FAAST Blast — Week of May 1, 2017 – May 5, 2017
Biweekly FAA Safety Briefing News Update
FAA’s GA Survey is Underway
Did you receive an invitation to complete the GA Survey? This survey is the FAA’s primary source of information about the size and activity of the GA and on-demand part 135 fleet. If you received an invitation to take the survey, go online at www.aviationsurvey.org, even if you did not fly your aircraft in 2016. It’s completely confidential, takes just 10-15 minutes, and your responses can help the FAA improve GA infrastructure and safety. If you have any questions, please call 800-826-1797, or send an email to infoaviationsurvey@tetratech.com.
Need an IFR Clearance by Phone?
As part of the Flight Service modernization initiative, the FAA is streamlining the process for pilots to obtain IFR clearances directly from certain Terminal facilities. This new process will eliminate the need for Flight Service to relay clearances. It will increase efficiency and reduce the risk of potential errors. In the April 27 edition of the Chart Supplement, US, you will find the published phone numbers of 30 Terminal facilities for initial clearance delivery. Twelve of these facilities will install a separate cancellation line for pilots to call and cancel IFR flight plans. More numbers will be published once they are installed.
With the exception of Alaska, other facilities may also provide direct lines for IFR clearances and cancellations under a future agreement to refine the delivery of flight services. To find out if phone numbers for direct clearance delivery are published at an airport near you, check out Chart Supplement, US. This change does not affect pilots that request clearances or cancel IFR flight plans by radio. For more information, visit https://go.usa.gov/x5wsR.
Webinar on Airman Certification Standards (ACS) Updates
Updates to the ACS for the Private Pilot Airplane certificate and the Instrument-Airplane rating are coming in June 2017, along with the first ACS for the Commercial Pilot Airplane certificate. The FAA intends to publish these documents on the Airman Testing web page (https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/) on or about May 15, 2017. We will also offer a series of webinars to explain the revisions. The first of these is scheduled for May 17 at 1330 CDT. To register, please go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6182185928962682369?source=FAA+Safety
You and UAS
The May/June 2017 issue of FAA Safety Briefing focuses on the exciting and ever-expanding world of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Feature articles answer the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of UAS operations, including the regulatory and technical challenges they present. To see the FAA’s strategy for UAS integration into the NAS, check out the article “How Do We All Get Along?” at https://adobe.ly/2qou51j.
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