“Speed & Angels” was the title, and as soon as I opened the package, it went strait into the DVD player.  Watching it immediately, the movie turned out to be as great as I expected.  The footage gave the viewer a rare inside look of many interesting aspects of becoming and being a naval aviator.

I went back to the “Speed & Angels” website to see how well they did with the release and if they had acquired any awards.   I know you can’t keep a promotional website running forever but, I was a little disappointed to find that the site has turned into a cyber-ghost-town.  Most of the links do not work and nothing has been updated or maintained.

I did find in someones blog entry from June, the movie won “Best Feature Documentary” in the first GI Film Festival.

Year after year, the volume of airline travelers and aircraft increase, so with a system that is pushed to its capacity, with one hiccup, delays will start snowballing and cancellations will be inevitable.

For the lucky ones that get to board their plane and sit in their reserved seat, it does not always mean that they will soon be on their way.  To avoid passengers rotting on the tarmac in those cramped and stuffy metal tubes (like last summer), the government has a plan to reduce these experiences.  

I saw this video presentation of an in-flight emergency on Chicago Terminal Radar Approach CONtrols (TRACON)’s website, thetracon.com.  It shows the calmness of a veteran controller and his ability to get the job done without panic and passing any further anxiety onto the pilot.  It was apparent on this particular day, the pilot of Eagle Flight 230 departing O’Hare International Airport had his work cut out for him.

If you have never seen a radar controller in action, click here to download and “SAVE” the zip file to your computer.  It’s interesting to see and hear the coordination with other controllers and to watch other aircraft being vectored away from possible trouble.

I won’t ruin the end for you…but the controller did a great job!

If there are some out there, I haven’t seen any…and I’m not talking about the cheesy ones with the goofy looking radar images and the generic looking “property of an air traffic…blah blah blah.” I’m talking about stuff people would wear.

Not everyone is as corny as I am, but I’m sure most people will not wear those bland items that are lingering around now (unless of course, it has your facility or union logo on it.)  I know I wouldn’t want to be associated with a cheesy product, so why not create a professional ATC line of gear.

Quality, appearance, and price are usually the main factors when making a choice to purchase most items, but is there a need?  I’m not sure, but there is a void!

Try doing a google search and type in “air traffic control shirt.”  Well, I’ll save you the trouble, there’s not much.  If you did a google search for “aviation shirt”, “aircraft shirt”, or “pilot shirt” you would have ample to choose from.

I know the aviation, aircraft, and pilot industries are bigger than the air traffic control field, but ATC apparel could be a niche that would draw some attention.  We’ll see how it goes.  My brain-wheels are turning.

He was so cool with his knee high socks, short shorts, and BluBlocker Sunglasses. 

 AF is responsible for the maintenance, calibration, and upkeep of all air traffic control equipment and facilities.  It is an important role that affects the safety and efficiency of National Airspace System, and without them, we as controllers could not do our job.  “They’re the guy behind the guy.”  Their thankless position and unrecognized expertise is always available to our profession. 

In the blind side of the aviation community, AF also maintains most of the nations navigational aids and instrument landing systems.  The FAA technicians’ job seems to be taken for granted, but I for one recognize and appreciate their efforts, especially when they make my job easier.

As the FAA looks toward the future, their intent is to research new technology and provide modernization programs that would help controllers keep up with the increasing volume of traffic in the National Airspace System.

With most of the money spent on creating new systems, the left over change goes to hiring new controllers. Money is usually a sore subject to discuss unless you’re the one holding it or making a ton of it. It is never easy to put a price on safety.

The remarkable thing about these flying chunks of technology is that they provide a predictable and quick moving illumination across the earth’s surface. These reflections are about 10 miles in diameter and are known as, “Iridium Flares” …not because they’re made out of iridium, but because that is the name of the communication company that created them.

click here to see a video

My favorite website to find out the times and directions to see these flares is Heavens-Above.com. They have a lot of great information including predictions of when you can see the International Space Station (ISS).

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter if you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running.”

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”–Thomas Jefferson

“I never saw a pessimistic general win a battle.”–General Dwight David Eisenhower

“A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner”

“The wise person has long ears and a short tongue ”

“If Columbus had turned back, no one would have blamed him. Of course, no one would have remembered him either”

“The only man who never makes a mistake is the one who never does anything.”–Theodore Roosevelt

“Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.”–Barry LePatner

“Good things come to those who wait. Better things come to those who try.”

“Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty.

The past year however, it appeared that the attraction had fizzled and there were rarely any cars in the parking lot. That of course was just my observation from the air traffic control tower.

I can’t say I’ve eaten at the 94th Aero Squadron restaurant, but I’ve walked through there a few years ago when the WWII bombers were being displayed on the back lawn. I’m all for the growth of Chicago Executive Airport, but it stinks that such a landmark kind of restaurant has to be a casualty of expansion.

The restaurant, in the middle of the airfield, is presently closed and demolition is imminent. Plans for a couple of hangers along taxiway charlie are already in the works and a company called XJet has proposed a fancy new terminal/FBO with a gaggle of accompanying aircraft to put in its place. If approved, the privately funded, $25 million project would be built on 14 acres of the airport.