Russ Niles’ report on the recommendation of the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) that OEMs install cockpit voice recorders in new General Aviation Aircraft. The Foundation explained that the current costs of this important safety equipment make it unaffordable for most small aircraft owners. The back story of this ACSF initiative is that the promulgation of FARs and the existing requirements can unintentionally and collaterally may deter safety advances. Its blog made the following insightful comment: “While the goal of collecting more post-crash flight data is critical to enhancing ..read more

David Shepardson, the presumptive dean of aviation safety journalists , has written about the FAA’s recent final rule mandating  SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM be applied to  “organizations that play a critical role in the design, manufacturing, and operation of aircraft (i.e., part 119 certificate holders operating under Part 135, Letter of Authorization (LOA) holders operating commercial air tours under § 91.147, and certain certificate holders under Part 21.”  The 160 page FAA promulgation of this globally recognized risk management tool recites its endorsement (if not insistent a ..read more

The FAA and United Airlines are in the midst of a prolonged review of the carrier’s SAFETY CULTURE and their respective statements of the current status: “FAA has said the formal evaluation is aimed at ensuring the airline’s compliance with safety regulations, identifying hazards and mitigating risk, and effectively managing safety.” “The main focus has been less about changing the policies and processes,” [UA CEO Scott Kirby} said, “but really making sure that everyone keeps safety as a top of mind awareness. Their differences in the compositions of their comments may reflect their respecti ..read more

The Airline Pilots Association, in a letter to its Union Members, declared that American Airlines has seen a “SIGNIFICANT SPIKE” in safety incidents. A spokesperson for AA replied: “Our robust safety program is GUIDED BY OUR INDUSTRY-LEADING SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM” that includes collaborating with regulators and its unions.” The letter and the AA reply suggest that a SAFETY CULTURE is not functioning at a level of buy-in needed to really reduce risks there. The airline has published a policy with all of the SMS holy words and posted signs everywhere stating the SMS principles: What are the ..read more

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, we all know, is COMING to AVIATION, soon, but WHAT WE ALL DO NOT KNOW, is exactly what it can, cannot, should or should not do. As a consequence of this rapidly emerging technology, many of us feel like the six blind people trying to define this large UNKNOWN, CONSTANTLY ADAPTING AND RE-ADAPTING TECHNOLOGY. EASA has been issuing a series of informative papers which collectively are setting SOME DIMENSIONS TO WHAT AI MAY BRING to aviation. The words used are not in absolute terms, recognizing that the dynamic, iterative progress may continue in the DIRECTIONS IDENTIFI ..read more

Congress statutorily mandated that the FAA commission an Expert Panel (EP) to examine what could be learned from the Boeing Max 8 disasters. The enabling statute specified that the independent study include 6 constituencies from which to draw: FAA and NASA (6),INDEPENDENT EXPERTS (2), individuals holding Organization Designation Approvals (4), airlines (4) and Unions (5). The long study concluded recently and produces a 50 page report. Here are the EP’s recommendations: These four observations are more akin to a Doctor’s listing of symptoms, NOT WHAT WAS THE SOURCE OF BOEING’S PROBLEMS- ANALO ..read more

The anticipatory anxiety about embedding SMS in your Part 91 operations largely derives from fear of change.   Global Aerospace took the time to examine the experiences of 19 BA flight directors in utilizing what ICAO, the FAA, the NTSB and most CAAs have deemed to be the most effective methodology to reduce aviation safety risks. The attached article explores the opinions of professionals who are using SMS for their organizations. Here are a few of the salient points identified: ENGAGEMENT: they saw a variance among the functions—Flight Operations HIGH; MX and Scheduling LOW OBSERV ..read more

There are significant advantages of being first to be certificated and first to market. There are disadvantages when the leaders are heading into the unknown maze known as CERTIFICATION. Below is an excellent article assessing the progress of the two apparent leaders in the EVTOL race–Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation. The author differentiates the competitors’ strategies to be certificated and to open up sales of airworthy aircraft. What differentiates the two in certification strategies? ARCHER: 80% of its vehicle’s major components and subsystems through SUPPLIERS WITH A PROVEN TRACK RECOR ..read more

Two recent articles about the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), one the thoughts of retiring, acting Director and one an announcement of the new Director, reduced anxiety about the current status of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). No, the current US situation status did not turn to GREEN; however, a comparison of the two aviation safety organizations indicated that the European peer governmental body is experiencing similar troubles. Transnational references are useful. EASA Acting Executive Director Luc Tytgat, in an exit interview, complained about a budget problem- n ..read more

This FAA seems to prioritize safety actions based on the press attention (pilot mental health, Austin Airport problems, United Airlines and most prominently Boeing). Sean Broderick, Aviation Week’s top reporter, has written the below article on the extension of Safety Management Systems (SMS) to Part 145 Maintenance Repair Overhaul stations (MROs). THE INDUSTRY CAN VOLUNTARILY ADOPT SMS RIGHT NOW, as Mr. Broderick suggests. How did AvWeek’s FAA “insighter” reach this observation. He points to another FAA driver—EASA and TC already require MROs to comply with SMS. Plus, he notes that: US Part ..read more