24 OCT 2007 _______________________________________ *President Bush Nominates Bobby Sturgell As Next FAA Administrator *Boeing Speeds Jet Output as Record Sales Lift Profit *Airlines engineer crushed to death at airport (India) *Background checks delay new hires at Sea-Tac Airport *EU and India Strengthen Cooperation in Aviation Safety *NASA criticized over secret safety data *FAA Questions Validity Of NASA Pilot Survey *Japan Assigns Safety Measure Officers To Foreign Airlines *FAA head critical of LAX safety, says runways too close *Air India flight makes emergency landing *************************************** President Bush Nominates Bobby Sturgell As Next FAA Administrator DOT's Peters Applauds Move ANN REALTIME REPORTING 10.23.07 1400 EDT: When searching for a replacement for former FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, President George W. Bush didn't look very far. On Tuesday, the President nominated Bobby Sturgell, currently the Acting FAA Administrator and previously Blakey's deputy, to take on the job full-time. The action was met with a quick response from US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, who applauded Sturgell's nomination. "As a former fighter pilot with over three decades of aviation experience, Bobby Sturgell has worked tirelessly as Deputy FAA Administrator to fight congestion and modernize our aviation system while preserving the safest period in aviation on record," Peters said. "I urge the Senate to swiftly consider Bobby’s nomination and confirm him to a full five-year term." According to his FAA biography, Sturgell was sworn in as the 12th Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration on March 24, 2003. In support of the Administrator, Sturgell oversaw the agency's day-to-day operations, capital programs and modernization efforts. Sturgell previously served former Administrator Blakey at the FAA as her senior counsel. He held the position of senior policy advisor at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), where he served as the Chairman's primary advisor and coordinator on the NTSB's recommendations, policy programs and other safety initiatives. Prior to joining the NTSB, Sturgell was a flight operations supervisor and line pilot for United Airlines, flying the B-757 and B-767 in both domestic and international operations. Sturgell is also an attorney and has practiced aviation law at the Washington, DC law firm Shaw Pittman. A former naval aviator, Sturgell was an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (Topgun) and flew the F-14, F-18, F-16 and A-4 aircraft. Now a Commander in the US Naval Reserves (Retired), Sturgell is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and the University of Virginia School of Law. FMI: www.faa.gov aero-news.net ************** Boeing Speeds Jet Output as Record Sales Lift Profit Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co., the world's second- biggest commercial-airplane maker, rolled more jetliners out the factory door in the third quarter than it did a year earlier as Chief Executive Officer James McNerney hired more machinists and engineers to meet demand. McNerney, 58, is ramping up assembly lines 12 percent this year as he works through a record backlog of more than $200 billion in orders, mainly from Asian and Middle Eastern airlines. Deliveries rose to 109 jetliners last quarter from 100 a year earlier, putting Boeing closer to eclipsing Airbus SAS as the biggest planemaker. Boeing forecasts deliveries may rise to as many as 520 planes next year, even with delays that have pushed back the first delivery of its Dreamliner 787, which is 20 percent more fuel-efficient than the 767 it will eventually replace, by six months. ``The mix of delivered models is good -- better than we expected it to be,'' said JB Groh, an aerospace analyst at D.A. Davidson & Co. in Lake Oswego, Oregon. ``And the orders haven't shown much evidence of cooling down.'' He has a ``neutral'' rating on the shares. Chicago-based Boeing may report tomorrow that third-quarter sales rose by 8.3 percent to $16 billion, the average estimate of 12 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Net income may have climbed 39 percent to $963 million, or $1.25 a share, from $694 million, or 89 cents, a year earlier, when Boeing spent money to close its in-flight Internet service. McNerney declined to comment on third-quarter results, spokesman Tim Neale said. Dreamliner Delay Boeing shares fell 65 cents to $94.28 at 11:14 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. They had dropped 0.95 percent since Sept. 5, when the company said the Dreamliner's first flight would be delayed. On Oct. 10, Boeing delayed the test flight again and postponed delivery to between November and December of next year. Boeing had gained 6.9 percent this year before today, compared with a 6.2 percent increase in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., parent of Toulouse, France-based Airbus, had fallen 8.5 percent, hurt by a two-year delay of its jumbo A380 because of wiring and production problems. Boeing forecasts commercial shipments this year will total 440 to 445 planes, up from 398 last year. Through the end of the third quarter, Boeing deliveries were up 12 percent to 329 planes from 295, led by 81 of its 737 models. McNerney last quarter hired 1,178 employees for its commercial aircraft unit and sped up assembly to deliver 20 Boeing 777s in the quarter, seven more than a year ago. The company piled up orders for 919 planes as of Oct. 16, closing in on the record 1,044 set last year. Faster Assembly Assembly time for 737s, the world's most widely used airplane, has been cut in half to 11 days since Boeing set up a moving line in 1997. Boeing, which also is converting 777 production to a moving assembly line, is churning out 777s at a peak rate of seven a month. McNerney spent more on development last quarter as he strived to meet a May delivery deadline for the 787 Dreamliner. Airbus's competing A350 XWB, which like the 787 uses light weight carbon-fiber composites instead of aluminum, will enter service in 2013, five years after the Dreamliner. Analysts said research and development spending will keep rising, with the target now pushed back to November or December 2008 because of parts shortages. ``We believe they will raise it for 2008 from the current $2.8 to $3 billion,'' said Citigroup aerospace analyst George Shapiro in New York. He has a ``sell'' rating on Boeing shares. Revenue Sources Boeing last year derived 46 percent of its $61.5 billion in revenue from commercial aircraft and about 53 percent from its defense unit, which makes fighters and cargo jets. Defense sales will fall to about $31 billion this year from $32 billion in 2006, Boeing says. The company, the world's second-biggest defense contractor after Lockheed Martin Corp., is looking to generate foreign sales of F-15s and other fighters as the U.S. curbs spending on large aircraft programs to focus on needs of ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Boeing last week replaced 787 manager Michael Bair, 51, who had been with the program from its inception three years ago, with 45-year-old Pat Shanahan, who most recently led Boeing's missile-defense programs. The 787 is Boeing's most successful new aircraft in advance sales, with 710 orders valued at about $120 billion. The planemaker is struggling to finish work that suppliers should have completed at their plants. About 50 percent of the Dreamliner's weight will come from composites, making it the first airliner of its kind. The lighter material increases fuel efficiency. The 787 is also Boeing's first attempt at a new production process in which suppliers deliver fully completed wing and fuselage parts that will ultimately be assembled in three days at a plant in Everett, Washington. ``A six-month delay isn't going to mean spit over the long term,'' said Matthew Spahn, an analyst at TCW Group in New York, which owns about 1.3 million Boeing shares. ``What's important is the company getting that production line to work like a metronome.'' http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=ai5sBo51W3xo&refer=home **************** Airlines engineer crushed to death at airport (India) New Delhi: A 25-year-old woman engineer who worked with Air Deccan was found dead under mysterious circumstances after being mowed down by a heavy vehicle near the taxiway at the domestic airport here, police said on Tuesday. Sanskriti Siena, a graduate in aeronautical engineering from Patna, was run over by a heavy vehicle while she was moving towards the hangar area to attend to some engineering requirements at an aircraft late on Monday, a police official said. Her head was completely crushed. "Her postmortem report has revealed that she was crushed under a heavy vehicle as there were wheels marks on her head," the official said. "Through the help of forensic experts we are trying to identify the make of the vehicle. We are manually checking all vehicles operating inside the domestic airport," the official said, adding that airport staff was also being questioned. Airport officials said that at around 10 pm on Monday, a pilot of Spice Jet airlines, who was readying for take-off, informed the Air Traffic Control that there was something suspicious lying on the taxiway and should be dealt with immediately. The airport manager found Sanskriti's body at around 10:30 pm and informed the police, who are not ruling out foul play. "We have registered a case of hit and run and destruction of evidence against unknown people. We are not ruling out the possibility of murder," a police official said. However, airline officials have washed their hands of the tragic incident. Taufiq Mohammed, chief security officer of Air Deccan, said: "We don't know about the cause of (Sanskriti's) death but have set up a team to probe the matter. The police are also investigating the matter. We are providing all assistance to the police and can't say anything more now." http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14547847 **************** Background checks delay new hires at Sea-Tac Airport SEATAC (AP) — About 400 people hired this month for jobs at Sea-Tac Airport can't start work until the Transportation Security Administration completes new background checks. Workers hired for cargo and baggage handling as well as restaurants in secure areas need to pass a regular criminal background check plus a new terrorism database search. Sea-Tac's chief of security, Wendy Reiter, says airport vendors and contractors are running short of employees. A manager for Menzies Aviation, which handles baggage for Alaska Airlines, Melissa Steen, says the staffing problem is having quite an effect. A TSA spokeswoman, Ellen Howe, says the new process takes time but the agency won't back down on vetting people. The new background check also applies to about 16,000 existing Sea-Tac workers. ***************** EU and India Strengthen Cooperation in Aviation Safety - Indian Civil Aviation Minister Visits EASA European Aviation Safety Agency Mr. Praful Patel, India’s Minister for Civil Aviation, visited the European Aviation Safety Agency in Cologne today to discuss areas of cooperation in civil aviation safety. The visit, hosted by Patrick Goudou, Executive Director of the Agency, was organized as a follow-up to the successful first EU-India Aviation Summit held in New Delhi in November 2006. Technical cooperation between India and the EU includes in particular the exchange of experts in areas such as maintenance and the development of Safety Management Systems. "India is an important partner of the EU and I am happy that this cooperation is extending to the area of aviation safety”, said Patrick Goudou, “this will be of mutual benefit to both the EU and India”. http://www.amtonline.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=4609 *************** NASA criticized over secret safety data Criticism is mounting of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) decision not to release results of an aviation safety survey the Associated Press says the agency conducted. The AP reports NASA ordered the contractor who performed the poll to destroy all related data, and says a senior NASA official believes releasing the findings could hurt public confidence in the airlines, damaging carrier profits. In calling on Congress to determine just what's going on here, the International Airline Passengers' Association is adamant: “Keeping important safety information secret will undermine the public's confidence in the aviation system,” asserts Nancy McKinley, director of consumer and industry affairs. Echoing McKinley's concern, Business Travel Coalition Chairman Kevin Mitchell says, “the information could be vitally important and actionable in the hands of the FAA and the airline industry.” He says it's, “wrong…to keep such information secret, especially given that the project was funded with $8.5 million [in] taxpayer money.” The fallout from AP's blockbuster story is just beginning to be felt. Cheapflights will keep you posted as to what comes next. http://news.cheapflights.com/airlines/2007/10/nasa-criticized.html **************** FAA Questions Validity Of NASA Pilot Survey FAA officials say they have not seen any results from a controversial safety survey conducted by NASA, but they question whether useful conclusions can be drawn from the data. Several media outlets reported Monday that a pilot survey conducted by NASA indicated that safety issues, such as runway incursions, operational errors and equipment failures, are more prevalent than FAA statistics suggest. The NASA study was apparently cut short more than a year ago, and the agency would not release its findings. According to FAA officials, the NASA survey was a one-off research project, and FAA "had some questions" as early as 2004 about its methodology, and whether the survey data would be useable. The way the survey was conducted would make it hard to assess incident dates, and determine whether there were duplicate reports, FAA believes. Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell noted FAA already collects safety data from pilots through existing reporting programs. In a statement released yesterday, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin said he believes "NASA research and data should be widely available and subject to review and scrutiny." Griffin is reviewing the Freedom of Information Act to "determine what, if any, of this information may legally be made public." http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aviationdai ly&id=news/NASA10237.xml&headline=FAA%20Questions%20Validity%20Of%20NASA%20P ilot%20Survey ***************** Japan Assigns Safety Measure Officers To Foreign Airlines Tokyo, Japan (AHN) - Following a near air disaster on Saturday due to unauthorized landing of an Air Canada passenger plan at Japan's Kansai International Airport close to Osaka, the country's Transport Ministry announced Sunday the assignment of safety measure officers for foreign airlines. It was not only the Kansai incident that triggered the move, but previous air mishaps involving budget Asian air carriers landing in Japan's airports. Air Canada's Flight 36, despite an order from the air traffic controller to hold its position, nevertheless landed, using the runway intended for Japan Airlines Flight 767 from Okinawa. The two carriers were Boeing 767s, Air Canada had 216 aboard, JAL had 243 passengers and crew. On August a China Airlines Boeing 737 exploded at Naha Airport in Okinawa. Safety measure officers from Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau will gather information on non-Japanese carriers and liaise with aviation safety officers of other countries. The Transport Ministry said foreign airlines flying to Japan had gone up the past five years to 580 flights per week. Three hundred eighty are by Asian airlines that have expanded operations to cover smaller airports in the country. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7008918810 ***************** FAA head critical of LAX safety, says runways too close LOS ANGELES (AP) —The head of the Federal Aviation Administration says the two north runways at Los Angeles International Airport must be moved farther apart to reduce the danger of ground collisions. Acting FAA administrator Bobby Sturgell says the runaways on the north side of LAX are too close together and he thinks "the geometry is flawed and has to be fixed." Proposals to move the outer northern runway closer to homes in Westchester has been a contentious issue because it would bring more jet noise and pollution to neighborhoods. There have been a string of jetliner runway incursions in recent years as planes using the outer LAX runway cross the inner runway to reach passenger terminals. http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7258414 ****************** Air India flight makes emergency landing New Delhi (PTI): A Tokyo-bound Air India plane with about 100 people on board landed here on Tuesday in an emergency condition after it developed some hydraulic problems, but no one was injured. "All passengers are safe," Air India officials said. The flight from Mumbai developed some hydraulic problems following which the pilot made an emergency landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 5 pm, they said. The flight had a scheduled stop-over at Delhi, they said, adding the engineers will decide whether the same flight will continue its journey towards Tokyo after necessary maintenance. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200710231961.htm ******************* Curt Lewis, PE, CSP WEB: www.fsinfo.org