Aviation Organizations

Aviation Organizations are important to the industry as a whole as they serve as a voice for their members on particular issues. Aviation organizations can help you in the segment of industry you are working in by fighting current topics with your industry in mind. There are a wide variety of aviation organizations out there that cover the different segments of the industry. From airline pilots, to airplane mechanics to the general aviation community, there is a organization that covers the segment of the industry you are in. By joining these organizations, it shows employers you are involved in the industry. In addition, organizations like the Aircraft Owners and Pilots association (AOPA) offer flight planning tools for pilots along with the ability to buy insurance with the membership. Therefore, organizations serve as an important tool in helping the aviation community you are involved in. Two specific organizations that would be important to belong to are the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is the largest airline pilot union in the world today. According to their website, their mission is "… to promote and champion all aspects of aviation safety, … to represent, in both specific and general respects, the collective interests of all pilots in commercial aviation; to assist in collective bargaining activities on behalf of all pilots represented by the association; to promote the health and welfare of the members of the association before all governmental agencies… (ALPA n.d.).  According to ALPA, the association serves three major functions for its members. The first function is in the form of airline safety and overall security which comes in the form of representation and searching for safety improvements in the industry. According to the website, they have accident investigators that help the National transportation safety board in an effort to promote safety. The second function includes representation by negotiating contracts which involve salary's, and benefits. The final role that ALPA lists is advocacy which involves representing pilots' views to congress, the White House and other federal agencies (ALPA n.d.). This is important because these are the areas of government that decide on many of the regulations that come into play. It is important to have someone representing pilots' interests in these decisions. ALPA has a huge role in the overall industry. One of the roles of ALPA is to create safety and security in the industry. ALPA as stated above is one of the largest pilot unions in the world today and with that they have a big voice in current issues and changes with regulations. One example, was the third class medical reform, where ALPA opposed the reform prior to it being passed (Pope 2015).

The other organization that I am currently in is the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). I think this is a really important organization to be apart of as a pilot currently involved in General Aviation because the large amount of tools and services they offer to the community.  These tools include airport directories, flight planning software, weather data and many others. According to AOPA, they represent the largest aviation community in the world and they represent pilots in seventy-five different countries (AOPA "About." n.d.). AOPA lists its mission as advocating for its members, educating both pilots and policy makers, supporting actives that foster the development of General Aviation, fighting for the right to keep General Aviation available and securing resources (AOPA "Mission, vision and values." n.d.). AOPA also shows huge support for other sectors of the aviation industry. They help protect and represent airports and airspace in the US along with providing support for aircraft owners and certification that goes along with the aircraft. In regards to airports, AOPA offers resources for airport managers also (Moore 2014).

It will be very important to belong to these organizations as I engage more in my aviation career. It will be important to join the Air Line Pilots Association because they have a big voice in representing the views and collected interests of airline pilots to congress and government agencies. The representation in regards to pilot contracts in salaries and working conditions will directly effect me as a pilot interested in the airline career. In addition, AOPA is a valuable organization to a pilot such as myself because they provide tools that I can currently use for everyday flights and they support the airports that I fly into day in and day out while in flight training. Their representation for General Aviation is important because in the midst of all the commercial areas of the industry, the General Aviation community is sometimes overlooked. AOPA provides the support and representation GA pilots need.


References:
ALPA. (n.d.). What we do. Retrieved November 28, 2016, from http://www.alpa.org/about-alpa/what-we-do2

AOPA. (n.d.). About. Retrieved November 28, 2016, from https://www.aopa.org/about

AOPA. (n.d.). AOPA's Mission, Vision and Values. Retrieved November 28, 2016, from https://www.aopa.org/about/mission-vision-and-values

Moore, J. (2014, June 19). AOPA offers resources for airport managers. Retrieved November 28, 2016, from https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2014/june/19/aopa-networking-nh

Pope, S. (2015, July 28). ALPA Moves To Block Medical Reform Bill. Retrieved November 28, 2016, from http://www.flyingmag.com/news/alpa-moves-block-medical-reform-bill

Aviation Emissions

The idea of aviation emissions is nothing short of new. Statistics can show that over time these emissions are only expected to continue. In order to fully understand the topic at hand, one must understand what exactly emissions are. Carbon dioxide is a by-product of burning jet fuel. Jet fuel has carbon in it and when it is burned in an aircraft engine, the carbon is released to combine with oxygen in the air (David Suzuki Foundation n.d.). This in turn creates carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas that is released into the atmosphere by people and our machines. Carbon dioxide is one of many gases that trap the solar radiation the sun gives out in our planet (Platt 2013). This trapping effect warms the planet. Other harmful products released when burning jet fuel include nitrous oxides, soot and sulphate (Platt 2013).

 Statistically speaking, aviation does in fact produce a large amount of emissions. According to the David Suzuki Foundation, "It accounts for four to nine percent of the total climate change impact of human activity (n.d.)." The increased demand in the ever-changing aviation industry have increased flights and therefore the emissions also. In fact, the International Council on Clean Transportation has stated, "if commercial aviation were a country, it would rank seventh in global greenhouse gas emissions…(Brown 2014)." Looking at carbon dioxide levels, it looks like the aviation industry contributes around 12% of the carbon dioxide emissions out of all transport methods (ATAG n.d.). One can further understand the emissions created by aviation by comparing it to another mode of transportation that we are all very familiar with; driving. An environmental news website called Grist.org calculated the difference in the carbon dioxide levels between flying and driving from Philadelphia to Boston. They calculated that a plane would produce 184 kilograms of carbon dioxide per person and a entire medium sized car would produce only 104 kilograms of carbon dioxide (Earth Talk 2016).  In addition to this whole idea, a european consultant agency called CE Delft, found that flights that consisted of 1500 kilometers are about fifty percent worse than a petrol car for each passenger per kilometer (economist 2006). However, putting this in perspective, the 1500 kilometer flights that airlines do are not practical for any other form of aviation. With that, 80% of the emissions produced by the aviation industry are these long haul flights (ATAG n.d.). Currently, the only way to lower the emissions in aircraft is to be more efficient by burning less gas. There has been some research into alternative fuels like fuels made out of things like algae which would lower the emissions (ATAG n.d.). One thing I think is very important to note is that according to the Air Transport Action Group, the jets today are 80% more fuel efficient per seat kilometer than in 1960 (n.d.). Therefore, we have certainly come a long way and I'd be willing to bet the trend will only continue. The increase in number of flights throughout the years may be one reason for increased emissions.

The United Nations came to an agreement on aircraft emissions on October 6, 2016. The fact that they ratified such an agreement is big news in that the aviation industry is the first industry to have a worldwide pact to control emissions. This agreement will only apply to international flights. The entire system is voluntary from 2021-2027 and then become mandatory from 2028 to 2035 (Lowy 2016). Basically, the levels of emissions in the year 2020 will be recorded and used as a cap for airlines. If an airline goes over this cap they will have to purchase credits for more emissions (Lowy 2016). The United States and China have both agreed to join in on this initiative in its voluntary stage which is important because both produce the most emissions (Milman 2016).

The Paris Agreement is another agreement that deals with the reduction of emissions. According to the European Commission, the deal is set to limit the increase in temperature to 1.5 degrees celsius and for each country to reduce their emissions in order to decrease the global emissions (European Commission n.d.). The agreement was set forth on November 4, 2016 (Guardian News 2016). However, our new president elect creates a great uncertainty into what will happen in regards to the Paris Agreement. Donald Trump has said, "Any regulation that's outdated, unnecessary, bad for workers or contrary to the national interest will be scrapped and scrapped completely (BBC News 2016)." He has said that he wants more drilling, an approval of a Keystone pipeline from Canada and less regulations (BBC News 2016). That being said, one could say that he thinks less restrictive regulations and more drilling will help the U.S. economy. It is very hard to sit down and know what exactly he will do while in office. However, if he plans to withdraw from the Paris Agreement as he has said it is likely that other nations will also withdraw. In addition, it is likely many countries would be angered by the U.S. withdrawing from the Paris agreement as it shows a lack of concern for the global climate (U.S. News & World report 2016).

In my opinion, I think lowering emissions is important for all industries. It is important to consider the future and acknowledge the fact there are consequences from all of our actions. However, in the current time I don't know if the the United Nations agreement of airlines using carbon credits is the most effective way to handle the issue. Aviation has simply increased more and more over years. By using this credit system, I think you can only limit your emissions to a point. In the long run it comes down to engine efficiencies or alternative fuels. Also, I think that airlines will most likely burn right through their credits early because of increases in air transportation. I definitely think more money and time can be put on creating more efficient engines. We have come a long way in terms of engine efficiencies as it is. Therefore, I wouldn't say it was necessarily a over reaction. I think these laws are definitely important steps in agreeing and coming to a consensus that something needs to be done to preserve our climate. However, when it comes down to it, engine efficiency is what is important. These increases in efficiencies will only come in time.



References:

ATAG-Air Transport Action Group. (n.d.). Facts & Figures - Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.atag.org/facts-and-figures.html

BBC News. (2016, May 27). Donald Trump would 'cancel' Paris climate deal. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-36401174

Brown, V. (2014, January 2). Aviation industry faces pressure to curb emissions. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2015/01/aviation-climate-impact

David Suzuki Foundation. (n.d.). Air travel and climate change. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/science/climate-change-basics/air-travel-and-climate-change/

Earth Talk. (2016, March 24). Is flying or driving better for the environment? Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/fly_vs_drive.htm

Economist. (2006, June 8). The dirty sky. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.economist.com/node/7038726

European Commission. (n.d.). Paris Agreement. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/negotiations/paris/index_en.htm

Guardian News. (2016, November 13). Trump seeking quickest way to quit Paris climate agreement, says report. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/13/trump-looking-at-quickest-way-to-quit-paris-climate-agreement-says-report

Lowy, J. (2016, October 6). UN agreement reached on aircraft climate-change emissions. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6be5cb930f7b4ecbb24ec79219a74225/un-agreement-reached-aircraft-climate-change-emissions

Milman, O. (2016, October 06). First deal to curb aviation emissions agreed in landmark UN accord. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/06/aviation-emissions-agreement-united-nations

Platt, J. (2013, October 9). CO2 101: Why is carbon dioxide bad? Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/stories/co2-101-why-is-carbon-dioxide-bad

U.S. News & World Report. (2016, November 14). What if Trump Pulls U.S. Out of Paris Agreement on Climate Change? Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2016-11-14/what-could-the-world-do-if-trump-pulls-us-out-of-paris-agreement-on-climate-change

Global Airlines

US airlines have been sparking some heated debate with foreign long-haul air carriers claiming that their success is a result of government subsidiaries. In other words, major US airlines are claiming that the foreign air carriers are breaking the open skies agreement by being supplied with government subsidies in some particular way. In order to better understand the debate, I will first discuss the US-UAE Open Skies Agreement.

The Open Skies Agreements "are bilateral agreements that the U.S. government negotiates with other countries to provide rights for airlines to offer international passenger and cargo services" (Bureau of Public Affairs 2016). The Open Skies Agreement is a government hands-off policy in that it does away with government interference about airline routes and pricing. Beneath all this, one fundamental rule within the Open Skies Agreement is the airline must be self sufficient and must not receive government subsidies. The Open Skies Agreement, makes airline routes more flexible (Bureau of Public Affairs 2016). According to the Bureau of Public Affairs, the agreements allows for an estimated sixteen percent increase in air traffic, resulting in nine millions jobs being supported (2016). As far as U.S. routes, the Open Skies Agreement expanded direct route international flights to other U.S. cities like Detroit, Las Vegas, Memphis, Minneapolis, Orland and Portland (Bureau of Public Affairs 2016). Two foreign long haul carriers that are apart of the Open Skies Agreement and have received government subsidies are Qatar Airways and Emirates Airline (PR Newswire 2015). According to PR Newswire, Qatar airways has confirmed that it received land from the government worth $452 million for office and residential space (2015). While Emirates has taken part in fuel hedging and its parent company (Investment Corporation of Dubai) assumed the costs (PR Newswire 2015). Fuel hedging is buying large amounts of fuel at a time when the prices are low. This is a gamble as prices could rise and the airline will make money or the fuel prices could get even lower and the airline or fuel hedger would lose money (Global Risk Management n.d.). The conflict arose in 2009 when Emirates Airlines made a bad call on fuel Hedging and they lost a lot of money (Kane 2015). The Investment Corporation of Dubai had to bail the company out. The major U.S. airlines (Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines) have said that the bailout was a form of government subsidy which goes against the rules in the Open Skies Agreement. In addition, the United Arab Emirates payed $7.8 billion to build a huge terminal for Emirates Airline use (PR Newswire). Some would say this was a government subsidy which also broke the Open Skies Agreements. 

Emirates Airline has responded to the U.S. carriers claims regarding the fuel hedging. The president of Emirates Airline, Tim Clark stated, "All cash losses incurred by Emirates as a result of its fuel trades in place 2008-2009 were settled in full from the airline's own cash reserves and were not paid for by the government of Dubai (Kane 2015)." Tim Clark of Emirates Airline has also stated that U.S. carriers are just trying to maintain their market share (Kane 2015). This brings me to the next point: Have the three major U.S. carriers received government subsidies? The short answer to this question is yes. The air mail act of 1925 provided subsidies that helped lead to innovation and creation of many of the domestic routes that would be flown (McGee 2015). Another example of a government subsidy given to US airlines is the Fly America Act of 1974 (McGee 2015). Under this act federal agencies are required to use US carriers for transportation (McGee 2015). In addition, the Essential Air Service program is an example where US carriers fly routes that service the rural communities (McGee 2015). These routes are essential to the communities however, and because they are to rural areas, the airline could lose money as it is not a popular route. The government subsidizes these flights making these routes possible and airlines won't lose money (US DOT n.d.). However, according to Bill McGee, "Throughout the country, taxpayers have supported billions in airline infrastructure over the decades (2015)." An example of this is seen with the reveal of a plan to rebuild the LaGuardia airport which will cost $4 billion dollars. Half of this price will be paid by the government and the other half through private funding (Hajela 2015). One could argue that this project is not considered a government subsidy for the US carriers.  However, this terminal will help US carriers which is why Delta Air Lines is a partner for the new terminal (Hajela 2015). Depending on how you look at it, most airlines receive some type of subsidy from the government.  In my opinion, the reason for all this debate is the terms of not being government subsidized may be to vague. To clear this heated debate up I think there should be a more clear definition of what a subsidy is and what is not allowed. Both the three major U.S. carriers and Gulf carriers are pointing their fingers at each other saying the other has/had government subsidies.

The government subsidy debate isn't the only issue the major three US carriers have a problem with in the foreign air carriers. The US carriers believe that foreign carriers have the ability to purchase new jet aircraft at lower interest rates than the US carriers with the Export-Import Bank (Simon 2014). According the Export-Import Banks website, their overall mission is to support American jobs by "facilitating the export of US goods and services (EXIM n.d.)." However, the air carriers say the lower interest rates allow foreign air carriers to update their fleet much faster by buying new aircraft at these lower interest rates while the US carriers have higher rates (Simon 2014). Delta has estimated that the Export-Import Bank has cost the airlines $684 million a year and impacted 7500 jobs (Lee 2015). The Export-Import Bank's charter was blocked on June 30, 2015, (Rogers 2015). The closing of this bank significantly hurts the aircraft manufacturer Boeing because the bank backed loans on aircraft airlines were buying. Without the Export-Import Bank, the airlines will be forced to go to Airbus. Boeing helps secure 1.5 million American jobs (Crawford 2015). An option for Boeing to stay competitive would be to move to Canada where a government-backed bank can guarantee loans (Crawford 2015). 

Overall, I don't think the global playing field is fair for long haul carriers. I don't think fairness will ever be the same because there are so many variables that effect business in the airlines. That being said the governments between two countries are always going to be different in some kind of way and thus effect subsidies. I think the idea of "no-government subsidies" is very vague. How does one define what a subsidy is and if it's compliant with the Open Skies Agreement? As far as the Export-Import Bank goes, I think that the bank is critical for companies like Boeing. Without it, I fear their competition with Airbus will be hurt. The loss of American jobs if Boeing left the US would be disastrous. It is very evident that there is strong competition between US carriers and the Gulf carriers. This competition I suspect will only continue to get stronger. 

References:

 Bureau of Public Affairs. (2016, September 16). Open Skies Partnerships: Expanding the Benefits of Freer Commercial Aviation. Retrieved November 04, 2016, from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/pl/262022.htm 

 Crawford, J. (2015, October 26). ​Boeing CEO: Losing Export-Import Bank "means loss of jobs" Retrieved November 04, 2016, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/boeing-ceo-losing-export-import-bank-means-loss-of-jobs/ 

 EXIM. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved November 4, 2016, from http://www.exim.gov/about 

 Global Risk Management. (n.d.). Hedging your fuel risk exposure. Retrieved November 04, 2016, from http://www.global-riskmanagement.com/en/why-protect/fuel-risk-exposure/hedging-fuel-risk 

 Hajela, D. (2015, July 28). New York reveals $4 billion plan for a new LaGuardia airport. Retrieved November 4, 2016, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2015/07/27/new-york-gov-cuomo-announces-new-laguardia-airport/30751423/ 

 Kane, F. (2015, March 18). Emirates Airline president denies US rivals’ charges of government bailout over fuel losses | The National. Retrieved November 04, 2016, from http://www.thenational.ae/business/aviation/emirates-airline-president-denies-us-rivals-charges-of-government-bailout-over-fuel-losses 

 Lee, M. Y. (2015, April 10). Does the Export-Import Bank ‘prop’ foreign corporations to compete unfairly with the U.S.? Retrieved November 04, 2016, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/04/10/does-the-export-import-bank-prop-foreign-corporations-to-compete-unfairly-with-the-u-s/

 McGee, B. (2015, September 02). How much do taxpayers support airlines? Retrieved November 04, 2016, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/mcgee/2015/09/02/how-much-do-taxpayers-support-airlines/71568226/ 

 PR Newswire. (2015, August 27). Emirates Confirms Billions in Government Subsidy for Airport Terminal. Retrieved November 4, 2016, from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/emirates-confirms-billions-in-government-subsidy-for-airport-terminal-300134208.html 

Rogers, K. (2015, June 29). Entrepreneurs await fate of Ex-Im Bank. Retrieved November 04, 2016, from http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/29/entrepreneuers-who-do-biz-overseas-await-ex-im-banks-future.html

Simon, M. (2014, August 8). The Ex-Im Bank is hurting my business. Retrieved November 04, 2016, from http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140808/OPINION/140809833/the-ex-im-bank-is-hurting-my-business 

 U.S. DOT. (n.d.). Essential Air Service. Retrieved November 04, 2016, from https://www.transportation.gov/policy/aviation-policy/small-community-rural-air-service/essential-air-service 

The COMAC C919

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC) looks to compete with major aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus. On November 2, 2015 COMAC rolled out its first narrow body aircraft the C919. Chinese aviation is on a huge rise. According to Alberto Riva, Boeing is estimating "Chinese airlines will need to buy more than 6,000 airplanes between 2014 and 2034, worth almost $1 trillion (2015).” Simply looking at these figures it isn't hard to understand why China is looking to produce aircraft within their own country. At the same time, they are forced to battle with manufacturing titans, Airbus and Boeing. 

I think that the C919 will be able to get FAA certification in the future. However, it certainly won't be an easy task. This is shown through COMAC's other production jet which is a regional jet called ARJ-21. COMAC has stated they built a spinoff of the original ARJ-21 to comply with FAA certification standards (Gavindasamy & Miller, 2015). However, it has been a five-year process of the FAA shadowing the certification process (Gavindasamy & Miller, 2015). With its current specifications, the ARJ-21 failed to receive FAA certification which severely limits its markets as it can't be flown in the U.S. Some believe that the FAA is taking their time in the certification process because of political and economic issues between the FAA and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (Gavindasamy & Miller, 2015). According to Siva Govindasamy and Matthew Miller, the FAA has stated in an email to Reuters News Agency, "The FAA enjoys a good working relationship with CAAC and we continue to work together to develop a path to work towards certification of the derivative model of the ARJ-21 and, possibly, the C919... (2015)." In my opinion, I think the C919 has potential to get FAA certification. Due to that fact that COMAC is a Chinese manufacturer and that it doesn't have a reputable name currently, I think the certification process is due to be lengthy. 

If the COMAC C919 becomes FAA certified, it could definitely be considered among air carriers due to its price tag. The China National Radio predicted the price of the C919 to be 30% less than the B737 and A320 (AeroTime 2015). It can be assumed that this lower cost can be associated with the lower cost of pay to employees. However, I do foresee a number of challenges with integrating the C919 in U.S. air carriers. The first problem I can think of would deal with training challenges. The contract to build a full flight simulator for the C919 was given to Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (McHale 2011). The question that comes to mind is would pilots have to initially travel to China to receive training in this simulator. Customer support on the aircraft is another issue. Providing product support infrastructure is a task that might be very hard for COMAC to integrate in the U.S. (Michaels 2014). Therefore, with reduced costs to buy the aircraft, the air carriers could face problems with product support with possibly more aircraft down time. Another issue at hand is production delays in the C919. The projected buyers are scheduled to receive their order in 2018, however those following COMAC believe it may be even later than 2018 (Gavindasamy 2016). Therefore, by the time COMAC starts delivering their product, it will already be more outdated than the current production of planes like the A320 neo and 737 Max (Gavindasamy 2016). In other words, the C919 will already be beat in performance by the newer Airbus and Boeing models. Better performance and efficiency equates to lower cost which is one reason a U.S. carrier may opt to stay with Airbus or Boeing. Perception is an issue at hand also. COMAC doesn’t have a built up reputation like Airbus or Boeing in Europe and the United States. The fact that it is “made in China’ may create a negative stigma until the company can show its safety and efficiency. At the same time, I think that passengers who fly on aircraft of this type generally have no idea what type of aircraft they are flying on unless they have some knowledge on the industry or are told. Due to this reason, I don’t think that general public perception is an issue. The air carriers will be the ones where perception may be an issue simply due to COMAC’s lack of reputation at this point in time.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, otherwise known as COMAC, is a state owned limited liability company (COMAC n.d.).  Being state owned is an advantage for COMAC as they are heavily funded by the Chinese government. Many Chinese air carriers have political pressures in buying products from COMAC as COMAC is largely government funded (Matha 2015). This can be seen in the order numbers for the C919. Bernie Leighton states that COMAC has around 450 orders for the C919 and the vast majority of them are carriers in China (2015). According to COMAC’s website (n.d.), their overall mission is “to build the large aircraft program into a symbol for the reform and opening up policy in the new era and for creating an innovative nation, and to build COMAC into a world class aviation enterprise.” As stated previously, COMAC does have another aircraft out which is the ARJ-21. The ARJ-21 is a regional type aircraft that fits up to 90 passengers (Gavindasamy & Miller, 2015). Similar to the C919, the ARJ-21 has yet to receive FAA certification and is unable to fly in the U.S.

Other companies are already making attempts in making strides on the global scene to challenge Boeing and Airbus. A good example of this is the Russian MC-21 produced by the Irkut Corporation which is owned by the United Aircraft Company (Russia Today 2016).  The company has stated that they plan to be producing 20 aircraft a year by the year 2020 (Russia Today 2016). China and Russia are both in their infancy in building these narrow body aircraft compared to Airbus and Boeing. Both the Chinese C919 and Russian MC-21 haven’t made it passed initial testing stages. It will definitely take some time to be fair competitors with Boeing and Airbus. The fact that these countries have created aircrafts of this feat are in no doubt an accomplishment. It takes a great deal of resources such as man power, money and time. Companies like Boeing and Airbus have had their fair share of success and loss. It was only a matter of time other countries would join the competition. Even if the governments helps support and foster the development of a production aircraft like the COMAC C919, it was a huge feat for China.

In my opinion, Boeing and Airbus haven’t really responded to COMAC’s introduction of the C919. Both manufacturers have been on top of the game for quite some time and have credibility that COMAC has yet to receive. On top of that, both manufacturers have their own projects which include the A320neo and 737 MAX (Chang 2012). Boeing is continuing its reign with the acceptance to build a plant in China in 2015 for their contract to build 300 jets for China (Cahill 2015). Overall, Airbus and Boeing will continue to be on top. However, in the long term it may be possible to see COMAC in there.

AeroTime. (2015, November 20). Made in China: Why C919 can hardly be called Chinese. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.aerotime.aero/en/people/people-news/editorial/20413-made-in-china-why-c919-can-hardly-be-called-chinese

Cahill on Business, J. (2015, November 4). Boeing has a new big challenge: China. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20151104/BLOGS10/151109968/boeing-has-a-new-big-challenge-china

Chang, G. G. (2012, November 25). Chinese aviation ABC's: Airbus, Boeing and COMAC. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonchang/2012/11/25/chinas-aviation-abcs-airbus-boeing-and-comac/#31d0c3351048

COMAC. (n.d.). Company profile Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://english.comac.cc/aboutus/introduction/

Govindasamy, S. (2016, February 23). China's COMAC aims for first C919 flight by early 2017: Sources. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-coma-china-c-idUSKCN0VW110

Govindasamy, S., & Miller, M. (2015, October 21). Exclusive: China-made regional jet set for delivery, but no U.S. certification. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-aircraft-arj21-exclusive-idUSKCN0SF2XN20151021#ij0P11gFChwoyzBM.97

Leighton, B. (2015, March 18). A Closer Look at the COMAC C919 - Why does it exist? Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.airlinereporter.com/2015/03/closer-look-comac-c919-exist/

Matha, M. (2015, December 18). 5 Reasons why Chinese aircraft manufacturer will become a global contender. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-reasons-why-chinese-aircraft-manufacturer-become-global-matha

McHale, J. (2011, January 7). COMAC C919 simulator program awarded to Rockwell Collins by XASC. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.intelligent-aerospace.com/articles/2011/01/comac-c919-simulator.html

Michaels, K. (2014, June 24). Opinion: COMAC tie-up with Bombardier a win-win. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/opinion-comac-tie-bombardier-win-win

Powell, S. (2015, November 9). China’s COMAC C919 aircraft running behind schedule – First commercial flight not before 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://loyaltylobby.com/2015/11/09/chinas-comac-c919-aircraft-running-behind-schedule-first-commercial-flight-not-before-2019/#disqus_thread

Riva, A. (2016, June 28). China just flew its first passenger jet - and it's a clunker. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from https://news.vice.com/article/china-just-flew-its-first-passenger-jetand-its-a-clunker

Russia Today. (2016, June 8). MC-21: Russian high-tech plane rolls out to challenge Airbus 320. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from https://www.rt.com/news/345823-mc-21-aircraft-presentation-irkut/

Commercial Space Industry

"Space tourism" has become a reality in today's age. The concept of civilian space travel is nothing short of new. For starters, according to Sam Blum, only seven out of five hundred fifty-one people were private citizens who have traveled to space (2015). In order to make this trip they have all spent upwards of twenty-million dollars to get there with the help of a company called Space Adventures (Melville 2014). There are many other companies that are planing on offering trips to space in years to come. One of which is called Virgin Galactic. Of course, if you want to make the trip you will have to come up with a great deal of money still. Virgin Galactic has online reservations where you can sign up for a space trip in the upcoming years when they begin the service (Melville 2014). The price for a ticket on board this companies spacecraft is $250,000 which doesn't include a 10% down payment (Melville 2014). In the mean time, Space Adventures Ltd. is helping make commercial space travel possible through Russian space missions (Melville 2014). Financially speaking, you would certainly have to be in the top 1% financially to afford this ticket. While the idea of commercial space travel seems very far fetched, space companies are making great strides in paving the way for the future. Before I go into more detail about the space industry, let me first go over a little history regarding civilian space travel.

Space exploration is widely known to be government funded. After successfully making trips to space, civilian space travel had always been an idea. The 1980s were a big year for the space industry. In 1984, Charles D. Walker became the first non-government employed astronaut with the help of the company McDonnell Douglas (Blum 2015). The government funded, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had a program called Teacher in Space which allowed a lucky person the chance to take part in a space mission without holding a career in the government. The Challenger was the rocket that would take this participant into space. In 1986, the Challenger exploded in flight killing all those on board and NASA shut down the program that allowed civilians to travel to space (Blum 2015). The concept of civilian "space tourism" really took off after the X-Prize Foundation based in St. Louis was offering a ten million dollar reward for the first private company to build a spaceship with the ability to carry three people to altitudes of sixty-two miles in 1995 (Antczak 2016). This same company would have to be able to do this twice within two weeks to prove the spaceship is reusable (Antczak 2016).  According to John Antczak, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale marks the sixty-two mile mark as the boundary between Earth and space or the difference between astronautics and aeronautics (2016). The race was on to be the first company that could do this. A number of companies were formed in the years following the creation of X-Prize. Virgin Galactic was one such company formed in 1999 by Richard Branson (Howell 2016). Richard Branson invested in Scaled Composites to create the spaceship that was used to win the X-Prize September and October of 2004 (Howell 2016).  Following this huge accomplishment, Virgin Galactic said that it would open its doors to civilian space travel by 2007 (Howell 2016). Several setbacks forced the company to keep pushing back the start up date. For example, Virgin Galactic had a deadly mishap on October 31, 2014, when their spaceship named "SpaceShipTwo" exploded in flight due to pilot error (Davies 2015). Another company called SpaceX, has had numerous problems with their rockets. In 2015 their rocket, "Falcon 9" exploded just after launch and in September of this year they had another mishap with their rocket exploding on the launchpad (Fecht 2016). 

The regulations regarding commercial space industry for the private sector were created in 1984 with the Commercial Space Launch Act. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, this legislation gave the "responsibility for licensing, regulating, and promoting the private sector space industry was given to the Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA 2010)." Essentially, this law requires any U.S. resident to get a license in order to launch a rocket. Another import legislation was the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004. Under this law, passengers aboard a spacecraft must be informed of all the dangers associated with space flight and the passenger must give consent and sign a form (FAA 2010). This amendment also created the requirements for general training and requirements of crew members (FAA 2010). The U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 was another important law passed regarding the commercial space industry. This law gives the commercial space industry 8 years of freedom from regulatory oversight (Stockton 2015). The reason for this rule making was regulatory oversight makes it very hard to innovate in space technology. The commercial space industry is very young and accidents are bound to happen. If there was more regulatory framework, accidents would be huge drawbacks. The rule making doesn't say that there will be no regulatory oversight, but simply limited oversight (Stockton 2015). I think this bill is very important because space exploration is very difficult financially as it is. Once you add an extensive regulatory framework, it becomes very hard to innovate technology and the industry as a whole. Therefore, I think a less restrictive regulatory framework is definitely important.

I think that in due time, space tourism will become more of a reality. I don't foresee it becoming something a ton of people can do in the next decade and possibly not even in the next two decades primarily due to how expensive it is. It can't become something a ton of people can do unless prices really come down. Those fortunate to be in the top one percent financially will be fortunate to be able to make these space trips and even then safety will always be a concern. The explosion of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo on October 31, 2014, creates a bad aurora in the eyes of the public. I think that with more time credibility with passenger flights, they will be able to gain a better public perception. However, the commercial space industry is very young. Virgin Galactic is only planning on taking passengers to the sixty-two mile mark which is considered space and they will only have four minutes of weightlessness before coming back into the Earths atmosphere (Davies 2015). This just shows the mere infancy of the entire program. That being said, I think it will definitely be a bucket list item until technology advances and prices can come down exponentially. When airplanes were first being put into passenger travel service, there was a fear from the public. It will definitely take a good amount of time to get the public to wrap their heads around space travel. While I definitely support civilian space travel, I think the commercial space industry has a ways to go in terms of safety.

Entering the space tourism industry on the pilot side may take quite a bit of work. Virgin Galactic has posted job postings looking for pilots. Nancy Atkinson has detailed the requirements that Virgin Galactic put out in their press release. She described these requirements in her article "Dream job posting: Spaceship pilots wanted." The first requirement is having graduated from a recognized test pilot school. The applicant must have experience in flying,"both high performance fast-jet type airplanes and large multi-engine types (Atkinson 2016)." Like most commercial industry segments, their press release says that the applicant must promote an enjoyable and safe flight atmosphere and previous spaceflight experience is highly desirable (Atkinson 2016).

References

 Antczak, J. (2016, February 15). Things to know about the space tourism industry. Retrieved October 20, 2016, from http://www.usnews.com/news/science/articles/2016-02-15/things-to-know-about-the-space-tourism-industry

 Atkinson, N. (2016, April 26). Dream job posting: Spaceship pilots wanted. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.universetoday.com/84765/dream-job-posting-spaceship-pilots-wanted/ 

 Blum, S. (2015, November 25). The space tourism timeline. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from https://www.inverse.com/article/8528-the-space-tourism-timeline 

 Davies, A. (2015, July 29). Blame a catastrophic blindspot for the fatal Virgin Galactic crash. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from https://www.wired.com/2015/07/blame-catastrophic-blindspot-virgin-galactic-crash/ 

 FAA. (2010, June 28). Fact Sheet - Commercial space transportation. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=11559 

 Fecht, S. (2016, September 16). Could SpaceX's Falcon 9 really launch again by November? Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://top.adlesse.com/en/i/710864461139702037/could-spacex-s-falcon-9-really-launch-again-by-november 

 Howell, E. (2016, February 17). Virgin Galactic: Richard Branson's Space Tourism Company. Retrieved October 20, 2016, from http://www.space.com/18993-virgin-galactic.html 

 Melville, G. (2014, April 30). How do I go to space? And how much will it cost me? Retrieved October 20, 2016, from https://www.outsideonline.com/1785601/how-do-i-go-space-and-how-much-will-it-cost-me 

 Stockton, N. (2015, November 18). Congress says yes to space mining, No to rocket regulations. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from https://www.wired.com/2015/11/congress-says-yes-to-space-mining-no-to-rocket-regulations/ 

The Current Status of UAVs

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) also referred to as unmanned aerial systems or drones have been around for quite a long time in the military (Wingfield 2016). Over the past few years, UAVs have been growing in use by the civilian world. A UAV is a unit that can be piloted from the ground by a radio controller. With increases in technology, autonomous flight has become a reality where a drone can fly to GPS coordinates that the user places on a map (Wingfield 2016). According to Business Insider, "Shipments of consumer drones will more than quadruple over the next five years, fueled by increasing price competition and new technologies that make flying drones easier for beginners (2016)." Advancements in the technology and increased consumer demand have made owning one in the current times a reality. According to Nick Winfield, "...2.8 million consumer drones will be sold in the United States in 2016 and revenue will reach $953 million(2016)." With increasing numbers of UAVs out there, there is a concern for the safety in the National Airspace System. The government was very slow to put out any kind of regulations enforcing the certification and use of UAVs in our current airspace system. Before I go into the recent legislation regarding UAVs, I will first talk about the uses.

There are currently many uses of unmanned aerial systems in the civilian world. Current uses include police departments using them for photographing accident sites, the department of homeland security uses them to patrol the U.S. boarder and firefighters in places like California use UAVs in monitoring forest fires (Epatko 2013). Other practical uses include aerial photography, taking pictures or video for real estate firms or for construction/inspection uses (Orcutt 2016). There are so many more applications for drones but the ideas are limited by the current regulations. On August 29, 2016, the FAA's drone rules finally went into effect. These regulations were a relief for many businesses looking to use drones commercially (Orcutt 2016). Prior to this regulation, The Department of Defense and FAA worked together to create a system where the operator could get a 'certificate of authorization' allowing the operator to operate a drone in the NAS. Getting a waiver is a long drawn out process that could take months (DeGarmo 2004 p.1-5). The new drone rules deal with the certification of drone operators and the use of drones. In order to receive your remote pilot certificate, you must take an Aeronautical Knowledge test under part 107. After successful completion of the test, you must fill out an FAA Airmen Certificate/rating on the FAA's IACRA page (FAA n.d.). There are many guidelines for permitting  commercial use of drones. Some of these include: weighing under 55 pounds, operated in daylight hours, maintain visual contact with the drone at all times, operated in a way to not interfere with other aircraft, remaining at or below 400 feet above ground level or structure and fly no faster than 100 miles per hour (Mcdougal n.d.). The use of drones on farms would be very useful as farmers could check their crops. One problem however is the rule where you must be in line of sight of the drone. This doesn't help farmers who have crops on several acres of property that would be out of line of sight (Masunaga 2016). In order to get around these rules, a person would have to apply for a waiver from the FAA which could take a good amount of time. Using drones as a means of delivery of packages is still not legal (Wingfield 2016).

I foresee UAVs integrating into the National Airspace System. I don't think it will happen in the immediate future because it took a good amount of time to get the current regulations passed. In addition, the integration of UAVs poses a number of issues. The first issue that is arguably the most important issue is collision avoidance. There is potential for catastrophic events with other aircraft. One specific way to solve this issue is to create technology where the UAV can see and avoid other aircraft (DeGarmo 2004 p. 2-3 — 2-5). Under FAR 91.113, the right of way rules are spelled out for all aircraft. They say that regardless of VFR or IFR operations, operators bust maintain vigilance to see and avoid other aircraft (DeGarmo 2004 p. 2-3). That being said, in order for drones to be effectively integrated further into the national airspace system, the UAVs need see and avoid technology. Of course another major issue I force is how UAVs will be regulated to contain see-and-avoid technology. Currently, a UAV has to stay at or below 400 feet above ground level. I don't think it will be very easy to integrate UAVs into airspace higher than 400 feet unless these see-and-avoid technologies are integrated. In order for a UAV to be integrated into positive control airspace it would need some kind of surveillance equipment such as ADS-B (DeGarmo 2004 p.2-5). This creates other issues which include payload capacity. All this equipment adds additional weight. Smaller UAVs may not be able to incorporate all this technology unless advancements are made to make smaller and lighter equipment (DeGarmo 2004 p.2-5). Other logistical problems include how air traffic control will be able to communicate with the drones to allow for positive separation (DeGarmo 2004 p.2-16. Public perceptions of UAVs may be an additional problem. Privacy is one really big public problem. Trespassing and being a nuisance on ones property may create problems (Mcdougal n.d.). There are currently no rules regarding the amount of airspace a homeowner owns over their property (Mcdougal n.d.). Therefore, what constitutes trespassing? The public may question the reliability and safety of UAVs. This perception can be brought foreword through statistics. Matthew DeGarmo references "85% of all UAV accidents are a result of equipment failure (DeGarmo 2004 p.2-11)." Overall, I think that with more time, integration is necessary because there are so many practical uses for drones and their popularity is only just increasing. The current regulations take a stab at trying to integrate UAVs in the NAS and catch up with the UAV technology. Creating rules and certification was an initial step to integration.

UAV technology was first integrated in the military and has served many vital roles. Unmanned aerial systems were created as early as the American civil war with the unsuccessful use of unmanned balloons to drop bombs (DeGarmo 2004 p.1-2). In World War I a pilotless aircraft called the "Kettering Bug" was created which could fly for a specific amount of time before the wings coming off. It was never used in combat (DeGarmo 2004 p.1-2). The Germans were the first to make huge advancements in the technology in World War II with the V-1 bomber (DeGarmo 2004 p.1-3). During the Korean and Vietnam wars the UAV became very useful in surveillance as UAVs made flights in North Vietnam and China (DeGarmo 2004 p.1-3). In todays age, drones are used extensively in surveillance as each drone can stay in the sky for up to 17 hours at a time (BBC News 2012). They have also been used to target and kill militants in tribal areas of Pakistan (BBC News 2012). There are many debates on whether or not the use of drones is ethical. On one side, it is believed that the use of drones help deliver precision attacks where a manned aircraft operation might have been too risky. On the other side, it is believed to be unethical because every strike kills hundreds of civilians along with the target (BBC News 2012). Every action comes with a price to pay. Financially, the use of drones makes a lot of sense. The firepower from a MQ-9 Reaper and A-10 thunderbolt are similar however, the Reaper costs $6.4 million while the A-10 costs $18.2 million (Francis 2013). Maintenance costs are also higher for the A-10 making drones more efficient. According to David Francis, in the year 2012, the cost of American troops in Afghanistan was upwards of $51 billion (2013). The budget for drones over the next 10 years, is expected to be around $40 billion (Francis 2013). That being said, it makes sense why the use of drones has increased the last decade. It is not only cheaper, but it also keeps American pilots out of harms way. In my opinion, the use of drones has been very critical to military operations and the integration of drones was very effective. The efficiency of drone integration in U.S. was limited by the regulations as waivers could take a long period of time to receive. However, the use of drones throughout the world by the U.S. have been very effective.

After doing some research, I was able to find several civilian UAV jobs. The majority of them are contract work. The two jobs I find have to do with drone photography. The recent regulations have opened up many opportunities for jobs and I am sure with more time more will be created.  One website that I found particularly interesting was DroneBase.com. It is a website that allows drone pilots to sign up on their website. People and businesses can hire pilots from the website to get photographs for real estate or construction sites (Constine 2015). I think this is a really good idea for those looking for contract jobs flying drones. Two specific jobs I found will be listed below.

1. http://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=3f659142edfb395e&qd=EjXobnmpox62Zud1hq9TwLBIXILHFewxGNmhKF7jqBjP9_1lVQ0mcVFZTJ_Flo1f4KDDqwGCdUN8G90fRGb3KqVctS9cY7R02oKnDArGT8kOIMqHHDWPh5pThy73q1gpHqeiOfrcDO4wvLXfvaxkxg&atk=1av0cqqcoaepqfem&utm_source=publisher&utm_medium=organic_listings&utm_campaign=affiliate

2. http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Dronegenuity-LLC/jobs/Drone-Pilot-5651fea064565eb8?q=Drone

References:

BBC News. (2012, January 31). Drones: What are they and how do they work? Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-10713898 

 Business Insider. (2016, June 10). The drones report: Market forecasts, regulatory barriers, top vendors, and leading commercial applications. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.businessinsider.com/uav-or-commercial-drone-market-forecast-2015-2 

Constine, J. (2015, April 29). DroneBase lets any business rent a drone and a pilot. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from https://www.google.com/amp/s/techcrunch.com/2015/04/29/dronebase/amp/?client=safari

DeGarmo, M. T. (2004). Issues concerning integration of unmanned aerial vehicles in civil airspace. The MITRE Corporation Center for Advanced Aviation System Development.

 Epatko, L. (2013, April 18). How are drones used in the U.S.? Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/how-are-drones-used-in-us/ 

 FAA. (n.d.). The FAA's new drone rules are effective today. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=86305 

 Francis, D. (2013, February 7). Death by drones: Are they worth the cost? Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/02/07/Death-by-Drones-Are-They-Worth-the-Cost 

 McDougal, T. (n.d.). Drones and the law: The sky's not the limit. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/video/tips-and-solutions/drones-and-law-skys-not-limit 

 Orcutt, M. (2016, August 26). Now you can finally use your drone to make money. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602237/now-you-can-finally-use-your-drone-to-make-money/ 

 Wingfield, N. (2016, August 29). A field guide to civilian drones. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/technology/guide-to-civilian-drones.html?_r=0 

http://hubmesh.com/drones-being-used-in-us-find-out-how-also-the-way-to-use-drones.html