Boeing is under fire after Alaska Airlines MAX 9 blowout. So is the FAA

By  Lauren Rosenblatt  Seattle Times staff reporter Nearly a week after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 aircraft midflight, lawmakers and federal regulators are starting to look to the Boeing plane’s troubled history to understand what happened — and what didn’t. On Thursday, fingers started pointing. The Federal Aviation Administration announced

Part 150 for Dummies

2016 Sustainable Airport Master Plan briefing on changes to DNL65 based on past Part 150 Studies

The Federal regulations concerning community noise around Sea-Tac Airport Part 150 (Airport Noise Compatibility Planning)  is a section of the Code of Federal Regulations governing the FAA and airports. The code describes a ‘voluntary’ study airports can do to determine the impacts of noise on surrounding communities. A Part 150 Study has all sorts of

Senator wants to reroute flights away from Southwest Boise, where he lives

By KEVIN FIXLER McClatchy Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Twice each decade, Congress approves a bill to fund and set the policies for the federal agency that oversees the nation’s air travel. This year, one airport was singled out in a standalone section marked “miscellaneous” in the Senate version of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act.

Biden nominates a former Obama official to run the Federal Aviation Administration

By  DAVID KOENIGThe Associated Press President Joe Biden on Thursday nominated a former Obama administration official to lead the Federal Aviation Administration after his first choice withdrew in March after running into opposition from Republican senators. The White House said Biden nominated Michael G. Whitaker, a former deputy administrator at the FAA. He is currently

Airline Close Calls Happen Far More Often Than Previously Known

FLIGHT RISKS By Sydney Ember and Emily SteelGraphics by Leanne Abraham, Eleanor Lutz and Ella KoezeAug. 21, 2023 On the afternoon of July 2, a Southwest Airlines pilot had to abort a landing at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. A Delta Air Lines 737 was preparing to take off on the same runway. The sudden maneuver avoided a possible collision by seconds. Near miss NEW

Close Calls and the New York Times: What You Need to Know

The U.S. aviation system is the safest in the world, but one close call is one too many. The FAA and the aviation community are pursuing a goal of zero serious close calls, a commitment from the Safety Summit in March. The same approach virtually eliminated the risk of fatalities aboard U.S. commercial airlines. Since 2009,

What is a TRACON?

The area from 6-50 miles will affect you with or without a second airport. It’s an FAA acronym. Terminal Radar Approach Control. And if you live in any of the areas considered for a Second Airport, including Enumclaw or Pierce and Thurston Counties, keep reading. TRACONs are FAA facilities that house air traffic controllers who

Wing walking flights in Sequim draw lawsuit and FAA investigation

By  Dominic Gates  Seattle Times aerospace reporter In Sequim, on the north coast of the Olympic Peninsula, you can sign up for a daring thrill ride available nowhere else in America: Mason Wing Walking will take you up in an airplane to about 3,500 feet where you can climb out of the open cockpit and

House passes air travel bill criticized by consumer groups, White House

By DAVID KOENIG and KEVIN FREKING The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration would get more money to hire air traffic controllers and the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots would be raised under a bill approved Thursday by the House. The measure seeks to improve air travel, which has been plagued by