Wayne Farley's Aviation Blog - The Air Traffic Management Weblog

You make a statement, it is read the wrong way, or the response is preposterous. This sort of scenario happens everyday, often harmless. But in aviation, it’s a recipe for disaster. There are hordes of regulations and best practices to mitigate againgst such threats, but sometimes, one may slip through the crack.

To err is Human. Unfortunately, to err repeatedly is also human. It’s one of our deadliest weaknesses as humans, with matching consequences in some cases. Of course in aviation, we can’t just sit around and wait for the next human to screw up. Let’s therefore see what happens and how to manage human error.

India’s very own satellite navigation system GAGAN is set to be launched to support air traffic management. Air traffic controllers will be able to track the burgeoning air traffic over the Indian airspace.

Government officials in Spain are calling Spanish air traffic controllers’ salaries ‘millionaire salaries’ as they announced plans to cut cost in that sector. Usually, air traffic controllers, salaries and millionaire are not bundled together in the same sentence.

Aviation regulators and service providers are in a constant battle to identify safety hazards and put mitigating factors in place to keep air travel safe. But, at what cost must this be is the question. The geese population in New York are being rounded up and slaughtered.

Ever since the Russians successfully put the first man into space in 1961, the race to explore and colonize it has been relentless. Regularly scheduled space travel is around the corner for those who dare and have deep pockets.

Once in a while we all need some humor in our lives. Let’s have a laugh at ourselves and others in the aviation profession. Be careful not to view these at work, the laughter may be contagious.

Humans are in a constant march to push back the boundaries of the unknown, including their fascination with speed. Commercial supersonic transport (SST) began in 1976 when the Concorde entered service, and remained for the next 27 years.

Airport Madness 2 is an improvement over the first version, with more runways, levels and features. Knowledge of air traffic control is not required. Manage takeoffs and landings to avoid collisions and minimize delays. There are two airports to choose from, with the choice of playing a levels-based game, or a continuous-play game.

The FAA has cleared the way for cars to fly with their approval of the Terrafugia flying car. The Massachusetts Company has revealed that it will launch its flying cars to customers by late 2011.