I must be Dreaming.

The 787, Dreamliner, is Boeing's latest and most state of the art aircraft.  It is the first aircraft to be mainly composed of composites and durable plastics.  After three years of delays the first Dreamliner was just handed over to All Nippon Airways.  It is the aircraft that is projected to have fuel savings up to 20% which is critical for airline operators operating with such small profit margins.  It also has greater comforts than its predecessors such as windows that shade over replace normal plastic blinds, cabin pressures closer to sea-level, better seats, and many other perks awaiting travelers.

The origin of the 787 came from Boeing’s projection of air travel in the coming years.  Boeing is forecasting a growth from 3,640 twin aisle aircraft to 8,570 in 2030.  This coupled with airlines demands for more efficient and profitable aircraft is a large driving force behind Boeing to develop the 787.  It will be made into two variants, the -8 and -9, with seating ranging from around 200-300 people depending on cabin configuration.  It will boast a range greater than 8200 – 8500 nautical miles.  This longer range capability allows more point to point service as opposed to the hub-and-spoke model.  It also gives airlines the options of retiring some older less efficient aircraft of comparable size while potentially making a route much more profitable.

Boeing also did the manufacturing of this aircraft on a global scale.  Parts were brought in from all over the world on 4 specially designed Boeing Dreamlifters, which are modified 747-400’s (Photo).  The reason Boeing did this was to spread risk among its suppliers and to find the best engineering talent.  However, due to logistical problems, language barriers, and outsourcing of the outsourced work played a part in the 787 falling years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.  All of these smaller problems created a domino effect that kept pushing the aircraft delivery date back as cited in this article in business week.  Introducing so many variables to building an aircraft will be more likely to create delays, especially the first time anyone tries using this method.

Boeing also has ambitions to produce 10 aircraft per month by the end of 2013.  This will be done by two plants.  One factory in Everett, Washington will make seven Dreamliners per month and the other three in a new facility in Charleston South Carolina.  However the National Labor Review Board is in a legal battle with Boeing about the building of a non-union plant in South Carolina.  For more information please follow this link.

This new aircraft has not gone unnoticed by Boeing's rival Airbus.  Although the A380 has just taken to the skies Airbus has been developing the A350 to challenge the 787.  Aircraft manufacturers will listen to what their customers want and try to deliver an aircraft capable of making the airlines a profit.  The risk of doing something for the first time can stop a company from attempting a new cutting edge project.  The questions and risks in building the 787 (and the A380) could have a crippling financial effect on a company if the project is a failure.

Although Boeing isn’t at full scale production with the 787, it is finally here.  I am extremely excited in the advancements that Boeing has made with this aircraft and will be following in very carefully.  With Boeing having 821 orders from countries all over the globe many airlines are counting on Boeing to deliver with their product:  An aircraft that will fly more cost efficiently and provide more comfort to its passengers. 

The NextGen(eration)

As aviation continues to thrive the FAA is running into a problem.  The National Airspace System is threatened to become full in the near future if action isn’t taken to expand the load capacity of our current system.  Fortunately the FAA has a plan to vastly increase the capacity and efficiency of our airspace with NextGen.  NextGen will utilize a satellite based system that will allow for more traffic to fly in a more efficient and logical way.  This FAA website has a detailed explanation of all the subsystems that will make up NextGen.  The basic way it will work is aircraft and ATC will be able to monitor each other using a single system to increase the capacity and improve routing for aircraft, while giving pilots more real time data.

The only real debate about how NextGen will move forward is funding.  With estimated costs from as low as 20 billion dollars to numbers north of 100 billion.  Who should foot the bill for this massive overhaul?  I feel that the government should pay for the infrastructure as well as subsidizing GA aircraft to equip their aircraft properly in this new system.  Airlines and corporations flying larger jets will be able to afford and more likely pass the bill to customers or use it as some type of tax write off.  However, those that fly leisurely would suffer the most if they were required to purchase expensive equipment.

The benefits of NextGen would be extremely beneficial to aviation as seen in this article.  Having the ability to reduce separation and plan more direct routes would lower fuel consumption and decrease delays while still maintaining a safe flying environment.  There are many reasons to pursue NextGen aggressively and the only hurdle that looks to be in the way is money.  Still the future of NextGen does look bright.  It isn’t projected to be fully functional until 2025.  There is much work that needs to be done, but it is work that is vital to the survival of aviation.  If this new system is delayed for too long, it won’t be long until airports are experiencing greater congestion in a much busier sky.

Security

People that fly on a commercial airline are all too familiar with the process of airport security.  Some people feel that the TSA doesn’t do enough to protect us and that we should surrender more of our personal rights to ensure no one can slip through.  On the other hand others feel that the agency has gone too far with pat-downs or the use of full body scanners. How people view the TSA agency is something that is still being debated, and will continue to be debated for years to come. 

Another way to look at aviation security is on the economic impact on society.  US News and World Report published an article that discussed the economic impact on the amount of money that was being spent directly on aviation security as well as secondary cost incurred.  These costs can build and put a great burden on a struggling global economic environment.  In these trying economic times we need to figure out at what point does the cost outweigh the amount of security.

Security in the aviation industry has been under extreme scrutiny for the last decade.  When there is a blunder or disregard for security the reaction from the public and news sources can be very harsh.  Finding the perfect system will most likely happen because of the different views people have on the subject.  Finding a way to get the most “bang for our buck” is critical as we try and integrate the ever evolving joy of security.

Auto-Automation

Automation in aviation has had a tremendous impact on the way flying is done.  The use of automation has allowed us to maximize the use of aircraft, giving the pilot all the information he/she needs while lessening the work load.  How could there possibly be a downside?

As a pilot I learned to fly in airplanes that have IFR certified GPS that would give you headings and a drawn out map of approaches or departures that can take away some of the thinking required.  If I am not mentally walking through what I am doing it can lead to an instance where situational awareness can become less than what it should be.  Having a strong understanding on each system and having the ability to be able to apply those methods can be extremely critical if the automation were to fail during flight.  If pilots become relaxed and stop being mentally involved with flying and observing the flight instruments small problems can be quickly compounded in to large problems that sometimes can have terrible consequences.

As a management student I understand the importance of streamlining and making operations as efficient and cost effective as possible.  However, if there is a certain point where piloting skills are deteriorating perhaps adjustments to standard operating procedures should be addressed or additional training to ensure safe operations should a automation failure arise. 

Although automation is quickly becoming the norm in aviation it is critical to make sure that pilots are well trained and knowledgeable on how to deal with automation failure.  An article published by Flight Safety Foundation discussed ways that airline pilots would try and maintain there “stick and rudder” skills by hand flying where others would simply let the computers fly the plane if the company operating procedure would allow it.   Pilots can put too much faith into what the computer is telling them without verifying the information through cross checks or just thinking about where the plane is in flight.  Although failure occurrences can be rare, knowing what needs to be done can be enough overt a dangerous situation.

Introduction

Hello to all,

My name is Gabe and I am in my final year of study in aviation management at Eastern Michigan University.  I was first exposed to aviation when I was about 13 years old.  My father was getting his private license and his instructor took me around the pattern in his 150.  I continued to fly with my father for several years and I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in aviation.  I now have a private license with an instrument rating and I am continuing to work towards my commercial rating as well as pursuing a dispatch certificate.  I am not sure where I will end up after I graduate but I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge of aviation.