Aviation Regulation

Read our letter to California Congressman Issa regarding the NOAA’s – National Marine Sanctuaries unwarranted air space change implemented earlier this year. While we all agree that protecting wild life is a good thing, we disagree with the NOAA’s lack of justification, and NOAA’s threat posture of – guilty until proven innocent – associated with this change. It is unacceptable – period.

The aviation industry is slowly headed toward development of an unleaded replacement fuel for avgas-burning piston-powered aircraft, and a recent move by the FAA is an encouraging sign that progress will continue. The FAA recently agreed to open a new Fuels Program Office, according to NATA, that will provide “technical expertise and strategic direction in…

We are continuously posting articles about airport sponsors, city or county, ignoring the state’s Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) function. This commission was created to mitigate issues between inappropriate land development around our state airports. The following, while a bit long, is a primer on ALUC’s. The entire Division or Aeronautics manual on is also attached as a PDF file. While you may not wish to read the entire manual, it is an excellent reference for protecting your airport. Please download it for reference.

TCongressman Issa and AOPA CEO Craig Fullerhe California Pilots Association took full advantage of a small Town Hall type meeting that Congressman Darrel Issa (southern California) and AOPA CEO Craig Fuller had at AOPA Summit 2012 in Palm Springs CA.

CalPilots asked Congressman Issa a pointed question regarding NOAA’s recent airspace grab along areas of the California, and Washington state coast, lowering the floor in two over water areas, which is not only confusing, but in our opinion, not required as NOAA never provided specific proof that it was justified.

The California Pilots Association stated that “NOAA never bothered to answer our letter regarding justification to change this airspace”, and asked “why any aviator deemed in violation, even by untrained ground observers, was considered guilty until proven innocent?” We also asked “when did the innocent until proven guilty change in the United States?”

The FAA’s 34^th annual General Aviation and Part 135 Survey for 2011 data is underway and available online at www.aviationsurvey.org

“Reducing GA fatalities is a top priority of the FAA and our goal is to reduce the GA fatal accident rate by 10 percent by 2018,” said FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta. “By taking the time to participate in the FAA’s GA survey, owners and operators share valuable data that help the entire GA community.” 

From AvWeb

By Mary Grady, Contributing editor

Under the recently passed Pilot’s Bill of Rights, airmen under investigation by the FAA have the right to request air traffic data such as recordings from control towers and flight service stations, and the FAA said this week it has posted information and links online to facilitate that process. Since air traffic data are stored for only short periods — usually about 5 to 45 days — it’s important for airmen to submit their request “expeditiously,” the FAA said. The FAA website provides details and an email address that airmen can use to make the request.

The FAA has modified phraseology used to issue clearances to pilots for route transitions, standard instrument departures (SIDs), and RNAV SIDs that contain speed and altitude restrictions. A notam issued to alert pilots shows that the changes go into effect Aug. 15.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Pilot’s Bill of Rights has been officially signed into law. Introduced by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a member of the Senate General Aviation Caucus and a CFI with more than 10,000 flight hours, the Pilot’s Bill of Rights (S.1335) became law Aug. 3 when President Obama…

With the recent publicity about individuals being on the “Do Not Fly List” and receiving Flight Instruction, we want to remind CFIs that they have certain responsibilities to fulfill before instructing a non-US citizen. This notice is to remind Flight Instructors of their responsibilities under the Code of Federal Regulations to notify the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) when providing flight instruction to foreign pilots. 

The FAA said this week air traffic controllers must temporarily stop using a procedure that allows airplanes to land and take off in the opposite direction from normal, after a mix-up with three commuter jets in Washington on July 31.