pilots in depression

In the case dealing with pilots in depression if the airman had not checked for medication the database or asked any questions about the issuse to completing inform themselves. This goes for all new flight students. Aviation students and medical examiner plan on advanceing of performing your medical examination, especially if you have some medical condition or are taking a medication on a regular basis.

There are a couple of options airmen can take to gain medical certification if they ate suffering from depression.The FAA will not clear you, if you are off the antidepressant medication, especially if your still suffering from depression symptoms."The federal aviaiton Administration will let some pilots who take four popular antidepressants return to flying if they keep up with there medication.(Wang 2010). Physician should explain what your symptoms are at the time you were prescribed medication, the date the mediation was given and when you should started and stopped the medication, how you are reacting to the medication, and how you have done in the time since the medication has finished

If your symtoms are “severe,” such as contemplating suicide or you are hospitalized, the FAA more than likely will involve themselves for a evaluation. There will be detailed report from the treatment of your psychiatrist and copies of your mental records, and you may have to undergo neuropsychological testing by a clinical psychologist to evaluated your mental ability. "We mnow mkre today about ths science of the medications being givenand we know a lot more about depression itself," FAA administration Randy Babbit said "The policy is changing--I mean our number one priority is safety, and the public certainly has the right to know that everybody in the cockpit is healthy, both mentally and physically."(Foxnetwork 2015). 

There's evidents that shows some pilots can function normally on a day to day basis while undergoing serve depression, it might seem highly unlikely but it's true. Cumulative fatigue caused by chronic circadian rhythems disruption and heavy workloads imposed by the airlines duty roster can weigh heavily on any pilots body. If a depressed lilot is already finding it difficult to sleep, then the weight added to his or her fatigue by flying the route may be enough to push them to crash. Adepressed pilot unable to seek medical attention only can only serve to deepen his or her sense of hopelessness. Each of these influencing factors can be alleviated to some degree if pilots unions and airlinesl management however, if the FAA were to change its pilocy and allow pilots to resume normal functionality with the use of safe and effective drugs, then the potential of pilot suicide may decrease dramatically. "The Faa has determined that airmen requesting first, second or third class medication certificates while being treated with one of four specific selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs) may be considered.( FAA 2015)

Fox nework.Faa changes rules to allow pilots to take antidepressants.(2015 April 02) Retrived from: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/02/faa-allowing-pilots-use-anti-depressants-policy-shift.html.com

Federal Aviation Administration. Retrived from:https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/aam/ame/guide/app_process/exam_tech/item47/amd/antidepressants/.com

Wang S.S., Trottman M. Depressed Pilots can fly on medication, FAA decides retrieved date 2010 April 03 Retrieved from:

ATC Privization

Privatized Air traffic control organizations in France, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom are to “operate with varying degrees of government ownership, but each runs like a business, generating their own revenue streams and making their own decisions regarding operating the air traffic system and modernizing equipment,” according to a Department of Transportation inspector general report.(2015)

The Federal Aviation Administration is a public entity that is responsible for overseeing all aspects of aviation in the United States and some other parts of the country, such as operating the air traffic control regulations and safety in the United States. There are a lot of reason why privatizing is to regulate air-traffic controls from the FAA's regulatory duties making sure the pilots and planes are safe to fly across the world. The (ATC) air traffic control is a very important part of the aviation industry it sort of the back bone for the pilots who fly in the air.

I discovered that in the past couple of years New Zealand was the first country to end its government role in air traffic control, in the 1980s, followed by United Kingdom Australia, and Germany. Germany established a government-run corporation that controls all the ATC towers. The U.K. is a very unique public-private partnership for NATS, which oversees air traffic control in each country. “Airlines for America (A4A), the country’s primary airline trade organization, intensified its call for U.S air traffic control to be transferred from the purview of the FAA to the auspices of a nonprofit corporation that would be modeled after Canada’s NavCan”. U.S. airlines say that Canadian model has worked best over the past decades and other country’s plan using the same strategies to improve their systems.

Federal aviation administration. Department of Transportation. (2015) Retrieved from: https://www.oig.dot.gov/

Silk. R. Airline trade group continues push for ATC privatization. Retrieved date 02, December 2015. Retrieved from. http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Airline-trade-group-continues-push-for-ATC-privatization

GA Medical Reform

 

The FAA medical reform is an important part of aviation the Pilot’s Bill of Rights, 2 allow pilots that are flying recreationally in a large and wide range of aircrafts to no longer obtain a third class medical certificate. This bill would allow private pilots to make noncommercial IFR and VFR flights in aircraft up to 6,000 pounds with six seats or more. There’s a group of powerful government officials that has introduced new legislation in Congress that allow tens and thousands of pilots to fly without going through the costly third class medical procedures and would offer new protections for pilots in general aviation and other divisions of aviation. “ALPA says it wants medical reform to be a part of the discussion about FAA reauthorization, which has been delayed to at least September. But such reform is certain to be overshadowed by bigger issues, such as a Republican proposal to privatize ATC and levy aviation user fees.”(Pope 2015)

The Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2, pilots can fly recreationally in a wide range of aircrafts, and would no longer need to obtain a third class medical certificate. The new bill would allow private pilots to make noncommercial IFR and VFR flights in aircraft up to 6,000 pounds with up to six seats. Pilots are allowed to carry up to five passengers or less, they can also fly at altitudes below 14,000 feet msl, but they may not fly no faster than 250 knots. “This legislation has the potential to allow medically unfit pilots unfettered access to the national airspace at altitudes up to 18,000 feet, which also includes commercial airline traffic carrying passengers and cargo”.(Rapp 2015) The FAA provided a detailed descriptions on the medical reform and it also gives detailed descriptions on each bill and regulation.

References

Pope S. “No Action on Third-Class Medical Reform Until Fall” Published: 2015 Jul 30. Retreived from: http://www.flyingmag.com/news/no-action-third-class-medical-reform-until-fall#i3QwZUUwCvOb01Vk.99

Rapp R. “Hanging Separately on Medical Reform” Published on 2015 July 27 Retrieved from: http://www.rapp.org/archives/2015/07/medical-reform/           

 

 



 

Chinese Competitors to Airbus

The C919 project was launched in 2008, after a failed attempt in the 1980s, to mark China's comeback to the business of making large passenger jet. The jet will make its first test flight in 2016, missing it's original deadline. The C919 forms part of China's long-term goal to break Airbus and Boeing's duopoly, and is intended to compete against Airbus A320, Boeing 737 and Irkut MC-21. The Comac C919 is intended to be a new competitor in the commercial airliner market targeting low-cost airlines. Fuel price increases are especially damaging to the low-cost flying model, leading these airlines to renew their fleetsl. This ensures fuel performance and reliability across a single-type fleet. Some experts believe the C919 will not be competitive due to either technologically or commercially when it enters service given the planes strong dependence on foreign suppliers."The C919 is a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft seating up to 174 people is similar in size to the Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 series of jets, long the workhorses for airlines around the world."(Jiang 2016)

In my opinion I believe the C919 will be certified by the FAA. There was lots of issues in the 1980s on this aircraft but I believe China’s industry has put in the time and effort to get the job done. The C919 will be a very good competitor for Boeing and the Airbus. "The Commercial Aircraft Corporate of China (COMAC) is a Chinese state owned aerospace manufacturer that designs, researches, develops, manufactures, and performs flight tests of civil aircraft and related products. It focuses on aircraft design, final assembly and manufacture of aircraft, marketing and customer service, acquisition of certification, and supplier management." (Meszaros 2015). This corporation is one of the largest aviation corporations in China and has a bright future in aviation. The corporation might have failed in the early 1980s but it has improved production over the years and I believe it is ready for production. The aviation business is a very competitive industry and is evolving very rapidly. The C919 is nice aircraft but at the end of the day I feel airbus is a better competitor.

References

Meszaros. J. Comac Rolls out C919, But Program Timeline Still Uncertain. (2015 November 6.) Retrieved from: https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2015-11-06/comac-rolls-out-c919-program-timeline-still-uncertain.com

Jiang S., China to take on Boeing, Airbus with homegrown C919 passenger jet. 2015 November 2 Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/02/asia/china-new-c919-passenger-jet.com


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comac.com

Aviation Organizations

There are a lot of organizations in the aviation industry that can help you develop your aviation career and help you get familiar with the aviation industry. Shortly after I enrolled in the aviation program I joined the A.O.P.A. The AOPA Foundation and organization works to improve aviation safety through the Air Safety Institute, preserve community airports, and encourage learning to fly for career and personal benefit, all in the interest of ensuring the future of general aviation in America.(AOPA 2015). The program keeps me update on all aviation news such as events, any new regulations, accidents and the new technology that's developed everyday. The A.O.P.A is a very useful organization it supports flight training scholarships and public benefit aviation, which includes charitable flying, disaster response, medical relief flights, and transportation provided by volunteer pilots.(AOPA 2015). Its a great organization to be apart of which provides great information for pilots.


By me being an aviation management student I joined the OABP. "Founded in 1976, OBAP’s mission is to enhance, advance and promote educational opportunities in aviation/aerospace and to develop and sustain a process for the ongoing mentoring of our youth. There goals are to motivate our youth to become educationally prepared for life, increase minority participation in aviation and aerospace through exposure, training, mentoring and scholarships, increase the number of underrepresented minority professionals, engineers, scientists and management personnel in aviation and related industries, and to better assist our organization, membership concerns and constituencies".(OABP 2013). I really admire this organization because it's dedicated to help others with there career. It also give the youth a opportunity to develop knowledge on the aviation industry, which will be helpful for there career and also for there future.

References

Organization of Black Aerospace.(2013) Retrieved from: http://www.obap.org/

Aircraft owner and pilot association.(2015) Retrieved from: http://foundation.aopa.org/ 

 

Global Airlines

The global airline industry will faces an aggressive competition due partly to the growth of airlines and the expansion of low-cost carriers in the Middle East,. Still, the study concluded that 2013 was a successful year for the industry, with global airline revenues expected to have reached a new high of $718 billion. Thanks to Obama lowering fuel, the prices helped more flights and passengers. Global Airline and carriers have increased their share of that to more than 25% last year. The report expects the low-cost carrier model to spread to the Middle East over the next few years.

Middle East carriers have a competitive advantage on international routes because they are well-funded and have lower fuel costs. They've placed a record number of orders for wide-body aircraft for decades, signaling their intent to expand even moreover the years. Global airline industry is undergoing a recovery marked by increased revenues and profitability, but the results widely vary between regions, such as North Americas and the Middle East and cost pressures remain a challenge across all markets. U.S. transportation and logistics leader for PwC said in the report. “With growth in expenses and increased competition threatening future profit growth, many airlines find themselves at a crossroads. They can continue to make small incremental improvements, or take bolder steps to become the 'connected airline' of the future, applying technology and analytics to achieve more significant advancements."(Trejos 2014)

Since 1978 Airline Deregulation Act, air travelers in the U.S. have enjoyed greater choice in service and lower fares due to this act. Despite the success of domestic liberalization in the U.S., the European Union, and other nations, international air travel is still heavily regulated, and the U.S. domestic air travel market remains closed to foreign competition. Under current restrictions, non-U.S. citizens can't control no more than 25 percent of the voting stock of a domestic U.S. carrier, and foreign-based carriers aren't allowed to carry paying passengers between U.S. cities. To achieve the full benefits of an open aviation market, I believe congress should grant foreign-owned carriers the right to provide domestic air service in the United States.
Thanks to the 25 years of deregulation, the United States carriers can efficiently compete with foreign competition in the domestic market. Any national security issues that the United States would be left without a civilian air fleet big enough to meet the requirements of a national emergency. Due to more competition in international markets and domestic airlines, in my opinion I believe the FAA and Government should revise all laws that restrict for foreign participation in the domestic U.S. airlines and come up with some policy that would help both national and international airlines.

References

 

Trejos, N. (2014 June 5). Global airline industry to face more competition. Today in the sky: Retrieved from: http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/06/05/global-airline-industry-competition-low-cost-carrier-middle-east/10028127/.com

Button K. J. (1998 November 24). Opening U.S. Skies to Global Airline Competition. Retrieved from: http://www.cato.org/publications/trade-policy-analysis/opening-us-skies-global-airline-competition.com

 

 

Cargo Industry

Cargo growth has became weaker than passenger traffic growth every year for the past decade. Over the 10 year period 2004 to 2013, the average passenger traffic growth rate was 6.0%, but just 3.8% for freight. Cargo traffic growth was negative three times in the last 10 years, compared with just once for passenger traffic. Cargo pilots can have no more that 16-hour duty days, while passenger pilots are limited to 9-14 hours depending on flights flown that day.  Fatigue has also become a large issues, the pilot is required to sign a document attesting to his or her fitness to fly. "This rule amends the FAA’s existing flight, duty and rest regulations applicable to certificate holders and their flight crew members operating under 14 CFR Part 121"Trejos (2013).

The factors that lead to fatigue in most individuals and regulates these are to ensure that flight crew members in passenger operations don’t accumulate dangerous amounts of fatigue. "Fatigue threatens aviation safety because it increases the risk of pilot error that could lead to an accident." Trejos (2013). This risk is increases in passenger operations because of the additional number of potentially impacted individuals. The new requirements eliminate the current distinctions between domestic, flag and supplemental passenger operations. The rule provides different requirements based on the time of day, whether an individual is flying to a new time zone, and being able to sleep under different circumstances. I do believe these regulations should be enforced in all the aviation fields. I believe it should provide more safety for the pilot and the passengers on each aircraft.

             There is some debate as to whether the FAA regulations should apply to air cargo pilots. After all, every pilot is sharing the same air space and operating complex equipment; safety becomes a major concern. However, air cargo pilots tend to run shorter flights than passenger pilots do, which means that regulations should not be the same for both fields. Cost for the FAA regulations to the air cargo industry is also a factor. It's a large reason that the FAA did not extend its ruling to air cargo pilots in the first place. "The estimated cost of the FAA rule in the passenger pilot realm of the industry is $297 million; however, there is the potential benefit of close to $470 million".(Moore 1982) In this situation, the financial benefit of the rule is likely; but the same does not apply to the air cargo industry. There are different FAA regulations for each.

References

Rest Requirements for Air Cargo Pilots. (2013 January 29), Retrieved from: http://pnglc.com/rest-requirements-for-air-cargo-pilots/.com

Moore T, G,. Deregulation and Re-Regulation of Transportation. Retrieved July 8, 1982: From: http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa012.html.com

Air cargo: few other industries would tolerate its structural overcapacity. Retrieved: 22-Oct-2014 From: http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/air-cargo-few-other-industries-would-tolerate-its-structural-overcapacity-192139.com

Trejos, N., New pilot fatigue rules go into effect this weekend. (2014 January 3). Retrieved from. http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/01/03/pilot-fatigue-mandatory-rest-new-faa-rules/4304417/.com