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☆ FAA proposes $175,000 fine against Elon Musk's SpaceX for failure to submit 'launch collision avoidance data' prior to mission last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The FAA is proposing a $175,000 fine against Elon Musk's SpaceX for failing to submit data. SpaceX launched 53 satellites as part of its Starlink Group 4-27 mission in August 2022. The FAA said that SpaceX is required to submit data at least seven days before an attempted launch. The letter states that SpaceX was required to submit the data at least seven days before the first attempted launch. SpaceX is currently in the final stages of testing of Starship, the world's largest and most powerful rocket, with plans to launch in March.

☆ Investing in Space: The space station kingmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. Several U.S. companies are working to build new orbiting habitats to replace the aging International Space Station. NASA's role in seeding the fledgling market was a hot topic at the FAA's space conference last week. Four private space stations are vying to get online by the time that happens:Axiom Space and Northrop Grumman"Starlab" is under development by Voyager Space and subsidiary Nanoracks alongside Airbus. These days, it's been doling out funds to the four space station projects.

☆ Acting FAA Administrator to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on computer outage
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailActing FAA Administrator to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on computer outageCNBC's Phil Lebeau joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the acting FAA's testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee today.

That number includes both rocket launches and capsule reentries, and has been steadily climbing. A Falcon Heavy rocket launches the USSF-67 mission on January 15, 2023 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "Air space is going to be a critical, critical issue," Isom said, calling on new industries to contribute to the cost of air traffic control. A graph of FAA-licensed or permitted commercial space launches (excludes launches licensed by other U.S. government agencies, such as NASA or the Department of Defense). Together they create a moving target for space launches and the commercial airlines eyeing the same air space.

☆ Investing in Space: Starship in the D.C. spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. I'm in D.C. for the 25th annual Commercial Space Transportation conference. CSF executive members are a veritable who's-who of U.S. space companies founded in the 21st century. So why does the space industry care so much about Starship's success (or failure) to reach orbit? Notably relevant to this conference's host, SpaceX still needs a license from the FAA to launch Starship.

☆ SpaceX prepares for a massive test this week: Firing all 33 Starship engines at once
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Starship prototype 24 stacked on top of Super Heavy booster prototype 7 at the company's facility near Brownsville, Texas on January 9, 2023. "Tomorrow is a big day for SpaceX," Shotwell said, speaking at the FAA's annual Commercial Space Transportation conference in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. The company conducted a test firing of 14 of those engines in November, as it pushes to make an orbital launch attempt with a Starship prototype. Last month the company completed a "wet dress rehearsal," with Starship prototype 24 stacked on Super Heavy booster prototype 7, in the most recent crucial test. While SpaceX had hoped to conduct the first orbital Starship launch as early as summer 2021, delays in progress and regulatory approval have pushed back that timeline.

☆ FAA hits United with $1.1 million proposed fine stemming from allegations that the airline shirked a required fire safety check for years
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The FAA proposed a $1.1 million fine against United Airlines on Monday. The regulator alleged that United missed a required safety check for nearly three years. The airline said in a statement that the safety of its flights was "never in question." The removal of the fire system check from United's pre-flight routine resulted in the airline failing to perform mandatory safety inspections, the air-safety regulator said. In a statement to Insider, a United spokesperson said safety is the highest priority to the airline.

☆ Amazon's Prime Air reportedly has only made a handful of drone deliveries, as FAA restrictions have thwarted widespread use
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The FAA is blocking Amazon's drones from flying over people or roads without case by case permission, according to The Information. In 2020, Insider reported that Amazon's Prime Air was issued an approval certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, to use "unmanned aircraft systems" in a commercial operation. That's curtailed the number of deliveries Amazon's Prime Air can make. One reason might be because Amazon's drones are pretty heavy, coming in at 80 lbs when empty, even though the packages it can carry have a weight limit of 5 lbs. Added to that, Amazon's drones have crashed several times during testing, with one igniting an "acres-wide brush fire" in 2021 Insider reported.

☆ U.S. House eyes creating task force on flawed aviation computer system
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The outage of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) database prompted the Jan. 11 nationwide groundstop of U.S. passenger traffic, the first since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The NOTAM system provides pilots, flight crews and other users of U.S. airspace with critical safety notices. The FAA next week plans to hold a briefing for House lawmakers. There are two separate databases including a 30-year-old system known as the U.S. NOTAM System" based in Oklahoma City being phased out in favor of the newer "Federal NOTAM system" based in Atlantic City, the sources said. Last week, the corruption occurred in the US NOTAM system, which then infiltrated the federal NOTAM database.

☆ Delta CEO called last week's FAA outage 'unacceptable' and said the agency needs more funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Air traffic was temporarily halted last week after an FAA system, known as Notice to Air Missions, crashed. Over 10,000 flights were delayed, but Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said he doesn't blame the agency. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is pushing to confirm President Joe Biden's pick for FAA Administrator. In a separate interview, American Airlines CEO Rob Isom told CNBC that there needs to be more investment in FAA technology. "With recent events, including airline troubles and last week's tech problem, this agency needs a leader confirmed by the Senate immediately."

☆ FAA launches investigation after two planes nearly collide at JFK airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Grounded Delta Airlines planes are parked at gates at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 11, 2023, in New York. The FAA said a Boeing 737 operated by Delta Air Lines stopped its takeoff around 8:45 p.m. when air traffic controllers noticed another American Airlines aircraft crossing the runway. The Delta flight "stopped its takeoff roll approximately 1,000 feet" from the point where the American Airlines Boeing 777 had crossed, according to the FAA's preliminary analysis. Flight watcher @xJonNYC noticed the near miss and shared audio of the tense air traffic control exchange on Twitter Saturday. A spokesperson for American Airlines said the company will defer to the FAA for comment.

☆ Airbus withdraws from U.S. FAA Boeing safety culture panel
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - European planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) said it had withdrawn from a U.S. government-named panel reviewing Boeing’s (BA.N) safety processes and how they influence Boeing safety culture after two fatal 737 MAX crashes in recent years killed 346 people. Congress directed the agency to appoint a panel by early 2021, but the FAA missed that deadline. Boeing last week declined to comment on the panel, but previously emphasized it has significantly reformed its safety culture after the MAX crashes cost it more than $20 billion. read moreIn May, the FAA opted to renew Boeing's Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program for three years rather than the five years Boeing sought. The FAA continues to subject Boeing to enhanced oversight, inspecting all new Boeing 737 MAXs and 787s before they can be delivered.

☆ Delta CEO urges Washington to increase FAA funding after 'unacceptable' outage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian called on Washington to increase funding for the Federal Aviation Administration after an outage of a pilot-alert system that grounded thousands of flights across the U.S. this week. "Over the past 36 hours, the FAA has been conducting a preliminary analysis into the NOTAM system interruption," the FAA said late Thursday. In an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday, Delta's Bastian called the incident "unacceptable." "I don't recall us ever shutting down the national air space due to a similar type of technology outage for several hours." The flight delays and cancellations were the second major air travel disruption in less than a month after bad weather derailed holiday travel late last year.

☆ FAA has struggled to modernize computer, air traffic operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The FAA has struggled to modernize some long-standing parts of air traffic control. A 2021 Transportation Department Office of Inspection General (OIG) report repeatedly cited challenges in the FAA's multi-billion dollar Next Generation Air Transportation System (Next) infrastructure project. In October, for example, the FAA said it was working to end a long-ridiculed, decades-old practice of air traffic controllers using paper flight strips to keep track of aircraft. ERAM in 2015 replaced the 40-year-old En Route Host computer and backup system used at 20 FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers nationwide. House Transportation Committee chair Sam Graves, a Republican, labeled as "inexcusable" FAA’s failure to properly maintain and operate the air traffic control system.

☆ Flight disruptions ease after FAA outage, as officials vow to investigate system failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Travelers as flights are cancelled at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. Air travel disruptions eased on Thursday, a day after a severe pilot safety-alert system failure sparked the delay of close to half of U.S. flights. The FAA said a preliminary review traced the outage to a "damaged database file." Unable to fix the problem, the FAA rebooted the system, and ordered the ground stop, which it lifted around 9 a.m. on Wednesday. "When there's a problem with a government system, we're going to own it, we're going to find it, and we're going to fix it," he told reporters Wednesday.

☆ FAA system outage disrupts thousands of flights across U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The FAA's outage was the second major air travel disruption in less than a month and drew bipartisan criticism. Later Wednesday, Canada's air navigation agency said its similar notification system experienced a brief outage, but said no flights were delayed as a result. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards FAA system failure created mass cancellations across the U.S. on Jan. 11th, 2023. FlightawareWednesday's FAA issue added to concern from Washington from both Republicans and Democrats, particularly about technology that the complex U.S. air system, the world's busiest, relies on. More than a third of Delta's and United's mainline flights were delayed, while about 50% of American's were running late.

FAA officials said a preliminary review traced the outage to a damaged database file, but added there was no evidence of a cyberattack and the investigation was continuing. FAA officials said they were working to "further pinpoint the causes" so the problem can be avoided in the future. One issue airlines are facing is trying to get planes in and out of crowded gates, which is causing further delays. He described confusion as airline employees and many passengers were initially unaware of the FAA's moves and flight delays. The U.S. Travel Association, which represents the travel industry including airlines, called the FAA system failure "catastrophic."

☆ This morning highlights the need for redundancy among airline systems, says The Chertoff Group's Kair
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThis morning highlights the need for redundancy among airline systems, says The Chertoff Group's KairCNBC's Leslie Josephs and Lee Kair, The Chertoff Group, join 'Power Lunch' to discuss the FAA's system failure this morning that caused an outage lasting about two hours.

☆ U.S. FAA names experts to review Boeing safety culture after fatal crashes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Thursday it had named 24 experts to review Boeing’s safety management processes and how they influence Boeing’s safety culture after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people. Boeing did not immediately comment Thursday, but has previously emphasized it has made reforms to its safety culture that cost the company billions of dollars. In September, the FAA finalized a policy to protect aviation employees who perform government certification duties from interference by Boeing and others. In May, the FAA opted to renew Boeing's Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program for three years rather than the five years Boeing sought. The FAA continues to subject Boeing to enhanced oversight, inspecting all new Boeing 737 MAXs and 787s before they can be delivered.

☆ U.S. Senate Commerce chair plans hearings after Southwest Airlines meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell on Wednesday said the panel intended to hold hearings after Southwest Airlines' (LUV.N) recent meltdown that led to nearly 16,000 flight cancellations in the week ending Dec. 29. The FAA's operations must be reauthorized by Sept. 30 and the measure has traditionally been used to advance aviation reforms. The Southwest flight cancellations have been cited by some lawmakers as evidence that Congress needs to strengthen protections for air travelers. Buttigieg has repeatedly vowed to hold Southwest "accountable" if it fails to fulfill commitments to customers for "controllable delays and cancellations." That one would require airlines to provide non-expiring vouchers when passengers are unable to fly for certain pandemic-related reasons.

☆ Elon Musk and Donald Trump are trying new ways to dodge jet tracking — but it's not a 'silver bullet'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Taylor Rains | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault is one: He recently sold his private aircraft so "no one can see where I go," and he now rents jets instead. The program allows private aircraft owners to block their planes from being publicly shown on websites like FlightAware and FlightRadar24, which use FAA data. Puma/Jay Z's jet tracked on ADS-B Exchange with LADD indicator. Sweeney's Elon Jet Twitter bot also recorded the flight. Elon Musk's private jet flight with PIA flag, tracked by Jack Sweeney.

☆ A sneaky photo taken the last time a stealth bomber was unveiled shows why some parts of the new B-21 are still under wraps
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

On December 2, the US Air Force revealed its new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider. That may have been an effort to avoid what happened the last time a stealth bomber was unveiled. One reason for that may be what happened the last time the Air Force unveiled a stealth bomber. Scott told Aviation Week in an article about the photo scoop published on the same day as the B-21's rollout. A US Air Force B-2 stealth bomber.

☆ U.S. Senate will not take up FAA nomination before 2023 -lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The U.S Senate does not plan to take up President Joe Biden's nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) until next year, a key lawmaker said. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, who heads the panel that overseas the FAA, told Reuters late on Tuesday she planned to hold a hearing for Denver International Airport Chief Executive Phil Washington to head the FAA after the new Congress convenes in January. Cantwell said she plans to meet next week with Washington, who was nominated in July but not yet had a hearing. The Democratic lawmaker said she believes the White House will stand by Washington and renominate him next year. Washington, a former CEO of the Los Angeles public transport system, previously told Bloomberg News "all the allegations are false."

☆ U.S. watchdog will review FAA oversight of key Boeing 737 MAX features
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - A U.S. government watchdog said on Thursday it will review the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight of two safety features on the Boeing 737 MAX. The Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) said Thursday it will audit the FAA's oversight of the inclusion of MCAS, a key airplane software feature in the 737 MAX design, that was cited as a contributing factor in two fatal MAX crashes that killed 346 people. OIG will also review FAA oversight of the inoperability of Angle of Attack disagree alerts on the majority of the MAX fleet in 2019. Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'Airplane seats are far too small': Travelers are calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to implement larger seat size minimums
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In August, the FAA opened its site to public comments regarding the safety of airplane seats. Thousands of travelers voiced their discomfort with current seat dimensions on planes. The FAA invited passengers to share their thoughts and concerns on the matter to help the agency decide whether to implement a rule on minimum seat dimensions. "The space between each seat already causes knees to be against the pockets of the next seat in front of you." In 2018, Congress passed the FAA Reauthorization Act, directing the agency to issue seat dimension rules regarding passenger safety.

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