24 NOV 2008 _______________________________________ *Qantas takeoff aborted as damaged wing spotted *Bird-strike risk high among open-rotor concerns *Blacklist committee puts safety pressure on four EU carriers *Aviation Notables Among Possibilities For Obama's Cabinet *Former Pilots-Union Chief Has Inside Track to Lead FAA *Illness scare delays jet passengers at LAX *Eclipse receives European OK on very light jet *Police say man used lasers on aircraft *Canadian airlines lose disability appeal *Nigeria: FG Reiterates Commitment to Aviation Safety *************************************** Qantas takeoff aborted as damaged wing spotted SYDNEY (AFP) - A Qantas jumbo jet carrying 213 passengers aborted a flight shortly before takeoff from Sydney Saturday when an engineer spotted that one of its wings was damaged, the airline said. The New Zealand-bound Boeing 747-300 was taxiing towards the runway when damage to a right wing flap was noticed by an engineer on the ground and the pilot was alerted, Qantas said. "It was a technical issue with the wing prior to departure," an airline spokeswoman told AFP. All passengers on the plane had been provided with accommodation and booked on another flight on Sunday morning, she said, and the cause of the damage was being assessed. The incident is the latest in a series of problems suffered by Australia's troubled national airline in recent months. On Tuesday, two Qantas jumbos were damaged when they collided on the ground at a maintenance base. In October, a computer glitch caused a Qantas plane to plunge into a 200-metre mid-air nosedive, injuring more than 70 people, with some suffering broken bones. In July, a Qantas Boeing 747-400 made an emergency landing in Manila after a mid-air blast caused by an exploding oxygen bottle punched a hole in the fuselage during a flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne. *************** Bird-strike risk high among open-rotor concerns Bird-strike damage protection rules could emerge as a key design hurdle facing developers of a new generation of fuel-efficient open rotor engines, according to a specialist on propeller powerplants. Speaking at the 'Towards Sustainable Aviation Propulsion' event in Bristol, organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Dowty Propellers performance engineer Josef Trchalik said: "The bird-strike test represents a key certification requirement of any aircraft engine. It is not clear yet whether open-rotor blades would be certified according to rules that apply for propellers or if they will be certified as fan blades. "If the latter is the case then the structure of the open rotor blades will have to be reinforced, which would result in heavier rotor blades and might also restrict the choice of material for the blade structure." Current bird strike certification requirements differ for propellers and turbofan blades, with propeller blades required to withstand the impact of a significantly lighter bird than fan blades. Trchalik says bird-strike is a more serious issue for a 'pusher' configuration, which has a similar intake arrangement to a regular turbofan, as there is no fan to shield the engine. Impact-resistance requirements are more easily met with a 'tractor' configuration as the air intakes of an unducted fan would be shielded by two rows of propellers. Trchalik adds that locating the engines at the rear of the fuselage would increase the chance of debris hitting the blades. "On the other hand, wing-mounted engines are more likely to suck in debris from the runway surface as they are located closer to the ground," he says. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Blacklist committee puts safety pressure on four EU carriers Safety regulators have identified four European Union companies which are facing operational restrictions following the latest discussions to update the European Commission's 'blacklist' of banned carriers. While none features on the latest blacklist revision, three carriers from Portugal, Greece and Germany have - at least temporarily - stopped operating their own aircraft. The fourth, Spain's Bravo Airlines, has been banned by default because its operation, Bravo Air Congo, falls under the blanket ban on the Democratic Republic of Congo. Greek carrier Hellenic Imperial Airways admits its air operator's certificate is on hold, but a spokesman claims the suspension is on a "day-to-day basis", for technical reasons. He adds that the Boeing 747-200 operator is leasing other aircraft, and maintaining services such as its Hajj flights while it addresses the issue. Sources at the Commission, close to its air safety committee, have also identified Portuguese Lockheed L-1011 operator LuzAir and German MSR Flug-Charter, which uses business jets, as the other two restricted carriers. LuzAir says it is not currently operating services but a source at the carrier states that its aircraft are on the ground for "scheduled maintenance". A spokesman for MSR Flug-Charter also says the company has stopped operations, but declines to elaborate. A source close to the Commission's air safety committee, which draws up the list of carriers which are the subject of concern, points out that none of the four EU operators has had its AOC withdrawn by the relevant national authority. But the source adds that three AOCs and one operating licence have been suspended. Discussions over the current revision to the blacklist have drawn particular attention because restrictions have so far notably focused on carriers which have limited operations in Europe, from areas such as Africa, Indonesia and Central Asia. "It is difficult to say how many European airlines would have ended with a full ban or operating restrictions if their authorities had not taken measures on their AOCs or operating licences," says the source, stressing that the blacklist is only a "measure of last resort", intended as a tool to encourage safety improvements. Cambodia's Siem Reap Airways International and all carriers from Angola are subject to a complete ban on European operations following the latest blacklist update on 14 November. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Aviation Notables Among Possibilities For Obama's Cabinet Garvey Tapped For Transition Team; Woerth Could Be Next FAA Chief Some interesting names with close ties to the aviation industry are being tossed around as possibilities for high-level positions in the Obama presidential administration. At the top of the list is former FAA Administrator Jane Garvey (right), who oversaw the agency through the crisis of 9/11. Garvey resigned from the board of directors at Bombardier on Monday, and was named to Obama's transition team. Aides tell The Wall Street Journal she is a top contender to be the next Secretary of Transportation, replacing current DOT chief Mary Peters. Another name likely to raise eyebrows is Duane Woerth, who is rumored to be a strong candidate for the position of FAA Administrator. While he makes his living today as an industry consultant, from 1999 to 2006 Woerth was president of the Air Line Pilots Association and a pilot at Northwest Airlines. Woerth was voted out from his ALPA position in October 2006... and his familiarity with contentious labor negotiations could be a boon for air traffic controllers, who have battled against the current FAA regime over contract issues for several years. He reportedly has the tentative backing of House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN,) and is slated to meet with Senate Aviation Subcommittee chairman Jay Rockefeller before Thanksgiving. Conversely, a potential roadblock in Woerth's path to the top job at the FAA could come from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid... who reportedly wants aide Robert Herbert to win the job. Still, there's little doubt the National Air Traffic Controllers Association is watching current developments with a hopeful eye. In addition to Woerth's experience with (and assumed sympathy for) many of the same issues controllers are now fighting for, the union also fondly recalls the contract it won in 1998... when Garvey was the new FAA administrator. Furthermore, in 2006 then-Senator Obama sponsored legislation to strip the FAA of its ability to impose labor rules. As ANN reported, that measure failed and the FAA declared an impasse, forcing a new contract on controllers... but NATCA hasn't forgotten who its friends were. "We are seeing a lot of controllers saying, 'You know what, I'm going to wait this out and see what happens next year,'" said NATCA spokesman Doug Church. "[Obama] was a candidate that had been friendly to them." In related news, Debbie Hersman -- a member of the National Transportation Safety Board who rose to prominence as spokesperson during a number of high-profile aviation accident investigations, including the August 2006 takeoff crash of Comair Flight 191 in Lexington, KY -- is reportedly among the candidates to replace Mark Rosenker as NTSB chairperson. FMI: www.faa.gov, www.natca.org, www.ntsb.gov aero-news.net ************** Former Pilots-Union Chief Has Inside Track to Lead FAA By ANDY PASZTOR and CHRISTOPHER CONKEY Jane Garvey discusses developments in airport security in this Nov. 14, 2001, file photo in Washington. Airline consultant Duane Woerth, who was president of the Air Line Pilots Association from 1999 to 2006, has met with House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar and has his tentative support, according to people familiar with their discussions. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who heads an aviation subcommittee, is slated to meet with Mr. Woerth in the next few days. Stephanie Cutter, spokeswoman for the Obama transition team, declined to comment. Mr. Woerth and the lawmakers couldn't be reached for comment. People familiar with the matter said the situation remains fluid, no final decision has been made and other candidates could gain strength. The dynamic also could change if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pushes aide Robert Herbert for the FAA post. Separately, Debbie Hersman, a Democratic member of the National Transportation Safety Board, is likely to be nominated to be its next chairwoman, according to people familiar with the matter. Labor groups are also enthused that former FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, a senior member of Mr. Obama's transition team overseeing aviation issues, remains a leading candidate to head the Transportation Department. Mr. Woerth has the strong backing of various unions seeking to cash in political chits for aggressively supporting Mr. Obama during the campaign. But Mr. Woerth, who frequently prodded the agency to step up air-safety efforts, also has garnered bipartisan endorsements on Capitol Hill and enjoys the backing of some aircraft makers and airline-industry officials. Getty ImagesThe FAA job traditionally goes to an industry executive, high-ranking military officer or government official. But the agency is embroiled in protracted negotiations with the union representing air-traffic controllers, and labor peace is widely seen as a prerequisite to upgrading the nation's air-traffic system. The union that represents the FAA's 15,000 controllers, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, scored a big contract win when Ms. Garvey led the agency in 1998. Five years later, the union's relations with the Bush administration started to deteriorate when it came time to negotiate a new contract. Amid a rancorous impasse in 2006, then-Sen. Barack Obama sponsored legislation that would strip away the FAA's ability to impose labor rules and force the two sides into arbitration. The measure failed to pass, and the FAA imposed new work rules and pay requirements on the air traffic controllers union. Frustrated by what they characterize as authoritarian work environments and less-generous pay scales - the typical new hire makes 30% less under the FAA's imposed terms - many veteran controllers have opted to retire in recent years. This has exacerbated a turnover problem that the FAA long anticipated. The agency is now in a major campaign to hire and train new controllers. In 2007, the House passed legislation that would require the two sides to enter arbitration to settle their dispute. But the Senate version, which only addressed labor spats in the future, failed to pass. However, the election of Mr. Obama has boosted morale and halted attrition for time being, NATCA says. "We are seeing a lot of controllers saying, 'You know what, I'm going to wait this out and see what happens next year,'" said Doug Church, a NATCA spokesman. "This was a candidate that had been friendly to them." Other action items on the incoming FAA chief's plate include initiatives to reduce pilot fatigue in the cockpit and to enhance oversight of aircraft maintenance - particularly work outsourced to foreign shops. Rep. Oberstar, who has close ties to some labor groups and whose influence in these areas is bound to increase in the next administration, also is supporting a top aide, Clay Foushee, for a possible senior FAA slot, according to people familiar with the matter. By far the biggest issue confronting the agency, however, is the slow-moving transition to new air-traffic control technology, a process dubbed "NextGen" by the agency. The goal is to replace the aging, radar-based infrastructure relied on by air traffic controllers today with a satellite-based network that gives a much more precise read on the location of planes in the sky. That will allow planes to fly closer together, the thinking goes, reducing delays, saving fuel and enabling more flights into and out of busy airports. "At an age when teenage drivers use GPS systems in their cars, air traffic controllers still use World War II-era radar to guide modern jumbo jets," said President George W. Bush on Wednesday. "That doesn't seem to make any sense to me." Mr. Bush signed an executive order on Wednesday directing the many federal agencies involved in the NextGen transition to make it a high priority, but current government forecasts suggest the new system won't be up and running nationwide before 2020. Mr. Obama and his picks to head the FAA and Transportation Department may try to speed up the process, but many obstacles exist. Already, airlines are opposing the first major NextGen rulemaking by the FAA, obligating airlines to equip their jets with advanced transmission technology. Legislation that would set up a reliable, multi-year funding stream for NextGen failed to clear Congress this year, scuttled partly by disagreements over cost sharing among carriers, business aircraft and private pilots. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122723357926446883.html?mod=googlenews_wsj *************** Illness scare delays jet passengers at LAX A man's case of food poisoning holds up more than 300 patrons as paramedics and CDC officials rule out contagious disease. Passengers of a jumbo jet that arrived from Japan today were held on board at Los Angeles International Airport for a short time while paramedics determined that a passenger had food poisoning rather than a contagious illness. United Airlines flight 890 informed ground crews shortly before touching down at 8:30 a.m. that a 28-year-old man aboard the aircraft of more than 300 passengers was sick and might have some sort of virus, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Cecil Manresa. Los Angeles city paramedics and personnel from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention boarded the Boeing 747 after it landed. It took about 20 minutes to determine that the passenger was not contagious, Manresa said. "He had some kind of stomach ailment or food poising issue, and it was not a virus [or] an infectious disease," he said. Manresa said that city paramedics, and not the CDC, generally respond when airline passengers complain of illness. But the unidentified man must have told the airplane's crew something to make them think that his condition was more severe, he said. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-airport24-2008nov24,0,3768888.story ************* Eclipse receives European OK on very light jet ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Eclipse Aviation's chief executive says he is hopeful the company can obtain much-needed investment after receiving European certification of its very light jet, which will allow the Albuquerque manufacturer to sell the aircraft in Europe. Eclipse announced Friday that the European Aviation Safety Agency has certified the six-seat Eclipse 500, which means it can be sold in 37 European countries. The certification is similar to Federal Aviation Administration approval in the United States. Eclipse also announced the FAA has certified its avionics system, the Avio NG 1.5, which integrates and manages the aircraft's major components. "That was a long time coming, but finally both the latest FAA certification, as well as EASA, have come. It was major milestone for us. We're very happy," Eclipse chief executive Roel Pieper said in a telephone interview Friday with The Associated Press. The certifications come at a key time for the troubled aircraft manufacturer, which sent employees home after being late in making payroll last week and has seen a dozen lawsuits filed in federal court from angry customers seeking refunds of more than $7 million after the company raised the price of the aircraft in June. Pieper said the EASA certification will allow Eclipse to add 300 European aircraft orders, including 180 orders for Turkey, to its books, bringing the total outstanding orders to about 1,100. He also said the company expects to obtain new orders in Europe due to the certification. All but a handful of the aircraft on order will be sold for $2.1 million, he said. The company raised the price of its aircraft from $1.5 million. Two aerospace analysts have forecast the troubled company will cease production in early 2009 unless it obtains additional long-term financing. Eclipse officials have said the company needs $200 million to $300 million to stay afloat, but Pieper said the amount is in the lower end of that range. "I hope to have some more news in the next few weeks," he said. "I have positive hopes." Ray Jaworowski, a senior aerospace analyst for the Connecticut-based Forecast International Inc., said the European certification is a "hopeful sign" for Eclipse. "It's a good sign, but you have to balance that against the fact that we're still in a very, very tough financial market in general," he said. Jaworowski and aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Virginia-based Teal Group Corp. agreed that the news does not change their firms' view that Eclipse will cease production in 2009. Pieper said the payroll delay was due to complications with international time zones and negotiations and was "very unfortunate." Now that Eclipse has completed a two-month review of its production process the company is producing five to six aircraft a month, he said. Eclipse will produce 190 to 200 aircraft in 2008, he said. Pieper said he does not know how many aircraft the manufacturer plans to produce in 2009, saying the company, like its competitors, has to be careful not to overbuild, especially with the current global financial crisis. "The markets are so weird. It's like a crap shoot," he said. "We have to really think through how the financial markets will come out." Asked whether Eclipse has abandoned its previous business model, which called for a low-priced aircraft coupled with a high production rate, Pieper said the company is trying to find a new balance between the right price and the company's profit margins. "I think you can say that that original business model idea just didn't work," he acknowledged. Eclipse's founder and former chief executive Vern Raburn was removed from his position in July in a management shake-up. The European certification does not cover Eclipse 500s that will be used commercially -- for example, by air-taxi companies, the company's news release said. Eclipse expects to receive certification for commercial operation of the Eclipse in time to allow air-taxi services to be operational in Europe next year. In the United States, Eclipse's main air-taxi customer, the Boca Raton, Fla.-based DayJet Corp., filed for bankruptcy Nov. 14 after ceasing operations in September. Pieper said the company lost 1,400 orders when DayJet closed. Eclipse also has plans for an assembly plant in Ulyanovsk, Russia. Pieper said the plant's opening has been delayed to the first or second quarter of 2010. Eclipse previously said the plant would open by the end of next year. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D94JGMFG2.htm ************** Police say man used lasers on aircraft Michael Weeker was arrested at his home Monday night shortly after he shined a laser at a sheriff's helicopter, Sgt. Don Morrissey said. He was charged with 10 counts of shining a laser at an aircraft and faces a maximum of eight years in prison if convicted. Pilots in the South Bay have reported periodic laser shinings since 2005, authorities said. Such shinings can cause temporary blindness and long-term eye damage. The sheriff's office worked with San Jose police to pinpoint the origin of the laser beams and concluded they came from a shopping center not far from Weeker's home. On Monday evening, a sheriff's helicopter was struck by a laser. Officers on the ground, alerted by the pilot, tracked Weeker to his home and made the arrest, Morrissey said. The motive for the optical assaults is unclear. Morrissey said the laser was a commercially available device typically used by astronomers to point out stars. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/23/BAKE14AIGA.DTL ************* Canadian airlines lose disability appeal VANCOUVER, B.C. CANADA: A few of over a dozen Air Canada planes grounded by a walk out of the companies pilots are parked in and around the Air Canada Hanger at Vancouver International Airport, Sept. 03. The airline carries 60,000 passengers every day. hr/Heinz Ruckemann UPI OTTAWA, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A move by Canada's Supreme Court in Ottawa Thursday means airlines will have to provide free second seats to the disabled. Air Canada and WestJet had appealed a Canadian Transportation Agency order in January to make room for attendants traveling with and assisting a disabled passenger. However, the high court refused to hear the case and issued no reasons, the Canwest News Service reported. The case's origins were in two lawsuits filed against airlines in 2002 by two disabled people from opposite ends of the country. The transport agency said in January the new policy would cost Air Canada $7.1 million annually and WestJet an extra $1.5 million although the airlines argued on appeal it would be higher because the policy would be abused, the report said. At the time of the January ruling, the transport agency said it would help develop a "common screening approach," particularly in how to determine if a morbidly obese person was in fact disabled. The agency said airlines should provide two seats to those who "cannot lower the armrest of the seat assigned safely and with dignity." http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/20/Canadian_airlines_lose_disability_app eal/UPI-80671227202944/ **************** Nigeria: FG Reiterates Commitment to Aviation Safety Daily Trust (Abuja) - The Federal Government Wednesday in Abuja said it will continue to accord priority attention to the aviation industry in order to ensure safety in the skies. Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Minister of Transportation stated this at the opening ceremony of a, "Practical Workshop on Aviation Safety and Security" jointly organised by the U.S. Embassy, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Boeing manufacturers. She said: "Aviation safety is one of Nigeria's highest priorities. There is no doubt that a safe and secure aviation sector engenders the trust and confidence of the travelling public. "This is an essential pre-requisite for our nation's future development," Alison-Madueke noted. According to her, Nigeria has paved the way for the emergence of safe, secure and profitable airlines that operate in the country. The Minister who was represented by Mr. John Kubor, a permanent secretary in the ministry, said that government has commenced the development of infrastructure at the airports. Alison-Madueke pointed out that Nigeria was currently pursuing, "American Category One Certification," that will allow its airlines to operate in North America. She said in spite of government's commitment, there were still shortages of skilled manpower, pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers and other aviation specialists. "There is an urgent need to attract more young people, especially young women to aviation-related careers and we must think about how we can do that," she said. Ms Robin Sanders, the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, stated that the workshop was to enable each country understand the necessary steps to take to attain "Category One" status. Sanders said the programme was a U.S. Presidential initiative aimed at increasing the number of sub-Saharan African countries that met the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. "This will improve safety at airports in these areas and improve air navigation services in Africa by deploying modern technologies," she said. Dr Harold Demuren, the Director-General of NCAA, said that the industry in Nigeria has improved tremendously as airline operators are buying more aircraft which has led to the opening of more routes. Demuren said that with this development, "we need to improve our infrastructure and other facilities to accommodate these aircraft. Mr. Chamsou Anjorin, the representative of aircraft manufacturers, Boeing, said that investing in aviation safety was vital and a catalyst for economic and social development. "Aviation safety is a basic right of any air traveler. So, it is our duty to continuously improve our aircraft, operational procedures, infrastructure, safety culture and skills", Anjorin added. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811210547.html ***************