25 OCT 2007 _______________________________________ *NTSB Publishes Safety Recommendations For UAVs, Gulf Coast Helos *IGRUA, Canada's CAE to sign agreement to train pilots in India *Kenya: Aviation Regulator Issues Alert On Safety Standards *Ahead of the Bell: Aging Aircraft *Feds: Man Tried To Take Gun On Airplane *************************************** NTSB Publishes Safety Recommendations For UAVs, Gulf Coast Helos Advises FAA Require Emergency Transponder Power On UAVs; Life Rafts On Offshore Helicopters One week after publishing its first-ever Probable Cause report on the downing of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV,) on Wednesday the National Transportation Safety Board published a long list of recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration for the continued safe operations of UAVs in national airspace. The NTSB recommends the FAA: Require that unmanned aircraft transponders provide beacon code and altitude information to air traffic control and to aircraft equipped with traffic collision avoidance systems at all times while airborne by ensuring that the transponder is powered via the emergency or battery bus. (A-07-65) Require that all conversations, including telephone conversations, between unmanned aircraft (UA) pilots and air traffic control, other UA pilots, and other assets that provide operational support to unmanned aircraft system operations, be recorded and retained in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration Orders 7210.3 and 8020.11. (A-07-66) Require periodic operational reviews between the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operations teams and local air traffic control facilities, with specific emphasis on face-to-face coordination between working-level controllers and unmanned aircraft pilot(s), to clearly define responsibilities and actions required for standard and nonstandard UAS operations. These operational reviews should include, but not be limited to, discussion on lost-link profiles and procedures, the potential for unique emergency situations and methods to mitigate them, platform-specific aircraft characteristics, and airspace management procedures. (A-07-67) Require that established procedures for handling piloted aircraft emergencies be applied to unmanned aircraft systems. (A-07-68) Require that all unmanned aircraft system operators report to the Federal Aviation Administration, in writing within 30 days of occurrence, all incidents and malfunctions that affect safety; require that operators are analyzing these data in an effort to improve safety; and evaluate these data to determine whether programs and procedures, including those under air traffic control, remain effective in mitigating safety risks. (A-07-69) In response to a number of helicopter accidents over the past several years in the Gulf Coast oil-patch region, the NTSB also recommended Wednesday the FAA: Require that all existing and new turbine-powered helicopters operating in the Gulf of Mexico and certificated with five or more seats be equipped with externally mounted life rafts large enough to accommodate all occupants. (A-07-87) Require that all offshore helicopter operators in the Gulf of Mexico provide their flight crews with personal flotation devices equipped with a waterproof, globalpositioning- system-enabled 406 megahertz personal locator beacon, as well as one other signaling device, such as a signaling mirror or a strobe light. (A-07-88) aero-news.net *************** IGRUA, Canada's CAE to sign agreement to train pilots in India New Delhi (PTI): Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udaan Academy (IGRUA) will soon tie up with a foreign institution to train pilots expeditiously to steer the burgeoning air traffic. Uttar Pradesh-based IGRUA would enter into a contract with Canada-based firm - CAE to train pilots and the proposal is awaiting the nod of the Union Cabinet, Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla told reporters here. Once approved, it would be a ten-year expertise contract with the CAE, which has promised to churn out 100 pilots per annum to begin with, and subsequently, the training capacity would be enhanced to 200 pilots every year in three years' time at the government-run flying school, he said. The CAE would bring in full-flight simulators and flying training operations with them, he said. The IGRUA presently trains only forty pilots a year. Inaugurating a pilot training school here, Chawla stressed the need for pilot and engineering training, saying qualified and skilled pilots are the need of the hour. "The government's open sky policy has given an entirely new paradigm to civil aviation operations. I agree that all stakeholders, including the government, cannot keep pace with the developments", Chawla said, adding that the government was taking "reasonably feverish" steps now to go into the demands of the sector. Chawla said a new flying school would be opened in Maharashtra and an on-demand online testing facility for aspiring pilots may also be introduced. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200710241755.htm *************** Kenya: Aviation Regulator Issues Alert On Safety Standards Business Daily (Nairobi) Kenya Civil Aviation Authority has warned that its ability to sustain the six per cent growth in traffic volumes realised last year depends on the adoption of efficiency and air safety standards it proposed early this year. The proposals include a demand that commercial airlines comply with new regulation and air navigation fees by March next year. Chris Kuto, the KCAA director general, says the new standards would help boost safety standards and enable airports meet international standards on air safety. KCAA also wants to increase operation charges based on frequency of use of its navigational equipment, the distance covered by aircraft and their weight. This move is, however, facing stiff resistance from airlines who insist it will erode their competitiveness in the highly volatile aviation market. KCAA, however, maintains that the new charges would enable it to recover full costs of installing modern technology at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and cut down on current losses. Mr Kuto said the agency further plans to tighten its audit and supervisory roles that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has described as below standard. KCAA hopes to acquire the coveted Category One status in the next 12 months allowing direct flights to major airports in the United States. The Ministry of Transport is expected to publish the recommendations, allowing KCAA to introduce the new charges. Last month, Africa was put on notice over its poor air safety record despite controlling only a tiny fraction (3 per cent) of global aircraft movements. JKIA is Africa's third busiest airport, making the local aviation industry most superior in the region. ICAO says that though Africa's aviation industry is small, it is the world's fastest-growing and needs an action plan to cope with the dynamics. "We need capacity to regulate the industry in line with the changes," said Mr Kuto. KCAA plans to increase the fees by an average 90 per cent besides introducing a safety and security charge of $2 for every international passenger leaving the country. Passengers on domestic flights will pay Sh50 per ticket of departure while departing cargo will attract a safety fee of $1 per tonne. The authority also wants to change the method of levying airlines for navigation services to incorporate the weight of the aircraft and the distance covered. "Given the nature of traffic using Kenya's airspace that is characterised by huge differences in the weights of aircraft and distance covered in the Flight Information Region (FIR), it would be appropriate to use a method that combines both the elements for the charges," the report published in March says. The authority says in the financial year 2006/07 it sank Sh291 million towards service provision but is likely to earn just Sh87 million from fees charged players - a position that leaves it with a huge deficit. Under a World Bank-funded project, a French company, Aegis, has supplied 11 internationally accredited inspectors to KCAA under a three-year contract. In the recent past , two airlines - Marsaland and Delta - flying the Nairobi-Southern Sudan route, entered the local market. Their entry has increased competition on this route which was mainly served by charter planes from Wilson Aiport. The Southern Sudan route, just like the South East Asian route, caters for the business fraternity in search of opportunities in the region. http://allafrica.com/stories/200710250058.html *************** Ahead of the Bell: Aging Aircraft WASHINGTON - Senior Air Force officials on Wednesday will brief lawmakers on the status of a disputed $15 billion helicopter deal awarded to Boeing Co. and a $40 billion tanker deal coveted by Northrop Grumman Corp. Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley will testify before the House Armed Services committee at 9 a.m. EDT on future procurement priorities, aging air and space inventories and restrictions imposed by Congress to retire aircraft. The Air Force has been seeking to retire all of its Cold War aircraft that it can no longer safely operate, including Lockheed Martin Corp.'s C-130E and C-5A cargo planes. But it has faced strong opposition by U.S. lawmakers because of the potential loss of thousands of jobs. "The Air Force has its back to the wall," said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute in Virginia. "So much of its fleet is approaching retirement and if it doesn't cut costs then it's not going to get what its needs" for the future. The Air Force predicts it could save nearly $2 billion a year by retiring old aircraft. Also likely to draw the attention of lawmakers are cost overruns on Lockheed Martin's C-5 military transport plane. The Air Force has threatened to terminate the multibillion-dollar program if costs exceed initial estimates. Separately, Congress will want an update on a $40 billion aerial refueling program being pursued by both Northrop Grumman and Boeing. The deal, which is expected to be awarded by the end of this year, could slip even further because of the holidays, according to the Air Force. The Air Force has previously said it will wait to award the tanker contract before it takes any further steps on the disputed helicopter deal that Boeing, Lockheed Martin and United Technologies unit Sikorsky Aircraft are seeking to win. Both Lockheed and Sikorsky have protested the Air Force's decision twice since the deal was awarded to Boeing last fall. Since then, the contract has been on hold. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8SFHMP00.htm *************** Feds: Man Tried To Take Gun On Airplane 61-Year-Old Released On $50,000 Bond CAMDEN, N.J. -- A Central Florida man attempted to board an Orlando-bound plane with a loaded gun at Atlantic City International Airport, according to federal prosecutors. Airport screeners said they spotted the .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol in Paul Colella's carry-on. The 61-year-old attempted to board Spirit Airlines Flight 127 for Orlando on Tuesday. Authorities said the Celebration resident told police that he drove to New Jersey with the gun and put it in his bag. Colella was released on $50,000 bond after being charged with attempting to board an aircraft with a loaded firearm. http://www.local6.com/news/14411627/detail.html ******************* Curt Lewis, PE, CSP WEB: www.fsinfo.org