Short Takes Page 4 - Southern California Aviation United Working Group

Aviation Short Takes

Pertinent Comments about current events

Aviation Short Takes is designed as a comment area. The opinions and some news about important aviation matters developing today can be read here.

The articles will find a home here temporarily; and depending upon the long-term relevance, the commentary may subsequently be republished on our INFO WAREHOUSE pages. Do you have relevant comments concerning Airspace Design and/or Aviation Safety that you feel others can benefit from? For instance, do you have a recommendation for us to link to? Please let me know! Use scauwg@earthlink.net and address your input to Ron Berinstein, webmaster. IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Opinions and views expressed in the following commentary are those of the authors &/or publishers alone; and may or may not reflect SCAUWG.ORG or SCAUWG.

This page (Page 4) was added on 06/29/2025. To view prior commentary, see "Short Takes Page 3."

Let's Begin:

7/06/2025 Aviation Industry Veteran Says: Ask Questions Before Privatizing ATC - From Alliance for Aviation Across America - "ATH Group President and Principal Michael Baida details the flaws in privatized ATC systems in Canada and elsewhere in responding to a Forbes op-ed. - Note: This piece was submitted to Forbes in response to this piece: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2025/06/26/why-the-us-should-copy-canada-to-fix-its-broken-air-traffic-control-system/ - While FAA needs newer equipment and more controllers, and we all support modernizing the US ATC system, calls for ATC privatization often rest on vague claims rather than concrete analysis. Complete story Here.

07/06/2025 Military experts weigh in on China's new mosquito-like spy drone - From Business Insider - "Last month, China's National University of Defense Technology unveiled a new spy drone designed to look like a mosquito. - While it may not look as impressive as some of the bigger unmanned systems coming out of Ukraine, its stick-thin body is said to be equipped for a range of covert surveillance and military operations. Read More Here.

07/04/2025 NBAA Welcomes Final Congressional Passage of Aviation Priorities in Budget Bill - PR Release NBAA - "Washington, DC, July 3, 2025 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) welcomed today’s final vote in the House of Representatives of a bill with multiple NBAA-supported initiatives to promote the growth, safety and sustainability of the U.S. aviation industry.

The wide-ranging budget reconciliation measure was initially passed in the House on May 22. The Senate passed its revised version on July 1, sending the bill back to the House for today’s vote. The bill now heads to the president’s desk, and he is expected to sign the legislation into law. - The final legislation preserves $12.52 billion to fund replacement of aging air traffic control (ATC) facilities, systems and infrastructure and to bolster controller staffing and training.

Announced by House leaders in April, the ATC funding provision has the support of NBAA and more than 50 other aviation stakeholders comprising the Modern Skies Coalition of aviation associations, trade unions, manufacturers and others. - “We thank congressional leaders for preserving this vital ATC-transformation measure in the final budget-reconciliation bill, which provides a critical downpayment on investments in new technologies, facilities, the controller workforce and other priorities,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.

The legislation also includes a permanent reinstatement of full and immediate expensing on purchases of factory-new and preowned aircraft. The current expensing schedule, most recently authorized in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, is phasing out and set to expire in 2027. - Immediate expensing has proven effective for incentivizing aircraft purchase, which in turn helps companies obtain a competitive asset and supports American manufacturing jobs. In the U.S., business aviation supports 1.3 million high-skill, high-paying manufacturing and service jobs and accounts for $340 billion in annual economic activity.

The final legislation also maintains a key provision supporting business aviation’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 – an additional two-year extension of the Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit incentivizing production of sustainable aviation fuel to 2031, albeit with a reduction in the credit’s value, which could pose challenges for incentivizing enough production to meet demand. - “This bill enacts many important initiatives to ensure America’s continued leadership in aviation,” Bolen said. “The business aviation community looks forward to working with Congress and government agency leaders to ensure its full implementation.”

07/04/2025 Flying against the clock: life-saving missions from Africa to the world - From ITIJ - "In this exclusive ITIJ interview, AMREF Flying Doctors’ Chief Pilot, Samuel Mbugua Muikia, shares a personal, behind-the-scenes perspective on the operational complexities of delivering emergency medical evacuations. He offers rare insights into the unique demands and rewards of air ambulance operations on a global scale." Read it Here

07/04/2025 FBI Warns That Casino Hackers Are Now Targeting Airlines - From AVweb - '"Scattered Spider' group reportedly plant ransomware. -FBI Warns That Casino Hackers Are Now Targeting Airlines - According to the FBI, several airlines have been the subject of security breaches from a cybercrime organization known as “Scattered Spider.” Multiple news outlets, including The Hill, are reporting the FBI’s alert issued last week. The alert reads, in part, “They target large corporations and their third-party IT providers, which means anyone in the airline ecosystem, including trusted vendors and contractors, could be at risk.” - "The FBI warns that Scattered Spider consists of a group of hackers that, last year, targeted casinos and appears to be branching out to new victims, such as..." Full Story Here.

Bryan Bedford's Current Private Certificate07/01/2025 Truthfully, The FAA Could Do Better - From Russ Niles - AVweb - "Bryan Bedford needs to set the record straight before he takes over aviation's top job. - I guess the fundamental question in the discussion over Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford’s nomination as FAA Administrator is when a mistake (if, indeed, it was a mistake) becomes a lie when left uncorrected. Unfortunately, it would seem like Bedford isn’t very interested in peeling apart those layers and will instead follow a political playbook that, at best, counsels its adherents to ignore the uncomfortable questions from a minority because the majority doesn’t really care. And, for the sake of political expedience, that minority is being challenged to look the other way, which may become Bedford’s biggest challenge.

When news of Bedford’s nomination began circulating a few months ago, he seemed like a pick that could at least speak to the myriad challenges facing aviation. Running a regional airline over the past 20 years actually sounds like a special kind of hell to me and I would assume his days were packed with the kinds of existential crises that would be a good primer for the top job at the FAA, which sounds like an extra special kind of hell.

High-profile nominees like this have, in the past at least, gone through the kind of rigorous background checks that are designed to uncover even the slightest miscue on matters of character, policy direction and general behavior that might give opponents to his nomination potentially embarrassing fodder during the Senate nomination process."

"It seems inconceivable to me that the administration’s vetting process did not pick up the false assertion in his company bio that he had a commercial pilot certificate. It’s also inconceivable that Bedford wasn’t entirely responsible for that false assertion." Continue reading this opinion Here.

Webmaster Note: It seems very revealing that Mr. Bedford referred to a Commercial "License." For you non-pilots out there, the FAA does NOT issue licenses, they issue "certificates."

06/30/2025 For the first time on July 4th, drones will be used to catch illegal fireworks violators in some cities - From the Daily News - "iverside, Hemet and Brea, and possibly other cities, will launch drones to film illegal activity as municipalities increasingly marry new technology with old-fashioned legislation to prevent injuries and the type of fast-moving fires that devastated the region in January. - Offenders or their landlords will then receive a surprise: Those cities are mailing citations to property owners, in some cases without ever first contacting them, regardless of..." Continue Here.

06/29/2025 Pilotless: This Is Your Robot Speaking - From FLYING - "Once we’ve accepted driverless cars, what about pilotless airliners? Is that a bridge too far? - I’m not sure what’s gained by putting ride-share drivers out of work, but driverless cars have become a common sight in Los Angeles. I seldom drive any distance without encountering one of Waymo’s white Jaguar SUVs, its roof and fenders barnacled with spinning sensors and its front seats empty. I’ve followed them in traffic for miles—they drive well. I’ve tried to book a ride, but the hilly neighborhood of narrow, winding streets in which I live lies just outside their comfort zone. Give them another six months. - A few years ago, a survey found almost 80 percent of respondents unwilling to ride in a driverless car. I don’t know what the fraction would be today, but I’ll bet it’s shrunk. One of my least adventurous friends reported that after a few minutes of a Waymo ride she felt perfectly comfortable—a triumph of experience over imagination.

06/28/2025 Personal Minimums: Know When to Say No - From NBAA Business Aviation Insider -"It’s essential for pilots to regularly assess their skills, experience, health and comfort levels in an effort to improve safety, reduce stress and heighten decision-making abilities during flight operations." Explore professional guidance Here.

06/28/2025 Bills to stop ADS-B misuse introduced in Congress - From AOPA - "AOPA advocates to limit ADS-B use for its intended purposes: Safety and airspace efficiency - Legislation introduced in Congress, the Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act, seeks to address growing concerns about the misuse of ADS-B, which has been increasingly used to collect fees from pilots." Continue Here.

06/28/2025 DOT’s Duffy Announces ‘Road Map’ for Air Taxis - From Transport Topics - "US Agrees With Four Other Countries to Streamline Certification, Standardize Airworthiness Qualifications - Le BOURGET, France — Air taxi companies have promised for years that the small planes will soon carry customers and make deliveries — but they have yet to metaphorically get off the ground. - Now, with intense support from President Donald Trump’s administration, companies vying to be the first in the air, including Boeing, are confident the next wave of travel will take off soon." Complete Reading Here.

06/28/2025 Maintenance: 4 Ways AMTs Can Improve Fuel Efficiency - From NBAA - "In a business aviation operation, everyone – especially aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) – can contribute to sustainability. Through everyday best practices, here are four things AMTs can leverage to raise fuel efficiency, lower emissions and move the industry toward achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050." Read More Here.

06/24/2025 Senate’s spectrum proposal raises aviation safety question - From Roll Call - "The Senate Commerce Committee's proposal to auction radio spectrum in the 3.98-4.2 GHz band has raised concerns about potential interference with aviation instruments, particularly radio altimeters. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, argues that the bill allows enough time to address safety concerns and emphasizes the proposal's benefits for FAA modernization.Full Story: Roll Call

06/24/2025 Report Shows Continuing Lag in ATC Hiring - From FLYING - "A recent study identified multiple factors behind the lack of FAA air traffic controllers. - A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released on Wednesday may offer the most comprehensive view yet of the nation’s air traffic controller shortage and the potential paths to resolve it. - The National Academies, which performs research for the federal government, found that ATC staffing levels have been declining for 15 years. In 2010, the number of understaffed ATC facilities was relatively small, and some were even overstaffed, but in the following years the FAA hired only two-thirds of the controllers called for by its staffing models. By fiscal year 2024, nearly a third of ATC facilities had fallen 10% below adequate staffing levels and about 22% had fallen 15% below. - The gradual slowdown in hiring eventually dug the nation’s ATC system into a giant hole, committee chair Bill Strickland said during a livestreamed presentation Wednesday." Read it Here.

06/24/2025 Ukraine Buys Drone-Fighting LSA - From AVweb - "The Czech ULM Shark is fitted with drone detection and jamming gear.-Ukraine has reportedly added a drone-fighting LSA to its fleet of warplanes. In a report from the Paris Air Show, YouTuber Ate Chuet says the ULM Shark, a speedy light aircraft made in the Czech Republic, has been equipped with drone detection and jamming gear to fight against the Russian drones that have become one of the biggest threats in the current conflict. The Shark can reach speeds of more than 160 knots behind either a Rotax 912 ULS or 914 engine. It can also loiter for as long as 12 hours." Finish reading Here

06/24/2025 Drone Opportunities for Military and Veterans - From FLYING - "Discover valuable UAV programs for former service members, from Part 107 training to business support. - Military service exposes many people to some of the very best and worst that the world has to offer. Given their sacrifices, it’s never expected but always appreciated when someone or an organization does something to help out a veteran. It has never been lost on me how much our country does to help those who have served. - Since becoming a commercial drone pilot in 2017, I have had the opportunity to participate in numerous drone-related programs for veterans. I know a lot of former service members who are also drone pilots, and I am surprised that so many aren’t aware of the numerous programs available to help them out. - In this article, I’ll share some of the programs worth checking out. Even if you are not a veteran, you probably know someone who is or may want to support some of these worthy causes." Read it Here.

06/19/2025 NBAA Welcomes New Measures to Bolster U.S. Aerospace Leadership - PR from NBAA - "Washington, DC, June 16, 2025 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today welcomed the recent introduction of several federal directives, which redouble government agencies’ focus on advancing U.S. aviation as the gold standard in aerospace for decades to come. Specifically, three Executive Orders (EOs) issued by the administration aim to foster the development and use of American UAS, support airspace safety and security and usher in a new era of supersonic flight.

The first EO, Unleashing American Drone Dominance, directs the FAA to expand UAS operations by enabling BVLOS operations for commercial and public safety missions. The Order, which complements the FAA’s new BVLOS proposal, also establishes an electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) integration pilot program to accelerate U.S. eVTOL operations.
The second EO, Ensuring American Sovereignty Over its Skies, focuses on mitigating risks to public safety and national security due to the increasing use of UAS – commonly referred to as drones – in the national airspace system, including nefarious operations by criminals, terrorists, drug cartels and other hostile foreign actors. The Order authorizes federal agencies to use existing authorities to detect, track and identify drones and drone signals, and provides state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement agencies access to grant programs for detection equipment.
A third EO, Leading the World in Supersonic Flight, directs the FAA to repeal the prohibition on overland flight exceeding the speed of sound and rescind other regulations that hinder supersonic flight. The Order also instructs the FAA to establish a standard for supersonic aircraft noise certification that considers community acceptability, economic reasonableness and technological feasibility.

“NBAA welcomes these announcements, which will accelerate innovation and unleash promising new capabilities,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “Equally important, they will also enhance airspace safety, strengthen national security and ensure continued global leadership for an essential American industry.”

06/19/2025 U.S. Expected To Object To An ICAO SAF Policy - From AVweb - "American corn growers seen to be at a market disadvantage. - The U.S. is poised to object later this month to a recommendation from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). U.S. officials argue that ICAO’s recent proposal unfairly favors Brazilian corn farmers in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). - According to a report by Reuters, the U.S. objection stems from ICAO’s recent recommendation that awards a lower carbon score to multicropping, a common South American farming practice where two or more crops are grown on the same parcel of land. Due to climatic disadvantages, multicropping is not a common practice available to many farmers in the U.S. The lower carbon score would give Brazilian farmers a leg up in the growing global SAF market. Full Story Here.

06/18/2025 Mayo Clinic Concept: Remote Flight Physicals - As the field of AMEs continues to thin and demand for FAA medical certification rises, kiosk-based flight physicals could make a lot of sense. - From Aviation Consumer - "Mayo Clinic has played an important role in aviation medical certification since 1920, when several of the Clinic’s docs served as the first pilot medical examiners for the Civil Aeronautics Board, the precursor to the FAA. Contributions include developing the first high-altitude pressure chamber in North America, a simulator for training World War II pilots, plus the BLB supplemental oxygen mask and the A-14 mask and bailout bottle. It’s a rich heritage and while there is a lot more aeromedical research needed, the 2021 pandemic put a lot of studies on hold because pilots couldn’t come to the Clinic. That turned out to be a unique opportunity that leads to the question of whether in-person FAA medical exams are even necessary. - Today a large focus of the Mayo Clinic’s Aerospace Medicine division (in conjunction with the FAA) is developing a plan for ..." Continue Here.

06/16/2025 Guest Blog: Why Airlines Must Resist The Transition To Single-Pilot Flight Decks - From AVweb - "The two-pilot flight deck is fundamental to the safety of commercial flight. - The aviation industry stands at a crossroads, with technological advancements and economic pressures prompting discussions about reducing flight deck crew from two pilots to one. Proponents of single-pilot operations argue that automation and artificial intelligence can handle routine flight tasks, potentially cutting costs for airlines in an intensely competitive market. - The desire to transition to single-pilot flight decks overlooks a fundamental principle of aviation safety: redundancy. The two-pilot system is not designed for the everyday, uneventful flight but for the rare, critical moments when human judgment, coordination, and backup are indispensable." Learn More Here.