Department’s Inspector General. A story in the Wall Street Journal says the IG’s report “raises new […]
AOPA lobbies for more flexibility when it comes to hangars
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is pressing the FAA to offer pilots and aircraft owners more flexibility when it comes to the use of hangars at airports that have received federal funding. In formal comments filed Sept. 18, AOPA urges the FAA to expand its definition of “aeronautical use” and to give the […]
Changes coming to North Texas airspace this week
The FAA is readying the launch of its second NextGen-related airspace revision project of the year, with significant changes to arrival and departure procedures over the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, metropolitan area scheduled to go into effect Thursday, Sept. 18. The North Texas Metroplex project will replace most standard terminal arrival route (STAR) and standard instrument […]
Four alternative fuels to undergo testing
WASHINGTON, D.C – The FAA has selected four unleaded fuels for the first phase of testing at the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center. The goal is for government and industry to work together to have a new unleaded fuel that reduces lead emissions for general aviation by 2018. Shell and TOTAL, with one fuel […]
Latest issue of FAA Safety Briefing online
The September/October 2014 issue of FAA Safety Briefing focuses on the world of student pilots and airmen-in-training. A continuation to the magazine’s last student pilot-themed edition in 2012, this issue explores additional tips and resources to help provide a successful path to initial pilot certification, as well as provide a refresher to those more experienced aviators, FAA […]
FAA grants more time to comment on hangar-use policy
The FAA will allow an additional 30 days to comment on its proposed hangar-use policy under an extension granted Tuesday following multiple requests from the GA community. The Experimental Aircraft Association submitted a request early last week for a 60-day extension to the comment period based on the intense interest the policy had generated in […]
Lawmakers lobby to expedite medical reform
Lawmakers are asking the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the administration to expedite a review of the FAA’s proposed rulemaking on third-class medical reform. In two separate letters, Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Reps. Todd Rokita (R-Indiana) and Sam Graves (R-Missouri) wrote to DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, urging his department to complete its review of […]
Congress shows support for federal contract towers
Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate recently sent letters to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta reiterating congressional support for the preservation of 252 federal contract towers. Fifty-five senators signed a July 31 letter imploring Huerta to consider “all perspectives” in what appears to be an effort to streamline tower operations as the agency […]