January 29, 2010 No.024 In This Issue Location of crashed Ethiopian Airlines' black box identified RAA Applauds Release of FAA Call to Action Aviation chief: Air safety not a one-man job ALPA Released Safety And Security Priorities For 2010 Minister cautions U.S. military after part falls from U.S. Navy jet, hitting house Senate Needs to Pass FAA Reauthorization Presidency Gives Ultimatum to Safety C'ttee; Nigeria ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location of crashed Ethiopian Airlines' black box identified ADDIS ABABA, Jan 28 (Xinhua) -- Location of black box of the Ethiopian Airlines' plane, which crashed into Mediterranean Sea minutes after takeoff from Beirut Airport on Monday has been identified, public relations office of the Ethiopian Airlines announced on Thursday. The office said that the black box will be found after few hours as its location is identified. So far 26 bodies have been found, it said, adding, five of the bodies are Ethiopians. The airliner was flying back home carrying 82 passengers and eight crew. The government has sent to the scene a team drawn from the Ethiopian Airlines and Civil Aviation Authority. It has also sent a delegation led by Foreign Affairs Minister Seyoum Mesfin. The team comprises Transport and Communications Minister and other senior government officials. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-01/29/c_13155121.htm [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102973567501&s=6053&e=001h7It75lxzxY8xtq83XmSfgFJJKLZFaxT8k4xQXR4VHd3OjAxjGvp56LFHD50vE8ATuLmTUoarC2PODMviepcmWAZy6IJADDWIOoczXDFdhy9Bf85Qj9HNwp28wcYkJIQv7amhg8ASdS5dHCQf9TvH9p_Rlwzriu3lVUHU2nD1tLGTX6OB1PzVg==] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Regional Airline Association Applauds Release of FAA's Report on Airline Safety Call to Action The Regional Airline Association (RAA) today welcomed the release of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) report, "Answering the Call to Action on Airline Safety and Pilot Training." The report describes the progress made in response to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's June 2009 Call to Action on airline safety. "Regional airlines applaud the leadership Administrator Babbitt has taken to further enhance aviation safety," said RAA President Roger Cohen. "This report confirms the excellent safety record of regional airlines, which are committed to the highest professional standards." The FAA's report shows the effectiveness of regional airline training and safety programs. Following the Call to Action, FAA inspectors observed 2,419 training and checking programs. They determined that 99.4% of these programs met or exceeded federal requirements. "Regional airlines make more than five million safe departures a year," Cohen said, "but we agree with Administrator Babbitt that 'an almost perfect record is not enough.' Regional airlines have a strong safety culture that is the foundation for tireless improvement in accident prevention. Our industry's response to the Call to Action is an example of how the FAA, airlines and labor organizations can enhance safety through collaboration." As part of their response to the Call to Action, regional airlines are participating in the Aviation Rulemaking Committee (AVC) Administrator Babbitt established in June to address Flight and Duty Time Limitations and Rest Requirements (FDR). The committee is developing recommendations for a new FAA regulation on the amount of time pilots will be required to rest between shifts. Cohen also emphasized that regional airlines uphold the values of professionalism and accountability that Administrator Babbitt identified as essential to safety. "Every regional airline puts safety first," said Cohen. "And every employee of every regional airline is 100 percent accountable for safety." Download the Press Release [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102973567501&s=6053&e=001h7It75lxzxZk3zfa7MSDBqYfTngKuwB2D8__YbutGe_DdaLh4fgATDPpzF7xzA7Ug4ij_JhFLRRt8JriTURt55T3E72XDTBfHudDpzbUbAcj_BicKQhvE_IqoIBzVUifRcIVlI4EiR33wgdygvmCS1oWP61FbdTwrI3ztfNz1DaT2GSWizR-Sru_UpBIKWuL46BbrK-nqwygXqhaQLa4_iuk-tVzh7ch] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aviation chief: Air safety not a one-man job (The Philippine Star) Updated January 29, 2010 12:00 AM MANILA, Philippines - The chief of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said he was not entirely to blame for the poor rating given to the country's aviation sector by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Ruben Ciron, CAAP director general, was reacting to the CAAP-Employees Union's pronouncement that he should take the blame for ICAO's issuance of a significant safety concern or SSC rating on the country's civil aviation network. Ciron pointed out that ensuring aviation safety is not a one-man job and that it requires full cooperation of all CAAP personnel. Ciron also lashed out at Cesar Lucero, vice president of the CAAP-EU, for pushing for his ouster. "But with CAAP employees like Cesar Lucero - who, from day one, wanted me out of the job - the task of ensuring aviation safety in 80 CAAP-controlled airports all over the country has become doubly difficult," he stressed. He said he was not washing his hands of responsibility, but stressed that most of the problems plaguing CAAP - formerly the Air Transportation Office - were due to years of corruption and mismanagement. "Ironically, these problems were accumulated during the time of previous ATO administrations which Lucero was part of," Ciron said. "I merely inherited the burden of repairing the damage when I was appointed director general after the CAAP law was passed in 2008. However, we encountered a lot of birth pains along the way, not to mention uncooperative staff like Lucero," he said. He also emphasized that ICAO does not give "pass" or "fail" marks but only "ratios" of compliance with certain protocols. He said most of the "significant safety concerns" are being decisively addressed and properly communicated with concerned agencies. He said no less than Mohamed Elamiri, chief of the ICAO's Safety and Security Audits Branch, acknowledged the corrective actions taken by the CAAP. Lucero earlier revealed to The STAR that an electronic bulletin issued by the ICAO on Dec. 18 last year showed the Philippines among countries on the SSC list, along with Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Congo, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Kazakhstan, Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia. http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=544807&publicationSubCategoryId=63 [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102973567501&s=6053&e=001h7It75lxzxZaWaqt0WqphcfyRXbZLRlw_9xcEFa3OtzXihn9Yj4wy4sTYaer5jMF-gv20IfFdWslj2KPjr5lSVlupLN-me3yBlTOucttj1tdHu462GXnHL9qP71GpCuZ4PIJkaEx6cwk_qMnwbP89FpbV7r74hBymc3BVmI4Gny4N9BtLZ6_uSoBmxD_eJiHmKUle9SkGsM=] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALPA Released Safety And Security Priorities For 2010 By Mike Mitchell January 29, 2010 - The Air Line Pilots Association, (ALPA) released its aviation safety and security priorities for 2010. Topping the list are shifting to trust-based aviation security, improving qualifications and training for pilots, and combating pilot fatigue. "ALPA pilots' dedication and professionalism have helped to create the foundation for an extraordinarily safe and secure mode of transportation," said Capt. John Prater, ALPA's president. "Even as our profession has been devastated by drastic cuts in salary, lost or frozen pensions, and intensifying pressure to work longer hours, ALPA members have remained resolute in holding paramount the safety of our passengers, crews, and cargo. Challenges remain, however, as we pursue ever higher safety and security standards." Other priority issues include properly regulating lithium battery shipments, leveraging safety reporting programs such as the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) and the Flight Operations Quality Assurance program (FOQA), modernizing the North American airspace system, installing secondary cockpit barriers, securing all-cargo flight operations, and safely integrating unmanned aircraft systems in the national airspace. "ALPA remains committed to, and indeed heavily involved in, efforts to safely improve the capacity and efficiency of the National Airspace System," said Capt. Rory Kay, ALPA's Executive Air Safety Chairman. "We are also dedicated to ensuring that valuable voluntary safety reporting systems such as the ASAP and FOQA programs continue to flourish and that efforts to integrate unmanned aerial systems into our skies are made without impacting the safety of the NAS." ALPA also called for a shift to a trust-based aviation security system that focuses on intent, rather than on objects. The union calls for a system that establishes the trustworthiness of each passenger through a combination of publicly available information, human interaction, and behavior-pattern recognition. ALPA framed its proposal in a recently released white paper titled Meeting Today's Aviation Security Needs: A Call to Action for a Trust Based Security System. "Our layered aviation security system is in dire need of major reform," said Capt. Robb Powers, ALPA's National Security Committee Chairman. "Our proposal focuses on identifying people who pose no threat to aviation and quickly moving them through a screening process that is commensurate with the level of trust they have earned. This approach to aviation security is more sophisticated, more efficient, and significantly more effective than the current methodology." The Association also called for rapid modernization of flight-time, duty-time, and rest regulations in the United States and Canada for airline pilots so that the rules are based on science and apply equally to all operations, including domestic, international, and supplemental flying. ALPA pilots participated in the FAA's Aviation Rulemaking Committee, which completed its work in September 2009. "We had hoped that the new proposed regulation would be out at the end of 2009. It is important for the remainder of the administrative steps for rulemaking to be completed, but that needs to happen in a timely manner so that we have a final rule in place by the end of 2010," said Capt. Don Wykoff, ALPA's Flight Time/Duty Time Committee Chairman. "The members of the Aviation Rulemaking Committee completed their work in a compressed time line, and it's our expectation that the regulators would do the same." The Air Line Pilots Association, International, ALPA is the world's largest pilots union, is the collective bargaining representative for over 66,000 pilots of 42 U.S. and Canadian airlines. ALPA was formed in 1931 and is a member of the AFL-CIO and the Canadian Labour Congress. Its headquarters is located at 1625 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, in Washington, D.C. http://avstop.com [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102973567501&s=6053&e=001h7It75lxzxYDfjLjXSZwk1zeU0l0R5oBT228P-uCXDe3v879z2eaW92J27mqAyWojmsWWD1oB--jNqfqdgT2Qhd3d2grLqaofQhKNtteRV-5sv3XXSiaEq6T3Jb2PFfN2amD1VMUryd0GYzOVt9R5vhV7D-aKmDwd1XvWsMpoWHKMDV6tgexbvmtZD6mUDb4r-Zz6ZNoLtk=] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Minister cautions U.S. military after part falls from U.S. Navy jet, hitting house Friday 29th January, 11:47 AM JST KANAGAWA - Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa on Friday cautioned the U.S. military over an incident in which a tiny part fell from a U.S. fighter jet and caused minor damage to a private residence in Ayase, Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo. ''An accident like this should have never happened. We asked the U.S. military to be careful,'' Kitazawa told a press conference. A duralumin part measuring 3 centimeters in diameter and 56 cm in length dropped from an F/A-18E fighter jet from the U.S. Naval Air Station Atsugi, breaking a pane of glass that had been placed on a veranda of the house at around 2:15 p.m. Thursday. No one was injured. The U.S. Navy has collected the part and has begun investigations into the incident, according to the Navy and local police. The fall of the component was confirmed during a checkup of the plane after it returned to the base. The part crashed through the gutters attached to the roof of the house and broke the glass pane of a window that had been placed on the veranda due to noise insulation work inside the residence. According to police, the 55-year-old owner of the home was busy renovating the house at the time together with his wife and one worker. FSI Ed. Note: Published Comment: "The aircraft did not crash at the time without the part. Maybe the part is not important for the aircraft. I wonder why mechanical engineers put unnecessary thing to the aircraft?" http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/aircraft-part-falls-from-us-navy-plane-hits-home-below [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102973567501&s=6053&e=001h7It75lxzxZeGPQyD3hOMLU4hn7NVxku2IP_yU-yl19DG7bc8UPiPureUkO6aVUaN5EWNeedezUW4rT7x8ikYFoAPTbZVGGXpU-uoo-1zjDv3AixcTFkAmQ3ka8Tbo8RTA606vBf21i_heMu94XIgRKFWFWsFt_ncTTykKM-bBymE2ni0AFB3itQaAs0w6XnxftW8Oq1TCLtCHiBROJvkFS12dVmQ2Lf] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Senate Needs to Pass FAA Reauthorization Nearly one in five Americans who want a full-time job can't find one. That is a serious, serious problem. It's why the blue-collar voters of Massachusetts, who are suffering a 20 percent unemployment rate, sent Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate. And it's why angry voters will be sending more newcomers to Congress unless lawmakers address the issue of jobs. A good place to start is by passing a bill known as "FAA Reauthorization," which has been lying around the Senate for three years. It would modernize this country's aerospace infrastructure, stabilize the airline industry and improve runway safety and flight efficiency. And it is estimated that it would create at least 125,000 jobs a year for two years. The bill also would authorize funding for the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA manages aviation in this country. Without the FAA, air travel as we know it would not exist. One of the things the FAA does is to help pay for airport construction. The FAA Reauthorization bill would allow $34.5 billion to be spent on upgrading and expanding airports throughout the country. It is expected to create 125,000 jobs annually. What's more, the funding comes from user fees -- including taxes on jet fuel and airplane tickets -- not from the federal budget. The last time Congress approved new FAA spending was in 2003, for four years. The FAA would have had to shut down in 2007 if Congress hadn't extended authorization to spend at the same level through a series of short-term bills. The House has already passed the new reauthorization and sent it to the Senate. There, FAA Reauthorization is meeting the same fate as so much other legislation: it's waiting to be acted upon. At least 35 senators from both parties think FAA Reauthorization is a no-brainer. They wrote a letter in November to the Senate leadership urging swift passage of the bill. Three months later -- and three months closer to the construction season -- the bill is still stuck in the Senate. If the Senate doesn't act quickly, another construction season may be missed. It isn't just the bill that will languish - it's 125,000 people who need jobs. It's time to pass FAA Reauthorization. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-p-hoffa/senate-needs-to-pass-faa_b_440394.html [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102973567501&s=6053&e=001h7It75lxzxYyRXke0Q15K69oSsxWTlJbvWkGzjokzdszSlY-3m9JhKBwtzNu53MaCFoSrPkfF_Os1fKl7nXmpAUHeKw43nv4EIMfXw-RCqN2_7qtFmY6Cf1yer7Wm4dz13i7k_TzAYjiwdt_RDkrPv9OsWoo-J8vr9JNldlb0ygN8-UmVzqbK9oLKoVSuKNP] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Presidency Gives Ultimatum to Safety Committee Nigerian Aviation Following the urgent need for the introduction of new and more effective safety and security measures in the aviation sector, the Presidency has directed the Aviation Safety Sub-Committee to submit its recommendations within the next seven days. In a letter to the committee signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Aviation, Captain Shehu Iyal, it was noted that the sub-committee, which was inaugurated in October 2009 was given two weeks to submit its report. The letter reads in part "Given the necessity and even urgency of the matter, especially as there are safety concerns, it has become imperative that we quickly round up this assignment and report back to the FG." "Recall that at the first meeting...the sub-committee was mandated to liaise with all operators and other stakeholders to ascertain, collate and compile into a report the needs of the operators and the various ways FG can come to their aid," the letter read. Iyal gave the assurance that the federal government was willing to assist the airline operators in the face of the harsh economic climate cause by the global downturn in the global economy. The Presidency had last October asked the committee to prepare and submit a report to it on the needs of operators and examine ways through which the federal government can be of help to make the sector better. The committee headed by the Managing Director of Overland Airline Limited, Captain Edward Boyo, was given two weeks to submit the report. Airlines operators had raised a number of issues on the need for a bail-out by the FG, on the need for introduction of new safety and security measures at airport, and the reduction of the high taxes being paid by operators. http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=165303 [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102973567501&s=6053&e=001h7It75lxzxZ1zZeCqbGa5zCCOrycaztH0uNLTOIf6h_DH6ahBuls9rK4ztjqto6d_iYJc7RuCVA32WhYgbyTrcofnvK-Es-l15dKVw-niAGggkiKKagR8zylyQu1cqelq1-SQgsiCwAqaogxLV6igA==] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC