NexGen the best is yet to come

Nex Gen is the new initiative by the FAA to streamline our air traffic control system while increasing safety. It includes switching from a radar based system to a GPS based system. Increasing accuracy as well as coverage area. It also includes changing from analog based voice transmission to digital voice transmission as well adding a way to send digital instructions that can be integrated with the aircraft systems. Finally they are developing a new network structure to properly handle all of this digital information for more information you can go direct to the source and read more here http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/.
     All of these are an excellent upgrade to our aging system. However this leads to the question who is going to pay for all of this. These upgrades were initially expected to cost $40 billion. However they are now quoted at costing upwards of $160 billion. Obviously this is no chump change. Many have said the airlines should pay while they retaliate that everyone should pay. So who in the end should pay?
     The FAA is government funded with our tax dollars and one of its tasks is to maintain and upgrade the ATC infrastructure. So they are one part that will help pay. The problem is with our current economic situation they cannot afford to pay for the whole thing. That leaves commercial carriers and general aviation. That leaves the rest of the bill to be picked up by the three parties left. Commercial aviation, users of commercial aviation, and general aviation.
     I persionally feel the cost should be distributed between the three parties. I would group users and Commercial aviation together as most likely any cost to commercial aviation will most likely be passed on to the users. So this ultimately leaves two groups left to pick up the tab. I think the split should be percentage based with commercial aviation paying most of the difference. Commercial aviation is the cause of most the of the congestion at major airports as well as on high altitude airways. They need the systems more then general aviation and also make a profit using aviation. Finally a portion should still be paid by general aviation as they will still be using the system. I would think somewhere between a 75 25 split would be sufficient although they could be tailored depending on the amount and also the method of payment either through user fee's or surcharges to passengers.

Airport security makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

     Airport security has drawn a lot of attention as of late. If you ask almost anyone who has flown recently, they usually have at least one complaint about airport security. They either had to wait in line for an inordinate amount of time or they feel they were wrongly chosen for a pat down or full body scan. There have been many complaints filed and even a few lawsuits for people feeling they were groped by airport security. There are even a few YouTube videos of two and three year old children receiving pat downs. Many people feel that this is a necessary evil to flying. If you want to get there you have to submit to these inspections. However many people feel this is in fact unconstitutional and completely unnecessary.
     I did some research today and found how many terrorist's the TSA's screening methods have stopped. The number I continuously came up with was zero. I could not find one documented or reported case wear a terrorist was stopped and arrested during the screening process. A few people claiming to be from the TSA said they have stopped people but the information is classified and wont be released to avoid mass panic. My response to this is one of confusion. Currently the TSA is one of the most widely criticized and disliked agency's in the U.S. It has been constantly criticized for it's methods of body scans and pat downs. If just one instance was released of how it stopped a terrorist plot no one would have a real reason to complain, It had in fact saved lives. So are these searches necessary for all people. In my opinion, No.
     I feel the security system has enacted these policies to help work around the handicap placed on them by our government. It is considered wrong to profile. It has been successfully implemented in many countries including Israel. A rather simple method that when done correctly could speed up most peoples time in the security lines. Now I'm not talking about profiling based solely on race or ethnicity. I'm talking about behavioral profiling. (for more on this you can read this link Airport Security Solution: Profiling Travelers?) With a few questions trained experts can read a persons behavior too determine if they are a threat or not. Now this may be controversial but I feel profiling isn't a bad thing even when done on the basis of age, race, sex, or ethnicity. For example I don't search out bears in the wilderness because they have attacked people in the past. Is this not a form of profiling? Profiling when based off statistical analysis of passed events and those involved in them can be a very effective tool. Now many say this is wrong and against the constitution. However is having your genitals touched and scanners showing your body without clothes to complete strangers any better? The current method hasn't even proven to be effective while other more streamlined methods have in many countries around the world.

Is automation in aviation dulling pilot’s skills?

A recent accident has turned the media’s eye to the topic of automation in aviation. The recent Air France 447 crash has been traced to pilot error recognizing and handling the aircraft after an automation failure.  Is the main cause of this truly too much reliance on automation or a lack of training on recognizing automation failures?  Many believe automation in the cockpit has dulled pilot’s skills.

Personally I don’t believe automation is to blame. Automation is excellent in the cockpit. It makes the job of flying the airplane easier and safer when used appropriately.  It allows the pilot to divert some of their attention to other aspects of the flight and gain situational awareness. However as with many other things it can be abused.  If the automation is used so the pilot may divert their attention away from the flight altogether then the automation has now become a negative factor.

I recently interviewed a captain of a cargo aircraft. He had some interesting incite for me. When I asked about automation he said the part that worried him the most was many of the first officers have a tendency to fixate on it. When an autopilot begins doing something wrong or unexpected many of them try to fix the autopilot instead of disengaging it and flying by hand until the problem can be identified and resolved. This is troublesome as it goes against the age old pilot rule of flying the airplane first. This supports my belief that pilots are lacking training in dealing with automation and the proper procedures for when it fails.

Finally I believe much of this stems from the more modern aircraft used in flight training. I am currently conducting my training in a G1000 equipped Cessna 172. I started in an old 1970’s steam gauged 172. I have found the training in the older aircraft was key in developing many skills and building confidence and comfort with my own abilities to find my way and maneuver the aircraft without the aid of advanced autopilots coupled with GPS systems and other automated systems. I have the confidence that if the autopilot does something unexpected I can disconnect it and resume the flight by hand with little more than a slight feeling of being inconvenienced. Much of this comes from situational awareness and knowing where you should be is where you are and exactly where you are headed. I think training programs need to be rewritten and refocused to integrate automation. For more on this you can read Teaching Automation.

In the case of Air France 447 I feel the pilots ultimately lost situational awareness. The aircraft began stalling and the autopilot disengaged. The pilots were not following the instruments and failed to execute a proper scan interpret the scan and recognize the aircraft’s nose high low airspeed stall. Had the pilots been properly monitoring the aircraft they should have caught the declining airspeed and high angle of attack before it developed into a stall. This can be avoided with proper training in dealing with automation and how to adapt when it fails.

Introduction

     I got in to aviation because of my brother. When I was fourteen I flew with him from Ann Arbor, Mi. to Coeur D'alene, Id. in a Cessna 310. I was instantly hooked. The flying came easy to me, holding altitude and heading were extremely easy to me as well as maneuvers and navigating. At the time I set my goal to go to college for aviation after high school. However, in my sophomore year of high school I learned of an aviation mechanic program put on by our school, as well as the Michigan Institute of Aviation and Technology. I signed up and started the program in my Junior year of high school. I graduated high school having completed half of the program. I then took another year after high school to finish the program and receive my Airframe and Power Plant Mechanic's license. Shortly after I enrolled in Eastern Michigan University's Aviation Flight Technology program.
       I have now completed most of the aviation program and I'm on the verge of receiving my Instrument rating. I have held numerous jobs to help pay for college, including Contract maintenance at Detroit Metro Airport for airlines such as Southwest, Delta (pre Northwest merger), Continental, Air France, and Lufthansa. I then began working as a Flight Mechanic for National Airlines out of Willow Run Airport. I spent a lot of time in places such as Quartaro, Mexico, and Shannon, Ireland. So far I have managed to remain debt free through college. My ultimate goal is to pay for all college and flight time out of pocket without student loans. I feel this will give me more flexibility when accepting entry level flight positions.
      My goals for the future are to finish my degree and find a job flying. Through my experience, my ideal job would be with a scheduled carrier. I prefer knowing when I will be home and when I will be flying. My overall goal is to eventually fly for Southwest Airlines. I believe in their business model and feel their core beliefs align nicely with my own. For now I will continue working hard and paying my way through college to work towards these ultimate goals.