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 FAA continues to spool up on air traffic controller hiring, exceeding its goal of adding 1,800 this year and reopening the application process shortly for the next year, the agency reported today. In the current fiscal year ending September 30, the FAA has hired 1,811 controllers, the largest number in nearly 10 years as it works to reverse the decades-long staffing decline.
More than 3,400 controllers are now in various states of training, from initial instruction at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma to specialized airspace preparation. In all, the agency has more than 14,000 controllers on staff. According to its workforce plan from 2024 through 2033, the agency plans to ramp up hiring to 2,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2025 and a peak of 2,400 in FY 2026. Meanwhile, the controller staff will continue to increase with a goal of nearing 16,200 by FY 2031 as the wave of retirements ease and the agency recovers from Covid-era departures.
The next application period begins October 11. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, be able to speak English clearly, be younger than 31, and have a least a year of work and/or education experience. In addition, applicants must pass a medical exam, security investigation, and air traffic pre-employment skills assessment.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said meeting the goal this year is “a testament to the hard work of everyone involved and part of our ongoing work to rebuild the controller workforce. We will not rest on the success of this hiring push—we are already thinking about how to meet our goals next year and into the future. By starting early and casting a wide net for applications, we will continue to make progress on this critical work.”

News, issues, personnel, equipment and developments about air traffic management.

FAA Hits Controller Hiring Mark for 2024

Agency hired 1,811 controllers and plans to spool up to 2,000 in fiscal year 2025

The FAA hired 1,811 air traffic controllers in fiscal year 2024, edging above its goal for the year as it begins the application process for 2025.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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.

KDCA and KEWR receive SMR-4 installations, while IDIQ AT&T covers coms

FAA Installs Surface Radars at Key Airports and Awards $74.3M to AT&T

Hanneke Weitering

Issues regarding financing of aircraft; aviation insurance; tax issues for aircraft operators; new companies and people in the aviation financing and insurance industries.

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.

Milestone covers the software that talks to air traffic control

Merlin Clears a Certification Hurdle for AI in the Cockpit

Charlotte Bailey

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.

Honeywell-led consortium to consider advanced air mobility integration

Verti-Go Initiative to Lead European Airspace Update

NASA controllers used existing tools to manage simulated autonomous traffic

Wisk Tests 1:3 Supervisor Ratio for Autonomous Flight

Amy Wilder

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.

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