I think the Next Generation project will have an affect on my future endeavor into the job market as an FAA employee.
The wikepedia definition is;
"The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is the name given to a new National Airspace System due for implementation across the United States in stages between 2012 and 2025.[1] NextGen proposes to transform America’s air traffic control system from a ground-based system to a satellite-based system. GPS technology will be used to shorten routes, save time and fuel, reduce traffic delays, increase capacity, and permit controllers to monitor and manage aircraft with greater safety margins.[2]Planes will be able to fly closer together, take more direct routes and avoid delays caused by airport “stacking” as planes wait for an open runway.[3] To implement this the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will undertake a wide-ranging transformation of the entireUnited States air transportation system. This transformation has the aim of reducing gridlock, both in the sky and at the airports. In 2003, the U.S. Congress established the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) to plan and coordinate the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System."
I feel this will positively influence my future with the FAA, because it will need regulation and constant improvement and monitoring. It means job security for years to come.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Export-Import Bank
The Ex-Im Bank is supposed to aid the export of American
goods and services by providing loans to companies who can not or are not
willing to afford the fees and political risks inherent in these transactions.
It has been a self sustaining federal government agency since 1945. It is
regulated by the Congress of the United States.
Any company that wished to secure a loan submits an
application and it goes through an approval process.
The specific issue that aviation companies have with the
Bank is that they are not supposed to favor certain companies. In order for
them to be fair, a mandate has been set for them to offer 20% of their loans to
small businesses. This may sound like a viable plan, but heres the kicker, They
have largely supported Boeing and Enron. In 2007 -2008, 65% of their loan
guarantees went to companies purchasing Boeing aircraft. In 2012, 82% of their
guarantees went to Boeing customers.
I do not particularly care who the bank gives money to, as
long as they do not have a high default rate which affects me as a taxpayer. It
unnerves me that this is a governmental agency. It needs to be a private agency
where ultimately I am not paying the salaries and it is not wasting the time of
my civil servants who could be processing more pressing matters for the United
States. They need to let it be privately owned and run, a regular business with
no bail out potential.
In the revitalization agreement that Obama signed, it has
negotiations. In its second set of negotiations , it aims to reduce and
eventually eliminate export credit financing for all aircraft covered by the
2007 sector. The link for these aircraft describes what this specifically
means. I feel they are finding their own temporary solutions to quell the anger in the aviation industry, but feel this is only a temporary fix for a permanent problem, the bank needs to be private.
Friday, March 7, 2014
UAVs
Practical applications of the UAV are wide and varied. I think I came up with a pretty comprehensive list;
Military Reconnaissance, instant access to intelligence, emergency response, search and rescue, forensics, traffic accident reconstruction, GIS mapping, arial surveys, environmental monitoring and crowd control.
The civilian purposes that the UAV is currently used for in the United States are; Hurricane hunting, 3-D mapping, Protecting wildlife populations and wildlife management. In other countries they are used for treating farmland (Japan) and Search and Rescue (Canada).
Civilian UAVs are regulated with a Certificate of Authorization given by the FAA. This is currently only granted to federal, state and local governments. It is also restricted so that they can only be flown in specified areas. The restrictions are; Flight below 400 ft. AGL, Daytime ops in VFR, Range limited to visual line of sight and greater than 5 miles from an airport.
Today the FAA is fighting to allow commercial drones in NAS by 2015. They hope to have 7,500 of them certified to be in air space by 2020. According to a report done by aeryon.com on May 14, 2012, the FAA is actively trying to integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Their main focus is on safety and streamlining the process for the Certificate of Authorization (COA). They are promoting the UAS for public safety use such as search and rescue. They say this is a viable option. I think the logistical problems would be making sure that they are used by professionals, not recreationally, so they can control their useable space. That way they will not cause problems with civilian safety. I believe the perception would be that they are being used to invade our privacy. I think Americans are very particular about the invasion of privacy by the government.
The UAVs have transformed our military strategy when they became lethal. The traditional mission was intelligence gathering and guiding weapons to their targets. Now the focus is on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, suppression of enemy air defense and counter-air. Now that we can attack with it, it seems easier to be misused because their is no moral or ethical lines that may be blurred by seeing the aftermath of your attack.
Integration would be efficient financially because the initial cost and operating expenses are low. However because we need to regulate these and have safety concerns, the cost would be significantly higher because of the need for trained professionals to fly and operate them. Ethically I feel there is too much room to abuse these. Americans are not typically responsible with using things recreationally in a safe and effective manner. Once the door opens, it is hard to keep tight controls and safety standards. UAVs are wonderful for being able to get information quickly and efficiently in the field. Being unable to easily control a UAV causes problems with being able to complete a task properly and getting the data that needs to be used.
There are current jobs available for civilian use of UAVs in flight and in management at jobs.uavjobbank.com.
Military Reconnaissance, instant access to intelligence, emergency response, search and rescue, forensics, traffic accident reconstruction, GIS mapping, arial surveys, environmental monitoring and crowd control.
The civilian purposes that the UAV is currently used for in the United States are; Hurricane hunting, 3-D mapping, Protecting wildlife populations and wildlife management. In other countries they are used for treating farmland (Japan) and Search and Rescue (Canada).
Civilian UAVs are regulated with a Certificate of Authorization given by the FAA. This is currently only granted to federal, state and local governments. It is also restricted so that they can only be flown in specified areas. The restrictions are; Flight below 400 ft. AGL, Daytime ops in VFR, Range limited to visual line of sight and greater than 5 miles from an airport.
Today the FAA is fighting to allow commercial drones in NAS by 2015. They hope to have 7,500 of them certified to be in air space by 2020. According to a report done by aeryon.com on May 14, 2012, the FAA is actively trying to integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Their main focus is on safety and streamlining the process for the Certificate of Authorization (COA). They are promoting the UAS for public safety use such as search and rescue. They say this is a viable option. I think the logistical problems would be making sure that they are used by professionals, not recreationally, so they can control their useable space. That way they will not cause problems with civilian safety. I believe the perception would be that they are being used to invade our privacy. I think Americans are very particular about the invasion of privacy by the government.
The UAVs have transformed our military strategy when they became lethal. The traditional mission was intelligence gathering and guiding weapons to their targets. Now the focus is on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, suppression of enemy air defense and counter-air. Now that we can attack with it, it seems easier to be misused because their is no moral or ethical lines that may be blurred by seeing the aftermath of your attack.
Integration would be efficient financially because the initial cost and operating expenses are low. However because we need to regulate these and have safety concerns, the cost would be significantly higher because of the need for trained professionals to fly and operate them. Ethically I feel there is too much room to abuse these. Americans are not typically responsible with using things recreationally in a safe and effective manner. Once the door opens, it is hard to keep tight controls and safety standards. UAVs are wonderful for being able to get information quickly and efficiently in the field. Being unable to easily control a UAV causes problems with being able to complete a task properly and getting the data that needs to be used.
There are current jobs available for civilian use of UAVs in flight and in management at jobs.uavjobbank.com.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Aviation Organizations and my Career Path
The career path I have chosen in the aviation industry is to move forward in management. As a woman in the field, the first organization I was drawn to is Women in Aviation ( WAI.ORG). They are a non profit organization that has a mission to encourage the advancement of women in all aviation career fields and interests. They also have a very large group of men who have joined. As a matter of fact, my first ground school instructor, Ryan, encouraged me to join because he was a member and found it very rewarding.
The benefits of being a part of WAI are that they provide networking, education, mentoring and scholarships. It is not always the easiest thing to find your local chapters and you do have to do some of your own leg work. The staff is always friendly and very willing to talk to you about aviation. You truly feel connected to people who love the industry and want you to be a part of it.
They help to promote interest in aviation through their blogs, twitter, advertising, conferences, career opportunities and recognition of those who are making strides in helping others achieve their goals, or those who are reaching their goals in the industry.
The second organization I have joined is the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE.ORG). They do not necessarily have a mission statement, but a code of ethics. One of the statements in the code that I found interesting was the one that says we will not elect officials that would compromise the performance of a professional executive. Making statements about who we will vote for, is a bold move. I feel this organization is more motivated for those of us who want to be a part of the professional environment. I feel it will promote me well in the business world. I plan on getting all my certifications.
AAAE is committed to providing services and ideas to maximize revenues and minimize costs for airports, keeps you informed of the industry issues, offers you combined experience and shared knowledge from other professionals and helps you become and efficient and productive manager.
The benefits of being a member are subscriptions to Airport magazine and Airport Report today. Access to the member directory and information library. Discounts on meetings and products, eligibility of professional development, priority response from staff and a card and pin to prove you are a member. I have only spoken with a couple of people who are involved in this organization, and they are always professional.
Of the two organizations I feel I have a well rounded group of people who can fill most of what I need in the industry. I do not know where my career will lead me, but I feel like I have the support to succeed.
The benefits of being a part of WAI are that they provide networking, education, mentoring and scholarships. It is not always the easiest thing to find your local chapters and you do have to do some of your own leg work. The staff is always friendly and very willing to talk to you about aviation. You truly feel connected to people who love the industry and want you to be a part of it.
They help to promote interest in aviation through their blogs, twitter, advertising, conferences, career opportunities and recognition of those who are making strides in helping others achieve their goals, or those who are reaching their goals in the industry.
The second organization I have joined is the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE.ORG). They do not necessarily have a mission statement, but a code of ethics. One of the statements in the code that I found interesting was the one that says we will not elect officials that would compromise the performance of a professional executive. Making statements about who we will vote for, is a bold move. I feel this organization is more motivated for those of us who want to be a part of the professional environment. I feel it will promote me well in the business world. I plan on getting all my certifications.
AAAE is committed to providing services and ideas to maximize revenues and minimize costs for airports, keeps you informed of the industry issues, offers you combined experience and shared knowledge from other professionals and helps you become and efficient and productive manager.
The benefits of being a member are subscriptions to Airport magazine and Airport Report today. Access to the member directory and information library. Discounts on meetings and products, eligibility of professional development, priority response from staff and a card and pin to prove you are a member. I have only spoken with a couple of people who are involved in this organization, and they are always professional.
Of the two organizations I feel I have a well rounded group of people who can fill most of what I need in the industry. I do not know where my career will lead me, but I feel like I have the support to succeed.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Professionalism
In the future I see myself working for the FAA in Texas or California. I know I will have to go for training in Okalahoma City first. The stations I am most interested in are in warmer climates. I would like to work in safety and training, which hopefully includes lots of travel. Any chance to be around planes.
While looking on the FAA website for employment opportunities, I have found that safety inspectors have to have a pilots license, and I do not right now, so I am looking more for the training aspect of the job. I would like to start in a smaller role like recurrent training and safety training and then possibly move up to head of the training department.
Some of the issues that the FAA and OSHA are concerned about include, but are not limited to; Record Keeping, Bloodborne Pathogens, Noise, Sanitation, Hazard communication, Anti-discrimination and Communication with the Federal Register Notices. As an employee for the FAA I am sure there is a specific protocol on how to train and keep proper records of understanding. I would have to be up to date on all of the standards and do my best to communicate the objectives of safety and standards to those I train.
In my own words professionalism is an attitude. An Attitude of safety and appropriate behavior in a working environment. Each working environment may have things about them that are different. For example, at Google, the employees are encouraged to take naps and refresh themselves, where in the aviation field the pilots are expected to work long, exhausting workdays and to care for people and cargo and maintain the sharpest level of skills.
The lack of professionalism was shown in the "Flying Cheap" documentary when it showed the falsifying of records and when the Captain and First officer on the Colgan accident did not communicate properly to get out of a stall.
If I can get a job with the FAA, I will maintain my professionalism by always being on top of the latest safety requirements and regulations in the Aviation industry. I will also make sure I am abreast of how the workers in the fields that I train, are responding to the regulations and requirements by being a part of forums and blogs and discussing the topics with those who live it daily.
While looking on the FAA website for employment opportunities, I have found that safety inspectors have to have a pilots license, and I do not right now, so I am looking more for the training aspect of the job. I would like to start in a smaller role like recurrent training and safety training and then possibly move up to head of the training department.
Some of the issues that the FAA and OSHA are concerned about include, but are not limited to; Record Keeping, Bloodborne Pathogens, Noise, Sanitation, Hazard communication, Anti-discrimination and Communication with the Federal Register Notices. As an employee for the FAA I am sure there is a specific protocol on how to train and keep proper records of understanding. I would have to be up to date on all of the standards and do my best to communicate the objectives of safety and standards to those I train.
In my own words professionalism is an attitude. An Attitude of safety and appropriate behavior in a working environment. Each working environment may have things about them that are different. For example, at Google, the employees are encouraged to take naps and refresh themselves, where in the aviation field the pilots are expected to work long, exhausting workdays and to care for people and cargo and maintain the sharpest level of skills.
The lack of professionalism was shown in the "Flying Cheap" documentary when it showed the falsifying of records and when the Captain and First officer on the Colgan accident did not communicate properly to get out of a stall.
If I can get a job with the FAA, I will maintain my professionalism by always being on top of the latest safety requirements and regulations in the Aviation industry. I will also make sure I am abreast of how the workers in the fields that I train, are responding to the regulations and requirements by being a part of forums and blogs and discussing the topics with those who live it daily.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
NTSB 10 Most Wanted List
The NTSB just released its report on the ten things they most want to change. The list included all modes of transportation. There were two articles that paid particular attention to the aviation industry. One was titled, "Address Unique characteristics of Helicopter Operations". The one I would like to focus on was titled, "General Aviation: Identify and Communicate Hazardous Weather".
This article was focus on general aviation. The specific information that smaller planes get regarding weather conditions. It talked about the lack of communication by the ATC and National Weather Service and the lack of knowledge or overconfidence of the pilot when entering certain weather conditions. The NTSB felt solutions to be 1) Pilots training and Operations, 2) creation of weather information and advisories and 3) the collection and interpretation and relay of weather information by the FAA and NWS. The work they are doing is in the initial assessing stages, gathering information and creating teams to deal with the issues.
I feel that of all the hot topic issues in the industry it was important that these two made the list. Beginning in the GA as a student pilot, it is invaluable to know how weather can affect your equipment and impair your skill set. I feel that there should always be pilot training and improvement. It is hard to pick just one topic that should be focused on. I know in the past urgency has been placed on pilot sleep patterns and work hours. I feel these are more pressing issues, but we can only deal with one thing at a time. Weather is a crucial part to flight safety and should always be addressed.
I feel the potential for new jobs to address these issues is endless. Right now they have teams out researching. In the future they will need meteorologists, specialist, trainers, books written, pamphlets created, recurrent training, more weather service help in the airlines, more trained professionals when it comes to weather. This has created a whole new pocket of people who will have their own specialized group, maybe called Aviation Weather Specialists.
This article was focus on general aviation. The specific information that smaller planes get regarding weather conditions. It talked about the lack of communication by the ATC and National Weather Service and the lack of knowledge or overconfidence of the pilot when entering certain weather conditions. The NTSB felt solutions to be 1) Pilots training and Operations, 2) creation of weather information and advisories and 3) the collection and interpretation and relay of weather information by the FAA and NWS. The work they are doing is in the initial assessing stages, gathering information and creating teams to deal with the issues.
I feel that of all the hot topic issues in the industry it was important that these two made the list. Beginning in the GA as a student pilot, it is invaluable to know how weather can affect your equipment and impair your skill set. I feel that there should always be pilot training and improvement. It is hard to pick just one topic that should be focused on. I know in the past urgency has been placed on pilot sleep patterns and work hours. I feel these are more pressing issues, but we can only deal with one thing at a time. Weather is a crucial part to flight safety and should always be addressed.
I feel the potential for new jobs to address these issues is endless. Right now they have teams out researching. In the future they will need meteorologists, specialist, trainers, books written, pamphlets created, recurrent training, more weather service help in the airlines, more trained professionals when it comes to weather. This has created a whole new pocket of people who will have their own specialized group, maybe called Aviation Weather Specialists.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Wrong Airport Landings
On Tuesday August 7, 2012 a regional commuter operated by Silver Airways landed at the wrong airport. United Express 4049 was supposed to commute from Morgantown to Clarksburg but instead landed at Fairmont Municiple airpot ten miles away. The plane was carrying 11 passengers and 3 crew members. The crew was suspended pending the investigation. The route was new to the airline.
The hazards of making such a mistake are; the possibility of the airport not being able to handle that kind of equipment, traffic congestion and possible collision.
I do not feel there is just one reason for this mistake. I could be poor crew resource management, no sterile cockpit, overworked crew, confusing or common layouts of nearby airports or distraction, to name a few.
I do feel the media is always seeking for newsworthy stories. I feel like a lot of things are brought out by media attention and sensationalized. This type of incident is correctable. No people were harmed, just a minor inconvenience. That is great for now, but I am sure if another incident happened where there were fatalities, the media would be grateful they had a story to use as a background.
As a management professional I would say the decision for southwest to suspend its employees was proper. You can not keep someone on staff and defend them until you have enough time and information to protect your company and the individuals involved. It does not hurt anyone to make actions to satisfy the public cry for someone to pay for immediate actions and to give you and your company time to sort things out. I am sure we are all grateful this was not a fatal situation.
The hazards of making such a mistake are; the possibility of the airport not being able to handle that kind of equipment, traffic congestion and possible collision.
I do not feel there is just one reason for this mistake. I could be poor crew resource management, no sterile cockpit, overworked crew, confusing or common layouts of nearby airports or distraction, to name a few.
I do feel the media is always seeking for newsworthy stories. I feel like a lot of things are brought out by media attention and sensationalized. This type of incident is correctable. No people were harmed, just a minor inconvenience. That is great for now, but I am sure if another incident happened where there were fatalities, the media would be grateful they had a story to use as a background.
As a management professional I would say the decision for southwest to suspend its employees was proper. You can not keep someone on staff and defend them until you have enough time and information to protect your company and the individuals involved. It does not hurt anyone to make actions to satisfy the public cry for someone to pay for immediate actions and to give you and your company time to sort things out. I am sure we are all grateful this was not a fatal situation.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Introduction
My goal with this blog is to gain some practical and useful tools that will give me an edge in my aviation career. Hopefully through this I will gain a network of aviation professionals, friends and enthusiasts that respect each others opinions and help us all grow and learn.
I understand that the aviation field is a tight knit group of individuals with a similar mindset and I am excited to feel like I am more a part of it all. Being a woman in aviation is a thrill. I am with many others who always make me feel welcome and loved. The aviation field is always changing and always talked about. I hope this will give me the insight I need to continue to navigate this fascinating life I have chosen for myself.
I understand that the aviation field is a tight knit group of individuals with a similar mindset and I am excited to feel like I am more a part of it all. Being a woman in aviation is a thrill. I am with many others who always make me feel welcome and loved. The aviation field is always changing and always talked about. I hope this will give me the insight I need to continue to navigate this fascinating life I have chosen for myself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)