Flight Safety Information June 25, 2010 - No. 126 In This Issue Boeing to temporarily ground Dreamliner test plane Boeing likely to recommend more 767 inspections FAA demonstrates new air-traffic control system in Alaska Flight lands in Fargo after oven overheats Honeywell gets $27M to improve jet fuel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Boeing to temporarily ground Dreamliner test plane HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Boeing has temporarily grounded a fleet of its 787 Dreamliner test aircraft after finding a problem in the horizontal tails, according a report Thursday in the Seattle Times. Boeing engineers were inspecting all 23 Dreamliner aircraft that have been built to fix the problem, which was discovered over the past week. It may take up to eight days to fix the problem, the report said. Dreamliner program spokeswoman Yvonne Leach said the problem was "regrettable but under control," and that the company decided to conduct the inspections. However, the schedule for completing flight testing and first delivery of the plane won't be delayed any further, she added, according to the report. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Boeing likely to recommend more 767 inspections Boeing is likely to recommend additional inspections for some of its 767s following this week's discovery of cracks on some of American Airlines' aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration currently requires inspections every 1,500 flights, but the cracks on American's jets were found after fewer flights. As a result, Boeing launched its own internal investigation of the recommended inspection guidelines. "Boeing is considering asking airlines to inspect the wings every 400 flights," spokesman Peter Conte said on Thursday. According to The Associated Press, "Boeing wants airlines to evaluate how the proposed change would affect their maintenance and flight operations... the new recommendation, called a service bulletin, is expected in mid-July." These changes only become mandatory if the FAA follows up with its own order. AP reports that the FAA is waiting to see Boeing's service bulletin to decide whether to change inspection regulations. According to AP's report: About 260 jets built before June 1997 are affected Planes built after June 1997 had a different design 400 additional planes built before 1997 have since been retrofitted Operators of the affected jets are Delta, United, Continental and US Airways (American already inspected all 56 of its affected jets) http://travel.usatoday.com/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103514640258&s=6053&e=001i8oKNud8ujWYiddXSm5PoJ_hM1J7cdzJ0dH2soO3P-9F8McO_iW48KzneshmTzP3O2jjMuM3LhmOxhQYlyU4qtr-G_Jee3Go9D0nF7MXWk3KnEoOejoKqA==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAA demonstrates new air-traffic control system in Alaska FAA chief operating officer Hank Krakowski says the new air-traffic control system ADB-S is much like the aviation version of a cell phone. ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration are in Anchorage this week, demonstrating the latest technology being used by air traffic controllers in Alaska. The next generation traffic-control system, called ADB-S, is a surveillance system that is more precise than radar, similar to the Global Positioning System for pilots. It also provides weather and traffic information, and allows pilots to communicate directly with one another. "The new system is very much like the aviation version of a cell phone," said FAA chief operating officer Hank Krakowski. "It's scalable, it can move around, it has a lot of flexibility to it, and it uses something that you have been using for quite some years, GPS." Alaska was the initial test site for ADB-S under the Capstone pilot project. http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=12708044 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103514640258&s=6053&e=001i8oKNud8ujXF6mzlUsmTi7CE6N6-URVc8g8g4k95AUk2oXcOjSNCx9_wAzxAfvGqMEkvFKV4jkG2o29eA54LyaPq5s95VZypT4UhC3hLZU7lP6OW-XruwUCxbhwIr5r3yF8oC7m7721txR55vw-ZIA==] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flight lands in Fargo after oven overheats FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- A Continental Airlines flight from Seattle to Newark, N.J., had to land in Fargo when an overheated oven sent smoke into the cabin. Firefighting crews from the North Dakota Air National Guard responded and determined the cause of the smoke after the Boeing 737 landed about 5 p.m. Thursday. Passenger Sarina Ziv says it was a scary incident, but the plane's crew handled it well. Continental did not immediately respond early Friday to an inquiry on the flight's status. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Honeywell gets $27M to improve jet fuel Honeywell International Inc. received a $27 million contract from the Federal Aviation Administration to develop jet fuels that burn better and to test biofuels. The money will be parceled out over five years with Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix leading the effort. The contract is part of the FAA's Continous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise program. Honeywell will look at using biofuels made from algae and carnelina for a trademarked Honeywell formula that would meet specifications for jet fuel. Honeywell (NYSE:HON), based in Morris Township, N.J., with signification operations in the Valley, will work on the project with Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., General Dynamics Corp. and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Read more: Honeywell gets $27M to improve jet fuel - Phoenix Business Journal Back to Top [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103514640258&s=6053&e=001i8oKNud8ujVFMCzANbL9ZowRs0OZ1elyiqglFWTYAGt4s5R1Yfs93P5Ox8sYgSy-QkQgClaQyAnRIxioOGKlwnFeSHGYrgIl] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC