1. What is the quantifiable number of Americans who have stopped flying after the gruesome terrorist attacks in 2001 compared to estimated growth of air travelers if 9/11 attacks had NOT occurred?. What safety measures, besides the US government enacted policies, have the airports, airlines, flight crews, ground crews and private security firms taken to ensure the safety of passengers today? Are the skies safer today than 5 years ago?
2. What is the evidence that one of the most stressful jobs in the world is being an air traffic controller? Can this perception be proven with statistical analysis of their health benefit claims, suicide rates, domestic violence, tenure, workplace violence or relevant and valid surveys? How do the controllers prepare themselves to tackle the daily obstacles of safely departing and bringing home hundreds of aircraft at a location where two out of the total three runways are closed due to lengthy construction projects (BWI Airport)? What challenges do they face on a daily basis in the BWI tower? Besides the normal training that they received in classroom, what additional training (if any) is required to tackle unusual circumstances like these closures?
3. Becoming a pilot is a dream of many but turned into a reality for only a few. One reason is the high investment in flight training with few job opportunities and when initially hired an unacceptable outcome financially as pilots start up their careers in the main stream. What is the reason behind this? Why do airlines pay low salaries to new pilots? Does this have an effect on their flying?
4. Recently, FAA proposed that pilots must have 1500 flight hours to be considered for their ATP. This change for new pilots, trying to make flying as a career, just became much more difficult. What is the reason behind this change? What does it mean for student pilots and will this draw them away from flying? What percentage of major airline pilots have military flight training? Will this percentage increase with the new 1500 hour requirement for obtaining an ATP?