General

On July 23, Senators Inhofe (OK) and King (ME), introduced the Promoting the Launch of Aviation’s Next Era Act of 2019 (the PLANE Act of 2019), S. 2198, a 38-page bill which according to  press releases from Senator Inhofe’s and Senator King’s offices, “would empower the voices of pilots, invest in airport infrastructure and ensure more opportunities for a trained aviation workforce.”  In a recent letter to  both Senators, thirteen aviation associations indicated their strong support for the bill.
Continue Reading Plane-ly Speaking About the PLANE Act of 2019 – Part I

While there will always be technological developments in the aviation industry, it is for the most part, a mature industry. On the other hand, the drone industry, measured against fixed wing and rotorcraft, is probably in the range of 20 percent mature. While drones have, in the defense world, been in use for decades, it’s only been in the last few years that drone technology has entered the commercial world.
Continue Reading UAS: Even If You Can Find Them, You Can’t Identify or Stop Them!

In Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents (1997), Dr. James Reason defined “just culture” as:

An atmosphere of trust in which people are encouraged, even rewarded, for providing essential safety-related information–but in which they are also clear about where the line must be drawn between acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

While line drawing often involves sensitive tradeoffs and judgments, recent judicial decisions by the courts in Switzerland involving air traffic controllers provoke vigorous head-scratching, not to mention strong condemnation from the international air traffic control community.
Continue Reading Criminalization of Aviation: ‘You Have the Right to Remain Silent’