05 NOV 2007 _______________________________________ *USAF Suspends Some F-15 Operations *Pilot exodus poses dire threat to SA - expert *Airbus, Boeing vie for Air Arabia order up to $4 bln *Airplane trolley injures two during Narita landing *What happened to the plane at CT airport? *Aviation regulator clears Dash 8 of design flaw *************************************** USAF Suspends Some F-15 Operations Suspension 'A Precautionary Measure' The Air Force suspended non-mission critical F-15 flight operations on Nov. 3 following the crash of a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C aircraft Nov. 2. The cause of that accident is still under investigation, however, preliminary findings indicate that a possible structural failure of the aircraft may have occurred. The suspension of flight operations is a precautionary measure. The Air Force will ensure mission requirements are met for worldwide operations normally accomplished by the F-15. Current F-15 flying locations include bases in the continental United States, Alaska, England, Hawaii, Japan and the Middle East. There are more than 700 F-15s in the Air Force inventory. The F-15 reached initial operational capability for the Air Force in September 1975. While the F-15 continues to serve its country well, the Air Force is replacing its aging F-15 fighters with its fifth generation of air superiority, the F-22 Raptor. The F-22 is the world's most advanced fighter aircraft combining stealth, supercruise, maneverability and integrated avionics to provide unmatched warfighting capabilities in both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The F-15 Eagle is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to permit the Air Force to gain and maintain air supremacy over the battlefield. The F-15C, D and E models were deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm where they proved their superior combat capability. F-15C fighters accounted for 34 of the 37 Air Force air-to-air victories. The F-15E's were operated mainly at night, hunting SCUD missile launchers and artillery sites using the LANTIRN system. They have since been deployed for air expeditionary force deployments and Operations Southern Watch -- the no-fly zone in Southern Iraq, Provide Comfort in Turkey, Allied Force in Bosnia, Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. FMI: www.af.mil aero-news.net *************** Pilot exodus poses dire threat to SA - expert South Africa's aviation industry is under serious threat as major international airlines have embarked on a vigorous recruitment drive to lure the most skilled and experienced pilots and aviation technicians, says the Airline Pilots Association of SA. Association president Tony Laubser said this was a "big concern" that would leave the country without adequately skilled aviation personnel. Laubser said "at least" 60 to 70 pilots will have left South Africa by February. This number could reach 1 000 in a few years. This would affect the charter flight industry, and other South African airlines. "The first batch of resignations are already going in," said Laubser. As part of its restructuring plan, SAA is planning to lay off 711 of its 11 000 staff this year by renegotiating salaries. If the plan fails, the national carrier said it would have to fire up to 2 232 employees. On SAA's restructuring and the retrenchment of pilots, Laubser said everything that has been reported was "mere speculation". "There's nothing concrete. Everything is still under negotiation. It was said that 225 pilots would be retrenched if certain savings could not be achieved. But that's speculation. "But what is of great concern to us is the number of qualified pilots leaving (not just SAA). It's a mass exodus," said Laubser. Most pilots were being lured to major airlines like Emirates, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, he said. He attributed the exodus to better working conditions overseas. Africa was experiencing an 8 percent to 10 percent growth in air traffic, projected to grow by about 9.6 percent every year. "Where are we going to get crews? Aviation accident rates in Africa are 12 times higher than the rest of the world. If accidents start to increase, what then? What impact is this going to have?" he asked. SAA spokesperson Robyn Chalmers said nine pilots had resigned in the past three months. "SAA pilots are among the best paid pilots on the international market. They also have excellent working conditions and have travel benefits which are not found elsewhere." http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=vn20071105045702 390C161620 *************** Airbus, Boeing vie for Air Arabia order up to $4 bln DUBAI (Reuters) - Boeing Co or Airbus may win an order this month worth as much as $3.95 billion from United Arab Emirates-based Air Arabia (AIRA.DU: Quote, Profile , Research), which said on Sunday it plans to buy as many as 50 planes. The Middle East's largest low-cost carrier had previously said it was looking to purchase 34 either Boeing 737 aircraft or A320s from Airbus, a unit of EADS (EADS.PA: Quote, Profile , Research). A Boeing 737-800 costs as much as $79 million at list prices, valuing a 50-plane order at $3.95 billion. An order for 50 A320s would be worth about $3.25 billion. "We are planning to purchase between 34 and 50 aircraft directly from airplane makers...in November," Air Arabia Chief Executive Officer Adel Ali told Reuters by telephone from Kuwait. He did not say why he might order more aircraft than previously stated. The three-year old carrier, set up by Sharjah, the UAE's third-largest emirate, operates a fleet of nine leased Airbus A320s. Regional airlines, such as Dubai-based Emirates and Qatar Airways, have in the past announced billion dollar plane orders at the Dubai Airshow, which starts on November 11 Air Arabia sold a 55 percent stake in the Middle East's first airline IPO in April. The $700 million it raised in the share sale will go towards helping paying for the aircraft, Air Arabia spokesman Housam Raydan said in June. The carrier plans to expand its fleet to 52 by 2016, Raydan said. http://investing.reuters.co.uk/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=tnBusinessNew s&storyID=2007-11-04T132646Z_01_L04381164_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESS-AIRARABIA-AIRCR AFT-DC.XML ****************** Airplane trolley injures two during Narita landing A food trolley aboard a Skymark Airlines plane injured two passengers as it flew loose from its stowage when the plane landed at Narita International Airport (NRT) Saturday evening, the Yomiuri Shimbun reports. The food trolley, weighing in at 44 kilograms, caused a shin fracture on one 44-year-old male passenger, while bruising another male passenger’s left shoulder when it crashed into the passengers’ seats. Official rules say the trolley must be securely fastened or stowed away at landing time, but the cabin crew aboard were quoted saying they “did not remember” whether or not proper precautions for securing the trolley had been followed or not. The Aircraft and Railroad Accidents Investigation Committee (ARAIC) is expected to hear Skymark officials on Sunday. http://www.japannewsreview.com/society/kansai/20071104page_id=2857 ****************** What happened to the plane at CT airport? An Airbus flight SA 333 from Johannesburg overshot the main runway at Cape Town International Airport on landing on Friday, causing delays at airports around the country. The airport was closed to all inbound and outgoing traffic for about two-and-a-half hours following the incident at 2.40pm. Some passengers blamed the pilot who, they claimed, had misjudged a right turn. Others speculated that the plane's front wheel had burst or malfunctioned, causing it to veer off the runway. Springbok rugby player Bobby Skinstad and property tycoon Pam Golding were both aboard the flight. No injuries were reported but the Airbus blocked the airport's only two runways, causing a knock-on effect of delays around the country and further afield. Among those affected were 1 380 Irish builders flying to Cape Town with the Niall Mellon Township Trust for a week-long house-building blitz in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain. They were due to arrive on Friday night. Tony Greenwood, the general manager of Nashua, said the Airbus had landed and been taxiing down the runway when the pilot had tried to make a right turn. "She misjudged it and drove straight off the end of the runway. The front wheel sank at least a metre into the sand. The engines were about a foot off the sand." He joked that it was the first time he'd been flown by a woman pilot. "And she lands up running the plane off the tarmac." Greenwood said passengers had watched the entire scenario unfold from a camera on the front of the plane. "There was one very frightened young lady but the rest of us were having a giggle." Golding said the pilot had been extremely professional. "She told everyone to keep calm and not move and that we would all be evacuated." She said passengers only realised something was wrong when they felt a "slight bump". "It was only frightening when I saw the fire engines coming towards us but I'm absolutely fine and it is good to be home." The passengers were able to disembark normally via stairs. Speaking from OR Tambo Saturday Star news editor Ray Joseph, who was waiting for a flight to Cape Town, described the situation as "total chaos". "They're running out of food. They're running out of water. People are just lying around everywhere. "No one is saying anything. They just keep announcing that flights are being delayed because of technical problems," Joseph said. A chaotic scene was also unfolding at the terminals in Cape Town International airport, where hundreds of passengers were making cellphone calls, or sitting hopelessly on their luggage. Others struck up conversations with fellow passengers in an attempt to lessen the boredom. Airport officials tried to keep people updated on developments over the public address system and through loudhailers. Springbok rugby players Schalk Burger and Jean de Villiers, who were supposed to be on their way to Durban, passed the time restaurant-hopping. Mxolisi Sokatsha of Kimberley said the delay was costing him time and money. "I have to go to Kimberley, because I must leave for a business meeting in Upington tomorrow. I'm quite nervous when I think of how long we could be spending here." SAA spokesperson Robyn Chalmers said the 300 passengers on board suffered no injuries and disembarked safely. She said the flight SA333, operated by an Airbus A340-600, from Johannesburg had landed safely at Cape Town airport at approximately 2.41pm. "However, an attempt to turn the aircraft sharply to the right as directed by air traffic control authorities led to its front wheel slipping off the side of the cross runway. The aircraft's nose, or front wheel, was buried in the soft sand off the runway and technicians worked swiftly to dig it out and pulled the aircraft backwards." Chalmers said aircraft had been taxiing at a very low speed on the runway after landing when the incident occurred. The aircraft had been taken to the airline's technical hangars for damage assessment. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20071103083 326748C333597 **************** Aviation regulator clears Dash 8 of design flaw Cologne, Germany - European Union aviation regulators said Monday they had found no evidence of a design flaw in the Dash 8 turboprop passenger aircraft. Scandinavian airline SAS Group decided last month to completely stop using its fleet of 27 Dash 8 planes, also known as the Q400 and made by Bombardier of Canada, after their landing gear collapsed three times. But the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which has its offices in the western German city of Cologne, said there was no proof this had been caused by any error of the manufacturer. An EASA spokesman said the decision by Denmark, Sweden and Norway to cease use of the Dash 8 had created an "unsatisfactory situation" where three nations were temporarily out of line with the rest of the 31 EASA member nations. The Scandinavian nations acted last month after an outcry in the media and among politicians over the crash landings, in which one wingtip fell onto the runway and passengers and crew were shaken but not seriously hurt. Preliminary reports from the first two such incidents in September said the accidents were believed to have been caused by corrosion of a bolt that secures the landing gear in a hydraulic cylinder. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/136536.html ******************* Curt Lewis, PE, CSP WEB: www.fsinfo.org