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. Carolyn Lerner, the attorney who drafted the report, said […]
FAA
FAA seeking comments on new flight blocking proposal
The FAA is accepting comments until June 8 on its latest proposal to allow pilots to block their flight information from public view. Last June, the FAA announced it was ending the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program, which would make all flight information available to the public, unless a pilot could prove a “certified […]
General Aviation Airports Study released
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 […]
Teaching and Testing CFIT Avoidance seminar created
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 latest seminar was prepared by SAFE members and Master Instructors Bill Castlen, Hobie Tomlinson, and Doug Stewart. Tomlinson is also the 2012 National […]
FAA revises flight blocking rules
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.
Much ado about nothing
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 […]
DWI charge against former FAA administrator dismissed
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 […]
Making safer general aviation pilots
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 […]
FAA forecast for LSAs improbable
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 […]