Testifying before the House aviation subcommittee on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), FAA associate administrator for aviation safety Nick Sabatini called UAVs “the next great step forward in the evolution of aviation.” But he warned they must have numerous redundancies in case of loss of link and system failures.
Regulations and Government » Government
News about governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace.
September 19, 2006 - 1:19pm
Raytheon Aircraft last expected to receive full FAA certification of the super-midsize Hawker 4000 Horizon in February, nearly five years later than the originally estimated date of spring 2001. The FAA granted the aircraft provisional certification on Dec. 23, 2004. But February came and went without full, final certification.
September 19, 2006 - 10:32am
With rare unanimity, aviation experts have agreed over the past few years on one thing: traffic will at least double, and perhaps even triple, by 2025. There has also been clear consensus that, at least in the U.S. and Europe, the current aviation infrastructure won’t be able to accommodate that level of demand, which would lead to daily gridlock at major centers.
September 19, 2006 - 4:37am
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched an investigation into the accounting of certain maintenance costs by St. George, Utah-based SkyWest. Revealed in the company’s latest quarterly financial statement, released May 10, the probe relates to an accounting method change SkyWest instituted for certain engine overhaul expenses starting Jan. 1, 2002.
September 18, 2006 - 11:28am
If it’s “off the shelf” it’s off the list. That’s the policy some completion and refurbishment centers have adopted recently as the cost and time required for FAA approval of commercial off-the-shelf (cots) cabin items has spiraled beyond reason.
September 18, 2006 - 10:22am
As debate over FAA financing continues to roil, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an analysis of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund in which it found one scenario showing the fund would reach a zero balance by the end of Fiscal Year 2007.
September 18, 2006 - 10:12am
If Transport Canada decides to accept a recommendation from that country’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB), Canadian-registered Cessna Caravans would be prohibited from operating in moderate or severe icing. In March, the FAA adopted such a rule for all U.S.-registered Caravans. The TSB’s recommendation results from its investigation and study of several ice-related Caravan accidents in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere.
September 18, 2006 - 8:26am
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) and the FAA walked away from the bargaining table on April 5, with the agency declaring an impasse and sending the dispute to Congress. A couple of weeks later NATCA’s well oiled publicity machine cranked out a release announcing, “NATCA accepts FAA’s public offer to return to bargaining table,” but an FAA spokesman said that the union was “grasping at straws.”
September 18, 2006 - 8:10am
Roy Horridge, owner of grounded Houston-based Air Ambulance by B&C Flight Management, and William Sexton, a former mechanic and officer with the firm, were indicted last month for aircraft parts fraud and bank fraud.
September 18, 2006 - 8:06am
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has passed a bill that would raise the age limit for airline pilots to 65 when the pilot is serving as a required pilot on a multicrew aircraft and the other pilot is younger than 60 years of age. The measure has been placed on the legislative calendar for a vote by the full Senate.
