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Air traffic controllers and technicians with perfect attendance during the government shutdown will receive $10,000 bonuses, the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration said this week. The bonuses will go to 776 controllers and technicians, who will receive notification next week with payments going out by Dec. 9, the FAA and DOT said. There are about 11,000 fully certified air traffic controllers in the U.S., according to their union. “These patriotic men and women never missed a beat and kept the flying public safe throughout the shutdown,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a release late Thursday. The DOT...

Well, this could get interesting. On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released an advisory stating pilots should exercise caution in and around Venezuelan airspace, citing an increase in military activity in the region as well as a "worsening security situation."The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned pivots (sic) to “exercise caution” when operating in the region around Venezuela because of the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity” in and near the South American nation as tensions with the United States simmer.The FAA’s advisory, issued on Friday, notes that “threats could post (sic) a potential risk to aircraft at...

The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) flight reduction emergency order will officially end Monday morning, allowing normal operations to resume nationwide, according to officials. The order will be lifted at 6 a.m. ET Monday following recommendations from the FAA’s safety team. The decision came after safety reviews and improvements in air traffic control staffing levels across the U.S., according to a Sunday announcement from the FAA. "I want to thank the FAA’s dedicated safety team for keeping our skies secure during the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history and the country’s patience for putting safety first," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy...

The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday will “effectively prohibit business aviation” at a dozen major U.S. airports, adding to flight restrictions for commercial airlines as air traffic controller shortages snarl travel in the government shutdown, a trade group said. Here are the airports included in the new restrictions, according to the NBAA: Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Denver International Airport (DEN) General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (BOS) George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)...

Beginning next week, all daytime rocket launches in the United States will be grounded as the record-breaking federal government shutdown drags into its second month.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an emergency order restricting access to navigable airspace in an effort to reduce strain on the nation’s air traffic system, already under pressure from severe staffing shortages.

So far, I wouldn’t have noticed Chuck Schumer’s government “shutdown” if it hadn’t been in the newspapers. The government is still withholding money from my paychecks, so the shutdown is obviously less than complete. I don’t depend on SNAP or other government programs, although I sympathize with those who do. But I do travel a lot, and the Schumer Shutdown is starting to affect air travel and, perhaps, air safety: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that flights to Los Angeles, California, were halted due to staffing shortages of air traffic controllers during the ongoing government shutdown, according to multiple...

Plane Crashes in Fort Worth, Setting Vehicles Ablaze A Fort Worth plane crash has sparked chaos and flames after a small aircraft went down in Texas on Sunday, igniting several vehicles near the crash site. Emergency crews and firefighters are on the scene working to extinguish the blaze and assess the extent of the damage. Eyewitnesses captured dramatic video footage showing black smoke rising into the air as vehicles burned near the crash location. Authorities have cordoned off the area as first responders search for potential victims and investigate the cause of the accident.

In a statement on October 4, officials at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada said that an aircraft 'was involved in an incident,' crashing in the desert just miles from the restricted zone around Area 51 on September 23. While the Air Force said that the craft was assigned to the base as part of the 432nd Wing, some on social media pointed out that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary flight restriction around the area for an entire week. The location of the flight restriction placed the crash roughly 12 miles east of the security boundary around...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Air traffic control staffing issues are delaying flights for a second straight day at numerous U.S. airports as the government shutdown reaches its seventh day, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a notice on Tuesday. The FAA said many flights were being delayed at Nashville and Newark airports, among others. Arriving flights were being held for up to 30 minutes at Newark due to the staffing issues. Nashville air traffic control is facing significant staffing issues and will curtail operations later on Tuesday, the FAA said. Approach control will be taken over later by Memphis Center, it added....

California Governor Gavin Newsom has slammed Donald Trump as travelers in Los Angeles brace for chaos and major delays to flights due to the government shutdown.The Federal Aviation Authority on Monday warned air traffic control towers at Hollywood Burbank Airport would be unmanned until at least 10pm local time.Newsom blamed the lack of staffing on the government shutdown and hammered Trump on X. 'Thanks, @realDonaldTrump! Burbank Airport has ZERO air traffic controllers from 4:15pm to 10pm today because of YOUR government shutdown,' the California governor wrote. The White House, when asked for comment by The Daily Mail, sent an automatic...

Back during the first Trump administration I , with others, provided some background research into Transgenders in the Military. The purpose was to provide think-tank style considerations to high ranking leadership to then provide to political leadership for President Trump in his eventual decision to restrict Transgendered people from military service. He ultimately decided to do so for solid reasons. President Biden reversed it as a matter of doing so because anything Trump did was to be reversed and no amount of sound reasoning would sway him. Trumps second administration has definitively changed that and I am confident it will...

To expand specialized training under the Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative, the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Monday that the Federal Aviation Administration will be partnering with Nashua Community College. “​​Our new partnership with Nashua Community College will help us continue to attract the best and brightest to fill our air traffic control towers,” Duffy said in a statement. “To all the young Americans considering a career in this exciting field – your work will make flying safer and more efficient than ever.” Monday's announcement is the newest program “to be announced this year” in Duffy’s...

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearings on the devastating Washington, DC, helicopter-plane crash that killed 67 people revealed devastating findings last week, with Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy scolding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for ignoring safety concerns. The NTSB interrogated FAA and U.S. Army officials on the series of events that led to a Black Hawk helicopter colliding with a passenger jet as it descended into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during what the Associated Press (AP) described as “three days of sometimes contentious hearings.” The 64 passengers and crew killed on the American Airlines flight included a group of young...

Over three days of sometimes contentious hearings this week, the National Transportation Safety Board interrogated Federal Aviation Administration and Army officials about a list of things that went wrong and contributed to a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet colliding over Washington, D.C., killing 67 people. The biggest revelations: The helicopter's altimeter gauge was broken, and controllers warned the FAA years earlier about the dangers that helicopters presented. At one point NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy scolded the FAA for not addressing safety concerns. “Are you kidding me? Sixty-seven people are dead! How do you explain that? Our bureaucratic process?”...

The head of the NYPD’s Aviation Unit was booted from the elite squad this week after trying to block the feds from probing his dangerous mishaps, The Post has learned. Aviation’s Commanding Officer Winston Faison was an “incompetent boob” who had numerous breaches in safety as he attempted to make himself the unit’s head helicopter instructor, whistleblowers revealed. When FAA inspectors made a surprise visit to the base on July 16 because of internal complaints to the agency, Faison flipped his lid, police sources said. “Do not give them anything!’” he barked at his cops, an insider said. “Who let...

Prior to President Donald Trump authorizing targeted strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday, federal agents and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers have been arresting Iranian nationals, nearly all men, in the U.S. illegally. In the last few months, federal prosecutors have also brought terrorism charges against Iranians, including those in the U.S. working for the Iranian government. Iran is a designated state sponsor of terrorism. Iranian nationals illegally in the country are considered “special interest aliens” under federal law. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Sunday issued a warning to all Americans to be on a heightened...

Nearly a dozen aviation insiders, including a whistleblower who filed a federal complaint, asserted that diversity initiatives cause unneeded distractions.. For one veteran airline captain, a routine flight to Denver changed her view about aviation safety—but not because of an in-flight crisis. Rather, the captain heard a story that—for the first time in her decades-long career—made her uneasy about putting her loved ones on a plane. During a 2024 conversation, a flight instructor described unusual steps managers had taken to salvage the career of a young female trainee pilot. The instructor described an “egregious” example of the apparent relaxing of...

Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday experienced its fourth communications outage in less than a month. The Federal Aviation Administration says this latest outage lasted for two seconds at the Philadelphia air traffic control center, also known as TRACON, that handles flights into and out of Newark. The agency, which is investigating the latest outage, insists the system remains safe. But recent equipment failures, staffing shortages, and aging infrastructure have raised questions. Randy Babbitt served as FAA administrator from 2009 to 2011 under then Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. In an interview with NJ Spotlight News, Babbitt said he is not...

The runway lights were out, a weather alert system wasn’t working and there was heavy fog at a San Diego airport when a pilot who had flown across the country made the decision to proceed with landing but came up short and crashed into a neighborhood, killing all six aboard the aircraft, investigators said Friday. Investigator Dan Baker of the National Transportation Safety Board said officials will work over the next year to determine what caused the Cessna 550 Citation to crash just before 4 a.m. local time Thursday. The jet was carrying a music executive and five others. No...

I’ve been an air traffic controller since I was 18, and as a flier, I would avoid Newark. Lately, I’ve been flying out of JFK or LaGuardia, because it’s safer, and there’ve been some crazy-ass delays at Newark. I started telling family and friends last summer to avoid Newark like the plague, because we knew it was going to be bad, we just didn’t think it was going to be this bad with all of the technological issues. This is a busy area, with the three major airports and all these satellite airports — it’s like a bee’s nest. Back...