Fourth+Term

Spring's Milestones
Field work is planned to be either at Boston's Logan International Airport or at Bedford's Hanscom Airfield or a combination. Several employers in the public and private sectors have been contacted and job interview arrangements are currently in progress. The job I intend to hold will be a part time or full time position, if not than an internship. Contact information of employers will be posted once confirmed. In addition to the employment aspect within the aviation community, I will be conducting my project interviews and assembling my final paper and presentation for submission in May. I intend to have all my vital questions thoroughly answered and documented by the proper people early on so that I can explore further endeavors as I continue work in the field.
 * ~ Task/Assignment ||~ Status ||
 * Initial Proposal ||= Certified ||
 * Enroll in E Block || Complete ||
 * Creation of Wiki || Complete ||
 * Photo/Video Post ||< Complete ||
 * News Feed || Compiled ||
 * Notification of Planned field Contacts || In progress ||
 * Lit Review || Complete (below) ||
 * First Draft || Complete (below) ||
 * Consolidated Bib and Draft + Lit ||> Complete (below) ||
 * Field Work Request ||> Complete (below) ||
 * Field Work Approval ||< Certified ||
 * Withdraw Classes ||< Certified ||
 * Contacts Notified of Interview Plan ||< Complete ||
 * Presentation/Slides ||< Complete ||
 * Final Credit and Panel Reception ||< Awarded ||

Action Plan for April and May

 * All days listed are subject to change by faculty, interviewees and my own factors.

April 5th: Start at new full time position (training, briefing) Exact role to be announced

April 9th: Have multiple NNHS check-in times arranged (three or more)

April 12th: Have at least 3 interviews completed

April 16th: Have full interview write-ups completed and three additional interview dates confirmed

April 19th: Have all additional interview dates confirmed (as many as five more)

April 23rd: Collaborate statistics and survey data gathered to this point

April 26th: Publish all findings in a single place

April 30th: Reach a confirmation whether or not air travel will take place on the project, report on further plan

May 3rd: Have scope and outline of formal and informal presentations fully published and finalized

May 10th: Submit final paper for analysis, confirm presentation times

Late May: Commit all resources and energy into making the formal presentation all that it can be

June: Debriefing

=The Paper=

Abstract Air travel has been adopted and embraced as a means of transportation essential to maintaining business and social contacts in the U.S. and worldwide. While many passengers boarding planes give little thought to the complexities of the technology involved in their journey, others may be paralyzed with fear of flying, particularly when they are flying a smaller plane operated by a regional airline. Smaller regional airlines account for over half of daily flights in the U.S. A majority of these carriers sell seats under the names of larger and better known major airlines, including American, Continental, Delta, United, and US Airways. Their regional affiliate air carriers are often less well known, but the largest include SkyWest, Mesa, Comair, and ExpressJet. Although some operate larger aircraft than others, all of the regional planes are under 100 seats.  During the past decade the number of regional airline flights has expanded dramatically. As the decade ended, a tragic accident involving a regional airline flight sparked a flurry of questions regarding the safety of regional airline operations. Several well regarded media sources, including PBS and the Wall Street Journal produced recent investigative reports focusing on the integrity of regional airline carriers. While these compelling reports have drawn attention to regional airline operations the reporting has often been narrowly focused on a few tragic events, raising additional safety concerns and contributing to further uncertainty among the traveling public.  During the course of this research project I attempted to better understand the role of the media in communicating important news and safety events to the traveling public. I initiated contact with several key individuals involved in airline operations, air travel analysis, airport management, journalism, and media. Through these sources I gained additional insight into how aviation is often misunderstood in the media, and how sensational reporting regarding aviation mishaps can impact the traveling public. My findings revealed that the vast knowledge of aviation industry experts is frequently overshadowed by reporting that highlights only isolated negative commentary and steers viewers to question the safety of regional carriers, rather than providing balanced information regarding airline safety that better conveys how well the airline industry has been working.

America's Regional Airlines in the Eyes of the Media The past decade has been a time of monumental changes for this country's aviation industry which has had a major impact on the traveling public. Airlines of all sizes have faced numerous unanticipated challenges to their business that have contributed to industry transformations across the board. During the past ten years I have developed a particular interest in the challenges facing regional airlines. Along with well publicized changes in security, the issue of airline safety has become a current focus of discussion concerning the regulation and oversight of America's civil aviation industry (Pasztor). While most observers rely on major media news reports, I have observed that these reports often cite vague facts contributing to a lack of fairness. My interest in the aviation industry has come in part from the unique opportunity as a summer intern observing the aviation industry from the perspective of being with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in addition to past experiences providing a first hand account of airline industry developments that few have a chance to witness up close.  My mission in this project is to expose lapses in the accuracy of news regarding regional airline events across the nation and how the public is being misled, contributing to an enhanced fear of flying without reason. Whether one boards a short flight by way of a turboprop or takes off on a journey halfway around the world, all scheduled airline carriers operating an airline brand are held to a single level of regulation (R.A.A.). This certification, known as 14 Code of Federal Air Regulations part 121 is the cornerstone of operating requirements that all certified airlines must meet or exceed each time one of its planes takes to the sky (R.A.A.). But many airline organizations and operations are not as simply organized as they have typically been in times past. A growing numbers of major airlines rely on regional carriers who operate smaller aircraft on routes for the connected major airline through what's called a code-share agreement. Regional airlines operate turboprop and jet aircraft which often are in a layout with fewer seats to effectively serve markets with less sheer demand. Their tickets are most often sold through the larger carrier who subsequently pays the regional carrier for each flight they complete.  According to many recent news articles, the flying public has growing concerns that regional carriers provide a lower quality of safety than the major carriers. One reason being that chief pilots from mainline brand carriers are not typically involved with consulting or mentoring affiliated regional pilots at any level thus indicating that there is not a high enough focus on safety at these airlines (Young; Pasztor & Carey). News stories have highlighted a mind-set in the airline industry known as "pilot pushing" or "get there-itus" which refers to a mentality among pilots geared toward landing their plane at its destination or at least attempting a landing, no matter what the conditions may be. The perception is that this apparent mission among flight crews prioritizes airline profits and seeks to avoid the inconvenience of passengers and crew diverted to an alternate airport. Pilots and flight attendants are often not paid for their duty time unless they arrive at the airport the plane was destined for at the end of the day. Some say that this approach creates an incentive for airlines to put the priority on getting the aircraft down at any cost, even acting reckless at the controls and ignoring their outlined mission of putting passenger safety first (Young).  Experts in the field who I have spoken with, such as aviation analyst Doug Abbey, indicate that the fear of flying on small planes has been a concern among certain travelers for a long time. "Conditions such as claustrophobia arise when you're in a confined space and you lose control over the situation whenever the door is closed" (Abbey). In addition to ongoing fears of claustrophobia in small planes, vocal opposition has focused attention on smaller regional airlines as a major cause for concern. It is agreed that "more often than not, the media has probably not helped the regional airlines" (Abbey). Despite the criticisms, regional airlines continue to play a vital role across this and in other countries even decades after the jet age has brought faster aircraft to the skies. The ability to have more flights per day filled with passengers gives major airlines the ability to have flexible departure times for its customers and point to point service with limited demand is properly suited for a regional aircraft with fewer seats to sell. In places such as Europe and the Caribbean, regional airlines are relied on for flying smaller propeller aircraft into airports that have shorter runways and are inaccessible to jet aircraft. One example in North America is the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, a stone's throw from the central business district of the largest city in Canada. The longest runway at Toronto City is only 4,000 feet, not long enough for most jets in service today. However the Canadian built Bombardier Q400 70-seat turboprop suits the airport very well, as illustrated by Porter Airlines which has been doing steady business since 2006 with twenty of these modern turboprops (Carey). The small carrier has continued to grow by offering a more seamless air travel experience for the business traveler by saving them time. But just across Lake Ontario, a seemingly routine commuter flight on this same type of aircraft ended in a fatal accident, triggering a very controversial debate on airline safety.  In February of 2009, just a few weeks after the heroic landing on the Hudson river in New York, there was a fatal error by a Continental Connection flight crew while on a routine nighttime approach to Buffalo-Niagara Falls Airport. Colgan Air flight 3407 was operating under the Continental Connection brand while flying 45 passengers from it's hub in Newark to Buffalo that evening. Captain Marvin Renslow and First Officer Rebecca Shaw were at the controls of the Bombardier Q400 turboprop, a plane which had been in service less than one year when a tragic series of events unfolded. The aircraft had been traveling through icy atmospheric conditions throughout the flight while the pilot in command monitored the autopilot system for the most part rather than hand-flying. While the aircraft slowed to its approach speed, the wings had too much ice buildup on the surface to produce lift, and the aircraft started to dive toward the ground in an effort to regain speed. The automation at this point had been disabled in part so that the pilot could maneuver the plane out of the aerodynamic stall. But instead of letting the altitude drop to build up speed, Renslow pointed the nose up so that it would climb out, but this was before the aircraft had built up enough speed to do so. This maneuver resulted in a more violent directional change during which the plane turned quickly sideways and could not level out or regain altitude before hitting the ground in the town of Clearance Center, New York. Forty-nine passengers and crew who were on board the fatal flight died, along with one person who was killed in a house the plane incinerated in the crash.  The Colgan Air accident was the focus of a 2010 PBS //Frontline// episode, in which analysts cited this recent accident as a wake up call for the airline industry and the regulators that oversee it. Historically, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigates to determine the cause of accidents and takes actions by submitting official recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which may or may not translate to new regulations. The Colgan Air accident, for example, shed light on the need for additional hours and specialized flight crew training among regional airlines (Pasztor). Official reports show that with this particular flight crew, neither the pilot nor the first officer had attained 1,500 hours of flight time, which is the routine hiring minimum for crews at large major airlines. The FAA had previously set a requirement of 250 hours for someone to be a licensed commercial airline pilot certified to operate smaller aircraft, although it encouraged airlines to seek to hire pilots with hours that far exceeded the minimum. Similar guidelines apply to required simulator training for entry level captains and first officers. As with many fatal airline accidents, pilot error was determined to be a contributing cause to the Colgan airline crash. One of the best deterrents of potential for pilot error is through flight simulator testing which gives airlines the advantage of applying real world scenarios of in-flight emergencies and adverse conditions to trainees without ever having to leave the ground. One main criticism of the airline at fault was that Captain Renslow of the Colgan Air 3407 crew had failed several simulator tests in the past but still met general expectations which allowed him to be an active airline captain (Young). The FAA was vocal throughout 2009 and beyond that more needs to be done voluntarily at all airlines to prevent crews from making bad decisions or being forgetful while at the controls. I supported recent legislation on Capitol Hill that mandating an increase in the 250 hour hiring minimum for pilots, in part because there are a limited number of positions available compared with the large number of applicants aspiring to become pilots today. Barbara Patzner of the Massachusetts Port Authority agrees, "that was an issue that needed to be addressed as far as the pilots and the amount of hours" (Patzner). The FAA re-authorization bill which allocates Department of Transportation funding and sets new regulations passed a few months ago, more than tripling the minimum flight hours for captains and first officers to 800 at all airlines in the United States.  Since last year's Colgan Air crash many alarming reports on the airlines have come out in the media and not all details have ended up being much more than speculation on the matter. A journalism expert and professor I spoke with indicates "I prefer solid, confirmed, factual reports. But I don't believe it is up to me to discourage others from speculating" (Daly). Through Professor Chris Daly's over twenty years as a professional journalist he concludes that in the end this is America and that gives the press specific rights insuring "most reporters should go ahead and share what they know, and let the chips fall where they may" (Daly). On closer examination, some of the most in-depth of reports have even presented skewed facts and figures and have thus failed to be factual and straightforward with the program's viewers. One program in particular, //Frontline,// focused a 55-minute report on the state of regional carriers as a whole, with a series of interviews and review of past events and records in a program titled //Flying Cheap,// produced by PBS at WGBH studios. The reporting was highly dramatized and examined circumstances at a few regional airlines and many involved presented an assumption that all regional airlines suffer from the same disturbing problems. Most general safety information was focused only on small airlines a cause of concern within the airline industry, failing to balance reporting with examples of pilot error at larger airlines during the same time period. With one particular statistic, narrator Miles O'Brien says, "Since 2002, the last six fatal commercial airline accidents in the U.S. have all involved regionals" (Young). This alarming statistic is untrue, as evidenced by clearly documented events of significance. In 2005, Southwest flight 1248 crashed through the airport fence during landing at Chicago's Midway Airport, hitting a car in which a child was killed. Southwest Airlines is not a regional airline (Rep. No. AAR-07/06). The National Transportation Safety Board has ruled this crash to be a fatal accident, which means O'Brien's reporting was inaccurate.  The preceding major airline crash before 2002 was at America's largest airline, and was far more deadly than all six of the regional airline crashes combined. On November 11, 2001, American Airlines flight 587 hit wake turbulence from flying along a busy departure corridor during departure from New York's JFK airport which is not completely unusual. The co-pilot handled the rudder controls in an aggressive manner, which was company policy at the time and led to the tail separating from the aging aircraft. This single crash claimed the lives of 265 people. Pilot error was determined to be the key cause of the disaster, and it was ruled this crash was completely unrelated to terrorism acts just two months after the fatal hijackings of two other American Airlines flights. This accident also came on the heels of two fatal American Airline crashes in the late 1990's. In both of those accidents pilot error and improper decision making partially tied to American Airlines training contributed to many deaths. These three crashes over a six year period at a single major airline led to over 400 fatalities, all attributed to pilot error (Aviation Safety Network). I do not understand why these connected accidents at a single carrier were not scrutinized in the same manner as the crashes thereafter at various regional airlines This inconsistency is something I have been aware of but few in the public have shown much concern for despite the substantial loss of life under the name of one of the most recognized names in air travel. It could not be more evident that the statistic stated in the //Frontline// documentary is skewed and represents a dishonest portrayal of the situation in reality (WGBH, comp). The violation of trust within an in-depth documentary such as this represents a poorly orchestrated production. This portrayal contributes to the flying public developing an unnecessary fear of regional airlines due to the scare tactics such reporting conveys.  It is my belief that in addition to known big-screen dramas depicting the carnage of far fetched air disasters; the mainstream media has delivered many shady messages to viewers about the false perception regarding an inflated risk of plane crashes. News reports on breaking stories can understandably have information coming from unconfirmed sources, however in-depth coverage must be held to a high standard of quality journalism to get the most complete and accurate story. I had the opportunity to hear directly from Steve Cooper at WHDH-TV about protocols in place to keep a news piece from swaying away from reality and remaining fair throughout. He said that with the validation from producers "We have a procedure in place that includes checks and balances to make sure we are fair" (Cooper). When asked if speculation is always kept away from the solid facts in a report he responded "you never want to make any assumptions or speculate about what happened" (Cooper). Having a system in place to confirm a story is complete and factual by several persons prior to being released helps to keep the story complete and informative while not presenting foreign ideas that lead viewers to assume something that is not true. Newscasts know that their informative role to the public comes with responsibility to not influence any kind of unnecessary assumptions or lead people to believe something they may hear that ultimately is not true.  Through examination of many depictions of airline operations during news broadcasts, there is evidence that the media are often ignorant regarding operational safety protocols for all carriers which operate under the guidance of the FAA. Experts in the field share the prevailing thought that "the FAA does a fairly good job of being a regulatory agency" (Patzner). Most airlines have specific policies in operational awareness that far exceed the Federal regulations for safe flying practices, including minimum flight experience for hiring flight crews. One key obscure aspect of safety in aviation is the common element of redundancy in operation and safety standards, ensuring that no single flaw or mix up will create imminent danger to those involved. This redundancy has been the practice of aircraft manufacturers, airlines, airports and regulators alike to keep operations in control and manageable even where flaws, failures, and special circumstances arise. For instance, all new commercial aircraft being produced are able to maintain level and fairly efficient flight even if there is one engine that fails while in the air. Another safeguard is the ability to maintain a pressurized cabin in flight even if a passenger door is incidentally latched open, or a cargo door has a short circuit and self commands to open up. Even in these circumstances, the natural pressurization keeps these doors from moving the small amount inward before being able to break the seal in pressure and beginning to open outward. These are among the many details designed with a focus on safety to keep more tragedies from happening, but often there is little focus of the innumerable layouts and procedures which make aviation very safe. The focus on safety is often put out of context concerning such an advanced industry, it is obscurely remembered that even with certain reported lapses safety cannot easily be compromised. In addition to the engineering behind the design of aircraft, the daily practice of exceeding basic safety goals is practiced by all true professionals who work to keep airlines flying.  In 2010, flights by regional airlines account for over half of flights nationally. These regional carriers account for the only airline service at hundreds of airports, where formerly many had service from larger airlines in times past. Whether it be the desired seat volume, the ability to operate in small isolated airports, the access of many flight times per day, or any combination, the major carriers see success in allowing regional airlines to take control. A crucial business mission for top carriers provide service to smaller communities in a way that can still be profitable remains realistic with this option. This balance is where regional carriers are a vital asset to making domestic air travel so broad reaching even in a troubled economy. Flying smaller aircraft allows airline schedulers to have more departure times to feed each city, it allows for shorter time to be spent boarding and deplaning, uses less gate space, and keeps costs and the sheer size of an operation manageable (R.A.A.). The timely emergence of the most popular regional aircraft in service today makes many of them more technologically advanced than their mainline counterparts and modern propeller aircraft use a fraction as much fuel while being quieter. The assortment of today's regional jets and turboprops can service very diverse markets and "they can be very comfortable" (Patzner). Some airports in other countries have challenging layouts that require complex maneuvers that only propeller aircraft can safely execute, such as steep descents over a hill on final approach to a short runway with very little margin for error. Fortunately, most airports with scheduled airline service in the continental U.S. have scrutinized regulation regarding open space around airports. Runways at acceptable airline airports in America are wider and longer than those on Caribbean islands or tucked away in the Swiss Alps, giving pilots in the U.S. a wider margin of error than flight crews in other parts of the world required work with these extra challenges. <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> After consulting with experts and examining the most controversial and compelling reports, my work has led me to see more clearly that the regional airline industry that has enveloped my passion is not always portrayed in the best light, which contributes to misunderstandings. Aviation operations are highly regulated and come with high stakes as passengers trust crews with their lives. The consequence of great tragedies is that lessons are learned, a reality in many aspects of society where lives are on the line. Some feel nervous when boarding a plane; others have knowledge that aviation is incredibly safe because they know the industry well, most people fall somewhere in between having some occasional uncertainty and are somewhat familiar with airlines having flown a number of times. Tragedy may spark new fears, but these events have brought sweeping changes revolutionizing the airline industry on many fronts, from technology to policy. Skeptics should not try to convey a message by pointing to one or two companies and generalizing that their flaws exist across an entire industry when the reality is quite different. Our air transportation system is crucial to the growth and financial sustainability of this country and without an effective network of airlines at work there would be an absence of a highly effective economic engine. Large air carriers have had to adjust their structure over the years to transition with times of change and a market which is ever changing with unanticipated obstacles. The growth of the regional airline sector across the country is one established solution brought about by sizable transformations in the face of new and challenging obstacles. Regional airlines have done an outstanding job at delivering the services one expects to receive when booking an airline ticket and representing the brand of major counterparts and getting their passengers to where they would like to fly on time and on a budget. Through my research of airline coverage that raises questions and consulting from those who know airlines and media the best I am confident that even in the face of criticism, the state of our airline industry is well sustained to deliver on the fundamental needs of air travel consumers well into the twenty first Century.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">Bibliography <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">1 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Abbey, Doug. "Doug Abbey/Seabury." Telephone interview. 4 May 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Phone interview with a former RAA employee and currently renowned aviation expert consultant who has worked with several companies dealing with analysis of the aviation business. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> 2 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Aviation Safety Network. "ASN Aviation Safety Database." //ASN Aviation Safety Database//. Flight Safety Foundation. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://aviation-safety.net/database /dblist.php?sorteer=datekey_desc&kind=%&cat=%&page=1&field=Operatorkey&var=6516>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> This database compiles the accident reports over a time extending back into the 1990's. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> 3 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Carey, Susan. "Tiny Airline Flies Circles Around Its Rivals." //The Wall Street Journal// 17 Mar. 2010: Print. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> This Wall Street Journal article highlights how a small upstart carrier in Canada called Porter Airlines has capitalized on an airport's key location using Q400 turboprops and the twofold passenger increase that Toronto City Airport has seen over the last four years. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> 4 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Cooper, Steve. "Steve Cooper/WHDH-TV." E-mail interview. 4 May 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> E-Mail interview conducted with Steve Cooper who is an NBC affiliate local market reporter. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> 5 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Daly, Chris. "Chris Daly/Boston University." E-mail interview. 10 May 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Journalism Professor at BU who provided some thoughts on specific issues by way of E-Mail. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> 6 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Pasztor, Andy. "Colgan Crash Probe Cites Pilot Mistakes." //Wall Street Journal// 3 Feb. 2010, Print. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Discussion of hearings in the probe to review the activity in the cockpit of Colgan Air flight 3407. The article points out that the FAA is making recommendations but not mandates as a result of the findings in this case. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> 7 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Pasztor, Andy, and Susan Carey. "Big Carriers Pressed to Boost Safety at Feeders." //The Wall Street Journal// 30 Dec. 2009: B1+. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> 8 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Patzner, Barbara. "Barbara Patzner/Massport." Personal interview. 6 May 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Face-to-face interview with the airport manager of Hanscom Field with video documentation. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> 9 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Regional Airline Association. "FAQ." //Priorities One Level of Safety//. Regional Airline Association, 2010. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. <[]>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Regulations and statistics published by the website onelevelofsafety.com, a publication of the R.A.A. which is headed by Roger Cohen, who appeared on Frontline: Flying Cheap. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> 10 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Rep. No. AAR-07/06. NTSB Air Accident Report: December 8, 2005-AAR-07/06 (2007). Print. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> This is the report published by the National Transportation Safety Board in 2007 to the general public bringing their investigation findings to light. In a nutshell Southwest Airlines flight 1248 overran the end of a runway at Chicago-Midway Airport on December 8, 2005 and struck a car; killing a child in the car. The Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB both classify this to be a Fatal Airline Accident.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> 11 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> WGBH, comp. "Guidelines on journalistic styles and practices." //About Frontline//. PBS: Frontline, 1995. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. < []>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> These are the "rules" that PBS, //Frontline//, and WGBH Boston abide with when shooting, editing and producing //Frontline// and other programming. They have undoubtedly failed to adhere to their own legal expectations in production of "Flying Cheap" based on the language in this documentation, specifically headings 4 through 10 titled "Fairness". <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> 12 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Young, Rick. "FRONTLINE : FLYING CHEAP." //Flying Cheap//. Dir. Peter Pearce. Prod. Catherine Rentz and Fritz Kramer. PBS. WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, 9 Feb. 2010. Television. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> This is the citation for the program itself which aired on February 9th and is also seen in MP4 format via iTunes.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">Bibliographic Essay <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">My work in Senior Year Project has been defined as a primary research endeavor that leads research through intensive study involving comparisons of emerging and existing secondary sources to inspire inquiries investigated through a first hand research method to hear direct solutions devoted exclusively to the betterment of my project. My thesis led me to consolidate many published findings and reports dating back several years which were not touched on in more recent secondary reports of the same topic. Having this array of second hand research at my fingertips led me to align when certain stories matched up and when others had inconsistencies that needed to be addressed. Upon reading newspapers about where the industry is going and listening to reports of where attention was being turned and consulting records published by government entities, a full scope of resources covered many aspects of airline safety from many angles. I learned more about the history of my topic, the direction the industry is going in, and the perspectives of ongoing debates about what is currently happening in the field of my particular topic. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> My primary research was conducted through initial E-Mail contact and phone calls to persons known in the field of aviation and media. I was able to arrange a sit-down interview recorded and transcribed along with comments through phone and E-Mail that were responses to specific questions my project revolves around. The following persons contributed comments by way of these methods; Doug Abbey, Steve Cooper, Chris Daly and Barbara Patzner. Additionally I intended to actively locate and question those involved with the erroneous reports to find out what could be done about it. To my disappointment, upon several modes of questioning through E-Mailing, over the phone, and in person at WGBH in Boston, nobody has come forward to discuss my findings on what they have done pertaining to this issue. I had the chance to consult aviation experts, analysts and persons in journalism to examine how people actively address the various issues around my topic. The contributions coming in return from my inquiries have assisted my efforts to provide a more precise conclusion about the view I have had on this topic and find that many agree and share a similar view to what I have had all along. This was my first experience involving an academic process of investigating secondary research in conjunction with undertaking my own primary research case study interacting with experts who work in the real world to address my specific topic at hand.

=Lit Review=

Lit Review of Regional Airline Safety The common traveler seeing the frequent safety lapses in routine flights through the media can be quite frightening for many that consider flying to be a necessity in their lifestyle. These reports may seem very disturbing on the surface; especially as innocent lives are often at state, but somebody most set the record straight. The mainstream media broadcasters are running these stories in order to scare the nervous flier and boost their viewership by having eye-opening reports. Airlines are safer in this country than they have ever been before and that in the last decade a higher number of flights are diverted or declare an emergency due to more recent concerns over security that have emerged. Additionally, many speculate that the smaller regional airlines which account for more than half of scheduled flights Nationally are flown by unqualified flight crews who lack understanding that means the difference between life and death. Such claims are made repeatedly not only in network news reports but also on the Frontline: Flying Cheap (2010) special released in conjunction with the one year anniversary of the last fatal airline accident in the United States. The reality is that all airlines in this country are strictly scrutinized by regulatory bodies as certified operators of commercial flights under the authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration. For many years, Department of Transportation has set one standard of safety regulations for every airline regardless of its size. Most airline accidents that have been thoroughly investigated by our government's National Transportation Safety Board have one common contributing cause that is cited, pilot error. Poor training alone does not contribute to the failure of pilots to fail to follow all the safety rules of flying. Just recently, there was a highly publicized deviation by pilots of a Minneapolis-bound Airbus which overshot its destination airport while flying on autopilot. The infamous incident was syndicated around the country last October by news organizations such as CNN (2009) citing the lack of basic responsibility of the flight crew, this while ignoring the fact that the pilots involved were on the same aircraft type and basic seniority as the heroic crew of US Airways flight 1549 who landed on the Hudson river in January without so much as minor injuries of the 155 people on board. Also in debate; maintenance of aircraft is also no exception here, the FAA has found that major carriers have put thousands of lives in danger throughout the decade, and there has been very little reporting despite the public release of the findings. The most major incidents in maintenance lapses are recounted in a lengthy news article (2010) that can send fears of all forms of air travel sky high. We see that the regulatory bodies have found that airlines of all sizes have failed to ensure safety many times over and that even the most experienced flight crews can routinely put safety in jeopardy by their occasional lack in professionalism at the controls. For the last fifteen years, the Department of Transportation's FAA regulatory body has enacted a single streamlined set of standards regarding safety for all airlines classified as part 121 certified air carriers. ("Administrative Law" 1985) This collection includes the large names that most people know and the regional operators that fly jet or propeller aircraft with nine seats or more so long as they have scheduled aircraft movements rather than strictly charter services. An online explanation of the distinction between carriers and the regulations that all fall under has been published recently at the Regional Airline Association website known as "One level of Safety" (2010). Many investigative reports are hand picked to entice the viewers and readers in order to boost viewership and syndication which in turn helps them to make a profit. For instance, Frontline's "Flying Cheap" program has been made available on DVD purchase to cover expenses in the error-riddled production of the 55-minute program. One of the largest errors being announced early on when it was said that all fatal airline accidents in the U.S. since 2002 have been at regional airlines. However, the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA have ruled in a public report (2007) that a 2005 runway overrun hull-loss on Southwest Airlines flight 1248 was a fatal accident due to a child being killed as an occupant of a car which was struck by the aircraft. One must dig considerably deep into this particular topic in order to ascertain that what the media tells the public is not always the complete truth and that the special interests do occasionally rank in higher in priority than the vital goal to demonstrate straightforward reporting that the American public is entitled to. This means that the Frontline Production Team at WGBH Boston have violated their own "Guidelines on journalistic styles and practices" which are on their website to guide what they believe are fair practices in their publicly-supported coverage.

Works Cited Young, Rick. "FRONTLINE : FLYING CHEAP." Flying Cheap. Dir. Peter Pearce. Prod. Catherine Rentz and Fritz Kramer. PBS. WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, 9 Feb. 2010. Television. This is the citation for the program itself which aired on February 9th and is also seen in MP4 format via iTunes.

Starr, Barbara, and Mike M. Ahlers. "Report: Stray Jet's Pilots Were on Laptops." Newsgroup. Report: Stray Jet's Pilots Were on Laptops. CNN, 27 Oct. 2009. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/26/airliner.flyby/index.html>. A CNN online report done by two contributors describing details behind the oversights made by two Northwest/Delta pilots contributing to their failure to notice that they flew past their destination of Minneapolis by over 100 miles with an Airbus A320 packed with Northwest Airlines passengers.

Stroller, Gary. "Planes with Maintenance Problems Have Flown Anyway." USA Today [Miami, FL]. USA Today. USA TODAY, a Division of Gannett Co. Inc., 4 Feb. 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2010-02-02-1Aairmaintenance02_CV_N.htm>. Long article in USA Today pointing to the anonymous filings and FAA discoveries of maintenance neglect on airlines big and small across the country.

Regional Airline Association. "FAQ." Priorities One Level of Safety. Regional Airline Association, 2010. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. <http://onelevelofsafety.com/priorities/>. Regulations and statistics published by the website onelevelofsafety.com, a publication of the R.A.A. which is headed by Roger Cohen, who appeared on Frontline: Flying Cheap to answer their lingering questions.

Rep. No. NTSB Air Accident Report: December 8, 2005-AAR-07/06 (2007). Print. This is the report published by the National Transportation Safety Board in 2007 to the general public bringing their investigation findings to light. In a nutshell Southwest Airlines flight 1248 overran the end of a runway at Chicago-Midway Airport on December 8, 2005 and struck a car; killing a child in the car. The Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB both classify this to be a Fatal Airline Accident.

WGBH, comp. "Guidelines on journalistic styles and practices." About Frontline. PBS: Frontline, 1995. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/us/guidelines.html>. These are the "rules" that PBS, Frontline, and WGBH Boston abide with when shooting, editing and producing Frontline and other programming. They have clearly failed to adhere to their own legal expectations in production of "Flying Cheap" based on the language in this internal documentation.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. <http://www.questiaschool.com /read/117001556?title=Administrative%20Law#>.Review of how the C.F.R. or Code of Federal Regulations came to be in Aviation and the need to have a distinction between air taxi and scheduled airline operations when regulating policy for aircraft operation nationally.