Questions for Robert Rockmaker

摘要

Why FSANA? Aren't there enough aviation advocacies?Rockmaker: There was no association dedicated to flight schools, which arguably are among aviation's most important institutions if the industry intends to continue. At the turn of the century there were some 2,400 pilot training operations in the U.S., but after the 9/11 attacks and the Great Recession, the count was down to 1,600, a 33% decline. And we estimate the COVID-19 pandemic will claim another 50-75. Despite that, new schools are being created.Can you point to any successes?Rockmaker: Three years ago, there were 1,400 FAA-Designated Pilot Examiners; now there are 850. Obviously, they play a critical role in advancing pilots. In the past, they were pretty much restricted geographically by their FSDO. But FSANA led a working group with representatives from the FAA and other aviation associations that convinced the FAA to let examiners travel and conduct check rides anywhere. That was a big help. Also, examiners were limited to two flight checks a day. But if the candidate made some small error doing one element such as turns around a point, chandelles, power-on stalls, that sort of thing, the test candidate and the examiner could review it on the ground and go up and do it again, correctly. Yet that counted as one of the day's two check flights even though the examiner could easily do another. We got that policy changed. And now we're participating in an 18- to 24-month-long aviation rulemaking committee to make recommendations regarding the examining community. Unfortunately, many examiners are of an age that makes them vulnerable to the coronavirus, and so a good number are reluctant to venture out and that is impacting flight testing all over. I so look forward to this virus being contained.