FAA

Tag Archives for FAA.

FAA Administrator Nominee Goes 0-For-7 In Aviation Policy Quiz

by Gary Leff on March 3, 2023

Mar 03 2023

During Senate confirmation hearings for President Biden’s nominee to lead the FAA, Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) asked a rapid fire set of questions that amounted to a knowledge quiz. It was awkward both listening to the questions, as Budd tried to appear as though he’s an expert in the asking, and listening to the answers as Washington knew the answers to exactly zero of them.

And in answering it was clear he didn’t have enough familiarity with the issues to speak about them more generally, even if he didn’t exactly follow the questions.

Biden’s Nominee To Lead The FAA Must Make A Personal Sacrifice To Be Confirmed

by Gary Leff on March 2, 2023

Mar 02 2023

Phil Washington, head of the Denver airport, has been nominated to become FAA Administrator by the Biden administration. His experience in aviation is limited, Democrats concede, but his backers argue that he is a good manager of public sector bureaucracies.

That management is in question based on his involvement in a corruption scandal from his time at L.A. Metro, and a discrimination lawsuit involving his leadership in Denver. However it is neither his skills nor his management that have the potential to derail the nomination. It is his 24 years of military service.

Should Biden’s Pick To Head The FAA Be Confirmed?

by Gary Leff on March 1, 2023

Mar 01 2023

Phil Washington, who runs the Denver airport, was nominated by President Biden to head the FAA and confirmation hearings were held today in the Senate. Among other roles, the FAA has a huge responsibility in aviation safety as well as directly providing air traffic control service.

The FAA’s System For Responding To Air Traffic Control Near-Disasters Is Broken

by Gary Leff on February 7, 2023

Feb 07 2023

There were procedural changes after the Air Canada near-miss landing on top of planes in San Francisco in 2017 but those changes do not seem to be followed in these two recent incidents between Delta and American and between Fedex and Southwest. In all cases, the planes continued to operate (though Delta not until the next day). As a result their cockpit voice recorders – which only capture the most recent two hours of data – were overwritten. But the FAA shouldn’t be allowing this.

Air Traffic Control Needs An Upgrade, But It’s Airlines That Should Pay

by Gary Leff on January 23, 2023

Jan 23 2023

Taxpayer subsidies aren’t the right way to handle funding needs of the FAA. It’s not surprising that airline CEOs don’t want user fees, they want more money to provide services for their flights but they do not want to be the ones to pay for it. They’d rather get government subsidies than pay the cost of upgrading air traffic control.

What’s Really Wrong With The FAA’s NOTAM System That Caused Air Travel Chaos Last Week?

by Gary Leff on January 20, 2023

Jan 20 2023

There’s been zero discussion of updating the NOTAM system to focus on giving pilots (and airline ops centers) the right information, in the right form, at the right time – just how to keep the existing system from dumping again.

What We Know Now About Friday Night’s Near-Disaster At JFK Airport

by Gary Leff on January 15, 2023

Jan 15 2023

The American plane, a 22 year old Boeing 777-200 (registration N754AN) crossed in front of the Delta jet that was in its takeoff roll. Air traffic control saw this happening and at almost the last possible moment called out to Delta to abort takeoff, out of fear the two planes would collide (“Shit! Delta 1943 cancel takeoff clearance!”).

We know a little bit more than was immediately available when this incident was first disclosed.

FAA System Failure Grounds Flights Across The Country

by Gary Leff on January 11, 2023

Jan 11 2023

The FAA’s NOTAM system, which alerts about procedures and risks in flight, went down and the failure has led to hours-long delays and possible flight cancellations even as the air travel delay begins.

Several hundred delays have already been logged domestically before 6 a.m. Eastern. The FAA reports that “Technicians are currently working to restore the system,” but had no further comment beyond what was listed on their website.

Say What? Politicians Are Demanding Airlines Keep Using Their Current Seats

by Gary Leff on November 2, 2022

Nov 02 2022

Politics is like professional wresting. What you see is rarely real. Take, for instance, six Democratic Senators urging the FAA to bar airlines from further reducing legroom and seat width. These Senators aren’t calling for more passenger space. They are calling for passengers to not have less space. In other words, they demand the status quo!

FAA Refuses To Consider American’s Request To Put Doors On Business Class Seats

by Gary Leff on October 18, 2022

Oct 18 2022

The American Airlines electronic submission was on letterhead that did not include the carrier’s mailing address at 1 Skyview Dr, Fort Worth, Texas. It also did not list.. a fax number.

As the government explains, 14 CFR § 11.81 requires listing “[y]our name and mailing address, and, if you wish, other contact information such as a fax number, telephone number, or email address.” Since the FAA doesn’t know where to find American Airlines, and didn’t think to ask the agency’s own American Airlines Certificate Management Office, they declined to consider the request to place doors on business class seats.

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