> I will get a lot of heat for this but I think the FAA has killed a lot of people.
It drives my crazy that in 2025 ADSB is still not mandatory for all aircraft. I get there's old timers flying their tail wheels from the 1950s that don't have any electrical components, but this would massively improve GA safety.
Another one is multiplex radio, again, it's 2025, the technology is there. Why are we still seeing so many blocked communications during emergencies in busy airspaces?
I get there's old timers flying their tail wheels from the 1950s that don't have any electrical components
Frustratingly, the FAA hasn't certified a straightforward solution to this problem. Here in the UK, we can use a fully standalone ADS-B transceiver that requires no permanent installation. After a rebate from the CAA, it costs about $500.
I haven't dug too much into the regulations or power requirements around running ADS-B Out purely off a battery but you can get a TSO-certified beacon https://uavionix.com/general-aviation/tailbeaconx/ and pair it with high-capacity LiFePO4 TSO battery https://earthxbatteries.com/product/etx900-tso/ for a not-unreasonable price. I don't know if that would actually be acceptable, but it's a pretty straightforward way to add that functionality to an otherwise steam-gauge-only aircraft.
> Another one is multiplex radio, again, it's 2025, the technology is there. Why are we still seeing so many blocked communications during emergencies in busy airspaces?
The difference between the radio on the WW2 era ex-pilot boat I spent time on recently and the radio in a brand new jet liner is crazy. The Global Maritime Distress Safety System - a global requirement from the 1980s - mandates a digital VHF radio service named DSC - it's not very clever by today's standards and it's hardly the easiest to drive UI - but it's night and day compared to what is provided for aeroplanes. First of all, and most crucial for its core purpose, many crucial elements of a "Mayday" call are automated so that rescuers have the most important information right away even if you're panicked and incoherent, and it won't get "blocked" by low priority callers trying to figure out which gate they're scheduled for, or whether they can get the longer runway for this approach.
It's almost aggressively bad, I guess they couldn't get an OK to use Morse code?
> The only positive method of identifying a VOR is by its Morse Code identification or by the recorded automatic voice identification which is always indicated by use of the word “VOR” following the range's name.
There's such a long way from "Move fast and break things" to "Eh, it was good enough for my grandfather" and it feels as though aeronautics is very close to the latter. This would be OK if the demands on the system were declining or even steady, but they're increasing.
It drives my crazy that in 2025 ADSB is still not mandatory for all aircraft. I get there's old timers flying their tail wheels from the 1950s that don't have any electrical components, but this would massively improve GA safety.
Another one is multiplex radio, again, it's 2025, the technology is there. Why are we still seeing so many blocked communications during emergencies in busy airspaces?