The government heavily regulates aviation. We used to understand that every piece of knowledge gained was written in blood after something went wrong. We are losing that understanding. See if you agree with me as you read along.
Dateline—on January 5th, 2024, an Alaskan Airlines Boeing 737-9 had an explosive decompression when a door plug panel blew out shortly after take off.
Dateline—on January 2nd, 2024, a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 collided with another plane in a runway incursion accident.
Dateline—In 2019, there were two Boeing Max crashes; the first was Lion Air in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the second, within weeks, downed an Ethiopian Airplane. Both suffered the same software glitch/feature.
Dateline—Asiana flight crashed just short of the runway while landing in San Francisco in 2013
Dateline—the FAA says we lack nearly 3,000 air traffic controllers. And 30% of each class of controllers washes out.
Dateline— In April of 2021, United Airlines Airlines Announced that ” Racial Quotas will be prioritized over Qualifications in Pilot Hiring.”
Yes, it is still safe to fly. But our remarkable run of safety may be coming to an end. Why? Some familiar reasons exist in too many companies, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and academia. The usual suspects in play here are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, Critical Race Theory, and Environmental, Social, and Governance initiatives currently running rampant nationwide.
Let’s drill down a bit more on the above incidents. Each incident affects not just aviation but touches on every other aspect of our society, which is being “reinvented” to correct perceived wrongs at the expense of competency, reliability, affordability, and, at times, lives. Aviation has been an “early adopter” of most current woke society imperatives, including zero-emission flying mandates, social promotion, and acceptance of government regulations, regardless of how smart or doable the issues are. The death of meritocracy within the aviation sector is pernicious and expanding to meet Social Justice goals.
Aviation Accountability Crisis:-
It is nearly impossible to hold anyone accountable today. The fuselage plug on a Boeing jet departing the aircraft was due to the failure of someone who forgot to put in the bolts that held the plug in place. Multiple protocols for installation and inspection were not followed. Boeing’s Prime, Spirit Aerospace, who built the fuselage barrel, was the immediate culprit, but the fault flowed to Boeing. Boeing continues to hemorrhage money, and its future as a commercial aircraft manufacturer is up for debate! It’s that bad. As a result of internal culture changes, Boeing has already lost their dominant position against Europe’s Airbus, which Boeing held for nearly 100 years.
Somebodies got to say it: Too many experienced, old white guys in the airline industry are retiring and being replaced by unqualified individuals. The proof for that evaluation is the sheer volume of screw-ups that keep coming like water leaking from a pail. Most failures can be traced to human error. Competency is a dirty word today, with some calling it a dog whistle. It used to be challenging to get hired by an airline; competency by pilots used to be a given, but no longer.
Tragic Asiana Crash:-
The Asiana crash that killed three people was eventually tied to the pilots who lacked hand-flying skills and depended too much on automation. The cockpit voice recorder revealed their request for an electronic ILS approach. Sadly, the visual approach they received with clear skies was more than they could handle.
The Lion Air and Ethiopian crashes were attributed to software problems, which were Boeing’s responsibility. However, other pilots (both in simulators and actual flights) successfully dealt with the same issues that amounted to nothing more serious as a common runaway trim fault and did not crash their airplanes.
We are now dealing with the FAA’s desire to make airplanes idiot-proof. That’s impossible and will only create new failure modes, resulting in more accidents and loss of lives and aircraft.
Competency by pilots used to be a given, and it was hard to get hired by an airline, but no more. You might be right when you think you see Doogey Housser in the cockpit.
Why has the FAA not filled the hundreds of open air traffic controller positions over the last ten years? Controllers make great money. Are DEI demands allowing unqualified non-whites and women into controller and pilot roles? Insiders have told me that is true. Do you doubt the government would graduate incompetent individuals to meet diversity goals? I don’t. While 30% never get to control anything after being washed out, too many unqualified individuals do graduate. They are posted to non-controller positions or low-traffic situations so they won’t kill anybody.
Industry Shift in United Airlines
I left the best (worst) for last. The President of United Airlines has mandated that at least 50% of its pilots will be non-white males. Do you see a pattern developing here? I find it incredible that this statement is openly shared with the flying public. The message here is staggering in its intent and hubris. United President Scott Kirby came right out and effectively stated competency by our pilots is secondary to the color of their skin or what bathroom they prefer. Some lawyers will dig up this quote one day when the pilot in some future accident is revealed to be a box-checking hire.
Besides the apparent craziness of ditching competence, ability, and dedication to further the aims of a society on the downhill slope, you have got to ask yourself, can’t everyone see the direction we are going? Especially with something as difficult and unforgiving as piloting and designing airplanes.
My Journey – A Half-Century in the Skies:-
I began flying in 1972. My last plane had better avionics than most jets of that time. I’ve flown many different kinds of aircraft, from military to agricultural and general aviation. I learned quickly that the more sophisticated the electronics in the plane, the more likely you could get into a box requiring tons of actual skill to get out of. Often, the skill of a pilot, mechanic, air traffic controller, or even a regulator deciding what’s safe and what’s not depends on things you don’t learn from a book or on a computer screen. Real-life experience, judgment, and that puckering feeling you get in the seat of your pants from time to time are frequently the only things that will keep you and your passengers alive. But is such an understanding widely shared any longer?
Most elites find themselves experienced greybeards to fly them around in their private jets or skipper their multi-million-dollar yachts. They’re not about to risk their lives with a socially promoted captain! Like in other facets of life, the government, business, and social butterflies that are today’s influencers and thought leaders do what is in their best interest, not yours.
More of us every day recognize the blatant double standards prevalent today. That these same people are willing to screw around with our lives when it comes to aviation safety leads me to believe that some of these people might be crazy enough to think they can actually suspend the laws of physics and gravity. Every once in a while, we all see how tragically that works out.
God Bless America.
Allan J. Feifer—Patriot
Author, Businessman, Thinker, and Strategist. Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com
Recent Comments