Safety, Ops & Regulation

A series of accidents has underlined that development of safe, robust electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicles will be no easy task.

Commercial aviation in China crept toward normalcy in March, reaching 42% of its capacity before the coronavirus outbreak in December 2019.

Updated EASA guidance for operators still flying during the coronavirus pandemic recommends masks for most crew members and suggests turning off recirculation fans to help refresh cabin air more often.

The FAA has released long-awaited policy on using video links and other “remote technology” to conduct inspections and help validate regulatory compliance, adding to a growing set of procedural changes meant to accommodate social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Pilots are rarely the only ones to blame. Rather airlines, military services and other operators make decisions that result in situations which lead to accidents.

While tensions exist, there’s still business to be done

Under a proposed new regulation, air carriers would be required to enter and share pilot records in an FAA-managed Pilot Records Database (PRD) before making hiring decisions.

Responding to a congressional directive to exercise leadership in enabling the return of supersonic air travel, the FAA has proposed noise certification regulations for new supersonic aircraft.

Philippine authorities are likely to ground charter operator Lionair while they investigate the cause of a fatal Mar. 29 crash that is the second such accident involving the operator in the past seven months.

Aero-engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is pausing engineering and production operations at its UK facilities as it works to mitigate the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FAA has made several changes and is preparing more guidance documents and policy statements to help the industry navigate some short-term roadblocks presented by the coronavirus pandemic.

A European Union-funded research project to improve aircraft ice protection is preparing upgraded wind tunnels for testing of a hybrid system capable of detecting icing caused by supercooled large droplets (SLD).

“Anybody with enough money can buy one.”

Embraer has placed all employees at sites in Brazil who cannot perform their jobs remotely on temporary paid leave through March 31 because of the virus causing COVID-19, the company said.

Operators now expect new aircraft to fly efficiently at 490-500 KTAS and soar into the mid to upper 40s.

Airline pilots report 5,500 severe or greater turbulence encounters annually. There are tough on crews, their passengers and the airframe.

An airline’s Flight Operations Manual, in cases or turbulence, requires pilots to log severe encounters and order the aircraft be inspected.

Compliance studies are underway, and they have resulted in increased scrutiny of business aircraft leasing and reimbursements.

News of business aviation promotions, appointments and honors.

Any reading of the two incidents cited in this month’s Cause & Circumstance to a group of aviation professionals would likely result in the same

Kenny Dichter, founder and CEO of Wheels Up, answers questions about his travel membership program.

Is fuel planning for an oceanic trip just another mundane task or does it force you back into a more primal stage of pilotage?

Sometimes you read an accident or incident report and when you’re done, you feel desperation for the operation’s safety hogan.

Selected accidents and incidents in February. The following NTSB information is preliminary.

Oil-and-gas helicopter operator Bristow Group has converted three of its helicopters to perform evacuation missions for oil workers with suspected cases of novel coronavirus.