UPDATE:7/10/2025

Bryan Bedford confirmed as new FAA chief

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford as the next head of the Federal Aviation Administration, despite objections from the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee and some of her colleagues about his past positions on pilot training hours.

The Senate ultimately approved Bedford’s nomination 53-43, despite those qualms. He will take the reins at a crucial time for the agency as it continues grappling with January’s midair disaster near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, air traffic control setbacks at key airports, an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers and other endemic issues.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, meanwhile, has urged lawmakers to swiftly move forward on Bedford’s nomination, saying his leadership is needed at the agency as the administration embarks on its ambitious plan to overhaul the air traffic control system.

Background: Despite confirmation, Democrats for weeks have expressed concern about Bedford’s record, namely his past attempts as Republic’s CEO to win an exception to an FAA requirement that pilots need 1,500 hours of training before they can operate commercial jets. During his confirmation hearing, Bedford wouldn’t commit to maintaining the standard as is.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Commerce Committee, said ahead of Wednesday’s vote that Bedford’s “willingness” to change crucial policies like the flight hours rule “is the opposite of the aggressive oversight the agency needs at this time,” noting additional opposition from groups like relatives of those who died in the Colgan Air crash near Buffalo, New York, in 2009. (The crash became the catalyst for the requirement.)

What’s next: Bedford is expected to take charge in the coming days. Chris Rocheleau, who’s been in the acting role since the Jan. 29 midair crash, would move into the deputy administrator role, which is what he was originally slated to get the nod for before the fatal crash.

UPDATE: 6/25/2025

Shrugging off embarrassing revelations regarding his pilot credentials, Bryan Bedford saw his nomination for FAA Administrator take a step forward this morning. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has voted to advance Bedford’s nomination by a slim 15-13 margin. The nomination will now pass to the full Senate for confirmation.

The longtime Republic Airways CEO has drawn praise from multiple aviation advocacy groups as well as lawmakers, including committee chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who said, “Bryan Bedford is ready to be FAA Administrator. He’s just as informed about aviation safety as other nominees—if not more. This committee understands how important it is to have an FAA administrator with ACTUAL experience. Bryan Bedford will modernize the FAA to meet today’s challenges.”

Bedford countered criticism for inaccurately claiming to hold a commercial certificate by explaining he had completed the written and oral segments of the rating but never completed the checkride due to weather and a career shift some 15 years ago. He testified to the Senate committee that he currently flies regularly under his private pilot certificate.

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President Donald Trump is nominating Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford to head the Federal Aviation Administration in the face of growing scrutiny following a series of crashes.

Bedford, a pilot and industry veteran of more than 30 years, previously headed two other carriers and oversaw a significant expansion of Republic Airways.  "Bryan brings over three decades of experience in Aviation and Executive Leadership to this critical position," Trump said.  Indiana-based Republic is one of the biggest regional airlines in North America, operating a fleet of more than 200 Embraer aircraft with 900 daily flights in the United States and Canada. The flights operate under airline partner brands American Eagle (AAL.O), opens new tab, Delta Connection (DAL.N), opens new tab and United Express (UAL.O), opens new tab.Bedford's nomination won praise from airlines.The FAA position has been vacant since January 20, when FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker stepped down a little more than one year into a five-year term when Trump took office. The FAA has been run on an interim basis by Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau.

If confirmed, Bedford will face key decisions including when to let Boeing expand production of its 737 MAX beyond the current 38 plane-per-month cap and when to approve two new variants of the best-selling plane.Rocheleau and Duffy visited Boeing in Seattle last week. Duffy said Boeing had lost its way and lost the trust of the American people.On January 29, a mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people.Other recent incidents include fatal crashes of small planes in Alaska and Philadelphia, the crash of a regional Delta jet that flipped upon landing in Toronto and a near miss at Chicago Midway involving a Southwest Airlines (LUV.N), opens new tab jet.On Friday, the FAA said it was imposing permanent restrictions on non-essential helicopter operations at Reagan National after urgent recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board.Duffy said he will ask Congress for tens of billions of dollars to overhaul the nation's aging air-traffic-control system.The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and in many places controllers are working six days a week and mandatory overtime.

The controller shortage has left the FAA relying on overtime schedules that the controllers’ union has said leaves them exhausted and burned out. When towers and other facilities don’t have enough staff to handle traffic, the FAA resorts to slowing down flights, causing delays for passengers. There can also be safety risks, independent reviews have found.

The agency released a new forecast showing how it is preparing for a massive surge in hiring to try to make a dent in a deep staffing shortage.
The Federal Aviation Administration is aiming to hire almost 9,000 air traffic controllers by the end of 2028, an ambitious surge in recruitment but one that would make only a dent in its shortage rather than solving it outright.
The agency — which has been at the center of controversy following high-profile crashes, major airport delays and other operational disruptions — laid out its latest hiring plans and forecasts for losses in a staffing plan released Thursday. The projections show that while the FAA wants to ramp up hiring to levels well above what it has achieved in recent years, it also expects retirements and training failures to increase.The agency is short about 3,000 controllers, and the net result of the hiring surge would be 1,000 additional certified controllers in its ranks, according to the forecast.

Investigative hearings last week into the Jan. 29 midair collision near Reagan National Airport showed how a controller was filling two roles in the tower. He was managing both a helicopter and a regional airliner — along with multiple other aircraft — in the minutes before the collision over the Potomac River, which killed 67 people.

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said that the hiring plan was an example of the Trump administration looking to the future.

“Putting the best and brightest in our towers and in the field will allow us to make flying safer, reduce delays and cancellations, and bring about a Golden Age of travel,” Duffy said in a statement.

To meet the FAA’s goals, Duffy has announced increased pay for recruits attending the agency’s academy and bonuses for trainees at the beginning of their career. The agency is also working with independent colleges to carry out some parts of the training and seeking to hire experienced recruits — typically those who have worked as military controllers.

But the challenge for the FAA is that hiring and fully training a controller takes years, and many recruits never successfully complete their training. Hundreds fail to pass the agency’s Oklahoma City academy each year, and more fail their training once they get to their first facility. The Washington Post reported that trainees said they encountered abuse and hostility from the controllers assigned to teach them the job.

The forecasts issued Thursday show that as hiring ramps up, the FAA expects to lose roughly 3,200 trainees before they complete the academy and about 800 more once they begin training at a facility. The agency also expects retirements to begin ticking up after they had been on an overall decline for the past decade.

The FAA also said this week that it’s launching a targeted hiring campaign for a chronically short-staffed facility on Long Island, seeking applicants who live within 50 miles of it. The facility, which directs planes in and out of New York airports, has the worst training success rate in the nation, with about 69 percent of trainees who are sent there failing to qualify, according to union data obtained by The Post.

The Long Island facility has only about half the certified controllers it needs, according to the plan released Thursday. An effort to break it up and send some controllers to Philadelphia contributed to a wave of delays at Newark International Airport this year.

FAA LIFTS SOME RESTRICTIONS ON EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT

The Agency will eliminate some ‘red tape’ for pilots in the process.:  The FAA announced an immediate policy change that allows experienced pilots to operate multiple experimental aircraft with less documentation and procedures.

Effective immediately, pilots who hold three Authorized Experimental Aircraft (AEA) authorizations in high-performance piston aircraft can operate additional experimental aircraft by completing only aircraft-specific ground and flight training, without the previously required practical test.

“Experimental aircraft pilots have had to jump through many cumbersome hoops in order to operate additional experimental aircraft,” said Representative Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, in a statement. “Based on a requirement I fought hard to include in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the FAA has now streamlined this process and made it easier for experienced pilots to operate multiple types of aircraft without all the red tape. This commonsense change will reduce costs for the agency and allow more pilots to enjoy their freedom to fly.” 

The change represents a major shift in how the FAA manages authorizations for experimental aircraft operations. Previously, pilots needed to submit formal applications and documentation to the FAA for each additional experimental aircraft they wanted to fly.

PROGRAM DETAILS

The Experimental Aircraft “All Makes and Models” Program implements Section 806 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which mandated the agency to authorize pilots with three AEAs to operate additional experimental aircraft without the practical test requirement.

Under the new program, authorization will be provided through a simple logbook endorsement from the flight instructor who provided the training, rather than through formal FAA documentation. This endorsement serves as proof of authorization and must state that the pilot “holds at least three high-performance single-engine piston or high-performance multi-engine piston AEA authorizations, has received the required ground and flight training, and is proficient to act as PIC” of the specific make and model of experimental aircraft.

For pilots who don’t yet have the required three AEAs, the traditional process outlined in FAA Order 8900.1, Volume 5, Chapter 9, Section 2 remains in effect. These pilots will still need to follow the established procedures to obtain their initial authorizations before qualifying for the simplified process.

The agency notes that previously-issued airworthiness certificate operating limitations specify that pilots must hold a model-specific type rating, AEA, or temporary letter of authorization (LOA). As a result, pilots wanting to utilize the new program must first apply for an amended airworthiness certificate with an operating limitation that allows for the new logbook endorsement.

While the new program is effective immediately, the FAA is seeking public input on the guidance. Comments must be submitted by June 9 and should reference docket number FAA-2025-0906.

The FAA also said the program may be revised based on comments received, and interested parties can review the associated guidance posted to the docket number.

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MED EXPERESS UPDATE

The FAA has updated the MedXPress system to streamline the medical certification process, the first of “many steps” the agency plans to take to make it “clearer and faster.”

The updated MedXPress landing page now features (under the “Help” tab) links to resources such as system guides, an FAQ, an aviation medical examiner (AME) locator, and the FAA’s online Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners.
The goal is to help applicants better prepare their medical submissions before visiting an AME, reducing the need for time-consuming requests for additional information.Among the updates are new on-screen prompts that encourage applicants to review requirements for any known medical conditions in advance. First-time users are also provided with guidance on what to expect, helping them arrive at their AME appointments with all necessary documentation ready for direct upload into the FAA’s review system.
The updates come after a meeting the FAA held in April with aviation industry stakeholders, including AOPA. Before the meeting, the FAA planned to implement a policy that would have resulted in immediate denials for incomplete medical packages.Instead, the FAA agreed to several changes—including the MedXPress improvements. At the same time, AOPA and the other stakeholders agreed to partner with the FAA to ramp up medical education efforts, and released a comprehensive medical checklist with guidance on what documentation the FAA may require when submitting a medical application.

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FAA Adds Email Delivery Option for Aircraft and Dealer Registration Certificates

The FAA Aircraft Registration Branch has developed and is implementing the ability to electronically issue registration certificates for both aircraft and aircraft dealers. In lieu of physically mailed documents, the FAA will now email copies of aircraft registrations and dealer’s registration certificates after applications are made online, providing “streamlined and expedited delivery service while also reducing the cost and labor burden of mailing for the Registry,” according to their announcement. Owners are still required to carry their registration in the aircraft, and will need to print a copy once received from the FAA. An aircraft owner may still request a traditional paper certificate from the Registry.

In the notice, the FAA emphasizes, “…the issuance of a registration certificate in electronic form does not, in any way, obviate or affect the need to comply with statutory, regulatory, or other requirements involving aircraft registration or dealer's registration certificates. Notably, in general, a Certificate of Aircraft Registration must still be carried on the aircraft.”

With a January 17, 2025, notice in the Federal Register, the FAA announced the immediate adoption of these changes to enable the use of the new Civil Aviation Registry, FAA Aircraft Registry Branch, to utilize the Civil Aviation Registry Electronic Service (CARES) system. CARES is a web-based electronic system that allows applications and supporting documentation to be uploaded securely to the FAA. The system also allows for the use of digital signatures, the payment of fees, and the tracking of applications. According to the FAA, a feature of CARES allows the electronic issuance and delivery of registration certificates, thus avoiding their need to be printed and mailed, a process that generally created a 7-10 business day wait for aircraft owners.

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FAA PUBLISHES LONG-AWAITED FLIGHT TRAINING RULE

This week the FAA published a long-awaited rule that will make transition training and other specialized instruction easier in experimental, primary, and limited category aircraft.
The rule, entitled Public Aircraft Logging of Flight Time, Training in Certain Aircraft Holding Special Airworthiness Certificates, and Flight Instructor Privileges, makes several changes to Parts 61 and 91 of the regulations. The rule was proposed in the summer of last year and EAA submitted comments alongside Warbirds of America..The rule codifies the final resolution to a legal situation that arose three years ago that briefly made it impossible to pay an instructor to train in one’s own aircraft. The FAA rectified this situation at the time by requiring Letters of Deviation Authority (LODAs) for pilots or instructors in experimental aircraft, and an exemption held by EAA for limited category warbirds.
The LODA requirement was eliminated by legislation in December 2022, however the fix had not been officially adopted into FAA regulations until this final rule. Additionally, the legislation did not address training in limited and primary category aircraft. This rule allows compensated flight training in limited category aircraft in a similar manner to experimental aircraft and restores the ability of primary category aircraft to be used in flight training operations.
Flight training involving the compensation of both the aircraft and instructor, i.e. a flight school or flight training experience offered to the public for a fee, has historically carried additional requirements in both experimental and limited category aircraft. This rulemaking, however, makes approvals for these operations more streamlined and creates more opportunities for this safety-enhancing training to occur.Notably, the rule allows instructors with experimental aircraft to offer training under a LODA for endorsements, primary training toward a sport pilot certificate in certain cases, and re-enables experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA) to be used in compensated training. These changes were championed by EAA over almost a decade of advocacy.Under previous rules, a person receiving transition training under a LODA would need to have all necessary endorsements first. For example, a person building a tailwheel experimental aircraft with no tailwheel endorsement could not receive the endorsement with a transition training operation. Instead, they would first need to get the endorsement elsewhere. Under the new rule and upcoming supporting policy, a person with a “specific need” to receive the training, such as building or purchasing a similar type, can receive the endorsement in an experimental aircraft under a transition training LODA.
The new rule adds important training avenues in some of the lightest aircraft in the community. The 2004 light-sport rule envisioned that all training toward the operation of Part 103 ultralight vehicles, previously conducted under exemptions, would eventually transition to special light sport aircraft (S-LSA). Therefore, the regulators at the time added a specific rule that E-LSA, many of which were aircraft previously operated under these training exemptions, could not be used for any compensated training after 2010. Unfortunately, the ultralight and “lightplane” training market remains underserved. Therefore, EAA successfully pushed for the prohibition on E-LSA training to be repealed in this rulemaking.
In a similar vein, the rule and follow-on LODA policy will allow for experimental aircraft weighing less than 650 pounds empty and with a VH of less than 87 knots to be used for training toward a sport pilot certificate in a commercial flight training operation. Training opportunities in very light fixed-wing, powered parachute, and weight-shift control aircraft are minimal in many parts of the country, and this change aims to address that. There had already been a precedent for allowing experimental gyroplanes to be used for training in a similarly sparse training market.
Under this change, a flight training operation with a properly issued LODA may offer training toward the operation of an ultralight vehicle, including student solo, and may offer an upgrade path to a sport pilot certificate, all while using an E-LSA or other experimental aircraft to provide the training.
There are several other issues that EAA is still working to address in this rule change, most notably the ability of multiple trainees to fly in large multicrew warbirds and cycle through a crew station on a single flight. Overall, however, this rule resolves many issues with specialized training and is a milestone in a long advocacy effort by EAA to address training in homebuilts, light-sport aircraft, and ultralights.
The rule becomes effective on December 2. An advisory circular further explaining the rule and detailing the application process for a LODA will be issued in the coming months.

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FAA Filing Opens Up Operations For Logging Time

Some troublesome restrictions may be on the way out.
The FAA today announced a public filing in the Federal Register of a 118-page final rule that states it will open up several areas of operations enabling pilots to credit flight time toward civil regulatory requirements. Notably, under the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, the final rule amends the operating regulations “for experimental aircraft to permit certain flight training, testing, and checking in these aircraft without a letter of deviation authority.” Also, under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, “the same relief will be extended to certain flight training, testing, and checking in limited category, primary category, and experimental light sport aircraft.” That ruling also revises certain amendments related to logging recent flight experience, flight instructor privileges, flight training in aircraft holding special airworthiness certificates, and “the related prohibitions on conducting these activities for compensation or hire.”The new ruling also allows pilots conducting public aircraft operations to log that time toward their civil regulatory requirements, consistent with the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. Effective dates for the changes are specified as 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

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TIPS TO SAFELY USE A SMARTWATCH ON THE FLIGHT DECK

Notice Number: NOTC4495Many pilots wear smartwatches while flying. With GPS capabilities, aviation-specific watches can serve as emergency navigation tools and even find the nearest airports, complete with maps, NEXRAD, current weather, and radio frequencies. This video discusses the benefits and tips for safely using a smartwatch in the air.
Watch the Safety Video: https://bit.ly/FAAsmartwatch

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FAA REVOKES ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW RULE

The FAA has revoked a 10-year-old rule governing how it complies with federal environmental protection regulations.

In a notice published in the Federal Register, the agency said it is rescinding FAA Order 1050.1F in light of a recent executive order from President Donald Trump, which instructs federal departments to prioritize domestic energy needs and “economic security” over environmental protection and conservation.

The order, known as “Unleashing American Energy,” lays out a path to eventually reverse all regulations that could block the discovery and exploitation of oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, minerals, and other resources.

FAA Order 1050.1F governed how the FAA complied with the National Environmental Policy Act and guidance from the Council on Environmental Quality. It required the agency to study the potential environmental impact of aviation-related projects and proposals, and to make that information available to the public.A new replacement rule, known as 1050.1G, “modernizes” the review process, with the goal of speeding up decision making and reducing “paperwork” and “unnecessary delays.”

“The new procedures maintain environmental amenities and protection and reduce regulatory delays that may impede aviation safety improvements and infrastructure development as well as integration of new entrant technologies,” the notice reads.The new language also provides more grounds for exemptions from NEPA rules and requirements.

New Rulebook:  Aside from the president’s order, the FAA said it took guidance from a recent decision by the Council on Environmental Quality rescinding all rules made about implementation of the NEPA since 1977.

The Trump administration said the move will streamline permitting, though environmentalists contend it will make it harder for citizens to raise concerns about pollution, destruction of natural habitats, and air and water quality.

The FAA also cited a May ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, which decried what it called the NEPA’s gradual evolution into a “substantive roadblock” that has paralyzed federal agencies. The court issued a “course correction” giving agencies more leeway in how they carry out environmental reviews.

The rule change will likely affect how the FAA proceeds as it prepares for a massive overhaul of the nation’s ATC equipment and facilities. A modernization plan laid out by the U.S. Department of Transportation in May calls for the construction of six new ATC centers and 15 towers, to be completed by 2028.

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FAA PROVIDES PROTECTION FOR AIRCRAFT OWNERS PRIVATE INFORMATION

FAA extends comment period for aircraft data rule
The Federal Aviation Administration has extended the comment period to  -  June 4  -   on a proposal to conceal certain aircraft registration and personal data from public view, aiming to comply with the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The extension follows a request from a number of trade associations, including the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the National Business Aviation Association, to allow more time for impact analysis and stakeholder coordination.

The FAA announced on Friday, March 28, that aircraft owners now have a new option for safeguarding their privacy by keeping their ownership and personal information from the public domain. Owners can now electronically request that their aircraft registration information, including name and address, be withheld from public view through online aircraft registry access and other FAA sources.In response to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (Public Law 118-63), the FAA has implemented the ability to electronically submit a request to withhold aircraft ownership information from all FAA websites through the Civil Aviation Registry Electronic Services (CARES) system. CARES is a web-based electronic system that allows applications and supporting documentation to be uploaded securely to the FAA.The FAA, in the announcement, also stated that it will be publishing in the Federal Register a request for comment on the effect the removal of the information will have and if it should default to withholding the personal information.EAA encourages aircraft owners who are concerned about their personal data being publicly available and used by third parties to use this new service. Examples of third-party use include companies that send misleading registration renewal mailings, adding needless fees to the process, and servicers of landing fees and noise ordinance notifications, who cross-reference ADS-B and other position data with the FAA database to generate invoices and letters.

As of Jan 2025

The old rule, FAR 61.57(a) and (b), read that in order to maintain currency, the pilot in command (PIC) needed to perform three takeoffs and landings as the sole manipulator of the controls of an aircraft of the same category, class and type (if required) within the preceding 90 days in order to act as PICof an aircraft carrying "passengers." The pilot also needed three takeoffs and landings to a full stop at night for currency to carry "passengers" at night.. 

The new rule changes "passengers" to "persons" and importantly adds exceptions that permit a noncurrent flight instructor to provide instruction to a noncurrent flight student. This scenario is only for the purpose of the flight student regaining their pilot currency, and only if they are  otherwise capable of acting as pilot in command. 

So if both the CFI and the learner are out of currency and the learner is at least a private pilot and can act as PIC, they won’t have to wait on the ramp for their CFI to do three takeoffs and landings to achieve their recurrency before the instructional flight can begin.

The rule includes the caveat that the CFI and learner must be the sole occupants of the aircraft during a recurrency flight.

-Thanks to Flying Magazine for this Article- 

SUBJ: Airworthiness Certification of Aircraft

ORDER

8130.2K

08/28/2024

This order establishes policies and procedures for issuing airworthiness certificates, export certificates of airworthiness, and special flight authorizations for aircraft. This order applies to

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspectors and certain persons designated to act as representatives of the FAA.

WHILE THERE ARE ONLY A FEW CHANGES, AS BUILDERS OF EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT THIS IS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT TO US 

“Letters to Airmen (LTAs) are cousins of NOTAMs. The FAA publishes Letters to Airmen to inform pilots about local ATC procedures, discuss potential conflicts in busy airspace, and to highlight other safety-of-flight issues.

Until recently, you could find LTAs only by searching for NOTAMs associated with specific airports, for example, at the FAA NOTAMs website. Sometimes the information in a particular LTA is included in the Notices section of a Chart Supplement booklet. But LTAs aren’t typically included in a standard preflight briefing.

Fortunately, Letters to Airmen are now readily available in ForeFlight. On the main information page for an airport, select the Procedures tab and scroll down past the airport diagram and other charts. Each letter associated with an airport is distinguished by the heading LTA.

LTA typically address topics such as how a particular TRACON facility handles VFR practice approaches. You may also find letters that highlight VFR arrival and departure procedures at busy airports such as San Carlos, CA (KSQL) and Boeing Field (KBFI) in Seattle. At Redmond, OR (KRDM), an LTA explains a unique procedure for squawking code 1237 in the congested airspace around Redmond and nearby Bend (KBDN), even if you’re not receiving flight following.

Other LTA alert you to potential hazards, such as glider and towplane operations near Elmira, NY (KELM), and recommended VFR arrival procedures and reporting points when flying to John C. Tune (KJWN) airport near busy Nashville, TN (KBNA). Sometimes LTA include links to additional information.

So, the next time you plan a flight, especially to or from an airport in busy airspace, check the LTA. They can help you mitigate risks, and you’ll impress ATC by knowing about and following local procedures—to the letter.” 

from:  Pilot Workshops

Inside this website you'll find all the news that FAA is involved in, plus numerous stories about all things aviation and the people in the FAA that make the Agency function. 

New system could launch as early as September.

The FAA is taking steps to more swiftly modernize its Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) system, with plans to deploy a new service much earlier than initially anticipated. This acceleration comes in response to recent outages involving the system. 

The agency announced the sped-up timeline on Monday, noting that over 4 million NOTAMs are issued per year. 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy emphasized the outdated nature of the current NOTAM system, stating in a news release, “The Notice to Airmen system is deeply outdated and showing serious cracks.” 

Duffy added, “Over the last few years, we’ve seen multiple system outages ground regional air travel, create extensive delays, and otherwise ruin the flying experience for the American people.”

The modernization effort will provide near-real-time data exchange and enable more efficient data flows and improved stakeholder collaboration, the FAA said. The new system will be hosted in the cloud and feature a “scalable and resilient architecture.”

In early March 2023, the FAA published guidelines for an optional task-based Phase I flight-testing program, thereby establishing an alternative to the standard 25 or 40-hour flight-testing requirement for amateur-built aircraft and replacing the hours-based testing period with a list of comprehensive and concise tasks. 

Upon an applicant aircraft’s completion of the newly-specified tasks, the FAA will approve creation of a unique Aircraft Operating Handbook (AOH*). The applicant aircraft, thereafter, is considered to have completed the Phase I flight-testing period.

The program prescribes a series of 17 discrete flight-test tasks, and recommends the tests be flown per test cards carried in the aircraft. The program further requires the creation of an Aircraft Operating Handbook (AOH)* from the test results. Such a document benefits the builder and any subsequent owners of the vetted aircraft. Test plans—provided they accomplish the FAA-prescribed tasks—may be written by anyone, including kit manufacturers and type clubs. Users of the EAA’s Flight-Test Manual will note similarities in the requirements of the EAA and FAA protocols.

In order to utilize the task-based flight-testing program, an applicant aircraft must have an operating limitation allowing said program’s use. Operating limitations are issued along with airworthiness certificates by the FAA or Designated Airworthiness Representatives (DAR) as part of an aircraft’s airworthiness certification process.

As the traditional time-based Phase I program remains unchanged, aircraft builders are free to utilize such.  On 21 April, the FAA released a formal policy memorandum fully enabling the use of the task-based methodology. The new operating limitation reads (blank fields to be filled in by the appropriate inspector or DAR:

No person may operate this aircraft for other than the purpose of meeting the requirements of § 91.319(b). The pilot in command must comply with § 91.305 at all times. This aircraft is to be operated under VMC, day only. Unless operating in accordance with the task-based flight test program described in Advisory Circular (AC) 90-89C, Amateur-Built Aircraft and Ultralight Flight Testing Handbook, chapter 2, section 1, during Phase I flight testing, this aircraft must be operated for at least _____ hours with at least_____ takeoffs and landings in this geographical area: [The area must be described by radius, coordinates, navigational aids, and/or landmarks. The size of the area and airports must be that required to safely conduct the anticipated maneuvers and tests.] This aircraft may only operate from [identify name of airport(s)].

By dint of the antecedent memo, all newly inspected amateur-built aircraft should obtain the revised operating limitation. Aircraft builders are advised to query their respective DARs prior to aircraft inspections vis-à-vis subject memo. Builders/owners/operators of amateur-built aircraft already flying and still in phase I are advised to petition their local FSDOs to reissue their respective aircrafts’ operating limitations with the updated language.

The new operating limitation will be incorporated into a future change to FAA Order 8130.2.

*The term AOH is new and makes its initial appearance in the revised (AC) 90-89C, the Amateur-Built Aircraft and Ultralight Flight Testing Handbook. The term was suggested by the EAA as a homebuilt-specific alternative to Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) or Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM), both of which have regulatory connotations not applicable to experimental aircraft.

Major Changes to FAA Mental Health, Cardiac, and Vision Policies

The first week of June the FAA released a substantial update to their Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners that includes major improvements for the agency’s protocols for mental health, coronary heart disease, and some ophthalmologic conditions. The “AME Guide” serves as the main public-facing document for medical policy published by the FAA. In the following story, we will summarize the highlights of these policy changes by diagnosis category.

Among the most anticipated changes are those to mental health policy. For the first time, individuals with a history of certain “uncomplicated” diagnoses that have been treated by psychotherapy (including active treatment), have not been medicated within two years, and meet other screening criteria for risk factors can be approved for a medical certificate directly by the AME without a special issuance.

Diagnoses eligible under this new policy include the following. An individual can have a history of up to two of the following diagnoses, quoting from the policy:

• Anxiety:
  • Generalized anxiety disorder
  • Situational anxiety (aka adjustment disorder with anxiety)
  • Social anxiety disorder
  • Unspecified anxiety
• Depression:
  • Postpartum depression 
  • Situational depression* (aka adjustment disorder with depressed mood) 
  • Situational anxiety and depression (adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood) 
  • Unspecified depression
• Other:
  • Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) 
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 
  • V code^ (DSM)/Z code (ICD-10) table items 

An AME can directly issue a medical certificate to individuals with these diagnoses, even under active treatment with psychotherapy, if they meet the criteria on the FAA’s decision tool. 

The FAA also rolled out a “Fast Track” for individuals with a history of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) last summer. This allows those with an ADHD diagnosis, no medication use in the past four years, and no current symptoms, to obtain a medical certificate from an AME after a report from a licensed mental health professional.

These new policies cover the “easiest” cases to certify. Many other individuals who do not meet the simplified criteria (i.e. current medication use, more complicated histories, other diagnoses, etc…) are still eligible for special issuance authorizations with a more thorough evaluation by the FAA.

For decades, a common complaint from EAA members with coronary heart disease* was the time and expense of the annual recertification process. This often involved annual stress tests and other expensive procedures that insurance frequently refused to cover. Since 2017, many GA pilots in this situation have understandably gone to BasicMed.

Now, the FAA has rolled out a simple recertification status sheet for the treating cardiologist to fill out upon renewal for those pilots who qualify for an AME Assisted Special Issuance (AASI). Stress testing and some other procedures will still be required on initial certification, but now the FAA will accept a simple affirmation from the cardiologist that the individual’s status has remained stable in the past year and that there are no significant medical concerns for most pilots. This is a major win for anyone with coronary heart disease who requires FAA medical certification.

Lattice degeneration is a condition of the eye’s retina that affects 1 in 10 individuals, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. In a new protocol, the FAA has announced that individuals who otherwise meet the vision standards for the class sought and have no complicating symptoms can receive a normal issuance from the AME. As always, those with more complicated cases may still be eligible under a special issuance.

“This is a very strong, good faith effort by the FAA to address community concerns on their evaluation criteria, particularly on their mental health standards, said Tom Charpentier, EAA government relations director. “It makes progress toward the envisioned end state laid out by the Mental Health & Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee, and with the FAA’s history of making changes in progressive steps we are confident that plenty of meaningful reforms are yet to come.”

Charpentier also noted that the coronary heart disease changes alone would be a top story without the accompanying mental health changes, and will be a great benefit to countless pilots.

*******************************

A little more detail

In late October the FAA changed its standard on electrocardiogram (ECG) findings for medical applicants, decreasing the types of results that would lead to a medical deferral. While Class II and III medical holders are not subject to routine ECG testing, the FAA also mirrored the change in its protocol for heart arrhythmias, which all airmen are required to note if diagnosed.

The change allows airmen with a “First-degree AV (atrioventricular) block with PR interval less than 300 ms (0.30 sec)” to receive a medical certificate without deferral. This change was actually known informally to the aeromedical community as far back as 2018 but was formalized in the October change to the FAA’s list of 18 “normal abnormal” ECG findings that do not require medical deferral.

The FAA made this change because airmen with this abnormal – but benign – result almost never showed any concerning indications upon follow-up testing, so the FAA eliminated the deferral requirement.

This fits a pattern of recent reforms at the FAA’s Office of Aerospace Medicine, currently under the leadership of Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Susan Northrup, that is gradually making the application process easier for airmen. While EAA continues to work aggressively to reduce barriers to medical certification, Dr. Northrup – a GA and warbird pilot herself – and her team have been very receptive to change and community input.

Unfortunately, there have been recent allegations that the ECG change was due to an ulterior, political motive. This is absolutely false, and the associated personal attacks on Dr. Northrup, a career public servant and U.S. Air Force veteran, are inexcusable. Given the criticism, often warranted, that aeromedical certification is too difficult in the United States, it is ironic that a change that removed a medically unnecessary barrier to easy certification has garnered controversy.

Dr. Stephen Leonard, EAA Aeromedical Advisory Council chairman, explained, “rather than requiring AMEs to defer the exams of pilots showing those changes, and requiring the pilot to schedule consultation with a cardiologist and a few thousand dollars’ worth of testing, FAA authorizes us as physician examiners to question the pilot, verify that there are no associated symptoms or other conditions that might indicate a clinically significant cardiac issue, and go ahead and issue the medical certificate.”

Dr. Leonard further clarified that “we still send the EKG to FAA, their doctors still review it, and if they have any question, they follow up. Never, in 42 years as an AME, have I seen one of those ‘normal abnormals’ turn out to be clinically or aeromedically significant.”

Other recent FAA reforms include a new policy on situational depression and mild post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), two very positive steps as the FAA looks to overhaul its mental health policies. There is much more work to be done, but EAA looks forward to accomplishing it together with Dr. Northrup and the Office of Aerospace Medicine in the coming years.

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AND ANOTHER UPCOMING POLICY CHANGE AUTHORIZED BY THE FEDERAL AIR SURGEON

Vision limitations for corrective lenses/glasses have been reduced from 1,2,3,4,6,19, and 20 to ONE:

Vision Limitation #102:

Must use corrective lens(es) to meet vision standards at all required distances 

1- Must have available glasses for near vision.

2- Must wear corrective lenses.

3- Must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. 

4- Must wear corrective lenses for distant vision and have glasses for near vision.

6- Must wear prismatic correction

19- Must wear corrective lenses, and possess glasses for near / intermediate vision. 

20- Holder shall possess glasses for near/intermediate vision.

102- Must use corrective lens (es) to meet vision standards at all required distances.

Note: 17- Not valid for night flying or by color signal control remains.

This was reflected in AMCS on December 28, 2022.

-From AOPA-

The FAA's Aviation Weather Handbook consolidates weather information from several advisory circulars into one place and operates as a technical reference for anyone flying in the national airspace system.

The handbook, published on December 20, is the result of a yearslong effort to streamline user access to aviation weather guidance.

Information in the handbook comes from the most-used weather products and information and meets the FAA's standards for pilot weather training and certification.

"Publication of the Aviation Weather Handbook is the culmination of 3+ years of hard work by Flight Standards and a host of others within the aviation weather community," FAA aviation safety manager, James Marks said. "The new handbook combines information and guidance from 6 separate weather related advisory circulars into a single source document to support pilots, dispatchers, and operators with flight planning and decision making."

The handbook is available for download from the FAA's website; however, the FAA says it is essential for users to be "familiar with and apply the pertinent parts of Title 14 CFR and the Aeronautical Information Manual."

The handbook is currently available online in PDF format. The 500-page document can be downloaded onto mobile devices and computers and can be viewed with a PDF reader app.

GA Safety Enhancement Topics

Here's a list of topics for you to choose from.  Just click on the one that interests you and you will be directed to that Fact Sheet.

• Aircraft Performance Monitoring (PDF)
• Aircraft Performance and Calculations (PDF)
• Angle of Attack Awareness (PDF)
• Best Glide Speed and Distance (PDF)

• Avoiding Adverse Drug Interactions (PDF)
• Flight After Use of Medication with Sedating Effects (PDF)
• Pilots and Medication (PDF)
• Spatial Disorientation (PDF) 

• Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM) (PDF)
• Compliance Philosophy (PDF)
• Flight Data Monitoring (PDF)
• Flight Risk Assessment Tools (FRAT) (PDF)
• Introduction to Safety Risk Management (PDF)
• Managing Distractions (PDF)
• Managing Unexpected Events (PDF)
• Personal Minimums (PDF)
• Single-Pilot Crew Resource Management (PDF)
• Startle Response (PDF)

• CFIT/Automation Overreliance (PDF)
• Controlled Flight Into Terrain (PDF)

• Aftermarket Safety Equipment (PDF)
• General Aviation Survival (PDF)
• Mountain Flying (PDF)
• Pilot Proficiency Training (PDF)
• Stall, Spin and Upset Recovery Training (PDF)
• Training and Preparing for a New Flight Environment (PDF)

• Aircraft Performance Monitoring (PDF)
• Avoiding Pilot Deviations (PDF)
• Emergency Procedures Training (PDF)
• Enhanced Vision Systems (PDF)
• Experimental/Amateur-Built Flight Testing (PDF)
• Flight Training after Period of Inactivity (PDF)
• Fly the Aircraft First (PDF)
• Managing Unexpected Events (PDF)
• Maneuvering Flight (PDF)
• Pilot Proficiency Training (PDF)
• Runway Safety (PDF)
• Single-Pilot Crew Resource Management (PDF)
• Stall, Spin and Upset Recovery Training (PDF)
• Startle Response (PDF)
• Transition Training (PDF)
• Vmc Scenario Training (PDF)
• WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program (PDF)

• Advanced Preflight After Maintenance (PDF)
• Approval for Return to Service (PDF)
• Engine Maintenance and Performance Monitoring (PDF)
• Fuel Monitoring (PDF)
• General Aviation Survival (PDF)
• Ignition Systems/FADEC (PDF)
• Maintenance Placards (PDF)
• Managing Component Failures (PDF)
• Regulatory Roadblock Reduction(PDF)
• Smart Cockpit Technology (PDF)
• Safety Wire (PDF)
• Service Bulletins and the Aircraft Owner (PDF)
• Understanding Owner/Mechanic Roles and Responsibilities (PDF)

• Aircraft Performance and Calculations (PDF)
• Aircraft Performance Monitoring (PDF)
• Pattern Precision (PDF)
• Stabilized Approach and Landing (PDF)

• Personal Minimums and Weather Cameras (PDF)
• Personal Minimums for Wind (PDF)
• Use of Weather Information (PDF)
• Weather Technology (PDF)

• 57 Seconds to Safer Flying YouTube Playlist

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is making it easier to research aviation safety guidance material from the Office of Aviation Safety (AVS).

The Dynamic Regulatory System (DRS) combines more than 65 document types from more than a dozen different repositories into a single searchable application. This comprehensive knowledge center centralizes the FAA’s aviation safety guidance material from the Flight Standards Information System (FSIMS) and the agency’s Regulatory Guidance System (RGL).

Each guidance document includes a link to the Code of Federal Regulations provision on which the document is based. DRS contains more than 2 million regulatory guidance documents, which can be browsed or searched. A search engine allows for basic or advanced searches and different ways to sort and view the results. The system includes pending and current versions of all documents along with their revision history. Information in the DRS is updated every 24 hours

The FAA manages the world’s safest and most complex aviation system. On an average day, we serve more than 45,000 flights and 2.9 million airline passengers across more than 29 million square miles of airspace. The National Airspace System is a dynamic organism that is constantly evolving. This interactive dashboard helps explain how it works.

The FAA published its latest revision to Advisory Circular (AC) 90-114 (Revision B), Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Operations which provides comprehensive guidance on ADS-B operations in the National Airspace System (NAS) in accordance with ADS-B regulations (14 CFR sections 91.225 and 91.227). Of note in this revision is the clarification of certain operational policies like aircraft that are exempt from 91.225 (Section 3.2), 

ADS-B Out operations during formation flying activities (Section 4.3.1) and during aerobatic flight (Section 4.3.2.6.2), and inoperative ADS-B procedures (Section 4.3.4.2). 

The AC also provides a helpful overview of the ADS-B system architecture, the various forms of available equipment, broadcast services available to ADS-B users, and operational considerations with regard to equipment performance requirements and airspace restrictions. 

Direct digital submission now possible.

No pilot wants to have an accident or incident, but now the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is trying to make it a little easier to submit the required data with the creation of a secure online portal.

In ground school pilots learn about 49 CFR Part 830, which defines an aircraft accident versus an incident, and spells out the notification and reporting of accidents and incidents and overdue aircraft, and preservation of aircraft wreckage, mail, cargo, and records. 

Reporting an accident or incident used to involve downloading a lengthy, fillable PDF (NTSB Form 6120.1), answering lots of questions about the circumstances surrounding the event, supplying a written narrative along with the names and qualification of the pilot or pilots, then emailing the form back to the agency. This information was then manually put into the system by NTSB investigators.

According to the NTSB, as pilots and aircraft operators can now submit this information by phone or computer directly on the NTSB website it will eliminate the need for investigators to manually input the information.

"The new digital form was designed to be both convenient and secure," the agency stated in a media release, "allowing pilots and operators to save changes before submitting the form and to check on the status of their submission directly on the NTSB website."

According to the NTSB, after an initial report is made to the NTSB 24-hour Response Operations Center (844-373-9922), the NTSB will determine whether the agency needs to follow up with an investigation. If an investigation is opened, the pilot and or operator of the aircraft will need to complete NTSB Form 6120.1. According to the agency, which has the mission of making sure all transportation is safe, it receives nearly 1,000 of these reports each year.

The NTSB has investigated several accidents and incidents where a failure to properly inspect and repair small damage to aluminum propeller blades resulted in propeller blade fatigue cracking and fractures. Aluminum propeller blades can be susceptible to fatigue cracking and fracture if a small nick, pit, or corrosion on the surface or edge is not found and repaired during preflight inspection or maintenance. Such damage can concentrate stress from normal airplane operation loads, resulting in fatigue crack initiation and growth followed by propeller blade fracture.

To address this issue, the NTSB recently issued SA090, available at https://www.ntsb.gov/Advocacy/safety-alerts/Documents/SA090.pdf. The alert directs owners, operators, and pilots to inspect all areas of the propeller blade, including the back/face side of the blade and the leading edge, for damage such as nicks or corrosion. Any findings should be referred to a qualified mechanic for inspection and repaired before further flight.

For additional information, review AC 20-37E, Aircraft Propeller Maintenance and AC 43.13-1B, Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices – Aircraft Inspection and Repair at https://drs.faa.gov/browse.