Opportunities are on the horizon with privatization and it could be nice duty with a different view.
Dr. George C. Nield, Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation had this to say in a recent speech, (for actual article click here).
“Note that I mentioned that I am interested in regaining America’s leadership in human spaceflight. Some may question that wording. After all, aren’t we already the world leader in human spaceflight?
“Well, we may be today, but two months from now, after the Space Shuttle Atlantis completes its final mission, the United States will no longer have the capability to launch astronauts into orbit. And without the capability to do that, I think it would be a real stretch to claim international leadership. The capability “gap” that we’re about to enter will be a period of uncertain duration, but the fact that we have one at all is something that I find extremely frustrating and completely unnecessary. We’ve known for more than 7 years that we would be retiring the Space Shuttle—a remarkable vehicle, but one which has now gotten too old, too expensive, and too risky to continue to fly indefinitely. And yet we as a nation were somehow unable to be ready with a replacement system when we needed one. We could probably have a pretty spirited debate on the subject, but rather than argue about whose fault it is, or how we got into this predicament, I’d rather focus on what we can do to get out of it.
“I’d like to see a high-priority national goal to minimize the gap by fielding a low-Earth orbit crew transportation system as soon as we possibly can. How long would it take to do that? Well, we went from program start to first human flight for Project Gemini in a little over three years back in the 1960s. Knowing what we know today, don’t you think we could beat that schedule today if we really wanted to?
“It would be one thing if we had to start from scratch and design, build, and test a whole new launch vehicle. But there are at least three rockets flying successfully today, that appear to have the potential for safely carrying crewmembers – the Delta IV, the Atlas 5, and the Falcon 9. So the only thing we really need to focus on is the spacecraft. And there are a number of U.S. companies who have announced that they are ready, willing, and able to deliver such a system. NASA just selected four such companies as part of its CCDev-2 program, but there are others waiting in the wings who would love the chance to participate. By adding the requirement for a crew escape system, something that we have lived without for the last 30 years on the Space Shuttle, we have the opportunity to field a system with a significant increase in overall safety for those onboard.
“With respect to delivering cargo to the ISS, the COTS and CRS programs are scheduled to be able to provide that capability later this year, so I think we are in reasonable shape. For transporting crew though, I’m more worried. CCDev is certainly headed in the right direction, and there is a strong potential for getting to a successful conclusion eventually. But I’m concerned that we are either not going to come up with the funding that will be needed, or that we will waste time arguing about whether there really is a commercial market for crew and cargo, or whether U.S. industry is capable of successfully building and launching rockets without scores of government inspectors looking over their shoulders.
“Every day that we delay, is a day that we could have avoided outsourcing this job to the Russians, at $62 million per seat, and instead helping U.S. companies to develop an alternative using American ingenuity, with American jobs, American technologies, and American capabilities, something that will benefit our economy, our national security, our industrial base, and our desire for international leadership.
“Speaking for the FAA, we want to do everything we can to support our partners at NASA, and to work closely with industry, to enable these commercial space missions to be both safe and successful. So let’s get on with it!”
From my perspective, looking back a few years, I had always hoped to do a cockpit enroute inspection in low earth orbit before I retired.
Cheers,
Jim
Operations
Alert: The FAA has noticed during enroute inspections TCAS operations are being conducted contrary to TCAS Approval and Use Guidance. As a service to our subscribers we are providing that information for your reference here.
Transponder/Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) (May 23, 2011)
Operations While on the Airport Surface
This InFO informs air carriers and operators of the proper transponder selections during aircraft taxi, in order to support air traffic control (ATC) ground surveillance systems as well as minimize 1090 megahertz (MHZ) frequency congestion.
Background:
During recent cockpit enroute inspections, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) have noticed that some
operating procedures direct flight crews to select traffic advisory/resolution advisory (TA/RA) during all surface movement operations. This
procedure is contrary to the FAA TCAS guidance as discussed in Advisory Circular (AC) 120-55C, Air Carrier Operational Approval and Use of TCAS II.
Discussion:
TCAS II operation on the airport surface provides no safety benefit, except when approaching or taxiing onto an active runway. Routine ground
operations with the transponder selected to TA-ONLY or TA/RA enables TCAS II to interrogate other aircraft at high power levels. This unnecessarily
contributes to 1090 MHZ frequency congestion. Routine operation of TCAS II on the ground can degrade:
Performance of ATC radars Surveillance performed by airborne TCAS II units in the vicinity of your aircraft Operating with the transponder on (XPNDR or ON) is
sufficient to ensure that aircraft are visible to ATC surface surveillance systems.
Recommended
Action: Directors of safety, directors of operations, chief pilots, fractional ownership program managers, training managers, and operators of
aircraft should emphasize the importance of adhering to the guidance found in AC 120-55C and the procedures listed below.
Departures.
Select transponder to XPNDR or ON during pushback.
Select TA/RA when taking the active runway.
Arrivals.
Select transponder to XPNDR or ON after clearing the active runway. Select STBY or OFF per company operating procedures at
the completion of the flight.
Additionally it is a good operating practice to turn TCAS on in the TA-ONLY or TA/RA mode for a short period of time before crossing an active runway to double-check for the presence of any aircraft on short final.
NOTE:
It takes several seconds to display traffic when switching to TA-Only or TA/RA. The time period varies between different TCAS II equipment
manufacturers. Consult your TCAS II vendor to establish the amount of time it takes to display traffic. Operators electing to implement this use of TCAS II
must establish and publish procedures for the flight crew to follow.
Press Release – FAA Revises Proposal to Enhance Air Carrier Training Programs
“The FAA is proposing the most significant changes to air carrier training in 20 years,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “This is a major effort to strengthen the performance of pilots, flight attendants and dispatchers through better training.”
Responding to a congressional mandate, the proposed requirements reflect a significant shift in training philosophy designed to produce qualified and capable crewmembers and dispatchers ready to face current and future aviation challenges.
Under this proposal, flight crews would have to demonstrate, not just learn, critical skills in “real-world” training scenarios. Pilots would be required to train as a complete flight crew, coordinate their actions through Crew Resource Management, and fly scenarios based on actual events. Dispatchers would have enhanced training and would be required to apply that knowledge in today’s complex operating environment. Read the whole press release here.
Resources used:
Runway incursions are on the rise with about 3 a day occurring. Be sure of your clearance limit, if not ask for clarification and be safe.
New ATC communication procedure: Don’t forget, you will now hear “line up and wait” instead of “taxi into position and hold” when instructed to taxi onto the runway in preparation for takeoff.
Source: FAA Safety Briefing May-June 2011
Other news:
Passenger disruptions in flight are on the rise – be alert!
Cheers, Jim
Budget crunch and staff shortfalls within the FAA are resulting in long waiting periods for aspiring startup air carriers.
What I hear from my sources:
Part 135′s will have about a 3 year wait just to meet with the FAA to discuss their plan.
Part 121 will have about a 1 year wait following their submission of the Pre-Application Statement of Intent (PASI)
Cheers,
Jim
