Flight Safety Information February 8, 2010 No.030 In This Issue 747-8 First Flight Planned For Monday Stowaway Found Dead After Transatlantic Flight Ethiopian jet's black box flown to France FAA Takes First Step Toward Stricter Commercial Co-Pilot Licenses ICAO classifies RP as a significant safety concern along with 10 countries Air Methods Exits Level 1 FAA Safety Management System Status ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 747-8 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103018319116&s=6053&e=001fugnPQWFsxeHt0svhkI4gXrOpuQ2z9O4K6oGK8p0X8tz7Ieupr2oJ3gV26BbKLYtDeFRNrBCOEswCoYgkr6R7b5LjEabfZlcxJTLHLnQGyg2l7yEGeKXDZXKKogGwhKE]747-8 First Flight Planned For Monday New Cargo Variant Completed Taxi Tests, Ready To Fly The first flight test of the Boeing 747-8 is slated for Monday, February 8, 2010. The first flight window will open 10:00am PDT. Pilots of the 747-8 Freighter first flight will be Capt. Mark Feuerstein, 747 Chief Pilot, and Capt. Tom Imrich, Senior Test Pilot 747 Program. Boeing completed taxi tests on the first 747-8 Freighter on February 6. Feuerstein took the airplane to a top speed of approximately 90 knots. That was the last functional test planned before first flight. "The airplane performed well," said Mo Yahyavi, 747 program vice president and general manager, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Based on early indications, the airplane is ready to fly." Live webcast of the 747-8 Freighter takeoff and landing will be available. FMI: www.747-8firstflight.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103018319116&s=6053&e=001fugnPQWFsxegn6ETHlFcgne5_2kuHSNQ0y_0MmjvmsSvKbMyadcJLT2SnFrHfZKA0Fs693a_2cxBChaH1QLiX8Rom8P2GIKP6XwCvccIXINYDKpPad-JFw==] Aero-news.net Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stowaway Found Dead After Transatlantic Flight Maintenance Discovered Body A body was discovered aboard a Delta flight 59 after a flight from JFK to Japan's Tokyo Nartia (NRT). During post-flight inspection of the 777-200 by maintenance crews, a black male was found dead in the left main gear bay. No other incidents were reported on the 10hr, 18 minute flight. 193 passengers and crew were aboard, not including the presumed stowaway. File photo of Delta 777-200ER There has been no word on how the man managed to sneak into the wheel well at JFK. The Examiner is reporting that the man had no identification and no obvious injuries, making death by asphyxiation and hypothermia most likely. Japanese police were notified of the find around 6pm local time, over an hour after the flight landed. The local authorities have opened an investigation into the death while Delta is investigating the potential safety and security breaches. FMI: www.delta.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103018319116&s=6053&e=001fugnPQWFsxfAFBNHdG0VyczJdtr10y54yZH8YOms1qt7CjvAZzRr41rbYbd-prDMzh-TDVHdDObA623JHCyaAaS71pi-xa-npsuJV0GQ33o=] Aero-news.net Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ethiopian jet's black box flown to France By ZEINA KARAM Associated Press In this photo released by the Lebanese army, Lebane armu soldiers, replace on their vessel part of the wing of the Ethiopian Arilines jet that crashed off the the Lebanese coast on Jan. 25, shortly after it was pulled out by Lebanese marine commandos, in Naameh, south of Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday Feb. 7, 2010. Lebanon's marine commandos on Sunday recovered the black box of the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed into the Mediterranean last month, the lebanese army said in a statement.(AP Photo/Lebanese Army, HO) Associated Press Lebanese Red Cross workers, carry the body of one of eight victims who were recovered Sunday from the Ethiopian airplane that crashed in the sea on Jan. 25, into the Rafik Hariri Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday Feb. 7, 2010. Lebanon's marine commandos on Sunday recovered the black box of the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed into the Mediterranean last month, the Lebanese army said in a statement. Lebanese authorities say a black box recovered from the wreckage of the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed into the Mediterranean last month has been flown to France for analysis. The Boeing 737 crashed Jan. 25 minutes after takeoff from Beirut, killing all 90 people on board. An official at Beirut airport said a private jet owned by the Lebanese prime minister left for Paris Monday carrying the flight data recorder. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Lebanese authorities have said the black box will be analyzed by BEA, a French agency that specializes in assisting with technical investigations of air crashes. The plane's other black box, the cockpit flight recorder, has not been recovered. http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1175985〈=eng_n [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103018319116&s=6053&e=001fugnPQWFsxdFVT-lHLDprLVOJN2AhPyWeRbYFPJ49s2Gm4M9jdDmKQvKFWs0K28Xh9hX9kZO8ZNBSFr6TCoWospzPtuGABcmWIwClK-RddJQ9H27iMJAOjX09pBz3ZJYSDeIyrDjCSyuMmcodEfoEzUjLPjRf-vn4GX_W9J842tdMKBCvpc0Uyq1ZjFGk7V1]ews Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAA Takes First Step Toward Stricter Commercial Co-Pilot Licenses By ANDY PASZTOR Seeking to improve the qualifications of airline crews, federal aviation regulators on Friday took the first official step toward creating a new commercial co-pilot's license that could mandate tougher academic requirements and enhanced flight-training for high altitudes or bad weather. By releasing some preliminary concepts and asking for public comments about whether the agency should proceed with formal rulemaking, Randy Babbitt, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, is following up on earlier promises to beef up licensing requirements in the wake of the crash last year of a Colgan Air Inc. turboprop outside Buffalo, N.Y. In the document released Friday on the Federal Register's Web site, the FAA said the Colgan crash, which killed 50 people, raised questions about whether current co-pilot training includes "enough hours training in various weather conditions to be able to recognize a potentially dangerous situation" such as icing or a midair stall, and "respond in a safe and timely manner." The FAA is considering, among other things, raising academic requirements for new co-pilots; requiring hundreds more hours of flying experience than the current minimum of about 200 hours; and requiring co-pilots to obtain additional training in pressurized aircraft. One of the most controversial issues broached by the FAA is the possibility of creating a new type of license that would be valid only as long as a pilot continued to work for a specific airline flying a certain type of aircraft. Once he or she moved to work for a new carrier, such a license no longer would remain in effect. The purpose of such a license, according to the FAA, "would be to ensure that each carrier has provided" its pilots with training geared to its specific fleet and operations. The FAA's move parallels some of the changes advocated by pilot union leaders and independent safety experts. It also comes as lawmakers are considering legislation that would mandate new co-pilot experience and training standards, including a dramatic increase in the minimum number of hours required behind the controls prior to flying passengers. http://online.wsj [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103018319116&s=6053&e=001fugnPQWFsxfVf-pRc2u95oBSPbWu76lj_HV8PoDI8t9K5DGiUl9IaFPfLIee7W1RLJ16qx7Os8C5eRaiy6QHq_urSHwXRf4e091KOGEnyPSBtmfDqwznSOtUSsdJYagnUD8Z9pzJdDZESrg2WckRnrZbtN1-CyyvhtnN339v9W6fewgwqqUsYw7iuWPRE8PFwn1Gdj2pQawVULPwetgM6bg1frS8TH0P6LR8OoosnFM=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ICAO classifies RP as a significant safety concern along with 10 countries By EMMIE V. ABADILLA February 8, 2010, 2:45pm The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has classified the Philippines, together with 10 other countries - Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Congo, Djibouti, Kazhakstan, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia as a "Significant Safety Concern" in the past two months because to date the government has not resolved issues to ensure that its air safety oversight and security systems are in place. The information was published in the ICAO electronic bulletin dated December 18, 2009, "Posting of a Significant safety concern Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP) Philippines." This does not bode well for the Philippines, which up to now has not been able to get out of the United States Federal Aviation Administration Category 2 listing due to inadequate safety standards. For this reason, local carriers such as the Philippine Airlines (PAL) cannot expand their operations in the US to date. Now, the country's failure to resolve USOAP concerns may make more tourists think twice about visiting the Philippines at this time when travelers are most concerned about airline safety. The year 2009 had been a bad for aviation fatalities, with almost a thousand people killed in 16 or more crashes around the world. Hence, international watchdogs want to know if the aviation infrastructure of countries are at par by counting the number of inspectors watching over airlines, assessing air-traffic-control procedures, evaluating funding as well as the legal authority of aviation regulators, among other factors. Specifically, ICAO created its audit programs to promote global aviation safety and security. The Universal SOAP (USOAP) audits, which started in 1999, focus on each member country's capability for providing safety oversight so that the travelling public can make an informed decision when using air transportation. They call for mandatory audits of the safety oversight systems in all Contracting States, such as the Philippines, assess whether critical elements have been implemented and identify deficiencies which should be corrected. Follow-up visits are done to confirm whether the measures were effective. http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/242451/icao-classifies-rp-a-significant-safety-concern-along-with-10-countries [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103018319116&s=6053&e=001fugnPQWFsxconN-7BoG0cMkiv7TnTI27eQLFY4n4dzFr_qq9ecNQ4tUZuzJMvFrxwh0NsSYnDDjf9COHFZsvq-Ki_x9wYZcFxbOApeXd91gMLH4xdtu0GCqlOXtmT2ZaCxe7Qj9rBBxfQAugLHfud-HTVKAQ-ZERhhAE24PovudCiswA_MCe8Fm0UqBM7mmZ3zNT8OAcdHOPgcci_JC3u5SzqLQqGUMiiPbgcnA6s9U=] Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103018319116&s=6053&e=001fugnPQWFsxegHdxNiiXO3h7mVw5Z12bis0U3ClUL9LkCfJSSl5S29XatI2aUw46Co7TNtgWkbrOPfeTe7VRRPw==] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Air Methods Exits Level 1 FAA Safety Management System Status February 04, 2010: 02:30 PM ET DENVER, Feb. 4, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Air Methods Corporation (Nasdaq:AIRM) recently was informed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that it successfully exited Level 1 Safety Management System (SMS) status and is currently working toward achieving Level 2 SMS status. Air Methods believes it is currently the only helicopter air medical operator to participate in the FAA's SMS voluntary implementation program, and one of only six commercial air operators (including Part 121 major commercial U.S. airlines) in the nation to earn an SMS status acknowledgement letter. To date, there are 68 commercial air operators nationwide enrolled in the FAA SMS program. "Air Methods is extremely proud to have successfully earned this status and to pioneer the FAA's SMS program in the air medical industry," stated Paul Tate, Chief Operating Officer. "This is a unique acknowledgement from the FAA that Air Methods possesses many of the systems and programs critical in a successful SMS. While this is a defining moment for us and the industry, we will not rest on our laurels and continue to work diligently to pursue the highest SMS level." Air Methods' SMS is a result of the voluntary 2006 FAA Advisory Circular 120-92 that encouraged commercial air operators to embrace a fully comprehensive SMS. The FAA SMS follows the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standard as a quality management approach to controlling risk by providing the organizational framework to support a sound safety culture. It also provides the company's management with a detailed roadmap for monitoring safety-related processes. In 2008, Air Methods entered the FAA SMS voluntary implementation program, which is overseen and evaluated directly by the FAA. The intent of the "Level Status" is to allow aviation service providers to implement an SMS in a standardized manner and to allow recognition of each level of accomplishment. The "Level Status" is part of the SMS maturity model which includes five phases: Level 0: Orientation & Commitment; Level 1: Planning and Organization; Level 2: Reactive Processes; Level 3: Proactive Processes; and Level 4: Continuous Improvement. In 2009, Air Methods established several FAA voluntary safety programs and SMS initiatives including an Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) and Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) program. Each of these allows for greater communications from its field operations and earlier identification of areas of concerns so resources and attention can be devoted on a proactive basis. Air Methods Corporation (www.airmethods.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103018319116&s=6053&e=001fugnPQWFsxeXeCswKUtlN2f8MRO5w_o4kYMXLac28Agh2I0CMNOpqPmuhdLuV0_vaoPMvqF4CjX4T0BK4rgsIplypeFISLEJjYJuTO_Ur8V0MV4dYps7xw==]) is a leader in emergency air medical transportation and medical services. The Hospital-Based Services Division is the largest provider of air medical transport services for hospitals. The Community-Based Services Division is the largest community-based provider of air medical services. The Products Division specializes in the design and manufacture of aeromedical and aerospace technology. The Company's fleet of owned, leased or maintained aircraft features over 300 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC