EDITOR ’ S BRIEFING
The tragedy that has recently taken place at Reagan National Airport in Washington , DC , underscores the urgent need to reassess policies , procedures and practices that , if left unchanged , will continue to create high-stakes conflicts in complex airspace . Despite decades of reported incidents — arguably numbering in the hundreds — Pilots and Controllers alike have raised alarms about systemic risks that remain unresolved . The unfortunate truth is that these issues are neither new nor unknown . Rather , they have been chronicled extensively in ASAP , ASRS , SMS , and internal reports ; yet , meaningful action remains elusive .
One key contributor to these ongoing risks is the separate control of UHF / military / VFR and VHF / civil / IFR frequency targets , which effectively isolates military and civil aviation operations . This division deprives both sectors of vital spatial situational awareness , making it far too easy for conflicts to arise in a highly congested airspace . Without mutual visibility and real-time awareness , the risk of midair conflicts increases exponentially .
Similarly , low-level helicopter night training operations in complex IFR ( Instrument Flight Rules ) airspace present significant hazards . Conducting VFR ( Visual Flight Rules ) training flights that cross near-to-airport arrival and departure paths , particularly with night vision goggles ( NVGs ), introduces a dangerous mix of factors . The dazzle of city lights and airport beacons only compounds the challenge of safe navigation and separation ; yet , such practices persist without sufficient safeguards .
Adding to these risks is the apparent inability of ground controllers to maintain full awareness of the targets they clear for taxi or runway entry . Poor coordination between ground and tower controllers — especially in split tower operations — has led to preventable conflicts with arriving and departing aircraft . When controllers lack visibility or effective communication channels , the likelihood of runway incursions and other hazardous situations rises sharply .
The overarching question remains : why have decades of conflict reports and safety concerns failed to drive necessary change ? We consistently speak about prioritizing safety ; yet , systemic issues remain unaddressed and preventable accidents continue to occur . The answer lies in the reluctance — or inability — to enact meaningful policy and procedural changes that would remove these conflict drivers .
To truly improve aviation safety , a fundamental shift is required . We must break down the artificial separation of military and civil air traffic communications to ensure seamless situational awareness . Risk-laden practices , such as night VFR helicopter training in IFR-dominated airspace , must be reevaluated and either mitigated or relocated to less congested environments . Ground and tower controllers must be equipped with improved surveillance and coordination tools to prevent runway conflicts .
Safety cannot be achieved through rhetoric alone — it demands decisive action . If we remove the conflict drivers inherent in outdated policies , procedures , and practices , we will improve operational efficiency and significantly reduce the number of tragedies requiring NTSB investigation . The time for change is long overdue .
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APRIL 2025 | VOLUME 32 | NUMBER 02 | ISSUE 335
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