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Correction: Aviation Maintenance misspelled the name of the Postflight column subject in the August issue (page 46). The correct name of the vice president of maintenance and engineering for Hawaiian Airlines is Charles Nardello.

ASTM Standards
Coming Soon

I am the Director of Developmental Operations for ASTM International. I read your piece of June 1--The System is Broken (and Here's How to Fix It)--with great interest as my job at ASTM involves the organization of new standards activity like Committee F37 on Light Sport Aircraft, Committee F38 on Unmanned Air Vehicle Systems, and Committee F39on Normal and Utility Category Airplane Electrical Wiring Systems.

I appreciate the kudos re: ASTM & F37--it's been a pleasure working with the aviation industry (hopefully this is just the beginning).

Pat A. Picariello
Director, Developmental Operations
ASTM International

What We Don't Need is Another Fee

I think you are absolutely correct in your assessment of the airlines wanting to push off some more fees on to general aviation. They keep crying that they are losing money but their flights are usually full. So as you said, they are doing something wrong! I remember when everyone was touting the benefits of deregulation. It was going to be wonderful and save the consumers loads of money. It hasn't exactly worked out that way, has it? True, a ticket does cost less nowadays than it did when I was in boarding school and traveling between Miami and St. Louis, Missouri on good old TWA (1956-59).

But the industry as a whole was much healthier and people were more secure in their jobs. It was also quite an adventure to travel by air. People put on their best clothes and manners. Now I detest traveling by air if I'm not doing the flying. Just getting to the airport and going through security is enough to wear a body out, not to mention being squeezed into a seat that is way too small for the average American's comfort. There's no food anymore and far too many of the airlines' employees are surly and obviously unhappy in their jobs.

And why not? Pensions and benefits have been cut or taken away al-together. The "headshed" keeps pushing for more and more concessions from the unions in an effort to hold back the hemorrhaging of money while their monetary rewards are the same and in some cases actually more. It's a mess!

I don't know if regulation of the airline industry would solve their problems or make them worse. I'm sure you could get a lot of letters from both the pro and con side if you suggested it. What I do know is that general aviation is not to blame for the plight of the airlines. And a lot of people are being kept on the ground just by the cost of fuel alone. What they don't need is another fee.

Our small airport has seen a large drop in landings in the past few months. Our repair business is suffering because when people don't fly they don't spend money to get their plane repaired. It's trickle-down economics of the worst kind. I hope that we can hang on because everyone here loves aviation, and we'd hate to shut the doors.

Chris Beal-Kaplan
SARCO Inc.
Pell City, Alabama