Welcome to Liftoff - Insights and Analysis on Aviation and Aerospace Law
Marc Warren and Paul Alp, authors of Liftoff, co-lead the Aviation and Aerospace Team. Subscribe to the Liftoff blog here.
Voluntary Safety Reports and Employee Discipline: The Limitations of ASAP Immunity
June 10, 2024
With approximately 45,000 flights departing daily in the United States, a proactive approach to incident reporting and prevention is essential to identifying and mitigating precursors for potential events and providing meaningful inputs into safety management processes. [Read more]
A Piece of the MOSAIC: Simplified Flight Controls for Light Sport Aircraft and Beyond
February 21, 2024
The FAA has embraced the concept of simplified flight controls and featured it in its forthcoming refresh of regulations governing light sport aircraft and sport pilot certificates. [Read more]
"Just One More Thing": Lt. Columbo and Operational Realities
February 5, 2024
After lulling a suspect into a false sense of security, Peter Falk’s famous fictional detective would leave the interview, only to return with “just one more thing". A similar dynamic can take place in aircraft certification projects, where the company seeking certification believes it is well on track to accomplishing all required milestones when the FAA asserts that there’s “just one more thing”. [Read more]
Workplace Safety on the Airport Ramp: FAA or OSHA Jurisdiction?
February 2, 2024
Putting aside issues of liability, questions arise over which agency – OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) or FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) – has jurisdiction over the workplace conditions of people who work in close proximity to airplanes on the ground? [Read more]
Organization Designation Authorization: An Overview
February 1, 2024
The FAA has historically delegated limited authority to various private persons and entities to perform specific tasks that typically would be performed by FAA personnel. The delegation is authorized by statute and allows the FAA to focus its resources on safety critical or novel issues while allowing subject matter experts to perform comparatively more routine functions. [Read more]