The conditions for landing the Boeing 777 safely should have been perfect, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The sky over San Francisco was clear, the wind negligible and the pilot of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 had 11,000 feet of runway in front of him.

But there was a problem. The runway's automatic landing aids were out of service because of construction on that July 2013 day, which meant pilots had to land using old-fashioned visual and manual skills.

They had been doing it all day, but the Asiana Airlines pilot later told NTSB investigators he had been nervous about attempting to land using "stick-and-rudder" flying skills, and the ensuing crash killed three people and injured nearly 200, the Associated Press reported at the time.

The pilot's hesitancy and apparent inability to fly without automated assistance didn't surprise Rick Eriksen, an experienced aviator and one of the founders of Aviation Consulting 360 (www.AskAC360.com), a firm that specializes in assisting businesses with their aviation needs.

Eriksen says he believes advances in airplane automation may have reached a point where they are starting to hinder rather than help safety, with pilots so dependent on the technology that they fail to develop real flying skills.

Pilots also become so fixated on high-tech computer equipment that they can fail to notice hazards in clear view right outside the window, he says.

"In my opinion, most technology is no longer adding anything new in the way of meaningful advancements," Eriksen says. "Planes fly the same way they flew back when I was flying in the 1970s, '80s and '90s. And we made it work with much more reliability than they do with today's over-the-top automation."

Eriksen says he loves technology and is far from a Luddite. He understands the benefits that technology affords everyone every day and the improvements it brought to aviation.

But the rise of automation also comes with downsides, he says, and changes in attitudes and training may be in order for the aviation community. Among his suggestions for improving the situation:

•  Aviators should not get caught up in the latest high-tech fad. To increase their profits, equipment manufacturers overwhelm the marketplace with automation that, in most cases, is redundant and meaningless, not to mention just plain expensive. A flight-management system is not the same as an iPhone, Eriksen says, so tweaks and added features that exist just for the sake of creating demand for the latest, new-fangled version of the product don't cut it.

•  Pilot training needs greater focus on manual skills. Pilots essentially are becoming computer operators, with the computers often not only flying the aircraft but also making decisions for pilots, Eriksen says. That is having a direct and exponentially negative effect on basic flying skills, he says. Eriksen isn't the only one who has raised this concern. Christopher A. Hart, the acting chairman of the NTSB, said in an October speech that automation of aircraft and other transportation vehicles has contributed to decreasing professionalism, leading to accidents.

"Think of it this way," Eriksen says. "A musician must practice every day. A baseball player must practice every day. Heck, even a clown has to practice. So why do pilots get to push buttons on an auto pilot and consider that flying? That is not flying."

But those pilots can record in their log books that they flew a certain number of hours, when in reality "they got about the same amount of hands-on flying practice as the passengers," he says.

"Maybe it is time for the FAA to start to begin to differentiate between flying time and computer time," Eriksen says. "One is a serious business that can get you killed. The other is just a game that only gets serious when the computer fails, and by then it is too late to practice."

About Rick Eriksen

Rick Eriksen is one of the founders of Aviation Consulting 360 (www.askac360.com), a firm that specializes in assisting businesses with their aviation needs. He is a career aviator, entrepreneur and industry professional. Among his achievements, Eriksen created and founded Midwest Air Charter, the first single-flag carrier for the United States Federal Reserve Bank. At Midwest, he directed flight operations for 55 aircraft flying 72,000 miles daily without a single incident or accident and with a 99.75 percent on-time record. Eriksen also previously managed Northern Hemisphere flight operations for Mercedes Benz, North America and was the creator and one of the founding members of Jet Support Services Inc., known today as JSSI.

DAVENPORT–Shopping for a laptop? Now you can purchase gently used, refurbished laptops and flat-screen computer monitors online from Waste Commission of Scott County's Electronic Demanufacturing Facility, through its new Electronics Reuse Program.  

"We're proud of our new Reuse Program. It's another step in the right direction for the environment and for our community," said Kathy Morris, Director of the Commission.  

Reuse saves natural resources, extends the life of discarded electronics, and retains their value close to home.  

The Electronic Demanufacturing Facility launched its Reuse Program in January 2015 to comply with the R2:2013 (Responsible Recycling) standard for electronics recyclers. Rather than demanufacture and recycle electronics with additional useful life, the Facility now tests some items for key functions and refurbishes them for resale.  

To view or purchase electronics, visit the eBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/wastecomrecycling/. For safety reasons, all transactions occur online, and all purchased items are shipped to the buyer at no extra charge. No shopping or viewing of items for sale may take place at the Electronic Demanufacturing Facility.

Through the Reuse Program, the Facility continues to focus on data security as the highest priority. All data received is securely managed and destroyed. For hard drives that will be reused, technicians use state-of-the-art hardware and software to destroy all data found on the drive. The success of this process is then validated through a second, independent review. Finally, the data-destruction process is audited on a regular basis by a third party.

The Electronic Demanufacturing Facility holds R2:2013, ISO 14001:2004, and OHSAS 18001:2007 certifications and is a Microsoft Registered Refurbisher.

The Facility is located at 1048 East 59th St., Davenport. Hours are 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays. No appointment is necessary to drop off electronics, and there is no charge for residents of Scott and Rock Island counties.

For more information, please visit http://www.wastecom.com or call (563) 381-1300.

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Registration is now open to sign-up student teams & volunteers for the following K-12 student events.

Students in K-3 - Junior FIRST LEGO League Expo #3Junior FIRST LEGO League Teams registered with FIRST are invited to participate in 3rd Quad Cities Junior FIRST LEGO League Expo on April 11 from 12:00 - 2:00 PM at the Putnam Museum.  Each team will have space to setup their Show Me Poster and LEGO Model sharing what they have learned with attendees and a Judge Reviewer Team.  Participates on all new teams (not attended QCESC Expo in December), will receive a certificate and QCESC JrFLL Mento.   The Junior FIRST LEGO League Expo will be part of the celebration of National Robotics Week planned at the Putnam with area FIRST Teams from all four programs expected to have displays from 1:00 - 4:00 PM along with the Putnam Exhibit Alien Worlds and Androids. Link to Register Team (Free)

Students in Grades 6- 8th - Mousetrap Racecar Engineering & Design Competition April 11 Mousetrap Racecar Engineering and Design Competition is free and open to any Quad City and surrounding area middle level student (Grades 6, 7, and 8). Competing teams must include no less than three students and cannot exceed six students. Multi-age teams are certainly welcome.Link to Register Team or Volunteer (Free)

Students in Grades 9-12 - Trebuchet Egg Throw CompetitionLocal high school teams of 3-8 students design & build trebuchets to launch raw eggs at targets at three, specified distances.  In addition, the teams will give a presentation to local QCESC Engineers.  Prizes are awarded for the teams with the top three scores, team with the longest throw (current record is 286.5 feet), and team with the most innovative design.  Trebuchet is 2nd of three events for the QC Tech Challenge with traveling trophy for winning school and $1,000 scholarship for winning individual.Link To Register Team or Volunteer (Free)

Other Upcoming STEM Events which are free and open to the public:

• March 18-21 - Central Illinois FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Regional - Peoria
  38 Teams from the US and one team from Turkey will be competing to qualify for the FIRST World Championship.  The QC Elite Team #648 from the Quad Cities will be competing.  
  2nd Annual regional being hosted at Bradly University in Peoria.  The event is free and open to the public.
• Link to Volunteer
  
  March 26-28 - FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) North Super-Regional - Des Moines
  Free and open to the public, 2nd annual North FTC Super-Regional being hosted at Iowa Event Center in Des Moines.  72 teams from 11 States will competing including teams from Davenport West and Pleasant Valley High School.  20-25 Teams from the event will qualify for the FIRST World Championship April 22-25 in St. Louis
  Link to Information on Volunteering
  
  
• March 26-27 - State Science & Technology Fair of Iowa - Ames
  Free and open to pubic.  World's premier pre-collegiate science fair. The SSTFI is open to any student in the state of Iowa in grades six through twelve.   During the event nearly 500 student research projects presented by nearly 600 students are judged.  The event culminates with the Grand Award Ceremony where over $70,000 in scholarships and prizes awarded to students for their excellence in research
  Information on Volunteering
  
  
• March 30 - Iowa Statewide STEM Summit - Des Moines
  The Statewide STEM Summit is an examination and discussion of the statewide programs and task-forces underway through the Governor's STEM Advisory Council aimed at providing the best STEM possible to the preK-12 students of Iowa.
  Link for Further Information or to Pre-Register (Limited Capacity)
• April 1-5 - Midwest FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Regional  - Chicago
  54 Teams from four states (IA & IL) and two countries will be competing to qualify for the FIRST World Championship including the QC Elite team #648 from the Quad Cities.  The event is hosted at the University of Illinois Chicago.
  Link to Volunteer

For further information or questions, please contact Carl Loweth, QCESC STEM Coordinator at carl.loweth@gmail.com or via phone at 563-505-1196

Iowa Biodiesel Board supports House and Senate bills as strong energy policy

DES MOINES - The Iowa Biodiesel Board registered today in support of legislation that would raise the state's fuel tax. A provision of the legislation would give a partial exemption to the new tax for diesel blended with at least 11 percent biodiesel (B11).

The proposed tax increase (HF 351 and SF 257) is 10 cents a gallon for both diesel and gasoline as part of a plan to address Iowa's infrastructure needs. A provision provides a 3 cent exemption for biodiesel blends of B11 and above for 5 years.

The IBB, whose membership includes biodiesel producers, soybean farmers and other stakeholders, called the biodiesel nod a bold leadership move.

"This is smart policy on the part of our state leaders that will benefit the entire state, and we thank them," said Grant Kimberley, executive director of IBB. "Doing everything we can to encourage biodiesel production and usage generates significant economic activity for Iowa. Every gallon of biodiesel we use at home is one less equivalent gallon from the Middle East, and keeps money in our state."

Kimberley added that IBB members are hopeful the 5 year sunset will be extended to 10 years down the road.

Iowa biodiesel plants produced 227 million gallons in 2014, down slightly from the 2013 record of 230 million gallons. Yet the state's 10 operating biodiesel plants have an annual capacity of more than 300 million gallons, showing a lost economic opportunity for Iowa.

Moreover, encouraging the blending of biodiesel into the state's diesel supply can help Iowa meet its own renewable fuel goals, Kimberley said. According to a recent Iowa Department of Revenue report, "...the study forecasts that approximately 13 percent of Iowa's petroleum...will be replaced by biofuels in 2020, falling short of the Legislative goal of 25 percent."

Currently in Iowa, gasoline is taxed at 21 cents per gallon with ethanol blends containing at least 10 percent taxed at only 19 cents per gallon. Diesel is taxed at 22.5 cents per gallon with no incentive for biodiesel. The ethanol differential would continue.

"Unfortunately, federal legislation has proven to be unreliable for biodiesel," Kimberley said. "The states that create the most supportive environment for biodiesel will be the most successful in reaping the industry's economic benefits."

New research shows in 2014, the increase in economic activity generated by biodiesel production supported more than 4,300 full-time equivalent jobs. It contributed more than $471 million to the state's Gross Domestic Product. Other research shows biodiesel adds 74 cents a bushel to the price of soybeans, lowers soybean meal feed costs for livestock producers by $25 - $40 a ton and also adds value to livestock production.

Biodiesel is an advanced biofuel made from agricultural byproducts and co-products, such as soybean oil. The Iowa Biodiesel Board is a state trade association representing the biodiesel industry.