News and Updates – FAA Seeks Comment on ATP, Type Rating Standards

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As the latest step in its transition to a more integrated and systematic approach to pilot certification, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is asking for public comments on new draft standards for obtaining an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate in the airplane category or for obtaining an airplane type rating.

Along with the October 22 Notice of Document Availability, the FAA included the draft Airman Certification Standards (ACS) for public review and comment. The proposed standards include what a pilot is expected to know, consider and do in order to prepare for the FAA ATP knowledge test and practical test and ultimately receive an ATP certificate or airplane type rating, as applicable, if the standards are met. The areas covered are preflight preparation, takeoffs and landings, inflight maneuvers, stall prevention, instrument procedures, emergency operations and postflight procedures.

The ACS also includes guidance for applicants on eligibility requirements for taking the single-engine or multiengine airplane knowledge tests and practical tests. Guidance for evaluators conducting the practical test is also provided.

The Airman Certification Standards program is based on collaboration between the FAA and a diverse group of aviation industry experts. The goal is to make sure testing and training standards for pilots keep pace with todays operating environment. In June 2016, the Agency replaced the Practical Test Standards for the private pilot (airplane) certificate and the instrument (airplane) rating with the new corresponding Airman Certification Standards. The proposed ATP standards are the latest to be offered for comment.

Submissions on the standards are being accepted until the comment period closes December 21, 2018.

News and Updates – More than 50,000 LAANC Applications processed

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The Federal Aviation Administrations (FAA) nationwide deployment of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) has exceeded all of the programs original objectives.

Since the program began with a prototype system in November 2017, LAANC has processed more than 50,000 applications from drone operators for authorization to fly in controlled airspace. The system now covers almost 300 air traffic facilities serving approximately 500 airports, providing near-instantaneous approvals and allowing operators to quickly plan their flights. View a list of the participating facilities.

LAANC helps support the safe integration of drones into the nations airspace. The system uses airspace data provided through temporary flight restrictions, Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) facility maps that show the maximum altitude ceiling around airports where the FAA may authorize operations under Part 107, the small drone rule for commercial and public agency operators.

The FAA has approved 14 LAANC service suppliers. Instructions on how to apply are provided by each supplier:

Drone operators also may file for airspace authorizations using the FAADroneZone, including for areas not covered by LAANC or when the operator holds a Part 107 waiver.

News and Updates – FAA Wants You To Pack Safely This Holiday Season

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Millions of travelers will take to the skies during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants to help you make it to your destination safely. You can help with that by paying close attention to whats in your bag.

Some common toiletries that passengers pack could be hazardous. Check your bags for the following items: aerosol cans that may contain hair spray, deodorant, tanning spray or animal repellant, nail polish, artist paints and glues.

Wondering what to do with those e-cigarettes? Passengers should know that e-cigarettes, vaping devices, and spare lithium batteries are not authorized to be packed in checked luggage. Spare lithium batteries the kind that are found in personal electronic devices and back-up charging devices can only travel in carry-on baggage.

Electronic devices powered by lithium batteries can catch fire if they are damaged or have exposed electrical terminals. If devices start to smoke or catch fire, they are much easier to extinguish if they are in the cabin area rather than the cargo hold. The FAA recommends that passengers keep cell phones and other devices nearby in the cabin to quickly access them if necessary.

Spare lithium batteries must be placed in carry-on baggage and protected from damage or short-circuiting. Batteries should be packed so that they are not touching or bumping something that could potentially cause them to spark. If batteries are not sealed in manufacturer packaging, the battery terminals should be protected by covering them with tape and placing them in separate bags to prevent short circuits.

For more detailed information about materials that should not fly, check out our Pack Safe: When in Doubt, Leave it Out video, the FAA’s PackSafe website, and the FAAs Hazardous Materials Safety website.

To be on the safe side, when in doubt, just leave it out!

News and Updates – FAA Dedicates New Atlanta Flight Operations Facility

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today dedicated the new Atlanta Flight Operations Facility at Cobb County International Airport in Kennesaw, GA. The new facility will enable the Agency to continue providing outstanding support of the National Airspace System.

The FAA is pleased to locate our critical flight inspection services out of this state-of-the-art facility, said Teri L. Bristol, Chief Operating Officer of the FAAs Air Traffic Organization. We appreciate the Atlanta communitys support of our continued mission to provide the safest, most efficient airspace system in the world.

Flight Inspection ensures the integrity of instrument approaches and flight procedures that pilots fly in the National Airspace System. FAA pilots fly specially equipped Beechcraft King Air 300 (BE-300) aircraft to conduct airborne inspections of all space- and ground-based instrument flight procedures and they validate electronic signals in space transmitted from ground navigation systems.

The 32,050-square-foot facility includes a 23,100-square-foot hangar that will accommodate six BE-300 aircraft that support Flight Program Operations flight inspection mission. The facility also includes shop space for aircraft maintenance and repair, and administrative space that can accommodate 26 FAA employees.

The Atlanta Flight Operations Facility is part of the FAAs Flight Program Operations service unit in the Air Traffic Organization. The program consolidates all of the agencys aircraft and people into a single organization responsible for all aspects of flight program safety, administration, operations, training, and maintenance.

Other Flight Program Operations facilities are located at Anchorage, AK; Atlantic City, NJ; Battle Creek, MI; Fort Worth, TX; Oklahoma City, OK; Sacramento, CA; and Washington, D.C.

News and Updates – New PBN Routes Improve Flights to Florida, Caribbean

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Flights between the Northeast and the major international airports in Florida and the Caribbean are more direct, more efficient, and safer since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented 55 new Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) routes on November 8.

Satellite-equipped aircraft now can fly new routes that begin at the North Carolina/South Carolina border and flow south toward Florida and the Caribbean. The new routes will augment the existing structure of conventional jet routes. The Agency also updated 11 existing PBN routes. It previously added two PBN routes to the system

Implementing 55 new satellite-based routes on one day is a significant milestone in our work to modernize the air traffic control system, said Dan Elwell, Acting FAA Administrator. We are providing better access to busy airspace along the southern part of the East Coast, to the major international airports in Florida and beyond.

The Agency also is designing high-altitude PBN routes from the northeast to join the new routes that began today. When the new route structure is completed, equipped aircraft will seamlessly fly on satellite-based routes along the East Coast to South Florida and the Caribbean.

The project is part of the FAAs South-Central Florida Metroplex initiative. The Metroplex team designed the new routes, 39 are over water and 16 are over land. This brings the total number of PBN routes over the United States to 316. Get more facts about the South-Central Florida Metroplex on our website.

These new routes, along with other PBN procedures and new technologies are part of the FAAs Next Generation Air Transportation System. NextGen is moving the National Airspace System from ground-based radar to satellite-based navigation, from voice to digital communication, and from point-to-point data to a fully integrated information management system. These initiatives change how we see, navigate, and communicate in our nations skies.