All the experts opine that the FAA needs help to reinvigorate its status as the GLOBAL AVIATION GOLD STANDARD. One such effort is described by the Chair of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. The bill is the BEST immediate legislative step toward that preeminent status. The goal’s real impact as analyzed by a policy institute needs some more specific remediation.  House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chair Graves has written (see below) an eloquent plea for the Congress to enact the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (SGR ..read more

Mr. Administrator, your experience with Next Gen and your work with automated aerial aircraft should provide adequate expertise to intervene into the FAA ATO’s Remote ACTC technical obstacles, as described by Robert Poole, Reason Foundation Director of Transportation Policy and Fellow. Below are citations to two of Mr. Poole’s analyses that conclude this advancement will maintain the highest levels of safety, reduce operational costs, and bring positive airspace control at airports which do not meet siting standards. Poole is THE foremost expert on policy, technology, economics, and costs on a ..read more

Mr. Administrator, and it’s quite a pleasure to address one who has been advised and consented, the National Airspace System Safety Review Team has delivered a daunting report1 addressing the ATC mess that you inherited. The collection of union leaders (3) and former government leaders (3)2 has pointed at the URGENT NEED TO INCREASE THE HUMAN CAPACITY AT ARTCCs, TRACONs and ATCTs.   Certified air traffic controller workforce grew by just 6 in the last year, union says  The nation’s understaffed and overworked air traffic controller workforce has grown by only six fully trai ..read more

An erudite author has written a detailed analysis of the role that (i) the world’s most sophisticated wind tunnel and (ii) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are playing in the aeronautical development of the next generation of eVTOLs. Not so WOW, one might say in response to a wind tunnel, but CFD will add to the complexity of design of these advanced aircraft. However, on second thought, a hypothetical conversation might cut to the chase quickly:  an astute observer might provide this tidbit of important insight–   “yes, as far back as the Wight Brothers, airworthiness determinat ..read more

Below the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) and  MyGoFlight|Flight Flix have announced that their partnership making camera products can improve instructors’ ability to review video footage and provide essential and timely feedback to their students.   Consistency in application of a universal aviation standard, a/k/a “ONE LEVEL OF SAFETY”, demands that the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) must demand that the FAA prohibit such a denigration of cockpit sanctity.  What is the straight line connecting the camera in the cockpit with ALPA’s oppositi ..read more

Below is an article trumpeting the Senate’s confirmation of Michael Whitaker as the FAA Administrator effective now until October 14, 2028, by a vote of 98-0 rare unanimity in these absurdly politicized days. Perhaps the Senators recognized that the chair which this nominee is now appointed is surrounded by ramparts from the outside of the office and internal impediments– both will test Mr. Whitaker’s constitution, and he knows that.   Few would accept the significant challenges posed by leading this 43,992 person aviation safety organization. This chart is a broad summary of t ..read more

SimpleFlying has published an informative review of Russia’s filing of a complaint against 37 ICAO Members averring that their collective actions have denigrated Russian aviation safety. The classic definition of the Yiddish word Chutzpah is the young person asked mercy from a criminal court based on being an orphan under a criminal charge of killing both of his parents!!!   The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia), through its representative in Montreal, has filed a formal complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), claiming that sanctions imp ..read more

EASA’s Director of Safety Promotion has an incredibly informative conversation with an academic on COMMUNICATION and the requirement of English proficiency. It is quite possible that more than a few readers will soon click off because they assume that the problem identified is the poor diction of non-native English/ English-as-second-language speakers are at fault. “I already knew how they (international pilots and/or air traffic controllers from different nations) mess up basic information transfer!!!  Data and a scientific survey points to another culprit—NATIVE SPEAKERS. WHY? The ana ..read more

Below is one of a host of articles1 reporting on what appear to Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUPs) being introduced into airlines’ inventories. An article alleges that the origin of these safety risks is an organization with suspicious aviation lineage:  Suspected Unapproved Parts are the scourge of aviation safety. SUPs are particularly nefarious because they are difficult if not impossible to detect. Paperwork can be easily faked with all the image technology. Bogus parts that superficially meet form, fit and function can be reversed engineered with laser measure technology and 3D manuf ..read more

Reading University’s professor of atmospheric science, Paul Williams, gave an informative and insightful speech on the increase in Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) due to El Niño’s impact on the North American skies. His analysis points out a SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK TO AVIATION. The below article relates the technical explanation of the increase in these weather phenomena and the magnitude of their impact.   SAFETY is the province of Safety Management Systems and its risk prospective is heavily driven by Flight Operational Quality Assurance, Aviation Safety Reporting Program, Voluntary Disclos ..read more