Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

The aviation community already is seeing numerous changes in Washington, D.C., under the newly inaugurated Trump Administration, with most new regulations apparently on pause, heads of agencies turning over, and certain initiatives and/or committee activities left in limbo.
Among the presidential actions issued on January 20 was a regulatory review. Under the order from the President, department heads were instructed: “Do not propose or issue any rule in any manner…until a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after noon on January 20, 2025, reviews and approves the rule” and “Immediately withdraw any rules that have been sent to the [Office of the Federal Register] but not published in the Federal Register, so that they can be reviewed and approved.”
As such, the Federal Register currently only details rescinded actions. For the FAA, the only notice on public inspection was rescinded. That involved “Airspace Designations and Reporting Points: Kenansville, North Carolina.”
While it is unclear at this point how long this process will take, it harkens back to the early days of the first Trump Administration when regulations halted, including key safety actions such as airworthiness directives, for several weeks.
Meanwhile, leadership at key agencies including the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are turning over with previously announced plans for former FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker to step down ahead of the inauguration and then this week’s firing of TSA Administrator David Pekoske, who was first appointed to the position under the previous Trump Administration in 2017. Currently, no acting TSA administrator or deputy administrator is listed, but selections are believed pending.
Along with Whitaker, Katie Thomson had stepped down as deputy administrator. Mark House, assistant administrator for finance and management and 20-year FAA veteran, was to serve as acting deputy administrator, but both top positions at the agency are now listed as vacant.
In addition, the White House has put a hiring freeze in place, prohibiting the replacement of open government positions or the creation of new ones while the administration evaluates reductions in the workforce. The White House plans to release a memorandum with further guidance within 90 days. This has drawn criticism from lawmakers as the FAA has been ramping up controller hiring.
"The bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 directs the Administration to hire the maximum number of air traffic controllers. That’s what the law says, so the Administration must rescind this ridiculous executive order,” said Rick Larsen (D-Washington), the ranking member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Hiring air traffic controllers is the number one safety issue according to the entire aviation industry. Instead of working to improve aviation safety and lower costs for hardworking American families, the Administration is choosing to spread bogus DEI claims to justify this decision."
Among the other early White House actions has been the dismantling of the long-standing Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) that was under TSA’s purview. The government/industry advisory group was established in 1989 after the terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103 and became a permanent structure in 2014.
ASAC members this week received a letter stating, “I am directing the termination of all current memberships on advisory committees within DHS, effective immediately.” This will halt all ASAC meetings until—or if—the committee is reshaped.
When asked about its plans, a DHS senior official stated: “Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security will no longer tolerate any advisory committee which pushes agendas that attempt to undermine its national security mission, the President’s agenda, or Constitutional rights of Americans.”
Along the lines of "DEI" was a directive to the FAA first noting the agency “betrayed its mission by elevating dangerous discrimination over excellence” and directing it to “immediately return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring, as required by law. All so-called DEI initiatives, including all dangerous preferencing policies or practices, shall immediately be rescinded in favor of hiring, promoting, and otherwise treating employees on the basis of individual capability, competence, achievement, and dedication.”
As all of this is happening, aviation organizations and businesses are examining how this is going to affect the industry.

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Flurry of White House Actions Reaching into Aviation

Regs are on halt, ASAC dismantled, and key agency positions vacant

Regulations are on halt, an aviation security advisory committee was dismantled, and leading positions were vacated at FAA and TSA under the new administration.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Industry hopeful of bonus depreciation renewal but wary of potential tariffs

In Washington, Taxes, Tariffs on Upcoming Agenda

Nehls will examine implementation of FAA bill

Troy Nehls Takes Helm of House Aviation Subcommittee

Hanneke Weitering

News and issues relating to civil and military unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of all kinds and sizes, including those used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat (unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs), law enforcement, research and other applications. Of particular focus is the FAA's planned integration of UAS into the U.S. national airspace system.

Proposed U.S. regulatory changes support eVTOL operations and target drone threats

FCC Proposes Spectrum Rule Changes for Advanced Air Mobility

NATA is advising FBOs to coordinate with operators on changes

TSA Finalizes Security Updates for Part 380 Operations

Duffy served in the House from 2011 to 2019 as a Republican representing a district in Wisconsin

Sean Duffy Receives Bipartisan Support for Top DOT Post

AmyWilder

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

VFR and UAS operations suspended, special rules and ASOC coordination in place January 20

FAA Issuing Temporary Flight Restrictions for Inauguration

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

NBAA urged quick confirmation

Senate Panel To Hold Duffy Hearing for Top DOT Post

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

More In Regulations and Government