Final Thoughts

I do have to start out by saying a few things. At the beginning of this course, we were mostly a group of novice bloggers. Seniors that dreamt of becoming world class pilots that just happened to have a knack for finding any detail about aviation (or as much as Google would allow at 11:54pm Sunday nights). After a long semester, we have seen many pages written, links used, and even stick figures explaining the EU-ETS. I can now say that this is a group of professionals. We were mere pioneers of the blogging world and now taking on any blogs that require a timely post date without breaking a sweat. It has been a fun semester!

As for me, I stated earlier in this course that I have always been driven to become a pilot. I am very fortunate to have aviation in my family and been around airplanes since the day I was born. I wish to become a professional test pilot for the experimental homebuilt aircraft. I want to see an aircraft becomes a working machine going from an idea, to paper, then to the runway, all while becoming the first person to sit at the controls. With the development of private space flight, becoming involved in that industry would be similar to those pioneering powered flight in the early twentieth century. I do not know how things are going to turn out or how they are going to change our perspectives of aviation, but I hope to be one of the first to find out. 

My actual career plans have not changed. I still strive to become a pilot for any and all aircraft I am asked to fly or test. As my years at EMU are coming to a close, I have changed the nature of my career. I hope to become an aviation professional, rather than someone so who just wants to fill a log book. Aviation is so intriguing to me because it is  one of the few industries that is always changing and evolving, and professionals that strive for a long term career must be able to adapt and change with the environment. There is something to new to learn every day during any flight.

This course has been an eye opener for myself in many regards. Many of the issues we talked about are things that we will be tackling the moment we receive our diplomas and  at our first jobs. Each topic had a realistic impact to not only our class, but each one of our individual careers. This class was very upfront and I felt that this was the most practical application of current issues within the industry that could effect everyone of us. This practical outlook allowed me to see aviation from a viewpoint similar to one out of the cockpit window rather than one in a classroom. 

The most interesting topic was NextGen. It is such as huge change that is upon us and it is exciting to see how these new technologies will change the way we fly. Technology is expanding by the day and it is very interesting to see how the engineers of this industry will adapt. The least interesting topic was EU-ETS. To me, this is a business plan rather than an environmental one. It is something that could effect me but has too much gray area for any substantial change during my career. 

The most interesting speakers would have to be the women that visited us from Detroit Air Traffic Control. It was informative to hear the perspective of those voices we always hear but face we never see. They have their priorities and we as pilots have ours and it was very interesting to hear how the two perspectives meet and work together. I learned  a great deal of information about their demanding training and selection which I found to be similar to ours. 

After graduation, I wish to continue flying and learning as much as I can about aviation. We are young, aspiring professionals in a field that requires us to be up to speed on everything pertaining to aerodynamics, regulations, current affairs, and safety, all at the same time. What other job do you know of that requires this? I wish to flight instruct and become more active in local and national organizations such as the EAA, AOPA, and the IAC. I also would like to further my experiences into aerobatic flight and air racing at some point down the road. I want to thank Ms. Wall for a great class and wish all of you unbelievable success in all careers!

EU-ETS: EU vs. The World

The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) is a cap-trade system that he principle of operations involves the allocation and trading of emission allowances. Every one allowance represents one ton of carbon dioxide. The capping, or maximum, of emissions is set and regulated by the European government. Additional allowances are distributed to operators through trade. The EU-ETS is designed to reduce the total amount of emissions in multiple industries across the European continent. The goal is to successfully do this in a cost effective way and by allowing numerous companies to trade allowances, they will be able to potentially generate income and competition between joining countries. 

Countries are opposed to this controversial agreement because of EU planning to tax the air carriers for their entire route. This means starting from an airport )that may be outside of Europe by a great distance) and charging the airline for that trip if they enter European airspace. A total of seventeen nations, including the US, have opposed this idea. Following a two day meeting of the opposing countries, a US senior official said during a news conference, "In a nutshell, the meeting confirmed the very solid and strong opposition to the ETS, but also indicated that there is alot of interest among countries in continuing to work on the suite of activities in ICAO." This shows that although numerous countries are not currently agreeing with each other at the moment, at least their is a common goal for all to reduce the total amount of emissions throughout our planet. 

According to a recent article by the Chicago Tribune, President Obama has now signed a bill that will shield US airlines from paying for each ton of carbon emissions.  Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman, states, "The Obama administration is firmly committed to reducing harmful carbon pollution from civil aviation both domestically and internationally, but, as we have said on many occasions, the application of the EU ETS to non-EU air carriers is the wrong way to achieve that objective," I support the Obama Administration when it comes to their dedication to sign a bill that (for once) could result in positive change for aviation here in the States and also throughout the world. It will be interesting to see how the EU governments react to this signing in terms of long-term negotiations. Will more nations start to ban the EU charge in the future?

The European government hopes this will create a drive within participating nations to become more innovative and create monetary incentive for countries to reducing their emissions.  EU also has a position to possibly link the EU-ETS with the Kyoto Protocol’s Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism. Another key point that the EU governments support would include that expansion of this system to other sectors (such as the petrochemical, ammonia and aluminum sectors) that will further decrease the overall amount of emissions on a global scale. 

The new ICAO solution should involve way more secure and precise way of charging the allocations globally. If EU would desire a reduction in emissions through their airspace, then it should be their airspace and their airspace only that should be charged. I think the difficult part will be when different nations will required different charges based on traffic, aircraft, and capabilities. These differences will have to addressed in the new solution. Another way to possibly make a positive change will be to continue the development of reduce carbon-emitting engines. We have made great advances in limiting the total amount of emissions and I feel that the major countries of the world should focus on cleaner developments of their aircraft, rather than a focus on increasing profits.