California Airports

A news outlet in the Santa Monica area ran a hatchet-job about SMO, in which they listed “Santa Monica Airport Plane Crashes.” It’s been pointed out that many of them had little or nothing to do with that airport. At the end, they have a poll in which they ask if the airport should be…

Large Scale Project Begins Next Month, Will Continue Into 2017

A large-scale runway construction and rehabilitation plan at KLAX will begin in March 2015, and continue into 2017. The construction will take place in the five phases.

There are so many items that need attention before we fly – airplane condition, weather conditions and our own health conditions, just to name a few. But, now we have an entirely new group of items to check due to our fascination with all things electronic. And, all of the electronics that we take with us need our attention too.

Here are some things that need to be done before the electronics go into the flight bag:

• Make sure you know how to use it. (Well, duh?) 4,000 feet and 100 knots is no time to try to figure out the buttons. (I often take a new portable device with me in the car. When my wife drives, I am navigating to some airport.)

On March 2, 2015, FAA’s Office of Aerospace Medicine rolled out its new guidance for AME’s on Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). In response to feedback from pilots, other industry stakeholders, and Congress, FAA heavily revised guidance that was previously proposed last year. To address concerns that were raised by pilots, the new guidance asks AMEs to evaluate applicants on multiple criteria rather than Body Mass Index (BMI) alone. If a pilot exhibits some of the criteria but is deemed to be at low risk of OSA, the AME will regular[AE1] issue the medial certificate with some educational material on OSA. Applicants meeting some criteria and deemed to be at high risk of OSA will still be Regular issued but with a request for more information after a consultation from their regular doctor within 90 days. Only applicants that report, or if the AME observes severe symptoms of OSA, will the applicant then be deferred to the Aerospace Medical Certification Division.

(CalPilots Editor’s Note: Using the term “Airport Commission” is laughable when it comes to Santa Monica. In the spirit of the true airport commission, it is supposed to look after the airport and include actual aviation expertise, not real estate and other business interests such as the City of Santa Moncia populated it with)  The Santa Monica Airport Commission showed its support for the city’s strategy to eventually shut down aviation operations at the airport, recommending this week that the city council move ahead with taking over chunks of the 227-acre field and imposing new rules for hangar owners and other users.

This latest move in the long battle over KSMO’s future prompted airport advocates to reiterate their position that federal obligations require that the land must continue to operate as an airport. “These proposals have been offered by opponents of Santa Monica Airport before, and they’ve been shown to be lacking a basis in federal law and grant obligations,” NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said in a statement Wednesday. “We have long fought these and other attempts to restrict access at SMO, and we will continue to do so.”

Recognizing a shift in users’ preferences for automated services, the FAA is changing its Flight Service operation to make it more efficient and reduce costs. The agency will continue to maintain the highest level of safety and none of these changes will affect core flight service safety functions such as search and rescue, emergency services, weather observation, NOTAM entry and dissemination, or pilot weather reports. Pilots are steadily shifting to automated and web-based tools to obtain services and Flight Service is already using this type of technology to eliminate underutilized and redundant services and reduce expenses. The FAA will phase in the changes to ease the transition for users.

For more information, including a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) section, or to send comments, questions, and suggestions, please visit: http://www.faa.gov/go/flightservice.

For the latest information on airman testing, check out the completely revamped frequently asked questions document available on the FAA’s Airman Testing page at www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/ . The FAQs are presented in terms of three main topics: certification, training, and testing with easy-to-navigate hyperlinks. The Airman Testing page also includes a link to submit an airman…

LOS ANGELES — Community leaders joined in Feb. 12 to break ground on Clay Lacy Aviation’s new South Campus, a $10 million, six-acre expansion of its current headquarters facility at Van Nuys Airport (VNY).

Attended by more than 100 students from NVOC-Aviation, a VNY-based aircraft mechanics school, the event celebrated local job creation and economic growth. (CalPilots wants to acknowledge Clay Lacy’s longtime support and congratulates Clay on his well deserved success). 

The Redlands Airport Association (RAA) was formed in June 2014, for the purpose of assembling many different Redlands Airport (REI) interests to come together as one voice. This has been a challenging undertaking for all involved, but positive results have already been witnessed.

For the past few years, a local brewery has held an airshow of sorts at REI called AirFest. These events have been held to celebrate the brewery’s anniversary.

PILOT ALERT   Lexus dealer planning to build a parking lot in the RPZ The Lexus dealer on Crenshaw Blvd is requesting permission to build a parking lot with light standards within the RPZ. The Airport Commission will hear the City’s recommendation to approve this development on Thursday 2/5 at 7 PM in the City…