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Renegade Drone Invades Restricted, Sleeping Airspace of Washington

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

MQ-8B

A renegade U.S. Navy MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) invaded the restricted…and sleeping…airspace of Washington, D.C. last week. Most of the nation is still unaware of the most recent incursion into the highly restricted airspace because few media sources covered the dangerous invasion, probably in response to government requests. Where was the protection assigned to this critical airspace? Why are we flying drones over densely populated civilian airspace when the FAA has supposedly not yet approved their use? How was this drone able to evade the sleeping radar protecting our capitol’s skies? Where was our Department of Homeland Security? Was the department in bed with the FAA, sound asleep, as the drone approached? Many questions regarding this invasion need to be asked of both Homeland Security and the FAA.

The Navy’s Fire Scout MQ-8B is a Schweitzer 333 helicopter developed by Northrop Grumman-Ryan Aeronautical of San Diego. It is capable of traveling up to 110 nautical miles, remain airborne (up to 20,000 ft) for more than 5 hours, and can carry a payload of up to 270kg (594 lbs). It can take off and land on its own. The MQ-8B is radar and laser equipped and can be armed with two four-packs of 2.75in laser-guided rocket launchers. The UAV is not small enough to easily evade radar systems. It is 31.7 ft long and 9.8 ft tall and weighs 3,150 lbs loaded with fuel. A Rolls-Royce 250C20W heavy fuel turboshaft engine powers the aircraft. The UAV has already undergone extensive testing onboard the USS McInerney. How was an unmanned aerial vehicle of this size able to evade Department of Defense, Homeland Security, NSA, and FAA security measures long enough to get within 40 miles of the capitol?

The invasion of the renegade drone is not expected to delay further testing, development, and integration of the MQ-8B systems into littoral combat ships for operational use. The Navy awarded a $32.9 million dollar second year contract to Northrop Grumman-Ryan to build the systems. The renegade UAV incident was described as “learning experience” by Capt. Tim Dunigan, the Fire Scout’s program manager. The “software anomaly” which allowed the UAV to drift away from the control of its ground station has already been corrected. Rob Murphy, a team leader for the Scout program, said the incident helps people to understand the safeguards that are in place. “The operators did lose communication, but they were able to regain it. The system operated like it was supposed to,” he said. Flights of the MQ-8B, grounded for a couple of weeks, were expected to resume this month.

David Vos, senior director of unmanned aerial systems for Rockwell Collins and a member of AUVSI’s UAV Advocacy Committee, was quoted in DefenseNews.com saying, “I’m pretty confident that despite these little hiccups, that this decade is when unmanned aerial systems really begin to find their way into commercial airspace.” He said the industry needs “all the cultural elements and different groups involved to stop being fearful and start moving along” on the commercial airspace issue.

Our fears are apparently as misguided as are the systems controlling Mr. Vos’ UAV and as misguided as Homeland Security, the NSA, and the FAA in their security protection systems. We should just petition the FAA to approve the use of UAVs in civilian airspace? I have no doubt that President Obama is already on the verge of doing so since he is so enamored by UAVs that he suggested (in jest, of course, at a recent Washington Formal Prom) using them on the Jonas Brothers if they came after any of his daughters. Imagine our commercial civilian skies invaded by UAVs being operated by law enforcement agencies, by weather research agencies, by energy companies tracking pipelines, by businesses spying on their competitors. Randy Babbitt (FAA Administrator), who “brilliantly” stated recently that “landing is one of the most critical phases of flight,” will certainly succumb to the pressures of a President who loves his “predator drones.” His concerns for safe landings and take offs of civilian aircraft in cluttered air space will die in a crash with this President’s arrogance of power.

Civilian safety in the air, the stated mission of the FAA, pales in comparison to the threat of UAVs in the hands of terrorists. Less than two weeks ago, Iran President Ahmadinejad unveiled their first domestically built UAV bomber, the “Karrar,” which Iranian media claims to be capable of “long-range attacks up to 1,000 kilometers carrying a 200-kilogram bomb.” He called it “a symbol of death to Iran’s enemies.” His next words then described the drone as “a messenger of salvation and dignity for humanity.”

Drones over civilian skies in America are nothing more than a threat to our liberty. Jerome Whitehead, in  “Drones Over America: Tyranny at Home,” reminds us of James Madison’s words:

 “A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of defence against foreign danger, have always been the instruments of tyranny at home.”

We still have time to launch a defense against this attack on our liberty as well as our safety. Petition our legislators to deny the use of drones in civilian airspace. Do not allow our government another “instrument of tyranny” at home. Drones are not our “messengers of  salvation and dignity,” as some would have them take that “role.” Remember our liberty in November.

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved to Ronald Czarnecki.

Click HERE for a video on the MQ-8B.

See additonal postings for drones: 

           “Insomniac Spies in the Sky – Friendly or Enemy Eyes Lurking?”

           “Sleepless Drones Flying U.S. Skies Pose Threat to Public Safety”

Comments are encouraged below.

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Bedbugs on the Attack, Leaving Victims Sleepless, Tired, and Scratching

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Bedbug

The headlines across the U.S. today are screaming the resurgence of bedbugs:

In January of this year I posted an article entitled “Mattress Outlet Poker: ‘Buy In’ is Cheap, but Stakes are High!” In it I discussed the risks involved with buying used mattresses which are often labeled by unscrupulous dealers as “manufacturer’s seconds.”  The hitchhikers and stowaways hiding in used mattresses and in used furniture have launched a monumental troop surge attacking primarily the Midwestern and the Eastern fronts of the U.S.. Their victims are being left sleepless, tired, and scratching. Their victims are being displaced to living rooms, family rooms, and porches as their bedrooms are being besieged by the pesticide resistant strains of the attackers. Not only are the victims of these tiny pests being forced from their bedrooms, they are left sleep deprived and scratching 24 hours a day as they attempt to find a strategy to counterattack the bedroom terrorists. Victims are being subjected to the life endangering side effects of sleep deprivation.

Bedbug Bites

Bedbugs are a ruthless and resilient species. Their life cycle inspires fear in anyone who has ever experienced their bite. A good video on how to identify bedbug bites can be found HERE. A UC Davis article describes the bed bug lifecycle as follows:

“Female bed bugs lay 200 to 500 tiny, white eggs in batches of 10 to 50 on rough surfaces such as wood or paper. Glue-like material covers the eggs, which hatch in about 10 days. After hatching occurs, the eggshells frequently remain stuck in place. There are five progressively larger nymphal stages, each requiring a single blood meal before molting to the next stage. The entire life cycle from egg to adult requires anywhere from 5 weeks to 4 months, depending on temperature and availability of food (blood). When temperatures are in the range of 70° to 82°F, development occurs most rapidly.

 Nymphs and adults generally feed at night and hide in crevices during the day. Common hiding places include seams in mattresses and box springs, cracks in bed frames, under loose wallpaper, behind picture frames, and inside furniture and upholstery. Occasionally people pick up bed bugs in theaters or on buses and trains. They also can bring them into their home on clothing, bedding, luggage, or firewood.

 Bed bugs can go without feeding for 80 to 140 days. Older stages of nymphs can survive longer without feeding than younger ones, and adults have survived without food for as long as 550 days. A bed bug can take six times its weight in blood, and feeding can take 3 to 10 minutes. Adults live about 10 months, and there can be up to 3 to 4 generations of bed bugs per year.”

Further reading reveals that the most effective technique for eliminating bed bugs is to hire a professional heating service that can heat the room to very high temperatures. Heating the room for two hours at 140°F, or three hours at 130°F “will kill most bed bugs and eggs.”  Other techniques involve insecticides, boric acid, diatomaceous earth, fumed silica, etc. Most of them need to be combined with frequent monitoring, as they are not totally effective. Meticulous laundering of bedding, high temperature drying, and thorough vacuuming are all necessary.

In early February I posted “Update on Bed Bugs” in which I described a dry ice trap designed by a Rutgers University duo: Changlu Wang and Vincenzo Avarello. Their inexpensive alternative to professional pest control services is described here:

The dry ice trap is constructed with  a 64 ounce double bowl cat feeder, a 1/3 gallon insulated container, and bottle of talc powder. The jug is used to hold the dry ice. As the dry ice warms to room temperature it, it releases carbon dioxide gas which attracts the bed bugs. The 1/3 gallon container is capable of releasing the gas for 10 to 12 hours. The cat feeder dish needs to be wrapped very tightly with a white cloth to allow a surface for the bed bugs to easily crawl up. The inside bottom surfaces of the inverted cat feeder are then coated with a thin layer of talc. The powder will prevent the bed bugs from escaping the trap. The filled dry ice container is then placed on top of the dressed and treated inverted cat feeder with the lid of the container left slightly open. Some warm water should be barely cover the bottom of the trap to kill the bed bugs that become trapped.

The trap should now be placed in or around the suspected bed or sofa. Late afternoon is best for set-up as bed bug activity begins at night. Use one trap per room, and check the traps in the morning. One trap can catch as many as a thousand bugs per night, “depending on infestation levels.”

I have yet to receive any comments as to the effectiveness of this inexpensive alternative to the high costs of professional services. If anyone has tried this trap and found it to be effective, your comments would be welcomed by all who are plagued by these unwelcome attackers. A complete construction plan can be found  in an article by Barb Ogg at the University of Nebraska, Lancaster.

The bedbug attacks have prompted at least five states to call in the Department of Defense to request money to combat the bloodsucking terrorists. Ohio petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow the use of the pesticide Propoxur to defeat the enemy, but the EPA denied the request based upon concern for its effect on children. The EPA set up a meeting with representatives of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Defense to discuss the attack which is “not yet a national security issue.”

Bedbugs, nearly eradicated from the U.S. in the 40s and 50s through the use of DDT, have developed a resistance to the weaker pesticides that replaced it. Pest control companies are limited by EPA regulations and their approved substitutes. While the EPA searches for newer, more potent chemicals to kill the bloodsucking terrorists, the victims continue to scratch their arms, their faces, their backs, their breasts, their buttocks, and their legs.

Hopes for a quick solution to this war on the bedroom terrorists appear dim in light of the other wars our government is currently battling. The costs to fight this battle will, no doubt, be borne by the victims of this war. As they “scratch” around for the money to pay the exterminators, the doctors, and the retailers to salve the itching, we hope they don’t fall victim to the often fatal ravages of sleep deprivation.

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved to Ronald Czarnecki.

Click HERE for an Emmy Award winning documentary on bedbugs.

For an interesting National Geographic video on bedbugs click HERE.

Comments are welcomed below.

 

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FAA Sleeps Through Calls to Reconsider Antidepressant/SSRI Ruling

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Antidepressants/SSRIs

The FAA announced in April ( see previous post) that its pilots could be permitted to fly while under the influence of certain antidepressants and SSRIs. The reversal of its own long established (70 year) ban against their use shocked pilots, passengers, and psychiatrists across the globe. As antidepressant/SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) use has decreased due to negative publicity, the manufacturers of Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, and Lexapro cheered the move by Randy Babbbitt (FAA Administrator). The FAA, despite an increasing flood of calls to reconsider its ruling, appears to be sleeping through the irritating clamor; tired of hearing about their fatigued, sleepless pilots.

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International / Mental Health Watchdog recently reprinted an article by Evelyn Pringle who described the FAA’s reversal as a “marketing coup” by the drug manufacturers who are “desperate to find new customers.” Her well documented article details the growing concerns of many experts that the “SSRIs Render Unfriendly Skies.”

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights called on the FAA to rethink its policy based on a recent finding by the NTSB that the February 1, 2008 plane crash in North Carolina, killing all six aboard, was caused by “a crazy acting pilot on Zoloft.” The cockpit voice recorder recorded the pilot singing: “Save my life I’m going down for the last time.” He then told his passengers, “If anybody back there believes in the good Lord, I believe now would be a good time to hit your knees.” The pilot descended below the minimum descent altitude, stalled, and crashed while circling after an aborted landing. The pilot, according to the NTSB report, had been on Zoloft for over a year and had been treated previously by other antidepressants for “anxiety and depression” and a history of “impatience” and “compulsiveness.”

The NTSB also blamed a 2003 crash killing two in Kingsport, Tennessee on a flight instructor found with Zoloft in his blood and liver.

Dr. Peter Breggin, a psychiatrist and an SSRI expert, in a Huffington Post article on April 10, 2010 said, “The FAA should reverse its ruling before it’s too late and hundreds of lives are lost when a pilot becomes impulsive, suicidal, or violent – or just loses his sharpness – under the influence of antidepressant medication.”

Bob Fiddaman, author of the website and blog “Seroxat Sufferers,” requested the FAA provide information on its change in policy just after the change in April. In 58 pages of reply the FAA made no mention of any prominent SSRI expert testimony of contrary views. The FAA supported their own views with copies of documents from a variety of sources. One of them actually showed consideration of a 2003 study of aviation accidents where “SSRIs were found in 61 pilot fatalities between 1990 and 2001.”  “Psychological condition and/or the drug use was determined to be the cause, or a factor in 16 of the accidents, or 31%.”

Dennis Canfield’s study “Pilot Medical History and Medications Found in Post Mortem Specimens for Aviation Accidents” was totally ignored by the FAA. His study was conducted in 2006 and was published in the “Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine” journal. 4,143 pilots involved in fatal accidents between 1993 and 2003 were toxicologically examined for medications. One hundred of the dead pilots were found “with SSRIs in their systems including forty with Prozac, twenty-six with Zoloft, twenty-one with Paxil, and thirteen with Celexa.”

Matt Thurber, after citing many examples of accidents involving antidepressant usage, suggests that “pilots who use antidepressants without telling their medical examiners are willing to take greater risks when flying.” The FAA believes that SSRIs help “restore the balance of serotonin.” The FAA believes that their approval for use will result in truthful admissions by pilots; more vigilant tracking; and safer use, with fewer side effects than previous generations of antidepressants. The labels on the prescription bottles argue otherwise with warnings of “anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, and akathisia (psychomotor restlessness).

Dr. Breggin asks why pilots shouldn’t give up their airplanes since doctors are supposed to encourage their depressed patients to give away their guns. How can the FAA expect us to believe that we are safer in planes being piloted by depressed pilots on psychoactive drugs? They are dangerous enough when used alone. When combined with alcohol and benzodiazepines to counteract the insomnia side effects of the antidepressants, the elixir will inevitably cause a disaster.

Millions of innocent lives are at risk every day with sleepless and tired, or medicated and drowsy pilots at the stick. It is time for frequent drug testing of pilots. It is time once again to ground the pilots on antidepressants. A pre-flight test for alertness should also be mandatory. It is time for the FAA to turn off the “machine” and to answer the calls for repeal.

For related posts see:

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved to Ronald Czarnecki.

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Sleepless Drones Flying U.S. Skies Pose Threat to Public Safety

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Reaper Drone art, original source unknown

Though the FAA continues to fly cover for the administration, “holding back” on approvals for expanded use of spying drones in U.S. skies, the flack from public concern for safety continues to grow. The sleepless drones have been flying our skies since 2006 despite reports of “frequent system failures, computer glitches, and human error.” David Zucchino, in his recent article in the Los Angeles Times, reports that “Air Force investigators continue to cite pilot mistakes, coordination snafus, software failures, outdated technology and inadequate flight manuals” for the increasing numbers of crashes. Accident rates are down due to the exponential increase in the use of drones both overseas and at home. The flight time of U.S. drones overseas to provide intelligence and to protect our military’s lives has grown to over 20,000 hours a month according to retired Rear Admiral Thomas J. Cassidy Jr. The Air Force expects more than 300,000 hours to be flown this year, compared to 185,000 last year.

Insitu, Inc., a small Boeing subsidiary in Bingen, WA was granted a $43.7 million dollar contract to build “the military’s next generation of remote-controlled spy craft,” according to the AP in a Seattle PI article on July 31, 2010. The drone industry worldwide has already soared beyond the multi-billion dollar mark. Drones protecting our forces and interests overseas as well as those protecting our international borders are indispensable to our national security. The sleepless drones flying our civilian skies, however, pose a serious threat to public safety. The expanded use of drones, after the FAA’s almost certain “approval,” will endanger commercial pilots, civilian pilots, their passengers, and life on the ground.

The accident reports for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are alarming. In April of 2006 a Predator B, the size of a regional jet, crashed near homes thirty miles from Nogales, Arizona. The NTSB attributed the crash to the drone’s operator who “accidentally shut down the plane’s engine while attempting to deal with a locked up computer console.” The NTSB described the crash as “a wake-up call to hopefully everyone.” In August of 2006 an unmanned QF-4E crashed on take-off from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. The QF-4E is a modified F-4 Phantom II capable of Mach 2 speed (1600 mph) and a range of 1300 miles. It can be flown totally by computer or can be controlled manually using a mobile control station. Holloman, in 2006 was operating 30 QF-4E drones at the time. Smoke from the crash of the large drone could be seen for miles. No one was injured, thankfully. In November of 2006 a UAV crashed in Negev on the Gaza border in close proximity to the populated community of Netiv HaAsarah. A second IDF drone crashed near the town of Beit Hanoun following a technical malfunction. Several hours later a Hamas website released photos of a masked gunman with an apparent IDF drone. In May, 2009 newsherald.com reported that a 20 foot BQM-167 drone washed ashore near Okaloosa Island condominiums. It had been launched by Tyndall AFB and was shot down nearly three months prior to its discovery on the beach. The same article documented two others washed ashore the prior spring. “In February of 2004 another drone crashed onto U.S. 98 near Tyndall.” Bepj.org.uk reported in September 2009 the crash of a UAV at Parc Aberporth Airport in West Wales. The airport is increasingly being used to test civilian and military UAVs while domestic flights continue to take off and land. Military.com reported on March 15, 2010 the crash of an MQ-1 Predator while taking off in southern Afghanistan. Afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com reported on July 28, 2010 the crash of a Luna UAV into the Taliban stronghold of Kunduz province. Because the aircraft went down in an area “littered with IEDs” there were no plans to try to recover it. NATO’s International Security Assistance Force claimed the small 7 foot long craft, weighing about 80 pounds, would have “no benefit to the enemy.”  The Calgary Sun, on July 16, 2010, reported the crash of a Heron UAV being used for training exercises at Canadian Forces Base Suffield. It knocked out power in the surrounding area and traffic was shut down on a section of Hwy. 884 (250km southeast of Calgary), but no injuries were reported. These reports are a sampling of the crashes that are reported. Many more have gone unreported. It is inevitable that our future will bring reports of catastrophic loss of life caused by an errant, or an accurately aimed drone.

Two disturbing thoughts confront us as we watch for the FAA’s inevitable approval to expand drone use over civilian skies. The most obvious threat is the risk of interference with normal air traffic patterns and the possibility of communication interference or, even worse, mid-air collisions. The second, and most sinister threat, is the use of drone aircraft by our enemies here at home…or from remote locations abroad. How will we distinguish the friendly drone from the enemy drone? They’ll certainly be flying below our radar.

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved to Ronald Czarnecki.

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Pakistan Air Lines President Blames Sleepless, Tired Pilots for Crash

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Smoking Hole in Pakistan. Courtesy of AP.

Yet another deadly “smoking hole in the ground” adds to the continuing trail of death left by sleepless and tired pilots being stretched beyond their limits by schedules designed to maximize profits for their employers. 

The worst air crash in Pakistan’s history of Airblue’s flight ED-202 from Karachi to Islamabad killing all 152 aboard may be attributed to pilot fatigue according to the President of Pakistan Air Lines Pilots Association (PALPA). Captain Sohail Baloch told a private news channel “The pilot may be suffering from accumulated fatigue because they are not given adequate leaves.” He added that the pilot was not in a no-fly zone and speculated that the plane was off course due to bad weather. The pilot had to ”resort to visual queues for landing” because communication with the control tower had been lost due to the weather.

The Hindu.com reports that the pilot , Pervez Iqbal Chaudhry, “had 35 years of experience and had logged over 25,000 flying hours.” Airblue official Raheel Ahmed was quoted in the same article explaining that the Airbus A321 was ten years old, had been used by them for the past four years, and was fully serviceable with no technical faults. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that the aircraft at 2600 feet was cleared to land when it rose up to 3000 feet for no apparent reason and then disappeared from the radar. “The (control) tower did not receive any SOS message or report of a technical problem before the crash,” Malik said.  

Only nine weeks ago the world was mourning the loss of 158 people in an Air India crash in the Mangalore hills. That “smoking hole” left eight survivors. The experienced British pilot of that flight misjudged his landing so badly (2000 feet) that “senior pilots, including the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (IPCA) are already blaming pilot fatigue for being responsible for the major accident,” as reported in a China Post article. Two years before that “an Air India Express flight from Mumbai to Dubai overshot its destination by 350 miles after its pilots apparently fell asleep due to fatigue.” The ICPA in response to the Mangalore crash sent a letter to the Prime Minister complaining that “up to 78 percent of crashes were caused by fatigue-related human error.” Flight and Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) in India have not been changed since 1992 when they had no scientific basis for the regulations. Attempts were made in 2005 to change the FDTL but the rule changes were withdrawn under pressure from the “private operators.”

The flight and duty time restrictions worldwide reflect the lack of response from the FAA to the plethora of data now available regarding the effects of sleep deprivation upon mental and physical performance. Our rule changes were dropped in 1995 in response the airline industry’s complaints. Even the unions, strongly supported by then President Bill Clinton, wanted to drop the duty time hours from 16 to 14 hours. Andy Pasztor, in a Wall Street Journal article titled “Dispute Over Cost Delays Pilot Rules,” blames the delay in the rule changes on a dispute between the FAA and the White House Office of Management and Budget. Budget officials have told the FAA informally that “the proposal’s projected cost to airlines wasn’t justified by the anticipated safety benefits.”  Since the FAA is controlled by former air line executives and Washington is still held in the firm grip of powerful airline lobbyists like Linda Daschle we cannot expect the “change” promised by our President in the flowered oratory of his campaign.

The European Cockpit Association, a group of pilots unions with over 38,000 members, accuses the European Union (EU) of “ “endangering air safety by failing to act on the recommendations of experts who say cuts in flying hours are needed to curb pilot fatigue.”  The Air Canada Pilots Association, with over 7,000 members, has been asking for changes to Transport Canada’s regulations for years. Dave Ross, of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, representing pilot unions at six regional airlines, says, “It’s money. If you can’t fly as long as you do today, then that increases your cost.”

 The world continues to scream the alarms to the FAA. The FAA’s mission statement is “to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.” The FAA’s vision statement is “ to reach the next level of safety, efficiency, environmental responsibility and global leadership. We are accountable to the American public and our stakeholders.” The world waits, awake to the ever increasing danger of sleepless and tired pilots threatening our lives. The FAA, Congress, and the Administration continue to hit the snooze button while confined to the bedroom of the airline industry’s sleep inducing lobbyists.

The “smoking holes” of death and the smells of burning flesh are permeating the atmosphere of Obama’s flowery campaign rhetoric about cleaning up the halls of Washington. In 2007 newsmax.com reported on Mr. Obama’s lamenting the fact that “the disproportionate influence of lobbyists and special interest is a problem in Washington (and) in state capitals.” He admitted then that he was “swimming in the same muddy water” and that he knows the waters are muddy. He said “I want to clean it up.” The world is waiting for Mr. Obama, Mr. Babbitt (FAA Administrator), and Mr. LaHood (Transportation Secretary) to exit the bedroom of the airline industry’s sleep inducing lobbyists and go to work on new pilot fatigue regulations. The safety of millions flying the skies continue to see the smoke and to smell the burning flesh. The time has come for you to douse the flames.

Here’s a link to a very sad slide show of crash site photos, courtesy of AP and thehindu.com: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article538554.ece

Another link to a related article from thehindu.com: http://www.thehindu.com/news/article540335.ece

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved to Ronald Czarnecki.

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Insomniac Spies in the Sky – Friendly or Enemy Eyes Lurking?

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

The Insomniac Eye in the Sky

Our insomniac spies have been operating for years in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army recently surpassed the one millionth hour of flight mark for its unmanned aerial systems. The highly sophisticated eyes in the sky have revolutionized the battlefield. They have saved many lives by keeping pilots out of high risk “hot” enemy territories. They have provided sensitive intelligence for enemy movements. They have increased communication capabilities in areas previously blacked out by mountainous terrain. They even engage the enemy with high tech weaponry from their clandestine high altitude cover. Their insomniac eyes are able to see 24 hours a day and they are able to stay up for days at a time. They are friends while seeking our enemies on foreign soil, but now they threaten our friendly skies, our freedom, and the privacy protected by the US Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. The Fourth Amendment guarantees “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.” The insomniac eyes of the drones in our skies may guide the “friendly fire” that mortally wounds our freedom.

 These “search dogs” are being used by U.S. Border Patrol agents to watch the areas near the Mexican border. The Predator B can remain airborne for up to 20 hours without refueling. A helicopter averages only two hours of flight time. The Department of Homeland Security and other agencies, as well as state governments, are pressing the FAA to clear them for expanded use along the Canadian and U.S. borders to spot drug smuggling.  The X-ray, infrared, and laser equipped eyes in the sky are being proposed to support weather research to track tornadoes and storms, to aid energy companies wanting to monitor oil and gas pipelines, and to support U.S. Coast Guard and local law enforcement agencies in search-and-rescue operations. These operations paint a friendly shadow on the suspicious eyes, but the friendly shadow is already becoming dark.

 As early as 2006 a North Carolina county began using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with low-light and infrared cameras to spy on its citizens. The aircraft was used by law enforcement to track gatherings of motorcycle riders from just a few feet in the air. The drone was close enough to identify faces. In 2007 insect-like drones were seen hovering over political rallies in New York and Washington. The UPI.com in a January article reported that the United Kingdom is set to use drones developed by its military to spy on their citizens. Kent and Essex police plan on using them in 2012 “for routine monitoring of motorists, protesters, agricultural thieves and illegal dumping.” The drones the Brits will use are capable of up to 15 hours in the sky, but the technology by then will have been advanced exponentially.

QinetiQ's Zephyr

On July 20, 2010 Defencetalk.com reported QinetiQ’s announcement that their Zephyr solar powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) smashed a long-standing world record flight of 82 hours and 37 minutes set in 2008. The Zephyr had been flying for the past week over the Yuma, Arizona skies, has logged 168 hours, and is still flying. The goal for the Zephyr is to fly for another week and to prove that it is a “truly eternal” plane. The Zephyr is launched by hand. It weighs only 50kg. Its solar arrays covering its wings are no thicker than sheets of paper. They power the aircraft by day and transfer power to lithium-sulfur batteries that supply its power at night. It will be capable of spying for weeks or months at a time over set locations.Defencetalk.com 

The RQ-11B from AeroVironment, Inc.

In April of 2009 Defencetalk.com reported that the U.S. Army and AeroVironment, Inc. (AV) conducted a 30-hour surveillance demonstration using the RQ-11B Raven, a small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS) consisting of three aircraft and two ground control stations. The system can be carried in a rucksack and is capable of flying in high winds, turbulence, and rain. The 4.2 pound aircraft is powered by lithium-ion batteries. The Raven carries a daytime color electro-optical camera as well as a nighttime infrared camera. AV has delivered thousands of unmanned aircraft internationally.

The Phantom Eye from Boeing

Boeing, according to Defencetalk.com, buoyed by its success with the piston-powered Condor in the late 80s, is currently in production of its Phantom Eye. The Phantom Eye is a liquid-hydrogen powered high altitude long endurance (HALE) aircraft. It will have a capability of more than four days at altitudes of up to 65,000 feet carrying a payload of up to 450 pounds. They are also developing a larger HALE capable of 10 days and payloads of more than 2,000 pounds. The Phantom Eye is scheduled for its first flight in December.

 While the FAA provides cover for our government by citing safety concerns in the sky as a reason to slow the approval “process” for expanded UAV use in the U.S. we can safely assume that we are already being watched by an omnivorous, data collecting federal government. Their insomniac spies in the sky make no distinction between criminal and law-abiding citizens. Jerome Whitehead, in “Drones Over America: Tyranny at Home,” reminds us of a famous quote from James Madison:

           “A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of  defence against foreign danger, have always been the instruments of tyranny at home.”

It is time for us to cast our doubting eyes on the ever-expanding surveillance and control of our federal government. It may be too late to ground her insomniac spies in our skies, but we still have the time to launch the defense of our liberty. Remember come November.

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved to Ronald Czarnecki.

 

 

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Hollywood Sleeps in Obama’s Arms While Gulf Screams for Help

Monday, June 14th, 2010

One of the dead victims of the spill. Kemp's Ridley sea turtle was already endangered.

Now that their “messiah” from Chicago has been elected to the nation’s highest office, Hollywood is hypocritically silent. When Bush was in office, nary a week passed without our hearing passionate cries for his impeachment or vile insults upon his intelligence. Concerts, benefits, songs, commercials, and appeals for donations almost immediately followed worldwide disasters. The tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack, only ten days later, raised more than $100 million. The concert telethon for the 2004 tsunami victims raised millions more. The “Shelter from the Storm” concert raised $30 million for Hurricane Katrina victims. “Hope for Haiti” raised $66 million for Haiti’s earthquake victims. Eight weeks after America’s worst ever environmental disaster, one which Obama compared to 9/11 (to the consternation of more than 2000 victims’ families), we have not heard from our Hollywood celebrities. They appear to be resting comfortably in the arms of their “messianic” President, fearing to breathe a word that might bring harm to his already tanking numbers.

The environment has been a favorite topic for our Hollywood celebs. They love to espouse the global warming theme popularized by Al Gore, another of their political heroes. The BP oil spill will go down in the record books as the biggest environmental disaster in our history. Approximately 100,000 barrels of oil have been spewing into the gulf every day. That’s the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez spill every 2.4 to 3.5 days, according to Steven Wereley of Purdue University. Patrick Szabo  says the oil is “destroying the Gulf of Mexico and its beautiful ecosystem.” Tons of species will be affected by this disaster. Some may soon be in danger of extinction. North Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, famous for the sushi our Hollywood friends are fond of, may be in danger since their spawning in the Gulf of Mexico occurs from mid-April to mid-June. “Five of the world’s seven sea turtle species live, migrate, and breed in the Gulf region,” says Julia Kumari Drapkin, writing for Global Post. Sharks, marine mammals (whales, porpoises, dolphins), brown pelicans, oysters, shrimp, blue crab, marsh dwelling fish, beach nesting and migratory shorebirds, and migratory songbirds are all in jeopardy. Where are the pictures of our Hollywood celebrities cleaning off the oil-coated brown pelicans dying on the beaches?

Fishing in the gulf accounts for a billion dollars of our nation’s GDP, with $13 billion more in tourism, and $11 billion in oil, according to Charles Colgan of the National Ocean Economics Program. Florida has no state income tax and its economy depends on tourism. Many of the Gulf States are suffering the loss of thousands of jobs as a result of Obama’s suspension of all drilling operations in the gulf. The Department of Economic Development in Louisiana estimates losing “3,000 to 6,000 jobs in the next two to three weeks, and as many as 10,000 Louisiana jobs within six months,” as reported in mcclatchydc.com.  Even the fishing industries, devastated as they are by the BP spill, support the oil industry. Many boats tie to the rigs while dropping their lines. Grand Isle’s Dean Blanchard, one of the largest shrimp distributors in the country says, “We’re suffering enough without others suffering.” Governor Bobby Jindal is urging Obama to move quickly to remove the moratorium. Jeff Landry, running for congress calls the moratorium “nothing short of a domestic attack on our economy.”

People in the Gulf states are suffering and our President is not helping. Our Hollywood “friends” are hopelessly asleep in the comfort of his golf and basketball toned arms. Hollywood’s fundraising capabilities are unquestioned. Their successes have been well documented in the past. Today they dare not speak against their “messiah” …even if it means denying the screams of our American victims in the Gulf. The silence of Hollywood is deafening.

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved to Ronald Czarnecki.

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Sleep Deprivation Pandemic Infects the Healthcare Industry

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Sleepy, stressed nurse

The pandemic of sleep deprivation is costing the national economy more than 56 billion dollars a year. These costs have been well documented and proven in many studies. The costs to the health of our doctors and nurses are only beginning to be disclosed. The costs to patients’ health and lives will probably remain clothed by the disinfected, sterile sheets used to cover our helpless and totally dependent bodies. The white code of silence in the health industry is more pervasive than the blue code of silence practiced by our law enforcement agencies. Legal consequences of sleep deprivation’s gangrenous effects in the health industry will keep the facts locked in the icy drawers of the basement morgue.

A recent study of 80 registered nurses conducted by the University of Maryland found that serious sleep deprivation was infecting the industry. The “common practice” of successive 12 hour shifts is increasing the risk of health problems and is increasing the odds of “making patient errors.” 12 hour shifts have been a trend since the nursing shortages began in the 70s and 80s. Jeanne Geiger-Brown, PhD, RN, and associate professor with the school of nursing at UMD, says that nurses often prefer the long shifts and the extra time off to normal 8 hour shifts. The problem with successive 12 hour shifts is that over 50% of those shifts last longer than 12.5 hours. When commute times and responsibilities at home are added to the long workday, there is very little time for sleep. Nurses reported an average sleep time of 5.5 hours between shifts and an even lower average of 5.2 hours for night shift nurses. They reported “extremely fragmented“ sleep. Fragmented sleep is not restorative and the resulting sleep deprivation takes its toll.

A study reported by Reuters in London found that people who work 10 or 11 hours a day have a 60% greater chance of an adverse heart event than those who work an 8 hour shift. One or two hours of overtime did not show an increased risk. Workplace stress by itself “may be as hazardous to your health as smoking, high cholesterol and other conventional risk factors for cardiovascular disease” according to a Wall Street Journal report on Canadian research. It is difficult to imagine a more highly stressed working environment than a hospital emergency room.

The negative effects of sleep deprivation are: a lack of focus and attention; slowed thinking and reactions (similar effects to drinking); apathy; weight gain; high blood pressure and heart disease; a weakened immune system; and depression. These effects can then lead to self-prescribed sleep aids at night and stimulants for work-time wakefulness. That combination can be deadly in the hands of those entrusted with our healthcare. The death of the infected healthcare providers will take time. The effects of weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, weakened immune systems, and depression take time to wreak their havoc on the human body. Nurses and doctors in a sleep deprived state have the immediate potential to accidentally take the lives of the patients entrusted to their care.  

Intern work hours were reduced in 2003 from 100 hours a week to no more than 80 hours a week. They are also “limited” to no more than 30 hours in a shift. Those shifts can be repeated every third day. Harvard researchers found that 84 percent of the more than 4000 interns surveyed reported (despite risk of career ending repercussions) work hours in violation of the standards. Their fatigue and lack of concentration is resulting in driving while drowsy car accidents, needlesticks, and scalpel accidents. They risk blood borne illnesses to themselves and associates, errors in prescription recommendations, early burnout from the stresses of the profession, and depression.

Researchers from the UCSD School of Medicine, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), found that the parietal lobes of the brain (responsible for arithmetic performance) are much less active following sleep deprivation. Gregory G. Brown, PhD., associate professor of psychiatry at UCSD, said “…there is not a brain system to come on line to compensate for the negative effects of sleep deprivation.” Arithmetic calculations are used countless times a day by doctors and nurses computing doses of medications and in the planning and execution of operational procedures. The following photos from the December 1999 issue of NeuroReport illustrate the findings.

Photos from the December 1999 Issue of NeuroReport

Sleep deprived brain activity, as shown on the bottom, compared to well rested brain activity shown on the top, certainly endangers the life of the patient. The red areas show least intense activity and yellow areas show most intense activity. The calculations might easily result in deadly mistakes. Jeanne Geiger-Brown cited a study of 393 nurses on 5,317 shifts that found “the odds of making errors by those who reported working more than 12 hours in shifts was three times greater than nurses who reported working 8.5 hour shifts.” She was co-author of an article called “Is it Time to Pull the Plug on 12-Hour Shifts?”

Those 12-hour shifts are not likely to end soon. The shortage of doctors and nurses is worsening once again. It is bound to get even worse as we get closer to the salary constraints of a government administered healthcare system. The white code of silence in the health industry will then be cloaked by a second layer of government cover-up of the life-threatening shortage of sleep deprived healthcare providers. Will there be enough drawers in the icy basement morgues for our future healthcare recipients?

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved to Ronald Czarnecki.

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FAA and NTSB Sound Asleep. Pilot Fatigue Screams the Alarm Again!

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Time to Wake Up!

Despite a promise the Obama administration made in June of 2009 proposing “new limits on how many hours airline pilots can fly” the FAA, the NTSB, and air safety regulators across the globe continue to “sleep in” while the screaming alarms continue to sound. The crash of the Air India flight last week killing 158 people sounded the most recent alarm on possible pilot fatigue and pilot error. The reason I say “possible” is because the investigation for cause of that particular disaster has not been completed. It is doubtful that pilot fatigue will be blamed for the crash. Our air safety regulators choose to continually hit the snooze button and then to throw the alarm out the window. They will no doubt find a simpler cause to the crash. They do not want to confront the airline industry or the airline unions with the stringent new regulations necessary to protect our safety in the air.

Randy Babbitt, FAA administer, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, attended congressional hearings convened to discuss the crash of the Continental Connection Flight 3407 on February 12, 2009 near Buffalo, NY. The crash killed all 49 people on board as well as one person on the ground. The crash was caused by pilot fatigue. Babbitt told Congress and the media that he would propose a new rule addressing pilots’ fatigue related complaints dealing with multiple take-offs and landings (often described as more stressful than long flights) “in the next several months.” Mr. Babbitt, you can wake up now. It’s been well over a year now and we have not seen your new regulations. Babbitt assigned the Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) the task of drafting the new rule changes by September 1, 2009. The committee completed their task on time. An Aviation Today article detailing Mr. Babbitt’s promises described the ARC’s 18 members working together with unions, airline industry representatives, and the FAA. Mr. Babbitt said the group was examining “flight time, duty, and rest limitations; including definitions of rest, duty, fatigue, captain’s authority, and reserve. Scientists who specialize in fatigue made presentations about sleep opportunities, circadian rhythms and potential scheduling.” Wrapping up his speech Mr. Babbitt said, “I can’t say this any more directly than I am right now: We all have to take on additional responsibilities whether we’re legally required to or not. This is about safety, and safety is about saving lives.” The ARC finished up in September 2009, but Mr. Babbitt has been silent ever since.

Our administrators are not the only air safety regulators shunning their alarm clocks’ screaming cries. The European Cockpit Association, a group of pilots unions with over 38,000 members criticized the European Union’s “endangering air safety by failing to act on the recommendations of experts who say cuts in flying hours are needed to curb pilot fatigue. Here in the EU, pilot fatigue is the single biggest “hot potato” safety issue where neither the European Commission nor the European Aviation Safety Agency has shown any leadership to move decisively towards science-based EU rules.” The CBC in Canada has repeatedly reported on Transport Canada’s failures to respond to pilot fatigue issues. More than a dozen crashes linked to pilot fatigue have occurred since Regionnair’s flight 347 crash 10 years ago. Serge Gagne, the pilot of that flight had been working 30 days straight when he crashed in 1999. He was in his 18thhour of duty and was 60 hours over Transport Canada’s monthly limit. The Air Canada Pilots Association, with over 7,000 members, has been asking for changes to Transport Canada’s regulations for years. The regulations haven’t been changed since 1995, and before that, the changes last made were in the 1940s. Our own NTSB has been pressing for new regulations on pilot hours for 19 years. An FAA proposed rule change in 1995 was halted by the air industry. Pilot unions wanted to reduce the duty hours from 16 to 14, but the airline industry said no. Dave Ross, of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, representing pilot unions at six regional airlines, says, “It’s money. If you can’t fly as long as you do today, then that increases your cost.” Mr. Babbitt, Ray LaHood, the Obama administration, and the airline industries need to ask themselves “How much money is human life worth?”

 The Wall Street Journal recently chimed in on this issue with an article by Andy Pasztor titled “Dispute Over Cost Delays Pilot Rules.”   He attributes the delay of proposed changes to a dispute between the FAA and the White House Office of Management and Budget. He says that budget officials have told the FAA informally that “the proposal’s projected cost to airlines wasn’t justified by the anticipated safety benefits.”

Front row seats at the FAA, formerly representing the airline industry belong to:

  • David Weingart: FAA Chief of Staff. Six years with Northwest Airlines.
  • Hank Krakowski: Chief Operating Officer. 30 years at United Airlines.
  • Ramesh Punwani: Chief Financial Officer. Past CFO and VP of Pan American World Airways
  • David Grizzle: Chief Counsel. 22 years at Continental Airlines. Responsible for agency regulation, safety enforcement and compliance programs, and personal and labor law.

Joining these FAA administrators in affecting current air safety regulations and concerns are the following important lobbyists:

  • Former Senators John Breaux and Trent Lott, along with at least 17 former congressional aides and staffers now with Delta Airlines.
  • Sharon Pinkerton, former FAA Assistant Administrator, now with the airlines main lobbying group: Air Transport Association of America.
  • Linda Daschle, wife of former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, former ATA executive and former FAA deputy administrator and acting administrator in the 90s. Now she is one of Washington’s top lobbyists, paid more than $440,000 a year to lobby for American Airlines.

Regulators, airline executives, congressional representatives, and lobbyists are constantly exchanging places in the merry-go-round for money. While they ride their ever changing horses, air safety regulations will take the back seat near the toilets where we can listen to the constant flushes of empty promises disappearing into the thin air.

 In the meantime, we will continue to read frightening data, such as these, reported by Stephen Stock and the investigation team of CBS4 in Miami:

  • “1011 incidents nationwide since 1978 where pilot fatigue caused a safety concern on board the aircraft or an actual crash. 689 of those incidents happened in the last five years (2005-2009).”
  • “Data from the FAA, NTSB, and NASA shows the problem is growing. There were 189 incidents in 2008 which is up from 117 incidents the year before (2007). And in just the first 9 months of 2009 there were 104 incidents of serious pilot fatigue which is the same number as in entire years in the past.”

Their investigation team even found a brochure, published by the NTSB in 1990, “calling for the FAA to address fatigue immediately.”

 Randy Babbitt’s latest word comes from his statementbefore the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Aviation on Update: The Agency’s Call to Action on Airline Safety and Pilot Training. His complete statement can be found on faa.gov. He laments that, despite his direction for an aggressive timeline for a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) by the end of last year to update the rules from the mid-1990s, it did not happen. He says, “However, with my continued emphasis on this topic, we hope to issue an NPRM this spring. Although this is slightly later than I originally hoped, it is still an extremely expedited schedule and I can assure you the FAA team working on this is committed to meeting the target.”

 FLUSH, FLUSH, FLUSH…

 RING, RING, RING…

 Anyone hear the alarm going off? It’s ringing! Daylight has arrived. No one hears it. Our sleep deprived pilots are on their radios airing their distress signals. The music of the flushing toilet, the carrousel, and the ride for money are drowning out the cries for passenger safety. When will our regulators awaken from their sleep paralysis?

 Copyright 2010. All rights reserved to Ronald Czarnecki.

Comments and discussion encouraged. Please click on the comments below.

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Air India Crash Leaves Smoking Hole at the End of the Runway

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

 

Mangalore Air Crash

An Air India plane carrying 158 passengers and 8 crew members overshot the runway, barrelled through the sand pit, and left a “smoking hole” on the side of a cliff. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation in India has been charged with solving this mystery. There were only 8 survivors of the crash: four with serious injuries, 3 with minor injuries, and one with no injuries. Both pilots, experienced in many successful landings at the Mangalore Airport, were killed along with their crew and 150 passengers. Is this another example of pilot fatigue and pilot error? Too early at this point to determine, but the conditions at the time of the crash eliminate many possibilities:

  • The winds were calm.
  • It was not raining, and the runway was dry.
  • The visibity was good at 6 kilometers.
  • There were no previous malfunctions in the aircraft’s history.
  • Both pilots had many successful landings at Mangalore Airport.
  • They were landing on the longer (8000 ft.) runway and not the shorter (6000 ft.) one.
  • There were no pilot trouble signals reported to the tower on the approach.

Praful Patel, India’s Civil Aviation Minister, told reporters at the scene that the runway was overshot by 2000 feet! His videotaped interview can be  found at ndtv.com and the Press Trust of India.

Will this tragic crash be attributed to the growing problems of pilot fatigue and sleep deprivation? Will more “smoking holes” and lost lives be required to address the world-wide problems? Only time will tell.

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved to Ronald Czarnecki.

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