With So Many Safety Issues Coming To Light, Are Language And Titles The Best Use Of FAA Resources?

According to a recent FAA missive... "Aviation is for everyone, and the Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) is working to ensure that everyone feels included. During the DAC's last meeting, FAA requested that they explore a potential language change.

As an example, they note that the technical term for drones is unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS.

Unmanned. (Apparently choosing to define 'manned' in terms of gender rather than species).

Now the committee is looking at ways to make that terminology gender-inclusive because really, they state, so long as a person is flying safely and following the rules, it doesn't matter what their gender is.

Some of the committee’s recommended replacements include “aircrew” for “airman,” “technician” for “repairman,” “fabricated” for “man-made,” and “traditional aviation” for “manned aviation.” 

Why, of all groups, is the Drone Advisory committee suggesting changes in descriptive aviation language? Supposedly, according to the 'FAA Drone Guy', because the FAA asked them to (and maybe because many other such advisory groups seem to think that working on safety issues is more important).

How far will it go? Hard to say... but we're waiting for the first edict demanding that first flights no longer be described as 'maiden' flights, and God knows what else may follow.

The reaction on social media is NOT positive, and many are ridiculing the concept on a number of grounds.

FMI: www.faa.gov/podcasts/the_air_up_there/?file=2021-06-23-015.mp3&permalink, https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/1408604161181167616