PBS, Flying Cheap

I watched PBS' "Frontline" video "Flying Cheap". The report was about the safety of the regional airlines.

The report showed some of the failings of a regulatory government body like the Federal Aviation Administration. Despite the failing of the FAA, the report showed a strong support from the tribe for the power the FAA has.

At the same time the report called for more regulation of the airline industry, it called for more responsibility of the individual airlines. This is the cry of the unions who do not want competition. Less competition means less consumer choices and higher ticket prices and higher union wages. People feel safe in a regulated environment. Freedom is frightening to many people. The old lady who is not capable of competing and dealing with the complexity of the modern world feels safer if someone else deals with the complex world for her.

As usual, the sheep want a protective Shepherd. None of the sheep want to take individual responsibility and refuse to fly on the regional airlines because they are dangerous.

But are they dangerous? The International Air Transport Association's, IATA, report for 2009 shows 2009 was the second safest year of flying on record.

The PBS program about flying cheap was produced by people who are just trying to survive. They produce a product to sell to the viewing public in hope of getting more funding. The report produced fear, when fear is not warranted. People buy into fear.

The report is also anti capitalism. It indicates low wages are dangerous. It produces the usual envy and hatred of corporations as evil and greedy. People fear and hate corporations more than they fear and hate governments, yet the largest corporation cannot compel you to do anything, while the smallest government can throw you in jail and seize your assets. It is as if people think when a person works for a corporation they retain only their deadly sins, and when a person works for the government they retain only their heavenly virtues. People who work in government and people who work in corporations both have virtues and sins. The government employees have the most power and they are the only ones who are allowed to use force, threats and coercion against you.

The Frontline report implies low wages were the cause of the Buffalo Colgan Airline crash. Low wages simply means there are more pilots available for the pilot openings. If the supply of pilots is greater than the demand their salaries will be lower.

Charles Tolleson, Retired Airline Pilot

Violent genes and philosophy

"Democracy don't rule the world, You'd better get that in your head; This world is ruled by violence, But I guess that's better left unsaid". -Bob Dylan

The human animal is a violent animal. It is a violent and aggressive animal because it has a million year history of struggling to survive. The meek did not survive. Those humans that were strong and aggressive survived, and today they have those genes that helped humans survive.

It is estimated that over 90% of all species that once existed have become extinct. The human animal probably came close to extinction many times. The early human animals were small and easy victims to predators who were looking for food. The human animal learned to survive through a million years of living in fear. This gene that expresses fear is very much a part of the modern human animal's existences. Eat or be eaten! Politicians are always exploiting this fear gene.

The human animal's desperate existence has only recently improved to the point it can grow more food than it needs. Humans are the only animals that can grow their own food. Insect plagues and droughts used to destroy crops. Insecticides, large tractors, fertilizers, and irrigation systems assure current humans of a plentiful food supply.

About three thousand years ago the human animal started to use alphabets in expressing philosophy about ethics and morality. "Do not steal" and "Do not covet thou neighbor's wife" were some of the first attempts to constrain the violent and aggressive gene. The Greek philosopher Aristotle, 2300 years ago, wrote about ethics.

Similar to the Golden Rule, ancient Hinduism, around 500 BCE, said this, "One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one’s own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma. Other behavior is due to selfish desires".

With an alphabet, language, and philosophy, humans wrote the Magna Carta. It was the foundation of many western written laws that attempted to adapt private property rights to the violent human animal. It was a precursor to what was later to be known as individual rights, as shown in the Declaration of Independence.

Today we have more laws and philosophers telling us how to live the proper life. The modern ethics and progressive political philosophy tries to go beyond the ancient ethical code of do no harm to another. The modern progressive philosophers attempt to build an ethical society but at the same time they are willing to rely on their violent and aggressive genes to carry out their plans. Some philosophers are willing to subtly use power over others. The guardians are always fed before the followers. The humanitarians, leaders, and guardians of the Chinese Communists Party did not starve in the 1949 Chinese famine.

The violent genes we have that have been passed down to us from the past million years are in conflict with the ethical philosophy of do no harm. Our ethical genes are too young and too few to combat the aggressive and violent genes. It will take many more generations before the good philosophical gene is a match for the violent and aggressive genes that human animals carry. Bio engineering will speed up this evolutionary process. The evolutionary outcome will depend on who does the bio engineering.

Charles Tolleson

Pilot Certification

The Federal Aviation Administration is thinking about raising the requirements for pilot certification.

The current pilot certification requirements are slightly different than they were in 1950, yet the safety record of the airlines, even with the regional carriers multiple takeoffs and landings, is better than 1950 when most of the airline pilots were military veterans. The accident rate fell from 1997 to 2006.

This improved safety is due to technology. The voice and data recorders exposed what caused accidents and training has been adapted. New composits materials, better metals, hydraulic systems, backup systems, better avionics, better generators, better electrical, and better engines. Everything is better.

Many people think experience is the best training to make a good pilot. Experience flying in the tropics does not equal experience flying in extreme winter conditions. Training can be done more effectively to insure that pilots experience all and many irregular situations with very few hours of training compared to the vast number of hours of experiences required to experience the same situations. Past accidents are always good references for training.

But if the Air Line Pilots Association, ALPA, wanted to raise their salaries they should lobby for an ATP (Air Transport Pilot) requirement to be 10K hours instead of 1500! That would raise the cost of training to a prohibitive amount and time required that few pilots could afford to train and get certified. With fewer pilots the pay would go up. Supply and demand will decide pilot pay. This is what has happened in the medical field. It takes years and over a hundred thousand dollars to be certified to remove a gall bladder. Gads!

I paid $1400 dollars for my commercial pilot's course in 1956. That equals to $11,000 in 2009. It was with a CAA, Civil Aviation Administration, later FAA, approved school, Sowell Aviation, Panama City, FL, An approved school required only 160 hours for a commercial pilot license. I had 10 hours of instrument training during my commercial course. I got my instrument rating later.

If they had required more hours I might not have chosen aviation, something I was passionate about.

If they raise the requirements for pilots and the salaries go up, I suspect you will have pilots signing up for the money, not the passion. I suspect that is what is happening in the medical profession. People who would love to be a doctor cannot afford the time and expense. People who are smart and can afford the investment will become doctors for the money, not the passion. I believe in a free market, but the medical market, with all the government licensing requirements and regulations, is not a free market. If ALPA is smart they will learn from the American Medical Association.

Charles Tolleson, retired airline pilot. lucky, not good

The voluntary army and the draft

The all volunteer US military just received a 3.4% pay increase.

"Increase in Basic Pay Effective on January 1, 2010, the rate of monthly basic pay for members of the uniformed services is increased by 3.4 percent."

Any military personnel held in service by "Stop Loss" orders will receive an additional $500 per month.

Military pay and reenlistment bonuses earned in combat zones are not taxed.

How is it the government war enablers can get a pay raise when the government's revenues are down?

I'm against the draft and against our foreign wars and the military nation's power, but if we had a draft the cost of a soldier would be much less than the all volunteer army.

If the wars are worth fighting, why not have a draft? It would be a much cheaper way to fight the wars.

If the US used the draft the way it did from Lincoln's time in the Civil War until 1974, the US could invade foreign countries for a lot less cost to the taxpayer.

Government employees, including military, will have their college student loans forgiven under President Obama's PLAN to have some people pay for another person's education so that other person can get a better paying job.

Today's military is more expensive than past militaries. In the Vietnam War an E-5 enlisted man would earn about $4000 per year. Today an E-5 enlisted man is older and earns about $45,000 per year plus other benefits of around $35,000. Military pay has outpaced inflation. The $4000 in 1970 dollars would be equal to about $22000 in 2009 dollars. The all volunteer military is very expensive.

Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize winning economist, said an all voluntary army was the best way to staff the military because the market will determine the value of a soldier. Friedman is correct, except, war is not about free markets producing something of value in a competitive market place. War is about a monopolistic State using force, violence and aggression for its own power enhancement. "War is the health of the State".- Randolph Bourne.

Today's military is older, and more expensive. The average age of active duty military personnel in 2009 is 28. In the Vietnam War that used a draft to supply troops, the average age of the troops was 23. More than half, 55% of today's military are married. In the Vietnam War, only 30% of those killed were married. The average compensation for a military person in 2006 was over $86,000 per year! No wonder so many people are available for invading and occupying other countries in unnecessary wars during a down economy. A young man with no skills can join the military and become a hired killer and have economic gain and respect from his community. Had he remained in the private sector doing what his skills allowed he would have not been noticed.

I'm in favor of bringing all our troops home. If we must fight a war then it should be paid for with increased taxes and not on borrowed money that unborn children will have to pay. If we must fight a war then we should have a draft, even if it requires a constitutional amendment. A draft will bring to light just how important or unimportant the war is.

The cost of staffing our all voluntary military shows how unimportant the foreign military invasions and occupations are in the minds of those who invade and occupy other countries. If citizens really believed we were in danger of being invaded, the supply of military personnel would increase and the price for these personnel would decrease.

Charles Tolleson