Sunday, September 25, 2011

Next Gen

There is a way to make today's ATC to more precises and make productivity of airlines go up. This system is called Next Gen ATC, and there our a number of reasons why this is can improve today's aviation world. One of the biggest things is that will increase the space we have in the airports airspace by being able to make aircraft's take more direct routes. This will also give pilots the ability to see were aircraft's our in relation to them and to the ground. This will allow more air traffic to become easily controlled, and increase the amount of traffic they can take in.

ATC will take on less errors with this new system, increasing the productivity of ATC, by use of computers. This will also allow aircraft's to take more direct flight paths to their destination and safer. This is safer because the system can track weather issues and use more efficient and safer paths through airways. This allows air airspace to be more readily and easily traceable by the FAA. With this improved system, this means flights take less time to travel, and take the safest way possible, increasing the productivity of the airport, and keeping costumers happy.

AOPA is looking forward to having the Next Gen system put into aviation in this reading. The cost of the NextGen is estimated to come out to around $15 to $22 billion. This is the kind of money that the airlines and GA will have to come up with in order to implement these systems. In the mean while, the price of flights will have to go up for companies to be able to compensate for the money they spent. This will set there spending founds back for some time, but in the long run it will increase safety and revenue brought in. NextGen will probably not be fully implemented and used by almost every airport till 2025. 

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Security in Aviaiton

Since the 9/11 attack as occurred, there have been many changes in aviation since. Security being the number one choice on the list as far as thing to improve since then. Airport security is no longer taken lightly since the attacks, and now some people think they have gone to far with it. Every person has a comfort zone, an in order to pass security at the airport, many feel like this comfort zone is being broken. Many people believe that this doesn't need to be done this extensively.
As this article and video states that security as gotten completely out of hand as far searches go. Just over  fifty percent of people in a poll stated that these intrusive security checks do make them feel safer, as the other percentage either don't care or don't feel safer. It appears that pretty soon, we will no longer have to take off our shoes when going through security check, as our security equipment has become more advanced. The fact is that these intrusive searches make people feel like they are being wrongfully searched, especially with how in depth they get with there searches. In the near future, technology will allow us, not to have to take off our shoes, like other countries who do not have to do that because there technology can cover that.
Another security threat airports take is that terrorism seems to be coming up with a new way to try and breach airport security. The latest bomb risk is that Al Qaeda is practicing implanting bombs into the flesh of another living human being. The associated risk of this is that the airport security technology can only see through clothing, and not through human flesh. Future security will have to be able to counter this with intelligence, better technology, and even possible a bomb unit with dogs. As terrorism finds ways to pass our security, the industry has to find a better way of implementing technology to not intrusive search others.
   

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Issues with Automation

Automation was brought in to help the pilot relieve his work load, and to reduce the amount of stress a pilot already carries during each flight. Automation has been used in airplanes for quite sometime, and needless to say they have not been perfect. Problems and issues in automation are arising, and it is all too things that can be corrected. Does a problem with an automated system  go bad mean that the flight is going to go over bad or is this something that can be prevented?

Automation is a great system to be used, it takes a work load off of the pilots and does so much to the flight that is being conducted. Not to long ago Air France Flight 447 went down of the south Atlantic Ocean, caused by an error with an automated system. This is something that can be prevent just by pilots to revert to the training they first learn. A good point to make out of this, is that pilots should be retested once a year if not more often on how to operate the aircraft without automated systems. This would help pull this burden off of what happens when the systems go offline, or registers an error.

Pilots need to not be complacent, and watch there automated systems to make sure they are properly operating themselves. Becoming to reliant on them will just cause those using them to not double check the reading and take the system for granted, and as stated in this article, we need to go back to the training we first received when pilots weren't reliant on theses systems. Pilots are almost not actually final a plane when it comes to these automated systems, but they should go back and follow these systems as if they were actually flying the plane the entire time, so when things compute as errors on the systems, pilots are quick to fix them and carry on with the mission.

http://www.examiner.com/airlines-airport-in-national/aircraft-automation-issues-raise-safety-concerns

Monday, September 5, 2011

How I gotten into Aviation

     My first interest peaked in aviation when I was in my youth. My Father had his private pilots license, which gave me the opportunity growing up to leave the ground and explore the skies at a young age. From these experiences growing up, aviation peaked my interested and gave me something to aim for a future career. Not only did I have these experiences but also my father was a great role model for me to follow for many reasons.
     To pursue this career it was now time to decide what schools I should attend for college. When I finally figured out that I wanted to attend Eastern Michigan, I had to begin looking into what would be my field of study of Aviation I wanted to get into. Not every college offers aviation, so I had a unique opportunity to major in Aviation here. I decided to go into Aviation Management Technology, which gives me the chance to go into the management side of things in aviation.
     I Currently in the Army National Guard, and attending the Army ROTC program where I will Receive my commission when I graduate in 2012. I plan on getting into Logistics and Transportation while I serve my time in the Army. When I get out in a couple of years after doing that, I want to use my degree and my life experiences to get into the management side of things for aviation. This is how I got into aviation and how I plan to continue pursuing the career field.