27 NOV 2007 _______________________________________ *Virgin Atlantic Pilot Cleared On Drinking Charges *All 4 on Board Dead in Minn. Plane Crash *FAA: Airline safety management systems not quite ready for prime time *Airbus Sells $15 Billion In Jets To China *American Airlines executive to head Virgin America *FAA Grants 60-Day Extension To ADS-B Comment Period *************************************** Virgin Atlantic Pilot Cleared On Drinking Charges Tested Under The Legal Limit A 42-year-old pilot for Virgin Atlantic arrested last month on suspicion of being over the legal alcohol limit will not be charged with the offense, the airline told The Associated Press on Friday. The relief pilot was on a flight to Miami, and was arrested at Heathrow airport shortly before the flight was due to leave, as reported by ANN. The unnamed pilot, "was under the legal alcohol limit for aviation workers as set out in the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 and, therefore, as no offense was committed, no charges will be brought," according to Virgin Atlantic. "The pilot is now expected to resume his duties at the airline." FMI: www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/index.jsp aero-news.net ************** All 4 on Board Dead in Minn. Plane Crash FARIBAULT, Minn. (AP) — A small airplane was making its second attempt to land at a small airport when it turned upside down and crashed, killing all four people on board, authorities said Monday. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said the airplane had left Aberdeen, S.D., Sunday bound for Faribault, where it crashed. Investigators were attempting to find out why it was making a second try to land at the Faribault Municipal Airport and what made it crash instead, she said. The four-seat plane burst into flames and scattered debris across the airfield when it crashed just off the runway. "There's very little left," Faribault Police Chief Dan Collins said Sunday. Wind was gusting above 20 mph, but it hadn't been determined if that contributed to the crash, he said. FAA investigators arrived on the scene late Sunday, Cory said. The National Transportation Safety Board's own investigator arrived Monday morning, said a spokeswoman for that agency. The Cirrus SR22 plane was registered to Mayo Aviation in Aberdeen, S.D. There was no phone listing for a Mayo Aviation in Aberdeen. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester said it was not related to the famed hospital. A person answering the phone at a Colorado-based company called Mayo Aviation said it also had no connection to the South Dakota company. A spokesman for the plane's manufacturer, Cirrus Design Corp. of Duluth, declined to comment while the investigation continues. Since 2002, the SR22 has been involved in 17 accidents resulting in 35 deaths, according to the NTSB. Faribault is a town of 21,000 some 50 miles south of Minneapolis. ************** FAA: Airline safety management systems not quite ready for prime time An international call for airlines to have safety management systems in place by January 2009 will probably not be met in the USA as the Federal Aviation Administration and other stakeholders attempt to perfect how the tools are used in practice. The agency this week is holding a safety conference largely to gather lessons learned and best practices from the international aviation community to further its effort to define standards for proactive safety programmes that help airlines identify hazards, mitigate risks and monitor how well intervention strategies are working. The International Civil Aviation Organisation in 2004 and 2006 published standards and recommendations for implementing safety management systems at airports and air traffic control organisations, respectively, and plans to do the same for member nation airlines in January 2009, says Tony Ferrante, director of the FAA's air traffic safety oversight service. Ferrante says the FAA's internal safety management system for its air traffic organisation, the most mature safety management system programme within the agency, started in 2005 and will be "fully implemented" in 2010. Jay Pardee, head of the FAA's Aviation Safety Analytical Unit, says officials have tested the safety management system concept as part of six projects, including construction of tall towers, the design of a required navigation performance approach into Washington Reagan National airport and a departure procedure for Las Vegas airport. The FAA recently launched pilot safety management system programmes at six US airlines in an attempt to advance information published as part of an advisory circular on the topic in June 2006. Pardee says the tests, designed to provide information on how safety management systems can be applied to both "large complex" carriers and small operators, will possibly last for one year, after which the agency could update the advisory circular or propose a rule. "We're fine tuning," he says, "though it's in a pretty mature state right now." Lessons learned from the international community aired at this week's conference, he adds, will be used to "figure out how to deploy safety management systems." More immediate pressure for action on safety management systems is coming from the National Transportation Safety Board, which called for the FAA to mandate them at all Part 121 airlines in the aftermath of the 2004 Pinnacle Airlines Bombardier CRJ accident in Jefferson City, Missouri. The crash killed both pilots on the repositioning flight, but no-one on the ground. Although the NTSB blamed the pilots' unprofessional behaviour, failure to follow standard operating procedures and other factors for the crash, officials highlighted the broader problem of airlines not having insight into an eroding safety culture within the ranks. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/11/26/219850/faa-airline-safety-management-systems-not-quite-ready-for-prime.html *************** Airbus Sells $15 Billion In Jets To China Deal Salvaged Following "A Dinner, A Meeting And A Lunch" China continues to prove highly lucrative for Airbus. On Monday, the European planemaker announced it signed contracts with the Chinese government for 160 airliners, valued at roughly $15 billion at list prices. The deal includes 110 orders for A320 Family narrowbody airliners, and 50 A330 widebodies, according to media reports. The deal was signed in Beijing, during the first state visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The deal was far from done just hours ago, however. Reuters reports China had decided to purchase just 30 aircraft... and the 160-plane deal was salvaged only after a series of high-level political talks. French officials say Sarkozy was concerned that low order tally would be seen as a flop -- since his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was able to secure a 150-plane order. Hence, the last minute wrangling. "A dinner, a meeting and a lunch," was how on official close to Sarkozy described the process. As a result, Sarkozy may return to France with the largest-ever order for planes from China. As ANN reported, Airbus began work earlier this year on a Chinese A320 plant, ahead of expected significant orders from the region for the popular single-aisle plane. The new plant, located in Tianjian, is expected to build its first A320 in 2009, reports The Associated Press, with expected output of 300 planes per year by 2016. Both Airbus and rival Boeing predict China will become the second largest market for aircraft in the world, with anywhere from 1,900 to 2,600 planes ordered over the next 20 years. Louis Gallois, CEO of Airbus parent-company EADS, told reporters he was unsure of the exact value of the new orders -- saying "he had not calculated it." In any case, the deal is a shot in the arm for Airbus... which is currently stymied financially by the weak performance of the US dollar against the euro, and recently-announced delays to the A400M military transport turboprop program. FMI: www.airbus.com aero-news.net ************** American Airlines executive to head Virgin America A senior American Airlines Inc. executive has been named as chief executive officer of Virgin America Inc., the smaller airline announced Monday. C. David Cush, American’s senior vice president of global sales, will replace Fred Reid, who must leave the carrier. The announcement came from Donald J. Carty, Virgin America’s chairman and the former chairman and chief executive officer of American before his 2003 departure. “David's extensive industry experience, business acumen and creativity are the perfect attributes for leading the company as it continues to grow from a promising start-up to a major carrier,” Mr. Carty said in Monday’s announcement. “Fred's experience and unique vision have shaped this airline's success from day one and he will be missed,” Mr. Carty said. “Both Fred and I have worked with David during our careers and we are confident he is the right person to lead Virgin America going forward.” The U.S. Department of Transportation authorized Virgin America earlier this year to begin service, but ordered Mr. Reid, who helped found the San Francisco-based carrier, to leave by November. It later extended his departure to February. The department ruled that Mr. Reid was too closely tied with foreign investors and that he had to leave the airline to avoid control of a U.S. airline by foreign interests. Mr. Cush, who originally joined American in 1986, had served in his current job since March 2006, and had held a variety of other positions, including vice president and general sales manager, vice president of American’s St. Louis hub, vice president of international planning and alliances and managing director of international planning. He left American to work as chief operating officer for Aerolineas Argentinas from November 1998 to March 2000 before turning to American. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Southern Methodist University. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/112707dnbuscush.3fd4c0f9.html ************* FAA Grants 60-Day Extension To ADS-B Comment Period Industry Still Studying Radical Changes In ATC Heeding the aviation industry's call, the FAA is allowing more time to weigh in on its ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) proposal, reports the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. In its petition for the 60-day extension, AOPA said there were questions regarding the financial feasibility for general aviation as the FAA shifts to a satellite-based navigation and air traffic control system. Also, AOPA wanted to make sure that the proposal would improve ATC services at GA airports while enhancing safety. "While the transition from today's radar to ADS-B will take more than 13 years, it is important for the FAA to get it right," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "At the current cost of $8,000 to $10,000 per aircraft for ADS-B equipment, it is a lot of money to spend for the same access and services we now have with a transponder." Several other industry groups weighed in, as well... convincing the FAA it was wise to move the comment deadline to March 3, 2008. The FAA estimates aircraft owners will invest between $1.27 billion and $7.46 billion in avionics equipment. While ADS-B offers a lot of potential benefits, Congress is already skeptical about the FAA's ability to keep tabs on the new ADS-B contractor. As ANN reported, on August 30 the FAA awarded a contract to ITT Corp. to build and operate the ADS-B ground infrastructure and supply aircraft position data to the FAA. One month later, the FAA issued the proposed rules that would require all aircraft to add ADS-B equipment by 2020 to be able to fly within Class B and C airspace and above 10,000 feet. FMI: www.itt.com, www.faa.gov aero-news.net **************