Airborne 09.14.26: FAA Inspector Indicted, Too Few Fighters, RCO Shutdowns
Also: 3rd GA Flt School Arrest, Greek Astronaut, King Air Bulletin, Middle Georgia State University Two Oakland, California police officers have been indicted on charges of conspiring with a then-FAA safety inspector to obtain pilot certifications they didn’t earn, allegedly circumventing required test flights and leaving a paper trail of falsified documents. The officers, Brandon Mart and David Mac, and their co-defendant, William Miller, pleaded not guilty at a Thursday court appearance where the seven-count indictment was unsealed. The charges include conspiracy, defrauding the FAA, and falsifying records to obstruct the investigation. The USAF fighter fleet is nearly 50 aircraft short of the number required by Congress, according to a recent Congressional Research Service report. The fighter fleet inventory currently falls short of the statutory requirement of 1,145 fighters, with 1,098 aircraft currently in the fleet. The service also operates an aging and “heavily used” fleet, with aircraft averaging 27.4 years old, according to the report. The FAA has begun shutting down hundreds of remote communications outlets across the United States, with 674 ultimately slated for removal. The first wave began September 3rd, reducing a nationwide network pilots have long used to reach Flight Service. Yet 262 outlets will remain after the agency scaled back it's original plan following public feedback and additional safety assessments. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!
Aero-News Network16 Sept- neutral toward Federal Aviation Administration · 97%