...And Here, Darn it, Are The Heartbreakers
Final Compilations/Analysis by ANN Editor-In-Chief/Corporate
Insomniac, Jim Campbell
It is both the most "fun," and most
difficult task, facing the ANN staff at the end of every year --
determining who, or what, did the most to promote the cause of
aviation in the past 365 days... while also chastising those people
or entities that did all they could to undermine the many successes
the aerospace community has managed to accomplish.
Alas, 2009 saw more than its fair share of downers, aviation-wise.
Sure, "stuff" happens... but a few folks, issues, or entities
seemed to go out of their way to create problems for the world of
aviation.
So... it is ANN's annual obligation to recognize Ten of our
Aero-Heartbreakers for 2009... in something of an informal order,
starting from the 10th to the 1st.
Let us know what you think of our selections... whom YOU would
have liked be included, or omitted, from such a list. In the
meantime, we hope those who had something to do with this year's
selections think a little more positively about the welfare of this
industry, so that future lists become harder and harder to
catalog.
Be it ignorance, arrogance or just plain incompetence, these
were the folks or topics that made our lot a whole lot more
difficult and immeasurably injured the aviation world in the past
year.
Shame on those issues, folks, or groups that made our lot so
much tougher in 2009...
Aero-Heartbreaker #5: The Not So Kinder/Gentler FAA
You may have seen this one on a few T-Shirts or bumper
stickers... "We're The FAA -- We're Not Happy Until You're Not
Happy." What was a bit of gallows humor is rapidly becoming the law
of the land. Over the years, the FAA has wavered between playing a
sleeping giant that didn't mess with us all that much, to
walking, talking nightmare. According to escalating reports from
the last year or so, the nightmare days seem to be back with a
vengeance.
Enforcement actions are growing increasingly aggressive. Ramp
Surveillance seems to be more and more bizarre and often connected
to personal issues or vendettas with local FAA offices. And the
fact that the FAA has pretty much rolled over and played dead
whenever other governmental agencies start telling them what to do
(TSA, Secret Service, ignorant members of Congress who wouldn't
known an aileron from their ass, etc.) is just plain wrong. Let's
face it, the FAA is not nearly as well educated on all things
aviation as they used to be (witness the fed who walked into a
recover shop not too long ago, pointed to the wire fuel/float
visual gauge on the cowling of a Piper Cub and asked... "What's
that?"). Yeesh.
At a time when aviation seems to be under attack from all
corners, the FAA can and should have a vital role to play in
insuring that this industry is safe, secure and a true
representative of the American ideal. Despite the fact that
Congress stripped them of their mandate to promote aviation, there
is so much that they could be doing that would be fair to all and
that would improve aviation's lot dramatically... and,
damn it, we demand that they do so. We have new
leadership at the helm of the FAA... a guy who knows how screwed up
the FAA can be and how difficult it can be to work with them when
they're not working in the best interests of all.
We call for Administrator Babbitt to do the uncommon and
righteous thing -- to seek industry advice and consensus to restore
the FAA to a position of trust, to enact the Pilot's Bill of
Rights, to resist ridiculous intrusions on aviation safety and
freedoms by security goons who only see "restrictions" as the
answer to every issue they face, and remake the FAA into a
valued industry partner... one that can be trusted, one
that is fair, and one that helps the industry grow and prosper...
safely and responsibly. I think Babbitt can do that... and based on
his history in other leadership positions as well as the roles he
has played in aviation in the past, he has to have some desire to
do so... I hope that he decides to do so and that he gets the
support he needs to accomplish what could be some very positive
changes for the aviation world. Can you imagine an FAA that we can
trust and work with... one that tries to find solutions rather than
make problems? The mind boggles...