New Concerns Over Air Traffic Safety
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-08-07/new-concerns-over-air-traffic-safety
Details have come to light regarding two potentially dangerous air traffic control errors. One incident which took place last year involved the near collision of an American Airlines jet and a military cargo plane off the coast of New York. Last week at Washington’s Reagan National Airport three commuter planes came perilously close to one another. The U.S. airline industry has had a remarkably strong safety record, but some say details of these recent incidents point to strains in the system. Please join us to discuss efforts to maintain airline safety, the growth of regional carriers, and what other trends in the airline industry mean for air travelers.
Guests
Ray LaHood
U.S. Secretary of Transportation and former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives.
Ashley Halsey III
transportation reporter for The Washington Post.
William McGee
author of "Attention All Passengers: The Airline's Dangerous Descent - And How To Reclaim Our Skies" and former travel journalist for Consumer Reports.
John Cox
aviation consultant and president of Safety Operating Systems.
Captain Lee Moak
president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International.
Comments
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This isn't relevant to today's topics, but I can't resist.
Yesterday I received an enormous info package from the Republican National Committee. Contained a ballot with lots of questions and a request for contributions. A cheeky request considering that they are about to drown in the contributions they already have.
Anyway, they strongly implied that ALL of these ballots MUST be accounted for, and that I MUST return it regardless. The thought of Willard M. R. showing up at my front door with an arrest warrant was---well, you probably know how scared I was. Especially considering the number of these I've trashed in the past without even opening. I've trashed everything from every political group (so far) this year. Even though the return envelope was postpaid, they requested that I affix a stamp anyway. Perhaps I should start openng all of these? A little daily humor would be nice.
Needless to say, they didn't get any money. I did enclose a comment stating "I am an independent voter, and thnk for myself". Followed by my signature.
PS: I still have my postage stamp. LOL
Our world is getting smaller and more crowded. That is, there are less resources to sustain life and more life needing them. We are making areas of our earth unable to accommodate life, and a threat to life.
San Diego's only commercial airport has ONE runway. Airplanes arrive and depart flying over the city. It seems that the roar of engines is constant as planes leave and arrive.
Why the silence about over population? Why the silence about depleting and tainted resources?
Perhaps the population is uninformed.
Maybe a midair collision doesn't seem so bad these days in light of the police state molestations that take place before the flights. Coming back to earth and realizing once again that Obama is still president and still wrecking the country, yea a midair collision is not that bad.
Several times a week I spend ten to fifteen minutes flexing and admiring myself in the mirror, to cap it off I call myself an independent and start my day.
Are they going to keep repeating that 'we have the safest air traffic in the world' every 3 minutes for the entire show?
Roland please ! This isn`t Fox News.You won`t find stuff being made up from thin air. Crashes are far and few between. Thankfully our government can work and does work,when allowed.
Why not regulate the airline industry like the utilities, or insurance companies.
They seem to have no trouble asking for rate increases when necessary for operational reasons.
I fly in an airplane where about three inches of aluminum seperate me from instant death and there is no regulation other than the FAA which does not have enough manpower to function properly.
The tax issue is another red herring. The passengers on the airlines in the U. S. are the ones that pay all the taxes on tickets. The airlines are more interested in increasing the benefits to the top management rather than taking care of the people who actually pay for their existence.
The safety of the flying public should not be entrusted to some operation that cannot be inspected by the FAA. If the airlines and other big corporations could outsource the people who actually work at the airports, they would. It has nothing to do with taxes.
If any commercial airline is more worried about passenger taxes,than passenger safety,just put up a sign.
The regulation the T-Party is whining about is the "Passenger Bill of Rights".......All comforts, rights and privileges must be forfeit for corporate profits.
I'm at a loss as to how you can politicize this story, but the preceding comments do make for an entertaining read! lol. In keeping with the prevailing winds; I will blame the "almost" mid air collision on "big foot", not the "big business" loving "big foot", but his cousin, the "liberal socialist"! lol. I appreciate Diane getting the "Secretary of Transportation" to "dance" for an audience of 2.5 million listeners. It was too bad she couldn't nail him down on anything. What a skilled politician! What's unfortunate is that most likely this near miss was a "human" error. The Secretary of Transportation should of had a mantra of "The Buck Stops Here"; but it would seem "Passing the Buck" is more his style. Utterly worthless and should be replaced for lack of leadership. He will then be able to pursue his lifelong dream of "dodge" ball and the taxpayer won't be the one left with the bill!
I wish someone had asked the guy who kept whining about the 17 separate taxes on airlines what he would cut from the FAA, TSA and dozens upon dozens (if not more) of airports that are supported by tax dollars. Most, if not all, airports don’t pay for themselves and rely heavily on taxpayer support. Not to mention federal subsidies for some routes that facilitate service into smaller cities.
This should politicize it for you.
Does anyone know what kind of deal was struck that managed to land Ray LaHood the SecTrans position?
The guy is a complete nebbish, but as a congressman in a "safe" district for many years he wasn't causing much trouble. Somehow, about the time Obama started "officially" running for president, LaHood, a Republican, decided that it was time to give up that safe congressional seat. Next thing you know he's a Cabinet Secretary. Far as I can tell all he does is travel around the country doling out federal money for projects in "friendly" districts. And, oh yeah, appear on The Diane Rehm Show and other NPR programs to say, "What a good boy am I".
No mention of the people, buildings and monuments on the ground. A collission in our heavily populated area would be devastating.