FAA GA Medical Reform

While conducting research for the current state of medical reform for recreation pilots I found a plethora of information which was a big surprise to me. July 2014, while at the Oskhosk airshow was the last time I had heard about any sort of medial reform coming to the general aviation community and honestly at the time I was not a big supporter. I still am skeptical about the whole idea of letting people fly airplanes in VMC and IMC with nothing more than a valid drivers license but there are provisions to the proposed rule that make it not quite as dangerous as I once thought (Tennyson, E).

The current agenda for medical reform within the aviation community is to propose an updated pilots bill of rights that will address the need for a third class medical which will include pilots who will be engaging in any of the following (Text - S.571 - 114th Congress).

• Aircraft over 6000 lbs gross weight
• More than 5 passengers
• Higher than 14,000ft
• More than 250 KIAS

Another way of looking at that list is to interpret it the people who do not need a third class medical to fly which is basically if you do not meet all of those criteria you will be legal to go fly. 

While searching for information regarding the amended Pilots Bill of Rights 2 I was unable to find an associated NPRM but while searching more I found that the proposed rule change is actually not formally a proposed rule in the eyes of the federal registrar. The proposition to amend the regulations was put together by senators in congress and has been formally written up and introduced into the house and senate but has not progressed any further (Tennyson, E).

Determining the pros and cons to the implementation of a regulation allowing recreation pilots to fly without a medical is a easy one in my opinion. A positive aspect of the regulation if it goes through is that it will stimulate the GA community and allow many previously grounded pilots to become current again, which will thus stimulate the economy from the people buying and selling airplanes. A negative aspect of the rule if it goes through I believe is obvious, if it does go through there could be potentially a lot of incidents and accidents polluting our aviation community by old pilots who are able to pass a drivers test but probably are not well enough to be at the controls of any airplane regardless of how fast or slow it is. 

I truly do have mixed feelings for this topic, I know that the potential for many more accidents caused by incompetent pilots will likely increase by the passing of this law but at the same time I know that when I am 70 plus years old and maybe cannot pass a medical and am permanently grounded I will be devastated. In my opinion the physical ability to pass a drivers test by an unhappy desk agent at the secretary of state is pretty easy, meaning that almost anyone would be able to fly an airplane which is scary. There seems to be only one logical way to make this work for old pilots who still may be physically fit to fly, the addition of a regulation that requires more frequent flight reviews. If pilots who really are physically fit to fly can pass a flight review maybe two times a year instead of once every other year I think that would be the perfect implementation of regulation to address both problems. 

Tennyson, E. (2015, February 26). Medical reform legislation introduced in House, Senate. Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2015/February/26/Medical-reform-legislation-introduced-in-House-and-Senate

Text - S.571 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Pilot's Bill of Rights 2. (2015, February 25). Retrieved November 30, 2015, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/571/text  

Chinese Competitor to Airbus

COMAC, in my opinion has started down a road of aircraft manufacturing with hopes of one day surpassing its competitors; Boeing and Airbus. Unfortunately for COMAC it lacks the innovation and reputation that its competitors currently hold. Both Boeing and Airbus have established reputations for themselves over the years as industry leaders for transport category aircraft and have left little room for smaller companies to build up a reputation for themselves. In my opinion the C919 will receive certification but I do not think that it will ever surpass its American and French competitors in the airline industry and eventually will fizzle out similar to a super nova, shine bright die young.

I personally believe that the C919 will pose but a minuscule risk to US carriers. The probability of the major US air carriers transitioning to a Chinese made transport category aircraft is next to none for a variety of reasons such as; negative media due to public perception and also just for their own sake they would rather rely on products with known and proven safety records than something new. For the most part the majority of accidents and incidents do not happen when aircraft are old but rather when they are new and in the initial introduction stage of the products life cycle where there has not been nearly enough testing done to ensure any type of reliability. While major US air carriers probably opt to pass on the Chinese jet it is possible that some of the smaller regional airlines will take advantage of the lower operating cost and implement the jet into their fleet. (Harjani, A.)

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ldt or COMAC is a government owned aircraft manufacturer based out of Shanghai, China with hopes of one day being a major competitor for airline aircraft purchases and adding the C to the major aircraft manufacturing companies (A-B-C) Airbus, Boeing, and then COMAC. Currently there are two airplanes in the process of becoming certificated the C919 and the ARJ21, although the company has aspirations of certificating two more aircraft in the future, the C929 and C939 which are proposed wide body jets. With regard to major competitors to Boeing and Airbus I believe that eventually the Chinese equivalent of the already popular 200 seater jets will be worth noting but it will take a considerable amount of time for the company to build a solid reputation, as with any new company. The likelihood of other manufacturers joining the ranks is up for debate, there is always the possibility for competition but any new manufacturer has to take into consideration that there is some serious competition already available to the market and should be monetarily prepared for this. The fact that the Chinese manufacturer COMAC is backed by the Chinese government is a huge advantage to allowing them to enter the market, where as a privately funded company may never be able to survive the period of time where it is essential for them to build a reputation and stay afloat. 

While researching this topic I was unable to find any significant responses from Airbus or Boeing with regard to their new competitor COMAC. Airbus did however forecast the potential boom in aviation over the next few decades and sees the potential risk involved for their company with regard to a new, cheaper manufacturer. The competitor, COMAC does has a advantage over other manufacturers due to the fact that it is owned by the Chinese government so it definitely has the potential to stick around and build a reputation for itself. With regard to public perception i'm not sure that that specifically will influence the market all that much primarily due to the fact that people are comfortable with Chinese manufacturing to a certain extent. Most people are aware that the majority of our goods come from oversees, specifically China, and that some of the most reliable automobiles on the road are of Chinese descent, such as Honda. The Chinese manufacturer Honda has build a great reputation for themselves in the auto sector and when transitioned to building aircraft it seemed to pan out for them positively with the Honda Jet due to the large amount of orders. (Ostrower, J.)

Harjani, A. (2014, February 12). Made-in-China aircraft to rule skies sooner than you think. Retrieved November 8, 2015, from http://www.cnbc.com/2014/02/12/you-may-fly-on-a-made-in-china-aircraft-sooner-than-you-think.html

Ostrower, J. (2015, March 18). A Closer Look at the Comac C919 - Why Does it Exist? - AirlineReporter. Retrieved November 8, 2015, from http://www.airlinereporter.com/2015/03/closer-look-comac-c919-exist/

Aviation Organizations

Belonging to professional organizations within your career is of utmost importance for a number of reasons, such as (Hood, T);

1. It brings like minded professional individuals together to accomplish goals
2. Promotes leadership and how to be a professional
3. Creates invaluable professional relationship and networks

"Nobody is going to look out for your profession like your professional association, nobody" says Clark Price, a CEO for a professional organization for CPA's. His words really are true though, no one is going to look out for the best interest of your future career like the like minded individuals from a professional organization filled with people who have the same goals. Aviation organizations such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), and Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) are great associations to become a member of for a plethora of reasons.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is probably one of the largest aviation related organizations in existence. Their primary mission is to protect pilots freedom to fly by; advocating, educating, and supporting the aviation industry. There are many services offered to members of this association such as the latest industry news, free training seminars, a monthly magazine and aviation attorneys available to pilots at their disposal in the event of a accident or incident in which there is a need of representation. The Airline Pilots Association, which is the largest airline union out there, has the primary mission of advocating and promoting aviation safety from within airlines. ALPA has helped negotiate hundreds of airline pilot contracts and provides representation when needed.

AOPA and ALPA help secure aviators best interest in every sense of the word. Although they both are different and have different primary functions, supporting different types of aviators they both promote aviation. AOPA has helped shape a lot of regulatory mandates from the FAA positively over the years, more notably such as a reduction in the AME medical examination fee and they are currently trying to change the medical requirement for certain operators (Mission and History of AOPA). ALPA has also helped regulate changes within the industry such as the implementation of the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) and the addition of certain collision avoidance equipment in part 121 operators flight decks. (Advancing Aviation Safety)

When a group of people get together with the a common goal that is when real change can take place. An organization of people will always have a greater impact on the system than any one person could ever hope to accomplish. By joining these organizations you are supporting positive change throughout the aviation industry and on top of that they usually offer many services to their members pro bono. The association fee typically does not exceed $100 a year but yet offers many invaluable services. These reasons alone are enough to me to convince me why its important to become and stay a member of these organizations and hopefully they are for you as well.

ADVANCING AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY SINCE 1931. (2005, July 10). Retrieved November 1, 2015, from http://www.alpa.org/about-alpa/our-history

Hood, T. (2009, September 23). 6 reasons to belong to your professional associations. Retrieved November 1, 2015, from http://www.macpa.org/blog/2196/top-five-reasons-to-belong-to-your-professional-associations

Mission and History of AOPA. (2005, June 10). Retrieved October 31, 2015, from http://www.aopa.org/About-AOPA/Governance/Mission-and-History-of-AOPA