FAA’s Blakey Takes a Swipe at George Bush
In a recent speech before a large group of teachers from around the nation, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey was waxing poetic about the importance of building solid educational foundations for our kids, a topic I actually she and I happen to agree.
During the talk Blakey looked back on some of her experiences as administrator now that her five-year term is drawing to a close.
“I’ve been called upon to settle arguments about the number of planes that can fly into O’Hare, the place where on-time schedules go to die,” she said. ”I’ve had a continuing education on labor relations. And as Administrator, I’ve learned that signing international safety agreements sometimes requires you to ride a skiff, on the Amazon, in a rainstorm; and sometimes, sometimes well, the motor dies.”
And then, almost without a breath, Blakey added her thoughts about Yale-educated George Bush’s command of English. “And your ship’s captain — well, let’s just say that English isn’t his strong suit.”
Was this tongue in cheek? I don’t know Blakey well enough to say. Was it a final tink on the nose to the Commander-in-Chief for what she’s been dealing with the past five years? Possibly.
I was actually just happy that a senior Washington staffer finally admitted that Mr. Bush has never been able to use that Yale education of his for much of anything positive.
And people thought Marion Blakey had no sense of humor.
Technorati tags: FAA, NATCA, Marion Blakey, George Bush
AirVenture and Paris: What a difference
At the Paris Airshow and it’s counterpart in Farnborough England, the emphasis is clear … which company can announce more commercial airplane deals than another. That’s not bad by any means. But all aviation experiences are not created equal.
At the EAA’s AirVenture extravaganza in Oshkosh Wisconsin each year, tens of thousands of aviation enthusiasts (including Jetwhine’s editor) show up to watch and wonder, more often than buy.
We come to see new airplanes and products certainly, but also for an occasional glimpse of what’s to come. This year, Eclipse rolled out a new single-engine concept jet, Cirrus plans to build a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) as does Cessna with their new 162. There was also considerable talk about green airplanes which have recently become an industry focus now that the pendulum has swung to belief in a changing environment.
It was also clear at Air Venture however, that some companies have been involved in “e for environment” efforts for sometime. One company, Sonex Aircraft based at Oshkosh’s Wittman Airport, in partnership with AeroConversions took center stage at AeroShell Square on July 24 to unveil a number of powerplant alternatives that may well set new industry standards. The Sonex research and development team produced the e-Flight Initiative to explore viable alternative energies for powering sport aircraft, all designed to keep aviation affordable. (more...)
On the Record: An Interview with Former NATCA President John Carr
When John Carr told me he had 3,000 election votes - more than anyone else - I thought he was kidding.
He was referring to the poll run by AvWeb asking for replacement recommendations for outgoing FAA administrator Marion Blakey (and yes, Blakey has confirmed she won’t spend one extra day at FAA when her term expires in September).
By the time the voting ended, Carr had garnered nearly 4,200 votes to win the title of administrator could-be, no chump change against the likes of challengers AOPA president Phil Boyer and former JetBlue CEO David Neeleman.
John Carr is no stranger to elections though having both won and lost as president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Carr was replaced for the top NATCA slot by Patrick Forrey last fall after six years on the job.
Cessna 162 Skycatcher Should Grab a Chunk of the Flight Training Market
AirVenture is so much different than Paris. You can actually get close to the new machines in Oshkosh, which is just what I did this morning when Cessna officially unveiled the new Cessna 162 Skycatcher, the airplane giant’s new entry in the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category.
EAA president Tom Poberezny sat on stage today with Cessna CEO Jack Pelton during the ceremony. “People today have much higher expectations for training airplanes than they did years ago,” he told the audience. Cessna hopes the 162 will fill that hole that has been vacant in the training aircraft marketplace for many years.
Although copies of the new two-place Cessna won’t become available until the second half of 2009, orders are now being taken in Oshkosh. $5000 reserves a slot on the first 1,000 airframes.
Dear IFALPA: The Airplanes Have Already Left the Hangar
Just after another Brazilian aviation tragedy snuffed out the lives of 200 people in Sao Paulo Tuesday night comes word from the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association that airports there should be built with better Runway Safety Areas (RSAs).
At the risk of sounding callous, the airport didn’t kill anyone. The pilots evaluated the situation and decided to land based on what they thought the aircraft was capable of.
Someone asked today if I thought the pilots knew what was going to happen and if they would have continued had they realized. Of course not.
But complacency about the risks is always a threat hanging above the head of anyone who flies. We always think we can make it. But sometimes the deck gets stacked against us and we don’t recognize the mounting pressures for what they really are. (more...)
Chicago Area’s First VLJ Calls North American Jet Home
One of the cool parts about flying a jet airplane is being pushed into the back of your seat when you shove the throttles to the firewall. And yes, I know, jets don’t really have firewalls. The second most ego-boosting event comes when ATC asks you to slow down because they realize you’re catching up with slower airplanes ahead. Loss of an engine on takeoff is also greatly simplified in a jet. Just keep flying the airplane. There’s nothing else to worry about.
Now, as the first of the Very Light Jets begin to appear on the scene, more pilot are going to have the opportunity to learn these very important jet sensations for themselves. (more...)
Brazilian Report Says Legacy Pilots Are Guilty: Who Cares?
In advance of this week’s final report from the Brazilian House of Representatives about last year’s midair over the Amazon rainforest, Brazilian Representative, Marco Maia, author of the commission report, let it slip that the collision occurred because the Legacy pilots turned off the aircraft’s transponder.
How or why this happened is of little concern to Congressman Maia.
The ruling does seem oddly coincidental with an Embraer warning also issued to Legacy pilots last week not to use the aircraft’s footrests lest they turn of the transponder by mistake.
From the circus of justice that seems to represent the Brazilian government in this investigation, however, I think it’s time for Joe and Jan and Excelair and all the rest of us to move on. The Brazilian bureaucrats have made it pretty clear that nothing short of lynching these guys for the tragedy will suffice. (more...)
Airlines: A Great Smoke and Mirrors Show
I was reading a superb story in Sunday’s Chicago Tribune by Jon Hilkevitch about the chaotic state of the airline industry from the passenger perspective. You can’t possibly read it and not come away feeling a sense of hopeless, helplessness on the part of passengers often caged for days at a time within the archaic airline system. In the early days of airline chaos, I likened air travel to the Greyhound. Now, the bus actually seems like a better option.
I know, so tell you something you don’t already know.
It’s clear that the sense of hopelessness is not simply a passenger reaction. It’s actually become an airline business strategy until something better comes along. The problem is that no one in the airline industry has a clue how to change the business model to grow past jammed airplanes and a failing ATC system. We all know this can’t continue with airline load factors regularly sitting in the 90’s. (more...)
Legacy Pilots Turned Off Transponder, Brazil Says
Jethwhine’s man in Brazil, Marcelo Alves, said today´s edition of Folha de S. Paulo reported an important leak from the Brazilian Air Force investigation into last fall’s midair between a Gol Airlines Boeing 737 and a U.S. registered Embraer Legacy.
Folha says the Air Force is now convinced the Legacy pilots turned off the transponder by mistake and that the unit did not somehow fail as was previously thought. Details about exactly how the pilots turned off the transponder by mistake were not available.
The transponder issue was leaked to a Folha reporter yesterday in advance of the official Air Force document.
Technorati tags: brazil, ATC, Embraer+Legacy, midair+collision, pilots
Name the Airport … Win a Book
Oh what fun it is thinking of more interesting ways to get these brand new books out into the world.
But this time, a free copy of a Professional Pilot Career Guide will be headed to the first person who guesses the name of the airport where this new control tower enters service early next year. That probably means one chance in about 250 or so.
Need a hint?
This airport has zero airline operations.
My only request is that you post your guess here on Jetwhine so everyone else can see what has already been tried.
Perhaps one of you eagle-eyed NATCA readers?
In case you’d rather forgo the agony of another night’s sleep lost trying to figure out the answer, visit the book’s website directly to order. All Jetwhine readers receive a $5 rebate with a book purchase. That’s just about enough to cover the shipping.
If you really, really can’t stand the suspense, e-mail me at rob@propilotbook.com and if your whine is really astounding, I’ll probably take pity on you and share the answer to the quiz … as long as you don’t squeal to anyone else.
Rob Mark
Technorati tags: Professional Pilot Career Guide, jetwhine, control tower, NATCA, airport, FAA