The MOSAIC final rule, an interview with the founder and CEO of Flying Eyes Optics, FAA guidance on certification of powered lift vehicles, new galleries opening at the National Air and Space Museum, a Delta pilot lands and gets immediately arrested, deer strikes in Alaska, and the NTSB investigation of a fatal flight in that state. Also, thoughts on recent moves to relocate the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum to Space Center Houston.
Guest
Dean Siracusa
Dean Siracusa is the founder and CEO of Flying Eyes Optics. Dean, a pilot, started the company when he realized that existing sunglasses did not perform well with the increased clamping force of modern aviation headsets.
Flying Eyes temples are made of a patented material that allows the temples to conform to your head instead of curving around your ears. They’re easy to put on and take off while wearing a headset or helmet. The flexibility of the temple material and shatterproof polycarbonate lenses makes these glasses hard to break.
Hillel Glazer, our Aviation Innovation and Entrepreneurship Correspondent, interviewed Dean at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025.
Aviation News
The Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) final rule was announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. The new rule makes changes to the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category and Sport Pilot privileges by expanding an alternative to experimental amateur-built aircraft. MOSAIC:
- Removes the weight limit
- Encompasses aircraft with higher speeds, more seats, and retractable landing gear.
- Allows for new types of propulsion and modern avionics.
- Allows aerial work with LSA, such as infrastructure and forest inspections, photography/filming, and agricultural surveillance.
- Allows pilots operating under Sport Pilot privileges to fly a broader range of aircraft.
- Reduces regulatory requirements by expanding the types of aircraft that qualify as LSA and the types of aircraft pilots can fly under Sport Pilot privileges.
Changes for sport pilots and light-sport repairmen take effect 90 days after the final rule publishes. Changes for LSA certification take effect 365 days after the final rule publishes.
Video: Secretary Sean P. Duffy Holds Press Conference for Important Announcement on General Aviation
https://www.youtube.com/live/iRzzTspdjUM?si=gje-ftiRm94Y2eY4
Attendance for the week: approximately 704,000, the highest on record. More than 10,000 aircraft, 2,543 show planes, nearly 6,000 volunteers, and 962 commercial exhibitors.
Originally, certification of the new advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft types, such as eVTOLs, had been worked under Part 23 regulations for light aircraft. In 2022, the FAA categorized them as powered-lift under FAR 21.17(b) regulations for special class aircraft. That category had no airworthiness standards and operating rules.
The FAA has now released an advisory circular “streamlining the certification process for advanced air mobility aircraft by releasing guidance for how manufacturers can meet the agency’s aircraft design and performance safety standards. It establishes a consistent, performance-based framework for manufacturers to follow. The FAA will carefully evaluate each proposed design to ensure it meets the agency’s rigorous standards.”
The AC defines powered-lift as heavier-than-air aircraft that use “engine-driven lift devices” or engine thrust for vertical takeoff and landing and low-speed flight. For lift during horizontal flight, they use rigid airfoils such as wings.
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum opened five new galleries, the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater and the museum’s redesigned entrance on Jefferson Drive along the National Mall Monday. The remaining galleries will open July 1, 2026, the 50th anniversary of the museum in Washington and in time for the United States’ 250th anniversary.
The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is located at Jefferson Drive between Fourth and Seventh streets S.W. and is open every day except Dec. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, but timed-entry passes are required to visit. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport and is open every day except Dec. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, timed-entry passes are not required and parking is $15.
Alaska Airlines flight 231 flying from Anchorage hit several unfortunate deer while landing in Kodiak, Alaska. Damage was sustained to the 737’s landing gear. The FAA’s wildlife strike database shows more than 22,000 strikes reported in 2024.
After a nearly two-yesr investigation, the NTSB released its report of a fatal 2023 Piper PA-18 crash carrying moose meat and antlers. The Piper was loaded with 520 pounds of cargo, 117 pounds overweight. The aircraft also had a set of antlers strapped to the wing without the required FAA approval. The NTSB stated that the cause of the crash was the excess weight and the “unapproved external load” of the antlers, which “degraded takeoff performance and flight characteristics” leading to a loss of control.
A passenger onboard reports that 10 law enforcement officers, including Homeland Security Investigations officers, “stormed to the front” of the aircraft as soon as the Boeing 757 arrived and “grabbed/arrested” one of the pilots.
Mentioned
Shuttle Discovery’s Texas transfer launches cost concerns
Hosts this Episode
Max Flight, our Main(e) Man Micah, Rob Mark, David Vanderhoof, and Hillel Glazer.