10 DEC 2009 _______________________________________ *Aborted Garuda take-off closes Medan airport for three hours *Air France B777-200 Hydraulic Failure (Brazil) *Lawsuit filed on behalf of 5 Italian citizens killed in Hudson River midair collision *Partnership with India centres on safety: FAA *‘PIA committed to international safety standards for airlines’ *NASA testing helicopter airbags – sounds like fun! *South Africa's Airlink battles to avoid grounding *Cessna closing 3 Columbus plants *China Cargo Airlines to Incorporate Boeing Operational Efficiency Products *Aer Lingus chief financial officer quits **************************************** Aborted Garuda take-off closes Medan airport for three hours A Garuda Indonesia aircraft that was departing from an airport in North Sumatra has aborted its take-off on the runway, leading to a three-hour closure of the airport. The Boeing 737-400, bound for Jakarta with 134 passengers on board, was preparing for its take-off at Medan's Polonia airport at 09:22 when the incident happened. "The pilot felt the [aircraft] shudder, which was abnormal, and he decided to not continue with the take-off," says a Garuda spokesman. He says the aircraft's tyre deflated during the incident. No one was injured and all passengers disembarked from the aircraft, says the spokesman. Because the aircraft was stranded on the runway and required a change of tyres, the airport was closed for more than three hours, he adds. It reopened at 14:00 after the aircraft was moved. Garuda is investigating the incident and the aircraft is still at the Medan airport, says the spokesman. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news *************** Air France B777-200 Hydraulic Failure (Brazil) Date: 09-DEC-2009 Time: 08:06 AM Type: Boeing 777-228/ER Operator: Air France Click here for full size photo! Registration: F-GSPB C/n / msn: 29003/133 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 275 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: None Location: over Guarulhos, São Paulo - Brazil Phase: Approach Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France Destination airport: Sao Paulo- Guarulhos, SP, Brazil Narrative: The crew of an Air France Boeing 777-200, registration F-GSPB performing flight AF-454 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Sao Paulo Guarulhos, SP (Brazil) with 259 passengers and 16 crew, reported a hydraulics failure while on approach to Sao Paulo's Guarulhos Airport and requested to use the longest runway available. The airplane continued for a safe landing, the passengers disembarked normally at the gate. (aviation-safety.net) *************** Lawsuit filed on behalf of 5 Italian citizens killed in Hudson River midair collision hudson-river-midair-collision-helicopter-plane.jpg In this Aug. 8 photo, members of the NYPD Scuba Dive Team secure the wreckage from the midair collision of an airplane and a tourist helicopter before it is pulled out of the Hudson River across Sinatra Park in Hoboken. NEWARK (AP) — A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of five Italian citizens who were among nine people killed in an August collision of a tourist helicopter and a small airplane over the Hudson River. Attorneys for the five filed suit in U.S. District Court in Newark Dec. 4 against Liberty Helicopters Inc. and the Meridian Consulting I Corporation Inc., both of Linden. Full Star-Ledger coverage of the helicopter, plane mid-air crash over the Hudson River The suit also names the estate of Steven Altman, the pilot of the Piper that collided with the helicopter, and the aircraft's owner, LCA Partnership of Pennsylvania. Attorneys for victims Fabio Gallazzi, Giacomo Gallazzi, Tiziana Pedroni, Filippo Norelli and Michele Norelli allege that many parties are to blame for their deaths. They are seeking damages in excess of $75,000 per person. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/lawsuit_on_behalf_of_5_italian.html **************** Partnership with India centres on safety: FAA Washington, Dec 8 (PTI) The partnership with India in aviation sector is centred on safety and improving efficiency and both nations are cooperating on counter-terrorism measures, a top US official said today. "As partners, we are doing our best to promote aviation safety, to follow international standards and foster seamless and efficient aviation operations," the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator J Randolph Babbitt said. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of US-India Aviation Partnership Summit Babbitt recollected his first meeting with India's Aviation Secretary Madhavan Nambiar in June. "From the moment that the meeting started, I could tell we had a partnership centred on safety and on the mutual respect," he said. Joint Aviation Steering Committee is one of the areas of cooperation through which the two nations will focus on those areas that call for government-to-government cooperation. http://www.ptinews.com/news/414581_Partnership-with-India-centres-on-safety- -FAA *************** ‘PIA committed to international safety standards for airlines’ KARACHI: PIA is committed to international safety standards for airlines, Managing Director PIA, Captain Mohammad Aijaz Haroon said at a seminar on Airline Safety. The passenger and airline safety is primary and strictly maintained in operational matters at any cost. PIA’s Certification by International Organization for Safety Audit (IOSA) confirms that the airline operations are safe, he added. Capt Aijaz said while ensuring passenger safety the airline was also providing a safe working environment to its employees with all requisite tools and equipments. Officials of CAA, IATA, PAKISTAN Air Force, Army and PIA attended the seminar. PIA Flight Safety and Quality Assurance Division, Civil Aviation Authority, IATA Pakistan, Aga Khan University Hospital and NHR Human Resource consultant made illuminating presentations on Safety Standards. General Manager, PIA Flight Safety and Quality Assurance, Captain Salman Azhar presented annual report of the airline’s operational safety aspects. Director CAA, Air Commodore Khalid Marwat made a presentation on ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit program, Safety Aviation concept, and Objectives and measures. staff report http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C12%5C10%5Cstory_10-12-2 009_pg5_10 ************** NASA testing helicopter airbags – sounds like fun! 410141main1_helodrop-1_226-170 So, big problem with flying in a helicopter: if you crash, you’re screwed. It’s not like a jet, where you can eject (for obvious reasons), and it’s not like helicopters are designed with a crumple zone. For this reason, NASA has been testing a possible solution that utilizes an airbag-type system. NASA has developed a shock absorber system that mounts from the bottom of the helicopter to take up the force of the impact. Recent tests have involved a small helicopter being dropped from a height of 35 feet. This caused the chopper to hit the ground at 54 miles per hour, which normally would be a severe if not necessarily fatal crash. Instead of smashing into many small pieces, the helicopter landed on NASA’s “deployable energy absorber,” a honeycomb airbag system. This took the majority of the force of the impact, and the four crash test dummies managed to escape more or less unscathed. Of course, all of this is experimental, so don’t expect to see it in public any time soon. http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/12/09/nasa-testing-helicopter-airbags-sounds- like-fun/ ************** South Africa's Airlink battles to avoid grounding South African regional carrier Airlink is fighting to avoid being grounded after the country's transport ministry indicated that he would consider a block on the airline's operations. The crisis follows the overrun of an Embraer ERJ-135 at George Airport on 7 December, and two other serious Airlink incidents in the previous three months - including the fatal loss of a British Aerospace Jetstream during a positioning flight. South African transport minister Sibusiso Ndebele has expressed concern over the events, which have prompted regulatory scrutiny of the carrier's operations, and the ministry says Ndebele is "considering grounding the airline". With South Africa's hosting of the World Cup football tournament just a few months away, the Government wants to eradicate any doubts over air safety. Airlink has noted the ministry's concerns, and points out that it had operated for an "unblemished" 17 years before the Jetstream crash in September which claimed the life of the pilot. "We will do whatever it takes to restore our reputation as a safe airline and rebuild public faith and confidence in the company," says chief executive Rodger Foster. South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority is carrying out an audit of the carrier and the airline has also appointed an independent safety specialist, Capt Scully Levin, to review its procedures. "To date, we have not received any feedback from the CAA that we are not compliant with local and international regulations or procedural best practice," says Foster. "But this process must be allowed to run its course and we will move immediately to address any non-conformance which may be identified in the audit report." Source: Air Transport Intelligence news **************** Cessna closing 3 Columbus plants COLUMBUS — Cessna Aircraft Co. says the company will close its three Columbus plants within six to 24 months. .The Wichita, Kan.-based airplane manufacturer has employed as many as 600 people in Columbus. Cessna told its remaining 315 workers the news on Tuesday. The Columbus operation assembles various parts that are shipped to Cessna facilities for assembly of small business jets and general aviation aircraft. Company spokesman Doug Oliver says that work will move to plants in Independence, Kan., and Mexico. In August 2008, Cessna opened a $25 million, 100,000-square-foot plant in Columbus and announced plans for 150 jobs over five years. Instead, the company has steadily laid off workers in the down economy. A hundred cuts were announced in January, followed by 89 in April and 50 in August. http://www.ajc.com/news/cessna-closing-3-columbus-233889.html ***************** China Cargo Airlines to Incorporate Boeing Operational Efficiency Products Airplane Health Management for multiple models; 777 Electronic Flight Bag applications HONG KONG, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Shanghai-based China Cargo Airlines today announced an agreement to incorporate two key Boeing solutions into the carrier's operations over the coming months. China Cargo's new 777 Freighters will use Boeing Class 3 Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) to bring advanced computer information delivery and management to the airplanes' flight decks. Multiple Airplane Health Management (AHM) modules will be deployed on the airline's new 777 Freighters and current 747-400 Freighter fleet. The airline operates two 747-400ER (Extended Range) Freighters and will introduce six 777 Freighters, with the first delivery expected in the first quarter of 2010. "We believe that Electronic Flight Bag and Airplane Health Management will bring increased efficiency and a greater awareness of each airplane's situation and condition to both flight deck and ground-based personnel," said China Cargo President Zhu Yimin. "This will benefit our customers by improving on-time service while reducing costly delays." China Cargo is the first airline in China to operate the Boeing EFB and AHM combination, bringing the carrier to the forefront in maintenance and performance technology. "China Cargo is incorporating fleet enhancements that will increase the value of its 777 and 747-400 freighters," said Dan da Silva, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Commercial Aviation Services, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "But the key is the benefits that EFB and AHM will bring to China Cargo's operations." Boeing Class 3 EFB, using software developed by Boeing and its Jeppesen subsidiary, incorporates the Onboard Performance Tool (OPT) and Electronic Document Browser (EDB) and provides information from airplane systems, flight crews, and cabin crews to the airline's base operation. The OPT gives pilots the ideal speeds and engine settings for an aircraft, in any weather, on any runway, with any payload, improving efficiency, range and payload. The EDB module allows instant access to the latest information, replacing multiple bulky paper documents and minimizing the need for manual updating and revision. Airplane Health Management is a multi-module decision support capability provided through the MyBoeingFleet.com Web portal. Real-Time Fault Management collects real-time airplane data to provide enhanced fault forwarding, troubleshooting, and historical fix success rates, reducing schedule interruptions and increasing maintenance efficiency. The AHM Custom Alerting and Analysis module (formerly known as Service Monitoring) provides a powerful analysis and alerting tool to identify potential system issues and also monitors such items as tire pressure, oxygen pressure, hydraulic fluid and auxiliary power unit and engine oil levels. The Performance Monitoring module monitors fuel consumption and CO2 emissions to optimize airplane operations and support maintenance decision making. The monitoring of the two models will bring value to the airline's engineering management by improving maintenance performance and flight operations through reduced delays, cancellations, air turn backs and diversions. China Cargo Airlines is a joint venture of China Eastern Airlines and China Ocean Shipping and operates dedicated freight services using China Eastern's route structure. The airline also operates six MD-11 Freighters. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/china-cargo-airlines-to-incorporate- boeing-operational-efficiency-products-78849272.html **************** Aer Lingus chief financial officer quits Irish flag-carrier Aer Lingus' chief financial officer Sean Coyle has resigned from his post and will leave the company at the end of this month. Coyle, who joined the airline from Ryanair only 16 months ago, is also the head of short-haul operations. He is leaving Aer Lingus "by mutual agreement", says the carrier, to "pursue other interests". Coyle will also step down from the board. Aer Lingus has yet to name a successor. Coyle's resignation comes as the airline battles to push through a restructuring plan to slash costs at the loss-making company. Aer Lingus chairman Colm Barrington says that Coyle has made a "significant contribution" to the carrier "particularly within the context" of its restructuring. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news ***************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC