Latest news with #ChrisRocheleau
Mint
09-08-2025
- Business
- Mint
Watchdog Probes FAA's Oversight of Skies Near Reagan Airport
(Bloomberg) -- A US government watchdog has launched an audit of the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight of the congested airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, after January's deadly midair collision. The Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General's Friday announcement comes a week after an investigative hearing on the midair collision between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines Group Inc. regional jet that killed 67 people. During the hearing, members of the National Transportation Safety Board, an independent government agency, grilled FAA officials on how they could have missed the problems that existed in the airspace around Reagan airport. After the accident, the NTSB identified more than 15,000 incidents between October 2021 and December 2024 where commercial planes and helicopters came within an unsafe distance. FAA leaders, including the regulator's Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau, have acknowledged that risks were missed and the agency needs to do better going forward. 'The inspector general will have the FAA's full support,' the agency said in a statement Friday. 'There must never be another tragedy like the one on January 29 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.' Since the midair collision, the FAA has restricted helicopter flights near the airport and curtailed exemptions that allow aircraft to fly without broadcasting their location using a technology known as ADS-B Out. The Army helicopter involved in the crash was equipped with but wasn't transmitting data via ADS-B Out on the night of the crash. An Army official said during last week's hearing that there was a technical issue preventing the Black Hawk's ADS-B Out from functioning properly, but the helicopter pilots also weren't required to have it turned on under the policies at that time. The Office of Inspector General said that as part of its audit, it's assessing the FAA's management of the airspace around Reagan airport, as well as policies and procedures for overseeing ADS-B Out exemptions. The watchdog said it plans to begin its review this month. (Adds FAA's statement in sixth paragraph.) More stories like this are available on
CBS News
01-07-2025
- CBS News
FAA's new runway incursion system aims to help boost safety. Here's why they say it's not coming to N.Y. yet.
With flight safety top of mind for many travelers ahead of the holiday weekend, the Federal Aviation Administration is touting new technology it says will keep travelers safe. One of the new tools is a revamped runway incursion device. Runway incursions occur when a plane is on part of a runway it shouldn't be. How the new runway incursion device works The new device alerts controllers if a runway is already occupied, and uses voice prompts and flashing lights to get controllers' attention. It's expected to go online at more than 70 locations nationwide by 2027 - but New York and New Jersey won't be part of the initial rollout. "What we want to do, going into this, is identify those airports that have perhaps increased risk, and put those safety mitigations in place as early as possible," acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said. "So that's not to say those 79 airports are the only airports we're looking at." While the rate of runway incursions has improved, it is still 15% higher than a decade ago. In 2014, there were 26 runway incursions for every million arrivals and departures, compared to 30 in 2024. New simulators will help controllers get trained faster, FAA says CBS News New York got an exclusive tour of the FAA's tech center near Atlantic City where the new technology was on display. While New York and New jersey may not be part of the initial rollout of the runway incursion device, the FAA says it is using other tools here already, like 4K tower simulators that replicate real airports for air traffic control trainees. More than 50 locations, including Newark Airport, have been upgraded with the simulators, the FAA said. "Using high fidelity tower simulators get us to qualification, certification 25% faster. So that represents a quarter of their time. The more tools we can put in their hands at any location, to include Newark, is going to speed up their time and get folks ready to do the job," FAA transportation specialist Johnny Riaz said. The simulators allow controllers to train for different weather conditions at various airports. A simulation of a downpour at an airport in Philadelphia can easily be changed to clear skies, for example. "At this moment in time, when we're dealing with the infrastructure issues and improvements we're trying to bring about, I think it's going to be absolutely critical to keep ourselves as the safest airspace system in the world," Riaz said Riaz said he believes it is "absolutely safe" to fly right now, and close calls on runways are expected to drop slightly for the second year in a row.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Joby Aviation (JOBY) Pops 11.3% as US Goes Full Gear on Air Taxis
Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) is one of the . Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) jumped by 11.27 percent on Thursday to close at $9.48 apiece following comments from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which indicated that adoption of the air taxi industry is now in full gear. In an uploaded video on X, FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said that the agency 'is pushing forward to safely enable exciting new technologies that are reshaping how we fly.' 'Advanced air mobility vehicles, such as electric vertical takeoff and landing or eVTOLs, will soon be used to move people and cargo in places not easily served by surface transportation or existing aviation,' he underscored, adding that the FAA is collaborating across government and industry to build regulatory frameworks for the integration of the new technologies into the national airspace. 'Together, we are building a future where air mobility is not just a concept, but a cornerstone of American innovation,' he added. The initiative forms part of, and supports, President Donald Trump's executive order, which aims to accelerate domestic drone production in the US. A futuristic electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft soaring through the sky. The positive announcement spilled over to US-based eVTOL companies Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) and Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE:ACHR). While we acknowledge the potential of JOBY as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
US sees no immediate reason to ground Boeing 787
U.S. officials said on Thursday they have not seen any immediate safety data that would require halting Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 787 flights after a fatal Air India accident killed over 240 people. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Acting Federal Aviation Administration head Chris Rocheleau made the comments at a news conference and said they had seen videos of the crash in said he had spoken to National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy. An NTSB and FAA team, with support from Boeing and engine manufacturer GE Aerospace (GE.N), opens new tab, was going to India, Duffy said. Show more Show less
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Floppy Disks and Windows 95: The FAA Needs New Tech
Remember the good ol' days of Windows 95? No? That's because Microsoft ended support for the operating system nearly 25 years ago. Windows has seen several versions come and go since then, but it seems that the Federal Aviation Administration hasn't kept up. According to Windows Central, the FAA is only now planning to phase out the 30-year-old OS. At a budget hearing recently, FAA chief Chris Rocheleau noted that a major tech overhaul is in the planning stages. The FAA will no longer use Windows 95 for air traffic control. Floppy disks, another tech relic, will also be canned—something that should have happened a long time ago, one would think. Paper strips containing plane info will also be replaced by more modern tech—if such an overhaul actually happens. The FAA has good intentions, but raising the money for the upgrade may not be easy. The agency's plan for revamping its technology, laid out in a document titled Brand New Air Traffic Control System: America is Building Again, points to the agency's current budget as inadequate for the task ahead. 'Over the past 15 years, the annual appropriation to the Facilities and Equipment (F&E) account used to sustain and improve most of FAA's air traffic control infrastructure has remained essentially flat at approximately $3 billion per year,' the plan notes. 'This stagnant funding has caused the FAA to lose about $1 billion in purchasing power due to inflation, as the agency seeks to maintain aging systems and infrastructure and meet ambitious goals to modernize the system for increased safety and efficiency of the NAS [National Airspace System].' When it comes to outdated tech, the FAA isn't flying alone. British Airways, which retired its fleet of Boeing 747-400 planes during the COVID pandemic, revealed that the planes had made use of floppy disks the entire time. Never mind that floppy disks only store 1.44MB of data—the airline simply had crew insert up to eight disks to load critical flight information every 28 days. Interestingly, relying on floppy disks to update the avionics may have provided a certain amount of security for what is clearly important data to protect, a la Battlestar Galactica. Modern, remotely updated systems require extra precautions to stay secure. Still, it's a relief to know that modern planes are using newer and (presumably) more capable avionics.
