23 JAN 2009 _______________________________________ *9 injured during turbulence on Northwest flight *Qantas Flight Grounded After Dog in Cargo Chews Wiring *Left engine on ditched US Airways A320 recovered *Prison for NY man over ruckus on Continental jet *FAA wins government praise in ATC management *European flight time limitations: pilots cheer, airlines howl *American to deploy 757s on transatlantic flights *CAE Flightscape supplies flight recorder analysis capability to the Spanish accident investigation authority *Airbus warning hints at possble causes of Air NZ crash *'Flying car' goes to market *NYC Airports Take New Steps to Fight Bird Hazards *ELT frequency changes in Australia *NTSB TO MEET ON PHOENIX NEWS GATHERING HELICOPTERS ACCIDENT AND A 2007 SANFORD. FLORIDA PLANE CRASH *************************************** 9 injured during turbulence on Northwest flight HONOLULU (AP) - Severe turbulence during a Honolulu-bound Northwest Airlines flight has injured eight passengers and a crew member. Northwest Airlines says Flight 22 from Tokyo landed Thursday morning in Honolulu after encountering turbulance over Midway Island. Two passengers and a flight attendant were hospitalized with hip, head and neck injuries. The flight attendent was in serious but stable condition. The condition of the passengers was not immediately known. The flight carried 285 passengers. ************** Qantas Flight Grounded After Dog in Cargo Chews Wiring A Qantas jet was grounded after a dog in the cargo hold escaped from its cage and snacked on parts of the aircraft's interior. The animal chewed through electrical wiring and panels so tough that they are difficult to cut with a knife. The first indication of trouble occurred when the Airbus A330 left Auckland bound for Melbourne on Dec. 7, The Courier-Mail reported. A warning light in the cockpit indicated problems with the auxiliary power unit - a small jet in the tail that supplies electricity for various systems when the aircraft is on the ground. As the engine had been shut down after take-off there was no risk to the aircraft. But when ground handlers opened the cargo hold in Melbourne they were confronted with an angry, distressed dog. An inspection revealed that after somehow getting out of its transportation cage the animal chewed through the wiring loom to the unit, Qantas reported to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. An aviation engineering source said: "The dog ripped out several wires which set off the cockpit warning and then it had a go at a number of electrical units in the rear of the plane." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,481476,00.html *************** Left engine on ditched US Airways A320 recovered US investigators today said the lost left engine on the US Airways A320 that ditched into the Hudson River in New York City on 15 January has been located in 50 feet of water near where the aircraft landed. The National Transportation Safety Board says recovery of the CFM56-5B4/P engine should occur on 22 January. The crew safely ditched the aircraft after it lost thrust in both engines on departure from LaGuardia en route to Charlotte, North Carolina. Examination of the right engine, which was still attached to the aircraft when it was recovered, shows three variable guide vanes are fractured and two are missing. The engine's electronic control unit is also missing, and numerous internal components of the powerplant were damaged, says NSTB. Previously NTSB board member Kitty Higgins has said evidence of bird collisions should be present in the mechanisms of the engines. Today the board confirmed an examination of the first stage fan blades "revealed evidence of soft body impact damage", and "a single feather was found attached to a flap track on the wing". Samples of "what appears to be organic material" found on the right engine are being sent to the US Department of Agriculture while the feather will undergo scrutiny by bird identification experts at the Smithsonian Institution. A surge by the right engine during a 13 January flight is also under examination by NTSB. Maintenance performed on the engine after the surge included replacement of a temperature probe. On 20 January NTSB said it plans to interview pilots that operated the Airbus narrowbody on 13 January flight, which was also flying scheduled service from LaGuardia to Charlotte. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Prison for NY man over ruckus on Continental jet MIDLAND, Texas (AP) - An Albany, N.Y., man who caused a ruckus on a Continental Airlines jet in a failed attempt to get a free ticket must serve 30 months in prison. A federal judge in Midland on Thursday sentenced Arthur David Proskin, who in October pleaded guilty to interfering with a flight crew. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Proskin was on Continental Flight 2116 last April, traveling from Houston to Palm Springs, Calif. Prosecutors say Proskin was hit in the knee by a beverage cart, then he acted upset and yelled obscenities at a flight attendant and other passengers. The plane diverted to Midland International Airport. Proskin, who was 44 at the time of the incident, was removed and arrested. The jet continued on to California. Proskin told investigators he created the disturbance to get free travel vouchers when he complained. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/6225644.html ***************** FAA wins government praise in ATC management As funding for FAA to develop the next generation (NextGen) air traffic control system remains in limbo, the agency is winning praise in reversing mismanagement of modernizing the current system. Today the US General Accountability Office (GAO) office officially removed its "high risk" designation for FAA management of air traffic control. That designation is placed on projects due "to their greater vulnerabilities to fraud, waste abuse and mismanagement", says GAO. FAA started the modernization process in 1981 and garnered its high-risk designation in 1995 due to its $36 billion cost. Air Traffic Control modernization made another appearance on the GAO list in 1997 with the agency citing root causes for mismanagement that included an organizational culture that impaired modernization efforts, inadequate cost estimates and accounting and immature capabilities for acquiring systems. Air Traffic development remained on the list 10-years later despite progress made in some areas. But now GAO believes FAA has improved management practices, costs and accounting and human capital challenges. Additionally GAO says FAA is refining its blueprint of its current operating infrastructure to better define its NextGen system. But GAO warns that FAA risks the same pitfalls with NextGen development and it "plans to closely monitor" the agency's efforts in planning NextGen. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** European flight time limitations: pilots cheer, airlines howl There have been simultaneous expressions of jubilation from pilot associations and of horror from airline management on the publication of new recommendations to the European Aviation Safety Agency on modifying its existing flight time limitation (FTL) regulations. The Association of European Airlines says that, if implemented fully, the recommended changes would require the airlines to employ 15-20% more pilots. The AEA says the science behind the EASA-commissioned independent scientific study is "flawed" and is not supported by the delivery of "safe operation over many years and millions of flights". Carried out by Switzerland-based aviation consultancy Moebus according to a requirement that EASA should undertake a "scientific and medical" review of the existing FTLs, the report recommends considerable modification to the existing European Joint Aviation Requirements on FTL (JAR FTL). The recommendations mostly affect the extremes of the rules: those affecting the longest duties - currently allowed to be up to 13-14h, the more arduous multi-sector duty periods, night flights or those that start or end at night, and those that cross multiple time zones. Under these circumstances, the recommendations would - if adopted - reduce duty hours and/or increase rest time. On very long-haul flights, the requirement for an augmented crew would kick in at lower hours. Another factor is the recommendation to tighten the restrictions on maximum duty totals over consecutive weeks or months, preventing employers from exceeding a safe rate of working by using up a pilot's whole allowance for a month or a year in a far shorter period. The International Federation of Airline Pilots' Associations praises the report as recognising that fatigue is dangerous. The next step is for the European Commission and EASA to frame the new FTLs for consultation. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** American to deploy 757s on transatlantic flights Oneworld member American Airlines intends to upgrade 18 domestic Boeing 757-200s and transfer them to transatlantic service, mirroring a strategy in play at other US majors. During an earnings conference call yesterday, American CFO Tom Horton said the 757s will offer two classes of service, but that the new coach cabin will be smaller than the existing layout. The aircraft will be deployed "across the Atlantic into some of the thinner markets in Europe", says Horton, adding that most will fly out of New York JFK. Some services from Miami to northern-rim South America may also be operated with the type. American has not yet announced which specific international markets will be served by 757s, but management says the reconfigured aircraft will probably be used on both existing and new routes. According to Flight's ACAS database, American has 124 757s in active service. Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and US Airways use 757s to operate some transatlantic services. Two years ago Delta began leasing ex-American 757s to support the SkyTeam member's expansion from JFK. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** CAE Flightscape supplies flight recorder analysis capability to the Spanish accident investigation authority CAE Flightscape (Ottawa) has been awarded a contract to deliver flight recorder analysis capability to the Civil Aviation Accidents and Incidents Investigation Commission (CIAIAC) in Madrid, Spain. CAE Flightscape's Insight software for flight data analysis was originally developed at the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and was commercialized to CAE Flightscape in 2001. The commercialization and consequent broader international use of the software greatly facilitates collaboration among stakeholders in an investigation by enabling them to use the same analysis technology. Sharing the same technology to conduct the analysis of the flight data has proven to be a significant asset on major international investigations. Spanish Ambassador Mariano Alonso Buron y Aberasturi, in Ottawa, Canada, said that the procurement of this system is an important step for Spain to improve its ability to conduct its own investigations and is an example of the excellent cooperation that exists between Canada and Spain. CIAIAC is looking forward to gaining experience on the Canadian system which is recognized as the commercial platform of choice among air safety investigators at the majority of investigation authorities and aircraft manufacturers worldwide. The system was delivered to CIAIAC in December 2008 and they are planning to use the system to further study a recent accident in Madrid. Airlines are also seeing the benefits of using the Insight product line for their pro-active FDA (Flight Data Analysis) program which offers them full compatibility with the investigation community should they be involved in an investigation. CAE Flightscape, part of CAE's training solutions group, offers flight safety expertise in flight data analysis and flight sciences. CAE Flightscape develops software tools that enable the effective study and understanding of recorded flight data to improve safety, maintenance and flight operations. CAE Flightscape software powers IATA's web-based Flight Data Analysis Service to provide Flight Data Monitoring and Flight Operations Quality Assurance as an out-source service to airlines who do not wish to invest in the infrastructure of an in-house program. CAE Flightscape develops flight recorder laboratories including complete turnkey systems. Our mission is to improve safety on an international basis by having the operator, investigative and aircraft manufacturer communities collaborate on flight data analysis issues with a common suite of continually advancing tools. About CAE CAE is a world leader in providing simulation and modelling technologies and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry and defence forces around the globe. With annual revenues exceeding $1.4 billion, CAE employs approximately 7,000 people at more than 75 sites and training locations in 20 countries. We have the world's largest installed base of civil and military full-flight simulators and training devices. Through our global network of 27 civil aviation and military training centres, we train more than 75,000 crew members a year. We also offer modelling and simulation software to various market segments and, through CAE's professional services division, we assist customers with a wide range of simulation-based needs. http://www.rotor.com/Default.aspx?tabid=510&newsid905=60515 **************** Airbus warning hints at possble causes of Air NZ crash A safety warning issued by aircraft manufacturer Airbus is hinting at possible causes for November's Air New Zealand crash in France. Although the bulletin stresses Airbus is not prejudging a formal investigation outcome, it makes two specific recommendations. The first is that during painting of an aircraft care should be taken that key sensors are not painted over. The second warns that low-speed tests must be performed at a safe altitude. The Air New Zealand French manufactured Airbus A320 had been under charter to a German firm. It was taken to Perpignan in southern France where it was re-painted into Air New Zealand livery by EAS Industries. On November 27, two German pilots, four Air New Zealand officers and a New Zealand aviation inspector flew the plane out of Perpignan and over the nearby Mediterranean Sea. For as yet unexplained reasons, the plane suddenly plunged into the sea without being able to send out a distress call. No one survived the crash. Airbus said in their bulletin that as a result of preliminary work and in line with international treaties, "without prejudging from the outcome of the investigation, Airbus wishes to remind. all (A320) operators" of its maintenance guidance. "During all maintenance or painting actions, comply with the published . procedures, in particular concerning the protection of all aerodynamic data sensors." Its second recommendation was that check flights - such as Air New Zealand flew out of Perpignan - "must be performed in compliance with flight order within the Certified Flight Envelope. In particular tests such as low-speed test must be performed at safe altitude and be preceded by a recall of basic rules as regards to minimum speeds and recovery actions." The notice was signed by Airbus vice president for flight safety, Yannick Malinge. Air New Zealand said in a statement it welcomed the bulletin. Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe said it already follows the recommendations outlined in the Airbus bulletin and has not previously experienced any issues in relation to either of the requirements outlined. "The bulletin from Airbus is a precautionary measure intended to remind operators of existing manufacturer recommendations. Safety is paramount and non negotiable for Air New Zealand and it is part of our normal operating procedures to always adhere to all manufacturer directives," Mr Fyfe said. "It is important and appropriate that Airbus issue this update, however it is just as important, as Airbus themselves state, that this information should not be taken as a pre-judgement of the outcome of the official investigations." The Air New Zealand crash investigation is being closely watched by the aviation world because the A320, along with the Boeing 737, is the backbone of the commuter industry. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4827673a11.html *************** 'Flying car' goes to market Company behind the vehicle prefers the term 'roadable aircraft' The aptly named Transition takes a stab at bridging the gap between automobiles and airplanes. Some people call it a flying car. The company designing and selling the vehicle prefers the term "roadable aircraft." Either way, it boils down to this: You sit down behind the steering wheel, drive to the runway, unfold two wings and take off. You can fly 500 miles on a tank of gas - regular unleaded -and when you land, you simply fold up the wings and drive where you want to go. At the end of the day, you fly back, drive home and park inside your garage. Terrafugia, of Woburn, Mass., is not the first firm to attempt what may be the ultimate hybrid. "It's probably a concept that people have been dreaming up since there have been airplanes and cars," said Dick Knapinski with the Experimental Aircraft Association, a 55-year-old aviation group based in Oshkosh, Wisc. A company called Aerocar of Longview, Wash., debuted one of the first flying cars in 1949. The company built six prototypes, one of which is sitting in the EAA's museum, but never went into production. Terrafugia, founded in 2006 by a group of MIT students, has taken deposits for more than 40 Transitions and plans to begin deliveries in 2010, said Richard Gersh, vice president of business development. The vehicles sell for $194,000. Advances in materials and propulsion technologies are among the reasons why Terrafugia is in position for commercial success. But equally important, says Knapinski, is an easing of government regulations on private aircraft and pilot licensing. In 2004, the Federal Aviation Administration created a new category of aircraft and license for sport aviation, an attempt to re-awaken interest in flying after steady drops in the number of licensed pilots. In the United States, about 600,000 people are licensed to fly aircraft, a drop of 25 percent since 1980, Knapinski said. "The FAA and the aviation industry realized there has to be a way to get people interested in flying. Even the airline pilots of today had to start somewhere with basic flying. There had to be an entry point that was practical and affordable," he said. Sport pilot licenses don't require as many hours of training as private and commercial pilot licenses, though sport fliers are not eligible to take off and land at runways with air traffic control towers. The medical requirements for sport pilots also are less stringent than for other types of pilot licenses, matching what is needed for a driver's license. "What the FAA and the government say by having that rule is that these vehicles have the same level of complexity as motor vehicles," Knapinski told Discovery News. "You fly in non-complex airspace at relatively low speed." Regulations covering the new category of sport aviation aircraft likewise are reduced. "It gives us an opportunity," said Terrafugia's Gersh. "We could never compete with Cessna or Boeing." One of the biggest obstacles facing a company like Terrafugia in launching a personal aircraft is not technical in nature or even cost, added Knapinski. It's perception. "The comfort level for a significant percentage of the population is not there," Knapinski said. "They just don't believe they can operate this type of machine." Perhaps having an airplane under the same roof as the family car will be just the ticket. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28796183/ **************** NYC Airports Take New Steps to Fight Bird Hazards Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to install bird-detecting radar at its three major airports following the emergency landing of a commercial jetliner in the Hudson River last week. The radar, which would be able to track flock movements and allow controllers to warn pilots, is an effort to expand an authority program to keep birds from interfering with air traffic. "The radar is very much like radar that's been used for 50 years for guiding air traffic control of planes, except in this case it's a very finely tuned radar that can detect very small objects that are flying in space, like birds," the authority's aviation director, William DeCota, told reporters after an agency meeting in Manhattan today. The pilot of a US Airways Group Inc. flight from LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina, reported a bird strike before setting his plane down in the Hudson on Jan. 15. None of the 155 people aboard was seriously injured. Inspectors found "organic material" and a feather on parts of the plane, supporting the pilot's account, the National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday. JFK Gets Trial The authority plans to install and test the first bird radar system at John F. Kennedy International Airport and expand it to LaGuardia and New Jersey's Newark Liberty International if it proves successful. The Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Air Force have been testing the radar, which hasn't been deployed at any commercial U.S. airport, at the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, DeCota said. The radar is made by DeTect Inc., a Panama City, Florida- based company that provides similar systems to the Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for space shuttle launches. The equipment, which costs about $500,000 for a basic system and about $2 million for full deployment, is used at airports in Canada and South Africa, said DeTect Chief Executive Officer Gary Andrews. It's scheduled to be installed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport later this year under an FAA test program. "We're pretty confident that if our system had been at LaGuardia, there is a high probability it would have detected that flock of geese because that's what it's designed to do," Andrews said in a telephone interview. Present Wildlife Program The Port Authority already works to control bird populations through methods including shooting, trapping and removing nests as part of a federally mandated wildlife mitigation plan. LaGuardia has a particular problem because many of its natural features and man-made structures are attractive to birds for perching, and seagulls often laze on the edge of a pier that carries one of the airport's runways over the East River. The new radar "actually can filter out differences so you can detect specifically what kind of birds, what size birds and what direction they are flying," DeCota said. The airport has a 24-hour wildlife control program and another plan that focuses specifically on Canada geese, which live mostly on Rikers Island just north of the airport. Since 2004, the Port Authority has trapped and killed more than 1,200 Canada geese during an annual roundup at Rikers, spokesman Pasquale DiFulco said. Reported bird strikes have quadrupled nationally over the past 18 years, to 7,666 in 2007, according to the most recent figures compiled by the FAA. More than a third occur on takeoff, and about 60 percent occur during landing, the two most-dangerous phases of flight. ************** ELT frequency changes in Australia The Australian Civil Aviation Regulations currently require the carriage of an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) on most flights in Australian airspace. Changes are occurring to the requirements for the carriage of emergency locator transmitters (ELTs). From 1 February 2009, all ELTs must operate on frequencies 406 and 121.5 MHz. Many ELTs currently used in Australia operate on 121.5 and 243 MHz. These ELTs will become unusable after 1 February 2009. (CASA) (aviation-safety.net) **************** NTSB TO MEET ON PHOENIX NEWS GATHERING HELICOPTERS ACCIDENT AND A 2007 SANFORD. FLORIDA PLANE CRASH Washington, DC -- The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public Board meeting on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 9:30 a.m., in its Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C. The Board will meet on the following items: On July 27, 2007, two electronic news gathering helicopters collided in midair in Phoenix, Arizona while covering a police pursuit. The helicopters were from local television stations. Each helicopter had a pilot-reporter and photographer on board. All four occupants were killed. NTSB Media Contact: Terry N. Williams On July 10, 2007, a Cessna 310R (N501N), part of the fleet operated by NASCAR's corporate aviation division, crashed while performing an emergency diversion to Orlando Sanford International Airport, Orlando, Florida, after one of the pilots reported smoke in the cockpit. Both pilots and three people on the ground were killed. Additionally, four people on the ground received serious injuries. The airplane and two homes were destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. NTSB Media Contact: Peter Knudson A live and archived webcast of the proceedings will be available on the Board's website at www.ntsb.gov. Technical support details are available under "Board Meetings." To report any problems, please call 703-993-3100 and ask for Webcast Technical Support. Directions to Board Room: Front door located on Lower 10th Street, directly below L'Enfant Plaza. From Metro, exit L'Enfant Plaza station at 9th and D Streets escalator, walk through shopping mall, at CVS store take escalator down one level. Board room will be to your left. *************** "Flight Safety Information" is a free service of: Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC