TagFAA(684)
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2026-04-24WSDOT Letter to FAA: Tax Collections, Offsets, and State Efforts to Resolve Airport Revenue Compliance Issue
In an April 2026 letter to the FAA, the Washington State Department of Transportation provided detailed tax collection data and proposed spending offsets in response to federal questions about how Washington taxes aviation fuel. The letter covers Aircraft Fuel Tax revenues dating to 1983, local sales and use taxes on aircraft fuel tracked since 2023, and hazardous substance taxes, while explaining which taxes are grandfathered under federal rules. The state also outlined its methodology for calculating aviation-related budget offsets and committed to providing further updates within 60 days. -
Day-Night Average Sound Level Calculation
This diagram explains the DNL (Day-Night Average Sound Level) metric used in airport noise policy, showing a bar chart of hourly LEQ sound levels (in dBA) over a 24-hour period labeled 'One Day of Events (DNL).' It highlights the 10-dB nighttime penalty applied to noise events occurring during nighttime hours, which is a standard FAA methodology for calculating community noise exposure. -
SEL Sound Exposure Level and Energy Metrics
An educational diagram illustrating acoustic measurement concepts including Sound Exposure Level (SEL), Lmax, LEQ, and energy, plotted as sound level (dB) over time (seconds). The graphic shows how SEL compresses a noise event's total energy into a normalized 1-second value, with Lmax appearing approximately 10dB above the LEQ reference line. -
2026-04-21ZSE Radar Cheat Sheet
The ZSE Radar Cheat Sheet is an air traffic control reference guide covering radar separation standards, identification procedures, and communication phraseology used in the Seattle Center (ZSE) airspace. It outlines required lateral and vertical separation distances between IFR and VFR aircraft in different airspace classes, as well as rules for vectoring, handoffs, approach clearances, and wake turbulence. The document serves as a quick-reference tool for controllers managing aircraft in and around the Seattle area, including procedures relevant to operations near Sea-Tac Airport. -
Trump and Lee Zeldin EPA Greenhouse Gas Deregulation Announcement
A speaker addresses the room from a podium bearing the Seal of the President of the United States, while a second man in a navy suit and pink tie stands to the right holding a green official folder. The setting appears to be the Roosevelt Room or a similar formal White House venue, with an American flag and painted portrait visible in the background. -
2026-04-13It’s not a Game. It’s a Career.
Level Up: April 17th Historically, the FAA’s approach to recruiting and retaining Air Traffic Controllers has been to say the least, a slightly schizophrenic. On the one hand, the physical and mental requirements are more challenging than most government or military positions. By government standards, the compensation, and particularly the retirement benefits are very good. -
2026-04-11
To Fill Air Traffic Controller Shortage, F.A.A. Turns to Gamers
The air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport.Credit…Kent Nishimura for The New York Times. Avid players of video games have emerged as a target demographic for recruiters at a range of federal agencies, including the military and the Department of Homeland Security. By Karoun Demirjian Reporting from Washington April 10, 2026 See more of -
2026-03-23
2 pilots dead after Air Canada plane collides with truck at LaGuardia Airport
Two dead in LaGuardia Airport collision March 23, 2026, 1:13 AM EDT / Updated March 23, 2026, 7:42 PM EDT By Jonathan Dienst, Jay Blackman, Josh Cradduck, Tom Costello and Corky Siemaszko New York’s LaGuardia Airport reopened Monday, 14 hours after two pilots were killed and dozens of passengers were injured when an arriving plane collided with a -
2026-03-19Email from Ann Richart to Megan Cotton Regarding Washington State Aviation Fuel Tax Compliance and Missed FAA Deadline
In March 2026, Washington State aviation and transportation officials exchanged emails revealing that the state faces approximately $210 million in aviation fuel tax liability after an FAA audit found it had been improperly diverting aviation fuel tax revenues to non-compliant uses. Even if all disputed expenditures—totaling about $32.6 million—were proven allowable, Washington would still be found in non-compliance, prompting the state's Aviation Director to recommend a proactive resolution strategy with the FAA. The correspondence also references federal law allowing state aviation fuel taxes to fund 'state aviation programs,' with ongoing debate about whether uses such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel development could qualify as compliant under that definition. -
2026-03-19
Email from Ann Richart to Megan Cotton Regarding Washington State Aviation Fuel Tax Compliance and Missed FAA Deadline
In March 2026, Washington State aviation and transportation officials exchanged emails revealing that the state faces approximately $210 million in aviation fuel tax liability after an FAA audit found it had been improperly diverting aviation fuel tax revenues to non-compliant uses. Even if all disputed expenditures—totaling about $32.6 million—were proven allowable, Washington would still be found in non-compliance, prompting the state's Aviation Director to recommend a proactive resolution strategy with the FAA. The correspondence also references federal law allowing state aviation fuel taxes to fund 'state aviation programs,' with ongoing debate about whether uses such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel development could qualify as compliant under that definition.