The January/February 2012 issue of FAA Safety Briefing is now available online. The issue includes reviews of resources available to budding general aviation pilots, aids to improve a more seasoned pilots aeronautical knowledge, how to leverage information from the myriad aviation regulations and handbooks, tips to prepare for an upcoming checkride and finding the right […]
FAA
Lesson learned
“Albert” was 25 and cocky back in 1975 when he got his license. Well, perhaps he was a tad nervous on his check ride, but thankfully he did well and would never have to do that again. Albert thought life was good. He and his Cessna 140 were temporary based at a sleepy, little airport […]
Who will be the next FAA administrator?
Who will be the next head of the FAA? The Politico reports that acting administrator Michael Huerta will probably fill the post until after the election, quoting Illinois Congressman Jerry Costello, the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure’s aviation subcommittee: “I doubt that the Senate will approve any of President Obama’s nominees next year, […]
Stedman named NW Mountain Regional instructor of the year
Englewood, Colorado — Bob Stedman, president of Independence Aviation, has been named 2011 Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) of the Year for the Northwest Mountain Region by the General Aviation Awards Program. Stedman automatically becomes a candidate for National CFI of the Year, an honor bestowed in early 2012. The selection process begins with local FAA […]
Holiday gift-giving, Washington-style
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Reaching reliable sources of information here can often be confusing and frustrating. I sought to interview someone about the Christmas holidays and wanted to go directly to the source for gift giving. Knowing the problems of getting correct answers in Washington, I started checking sources around the nation. Everyone I talked to […]
Paper charts still needed, but AeroNav is wrong
Does anyone dispute the need for paper charts for pilots? I hope not. Likewise, there can be no doubt about the rapid rise of digital chart usage. More and more general aviation pilots (and airlines and flight departments for that matter) are adopting “appified” navigation via [insert app here] on Apple’s iPad and a few […]
Marinvent and Embry-Riddle expand R&D relationship
Marinvent Corp. and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University have expanded their long-standing relationship, and will now cooperate on the development, testing, and certification of new avionics concepts and technologies that will become part of the FAA’s NextGen system. “The lessons that I learned as a post-graduate student at Embry-Riddle have helped me build Marinvent into a world-class […]
FAA seminars discuss the aging pilot
A pair of FAA Safety seminars on the topic of the aging pilot will be held on November 2 (5:30 pm at the Spokane Falls Community College, Building 24, Room 110, Spokane, Washington) and December 6 (5:30 pm at the Museum of Flight theater, on Boeing Field in Seattle). Following is the complete FAA Safety […]
‘Congress must now act responsibly’
By Ben Sclair The U.S. Senate passed legislation today (Thursday, September 15) that extends funding for the FAA four months and avoids a second partial FAA shutdown. The following quote on the topic blows me away. “It is a positive step for the country that the Congress has passed this historic combination of extensions, which […]

