GA's future in America.

John Baker

John Baker

Final Approach
Joined
Oct 4, 2008
Messages
7,471
Location
San Diego, California
Display Name
John Baker
Home Airfield
KMYF
Congress passed a bill this week that has privacy advocates very concerned. The bill, FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, permits the federal government to fly unmanned spy planes, known as drones, in domestic airspace for surveillance purposes. The FAA projects 30,000 drones will be flying around America and gathering information by 2020.

http://www.examiner.com/article/bil...020-worries-many?cid=PROD-redesign-right-next

I think I am starting to understand why the FAA has been so darn nit picking with GA. Why they are re-testing pilots, why all the pressure.

They don't want GA interfering with their drone operations, so they are whittling down the number of GA participants.

Expect more regulatory pressure in all areas of GA from the FAA in the coming years.

Expect the cost of flying GA to more than double within ten years.

They are clearing the skies to make way for a 21st century America.


-John
 
I think your vision is spot on. That's why they created Sport Pilot and LSA's. To keep us pacified with flying around the patch instead of actually going somewhere. It is also the reason the Feds want high 100LL prices and high auto fuel prices. To restrict our free movement.
 
Anthony said:
I think your vision is spot on. That's why they created Sport Pilot and LSA's. To keep us pacified with flying around the patch instead of actually going somewhere. It is also the reason the Feds want high 100LL prices and high auto fuel prices. To restrict our free movement.
Click to expand...
Perhaps, I don't think as a whole they're smart enough to execute on any plan as genius as that.
 
Anthony said:
I think your vision is spot on. That's why they created Sport Pilot and LSA's. To keep us pacified with flying around the patch instead of actually going somewhere. It is also the reason the Feds want high 100LL prices and high auto fuel prices. To restrict our free movement.
Click to expand...

Flying my RV-12 to Florida and back twice was fun. Not sure why people think LSA going 125mph on 4.5 gph is not a good thing. :dunno:
 
Drones can take over....it'll only be for another 2 months anyway. Didn't anyone hear the world according the Mayans is ending December 21st.
 
Geico266 said:
Flying my RV-12 to Florida and back twice was fun. Not sure why people think LSA going 125mph on 4.5 gph is not a good thing. :dunno:
Click to expand...


It is a great thing if you have all the time in the world.
 
Let me get my foil hat on...

I'm with Jesse on this.

30,000 drones in the sky is an awful lot.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Let me get my foil hat on...

I'm with Jesse on this.

30,000 drones in the sky is an awful lot.
Click to expand...

FAA traffic predictions are not known for their accuracy.
 
jesse said:
Perhaps, I don't think as a whole they're smart enough to execute on any plan as genius as that.
Click to expand...

Actually, they are more than smart enough to do that. Government has been outbidding the private sector for years in order to fill the ranks of its legions of employees. It has been a real brain drain on the private sector, especially small to medium size companies that can not compete with government largess.

It has had a serious impact on Americas industrial output and development.

They are turning millions of talented people into overpaid cubical dwelling robotrons who are marching in lockstep to our nations destruction, or at least, the dissolution of what it at one time was.

For the most part, they are highly educated people. Never underestimate the enemy.

User fees are just around the corner.

-John
 
Last edited:
maddog52 said:
Then why are you flying GA?
Click to expand...


To get places faster than my car. Flying an LSA with their speeds, and carrying ability, I might as well drive. They are designed for around the patch flying, not transportation in the ATC sysem.
 
Just bureaucrats doing, what bureaucrats do(destroying things of value.) I converted to euro style flying. I should last longer then your average GA stinkpot driver.
images
 
Anthony said:
To get places faster than my car. Flying an LSA with their speeds, and carrying ability, I might as well drive. They are designed for around the patch flying, not transportation in the ATC sysem.
Click to expand...

Funny, I could say that about a lot of other-than-LSA aircraft. There are is one in myhangar with a 120 + KTAS cruise speed that will take two adults 600+ NM on 5.5 GPH. There are several models that will do this. The tower around here also knows that if they need it, I can speed up and make a short approach to beat in the ratty old 172's based here. LSA's aren't for everybody, but they can be useful travelers and operate just fine in the ATC system.
 
All I hear from high tech businesses is there are not enough properly trained people to fill the needs. Now parents are supposed to help pay their childrens $150,000 college loans. Most of the jobs created in the last four years were low income positions.

What I would like to know is where they are getting the money for 30,000 drones, pilots, fuel and mechanics? What are drones going to do to help this economy? Oh, maybe they are going to declare war on drugs. Or ensure you are not working on the side while drawing disability or unemployment. Or maybe catch speeders.
 
Isn't the world supposed to end soon or something?

In all seriousness though it's probably more than likely that these drones would be above Class A airpsace (above 60,000ft) because how would they be able to sequence these aircraft in with scheduled flight operations? Especially if they're unmanned.
 
Meh, one of those drones is going to F' up and nail a airliner one of these days, the media will freak out, FAA will get scared and that will be that for those military drones spying on us.

The founding fathers would hang half our gov't for treason if they were still alive. It disgusts me that we have become this police/nanny state.
 
Last edited:
What is it about Aviation?

Either people are rushing after the new "super plane" a la the Eclipse Jet, that never was as good as predicted.
Or they're running away from the latest "doomsday scenario" like drones filling the skies.

Neither the super-good nor the super-bad ever really happen.

On topic, I believe that most of these UAVs are going to be small units used by state and locals, probably rotary-wing type camera platforms. I expect that they'll be used at very low altitudes and won't conflict with air traffic though they may pose a hazard to things on the ground if they break.

I also haven't seen anything to suggest that the ability to see-and-avoid other traffic (whether via cameras or on-board radar) isn't going to be required.
 
TMetzinger said:
What is it about Aviation?

Either people are rushing after the new "super plane" a la the Eclipse Jet, that never was as good as predicted.
Or they're running away from the latest "doomsday scenario" like drones filling the skies.

Neither the super-good nor the super-bad ever really happen.

On topic, I believe that most of these UAVs are going to be small units used by state and locals, probably rotary-wing type camera platforms. I expect that they'll be used at very low altitudes and won't conflict with air traffic though they may pose a hazard to things on the ground if they break.

I also haven't seen anything to suggest that the ability to see-and-avoid other traffic (whether via cameras or on-board radar) isn't going to be required.
Click to expand...

Tim, your posts have always been of sound reasoning and good judgment, they bring us all back to earth. At the same time, however, they suck all the fun out of threads like this. :D

-John
 
John Baker said:
Actually, they are more than smart enough to do that. Government has been outbidding the private sector for years in order to fill the ranks of its legions of employees. It has been a real brain drain on the private sector, ...
Click to expand...
My experience with government employees has convinced me otherwise. Government service seems to be the last refuge for those who would be otherwise unemployable.

Note that I am not saying that all government employees are incompetent... just that, if you're unable or simply unwilling to hold a job in the real world... there is probably a bureaucracy with a spot for you, and a nice pension.
 
DaleB said:
My experience with government employees has convinced me otherwise. Government service seems to be the last refuge for those who would be otherwise unemployable.

Note that I am not saying that all government employees are incompetent... just that, if you're unable or simply unwilling to hold a job in the real world... there is probably a bureaucracy with a spot for you, and a nice pension.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure. I'm starting to think that people who are hired into the various bureaucracies are for the most part well educated, and at least, reasonably intelligent.

I think after years in a particular position, where most all of their responses to any situation they might encounter has been pre-determined and well thought out by their predecessors has had a dulling effect. The correct solution to almost every situation is in either a manual, a rule book, or a guideline of some sort. Every attempt has been made to eliminate thinking or judgment on the part of the employee.

Years spent in such an work environment can not help but dull anyones senses and judgment. I think this has been demonstrated by the way the concept of "zero tolerance" has been embraced by most every school system and government offices. The powers that be know that their employees have lost the ability to reasonable make any sound judgment calls on their own, so they simply eliminated them from the equation.

We have all heard of the various overkills made by teachers and judges, toddlers being arrested for sexual harassment simply because they kissed another toddler. Men being given life sentences for stealing a slice of pizza because it was their "third strike", and so on.

I think government employees go in as sharp as anyone else, then come out as non thinking robotrons, or at least that appears to be the case.

If you spend twenty years following the rule books and guidelines for every situation, never making your own judgment calls, eight hours a day, five days a week, it has to have an affect on you. You can not feel anything toward the civilians you have to deal with. It's much like a bomber pilot mentally divorcing himself from the people on the ground.

This also explains the FAA's decision to simply re-test every one of Edward Lanes check rides. They lack the ability to put themselves in their victims shoes, and they have no feeling either way about that decision. It's just another decision that must be carried out, nothing more.

-John
 
Last edited:
Good summary of how beureaucrats are made, but I'd like to think that with almost complete media blackout on this one, even the media insiders think whatever happened would be a black eye for all of aviation if it were to be published.

There are two separate commenters at this website below who say it was a "you're going to fail, but come right back with cash and you'll suddenly get better and pass" kind of scam.

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...-30/faa-requires-certain-pilot-reexaminations

I can't vouch for their story, but I can certainly see why groups like AOPA and others would sit on that.

The other thread above, also has people who are saying AOPA *is* tracking the number of pilots affected and sharing it when people call. But not a single article online, or in the membership rag?

Probably the most interesting piece of information I've read yet.

Something ugly happened in Vegas. My gut feel is it isn't so much being covered up (conspiracy) as withheld (everybody who knows is wickedly freaked out about the consequences to the DPE program, even the aviation-friendly press).
 
Geico266 said:
Flying my RV-12 to Florida and back twice was fun. Not sure why people think LSA going 125mph on 4.5 gph is not a good thing. :dunno:
Click to expand...


Not so fun doing direct routing between Denver and Provo (and other similar)
 
oldShar said:
That's a Real good attitude to promote continued GA
Click to expand...
I have a very good attitude about GA and spend alot of my time promoting it. I was responding to a poster that was mischaracterizing one segment of GA as not being useful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top