NBAA Addressing COVID-19 Challenges -- 'While Remaining Focused on Priorities'

The COVID-19 pandemic has struck much of aviation, and has compiled an extensive list of indignities to some of aviation's best and brightest... and now the NBAA, itself, has had to step back and conserve resources as well, announcing layoffs on Tuesday. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen announced the significant reduction to the organization's workforce, both to address challenges raised by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to retain a sharp focus on advocacy, strategic communications, operational support, the production of NBAA-BACE and other events, and other priorities for the association and industry.

FAA Announces That Eight Companies Will Assist In RID Programs

The FAA has announced that eight companies that will assist the Federal government in establishing requirements for future suppliers of Remote Identification (Remote ID). Remote ID will enable Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly called drones, to provide identification and location information while operating in the nation’s airspace. The FAA selected the following companies to develop technology requirements for future Remote ID UAS Service Suppliers (USS): Airbus, AirMap, Amazon, Intel, One Sky, Skyward, T-Mobile, and Wing. These companies were selected through a Request for Information process in December 2018.

Not-For-Profit, 2 Or 4-Year, Post-Secondary Educational Institutions Eligible

The FAA's 2018 Reauthorization required the FAA to establish a collegiate training initiative program relating to UAS. It also called for a process to designate an association of public, two-year institutions of higher education as Community and Technical College Centers of Excellence in Small UAS System Technology Training. The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative (UAS-CTI) Program addresses the Section 631 requirement of the FAA 2018 Reauthorization Act. Any public two-year institutions of higher education that participate in the UAS-CTI program will also be designated as members of the Consortium for Small Unmanned Aircraft System Technology Traini

Tragic IFR Accident Results In Near Vertical Impact

On March 17, 2020, about 0919 central daylight time (CDT), a Cessna 208B, N274PM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident about 7 nautical miles northwest of La Crosse, Kansas. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 on-demand cargo flight. The Planemasters Ltd. flight, PMS1670, was being operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan from Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower National Airport (ICT), Wichita, Kansas, to Hays Regional Airport (HYS), Hays, Kansas.