Ian Arendt

In the context of administrative adjudication (when an agency acts like a court), the relationship between the FAA and NTSB is uncommon.

Don't Leave Your Family Stuck With The Bill - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

Intentional falsification is a serious FAA allegation that can result in immediate revocation of all airman certificates and, in some cases, referral to the Department of Justice for consideration of criminal prosecution.

It’s an open secret that pilots underreport mental health issues and often refuse to seek treatment.

Anyone who has gone through the FAA’s onerous process to obtain a discretionary special issuance medical certificate knows that the special issuance comes with strings attached—continuing obligations to obtain and provide medical evaluations, reports, and records.

Many flight instructors, particularly those teaching under FAR Part 61, like to put their own spin on the instruction they provide, and unlike flight schools operating under Part 141, flight instructors teaching under Part 61 don’t have to follow a rigid training curriculum. This allows Part 61 instructors to interject some fun into the process or, perhaps, reinvigorate a struggling student by teaching differently.

Having recently renewed my BasicMed eligibility, I’m reminded that confusion still abounds when it comes to BasicMed’s eligibility requirements and procedures. So, let’s review BasicMed to help shed the medical certificate.

The Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) final rule is here, and it will have a substantial impact on the design and production of light sport aircraft and the privileges afforded to sport pilots. The rule itself is no light reading, consuming 189 pages of the Federal Register, and there is a corresponding complexity to the changes implemented by the FAA. It’s worth reviewing the details despite the large amount of coverage the rule has received over the past few months. As the rules pertaining to sport pilots become effective October 22, 2025, let’s focus on some of the oddities that apply.

For many pilots, the FAA’s Pilot Records Database (PRD) represents progress.

For most pilots, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security threat determinations are largely invisible unless they are instructing foreign nationals.