Why ATC Modernization May Not Be Truly New

We talk with a floatplane pilot who flies the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver commercially. In the news, we look at strategies for modernizing the air traffic control system, striking flight attendants and some who wish they could, and a wingsuit accident takes the life of an ICON Aircraft co-founder.

Guest

John Crawford flies the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver commercially on the Canadian West Coast. He began flying Beavers when he was the Chief Pilot and Operations Manager for a company specializing in floatplane training, where he overhauled the training program. In addition to his full-time flying job, John also has a coaching program that helps pilots get their first flying position without the unnecessary and expensive detour of instructing. He helps student pilots with resumes, job search beyond job ads, interview preparation, and more.

John describes his path to becoming a floatplane pilot, learning to fly, and using taildragger and bush-flying experience. He notes the origin of the Beaver and the challenges of flying a floatplane compared to other aircraft, including obstructions in the water, winds, and docking.

John’s coaching project started as a proof of concept but has grown to include Canadian, U.S., and international students. We look at his teaching methods, the pattern of floatplane student pilots who do well learning to fly, and how John shows people how to get work. John also provides a valuable perspective on flight instructing in general and how teaching is not for everyone.

See John’s website, find him on YouTube, and on Instagram.

Aviation News

The ‘brand new’ ATC system might not be as new as you think

The National Airspace System today is built on three main software platforms that help transmit flight plan data, collect aircraft position information, and display all of that on the screens of air traffic controllers: the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) used by approach and departure facilities, En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) used by enroute facilities, and the Advanced Technologies & Oceanic Procedures (ATOPs) used by oceanic facilities in California and New York.

The FAA said that combining these three protocols into a single common automation platform would be more efficient. That proposal is a pillar of the administration’s ATC modernization plan, and it would cost an estimated $31.5 billion.

Instead of replacing STARS, ERAM, and ATOPs, FAA chief Bryan Bedford said the agency is exploring a cheaper way to connect the systems that “will look and feel and act exactly the same” as a common platform without actually being one. “There’s technology that we can stick in between ERAM and STARS and ATOPs and the user, you know, a new interface. These interfaces actually exist today. We can take that data, we can re-present it across the users of the NAS.”

US flight attendants are fed up like their Air Canada peers. Here’s why they are unlikely to strike

Hourly wages for flight attendants can be very low relative to the cost of living. Some can’t afford housing in their home base location and must therefore commute from a lower-cost region. Discontent is amplified when FAs are not paid until the cabin door is open.

Airline strikes are rare due to the Railway Labor Act of 1926, amended in 1936 to include airlines. For airline workers to strike, Federal mediators must declare an impasse. But even then, the president or Congress can intervene.

Air Canada reaches deal with flight attendant union to end strike as operations will slowly restart

Ten thousand Air Canada flight attendants went on strike, but that ended with a tentative deal that includes wage increases and pay for boarding passengers.

ICON founder dies in wingsuit accident

ICON Aircraft co-founder Kirk Hawkins died August 19, 2025, in a wingsuit accident in the Swiss Alps. Police report that Hawkins and three others jumped out of a helicopter before crashing to the ground. He is a former US Air Force F-16 pilot.

Icon Aircraft was founded in 2006 and produced the ICON A5 amphibious light sport aircraft with folding wings, which entered production in 2016. Hawkins was forced out as CEO of ICON Aircraft in November 2018.

See: What is a Wingsuit and how does it work?

Mentioned

International Seaplane Fly In – Greenville, Maine, Moosehead Lake, September 4 -7, 2025.

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, and our Main(e) Man Micah.