A 26 February 2008 report by the Department of Transportation Inspector General (DOT/IG) seems to indicate that a greater number of airplane parts are being made by cheaper suppliers overseas, without much supervision from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

An insider’s analysis

By Gabriel Bruno

And what they do not reveal in terms of net hazard

Aviation safety has never been better, claimed Nicholas Sabatini at a 10 April 2008 hearing of the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation. The essence of Sabatini’s argument is presented below, followed by a few comments about the potentially misleading aspect of his remarks:

Are FAA wiring installation standards adequate?

The massive grounding of American Airlines MD-80 aircraft is over a one-inch variation in the intervals at which wiring lacing cord must be tied. However, there may be other wiring issues of greater importance.