29 SEP 2009 _______________________________________ *Two men on jet arrested at LAX *Officials seek witnesses to fatal SC chopper crash *FAA Safety Team Presents Erickson Air-Crane with Awards of Excellence and Special Recognition *Airbus to deliver 13 A380 aircraft this year *2 airline passengers complain of ear problems *EADS CEO: A400 Could Make First Flight In December *Sullenberger plans a return to US Airways in an expanded role *FAA issues credit card reader caution *Boeing plans significant wiring change to 787 *FAA has no official statement on India's safety rating **************************************** Two men on jet arrested at LAX LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Two men aboard a jetliner were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport Monday, authorities say, apparently for suspicious behavior. Los Angeles Police Department Lt. John Romero said the two men, who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, were taken into custody by security personnel, the Los Angeles Times reported. An unnamed law enforcement sources told the newspaper that when the New York-bound jet began to taxi on the runway, at least one of the men ran into a restroom on the plane and appeared to be hiding. The flight crew then reportedly confronted the men and made a decision to abort the take-off. Witnesses said the two men were taken into custody by heavily armed law enforcement officers and the craft was taken to a remote area of the airport to be searched. The Times' source indicated it was still too early to determine if the incident was terrorism related, by added that the LAPD's anti-terrorism unit and the FBI were on the case. *************** Officials seek witnesses to fatal SC chopper crash GEORGETOWN, S.C. (AP) - As federal investigators looked for witnesses to the crash of a medical helicopter, funeral services were set Monday for two of the three crew members killed in the rainy weekend accident. Investigators said they found no immediate indication there was any malfunction with the aircraft before the Friday night crash and that the engine seemed to be working properly. The helicopter went down in a pine stand in a sparsely populated area south of Georgetown, about 60 miles northeast of Charleston, S.C. "We're not surprised, it being so rural, we have not heard from anybody," Peter Knudson, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman. He said two NTSB investigators would remain at the scene for the next day or two documenting wreckage that, at this point, provides no obvious clue what happened. "There is nothing we have found so far to indicate there was anything wrong with the aircraft prior to the accident," he said. The helicopter did not have, and was not required to have, a flight voice recorder. As part of the investigation, experts will take apart the engine to make sure it was operating properly, Knudson said. Omniflight, the Texas-based company that operated the helicopter, identified the crew members as pilot Patrick Walters, 45, of Murrells Inlet, flight nurse Diana Conner, 42, of Florence and paramedic Randolph Claxton Dove, 39, of Bladenboro, N.C. A company spokeswoman said she was checking for background and could not immediately say how long each worker had been with the company. Services for Walters, a native of Monroe, La., and a former decorated Marine captain survived by a wife, a son and two daughters, are Wednesday at St. Michael Catholic Church in Garden City, S.C., where he was a member. Services for Dove are Thursday at Sandy Grove Baptist Church in his hometown of Bladenboro. He is survived by a wife and two daughters. The family requested there be no service for Conner, survived by a husband, a son and a daughter. A native of Elyria, Ohio, she earlier worked as an emergency room nurse at Williamsburg Regional Hospital and for Williamsburg County emergency medical technician in Kingstree. "She had a touch, a way with people. I think there are special people put here on earth and called to do these things. Helping people is what Diana was called to do," Williamsburg County EMS Director Renee Bryant told the Morning News of Florence. Conner always wanted to be a flight nurse. "When she was offered the job with OmniFlight, she was thrilled. She was finally living out her dream," Bryant said. The helicopter had just dropped off a patient at a hospital in Charleston and was flying to Conway, about 90 miles to the northeast, when it crashed. Investigators said it had flown between two intense thunderstorms and it was raining at the time. The weather will be part of the investigation, which could take more than a year to complete, Knudson said. He said fatal accidents take longer to investigate, he said. "They are a lot more severe, obviously," he said. "When you don't have anyone to talk to and there is no voice recorder, it makes the investigations more complex." The crash came a day after the NTSB issued 21 recommendations to help improve the safety of air ambulance flights. **************** FAA Safety Team Presents Erickson Air-Crane with Awards of Excellence and Special Recognition The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presented Erickson Air-Crane with a "Gold Certificate of Excellence" honoring Erickson's participation in the FAA sponsored Aviation Maintenance Training (AMT) program in 2008 as well as a "Special Recognition Award" signifying participation with the program for the past five years. Jim Hultgrien, FAA Safety Team Program Manager, presented Erickson Air-Crane President and CEO Udo Rieder both awards at the company's global headquarters in Portland, Oregon. A company's eligibility for a Gold or Diamond "Certificate of Excellence" award is based on the number of employees who have received individual AMT awards during the year. For the 2008 calendar year, 189 Erickson Air-Crane employees received awards. Eight of those individuals received the highest level of recognition, a "Diamond" award, for meeting the required 58 hours of aviation industry maintenance training and completing 3 credit hours of college-level classes. "We are extremely proud of our employees and their devotion to safety, which is shown by their commitment to continual education under the AMT program." said Rieder. "These awards, while presented to our company, reflect the dedication of our people." About Erickson Air-Crane Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated is the manufacturer and operator of the S-64 Aircrane Helicopter with a fleet of seventeen S-64 Aircrane helicopters worldwide that have operated within sixteen countries since 1971. With a lift capacity of up to 25,000 pounds (11,340 kg), the Aircrane is unsurpassed in performance of Firefighting, Civil Protection, Hydromulch Application, Timber Harvesting, and Power line Construction. Erickson Air-Crane is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified Repair and Overhaul Depot with a comprehensive manufacturing, maintenance, and repair capability. Erickson's worldwide fleet of S-64 Aircranes is supported and maintained from the manufacturing facility located in Central Point, Oregon and the corporate headquarters located in Portland, Oregon, USA. http://www.rotor.com/Default.aspx?tabid=510&newsid905=62242 **************** Airbus to deliver 13 A380 aircraft this year PARIS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - European planemaker Airbus is expected to deliver 13 of its A380 super jumbo in 2009, one fewer aircraft than its most recent delivery target of 14, sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. Airbus delivered five of the 525-seat plane between January and August. Airbus CEO Louis Gallois confirmed the group might deliver 13 A380 planes this year. Airbus is a unit of EADS (EAD.PA)/ **************** 2 airline passengers complain of ear problems Honolulu, HI (AP) -- Two Hawaiian Airlines passengers received medical treatment following a cabin pressure problem that occurred before the jet they were on took off from Honolulu International Airport. An airline spokesman says Sunday afternoon's flight encountered the problem after it left the gate but before it took off for San Francisco. The plane returned to the terminal, and the two passengers were taken off and treated after reporting ear problems. The plane left for San Francisco after a valve was fixed, correcting the pressure problem. ***************** EADS CEO: A400 Could Make First Flight In December PARIS (Dow Jones)--It's looking increasingly likely that the Airbus A400M will make its maiden flight in December, the chief executive of Airbus's parent company said Monday. Louis Gallois, CEO of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. NV (EAD.FR) told a group of journalists that the first flight had always been planned for between December and February. "The probability of December is increasing," he said. The A400 is already running three years late, and has forced EADS to provision EUR2.3 billion against potential losses stemming from the program. Gallois reaffirmed that the company "hopes" to be able to limit the losses to that amount. Commenting on an engine failure on a Singapore Airlines A380 superjumbo that forced it to turn back on a flight from Paris to Singapore two hours into the flight over the weekend, Gallois said this was a "non-event," noting that the plane is designed to fly on three engines. The plane returned to Paris because it's easier to change an engine at Paris than at Istanbul, an alternative halt, he said. Gallois reaffirmed that there's no plan at present to trim further the production rate of the Airbus A320 family of aircraft from the rate of 34 a month that will be effective in October. http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090928-709816.html **************** Sullenberger plans a return to US Airways in an expanded role US Airways today announced that Captain Chesley Sullenberger will soon return to work for the airline as member of the carrier's flight operations safety management team in addition to his piloting duties. Sullenberger piloted the 15 January emergency water landing of a US Airways Airbus A320 into the Hudson River in New York City, drawing media acclaim. While Sullenberger says the ensuing months have been full, with he and his family having unforgettable experiences, "I have missed working with my colleagues at US Airways and I am eager to get back into the cockpit in the months ahead. In my new role, I will continue to be the same kind of advocate for aviation safety that I have been for decades." Sullenberger has also used his time in the limelight to highlight decreasing salaries for airline workers in the eight years since the September 2001 terrorist attacks. During a Congressional hearing in February of this year he stressed that through the bankruptcies and mergers following the attacks, "management teams who have used airline employees as an ATM have left the people who work for airlines in the United States with extreme economic difficulties". At that time he also warned that many pilots split their time between piloting and other alternative careers or businesses to "maintain a middle class standard of living". Sullenberger expressed concern those conditions were driving talent away from piloting stating: "When my company offered pilots who had been laid off the chance to return to work, 60% refused." US Airways, meanwhile, says it will issue additional information about Sullenberger's return to flight once the details are confirmed. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************** FAA issues credit card reader caution The US FAA has issued an alert to commercial airlines and others warning that the portable credit card readers being used by carriers for passenger purchases must be vetted for safety. "A recent inquiry into the use of portable electronic credit card readers has revealed that some operators may be using these PEDs aboard US-registered aircraft without having appropriately and adequately determined their potential for interfering with communication and navigation equipment," the FAA states in an information for operators dated 23 September. In addition to having the airline verify that the devices will not interfere with aircraft avionics based on previously published advisory materials, the FAA says card readers using lithium batteries "must have the associated risk of the hazmat being carried aboard aircraft" reviewed by the FAA's office of Hazardous Materials in coordination with the carrier's principle avionics inspector. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Boeing plans significant wiring change to 787 Boeing will introduce a new wiring standard for the 787 to reduce weight, improve maintainability and address a spacing issue between wires, according to 787 supplier Spirit AeroSystems. Starting with Airplane 13, 787 structural partners responsible for stuffing aircraft sections will deliver the revised wiring standard known as NC5 or Net Change 5, a consolidation of design changes that represent a minor blockpoint for the programme, says Harold Leslie, Spirit's senior manager for 787 systems integration. Six bundles were eliminated with the latest NC5 revision, which also resolves issues with the distance of some wires from power feeders and other cables, says Leslie. He adds that cables in the original configuration were picking up signals jumping from wire to wire. The consolidation of bundles was relatively limited on NC5, because the ring posts that affix each bundle to the structure has a limit of three-quarters of an inch in diameter. Boeing says that the original wiring definition - not the NC5 standard - will fly on ZA001 when it makes its maiden flight later this year. Boeing adds that the original wiring definition has been cleared for flight. The first batch of production 787s - seven through 12 - will have the existing wiring removed and reinstalled to bring the aircraft to the latest NC5 standard. To date, Spirit has delivered ten 787 shipsets to Boeing, which consist of six flight test aircraft and four production 787s. Boeing plans an entry into service for the 787 by the end of 2010. Boeing currently holds 850 orders for the type. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** FAA has no official statement on India's safety rating The US FAA has not officially issued a statement regarding its safety rating on India even though local media reports indicate the agency has no plans to issue a downgrade for the country. An FAA spokeswoman says the agency has "concluded consultations with India, but we do not yet have anything official to say." Indian media outlets are reporting that after an audit and consultations with the country's aviation authority, FAA will maintain the country's category one rating. Those reports also indicate that FAA's determination will be made public under the agency's public disclosure policy. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ***************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC