18 DEC 2007 _______________________________________ *US Navy Grounds One-Quarter Of P-3C Fleet Over Structural Concerns *New US law may worsen Indian pilot shortage *The Need for Safety Management Systems *N.J. man ordered to write check for grounding OIA flight *Turkish suspends carriers in crackdown after MD-83 crash *************************************** US Navy Grounds One-Quarter Of P-3C Fleet Over Structural Concerns 39 Orions Affected, May Be Down For Two Years Nearly one-quarter of the Navy's fleet of P-3C Orion survelliance aircraft were grounded Monday, over concerns about the aging aircrafts' structures. The affected aircraft -- 39 out of 161 Orions in service -- may be down for as long as two years for repairs. "Program officials determined that these aircraft are beyond known structural limits on the lower section of the P-3 wing," said a release by Naval Air Systems Command. Spokesman John Milliman told Reuters no actual incidents with Orions have been reported. "This is data-driven," he said. The Navy began analyzing potential issues with the 1960s-vintage turboprops in December 2004, to anticipate potential risks. Modifications and repairs to the affected planes are expected to take between 18-24 months. Initially developed as a long-legged maritime patrol aircraft, in recent years Orions have also seen service over Iraq and Afghanistan. The Orion fleet is scheduled to be replaced by 108 Boeing 737-based P-8As starting in 2013, though the Navy plans to continue flying Orions until 2019. Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the P-3, said its full resources are available to the Navy to rectify the matter. "As the original equipment manufacturer, we are uniquely qualified to offer our assistance," said Thomas Jurkowsky, a company spokesman. "Besides the Navy, nobody knows this airplane better than Lockheed Martin." This is the second structural fatigue issue identified among US military aircraft in as many months. As ANN reported, the bulk of the US Air Force F-15C fleet remains grounded for inspection following the November 2 loss of a Missouri Air Guard Eagle, caused by the structural failure of fuselage longerons. FMI: www.navy.mil, www.lockheedmartin.com aero-news.net *************** New US law may worsen Indian pilot shortage A new US federal law passed mid-December may make it difficult for airline companies in India to recruit retired expatriate pilots to meet growing shortages. The new law passed by the US government and called Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act allows both the pilot and co-pilot on a domestic flight to be up to the age of 65 years. The law also allows one pilot on international flights to be up to the age of 65 years provided the other pilot is 60 years or below. The earlier cut-off age was 60 years, which made it easier for Indian carriers to hire US pilots since commercial pilots in India can fly till the age of 65. Airlines employ over 800 foreign pilots, out of 2,500 pilots in India. About 5 per cent of them are above 60 years and from the US. **** FOREIGN HANDS (Number of foreign pilots for each airline) Air India 117 Jet Airways 271 Kingfisher Airlines 95 Simplifly Deccan 149 SpiceJet 42 GoAir 13 IndiGo 66 Paramount Airways 21 Alliance Air 20 Blue Dart 10 Total 804 Source: Ministry of civil aviation **** But the US is increasingly being seen as a major source for experienced commanders given an estimated requirement for over 4,500 pilots in the next five years in India. "The new law will make sourcing of the pilots from the US difficult for us now," admitted Air India executive director Jitender Bhargava. Air India has about 800 pilots and of these 117 are foreign. The airline did not provide the number of US pilots, but Bhargava said the number was not significant. Sources in Jet Airways, which has ambitious expansion plans both in India and overseas, said 100 of its 700 pilots are foreign and 15 of them are retired pilots from the US. A Jet spokesperson, however, refused to comment on the issue. When asked how far the change in the US law will impact, Director General of Civil Aviation Kanu Gohain merely said, "We will have to wait and watch." For airlines in India the timing of the new regulation may be a problem. All of them are already short of pilots to command new- generation airliners like the Boeing 777s and the wide-bodied Airbus A330s that airlines ply on their international routes. So far, commanders have been readily available from the pool of the retired pilots in the US who had the experience and the number of hours required to fly international routes. Domestic airlines can approach other sources for pilots from Europe, Brazil and other Scandinavian countries. But communication and language can be barrier. "There are many foreign retired pilots who operate the 747-400s and should they decide to go back to their country of origin after serving the minimum notice period, the airlines will have no option but to keep the aircraft on the ground," said a pilot flying on the international routes on condition of anonymity. However, airline companies say foreign pilots are offered better pay packages in India. A foreign pilot, according to industry sources, gets 20 to 30 per cent more than their Indian counterparts. http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=307903&leftnm=3 &subLeft=0&chkFlg= ***************** The Need for Safety Management Systems Dec 17, 2007 (Very Light Jets/Access Intelligence via COMTEX) -- MGSY | charts | news | PowerRating -- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Air Transport Association (ATA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) held its 4th Annual International Aviation Safety Forum outside Washington, DC, Nov. 28-30, at which participants from around the world pledged to implement Safety Management Systems, a systematic approach to managing risks associated with commercial aviation. The session was covered by VLJ Report's sister publication Air Safety Week. Acting Federal Aviation Administrator Robert Sturgell said: "the question for us in aviation is how to maintain the safety record that's the envy of all transportation. How are we going to raise the bar? The answer is SMS -- safety management systems. Aviation no longer is in the business of combing through ashes and wreckage to find answers. SMS will give us the intelligence we need before the problem reaches the headlines. When it comes to risks, the low- hanging fruit is long gone. SMS uses hard data to point us in the direction we need to go. We don't have to wait for something bad to happen.Ultimately, we don't want to just meet ICAO minimums. Ultimately, our goal is to raise the bar worldwide no matter where you go. "At its most fundamental level, a safety management system helps organizations identify and manage risk," he continued. "It is based on hard data. Safety management systems help us manage risk far better than we have, because it's a disciplined and standardized approach to managing risk. At the very core of the SMS is the need to identify potential hazards and then analyze risk. After that, the next steps are to rank hazards and assess risk, and then identify mitigation options. It's a closed-loop process where identified risks are mitigated and the mitigations are monitored to provide continuous system safety." He said the FAA's recent Call to Action for runway safety is an example of using SMS principles. A string of events pointed to a problem with U.S. runways. They involved a variety of factors - miscommunications, missed turns on taxiways, a snowplow, missed turns onto an active runway, signage. "When we issued our Call to Action, we looked at 5.4 million records covering a 20-year period," he said. "We found 117 isolated instances of flight crew confusion here in the United States involving a variety of issues. Our Call to Action is addressing these issues as we speak. Short-term action such as enhancing runway markings and improving pilot training are already under way." http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/922168/ *************** N.J. man ordered to write check for grounding OIA flight ORLANDO (AP) - A man who grounded a flight from Orlando to Atlantic City will have to cough up more than $36,000. Andrew Brestle of Atlantic, City, New Jersey, was sentenced today in federal court to pay Spirit Airlines $36,787.98 - the cost of canceling the flight and rescheduling its passengers. He also received two years probation. Court Records show he was a passenger on the flight that was delayed because of bad weather. He panicked and was asked to get off of the plane. Brestle then reportedly said: "What if I had a bomb?" The 39-year-old suffers from bipolar disorder and had been vacationing at Walt Disney World with his family at the time. He had pleaded guilty in September to interfering with a flight-crew member. **************** American recalls maintenance employees Lori Ranson, Washington DC (17Dec07, 20:03 GMT, 321 words) American Airlines says it plans to recall or hire 200-250 maintenance employees to meet staffing needs in 2008 for an anticipated increase in workloads. The latest recall follows plans American announced late last week to recall 247 flight attendants to meet projected attrition and staffing levels for next year as well. The expansion of American's maintenance workforce is set to start this month, and continue through the first quarter of next year. Staffing levels at line maintenance facilities and at the carrier's three main overhaul bases in Tulsa, Okla., Fort Worth Texas and Kansas City, Mo will increase. "While this will be an ongoing process for the next few months, we are very pleased to welcome more people returning to work or starting a career with American," says carrier senior VP of maintenance and engineering Carmine Romano. American predicts rising workloads in several different areas including landing gear overhaul on its Boeing 777s/737s, and landing gear overhauls on American Eagle's Embraer ERJ fleet. The carrier also plans to start heavy checks on General Electric CFM56-7 engines that power its 737-800s. The carrier's maintenance division is also handling the installation of new lie-flat seats and enhanced inflight entertainment in business class on 767-300s, and first and business class on 777-200s. Recently American CFO Thomas Horton noted that the carrier's maintenance, repair and overhaul operation (MRO) was under consideration for divestiture. In addition to handling American's maintenance, the carrier's MRO arm also has third-party customers including Allegiant Air. American performs C checks and certain component and landing gear overhauls on Allegiant's MD-80s. Earlier this year American's parent company AMR Corporation said it would invest up to $100 million to grow its third-party maintenance business. The carrier is currently engaged in labor negotiations with mechanics represented by the Transport Workers Union (TWU). Previously, American management and the TWU set of goal of generating $175 million in third-party maintenance revenue by the end of 2007. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Turkish suspends carriers in crackdown after MD-83 crash Turkish civil aviation administration Sivil Havacilik Genel Mudurlugu (SHGM) is cracking down on operators following last month's fatal World Focus Airlines Boeing MD-83 accident in southern Turkey. SHGM says it has suspended the flights of charter carrier Tarhan Tower Airlines after discovering technical issues with the operator's maintenance department. It has cancelled the carrier's JAR-145 maintenance certificate and ordered a three-month suspension of the airline's flight services. TT Airlines is planning to reorganise its operations and regain its permits. Start-up Golden Airlines has also had its operations put on hold for three months after the carrier failed to introduce a second aircraft within the set time limits. The airline has a single Boeing 757 leased from International Lease Finance but, under Turkish regulations, start-up carriers must bring in a second aircraft within three months. Last week an Ankara court sided with SHGM and cancelled the air operator's certificate of troubled Fly Air. The carrier has been trying to reorganise and has appointed Celalettin Durak as its general manager. Fly Air had been discussing a possible merger with TT Airlines. Following the court decision the carrier must re-apply for its AOC from SHGM. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news