MAKE CHAPTER 288 YOUR AVIATION HOME! E-AB, TYPE CERTIFIED, VINTAGE, WARBIRD, ETC.
MAKE CHAPTER 288 YOUR AVIATION HOME! E-AB, TYPE CERTIFIED, VINTAGE, WARBIRD, ETC.
The November/December FAA Safety Briefing
As we wind down the end of 2024 and begin preparing for the holidays, it’s important to reflect on what has been an exciting and productive year for aviation safety. This year brought about several regulatory changes that aim to enhance airman testing and training, as well as improve safety and efficiency in the National Airspace System (NAS). Among them is a final rule that incorporates the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) and Practical Test Standards (PTS) into the regulations, a rule that improves safety for passengers and crewmembers when using supplemental restraint systems, and a rule that removes the expiration date from flight instructor certificates.
We also saw the passing of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which contains several provisions specifically related to general aviation. These include an expansion of BasicMed, additional funding for GA airports under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), and investments in workforce training and development to help bolster the next generation of pilots, mechanics, and air traffic controllers. The FAA is currently hard at work addressing these provisions.
Another milestone achievement was the outstanding safety record for general aviation in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2024. As of Sept. 2, 2024, the GA fatal accident rate was 0.69 per 100K flight hours, well below the 0.93 per 100K flight hour target. The experimental aircraft sector saw a similar downward trend, at 10 accidents below its target for FY24 at the beginning of September. While these numbers are still preliminary, we’re on track to have one of our safest years ever in GA! That’s an incredible accomplishment and a direct reflection of your commitment to safety and professionalism. Of course, our vision is to have no accidents, but this is certainly a trend in the right direction.
To help round out this extraordinary year, we decided to celebrate your preferences in GA safety content by curating a collection of some of our most-read articles over the last decade. I would add that our readers have good taste in what’s important. The selections in this reader’s choice issue cover a wide array of topics that were — and continue to be — relevant to GA safety. The editorial staff has also included updates in each article to keep readers apprised of any recent changes or enhancements.
Latest FTFD Video Reviews Line Up and Wait
A line up and wait instruction is used by air traffic control (ATC) to inform a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway to line up and wait. It is not authorization for takeoff. So, why do pilots depart when they are instructed to line up and wait? The answer lies in a variety of human factors that can lead pilots to mistakenly depart. This recent From the Flight Deck video explores some real-life events and discusses the factors that contribute to an unauthorized takeoff roll when a pilot is instructed to line up and wait. See this and past videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMxUytwRDiA&list=PL5vHkqHi51DSNpsBC8nb8Q8gFcGVmWhGA.
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is ready for powered lift, which will be the first completely new category of civil aircraft since helicopters were introduced in the 1940s. Powered lift operations include air taxis, cargo delivery and a variety of operations within urban and rural areas.
The agency today issued a final rule for the qualifications and training that instructors and pilots must have to fly aircraft in this “powered-lift” category, which have characteristics of both airplanes and helicopters. The rule also addresses their operational requirements, including minimum safe altitudes and required visibility. The rule is the final piece in the puzzle for safely introducing these aircraft in the near term. The opportunities for the use of powered lift operations are far reaching, from transporting passengers in urban areas and short-haul operations such as air ambulance services and cargo operations to potentially serving smaller communities over time.
“The FAA will continue to prioritize the safety of our system as we work to seamlessly integrate innovative technology and operations. This final rule provides the necessary framework to allow powered lift aircraft to safely operate in our airspace,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. “Powered lift aircraft are the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years and this historic rule will pave the way for accommodating wide-scale Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations in the future.”
The FAA previously determined it could certify powered-lift using existing regulations and updated other regulations so air taxis could be used commercially. Last year the agency released a blueprint for how Urban Air Mobility vehicles will operate, which is a key element in maturing the overall AAM concept.
A new pilot-training and qualifications rule was needed because existing regulations did not address this new category of aircraft, which can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and fly like an airplane during cruise flight. The rule provides a comprehensive framework for certifying the initial cadre of powered-lift instructors and pilots.
The rule:
Read our Medium blog and visit our Advanced Air Mobility website.
National Policy
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
In-flight Weather Resources
The 21st Century has brought an unprecedented wealth of information to general aviation cockpits. Near real-time graphical and textual weather products contribute greatly to pilot situational awareness and decision-making. However, pilots must understand the capabilities and limitations of the equipment and the information it provides.
Explore how general aviation pilots can use available weather information sources to make well-informed weather decisions below.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a new safety alert for multi-engine pilots facing partial engine failure. The alert emphasizes the importance of promptly feathering the affected engine’s propeller…
from AvWeb:
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a new safety alert for multi-engine pilots facing partial engine failure. The alert emphasizes the importance of promptly feathering the affected engine’s propeller before its rpm drops below the critical threshold where start locks engage.
SA-091 notes that current pilot training and checklists for multi-engine piston airplanes mainly focus on total engine failures and don't adequately cover partial engine power loss. The NTSB warns this gap in training can lead to improper management and increased risk of loss of control during single-engine operations.
While the NTSB notes that feathering the propeller of an inoperative engine is a recommended practice, once the propeller rpm falls below the speed at which the start lock engages, the pilot will be unable to feather it. Agency officials say the crucial threshold to secure an inoperative motor and feather the affected propeller generally ranges from 1,000 to 800 rpm but differs depending on make and model. Some manufacturers list the information in their propeller owner’s manual, while others do not.
SA-091 also pointed out several related accidents that might have been avoided if pilots had feathered the inoperative engine before the rpm dropped below the critical speed. The NTSB urges pilots to familiarize themselves with the correct procedures for feathering propellers in their aircraft.
AN excellent video to learn about the highlights and how it affects GA. The video is about 14 minutes long and VERY INFORMATIVE. Click on the link below to watch the video.
“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
Over the last 50 years, we’ve seen tremendous progress toward reducing the rate of fatal general aviation (GA) accidents. Having fewer than six total accidents and plus or minus one fatal accident per 100,000 hours of GA flying is impressive. We’ve come a long way, but to continue that success and get that rate even lower, we’ll need to seek a few new ways to improve safety. Part of that involves human factors research, looking at ways humans succeed … and fail. It also involves finding ways to reduce or eliminate the risk of failure and stressing the importance of a safety culture. Read more by clicking the button below.
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.
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.
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.
With the increased helicopter activity at 7FL6, this may be a webinar you should have great interest in viewing.
“Caution Helicopter Wake Turbulence:” This is something you either have never heard or very seldom. Several accidents have occurred as a result of helicopter wake turbulence to fixed wing aircraft. This session will explore the impact of helicopter wake turbulence on fixed wing aircraft both in the VFR environment and the IFR environment.
-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.
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:
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.
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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.
Over the past decade the FAA has increased its use of electronic communication methods substantially. The Agency use to view communicating electronically with aircraft owners, users, maintainers, and the general public as a convenient additional way to get its message out. In 2022, in appears, the FAA has decided to cross the electronic Rubicon to now rely solely on electronic communication methods. That is both great news for General Aviation and very big a problem for General Aviation. Its great news in that now aircraft owners and maintainers have near immediate access to the most current information available about the aircraft they operate and maintain. It’s a problem for some segments of General Aviation since not every owner checks the internet for maintenance updates before flying. For example, while I worked for the FAA’s Legal Office an oft debated question was the application to the facts of a case the phrase in §43.13, “current manufacturer’s maintenance manual or Instructions for Continued Airworthiness.” Does that phrase mean the most current manual or ICA the manufacturer has published or the latest version the owner or maintainer possesses? Owing to the time it takes for a design approval holder to mail a new manual update to “persons required … to comply with any of those instructions” (see, §21.50) which version of the ICA must be followed could materially affect whether the owner or maintainer complied with the rules. Now, with the advent of the FAA’s new Dynamic Regulatory System or DRS, the agency seems to want everyone to rely exclusively on the DRS for that information – no more mailing of important documents.
Just a couple of weeks ahead of the change, the FAA announced that effective in mid-August of 2022 it would no longer mail copies of Airworthiness Directives (AD’s) to registered owners, as had been the practice for many decades. Now owners and maintainers must check the DRS for updates to see if the FAA has published an AD that might affect the operation of the aircraft or require a maintainer to perform extra tasks before approving the aircraft for return to service. The FAA used to carefully consider that not every aircraft owner (particularly in some segments of General Aviation) even had a home computer much less access to high-speed internet service. Apparently, no longer. The FAA’s announcement that it will end mailing hard copies of AD’s to registered owners means that the agency is, in essence, requiring that to be an aircraft owner you must have a computer and internet access. Further, the burden is now shifted from the FAA to the owner. An aircraft owner cannot wait to get an AD in the mail, you must search the DRS for applicable AD’s. How often do you have to do that? Monthly? Weekly? Before each flight?
Some thoughts to remember going forward. If you are contemplating an aircraft purchase, part of your due diligence now must include the DRS. You cannot rely solely on the paper records the previous owner will give you at the time ownership transfers. If you are a maintenance provider, you are likely already use to searching the FAA’s Regulatory and Guidance Library or other electronic databases for applicable AD’s. Those other FAA databases are now subsumed into the DRS so get used to using the DRS. If you are already an aircraft owner, proactively check the DRS for new AD’s applicable to your aircraft and check them carefully for applicability and the time in which maintenance tasks are due so you can have your maintenance provider do what is necessary to keep your aircraft flying. I still believe the DRS is, on balance, a good tool. Just be aware that the FAA is now, to a greater and greater extent, relying on it as the agency’s exclusive method of communication.
This article is from AOPA: Author: Currently Of Counsel to the firm of Paul A. Lange, LLC, Mr. Christopher Poreda served as the FAA’s New England Regional Counsel from 2002 to 2015. A graduate of the US Air Force Academy in 1974, he flew F-4 Phantoms for the US Air Force in Europe and at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, NV, before serving as a flight instructor for the Air Force. After leaving the Air Force, he earned a law degree from Northeastern University and clerked for the Massachusetts Appeals Court before working as an associate for Bingham, Dana & Gould in Boston until joining the FAA’s legal office in 1990. Attorney Poreda served as a staff attorney for the FAA and as the counsel to the Engine and Propeller Directorate at the FAA’s New England Region before assuming a management role for the FAA’s legal office in 2002. He retired from Federal service in 2015 after 37 years with the US Air Force and the FAA. He has taught Aviation Law to law students at New England Law, Boston, and undergraduates at Southern New Hampshire University. He remains an active flight instructor in the Boston area.
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.
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 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 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.
WASHINGTON—The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has added a new feature to MedXPress that allows pilots to track the status of their medical certificates online throughout the application and review process. Prior to adding this new feature, pilots had to call the Office of Aerospace Medicine to check their application status. “If you can track where your ridesharing car is or the status of a company delivering your package, pilots should be able to see online the real-time status of their application,” said Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Susan Northrup “We will continue to explore how we can be more transparent with the aviation community.” As soon as an application is submitted, it will appear in the pilot’s MedXPress profile. Status updates will change as the application moves through the FAA’s review process. If an application is deferred or denied, the applicant will receive detailed information through the mail. The certification process itself does not change. To learn more about the entire FAA medical certification process, click the button below.