An overhaul of the aircraft certification process is likely part of the omnibus spending bill that Congress will likely pass Monday. The bill is expected to pass along with a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill that has been mired in partisan bickering. The clause on the FAA suffered no such political hand wringing, however. It gained bipartisan support in both houses. The new legislation will reform the certification process, grant new protections for whistleblowers and give more weight to misconduct and discipline issues within the FAA.
The bills were forwarded as new revelations came to light alleging the FAA had improperly “coached” test pilots on aircraft behavior during the Boeing 737 MAX recertification process. “It is clear that the agency requires consistent oversight to ensure their work to protect the flying public is executed fully and correctly,” said Senate Commerce Chairman Roger Wicker. The COVID-19 relief bill does have some money for aviation. It is expected to have $15 billion to extend payroll assistance for airlines and $1 billion for airport contractors. Rail and highway transport sectors get about $30 billion.
Partisan bickering in the House? You mean the bill that the House had sitting on Senator McConnell’s desk since June? That he tried to deep-6 at least three times? What’s next, Russ, telling us the Q says that the FAA won’t let pilots take the vaccine?
yeah, some people like to think for a bit before they spend $900B of taxpayer money….. for like the 3rd time.
Did you even bother to do some actual research on the house bill that McConnell objected to? You know, the one that the House tried to spend billions on unrelated, irrelevant crap? That bill? Thought not
In 2019 Aircraft Spruce’s SPORT PILOT ENCYCLOPEDIA predicted (pre-COVID) FAA would announce at Oshkosh Air Venture 2020 [CXLed] their long awaited expansion of SP eligible legacy aircraft from the lightest variants of Chiefs, Cubs, Luscombes etc to include more of those lines…plus ~$20,000 2 seaters like Cessna 120,140,150,152, Piper Cherokees and Grumman Yankees…maybe even some affordable 4 seaters (but just carry 2 on board). Too bad someone couldn’t have slipped that new formula into this bill against the only likely objections coming from SLSA shills like Dan Johnson and foreign firms pushing ~$200,000 gilded composite chariots, most with the hilariously complex Austrian Rotax 912 power plant vs U.S.A. Continental and Lycoming!
Hey Wise O. I resemble that remark!
Please clarify which Dan Johnson you’re referring to. 🙂
I’m on your side.
Dan
I’m very happy with my Rotax 912. The Continental engine arguably killed the C162 by eating into its useful load. And the same will be true with larger airplanes, where LyCo will come up against the Rotax 915.
What shocks me is how much of the aviation community is opposed to innovation and change. We’re a group of old codgers, stuck in the early 1970s.
Cirrus was wise to target new pilots with their parachutes, glass panels and fixed gear…
That “hilariously complex” Rotax is less complex than what’s in the front of a $19K Honda Fit. I’m old, but I don’t begrudge progress. I find old airplanes and old cars to be nice to look up, but hell to live with. (Old women, too.)
Please permit me to express my Christmastime appreciation of certain older women.
As a general rule I’m against everything but I appreciate the technological advancements of the (semi) modern Rotax’s compared with legacy designs.