Archive for January 2010
Plastic pilot certificate deadline approaches
The deadline for switching to plastic pilot certificates is weeks away. Paper pilot certificates will no longer be valid after March 31; don’t let procrastination ground you. The cost for a new certificate is $2. Temporary and student pilot certificates are not impacted by the rule. The steps for the process are provided on the…
Read MoreTSA – General Aviation (GA) Vulnerability Assessment Survey
As reported previously by ACI-NA, TSA launched its General Aviation (GA) Vulnerability Assessment Survey earlier this month. Following is a link to the Web site. Although TSA advised that it is still awaiting information on the survey results from its contractor, the Office of General Aviation committed to provide information on the results as soon as it is available.
Read MoreAviation Up In Arms Over Proposed FAA Rule Changes
Under new FAA rules, general aviation is about to undergo massive changes, none for the good, apparently. The FAA Airports Division issued a revised FAA Order 5190.6B, Airport Compliance Manual recently, that, as EAA described it, caught “just about every one off guard.” Not only that it went from 94 to 691 pages of new rules and regulations, and it makes major changes that will affect several aspects of general aviation.
Editors Note: Is this complete over-reaction by the FAA a result of the FAA running scared from TSA and its unwarranted and excessive general aviation proposals?
Read MoreDonate cost of flight in wake of Haiti earthquake
As we begin to learn more about the extent of the destruction in Haiti, hear about the staggering death toll, and see heart-breaking images coming from the area, we all want to jump in our aircraft and fly down to help. But government officials and disaster experts say that’s not the best way to help…
Read MoreFAAST – Human Element in Aviation
The Human Element in Aviation
– A GA Guide to Human Factors
Human factors: It’s a topic discussed at most aviation safety seminars, as well as a fundamental subject during pilot and mechanic training. Yet, despite widespread awareness of the importance of human factors in safety, it continues to play a key role in a majority of today’s aircraft incidents and accidents.
King Navigation Database Emergency Notification
The FAA has been made aware of an issue with an update to a navigation database that became effective on 14 January 2010. To date, the known affected models are: Honeywell Bendix/King KLN 35, KLN 88, KLN 89, KLN 89B, KLN 90, KLN 90B, KLN 94, KLX 100, KLX 135, KLX 135A, KLN 900. Please…
Read MoreTSA – The Insanity Called Airport Security
Anyone who has flown on U.S. or foreign commercial airlines since September 11, 2001 understands, intuitively, that we are all living in a giant insane asylum and that the inmates are fully in charge. Anyone who finds it acceptable that two or three bearded men dressed in Muslim garb should be allowed to pass almost unmolested through a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint, while my 88-year-old mother-in-law is made to raise herself painfully from her wheelchair to undergo a complete body pat-down, including a thorough inspection of the contents of her bra, is certifiably insane. But that is precisely what is happening in airports every day of the week, all across America.
Read MoreAirport Land Use Compatibility
Land Use Near Inland Airports A Crucial Safety Issue
When the Perris City Council allowed a 173,000-square-foot distribution center to be built inside the Air Force’s “accident potential zone” just south of the March Air Reserve Base runway, it defied a request by two Riverside County supervisors who feared developing the buffer zone more than the recommended 20 percent.
Read MoreTSA Extends Comment Period for Repair Station Security Program
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is extending the comment period on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the Aircraft Repair Station Security Program. The comment period will now end on Feb. 19, instead of Jan. 19.
Why should you care? Because what affects your mechanic is going to affect your bottom line.
Don’t lose your chance to submit a comment, click here now.
Note: Once at the page click on Docket ID: TSA-2004-17131 located near the top of the page.
To read the CALPILOTS response to this ill advised NPRM click read more.
Read MoreHand Held Halon 1211 Fire Extinguishers Require Replacement
The Civil Aviation Authority of the United Kingdom (UK) has informed EASA that significant quantities of Halon 1211 gas, determined to be outside the required specification, have been supplied to the aviation industry for use in fire extinguishing equipment. Halon 1211 (BCF) is used in handheld fire extinguishers, usually fitted or stowed in aircraft cabins.To…
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