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

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) took to the floor this week to stress the need to finish work on a comprehensive FAA reauthorization package. However, that bill may be headed for another extension with both the House and Senate breaking for an extended Presidents' Day holiday and little time remaining before the March 8 deadline for action that was set in an extension passed in December.
Lawmakers are still hoping to pass a bill by the March 8 deadline and have begun informally meeting to hash out differences between the House and Senate bills, said a staff member from the House side.
Both chambers are motivated to get a bill done. Schumer this week commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Colgan Air crash by saying in a speech on the floor, “I look forward to moving on the FAA reauthorization bill as quickly as possible. It is vital the FAA reauthorization be passed by Congress.”
The House passed its version of a five-year reauthorization bill in July. The Senate Commerce Committee cleared its version of the bill last week by voice vote after it was held up for nearly seven months over disputes surrounding raising the mandatory retirement age, the 1,500-hour requirement for airline pilots, and additional slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA).
The bill—FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023 (S.1939)—that was passed out of the committee ultimately added slots and did not change the retirement agency, but it included language surrounding studying the 1,500-hour requirement. Schumer stressed that, in working with those affected by the Colgan crash, “We went through this text with a fine-tooth comb to make sure the safety rules were not touched, working hand in hand with the families, talking to them every week.”
However, none of those issues are yet set in stone as the bill moves forward in the Senate, and the legislation passed out of the committee may not see floor time in the chamber.
Instead, the Senate may bring to the floor the compromise version between the upper and lower chamber. The bills are largely similar but the House version is nearly twice the size of the Senate’s with measures such as an entire title on general aviation.
Near-term progress on that conference further may dictate whether there is an extension and whether that extension would be a matter of weeks or months.
In the meantime, the Senate Commerce Committee action last week drew strong praise from business and general aviation groups, welcoming numerous provisions that they believe will help the sector.
The National Air Transportation Association praised measures in the bill that would increase collaboration between the FAA and industry, invest in workforce, foster advanced air mobility, and provide for a smooth transition to unleaded aviation gasoline.
NATA praised the bill’s directives for increased FAA/industry collaboration, general aviation protections during a safe transition to unleaded fuels, investments in a robust aviation workforce, and provisions to foster emerging technologies such as advanced air mobility (AAM). “NATA thanks Senate leaders for listening to the many aviation business voices calling for action on comprehensive FAA reauthorization legislation,” president and CEO Curt Castagna, citing not only the Commerce Committee and aviation subcommittee leadership but lawmakers such as Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) for working on key measures. “We look forward to final passage of a bill that advances common-sense initiatives contributing to a healthy, vibrant aviation system for all users, service providers, and communities,”
NBAA highlighted numerous measures saying it enables the FAA to strengthen its leadership in aviation safety. Among those include reforms and digitized systems for the aircraft registry and Part 135 certification, improvements of FAA mental health and other aeromedical policies, increases in Part 135 oxygen requirement thresholds, increased student loan caps for pilot training, and international engagement on certification.
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen praised the Commerce Committee leadership and members “for passing a strong bill that provides stability, enhances safety, embraces new technologies, and will help grow our workforce.”
“We are particularly pleased to see that the bill includes provisions to improve the FAA’s rulemaking process, strengthen the agency's international effectiveness, support workforce development, maintain sustainability efforts, and foster agency and industry innovation,” added General Aviation Manufacturers Association president and CEO Pete Bunce. He also stressed the importance of getting the bill done. “Congress must ensure that the FAA and Administrator [Michael] Whitaker have the tools needed to support operational and programmatic direction that can facilitate the aviation sector’s future path towards increasing levels of safety and innovation.”

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.

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