Posts Tagged ‘air traffic control’
MTSU Aerospace Set to Soar!
I have been asked to serve on the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) Aerospace (www.mtsu.edu/aerospace/) Advisory Council. This is a newly formed group created for the purpose of assisting the Aerospace Department in developing and implementing long term goals and strategy, as well as helping with financial support.
Over the last 28 years our company has employed hundreds of MTSU aerospace students and graduates in all areas of our company including flight operations, maintenance, line service / FBO management and accounting. Today we have around 40 students and alumni of the program working with us including my business partner and several key members of our management team.. MTSU has been a great partner with our business in providing a resource of educated and skilled people to help us grow our business.
As I listened, in our first meeting, to the professors who are in charge of the various disciplines within the department I was impressed with all that is going on at the school. I guess over the years of being close to MTSU I did not realize how far the program had progressed.
MTSU offers bachelor’s degree programs in professional pilot, maintenance, dispatch. air traffic control, technology and administration and a master’s degree program in aerospace administration. The department has around 700 students as majors from 32 states and 16 foreign countries making it one of the largest aerospace programs in the country. The biggest concentration of majors is in the pro-pilot program but the other programs are growing every year.
More impressive than the numbers are the developments on the near horizon that will propel the aerospace program to new heights.
Coming in the next 12 months is a state of the art Air Traffic Control Simulator lab that will be the best in the country and the only one if its kind in the world. Not only will this lab be used to train future controllers but it will also be used to test new technologies developed as part of the FAA NextGen system being developed over the next ten years.
The simulator will include a 360 degree wrap around Control Tower, automated scenario systems, realistic DSR, ARTS, and STARS, and Dual enroute TRACON simulators.
MTSU has one of the most modern fleets of trainers utilizing the Diamond Star DA-40 all glass cockpit single engine aircraft as the primary trainer. Last year MTSU competed with the nations top programs and was awarded a $800,000 grant from the FAA to train FAA inspectors on Technologically Advanced Aircraft.
There is much more to brag about and I hope to have more for you in future posts on MTSU and the exciting things going on there.
I am proud to be a member of the advisory council and look forward to playing a small part in a big success story that will do a lot to keep the aviation industry in the US competitive on a global stage. It all starts with world class education institutions like MTSU.
United States Senate Finally Passes FAA Reauthorization Bill
The U.S. Senate finally got down to business and did something constructive!
Monday, they passed a reauthorization bill for the FAA that includes funding for the NextGen air traffic control system.
The great news for General Aviation is that there are no user fees in this bill. The Federal Excise Tax for fuel goes up, but we can live with that – especially if we get something for it.
This has been a long battle to fund the system without implementing user fees; but, it looks like for at least the next year or two we can take a breather. Hopefully, those user fees don’t get brought up again. The possibility exists, though; so, we will have to be vigilant.
Included in the bill are provisions for changing training and pilot qualifications for the regional airlines prompted by the Colgan Air crash last year.
An article posted on Tuesday, 23 March 2010, by Charles Spence, Washington, D.C. correspondent for General Aviation News, says the following:
Both the Senate and House bills were passed without user fees, but the Senate version raises the fuel tax from 22 to 38 cents per gallon to help fund modernization of the aviation system. The Senate bill passed by a vote of 93 to 0.
Craig Fuller, president and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), said that the final bill will give the FAA “the long-term support it needs to move forward with the crucial work of modernizing our air traffic control system, preserving our network of airports and maintaining the safest air transportation system in the world.”
Speaking for the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), James Coyne, president, expressed thanks to the Senate for approving a bill devoid of user fees but that provides a fair jet fuel tax increase.
Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), welcomed passage of the bill “to fund the FAA and continue transformation to a Next Generation Air Traffic Control — NextGen — aviation system.” He added that the NBAA and other general aviation organizations have been strong advocates for proposals to modernize the nation’s aviation system and that passage of the reauthorization is a good step in that direction.
Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), echoed those comments, saying that his association was pleased with passage of the bill, which takes a number of critical steps needed for the acceleration of NextGen.
No user fees and a $.16 per gallon increase in the fuel tax (under the Senate version) is something we can all live with. The Senate’s passage, with its vote of 93 to 0 is amazing in itself. It’s amazing that all parties in D.C. can agree on anything these days.
Conspicuously absent from the comments of the various groups representing aviation interests are comments by the ATA, which represents the airline industry.
Will the airlines applaud this bill as well?
What is General Aviation?
Industries have their own languages and the aviation industry is no exception. Like many technical industries, we have acronyms and words that don’t always make sense to someone unfamiliar with our language. Most travelers know that ATC refers to air traffic control, but FBO, apron, and taxi are either mysterious or don’t seem to make sense. I know this may sound simplistic for those of you in the business of aviation, but for the rest of the world out there, it might be helpful to translate our language, starting with the definition of our branch of the industry – general aviation.
General aviation is everything aviation except airlines and military aviation, thus the name general applies well. If you haven’t thought much about what other aviation is out there, let me try to fill in the blanks as best as possible about an industry that is enormous, yet, largely invisible.
- Corporate Aviation - corporations using aircraft to fly their own people
- Private Aviation – individuals using aircraft to fly themselves (flown by owners or by professional pilots)
- Medical and Emergency Aircraft - aircraft used to transport sick or injured patients, or to transport surgical teams and/or transplant organs
- Agricultural Aviation - aircraft used to apply herbicides and pesticides supporting the massive US agricultural industry
Crop duster over cotton
- Aircraft Charter and Air Taxi - companies using aircraft to fly others for hire – both individuals and companies
- Aircraft Manufacturers - companies manufacturing the aircraft to supply the needs for the above mentioned uses
- Support services and businesses – companies selling products to support the above mentioned uses including fuel, maintenance, and other services
- Aircraft Sales companies - companies selling aircraft to the above mentioned users domestically and internationally
- Flight training - companies training pilots for corporate or private aviation, the airlines and in some cases, the military
The US has the most developed General Aviation system in the world and is a major contributor in productivity and innovation making and keeping our country great. General aviation manufacturing of aircraft and training are still major exports for the US at a time when other industries have already shippped jobs overseas. When politicians talk about jobs and trade deficits they should consider how General Aviation in all its forms is contributing to the US economy. In all its forms, General Aviation accounts for 1.2 million jobs in this country – most of them highly skilled and good paying – and contributes approximately $150 billion to the US economy.
Threatened by the viability of General Aviation, the leaders of the scheduled airlines have been attacking our industry for several years with their attacks recently becoming more vicious. The attacks mislead the politicians who make policies governing our industry and the public who benefit from our services. For our part, we will do our best to share our industry with you, answer your questions and pique your curiosity. More than Hollywood movie stars and Wall Street fat cats, we are your friends, your neighbors and your family. We invite you to follow our blog, consider how our industry touches you and learn our language so that we can share meaningful Plane Conversations.