Plane-ly Spoken could not permit a new year to come without wishing you the very best for the coming year, as well as giving you our resolutions for 2015.  In doing so, we note that these are, for the most part, directed at others, both in and out of the aviation industry.  As a result, this list qualifies more as a “wish list,” since we have little or no ability to fulfil these wishes.

  1. We wish that those who criticize the FAA non-stop over the fact that they’re moving too slowly with respect to UAS would realize that “slow and steady” is preferable to a mid-air collision.
  2. We wish the FAA would be allowed by the OMB to publish the NPRM for small UAS.
  3. We wish that the hobbyist/recreational community would accept the fact that the airplane they fly as a hobby is operating in the national airspace system (NAS) and that, like it or not, the FAA controls that airspace.
  4. We wish the 24/7 news cycle would stop encouraging and engaging in speculation after an aircraft accident.
  5. We wish that knowledgeable aviation experts would stop speculating after an accident about what happened when the investigation has barely started.
  6. We wish the 24/7 news cycle, if they insist on using “experts,” would at least use experts who really are experts.
  7.  We wish the Senate would confirm Chris Hart as Chairman of the NTSB.
  8.  We wish everyone would accept the fact that UASs are here to stay and that certain members of Congress stop playing politics with them.
  9.  We wish everyone would recognize that the FAA is, like the NTSB is in accident investigation, the platinum standard in the world of aviation safety.

 and finally,

     10.  We wish, no, we resolve, that in 2015, Plane-ly Spoken will continue to be plainly spoken.

Happy New Year!