NTSB Calls Out Part 135 on Most Wanted List The NTSB just announced the 2019-2020 Most Wanted List. Number Six on the top ten list is “Improve the Safety of Part 135 Aircraft Flight Operations.” As a former charter pilot, I ground my teeth when I read that the FAA doesn’t require on-demand flights “to […]

“Charity creates a multitude of sins.” –Oscar Wilde Companies and pilots often assume that no harm could come from offering a ride in the corporate jet at a charity auction. The FARs do allow charity flights under FAR Part 91, but the restrictions are quite narrow. FAR § 91.146 is titled “Passenger-carrying flights for the […]

First the Good NewsThe FAA is offering $500 rebates with the purchase avionics that have received an ADS-B Technical Standard Order authorization and meet ADS-B Out rule requirements. The rebate, which applies to owners of fixed-wing, single-engine piston aircraft, will run until October 11, 2019 or until the funds run out, whichever comes first. The […]

DOT Issues Charter Broker RegulationsThe NTSB called for regulation of air charter brokers after a charter flight crash in Montrose, Colo., in 2014. Fourteen years later, the DOT has published a new set of regulations entitled “Increasing Charter Air Transportation Options.” These new air charter broker regulations provide much needed clarity in the field.  These […]

“As-is, where-is, with all faults accepted.” Although I believe that the origin of this phrase was an old English wedding vow for the serially betrothed, today it is common legal phraseology for the sale of used equipment without any warranty.  The simpler Latin phrase is “Caveat emptor”: Buyer beware. Click here for full article

What are the practical and legal considerations when a passenger or crewmember becomes ill in flight? For the larger air carriers and operators of large business aircraft, a flight attendant is usually available to deal with the inflight medical emergency of a passenger or even a crewmember.  But what about a business aviation operation with […]