A combination of humor, serious news, and expert perspectives on vital aviation safety and security issues, from author, professor, and trainer, Jeffrey C. Price. In this episode, should TSA take passengers’ temperatures, airlines pull out of smaller airports but bookings are up, the US is back in the space race, aviation career advice, and Mullet Watch.
Transcript:
Welcome to 6 minutes of aviation safety and security, I’m Jeff Price with Leading Edge Strategies. This is
our special Memorial Day, a memorial week edition so let’s catch you up on what’s making news in the
industry.
First thank you to all the veterans out there who both those that made the ultimate sacrifice and anybody
that has served who’s no longer with us. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifices and
your families as well.
We start off with a special report on TSA. We begin the episode with one of the worst ideas I could
possibly imagine asking TSA personnel to take the temperatures of passengers before they come in the
screening checkpoint. And this is a nightmare for literally anybody entrusted with aviation security. Look, I
know we’re in the middle of a pandemic and I didn’t just wake up this morning but it’s an example of
taking action that feels good that actually makes us less safe, less secure and less healthy. It’s not a good
idea at all, in fact it’s going to receive our first ever dumbest idea I’ve ever heard of award. So, whoever
thought of this one keep trying!
TSA is there for security, not public health. The more responsibilities we pile on to TSA officers, the less
effective they are doing the primary job, which is security. You know security, the reason we created the
entire agency in the first place. Plus, this additional duty will cause personnel to hit cognitive overload
sooner in their shifts rather than later so their security effectiveness will actually continue to go down at an
accelerated rate than it already does, naturally. Plus, this country’s enemies are watching us. They’re
looking for vulnerabilities or better time to hit us when our security effectiveness is down and we’re not
looking at security because we’re too busy taking everyone’s temperature.
As passenger traffic builds back up, these temperature checks are going to cause the lines to back up.
Lines cause crowds, crowds make targets for active shooters. Let’s not try and solve one problem and
create six more. Also, I know that there’s remote temperature sensing devices. Those work great as long
as nobody has a fever but the first time somebody does you got to stop the line, pull that person out and
deal with them…now the lines are slowing down. Look, frankly transportation security officers are not
medical experts. Let’s just be real, there’s lots of reasons someone could have a fever and not be Corona
virus. Are they going to make that determination? I wouldn’t want to do that. Is there going to be a medical
person on staff that can come and make that assessment for us or for them? I mean how much earlier do
we have to start getting to the airport now? Four hours early, five hours? I mean, at this point we might as
well allow ourselves enough time to get a physical while we’re there too.
Look, I’m on the side of the TSA screening officers on this one. There’s been 600 plus TSA officers that
have been infected with Corona virus. 6 of them have already passed away. There’s other effective ways
to reduce the spread of the virus. One: adding some time in the employee badging process. Just one
minute of trainings for the airport workers can spot somebody who might be sick or look bad and get them
the help that they need. Two: ensuring high-risk passengers continue to take the protective measures and
passengers…hey, we can’t do a lot for ourselves to keep wearing the mask especially if you’re high-risk.
It’s a thing now, nobody’s going to care. Now it’s in style. Wash your hands, there’s a thought and don’t
just pick up random objects anywhere you don’t know where that stuff has been.
Enough about dating pilots okay and also here, here we go…here’s something that this is going to
benefit all those annoying and take off their socks and shoes when they get on the plane. This is not your
living room, hippie put your Birkenstocks back on. Nobody wants to see your ugly feet and we don’t want
to smell them and you look like a tool.
We’re going back to space, Wednesday May 27th. The United States goes back. American astronauts
Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley head to the International Space Station on SpaceX’s crewed dragon
spacecraft. It’s the first time since the Space Shuttle parked in 2011 that we’re not paying Russia $86
million a seat to get into orbit the launch is set for 4:30 Eastern Daylight Time 4:33 actually.
We’ve just received some breaking news.
Now for a minute worth of aviation career advice. If you’re thinking of getting into our industry or you are
in our industry you’re wondering what’s going to happen in the future. Look, hang in there. The industry
will bounce back, we always do. We’re down but we’re never out. Now’s the time, build the flight time. The
management or aerospace side, work toward your graduate degree if you can. Get some certificates,
training and should all the time to build that resume so you’re ready when the hiring starts back up there’s
still jobs out there. People are still hiring.
I know many of you were wondering about mullet watch. Well, sadly it’s over. My wife made…I mean, I
made the decision as a responsible, independently minded 53 year old male to take off the mullet but
here’s a brief clip. (I’ve been up chocked up over it) that I shot right before it all came off.
Well this is it, it’s that time it was too short then it’s time to go. I love you mullet and we had a great time
and you know we may never see each other again but if we don’t I’ll always cherish this time, thank you.
You know airline cutbacks are definitely going to affect the smaller airports more than the larger ones.
There’s some good news, the industry airline bookings are back up. However both Delta and American
have announced a lot of cutbacks to a lot of the smaller airports that are in the regions around the larger
airports. For a while, the people that live near those smaller airports are going to have to drive a little
farther to get to a larger airport in order to get service.
Hey, here’s something for you, if you’re looking to build some flight time…I know it costs a lot paying by
the hour…by your own airline, take out a loan anyway. Raven Airlines actually put out this ad announcing
that they are for sale so there’s one way to get to flight time.
And finally it’s time for Ford watch. As you know Ford watch is where we countdown how many days it’s
been since actor Harrison Ford has had an aviation related incident. Since, see May 25th. That’s today ok
it’s been 31 days, however we think he’s flying again though. Take a look at the spectacular footage that
someone caught and posted.
You know at first we thought this could be a UFO but our crack team of investigative journalists here at 6
minutes of aviation safety and security have positively both identified the object and the pilot. That’s right,
it’s Harrison Ford in the Millennium Falcon.
Okay folks, that’s it please like subscribe send to your friends ask them to like and subscribe and I hope
you have a wonderful week That’s it for six minutes of aviation safety and security this week and if you
don’t like this news go out make some your own.
