Anthony On Aviation: December 2015

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

FAA shuts down dozens of drone clubs near Washington, DC [feedly]

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FAA shuts down dozens of drone clubs near Washington, DC
// The Verge

The Federal Aviation Administration last week asked drone and model aircraft clubs operating within 30 miles of Washington, DC's airport to cease flying due to national security and airspace issues, according to a report by Motherboard. While the FAA extended its DC no-fly zone radius from 15 to 30 miles back in September, it only recently sent a letter to the Academy of Model Aircraft (AMA) asking the organization to shut down 14 flying sites used by its accredited drone clubs. As many as 36 total clubs have been affected by the FAA's rules, and some of the flying sites are wide open fields located outside DC in nearby Maryland and Virginia.

It's no surprise the FAA is imposing strict drone restrictions in and around the nation's capital, but club members say the extended no-fly zone is overly prohibitive given many of the flying sites have met general drone safety guidelines for years. DC Drone User Club president Christopher Vo told Motherboard his organization, one of the largest in the country, will be forced to move events and flying activities indoors until the AMA and FAA settle the dispute. Others have indefinitely halted operations.

The FAA extended its no-fly zone radius from 15 to 30 miles

"We have every reason to believe that this is a temporary situation," the AMA clarified in an email to members. An agreement with the FAA may reopen the flying sites as soon as January, the AMA added, but until then it expects local authorities to enforce the ban.

The situation is yet another regulatory battle between the growing number of drone enthusiasts and the FAA, which has struggled to keep pace with the drone boom that's filling the skies with low-cost aircraft. The FAA announced earlier this month that drone owners must register their device with a name and home address by February 19th, 2016 or face civil penalties up to $27,500 and criminal penalties up to $250,000 and three years in prison.

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Friday, December 25, 2015

Astronaut dials the wrong number from space, surprises Earthling [feedly]

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Astronaut dials the wrong number from space, surprises Earthling
// The Verge

Picture this: it's Christmas Eve, and for some reason you weren't able to reunite with your family. Maybe you had to work, maybe your flight was canceled. You've been waiting for them to call you so you can talk to them all on speaker phone, so when the phone rings you rush to answer it. Giddy with anticipation, you expect to hear a Christmas cacophony — but instead you hear the voice of a lone man. He asks, "Hello, is this planet Earth?"

Great, a prank call. Who even makes those anymore? What's next, a question about Prince Albert?

Hi, can I please speak to I.P. Freely?

But when your disappointment wears off, it's replaced with surprise — the man calling you is Tim Peake, one of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station, and he just made a simple mistake on a cosmic scale.

Last night, this actually happened — Peake calling the wrong number, that is. While random citizens contacting the station via radio isn't necessarily new, a misplaced call coming from the other side is a bit more rare.

And yet, this wasn't even Peake's first phone mishap on the station, even though he's only been there less than a month. Earlier this week he attempted to call his parents in the UK, but they had left the house during his downtime. Peake had to leave a voicemail:

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Thursday, December 24, 2015

This drone can fly through the air and under water

http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2015/12/23/this-drone-can-fly-through-the-air-and-under-water/

Fwd: Fw: A Little Christmas Present from Your US Air Force

Subject: Fwd: A Little Christmas Present from Your US Air Force

Please take the time to watch. If you have already viewed, set down and watching again.

A Little Christmas Present from Your US Air Force

Starting with a single cellist on the floor of the
National Air and Space Museum's "Milestones of Flight" gallery, and
swelling to 120 musicians, The U.S. Air Force Band exhilarated museum
visitors with its first-ever flash mob. The four-minute performance
featured an original arrangement of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring/Joy to
the World," led by the band's commander and conductor, Col. Larry H.
Lang.

Unsuspecting museum visitors including tourists and
school groups were astonished as instrumentalists streamed into the
gallery from behind airplanes and space capsules, and vocalists burst
into song from the Museum's second floor balcony.

Merry Christmas!

(sound on)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/-cKE8pyfcZc

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

World Champion skier almost gets crushed by a falling news drone [VIDEO] [feedly]

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World Champion skier almost gets crushed by a falling news drone [VIDEO]
// Android Phone Fans

Wondering why the US wants to make everyone accountable for their drone usage? Look no further than a Winter Games skiing event in Italy, where championship skier Marcel Hirscher was nearly smacked by a huge news camera drone (HoverCam, anyone?) falling out of the sky.

WATCH: Skier almost crushed by falling drone during run. https://t.co/hyGYUJKTOc pic.twitter.com/dOlViauMLz

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) December 22, 2015

The drone reportedly had a very heavy camera on it, evidence of which can be seen by the forceful impact when it crashes into the ground. Imagine if Hirscher would have been standing beneath that thing — it'd be a miracle if he weren't hospitalized.

There's no word yet on what caused the drone to crash, but that matters little to Hirscher, who was irate with the news agency and made sure everyone heard his protest that something like this should never happen again. He seemed to be a bit calmer by the time he finished the event as he took to Instagram to joke about the incident.

Even if nothing catastrophic occurred here, the fact that something could have happened is scary, and we wouldn't blame regulators everywhere if they decided it's time to take things up a notch and hold drone makers and users to higher standards.

[via Twitter]

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

JetBlue "Gateway 7" program to hire and train new pilots with little or no experience - CBS News

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jetblue-gateway-7-program-to-hire-train-new-pilots/

Sunday, December 20, 2015

ducttape, fixes, everything - What the bear did was plane wrong he...

http://ifunny.co/fun/Lxu4VyXU3

Thursday, December 17, 2015

FAA investigates Southwest plane accident | WBIR.com

http://www.wbir.com/news/faa-investigates-southwest-plane-accident/4854138

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Congress Targets VA Flight Training -

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Congress-Targets-VA-Flight-Training-225368-1.html

Monday, December 14, 2015

Fwd: "FAA Announces Small UAS Registration Rule" - FAASafety.gov

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "FAASafety.gov" <info_harperaviation=gmail.com@faasafety.gov>
Date: Dec 14, 2015 6:17 PM
Subject: "FAA Announces Small UAS Registration Rule" - FAASafety.gov
To: <harperaviation@gmail.com>
Cc:

	FAA Safety Team \| Safer Skies Through Education
FAA Announces Small UAS Registration Rule Notice Number: NOTC6328 Press Release – For Immediate Release December 14, 2015 Contact: Les Dorr or Alison Duquette Phone: (202) 267-3883 Registration will be free for the first 30 days! WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced a streamlined and user-friendly web-based aircraft registration process for owners of small unmanned aircraft (UAS) weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (approx. 25 kilograms) including payloads such as on-board cameras. The Registration Task Force delivered recommendations to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on November 21. The rule incorporates many of the task force recommendations. "Make no mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiast are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "Registration gives us an opportunity to work with these users to operate their unmanned aircraft safely. I'm excited to welcome these new aviators into the culture of safety and responsibility that defines American innovation." Registration is a statutory requirement that applies to all aircraft. Under this rule, any owner of a small UAS who has previously operated an unmanned aircraft exclusively as a model aircraft prior to December 21, 2015, must register no later than February 19, 2016. Owners of any other UAS purchased for use as a model aircraft after December 21, 2015 must register before the first flight outdoors. Owners may use either the paper-based process or the new streamlined, web-based system. Owners using the new streamlined web-based system must be at least 13 years old to register. Owners may register through a web-based system at: www.faa.gov/uas/registration Registrants will need to provide their name, home address and e-mail address. Upon completion of the registration process, the web application will generate a Certificate of Aircraft Registration/Proof of Ownership that will include a unique identification number for the UAS owner, which must be marked on the aircraft. Owners using the model aircraft for hobby or recreation will only have to register once and may use the same identification number for all of their model UAS. The registration is valid for three years. The normal registration fee is $5, but in an effort to encourage as many people as possible to register quickly, the FAA is waiving this fee for the first 30 days (from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan 20, 2016). "We expect hundreds of thousands of model unmanned aircraft will be purchased this holiday season," said FAA Administrator Huerta. "Registration gives us the opportunity to educate these new airspace users before they fly so they know the airspace rules and understand they are accountable to the public for flying responsibly." The online registration system does not yet support registration of small UAS used for any purpose other than hobby or recreation – for example, using an unmanned aircraft in connection with a business. The FAA is developing enhancements that will allow such online registrations by spring of 2016. The full rule can be viewed here: www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/20151213_IFR.pdf For questions regarding this notice, contact Ken Kelley, AFS-850 by email at Ken.R.Kelley@faa.gov or by telephone at (775) 858-7700 Ex 258. This notice is being sent to you because you selected "General Information" in your preferences on FAASafety.gov. If you wish to adjust your selections, log into https://www.faasafety.gov/Users/pub/preferences.aspx where you can update your preferences.
Invite a fellow pilot to the next WINGS Safety Seminar in your area.

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Drone registration

http://www.engadget.com/2015/12/14/us-drone-operators-must-register-with-the-faa-by-february/

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Fwd: "FAAST Blast –Drone Safety Checklist, Noise-Cancelling Headset Bulletin, Flying with Glowing Gizmos and Gadgets" - FAASafety.gov

	FAA Safety Team \| Safer Skies Through Education
FAAST Blast –Drone Safety Checklist, Noise-Cancelling Headset Bulletin, Flying with Glowing Gizmos and Gadgets Notice Number: NOTC6321 FAAST Blast — Week of Dec 07, 2015 – Dec 13, 2015 FAA Safety Briefing News Update *Bulletin Issued on Noise-Cancelling Headset Use* On November 20, 2015, the FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB CE-16-08) that advises GA pilots and operators of concerns with the use of noise cancelling headsets. In many cases, pilots are using the noise cancelling headsets as supplementary equipment during operations. When wearing these headsets, the pilot may be unaware of environmental sounds and audible warning annunciations in the cockpit that do not come through the intercom system. The FAA recommends that if any audible alarms or environmental sounds cannot be discerned, operators should elect to find other solutions to discern such alarms or sounds, or discontinue the use of noise-canceling headsets. The agency also recommends pilots review the information found in an earlier bulletin (InFO 07001) on noise-cancelling headset use which can be accessed at http://go.usa.gov/cZdDz. *Fly Safe With Your Drone* Did you know that if you fly a drone anywhere in the nation's airspace, you automatically become part of the U.S. aviation system? Under the law, your drone is an aircraft. So while the rules for drones may be different, you have the responsibility to operate safely, just as a Cessna or 747 pilot does. The FAA has developed this safety checklist (PDF) that you, as a pilot, should use whenever you send a drone into the sky. We want you to fly safe, fly smart – and have fun. *WAAS New?* There are currently 3,591 Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance (LPV) approach procedures serving 1,746 airports. 1,002 of these airports are Non-ILS airports. There are also 596 Localizer Performance (LP) approach procedures in the U.S. serving 432 airports. *Good N.I.G.H.T. (G = Glowing Gadgets and Gizmos)* The gadgets and gizmos that many of us now regard as essential flying tools can be an enormous boon to situational awareness at night, but they can also distract the unwary pilot from his or her basic responsibility to aviate. When using these devices, especially at night, it's important to practice the art of paying attention or, more precisely, the art of appropriately dividing attention among competing priorities. Learn more about flying with your personal devices at http://1.usa.gov/FAA_ASB.


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