GA Medical Reform

General aviation medial reform is trying to get pilots to fly without the requirement of renewing a third class medical. If the Pilots Bills of Right 2 passes, once you get your third class medical certificate you would not need to renew it. If you got your medical certificate in past ten years then you also don't have to renew it. Of course, there are other things the pilot would have to do like 1. Complete an online aeromedical course every four years. 2. If something was wrong with your health, you would just have to get it checkout by a physicians and log it in your logbook. 3.If a condition already exists then you would have take care of that before any of this applies to you (EAA, 2015). At the moment this medical reform is a bill then it will go the House os Representatives then the president will have to sign off on the bill before it becomes a law. 

One of the many good things that may come out of the bill is the fact older pilots will be able to fly without having any restrictions. We all know how expensive it is to go thru flight school and to me it seems like waste when something minimal can ruin your dreams. One of the negative things is obviously the fact that, some pilot may abuse it and not report any serious conditions but I think that will be a rare case. Pilots hold themselves to a higher standard and know the risks of flying when unfit to fly. Overall, I do think this reform is necessary because I think it would benefit the pilots and the government a lot. Both sides would be saving money. If this bill passes then it would be doing more good than bad. 

Chinese Competitor to Airbus and Boeing

C919 has been in production since 2008, it is set to start service in 2016. Without the FAA certification C919 can only fly in China and some Asian and African countries (Reuters, 2015). The FAA has been looking at Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) work since 2010, and still hasn't approved of the aircraft. Some say it is because approving it would jeopardize the economy of Airbus and Boeing so FAA is delaying the process. I honestly don’t know if the FAA will certify C919 but I don't see why they wouldn’t. Most of the aircrafts parts are from overseas. I feel like the only reason it wouldn't get certified because of the  “Made in China” label. 

If the FAA does certify the C919, the US carries will definitely have challenges for example the aircraft is very similar to the Airbus320 and Boeing737. China recently ordered $38 billion worth of aircrafts from Boeing which includes 190 of the B737(Bloomberg, 2015). China’s aviation industry is booming and are in need of aircrafts, if the C919 gets approved by the FAA then China might not buy that many aircrafts from Boeing or Airbus.  In terms of the public perception, I feel like as along the aircraft is safe it shouldn't be an issue. The only issue I can foresee is the fact America is losing business. 

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China(COMAC) is a owned by the Chinese government and the government also owns the Chinese airlines. This situation is ideal for them to make and sell the aircrafts. They will never run out of money plus the aviation industry in China rising right now. So considering everything COMAC is set up very well. If the aircraft were to receive FAA certification then of course it would be competition for the other companies but I don't see it happening for a while. Once C919 gets certified, it would take another several years to see how the aircraft is doing and it would take some time for the COMAC to build the reputation to Airbus and Boeing. So far, I don't think Boeing or Airbus reacted to the rollout but both companies know that the C919 is far from being on the same level as them. 

References: 

Exclusive - China-made regional jet set for delivery, but no U.S. certification. (2015, October 21). Retrieved November 7, 2015, from http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/10/21/uk-china-aircraft-arj21-exclusive-idUKKCN0SF30K20151021

China takes on Boeing, Airbus with new passenger jet - CNN.com. (n.d.). Retrieved November 7, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/02/asia/china-new-c919-passenger-jet/

Boeing Lands $38 Billion Jet Order From Chinese Airlines. (n.d.). Retrieved November 7, 2015, from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-23/china-signs-deal-to-buy-300-boeing-aircraft-xinhua-reports

Aviation Organization

Joining any association that relates to your career is very important because you are surrounding yourself  with people who have the same ambitions, interests and goals as you. There is a lot of information and advice out there and the best way to get involved is to join the many organizations like The Air line Pilot Association (ALPA), Women in Aviation International (WAI), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). There are many more associations in the aviation industry but these are a few good ones that stuck out to me. 

Women in aviation is an international nonprofit organization for both men and women. The members include all aspects of the industry from student pilots ,commercial pilots ,cooperate pilots,  air traffic controllers, aviation industry teachers, airport managers, aircraft maintenance  etc. The mission of this organization is to promote women to join the aviation world. They aim to help with looking for jobs, have chapter meetings to help keep you updated in the industry,offer many educational tips via books, magazines, videos. They also offer many great scholarships for both women and men. 

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association mission is to protect our freedom to fly. The organization speaks for the members in aviation issues, educates, flight to keep aviation available for all. The members have aviation attorneys for your convince. Send out a monthly magazine with updated aviation news and tips. One of the best things about being a member is they have a lot of online training classes. I’ve personally used some of the online training for classes at Eastern.This is probably one of the most important organizations to join as a pilot. 

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2015, from http://www.aopa.org/

Women in Aviation, International Official Site. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2015, from https://www.wai.org/