Kim Ford

Kim Ford is currently a First Officer for Alaska Airlines and flies the Boeing 737 and previously served in the United States Air Force flying the C-17 Globemaster and the KC-135 Stratotanker. Ford has always longed for flight from family history, pictures from the world, and the curiosity as to what’s on the other side of the jetway. Ford was accepted into the Air Force Academy in Colorado in the mid-1980s, but she was not accepted socially. Ford reflected on her lack of confidence as she entered the Academy. She was focused on the issues that were holding her back instead of focusing on her goals. Ford states that it was intimidating to get into because people would look at an African-American girl and think that she didn’t want to be a pilot. She was connected with Tuskegee airmen who taught her how to study and aircraft systems knowledge. During her time at the Air Force Academy, she participated in Soaring, T-41 Pilot Indoctrination Program (C-172) and Cadet Parachuting training. Ford hopes to give the resources for people to succeed, especially women of color. She wants them to know what steps to take in order to achieve their goals. Ford is currently a member of Sisters of the Skies, a nonprofit committed to pilot diversity.

On February 14, Emirates Airline announced a restructured order with Airbus. They ordered 40 A330-900neo and 30 A350-900 and reduced their A380 order to receive 14 more. This is simultaneous with Airbus announcing the end the A380 production by 2021. The players in this decision are Emirates executives and Airbus executives. They analyze and project the passenger movements, maintenance costs, and fuel costs in addition to the cost of the aircraft to come to a deal. Emirates and Airbus made the deal to effectively close the A380 assembly line and introduce different Airbus aircraft into the fleet. The engine manufacturers are also players since they come up with separate contracts with Emirates. The subjects are passengers who care about the aircraft they fly on. The A380 itself is a marketing tool for Emirates. Passengers care a lot but have no say in the type of aircraft ordered. Another subject are the airports served by Emirates. They have special gates, equipment and staff to service certain aircraft, so they care about future service but have no say in the fleet changes. The flight crew is also included in subjects because they go through extensive training for the aircraft that Emirates assigns them. The context setter is the aviation authority of United Arab Emirates and the Government of Dubai. There are many accusations that the government essentially funds Emirates Airline through fuel subsidies, airport user charge, local tax and many more ways. Airlines such as Air France and Qantas and the US government have made claims. If this is the case, the government of Dubai has voice in the aircraft selection since it will be funding it directly or indirectly. They have lower interest than subjects and players, but it is relatively high in the context setter’s category. The crowd is the public including people who don’t fly and lower level airport employees. Most of the public couldn’t care less who flies what planes. Airport employees who service the aircraft do the job they are assigned to and the aircraft type doesn’t matter. Both entities don’t have a voice in the aircraft selection.

We are pleased to announce an order with @Airbus for 40 A330-900neo and 30 A350-900 aircraft, worth US$ 21.4 billion at list prices. We will also take delivery of 14 more A380s, taking our total A380 order book to 123 aircraft. #FlyEmiratesFlyBetter https://t.co/OW2SuVdCAS pic.twitter.com/jpV7dE0jMX

— Emirates (@emirates) February 14, 2019

Last November, I was thinking about a cool place to fly. I promised my co-RA April that I would fly her out to Chicago, so I booked a plane for the entire day. The night before the flight I thought the clouds would be too low across Indiana and Ohio for me to fly. The day of the flight, I woke up and all I could see was the blue sky. I planned a trip for us to fly to Chicago executive airport via the shoreline, so we could get a view of the skyline. I’ve flown in the area before, but I hadn’t flown into Chicago executive before. The entire day pretty much had to be near perfect for me to fly out far out and still get back the same day. This day offered just that, and we were on our way to OSU airport around 10am. Everything was the usual. Fall offers great hues and we took great advantage of that. We could see the leaves changing colors and the trees were bright orange and red. She had never flown in a small plane before, so she was excited. We were flying above the clouds and then below the clouds on the last half of the way there. The flight to Chicago was about thirty minutes longer than our flight back. We were flying with another general aviation plane about two miles off to our right on its way towards Lake Michigan. Once I reached Gary, Indiana, I was handed over to Chicago approach and that was filled with Southwest airlines pilots. It took a while before I could get in a word. As I was flying along the shore line, I saw the Bears stadium, the Bean, the Cubs stadium and other landmarks. I’ve seen other pilots fly this route which made me want to fly in front of the Chicago. After I made a pass to my left, I circled around so the city would be off my right wing for my co-RA to see. We eventually landed at Chicago and we were greeted with the best FBO I’ve ever been to. We Ubered into the city and we ate deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s. Their meat lovers’ deep dish is really good; I highly recommend it. After we finished eating, we went back to executive for our flight back. The airport is about ten miles north of O’Hare, so I had to be cognizant of the airspace. Again, I flew in front of the skyline for the photo pass. We had a nice tailwind with nice weather, so our flight was pretty short. I didn’t get a chance to show her the campus from above since it was already dark. I thought it was crazy to go to Chicago, eat lunch, and be back on campus by night

The longest US government shutdown in US history has had negative implications on the aviation industry. Because the federal government was shutdown, federal employees, including the TSA, FAA, and ATC, did not get paid during this period. More than double the TSA employees called in sick. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association president said there has been an uptick in young air traffic trainee resignation. Workers faced a second pay period where they did not receive pay and that could possibly have an impact on the US air system. There were staffing problems at ATC facilities that funnel in traffic into and out of the north east. Many flights experienced delays because there weren’t enough people to keep safe spacing between flights. Over the course of the shutdown, many ATC personnel received pizza from unions, airlines and other ATC employees from Canada, Mexico, and Russia. Industry professionals were concerned that the unpaid controllers had unnecessary burden in the already stressful environment they work in. The FAA employees could not authorize the entry of service of the Delta A220 on time, airmen certificates were not processed or renewed, and FSDOs around the nation were closed.

Over the period of the shutdown, many CEOs of airlines, presidents of unions, and federal employees voiced their concerns of the shutdown. In all, all entities involved wanted to end the shutdown. CEOs were concerned with the wellbeing of the national and international economy. US Travel estimated that the shutdown costed the airlines as much as $100 million a day. President of the NATCA said they couldn’t continue the hiring process of new controllers. He said ATC is at an all time low and the impacts of the shutdown will be felt down the road as there will be fewer and fewer controllers. Federal employees collectively voiced their displeasure by taking sick days on the days they were not being paid. All these actions are examples of communication. Whether the voiced concerns and the exceptional flight delays in the north east influenced President Trump is up for debate. However, the aviation industry has communicated to the government about how the shutdown is impacting them.

Source: https://skift.com/2019/01/25/aviation-complications-likely-spurred-move-to-reopen-u-s-government/

As a kid, I would travel a lot with my dad and that is where I got my love for flying. I applied to UND, Purdue, and Riddle in addition to OSU. I chose OSU out of the four mainly because it’s close to home and I was eligible for in state tuition. The aviation programs at each school are high ranked throughout the nation so I didn’t really compare them too in depth. I came into OSU as an aerospace engineering major with the aviation engineering minor, but I realized it’s not what I really wanted to do. I chose aviation engineering as my major because I had hopes of being eligible for restricted airline transport pilot certificate from the OSU flight school. I thought the engineering route would be the easiest of the three paths at OSU. I’ve always been interested in aviation, so I wanted to spend my career doing what I love. After I graduate, I would love to work for a part 135 operator. I think flying for part 135 is better suited for me rather than flying as a certified flight instructor. There’s a seaplane operator in Miami and a Caravan operator in Hawaii that look very fun to fly with. I will keep the option of flight instructing open because they are always in need. Once I hit the 1,500 flight hours, I will transition to the part 121 operators. My goal is to fly for Compass Airlines since their crew bases are attractive. Most of the pay scales at the regional airlines are comparable. Once I fly enough at the regional airlines, I have a couple of options I am considering right now. The most attractive option is to move to Japan to fly with ANA or JAL. I want to move back to Asia for the lifestyle, so that is my number one option. The second option is to move to the major carriers in the US. If I choose to do that, I think I would try to fly with United Airlines since I’ve flown with them all my life. I think there are many paths to get to the major carriers, so I need to look at the big picture and not set myself on one particular course.