23 APR 2009 _______________________________________ *FAA Bird Strike Database Will Be Available to Public On Friday *MD-81 Wingtip Strike on Landing (Japan) *FAA plan would require alarms on air ambulances *F.A.A. to Propose New Medical Helicopter Safety Rules *New airline safety system doesn't meet standards: Pilots *After delays and fixes, Dreamliner almost ready to roll *Cessna Hosts Its First-Ever Flight Instructor Safety Stand Down *United names new alliances and pacific executives *In Missouri, Investors Seek a Profit in Branson Airport *************************************** FAA Bird Strike Database Will Be Available to Public On Friday Proposal to Protect the Data Will be Withdrawn In response to severe public disapproval, the FAA has bowed to the inevitable and will make its entire Bird Strike database available on a public website this Friday, April 24. Portions of the database have been publicly available since the information was first collected in 1990, but the public will now be able to access all of the database's fields. The FAA is also withdrawing a proposal to protect the data, after a 30-day comment period closed earlier this week. The FAA has determined that it can release the data without jeopardizing aviation safety (although their rationale for withholding it for such reasons was highly questionable). The FAA has redacted a very small amount of data in the database containing privacy information, such as personal phone numbers. Over the next four months, the FAA will make significant improvements to the database to improve the search function and make it more user-friendly. In its current format, users will only be able to perform limited searches online, but will be able to download the entire database. The FAA also plans to work with the aviation community to find ways to improve and strengthen bird strike reporting. FMI: http://wildlife-mitigation.tc.faa.gov/public_html/temp.html#access aero-news.com **************** MD-81 Wingtip Strike on Landing (Japan) Date: 22-APR-2009 Time: 10:40 Type: McDonnell Douglas MD-81 Operator: JAL Express Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 168 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Osaka-Itami International (ITM/RJOO) - Japan Phase: Landing Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Niigata Airport Destination airport: Osaka-Itami International (ITM/RJOO) Narrative: The left wing of a JAL Md-81 airplane scraped runway B while landing at Osaka Airport. the flight, JAL2242, originated at Niigata. The runway was closed for about an hour to remove debris. (aviation-safety.net) ************** FAA plan would require alarms on air ambulances By Alan Levin, USA TODAY WASHINGTON - A proposal aimed at stemming crashes of air ambulances would require that the helicopters carry alarms that would warn pilots if they are close to hitting the ground, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday. The alarm is part of a computerized device that can track every hill and radio tower in the world, warning pilots when they get too close to danger. The Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS), which is credited with preventing dozens of accidents on jets, would cost about $100,000 per helicopter. Between December 2007 and October 2008, 13 air ambulance accidents killed 35 people. The FAA has pressured air-ambulance operators to improve safety and add devices such as TAWS, but so far the effort has been voluntary. The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates aviation accidents, had criticized the FAA for not moving more quickly. "We recognize that relying on voluntary compliance alone is not enough to ensure safe flight operations," John Allen, director of the FAA's Flight Standards Service, said at a Congressional hearing on safety in the industry. There are more than 800 air-ambulance helicopters in the U.S. The industry is moving to equip the devices. More than 40% of operators have begun installing them on their fleets, the FAA estimates. Honeywell, the leading manufacturer of the devices, has sold 200 to air-ambulance companies, spokesman Bill Reavis said. Allen said the agency expects the rule to go into effect in 2011. The aviation agency would also require that helicopters ferrying patients be equipped with flight recorders similar to the black boxes on airliners, Allen said. The recorders are designed to help investigators determine why helicopters crashed. The FAA would add more rigorous tests for helicopter pilots to ensure that they can handle the types of poor weather and dark conditions that have led to many crashes, Allen said. Operators would have to calculate the risks of each flight before departing, he said. If the risks - such as poor weather or a difficult landing zone - are too high, the flight would be canceled. The House Aviation Subcommittee heard testimony Wednesday from a divided air-ambulance industry. Many small- and medium-size operators want air-ambulance companies to have stricter oversight by state agencies. But larger operators argued that state oversight would create confusing standards in different regions of the country. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-23-air-ambulance_N.htm *************** F.A.A. to Propose New Medical Helicopter Safety Rules A Federal Aviation Administration official said Wednesday that the agency planned to propose new rules requiring medical helicopters to use additional safety equipment, including collision avoidance systems. The agency's move follows a series of fatal medical helicopter crashes over the last two years that have killed 35 people. In recent years, both the National Safety Transportation Board, which makes recommendations to the F.A.A., and air safety experts have criticized the agency for not moving more quickly to improve medical helicopter safety. Previously, the F.A.A. took the position that helicopter operators could make safety changes more quickly if they acted voluntarily. But John Allen, the F.A.A.'s director of flight standards, testified at a Congressional hearing Wednesday that the agency, while recognizing the industry's voluntary actions, would soon begin a rulemaking proceeding to mandate the use of certain safety equipment and procedures. "We recognize that relying on voluntarily compliance alone is not enough to ensure safe flight operations," Mr. Allen testified before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. More than 800 medical helicopters are currently estimated to be operating in this country, airlifting the sick and injured, often under emergency conditions. In the last decade, the industry has doubled in size, and many of the aircraft are operated by for-profit companies. Safety experts contend that competition among companies for flights has added to the risks. The industry includes publicly traded companies like the Air Methods Corporation and PHI Inc., as well as smaller privately held operators. While the F.A.A. plans to begin the rulemaking procedure later this year or early next, the rules will first undergo a public comment period and may not take effect until 2011. Among other measures, the F.A.A. proposal would include a requirement that medical helicopters have so-called terrain awareness and avoidance systems, which warn of nearby terrestrial obstacles. The systems, which can cost up to $100,000 for each helicopter, are used only on about 40 percent of the nation's medical helicopters. Dawn Mancuso, the head of the Association of Air Medical Services, a trade group based in Alexandria, Va., said some operators might not be able to afford the equipment. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/business/23copter.html ************** New airline safety system doesn't meet standards: Pilots OTTAWA - Transport Canada pilots charged with inspecting the safety practices of airline operators said on Wednesday that Canada is no longer meeting international aviation standards because the government has downloaded responsibility for safety oversight to airlines. Greg Holbrook, chairman of the federal pilots association, made the assessment when he got behind a call from the New Democrats for an investigation into Transport Canada's implementation of its new inspection model called Safety Management System (SMS). An international first in civil aviation, SMS requires airlines to develop and oversee its own system of safety checks. Holbrook said Transport Canada inspectors are no longer conducting traditional audits and inspections to make sure airlines are meeting all regulatory requirements, putting Canada offside with the requirements of the United Nation's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), to which Canada has agreed to conform as a contracting state. "ICAO does not advocate the allowance of audits and inspections to be eliminated from the program and let operators check things themselves. They require clearly a balanced approach. It's quite clear to us that this is not happening here in Canada," said Holbrook. Standing alongside NDP transport critic Dennis Bevington and international trade critic Peter Julian at a news conference on Parliament Hill, Holbrook said Transport Canada inspectors only "examine the air operator's safety management system to see if their system meets the requirements. It will not check for regulatory compliance." This causes pilot inspectors "great concern" because they're only doing "one tenet of what is required by international aviation standards. Transport Canada is doing half the program and trying to present it as an additional layer, which it clearly is not," said Holbrook. "We would request that the parliamentarians advocate a real sober second think of this whole initiative that seems to be proceeding at a juggernaut pace." Transport Canada spokesman Patrick Charette says it's "incorrect to say that safety management systems remove government oversight. Rather, they are a proactive tool to complement our inspection regime." Charette said "SMS targets 'root causes' to prevent problems before they happen," and that it instils more accountability and a culture of safety throughout the industry. "The fact is inspections continue as do our efforts to ensure the highest possible levels of safety for Canadians," he added. The transition to SMS, which has already resulted in the elimination of Transport Canada's national and regional auditing programs in civil aviation, has been fully implemented at Canada's large airlines. Its full transition across all sectors of civil aviation is expected to be complete in 2010. After instituting SMS for rail transportation in 2001, the Liberal government at the time, under the stewardship of Transport Minister David Collenette, expanded the oversight system to civil aviation, to be phased in over time. Bevington said now is the time to put on the brakes and investigate federal civil aviation practices. "There's a disaster in the making, and I don't want to alarm people, the flying pubic, but all of us, whether we fly in air taxis, charter aircraft, or whether we deal with scheduled air carriers, want to ensure that the best possible systems are in place to protect our safety and the safety of our loved ones. This is not happening, and in fact, it's degrading everyday," said the NDP's transportation critic. The Canada Safety Council and Canadians for Accountability were also on hand to bolster the case for a public probe, along with Kirsten Stevens of Campbell River, B.C; her husband was one of four loggers who died after their float plane crashed off Vancouver Island in February 2005. Ian Bron, spokesman for Canadians for Accountability and the former chief of aviation security regulations at Transport Canada, said SMS fails the "accountability test," pointing to transparency problems and concerns over whistleblower protection. Bron said Transport Canada is not equipped to "lead a new and untested initiative in which it expects a completely different code of conduct from the airline industry. We believe if SMS does go forward, more lives will be lost to preventable accidents." Emile Therien of the Canada Safety Council added, "aviation safety in this country is a disaster in the making." Auditor General Sheila Fraser last year criticized the implementation of SMS in her audit of Transport Canada's oversight of air-transportation safety. In planning for the transition and shifting resources from traditional oversight activities in its civil aviation branch, Fraser found the department did not document risks, such as the impact of the transition on oversight of safety. Transport Canada also failed to identify how many inspectors and engineers it needs during and after the transition, Fraser found. http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/airline+safety+system+doesn+meet+standards +Pilots/1523559/story.html ***************** After delays and fixes, Dreamliner almost ready to roll Within the next week, one of the huge doors at the Everett plant will open and the first of the new 787 Dreamliners will roll out onto the flight line by the Paine Field runway. OHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES The 787 Dreamliner, being assembled at Boeing's Everett plant, is nearing final factory tests. The first of the new jets is slated to move soon to the flight line at Paine Field. What's next for 787 FINAL WEEKS of ground tests: This weekend: Landing-gear swing test. Vibration test. Soon: Dreamliner No. 1 moves outside. Ground tests begin of all systems under jet's own power. June: Expected to fly. Boeing's Dreamliner is nearly ready to come out - again. Within the next week, one of the huge doors at the Everett plant will open and the first of the new 787 Dreamliners will roll out onto the flight line by the Paine Field runway. It won't fly until June, but after multiple delays the airplane that briefly left the factory in July two years ago - for a ceremony on 7/8/07 - is at long last within sight of reaching for the sky. This rollout will not have the pomp and circumstance that surrounded the first: the parade of dozens of brightly dressed flight attendants, the narration by former network newsman Tom Brokaw, the worldwide video simulcast. But unlike the first rollout, after which the jet was unceremoniously rolled back in so that major pieces of the airframe could be dismantled to fix embarrassing assembly flaws, the innovative airplane should fly within a couple of months. Ground tests required before the jet can fly are progressing well. Earlier this week, with Dreamliner No. 1 connected to an external power source, Boeing completed a full simulation on the ground of the jet's first flight. Test pilots in the cockpit exercised all the flight-control hardware and software. And in the 787 assembly bay Tuesday, Dreamliner No. 2 - resting upon sheets of plywood covering a chicken-wire mesh - successfully completed a test of its ability to withstand the indirect electrical effects of a lightning strike. The final factory tests are now near. This weekend, test pilots will activate the landing gear on No. 1. A pit in the factory floor will allow the wheels to swing. And Dreamliner No. 2 will undergo a required vibration test scheduled to begin Saturday morning. Engineers will position the plane on soft supports and shake it so they can detect any vibration resonance. Speaking to analysts and the media during a quarterly earnings call Wednesday, a day when the company's financial news was poor, Boeing CEO Jim McNerney was relieved to offer a 787 update. "In the coming days, airplane number one will move out of the factory to the flight line," McNerney said. "There, it will be fueled and its engines operated prior to doing a final systems check and the high-speed taxi test that lead to first flight." After the cancellation of orders for 32 Dreamliners and just one new order for eight from Gulf Air this year, the 787 order tally stands at 886. The first delivery is scheduled by next March. Given the recession and the distress of airlines worldwide, there will inevitably be more cancellations. But McNerney predicted the reduction will be "modest." Since July 2007, the Dreamliner program has been plagued with problems, mostly traceable to the supply chain. Initially, there were fastener shortages. Then major sections arrived incomplete, forcing constant rework. But if the jet flies as promised, Boeing can begin to put the nightmare of the past two years behind it. Tourists or locals taking the Boeing factory tour this past week could catch a glimpse of progress as Dreamliner No. 2 sat at the head of the 787 assembly line, next to the big door. Unlike the other planes in the line, it was surrounded by a fence to keep stray people away. And plywood sheets were placed beneath the jet, like its shadow on the factory floor. Terry Beezhold, director of 787 airplane integration, said Wednesday the plywood was under the wheels to prevent electric current from leaking to the ground through the tires during the lightning test. Chicken wire was draped over crucial parts of the plane - the nose, the tail and so on - to test whether running current through those areas could disrupt the plane's electrical systems. The chicken wire on the ground provides a return path for the low-level current - between 2 and 10 amps - that Boeing passes through the plane. Boeing shields the wiring on its jets so currents induced by lightning don't play havoc with vital systems. On a plane like the 787, which is largely composite plastic, the effects will be very different from what's usual on a traditional aluminum airframe. A direct lightning strike could generate 200,000 amps, Beezhold said, but the engineers can apply the low current results to work out what happens "at the higher threat levels of a lightning strike." The test "went very well," he said. Boeing will run a more extensive lightning current test later in the year, before certification by the Federal Aviation Administration. Once the jet moves outside to the flight line, the pilots can start up its Rolls-Royce engines, and for the first time put it through extensive ground tests under its own power. Eventually the jet will do some slow, then high-speed taxiing. If all goes well, in June test pilot Mike Carriker will let loose and take off. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2009106941_dreamliner2 3.html *************** Cessna Hosts Its First-Ever Flight Instructor Safety Stand Down Cessna Aircraft is nearing approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to host a flight instructor safety stand down, a first for any aircraft original equipment manufacturer (OEM). "Cessna's stand down is a training seminar designed for flight instructors, flight instructor candidates and commercial pilots who may have an interest in becoming flight instructors," said Will Dirks, Cessna's vice president of Flight Operations. "The course serves as an all-inclusive training event for several mandated recurrent courses with an emphasis on using new technology to enhance aviation safety. The course will also serve as a flight instructor refresher clinic. The 18-hour course was designed by Cessna flight instructors who have considerable knowledge and experience in this area." The first-ever Cessna Flight Instructor Safety Stand Down is scheduled for May 30-31 in St. Louis, Mo. FMI: www.cessna.com/training aero-news.net **************** United names new alliances and pacific executives United Airlines today named James Mueller vice president-Pacific. Mark Schwab transitions from that role to senior vice president-alliances, international and regulatory affairs. Mueller joined United earlier this year to lead the customer solutions team after 15 years with Northwest Airlines. At Northwest, he had responsibility in revenue management, pricing, alliances, sales and cargo. Mueller was also responsible for all of Northwest's commercial, administrative and operational activity in China, Hong Kong, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Guam and select functions in Japan. Mueller's role changes as Schwab, a 30-year industry veteran, leaves the Pacific post after six years to succeed Mike Whitaker in the senior executive role. Whitaker was named group CEO-travel, technology and general aviation services for InterGlobe. Prior to joining United, Schwab was vice president-international for US Airways. He also held international posts with American Airlines and Pan American World Airways. Schwab will report to executive vice president and COO John Tague, while Mueller will report to Jeff Foland, senior vice president-sales. Schwab and Mueller will begin transitioning to their new roles immediately. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ************** In Missouri, Investors Seek a Profit in Branson Airport By CHRISTINE NEGRONI Branson, Mo., is remote and has a tiny year-round population. But it also has the kinds of outdoor activities and family-friendly theater productions that attracted eight and a half million visitors last year, earning the city the unofficial nickname "Vegas without the gambling." The Branson Airport will have ticket booths for downtown performances. And it is because of all those visitors that investors have placed a bet on Branson, spending $155 million to build the only privately financed commercial airport in America. Steve Peet, the chief executive of the airport, is a Connecticut businessman who concedes that he could not find Branson on a map nine years ago. By 2004, he was persuaded that there was money to be made flying tourists there. "If you were ever going to think about building a private commercial airport, this would be the place to do it," he said recently, as planes began test flights on the recently completed Branson Airport airfield. "It seemed like an incredible opportunity." Every one of the 552 airports providing commercial air service in the United States receives some kind of federal money, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and these airports are owned by public entities, municipalities, transportation districts or airport authorities. The closest airport to Branson was 44 miles away in Springfield, Mo. Mr. Peet's idea was to build a new commercial airport eight miles south of Branson's theater district, with private financing. Randall Fiertz, director of airport compliance and field operations at the F.A.A., said the agency had no problem with a privately financed airport. "We encourage airport development by whoever is financing it," he said. "If the private sector wants to do that, it leaves more money available for other airports." In 1996, Congress passed legislation allowing a limited number of public airports to solicit private investors. Only two airports have tried going private, and both have encountered problems. Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, N.Y., was purchased by the National Express Group of Great Britain in 2000. The British company, unable to make a profit, sold the airport to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 2007. In Chicago, a consortium of investors agreed to purchase Midway Airport for $2.5 billion, but the credit crisis threatens the completion of the deal. The city of Chicago earlier this month granted the purchasers an extension on the due date for their next payment. For Branson Airport, however, all has gone smoothly. The owners bought 925 acres in the Ozarks and constructed a runway, control tower and 58,000-square-foot terminal building in less than two years. Commercial passenger flights are scheduled to begin May 11. "I think it's some kind of record," Jeff Bourk, executive director of the airport, said of the speed of the construction. "On other projects I've been involved in, there's a lot more red tape." Because Branson eschewed federal assistance, it was free of the restrictions that accompany government aid. That allowed the owners to offer exclusive contracts to AirTran and Sun Country airlines on certain routes to Branson. "We don't want suicide fares, two or three airlines bashing each other over the head until someone says 'uncle' and leaves," said Mr. Peet, explaining why the airport agreed to protect the airlines from competition. "We want to build real service, sustainable service." Restricting competition could result in higher prices, said Richard L. de Neufville, an engineering systems professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who specializes in airports. He has seen it happen before. "At first, local people are glad there is something where there was nothing," Mr. de Neufville said. "As people get used to it there will be a concern about a monopoly jacking up the prices." Mr. Peet insists the airport has nothing to gain by that. "If we don't provide a good product at a reasonable price, we'll cut our nose." As a money-making venture for Mr. Peet and his fellow investors, the airport has a limited life span. In a deal to finance the airport with tax-free bonds, his Branson Airport L.L.C. gave the airport and the 420 acres on which it sits to Taney County, retaining the right to operate the airport for 45 years. "Saving us money on the cost of debt service was more valuable than owning the airport," Mr. Peet said. With the clock set to start ticking next month, every possible way is being considered for maximizing the profit-making potential of the airport. Airlines are being wooed with a range of services so complete that the carriers need not hire a single employee. Security at checkpoints, of course, is provided by the Transportation Security Administration. "We're trying to make it as easy as possible for the airlines, with no station set-up costs, no installation of computers," Mr. Bourk said. "You come up to the counter and it's a Branson airport employee who will process your ticket and get you onto the flight." The airport also negotiated an $8.40-a-head fee from the city of Branson for every tourist arriving by air, a revenue stream that could bring in as much as $2 million a year. Ticket booths for downtown performances will be found in passenger arrival areas, and even the right to name the airport is up for sale. Mr. de Neufville, who studies the issues involved in privatization of public properties, said airports as private for-profit enterprises that continue to receive federal money face unique challenges. "Governments do not permit their privatized major commercial airports to engage in practices that are routine in most other industries," he noted in a study he conducted several years after the privatization trial program began in the United States. For example, they cannot set their own prices or restrict access to their products. That is why Branson Airport is so intriguing. It is in the singularly liberating position of being able to ignore some of the business restrictions that every other commercial airport must follow. "The airport industry doesn't know what to make of Branson Airport," said Steve Steckler, a transportation development consultant in Maryland. In this time of transition, it is the airport itself that put Branson, Mo., on the maps of aviation insiders. As Mr. Steckler put it, "It's show time." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/business/21branson.html?_r=2&sq=branson%20 airport&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=1&adxnnlx=1240484465-xfrRG4bDSeYG5dp+jT/KhA *************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC