FAA Requires Aviation Organizations to Detect, Address Safety Risks Early The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is issuing new requirements for charter airlines, commuter airlines, air tour operators, and certain aircraft manufacturers to implement a Safety Management System (SMS). SMS provides a means for a structured, repeatable, systematic approach to proactively identify hazards and manage safety risk. By incorporating SMS, these...Read More
ICAO Council adopts new international aviation Standards and Recommended Practices New aviation Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) adopted at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will enhance safety and accelerate the transformation of the global air navigation system, including the integration of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). “The sustainable development of aviation worldwide requires a performance-driven and service-oriented advanced global...Read More
Who is Responsible for Compliance? By Paul White Before we can answer that question, we need to understand what compliance is. What does compliance mean? If we search through various dictionaries, compliance can be referred to as the act of adhering to laws, regulations, guidelines and standards relevant to a particular industry or organisation. It involves ensuring that individuals, businesses...Read More
Pilot mental health – can AI-powered psychological assessment help? IFA comments: For crew, engineers and controllers, the ‘predictive’ approach is desirable. However, the practicalities when applied to the immensely diverse sets of circumstances in aviation may create even more uncertainty. In the week that an expert committee recommended to the FAA that pilots be allowed to get ‘talk therapy’ from...Read More
FAA Rules Aside, U.S. Shops Prepare For SMS By Sean Broderick, Aviation Week Network The FAA remains undecided about whether to require organizationwide safety management systems for its 5,000 certified repair stations, but the global footprint of many U.S.-based shops leaves them with no choice. Transport Canada (TC) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) both require safety management...Read More
Is the aviation maintenance industry back in business? An interview with Bird Aviation’s Chief Executive Frederik Pralus Do you think the MRO industry has fully recovered from the pandemic years? The MRO industry has made significant strides towards recovery from the pandemic years, but the resumption of normalcy may vary depending on the specific sector of the MRO and the...Read More
8130-3 Airworthiness Approvals: Identifying Incorrectly Issued Tags By Jason Dickstein Over the past thirty years, I have watched the 8130-3 tag gain in importance as a mechanism for documenting airworthiness findings. Repair stations holding EASA privileges are especially aware of this in light of EASA 145.A.42 and the EASA-FAA Maintenance Annex Guidance, which stress the importance of the traceability documentation....Read More
Flight Safety Foundation Annual Report Highlights Threat to Aviation Safety from Eroding Safety Culture IFA Comments: Reinforcing the need for a strong and positive safety culture is fundamental to continuing civil aviation’s success. The international commercial airline industry did not suffer any fatal jet airliner accidents in 2023, according to Flight Safety Foundation’s 2023 Safety Report, but a series of close...Read More
EASA Wants Airbus A350 Engine Cover Anti-Icing System Checks By Rytis Beresnevecius, Simple Flying The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has mandated detailed inspections of the Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 engine air inlet cowls after elongated locating holes on the part were found during maintenance, according to the regulator. Loss of anti-icing protection EASA stated that A350 nacelle anti-icing...Read More