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Showing posts from February, 2018

Commercial Space Industry

In the 1960s, Jeff Bezo, Amazon and Blue Origin CEO, began intriguing the public with Blue Origin ’ s idea to launch private citizens 62 miles above the Earth in four-minute increments (Blum, 2015). Bezo wanted to transform the idea of a fantasy trip to space to an accessible reality for everyone. Like Blue Origin, Pan Am took reservations (but failed to deliver) for trips to the moon in 1969, further proving and reiterating the public ’ s interest in space travel. In November of 2015, Blue Origin landed its first reusable rocket in space (Blum, 2015). Clearly space tourism has developed over the years, but it has also experienced its fair share of setbacks along the way.             In 1984 the first non-governmental employed astronaut, Charles D. Walker, explored space, flying three times between 1984 and 1985. Space Adventures, founded in 1998, has allowed private civilians to travel beyond the stratosphere, spending close to three months in space while traveling over

The Current Status of UAVs

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs, are being utilized more and more in the civilian sector for a variety of reasons, to include cinematically for weddings, businesses, general photography necessities, and recreational purposes to name a few. UAVs are outlined in the Special Rule For Model Aircraft: Public Law 112-95, Section 336, and Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulation, Part 107 (Meola, 2017). There are numerous differences for recreational vs. commercial use of UAVs. To operate a drone recreationally, there are significantly less strenuous aircraft, pilot and operating rules. Commercially, the operator must possess a Remote Pilot American Certificate, must be evaluated by the TSA, and must be at least 16 years of age or older. The operator’s UAV must also be registered if it is more than .55 pounds, but must weigh less than 55 pounds, he or she must conduct pre-flight checks prior to operating, and can only operate in Class G airspace. Lastly, the commercial use of a UAV requ

The Cargo Carrier Exemption

Should cargo carriers be exempt from flight/duty changes? As a result of the Colgan Air Accident, the FAA implemented new flight and duty regulations to mitigate the risk of fatigue for aircrews. The regulation incorporates restrictions on flight hours, and it also implements more stringent rest requirements. Among many other things, the new regulation mandates a 10-hour period of rest, with the intention of giving pilots at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep within that amount of time. The old regulation had more lax flight hour requirements based on the day and year, whereas the new rule limits flight hours in accordance with the week, month, and per years (Houston, 2017). The FAA has established an exemption for cargo carriers under the Part 117 rules. Limitations vary on the time the pilot begins their day, and incorporates certain limits on flight time when the plane is moving under its own power before, during, or after flight. Additionally, cargo carriers have improved their