Sunday, October 19, 2008

FAA to Fund Three more Airlines for Electronic Flight Bags EFBs

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Friday it has reached agreements with three additional US airlines to fund in-cockpit runway safety systems in exchange for critical operational data. The data will help the FAA evaluate the safety impact of this technology and is expected to accelerate key safety capabilities necessary for the transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System.

Atlas Air Inc. received $510,000 to equip 17 aircraft with electronic flight bags (EFBs), CommutAir received $544,000 to equip 16 aircraft with EFBs and Aural Alerting Systems, and Shuttle America received $680,000 to equip 20 aircraft with EFBs and Aural Alerting Systems.

The surface moving maps with own-ship position and aural alert systems will be used on flights to or from 21 testbed airports, as well as other airports. The safety technology provides greater situational awareness for pilots to help them avoid unsafe operations on the airport surface.

In September, the FAA provided $600,000 each to SkyWest, Piedmont, US Airways and Southwest Airlines to install the cockpit safety equipment.

"This technology is on every pilot’s wish list," said Robert A. Sturgell, the FAA's acting administrator. "It's going to be a big boost for runway safety. As a former airline pilot myself, I can tell you putting these systems in the cockpit will raise situational awareness considerably."

The technology will be installed in aircraft at each airline by September 2009. By that time the agency also expects initial results from the data analysis. Each agreement will remain in effect through September 2011.

The FAA continues to review other proposals to deploy the surface moving map or an approved aural runway safety alerting system and expects to announce other awards. Twenty-two airlines responded to the FAA's request for proposals to invest in the two runway safety technologies.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Let's further raise the situational awareness of Bobby Sturgell.

A copy of this post with photos is available at:
Bobbysturgell[dot]com

Failed FAA Pilot Bobby Sturgell Racks Up His 3,000th Civilian Kill, And Somehow Keeps Flying

To this day, our federal government in the United States has continued to allow the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), for good reason otherwise known as the Tombstone Agency, to be run by a morally-bereft, incompetent liar/perjurer by the name of Robert Allan [Bobby] Sturgell. You already know Bobby Sturgell. Bobby self-touts his Top Gun status while seemingly unable to cite any bona fide combat experience. Bobby professes his married status while somehow unable to wear a wedding ring while on business trips. Bobby feigns public official status, while borne of a DelMarVa shoot-em-up biker bar until recently owned by his FBI Mom who formerly served as personal secretary to J. Edgar Hoover. Bobby Sturgell is the imposter known as FAA -Acting- Administrator.

How apt.

A few months ago, Bobby Sturgell racked up his 3,000th civilian aviation kill. That makes for a lot of notches on his Top Gun wing.

In but one (1) short year in office as bumbling Acting Administrator of the FAA, Bobby Sturgell has finished the job, and he has murdered aviation safety. Yet the Bobby Sturgell homicide-of-decency commenced at least 5 years ago when Bobby Sturgell joined the FAA back in 2003.

The period of time from 2003 forward, to the date within the next few weeks that Bobby Sturgell ejects from his corner office at 800 Independence, shall be forever known as:

The Bobby Sturgell Tombstone FAA Regime, 2003-2008.

United States aviation fatality statistics are public record, and are available on the Internet. They are the damning admission of NTSB, USDOT, and FAA. See:
Ejectsturgell[dot]blogspot[dot]com

According to a Quiet Rockland count of the NTSB statistics of approximately one (1) week ago, since the year in which Bobby Sturgell joined the FAA, in 2003 – no less than Three Thousand, Three Hundred And Eighty-Three (3,383) human beings have died in aviation accidents and other aviation incidents in the United States. The body-count number has even increased since then.

These 3,383 tombstones are on the head of Bobby Sturgell. Naturally, Bobby Sturgell did not run every single one of these planes and corpses into the ground in aviation flame-out, even though the incompetence of Bobby Sturgell well could have. Rather, in this case, the Sturgellian offense is not mere negligence alone. The offense is willful on the part of Bobby Sturgell, and it is 5 years perpetuated and protracted. The fact is, that it is Bobby Sturgell himself, the Sturgell arrant recidivist pandering to aeromercantile interests to the exclusion of human safety, the Sturgell inhuman abuse of the ATC work-force, and the Sturgell continual and contemptuous lawless derision for the Culture of Safety that should otherwise govern American aviation, that are the primary causes of these 3,383 dead bodies.

In reply, Bobby Sturgell will squirm, avoid, deny responsibility, blame the victim, and blame others – just like he always does out of his own cowardice. Yet today, we – Americans - hold Bobby Sturgell accountable. Today, WE count the bodies that Bobby Sturgell is afraid and unwilling to count.

The blood is on the ugly FAA airline-bought-and-paid-for hands of Bobby Sturgell. It is now confirmed. The failed Bobby Sturgell FAA regime is responsible for the loss of more human life than that which occurred at The World Trade Center in Manhattan on September 11, 2001.

Quiet Rockland invites anyone else similarly-concerned, to carry out their own careful count of the Bobby Sturgell and FAA fatality statistics since 2003. We are warning you, it is an unpleasant and difficult task. The NTSB aviation fatality links follow, immediately below.

Meanwhile, Bobby Sturgell and the other FAA ghouls continue to –celebrate- the FAA -50th Anniversary-, with verbatim quotations like these:

The… women and men of the FAA over the years have pulled together in one direction to create the safest transportation system in the history of the world.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Robert A. Bobby Sturgell
August 21, 2008 Speech And Press Release Entitled: The Credit Goes to You – FAA 50th Anniversary (Washington, D.C.).

[I]t [i]s the safest period we [ha]ve ever been in aviation.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Robert A. Bobby Sturgell
August 1, 2008 EAA Air Venture Speech and Interview (Oshkosh, WI).

We are currently experiencing the safest period in aviation history… That [i]s not chance. It [i]s not a miracle. It [i]s the result of an entire industry making safety its driving focus.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Robert A. Bobby Sturgell
April 2, 2008 Speech And Press Release Entitled: FAA Announces Improvements to Inspection Program - Initial Airline Audit Validates Agency[] Overall Approach to Aviation Safety, (Washington, D.C.).

[W]e should note that we are living in the safest period in aviation history… Safety is and will always be the primary goal of the FAA.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Robert A. Bobby Sturgell
September 26, 2007 Testimony And Statement Before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Aviation, (Washington, D.C.).

Bobby Sturgell would deceive you into believing that his failed FAA regime was the safest period in aviation history.

The souls of no less than 3,383 dead, now attest otherwise.

Bobby Sturgell is a liar.

Bobby Sturgell and his failed FAA regime are responsible for an outrageous and unacceptable number of aviation fatalities.

The Bobby Sturgell FAA was the worst FAA regime in the 50-year history of this Tombstone Agency.

Aviation Fatality Statistics, United States - Year 2003 Through Year 2008:
ejectsturgell[dot]blogspot[dot]com

Aviation Fatality And Injury Statistics, Worldwide - Year 2003 Through Year 2008:
removesturgell[dot]blogspot[dot]com