New alerting systems could help pilots abandon unstable approaches

FAA has formally approved a rulemaking to rewrite Part 23, a key step toward what is expected to be a dramatic change in how the agency approaches small aircraft certification. The authorization to begin the rulemaking comes as Congress nears final passage of a bill that would require FAA to complete the Part 23 rewrite by the end of 2015.

Inefficient certification processes are delaying hundreds of new applications for aircraft operations and repair stations, says Jeffrey Guzzetti, assistant inspector general for aviation audits for the Department of Transportation.

Xojet, which last winter sold its recently acquired Hawker 800XP fleet to partner Travel Management Company (TMC), plans to hold its fleet at a little more than 40 aircraft, a move that is helping the company strengthen its balance sheet to its strongest position in years.

Aerion is hoping to have a final engine selection in place by the end of next year for its supersonic business aircraft, or aircraft family, and believes the design could be ready to hit the market by late 2020.

The National Business Aviation Association, continuing its effort to raise the visibility and underscore the importance of business aviation, is highlighting the key role the industry plays in global marketplaces with a new study that finds most top global companies rely on business aircraft.

A Senate panel on aviation led by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) convenes this week to discuss how to keep aviation manufacturing in the U.S. competitive. But competition in the increasingly global airline and aerospace industries is in the eye of the beholder. U.S. unionized pilots and flight attendants are scrutinizing how Norwegian Air Shuttle proceeds with its latest round of contract negotiations. The contract talks represent a test case for the U.S.-EU Open Skies agreement in 2010, which allows more European flights into the U.S.

President Barack Obama entered office pledging to improve the nation's relations with key allies. But with ongoing UAV strikes, revelations of National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance of allies' leaders and continued detentions of terror suspects at the Guantanamo Bay prison, even Obama's supporters concede his image campaign hasn't worked out. “The level of support for the U.S. is back to where it was in the [George W.] Bush administration,” says Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.).