WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta have called for a task force to develop recommendations for a registration process for Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), also known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or drones. The task force will be composed of 25 to 30 representatives from the RPA and manned aviation […]
FAA
FAA expands RPA Pathfinder efforts
The FAA has entered into a Pathfinder agreement with CACI International to evaluate how the company’s technology can help detect Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in the vicinity of airports. In testimony recently given before the House Aviation Subcommittee, FAA Deputy Administrator Mike Whitaker said that flying an unmanned aircraft near a busy airfield poses an unacceptable […]
FAA administrator signals safety evolution
Speaking Oct. 6 at the Flight Safety Foundation’s Newsmaker Breakfast at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta announced the next step in the FAA’s continuing evolution of working with those it regulates: The new Compliance Philosophy. The Compliance Philosophy was developed to enhance the agency’s ability to find safety problems before they […]
FAA funding extension passes
Funding for the FAA will be extended through March 31, 2016, under legislation passed by the House and Senate just ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline. The “Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2015” was passed by the Senate on Sept. 29, just one day after the House passed the bill on a voice vote. […]
Lawmakers introduce bill to extend FAA funding
Leaders of two key committees of the House of Representatives have introduced a bill to extend FAA funding through March 31, 2016. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pennsylvania), who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, introduced H.R. 3614 Sept. 25. The bill, which […]
Salem airspace do-over: Care to comment?
The FAA posted a notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) regarding Salem, Oregon’s McNary Field (KSLE) Class D and E airspace to the Federal Register on May 1, 2015. On Aug. 20, the proposed rule became final. No one noticed. This happens all too often. I’d hazard a guess that most of the time, it […]
FAA funds runway incursion mitigation projects
The FAA has provided $11 million in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds to eight airports that have risk factors for runway incursions, including several that serve general aviation. In June, the FAA unveiled the Runway Incursion Mitigation (RIM) program that will identify and mitigate risk factors that contribute to runway incursions, such as unclear taxiway markings, […]
Polls show voters overwhelmingly oppose privatizing ATC
By a nearly two-to-one margin, voters oppose privatizing the operations of the air traffic control system by taking it from the FAA and turning it over to a private non-profit entity, according to a new poll. A recent telephone survey conducted by Global Strategy Group of 801 registered voters nationwide between Aug. 8 and Aug. […]
FAA names new unmanned aircraft executives
The FAA has selected Marke “Hoot” Gibson and Earl Lawrence for two executive-level positions that will guide the agency’s approach to integration of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) — also known as drones and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) — into U.S. airspace. Gibson will become the Senior Advisor on UAS Integration, a position established to focus […]