Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - Articles and news items

ATA Congratulates Delta Air Lines and Vibrant Staff as Winners of the FAA-ATA “Better Way” Award

Airport news / 22 September 2010 /

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, in association with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), today presented the winners of the 2010 FAA-ATA Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) “Better Way” award.

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Federal Aviation Administration Announces Additional Recovery Act Airport Grants

Airport news / 9 September 2010 /

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration today announced that five additional airport projects have been selected for funding, paid for with $9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that became available because of low bids on airport projects nationwide.

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DOT celebrates Baltimore Washington International Airport Recovery Act projects

Airport news / 3 September 2010 /

The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) highlighted $15 million in safety upgrades funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will ensure the continued safe and efficient operation of aircraft at the Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). (more…)

FAA celebrates completion of San Francisco International Airport Recovery Act projects

Airport news / 31 August 2010 /

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today marked the completion of $14.5 million in runway projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) that will ensure continued safety for flights at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). (more…)

CANSO CEOs Discuss Volcanic Ash – Call for Stronger European Safety Regulator

Airport news / 15 June 2010 /

CANSO, the Global Voice of ATM, has held a discussion on the fallout from the volcanic ash situation in Europe. This was the first time the CEOs of ANSPs from across the globe have been gathered together to discuss this issue.

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Paving the way for alternative fuels

Issue 3 2010 / 9 June 2010 /

An aviation first: As part of the United States Air Force (USAF) long-term energy vision, the Alternative Fuels Certification Office (AFCO), consisting of a small cadre of systems engineers and managers, was formed to develop and execute repeatable processes to identify viable fuel candidates and certify them for fleet-wide operations. These activities require substantial collaboration with the fuels experts at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Air Force Petroleum Agency (AFPET), and the Defense Energy Support Centre (DESC). The AFCO is nearing completion of its original objective of certifying a 50/50 blend of its traditional JP-8 and Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (JP-8/SPK) by 2011. The synthetic component of this blend is derived using the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process that converts coal, natural gas, or biomass to fuel. Concurrently, the AFCO has undertaken a newer initiative to certify all platforms on a 50/50 blend of JP-8 and Hydro-processed Renewable Jet fuel (JP-8/HRJ), biofuels derived from plant or algal oils or animal fats, by 2013. (more…)

FAA awards major information display system contract to All Weather, Inc.

Airport news / 3 June 2010 /

All Weather, Inc. (AWI), a leading manufacturer of accurate, highly dependable, automated weather information systems, meteorological sensors, and information display systems, today announced that the FAA has awarded a small-business set-aside contract to AWI to replace all of the approximately 2,300 aging Integrated Display Systems (IDS4). (more…)

ATA Says FAA Must Demonstrate Benefits of $2.5-$6.2 Billion Cost For ADS-B Out Equipage Under New Rule

Airport news / 27 May 2010 /

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today issued the following statement in response to the release of a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation requiring aircraft operating in U.S. airspace to be equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out (ADS-B Out) equipment:

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AIRE: Reduced noise and emissions on first complete transatlantic green flights

Airport news / 8 April 2010 /

The two first complete (gate-to-gate) green transatlantic flights were operated on 6 and 7 April 2010 from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Miami airports. The flights were carried out by Air France (6 April) and American Airlines (7 April). This marks a new milestone for the AIRE (Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions) programme, a joint initiative between the European Commission and the FAA. AIRE is the green component of the SESAR programme.

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Dingell Announces $8M Grant for Noise Enclosure at Detroit Metro Airport

Airport news / 31 March 2010 /

Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) applauded the recent announcement by the Federal Aviation Administration that $8.35 million will be awarded to Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) for noise mitigation measures. The Congressman made the following remarks about the grant:

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Aviation Organisations Launch Safety Information Exchange

Airport news / 31 March 2010 /

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), along with three governmental aviation safety organizations, took the first step to creating a global information exchange to improve aviation safety.

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ATA Urges Constructive, Forward-Thinking FAA Reauthorization; House Bill Lacking

Airport news / 25 March 2010 /

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee vote on the Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 4853):

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Nashville International Airport Aces Annual FAA Inspection

Airport news / 23 March 2010 /

Underscoring its commitment to passenger safety and security, Nashville International Airport received perfect marks during the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) annual air carrier airport certification inspection. (more…)

NextGen

Issue 2 2009, Past issues / 31 March 2009 /

Airports play a critical role in the transformation of the nation’s airspace system to the Next Generation Air Transportations System (NextGen). As we move toward NextGen, airports are serving as partners to the FAA in terms of rolling out new technologies and procedures, but they are also a focus for operational change.

In their partnership role, airports provide obvious value in supplying the gates, runways and taxiways that form the bulwark of the nation’s aviation infrastructure. This in turn allows us to better meet the demands for increased capacity, particularly at the most congested airports. But airports are also important in the types of operational changes that focus on aircraft systems and improved air traffic management, which is essential to NextGen’s goal of increasing capacity and efficiency in ways that do not harm the environment. (more…)

Airport pavement rehabilitation by rubblisation

Issue 5 2008, Past issues / 30 September 2008 /

Concrete pavements exhibiting distresses such as cracking, joint deterioration, spalling, and joint faulting can be rehabilitated by constructing a concrete or asphalt overlay. The ‘crack and seat’ technique is the most prevalent method for deteriorated concrete pavement rehabilitation. However, ‘rubblisation’ is fast becoming a popular method of concrete pavement rehabilitation.

Asphalt overlays placed over existing Portland cement concrete pavements reflect the joints and cracks present in the underlying concrete pavement. Once reflected into the asphalt overlay, these cracks represent a major maintenance concern and are a known source of foreign object damage. According to the National Asphalt Pavement Association, rubblisation is the most effective procedure for addressing reflective cracking in asphalt overlays.

Rubblisation could be a cost-effective means of converting an existing failed or failing concrete pavement into a superior base, thereby eliminating the expense of removal and replacement. (more…)