Colleen Mondor

US mail delivery in general could be collateral damage if EAS operators in AK stop flying (again, like Ravn), but they would have to be the only operator to a village, otherwise USPS would transfer the mail to whoever was else was flying.

In some places tho, EAS is the only operator.

Agreed.

No - in terms of being paid they have no overlap. You can have a situation where the EAS operator also files for the mail on a route (I think Ravn did this in St Paul), but those are completely separate activities & agencies involved.

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...

Lots of folks posting this. Look, you all knew ATC was understaffed. In multiple areas, the FAA is dealing with staffing issues. This is not new.

So, 6-day work weeks & now no paycheck. This should not be a surprise.

People are tired. If air travel slows down, we will survive the inconvenience.

On Jan 2, 1898 prospector Doc Tanner killed 2 men. The next day, he was hung from this tree near Valdez. This is part of an album assembled by a member of the California Bears, a prospecting group out of LA. Seller wants $600 for this section. Does anybody love me that much?

2025 National Book Awards Finalists Announced Twenty-five Finalists to contend for National Book Awards in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature

MOTHERLAND is a National Book Award finalist! She made the shortlist! I can hardly believe it—and I am humbled to be in such illustrious company.

www.nationalbook.org/2025-nationa...

#AlaskaSky

Murkowski says Essential Air Service will stop as early as October 12 due to the federal government running out of funding because of the shutdown.

cc @chasingray.bsky.social

FYI.

Good grief. She’s using DOGE talking points.

I agree with this conclusion about traffic.

I’m also still stuck on the fact that The Jetsons made “flying cars” look really cool.

I'm usually the comic relief on a list like this but "Make Me Commissioner, I Know What's Wrong With Baseball and How To Fix It" is also about algorithms and analytics and AI organizing our lives in ways that are obvious and hidden.

My question exactly!

Maybe it’s a Bigfoot thing. 😄

Also… bsky.app/profile/cweb...

In the 2019 Dutch Harbor crash, the final report minimizes the impact of decision-making By relegating pilot actions to factor status and minimizing management’s role, the board purposefully deemphasized decision-making’s impact on flight safety.

I wrote about the tailwind decision, at length, several years ago when the final report was released. I do not agree with the NTSB that it was a factor. I think it was the cause and the anti-skid was a factor. www.adn.com/opinions/202...

Six years after fatal Unalaska plane crash, jury finds PenAir liable for nearly $17 million A Washington state jury awarded $16.9 million to the family of a man who died in a 2019 airplane crash on Unalaska’s runway.

A key point on this news today the crew chose to land with a tailwind. Regardless of the anti-skid issues, the tailwind decision, which the SIC tried to dissuade the captain from, was IMO, the cause. www.kucb.org/regional/202...

Exactly.

Air Traffic Controller Admits Sleeping on the Job Two planes landed at Reagan Tuesday night without contact with the tower.

Air traffic has slowed in the past due to ATC staffing. Better to slow then exhausted controllers be told to work "for the good of the country".

Fifteen years ago, controllers were sleeping in the towers. (Article from March 2011.)

This. Is. Not. New. www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/a...

Politics and the FAA - Leeham News and Analysis Subscription Required Now open to all readers. By Colleen Mondor Feb. 13, 2025, © Leeham News: On Jan. 29 at 8:47 PM, a US Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flying a low-level route over the P...

And don't forget, earlier this year President Trump railed against ATC for being too diverse (as did Sec of Transportation Duffy) and the FAA was targeted by DOGE. Now, we just want all those controllers to work for free.

(This is from Feb & open to all readers.)

leehamnews.com/2025/02/13/p...

Staffing shortages affect Air Traffic Control, NOTAMS, updates-and Boeing - Leeham News and Analysis Subscription Required Part 1 of 2 Parts By Colleen Mondor Oct. 2, 2025, © Leeham News: The Trump Administration’s drive to cut employment in the federal government slashed numbers across virtually eve...

I just had an article (sub required) at @leehamnews.com on FAA staffing issues beyond ATC. There are documented issues in Aircraft Certification, Aeronautical Info, Aviation Inspectors, etc. It's a big, longstanding problem that has its roots in congressional funding. leehamnews.com/2025/10/02/s...

Lots of folks posting this. Look, you all knew ATC was understaffed. In multiple areas, the FAA is dealing with staffing issues. This is not new.

So, 6-day work weeks & now no paycheck. This should not be a surprise.

People are tired. If air travel slows down, we will survive the inconvenience.

NATCA is making a choice with that statement.

I’m not surprised by this.

Everybody knows what they are doing, right?

Six days a week, no paycheck. I would be feeling pretty damn sick & tired as well.

abc7.com/post/hollywo...

Keep an eye on this.

I know!!!!!!

YouTube video by Rotten Tomatoes TV Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost Trailer #1 (2025)

Reallllly looking forward to this! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy6y...

I would be shocked if most Essential Air Service flights continued. The only ones air carriers will keep are the ones that pay for themselves already.

Robin Williams' daughter has some quality thoughts on AI slop