WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA and its largest union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, AFL-CIO (NATCA), have reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) covering the air traffic control specialists assigned to the terminal and en route options, traffic management coordinators/specialists, air traffic controllers assigned to the flight service option, and […]
FAA
FAA releases drone registration location data
The FAA has posted a large database showing the city, state and zip code of each registered drone owner. Release of the database responds to a number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted since the new unmanned aircraft registration system began operating on Dec. 21, 2015, according to FAA officials. The FAA is not […]
Back to the drawing board in Salem
If you doubt one person can make a difference, doubt no more. Salem, Oregon pilot Chuck West watched as Salem’s NcNary Field (KSLE) airspace was re-drawn, and re-drawn again. There was a problem. Portions of the instrument approaches were no longer protected and that violated FAA Order 8260.26F. Chuck found that a pilot flying inbound from […]
FAA tests FBI Drone Detection System at JFK
The FAA is expanding research on ways to detect “rogue” drones around airports. The FAA is collaborating with its government, industry and academia partners to evaluate drone detection technology at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. Over the last two years, the FAA has received numerous reports from pilots and residents about unmanned aircraft […]
Kings Schools VP wins GA award
Richard Martindell, VP of Course Content and Experience at King Schools, has been named FAA 2016 Safety Team Representative of the Year. Every year for more than 50 years, the General Aviation Awards program and the FAA have recognized aviation professionals for their contributions to general aviation in the fields of flight instruction, aviation maintenance/avionics, […]
FAA expands Drone Detection Pathfinder Initiative
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA is expanding the part of its Pathfinder Program that focuses on detecting and identifying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) flying too close to airports. The FAA has signed Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRDAs) with Gryphon Sensors, Liteye Systems, and Sensofusion. The FAA will evaluate procedures and technologies designed by these […]
Latest issue of FAA Safety Briefing released
Just published online is the May/June 2016 issue of FAA Safety Briefing, which focuses on the rapidly changing world of technology and the role it plays in GA safety. Articles cover everything from unmanned aircraft to commercial space operations, to how the FAA helps champion the power of technology in making flying safer and more […]
NASA tests UAS traffic management platform
The largest test yet of NASA‘s Unmanned Aircraft Systems traffic management (UTM) research platform was held April 19 at six FAA UAS test sites. The test included up to 24 unmanned aircraft, commonly called drones, that were remotely flown simultaneously around the country. In Texas, at Port Mansfield, about two hours south of Corpus Christi, four […]
Fly safe: How much can I haul, how far can I go?
The latest in a series of articles by the FAA on preventing loss of control accidents deals with best practices to calculate and predict aircraft performance and on operating within established aircraft limitations. What is Loss of Control? A Loss of Control (LOC) accident involves an unintended departure of an aircraft from controlled flight. LOC can […]