FlightGlobal
• Murdo Morrison
Chris Rocheleau is stepping down as FAA deputy administrator after roughly 18 months at the agency, including a period as acting administrator. He will return to the National Business Aviation Association as chief operating officer after overseeing the FAA’s response to the 2025 Washington, D.C., midair collision and ongoing safety and airspace reforms.
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Chris Rocheleau is stepping down as FAA deputy administrator after roughly 18 months at the agency, including a period as acting administrator. He will return to the National Business Aviation Association as chief operating officer after overseeing the FAA’s response to the 2025 Washington, D.C., midair collision and ongoing safety and airspace reforms.
Wisk Aero and NASA completed a simulation of multi-aircraft autonomous flight operations in controlled airspace, testing how autonomous aircraft could operate together within existing airspace-management environments. The exercise advances Wisk’s development of autonomous aviation systems and provides NASA with additional data on future airspace integration.
Unifly says it is advancing UAS Traffic Management for urban drone environments with technologies focused on conflict detection and airspace segmentation. The approach targets safer, more orderly routing and deconfliction for growing volumes of unmanned aircraft operating in constrained airspace.
A coalition of global aviation industry groups has launched a joint runway incursion initiative aimed at improving runway safety. The program focuses on sharing tools—including risk assessment resources—across participating organizations to strengthen detection, prevention, and mitigation of runway incursions.
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Two Delta Air Lines aircraft reportedly came into close proximity at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday evening, with TCAS collision-avoidance alerts triggered in both cockpits during an aborted landing/go-around. One involved flight had already been delayed after a diversion before the go-around. The FAA is investigating the incident.
Finland’s military closed a section of Finnish airspace and imposed maritime traffic restrictions along the country’s southern coast near the Russia border, citing risk from stray drones linked to the Ukraine war. Related reporting highlights drone violations across NATO’s northern flank, including air-defense responses in Romania.
Finland’s military said it has shut a section of Finnish airspace and restricted maritime traffic off the country’s southern coast near the Russian border due to a risk of stray drones. The measures are aimed at managing safety in the affected air and sea areas.
New flyovers underscore an ongoing dispute in which the Pentagon is continuing to outmaneuver the FAA, extending a longer-running battle between the agencies over operational access and oversight. The episode reflects how competing civil and defense stakeholders negotiate control of shared airspace.
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