Aviation Emissions

Aviation is by far one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Regarding global mission of reducing carbon emissions, the aviation industry together with the shipping industry have been the most notable outliers but have still managed to remain on the sidelines. However, this is not the case anymore as the pressure is now mounting on the aviation and shipping industries to be in charge of their emissions. The environmental impact of aviation manifests itself because aircraft engines emit noise, heat, and other gasses that contribute to climate change. In a recent UN nation meeting, a total of 191 countries agreed to curb aviation’s greenhouse gas pollution.   

CMgr (2016) notes that the aviation industry alone accounts for less than 2% of the world’s carbon emissions. However, while that may appear as a small percent, if the aviation sector was taken as a country, it would be ranked as the world’s seventh largest carbon emitter. Notably, this is an amount that is higher than generated by some of the world’s industrialized nations. Currently, aviation emissions are estimated to exceed 2005 levels by 2050 if no new runways are built (CMgr, 2016). This is the case as aviation demand would have grown more than 200% by 2050. Between 1990 and 2005, aviation emissions had increased by 87%. Similarly, between 1990 and 2010, the aviation emissions contributions to the accumulation of planet-warming CO2 in the atmosphere rose by over 3% margin which was three times faster than the overall global Co2 emissions.

    As already mentioned, the UN recently reached a consensus with 191 countries on climate-change emissions which went down as the first climate-change pact to set worldwide limits on a single industry. In the meeting, there was an agreement on the upper limit of what carriers are allowed to discharge by 2020 (Milman, 2016). If some airlines exceed the set limit in coming years, then they have no choice but to offset their emissions growth by buying credits from other projects and industries that are known to limit greenhouse gas emissions. It was also made a necessity that all countries must act on their own so as to ensure that they put the agreement’s limit into effect as soon as possible. Milman (2016) asserts that the delegates also agreed that the system would be voluntary from 2021 up to 2026. However, it would become mandatory after 2007 for all states that have large aviation industries. Over sixty-five nations including the United States have indicated that they would comply with the agreement enjoying the backing of the airline industry even though it is estimated that it could cost over 23.9 billion a year by 2035.

    The US election results changed the dynamics of many things both domestically and globally, and the aviation sector was not left behind. The Paris climate deal was thrown into uncertainty by the US election results. According to Kemp (2016), this would be the case as many stakeholders have fears that Donald Trump could easily reverse the work done by President Barack Obama. They fear that Trump would withdraw the US from the Paris agreement as well as increasing fossil-fuel spending. In such an event, the US, which is an active player in the global arena, would no longer answer to the UN when it comes to climate change. This then means that the US could also easily cancel its agreement with recent UN accord on aviation emissions. Many of the details of reducing aviation emissions and climate change are contained in the Paris Agreement. It only makes sense that if the US sees no need of agreeing with the Paris Agreement, that they would also not see the importance of the recent UN agreement which could change its course entirely. For instance, many other nations could easily pull out as the associated cost may be too high for them.

    Recent research has indicated that a Trump presidency would increase greenhouse gas emissions by 16%, should he end up serving for two terms (Kemp, 2016). Such a development would catastrophic in not only pushing the world towards a dangerous climate change but also makes it difficult to persuade other nations from making the stipulated cuts in emissions.

The aviation emissions reduction laws are what the world needs as it would be instrumental in reducing the aviation’s emissions and help the fight on climate change. The UN agreement is very vital despite the fact that it only covers international flights. This is the case as CO2 emissions from all international flights has increased by up to 83% since 1992. Also, despite the fact that aviation emissions only accounts for about 2-3% of the world’s CO2 emissions, it has one of the biggest impacts on climate change as a result of the altitude in which they release their CO2. It should also be mentioned that along with CO2; aviation also emits sulfate, nitrous oxide, and water vapor. The fact that all those pollutants are released at higher heights, they produce a series of chemical reactions that translates to a warming effect. As such, aircraft impact the climate two to three times more than the effects of the CO2 emissions. The UN emission laws are crucial to ensuring that this is not the case or at least try to curb the situation.

    From the little I have gathered, the Paris Accord seems to be in a way more stringent concerning emission regulation, reduction, and control as opposed to the UN agreement. Nevertheless, I still feel that the recent emission laws and regulations are not in any way an overreaction but a necessity. The emission agreements have in a way unified the vast majority of nations, if not all of the countries involved in curbing the effects of climate change. Notably, the agreements have empowered the participating governments to work together in the effort to addressing a common problem, climate change. Additionally, if all their carriers together with their governing countries abide by the established requirements of the agreement, then the CO2 emissions will be reduced by up to 2.5 billion tons which is a good thing. This would be the same as removing over 35 million cars from the roads every year. I also find the idea of credit purchasing to be an ideal concept whenever nations exceed the set emission cap. The money raised goes towards funding emission control projects which will mean that even deviating countries will still play a significant role in curbing emissions at the end of it all. It is my strong conviction that the aviation emissions reduction laws are very valid and should be implemented as soon as possible.

References

CMgr, S. (2016). Air Transport environmental impact. Retrieved 17 April 2017, from       https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/air-transport-environmental-impact-sammuel-yisrael-        ieng-cmgr

Kemp, L. (2016). US-proofing the Paris Climate Agreement. Climate Policy, 17(1), 86-101.          http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2016.1176007

Milman, O. (2016). First deal to curb aviation emissions agreed in landmark UN accord. the       Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2017, from             https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/06/aviation-emissions-agreement-      united-nations

Aviation Organizations

·      American Association of Airport Executives

The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) is the professional association that represents airport management personnel at public-use commercial and general aviation airports in the United States of America. It provides its members with industry-related services, support, training, and various professional development opportunities. The mission is representing thousands of airport management personnel at public-use commercial and general aviation airports. AAAE's members represent some 850 airports and hundreds of companies and organizations that support airports. AAAE serves its membership through results-oriented representation in Washington, D.C. and delivers a wide range of industry services and professional development opportunities including training, meetings and conferences, and a highly respected accreditation program.

·      General Aviation Manufacturers Association

The General Aviation Manufacturer's Association (GAMA) is an aviation industry trade association. It is the industry trade association representing general aviation (non-military & non-airliner) aircraft manufacturers and related enterprises, chiefly in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with an office in Brussels, Belgium. Their mission to foster and advance the general welfare, safety, interests and activities of the global business and general aviation industry. This includes promoting a better understanding of general aviation manufacturing, maintenance, repair, and overhaul and the important role these industry segments play in economic growth and opportunity, and in serving the critical transportation needs of communities, companies, and individuals worldwide.

I think the American Association of Airport Executives is important because I am in the Aviation Management Technology program. Also, My goal is to be a manager for a major airport in The United States or any part of the world. I also choose the •          General Aviation Manufacturers Association because I really like this field of the aviation industry.

References:

http://www.aaae.org/aaae/AAAEMBR/About_AAAE/AAAEMemberResponsive/About_AAAE/About_AAAE.aspx?hkey=17fa23bc-bfe6-4589-9c8b-c362c1e7c303

https://gama.aero/about-gama/

Exploring Other Paths: Management

Contour Aviation is a charter airline based in Smyrna, Tennessee. It operates on-demand charter services for passengers and freight in the southern United States, as well as a full-service fixed-base operation and is a Federal Aviation Administration certificated repair station. The current jobs offered in their website:

·      Full Time and Part Time Customer Service Representatives.

·      Hawker 400 Captain.

·      Hawker 400 First Officer.

·      Aircraft Maintenance Technician.

·      Maintenance Crew Chief.

I think to be an operations Manager a good job opportunity in the general aviation sector. The Operations Manager oversees an airline account to ensure that the operation is meeting and exceeding the customer’s expectations.

I found a job in Boeing as Customer Service and Sales Representative. Which is basically ensuring customer satisfaction by answering the day-to-day customer inquiries, transactional requests, and general customer service needs.

Also, I found a job as a QUALITY ASSURANCE MANAGER in several companies. The management students have a general business minor which allows working more business-related jobs such as Marketing Manager or Project Manager.

Actually, this assignment has not changed my plans but as searching for jobs and reading the jobs' requirements it seems that all of the jobs needs from two to five years experience in the aviation industry. However, I got more interested in Air Traffic Controllers jobs but I will not try to be one. It requires too much concentration and there is no room to make a mistake because sometimes it will cost souls onboard. 

References

http://contouraviation.com

http://primeflight.com/careers/

https://jobs.boeing.com/job/englewood/customer-service-and-sales-representative/185/4015988

Global Airlines: Is it a Fair Playing Field?

The USA-UAE open skies agreement was created in the year 2002. This agreement aimed at encouraging a global aviation system based on competition among carriers in the industry with minimal government regulation and interference (AFS, 2017).  It also aimed at facilitating the expansion of global air transport opportunities, allowing airlines to provide traveling and shipping public numerous service alternatives at reduced costs and desiring to ensure a high degree of safety and security in global air transport, and reaffirming their great concern about actions against the security of flights (AFS, 2017). The agreement comprised twelve articles that include definitions, grant of rights, designation and Authorization, revocation of authorization, application of laws, safety, Aviation security, commercial opportunities, customs duties and charges, user charges, fair competition, and pricing. The two airlines include Etihad and Emirates Airways. The U. S aviation industry alleges that both airlines received more than fifty million dollars (50M USD) as subsidies from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar governments.

There are allegations that the three U.S giant carriers namely American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines once received subsidies during the early 2000s due to bankruptcy and subsidized fuel costs (Snoj, 2015). For instance, Delta Airlines received 84.8 million loan guarantees from the Export-Bank in 2012 and significant fuel tax breaks. Based on the alleged 2009 WikiLeaks report, the Federal government funded various aviation participants including airports, the FAA, and various airlines.

The major challenge, in this case, is the increased demand for aircraft. The UAE carriers order planes in bulk which might result in reduced overall costs compared to the American Airlines (Snoj, 2015). Furthermore, increased demand for airplanes also increases their costs making most American airlines to spend additional resources in acquiring the planes. Consequently, the American Airlines purchase planes at higher costs compared to the UAE carriers.  

Norwegian International Airlines (NAI) has some controversies in its operations that threaten the United States’ aviation industry. The Norwegian Air is based in Dublin instead of Norway. Critics argue that NAI’s operations in Dublin enable the airline to take advantage of Ireland’s employment regulations that are less stringent compared to the Norway’s regulations. Consequently, they argue that NAI can employ lower-cost pilots and cabin crew members from Asia to operate the trans-Atlantic routes. Some aviation experts consider the NAI policy as a strategy of dodging laws and taxes. These alleged issues have brought a lot of pressure after the U.S Transport Department established an open skies agreement with the airline. The aviation participants view the move of granting NAI the permit to operate in the USA as a betrayal to the America’s aviation employees. They further argue that the move threatens a generation of US airline jobs and communicates a negative image of America worldwide. NAI violates the labor protections by evading Norwegian taxes and planning to hire crews based on Asian contracts. As such, Trump’s administration might cancel the agreement to protect the American aviation industry from exploitation.

I believe the playing field is fair. It is the responsibility of airlines to improve their operations and services as a strategy for attracting more travelers. It is evident that all governments usually establish open skies agreement with the aim of building their economy. For instance, the three UAE carriers are the major clients of the Boeing manufacturing firm, and they also create suitable and job opportunities business ties between UAE and America. Consequently, the United States gains a lot from such agreements, and it is very difficult to cancel all the open skies agreements due to unfair competition. It is advisable for airlines to develop alliances or establish additional sources of finances to expand their operations to compete with the foreign carriers.  

References

AFS, (2017). The U.S- U.A.E Open Skies Agreement. Retrieved from

 http://fairskies.org/uaeopenskies/

Snoj, T. (2015). Open Skies Indeed. Retrieved from

            http://www.bq-magazine.com/industries/2015/05/the-open-skies-agreement

        

     

Is The C919 Chinese Aircraft Competitor to Boeing and Airbus?

          There is no doubt the C919 will receive FAA certification if it fulfills the body’s requirements. FAA has no valid reason to deny the Chinese-based aircraft certification once it meets the set standards and requirements. There are indications that the Chinese airlines are doing everything possible to meet the FAA standards shortly. Perrett (2015) noted that although the China has a reputation for producing defective products, this could be their chance for redemption. The FAA certification could add to the credibility of the C919 aircraft.

            I foresee no challenges in future to the US carriers. Consumers tend to be cautious with Chinese products, so I do not believe US carriers will experience loss of business. According to Toh (2015), due to the defects are seen on Chinese products, consumers are likely to stick to the US airlines. Moreover, the US airlines have already positioned themselves well in the minds of travelers. They have built their reputation and trust among the passengers. Despite the prestige and effort that China has poured on the C919, it is not likely to attract significant foreign purchases due to the negative reputation of China-based products. The entry of the C919 into the market is not likely to change the perception of the general public even if it penetrates the market at relatively lower cost.

            The relationship between COMAC, the government, and the Chinese airlines is good as numerous Chinese airlines have already ordered for the C919. COMAC reported recently that it had received over twenty orders from customers for over five hundred aircraft, most of which are from Chinese carriers. Toh (2015) observed that the C919 aircraft is one of the major projects launched by the communist party (ruling party) to transform the country into a technologically profitable country. Since major airlines in China are owned by the state, the communist party can potentially order them to purchase the C919. The good relationship between the manufacturer and the government creates a favorable environment for the C919 to sell more. Besides, with the intervention of the government, the C919 is likely to receive the FAA certification easily as the American and Chinese governments have renewed their relations in the recent past.

            Since COMAC is a Chinese-based company, there is little chance that it will be a competitor to Airbus due to reputation. However, there will be inter-competition among the Chinese airline companies based on cost and efficiency. Airbus and Boeing enjoy massive competitive and comparative advantage over the C919. Moreover, Boeing and Airbus have been in the international market for relatively long, so they have a larger market share compared to the new entrants.

            According to Perrett (2015), Boeing and Airbus reacted to the C919 rollout by increasing their production rate to sixty aircraft per month. They projected that the production of the C919 is unlikely to be over five aircraft per month or sixty per year by 2018. To Boeing and Airbus, this is not a threat as it will take COMAC over ten years to hit this rate. Moreover, by the time COMAC will be manufacturing sixty aircraft per month, Boeing and Airbus will be aiming at successor airplanes. Furthermore, Boeing and Airbus have already re-engineered their planes so as to block the C919 from gaining economic advantages. It could take relatively long time before the new entrants realize significant profits due to the market challenges they are likely to face.

References

Toh, M. (January 01, 2015). China's ambitions rest on COMAC C919: Roll-out of first flight-test example of indigenous narrow body marks milestone on long march to certification and delivery. Flight International, 10-16.

Perrett, B. (January 01, 2015). Nearing roll-out: The C919 should be unveiled this year, but a 2018 delivery looks unlikely. Aviation Week & Space Technology, 8-21.

The Commercial Space Industry

Since antiquity, human beings have always dreamt about spaceflight, and in the past centuries, the Chinese applied rockets for commercial and military purposes (Goehlich et. al, 2013). It was not until the 20^th century that powerful rockets capable of overcoming the force of gravity emerged, allowing human exploration into the open space which consequently led to the launching of the first satellite in space in 1960. During this period of 1960s, an unmanned spacecraft photographed and probed the moon before the landing of astronauts. In the early 1970s, communication and navigation satellites became prominent in everyday use and by the 1980s, satellite communications extended to carry television programs thus providing opportunities for people to tap the satellite signals on their home dish antennas. However, hurdles in space tourism began in 1986 when a shuttle Challenger shattered after takeoff, killing all its seven crew members. This Challenger tragedy led to the reevaluation of American space program, and today suitable launch systems exist in which the design of the satellite system has a compatibility that makes it possible to launch from more than one system (Webber, 2012).

The Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 marked the legal framework for facilitating commercial activities in space. This law was established to enable regulation of space activities through which the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorizes, oversees and regulates launches and reentry of launches as well as the operation of launches carried out within the US atmosphere. The current FAA regulations in the space tourism industry embedded in Title 14 states that any space tourism pilot ought to possess a license and instrument rating; possess knowledge, skills, and experience of flying an aircraft alongside receiving mission-specific drill for every stage of flight (Goehlich et. al, 2013).. These regulation requirements are ambiguous and restrictive because various types of crafts have different flight characteristics and thus the regulations should be reviewed to enable these FAA regulations to be used as training guidelines to incorporate better training for pilots.

There will be a bright future come 2030 for commercial space tourism given the number of space exploration experiences which show a potential of sparking up a competition. The presence of a competitive opportunity will open up a genuine marketplace that will guarantee improvement in services, an increase in safety and reliability and the prices for exploration will most likely go down just like in aviation. Space tourism will develop into a means of transportation where only a single traveler will be accepted to sit adjacent to the pilot giving an extraordinary experience of the typical scene. Space exploration will become open not only to the wealthy elites but also to the general public including the average families who will be able to travel to the moon for a holiday based on decreased exploration prices(Webber, 2012).

There are minimum qualifications requirements established by the FAA that every pilot of human spaceflight must meet. Pilots in space tourism industry must have as well as carry a FAA certification that has an instrument rating. For crews flying sub-orbital profile, the Aerospace Medicine Association determined FAA Class I certificate as the relevant medical standard given that suborbital flights are less strenuous than traditional flights (Goehlich et. al, 2013). Pilots must have the know-how and training in operating aircraft while putting on pressure suits given the high altitudes in the suborbital space that require pressure gears. Pilots must have broad drilling in emergency procedures and crew management. Lastly, given the fact that suborbital flights involve great speed and fast decision making, pilots with experience in jet flights are prioritized in the industry (Goehlich et. al, 2013).

References

Webber, D. (2012). Space tourism: Its history, future and importance. Journal Of International    Academy Of Astronautics, 92(2), 138-143.             http://dx.doi.org/ttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2012.04.03

Goehlich, R. A., Anderson, J. K., Harrold, N. N., Bemis, J. A., Nettleingham, M. T., Cobin, J.     M., Zimmerman, B. R., Avni, B. L., Gonyea, M. D., & Ilchena, N. Y. (2013). Pilots for         Space Tourism. Space Policy Journal, 29(2), Retrieved from            http://commons.erau.edu/ww-graduate-studies/2

The Current Status of UAVs

            Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones refer to aircrafts and related systems that function without a flight crew on board. They can be fully autonomous or remotely controlled. UAVs have become popular in the last decade, especially in the military usage. They are ideal for reconnaissance missions in high-risk areas. Due to the versatility possessed by UAVs, they have also gained popularity in many civilian applications. Some of these uses include video shooting and photography. The drones are equipped with high-resolution camera lenses. They are then positioned strategically above the scene to be filmed. Recently, the news network CNN tested camera-equipped drones for news coverage and gathering. UAVs are also used for aerial crop surveys, crowd monitoring, land surveying, and recreational purposes such as racing among many other applications.

            The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) is the body that regulates all the practices of aviation in the United States including unmanned aerial vehicles. Foremost, users must obtain a certificate of authorization from the FAA to operate in the national airspace. In addition to that, UAVs weighing more than 250 grams must be registered with the FAA. In order to operate UAVs for commercial purposes, the FAA has put certain regulations that must be adhered to. Some of these regulations include flying below an altitude of 400 feet, the pilot must have aged 16 or above and holder of the pilot airman certificate. The operation is only allowed during daylight hours with a maximum ground speed of 100mph. These rules, however, only apply to remotely piloted drones and do not apply to fully autonomous UAVs (Curry & Jefferson, 2015).

            It is reasonable to expect that UAVs will be integrated into the National Airspace in the near future. This may be done by first developing a test program to gather critical data on unmanned air systems and then implementing it. This, however, poses great challenges such as risking individual privacies through an increased usage of UAVs. Another major challenge is the requirement of the monitoring system of millions of numbers of UAVs in America. Furthermore, since drones are much smaller than manned aircrafts, radar cannot be used to identify them in the airspace. Thus, different systems may have to be installed to monitor UAVs.

            In military applications, UAVs have helped in transforming the offensive strategies. These UAVs are mostly autonomous with a given flight plan. They are suitable for high altitude reconnaissance in dangerous missions. They are not visible to radar owing to their small size. Some unmanned aerial vehicles carry payloads during combat. The integration of UAVs into the military has been very efficient. In terms of costs, they are far less expensive than actual jet aircrafts to build and run. UAVs can also fly for days without landing. These are the few of the characteristics that are ideal for military uses. However, it can also be argued that the wider usage of highly adaptable UAVs in war-related purposes than in civilian applications is unethical ( Homeland surveillance & electronics LLC UAV, 2015).

            Currently, there are many companies that are looking for qualified drone pilots and aerial photographers. The number of UAV-related job opportunities is growing by each day as they are becoming more popular in civilian applications. The other reason for this growth is the recent establishment of well-defined regulations by the FAA. This means that drones are now open to full exploitation.

References

Curry, B. E., & Jefferson, T. A. (2015). Humpback dolphins (Sousa spp.): current status and conservation, part 1. Waltham, MA: Elsevier Academic Press.

Homeland surveillance & electronics LLC UAV. (2015). UAV integration challenges into the National Air Space NAS UAV. Retrieved from http://www.hse-            uav.com/uav_integration_challenges_nas.htm.