Transportation secretary blames ‘routine’ equipment upgrade for grounding flights nationwide

Transportation secretary blames ‘routine’ equipment upgrade for grounding flights nationwide

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that a nationwide ground stop halting flights across the United States was caused by seemingly routine maintenance work. Duffy said that during “routine maintenance,” copper wire at a remote location was upgraded to fiber optic cable by L3Harris, a longtime contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration. After the upgrade,…

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Pilot union urges FAA to reject Rainmaker’s drone cloud-seeding plan

Pilot union urges FAA to reject Rainmaker’s drone cloud-seeding plan

Rainmaker Technology’s bid to deploy cloud-seeding flares on small drones is being met by resistance from the airline pilots union, which has urged the Federal Aviation Administration to consider denying the startup’s request unless it meets stricter safety guidelines. The FAA’s decision will signal how the regulator views weather modification by unmanned aerial systems going…

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Pilot union urges FAA to reject Rainmaker’s drone cloud-seeding plan

Pilot union urges FAA to reject Rainmaker’s drone cloud-seeding plan

Rainmaker Technology’s bid to deploy cloud-seeding flares on small drones is being met by resistance from the airline pilots union, which has urged the Federal Aviation Administration to consider denying the startup’s request unless it meets stricter safety guidelines. The FAA’s decision will signal how the regulator views weather modification by unmanned aerial systems going…

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#Biden FAA nominee confirmed after 19-month vacancy

#Biden FAA nominee confirmed after 19-month vacancy

President Biden’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was confirmed Tuesday after 19 months of the agency not having a Senate-confirmed head. Michael Whitaker, a former deputy FAA administrator, was confirmed in a 98-0 Senate vote, ending the over-a-year span in which the agency had no Senate-confirmed chief. Whitaker enters the position as…

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#Transportation post has become political nightmare for Buttigieg 

#Transportation post has become political nightmare for Buttigieg 

Transportation post has become political nightmare for Buttigieg  When Pete Buttigieg became Transportation secretary at the start of the Biden administration, some Democrats said it would be a perfect platform for his political prospects if not in 2024, then 2028.   Buttigieg could crisscross the country, appearing before crowds in key states while elevating his name recognition,…

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#FAA outage: What happened and how airlines are responding

#FAA outage: What happened and how airlines are responding

FAA outage: What happened and how airlines are responding The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) blamed a corrupted database file for a system outage on Wednesday morning, but many questions still remain as airlines deal with the fallout from thousands of delayed and canceled flights. The FAA ordered airlines to temporarily halt all domestic departures on…

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