28 DEC 2007_______________________________________*Teenager held in laser incident*2008 Air Charter Safety Symposium Set For February *CDC hunts for fliers on jet with TB-stricken passenger*Weather Risk Management - Course*787+: Boeing and British Airways Finalize     Contract for 24 787 Dreamliners *AeroTech Consulting wins airport-study contract*Pilot error is less of a factor in airline mishaps***************************************Teenager held in laser incidentThe boy, 15, allegedly pointed the device at a commercial jet and a police helicopter in Orange County. A teenager playing with a laser he got as a Christmas gift has been arrested on suspicion of pointing it at a commercial jet and a Newport Beach police helicopter, officials said Thursday.It was the third arrest this week in Orange County involving lasers allegedly trained on aircraft.Early Sunday, Garden Grove police arrested a 52-year-old man after the Federal Aviation Administration received a report from an airline pilot about a laser. When an Orange County Sheriff's Department helicopter went to investigate, the crew was hit in the eyes with a laser beam while flying 700 feet overhead."They said they had headaches and blurry vision for a couple of hours," said sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino. "People need to be educated about the dangers of these lasers. They could cause a helicopter to crash. They could even take down a commercial airliner."Hours later, Orange police arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of training a laser at the same sheriff's helicopter."Every year around Christmastime, people get lasers as presents and we see this sort of thing," Amormino said. "We don't know if the intent is malicious . . . but it's against the law, and we intend to prosecute."The 15-year-old Las Vegas boy arrested in Newport Beach on Christmas evening had just gotten his laser as a gift, authorities said.The pilots of a SkyWest Airlines plane reported being targeted from a location in the city. When a Newport Beach police helicopter went to investigate, its crew was targeted as well, authorities said.Sailor said the boy was charged with discharging a laser at an aircraft, a felony.http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-laser28dec28,1,7407042.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california**************2008 Air Charter Safety Symposium Set For February 2008 ACSS To Include Walk Through of Reconstructed TWA Flight 800 Aircraft The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) has informed ANN that the 2008 Air Charter Safety Symposium, entitled "Developing a Healthy Safety Culture" will take place February 19-20, 2008, at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Training Center in Ashburn, VA, just west of Washington, DC.Attendees at the Symposium will:Tour the reconstructed fuselage of TWA Flight 800 Learn about safety cultures from NTSB Vice Chairman Robert Sumwalt Gain knowledge of recent Part 135 accidents and factors from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Accident Specialist Peter Devaris Find out how NASA is healing its “sick” safety culture from NASA Expert James Oberg Discover “tools you can use” from top industry safety professionals Investigate future safety management systems requirements in the U.S. with FAA’s Don Arendt Benefit from Canada’s safety management systems experiences from Transport Canada Expert Jacqueline Booth-Bourdeau Enjoy networking opportunities with your colleagues “A strong, mature safety culture is not built overnight, and requires dedication to stay effective,” said ACSF Vice Chairman Jim Christiansen of NetJets Aviation. “The safety professionals scheduled to speak at this symposium are world-renowned for their expertise. That’s why this event is such an incredible opportunity for me and my management team, and I wouldn’t miss it.”The Air Charter Safety Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the safety and security of air charter and shared aircraft ownership programs in the United States and worldwide. Through research, collaboration and education, the ACSF advances charter industry standards and best practices, promulgates safety, security and service benchmarks, and promotes the universal acceptance of safety management systems. The Foundation also provides accurate and objective information about air charter providers as one of the most important and versatile public transportation resources. Membership in the ACSF primarily includes Part 135 certificate holders, with the balance to include OEMs, brokers, insurers, customers, airports, and safety professionals.FMI: www.acsf.aeroaero-news.net***************CDC hunts for fliers on jet with TB-stricken passenger TB-infected passenger exposed major gaps in travel security, report says SAN JOSE, Calif. — When American Airlines Flight 293 took off from New Delhi, India, for a 16-hour flight to Chicago early Dec. 13, there was no way for other passengers to know that the 30-year old Sunnyvale, Calif., woman who was coughing was a danger to those nearby.There was no international law to prohibit the Nepal native from boarding the Boeing 777, even though she had been diagnosed with a dangerous case of drug-resistant tuberculosis in India.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notified public-health authorities Thursday in 16 states, from California to Vermont, about the drug-resistant-TB case on Flight 293.The centers began tracking down 44 U.S. nationals and people traveling on non-U.S. passports who sat within two rows of the woman.The woman is being treated in isolation at Stanford Hospital. "We don't know what her prognosis is," said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, Santa Clara County's public-health officer."TB takes a good amount of time before you know whether [patients] respond to their medication."The woman's journey Dec. 13 to O'Hare International Airport and on to San Francisco International Airport is a troubling tale, U.S. and international health authorities said Thursday. But it is not unique."It happens a few times a year with us," Dr. William Clapp, Chicago's chief TB-control officer, said of cases in which Chicago authorities must track down those who came into contact with TB-infected people arriving from abroad.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2004095775_tb28.html****************Weather Risk Management - Course  On December 12, 2007, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its final report into the runway overrun of Air France 358 at Toronto, Canada on 02 August 2005.   In their release, the TSB point out that since the Air France accident in August 2005, 10 large aircraft have gone off runways around the world in bad weather.   The Chair of the TSB called for more to be done to ensure aircraft touch down safely so passengers don't get hurt.   Calling the significant amount of runway overruns an unacceptable risk, most of the TSB's recommendations focus on crews and the need for clear mandatory standards, training, and procedures to help pilots make critical decisions in bad weather, particularly on approach and landing. Weather events such as the London Heathrow fog event in December 2006, and the crippling winter storms in Canada and America, have vividly exposed the enormous impact of weather on operations.   Besides interruptions to flight schedules, passenger inconvenience, and 'bad publicity' it can have a tremendous and rapid impact on both an air operator's and an airport's bottom line.   In addition, there are many weather related dangers pilots face, enroute and in the airport environment, such as low level wind shear, icing and turbulence.  Despite technological advances in weather forecasting, dissemination and presentation of weather related data, weather continues to be identified as a contributing factor in aviation occurrences worldwide; at all levels of the industry.   Though accidents in the commercial aviation industry (i.e., transport and commuter categories) are rare, an April 2007 report by IATA indicated that 43 per cent of accidents in 2006 occurred during operations in adverse weather.   In addition to accidents, there are numerous injuries to flight crews and passengers due to weather occurrences each year.  Given encounters with weather hazards pose a safety and financial risk to operators (and inline with TSB recommendations) a program of investigating, and analysing weather encounters should form part of any operator's overall safety program.   Applying risk management principles to weather within a systemic framework, this course will provide participants with information and guidance for developing and directing a comprehensive, systemic program to manage weather related risks; a Weather Risk Control System (Wx-RCS).   InstructorsInternationally recognised Risk Management and SMS authority, Mike Doiron and John Dutcher, Human Factors Specialist and Meteorology Consultant Course ParticularsCourse Date: 04 - 08 February, 2008Fee: $1975.00 CAD; bulk rates available for companies.Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. - In-house also available.For more information, please contact:John DutcherPresident and Principal ConsultantDutcher Safety & Meteorology ServicesToronto, Ontario, CanadaPh: +1 416 407 2454 (UTC-5)Email:   dutchersms@gmail.comEmail:  john_dutcher@email.comhttp://www.johndutcher.com*************787+: Boeing and British Airways Finalize Contract for 24 787 Dreamliners 787 Program Reaches 787th Order Milestone With Prominent British Airways OrderBoeing and British Airways have finalized an order for eight Boeing 787-8s and 16 787-9s, raising the total number of 787s ordered worldwide from 766 to 790 and taking the 787 order book past the 787th mark. The order is valued at $4.4 billion at list prices. British Airways also placed options for 18 787s and purchase rights for an additional 10.Willie Walsh, British Airways' chief executive, said, "The 787 is a fantastic aircraft and will be a welcome addition to our fleet. It will provide major environmental improvements in terms of global emissions, local air quality and noise.""With lower operating costs and the range to fly to all our destinations, it will give us more flexibility when planning our route network and we are confident that our customers will enjoy flying on the aircraft," Walsh said.British Airways first announced its selection of the 787 Dreamliner as a key element of its long-haul fleet renewal last September. The carrier also announced in September that it will power its 787s with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000."This order is a vote of confidence from one of the world's leading global network carriers in the 787's unprecedented performance," said Marlin Dailey, vice president of Sales for Europe, Russia and Central Asia, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "No other airplane in its category offers British Airways the superior efficiency, economics and passenger comfort while also fitting so easily into its medium- and long-haul twin-aisle fleet.""Reaching the 787th order is significant for the program, and it's great that we get to celebrate it with British Airways. Their leadership in the industry validates our momentum in the marketplace," said Patrick Shanahan, vice president and general manager, 787 Program.The 787 will help British Airways meet aggressive environmental performance targets. It will reduce CO2 emissions and has a noise footprint that is more than 60 percent smaller than those of today's similarly sized airplanes.Common elements between the 787 and British Airways' 777 flight deck will allow for 777 pilots to train for 787 certification in only five days. The 787 also offers more cargo-revenue capacity than the 767 and similarly sized airplanes. With 790 orders in three years, Boeing claims that the 787 remains the most successful airplane launch in aviation history.Boeing developed the 787 for the mid-sized jetliner market, estimated at 3,500 aircraft over the next 20 years. The 787 will be more than 50 percent advanced carbon composites which allow the largest windows in the industry, higher cabin humidity and a lower cabin altitude that reduces the fatigue often experienced by passengers. High-efficiency engines combined with a lighter airframe and improved aerodynamics mean the 787 will produce seat-mile costs normally associated with much larger aircraft.FMI: www.boeing.comaero-news.net***************AeroTech Consulting wins airport-study contractDenver Business JournalAeroTech Consulting Inc. (ATCI), a company that includes former officials from Denver International Airport, has landed a $300,000 contract to conduct a yearlong study and produce a best-practices guidebook about information system technologies used by airports. The Lakewood-based consulting group won the work from the Airport Cooperative Research Program, an industry group that identified integration of financial and operations data to be a problem for many small- and medium-sized airports. ATCI will interview dozens of airport officials, aviation associations and software companies to find ways to improve airport technology integration. ATCI's six-member team includes Vicki Braunagel, former director of aviation at Denver International Airport, and James DeLong, a former DIA manager. http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2007/12/24/daily20.html****************Pilot error is less of a factor in airline mishaps BALTIMORE (Map, News) - While your chances of dying in a horrible airline accident are somewhat less certain than winning the lottery, researchers say the little runway mishaps that can ruin your day have more to do with the number of planes in the air than bad decisions made by pilots.The number of airline mishaps attributed to pilot error significantly declined between 1983 and 2002, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.While the overall rate of mishaps remained stable during that time, the proportion of mishaps involving pilot error decreased 40 percent, due to better training and improvements in technology that aid pilot decision-making, according to the study. The findings are published in the January 2007 edition of Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine.“A 40 percent decline in pilot error-related mishaps is very impressive. Pilot error has long been considered the most prominent contributor to aviation crashes,” said the study’s lead author, Susan P. Baker, with the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy. “Mishaps up in the air — what most people are concerned about — are less common than people though, and less likely to be due to pilot error.”Instead, more mishaps involve ground crews and increasing congestion on the taxi ways and at the terminals, she said.Their findings validate the Federal Aviation Administration’s focus on improving safety over the last decade, said FAA spokesman Les Dorr. “This is in fact the safest period in aviation history. Our target was to reduce incidents by 80 percent. What we achieved was a 65 percent reduction.”Since 1998, the Commercial Aviation Safety Team has analyzed every accident to determine what went wrong and improve pilot training, Dorr said. Today, your chances of dying in an airline accident are about 1 in 13 million.While individual airlines at Baltimore Washington International/Thurgood Marshall Airport maintain their own ground crews, once the plane leaves the gate, those crews are under the authority of FAA controllers. Dorr was unable to provide immediate statistics for incidents at BWI this year.Baker’s study found that mishaps more than doubled when the aircraft is motionless or being pushed back from the gate: from a rate of 2.5 to 6 mishaps per 10 million flights.“The increase in mishaps while aircraft are not moving may require special attention,” Baker said.Research reportOther key findings of the study included:» Mishaps related to bad weather — the most common decision-making error — dropped 76 percent.» Mishaps caused by mishandling wind or runway conditions declined 78 percent.» Mishaps caused by poor crew interaction declined 68 percent.» Pilot error was most common during taxiing, takeoff, final approach and landing of the aircraft.» The mishaps rate increased the most when aircraft were being pushed back from the gate or standing still, but pilot error was least common in such mishaps.» Mishaps during takeoff declined 70 percent.Source: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Healthhttp://www.examiner.com/a-1126512~Pilot_error_is_less_of_a_factor_in_airline_mishaps.html