Aviation News: Airbus, GA Pilots, and Air Traffic Controllers

Final Build of the Airbus A380 in 2020
His final decision is a particularly bitter one: the end of the A380. At CEO Tom Enders' farewell press conference in Toulouse, of all places, the end of the showpiece plane is announced.

Once celebrated as a revolution in aviation, one of the most ambitious and also most expensive projects in the aviation industry comes to a comparatively quick end.
The Airbus A380 has given new impetus to passenger comfort like no other.
The press release is only one page long and seals the end of the mega-plane - and thus also of a project with which Airbus wanted to revolutionize aviation.
Airbus would have made losses for years due to the low production figures. In addition, Airbus had managed a positive surprise on its 2018 annual balance sheet, despite the special charge for the A380 shutdown: Net profit increased significantly.
Now it's over after only 12 years: Production of the Airbus A380 will be discontinued in two years at the latest.

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Aviation Research Project
An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University researcher is seeking professional pilots to participate in a research project designed to evaluate the decision-making used by pilots.
The researchers hope that the survey’s findings could “lead to a potential increase to future aviation safety.”
Read more:
https://erau.edu/research/projects

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GA pilots struggle to interpret weather forecasts and displays
When tested on their knowledge of 23 types of weather information, from icing forecasts and turbulence reports to radar, 204 general aviation pilots surveyed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University researchers were stumped by about 42% of the questions.

The findings are worrisome because General Aviation pilots flying smaller planes at lower altitudes, usually with minimal ground-based support, have increased weather-related accident and fatality rates, said Elizabeth Blickensderfer, a professor in the university’s Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology.
Read more:
https://generalaviationnews.com/

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Air Traffic Controllers Alarmed 
According to the air traffic controller union GdF, flight cancellations and delays will continue to make traveling difficult for passengers this summer.

At Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), the situation will deteriorate once again compared to the already critical previous year. The planned detours for thousands of flights and relocations to other airspaces did not change anything.

Contrary to what had been announced at the national aviation summit last autumn, the number of training places for new pilots had not been increased so far. There were also no negotiations with the union as to how the current gaps could be closed.
Read more:
https://generalaviationnews.com/


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How the Shutdown Hits the US Aviation Industry

The partial government shutdown, now reaching almost one month, is hitting the aviation industry hard.  Air traffic controllers, considered “essential” employees, have been on the job - but without pay.

One NATA member company has two aircraft stranded in Canada as a result of the shutdown.  The newly purchased planes were being painted and need a special FAA approval before they can be flown back to the US.  The halting of FAA knowledge testing and check rides is creating scheduling issues and delays for certain organizations.  Training center evaluators’ qualifications are expiring and there is a backlog of qualifications for flight simulators.

The aviation industry is one of the industries hardest hit by the shutdown, as stopped work on:

• new aircraft certification, 
• interactions between FAA and other nations
• some aircraft registrations
• commercial drone flight authorizations
• aircraft mechanic licenses
• introduction of new air traffic technology 
• airport construction approvals

Agencies, such as the FAA, are required under law to cease non-essential operations and cannot act while there is a lapse in funding.  When funding does resume, and the shutdown ends, all non-essential operations will restart, creating a backlog of work that will take months to catch up.

This is just an excerpt of the many issues that plague US aviation now, read the long list in this article: 

https://generalaviationnews.com/2019/01/16/aviation-hit-hardest-by-government-shutdown/

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