What Will Effect Me?

 As I want to be an Air Marshal, at least toward the beginning of my career, new proposed aircraft tracking programs and recent (within the last few years) aircraft security scares, may help provide me a job. Although the Air Marshal does not have anything to do with the tracking of an aircraft, they will provide an extra experienced hand on the aircraft - specifically trained in security. I realize we are supposed to leave Malaysia Air Flight 370 well enough alone, but I think this will really impact my career as I read that because of this, and some other similar incidences, flight tracking and flight security will continue to grow into a more pressing issue. Flight security and tracking have always been some of the most important issues in aviation. Lately, Air Marshal's have become few in number, as the economy is still pretty weak and they some people deem them "unnecessary" in most cases. Since this is the case, and we still are not sure about the outcome of the latest airplane accidents, I believe and hope that they will begin a hiring spree for this position - to be seen as a huge risk suppressant in aviation security.

As explained in this article about better aircraft tracking, http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140413/NEWS02/140419644/Push-on-for-new-ways-to-track-airliners, families of victims are starting to really push for new and better ways for us to find aircraft that have gone down, under our vision. It has become clear with these recent incidences that aircraft tracking is not where it should be now. Since most airliners now are equipped with emergency locator beacons that don't work under water and data recorders whose battery-powered homing signals will last only about 30 days, aircraft tracking needs to be strengthened. Having added tracking programs and upgraded security, will really help aircraft safety.

Having additional Air Marshal's hired will help protect our aircraft by not just subjecting and sending out Marshal's just on high-risk flights, but spread them out more to heighten security across the board. Say, for instance, if a plane does go missing, and passengers begin to "freak out", an Air Marshal could be there to provide additional passenger comfort - as they are trained in the situation. Not to mention; another source of communication to the "outside world". This provides an added tracking system to the aircraft.

Export-Import Bank

The Export-Import Bank of our country is the official export credit agency of USA. They assist in financing the export of U.S. goods and services to the international markets.
(most of this information is from http://www.exim.gov/about/)
The Ex-Im Bank enables U.S. companies to turn exports into real sales that help to maintain and create jobs and contribute to our national economy. They do not compete with private sector lenders, but provide export financing products that fill gaps in trade financing. They assume credit and country risks that the private sector is unable or unwilling to accept. The Ex-Im Bank also helps to level the playing field for U.S. exporters by matching the financing that other governments provide to their exporters. They provide working capital guarantees; export credit insurance; and loan guarantees and direct loans. No transaction is too large or too small for the Ex-Im Bank. On average, more than 85% of their transactions directly benefit U.S. small businesses. The Ex-Im Bank has been around for around 80 years and has supported more than $600 billion of U.S. exports, primarily to developing markets worldwide.

Since the financial crisis in 2008, the Ex-Im Bank has played a major role in financing exports of Boeing aircraft. Since 2008, financing has approximated one-third of Boeing deliveries ($8-10 billion per year). In 2007, a new Aircraft Sector Understanding (ASU) was developed under the Economic Cooperation and Development group. This was a group of 34 democratic countries who promote their collective economic interest. The ASU established terms and conditions under which the countries and their manufacturers could provide aircraft financing to commercial aircraft, engines, components and other modifications. The 2007 ASU was designed to set pricing that is benchmarked off of competing commercial sources with periodic reviews to reset pricing to market. Financing terms such as term, exposure fees, and loan amortization were dependent of the strength of the underlying credit and the aircraft type involved.

Since the Ex-Im Bank is very much so involved in the Aviation Industry now; (since the Export-Import Bank Re-authorization Act of 2012) the Bank has gained much more power over the oversight of the industries financing. This takes more power away from the aviation companies, and it has started taking away jobs from the aviation industry. The Bank has been giving out many loans for the purchase of widebody aircraft. They have been loaning a lot of money to foreign airlines and companies - from the U.S. treasury. This may eventually have a very negative impact on the U.S. taxpayer, if they foreign companies default on their payments. I believe that there should be a greater government oversight on the Ex-Im Bank, to make sure that they do not step on the toes of the U.S. Aviation Industry - in order to hold our interests (the U.S. aviation workers/ U.S. taxpayers) above those of other countries.

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/2014-01-28/alpa-again-urges-end-exim-financing-widebodies explains the recent actions that the ALPA is taking to help secure U.S. Aviation Jobs.

UAVs

In searching for what UAVs are being used for in the civilian world, I found an interesting article by James Carroll of the Vision-Systems website - that he gathered from an issue of the National Geographic regarding the matter: http://www.vision-systems.com/articles/2013/06/five-ways-uavs-are-being-used-by-civilians.html

In summary of what James mentioned, UAVs are being used in the civilian world for:

-Hurricane Hunting by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Northrop Grumman team.

-3D Mapping by Pix4D (a Switzerland-based software company)

-Wildlife Protection by the U.S. Government

-Agriculture. In Japan they have been flying UAVs for 20 years to allow farmers to treat an acre of land in just five minutes.

-Search and Rescue. Canada uses these to find people using heat sensing equipment on their UAVs

From what I can understand, the NAS will definitely make use of the UAVs. Since the NAS already hold air traffic controllers under their 'wing', this may trigger a larger integration of unmanned aerial vehicles in the commercial and airline community. Using UAVs for this purpose is not available right now, but according to an article I found (http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20130922-ewave-future-of-drone-use-appears-to-be-wide-open.ece) this may be practiced in the decades to come. This means that even though a pilot will not be onboard the aircraft, there will still be a specific pilot controlling the airplane from the ground. The FAA is not allowing such a thing right now, saying that there is still too much risk involved with this procedure. In my opinion, I believe that the FAA is so far against integrating this right now in order to protect pilot jobs. There will come a time when UAVs will be the "main way to travel" and the FAA will allow this because of the push of just one airline to integrate such a program into their aircraft. Of course, if this goes well with one airline, and they end up saving even a little bit of money, the other airlines will be sure to follow suit. Maybe they could start this by having one pilot onboard "just in case" something happens, but even that probably will not happen for a few decades. 

Military integration of UAVs have been going on for a while now, and it seems this is definitely good procedure. From spying missions to bombing, UAVs are used as a great way to keep our soldiers from being in danger - since the UAVs are small enough to evade enemy radar, and can be controlled from home. Depending on the type of UAV, the price range costs from a few thousand dollars to tens of millions of dollars. This can be costly, but to protect potential loss of the lives of soldiers, it is well worth it.

I have found quite a few jobs available in UAV aviation. For example: Director of Domestic Growth (which integrates international plans into UAV strategy), UAV repair, UAV operator, Human Factors Engineer (which tests UAVs in terms of how the human factors aspect can be applied to the use of these programs), among many others. So, there are definitely opportunities to work with UAVs out there right now. 

Aviation Organizations

For my career path, it will definitely be important to join Aviation Organizations and Associations. I am not currently in any specific association, but I plan on doing it soon - when I have time and some money to invest in them and go to their meetings. One organization that I will definitely look into joining is the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). I have a couple friends who are currently in this association and they have told me how great their networking resources are, especially in administrative careers. I could really benefit from this one, but I need to be able to afford it first. Another association I am considering joining is the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Despite the fact that I am not a pilot, and certainly do not expect to own an aircraft anytime soon, I think joining the AOPA  would be very beneficial in the professional sense. Being that AOPA is the largest general aviation organization out there, I could easily network through it.

-The Mission of the NBAA is "To foster an environment that allows business aviation to thrive in the United States and around the world." More than 10,000 companies are represented by this organization. They provide more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community. This association has been around since 1947, which makes it very "experienced" compared to many other professional aviation organizations.

-The Mission of the AOPA is "We protect your freedom to fly by...advocating on behalf of our members, supporing activities that ensure the long-term health of General Aviation..." among many more. They generally want to protect the rights of pilots and other aviation professionals, especially when it comes to General Aviation. Just the fact that the AOPA has been around for so long shows their success and general 'know how' of the industry - which makes them a great organization to be a part of.

The greatest benefit, that I can see, from joining these organizations is the networking that can be done. Since these associations have so many members, there are people within the industry whom I really want to network with that are likely involved with at least one of these organizations. Having these on my resume can really help me when it comes to applying to industry jobs, as well. Especially if who I am being interviewed by is involved with one of these organizations, it could at least be a talking point during the interview.

Flying Cheap and Professionalism

After graduate school, I would like to end up working with the Transportation Security Administration. More specifically, I would like to begin working as a Federal Air Marshal. Working in the Federal Aviation world has always been a target for me. I have researched and learned that Federal job benefits tend to have some of the best programs in the country. Job security in the aviation field tends to be sketchy at times, but based on what I have heard from friends in these operations, and just general research, Federal aviation careers are more secure. I am aspiring to be a Federal Air Marshal because my ultimate goal is to travel, and I want to have the security of the TSA at my back. I am taking measures to make my resume, and by extension myself, for an interview as an Air Marshal. I have taken the CPL (Concealed Pistol License) class recently for this purpose. I am a few friends whom are already Air Marshal's - this will, of course, come in handy during the application process.

A Transportation Security Administration's Federal Air Marshal exists to protect passengers and flight crews on international and domestic flights. They identify and apprehend potential treats to the flight and prevent criminal activity. They must blend in with passengers in order to correctly protect the flight. By them being unidentifiable, they can effectively remain unseen while they survey and observe the passengers. The Federal Air Marshal often works alone, and carries a firearm to protect the flying public. By the nature of the job, the Air Marshal travels constantly. Due to the potential risks of the job, the Air Marshal must participate in a physical fitness program.

There are many potential safety and liability concerns that come with being a Federal Air Marshal. Every mission holds a risk of the Air Marshal having to handle an unruly passenger, and there is no telling how that will go. To mitigate the risk of this, I will be sure to follow through with my training to the "T". I will fully exercise caution when dealing with a problem passenger - no matter who they are. Beyond my personal duties, I will have to hold faith that the pilots, whom I will be traveling with, will follow their duties and know how to perform there job very well also.

Professionalism - To perform with the skill, understanding, and ability as expected of someone in that particular profession.

In this documentary, a lack of professionalism was demonstrated when:
-When the landing gear came down, on final approach, both the Captain and First Officer reacted very poorly. Instead of correcting the issue with the speed, the Captain made two quick mistakes, that slowed down the airplane. The First Officer put the flaps up, which put the plane into a stall.
-The management lacked professionalism as they failed to recognize that Captain Renslow only had  618 hours of flying time, and that he failed 5 Check Rides. Colgan failed to discover this, or just did not really care, and hired him. He was not experienced enough, or prepared to fly.

In my career, I plan to maintain and expand my level of professionalism by:
-Making sure to get adequate rest and eat properly, prior to my mission. Reducing fatigue can be the difference of being a good Air Marshal and a great Air Marshal. - as well as, reducing risk to myself and passengers.
-I will be sure to keep up to date with the rules and regulations pertaining to me and the rest of the TSA, myself.

NTSB Most Wanted

The Aviation specific items on the NTSB Most Wanted 2013 list are as follows: General Aviation: Identify and Communicate Hazardous Weather, and Address Unique Characteristics of Helicopter Operations. Since, in our aviation program, we tend me discuss Fixed-wing aircraft, I am going to focus on the Helicopter Operations item on the Most Wanted list.

According to the NTSB, the issue to address regarding Helicopter Operations is simply that higher risk tasks that helicopter operators need to take on (helicopter emergency medical services, for example) are leading to an unacceptably high number of accidents. There is no way to completely eliminate risk with anything, especially when it comes to something as intense as these certain helicopter operations. The NTSB is trying to implement educated and significantly researched programs for rotorcraft risk evaluation. Since the NTSB has researched so thoroughly over the last 10 years (regarding these safety issues), I believe they really do understand the dangers of the system as it is now, and issuing a proposed plan really shows that they are trying to do something about it. In addition to making people aware that there is a problem, I believe they should immediately develop and issue certain safety programs to rotorcraft operations, and to emergency helicopter organizations specifically in order to reduce risk. Helicopter pilots should, at least, be thrown into training scenarios that have posed the biggest threat to them in the field; based on the NTSB's research and findings over the last decade. Mitigating risk should be the target goal of these rotorcraft operations and the NTSB should immediately step in and make sure this is being done efficiently. These programs will not only benefit the pilots and operators, but the people whom they service as well.

I certainly believe that this two issues should be on the NTSB Most Wanted list. Weather has always been a huge issue and hazard in the aviation community. Since the PIC makes the final decision of "if" they should fly in certain weather or not, the NTSB wants to make sure that they have the proper weather-flight training, proper equipment available for being about to fly in certain weather, and very accurate and fast information regarding the weather. I also believe that these risky helicopter operations are an important issue, as well. On the Aviation Accident Reports page on the NTSB website (http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/reports_aviation.html), there are plenty of examples in which fatal accidents occurred from helicopters being in these researched, risky situations. Along with these issues, I believe there are other problems in the industry in which some new NTSB enforced programs could really help all types of aircraft operations. One such BIG problem in the industry is aircraft collision and improper direction from the tower. A case involving a midair collision between a Piper PA-32R-300 and a Eurocopter over the Hudson River in 2009 is a great example of this problem. It was determined that the air traffic controller's distraction and lack of guidance was a probable cause of this accident (http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/summary/AAR1005.html). The industry would certainly benefit by setting up programs to better improve air traffic control operations. These programs could help better screen air traffic controllers to ensure they are a good fit for their position, as well as, help make better the very competent air traffic control operations.

I definitely see the potential for new jobs within the NTSB - due to this new Most Wanted list. Assuming the NTSB acts on what it is recognizing in the industry, they will surely hire people to help implement these new programs. Along with the NTSB, the general aviation: weather problem will require more people to help expedite the weather fast and accurately. People involved with the training of pilot's for the weather problem, according to NTSB, will need to be hired as well. There is a lot of potential for new jobs because of this newly published NTSB Most Wanted list.

Landing at the wrong airport...no biggie?

On July 20, 2012, a large military C-17 bound for MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, FL landed at the Peter O. Knight airport by mistake. The Peter O. Knight Airport is significantly smaller than the Air Force Base airport, which made it problematic for the C-17 to land there. It was determined that the C-17 pilot's confusion is not completely unjustified as both airports are within 4 miles of each other, as well as, the runway's of both airports are both numbered 22 and run in the same direction. The Air Force Base's runway is 11,500ft long, whereas the smaller airport has a runway length of only 3,500ft. The C-17 was cleared to land at the Air Force Base, but just mistakenly landed at the smaller airport.

Full story here: http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/264803/8/Massive-military-plane-lands-at-wrong-airport-in-Tampa

In the C-17 case of mistaken airport landing: A large part of the hazard surrounding this mistake was that the wrong airport happened to be right in the middle of a large, suburban neighborhood. If this large aircraft was not lucky enough, or the pilot's were not skilled enough to land the large aircraft on such a small runway (3,500ft opposed to the necessary C-17 runway length of 7,600ft, according to http://planes.findthebest.com/q/139/7735/How-long-of-a-runway-does-the-Boeing-C-17-Globemaster-III-Jet-need-to-take-off) then it could have ended up being disastrous for many people at and around the airport. In general, wrong airport possible hazards include: collisions due to traffic, unavoidable runway run-off for some aircraft, confusion to a tower which would create more immediate mistakes, and many other possible disasters. 

In order to correct issues such as this, airports should be able to make modifications as to insure that the arriving pilot's know exactly where they are. For airports that are very close to each other, towered airports could ask each arriving aircraft exactly which airport they are planning to land at. That way, there would be less risk involved in making this mistake. 

As an Aviation Management Major: In the case of the Southwest 737, I believe that the pilot's were rightfully suspended until the investigation was complete. As this was viewed as an "innocent mistake" it is very important to investigate in order to make sure that the pilot's did not make the mistake due to fatigue or any other personal reason. If the pilot's are cleared for anything unforgivable by the NTSB, then I see no reason why the pilot's should not be able to continue flying as they would have been before the incident.