Not Quite Up With the Times

The FAA, it is said, lags technology-sometimes significantly. These pages have been sprinkled with examples over the years. One recent example was in Jeff Van Wests article, A Bit Over Ninety, which appeared just last month.In that article, Jeff touched on the protected airspace for a turn at a fix. Before area navigation, all airways and procedures were designed expecting us to pass over the fix, suddenly realize that fact, and then turn to intercept the outbound course.

Key Takeaways:

• The FAA is criticized for its persistent delay in adopting modern technology and updating regulations, affecting both navigational procedures and personnel policies.
• A key regulatory concern is the "Shy Bladder Protocol" for commercial flight crew drug screenings, where an inability to produce a urine sample within three hours is considered a test refusal.
• This deemed refusal leads to severe career consequences for pilots, contrasting with other industries that permit alternative testing methods like hair samples, prompting a call for the FAA to adopt a more modern approach.

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