NextGen advantages and disadvantages

NextGen is a new technology that I can not wait for. There has been a lot of talk about NextGen for a few years now. There are many benefits of NextGen which I will talk about, but with anything good, it will come at a cost for someone.

In this short video by the FAA they say that in 2009 we had 689 Million passengers and 36 Billion pounds of cargo and those numbers are expected to increase by 50% in 2025. So with more air traffic we know we will be needing a new, better and faster system. NextGen provides pilots, and ATC with real time information. Pilots will know where they are in relation to other aircraft and the ground.  We will be moving from radar systems to satelitte technology. More airplanes would be able to fly closer together; 500 feet of vertical seperation will be the new standards. All this will lead to 20% reduction of en route errors, reduced fuel cost, more direct routes which will lead to faster flights, and fewer delays, and enhanced security by giving the FAA, Homeland Security, and the Military more effective means of watching traffic.

The FAA has already invested 128 Million in 2007, 216 Million in 2008, 659 Million in 2009, and 868 Million in 2010. That is a lot of money that shows that NextGen is coming soon. The problem lies with general aviation. If all aircraft will be required to install new equipment, how will aircraft owners afford to install new equipment, in partical the Automatic Dependent Surveillence Brodcast (ADS-B). The airplanes will litterally talk to each other to avoid mid air collisions by informing the pilots where to go. Another problem is that the NextGen system will eliminate 75% of the FAA workforce (according to my avt 315 professor). So it will come with cost, but is expected to save money in the long run.

Post 9/11 Airport Security

Yes, we all know aviation security is a hassle. As a Pakistani-American citizen I know how much TSA can be bothersome, but security has come a long way and there is still much to learn. There is an intresting article on CNN about how the Israelis have been doing there security; in particular El Al airlines. They actually interview everyone that boards the aircraft and believe it or not they have not had one incident...so it must work, a technique that I think most flyers will embrace more so than the screening.

In the article I looked at this week, a poll of over 2000 American passengers showed that nearly 1/3 of Americans are more concerned about security now then they were 10 years ago, and 84% said they believe American will be hit with another attack from a citizen of a foreign country in the next 10 years.

A pair of Gallup polls last year indicated relatively few U.S. air travelers (27 percent) are upset about security procedures, but 71 percent said they'd prefer it if security procedures included profiling rather than depending on random selections for more intense security screenings. The article also says that we waste money screening "grandmothers and other passengers who pose no threat to the system," but in my opinion, if terrorist really want to cripple America they would no doubt send there Grandma's to do some damage if they found TSA not screening elder people's.

 

The article also said "Every action and every layer of aviation security that has been added to the system has been based on a reaction to a previous threat," Which is why I believe we should institute the Israeli system of interviewing all passengers, if we can do it while people are waiting in line, it wouldn't be so bad with time. If we really want to be serious about safety then we should have everyone going thru screeners (except the flight crew) and everyone should be interviewed, and we should wait until something bad happens to act

Security Article: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/09/11/Sept-11-A-decade-later-how-secure-are-we/UPI-15221315724700/#ixzz1YLC4bunt

Automation and human error

I want to start off with a basic example of my view on automation...how often do we try to do something on a regular computer/labtop and mess up? (or how often does the computer mess up?) For me it's quite often. Don't get me wrong, I think automation is a great thing, just like I think computers are a great thing.  But I don't think we should have to rely on a computer to fly a plane.  Dr. Tartalone has told his flight students numerous times that most likely when we start flying it's not going to be something fancy, like a G-1000 system...it's going to be something simple in a DC-9.
In another example Dr. Phil told about some pilots that were trying to taxi a brand new freshly painted Airbus A-380, and they somehow made the plane think that it was in the air, so when they hit the brakes on the ground it didn't work, and they ended up totaling the new plane into a sound barrier.
If there is a complanency with automation that can be a big problem, as a avt. manager I would have more training every time new automation/technology comes out. Even if it cost more, training is an essential, but will end up saving lives in the end. 
The key advantage in automation in avtiation is giving pilot more Situation Awareness. It gives pilots a faster, and easier way of making a decision. But with that fast and easy decision will come alot of money being invested. So even if it doesn't work, atleast the lights look cool.

* http://aviationknowledge.wikidot.com/aviation:automation

The Beginning of Stealth

I am a 1st generation american citizen. I grew up and haved lived in Michigan my entire life.  I am currently studing at Eastern Michigan University, and I'm majoring in aviation flight management, however i was majoring in avt flight tech and have about 50 hours of flying time in a cessna 172, and I hope to continue flying after I can get my career started.

I first got started with avtiation after switching majors and switching schools. From Henry Ford Community College, to Saginaw Valley State University and now at Emu.  My uncle was in the Pakistan Air Force about 25 years ago, and tried to persuade me to do the same, but I chose college instead.

I have to admit I was very nervous flying, but i'll never forget my final landing...it was as smooth as butter, trust me, my butt bone is still hurting from some of my horrible landings, so I am very happy that I ended it (for the time being) on a good note.

I am happy to say that this will be my final year before I get my degree.  I am looking foward to that day.

Until next time,
Fly High