Since this is National Women’s History Month, I think it’s only appropriate for me to look back over my many (now 33+) interesting, exciting, challenging and rewarding years of flying commercially (not to mention the previous 9 years it took to accumulate enough flying time to get hired at a major airline).
Yes, “we’ve come along way, baby,” as the saying goes and it’s interesting to note some of the yardsticks that remind me of just how far we’ve come. I won’t have time to describe all the major accomplishments of women in various fields, including space, science, medicine, sports and technology, just to name a few, but what I notice is the natural acceptance of women in what is really a gender-neutral field. In the past I used to quip to myself, when an occasional passenger would give me a shocked look as he (or she!) deplaned, “Why should you care who’s flying this bird? When you find an airplane that can tell you the sex of the person who’s flying it, I’ll stop!” These days, most everyone is in the “thumbs up” mode when they learn a woman is at the controls. They know that our skills are equal to or (many cases) better than our male counterparts, due to the constant scrutiny we get from our peers, regulators and the public. All female crews are not uncommon, although I rarely have the opportunity to fly with another woman.
Being one of the first female airline pilots, I have seen everything from “don’t touch any switches, just sit there” commands from narrow-minded captains, to a round of applause from my passengers when we landed safely after a turbulence-filled and weather delayed flight. I enjoy seeing women move up the seniority ladder in my profession and their surprise at knowing there was a time when airline management actually asked the women pilots NOT to make pubic address announcements on the airplane for fear of scaring the passengers! I certainly hope more women will accept the challenge and follow their passions, whatever their dream may be.
My book, Flight Guide for Success, outlines the keys to moving forward quickly along your chosen path. Your goal is to find someone who will guide you and help you make that journey a smooth one. Your challenge is to show them that you ARE worth helping and that you will put their assistance to good use. My numerous tips for networking, finding jobs, marketing yourself, resume-writing, completing job applications, and interviewing apply to anyone (not just pilots) wanting to be successful in their career.
Having achieved my own dream, my goal is to help other young (or young-spirited) people by giving them the essential tools necessary to succeed in any field. I see only blue skies for today’s women if they will learn to be proactive on their own behalf. To purchase a copy of my book, Flight Guide for Success, visit my website at www.captainkarenkahn.com/order. If you’d like an autographed or personalized copy, just let me know.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Receiving the 1st Annual WISE Woman Award
I was delighted and honored to read February’s edition of WISE magazine. For those who don’t know, I was a winner of the magazine’s first annual WISE Woman Awards which recognize inspirational women and their achievements. Reading through the WISE award recipients’ profiles was most impressive. Being one the recipients of this award, when they had such a large collection of good candidates to choose from, was a most rewarding experience. I appreciate having my own personal achievements equated in the same light as the achievements of the award recipients.
I found that the WISE awards provided an opportunity to showcase deserving women whose achievements can serve as motivational tools for all of us. The WISE Award was created to recognize women who are inspirational, tenacious in their pursuits and serve as role models for society. I’m proud to be a member of such a distinguished group. My heartfelt thanks you to all of you who voted and supported me in this endeavor.
To read my feature article, visit www.captainkarenkahn.com/news.
I found that the WISE awards provided an opportunity to showcase deserving women whose achievements can serve as motivational tools for all of us. The WISE Award was created to recognize women who are inspirational, tenacious in their pursuits and serve as role models for society. I’m proud to be a member of such a distinguished group. My heartfelt thanks you to all of you who voted and supported me in this endeavor.
To read my feature article, visit www.captainkarenkahn.com/news.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
My Christmas in Antigua
It certainly wasn’t a white Christmas this year for me although is was bit chillier than I had planned. I have friends from high school who are working with a non-profit organization (www.semillasparafuturo.org) helping the villagers of Chocolá to become self-sufficient in their cacao, coffee and vegetable farming and it was my pleasure to visit them for a few days of R&R. I flew to Guatemala City, arriving late at night where upon I immediately had a chance to practice my high school Spanish with my driver, Ernesto, who drove me to Antigua, the former colonial capital of Guatemala.
During my 45 minute midnight drive, I learned my favorite new word: "bacho," which is pothole in Spanish. I was to find this word to be very helpful over the next week of traveling local roads both major and minor.
The city of Antigua has so many beautiful courtyards, churches and haciendas full of smiling locals happy to help the touristas. Their central plaza is a town gathering place and sitting there with a coffee from the soda fountain shoppe nearby was a constant source of entertainment as we watched the world go by. As you can see from some of my photos, I got involved in buying a few gifts for friends back home, practicing my bargaining techniques at the same time.
My stay at the Hotel Casa de Don Pedro was another treat (www.hotellacasadedonpedro.com). Benjamin and Cecilia Villegas are most hospitable and friendly and their lovely hacienda has comfortable rooms with lots of outdoor seating area to enjoy the lovely gardens and view of Fuego in the distance. If you want to learn more Spanish, talk with Benjamin and he can arrange a tutor for your stay or just converse with you and help you enjoy you stay even more.
If you have a few days to spare, I recommend at least 3 nights in Antigua for a wonderful experience that can include hiking, biking, exploring churches and marketplaces galore. It was wonderful to be able to experience the people and culture through the eyes of friends, new and old, in such a beautiful country with so much history. I look forward to returning later this spring to work on my Spanish and watch Fuego spew more plumes of ash.
I highly recommend Guatemala to those looking to explore any of the many countries south of the border!
Below are just a few of my favorite photos from the trip.
During my 45 minute midnight drive, I learned my favorite new word: "bacho," which is pothole in Spanish. I was to find this word to be very helpful over the next week of traveling local roads both major and minor.
The city of Antigua has so many beautiful courtyards, churches and haciendas full of smiling locals happy to help the touristas. Their central plaza is a town gathering place and sitting there with a coffee from the soda fountain shoppe nearby was a constant source of entertainment as we watched the world go by. As you can see from some of my photos, I got involved in buying a few gifts for friends back home, practicing my bargaining techniques at the same time.
My stay at the Hotel Casa de Don Pedro was another treat (www.hotellacasadedonpedro.com). Benjamin and Cecilia Villegas are most hospitable and friendly and their lovely hacienda has comfortable rooms with lots of outdoor seating area to enjoy the lovely gardens and view of Fuego in the distance. If you want to learn more Spanish, talk with Benjamin and he can arrange a tutor for your stay or just converse with you and help you enjoy you stay even more.
If you have a few days to spare, I recommend at least 3 nights in Antigua for a wonderful experience that can include hiking, biking, exploring churches and marketplaces galore. It was wonderful to be able to experience the people and culture through the eyes of friends, new and old, in such a beautiful country with so much history. I look forward to returning later this spring to work on my Spanish and watch Fuego spew more plumes of ash.
I highly recommend Guatemala to those looking to explore any of the many countries south of the border!
Below are just a few of my favorite photos from the trip.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Karen’s 2010 Holiday Travel Tips
Just as you begin to stress about seeing distant family members, getting the perfect gifts, and keeping your head above the wave of financial strain, comes the time to plan holiday travel. I know from experience that everything seems to hit at once, but I want you to know that flying can actually be a fun, relaxing getaway in the sky! Based on some tried and true tips (along with a few new ones), I have created an updated and refined list for 2010 of things to bring, and not to bring, on your flights this holiday season.
What To Bring With You:
Your choice of gear can make the difference between a stress-filled airplane experience and a relaxing getaway in the sky.
1) Carry a comfortable pillow to use as either a low back or neck support. Label it with your name and cell phone number just in case you mislay it. Pillows made specifically for travel are widely available for purchase at airports but can be found at better prices at large discount stores, travel stores or on line.
2) Bring soft foam earplugs to ensure a relaxing, serene trip, regardless of whether your seat-mate is a screaming baby or snoring business man. For music and video use, see my Karen’s Pick’s to learn about Comply’s NR10 Noise Reduction earphones which allow you to listen to music or inflight video while reducing external noises.
3) Wear a pair of comfortable slip-on shoes, which can be easily removed at security, provide good support for long airport gate transits and ensure comfort despite the inevitable in-flight swelling that occurs on long airborne flight segments.
4) Carry an empty water bottle which you can fill inside of security in order to save the cost of buying expensive airport bottled water. I also carry iced tea and lemonade sugar-free drink mix tubes which will mix with a 16.9 oz bottle of water to make instant refreshing drinks. Ask for a glass of ice water on board and you have a lo-cal, inexpensive beverage.
5) Take reading material you can discard along the way to lighten your load. Magazines and paperwork that you do not have to return home are good candidates for travel reading.
6) Establish a personal habit to never move from any location (be it security screening, a restaurant, boarding lounge, passenger seat, check-in desk or public transportation) without first taking inventory of all pertinent travel items. Count your bags and have your total number firmly in mind (1 rollaboard, 1 briefcase, 1 jacket makes 3 pieces to retrieve) so you know how many you need to account for when leaving. Before you change location, double check to ensure that your passport, ID, ticket or other important docs are in your possession. Once this becomes an established habit, you will greatly lessen the chance of leaving behind those hard-to-replace items and hopefully ensure a relaxing, hassle-free journey. Nothing ruins a trip faster than forgetting a valuable possession and spending the rest of your trip trying to retrieve or replace it.
What Not To Bring With You:
What should be as simple as taking off one’s shoes has the ability to cause more stress and wasted time than any other step in the flying process. Don’t be afraid of the security line – plan ahead!
1) Plan your travel clothing to exclude any large metal buckles, bracelets, necklaces or pins to keep metal detector gymnastics to a minimum.
2) Make sure to check the TSA guidelines for the year, as they tend to change. This year, for example, corkscrews and cuticle cutters are fine for carry-ons, but printer cartridges, gel candles and gel shoe inserts are prohibited. Check it out at http://www.tsa.gov.
3) Wrapped gifts may present a problem at security, and could be unwrapped by officers for safety purposes. Either plan to wrap them when you get to your destination or make arrangements to send your gifts ahead of time in order to avoid the hassle altogether. If you do bring a gift along for the ride, make them small and easy to carry—gift cards and books make great on-the-go presents. Note that while a bottle of wine may seem like an easy, portable gift, it will be confiscated by airport security before it ever reaches the hands of the intended receiver.
Following these tips will help you ensure a smoother, more carefree journey and leave you free to worry about more important issues – like your aunt’s fruitcake!
Happy travels!
Captain Karen Kahn
What To Bring With You:
Your choice of gear can make the difference between a stress-filled airplane experience and a relaxing getaway in the sky.
1) Carry a comfortable pillow to use as either a low back or neck support. Label it with your name and cell phone number just in case you mislay it. Pillows made specifically for travel are widely available for purchase at airports but can be found at better prices at large discount stores, travel stores or on line.
2) Bring soft foam earplugs to ensure a relaxing, serene trip, regardless of whether your seat-mate is a screaming baby or snoring business man. For music and video use, see my Karen’s Pick’s to learn about Comply’s NR10 Noise Reduction earphones which allow you to listen to music or inflight video while reducing external noises.
3) Wear a pair of comfortable slip-on shoes, which can be easily removed at security, provide good support for long airport gate transits and ensure comfort despite the inevitable in-flight swelling that occurs on long airborne flight segments.
4) Carry an empty water bottle which you can fill inside of security in order to save the cost of buying expensive airport bottled water. I also carry iced tea and lemonade sugar-free drink mix tubes which will mix with a 16.9 oz bottle of water to make instant refreshing drinks. Ask for a glass of ice water on board and you have a lo-cal, inexpensive beverage.
5) Take reading material you can discard along the way to lighten your load. Magazines and paperwork that you do not have to return home are good candidates for travel reading.
6) Establish a personal habit to never move from any location (be it security screening, a restaurant, boarding lounge, passenger seat, check-in desk or public transportation) without first taking inventory of all pertinent travel items. Count your bags and have your total number firmly in mind (1 rollaboard, 1 briefcase, 1 jacket makes 3 pieces to retrieve) so you know how many you need to account for when leaving. Before you change location, double check to ensure that your passport, ID, ticket or other important docs are in your possession. Once this becomes an established habit, you will greatly lessen the chance of leaving behind those hard-to-replace items and hopefully ensure a relaxing, hassle-free journey. Nothing ruins a trip faster than forgetting a valuable possession and spending the rest of your trip trying to retrieve or replace it.
What Not To Bring With You:
What should be as simple as taking off one’s shoes has the ability to cause more stress and wasted time than any other step in the flying process. Don’t be afraid of the security line – plan ahead!
1) Plan your travel clothing to exclude any large metal buckles, bracelets, necklaces or pins to keep metal detector gymnastics to a minimum.
2) Make sure to check the TSA guidelines for the year, as they tend to change. This year, for example, corkscrews and cuticle cutters are fine for carry-ons, but printer cartridges, gel candles and gel shoe inserts are prohibited. Check it out at http://www.tsa.gov.
3) Wrapped gifts may present a problem at security, and could be unwrapped by officers for safety purposes. Either plan to wrap them when you get to your destination or make arrangements to send your gifts ahead of time in order to avoid the hassle altogether. If you do bring a gift along for the ride, make them small and easy to carry—gift cards and books make great on-the-go presents. Note that while a bottle of wine may seem like an easy, portable gift, it will be confiscated by airport security before it ever reaches the hands of the intended receiver.
Following these tips will help you ensure a smoother, more carefree journey and leave you free to worry about more important issues – like your aunt’s fruitcake!
Happy travels!
Captain Karen Kahn
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Plan Ahead Travel Ideas
My Travel Pre-Checklist includes a lot of details that when once accomplished can make my trip easier, more comfortable, and with less hassles.
A few weeks before I go, I call my mobile provider (I use T-Mobile whom I have found to be very helpful both at home and abroad) to determine their international rates to call to/from the countries I’ll be visiting. Usually, it’s more than I want to pay, so I’ll check to see if using my phone on its Wifi settings will avoid those charges or reduce them. I mostly make my calls using Skype (with my computer or using the application for my BlackBerry), or send text messages to locals whom I need to contact.
I also arrange in advance to have my phone unlocked (by my mobile provider) so it will accept a foreign SIM card which allows me to buy an in-country card (if I think I’ll be doing lots of calling to exceed the $25 that these cards seem to cost) and install it in my phone when I arrive. I have to remember that when I’m using the foreign SIM card, it prevents me from getting my e-mail, so sometimes it’s not the best deal. However, the SIM card can be swapped quickly and is a good option for those who need to make lots of calls abroad.
I do sign up for the International roaming on my mobile which allows me to pick up my e-mail on my BlackBerry 8120 Pearl at a very reasonable $5 per week. Keeping up with those e-mails that are critical is a big bonus to making my return home less hassle-filled. T-mobile allows me to start and stop the service exactly when I specify, so I call them a few days or weeks before I leave and arrange to have the service in effect for the days I know I’ll be gone. When I board my flight out of the U.S., just before they close the door and I have to turn off my phone, I set my mobile to call-forwarding to send any incoming calls to my home number where my answering machine will catch all the calls in one place. This saves me paying long distance international charges for wrong numbers or non-critical calls. I send an e-mail to my friends giving my itinerary and suggesting that if they want to contact me while I’m gone, the best way if by e-mail as I’ll receive it immediately. A call, I tell them, will just get forwarded to my home number, which I’ll check for messages several times per week from abroad using Skype.
To charge my mobile phone I’ll be sure to take with me the USB adapter so I can charge it through my computer. This saves me having to carry the AC adapter and a converter. I do carry, however, the car charger (or a plug-in car adapter that allows me to plug the USB cord into that auto plug) so I can re-charge if I’m driving or being driven during my trip. A spare phone battery is also a must, along with the ear plugs. By the way, the new Comply NR-10i (www.complyfoam.com) in-ear noise canceling ear phones work great for making calls in noisy environments, like in a car or bus/train station. I like their NR-10 earphones to use on my flights because I can eliminate the tiring airplane noises while being able to hear seat-mates talk. I can also plug into the airplane’s audio system or listen to my own iPod or computer. Sleeping with the Comply Foam headsets is much more comfortable than using an over-the-ear style noise-reduction headset, particularly if I want to turn head from side to side while resting.
More tips next time on packing, finances, paperwork and in-flight comforts…
Fly Smart, Fly Safe,
Captain Karen
A few weeks before I go, I call my mobile provider (I use T-Mobile whom I have found to be very helpful both at home and abroad) to determine their international rates to call to/from the countries I’ll be visiting. Usually, it’s more than I want to pay, so I’ll check to see if using my phone on its Wifi settings will avoid those charges or reduce them. I mostly make my calls using Skype (with my computer or using the application for my BlackBerry), or send text messages to locals whom I need to contact.
I also arrange in advance to have my phone unlocked (by my mobile provider) so it will accept a foreign SIM card which allows me to buy an in-country card (if I think I’ll be doing lots of calling to exceed the $25 that these cards seem to cost) and install it in my phone when I arrive. I have to remember that when I’m using the foreign SIM card, it prevents me from getting my e-mail, so sometimes it’s not the best deal. However, the SIM card can be swapped quickly and is a good option for those who need to make lots of calls abroad.
I do sign up for the International roaming on my mobile which allows me to pick up my e-mail on my BlackBerry 8120 Pearl at a very reasonable $5 per week. Keeping up with those e-mails that are critical is a big bonus to making my return home less hassle-filled. T-mobile allows me to start and stop the service exactly when I specify, so I call them a few days or weeks before I leave and arrange to have the service in effect for the days I know I’ll be gone. When I board my flight out of the U.S., just before they close the door and I have to turn off my phone, I set my mobile to call-forwarding to send any incoming calls to my home number where my answering machine will catch all the calls in one place. This saves me paying long distance international charges for wrong numbers or non-critical calls. I send an e-mail to my friends giving my itinerary and suggesting that if they want to contact me while I’m gone, the best way if by e-mail as I’ll receive it immediately. A call, I tell them, will just get forwarded to my home number, which I’ll check for messages several times per week from abroad using Skype.
To charge my mobile phone I’ll be sure to take with me the USB adapter so I can charge it through my computer. This saves me having to carry the AC adapter and a converter. I do carry, however, the car charger (or a plug-in car adapter that allows me to plug the USB cord into that auto plug) so I can re-charge if I’m driving or being driven during my trip. A spare phone battery is also a must, along with the ear plugs. By the way, the new Comply NR-10i (www.complyfoam.com) in-ear noise canceling ear phones work great for making calls in noisy environments, like in a car or bus/train station. I like their NR-10 earphones to use on my flights because I can eliminate the tiring airplane noises while being able to hear seat-mates talk. I can also plug into the airplane’s audio system or listen to my own iPod or computer. Sleeping with the Comply Foam headsets is much more comfortable than using an over-the-ear style noise-reduction headset, particularly if I want to turn head from side to side while resting.
More tips next time on packing, finances, paperwork and in-flight comforts…
Fly Smart, Fly Safe,
Captain Karen
Friday, April 9, 2010
How safe is your plane?
How safe is your plane?
See my input on AOL Travel News:
How Safe is Your Plane?
by Terry Ward
Posted Apr 8th 2010 01:43 PM
http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/04/08/how-safe-is-your-plane/
Purchase your in-flight meals. Pay for your checked baggage. Buy your own blanket. There hasn't been much happy news in recent years for the flying public. But two words no flier ever wants to hear associated with an airline they're likely to travel with are "maintenance violations." In the past six years, the Federal Aviation Association has levied more than $28 million in fines against over 25 airlines, which begs the question, just how safe is your plane?
In March 2010 alone, two legacy carriers -- Northwest Airlines and American Airlines -- racked up hefty civil penalties from the FAA for violations involving the safety of mechanics aboard airplanes operating passenger flights.
On March 12, American Airlines was fined $787,500 for three safety violations. The FAA said the airline flew a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 jetliner on 10 passenger flights after mechanics diagnosed a problem with one of the airplane's Central Air Data Computers (the flight control system) that should have been fixed. The flight crew was led to believe the problem was repaired. American Airlines was also accused of operating passenger flights without following an FAA airworthiness directive -- rules issued by the FAA when a condition on a plane is deemed unsafe and additional maintenance is required to fix the problem -- related to the inspection of rudder components.
And on March 23, failure by Northwest Airlines to inspect airplane wires located near the cockpit windows that are used for heating led to another FAA penalty of nearly $1.5 million.
"Basically, the problems with the wires is that they could eventually cause overheating and smoke and fire if you found a problem and didn't correct it," says Alison Duquette, an FAA spokesperson.
The FAA says that Northwest Airlines flew more than 90,000 flights from late 2005 until the wiring problem was discovered. And the airline continued to fly more than 40 flights before completing the inspection of all its planes.
While hearing about these issues is unnerving, even when you're on safe ground, the experts say there is no reason to panic. A potentially unsafe condition doesn't mean the actual planes are unsafe, says Duquette.
"The FAA's position is that if we're allowing the airline to operate, they are safe. By the time a civil penalty against an airline is imposed by the FAA, the airline has already fixed or resolved the issue that came up."
Still, a particularly alarming fine certainly sets alarm bells ringing. When Southwest Airlines was slapped with a whopping $10.2 million fine in 2008 (the case later settled for $7.5 million) for failing to check for fuselage cracks and fatigue in its airplanes, shocks were felt throughout the industry. Of the 46 Southwest Airlines planes later inspected, six were found to have cracks.
"That one's reverberating because it is a big fine," says Charles Justiz, a NASA pilot and aviation safety consultant. "Fuselage cracks sound scary, and they are, but your car drives with cracks, and it doesn't make it necessarily riskier. All fuselages have cracks. But by the same token, if you find a crack of a certain size, there are maintenance procedures to follow."
The fact remains that aviation has never been safer than it is today, says Justiz. "If you look at the safety records of the airlines, I think they are running a fatality every 2 billion hours, so it's ridiculously safe. But that said, when you have a safety record like that it's very easy to get complacent, to let yourself slip and fall into bad habit patterns."
Like the regulations themselves and the evolving technologies, safety concerns have changed over the years.
"The major causes of accidents 20 years ago were controlled flights into terrain -- like hearing about a plane flying into a mountainside," says Duquette. "Those things you don't hear about anymore because we have equipment that allows pilots to take evasive action."
Duquette says that the FAA's biggest safety concerns today relate to runway incursions -- when two airplanes collide on a runway, or an airplane collides with operational equipment on the runway. Still, maintenance-related FAA fines pile up.
"I think what they are doing with these big fines is letting the airlines know you can't sweep things under the rug," says Captain Karen Kahn, a longtime pilot with one of the US legacy carriers. "We certainly have a lot more regulation than we had in the past. But fines seem to be what people understand as penalties -- when it gets really bad, they ground different parts of the fleets of airlines."
In 2009, US Airways was hit with a $5.4 million fine for failing to comply with airworthiness directives. The FAA accused the airline of operating 19 flights using an aircraft that was not in compliance with an order requiring inspections to prevent a cargo door from opening during flight.
Also in 2009, the FAA proposed a $3.8 million fine against United Airlines after it was found to have operated a Boeing 737 aircraft on more than 200 flights in violation of maintenance procedures relating to one if its engines.
After a United 737 flight was forced to return to Denver after shutting down an engine due to low oil pressure, mechanics discovered that shop towels had been used to cover openings in the oil sump area instead of the protective caps that are required. The FAA determined that this maintenance oversight led to the aircraft being flown in a condition that was not airworthy, endangering passengers and crew.
And in February 2010, American Eagle was fined $2.5 million by the FAA for failing to ensure that the weight of baggage aboard flights had been properly calculated -- on at least 154 passenger flights, it was determined that the baggage weight listed on cargo hold records did not sync with the company's Electronic Weight and Balance System. Once the situation was brought to the attention of American Eagle, the FAA said the airline continued to operate at least 39 flights without correcting the problem.
"An airplane only has so much weight it can carry, the certificated weight," explains Justiz, "And there's a balance point -- after a certain point you're outside of your center of gravity limits and the airplane won't fly."
But as the statistics substantiate (your chances of dying in a plane crash on an American carrier are around one in 13 million), flying is an extremely safe mode of transport, says Justiz.
"That said, I don't believe in the word safety," he concedes, "there's no such thing. It's 'How much risk are you accepting?' After a certain point, you don't want to accept the risk, so you don't fly the airplane.
"In my opinion, the recent fines do not mean the risk to the flying public has increased. What happened is the FAA raised their hands to the airlines and said 'Why aren't you doing this? You should be managing the risk to this point.' It was a subtle point but a valid one."
See my input on AOL Travel News:
How Safe is Your Plane?
by Terry Ward
Posted Apr 8th 2010 01:43 PM
http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/04/08/how-safe-is-your-plane/
Purchase your in-flight meals. Pay for your checked baggage. Buy your own blanket. There hasn't been much happy news in recent years for the flying public. But two words no flier ever wants to hear associated with an airline they're likely to travel with are "maintenance violations." In the past six years, the Federal Aviation Association has levied more than $28 million in fines against over 25 airlines, which begs the question, just how safe is your plane?
In March 2010 alone, two legacy carriers -- Northwest Airlines and American Airlines -- racked up hefty civil penalties from the FAA for violations involving the safety of mechanics aboard airplanes operating passenger flights.
On March 12, American Airlines was fined $787,500 for three safety violations. The FAA said the airline flew a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 jetliner on 10 passenger flights after mechanics diagnosed a problem with one of the airplane's Central Air Data Computers (the flight control system) that should have been fixed. The flight crew was led to believe the problem was repaired. American Airlines was also accused of operating passenger flights without following an FAA airworthiness directive -- rules issued by the FAA when a condition on a plane is deemed unsafe and additional maintenance is required to fix the problem -- related to the inspection of rudder components.
And on March 23, failure by Northwest Airlines to inspect airplane wires located near the cockpit windows that are used for heating led to another FAA penalty of nearly $1.5 million.
"Basically, the problems with the wires is that they could eventually cause overheating and smoke and fire if you found a problem and didn't correct it," says Alison Duquette, an FAA spokesperson.
The FAA says that Northwest Airlines flew more than 90,000 flights from late 2005 until the wiring problem was discovered. And the airline continued to fly more than 40 flights before completing the inspection of all its planes.
While hearing about these issues is unnerving, even when you're on safe ground, the experts say there is no reason to panic. A potentially unsafe condition doesn't mean the actual planes are unsafe, says Duquette.
"The FAA's position is that if we're allowing the airline to operate, they are safe. By the time a civil penalty against an airline is imposed by the FAA, the airline has already fixed or resolved the issue that came up."
Still, a particularly alarming fine certainly sets alarm bells ringing. When Southwest Airlines was slapped with a whopping $10.2 million fine in 2008 (the case later settled for $7.5 million) for failing to check for fuselage cracks and fatigue in its airplanes, shocks were felt throughout the industry. Of the 46 Southwest Airlines planes later inspected, six were found to have cracks.
"That one's reverberating because it is a big fine," says Charles Justiz, a NASA pilot and aviation safety consultant. "Fuselage cracks sound scary, and they are, but your car drives with cracks, and it doesn't make it necessarily riskier. All fuselages have cracks. But by the same token, if you find a crack of a certain size, there are maintenance procedures to follow."
The fact remains that aviation has never been safer than it is today, says Justiz. "If you look at the safety records of the airlines, I think they are running a fatality every 2 billion hours, so it's ridiculously safe. But that said, when you have a safety record like that it's very easy to get complacent, to let yourself slip and fall into bad habit patterns."
Like the regulations themselves and the evolving technologies, safety concerns have changed over the years.
"The major causes of accidents 20 years ago were controlled flights into terrain -- like hearing about a plane flying into a mountainside," says Duquette. "Those things you don't hear about anymore because we have equipment that allows pilots to take evasive action."
Duquette says that the FAA's biggest safety concerns today relate to runway incursions -- when two airplanes collide on a runway, or an airplane collides with operational equipment on the runway. Still, maintenance-related FAA fines pile up.
"I think what they are doing with these big fines is letting the airlines know you can't sweep things under the rug," says Captain Karen Kahn, a longtime pilot with one of the US legacy carriers. "We certainly have a lot more regulation than we had in the past. But fines seem to be what people understand as penalties -- when it gets really bad, they ground different parts of the fleets of airlines."
In 2009, US Airways was hit with a $5.4 million fine for failing to comply with airworthiness directives. The FAA accused the airline of operating 19 flights using an aircraft that was not in compliance with an order requiring inspections to prevent a cargo door from opening during flight.
Also in 2009, the FAA proposed a $3.8 million fine against United Airlines after it was found to have operated a Boeing 737 aircraft on more than 200 flights in violation of maintenance procedures relating to one if its engines.
After a United 737 flight was forced to return to Denver after shutting down an engine due to low oil pressure, mechanics discovered that shop towels had been used to cover openings in the oil sump area instead of the protective caps that are required. The FAA determined that this maintenance oversight led to the aircraft being flown in a condition that was not airworthy, endangering passengers and crew.
And in February 2010, American Eagle was fined $2.5 million by the FAA for failing to ensure that the weight of baggage aboard flights had been properly calculated -- on at least 154 passenger flights, it was determined that the baggage weight listed on cargo hold records did not sync with the company's Electronic Weight and Balance System. Once the situation was brought to the attention of American Eagle, the FAA said the airline continued to operate at least 39 flights without correcting the problem.
"An airplane only has so much weight it can carry, the certificated weight," explains Justiz, "And there's a balance point -- after a certain point you're outside of your center of gravity limits and the airplane won't fly."
But as the statistics substantiate (your chances of dying in a plane crash on an American carrier are around one in 13 million), flying is an extremely safe mode of transport, says Justiz.
"That said, I don't believe in the word safety," he concedes, "there's no such thing. It's 'How much risk are you accepting?' After a certain point, you don't want to accept the risk, so you don't fly the airplane.
"In my opinion, the recent fines do not mean the risk to the flying public has increased. What happened is the FAA raised their hands to the airlines and said 'Why aren't you doing this? You should be managing the risk to this point.' It was a subtle point but a valid one."
Friday, February 5, 2010
Girls Incorporated of Santa Barbara
As a professional speaker, aviator and female mentor, I am often asked to share my experiences with others on how they too can soar through life with confidence and find their true passion. So, when the Santa Barbara chapter of Girls, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold, approached me to share my passion and story on how I became one of America’s first female pilots hired, and one of the few still working, I jumped at the opportunity.
Girls Inc. has responded to the changing needs of girls through award-winning, innovative after-school and summer educational enrichment programs and through public education efforts that empower girls to understand, value, and assert their rights. You see, as a pilot career counselor, I see many mature beginner pilots who want to fulfill their heart’s desire and become a professional pilot. However, until recently, I have never had the chance to reach out to such a young audience, specifically eager, smart and strong girls. This was a thrill for me.
I thought I had accomplished a lot, but when I looked out in the audience of young, impressionable and oh so very honest faces, I realized how much I have yet to share. I spoke to a lively crowd of about 40 young girls from ages 5 to 12. They watched a brief video about what it takes to succeed as a female pilot in the aviation industry, as well as other careers available for females. Then I shared my experiences about my own challenges and successes as one of the first pioneering female pilots in the country. As I’ve discussed in my book “Flight Guide For Success”, women will continue encountering situations in the professional world where they must compete with a majority of men. I enjoyed giving the girls insight that would prepare them for such circumstances.
Girls Inc. is an incredible organization, and it was an immensely rewarding experience to share my advice with these amazing girls! They were adorable! I was surprised that a majority of them had already been on flights. After my talk, we gave the girls coloring books, pencils, and lightweight gliders (so they soar on their own!) donated by Tim Lawton and the generous folks at the Santa Barbara Airport.
Girls Incorporated is an inspirational organization, with chapters all around the country, which I encourage everybody to support! You can learn more at http://www.girlsincsb.org/.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
