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The Runway Incursion Avoidance Task
A new chapter in the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge dated June 2012 contains “information pilots will be tested and checked on,” but is nowhere to be found in the faa.gov version of the PHAK. I’ve put together relevant links and critical notes about this elusive document.
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Fall Finals
Aviation Senior Seminar is coming to a close this week. For future reference, all of my posts for the class are filed under AVT422. Coming into this class, my career plans consisted of a few goals: Graduation, entry-level pilot job, regional or corporate upgrades, and some day get to fly one of the Boeing 7×7…
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Emissions Trading Explained, With Stick Figures
Behold the combination of my graphical design talent with my ability to explain the inner workings of the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS). Both are amazing, I know. Here’s the background. Europe (the blue stick figure) has been concerned about air pollution and global warming for many years. In 2005, to reverse the trend…
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NextGen is About Safety
The NextGen program is an ongoing effort to modernize the airspace system in the United States. It encompasses several long-term objectives, looking forward through 2020 and beyond. I use the term “ongoing” because I believe this program grew from the public perception in the 1990s that the government was relying on decades-obsolete equipment for air…
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Space Flight and Tourism
In response to Jason’s article about SpaceX, I will give my view of the utility and future of private space flight. First of all, I think it’s great that some of my classmates are aspiring to have careers in the private space flight industry. This is a novel idea in the sense that there were…
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Pilot Shortage: Just the Facts
The aviation industry is famous for its booms and busts. While all industries are subjected to business cycles, aviation is unique for its cries of a “pilot shortage” looming or existing during each boom. Airlines leverage this perception of a “shortage” to lobby for relaxed hiring rules, while flight schools use this in sales pitches…
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General Aviation in China
Have you heard that the Chinese market for pilots who want to fly privately (as in general aviation) is growing? Well, this particular market is not one in which China will outgrow its competitors any time soon. The reason this growth is occurring now is that it was essentially illegal to fly privately in China…
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Detroit Airspace Redesign
This is a heads up for anyone interested in commenting on the new Detroit airspace. NPRM comments must be received by the FAA deadline next Monday, October 15. I was able to get a sneak peek of the proposal back in March, so I’m already psyched up to start flying in a much larger and…
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Comair
This week, the topic is Comair, and the so-called regional airlines. These businesses are sometimes difficult to identify because their operations are owned or at least re-branded by major airlines. Comair flew for Delta Air Lines from 1984 until 2012. They used hundreds of “regional jet” aircraft, with the Delta logo, to take passengers on…
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Airfare
What is the ideal price for a ride on an airliner?