Flight Safety Information March 18, 2010 - No. 057 In This Issue NBAA Reiterates Commitment To Enhancing Safety For On-Demand Operations Air-Safety Gurus Slam EU Crash Plan Unite Warns Of Undertrained Flight Attendants Boeing considers incremental improvements to 777 FAA orders new software for Boeing 777 China's First Home-made Large Civil Helicopter Makes Test Flight Polish An-26 crashes on frozen Estonian lake NASA to obtain ice data for advanced control algorithms ESASI Seminar Toulouse 28/29/30 April 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NBAA Reiterates Commitment To Enhancing Safety For On-Demand Operations Ed Bolen Testifies At Congressional Hearing Wednesday NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen appeared Wednesday before a congressional committee to offer testimony on the industry's ongoing work to enhance aviation safety, including for on-demand operations. Bolen testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Aviation, where he was joined by other industry leaders. Wednesday's hearing was prompted by a report from the Department of Transportation's Inspector General regarding the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of on-demand charter operators. "NBAA commends Congress for taking a hard look at aviation safety and continuing to work with us to build on our long-standing safety emphasis," Bolen said. Bolen highlighted how NBAA Members' ongoing commitment to safe operating practices has helped the general aviation community achieve a level of safety comparable to that for the nation's commercial airlines. This safety emphasis, Bolen noted, has been the driving force behind continual improvements in technology and training, and steady declines in accident rates. Because the hearing was focused on on-demand charter safety, Bolen also pointed to his co-chairmanship of an industry-government Part 125/135 Aviation Rulemaking Committee, formed in 2003, and charged with updating safety regulations for on-demand operators, while allowing flexibility to accomplish a wide variety of missions. In 2005, the ARC submitted more than 140 recommendations to the FAA addressing a myriad of issues affecting operations including pilot training, flight duty and rest limits, FAA oversight, and other matters. Bolen reiterated that the ARC collaboration between government and industry was designed to enhance charters safety, but that most of the ARC's recommendations had yet to be implemented. "We hope that the ARC's recommendations will be adopted as soon as possible," Bolen continued. "At the same time, we didn't look to the conclusion of the ARC's work as reason to rest on our laurels when it comes to general aviation safety, including charter safety." Bolen outlined several steps government could take beyond those recommended by the ARC to further advance general aviation safety, including the enactment of specific new and recurrent training for the FAA's Part 125/135 inspectors, and an increased emphasis on balancing Part 125/125 inspectors' workload with available resources. L ooking to beyond the specific recommendations Bolen provided for on-demand operations, he pointed to another long-standing priority for enhancing aviation safety: continued transformation to a Next Generation ("NextGen") air traffic control system. "We know that the upgraded, satellite-based NextGen system will produce gains for safety, and also for efficiency, carbon-emission reduction and other priorities," Bolen said. "Although our industry has been confronted with one of the worst economic storms anyone has seen, we remain committed to Congressional proposals to increase the industry's fuel tax to help support investment in aviation system modernization because of the important safety and other benefits it will produce. "As we know," Bolen continued, "business aviation plays a vital role in the nation's economy and transportation system. The industry helps generate over one million jobs, serves towns with little or no airline service, helps companies be more efficient and competitive and supports people and communities in crisis. But in order for all of those essential functions to continue, safety must continue to be a central part of the industry's focus and planning. "That's why there is no greater priority to NBAA and its Members than aviation safety," concluded Bolen. "We will continue to work with all government leaders in support of the shared goal of keeping the U.S. aviation system the safest in the world." FMI: www.nbaa.org Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Air-Safety Gurus Slam EU Crash Plan Air-crash investigations aren't political, right? Think again. An EU proposal to improve coordination of aviation-accident inquiries within the bloc has sparked attacks from air-safety experts and industry officials who call it a cop-out. The European Commission wants to enact a regulation creating "a European network of civil aviation safety investigation authorities" -- basically linking 27 crash-investigation agencies in a club. Bad idea, say industry veterans. "Voluntary cooperation is a recipe for not getting cooperation," said Kenneth Quinn, general counsel and secretary of the Flight Safety Foundation, a global nonprofit organization, at the group's annual European meeting in Lisbon this week. "The emperor has no clothes," he said of the Commission proposal. A spokeswoman for the EU's Transportation Commission didn't respond to requests for comment. The Commission is proposing a coalition of the willing, rather than a a single organization, because the countries most skilled at the science of crash investigation -- particularly Britain, France and Germany -- fear their world-class skills would be dulled by two dozen countries with minimal expertise. These leaders want to stay independent, but are happy to assist the laggards. Airline officials say Europe needs to maintain crash-investigation skills where they exist, but can't take an ad-hoc approach. They point to the August 2005 crash of a Cypriot Helios Airways jetliner in Greece, which was investigated separately by Greek and Cypriot authorities with minimal coordination. "There clearly were major problems with how the Helios crash was investigated in Greece and Cyprus," said Mike Ambrose, director general of the European Regions Airline Association at the Flight Safety meeting. "We must have a European air-accident investigation bureau." Back in October, the European Commission proposed what it dubbed as "new rules for better investigation of civil accidents." Who could argue with that? After all, current EU rules date from 1994, and are pretty weak. Countries worldwide are already bound by the 1944 Chicago Convention on aviation to conduct crash inquiries to determine causes and make recommendations to prevent repeats. The EU's 1994 rules barely go beyond the Chicago Convention. Reality, meanwhile, has overtaken existing EU rules. The bloc has deregulated air travel within its borders, creating one of the world's biggest aviation markets. But accidents are still handled by individual countries. The Commission now wants to institutionalize cooperation, pool resources and clarify rules. Europe's transportation ministers last week endorsed the Commission's proposal, which could get its first reading in the European Parliament over the summer and potentially be enacted this year. Mr. Quinn of the Flight Safety Foundation, a former chief counsel of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration who has worked to help build investigation skills in Latin America and Africa, sees the EU plan as the result of "a turf battle." He said the approach is wrongheaded because in Europe, "there's a sub-group of countries that don't have the capabilities to handle investigations." A painful paradox is that the countries best qualified to conduct crash investigations are also among the world's safest for aviation. (The best crash investigators also tend to come from the countries most experienced at building jet planes -- the U.S., Britain and France -- because manufacturers of planes and engines get to participate in inquiries wherever they take place.) Experts from these countries hop the globe assisting less-experienced agencies. But second-tier investigators don't always welcome outsiders. Intramural political spats end up hurting survivors, victims' relatives and the aviation industry, which has a strong track record of learning from its mistakes. http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2010/03/18/air-safety-gurus-slam-eu-crash-probe-plan/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103206285538&s=6053&e=001alLF_q7msu2qRTNXRjfmKVo3MFFUh4wnUT1NtC3aIV3pJP0BCSdFK0oThoqNjDefZkZofMYaeG7NUO3a5c11DJft-1DgftzFNhuCwZLp94KNBLCBysZ3TJbJlTIRkCf92tSk69EAN4dzdYvi58eT8rN9IsHwGn7XnImN_ZK9Q-1nS9MdAywI0EW9-pXwzEFHPLUl5T0aus8=] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unite Warns Of Undertrained Flight Attendants Serving As Cabin Crew During Strike London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) - Transport union United warned the British government of the danger of British Airways contingent plan to use volunteer manpower to serve as cabin crew during a planned seven-day strike. In a letter to British Transport Secretary Lord Andrew Adonis, Unite pointed out that using undertrained flight attendants could place BA's reputation at risk and compromise safety benchmarks in the aviation sector. Unite urged Lord Adonis to investigate the air carrier's plan to use stand-by crew, particularly on the compliance of the volunteer with U.K. security checks and BA's obligation to other governments to follow their national vetting laws. BA assured the 1,000 volunteers have undergone full training and the air carrier would not compromise passenger safety. Meanwhile, Unite Political Director Charlie Whelan lamented the witch-hunt style allegedly made by the Conservative Party in a bid to discredit the Labor Party, which the trade union has supported financially. Whelan - who served as spokesman of Gordon Brown in 1999 before the latter became prime minister - said the Tories' witch-hunt is an insult to workers who donated part of their union dues to the Labor Party, which working people have founded. He charged that the Tories did not want the BA labor row resolved. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Boeing considers incremental improvements to 777 Boeing commercial airplane chief Jim Albaugh said the company is looking at near-term incremental improvements to its large 777 twinjet, including extending the wingspan. Boeing commercial airplane chief Jim Albaugh said Wednesday that the company is looking at near-term incremental improvements to its large 777 twinjet, including extending the wingspan. In remarks reported online by Flight International magazine, Albaugh said that and other interim improvements could be introduced while Boeing weighs the longer-term question of whether the threat posed by the forthcoming A350-1000 requires a major upgrade to the 777 or even an all-new replacement. Other incremental improvements will increase the thrust from the GE engines and allow the plane to carry more weight, Albaugh said. A major upgrade would likely require a new wing made from carbon-fiber-reinforced composite plastic. Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103206285538&s=6053&e=001alLF_q7msu2RBzETBHSslIXO-GUAIPib6Ivum-W7A3OuUEbswe4pEqKNd_Tkx_zFCZ3wc13IceaJuGYFLP73ufEAe1UXo_sn] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAA orders new software for Boeing 777 The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a safety directive ordering U.S. airlines to install new software on Boeing 777s to keep the jetliners from running off the end of runways just before takeoff. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the problem occurs when the autopilot system is inadvertently engaged during takeoff. It causes greater resistance in lifting the aircraft's nose, forcing pilots to stop at dangerously high speeds. The initiative follows two such incidents in January. The FAA and The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) have tracked nine similar incidents since 1995, according to the report. U.S. airlines operate about 150 Boeing 777s, although the order could affect more than 800 planes worldwide if it's accepted by foreign regulators. http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2010/03/15/daily27.html [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103206285538&s=6053&e=001alLF_q7msu339lxmHW_MoiJtKPhBsLjrfnAPbLIsz1-LM1Em62lhs9hWFAwuwzCTkcfRfgYIFgXTFE28XNyU06zBEa4xvbYZuOU3nLcAbk1yZ2366HLLOulKEVgLfs_j7w0k-ctqlceFOhS2pxclBCYKUtSuLiYzdVb8l2A1Jwgf2OUvYZ788A==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ China's First Home-made Large Civil Helicopter Makes Test Flight NANCHANG, March 18 (Bernama)-- China's first domestic-made large civil helicopter completed its test flight Thursday in east China's Jiangxi Province, Xinhua reports. The AC313 helicopter took to the sky at Lumeng Airport in Jingdezhen City at 9:40 a.m. and landed at 10:05 a.m. The AC313 has a maximum takeoff weight of 13.8 tonnes and can carry 27 passengers or 15 wounded people. It has a maximum range of 900km (559 miles), said Sun Cong, deputy chief engineer of designer and manufacturer Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). It was designed for a variety of uses, including search and rescue, fighting forest fires, and assisting in fighting fires in cities. The AC313, designed in line with airworthiness regulations and was made in less than a year, reaches the standard of third-generation helicopters, Xinhua cited Sun as saying here. AVIC 1 International Leasing Company and China Flying Dragon Special Aviation Company signed contracts to purchase five AC313 copters following the test flight. Zhang Hongbiao, director of the AVIC's science and technology committee, told Xinhua that the company has set up a team to study the feasibility of developing China's first heavy-duty helicopters. Zhang called for more government investment to help kick-start the project at an early date. Heavy-duty helicopter refers to one with a takeoff weight of at least 20 tonnes. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Polish An-26 crashes on frozen Estonian lake Rescue personnel in Estonia are at the scene of an accident involving an Antonov An-26, in which the aircraft suffered damage after landing heavily on a frozen lake. Estonia's economics ministry states that the aircraft was being operated by Polish freight carrier Exin. The ministry says it came down on Lake Ulemiste, which lies immediately to the west of Tallinn Airport, under the approach path to runway 08. All of the crew members on the aircraft survived. While the circumstances of the accident are still sketchy, preliminary information from the ministry indicates that the aircraft's undercarriage did not fully deploy. Images from the scene show that the undercarriage of the twin-engined aircraft has collapsed. Efforts are under way, says the ministry, to prevent environmental damage from fuel leaks. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NASA to obtain ice data for advanced control algorithms NASA's Glenn Research Centre has issued a contract to Aerospace Corporation to develop artificial ice shapes that will be used for wind tunnel testing as part of the agency's plan to develop more robust automatic flight control systems for aircraft. The ice shapes will be attached to the wings and tail surfaces of a subscale model aircraft to determine "iced aircraft" aerodynamics, key measurements needed for digital simulations that NASA will use to develop the advanced control systems. NASA notes that current automated aircraft control methods do not account for degraded aircraft performance and operations if ice builds up on wing and tail surface leading edges, effects that can lead to loss of control accidents. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ESASI Seminar Toulouse 28/29/30 April 2010 ESASI is pleased to announce its 2010 Seminar. Details of the presentation programme are available on our website www.esasi.eu [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103206285538&s=6053&e=001alLF_q7msu1--uD0cTFSC1mZaPKloQewLi9RmpQD5XH4--Uk3R9HTq2o0BgaCqZm9BeBSFATtJvd7QViIG739vDygGoghAQAVsDwTBv5p34=]. Please contact us if you require further information. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC