13 OCT 2009 _______________________________________ *Commuter jet makes emergency landing in Texas *Europe Seeks Better Anti-Ice Systems on Some Bombardier Jets *Lufthansa to relaunch on-board broadband service *Japan Air Denies Report CEO Nishimatsu Will Resign *Air India to use 777s on all long haul destinations *Eurocontrol Calling For TCAS System Upgrade *************************************** Commuter jet makes emergency landing in Texas COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Officials say a commuter jet made a safe emergency landing in Texas after a report of smoke in the cockpit. ExpressJet Airlines spokeswoman Kristy Nicholas says the flight left Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport about 2 p.m. Monday for Omaha, Neb., but was diverted 30 minutes later to College Station's Easterwood Airport. Nicholas says there were no injuries to the 38 passengers or three crew members on board. Another airplane was dispatched to take the passengers to Omaha. The cause of the smoke has not been determined. ExpressJet operated the flight that was marketed and booked by Continental Airlines. *************** Europe Seeks Better Anti-Ice Systems on Some Bombardier Jets By ANDY PASZTOR LOS ANGELES - European air-safety regulators Monday mandated enhanced inspections and installation of new onboard warning devices to protect against dangerous ice buildup on the wings of hundreds of popular Bombardier commuter jets. Adopting a mandatory safety directive issued previously by Canadian safety regulators, the European Aviation Safety Agency agreed that within the next month, airlines operating certain Bombardier CL-600 models must step up maintenance of anti-icing systems that use hot air to keep ice from accumulating on the front edges of the wings. Such buildup, if it is severe enough or unduly affects wings on one side of the plane, can substantially reduce aerodynamic lift. "In combination with maneuvers close to" stalling speed, according to the Canadian safety directive, ice accumulation "could possibly result in reduced controllability of the aircraft," Both European and Canadian government officials also have ordered that within the next 13 months, airlines must install upgraded devices on the affected jetliners, including sensors on the forward edges of the wings, designed to more reliably warn pilots if their anti-ice heating systems aren't working properly. According to the Canadian directive slated to become effective at the end of this week, several in-service incidents have "highlighted the inability of the existing system" to adequately detect potentially dangerous conditions. The relatively short enforcement timetable for some of the safety enhancements indicates that Transport Canada, which regulates air safety in that country, considers the risk significant. Bombardier Inc.'s aerospace unit, which built the aircraft, issued similar but nonbinding safety bulletins earlier this year. According to the company's Web site, it has delivered more than 700 of the regional jet models. The planes are used widely around the world, including fleets that fly commuter routes for Delta Air Lines Inc. and AMR Corp.'s American Airlines. It's common for regulators to accept and enforce safety directives approved by their counterparts in other countries. So far, the Federal Aviation Administration hasn't announced plans to follow the lead of European regulators on this issue. Separately, the FAA late last month proposed an unrelated safety directive aimed at preventing possible fuel-tank explosions on later versions of the Bombardier CL-600 family of regional jets. The agency wants airlines operating those newer-version twinjets to install thermal fuses to prevent hydraulic-system tubing located inside fuel tanks from heating up under certain conditions. Such malfunctions "could result in a fuel tank explosion," according to the FAA's proposed airworthiness directive, slated to go into effect in coming months. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703790404574470010026800246.ht ml?mod=googlenews_wsj ************** Lufthansa to relaunch on-board broadband service Lufthansa, one of the world's largest airlines, will bring back in-flight broadband Internet service. Credit: Lufthansa. After an unsuccessful first bid, Deutsche Lufthansa announced Monday that customers would once again be able to communicate mid-flight using broadband Internet. The German airline said it would reintroduce FlyNet, its satellite-based Internet service, by mid-2010. In addition to wireless Internet access, the service will enable Lufthansa passengers to send text messages and transfer data on smartphones. Lufthansa is partnering in the venture with Japanese electronics giant Panasonic Corp. Lufthansa said it planned to equip a major part of its long-range fleet with FlyNet within the first year of operation. If FlyNet works as planned, Lufthansa will be the first airline to carry high-speed connections that cover various handheld and Wi-Fi devices. Other airlines' Internet capabilities aren't as extensive or as fast. Lufthansa Chief Executive and Chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber said passengers could look forward to superior in-flight service. "On long-haul routes, we offer business travelers, in particular, a range of communication options on par with those available at land-based hot spots or premium hotels," he said in a statement. Passengers can choose to be billed through a mobile service provider or pay by credit card, the company said. Travelers should also be able to redeem award miles for use of the Wi-Fi Internet connections, Lufthansa said. The prices for specific services will be announced at a later date. This is not Lufthansa's first step into the broadband arena. In 2004, the carrier was one of 10 international airlines that installed Boeing Co.'s Internet broadband service called Connexion. Lufthansa outfitted 63 of its 80 long-haul aircraft with the service -- at about $1 million per plane. When Boeing ended the service in 2006, it was embarrassing for Lufthansa, which had poured millions into promoting and installing Connexion. But Paul Margis, chief executive of Panasonic Avionics Corp., said previous experience makes the company an ideal launch customer for the new broadband service. "Lufthansa was a true pioneer with their FlyNet branded service," he said in a statement. "We are proud to bring FlyNet back to their passengers." http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/10/lufthansa-to-relaunch-onb oard-broadband-service.html **************** Japan Air Denies Report CEO Nishimatsu Will Resign Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Japan Airlines Corp., seeking its fourth state bailout since 2001, denied a report that said Chief Executive Officer Haruka Nishimatsu will step down as the carrier is restructured. Nishimatsu will quit "to clarify management responsibility" and may be replaced by a new CEO from outside the company by January, Kyodo News reported today, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. Japan Air spokeswoman Sze Hunn Yap denied Nishimatsu will step down. The Tokyo-based airline, to be reorganized under a government plan to avert bankruptcy, will also seek forgiveness of 250 billion yen ($2.8 billion) of debt and raise 150 billion yen in capital from public and private sources, Kyodo said. The carrier will expand the number of planned job cuts to more than 9,000 from 6,800 previously announced, it said. "It's positive that the pace of restructuring has become faster," said Mitsushige Akino, who manages the equivalent of $666 million at Tokyo-based Ichiyoshi Investment Management Co. "But 250 billion and 150 billion are still far from enough. Japan Air needs to be changed drastically in order to be competitive." Sze Hunn Yap declined to comment on the airline's plan, saying details will be announced by the end of next month. Fourth Bailout The government last month appointed a five-member panel headed by Nomura Holdings Inc.'s Shinjiro Takagi to assess the airline's future and look at its management performance. Japan Airlines plans to seek approval from the nation's transport ministry for a draft of its management plan by the end of this month and complete negotiations with creditors in November, Kyodo said, adding the carrier may consider filing for bankruptcy if the talks fail. Japan Air posted a loss of 63 billion yen for the year ended March 31 and is expecting another loss this year, after the global recession cut travel demand. The company's shares fell 2.9 percent to close at 133 yen in Tokyo trading today. They have declined 37 percent this year, compared with a 31 percent drop at Tokyo-based rival All Nippon Airways Co. ****************** Air India to use 777s on all long haul destinations Air India will deploy Boeing 777s on all west bound international destinations as well as Tokyo. Of the 111 aircraft it has on order, the carrier says that it has inducted 64 so far. These include eight Boeing 777-200LRs and nine Boeing 777-300ERs. From 25 October, the 777s will be used exclusively on flights to Newark, Paris, Toronto, as well as Tokyo. They will replace Airbus A330s and 747-400s. In addition, the carrier is increasing the frequency on the Mumbai-Riyadh and Delhi-Riyadh routes to a total of 11 flights combined, up from nine. It will operate 777-200LRs on all services instead of 747-400s. The carrier already uses 777s on its flights to New York-JFK, Chicago, Frankfurt, and London. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Eurocontrol Calling For TCAS System Upgrade Aviation Communication and Surveillance Systems (ACSS) is introducing software upgrades to address what Eurocontrol safety specialists say are serious issues in traffic-alert and collision avoidance (TCAS) system logic. The software, which has not yet been mandated, will enable operators with the company's TCAS 2000 and TCAS II systems to upgrade to Change 7.1 capability. The improvement, which will become available in the fourth quarter, delivers two key enhancements known as reverse logic and a new aural alerting for "Adjust Vertical Speed." ACSS officials say orders for the software are projected to grow quickly as more than 10,000 of the TCAS 2000 systems are installed and operating in air transport, regional, business aviation and military aircraft. ACSS, based in Phoenix, is owned by L-3 Communications and Thales. http://www.aviationweek.com ***************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC