Belaboring the Obvious

Citing what he referred to as an "uptick" in recent aviation incidents, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg called upon attendees of the Federal Aviation Administration’s 15 March safety summit to investigate and address the "root causes” of a series of runway incursions and near collisions which have occurred at numerous U.S. airports since the beginning of 2023.  

Novel Architecture to Broaden UAV Operations

CAV Ice Protection Limited—a leading global supplier of airborne ice protection solutions, announced on 17 March 2023 that it had filed documents germane to the patenting of an anti-icing solution for small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (sUAS). CAV set forth that the new system has the potential to revolutionize the manner in which commercial drones are utilized in cold climates.

The Subjectivity of Heroism

The pilots of two Russian Su-27 Flanker jet fighters ostensibly responsible for bringing down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) over the Black Sea on Tuesday, 14 March 2023 have been honored by their country. In a statement announcing the aviators’ imminent awards, the Russian Ministry of Defense contended that the two pilots had "prevented the violation" of a military exclusion zone established by Moscow. The statement went on to assert that the Su-27s flown by the feted pilots neither deployed their weapons nor came into contact with the MQ-9.    

Congressional Pilots Say Nominee “Entirely Unqualified”

Fourteen Republican lawmakers—certificated pilots all—have called upon Joe Biden to withdraw his nomination of Phil Washington to lead the Federal Aviation Administration. The cadre of GOP aviators cited Washington’s "zero aviation experience,” and his ignorance of even the most rudimentary aviation principles, regulations, and orthodoxies. In a letter to Biden, the lawmakers set forth: "While Mr. Washington honorably served our nation in the Army, he did not serve in an aviation unit. He is not a pilot, has zero aviation safety experience, and is entirely unqualified to lead the federal agency responsible for keeping the flying public safe."

Aero Linx: Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation

Welcome to the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation. The foundation was created to improve aviation safety in Alaska through education, advocacy, and research. We are a non-profit membership organization, established as a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt corporation.  Some of our activities include organizing safety seminars, hosting a  segment on public television, and participating in a variety of forums and working groups to promote aviation safety.

Braking Action Advisories

When tower controllers receive runway braking action reports which include the terms “medium," “poor," or “nil," or whenever weather conditions are conducive to deteriorating or rapidly changing runway braking conditions, the tower will include on the ATIS broadcast the statement, “Braking Action Advisories are in Effect." During the time braking action advisories are in effect, ATC will issue the most current braking action report for the runway in use to each arriving and departing aircraft. Pilots should be prepared for deteriorating braking conditions and should request current runway condition information if not issued by controllers. Pilots shou

"I repeat, for those who have not gathered themselves to look at the situation objectively: Our fighters did not come into contact with the American UAV. Russia did everything possible to prevent this kind of incident—it informed the international community in good time about the boundaries of the temporary airspace regime established for the special military operation." Source: The poorly conceived and pretty much unbeleiveable statement made by Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, trying to deflect criticism for the inexcusable and exceedingly poor airmanship exhibited by two SU-27 Flanker pilots that encountered a US MQ-9 and ultimately caused its destruction.