FROM THE INSTITUTE
The FAA’s approval process for regulating space launches is steadily improving due to recent streamlining efforts, but it must continue to evolve to sustain the dynamic ramp-up in activity in the coming years, government and industry leaders told ASCEND 2026.
Tag: FAA
FAA Lowers Air Traffic Controller Staffing Goal Amid Modernization Push
CNBC reports, “The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it was sharply reducing its target for air traffic control staffing as it vowed to modernize scheduling and increase the time employees spend managing traffic. The FAA said its new target is 12,563 certified controllers, down from 14,633. A National Academies of Sciences report last year said overtime costs for air traffic controllers, have jumped by more than 300% since 2013 to over $200 million, citing a misallocated workforce and inefficient scheduling.”
Full Story (CNBC)
FAA Clears Hermeus Quarterhorse for Supersonic Flight Testing
Aerotime reports, “Hermeus announced on March 12, 2026, that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category (SAC-EC) for its unmanned Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 aircraft. The certification clears the way for Hermeus to proceed with flight testing as it works toward achieving supersonic flight. According to the company, the process involved a rigorous inspection by FAA agents, who assessed the aircraft ahead of its planned flight-test campaign.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Autonomous Air Taxi Certification Emerges as New Regulatory Frontier
Flying Magazine reports, “Owing to the novelty of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technology, the FAA is requiring air taxi developers such as Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation, and Beta Technologies to complete a gauntlet of testing. One of them, Boeing’s Wisk Aero, is building an aircraft that incorporates not just VTOL but another emerging technology—autonomy. Unlike Archer’s Midnight, Joby’s S4, or Beta’s Alia, Wisk’s Generation 6 is designed to fly autonomously from the jump.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Video
Wisk Aero’s Generation 6 aircraft
Wisk Aero | YouTube
New Legislation Aims to Expedite FAA Type Certification for eVTOLs
Flying Magazine reports, “A bipartisan bill introduced Friday in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives would require the FAA to ‘streamline’ its type certification process for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis and other advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft. That could include the use of standards agreed upon by the developers themselves to prove the aircraft are fit to carry passengers.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Video
Wisk Aero’s Generation 6 aircraft
Wisk Aero | YouTube
NTSB Report Highlights FAA Oversight Gaps Behind D.C. Midair Collision
The New York Times reports, “The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the Federal Aviation Administration had approved dangerous flight routes that allowed an Army helicopter to fly into the path of a passenger jet over the Potomac River on Jan. 29, 2025, to calamitous results.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
FAA Moves to Permanently Restrict Helicopters, Powered Lift Near Reagan National
Flying Magazine reports, “Close to one year after a fatal midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C., the federal government is moving to permanently restrict certain aircraft types from operating around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Thursday that the FAA is formalizing restrictions for helicopters and powered lift aircraft in certain areas near Washington National unless they are conducting essential operations.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Bombardier’s Global 8000 Achieves FAA Certification as Fastest Civil Jet in Decades
Reuters reports, “Bombardier’s Global 8000 business jet, the world’s fastest civilian plane since the Concorde, has received certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the Canadian planemaker said on Friday. The Global 8000 jet has a top speed of Mach 0.95, or about 729 miles per hour.”
Full Story (Reuters)
FAA to Hire 8,900 Air Traffic Controllers
The New York Times reports, “The Federal Aviation Administration says it plans to ‘supercharge’ hiring and training between now and late 2028. It would not be enough to end a shortage…”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
FAA to Receive $12.5B for Air Traffic Control Overhaul
FlightGlobal reports, “The US Congress has passed a sweeping spending and tax bill that will provide $12.5 billion to the Federal Aviation Administration to fund air traffic control (ATC) modernisation…”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)