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FAAST Blast
Notice Number: NOTC1657

FAAST Blast — May 12, 2009
Biweekly FAA Aviation News update

FAA Presenters Featured at Virginia Fly-In
Take a group of pilots and aviation enthusiasts, throw in hundreds of aircraft, from homebuilts to classic warbirds, mix in some southern hospitality, and what do you have?  It is the Annual Virginia Regional Festival of Flight at Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ) on May 30 and 31. The Virginia Fly-In, now in its twelfth year, touts education and safety as primary objectives.  "This year we have our largest schedule ever of 42 presentations," reports Dee Whittington, the event's public relations chairman. "We are especially excited the FAA Charting Office will present two-hour VFR and IFR map forums on Saturday. Many pilots have no idea how much they do not know about aeronautical charts until they attend these forums."  Also presenting at the event will be Peter Rouse, of the FAA Small Airplane Directorate, who will discuss ethanol in gasoline on both days, and FAASTeam member Paul Werbin who will discuss the WINGS program on Sunday.  For more information, go to http://www.virginiaflyin.org/.
 
Get Schooled in Certification
If you have not read the latest issue of FAA Aviation News, Steve Thompson's article on aircraft certification is a good reason you should. The word certification can take on several meanings at the FAA, depending on its context.  But for the FAA Aircraft Certification Service, it is all about promoting safety through a product's life cycle—design, production, entry into service, and continued operational safety.  Understanding the basics of aircraft certification can help you make sound decisions affecting the airworthiness and operation of the aircraft you own or rent.  To read the article, go to: http://www.faa.gov/news/aviation_news/
 
FAA Proves Less is More
There are three categories of Instrument Landing System (ILS) approaches, each determined by how advanced the landing systems are for each approach. Standard Category I approaches require that pilots have a minimum runway visual range (RVR) of at least 2,400 feet, meaning that pilots must be able to see as far as roughly half a mile to even attempt a landing. Pilots flying Category II approaches must have a minimum RVR of 1,200 feet before attempting to land.
 
After a detailed analysis of every ILS approach in the FAA network, FAA's Flight Standards Operation Branch discovered several airports where improvements could be made to lower the RVR distance at Category I and II approaches and improve airport efficiency. As a result, aircraft that once were diverted to other airports, or were instructed to hold until visibility rose to 2,400 feet now can attempt approaches when RVR is 1,800 feet or more.  To date, nearly 200 Category I approaches now have reduced minimums, and seven new Category II approaches have been designed and implemented.
 
Produced by the editors, FAA Aviation News, http://www.faa.gov/news/aviation_news/
Address questions or comments to: AviationNews@faa.gov