Missouri senator Claire McCaskill (Democrat) hit the nail on the head when she wrote to the FAA about easing rules on the use of portable electronic devices (PEDs) in aircraft. Her letter seeks to have the FAA reconsider restrictions on PEDs, citing as one example the fact that many airline pilots are now using switched-on iPads during taxi, takeoff and landing without any problems.
Regulations and Government » Regulations
News about bills, laws and regulations affecting aviation and aerospace.
July 2, 2012 - 4:35pm
Jonathon Vondracek, a commercial pilot and CFI, pled guilty on June 12 in U.S. District Court, Tampa, Fla., to falsifying his FAA airman medical application.
July 2, 2012 - 3:00am
Airbus could withdraw its commitment to increase A330 production to 11 aircraft per month in 2014 if there is no change to the European Union emissions trading scheme (EU-ETS), according to Tom Williams, executive vice-president of Airbus programs.
May 28, 2012 - 4:00pm
The FAA opened a number of Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL) documents for comments from the public last week. The aircraft included are the Pilatus PC-12, Boeing 777 and Airbus A330.
May 28, 2012 - 10:45am
The FAA asked a federal appeals court in the U.S. to temporarily suspend a lawsuit challenging the exclusion of all-cargo airlines from its new pilot duty rule so that it can correct “newly discovered errors” in the administrative record supporting the regulation.
May 21, 2012 - 4:15pm
The Federal Register this week published corrections to the final rule on flight-crew rest and duty times. Clarifications include that flight-crew members may not accept a trip that forces them to exceed 100 flight hours in any 672-consecutive-hour period, nor more than 1,000 hours in a given 365-day period.
May 14, 2012 - 4:35pm
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) last week released its investigation report (A09Q0203) and recommendations derived from the December 2009 crash of a charter Beech King Air A100 while on approach to Quebec’s Chicoutimi/St-Honoré Aerodrome (CYRC).
April 23, 2012 - 6:52pm
It took a pilot to make one of the first moves in Congress to create one level of safety as part of a 2011 proposal to upgrade Part 121 crew-rest requirements.
April 23, 2012 - 6:49pm
The FAA is seeking comments on its proposal to upgrade Part 121 pilot certification experience requirements. The new standards would require airline first officers to hold an ATP certificate with a type rating, and airline captain applicants to have at least 1,000 hours of flight time in air carrier operations.
April 23, 2012 - 10:00am
The campaign to include cargo airline pilots in the U.S. under the FAA’s new flight crew member duty and rest rule gained support in Congress with the introduction of legislation on April 16 that would require the Department of Transportation (DOT) to apply the rule “in t
