Tag: aviation

  • Don’t Ground ‘Quiet Skies’: A Proposal for Smarter, Safer Aviation Security

    Don’t Ground ‘Quiet Skies’: A Proposal for Smarter, Safer Aviation Security

    The recent announcement that the TSA is ending its “Quiet Skies” program has been framed as a victory against wasteful spending and political misuse. While any program that costs taxpayers millions and is used to target political opponents deserves scrutiny, scrapping Quiet Skies entirely is a dangerously simplistic solution. I have a nuanced critique: the core concept of the program is not only sound but essential. The problem wasn’t the mission; it was the flawed execution and political weaponization. Instead of ending the program, we should be reforming it into a smarter, more effective tool that truly secures our nation.

    First, the idea of using dedicated analysts and undercover air marshals is a good one. However, their mission should be dovetailed with other tangible needs in our struggling aviation sector. Imagine if their observational data could be used for quality control or to assist our overburdened Air Traffic Control system. This would add immense value beyond pure counter-terrorism and justify the program’s existence on multiple fronts.

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  • Untitled post 118

    The following is basically a laundry list of things that personally came to my mind about what might be causing those radar screen flickers or glitches at Newark. It’s just a collection of thoughts, nothing more, nothing less.

    If this list seems pretty long or touches on a lot of different ideas, some of which might seem a bit out there, it’s just me spit-balling possibilities as a layperson. I’m no pro, so this definitely isn’t some exhaustive or official investigation plan – just my own brainstorming on what could be going on, because even a flicker could be something to look into.

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