Transportation in the United States

Friend or Foe? A Tale of Two Heliports
February 13, 2012 - 9:15pm
A Coast Guard Eurocopter H-65 touches down on the rooftop heliport at the Dallas Convention Center. It flew from Coast Guard Air Station Houston to help commemorate 1.25 million flying hours by the entire Coast Guard Dauphin fleet.

This could be a called a tale of two cities, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

First, you have Washington, D.C., which has had a viable heliport since early 1998, but it depends on your definition of the word “viable.”

Then you have Dallas, which has had Garland/DRW Heliport since 1988, one of fewer than a dozen stand-alone public-use heliports in the U.S. It was joined in 1994 by 49T, a heliport on the roof of the Dallas Convention Center.
TSA Renews Security Pact with NATA
February 4, 2012 - 4:05am

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has approved a five-year extension of its partnership authorizing National Air Transportation Association Compliance Services (Natacs) to continue as a trusted fingerprint facility to process biological and biometric information for general aviation and commercial aviation worldwide.
Rectrix Wins Contract for Two New Massachusetts FBOs
January 24, 2012 - 3:25pm

The Massachusetts Port Authority gave the go-ahead to Bedford-based Rectrix Aviation to develop new FBOs at Hanscom Field and Worcester Regional Airport. Under the terms of the lease agreement, Rectrix will invest approximately $5 million to develop 27,000 sq ft of hangar and office space at Worcester Airport and $15 million to develop approximately 96,000 sq ft of hangar and office space at Hanscom Field.
TSA Boss Counterattacks Agency Critics
January 3, 2012 - 4:45am

John Pistole, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), has started returning fire from Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, who has declared war on the TSA.
AIN Blog: Is the TSA Learning From Past Mistakes?
January 2, 2012 - 9:27am

The Transportation Security Administration may finally be getting it. In November, the agency announced it is resuscitating the long-dormant Aviation Security Advisory Committee (Asac) and the Obama Administration said that the business aviation community will continue to have a seat at the table.
Happy Y2K12: Congress Dithers on FAA Reauthorization, while TSA Moves Slowly on New Lasp
January 2, 2012 - 2:20am

After months of talks between House and Senate negotiators over FAA reauthorization, a compromise agreement remains stalled, primarily because of a labor dispute between the major airlines and organized labor. Although both chambers in Congress profess the need for long-term legislation to set the course for agency programs and funding, at press time the issue appeared to be headed into the New Year without resolution.
TSA Aircraft Repair Station Security Rule on Hold
December 22, 2011 - 4:36pm

The long-awaited final rule on aircraft repair station security will not be published until the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Twenty industry leaders sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano asking that the rule, which has been under consideration for eight years, be finalized before the end of 2011.
AIN Blog: Mica Gains Allies in Goal To Reform TSA
December 1, 2011 - 9:00am
Rep. John Mica

The self-admitted “father” of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is driving another nail in the coffin of his “bastard child.” But this time he has other House chairmen and subcommittee chairmen working with him.
Supercommittee's Failure Could Spell Big Trouble for Air Transport
November 23, 2011 - 9:30am
Ray LaHood

The failure of the U.S. Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to reach a deal on a new deficit-reduction plan will trigger automatic spending cuts in 2013 that could cripple many of the agencies the nation’s air transportation system needs to operate safety and efficiently.

Congressional Probe Calls TSA ‘Mismanaged Failure’
November 17, 2011 - 3:49pm

The Transportation Security Administration suffers from bureaucratic morass and mismanagement, according to a staff report from two congressional committees.

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