When it comes to fire safety aboard commercial aircraft, Constantine "Gus" Sarkos is the nation’s expert. As head of the FAA's Fire Safety Branch, Sarkos and his team have played a pivotal role improving cabin and cargo safety, leading to a dozen significant changes to U.S. and foreign aircraft during the past three decades. For his work, he's been named one of the 33 finalists for this year's Service to America Medals. He tells Federal News Radio's Emily Kopp more about that work and the likelihood of an aircraft catching fire nowadays.
The Federal Aviation Administration is making progress in its efforts to integrate unmanned aerial system flights into the national airspace. That's according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 directed the agency to safely integrate flights by aircraft without an onboard pilot that operate on pre-programmed routes or are remotely controlled. Gerald Dillingham is the director of physical infrastructure issues at GAO. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the report and FAA's drone progress.
President Barack Obama held the first White House Cybersecurity Summit and pushed for greater sharing of information with an Executive Order. And, the Federal Aviation Administration published rules for the use of small drones over the weekend. Jonathan Aberman is chairman of the venture capital firm Amplifier Ventures and founder of TandemNSI, a non-profit. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to further discuss the news.
Members of Congress from both parties have signaled they're ready to consider privatizing air traffic control, or at least changing how it's funded. One reason is the FAA's struggle to modernize the systems that support safe flight. Many in Washington are wondering whether the system would function more efficiently as a commercial entity. Pete Dumont, president of the trade group Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to present ATCA's feelings on the matter.
Members of Congress from both parties have signaled they're ready to consider privatizing air traffic control, or at least changing how it's funded. One reason is the FAA's struggle to modernize the systems that support safe flight. Many in Washington are wondering whether the system would function more efficiently as a commercial entity. Trish Gilbert, executive vice-president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain NATCA members' concerns over the proposed switch.
By JOAN LOWY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is on the verge of proposing long-awaited rules for commercial drone operations in U.S. skies, but key decisions on how much access to grant…
The Federal Aviation Administration will not meet its deadline for safely integrating all drones in the U.S. An inspector general report finds that the FAA has failed to establish a regulatory framework for training and certification of drone pilots. Cal Scovel is the inspector general for the Transportation Department, and Matt Hampton is the assistant inspector general for aviation. Scovel explained the Congressional mandate that FAA has to meet when he joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive.
In this week's Reporter's Notebook column, Executive Editor Jason Miller ponders Sylvia Burwell's jump from OMB to HHS and GSA's pumped up approach to buying.
A new staff report from the Senate Commerce Committee highlights some of the ways in which the government shutdown is throwing sand in the gears of the private economy. But the authors also point to several ways in which federal furloughs are jeopardizing public safety.
With the end of fiscal 2013 just over a month away, many agencies are wrapping up their furlough days. Some agencies have even reduced the number of unpaid leave days they originally thought they would need. This graphic depicts the total number of furlough days originally declared by agencies versus the number of furloughs actually taken.
NARFE's David Snell will talk about a health care option for feds without children and Sean Reilly from the Federal Times will give us an update on 2014 budget negotiations and other issues affecting federal employees. August 21, 2013
In an effort to incorporate iris, facial and fingerprint recognition technologies across the government, the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee pressed the National Institute of Standards and Technology to set a date for the release of national biometric recognition standards.
The much-anticipated Airbus A350 flew for the first time on Friday, launching a new air race between the European plane maker and Boeing for long-haul wide-body aircraft.
President Barack Obama has signed into law a bill to end furloughs of air traffic controllers.
Host Mike Causey will talk furloughs with Federal Career Experts owner John Grobe, and hiring, retirement backlog, and more with Stephen Losey and Sean Reilly from the Federal Times. May 1, 2013