bob turner
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- Jan 7, 2005
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I don't pay much attention to Flying magazine, since my days of glass cockpits are pretty much over. But did you see the article about mandatory reporting?
I had suspected as much - a lot more of what happens in aviation is now reported, recorded, and turned in to statistics. For instance:
At my home airport, we installed a fence with gate codes about ten years ago - seems every once in a while somebody would get lost and drive around the airport. Just horrible . . .
It isn't working, because this year alone, we have had five people wander around on taxiways - that is way more than we used to have before mandatory reports became popular. So we have to do something. Each gate has its own code, and if you want to go to some other area of the airport, you need to take surface streets and get a different code.
They know this won't cure the problem (three of the five incidents were by folks authorized to be on the airport by either aircraft ownership or guests of an aircraft based here) so next year they plan on a magnetic strip system. The happiest thing about next year's system is that management will be able to press a button, sealing us all in until they find the next culprit.
Bottom line - if you compare operations at our airport in 1977 with those in 2011, you find that we are at 53% of our pre- fence operations. If you compare operations as a percentage of US population, we are at 37% - not a good sign for general aviation. But problems that need regulatory fixing are at an all-time high, and climbing.
Enjoy your Cubs. They will not be permitted to fly when we achieve total control - and don't forget, total control is the definition of totalitarianism.
Opinion.
I had suspected as much - a lot more of what happens in aviation is now reported, recorded, and turned in to statistics. For instance:
At my home airport, we installed a fence with gate codes about ten years ago - seems every once in a while somebody would get lost and drive around the airport. Just horrible . . .
It isn't working, because this year alone, we have had five people wander around on taxiways - that is way more than we used to have before mandatory reports became popular. So we have to do something. Each gate has its own code, and if you want to go to some other area of the airport, you need to take surface streets and get a different code.
They know this won't cure the problem (three of the five incidents were by folks authorized to be on the airport by either aircraft ownership or guests of an aircraft based here) so next year they plan on a magnetic strip system. The happiest thing about next year's system is that management will be able to press a button, sealing us all in until they find the next culprit.
Bottom line - if you compare operations at our airport in 1977 with those in 2011, you find that we are at 53% of our pre- fence operations. If you compare operations as a percentage of US population, we are at 37% - not a good sign for general aviation. But problems that need regulatory fixing are at an all-time high, and climbing.
Enjoy your Cubs. They will not be permitted to fly when we achieve total control - and don't forget, total control is the definition of totalitarianism.
Opinion.
