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U.S. FAA

By Sean Broderick
A bipartisan effort to fast-track new FAA certification and oversight mandates is using the emergency funding-focused omnibus bill to get the legislation into law, agreeing on new requirements targeting what the agency can delegate to manufacturers, emphasizing human factors reviews, and urging FAA to spearhead improvement of global pilot training.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Sean Broderick
The FAA’s recent shift towards working with certificate holders to resolve certain regulatory violations and its handling of safety complaints from employees are facing renewed scrutiny and some legislative changes following a Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee report on safety oversight.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Ben Goldstein
United Airlines will become the second U.S. carrier to resume commercial Boeing 737 MAX operations when it reintroduces the model to service in
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Sean Broderick
The FAA, codifying a lesson learned from the Boeing 737 MAX saga, plans to use ad-hoc internal review boards to help validate work as during the aircraft certification process, administrator Steve Dickson said.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Bill Carey
Authorities have arrested an employee at the FAA’s Washington headquarters on allegations that he attempted to extort foreign officials by offering confidential information on pilots whose licenses have been revoked
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Sean Broderick
Brazil’s national civil aviation regulator ANAC has adopted the FAA’s parameters for returning Boeing 737 MAX-family aircraft to service.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Bill Carey
The FAA on Nov. 20 released for comment proposed airworthiness standards for six small unmanned aircraft systems as a step toward issuing its first-ever regulatory certifications of drone designs.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Sean Broderick
The FAA’s sign-off on what operators must do to get their Boeing 737 MAXs back in service puts Southwest Airlines on a time line to have at least some
Airlines & Lessors

By Bill Carey
The FAA has taken another step toward extending its ground-based surveillance capability by using a commercial system for tracking aircraft over oceans.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Sean Broderick
The FAA is calling attention to risks that disinfection can have on aircraft interiors, urging operators and maintainers to heed manufacturers’ guidance and take extra steps to protect sensitive equipment, wiring, and other high-risk components.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Bill Carey
The Streamlined Launch and Reentry Licensing Requirements final rule allows commercial space operators to acquire a single license to conduct multiple launches from multiple sites.
Commercial Space

By Bill Carey
The FAA should strengthen its oversight of avionics cybersecurity to protect against evolving risks to commercial aircraft, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) advised in an Oct. 9 report to Congress.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Sean Broderick
Proposed new minimum training for 737 MAX pilots includes five scenarios in full-flight simulators preceded by reviews of related checklists and materials, a report issued by the FAA Oct. 6 reveals.
Aerospace

By Sean Broderick
Calls from foreign regulators to expand Boeing 737 MAX updates beyond what the FAA has proposed in a draft rule will be heeded, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson suggested Sept. 30, signaling that further changes are in the works after the model’s return to service.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Sean Broderick
Pilot groups and at least one regulator have raised concerns about several non-normal pilot procedures being changed following a review of the grounded Boeing 737 MAX that also apply to older versions of the venerable narrowbody.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Sean Broderick
WASHINGTON—A U.S. Congressional report on the Boeing 737 MAX reveals that while Boeing learned during the model’s development that pilots might not
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Ben Goldstein
The FAA proposed extending a slot rule waiver in place at three congested U.S. East Coast airports through March, in an effort to relieve airlines hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak.
Airports & Networks

By Sean Broderick
The FAA remains confident that it will finalize a long-awaited revamp of U.S. mechanic training standards by the end of 2020, Administrator Steve Dickson said Sept. 14.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Sean Broderick
A newly revealed Boeing 787 production issue has been slowing deliveries of the widebody twin, prompting Boeing to hold up completed aircraft for fixes and work with the FAA to determine what ramifications the issue may have for the in-service fleet.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Sean Broderick
The FAA has taken the next steps in standing up grant programs to help aspiring pilots, engineers and aviation maintenance technicians, outlining plans to begin collecting applications for the first round of grants in November.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Sean Broderick
FAA’s shift to emphasizing corrective actions over civil penalties for unintentional regulatory violations needs more centralized oversight and data analysis to determine its effectiveness, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of the program shows.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Bill Carey
The FAA says it will continue the work of a soon-to-end pilot effort with local and state governments and industry to introduce drones more regularly into the airspace system.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Bill Carey
Boeing managers “exerted undue pressure” and interfered with FAA-designated employees at its South Carolina manufacturing facility for the 787 airliner, the FAA alleged in announcing $1.25 million in proposed fines on Aug. 5.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Sean Broderick
Storage-related corrosion of Boeing-supplied valves on certain CFM56 engines has been linked to four engine shutdowns, prompting regulators to order inspections before the 1,140 aircraft are returned to service after extended downtime.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Sean Broderick
The FAA is pondering new rules that would mandate more advanced flight recorders, aligning with ICAO standards becoming effective in 2023.
Safety, Ops & Regulation