Safety Advocates Focus On Runways
The FAA and NTSB both issued safety alerts in November that warn pilots to use proper procedures when operating on runways. The NTSB cites several accidents when pilots chose an intersection takeoff, and then lost power. In each case, if the pilot had used the entire runway, there would have been room for a safe landing. Instead, all three aircraft crashed, and two people died. The safety board advises pilots to use all available runway to increase the margin of safety on every takeoff. The FAA’s Safety Alert for Pilots reminds pilots about the correct procedures for runway status lights. The FAA cited several instances when pilots ignored the lights. The system operates independently from ATC. Illuminated RWSLs mean aircraft should stop and inform ATC. “Failure to comply with illuminated red in-pavement RWSL lights may result in a high-risk collision Runway Incursion event,” the FAA said.
Aviation’s Future, In The Works Now
New technologies continue to make progress, with a two-hour flight in China for the two-seat electric-powered RX1E-A, designed by Shenyang Aerospace University. The airplane flew in November and proved it can exceed the 45-minute endurance of the previous model. Also in China, the AT-200, an autonomous cargo plane with a payload of about 1.5 tons, completed its first test flight, in October. The drone, which is based on a P750XL Pacific Aerospace utility aircraft, is being developed by JD.com, a Chinese retailer, to deliver packages. In the U.S., Aurora Flight Sciences received an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate for its optionally piloted Bell Helicopter UH-1H, to be used as a military research aircraft.
