As Plane-ly Spoken has addressed on several occasions, one of the most serious pitfalls for participants in an NTSB investigation involves the unauthorized disclosure of information while the investigation is open. Well, it has happened again, and the guilty party might surprise you. This time, it was none other than the FAA who violated the … Continue Reading
2014 was the worst year for air accident fatalities in a decade. In addition to being terrible tragedies, many of these accident had enough unusual twists, such as the disappearance of MH 370 and the destruction of MH 17 by a surface-to-air missile, that they became weeks-long media spectacles. Did this have a negative impact … Continue Reading
MLA’s Lisa Ellman, co-chair of the firm’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Practice Group, was recently profiled in a Fortune magazine article as part of the publication’s “Most Powerful Women” series entitled “Obama’s former law student is shaping the nation’s policy on drones.” The article highlights Lisa’s experience working with President Obama from her time as a … Continue Reading
DJI has announced a “mandatory” software update for the operating systems of the drones it’s selling to the public. Motivated by one of its Phantom drones crashing on the White House grounds, and the President’s subsequent comment that drones need to be regulated, DJI’s “mandatory” update would prevent it’s aircraft (because that’s what they are) … Continue Reading
Malaysia Airlines 370 and its 329 crew and passengers went missing 327 days ago, and the search continues. The speculation machine has conitnued to work overtime, churning out theories from accident to hijacking, to pilot misconduct to, as we recall, even the aircraft entering a black hole. None of these theories, however, provide any comfort to the … Continue Reading
