FW: The Rockwood Report, May 2008

 

 

 

HUH?

 

In late March 2008, the FAA announced that Gulfstream Aerospace became the first aircraft manufacturer to be granted FAA Organizational Designation Authorization for initial phase manufacturing at the company’s production facility in Savannah, Ga. In other words, to some degree, Gulfstream gets to act on behalf of the FAA in reviewing its own products, their design and manufacture.

 

I grew up on a little farm, and we called this “letting the fox into the henhouse”.

 

In no way do I mean this to disparage Gulfstream Aerospace, but come on! Is not Southwest Airlines being faced with a $10.0 million fine because of a miscue under the voluntary safety compliance program? The government studies, audits and finger pointing will go on for some time on this one, and there will never be a clear villain. However, the bottom line is no clear lines were drawn and the FAA, the governing body, outsourced some of its responsibility to Southwest, the governed body.

 

Back on the farm we called this “letting the inmates run the asylum”.

 

It is time we stopped trying to keep government spending in check by eliminating the services government is good for. Despite the thinking of the past 30 years, not everything is about compromise. Sometimes a rule is a rule and needs to be enforced from the outside.

 

Bob Rockwood

202-682-4000 (Main phone number)

540-554-8113 (Direct phone number)

racersblue@earthlink.net (Direct email)

www.bristolassociates.com (Web address)

 

If the message above was not intended for you, please destroy it and don't use it.