Aviation Law

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Aviation Law encompasses all facets of air travel, aircraft manufacturing, and business operations, and is a highly regulated industry governed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and National Transportation Safety Board. Dickinson Wright’s Aviation Law team has years of experience in the aviation industry and works with numerous private and commercial aircraft operators, flight schools, fixed-based operators, airport sponsors, and developers providing creative solutions to the complicated legal issues they encounter.

From aircraft financing to airport land use to risk management to procurement codes and compliance issues, we understand the intricacies involved in the aviation industry and have experience both defending and prosecuting claims. We also have extensive experience in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

Our Team

Our aviation law team members are experienced aviation professionals with years of experience in the aviation industry corporate aircraft ownership, flight-time sharing, and shared-ownership structures as well as aircraft management and leasing structures. We are not only practitioners in this area but are committed to the advancement of the aviation industry from both a professional and personal point of view. We work with you to navigate commercial and business projects, various legal disputes, and the regulatory environments that shape the aviation industry.

Our Services

As a full-service law firm, we draw on our entire firm’s strengths, working collaboratively across a wide range of practice areas to create a legal team that can effectively and efficiently address your legal concerns, including, banking and finance, corporate, construction, environmental, personal injury, taxation, intellectual property, and more.

Corporate and Commercial Aviation

Airport Land Use	Hangar Condominium Development
Corporate Aircraft Ownership	Permitting
Flight-Time Sharing	Shared-ownership Structures

Airport and Fixed Based Operator (FBO) Representation

Environmental	Part 16 Complaints
Grant Assurance	Permitting
Noise	Through-the-Fence Agreements

FAA Regulatory Compliance

Aircraft Financing	International Operations
Aircraft Transactions	International, Federal, State & Local Tax
Airport Operations	Litigation
Aviation Accidents & Personal Injury	Personal Use of Business Aircraft
FAA & DOT regulations	Risk Management

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Unmanned Ariel Systems (UAS)

Letters of Agreements
Section 333 Exemptions
Certificates of Authorization (COAs)
Strategic Air Commands (SACs)
FAA Regulatory Compliance

Representative Matters

–Litigated and second-chaired a jury trial awarding $1.8 million in damages in favor of a hangar operator at a municipal-owned airport, plus a full award of attorney fees.

–Litigated disputes between competing fixed-based operators spurred by allegations of procurement code and federal grant assurance violations.

–Advocated for aircraft owners in disputes with aircraft manufacturers and aircraft management companies.

–Defended an individual accused of breaching a partnership agreement related to a helicopter tour business resulting in a favorable settlement.

–Defended airmen and other commercial aeronautical providers from emergency and non-emergency revocation and suspension actions initiated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

–Negotiated settlements with the Federal Aviation Administration which have resulted in substantially lessened penalties from those the agency initially sought.

–Defended aircraft operators, fixed-based operators, and airport sponsors against negligence claims.

–Represented banking institutions seeking to judicially or non-judicially foreclose upon aircraft loans.

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