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Yesterday's FAA incompetence

African wildlife

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I'm British and have always appreciated my many working trips to the USA. One of our drones is registered with the FAA. I've closely followed SpaceX, especially since the historic test launch of Falcon Heavy and that incredible simultaneous double landing of the first stage side boosters. And what can you say about the phenomenal rise of the Starship production and test facility at Boca Chica (now in the process of being renamed as Starbase)? Wow! Mars: here we come...

Many thousands of people - from all over the world - were watching the build up to the latest test launch yesterday: SN11. Then came the announcement that the FAA safety inspector - a recent requirement - couldn't get to Boca Chica in time for the launch. So it's being delayed until today - Elon announcing that it will be an early morning launch at 8am local. Spare a thought here for the hundreds of SpaceX employees who work in shifts round the clock because this is the space race. (China, anyone?)

The FAA had already been involved in giving permission for the latest launch, including posting Temporary Flight Restrictions etc. So why couldn't the inspector get to Boca Chica? Apparently he didn't check his email until it was too late.

I appreciate that the FAA's main duties are to keep air travel safe (like our own CAA here in the UK). And air travel is the safest form of travel. Regulating drones is an add-on. Rocket flight safety is another. But the FAA are not doing themselves any favours in terms of their reputation or that of America's in general. (And, yes, British media are reporting the unfortunate stumblings and forgetfulness of the latest Commander in Chief, which doesn't exude confidence.) They recently dragged their heels delaying an earlier Starship test flight - which didn't go down well internationally. And now this farce.

The FAA's wording for the recent requirement of having an inspector on site beggars belief. It states that the FAA Safety Inspector has to be "present at the Boca Chica Launch and Landing site for flight". Now the launch pad and landing pad are very close to one another, so a leisurely stroll to get from one to the other is easily possible within the 6+ minutes of flight time (even for a government employee). But everyone else has to be OUTSIDE the exclusion zone. I appreciate you need to see detail to do your job, but isn't this a wee bit too close? Three Raptor engines kick out quite a bit of thrust - not to mention the 27 Raptors that will be powering Super Heavy in the future. And what happens if there's another RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly) on landing? How will the FAA inspector report back to HQ? He or she will be toast. And that's without considering any heat stress that might happen at takeoff.

Anyway, moaning and joking apart, anyone interested should begin watching at 12.00 UTC. You get the usual five points if you spot the SpaceX drone in the air. (Viva the drone pilot!) But now there's a whopper 20 additional points on offer if you spot the FAA inspector (on fire or not).
 
I'm sure he/she will be safe. The requirement for the FAA Inspector to be on site is very likely dictated by the insurance company or companies providing launch/operational/recovery coverage. Insurance companies have a big say in Aeronautical/Space operations, and since there is so much on the line, their requirements are followed very precisely. As for why the FAA Inspector was unable to make it onsite in time for the launch window, that's anybody's guess. In business - and big business in this case - it's known as the Human Factor. We are curious creatures fraught with imperfections, and that's just the way it is...?
 
Hi Brockrock. I was joking in my comments above about the inspector's safety (as I said).

Insurance won't be the reason. Why not? It hasn't been a previous requirement - and this is SN11. We know that SpaceX have got a comprehensive insurance policy for Boca Chica as a few details have leaked out. Yes, there's been a couple of RUDs (SN4 after a static fire test and SN10 several minutes after an upright landing) - but SN5, SN6, SN8, SN9, and SN10 have all actually hit the target on landing.....if not actually upright. There has been no hint of additional safety concerns. The three high altitude test flights have been remarkably successful, upright landings aside, compared to what most informed people thought might happen this early on.

My serious point about the FAA inspector being late is that it shouldn't happen. And the reason actually has been reliably reported - he/she didn't check his/her emails. This is just sloppiness. It was the FAA who belated insisted on this addition, so it's their responsibility to get their act together. Even if there were other considerations - such as travel delays - these things should be factored in. And many people are closely following all of this from many, many countries.
 
I'm British and have always appreciated my many working trips to the USA. One of our drones is registered with the FAA. I've closely followed SpaceX, especially since the historic test launch of Falcon Heavy and that incredible simultaneous double landing of the first stage side boosters. And what can you say about the phenomenal rise of the Starship production and test facility at Boca Chica (now in the process of being renamed as Starbase)? Wow! Mars: here we come...

Many thousands of people - from all over the world - were watching the build up to the latest test launch yesterday: SN11. Then came the announcement that the FAA safety inspector - a recent requirement - couldn't get to Boca Chica in time for the launch. So it's being delayed until today - Elon announcing that it will be an early morning launch at 8am local. Spare a thought here for the hundreds of SpaceX employees who work in shifts round the clock because this is the space race. (China, anyone?)

The FAA had already been involved in giving permission for the latest launch, including posting Temporary Flight Restrictions etc. So why couldn't the inspector get to Boca Chica? Apparently he didn't check his email until it was too late.

I appreciate that the FAA's main duties are to keep air travel safe (like our own CAA here in the UK). And air travel is the safest form of travel. Regulating drones is an add-on. Rocket flight safety is another. But the FAA are not doing themselves any favours in terms of their reputation or that of America's in general. (And, yes, British media are reporting the unfortunate stumblings and forgetfulness of the latest Commander in Chief, which doesn't exude confidence.) They recently dragged their heels delaying an earlier Starship test flight - which didn't go down well internationally. And now this farce.

The FAA's wording for the recent requirement of having an inspector on site beggars belief. It states that the FAA Safety Inspector has to be "present at the Boca Chica Launch and Landing site for flight". Now the launch pad and landing pad are very close to one another, so a leisurely stroll to get from one to the other is easily possible within the 6+ minutes of flight time (even for a government employee). But everyone else has to be OUTSIDE the exclusion zone. I appreciate you need to see detail to do your job, but isn't this a wee bit too close? Three Raptor engines kick out quite a bit of thrust - not to mention the 27 Raptors that will be powering Super Heavy in the future. And what happens if there's another RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly) on landing? How will the FAA inspector report back to HQ? He or she will be toast. And that's without considering any heat stress that might happen at takeoff.

Anyway, moaning and joking apart, anyone interested should begin watching at 12.00 UTC. You get the usual five points if you spot the SpaceX drone in the air. (Viva the drone pilot!) But now there's a whopper 20 additional points on offer if you spot the FAA inspector (on fire or not).
This is in keeping with the FAA’s motto, “We’re not happy unless you’re not happy”.
 
It’s really easy to get side tracked driving out to boca chica cause you want to stop at the empty field of the last civil war battle. It’s a long commute in too, not West Texas long but a lonesome road to be sure. ;)
 
I'm sure he/she will be safe. The requirement for the FAA Inspector to be on site is very likely dictated by the insurance company or companies providing launch/operational/recovery coverage. Insurance companies have a big say in Aeronautical/Space operations, and since there is so much on the line, their requirements are followed very precisely. As for why the FAA Inspector was unable to make it onsite in time for the launch window, that's anybody's guess. In business - and big business in this case - it's known as the Human Factor. We are curious creatures fraught with imperfections, and that's just the way it is...?
You seriously think that an insurance company can dictate to the FAA?
"Sorry boys, you have to be there or we can't insure the flight".
Far too much speculation in the face of the obvious - they like feeling in control.
 
I'm British and have always appreciated my many working trips to the USA. One of our drones is registered with the FAA. I've closely followed SpaceX, especially since the historic test launch of Falcon Heavy and that incredible simultaneous double landing of the first stage side boosters. And what can you say about the phenomenal rise of the Starship production and test facility at Boca Chica (now in the process of being renamed as Starbase)? Wow! Mars: here we come...

Many thousands of people - from all over the world - were watching the build up to the latest test launch yesterday: SN11. Then came the announcement that the FAA safety inspector - a recent requirement - couldn't get to Boca Chica in time for the launch. So it's being delayed until today - Elon announcing that it will be an early morning launch at 8am local. Spare a thought here for the hundreds of SpaceX employees who work in shifts round the clock because this is the space race. (China, anyone?)

The FAA had already been involved in giving permission for the latest launch, including posting Temporary Flight Restrictions etc. So why couldn't the inspector get to Boca Chica? Apparently he didn't check his email until it was too late.

I appreciate that the FAA's main duties are to keep air travel safe (like our own CAA here in the UK). And air travel is the safest form of travel. Regulating drones is an add-on. Rocket flight safety is another. But the FAA are not doing themselves any favours in terms of their reputation or that of America's in general. (And, yes, British media are reporting the unfortunate stumblings and forgetfulness of the latest Commander in Chief, which doesn't exude confidence.) They recently dragged their heels delaying an earlier Starship test flight - which didn't go down well internationally. And now this farce.

The FAA's wording for the recent requirement of having an inspector on site beggars belief. It states that the FAA Safety Inspector has to be "present at the Boca Chica Launch and Landing site for flight". Now the launch pad and landing pad are very close to one another, so a leisurely stroll to get from one to the other is easily possible within the 6+ minutes of flight time (even for a government employee). But everyone else has to be OUTSIDE the exclusion zone. I appreciate you need to see detail to do your job, but isn't this a wee bit too close? Three Raptor engines kick out quite a bit of thrust - not to mention the 27 Raptors that will be powering Super Heavy in the future. And what happens if there's another RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly) on landing? How will the FAA inspector report back to HQ? He or she will be toast. And that's without considering any heat stress that might happen at takeoff.

Anyway, moaning and joking apart, anyone interested should begin watching at 12.00 UTC. You get the usual five points if you spot the SpaceX drone in the air. (Viva the drone pilot!) But now there's a whopper 20 additional points on offer if you spot the FAA inspector (on fire or not).
How much does that cost to sit around and wait for the guy with a hangover to show? at least millions. He is incompetent just like the Facebook Live thing with the kids. He didnt know where he was or why he was there. Im pretty sure that if your job requires you to see giant rockets go into space, it would be a big event and anyone else would have joyfully planned the trip months in advance. But not this dude, Hes got outside issues he needs to deal with. He should resign and spend some time to fix his problems. [Comment removed by ADMIN]
 
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Does anyone even know why the inspector didn't make it? Could be as simple as broken down car, weather related flight delay, death in the family, etc.

Seems like an awful lot of angst over one guy possibly just having a bad day.

JMO
 
You seriously think that an insurance company can dictate to the FAA?
"Sorry boys, you have to be there or we can't insure the flight".
Far too much speculation in the face of the obvious - they like feeling in control.
To answer that, we have to go back to the early days of aviation when Barnstormers and the like were introducing this new means of flight to our Nation. At that time, there were no regulations, and there certainly was nothing at all in the way of the FAA. As it became clear that aviation had a huge commercial potential, individuals with foresight began to pursue investors in order to start commercial enterprises (the Postal Service at the time was one of the first applications), but investors were leery of putting up funds unless aviation companies/operators had insurance for these operations due to the obvious potential for loss. Then, insurance companies at the time were unwilling to underwrite these operations because there were no standards or regulations to promote safety.

As a result, the first and earliest version of the FAA was created by way of what was called the Air Commerce Act in 1926. Once certain regulations and standards were developed, insurance companies were willing to underwrite aviation related businesses, investors were willing to invest, and here we are today sending rockets through FAA governed airspace toward low Earth orbit and well beyond.

The point is, the insurance companies may not be directly calling the FAA and saying we need you to have a representative onsite for this or that operation, but they do tell the involved company (in this case Space X) that a member of the FAA SHALL be on site for a particular operation in order to provide coverage, and no company is going to take a chance and not meet this requirement. Space X calls the FAA and informs them of their needs, and the FAA is tasked with meeting them as they are a taxpayer funded entity. Also, I guarantee the same is true for every actual NASA operation as well.

Bottom line, we may all have our own opinion about the FAA. I will say that mine is positive, and during my 6000+ hour commercial piloting career, I never had a bad interaction. And, oh yeah, without them, we would not have any viable aviation industries to speak of in our country, so there is also that.
 
With such a tight schedule, I'm interested in what the guy had to do, and how long he had to do it. Maybe a 10 minute drive to look around the site? I'd love to see his checklist. I suspect more likely he'd sign off on lots of other reports that had been written over the preceeding days, weeks and months, and I'm sure that could have been done remotely. But I'm probably demonstrating the Dunning Kruger effect here.
 
To answer that, we have to go back to the early days of aviation when Barnstormers and the like were introducing this new means of flight to our Nation. At that time, there were no regulations, and there certainly was nothing at all in the way of the FAA. As it became clear that aviation had a huge commercial potential, individuals with foresight began to pursue investors in order to start commercial enterprises (the Postal Service at the time was one of the first applications), but investors were leery of putting up funds unless aviation companies/operators had insurance for these operations due to the obvious potential for loss. Then, insurance companies at the time were unwilling to underwrite these operations because there were no standards or regulations to promote safety.

As a result, the first and earliest version of the FAA was created by way of what was called the Air Commerce Act in 1926. Once certain regulations and standards were developed, insurance companies were willing to underwrite aviation related businesses, investors were willing to invest, and here we are today sending rockets through FAA governed airspace toward low Earth orbit and well beyond.

The point is, the insurance companies may not be directly calling the FAA and saying we need you to have a representative onsite for this or that operation, but they do tell the involved company (in this case Space X) that a member of the FAA SHALL be on site for a particular operation in order to provide coverage, and no company is going to take a chance and not meet this requirement. Space X calls the FAA and informs them of their needs, and the FAA is tasked with meeting them as they are a taxpayer funded entity. Also, I guarantee the same is true for every actual NASA operation as well.

Bottom line, we may all have our own opinion about the FAA. I will say that mine is positive, and during my 6000+ hour commercial piloting career, I never had a bad interaction. And, oh yeah, without them, we would not have any viable aviation industries to speak of in our country, so

To answer that, we have to go back to the early days of aviation when Barnstormers and the like were introducing this new means of flight to our Nation. At that time, there were no regulations, and there certainly was nothing at all in the way of the FAA. As it became clear that aviation had a huge commercial potential, individuals with foresight began to pursue investors in order to start commercial enterprises (the Postal Service at the time was one of the first applications), but investors were leery of putting up funds unless aviation companies/operators had insurance for these operations due to the obvious potential for loss. Then, insurance companies at the time were unwilling to underwrite these operations because there were no standards or regulations to promote safety.

As a result, the first and earliest version of the FAA was created by way of what was called the Air Commerce Act in 1926. Once certain regulations and standards were developed, insurance companies were willing to underwrite aviation related businesses, investors were willing to invest, and here we are today sending rockets through FAA governed airspace toward low Earth orbit and well beyond.

The point is, the insurance companies may not be directly calling the FAA and saying we need you to have a representative onsite for this or that operation, but they do tell the involved company (in this case Space X) that a member of the FAA SHALL be on site for a particular operation in order to provide coverage, and no company is going to take a chance and not meet this requirement. Space X calls the FAA and informs them of their needs, and the FAA is tasked with meeting them as they are a taxpayer funded entity. Also, I guarantee the same is true for every actual NASA operation as well.

Bottom line, we may all have our own opinion about the FAA. I will say that mine is positive, and during my 6000+ hour commercial piloting career, I never had a bad interaction. And, oh yeah, without them, we would not have any viable aviation industries to speak of in our country, so there is also that.
Just shy of 68, and all this time I've thought the FAA was doing a great job. But the fiasco of the 737, all the time wasted on trying to regulate a hobby?
 
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I'm British and have always appreciated my many working trips to the USA. One of our drones is registered with the FAA. I've closely followed SpaceX, especially since the historic test launch of Falcon Heavy and that incredible simultaneous double landing of the first stage side boosters. And what can you say about the phenomenal rise of the Starship production and test facility at Boca Chica (now in the process of being renamed as Starbase)? Wow! Mars: here we come...

Many thousands of people - from all over the world - were watching the build up to the latest test launch yesterday: SN11. Then came the announcement that the FAA safety inspector - a recent requirement - couldn't get to Boca Chica in time for the launch. So it's being delayed until today - Elon announcing that it will be an early morning launch at 8am local. Spare a thought here for the hundreds of SpaceX employees who work in shifts round the clock because this is the space race. (China, anyone?)

The FAA had already been involved in giving permission for the latest launch, including posting Temporary Flight Restrictions etc. So why couldn't the inspector get to Boca Chica? Apparently he didn't check his email until it was too late.

I appreciate that the FAA's main duties are to keep air travel safe (like our own CAA here in the UK). And air travel is the safest form of travel. Regulating drones is an add-on. Rocket flight safety is another. But the FAA are not doing themselves any favours in terms of their reputation or that of America's in general. (And, yes, British media are reporting the unfortunate stumblings and forgetfulness of the latest Commander in Chief, which doesn't exude confidence.) They recently dragged their heels delaying an earlier Starship test flight - which didn't go down well internationally. And now this farce.

The FAA's wording for the recent requirement of having an inspector on site beggars belief. It states that the FAA Safety Inspector has to be "present at the Boca Chica Launch and Landing site for flight". Now the launch pad and landing pad are very close to one another, so a leisurely stroll to get from one to the other is easily possible within the 6+ minutes of flight time (even for a government employee). But everyone else has to be OUTSIDE the exclusion zone. I appreciate you need to see detail to do your job, but isn't this a wee bit too close? Three Raptor engines kick out quite a bit of thrust - not to mention the 27 Raptors that will be powering Super Heavy in the future. And what happens if there's another RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly) on landing? How will the FAA inspector report back to HQ? He or she will be toast. And that's without considering any heat stress that might happen at takeoff.

Anyway, moaning and joking apart, anyone interested should begin watching at 12.00 UTC. You get the usual five points if you spot the SpaceX drone in the air. (Viva the drone pilot!) But now there's a whopper 20 additional points on offer if you spot the FAA inspector (on fire or not).
Its all fake.
 
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