Joyful Friday, vacationers!

Lots of you might be absolutely conscious of the tragedy that occurred Wednesday night time in Washington, D.C., when a U.S. Military helicopter collided with American Airways flight AA5342, CRJ-700 service from Wichita, Kansas to Reagan Nationwide Airport. I stayed up all night time, centered on the tv display screen, hoping that survivors may be discovered. Sadly, as we now know, all 67 souls had been misplaced, together with 4 American Airways crew members and three members of the army.

I’ll go away commentary on the crash to the Nationwide Transportation Security Board, however I wish to make one level — some have mentioned that this tragedy is the top of an period of airline security and, whereas that could be true in {that a} complete airframe loss has simply occurred, I stay assured within the professionals who make U.S. airspace and airports among the many most secure on the earth. I pray for the souls of the lifeless, and for the consolation of their households, whereas realizing that their tragic deaths will result in enhancements in aviation security. The FAA has already positioned vital restrictions on helicopter flights round Reagan Airport whereas they assessment security procedures.

On Monday, I’m touring to Washington, D.C. — and can fly into Reagan Airport — on a visit that was scheduled a number of weeks in the past. I shall be attending an occasion on the Vatican Embassy, celebrating the discharge of Br. Man Consolmagno’s newest guide, A Jesuit’s Information to the Stars. Br. Man is a Detroit native and Director of the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. I hope to be taught extra a couple of new tour program being developed at the side of the Vatican Museums, one that may welcome guests to the observatory for the primary time.

The Florida Museum and the Annual Butterfly Migration

I spent final weekend with my household in Gainesville, Florida, and visited the Florida Museum of Pure Historical past for the primary time in a few years. Positioned on the campus of the College of Florida, the museum is wheelchair accessible and options expansive displays on botany, archaeology, ethnography, and paleontology in Florida.

The star attraction, although, is the Butterfly Rainforest, which options tons of of butterflies from world wide introduced in a lush, tropical panorama.

Visiting museums, whether or not they be centered on artwork, historical past or science, is considered one of my favourite touristic pursuits. I like studying and at all times attempt to hunt down some new nugget of data or knowledge. On the Florida Museum, I appeared with nice curiosity on the exhibit detailing the migration patterns of Monarch butterflies.

The Monarchs that decision the USA residence migrate yearly to Mexico, lots of them settling within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, which is situated about 60 miles northwest of Mexico Metropolis and has been acknowledged as a UNESCO World Heritage Web site. It’s a journey that I too hope to make sooner or later, and I’ve added the butterfly reserve to my bucket record!

Overheard in Charlotte: Are wheelchair help employees lastly being educated to assist the rights of wheelchair customers?

Should you journey by air with a wheelchair, you might have possible confronted an prolonged wait to be reconnected with it on arrival. Airways are presupposed to return wheelchairs “promptly” and “as shut as doable to the plane door,” however I have to usually argue to have these rights revered. My coverage is to by no means get out of my seat, into the aisle switch chair, or off the airplane till my wheelchair has been delivered to the airplane door.

Wheelchair help contractors, gate brokers and flight attendants usually push again, they usually might even threaten to name the police, however I stand (umm, sit) firmly in my seat. Try my current article, The Police Aren’t Coming, However If They Do — Put together to Get Paid. On Monday in Charlotte, my wheelchair was the final merchandise faraway from the cargo maintain (by legislation, it’s presupposed to be “among the many first”), and I used to be anticipating one more argument with airline representatives.

The wheelchair help employees needed me off the airplane, however I defined my place and reminded them of the legislation. They known as a supervisor who, a lot to my shock, affirmed my place.

“Keep in mind that coaching we had?

If the passenger has a private wheelchair and desires it again, that’s the main focus — you received’t be chargeable for the delay, that’s on the ramp crew.”

What a distinction! The American Airways company workplace remains to be a lot too dedicated to “departure zero,” and gate brokers nonetheless deny preboarding when help employees are usually not in place, however a minimum of this subcontractor has educated help employees to wait with disabled passengers till private wheelchairs are returned. Some contractors have beforehand issued demerits to employees who’ve executed so, a observe which inspired violations of the Air Service Entry Act and set the priorities of help personnel in opposition to these of disabled vacationers. Will probably be fascinating to see if this coaching observe holds, or whether it is an aberration (I hope not!).

Emergency Evacuations for Wheelchair Customers and Disabled Passengers

This week’s tragic accident in Washington, D.C. was not survivable, however many different aviation incidents are. I’ve been asking questions on emergency airplane evacuations for wheelchair customers since a minimum of 2016, and have been significantly disillusioned within the Federal Aviation Administration and airways for his or her lack of consideration to emergency preparation.

Simply as many commentators have remarked on the “Swiss cheese mannequin” of accident causation this week, I have to communicate up for disabled vacationers — there is no such thing as a plan for a secure emergency evacuation of non-ambulatory passengers, and sooner or later the holes within the Swiss cheese will line up, hurting considered one of us. I be part of others (or they be part of me) in elevating alarm, simply as U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth did when saying she was “in no way assured” she might safely evacuate an airplane.

Should you’d wish to be taught extra in regards to the large query of airline security, watch the Accessible Journey Chat: Q&A with Retired Flight Attendant Robin Wearley, and be taught in regards to the software she has developed for airways to advance passenger security. Robin is a longtime buddy, and it was a dialog that we had that kicked off improvement of her ADAPTS Transportable Switch Sling for emergency evacuations. The sling ought to be a part of each airline security package, however just one airline has applied it up to now, and on just one mannequin of plane (the Kenya Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner).

Wanting forward

Following my journey to the nation’s capital metropolis, count on an electronic mail overlaying that journey, in addition to an replace on the deliberate modifications to WheelchairTravel.org and this article. I may even preview a few of the journeys that I’ve upcoming, together with to London, England, to the Plane Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, and a possible journey to the attractive area of Innsbruck, Austria.

Have an amazing weekend,
— John Morris