Amid crackdown, union says pilots should report any ATC deviation

While the intent of the policy shift appears to be to encourage pilots to self report deviations, ALPA says pilots who have been assured by controllers that the transgression is a minor one not worthy of FAA attention have found out later that they've been written up. (www.avweb.com) More...

Virgin Atlantic Will Allow Texting On Some Flights

Virgin Atlantic says passengers on its new Airbus will soon be able to chat on their cell phones. They'll be able to text as well. Each plane will have its own cellular network that bounces signals to satellites. That in-house network will prevent signals from interfering with air traffic control. (www.npr.org) More...

Unauthorized pilots busting Olympics airspace face suspension

Serious infringements that the security services deem as being a potential security threat are also likely to be intercepted by the UK military in the air and met on landing. (avstop.com) More...

Southwest Airlines Web site unable to take bookings

We are experiencing technical difficulties with http://Southwest.com. We're working on a solution and hope to be running at full speed soon! (twitter.com) More...

NextGen gets congressional scrutiny this week

A House committee will examine FAA plans to close control towers to prepare for the new satellite-based navigation system. (thehill.com) More...

Taking air safety complaints seriously

The whistleblowers’ alerts require the attention of Congress and the White House, not only because they reveal potential gaps in aviation regulation that threaten public safety, but because their dismissal would send a disturbing message about the futility of federal whistleblowing. (www.washingtonpost.com) More...

Midnight was movie time for air traffic controllers

In New York, investigators found a facility in which FAA managers were unwilling or afraid to discipline controllers' union members, the reports said. Supervisors who tried to enforce the rules had their cars vandalized or were threatened. The result was widespread violations of rules that undermined safety, reviews by the special counsel and FAA found. (www.journalgazette.net) More...

UK militarizes its airspace for the Olympics

Military leaders fear private pilots could accidentally stray across the larger boundaries, leaving air controllers unclear as to what is a genuine mistake and what could be a hijacked plane. (www.bbc.co.uk) More...

FAA gives the OK for larger drones in U.S. airspace

Public safety agencies can now get expedited permission to fly drones weighing up to 25 pounds in U.S. airspace, according to new FAA rules. (www.salon.com) More...

Three near-misses in skies over Moscow in three months

“The biggest problem is the equipment,” Sergey Kovalyov, president of air traffic controllers trade union, told RT. “Some of the biggest air traffic control centres, including Moscow, work with machines made in the 1970s. There are cases when they stopped working and the controllers lost the picture of the air space, having to work in blind conditions.” (www.rt.com) More...