Airline Hiring Slows to a Crawl, and With Plenty of ATPs on the Shelves There's Need for Retirement Increases

The Air Line Pilots Association says they have plenty of pilots, so there's no need to change anything about the aviation system from top to bottom. ALPA adds that "Despite continued data to the contrary, corporate special interests continue to push the narrative that the United States lacks enough pilots. ALPA has long maintained that while there were some pilot training backlogs coming out of COVID, the system is working and still producing record numbers of pilots. Passenger demand continues to be strong, and while mainline airline hiring has stabilized, resulting in a reduction of new pilots being hired, flight schools continue to

Sniping a Moving Asteroid is Quite a Feat, and Bringing A Trophy Home? Even More So

The National Aeronautic Association has awarded the 2023 Robert J. Collier Trophy to a NASA program that saw a prop head to an asteroid and back on the OSIRIS-REX mission. The Robert J. Collier Trophy has been awarded annually since 1911 for the 'greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.' The mission certainly checks those boxes, since it managed to snipe a moving asteroid, carve out a sample, and return it to Earth.

Emergency Revocation Order Ends Thrill Flights

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has revoked the pilot license of Mike Mason, owner and operator of the Mason Wing Walking Academy in Sequim, Washington, effectively shutting down his controversial wing-walking business. The FAA cited a breach of safety rules as the reason for their decision. In its Letter of Emergency Revocation of March 18, 2024, the FAA stated that "[The FAA] Administrator has determined that an emergency exits related to safety in air commerce and that the immediate action to revoke your Airline Transport Pilot certificate is required." Mason stated that an FAA inspector had OK'd the wing walking flights back in 2012.

SIEPU Mods Add New Capabilities to an Old Bird

The Bell AH-1Z Cobra to get the Structural Improvement Electrical Power Upgrade (SIEPU) modification has rolled into the shop after delivery by the US Marine Corps. Bell celebrated the milestone for the long-running product line after taking in the well-worn aircraft at their Amarillo, Texas Assembly Center. “The Bell AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom provide the backbone of attack and utility aviation support in the various battlespaces in which they are used, so SIEPU comes at an important time for the future strategic implementation of this platform,” said Mike Deslatte, Bell H-1 senior vice president and program director. “SIEPU will be immediately beneficial for today’

Badger Pro+ System Provides Beating Heart for Bell's Brand New Flight Decks

A recent addition to the Bell Textron catalog has given Astronautics a rare moment in the spotlight, with their equipment included in the new BasiX-Pro Glass Cockpit Retrofit Kit for the 412EP helicopter. Astronautics Corporation provides their Badger Pro+ unit, an integrated flight display system that comes as part of a whole-panel upgrade to retrofit existing Bell 412EPs to the same flight deck seen on brand-new aircraft. The upgrade gained its supplemental type certificate earlier this year, and can now be installed on all 412EPs with a PT6T-3D engine. The BasiX-Pro kit joins the manufacturer's catalog of options and retrofit parts for legacy aircraft owners, offer

Jose Nieves Brings Almost 3 Decades to the Role in Ongoing Battle For Contract

The Air Line Pilots Association's FedEx Master Executive Council announced the election of a new chair to lead the pilot group as they continue to wind their way through the negotiation process. The new face is Jose Ieves, a 28-year FedEx man and Captain, who flies the 757 out of Memphis, Tennessee. Nieves was the only one on the ballot for this one, filling a seat left vacant by the departure of Billy Wilson. As such, Nieves will only serve for about a year, with elections to take place in 2025.

The Pilot Adjusted The Propeller Control To Reduce Engine RPM But There Was No Response

On March 12, 2024, about 1902 eastern standard time, a Beech K35, N59MK, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Front Royal, Virginia. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 aerial observation flight. The airplane departed from Shannon Airport (EZF), Fredericksburg, Virginia at 1301 for a survey flight. While approaching the survey area, the pilot described that propeller control was unresponsive when he attempted to reduce engine rpm.

From 2017 (YouTube Version): Interacting With The Users In The Drone Community…

Earl Lawrence, director of the FAA's UAS Integration Office, had a goal at the FAA's UAS Symposium held earlier this year in Washington, D.C.; interact with the users. He told  ANN CEO and Editor in Chief Jim Campbell on the sidelines of the symposium that in that measure, the event was a resounding success. The main issue for the FAA and the UAS community is collaboration, Lawrence said. "We're all looking to integrate UASs into the National Airspace ... safely ... and we really need to do it together. FAA doesn't have all the answers, industry doesn't hav

Aero Linx: Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA) The Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA) is the world’s largest pilot trade association representing over 35,000 professional passenger and all-cargo airline pilots.  CAPA’s mission is to address safety, security, legislative and regulatory issues affecting the professional flight deck crew members on matters of common interest to the individual member unions. We are an advocate for strong safety and security programs that continue to fortify the continuously vulnerable aviation industry.

Chart Supplement Alaska A flight information publication designed for use with appropriate IFR or VFR charts which contains data on all airports, seaplane bases, and heliports open to the public including communications data, navigational facilities, airport diagrams, certain special notices, and non-regulatory procedures. Also included in this publication are selected entries needed to support the unique geographical operational conditions of Alaska. This publication is issued in one volume for the state of Alaska. 

"Despite continued data to the contrary, corporate special interests continue to push the narrative that the United States lacks enough pilots. ALPA has long maintained that while there were some pilot training backlogs coming out of COVID, the system is working and still producing record numbers of pilots. Passenger demand continues to be strong, and while mainline airline hiring has stabilized, resulting in a reduction of new pilots being hired, flight schools continue to have record enrollment." Source: That's ALPA... throwing more cold water (and a few other things) on the current slate of pilot shortage reports and expressing a counter-opinion... in a pretty firm way.