Latest FAA.gov News and Updates

Secretary LaHood joined Administrator Babbit at AirVenture and shares highlights of visit.

The FAA Safety Team is out in full force at the "World's Greatest Aviation Celebration" in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. You can find the FAA Safety Team-also known as the FAASTeam-in the FAA Aviation Safety Center, right next to the FAA control tower.

At the booth you can learn more about the improvements to the www.FAASafety.gov website, sign up for the WINGS pilot proficiency program, and find out about FAA's aviation maintenance technician awards program. This is a great opportunity to talk with dedicated safety professionals whose number one job is to make general aviation as safe as possible.

You can also check out the rest of the FAA Aviation Safety Center and see displays on all things aviation. The safety education forums held at the Safety Center cover such topics as "Aeronautical Decision Making," "Surface Safety," and "VFR Charts, Little Known Facts."

See you there. For more information on EAA AirVenture, go to www.airventure.org.

July 28 - Pilots can fly into Wittman Regional Airport this week for the EAA AirVenture Fly-In knowing that the FAA is working to keep U.S. runways safe.

The U.S. aviation system continues to see a decrease in the number and severity of surface incidents and runway incursions. The FAA recorded a 50 percent decrease in the number of serious runway incursions in fiscal year 2009, compared to the previous year. Considering the amount of activity on U.S. runways - the many takeoffs and landings and the movement of vehicles and people across runways - this is great progress. But there is always more we can do. The FAA's Runway Safety Program continues to work closely with domestic and international aviation stakeholders to keep improving runway safety and to reduce the number of incursions.

The Next Generation Air Transportation System or NextGen already is playing a role in runway safety. Technology such as ADS-B, ASDE-X, and Runway Status Lights will continue to make runways even safer.

The FAA is also keenly focused on working with general aviation pilots on runway safety issues, because GA pilots are involved in nearly 80 percent of runway incursions. The agency is working with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) to reach its more than 400,000 member pilots and flight instructors. It also has launched national runway safety promotional campaigns aimed at pilots and vehicle drivers. One is called "If You Cross the Line, You've Crossed the Line," highlighting the dangers of unsafe taxiing or driving. The FAA and AOPA also have created online courses to educate pilots on runway safety.

In 2007, after 25 serious incursions, the FAA launched a Call to Action with aviation leaders from airlines, airports, air traffic control and pilot unions, and aerospace manufacturers to address runway safety issues. As a result, the FAA agreed to expedite the installation of new technology at airports, the airlines developed better surface training programs for pilots, and the airports agreed to speed up improvements in signage and markings.

The FAA also hosted the first International Runway Safety Summit with participants from 17 countries. In large part, the summit focused on improving communication between pilots and controllers, a significant factor in international runway safety. Soon after that, the FAA implemented new phraseology to align with International Civil Aviation Organization standards.

July 27 - If you're in Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture, be sure and stop by the FAA Aviation Safety Center (next to the FAA control tower). This is where you can learn more about how the FAA is here to help you. There are exhibits on a host of aviation topics, from aircraft certification, air traffic control, and aerospace medicine, to the Next Generation Air Transportation System, runway safety, and the FAA Safety Team's WINGS pilot proficiency program.

The safety education forums held at the Aviation Safety Center cover such topics as "Aeronautical Decision Making," "Surface Safety," and "VFR Charts, Little Known Facts."

See you there. For more information on EAA AirVenture, go to www.airventure.org. You can also download a copy of the full FAA Aviation Safety Center schedule.

July 26-The aviation community is focused on Oshkosh, Wisconsin this week as aviators from around the world gather to celebrate flight. The FAA's mission is safety and this week's activities at Oshkosh present a great opportunity to take a closer look at general aviation safety.

One of the FAA's top priorities is to reduce the number of fatal accidents in general aviation. While these accidents are down eight percent from last fiscal year, 303 people have lost their lives as of June 2010. We know there is significant work ahead needed to improve the general aviation safety record.

We have made significant progress by focusing on pilot education and awareness, and better technology has given pilots more safety tools. Over the past three years, fatal accidents from Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) have dropped by more than 50 percent compared to the previous three years. Those involving loss of control in flight and approach and landing are down 20 to 25 percent. Meanwhile, fatal accidents in weather have decreased by nearly 40 percent in the past three years, and those that occur at night are down by about 25 percent.

While these gains represent hard work across the aviation community, we continue to work on reducing the numbers. For instance, we have identified challenges in other areas such as accidents involving amateur-built aircraft. These accidents are on the rise and now account for 24 percent of all general aviation fatal accidents, versus just 10 percent a few years ago. The growing popularity of these aircraft has expanded the amateur-built fleet by about four percent annually in recent years, but the accident rate now outpaces that growth.

We also have to consider that flight hours in personal aviation have decreased in recent years, due to the spike in fuel prices and the economic downturn. So, while the accident numbers may seem to be improving slightly, we know that many pilots who reduced their flying are recreational pilots. Recreational pilots generally have higher accident rates than pilots who fly more frequently.

The FAA continues to work with the aviation community to develop non-regulatory, pro-active mitigation strategies. We have heightened our safety outreach to the personal flying pilot population through the FAA Safety Team and FAA Safety Briefing.

The FAA also has established the Amateur-Built Flight Standardization Board and is currently examining accident and incident data to develop mitigation strategies by working together with the aviation community. For information on what the FAA is doing to help improve the general aviation safety record, visit:

• FAA Safety Team
• FAA Safety Briefing

Samy Collazo posted a photo:

San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Pasaba por el frente de un restaurant en San Juan nuestra capital y este mesero estaba afuera invitando a las personas a entrar. Sin tener que hacer uso de mi a veces fallida "pisada de gato", me detuve y simplemente le pedi un retrato, a lo cual el accedio muy gustosamente y con sonrisa tambien!!!!

SamyColor posted a photo:

Estacion Experimental
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.

SamyColor posted a photo:

San Juan, Puerto Rico.

SamyColor posted a photo:

Estacion Experimental
Rio PIedras, Puerto Rico

SamyColor posted a photo:

Estacion Experimental
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.