Here is our Website's Shelf Space - Page 3

A Vast Amount of Data on this Page

Important Safety Messages can be found here!  Featured and Important Stories from SCAUWG.ORG that remain valuable sources of pertinent content can now be accessed here!

Our INFO Warehouse is designed to be a living reference area where certain previously published HOTNEWS articles and previously published aviation data can be memorialized and referred to, so that the message conveyed can continue to benefit site users.

Do you have comments/suggestions/submissions/opposing positions for this page?  They are   welcomed.  Just drop a message for us at SCAUWG@Earthlink.net

Vectors for Safety - a wonderful source for Aviation News, Professional Commentary and Accident Analysis is published monthly by Gene Benson, and is now a permanent "Top of the Page" feature of our INFO WAREHOUSE.

To View the October '21 Vectors for Safety CLICK HERE

For Aerobatic fans: 2020 Contest Listings - The IAC 2020 contest season will begin in March, with the first contest in Arizona, the Estrella Cup (Glider only contest). Visit IAC.org/Contests for more information.

For U.S. Navy Blue Angeles Fans:  2021 Show Schedule
U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds Fans:   2021 & 2022 Schedule

Have COVID-19 questions?

Check out the FAA’s Coronavirus Information page for regulatory updates as well as helpful guidance/resources at https://www.faa.gov/coronavirus.

Historical Aircraft Owners Affected by COVID-19:

A link has been added to the State Board of Equalization’s website on the home page https://boe.ca.gov/  under the IMPORTANT banner area that links to the California Assessors’ Association’s letter regarding the historical aircraft exemption.   Refer to the screen shot below – the link is from “Historical Aircraft Owners Affected by COVID-19”.  Placing this information on our agency’s website will provide additional exposure beyond the California Assessors’ Association (CAA) website, and the CAA letter that was distributed electronically to each of the 58 California County Assessors from the President of the CAA. - Lisa Thompson, Chief, Taxpayers’ Rights Advocate Office, State Board of Equalization - https://www.boe.ca.gov/tra/  -  Use the following link to access the 2020-11-02 CAA Letter Regarding Historic Aircraft Exemption:  https://calassessor.org/index.php/component/edocman/2020-11-02-caa-letter-regarding-historic-aircraft-exemption?Itemid=0-This information was provided by SCAUWG member Captain John Ringel.

CHART CHANGE (STARTED FEB '21):

Following up on a SCAUWG MTG.  chart change discussion.  The Western Service Center Operations Support Group provided the attached “CHARTING NOTICE – 56-Day Visual Charts” from the FAA web site; https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/safety_alerts/

The notice states: "Like other FAA Supplement, Enroute and Terminal products, each new visual navigation chart title panel will indicate the applicable AIRAC effective date range and no longer include an edition number.”

As the IFR charts on 56-day publishing schedule do not have an edition number, the new 56-day visual charts will be identified in the same way using effective dates.

After the conclusion of this page,  Info Warehouse is continued on Page 4.

Let's Begin:

10/02/2021   Harnessing drones, geophysics and artificial intelligence to root out land mines - From PHYS.ORG "Mines and other unexploded ordinance are a worldwide menace; about 100 million devices are thought to be currently scattered across dozens of countries. Aside from putting both wartime and postwar areas off limits to travel, agriculture or anything else, they caused at least 5,500 recorded casualties in 2019..."  Read the Story Here.

10/01/2021   NASA VERTIPORT LOCATION TOOL - INFO - From Catalyst - "Sheth, who has been with the NASA Ames Research Center for 25 years, then gave a presentation on how the model works in more detail. He said the program began a year and a half ago to determine what locations in downtown Los Angeles would be best suited to accommodate vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles used in emissions-free jet and taxi service."  About a study in Florida / LA Read it Here.

10/01/2021   AOPA LIVE Webinar - UNLEADED FUEL - VIDEO - "The FAA’s July announcement that it has issued STCs for the use of the world’s first high-octane unleaded fuel was a milestone in general aviation’s move away from leaded fuels. However, the announcement also left many unanswered questions. Join AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines in a conversation with George Braly from GAMI, which has created this new fuel, and with Muneeb Ahmed, Director of Trading and Logistics from Avfuel, which has been tasked with distributing the fuel. This hour-long live webinar will attempt to answer many of your questions, including how FBOs and airport managers can explore ways to get ready to use this fuel once it is more broadly approved."  See it Here.

10/01/2021   FAA, NASA Finish Air Traffic Management Software Testing - NEWS - AVweb - "The FAA and NASA have wrapped up research and testing on software designed to minimize taxi delays and ease ramp congestion along with saving fuel and reducing carbon emissions. The new NASA-developed software capability, which is designed to calculate gate pushbacks to allow aircraft to “roll directly to the runway and to take off,” will be part of the FAA’s Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) program. The agency initially plans to roll the TFDM program out to 27 hub airports beginning with Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) next year." More Here.

10/01/2021   NOTAM Modernization - UPDATE INFO - FAA - "In 2019, the FAA embarked on a cross-agency effort called the NOTAM Modernization initiative to make needed improvements to the NOTAM system that the aviation community uses every day for safety-critical flight information. A NOTAM is a notice containing information essential to personnel concerned with flight operations but not known far enough in advance to be publicized by other means (such as by aeronautical charts, publications, or databases)."  Learn More Here.

09/30/2021  Preflighting Propellers - INFO - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "One way to tell if a pilot is serious about his responsibility to conduct a thorough preflight is if he (and it’s always a he) looks at a propeller, notes that it’s still attached and walks right by it to the other wing’s fuel drains. Even if it’s a relatively simple all-metal, one-piece, fixed-pitch affair, things can go wrong with..."   Continue Reading Here.

09/25/2021   FAA Safety Briefing Magazine - LINK - FAA - Airports and Airspace | September/October 2021 - The September/October 2021 issue of FAA Safety Briefing focuses on airports and airspace, which are integral parts of the National Airspace System’s (NAS) infrastructure. Articles in this issue explore the value of our nation’s vast array of public-use airports and their importance to the communities they serve. We also highlight some critical “rules of the sky,” explore nearly a century of evolution in the NAS, and review some best practices for communicating with air traffic control. Read the September/October Issue Here.

09/24/2021   Managing Fatigue - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "Circadian rhythm is the daily alteration in a person’s behavior and physiology controlled by an internal biological clock in the brain. Body temperature, melatonin levels, cognitive performance, alertness levels, and sleep patterns are all subject to our circadian rhythm. A circadian challenge refers to the difficulty of..."  Read More Here.

09/23/2021  Is VMC Fixed or Variable? - SAFETY INFO - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "For the most part, flying a multi-engine airplane is just like flying a single. Until an engine fails. When transitioning from a single to a conventional twin, pilots spend most of their training learning to handle engine failures and to eke out what little performance remains. In conventional twins we’re likely to fly, that means understanding the aerodynamics that require zero sideslip,.."  Continue Here.

09/23/2021   AOPA RELEASES FINDINGS OF ANNUAL WEATHER SURVEY - "AOPA released the results of its annual survey of how pilots use aviation weather resources, noting new insights, trends, and some challenges in modernizing weather-information dissemination against a backdrop of rapidly evolving technology that is driving user behavior. - Continue HERE

Thanks to President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, the projects announced today will not have to pay the usual local match given the nearly $100 million provided in the law.

Award includes:  Sacramento International Airport, Sacramento, Calif.: $4.6 million to buy zero-emissions passenger shuttle buses and associated charging equipment.

09/19/2021   FUEL MANAGEMENT - COURSE - From AOPA - "There’s a lot to know about fuel management and preventing fuel exhaustion or starvation. Pilots have made forced landings with fuel still available because they did not understand the system or operate it properly. Of all the factors that lead to aircraft accidents, fuel is one of the easiest to address." Continue Here.

09/19/2021    Situational awareness - VIDEO - From AOPA - Watch this recorded AOPA Air Safety Institute webinar for insights on situational awareness, human factors, and more.

09/19/2021   Is ADS-B enough? - VIDEO - From ASI - You might request VFR flight following services for a variety of reasons, even if your on-board equipment displays traffic. Hear different air traffic controllers give their insights in this AOPA Air Safety Institute video.

09/18/2021   Watch Service Bulletins in 57 Seconds -  FAASTeam VIDEO  - HERE.

09/18/2021  Biden Administration Creates Broad Government Action to Meet New Ambitious SAF Goals - NEWS - From Aviation Today -"The aviation sector has dubbed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as a leading solution to curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions despite their lack of supply in the market. A new plan from President Joe Biden may change that.

The White House released broad new set of actions focused on increasing the domestic production and utilization of SAF with the goal of producing three billion gallons of SAF per year and reducing emissions by 20 percent by 2030 while also creating new union jobs. The actions will create a new Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, invest up to $4.3 billion in new and ongoing funding to support SAF, increase research and development opportunities to improve aircraft efficiency, improve aircraft traffic and airport efficiency, and work to strengthen U.S. leadership internationally and domestically." Continue Here.

09/18/2021  LAX upgrades would negatively impact local neighborhoods, Rep. Maxine Waters says: (From: Daily Breeze) "A plan to modernize Los Angeles International Airport with a new terminal, more gates and a host of other upgrades would negatively impact residents living in the area, a Southern California congresswoman says. - In a Sept. 14 letter to Los Angeles World Airports’ Board of Airport Commissioners, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, said the Airfield and Terminal Modernization Project would create more noise from increased landings and departures while also boosting harmful emissions and traffic congestion.“While I support efforts to enhance airfield and terminal safety and improve the passenger experience at LAX, I continue to oppose any attempt to expand the capacity of the airport,” Waters wrote. In a meeting following receipt of Waters’ letter, the board announced it would postpone voting on the project until its next meeting on Oct. 7.  Continue Here.

09/18/2021  Here is Arizona Aviation Safety Advisory Group's new safety video for Marana Regional Airport (KAVQ) !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTBHrJnpGeo

From YouTube:  Arizona Aviation Safety Advisory Group - From the Flight Deck video for Marana, Arizona is the first in a series of videos from the Arizona Aviation Safety Advisory Group (ASAG) produced to complement the FAA's From the Flight Deck videos.  ASAG's focus is to raise pilot's awareness of potential problems before they visit an unfamiliar non-towered airports or airspace in Arizona, and is not intended as a substitute for thorough preflight planning. Nor is it possible for us to cover all potential hazards a pilot might encounter during a flight.  We encourage all pilots to visit these web sites to compliment their normal flight preparation:
https://www.faa.gov/go/fromtheflightd...
https://www.asagaz.org
https://www.aftw.org
https://www.faasafety.gov

09/17/2021  The Go/No-Go Decision - SAFETY INSTRUCTIONAL - AVweb / Aviation Safety Magazine - "What’s missing from this summary is the number of flights that didn’t proceed as planned, those completed more or less on the same schedule envisioned days before takeoff, but perhaps not at the same altitude, over the same route or even under the same flight rules. And in fact, some flights began not so much with a firm “go” decision to depart and complete the flight, but with a shoulder-shrugging decision to take off and “see how it goes.” In other words..."  Read More Here.

09/17/2021  AOPA Weather Survey Shows Rising App Use - INFO UPDATE - AVweb - "The number of pilots using aviation apps for getting preflight weather information continues to rise while calls to Flight Service specialists decrease, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA) 2021 Weather Survey. The organization also found that less than one-third of survey respondents reported familiarity with FAA Advisory Circular 91-92 (PDF), which discusses...:  Continue Here.

09/13/2021   OIG Probes FAA’s Plans For Spacecraft And Aircraft Separation - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) is reviewing the FAA’s ability to keep spacecraft and aircraft from trading paint and the FAA says it’s welcoming the probe. The announcement came a week after the agency started an investigation into a course deviation involving Virgin Galactic’s first passenger flight carrying its founder, Sir Richard Branson." Continue Here

09/12/2021  AGE 18-24 Aerospace Worker Candidate? A paid apprenticeship - Must reside in Los Angeles County Supervisory District 4. - South Bay Workforce Investment Board, To Enroll Contact via Phone: (310) 970-7700 - via Email: info@sbwib.org

09/12/2021  Iridium Certus Aircraft Service Provider and Terminal Supplier Network Continues to Expand - PR INFO - "When Iridium first introduced Certus in 2016, its main aviation application appeared to be air transport category aircraft that already use the satellite operator's existing L-band network. While that does remain the largest overall addressable market size for Certus, Tim Last, the Vice President of Iridium's aviation division, told Avionics International that a wide variety of other aircraft types including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOLs) aircraft and drones could eventually be flying with Certus modems and antennas in the near future." More HERE.

09/12/2021   Chevron, Delta, and Google Team Up for Sustainable Aviation Fuel Project at LAX - ARTICLE - From Aviation Today - "SAF is created from renewable feedstocks and is said to reduce emissions by up to 80 percent when compared to fossil fuels. SAF has caught the attention of many in the aviation industry because of its “drop-in” characteristics that allow a blend of SAF and Jet A to be used with no aircraft modifications." Read the story HERE.

09/12/2021  From Shrimp Boats to Satellites - FAA - Whether using bonfires, shrimp boats, or high-tech satellites, the FAA’s mission has always focused on providing the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world. It’s an effort that requires a great deal of planning, coordination, and outside-the-box thinking to overcome challenges and maintain safety. Take a closer look at how far we’ve come with safety in the National Airspace System and where the future is headed in the article, “From Shrimp Boats to Satellites”: https://medium.com/faa/from-shrimp-boats-to-satellites-5ac78598ff26. To view our entire new issue on airports and airspace, go to https://medium.com/faa/ramping-up-f21b641ca543 or www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing.

09/11/2021  The day aviation stood still - VIDEO RETROSPECTIVE - From AOPA - "Despite the beautiful fall weather here in the Northeast, the skies the evening of September 11, 2001, were silent—nearly every civilian aircraft grounded."  See it HERE.

09/08/2021   Striking Behavior - ARTICLE - From Aviation Safety - "Tail strikes on takeoff and landing are associated with inadequate pilot proficiency and insufficient application of risk management principles."  Continue Here.

09/05/2021   New York/New Jersey Helicopter Traffic Draws Fresh Fire - NEWS UPDATE - From AINonline - "Civil helicopter traffic is under fresh attack in New York and New Jersey, with public officials there moving to shut down heliports and otherwise significantly reduce flight operations. - In New York, an attempt by the town of East Hampton on Long Island to block special VFR (SVFR) at East Hampton Airport (KHTO), a move directed at limiting helicopter traffic, has been blocked via a temporary restraining order issued July 30 by U.S. District Court Judge Gary R. Brown.  More Here.

09/05/2021   WINDSHEAR ALERT! - Four People And Dog Walk Away From Cirrus Jet Crash - ACCIDENT COVERAGE - From AVweb - "All four people and a dog aboard a Cirrus SF50 VisionJet walked away from what might be the first hull loss in an accident for the type at Capital Regional International Airport in Lansing, Michigan, on Aug. 24. The single-engine jet went through a fence..." Continue Here.  UPDATED: Control Issues Preceded Cirrus Vision Jet Crash: NTSB - Read it Here.

09/05/2021   Clear Up Control Confusion; FREE Course! - LEARN TO TURN - From Rich Stowell - Webmaster Note: I have been teaching these principles for years, and particularly since Rich Stowell so well illustrated the proof of concept in his perfect "Learn to Turn" video teaching moment. However, there are nevertheless pilots out there that deny the factual, and many, many more that were never taught correctly about the purpose of each flight control.  This I know from the experience of having presented the video to probably hundreds of seminar audiences.  Get the Details Here as Presented by SAFE.

09/05/2021   ATC Tapes Reveal Capabilities Of Mystery Drone - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "The Drive has posted ATC audio of a bizarre police chase in the skies over Tucson last February that, beyond the security and safety concerns, had all involved wondering just what they were witnessing. As we reported last May, the FBI was called in to investigate the mysterious encounter, which included an aerial tour of Davis Monthan Air Force base and ended when the drone shot up to 10,000 feet never to be seen again." Continue Here.

09/05/2021   Is There Room For Two Aviation Fuels? ARTICLE by Paul Bertorelli - AVweb - "So let’s review. As we reported in July, General Aviation Modifications Inc. has a limited STC approval for its G100 unleaded 100-octane fuel. Embry-Riddle has backed out of being a launch demonstration customer for that fuel due to cost, but GAMI and Avfuel, who will produce and distribute it, are confident they’ll find another taker." Read More Here.

09/05/2021   SESAR Trial Validates Virtual Air Traffic Management of Flights in Three European Countries - From March - ARTICLE - From Aviation Today "Air traffic controllers in Germany, Poland, and the U.K. recently validated the feasibility of the use of a virtual center to manage flights in the cross-border style that many Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) in the region see as the key to streamlining the current segmented structure present in Europe" Continue Here.

09/05/2021   North Atlantic Airspace OTS NIL Initiative Ends as NATS and IATA Study the Benefits - ARTICLE -  From Avionics International Aug/Sept '21 - "NATS, the air navigation service provider for the UK, has ended its initiative, OTS NIL, introduced in March to eliminate the Organized Track Structure (OTS) in the North Atlantic's oceanic airspace. Now, the company is working with airlines and NAV Canada on a long-term plan that could permanently eliminate the tracks while upholding the data link mandate and taking advantage of expanded surveillance from space-based ADS-B."  Continue Here.

09/04/2021  NASA, Joby work to advance eVTOL integration - PR & NEWS - From AOPA - "NASA began flight testing with Joby Aviation's all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft as part of the agency's Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign, in an effort to integrate air taxis into US airspace."  More Here.

09/01/2021  NOTAM modernization effort begins; AOPA leader expertise spotlighted - Listen to the Podcast Here - And, take a look at SCAUWG.ORG's Podcast Page for more good stuff to listen to!

09/01/2021   What’s Next for ADS-B in the US Air Traffic System? - From Avionics International - "An updated look at the latest ADS-B related challenges and opportunities that the FAA is working on with airlines." - Read this detailed piece Here.

09/01/2021   Collins Aerospace To Acquire FlightAware - NEWS - From AVweb - "Raytheon Technologies subsidiary Collins Aerospace has signed an agreement to acquire aviation data company FlightAware. FlightAware, which provides “global flight tracking solutions, predictive technology, analytics and decision-making tools,” will be joining Collins’ avionics strategic business unit as part of the company’s information management services portfolio. An expected closing date and the financial details of the agreement were not disclosed." More Here.

09/01/2021  RUNWAY SAFETY VIDEOS - here are some just released within the last couple of week, with more to come in the next few weeks: PSP, CCR, OAK, RNO, HND available now. - FAA Runway Safety anticipates by end of September: APC, DVT (updated), VGT, PRC - You can access these from our Runway Safety Page Under Airport Data or here’s the "From the Flight Deck" Portal: https://www.faa.gov/airports/runway_safety/videos/

08/29/2021   FAA UPDATES LIST OF COLD TEMPERATURE AIRPORTS, RENAMES PROGRAM - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "The FAA on August 12 released an updated list of cold temperature airports at which pilots must apply altitude corrections on certain segments of instrument approaches when outside air temperature drops below a published limitation. At the same time, the agency renamed the program from cold temperature restricted airports to cold temperature airports." Finish Reading Here.

08/28/2021  FAA Alerts Operators on Visual Approach Risks - SAFETY ARICLE - From AINonline - "The FAA is advising operators to remain aware of risks associated with visual approaches, noting that assessments have found such procedures a common contributing factor in incorrect airport surface approaches and landings as well as other excursion events." Read the Rest Here.

08/28/2021  VFR Separation - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "Pilots and controllers know that a pilot flying under IFR is provided positive separation from other IFR traffic. How much separation is provided to VFR aircraft?"  Read more.

08/28/2021   Space Force Stands Up STARCOM - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "The Department of the Air Force has officially activated its Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM), the third field command of the U.S. Space Force. Brig. Gen. Shawn Bratton, who has been leading the STARCOM planning team since February 2021, assumed command of STARCOM in a ceremony held at Colorado’s Peterson Space Force Base on Monday. Five STARCOM deltas, subordinate commands made up of squadrons focused on specific tactics, were also activated during the ceremony." Continue Here.

08/28/2021  Look Out: Above, Below, and Everywhere! - In the article “Splat: The Story of Snarge,” editor James Williams explores accidental meetings between aircraft and wildlife. According to experts, wildlife strikes cost $196 million per year in direct damage and over 110,000 hours of aircraft down time. And that’s not accounting for the fact that they can be fatal, especially for smaller GA aircraft.

One of the key challenges to mitigating wildlife strikes is getting good data. While the data has improved over the last two decades, it still has significant gaps. For more information about wildlife strikes and how you can help, check out the article here: https://medium.com/faa/splat-the-story-of-snarge-ed1c1853068. - To read the full issue, go to https://medium.com/faa/a-climate-for-change-8b0fa3fbb493 or www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing.

08/26/2021   What's Your Angle? - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "...Bernoulli’s basic understanding of low pressure above an airfoil is correct, but the math is wrong and his assumptions are faulty. He also doesn’t explain inverted flight. Meanwhile, Newton has a decent handle on using angle of attack to generate lift and his Third Law—every action..."  Continue Here.

08/26/2021   Google Now Owns The ‘Largest Residential Drone Delivery Service In The World’ - ARTICLE - From Forbes - "Google’s drone delivery service will complete 100,000 deliveries this weekend, the company says, and is growing fast: 500% last year, and more deliveries in the first quarter of 2021 than in all of 2020 combined."  Read More Here.

08/23/2021   Power loss on takeoff - VIDEO - From AOPA - When the engine quits at 200 feet, there's not much time to make decisions. Watch this AOPA Air Safety Institute Real Pilot Story to see what happened when a Piper Lance lost engine power on takeoff.

08/20/2021   Can Unleaded Avgas Blunt Efforts To Close Reid-Hillview Airport? - From AVweb - "Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose, California, is in the news with an announcement Monday that its based aircraft will now be “switching to unleaded fuel after years of demands.” That revelation, following some high-profile reporting on lead contamination around the airport over the past few months, is one piece in a complex quilt of news related to unleaded avgas." More Here.

08/20/2021  Drone detection system for GA pilots aims to be the Waze of the skies - From General Aviation News - "A new system that detects rogue drones has been successfully tested.

Drone Traffic and Mosaic ATM collaborated on the hazardous drone warning safety system that warns airborne pilots of nearby drones, as well as relays that information to the ground. Eventually, the developers would like this to become a Waze of the air, allowing pilots to share information on drones and “creating a new community of safety in the sky.”  More Here.

08/17/2021   Friend of SCAUWG.ORG Wayne sent this: "I'm sure some have wondered why a two-toned USA registered CH-46 has been seen recently in the news flying around Afghanistan.  Here's your answer." From The Aviationist - Explanation and Pictures Here,

08/16/2021   AINsight: Atrial Fibrillation in Pilots - ARTICLE - From AINonline - "The FAA recently issued new guidelines for the initial evaluations of pilots who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. These conditions involve irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia), either episodic or chronic. - Atrial fibrillation is not all that uncommon. It can run in families but doesn’t follow specific genetic patterns. A review of current literature shows that at least three to six million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, with higher rates noted in Europe."  Continue Reading Here.

08/16/2021   Taming the Twin - SAFETY VIDEO - From AOPA - "Multiengine airplanes offer better performance and safety. Those benefits, however, come with strings attached. In this AOPA Air Safety Institute video, we explore proactive steps pilots can take to ensure a safe multiengine flight."

08/16/2021  The ups and downs of the GA pilot - SAFETY VIDEO - From AOPA - ""Every pilot thinks he or she knows takeoffs and landings," said ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg. "But I challenge you to say the same thing after this. The fact is, many of us have been fooling ourselves, and this proves it. Developed using the massive 39,000-plus-record ASF Accident Database, "Ups and Downs" shows that fully half of all general aviation accidents occur in the takeoff and landing phases of flight. The research showed some disturbing facts about..."  See the VIDEO HERE.  Accompanying .pdf file.

08/16/2021  HURDLES REMAIN FOR GA PILOTS FLYING TO CANADA - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "The Canadian border reopening to vaccinated travelers might be news general aviation pilots have been eager to hear, but there are some hurdles to be aware of before crossing the border." lEARN WHAT YOU need to know HERE.

08/14/2021  NTSB Publishes Recommendations To Reduce Turbulence-Related Injuries - ARICLE - From AVweb - "The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is asking the FAA, National Weather Service and airline industry associations to take steps to reduce the number of turbulence-related injuries in Part 121 air carrier operations. Citing a recent safety research report that found that more than one-third of all Part 121 air carrier accidents in the U.S. involving a serious injury are caused by turbulence, the Board called on the organizations to focus specifically on improving turbulence-encounter reporting and turbulence forecasting." Read more Here.

08/14/2021  Ask the A&Ps: "Sticky valves, making metal, oversquare, oh my" 

08/14/2021  Oh Say Can You See with LEDs  - Across the board, both large and small airports are transitioning to light emitting diodes, or LEDs, to the point where LED-based lighting has largely replaced incandescent technology on runways and taxiways. The switch to LEDs has not only proven to be safe and effective, but testing and analysis has convincingly shown that in all weather conditions, a pilot will see and recognize LED lights before incandescents. Pilots are reportedly beaming over the improved clarity, resolution, and the ability to better distinguish colors on the airfield. Come see how LED lights affect a pilot’s visibility and perception, its compatibility with night vision goggles, and learn when LEDs will replace traditional bulbs in approach lighting systems when you take a look at the article “Changing the Light Bulbs, LED Technology is the New Beacon in Aviation Safety” at https://medium.com/faa/changing-the-light-bulbs-e316e9367a86. You’ll find more on ways to "fly green" through new technology in our environmentally-themed issue at www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing.

08/14/2021   FlySafe — How to Make the Best Use of Weather Information - Today’s pilots enjoy an abundance of weather information sources, but having weather information available is only part of the weather decision-making equation. Knowing how to acquire, interpret, and make operational decisions based on weather information is essential to safe flying. See our latest FlySafe fact sheet at https://bit.ly/3fFaORY to learn how to make better-informed weather decisions. Also check out our 57 Seconds to Safer Flying video on using weather information here, as well as a new video on predicting icing conditions.

08/12/2021  EFB Part 91 Best Practices - ARTICE - From NBAA / Business Aviation Insider - "While electronic flight bags (EFBs) can be helpful tools, when they are used in flight operations without thoughtful planning and consideration, they can lead pilots into dangerous situations.

EFB use in Part 91 operations is not expressly regulated by the FAA. “Unlike Part 135 and 121 operators and Part 91(K) fractional program managers, Part 91 operators are not required to submit a formal EFB program to the FAA for approval or acceptance,” noted Brian Koester, CAM, NBAA’s director of flight operations and regulations. “Instead, Part 91 operators have considerable leeway in using EFBs. However, it’s important to use EFBs and associated software in a safe manner.”  Continue Here.

08/12/2021  FAA To Hold Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Airspace Meeting - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will hold a virtual public information meeting on its proposal to modify the airspace over Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania. Under the proposed changes, existing flight paths would not change but the area where pilots are required to interact with FAA air traffic controllers would expand. The airspace change is to better manage the complexity and volume of aviation activities in the area.

08/12/2021  Victorville (VCV) Airport Reconfiguration - Notice Number: NOTC1992

• First 1999ft of Runway 17 has been removed.
• Taxiway E2 is now E1
• Taxiway E3 is now E2
• Taxiway E3 assignment removed
• Current airfield diagrams will not depict the changes until the next publication in October 2021.
  • Ground Control is making corrections, notifications of changes and verifying taxi instructions, but pilots still get confused because it appears that they are still just following their charts on taxi and not looking at the taxiway signs
• Taxiway signs have been changed to the current and correct taxiway configurations. (See link below)

https://www.faasafety.gov/files/notices/2021/Aug/VCV_spark_page.pdf

Pilots need to check the LTA that will be sent out which will include the revised diagram, receive the revised diagram in person from the FBO and, as always, thoroughly review the airport NOTAMS prior to operating at KVCV.

If you have any questions, please contact: Andrew Switzer - Air Traffic Manager, KVCV - Serco Inc. - T: 760.246.4085 - andrew.switzer@serco-na.com

08/12/2021   Where’s It Say That? - ARTICLE - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "Just as with any other complex endeavor that’s developed over time, aviation has many myths. That’s especially true when it comes to FAA regulations—the FARs. To be fair, there are a lot of regulations, and many of them are written for attorneys, not pilots. Especially for newer pilots or those who fly different aircraft in different operations, some of it can seem overwhelming and confusing. In other words, bad interpretations or outright falsehoods—either of which we’ll label as myths—can be created and persist."  Read More Here.

08/05/2021   Accident Probe: Scud Running At Night - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "From time to time, pilots are confronted with a set of circumstances posing a significant challenge to their ability to complete a mission. It might be a mechanical problem, but it most often involves uncooperative weather. The time-honored act of launching into poor weather to “take a look” sometimes works out, but the chances of it succeeding at night often can be expressed with single digits. Still, pilots try it. We don’t know how many succeed, but we do have a pretty good handle on how many don’t." Read it Here.

08/04/2021   The Rotorcraft Collective: Preflight Inspection - VIDEO - FAASTeam -Don’t let your helicopter preflight inspection become routine. Complacency can lead to accidents. In 2011, a fuel cap came off in the autorotation and contacted the tail rotor, causing a loss of tail rotor thrust (NTSB file: CEN11LA226). A final walk-around inspection could have prevented this accident from happening. Watch this video to learn best practices for your preflight inspections.  View it HERE.

08/04/2021   Engine Failure after Maintenance - VIDEO - FAASTeam - Broken or malfunctioning aircraft engine controls are a significant cause of engine failure. On your next preflight, take the extra time to look for the specific indicators shown in this video that could lead to a future engine failure. View it HERE.

08/03/2021   Inhofe Pledges Continued Fight Against Ligado Order - ARTICLE - From AINonline - "Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) is continuing his campaign to overturn a decision by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant access to Ligado to portions of the spectrum adjacent to those used by aviation and other GPS users, pledging to keep fighting the approval and touting reiterated opposition from the Department of Commerce. The FCC in April 2020 had granted approval..." Read the story Here.

08/03/2021   LODA Requirement To Last Four Years - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "FAA Administrator Steve Dickson says it will take about four years to rewrite regulations governing flight instruction in aircraft other than those in the standard category and until that’s done instructors will need extra paperwork." Continue Here.

08/03/2021   FAA Warns Pilots: Stay Alert During Autoland Approach - ARTICLE - From AINonline - "The FAA is stressing the importance of operators notifying air traffic control (ATC) when they conduct ILS autoland procedures, citing several instances when localizer signal interference caused deviations on landing." Refers to a recent SAFO 21004. Read the story Here.

07/31/2021   SAFO 21005, Risks Associated with Visual Approaches, is now published. - SAFETY - From FAA - See it Here.

07/31/2021   Closure Conundrums - ARTICLE - ATC EDUCTAIONAL - From AVweb - "Airport or runway closures can test the boundaries of good judgment and patience for both ATC and pilots. Oh, you do check the NOTAMs, don’t you?" Continue Here - Webmaster Note: Particularly timely in light of the upcoming runway closure at KOXR. (Aug -Nov 2021)

07/31/2021   Swift Fuels Expands Supply Of 94UL Unleaded Avgas In California - PR - From AVweb - "The big news from Swift is a big expansion of its reach into the state of California. According to Chris D’Acosta, CEO of Swift Fuels, Rabbit Aviation at San Carlos Airport (KSQL) in California was the first to sell UL94, back in June 2016. With the new outreach to the state, a total of 25 airports in northern California and 22 in southern California will now have 94UL available."  Continue Here.

07/30/2021   Fresh Out Of The Paint Shop - SAFETY - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "A few years ago, an engineer, friend and pilot shared a story about retrieving his Cessna 182RG from the paint shop. Before he took the plane out for a run-up and test flight, he asked his even more meticulous engineer-spouse do the preflight. When she did, she discovered something rather important. The bolts and nuts that connected the elevators..." Read it Here.

07/27/2021   Prepared, not proficient - ARTICLE - From AINonline - "People in aviation are quick to tout the industry’s safety record compared to other modes of transportation. But those same individuals will admit that aviation is uniquely unforgiving. Carelessness, incapacity, incompetence, ignorance, neglect, distraction, unchecked ego and human error can lead to catastrophic outcomes when an aircraft is in the mix." Continue Here.

07/27/2021   Drone Footage - Dust Cloud over Phoenix - VIDEO - Weather agency issues dust advisory for Phoenix, warns of low visibility and gusty winds. Video credit: Instagram @JoeGrana.  See it Here.

07/27/2021  Mexico Works To Restore Safety Rating - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "Mexico says it has signed an agreement with the FAA to get its safety rating back in order. Last May, the agency reduced Mexico to a Category 2 safety rating, putting it at the same level of Third World countries with sketchy safety records. In downgrading the country, the FAA stopped Mexican airlines from starting any new flights to the U.S. and it also ended code share agreements with U.S. airlines. Mexican airlines have hundreds of flights daily to the U.S." Read it Here.

07/24/2021   One Risk Over The Line - SAFETY -INSTRUCTIONAL - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "Even when a flight begins as a routine mission, it stays that way only until a new hazard appears and changes the equation." Discover How Here.

07/24/2021  Stall Series - SAFETY - INSTRUCTIONAL - From AVweb - "There are many ways to exceed a wing’s critical angle of attack. Periodically running through this series of the four main types of stalls can help you avoid them."  Good Stuff, Read it Here.

07/24/2021   How  to Become an Air Traffic Controller - "When people think of the FAA, one job in particular comes to mind: Air Traffic Controllers. But how exactly do you become one? From the application process, to training at the FAA Academy and certification, FAA experts will walk you through it in today’s episode. Listen to the episode on FAA.gov, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Google Podcasts! - More info on the SCAUWG.ORG Podcast Page (located under Commentary).

07/19/2021   FAA teams with Verizon to test cell phone connected drones - ARTICLE - From General Aviation News - "Skyward, a company owned by Verizon that develops software to operate drones with cell phones, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the FAA to test cellular-connected drones." Read the Story Here.

07/19/2021  AOPA Says FAA Prosecuting ‘Volunteer’ CFIs On Special Aircraft - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "AOPA is warning flight instructors they can’t provide instruction for free in limited, experimental and primary category aircraft without risking sanctions from the FAA. AOPA says the agency has gone after CFIs who have given instruction as volunteers, citing regs that say money doesn’t have to change hands for them to have received “compensation.” - Continue Here.

07/18/2021  Allergy Medications: Know Your Options - ARTICLE - From Mayo Clinic - Several types of medications are used to treat allergy symptoms. Here's more information. Read The Explanation Here.

07/18/2021  Task Load vs. Capabilities for Pilots - VIDEO - SAFETY INSTRUCTION - Gene Benson - "Pilots can increase their margin of safety by understanding the relationship between the requirements necessary to perform required tasks and their present capabilities to perform those tasks. Some ways to increase capabilities and reduce task load are discussed." See it Here.

07/17/2021  Amazon secures patent for delivery van-controlled drone technology - ARTICLE - From Freightwaves - "Vans could be equipped with drones that deliver packages. (Amazon) on Wednesday secured a patent for drone technology that can be paired directly with delivery vans. The system, if it comes to fruition, could enable Amazon to optimize its last-mile delivery services by outsourcing much of the work to its automated drones." Read More Here.  Disclaimer: Webmaster is an Amazon Investor.

07/17/2021  Tesla will most likely get involved in electric aircraft space, says Morgan Stanley - ARTICLE - From electrek - "Adam Jonas, a Morgan Stanley analyst and one of the most popular analysts covering Tesla, argues that the automaker will likely get involved in the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) space. - In a new note to clients, Jonas writes about Tesla potentially getting into urban air mobility and electric aircraft:

In our view, the chance that Tesla does not ultimately offer products and services to the eVTOL/UAM market is remote. The potential skills transferability and network adjacencies are too strong to ignore.  Read More Here.  Disclaimer: Webmaster is a Tesla Investor.

07/14/2021  New FAA Policy on Certain Flight Training Raises NBAA Concerns - From NBAA - "An FAA policy, which goes into effect July 12, provides clarification on flight training for compensation in aircraft that hold special airworthiness certificates, including limited, experimental and primary category aircraft, and NBAA is concerned it could impact other types of flight instruction." Read the concern Here.

07/14/2021  2021-2022 NBAA Top Safety Focus Areas -  SAFETY - From NBAA - "The NBAA Safety Committee has identified the association’s Top Safety Focus Areas for 2021-2022, highlighting a number of priorities in support of a greater commitment to business aviation safety standards. These safety priorities, grouped into three areas – Address Preventable Accidents, Engage Unique Operational Concerns, and Identify and Implement Mitigation Strategies – are intended to help promote safety-enhancing discussions and initiatives within flight departments and among owner-flown operations." Read the Safety Goals & Tips Here.

07/10/21  "With the 2021 U.S. thunderstorm and hurricane season now underway, and activity expected to be above normal for much of the country, the latest NBAA News Hour gathered experts to consider the best tools available to help pilots, dispatchers and schedulers prepare for the disruption caused by storm systems." "The primary tool recommended by the panelists...the Traffic Flow Management (TFM) Convective Forecast (TCF), provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NWS." "Operators should also appreciate that hurricane forecasts incorporate a cone of uncertainty, a track of the center of a storm that can have an error of around 35 to 40 miles..." “You should not look at a single deterministic track in a forecast,” “Over five days, that storm center can move a couple of hundred miles from the initial forecast.” View NBAA’s storm resources.

07/10/21  Embracing the Environment - Learn how we are advancing aviation in an environmentally-responsible and energy-efficient manner by considering noise, emissions, and other environmental issues in our latest issue of FAA Safety Briefing magazine. Articles in this issue also explore ways we can “fly green” through new technology and by following environmentally sustainable practices. To view the issue, go to https://medium.com/faa/a-climate-for-change-8b0fa3fbb493 or www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing.

07/10/21   FAA Activates System to Track Space Launch, Reentry Vehicles - FAA PR NEWS - WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can now track a space launch or reentry vehicle in near-real time as it travels through the National Airspace System. This new capability increases safety for all airspace users and assists the FAA in efficiently managing air traffic during space operations. 

The Space Data Integrator (SDI) prototype automates the delivery of vehicle-related telemetry data to the FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center. This vastly improves the FAA’s situational awareness of where the vehicle is as it travels to space or as it returns to the Earth. In addition to existing tools, the FAA also can use SDI to manage air traffic more efficiently as a space operation progresses and address contingencies in the event of an anomaly during a mission.

The SDI capability recently became operational and was first used with the June 30 SpaceX Transponder 2 launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It will next be used with the upcoming reentry of the SpaceX CRS-22 Dragon vehicle carrying cargo on its return trip from the International Space Station.

“This is a critical tool as the number of users of our already busy airspace increases,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. “With this capability, we will be able to safely reopen the airspace more quickly and reduce the number of aircraft and other airspace users affected by a launch or reentry.”

Currently, the FAA has to close airspace for extended periods of time when a launch or reentry vehicle travels through the National Airspace System. SDI will allow the FAA to more dynamically manage airspace and minimize the impact on other airspace users.

Telemetry data provided via SDI includes vehicle position, altitude, speed, and if it deviates from its expected flight path. It also displays tracking for the vehicle during its full flight and allows the FAA to monitor whether the vehicle is performing as planned. In addition, the SDI capability is able to display and share aircraft hazard areas that may potentially contain falling debris from a launch or reentry vehicle. 

Space operators share the telemetry data on a voluntary basis. SpaceX is the first company to participate and has provided data to the FAA since 2016 in the early stages of the SDI concept research and development. Other partners include Blue Origin, Firefly, and the Alaska Aerospace Corporation. 

The FAA also recently began using time-based procedures and dynamic windows as tools to more efficiently manage launch or reentry operations in the National Airspace System. Both offer great promise showing the FAA reduced the length of airspace closures from an average of more than four hours per launch to just more than two hours. As the SDI capability evolves, it will help the FAA reopen the airspace even more quickly.

In 2020, the FAA safely managed 45 space launches and reentries into the National Airspace System, the most in the agency’s history. For 2021, that number could exceed 70. - Check out our Space Operations in the NAS video and our Shared Data is a Game Changer for Space Operations blog to learn more.

07/10/21  Watch Training Video: Stabilized Approach and Landing in 57 Seconds - SAFETY VIDEO - FAA - See it Here. Fly Safe Printable Fact Sheet Archive: bit.ly/GAFactSheets- Fly Safe Topic Archive on Blog: https://medium.com/faa/flysafe/home

07/10/21   FAA, NBAA Secure New, Specialized Departure Options for Bizav Flights From NYC Area - NEWS - From NBAA - "Starting today (7/08) the FAA will begin implementing new routes specifically designed to assist business aircraft operators departing from New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport (TEB) and New York’s Westchester County Airport (HPN), both near New York City, during times of high traffic congestion or severe weather.

Developed with consideration of the performance profiles of turbine-powered business aircraft, the new “escape routes” will only be issued by ATC, with New York TRACON (N90) coordinating with tower controllers who will then verify that pilots are able to fly the assigned route." Continue Here.

07/08/21  NASA Reporting System Now Available for UAS Pilots, Crew - ARTICLE - From NBAA - "The NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), a valuable resource for collecting pilot reports and safety data, is now open to unmanned aircraft system (UAS) pilots and crewmembers. - Reportable events include airspace incursion/excursions, altitude or procedure deviations, equipment issues, fly away, lost link and uncontrolled descent events. The ASRS should not be used to report accidents or criminal activity, including reckless endangerment or criminal mischief." Continue Here. For your information you can View the UAS ASRS form.

07/08/21  FAA Taking Case-by-case Approach to UAM Certs - ARTICLE - From AINonline - "Performance-based Part 23 regulations are opening the door to new urban air mobility (UAM) technologies, but the FAA is holding off on setting blanket standards while it examines the technologies of each company applying for type certification. - EASA late last month released for consultation its second publication of proposed means of compliance with the special condition for VTOL vehicles. The U.S., however, is working through VTOL/UAM projects individually, said Mel Johnson, the FAA’s director of organizational performance division..."  Continue Here.

07/05/21  Hear Me Out - ARTICLE - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "In unguarded moments, many pilots will confess to what has come to be called “mic fright”—fear of talking on their aircraft’s radio. There may be many reasons for this aversion, but there is no way to avoid voice communication by radio if one plans to be an accomplished pilot." Want to improve your communication technique? Read it Here.

07/05/21  Accident Case Study: Single Point Failure - INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO - IMC Emergency "A vacuum pump failure on a sunny day is no big deal, but in IMC—and especially without backup instrumentation—it’s a serious emergency. To see how a Bonanza pilot coped with that situation, and learn how you can do better, watch ASI’s new Accident Case Study (approx. 16 mins.)" Always a constant threat. Learn about it HERE.

07/05/21  IFR FIX: BACK TO THE CONE OF CONFUSION - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "What's your destination if the evaluator for your instrument-rating practical test or proficiency flight calls for requesting a diversion to the nearest “MON airport”—and what approach might you have to do when you get there?" What is a "MON" airport? Find out Here.

07/05/21  WEATHER OR NOT THUNDERSTORM CHALLENGE - ONLINE COURSE - AOPA  "Get ready to fire up up your Cessna 172 for a VFR cross-country flight from New Jersey’s Cape May County Airport to Erie, Pennsylvania. But be prepared to deal with pop-up thunderstorms, deteriorating weather, on-board and ATC radar realities, and fuel concerns. You’ll make critical go/no-go decisions on this 300-nm route. If you’re interested in experiencing where your decisions lead, then this course if for you." Take the course Here.

07/05/21   THE RUNWAY BEHIND YOU - REALITY CHECK - VIDEO - ARTICLE - "The AOPA Air Safety Institute decided to test the disputed turnback theories, using a Piper PA-18 Super Cub, a Van’s RV-4, a Cessna 172N, and a Beechcraft Bonanza A36. Our study was conducted by highly experienced and proficient pilots flying predetermined profiles in near-perfect conditions. But the different results of turning back to the runway were surprising for each of us flying these profiles. You’ll see why in this Reality Check video." You Can Watch the Results HERE.

07/05/21  The POSSIBLE TURN by Captain Brian Schiff - WEBINAR - From NAFI - "And the turn shouldn’t be a decision you make on the spot, but one that’s made before takeoff and with plenty of practice and forethought." - Janice Wood, General Aviation News. Brian details a conservative and safe method that a pilot should consider when preparing for the "possible turn." EVERYONE should benefit from this presentation. Watch the Video Here.

07/04/21  CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 2 (nxtbook.com)- It's the Summer 2021 edition - Quite a bit of information here! - Webmaster

07/04/21  AVOIDING PROP STRIKES - VIDEO - From ASI - Watch it here.

07/04/21  AirCar Completes First Inter-City Flight - VIDEO - STORY - From AVweb - See it HERE.

07/01/21 NBAA: New Report Highlights Keys for Avoiding Impact With Terrain - ARTICLE - From NBAA - INCLUDES PDF DATA - "The General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC), a public-private partnership focused on improving the safety of the general aviation industry, recently published its Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) Working Group report, with key findings for avoiding the often fatal accidents." See it Here.

07/01/21 FAA, European Commission Reaffirm Commitment to Build Safer, More Sustainable Aviation System - PR NEWS & RECORDED WEBINAR - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) affirmed their commitment to increasing aviation safety and building a more sustainable industry during a virtual meeting today with senior officials from both continents.

“We’ve proven we can accomplish more, with better results, when we work together,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. “President Biden made this clear on his trip to Europe earlier this month. He reaffirmed the primacy of the U.S.-European alliance. The bonds we have forged through NATO and countless other areas continue to serve the interests of both sides. And nowhere is that more true than our relationship in aviation safety and sustainability.”

“The EU-U.S. aviation partnership is a cornerstone of international aviation and has proven to be very beneficial for both sides over the years,” said Henrik Hololei, Director General of DG MOVE. “However, it is important to look ahead and continue to build on this strong, mutually beneficial, and future-oriented partnership. Today, we jointly confirmed our very close cooperation on aviation safety. Importantly, we also agreed that the reduction of emissions is the licence to grow for the aviation sector and shared our commitment for the decarbonization of air transport. Together, we will help the sector build back better.”

Officials discussed a wide range of initiatives during the U.S.-European Union (EU) Safe and Sustainable Aviation webinar. These included areas for further future safety cooperation, sustainable aviation fuels, more efficient operations, air traffic management modernization, quieter, more efficient aircraft and engine designs, and exploring breakthrough airframe and propulsion technologies that could accelerate the path to decarbonization.

The FAA and the European Commission are committed to their ongoing partnership under the U.S.-EU Safety Agreement as well as advancing a shared priority to address climate change through closer collaboration on sustainability efforts. The resulting high-level dialogue through this webinar will further strengthen the bilateral safety cooperation and foster collaboration to address aviation’s environmental impact. Safety and sustainability are the pillars that both the FAA and the EU proudly use to guide future cooperation. This allows the aviation sector to progress despite the challenges.

Speakers included Ali Bahrami, FAA Associate Administrator for Safety; Filip Cornelis, DG MOVE Director for Aviation; Henrik Hololei; Steve Dickson; Patrick Ky, Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); and Carol A. (Annie) Petsonk, U.S. Department of Transportation, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation.

The webinar also included two panels. The first panel, titled “Key Areas of Current and Future Aviation Safety Cooperation,” focused on the current U.S.-EU Safety Agreement and new ways to achieve future cooperation. The second panel, titled “Sustainable Aviation: U.S. – EU Priorities and the Path to Greening Aviation,” addressed ways to make aviation greener. The Sustainability Panel was a continuation of the cooperative dialogue between the U.S. and EU on sustainability at the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Summit held on June 15 in Brussels. - A recording of the U.S.-EU Safe and Sustainable Aviation Webinar is available here.

07/01/21  Charting Errors - ARTICLE - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "Errors and omissions can creep into our charts and data, but we may have to check sources other than the FAA's Not system to find and correct them. - If you’re like us, you have multiple sources for aeronautical data—charts—that can be in digital or paper format. Also like us, maybe the digital data you use in the cockpit comes from different vendors, even if it’s the same basic information. Everyone makes mistakes..."  Continue Here.

06/30/21  Senate Takes Up Legislation To Hold 5G Network Builder Accountable - NEWS - From AVweb - "Last week, three senators introduced the RETAIN GPS and Satellite Communications Act on Capitol Hill. If signed into law, the legislation would hold communications company Ligado, which won FCC approval to go ahead with its 5G cellular network, financially accountable for private and public sector costs caused by GPS interference from their surface-based telecommunications system. The senators who introduced the bipartisan legislation are Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; and Mike Rounds, R-S.D." Continue Here.

06/30/21  AVIATION GROUPS SPEAK OUT AGAINST DANGEROUS AIRPORT PRECEDENT - NEWS - From AOPA - AOPA, NBAA, HAI JOIN US PARACHUTE ASSOCIATION TO STICK UP FOR SKYDIVING COMPANY - "What started out as a win for Phoenix Area Skydive at Casa Grande Airport in Arizona not only ended up as a setback for the company, it set a dangerous precedent for any tenant that an airport may consider “undesirable.” This case would seem to be possibly pivotal. Read the details Here.

06/28/21  TEB To Begin Runway Offset Arrivals in July - ARTICLE - From AINonline - "The FAA plans to begin implementing the Runway 19 offset arrival procedure for New Jersey's Teterboro Airport starting on July 1, according to an agency spokesperson. Under discussion for more than a decade, the new route will avoid residential neighborhoods in nearby Hackensack by following Route 17. - An alternative to the primary ILS approach, the new flight path is the result of years of negotiations between the FAA and the Teterboro Airport Noise..."  Finish Here.

06/28/21  AINsight: The ‘Right Stuff’ To Handle Stress - ARTICLE - From AINonline - "Stress is part of everyday life—it’s unavoidable. In aviation, high levels of stress are prevalent in many occupations; topping the list of most stressful jobs are pilots, air traffic controllers, and aircraft technicians. The effects of stress are cumulative and when it's not managed properly, judgment can become clouded and errors made. - A commonly accepted definition of stress is Lazarus’s theory of stress: “stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.” Stress is natural, it occurs because of bodily mechanisms—a series of physiological and biochemical changes. - Stress can be good (eustress) or bad (distress). Continue Reading Here.

06/28/21  DENSITY ALTITUDE - The Triple H effect - What causes density altitude and how does it affect my airplane? Find the answer to these questions and learn a quick and easy step to ensuring maximum aircraft performance when density altitude is a factor in your area. Learn more here: https://www.aopa.org/training-and-saf... Here are the main takeaways: • Fly light • Determine proper mixture o Advance the throttle o Lean mixture until RPMs increases and peaks • Fly indicated airspeeds • Use long runways • Watch airspeed and trends • Anticipate quicker deceleration - Watch the VIDEO Here.

06/28/21  COLLISION AVOIDANCE - GO BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK—PREPARE AGAINST COLLISION INCIDENTS WITH THIS SAFETY SPOTLIGHT - From AOPA - "This safety spotlight explains how to identify potential collision threats and covers procedures that can lessen the risks of such mishaps." Upon completion you will receive a certificate. Discover it Here.

06/28/21  Report: No Explanations For UAP, But They Threaten Flight Safety - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "In a report long on probablies and possibles, the Director of National Intelligence said this week that dozens of sightings of unidentified aerial phenomenon have no plausible explanation but do represent a threat to flight safety and national security. “Most of the UAP reported probably do represent physical objects given that a majority of UAP were registered across multiple sensors, to include radar, infrared, electro-optical, weapon seekers, and visual observation,” the report said in an executive summary. Although sighting data seemed to be accurate and credible, the available reporting was “largely inconclusive.” Read the rest here.

06/28/21  FAA Urged To Do Gender-Neutral Rewrite - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "An FAA committee is recommending the agency adopt gender-neutral terminology systemwide to purge its millions of pages of regulations, reports and correspondence of terms like cockpit, airman and even NOTAM. The FAA Drone Advisory Committee Task Group 10, which was co-chaired by AOPA President Mark Baker and Patricia Gilbert, executive vice president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, tabled the hefty report at the June 23 meeting of the drone committee as a step toward “modeling the leadership and behaviors that will build a more inclusive aviation community.” It even included a style guide for those tasked with the monumental chore of doing the edit."  Read the story Here.

06/27/21  FAA Revises Data Link Communications Compliance Guide - NEWS - From NBAA - "To help applicants organize and expedite their applications for A056 data link authorizations, the FAA Flight Technologies and Procedures Division has published the significantly revised Data Link Communications Compliance Guide, Version 06.21." More Here.

06/26/21  Where's It Say That? - ARTICLE - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "Just as with any other complex endeavor that’s developed over time, aviation has many myths. That’s especially true when it comes to FAA regulations—the FARs. To be fair, there are a lot of regulations, and many of them are written for attorneys, not pilots. Especially for newer pilots or those who fly different aircraft in different operations, some of it can seem overwhelming and confusing. In other words, bad interpretations or outright falsehoods—either of which we’ll label as myths—can be created and persist." Continue Here.

06/22/21   The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) - FAA NEWS - All recreational flyers must pass an aeronautical knowledge and safety test and provide proof of test passage (the TRUST completion certificate) to the FAA or law enforcement upon request. The FAA's 2018 Reauthorization Bill (PDF) introduced new requirements for recreational pilots (see P.L. 115-254, Section 349 (PDF) – exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft). - Get the data HERE.

06/21/21  Quick Reaction Force Takes Flight to Fight Wildfires - PR NEWS - LOS ALAMITOS – Three Southern California fire departments will go into summer fire  season better prepared to battle dangerous wildfires from the air, in a first of its kind  program, thanks to a partnership with Southern California Edison (SCE).

06/21/21  Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum was located in San Diego but now may move to the Orange County Great Park - NEWS - From OC Register - "After more than 20 years in another location, the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum may be coming in for a landing near its original home in Irvine." Read it Here.

06/21/21  FAA Launches Voluntary Reporting Program for Safety Office - FAA PR - WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an additional way for its engineers, safety inspectors, systems safety specialists and other aviation safety employees to report safety-related issues and concerns. Information shared and submitted via this new system will be used to validate or verify an aviation safety concern, identify the root cause, and determine the appropriate corrective action.

The Voluntary Safety Reporting Program provides those who work in the FAA’s Aviation Safety organization the ability to report confidentially any safety concerns without fear of punitive action. The FAA’s Aviation Safety workforce is composed of about 7,400 professionals who provide oversight of airlines, manufacturers, maintenance providers, aviation medical practitioners and flight crews.

“We can never be satisfied with the status quo when it comes to safety, and the free exchange of vital information is a cornerstone of safety and continual improvement,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. “We want our employees to know that when they speak up, they can be sure someone is listening.”

Since 1998, the risk of a fatal accident has decreased by 94 percent. Voluntary reporting programs have been integral to this reduction of risk by identifying and resolving issues before an accident occurs. The new Voluntary Safety Reporting System mirrors other successful safety information-sharing programs across the aviation industry.

The new Voluntary Safety Reporting Program is in addition to several reporting programs already available. FAA management worked closely with union leadership representing Aviation Safety employees to structure the new program to encourage the sharing safety information by all parties.

“The more we can continue to encourage people to report, the more we can influence the safety in the system,” said President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Paul Rinaldi, whose union represents engineers and other Aviation Safety employees.

In addition to supporting the FAA’s commitment to transparency, the continued development of voluntary reporting programs addresses congressional requirements for the FAA. An open, non-punitive and confidential reporting system allows the agency to address safety sensitive issues that may otherwise have gone unnoticed due to fear of repercussion.

“The Event Review Team will leverage subject matter experts to evaluate the safety issue and provide a recommendation on corrective action and will continue to monitor the issue throughout the process,” said Mike Perrone, President, Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), a union that represents many of the FAA’s technical workers. - The FAA order (PDF) establishing the Voluntary Safety Reporting Program is available on our website.

06/21/21  Watch this plane shoot down drones with a high-powered laser in a first-of-its-kind Israeli military test - ARTICLE - VIDEO - From Business Insider - "The Israeli military used a plane armed with a high-powered laser to intercept and shoot down several unmanned aircraft in flight in a first-of-its-kind test for the Israeli armed forces, which are constantly searching for new ways to counter airborne threats like rockets and drones from Gaza and elsewhere." Watch & Read here.

06/21/21  FAA Defends SpaceX To Congress - VIDEO - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "SpaceX has found a perhaps unexpected ally in its quest to democratize space—the FAA, according to CNBC. FAA associate administrator for commercial space operations Wayne Monteith launched a spirited defense of the company he had criticized a few months before in front of a congressional committee last week. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee had Monteith on the carpet to discuss the exploding (pun intended) commercial space industry and SpaceX naturally came up. Rep. Peter Defazio, D-Ore., and Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., were particularly interested in the dust-up last December when the company launched prototype SN8 against the direction of the FAA." Continue.

06/21/21  VFR Towers Part Deux: Even Controllers Don’t Agree - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "Many pilots don’t know this. To illuminate the details, I covered it in the video and this caused a curious reaction. (Scroll down the comments for examples.) Half of the controllers who commented on the video said, “yeah, great job, ‘bout time someone explained this.” The other half—well, several—said you don’t know what you’re talking about. Of course towers separate airborne traffic." Do VFR Towers Separate Traffic? - Find out More Here.

06/21/21 FAA Still Faces Challenges with Commercial Space Flight Regulations Despite Recent Rule Changes, GAO Says - ARTICLE - From Aviation Today - "As of December 2020, the number of commercial space launches has increased by 41 percent year-over-year as the commercial space industry has experienced substantial growth in the last decade. According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released June 16, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is still facing several regulatory challenges despite having recently updated rules related to launch and re-entry licensing." Read More.

06/21/21  NBAA Praises Nomination of Sullenberger as ICAO Ambassador - ARTICLE - From NBAA - "The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today applauded President Biden’s nomination of hero pilot and aviation champion Capt. Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), noting the retired airline captain’s longtime support of business aviation."  Continue Here.

06/17/21  Regulatory Roadblock Reduction in 57 Seconds - VIDEO - FAASTeam - "Leveraging the rapid growth and evolution of technology in the aviation industry can be an important component of reducing general aviation (GA) accidents. The General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC) believes that the FAA must continue to find ways to help reduce the cost to install safety enhancing technology. Installation of this technology can offer substantial safety benefits, often with minimal risk. The GAJSC also feels that the FAA needs to identify the appropriate level of certification for installation of risk mitigating avionics. Successful integration of this technology may help the GA fleet reap the potential benefit of reward with a balanced risk approach. Read more about this and our other #FlySafe topics on our blog at https://medium.com/faa/flysafe/home."  See the VIDEO HERE. You can download a fact sheet HERE.

06/17/21   MASSACHUSETTS LANDING FEE BILL HEARING SET FOR JUNE 24 - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "A legislative hearing was set for June 24 on a Massachusetts state senator’s proposal to charge many aircraft a $1,000 “climate mitigation” fee for landing at state airports amid signs that the sponsor might abandon the punitive approach to environmental activism." Finish Reading Here.

06/16/21   Alaska remains FAA’s proving ground for aviation safety innovations - ARTICLE - From General Aviation News - "Flying in Alaska is so much more challenging than anywhere else in the nation that the state’s aviation safety has always been — and remains — one of the FAA’s top priorities. -That’s why the state is a “pathfinder” for new aviation safety technologies, such as weather cameras and ADS-B, according to a new post, “How the FAA is Increasing Aviation Safety in a State Like No Other: Alaska,” by Shelly Larson, the FAA’s acting regional administrator for the Alaskan region. - “The work is never done, though,” she notes. “That’s why we launched the FAA Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative, or FAASI, last October (2020).” Read More Here.

06/16/21  FAA Electronic Civil Registry To Roll Out on October 5 - NEWS - From AIN - "The FAA remains on track to roll out its new Civil Aviation Registry Electronic Services (CARES) on October 5, moving functions of the registry currently handled manually to a cloud-based online system. - CARES will provide a web-based platform for registering all U.S. aircraft, including unmanned aircraft systems, and airmen certifications. The system will replace current civil..."  Continue.

06/16/21  New Strategy Could Use Weather Data And ATC To Cut Back On Contrails - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "During the Korean War, USAF F-86 Sabre pilots learned a trick while enroute to MiG Alley where they would tangle with North Korean MiG 15s. The Soviet-built fighters had a superior climb rate and service ceiling, so the Sabre pilots wanted to get as high as they could before engaging. But high-altitude contrails would give away their position, so while still well away..."  Finish reading Here.

06/15/21  SmartSky ATG Network Goes Live in Southeast Corridor - PR ARTICE - From AIN - "SmartSky has stood up its first fully operational coverage zone—a large contiguous portion of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina—for its air-to-ground broadband network, it said late last week. This enables route-based flight demonstrations for business jets and turboprops and puts the company closer to certification and commercial launch in most of the continental U.S. later this year.

“While our primary goal remains lighting up the remainder of the nationwide network in the coming months, we are now showcasing the inflight networking capabilities and services..." More Here.

06/14/21   FAA non towered: In Control or Out of Control? - VIDEO - FASSTeam - Well produced video addressing this topic! See it Here.

06/14/21  Flight Training Under Attack - ARTICLE - From General Aviation News - "General aviation advocacy groups are raising the alarm that the FAA’s initial perspective of a court decision on flight training could have “serious and negative implications on the broader flight-training community.”

The 10 groups, in a June 8, 2021, letter to FAA Administrator Steve Dickson warns that the agency’s view on the recent Warbird Adventures decision — which calls flight instruction in a student’s own aircraft “common carriage” — will “hugely” impact Certified Flight Instructors and the entire flight training community." Continue Here.

06/14/21  Best Of The Web: Runway Turnback Reconsidered - "The horrific crash of a Bonanza A36 in March due to a runway turnback attempt prompted AOPA Air Safety Institute to shoot this excellent video analyzing turnback results with four different types of aircraft. Bottom line: The turnback is viable for smaller, lightly wing-loaded aircraft flown by a proficient and prepared pilot. It’s unlikely—probably impossible—to pull off with a heavier, faster airplane like the Bonanza tested in the video." see the VIDEO / ARTICLE Here.

06/08/21   Thousands of seabird eggs destroyed by two careless drone pilots - Roughly 2,000 elegant tern eggs were destroyed after terrified adult sea birds abandoned them in the wake of a drone crash. The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, located in California's Orange County, is home to over 800 species of animals that rely on the 1,000+ acre wetland for solace. Along with dogs and bikes, drones are strictly prohibited. That didn't prevent two reckless remote pilots from flying their drones over the nesting area, crashing, and causing unprecedented carnage." More HERE.

06/05/21  Keep Up The Good Fight - INSIGHT into ATC and Airport Tower Operations - From Avweb / IFR Magazine -  "A scattered cloud deck mottled the blue above. What drew my eye most, though, was a pocket of cumulus clouds quickly rising to the west, aspiring to cumulonimbus status. I had a feeling I’d be dealing with the product of that convection shortly—and I wasn’t wrong."  Webmaster: A good read.  Read it Here.

06/05/21   Professionalism is the Key to Safety - ARTICLE - From Business Aviation Insider / NBAA - "The quest for the best possible flight outcomes is never-ending, with safety being the foundation of the entire industry. For the vast majority of those who make their living in business aviation, professionalism and safety are synonymous. - “Professionalism is not an option, it’s mandatory,” said Eric Canup, vice chair of NBAA’s Domestic Operations Committee and director of flight operations for Live Oak Bank. “No one is exempt.” Continue HERE.

Canup noted that unprofessional behavior in business aviation can lead to tragic outcomes, with implications for the entire industry.

06/05/21   Report: Plane in fatal crash had part installed upside down - "IMPORTANT LESSONS CAN BE LEARNED HERE!!!"  -webmaster . "MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — A small private plane that crashed in South Carolina last month, killing the pilot, had a key part installed upside down and backward after maintenance, according to a federal report." Read the Story Here

Webmaster Comment: Besides the obvious observation that notes an extensive preflight is necessary after any maintenance, my experience as a CFII has demonstrated to me that few pilots associate the trim tab settings in the plane, with the correct direction of movement of the tab itself, and do not include that trim tab check in their routine preflight.

06/03/21   Finding Pivotal Altitude - ARTICLE - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "f you absolutely, positively have to fly eights on pylons, you need to know how to do this. - A long-time pilot-friend of ours tells a story about his first check ride for the commercial certificate. Everything was going relatively well until the examiner asked him to perform the eights on pylons maneuver."  Learn About it Here.

05/31/21   Mexico Beefing Up Oversight After FAA Downgrade - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "The Mexican government has suddenly found the money to increase the budget of its civil aviation authority by 40 percent after the FAA downgraded the nation’s airlines to its lowest safety rating last week. The government has freed up $7.5 million to hire 180 safety inspectors and beef up English training for pilots in light of the action. The downgrade puts Mexico in the same league as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Venezuela and Thailand in terms of regulatory environment and enforcement. The practical result is that Mexican carriers can continue to operate the flights they do now but they can’t add any and Aeromexico’s codeshare with Delta and Volaris’ with Frontier are suspended." More Here.

05/29/21  MARYLAND AIRPORT EMBRACES DRONE INTEGRATION - INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT CREATES OPPORTUNITIES - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "In the not-too-distant future, the routine flow of radio traffic at Maryland’s Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport may include callouts from drones flying within the Class D airspace a stone’s throw from two runways that serve general aviation and commercial aircraft." Read about it Here.

05/29/21  FAA SAFO 20009, COVID-19: Updated Interim Occupational Health and Safety Guidance for Air Carriers and Crews, has been significantly updated to revision 1f.  Key updates include:

• Fully vaccinated crew members no longer are required to quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 unless exhibiting symptoms.
• Fully vaccinated crew members may be excluded from regular COVID-19 testing.
• Fully vaccinated crew members must continue to present a negative COVID-19 test result prior to arriving in the United States.
• Fully vaccinated crew members must continue to wear masks on aircraft and in transportation hubs.

The latest version of the SAFO is attached to this message and can be found at the following link, https://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/airline_operators/airline_safety/safo/all_safos/media/2020/SAFO20009.pdf

• SAFO20009.pdf

05/29/21  NTSB Releases Preliminary Report On Cirrus/Swearingen Midair Collision - NEWS - From AVweb - "The NTSB has released its five-page preliminary report on the May 12 midair collision between two aircraft approaching busy Denver-area Centennial Airport (APA). No one was injured, despite the Cirrus SR22 colliding with a Swearingen SA226TC cargo plane with serious damage to both aircraft (the Swearingen landed safely—the Cirrus pilot pulled the CAPS whole-airplane parachute). Both were receiving ATC instructions for landings on the airport’s north-south parallel Runways 17L and 17R." Continue reading the article Here.

05/29/21  INSTRUMENT TIP: OVER AND OUT - FLYING A VISUAL CLIMB OVER AIRPORT - INFO - From AOPA - "Instrument flight rules are peppered with minutiae that, depending on your perspective, either restrict what a flight can do, or enable pilots to pull off otherwise impossible trips. - The visual climb over airport (VCOA) is one such example. "  Read it Here.

05/28/21  FAA RELEASES FINAL RULE ON PILOT RECORDS DATABASE - NEWS - AOPA - "The FAA has released a final rule that requires air carriers and other operators to report their pilots’ employment history, training, and qualifications in an electronic database. Operators seeking to hire pilots must review database records on applicants." More Here.

The following is a Press Release from the FAA: FAA Completes Rule Establishing Pilot Records Database to Increase Safety

WASHINGTON – A new rule from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will enable the sharing of pilot records among employers in an electronic database maintained by the agency. The final rule (PDF) for the Pilot Records Database requires air carriers and certain other operators to report pilots’ employment history, training, and qualifications to the database. The rule also requires air carriers and certain operators to review records contained in the database when considering pilots for employment.

“It has been a long journey for the families of Colgan Flight 3407, but their tireless advocacy and continued engagement with the FAA has made this database a reality. With it, employers will be able to quickly and thoroughly make informed hiring decisions to keep our skies safe,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.

The rule will update the current records reporting process to meet information-sharing requirements in the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act passed by Congress in 2010. Once the transition period is complete, the database will serve as the repository for pilot records from the FAA and records reported by current and previous employers.

The database will include the following information:

• FAA pilot certificate information, such as certificates and ratings;
• FAA summaries of unsatisfactory pilot applications for new certificates or ratings;
• FAA records of accidents, incidents, and enforcement actions;
• Records from employers on pilot training, qualification, and proficiency;
• Pilot drug and alcohol records;
• Employers’ final disciplinary action records;
• Pilot records concerning separation of employment; and
• Verification of pilot motor vehicle driving record.

The final rule (PDF) takes effect 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. Additional actions and timelines to support implementation of the rule include:

• Six months after the rule is published, operators must begin reviewing FAA records electronically in the database instead of submitting a form requesting records;
• One year after the rule is published, operators will begin to report and review records to the database; and
• Operators will have three years and 90 days to transition and fully comply with the rule.

The FAA will publish an advisory circular to accompany the final rule and will offer additional resources to support industry adoption and use of the database. The rule has been thoroughly debated and incorporates feedback from all aviation stakeholders.

05/27/21  Cockpit Smoke - ARTICLE - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "...in the right seat and the pilot not flying (PNF), saw a two-to-three-foot-high vertical wall of thick gray smoke enter the cockpit between his right shoulder and the right cockpit window. The entire cockpit was engulfed in this smoke after approximately five to eight seconds. Neither pilot could see any visible reference outside or inside the cockpit. None of the flight instruments or navigation devices were visible." Continue Here.

05/26/21  AVIATION SAFETY IN FOCUS AS FCC EXPANDS 5G - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "The wireless communications industry has a “deficient level of understanding” of the threat to radar-altimeter system operation and flight safety posed by “flexible” uses of the 3.7 to 3.98 GHz band, a concern that should prompt the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider its policy of repurposing the C-band, a coalition of aviation organizations said in a regulatory filing."  Continue Reading.

05/26/21  EU regulator foresees first air taxis operating in 2024 - ARTICLE - From DroneDJ - "Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), says there’s still a lot of work to be done on both the manufacturing and regulating sides, but thinks “that commercial use of (air) taxis can start to take place in 2024 or 2025.” Officials from a variety of interests in France hope that earlier date can be reached as a means of showcasing urban air mobility (UAM) during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. - Hammering out regulations governing air taxi operation will be one of the major chores in making passenger use of the craft a reality." Continue Reading.

05/26/21  FAA Issues Policy on Solar Projects on Airports - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a final policy aimed at ensuring that airport solar projects don’t create hazardous glare. The policy requires airports to measure the visual impact of such projects on pilots and air traffic control personnel. - The policy applies to proposed solar energy systems at federally obligated airports with control towers. Federally obligated airports are public airports that have accepted federal assistance either in the form of grants of property conveyances. - As more airports invests in this technology for environmental and economic benefits, the FAA wants to make sure that the reflection from the systems’ glass surfaces do not create a glare that poses a safety hazard for pilots and air traffic controllers.

Under the final policy, airports are no longer required to submit the results of an ocular analysis to FAA. Instead, the airport must file a Notice of Proposed Construction or Alteration Form 7460-1 that includes a statement that the project will not cause any visual impact. The airport submits the form to the FAA for review and approval.

The FAA relies on the airport to confirm via the form that it has sufficiently analyzed the potential for glint and glare and determined there is no potential for ocular impact to the airport traffic control tower cab. If any impacts are discovered after construction, the airport must mitigate the impact at its expense. The airport may also face compliance action for failure to address visual impacts that create aviation safety hazards. As such, the agency encourages an airport to conduct sufficient analysis before installing a solar energy system.

The FAA is also withdrawing the recommended tool for measuring the ocular impact of potential glint and glare effects on pilots and air traffic controllers. This final policy supersedes the interim policy published in 2013.

05/24/21  Reducing TCO, maximizing space, and improving sustainability with passive optical LAN - On Demand Webinar / Nokia PR - From International Airport Review / Nokia - COST: FREE | DURATION: 1 HOUR INCLUDING Q&A SESSION - "Communication networks play a vital role in an airport’s daily operations and continuing digitalisation. Airports rely heavily on their communications networks to operate efficiently and safely to ensure optimum passenger experience. Today’s business climate, however, calls for a smarter, greener and more cost-efficient way of deploying a network at the airport. Passive optical LAN can help airports address these priorities while ensuring service reliability and quality of services between airport stakeholders.

In this webinar, you will learn how:

• Airports worldwide have deployed Nokia Optical LAN to meet strategic goals
• Nokia Optical LAN is designed for critical communication needs to ensure business continuity
• Simplified service provisioning can eliminate the complexity of daily operations in serving the many airport stakeholders.

You can view the webinar here.

05/24/21  What’s Trending in Aerospace - INFO - From 5/16 Aviation Today - Which Airline has the most customer satisfaction? - Are airlines exercising their 737 Max Options? What's happening with Lockheed Martin? SAT anyone?  You can read about these topics and more HERE.

05/24/21  Why New Aircraft Engine Ideas Rarely Succeed - VIDEO - From AVweb - Paul Bertorelli - "Aircraft owners and pilots often bemoan the lack of new technology in aircraft engines and complain—accurately—that most airplane engines are […]"  Read this article

05/24/21  Understanding UTM - UTM, or Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management, is a crucial ingredient to safely integrating drone operations of the future into the National Airspace System. UTM is a "traffic management" ecosystem for uncontrolled operations that is separate from, but complementary to, the FAA's Air Traffic Management (ATM) system. UTM development will ultimately identify services, roles and responsibilities, information architecture, data exchange protocols, software functions, infrastructure, and performance requirements for enabling the management of low-altitude uncontrolled drone operations. For a closer look at some current UTM capabilities as well as some future concepts, check out the FAA Safety Briefing article “Sharing the Skies Safely” here: https://medium.com/faa/sharing-the-skies-safely-2131d9294bc5. You can read the entire May/June issue at www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing.

05/24/21  High Altitude Drone Encounter Prompts FBI Investigation - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "The FBI has joined the hunt for the operator of some kind of high-performance drone that flew “dangerously close” to a Customs and Border Protection helicopter over southern Arizona last Feb. 9. According to report from KOLD News, the Tucson CBS affiliate, the drone buzzed the CBP helicopter near Davis Monthan Air Force Base and then followed it for an hour, going as high as 14,000 feet. That’s well beyond the capabilities of commercially available drones and it clearly has the feds concerned." For More Click Here.

05/24/21  FAA to lower Mexico aviation-safety rating: report - NEWS - From The Hill - "The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reportedly planning to lower Mexico’s aviation safety rating due to falling short of international standards. Sources close to the matter told The Wall Street Journal that the FAA has determined Mexico’s oversight has dropped below accepted international standards and will be designating the country to a Category 2 from Category 1."  Continue Reading Here.

05/22/21  FAA Milestone: 400 Licensed Commercial Space Launches and Counting - NEWS - FAA - Today’s Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo flight from Spaceport America in New Mexico marks the 400^th launch that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has licensed. This achievement is made possible by the U.S. commercial space industry’s ingenuity and the FAA’s commitment to public safety. Continue Here.

05/21/21  NTSB Chair Sumwalt to step down next month - NEWS - From Progressive Railroading - "National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt has announced to the agency’s workforce that he intends to step down on June 30. An NTSB spokesman confirmed a news report that Sumwalt will depart at the end of next month. Sumwalt was sworn in as the NTSB’s 14th chairman in August 2017, after being nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate." Read More Here.

05/21/21  Philadelphia and Heathrow sign MoU to collaborate on COVID-19 recovery - From International Airport Review "Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) has announced that it has signed a unique and targeted Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with London Heathrow Airport (LHR), committing both airports to working closer together to support the recovery from COVID-19. - “Heathrow is PHL’s busiest transatlantic route, with more than 2,200 annual flights and 455,000 onboarded passengers in 2019,” said Philadelphia Airport‘s CEO, Chellie Cameron. “This partnership will help us to safely restart travel for our most important transatlantic trade corridor.” Article Here.

05/20/21  Special VFR - SAFETY - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "One thing SVFR is not is an IFR clearance. Sure; it allows us to operate in less than visual conditions, but that’s about it. It doesn’t allow us to enter a cloud, for example, and conditions may be such that leaving the controlled airspace you’re already in can mean you’re operating in IMC without an appropriate clearance, possibly resulting in a FAR violation. More about that in a moment." Continue Here.

05/17/21  FSF Releases New Guidance on Runway Excursions - Link courtesy of NAFI - Flight Safety Foundation today released new guidance and industry best practices aimed at preventing runway excursions. The guidance is contained in an expanded version of the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE), which was developed by an international team of more than 100 aviation professionals. The document, published today on the Foundation's website, includes more than 100 recommendations to stakeholders across aviation. To view the guidance Click Here. Read More about it Here.

05/16/21  FAA’s NPRM On Corrosion Concerns Includes Additional Cessna Singles - ARTICLE - From Flying Magazine - "This proposed AD was prompted by the May 26, 2019, in-flight break-up of a Cessna T210M in Australia—the result of fatigue cracking that initiated at a corrosion pit, as well as subsequent corrosion reports on other Model 210-series and Model 177-series aircraft. The T210 experienced a wing separation after the carry-thru spar failed, and a subsequent loss of control in-flight while performing low-altitude aerial survey work." Read More Here.

05/16/21  AAM NEWS - From 13 WIBW - TOPEKA, Kan. "The Senate Commerce Committee has sent Sen. Moran’s AAM legislation onto the Senate for consideration. - Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) says the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation voted on Wednesday to pass legislation he introduced with Sen. Krysten Sinema (D-Ariz.) that would increase collaboration between federal agencies and civil aviation industry leaders when policed are developed that regard advanced air mobility (AAM)." Read it Here.

05/16/21  CALIFORNIA FIREFIGHTING AGENCIES, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON - TEAM UP TO PROVIDE STATE-OF-THE-ART FIREFIGHTING AIRCRAFT - PR - Orange County Fire Authority - "Los Alamitos, CA – May 13, 2021 — With funding from Southern California Edison (SCE), local firefighting agencies now have additional state-of-the-art aircraft to combat wildfires. Firefighting agencies, including the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and Ventura County Fire Department in partnership with SCE, are expanding their capabilities
to combat California’s wildfire threat."  Read the Entire Release Here.

05/15/21   Understanding Owner/Mechanic Roles and Responsibilities - FLY SAFE INSTRUCTIONAL - FACT SHEET / VIDEO - FAAST - "Although pilots and aircraft owners rely on mechanics to maintain and inspect their aircraft, the owner or operator is ultimately responsible for airworthiness. Pilots and owners should be proactive in their approach to maintenance, understand airworthiness responsibilities, and know the value of proper maintenance documentation and effective communication with their mechanics and repair shops."  Download FACT SHEET Here.  View the VIDEO "Understanding Owner/Mechanic Roles and Responsibilities in 57 Seconds" by CLICKING HERE.

05/15/21  Wake Turbulence and Situational Awareness - SAFETY - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "Managing the risk of wake-induced loss of control requires good situational awareness and proactive responses to perceived threats. - Wake turbulence is a mostly invisible and potentially violent byproduct of lift generation. When an airfoil passes through the atmosphere, a pressure differential is produced, with the lowest pressure over its upper surface and the highest underneath. While creating the lift we need, this pressure differential also causes air to roll up and over the wing tip, where it meets and generates a horizontally aligned, high-energy and invisible vortex—a horizontal tornado, if you will...    Continue HERE.

05/13/21  NBAA Opposes Massachusetts Bills That Would be Harmful to General Aviation - ARTICLE - NBAA - "House and Senate legislation has been introduced to repeal the sales tax exemption on aircraft, which would subject aircraft sales to the state’s 6.25% sales tax. The other bill would impose a $1,000 landing fee on virtually all general aviation operations." Read More Here.

05/13/21  Runway Financial Grant: Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, more than $18.9 million – To resurface and seal the pavement for the airport’s primary Runway 16R/34L. This project will extend the useful life of the runway pavement. Van Nuys airport is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the United States in terms of aircraft operations. Work is scheduled to begin in February 2022 and be completed in November 2022. For more info refer to our So Cal Runway Safety News Page.

05/12/21  Emotional Intelligence Enhances Team Dynamics - EQ BENEFITS - From NBAA & Business Aviation Insider - "The global pandemic has created new challenges for employee engagement that traditional management tools may be incapable of addressing. However, by applying emotional intelligence – which involves leaders using self-awareness, situational awareness and relating to team members as individuals – the business aviation community will be better prepared for the safe, smooth and efficient transition back to full operations, while also building the foundation for more inclusive, empathetic and productive workplace environments." Continue Reading Here.

05/12/21  ICAO Updates Effort To Clean Up NOTAM ‘Garbage’ - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "Even before that incident, critics had cited data overload in NOTAMs as a safety hazard. That finally resulted in an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)-led effort to restructure the system." Read the story HERE.

05/12/21  AIAA May 2021 Newsletter - PUBLICATION - American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Los Angeles-Las Vegas Section - For the Newsletter, Click HERE.

05/11/21  UN-FUNNELING AIR TRAVEL - NASA ENVISIONS NEW GOLDEN AGE OF AVIATION - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "...that could be good news for general aviation." “Airports can make great hubs for synergistic generation and/or storage for alternative energy, such as solar and hydrogen, for ground vehicles, community users, and Regional Air Mobility aircraft. Indeed, 146 airports across the country have already begun a total of 225 renewable energy projects."  Continue Here.

05/10/21  Endangered Little Airports - KCET ARTICLE From 2018 - A still relevant story however. - "On a crisp autumnal Sunday morning, Paul Glen pulls back on the stick of his Skyboy and takes off from Zamperini Field in Torrance. Visibility is perfect so Glen thoughtfully flies the tiny sport-class plane along the coastline at a leisurely 80 mph. He then banks north towards Camarillo Airport where he plans to have breakfast at the Waypoint Cafe" Continue Here.

05/10/21  Japan Begins Talks on Safety Standards for Flying Cars - ARTICLE - From Transport Up - "Japan’s transport ministry has begun full-scale talks on safety standards and other key issues regarding commercial and private use of flying cars. The transport ministry is planning to establish standards on requirements for performance and safety, as well as a licensing system by the end of 2023, which would apply to all flying cars in Japan. Additionally, the ministry is also looking to establish related infrastructure by 2023 and for flying vehicles to start flying in safe areas where there are no people around." Continue Here.

05/10/21  NTSB Proposes Changes to Accident Notification Form - ARTICLE - AINonline - "Revisions have been proposed to the NTSB’s accident notification form 6120.1, the document required to be filed with the Safety Board by the pilot, operator, or representative of an aircraft involved in an accident or incident that meets the reporting criteria of NTSB Part 830. Notably, the NTSB is proposing to update the form’s certification statement to include that, by signing the document, the pilot/operator consents to the public release of the information contained therein." Complete Story Here.

05/10/21  Interested in ARMY Blackhawk Flight?  - From Editorial Staff - Good contact for Cal Guard UH-60M Blackhawk Battalion at Los Al,,, DANIEL M. GOLDSMITH LTC, AV, USA 1-140th AVN REGT (ASSLT) Commander, Los Alamitos Army Airfield, CA - ☎ COM: 562-795-2452 - ☎ DSN : 312-972-2452  📧 NIPR: daniel.m.goldsmith8.mil@mail.mil

05/08/21  Pilot Deviations - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "Simply fly long enough and you’ll eventually make a boneheaded or innocent mistake that gets in ATC’s way. Those may say a Pilot Deviation (PD) is where they “screwed up” or “ATC is blaming me for…” I’ve personally heard it put in many different—often creative—ways; I should keep a list." Read the Rest Here.

05/06/21  FAA TO PUBLISH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL NOTICES ON DEMAND - NEWS - From AOPA - "The FAA will change the publication schedule for items on the domestic notices website and international notices website from a 28-day cycle to on-demand publication effective May 20."  More Here.

05/06/21   Boeing-backed start-up Wisk signs first deal to operate air taxis in the U.S. - ARTICLE - CNBC - "Wisk Aero, a start-up backed by Boeing and Kitty Hawk, has finalized its first deal to operate autonomous air taxis in the U.S..The company will own, operate and maintain up to 30 eVTOL aircraft that will be offered through the Blade urban air mobility network. The deployment of Wisk air taxis is contingent upon the Federal Aviation Administration certifying the aircraft for commercial operation." Read the Story Here.

05/06/21  FAA Adds More Space Launch Activity Areas to Pilot Navigation Charts - NEWS - FAA - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is increasing pilot safety and airspace awareness by marking more space launch activity areas on navigation charts.

Adding space launch activity areas to the navigation charts used by pilots who fly visually responds to the recent and expected continued growth of commercial space operations. All 12 FAA-licensed spaceports, and other federal and private launch and reentry sites, are represented on the charts by a rocket symbol. These areas are in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia.

Pilots can download the free charts and reference the FAA Aeronautical Chart User’s Guide for more information. In addition, the FAA encourages pilots to check the NOTAM database  for any Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) issued to divert air traffic from where space operations are scheduled.

In 2020, the FAA licensed 41 commercial space launches and reentries, the most in the agency’s history. For 2021, that number could reach 50 or more.  Pilots also need to be aware of NASA, military and other government launches that the FAA does not license.

To learn more about how the FAA safely and efficiently integrates commercial space operations in the National Airspace System, please listen to the Ticket to Space episode of the agency’s The Air Up There podcast.

05/06/21  Kroger Joins Drone Delivery Race With Pilot From Ohio Store - ARTICLE - From BNN Bloomberg - "The supermarket chain is partnering with Drone Express, a unit of Telegrid Technologies, to deliver groceries from a store in Centerville, Ohio, later this spring, the companies said in a statement Monday. The technology allows for deliveries of up to five pounds to customers’ homes or wherever they may be, enabling cookout supplies to be sent directly to a park in as little as 15 minutes, the companies said." Continue Here.

05/04/21  The Case For Hydrogen Powered Aircraft Gains Momentum - ARTICLE - From AINonline - "While much of the discussion about how to reduce aviation’s carbon footprint has focused on the availability of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and when and how electric aircraft may be unshackled from the limits of battery technology, hydrogen has been quietly moving up the future propulsion agenda." More Here.

05/04/21  NBAA’s New AAM Roundtable Will Advocate for Interests of On-Demand Air Mobility Sector - ARTICLE - From NBAA - "The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has formed a new Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Roundtable, a forum for high-level policy planning with sector leaders, to chart a course for the integration of AAM technologies into the nation’s airspace and infrastructure."  Continue Here.

05/02/21  Mike Wilson FAA - Aviation Safety - connectU TEAM / UAS Outreach - FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam), AFS-850 - General Aviation and Commercial Division, AFS-800 - Q&A that were inspired from his appearance addressing the SCAUWG audience 4/13/21 concerning Advance Air Mobility and the concerns that Airspace Safety Professionals might face about the future.  Read some of the questions asked and the answers Mike provided HERE.

05/02/21  Leaders Push for Equitable, Accessible Aviation Future - NEWS - From AINonline - "Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appealed to U.S. lawmakers to work with stakeholders and regional leaders to establish basic standards to create urban air mobility (UAM) networks that are safe, sensitive to local communities, intermodally linked, and accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy. Garcetti—who has worked with the World Economic Forum on UAM principles, as well as other private and public entities to help pave the way for UAM networks—was among a half-dozen witnesses outlining their visions for the future of aviation on Tuesday during a House aviation subcommittee hearing on "The Leading Edge: Innovation in U.S. Aerospace." Continue Here.

05/02/21  TSA Activates Lehigh Valley Gateway for Delaware TFRs on May 1 - NEWS - From NBAA - "Located approximately 70 miles west of Newark and 70 miles north of Wilmington, Lehigh Valley International Airport is one of the options NBAA presented to the TSA when discussing Presidential TFR operations..." Continue Here.

05/02/21  AVIATION GROUPS ASK FAA FOR CLARIFICATION ON FLIGHT TRAINING RULES - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "In the wake of a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on April 2, AOPA and other general aviation organizations sent a letter to the FAA, asking that the agency address “significant confusion and concern in the aviation community regarding the impact of the decision on compensated flight training.” Continue Here.

05/02/21  In a Push to Sustainability, Private Aviation Embraces Carbon-Offset Programs and Low-Emission Fuel - ARTICLE - From Robb Report - "VistaJet was not the only aviation provider to make its sustainability pledge. At least six other small- and mid-sized companies announced they are instituting new programs, and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has set up an accreditation program..." Read it Here.

05/02/21  SPEAKING UP ON DRONE INTEGRATION - MANDATE AVOIDANCE REMAINS PRIORITY - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "On behalf of general aviation pilots worldwide, during a virtual panel discussion hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization, AOPA reiterated our support for safe integration of unmanned aircraft, provided that active participation in unmanned traffic management (UTM) by other aviators remains voluntary." Here.

04/27/21   SpaceX strikes deal with Port of Long Beach (for real this time, mayor says) - NEWS - From LA Times - "The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Monday approved the Hawthorne company's use of a 6½-acre marine terminal, according to a statement from the Port of Long Beach. The site is to be used to dock the vessels that ferry used SpaceX first-stage rocket boosters to shore and offload equipment. SpaceX is set to take over the site Saturday."  Continue Here.

04/27/21   At EASA Forum, NBAA Again Weighs in on Ramp-Inspection Complications - ARTICLE - From NBAA - "Now, inspections of aircraft flown by NBAA members into European Union member countries – plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and any country with which EASA has an agreement regarding its RIP – will be performed under specific considerations for general aviation operations. Previously, the agency relied on inspectors to interpret the applicability of commercial aviation instructions during general aviation inspections, leading to frequent concerns about applicability."  Details HERE.

04/25/21   EAA Announces AirVenture NOTAM Changes - NEWS - From AVweb - "...it is more crucial than ever to thoroughly read and understand the 2021 AirVenture NOTAM to ensure safe operations on arrival and departure for this year’s event...”  Get the information HERE.

04/25/21  Nasa's Ingenuity helicopter makes second Mars flight - NEWS - From BBC - "The small Ingenuity drone hovered 5m above the ground, tilted and moved laterally 2m, before then reversing and putting itself back down on the spot from which it took off. - Nasa wants each successive outing to up the ante - for the little chopper to fly higher, further and faster. - On Monday, Ingenuity made history by performing the first powered, controlled flight on another world."  Webmater note:  Worth the read... Click HERE.

04/25/21   NTSB: Obstructed views, lack of alerts caused midair crash - NEWS - From AP/Yahoo News - "JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Two Alaska sightseeing planes collided in 2019 because the views of the pilots were obscured and aircraft-tracking systems failed to warn them about nearby aircraft, federal investigators concluded on Tuesday. Six people died, and 10 people survived." Continue HERE.

04/25/21   New NBAA Accreditation Certifies Leadership in Sustainable Flight Operations - PR NEWS - From NBAA - Washington, DC, April 22, 2021 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today unveiled a new accreditation program that will serve as an industry standard for validating leadership in sustainable flight operations across a host of key domains.

As companies increasingly emphasize sustainability as an overall objective, the NBAA Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation Program offers a tangible way for flight departments and others to demonstrate leadership in sustainability.

“NBAA has always been the authoritative source for business aviation, including when it comes to the sustainability of flight operations,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “On Earth Day, we want to underscore our commitment to this priority with our groundbreaking new tool, which provides a strategic framework for integrating all aspects of operational sustainability into an organization’s planning and culture. We look forward to working with our members in introducing this important program and supporting their sustainability goals in the years to come.”

Flight departments seeking the association’s Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation must demonstrate that their operations meet stringent requirements in one or more of the following areas:

• Flight: Reducing environmental impact as a result of conducting flights (e.g., carbon, emissions, noise) and creating efficiencies.
• Operations: Optimizing a sustainability culture with a focus on personnel and systemic environmental programs (e.g., recycling, measurable reduction of resources).
• Ground Support: Implementing sustainable strategies related to ground support (e.g., equipment, vehicles) and selecting vendors that do the same.
• Infrastructure: Advancing sustainability through physical infrastructures (e.g., hangars, facilities).

To support those enrolled in the accreditation program, NBAA will provide web-based educational content and other training addressing various elements of sustainability, with virtual audits to document certificate eligibility. Randomized, in-person audits will further verify a sustainability culture.

Initially, a limited number of companies have been invited to participate in a pilot program over the next several months, to test the accreditation program prototype and provide feedback.

The full accreditation program will be launched in October at the 2021 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). For more information about participating in the NBAA Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation Program, visit nbaa.org/sustainability.

04/24/21   FIRST POWERED FLIGHT ON MARS COMPLETE - NEWS - From AOPA - "Piece of Wright Flyer Aboard for a SOL to Remember" - "Its rotors spinning furiously in the thin Martian atmosphere, NASA’s Ingenuity made mankind’s first controlled flight on another planet in the early morning hours of April 19." Read About the Event HERE.

04/24/21   LOW FLYING AIRCRAFT: HOW LOW IS TOO LOW? - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "FAR 91.119 prescribes four important altitude minimums, except for when necessary for takeoff or landing. Specifically, over a “congested area,” an aircraft may not be operated at less than 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft. FAR 91.119(b). Over an “other than congested area,” an aircraft may not be operated at..." More HERE

04/22/21  Top 10 Tips For Managing Risk - ARTICLE - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "The typical general aviation pilots is exposed to three broad areas of risk: weather, aircraft suitability and pilot capability. When the proposed flight raises complications in these three basic areas, we should consider what we can do to bring the increased risk down to acceptable levels while still accomplishing the mission." Learn More Here.

04/21/21  NEW DRONE RULES TAKE EFFECT TODAY - NEWS - From FAA - WASHINGTON –Final rules take effect today for remotely identifying drones and allowing operators of small drones to fly over people and at night under certain conditions. - “Today’s rules are an important first step in safely and securely managing the growing use of drones in our airspace, though more work remains on the journey to full integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS),” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “The Department looks forward to working with stakeholders to ensure that our UAS policies keep pace with innovation, ensure the safety and security of our communities, and foster the economic competitiveness of our country.”

“Drones can provide virtually limitless benefits, and these new rules will ensure these important operations can grow safely and securely,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. “The FAA will continue to work closely with other Department of Transportation offices and stakeholders from across the drone community to take meaningful steps to integrate emerging technologies that safely support increased opportunities for more complex drone use.”

The Remote Identification (Remote ID)   for identifying drones in flight and the location of their control stations, reducing the risk of them interfering with other aircraft or posing a risk to people and property on the ground. The rule provides crucial information to our national security and law enforcement partners and other agencies charged with ensuring public safety. It applies to all drones that require FAA registration.

The Operations Over People rule applies to pilots who fly under Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Under this rule, the ability to fly over people and over moving vehicles varies depending on the level of risk (PDF) a small drone poses to people on the ground. Additionally, this rule allows operations at night under certain conditions provided pilots complete certain training or pass knowledge tests.

The public can review both the Remote ID (PDF) and Operations Over People Rule (PDF) in the Federal Register.

04/20/21  Atlantic Switches To Renewable Diesel at KLAX - NEWS - From AINonline - "Atlantic Aviation has fully replaced conventional fossil-based diesel fuel with renewable diesel at its Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX) FBO as part of the Texas-based company’s commitment to increasing sustainability in the aviation industry through its environmental, social, and corporate governance program." Story Here.

04/20/21  Torrance Airport noise complaints go unheard without monitoring system, but that could change - NEWS - From The Daily Breeze - "A new aircraft noise monitoring system could soon be installed at Torrance Airport — currently without one for the first time in decades — after an increase in complaints from nearby residents stuck at home because of the coronavirus pandemic. - The City Council..."  Read the story Here

04/20/21   FAA Says Internet Preflights Better Than Flight Service Briefings - ARTICLE - AVweb - "The FAA now says pilots should do their own preflight self-briefing on the internet before flying and use Flight Service “in a consultative capacity” if they run into trouble. The agency has issued an advisory circular (AC) that essentially codifies what most pilots have been doing for a decade or more. “The FAA considers that a self-briefing may be compliant with current federal aviation regulations,” noting that there is likely better information available from the myriad apps and websites devoted to that purpose than by phoning a briefer." Continue.

04/18/21  FAA Releases Online Courses For Drone Pilot Recurrent Training - NEWS - AVweb - "The free courses meet the training requirement for operations under the new Operation of Small Unmanned Aircraft Over People rule, which is scheduled to go into effect on April 21, 2021. The Operations Over People rule includes provisions for Part 107 flights over people, over moving vehicles and at night." Read the story HERE.

04/18/21  Communications Procedures Revised in Latest NAT Ops and Airspace Procedures Manual - NEWS - INSTRUCTIONAL - From NBAA - "The North Atlantic Operations and Airspace Procedures Manual (NAT Doc 007) was revised, with significant changes to communications mandates. The entire NAT now requires two long-range communications capabilities, one of which must be based on fully functioning high frequency (HF) technology."  Continue Here.

04/18/2021  Shock And Yaw - INSTRUCTIONAL - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "...how pilots trained on tricycle gear airplanes—i.e., most of them—don’t use the rudder enough. An old-timer will chuckle and tell a sad tale about some hapless pilot who ran over a runway light during a crosswind landing. Others will earnestly caution that flying a taildragger without a thorough understanding of how to use the rudder will quickly result in a groundloop. An instructor will dish about a student whose every stall demonstration almost turned into a spin." Webmaster Note: This is a useful discussion, Read it Here.

04/18/2021  Angle of Attack Awareness - SAFETY - From FAAST - "A lack of awareness, with respect to angle of attack (AOA), has resulted in the loss of aircraft control and contributed to fatal GA accidents. Increasing your awareness of the aerodynamic effects of AOA and available technology will help reduce the likelihood of inadvertent loss of control."  Download Printable Fact Sheet Here   Reference Blog Material Here   See a 57 Second Video Here.

04/18/2021  Metal vs. Wood - ARTICLE - INSTRUCTIONAL - From AVweb - See Part 1 below: 3/21/21 "...I had decided to replace the old Sensenich metal prop with a new wood prop. Selecting a propeller for an Experimental aircraft is always partly guesswork as no two homebuilts are exactly the same. To compound the problem, different prop makers shape and measure things differently, so the numbers aren’t directly comparable."  Continue Here.

04/18/2021  Nine-O-Nine Final Report Cites Inadequate SMS Oversight - ARTICLE / NEWS - From AVweb - "The Flying Fortress was on a “living history flight experience” flight from Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut, with 10 paying passengers and four crew members. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot told the tower he was returning due to engine problems with the No. 4 engine, which the crew shut down and feathered." Read about the Event and the NTSB decision Here.

04/14/2021   Continuous Composites completes AFRL’s WiSDM contract for LCAA wing - PR NEWS - From Airforce Technology - "Continuous Composites has announced the conclusion of the US Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) two-year Wing Structure Design for Manufacturing (WiSDM) contract. - The contract to produce a Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft (LCAA) wing was awarded through Lockheed Martin. - Continuous Composites said that the project focused on a ‘new structural design paradigm when coupled with commensurate materials and manufacturing’. It was mainly aimed at reducing costs and lead times for ‘attritable airframe structures’. - The wing assembly was printed with the structural carbon fibre spars using the company’s patented Continuous Fiber 3D Printing (CF3D) technology."  Read More

04/14/2021   Overprepare for a Canada Trip - ARTICLE - From NBAA/Business Aviation Insider - "Canada is among the top international destinations for U.S. operators, but constantly changing policies – especially related to COVID-19 restrictions – are making traveling to Canada and back in a general aviation aircraft a minefield of “gotchas.” Regulations are changing rapidly, “sometimes by the hour,” said Scott Harrold of Sky Aviation, president of consultancy Sky Aviation International." Continue.

04/14/2021  Shell Invests in SAF Producer - ARTICLE - From AIN - "Shell has joined the group of investors in LanzaJet, a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer that has just awarded a construction contract for its first commercial production facility in Soperton, Georgia. When operational in 2022, the Freedom Pines Fuels plant, which will utilize the alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) production pathway, will have a capacity to create 10 million gallons of fuel a year, up to 90 percent of which could be SAF with the remainder biodiesel." More Here.

04/14/2021  NBAA Concerned About Upcoming SMS Regulations for Part 135 Operators - ARTICLE - From NBAA - "In a recent letter to the FAA, NBAA voiced its concerns about a rulemaking effort underway that would require Part 135 operators to develop and implement a safety management system (SMS), saying it could be disruptive to existing safety measures already in place."  Continue Reading Here.

ARTICLE04/12/2021   Why Aircraft Engines Quit - ARTICLE / VIDEO - "Losing an engine is a recurring nightmare for many of us, but the actual risks are lower than most of us may imagine. In this video, AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli reports on his research project into engine-failure accidents and reveals that easily half of them—if not more—are caused by poor maintenance or pilot mistakes. Running the airplane out of gas is one of the distressingly common causes of engine failure."  Continue Here.

04/12/2021  United Opens Own Flight School, Targets Women, Minorities - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "United Airlines says it will train 5,000 pilots over the next 10 years at its own Arizona flight academy and half of the graduates will be women and people of color. The airline bought Westwind School of Aeronautics in Phoenix last fall and is turning it into its own private pipeline to fill its cockpits. Many of the candidates will enter the academy with no flight experience..." More Here.

04/11/2021  Flexjet Adds Van Nuys to Private Terminal Network - ARTICLE - From AINonline - "Flexjet expanded its private terminal network with a facility in the Clay Lacy executive complex at Van Nuys Airport in California. The facility is one of four private terminals that Flexjet now has for its customer base, also including at White Plains, New York; Naples, Florida; and West Palm Beach, Florida. In addition, Flexjet is planning to open two more this year—at Dallas Love Field around the third quarter and at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey later in the year." Continue.

04/11/2021  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its 2021-2022 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements on Tuesday, calling for the installation of crash-resistant cockpit image recorders and the implementation of safety management systems (SMS) in all revenue passenger carrying operations. According to the Board... Read the article.

04/11/2021  The NTSB Most Wanted List for 2021-2022 -  Look at it Here!

04/11/2021   U.S. Army Reserve jets set for move to Los Alamitos base -ARTICLE - From Daily Pilot - "The U.S. Army Reserve is planning to permanently relocate four passenger jets to Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos by this summer, adding about 200 takeoffs and landings per year. - The fleet of UC-35A Cessna Citation Ultras will move from Fort Hood, Texas with 18 soldiers assigned to 6th Battalion, 52nd Aviation Unit, according to a notice from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  More HERE.

04/08/2021   Air Force Completes First Military Transport of eVTOL Aircraft Inside C-130 - MILITARY NEWS - From Aviation Today - "This is the first milestone in developmental operations of eVTOL in rescue and attack, which highlights how the wing continues to actively engage on the front end of these efforts to continue building our readiness for tomorrow’s fight,” U.S. Air Force Maj. Brendan Gallagher, 563rd Rescue Group chief of weapons and tactics, said in a statement. “By doing this,..." Read the Story

04/08/2021   Fresh Out Of The Paint Shop - SAFETY TALK - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "As numerous articles and commentary in this magazine attest, any time you retrieve a plane from a mechanic, you become a test pilot. You want to ask questions to learn exactly what systems were worked on so you can pay particular attention to those systems during preflight. The thing is,..." Continue HERE.

04/07/2021   Airspace Link Incorporates Location Intelligence into Drone Offering - ARTICLE- From dbusiness - "Detroit’s Airspace Link, a provider of federal, state, and local government drone flight planning, authorization, and management solutions, has partnered with California’s Esri, a location intelligence company, to integrate a flight planner designed to inform pilots of conditions before drone takeoff. - The integration with Site Scan for ArcGIS flight planner makes it possible for users to have insights into information relevant to the areas of their drone operations such as controlled airspace, special events, and no-fly zones. This provides drone pilots with better situational awareness when planning automated drone flights." Read About it Here.

04/05/2021  Airbus Pitches Fuel-Saving Formation Flying For Widebodies - ARTICLE / VIDEO - From AVweb - "Airbus is working with air navigation service providers (ANSP) and airlines to test flying widebody aircraft in formation to save fuel and reduce carbon emissions. The idea is to mimic the efficiencies that migratory birds gain by organizing in their V-shape flocks." Read More HERE.

04/05/2021  Navy Aiming For Mostly Drone Fleet - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "The Navy says the forthcoming replacement for the F/A-18 will likely be a manned aircraft but it might be in the minority as part of the overall fleet. Rear Adm. Gregory Harris, who’s in charge of steering the Next Generation Air Dominance Program (NGAD), told a Navy League breakfast last week that the new carrier-borne fighter will be one of several new platforms acquired as part of the program. “We truly see NGAD as more than just a single aircraft. We believe that as manned-unmanned teaming comes online, we will integrate those aspects of manned and unmanned teaming into that,” he said." Continue Reading.

04/04/2021  FAA study finds noise from airplanes, helicopters far more annoying than other sources - ARTICLE - From The Washington Post - "The first Federal Aviation Administration noise survey in nearly 30 years found more people are bothered by aircraft noise than before, even as planes have gotten quieter. - According to the FAA’s Neighborhood Environmental Survey, nearly two-thirds of people reported being “highly annoyed” by aircraft noise — about five times higher than the 12.4 percent who reported the same level of annoyance during a 1992 review. Those surveyed considered noise from aircraft far more annoying than that from other sources, including cars, trucks and their neighbors. Continue Reading.

04/04/2021  Air Force Trying To Attract Civilian Pilots - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "The Air Force is turning the tables on the aviation industry and is trying to attract trained civilian pilots into its corps. The Air Force is looking at two pathways to bring in pilots whose flying skills and general abilities will let them bypass some of the military training that all new Air Force officers go through. “Somebody who is exceptional and extremely well qualified might be able to bypass undergraduate pilot training altogether. We would put those folks through an Air Force fundamentals course … to bring them up to speed on Air Force differences, teach them how we fly, teach them the things that they need to know to make a difference,” Maj. Gen Craig Wills told Stars and Stripes. It’s also looking at working with colleges and universities that offer undergraduate aviation programs and include some military-style curriculum so that when they graduate they can skip some of the Air Force training if they decide to join up."  Continue Here.

04/04/2021  COLLISION AVOIDANCE - GO BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK—PREPARE AGAINST COLLISION INCIDENTS WITH THIS SAFETY SPOTLIGHT - VIDEO - INSTRUCTIONAL COURSE - From AOPA - "Collision avoidance, in the air and on the ground, is one of the most basic responsibilities of a pilot operating an aircraft in visual conditions. During primary training, pilots are taught to keep their eyes outside the cockpit and look for conflicting traffic. But little formal instruction is given on the best ways to visually identify potential collision threats or on procedures that can lessen their risk of occurring." Investigate this material Here.

04/04/2021  Weather Delay - VIDEO - From AOPA - "This AOPA Air Safety Institute Accident Case Study examines a tragic accident that highlights an important and often-overlooked limitation of datalink radar."

04/04/2021  Re: AC 91-92 and IFR Weather Prep - (see below) From AOPA - "One item is a new batch of sample instrument rating airplane knowledge test questions that came out March 23—good review material for a do-it-yourselfer. Here’s a goal: Try to answer the questions as well as the 95 percent of all applicants in 2020 who passed the exam with an average score of 85."

04/01/2021  Geographic Risks - INSTRUCTIONAL - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "The Pacific Northwest, for the purposes of this article, includes the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. That’s a huge hunk of territory and comprises more than 250,000 square miles for Washington, Oregon and Idaho alone. The region includes two major mountain ranges—the Cascades and the Northern Rockies—and many smaller ones, as well as several major river basins. There are major cities in the region, such as Seattle, Portland and Boise, but also thousands of square miles of largely empty land and wilderness." Continue.

03/29/2021   AME GUIDANCE RELEASED FOR PILOTS WHO HAVE HAD COVID-19 - INFORMATION - From AOPA - "The FAA on March 26 released much-anticipated guidance to aviation medical examiners about how to handle medical certificate applications from pilots and air traffic control specialists who have had confirmed cases of COVID-19." Review it HERE.

03/28/2021   REPORT OFFERS INSIGHTS ON AIRCRAFT-WILDLIFE COLLISIONS - STUDY RESULTS - From AOPA - "Most collisions between general aviation aircraft and birds have occurred 500 feet or less above the ground, although those that occur higher were more likely to cause damage, said a report that studied 30 years of strike data involving aircraft and birds or other wildlife." Continue Here.

03/28/2021   TWO EVTOL LEADERS EMERGE - JOBY, LILIUM LEAD CROWDED FIELD - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "There are still said to be more than 200 designs vying for investor backing to bring air taxis to the masses, a dizzying array of multirotor electric, tiltrotors, and ducted fans, but investors are clearly fans of two in particular. Joby Aviation of Santa Cruz, California, and German air taxi startup Lilium have emerged as the major money magnets, each valued at more than $1 billion before their first aircraft is certified, far outpacing the rest."  Read it Here.

03/28/2021  When to activate the ELT after the engine goes silent - INSTRUCTIONAL - FAAST - "All pilots should be thoroughly familiar with the operation of their aircraft’s ELT, whether it’s the analog 121.5 and 243 MHz models, or the newer 406 MHz digital ELTs. This familiarization should include knowing how and when to manually activate an ELT during an inflight emergency. We asked Larry Bothe, Master & Gold Seal FAA Certified Flight Instructor and seminar presenter at EAA’s Air Venture, to share some insight on this important subject:

I think of early ELT activation the same way I think of (and teach) the early declaration of an emergency. If the engine quits, or some other emergency occurs requiring an immediate off-field landing, declare an emergency and activate your ELT right away. As soon as the immediate flying tasks (pitch for best glide, set the trim, pick a place to land, and turn the airplane to go there) are done, you need to squawk 7700, declare an emergency, and activate your ELT. Don't wait until you have gone through your other checklist items and then call at the end. By that time, you may well be too low to call (line-of-sight), and down in the ground clutter, out of sight of radar. The idea is, that since in reality you probably won't make a perfect textbook emergency landing, you need to get help on the way to take you to the hospital and tend to your injuries. If you don't summon help while you can, you may survive the crash, only to die of exposure in the wreckage because nobody knows you are there.

That’s why I recommend manually activating an ELT while still in flight. If you rely on the crash to set it off, and you are injured, how will you know if it activated or not? You want to be found, RIGHT AWAY! If you have remote activation capability, turn the darn thing on when you are squawking 7700 and declaring the emergency. Let people know you are in trouble. Make yourself easy to find and be rescued, for sure. All the modern 406 ELTs have panel mounted remote switches. Just push the button.

What if you manage to "fix" the emergency (belatedly figured out that the fuel selector was in the wrong position, and the engine really will run), or end up landing without damage or injury? You have already summoned all these people via radio and ELT. Simple. If still in the air, use that same radio you used to declare the emergency to call it off. I did that once with Memphis Center, and they were happy it worked out OK. I didn't hear a word from the FAA later.  If you are on the ground, cancel the false alert by calling the U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at 1-800-851-3051.

The whole idea here is to get help coming so you and your passengers can be rescued, really fast. One of the ways to do that is to manually activate your ELT early. It's also important to register your 406 MHz ELT with NOAA so they know who the device belongs to and who to call if it’s activated."  Here is the website for more information and to register: https://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/beacon.html

For more information on ELTs see: The Airman’s Information Manual (AIM) https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap6_section_2.html

Why should I buy a 406 MHz ELT? (FAA Safety Briefing magazine November/December 2010 p. 23) https://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2010/media/novdec2010.pdf

Webmaster Note: A VERY IMPORTANT INGREDIENT for this recipe needs to be added to the above. If a carburetor is involved, at the very first sign of engine trouble, (reduced RPM, etc.) APPLY CARB HEAT... it will only work if you have an engine that is still working!  For added benefit, look into the conditions that make paying attention to probable carb icing very worthwhile.

03/28/2021  The Cost of Frost- INSTRUCTIONAL - FAA Safety Briefing - "Every year, snow, ice, and freezing rain pose a serious challenge to pilots and airport operations. That’s why the FAA, through the Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility, and Sustainability (PEGASAS), looked at using heated pavements on airport surfaces to melt ice and snow. Similar to what we already use to de-ice car windows and warm chilly seats, PEGASAS studied the use of electrically conductive concrete (ECON) to de-ice frozen apron areas and, potentially, taxiways and runways to improve traction and safety for surface operations. ECON generates enough heat to melt a one-inch thick layer of snow in about 30 minutes, keeping airfield pavement systems safe, open, and accessible during winter weather events. To learn more about this “hot” technology, read “The Cost of Frost on Runways — A Look at Heated Pavement Technology” here: https://medium.com/faa/the-cost-of-frost-on-runways-1be55fb0a88b.  Be sure to check out the entire surface-safety-themed issue at www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing."

03/27/2021  New AC Provides Roadmap for Preflight Briefings - The FAA’s new Advisory Circular (AC) 91-92, A Pilot’s Guide to a Preflight Briefing, provides an educational roadmap for the development and implementation of preflight self-briefings, including planning, weather interpretation, and risk identification/mitigation skills. Pilots adopting these guidelines will be better prepared to interpret and utilize real-time weather information before departure and en route, in the cockpit, via technology like Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and via third-party providers. The AC also highlights several general operating practices including a breakdown of the different types of briefings along with checklists and links to online resources and guidance material. - Review the New AC HERE.

03/24/2021   Reliable Robotics Partners with Daedalean to Disrupt Next Generation of Aircraft Navigation and Situational Awareness Systems - ARTICLE/PR/VIDEO - From Aviation Today - "Reliable Robotics, coming off its groundbreaking flight demonstration of a remotely piloted modified Cessna 208 Caravan last month, is partnering with Switzerland-based startup Daedalean to disrupt the concept of automated navigation and situational awareness technology inside next generation fixed and rotary-wing aircraft." - "Daedalean CEO Luuk van Dijk and Reliable Robotics CEO Robert Rose, co-founder and CEO of Reliable Robotics, both former SpaceX engineers, provided emailed statements to Avionics International about the March 22 reveal of their new partnership." View More.

03/24/2021  NTSB Recommends Tighter Surveillance, Oversight of Revenue Part 91 Flights - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "Following several high-profile fatal accidents in revenue Part 91 flight operations, the NTSB Tuesday recommended that the FAA develop new safety standards for operators and that it tighten up surveillance and oversight of companies offering air tours, air combat, skydiving and tourist flights. The agency adopted a report that makes six recommendations to the FAA for improving revenue Part 91 operational safety, including closing regulatory loopholes and exemptions, giving inspectors better guidance for surveillance, developing a database of such operations and requiring companies to develop Safety Management Systems similar to those used by the airlines, but scaled to smaller operations." Continue Reading.

03/23/2021  New Era of U.S. Commercial Space Transportation Begins - FAA PR - From UAS Magazine - "WASHINGTON — The United States is leading the way to a new era of commercial space transportation with a final rule that streamlines the licensing process for private sector launch and reentry operations. - Innovation in commercial space transportation is increasing dramatically..." Continue Here.   View a video of FAA Administrator Dickson discussing the new rule.

03/23/2021  Global Campaign on NOTAM Improvement - WEBINAR - The Global Campaign on NOTAM Improvement (NOTAM2021) will be launched on 8 April 2021 from 1200 to 1330 UTC (0800 Montreal) with Phase 1 on old NOTAM. The virtual launch is in English only. The objective is to eliminate the number of old NOTAM still in circulation. - The kick-off webinar will also be streamed live on ICAO TV and can be accessed here. Additional webinars will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis to monitor progress and share experiences and lessons learned. Schedule Here.

03/23/2021  FAA to Implement South-Central Florida Metroplex on April 22 - FAA - "The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on April 22 will implement the first phase of the South-Central Florida Metroplex, the agency’s plan to move flights more safely and efficiently across the southern half of the state. Metroplex procedures will allow flights that are more direct and have more efficient climb and descent profiles." Continue Reading.

03/23/2021  Robinson Helicopter Hits Milestone - Sees Daylight - NEWs PR - From AINonline - "Torrance, California-based Robinson Helicopter started off 2021 with the delivery of its 13,000th rotorcraft in company history. But as it came amid the ongoing distractions caused by the Covid pandemic, the manufacturer didn’t even notice the milestone until weeks later. According to company president Kurt Robinson, that tally includes more than 1,000 of the airframer’s turbine-powered flagship R66s, nearly 5,000 of its two-seater R22s, and more than 7,000 of its four-place R44s, the latter two piston-engined." Read More Here.

03/22/2021  Podcast: Mitigating Intentional GPS Interference - PODCAST & NEWS - From NBAA - "GPS is unquestionably one of the most significant advances of our time and the enabling technology for much of the FAA’s NextGen air traffic management system. However, ongoing GPS interference testing by the U.S. military has caused several problems for pilots,.." Read Commentary and Listen to the Podcast Here - Webmaster Note: Our Podcast Page features many GREAT Opportunities.

03/22/2021  Meta Sensor Fuses ADS-B and Mode S into New Digital Secondary Surveillance Radar - ATM MANAGEMENT PR - From Aviation Today - "A new generation of digital software-centric secondary surveillance radar system technology, RSM NG, uses a meta-sensor that fully integrates Enhanced Mode S and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). - The new RSM NG system, launched by Thales on March 17, has the ability to track up to 2,000 flight tracks and control multiple radars from one central location." Continue Reading

03/21/2021  ALL or NOTHING - ARTICLE - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "After decades of just say no' on turning back to the runway after an engine failure, the FAA is changing its tune to suggest training and practice." - "The question is as old as the powered aviation itself: Assuming a single-engine airplane, if power is lost immediately after takeoff, should you land straight ahead or try to get back to the airport? This magazine has often addressed the question, including a January 2006 article by spinmeister Rich Stowell. Rich detailed the results of a simulator-based study examining “the feasibility of successfully executing a 180-degree turnaround following an engine failure at 500 feet agl.” The study concluded that practicing the maneuver boosted its success rate, but landing straight ahead (or nearly so) had a higher success rate." Continue Reading.

03/21/2021  Metal vs. Wood - ARTICLE - From NBAA - "One of the most common places Experimental airplane owners look for performance improvements is the propeller, and many homebuilts go through several props in their lifetime. This is not surprising as propeller design, like many aspects of aircraft design, is an exercise in tradeoffs, but prop design in particular is a black art to many. There are only a few manufacturers of fixed-pitch props for standard aircraft, but quite a few options for Experimentals."  Continue Reading.

03/21/2021   Safety Focus: The Importance of Performance-Based Measures in Fatigue Risk Management - ARTICLE - From NBAA - /"Fatigue risk management benefits from both prescriptive and performance-based measures as they provide flight crews, mechanics and dispatchers the ability to capture and measure data to reduce the impact of fatigue on safety, said a panel of experts during the most recent NBAA GO Flight Operations safety webinar. The combination of prescriptive codes and regulations with scientifically determined performance standards allows a flight department to tailor fatigue management for each mission, said Chris Bing, ‎manager of safety and international captain at Raytheon Technologies. “You have to do more than just manage fatigue. You have to capture data and measure it because if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it." Continue Reading.

03/21/2021  From 2019 - Aircraft Accident Investigation Preliminary Report - Ethiopian Airlines Group - B737-8 (MAX) Registered ET-AVJ 28 NM South East of Addis Ababa, Bole International Airport March 10, 2019 - The actual report HERE.

03/21/2021  Garmin Moves To Virtual Pilot Training Through June 2021 - PR ARTICLE - "Garmin has announced that it will be transitioning its pilot training classes to a virtual learning format through June 2021. According to the company, its instructor-led virtual training courses will be available in scheduled and on-demand sessions covering equipment including Garmin’s GTN, G1000/G1000 NXi and Aviation Weather Radar. Garmin has said it will also be taking custom training requests on a first come, first served basis. - A variety of pilot training opportunities are available ranging from Garmin pilot’s guides, PC trainers, eLearning courses, and monthly customer webinars that provide foundational knowledge about the equipment...." "...via Garmin’s website. The company’s one-hour webinars can be attended for free after registration. Webinar topics are updated monthly."

03/21/2021  From the Archives: Mountain flying - VIDEO - "Pulled from the AOPA Air Safety Institute archives, this video (circa 1991) introduces pilots to the challenges of mountain flying and offers ways to minimize the associated risks."

03/21/2021  Emergency Management - VIDEO - "We share lessons drawn from a pilot's unfortunate decisions during a vacuum pump failure in instrument meteorological conditions in this AOPA Air Safety Institute Accident Case Study." Watch the video

03/21/2021  Brush Up on Your Technique - VIDEO - AOPA Air Safety Institute - Safety Tip Series - Link to it HERE.

03/21/2021  Use of COVID-19 Vaccines by Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers - Notice Number: NOTC1739 - The COVID-19 public health emergency has driven extraordinary global efforts to develop an effective and safe vaccine. Some of the vaccines in clinical testing are using novel technology, such as messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). The vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson have been made available to the American public under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

After careful review of available data regarding safety profiles, the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine (AAM) adopts the following policy as both safe and operationally responsive to this unique situation:

Holders of FAA-issued Airman Medical Certificates or Medical Clearances may receive the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines; however, a 48-hour no fly/no safety related duty interval must be observed after each dose. - Read more on the FAA’s Coronavirus Guidance and Resource page here: https://www.faa.gov/coronavirus/guidance_resources/#useOfVaccines

03/17/2021  US requires drones to broadcast ID info - ARTICLE - AVweb - "The Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft rule requires drones in flight to broadcast identification and location information along with requiring similar location data from the aircraft’s control station or takeoff point. Unmanned aircraft operating at FAA-recognized identification areas (FRIAs) are exempt from Remote ID requirements. While the Remote ID rule goes into effect on April 21,..."   Continue Reading Here.

03/17/2021  WINGS Training - FACT SHEET / VIDEO - FAAST - Proficiency training is required for most professional pilots and plays a key role in aviation safety. Studies have shown that pilots who participate in regular proficiency training are much less likely to experience accidents. - The FAA’s WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program is one way for GA pilots to ensure they are competent, confident, and safe in their flight operations.  Link for the Fact Sheet Here. And Link to the 57 second Video Here.

03/14/2021  Training and Preparing for a New Flight Environment - FAAST VIDEO - Transition training and experience in diverse flight environments can improve a pilot’s ability to recognize and successfully respond to new challenges.  You can download a printable FACT Sheet here. You can watch the 57 second VIDEO Here.

03/14/2021  (From 03/05)  "Helicopter Association International (HAI) Names 2021 Recipients of Salute to Excellence Award for Humanitarian Service -Helicopter Association International (HAI) announced the California National Guard 40th Combat Aviation Brigade CH-47 and UH-60 Blackhawk Crews are the 2021 recipients of the association’s Humanitarian Service Award. The award, sponsored by Sikorsky, honors the person or persons who best demonstrate the value of helicopters to the communities in which they operate by providing aid to those in need."

03/13/2021  FAA Extends Comment Period for Noise Research and Survey - FAA PR - WASHINGTON –The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has extended the comment period for the existing noise research portfolio, including the Neighborhood Environmental Survey, and additional areas recommended for investigation to April 14, 2021. Both notices are available on FAA’s website; in addition, you can review the first notice and read the comment extension notice at the Federal Register website.

The FAA is sharing information on its aircraft noise research programs that includes a portfolio of research initiatives related to the effects of aviation noise impacts on the public, efforts to mitigate such noise exposure, and research regarding public perception of aviation noise. The public comment period opened on January 13, 2021.

Included in this posting are the results of the Neighborhood Environmental Survey, a multi-year research effort to review and improve the FAA’s understanding of community response to noise. The survey included responses from over 10,000 people living near 20 airports across the country, and the results show an increased level of reported annoyance due to aircraft noise in contrast to earlier surveys.

Successfully addressing noise requires continued and increased collaboration among all aviation stakeholders. In this regard, the FAA has an important role to play in addressing noise issues, including continuing to improve the understanding of how airport noise impacts communities surrounding our nation’s airports. As part of the FAA’s broader research on aircraft noise, this survey data and the research related to noise abatement will be used to inform the FAA’s approach on the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and the well-being of people living near airports and communities served by airports throughout the country.

The FAA continues decades-long efforts to work with airport authorities, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, state and local governments, and communities to address noise concerns. The FAA also collaborates with airport authorities and community groups to implement noise abatement procedures safely when operationally feasible. Today’s civilian aircraft are quieter than at any time in the history of powered flight, and the FAA continues to work with manufacturers and air carriers to reduce noise at the source.

The FAA works with local governments to encourage responsible land planning that avoids building residential housing in areas that will be exposed to significant airplane noise. In fact, over the last four decades, the number of Americans exposed to significant aviation noise near airports has been reduced from 7 million to just over 400,000–more than a 94% reduction. During the same period, the number of annual passengers increased from around 200 million per year to over 900 million per year. This demonstrates a decrease in the number of people exposed to significant noise while showing an increase in the number of passengers travelling in the aviation system.

03/13/2021  FAA Announces Effective Dates for Final Drone Rules - FAA PR - The final rules requiring remote identification of drones and allowing some flights over people, over moving vehicles and at night under certain conditions will go into effect on April 21, 2021.

03/12/2021   Homebuilts and Dirt Strips - ARTICLE - TUTORIAL - From AVweb - "With some common sense, proper planning and following the right procedures, many homebuilts can be safely operated on a wide variety of “unimproved” surfaces." Extensive article - Read it Here.

03/11/2021  Australian drone pilots can receive automated airspace approval  - ARTICLE -  From DroneDJ - "The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) now allows Aussie drone pilots to receive automated airspace approvals in Wing Aviation‘s OpenSky drone safety app. The automated process is a first in the country and will allow pilots to become more productive. The program is rolling out in a beta form right now, which will first be available to chief remote pilots holding a remotely piloted operator’s certificate (ReOC). The program will also only allow for three specific locations to receive the automated process as bugs, and any issues are ironed out."  More Here.

03/11/2021  NBAA Continuing Discussions on Wilmington Presidential TFR Challenges - ARTICLE - From NBAA - “We’re working with the two current gateways – Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) – hoping that we’ll see movement from TSA on an alternative to Newark, but the real challenges are the routes around the TFR,” said Heidi Williams, NBAA director of air traffic services and infrastructure. “We really only have two options, and when the military is flying in its operation areas we lose the offshore routes.” Continue Reading Here.

03/11/2021  Managing Risk In Aircraft Certification - ARTICLE - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "...risk management is at least equally critical in the world of operating airliners and turbine-powered transport category aircraft. Recent air carrier accidents provide illustration and lessons relevant to operating small general aviation aircraft, especially when designing and certifying them."  Benefit from reading More Here.

03/11/2021  Honeywell developing 1MW turbo-generator for air-taxi segment - ARTICLE - From Flight Global - "Honeywell later this year plans to demonstrate a new, more-powerful turbo-generator designed for use on air taxis, cargo drones and hybrid-electric commercial aircraft. - The company revealed the project on 8 March, saying the system under development will create 1MW of power – about two-and-a-half times more than a turbo-generator Honeywell unveiled in 2019.  Rest of the Story Here.

03/08/2021  FAA, Choctaw Nation Team Up to Advance UAS - FAA PR - "Oklahoma City, OK – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is partnering with the Choctaw Nation to study how Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) can best transport cargo, including parcels, at lower altitudes. The FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC), signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. -The agreement will enable the MMAC to work with the Choctaw Nation to study human factors, supply chain management and air traffic control. The parties will use virtual simulated urban environments for their research. One goal of the MOU is to promote interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs for students seeking possible careers in aerospace.

“The FAA and the Choctaw Nation share an interest in safety,” said Michelle Coppedge, Director of the MMAC. “Our goal is to advance the development and integration of UAS into what is already a complex National Airspace System.” - ”The MMAC plays a critical role in ensuring the safety of aviation operations in our nation, and we are excited to establish formal ties between our organizations to jointly support the development and safe integration of emerging aviation technologies into our national airspace system,” said James L Grimsley, Executive Director of Advanced Technology Initiatives with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

The Choctaw Nation is the only tribal government selected by the U. S. Department of Transportation to participate in the Unmanned Aerial System Integration Pilot Program. It was one of 9 active pilot sites in the United States selected to work in collaboration with the FAA and industry to conduct advanced UAS operations - The Nation also was the first tribal government to be recognized by the FAA as a Public Aircraft Operator. It was the only lead participant to work with the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center on acoustics testing for UAS used in agriculture, remote infrastructure inspections, public safety and other areas.

More than 6,300 employees, contractors and students work at the FAA’s aeronautical center, which is located on the west side of Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. The center touches every aspect of the nation’s airspace by providing training, supply chain management, medical/educational human factors research and the national registration database of all U.S.-registered aircraft and pilots. It also offers financial management and acquisition services for a wide array of federal agencies.

03/08/2021  Reid-Hillview Airport - FAA PRESSURES SANTA CLARA COUNTY TO ABIDE BY GRANT OBLIGATIONS - From AOPA - "Despite several warnings from the FAA, Santa Clara County officials in California have refused to address ongoing safety concerns at Reid-Hillview Airport, prompting the agency to take a stronger stand and threaten legal action."  Read the Story Here.

03/07/2021   The March/April 2021 issue of FAA Safety Briefing focuses on the many facets of airport surface safety. - Feature articles and departments provide a “road map” to the various tools, resources, and strategies airmen can use to steer clear of risk during the ramp-to-runway segment of their journey.  For the Details and the Featured Topics Visit our Runways Safety News Page HERE.

03/07/2021  GAO REPORT REVIEWS FAA'S FLIGHT SHARING POLICIES - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "The Government Accountability Office released a report to Congress on the FAA’s regulation of flight sharing—a practice that allows private pilots to share aircraft operating costs with passengers provided the pilots do not run afoul of prohibitions on engaging in “common carriage” for compensation." Read More Here.

03/06/2021  HyPoint unveils its hydrogen fuel cell for urban air mobility - ARTICLE - From Drone DJ - "Silicon Valley-based HyPoint has unveiled its breakthrough hydrogen fuel cell prototype for use in the urban air mobility and aviation industries. The fuel cell has already won an award from NASA and can reach up to 2,000 watts of power per kilogram." More Here.

03/06/2021   How Bias Impacts Safety - ARTICLE - From NBAA - "Aviation safety improves with the introduction of psychological safety and emotional intelligence, but the full benefit of these enhancements will be hindered if organizations and individuals fail to appreciate and understand the impact of bias, explained author, speaker, Gulfstream G650 pilot and Founder and President of Aviation for Humanity, Kimberly Perkins during the recent NBAA GO Flight Operations “Turns Around a Pint” safety webinar." More Here.

03/06/2021   FAA Selects Airports For Anti-Drone Systems Testing - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "The FAA has chosen five host airports to test technologies designed to “detect and mitigate potential safety risks” presented by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drones). The airports selected are New Jersey’s Atlantic City International Airport (ACY); Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) in New York; Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus, Ohio; Huntsville International Airport (HSV) in Alabama; and Washington’s Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). According to the FAA, at least ten counter-UAS technologies or systems will be evaluated at the airports."  Continue reading Here.

03/06/2021  Steep Turns - INSTRUCTIONAL ARTICLE - From AVweb - "...practicing turns can teach us a lot about how and why the airplane flies as it does, and how well or poorly we both anticipate what it wants to do and manage its tendencies. Steep turns, in fact, are a great way to refresh some basic skills. They’re a required task for a private certificate and, if we want to maintain our skills to at least those of a private pilot, we should be able to nail them. But before you head out to practice them, let’s talk a bit about what’s going on in steep turns, including the aerodynamics and how the airplane’s design can work against us, with an idea to at least sharpen up our skills with the more mundane, 30-degree-orless banked turns."  Webmaster Note: As a longtime CFII, I learned a longtime ago, don't pay too much attention to how proficient they say they are, or how good they should be, just ask to see a steep turn.   Read the Article Here.

03/06/2021  Picking Up The Pieces - ARTICLE - From Aviation Safety Magazine - "The tales an aircraft salvage expert has to share include lessons we all need to learn. Some pilots learn them the hard way, however." - "After decades in the business, Patrick has a lot of lived experience seeing a wide variety of crashed planes, especially in the backcountry. As a window into answering the eternal question “Why do pilots crash?” I felt his insights would be valuable." Continue Reading Here

03/06/2021  NBAA Welcomes Senate Passage of COVID-Relief Bill - PR RELEASE - Washington, DC, March 6, 2021 –  The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today applauded the United States Senate passage of the $1.9 trillion COVID-relief package, known as the American Rescue Plan, which provides additional targeted relief for the aviation industry. The bill will now go back to the House of Representatives for final consideration and passage before being sent to President Biden.

Under the bill, the Payroll Support Program (PSP) for air carriers and general aviation commercial operators would receive $14 billion, plus another $1 billion for qualifying contractors. The Department of the Treasury is directed to distribute funds by April 15 and extend the program through September 2021.

The legislation also provides an additional $8 billion in funding for airport infrastructure projects, $100 million of which would be designated for general aviation and non-primary airports.

Included in the legislation is the Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection Act, initially introduced by Reps. Rick Larsen (D-2-WA) and Ron Estes (R-4-KS). This establishes a temporary relief program to provide a 50% cost-share to help cover costs of pay, benefits, and training for aerospace manufacturing employees at risk of being furloughed or who were furloughed due to the pandemic.

For small businesses, the legislation includes an additional $15 billion for targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). The far-reaching package also includes as much as $14 billion for vaccine distribution and billions for healthcare-focused initiatives, including expanded COVID-19 testing and tracing.

“This legislation brings critical relief to the business aviation industry as the ongoing reductions in business travel and the potential for additional Covid-related impacts create significant uncertainty for our community,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We applaud the recent Senate action and urge the House of Representatives to act quickly and ensure our industry, and all Americans, receive this targeted assistance as we look to recover from the pandemic.”

03/06/21   NBAA, AOPA Call Upon Agencies to Mitigate Impact of Intentional GPS Interference - PR Release - Washington, DC, March 5, 2021 –  The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), in a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense (DOD), expressed concern about restrictions to airspace and airports caused by the intentional jamming of GPS and are seeking mitigations on the operational impact of these interference events.

In a letter to the FAA and DOD, the organizations recognized the importance of DOD’s mission and the agency’s need to simulate the loss of GPS as part of its effort to defend and maintain the global navigation system. However, as NBAA and AOPA noted, the National Airspace System (NAS) has become increasingly reliant on GPS as the primary source of navigation and aircraft system functionality, while reducing reliance on ground-based navigational infrastructure.

“Despite reduced operations in the NAS over the past year, general aviation continues to show increased activity and volume, exceeding commercial airline operations,” the letter states. “In recent months, operators have continued to report operational impacts and reduced access to airspace and airports resulting from intentional GPS jamming events.”

Read NBAA’s and AOPA’s full letter to the FAA and DOD. (PDF)

The associations’ letter also noted the aviation community had not received a response from the FAA or DOD to a 2018 RTCA report on the operational impacts of intentional GPS interference, which included more than two dozen detailed recommendations to limit the operational impact of these events on civilian air traffic.

During the RTCA deliberations, the FAA and DOD acknowledged that the frequency and impact of these intentional jamming events grew significantly over the preceding decade and would continue to escalate, the trade groups added.

“The growing reliance on GPS in the National Airspace System, combined with the increasing frequency of intentional GPS jamming events, makes it imperative that the FAA and the DOD have mitigations in place to ensure the safety and reliability of the NAS during these events,” said Heidi Williams, NBAA director, air traffic services and infrastructure. “We look forward to working with the agencies to employ the RTCA report’s recommendations and ensure our national security and the safety and efficiency of the NAS.”

“It is vital that pilots have continuity and access to optimal navigational and safety tools, of which GPS is vital,” said Jim Coon, AOPA senior vice president of government affairs and advocacy. “We strongly support our warfighters, but we believe DOD and FAA should review their GPS testing processes so that our nation’s airspace continues to be as safe as possible.”

03/03/21  Flying taxi network in LA could take off soon - ARTICLE / VIDEO- From Fox News - "Archer co-CEO Adam Goldstein says he’s confident his company can launch an air taxi service in 2024 because the technology needed is already invented." Read/See it Here.

03/03/21  New Bills To Step Up Federal Coordination of AAM - ARTICLE - From AINonline - "Legislation seeking to boost the development of advanced air mobility (AAM) in the U.S. is now progressing in both the House and Senate with bipartisan support. The proposed bills, “Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act,” call on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to establish an inter-agency working group to coordinate efforts to develop a complete AAM ecosystem to support widespread operations of new eVTOL aircraft."  Continue Reading

02/26/2021   ‘Weaknesses’ in FAA oversight of airplane safety fuel call for more changes after Boeing 737 MAX failures - ARTICLE - From The Seattle Times - "A government report released Wednesday (2/24) concludes that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight of airplane safety needs further strengthening beyond what the agency has already implemented in response to the two crashes of Boeing’s 737 MAX. - The final report by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation highlights failures that led the FAA to miss the flaws in the MAX’s new flight control system during certification of the jet in 2015 and 2016." Continue Reading Here.

02/23/2021   Why do pilots continue to inadvertently fly into IMC? - INSTRUCTIONAL ARTICLE - From General Aviation News - "Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions leading to pilot spatial disorientation continue to be a leading cause of fatal helicopter accidents. - From 2000 to 2019 in the United States, there were 130 fatal accidents directly linked to the issue of spatial disorientation. These accidents occurred regardless of pilot experience and they cut across all industries, including Emergency Medical Services, law enforcement, tour operations, utility flights, corporate flying, and personal/private flights, according to officials with the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team. - For decades, studies, articles, research papers, and discussions have been published theorizing why accidents related to degraded visual environments consistently occur..."  Continue Reading Here.

02/22/2021  Understanding Deferred Maintenance - ARTICLE - From NBAA & Business Aviation Insider - "Even experienced business aviation pilots and maintenance personnel may be occasionally stymied by the ins and outs of aircraft minimum equipment lists (MELs), which outline what equipment is necessary to perform a flight, and what equipment may be legally deferred under the regulations. - An aircraft’s configuration deviation list (CDL) specifies regulator-approved non-structural external parts that may be missing, yet the aircraft may still be airworthy." Learn about it Here.

02/22/2021  NASA shares first video and audio, new images from Mars Perseverance rover - ARTICLE / VIDEO - From CNN - "During its harrowing descent to the surface of Mars last Thursday, NASA's Perseverance rover captured video that the agency is calling "How to Land on Mars." The video, along with other newly released footage, gives earthlings back home a better sense of the sights and sounds on the red planet.

02/21/2021  ERAU RELEASES STUDY ON GENDER, RACIAL BIAS - ARTICLE - From AOPA - "A new study released by researchers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University examined potential bias faced by aspiring female and minority commercial and student pilots in the United States. In an experiment, participants were shown pictures of current female and male commercial pilots of various races, and were asked to rate their opinions on the quality of the pilot—professionalism, flight safety," Read the story Here.

02/21/2021  Las Vegas Metroplex begins Feb. 25! - FAA PR NEWS - "The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will implement the Las Vegas Metroplex project on Feb. 25, 2021.  -  The comprehensive project will use satellite navigation to move air traffic more safely and efficiently through the area. New routes for McCarran International Airport, Henderson Executive Airport, and North Las Vegas Airport will be more direct, automatically separated from each other and have efficient climb and descent profiles. It is one of 11 Metroplex projects nationwide.

Community involvement was a critical part of the project’s environmental process. The FAA conducted a thorough environmental review and extensive public engagement for the project, including 11 public workshops in 2017 and 2019.The agency also held four public comment periods totaling more than 120 days, and evaluated and responded to more than 140 comments.

After the FAA implements the new procedures, some flight track dispersion will continue to occur as it does today. Additionally, air traffic controllers will continue to sometimes direct aircraft off published routes for safety or efficiency or to reroute them around weather systems.

The FAA issued the Finding of No Significant Impact-Record of Decision (FONSI-ROD) for the Las Vegas Metroplex project in July 2020. The agency’s initial plan to implement the new routes in November 2020 was delayed by the COVID-19 public health emergency.  -  After issuing the FONSI-ROD, the FAA made minor adjustments to five procedures that are part of the project. The agency conducted a thorough review of the changes and confirmed they did not warrant a supplement to the final Environmental Assessment, consistent with FAA environmental policy. - The Las Vegas Metroplex environmental website includes Google Earth features that enable the public to view historic and projected flight paths associated with the project, as well as the noise analysis the FAA conducted at more than 172,000 grid points throughout the projected General Study Area.

02/21/2021  What’s So Special About Special VFR? - ARTICLE - From AVweb - "Air traffic control offers a smorgasbord of mostly legal ways to run the scud without running from the law. We’ll consider four procedures that blend IFR with VFR to expand system utility. They are: Visual approach, contact approach, VFR-on-top (OTP), and special VFR (SVFR). That last sounds like an item on the Airport Cafe menu: “I’ll have the special VFR with curly fries.”“All out of curly; how ‘bout shemp?” - ATC exists to “safely expedite the flow of air traffic through the National Airspace System.” Or something like that, an ethos I encountered at the FAA Academy in 1979.  The experience was largely a screen to see who had the moxie to keep numerous callsigns in their head and separate them from each other without radar. Lamely called “3-D chess,” I view ATC, instead, as Jenga-in-motion, wherein pieces are stacked in a precarious structure and shifting the wrong one will cause your career to collapse. Barring failure, air traffic arrives via instrument approach procedures or, weather permitting, a visual approach."  This piece examines Special VFR, and you can read about the details you need to know Here.

02/21/2021   Perseverance Rover Lands On Mars - ARTICLE / VIDEO -  From AVweb - "NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars on Thursday afternoon, 203 days after it launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station aboard a ULA Atlas V 541 rocket. The 2,263-pound rover is on a two-year mission to look for signs of ancient microbial life along with collecting samples of rock and regolith from Mars’ Jezero Crater. As shown in the video below, NASA and ESA are planning a coordinated mission to retrieve samples gathered by Perseverance and return them to Earth by 2031."  Read and See More by Clicking Here.

02/21/2021  FAA using satellite technology to monitor every Boeing 737 MAX in flight - ARTICLE - From The Seattle Times - "Using a technology that streams data from an airplane via satellites, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now monitoring every Boeing 737 MAX on every flight worldwide to check on the performance of the MAX fleet as the jet returns to service. - The system “will flag deviations from certain parameters during all phases of flight and alert the FAA’s aviation safety division,” the federal agency said. “Safety engineers and inspectors will..." Read More Here.

02/21/2021  Female amputee Air Force pilot back in the air - ARTICLE / VIDEO - From CNN Newsource - "COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado- A United States Air Force Academy graduate who is the first woman amputee to return to flying duty is now helping future pilots. "I am an amputee pilot." - Major Christy Wise is a United States Air Force Academy grad and the first woman amputee to return to flying duty. "About five years ago I lost my leg..." Continue Here.

02/21/2021  NASA, Calif. university team to develop eVTOLs - ARTICLE - From The San Diego Union-Tribune - "NASA has given UC San Diego $5.8 million to help develop electric-powered flying taxis, a form of ride sharing that has been envisioned for decades but is struggling to get beyond the concept stage. - UCSD will lead a group of five universities and companies in creating software tools to design small fleets of vertical takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft that are quieter, safer, cleaner and more efficient and affordable than helicopters." Continue Reading Here.

02/20/2021  Wingcopter joins Flying Labs Network to support locally led drone delivery projects - ARTICLE - From TransportUP "Wingcopter, the German developer, manufacturer and operator of unmanned delivery drones for commercial and humanitarian applications, has joined forces with the Flying Labs Network as a Technology Partner. Their global initiative will improve supply chains through locally led cargo drone projects and equip local talent with the skills to operate Wingcopter’s unmanned systems in long range drone applications, including beyond visual line of sight. The Flying Labs Network is reputable for strengthening local expertise in the use of drones, robotics, data and AI for positive social change in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and beyond. - Wingcopter is currently implementing a drone delivery network in Malawi to strengthen local healthcare supply chains together with UNICEF and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Within the project called Drone + Data Aid the company cooperates with the African Drone and Data Academy to train youth from across the continent in drone operations. In other parts of the world, Wingcopter is preparing for safe and efficient on-demand delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to remote areas by drone..."  Continue Reading Here.

02/20/2021  Air taxi service from downtown Chicago to O’Hare could launch by summer - ARTICLE - From Chicago Tribune - "Blade, a New York-based “urban air mobility” provider, announced Thursday it has partnered with the downtown heliport Vertiport Chicago to launch air taxi service as early as this summer. - Longer term, the company hopes to transform to an emerging technology — electric-powered helicopters — to expand its service in Chicago and other markets. - In Chicago, passengers will soon be able to book regular helicopter flights from the 6-year-old facility in the Illinois Medical District to O’Hare and other destinations for the cost of an Uber Black — getting there in less than half the time, Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal said. Read More