GSN Dec 2015/Jan 2016 Digital Edition

also made in the growing field of unmanned
aircraft.
As you have probably seen, the
subject of small, unmanned aircraft
has consumed a great deal of the
FAA’s time in recent months. We are
working to implement regulations
that will enable us to safely integrate
this promising segment of aviation
into the world’s busiest and most
complicated airspace system.
Meanwhile, the industry itself is
growing at a pace unlike anything
we’ve seen since the dawn of the Jet
Age.
We learn every day about new
and creative uses for these aircraft,
whether it’s to deliver packages or
enable companies to accomplish
tasks such as remotely monitoring
miles of railroad or pipeline.
At the same time, these small aircraft—we
call them Unmanned
Aircraft Systems, you call them Remotely
Piloted Aircraft Systems, but
the rest of the world knows them
as drones – are becoming the latest
craze among tech-savvy consumers.
Retailers estimate that as many as
400,000 small unmanned aircraft
will be sold during the holiday season
in the U.S. Most will be piloted
by operators who have little or no experience
in aviation.
We have already had several hundred
instances in the U.S. in which
pilots have reported these small aircraft
have come into close proximity
to manned flights. Many of them
have been in airspace near airports,
while a number have been at altitudes
ranging from 1,500 feet to as
high as 10,000 feet.
As you might imagine, we are
working to eliminate the likelihood
of an unfortunate incident or accident.
We are using every method
at our disposal to engage these new
aviators – and they are aviators. As
we do so, we value the advice and
experience of our international partners
here in Israel and elsewhere.
We recognize that we are all embarking
together into yet another new age
in the constantly changing world of
aviation.
As regulators, airline operators and
business leaders and aviators, we are
constantly called upon to make flying
even safer. We have achieved an
amazing track record together.
One of the most important factors
in the worldwide aviation safety record
is the free exchange of information.
We realized in the late 1980s
and early 1990s that the industry
would need to focus on intense data
analysis to detect risk and prevent
accidents or incidents from occurring.
The industry adopted a wide array
of programs that encouraged
aviation professionals–be they pilots,
flight attendants, mechanics or air
traffic controllers–to voluntarily report
safety events without jeopardizing
their careers.
Airlines and government safety
authorities around the world used
that information to jointly develop
new safety protocols. We improved
not only training, but the technologies
we rely on to keep us safe as we
jet from place to place at almost the
speed of sound.
As a result, we have all but eliminated
the most common causes of commercial
accidents – controlled flight
into terrain, weather, wind shear and
failure to complete checklists. All
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told, our Commercial
Aviation Safety
Team reduced the
risk of fatalities in
U.S. commercial
aviation by 83 percent
over 10 years.
We continue to work through the
world’s international safety organizations
to make flying safer, no matter
where the wheels touch down. The
path to success depends upon the
free exchange of safety information
and the willingness to always look
for the next improvement. We are
pleased to join you on this journey.
Many people outside our industry
probably aren’t aware of it, but some
of the most valuable lessons about
flying were learned in this part of
the world. Antoine de St. Exupery,
known to many as the author of the
children’s book, “The Little Prince,”
was actually a pioneering aviator
who spent much of his time flying
the airmail throughout the Middle
East.
He wrote an award-winning book,
“Wind, Sand and Stars” in 1939, inspired
by a plane crash that almost
claimed the lives of St. Exupery and
his navigator.
St. Exupery offered several observations
about flying under trying
conditions. Back then, he was in
open-cockpit biplanes. Most often,
those flights occurred at night. Navigation
was best accomplished by following
the stars. As anyone who has
spent any time in the desert knows,
a sand dune in a sea of sand dunes
makes a poor reference point.
He writes about the loneliness of
the desert and the importance of
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