Flight Safety Information May 27, 2011 - No. 109 In This Issue Speed sensor failure caused Air France crash BEA Releases Findings From AF447 Voice And Data Recorders Air ambulance crashes near Newton (Kansas) AF447 stalled but crew maintained nose-up attitude El Al 777's failed main gear underwent MRO in Singapore Mayday for civil aviation: 37 dead in 37 days (INDIA) Doctors face special challenges during in-flight emergencies EASA Grounds All Dassault Falcon 7X Executive Jets Passenger coached to fly plane after pilot incapacitated Blues cancel another air show Australian Outback To Get Big Aircraft Graveyard Speed sensor failure caused Air France crash - report Aircraft's speed sensors gave invalid readings, the BEA said Friday. Air France flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in June 2009, killing 228 people (CNN) -- The Air France flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris plunged into the Atlantic because the aircraft's speed sensors gave invalid readings, France's Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) said Friday. The report findings said the aircraft climbed to 38,000 ft when "the stall warning was triggered and the airplane stalled." The report said the speed displayed on the left primary flight display were "inconsistent" with those on the integrated standby instrument system (ISIS). The aircraft experienced some "rolling" before stalling and then descending rapidly into the ocean. The descent lasted 3 minutes and 30 seconds and the engines remained operational, said the report. What caused the Air France crash? At the time of the descent, the two co-pilots and captain were in the aircraft cockpit. Richard Quest, CNN's aviation expert, said: "For whatever reason the aircraft speed sensors failed and the A330 went into a high altitude stall. The pilot's actions were unable to recover the aircraft and some might say, made the bad situation worse. "The actual falling from the sky will have been horrific. This plane fell out of the sky." All 228 people aboard the Airbus A330 Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris were killed on June 1, 2009. Air crash investigators at the Paris-based BEA have been working on the theory that the speed sensors, known as pitot tubes or probes, malfunctioned because of ice at high altitude. The report quotes some of the pilot's conversation -- who were not named -- and reveals that they were aware of the upcoming turbulence and storm. Two hours and six minutes into the flight, one of the co-pilots, referred to as PF, called the cabin crew, telling them that: "In two minutes we should enter an area where it'll move about a bit more than at the moment, you should watch out... I'll call you back as soon as we're out of it." The report said that two hours and 10 minutes into the flight, "The autopilot [and] then auto-thrust disengaged," and co-pilot PF said: "I have the controls." The report said the stall warning sounded twice in a row. At two hours and 10 minutes into the flight the other co-pilot, referred to as PNF said: "So, we've lost the speeds." A second later the stall warnings sounded again the report said. At about this time, "The speed displayed on the left side increased sharply," the report said. The aircraft was then at an altitude of about 37,500 ft. The report said that at this time co-pilot PNF tried several times to call the captain back to the cockpit. The aircraft then climbed to 38,000 ft and at around two hours 11 minutes and 40 seconds into the flight, the captain re-entered the cockpit. During the following seconds all of the recorded speeds became invalid and the stall warning stopped, the report said. Co-pilot PF said "I don't have any more indications", and the co-pilot PNF said "we have no valid indications". About a minute later co-pilot the PF said "We're going to arrive at level one hundred". About fifteen seconds later, the data recorder indicate "simultaneous inputs by both pilots on the sidesticks," The recordings stopped at 2 hours 14 minutes and 28 seconds into the flight. Earlier this week French air crash investigators said they would be able to identify two bodies recovered this month from the crash site. In early May search teams found the crucial "data recorders." Back to Top BEA Releases Findings From AF447 Voice And Data Recorders A330 Apparently Stalled, Impacted The Ocean Descending More Than 10,000 FPM The French accident investigating agency BEA has released a document culled from the initial findings from the Air France Flight 447 accident which occurred nearly two year ago. The report indicates the Airbus entered a deep stall from which the cockpit crew was unable to recover. While icing on the speed sensors is not specifically mentioned, the pilots do indicated that "we've lost the speeds." All times are expressed in UTC. At 0155, the Captain woke the second co-pilot and said "[...]He's going to take my place". The Captain attended the briefing between the two co-pilots, during which the PF (Pilot Flying) said, in particular "the little bit of turbulence that you just saw we should find the same ahead, we're in the cloud layer unfortunately we can't climb much for the moment because the temperature is falling more slowly than forecast" and that "the logon with Dakar failed". The Captain left the cockpit. The airplane approached the ORARO point. It was flying at flight level 350 and at Mach 0.82 and the pitch attitude was about 2.5 degrees. The weight and balance of the airplane were around 205 tonnes and 29% respectively. Autopilot 2 and auto-thrust were engaged. At 0206:04 the PF called the cabin crew, telling them that "in two minutes we should enter an area where it'll move about a bit more than at the moment, you should watch out" and he added "I'll call you back as soon as we're out of it". At 0208:07 the PNF (Pilot Not Flying) said "you can maybe go a little to the left ". The airplane began a slight turn to the left, the change in relation to the initial route being about 12 degrees. The level of turbulence increased slightly and the crew decided to reduce the speed to about Mach 0.8. From 0210:05, the autopilot then auto-thrust disengaged and the PF said "I have the controls". The airplane began to roll to the right and the PF made a left nose-up input. The stall warning sounded twice in a row. The recorded parameters show a sharp fall from about 275 kt to 60 kt in the speed displayed on the left primary flight display (PFD), then a few moments later in the speed displayed on the integrated standby instrument system (ISIS). BEA notes that only the speeds displayed on the left PFD and the ISIS are recorded on the FDR; the speed displayed on the right side is not recorded, and that autopilot and auto-thrust remained disengaged for the rest of the flight. At 0210:16 the PNF said "so, we've lost the speeds" then "alternate law". (In alternate or direct law, the angle-of-attack protections are no longer available but a stall warning is triggered when the greatest of the valid angle-of-attack values exceeds a certain threshold. This information is not presented to pilots.) The airplane's angle of attack increased progressively beyond 10 degrees and the plane started to climb. The PF made nose-down control inputs and alternately left and right roll inputs. The vertical speed, which had reached 7,000 ft/min, dropped to 700 ft/min and the roll varied between 12 degrees right and 10 degrees left. The speed displayed on the left side increased sharply to 215 kt (Mach 0.68). The airplane was then at an altitude of about 37,500 ft and the recorded angle of attack was around 4 degrees. From 0210:50, the PNF tried several times to call the Captain back. At 0210:51, the stall warning was triggered again. The thrust levers were positioned in the TO/GA detent and the PF maintained nose-up inputs. The recorded angle of attack, of around 6 degrees at the triggering of the stall warning, continued to increase. The trimmable horizontal stabilizer (THS) passed from 3 to 13 degrees nose-up in about 1 minute and remained in the latter position until the end of the flight. Around fifteen seconds later, the speed displayed on the ISIS increased sharply towards 185 kt; it was then consistent with the other recorded speed. The PF continued to make nose-up inputs. The airplane's altitude reached its maximum of about 38,000 ft, its pitch attitude and angle of attack being 16 degrees. BEA notes that the inconsistency between the speeds displayed on the left side and on the ISIS lasted a little less than one minute. At around 0211:40, the Captain re-entered the cockpit. During the following seconds, all of the recorded speeds became invalid and the stall warning stopped. When the measured speeds are below 60 kt, the measured angle of attack values are considered invalid and are not taken into account by the systems. When they are below 30 kt, the speed values themselves are considered invalid. The altitude was then about 35,000 ft, the angle of attack exceeded 40 degrees and the vertical speed was about -10,000 ft/min. The airplane's pitch attitude did not exceed 15 degrees and the engines' N1's were close to 100%. The airplane was subject to roll oscillations that sometimes reached 40 degrees. The PF made an input on the sidestick to the left and nose-up stops, which lasted about 30 seconds. At 0212:02, the PF said "I don't have any more indications", and the PNF said "we have no valid indications". At that moment, the thrust levers were in the IDLE detent and the engines' N1's were at 55%. Around fifteen seconds later, the PF made pitch- down inputs. In the following moments, the angle of attack decreased, the speeds became valid again and the stall warning sounded again. At 0213:32, the PF said "we're going to arrive at level one hundred". About fifteen seconds later, simultaneous inputs by both pilots on the sidesticks were recorded and the PF said "go ahead you have the controls". The angle of attack, when it was valid, always remained above 35 degrees. The recordings stopped at 0214:28. The last recorded values were a vertical speed of - 10,912 ft/min, a ground speed of 107 kt, pitch attitude of 16.2 degrees nose-up, roll angle of 5.3 degrees left and a magnetic heading of 270 degrees. At this stage of the investigation, as an addition to the BEA interim reports of 2 July and 17 December 2009, the following new facts have been established: The composition of the crew was in accordance with the operator's procedures. At the time of the event, the weight and balance of the airplane were within the operational limits. At the time of the event, the two co-pilots were seated in the cockpit and the Captain was resting. The latter returned to the cockpit about 1 min 30 after the disengagement of the autopilot. There was an inconsistency between the speeds displayed on the left side and the integrated standby instrument system (ISIS). This lasted for less than one minute. After the autopilot disengagement: The airplane climbed to 38,000 ft. The stall warning was triggered and the airplane stalled. The inputs made by the PF were mainly nose-up. The descent lasted 3 min 30, during which the airplane remained stalled. The angle of attack increased and remained above 35 degrees. The engines were operating and always responded to crew commands. The last recorded values were a pitch attitude of 16.2 degrees nose-up, a roll angle of 5.3 degrees left and a vertical speed of -10,912 ft/min. In publishing this initial report, the BEA says "This note describes in a factual manner the chain of events that led to the accident and presents newly established facts. The initial analyses will be developed in a further interim report that is scheduled to be published towards the end of July." FMI: www.bea.aero/en Back to Top Air ambulance crashes near Newton (Kansas) Helicopter crashes in wheat field NEWTON - An air ambulance on a maintenance flight made a crash landing in northern Harvey County this afternoon, causing minor injuries to two people on board. Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton said the LifeTeam helicopter, which is based in Newton, went down in a wheat field about 10 miles northeast of Newton shortly after 3 p.m. He said the pilot and a mechanic, one in his 30s and one in his 50s, sustained minor injuries. There were no patients on the helicopter. Walton said the helicopter began having difficulties during the flight. The pilot attempted a glide landing in the field, he said, but the helicopter wound up on its side. Michael Johnson, a spokesman for the company, said the men were taken by Hesston EMS to Newton Medical Center where they were treated and released. He said the accident would have no impact on the company operations because the damaged helicopter is used as a backup. In addition to Newton, he said, LifeTime has bases in Emporia, Dodge City, Hutchinson, Liberal, Great Bend and McCook, Neb. www.kansas.com/2011/05/26/1866298/air-ambulance-crashes-near- newton.html#ixzz1NYmOzhfZ ********** Date: 26-MAY-2011 Time: ~3pm LT Type: Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II Operator: GM Leasing Co. LLC Registration: N1815 C/n / msn: 45299 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Near Newton, KS - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Test Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: An air ambulance on a maintenance flight made a crash landing in northern Harvey County on Thursday afternoon, causing minor injuries to two people on board. Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton said the LifeTeam helicopter, which is based in Newton, went down in a wheat field about 10 miles northeast of Newton shortly after 3 p.m. He said the pilot and a mechanic, one in his 30s and one in his 50s, sustained minor injuries. There were no patients on the helicopter. Walton said the helicopter began having difficulties during the flight. The pilot attempted a glide landing in the field, he said, but the helicopter wound up on its side. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top AF447 stalled but crew maintained nose-up attitude French investigators have disclosed that the crew of Air France flight AF447 maintained nose-up inputs to the aircraft even after the Airbus A330 entered a stall. The inquiry has also revealed that the pilots set engine thrust variously to go-around power and idle as they battled to rescue the jet. In an update to the loss of the A330 over the South Atlantic two years ago the Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses has detailed the last few minutes of the flight. BEA said the aircraft climbed from its cruise altitude of 35,000ft towards 38,000ft and stalled, but added that the flying pilot "maintained nose-up inputs" to the controls. BEA confirms that the captain had left the cockpit to rest, about eight minutes before the emergency on 1 June 2009, having discussed with the relief crew possible turbulence ahead of the aircraft. The pilots altered course slightly, about 12° to the left, and as turbulence increased they opted to reduce speed to Mach 0.8. About 2min later the aircraft's autopilot and autothrust disengaged, and remained so for the rest of the flight. This would have put the jet into 'alternate' law, meaning it lost its angle-of-attack protection. The aircraft began to roll to the right, and as the pilot made a nose-up left input, the A330's stall warning sounded twice - an indication that the aircraft had exceeded a critical angle-of-attack threshold. The primary flight display on the captain's side showed a "sharp fall" in speed from 275kt to 60kt, and the aircraft's angle of attack "increased progressively" beyond 10°. While the jet had initially been cruising at 35,000ft, investigators stated that the aircraft climbed, with a vertical speed of 7,000ft/min, heading towards 38,000ft. The pilot made nose-down inputs as well as inputs for left and right roll. The vertical speed fell back to 700ft/min, the displayed speed "increased sharply" to 215kt, and the angle of attack reduced to 4°. In its update the BEA said the non-flying pilot "tried several times to call the captain back". There was another stall warning and the BEA said the stall warning sounded again. The thrust levers were positioned for take-off/go-around power but the flying pilot "maintained nose-up inputs". Angle of attack continued to increase, it added, and the trimmable horizontal stabiliser increased from a 3° nose-up position to 13° nose-up - where it stayed for the rest of the flight. The aircraft reached 38,000ft - its maximum altitude - with its angle of attack having increased to 16°. AF447's captain returned to the cockpit - just 90s after the autopilot had disengaged - by which time the aircraft had started its fatal descent. As it passed through 35,000ft the angle of attack increased to more than 40° and the A330 was descending at 10,000ft/min. Its pitch did not exceed 15°, its engine power was close to 100% of N1, and the jet oscillated with rolls of up to 40°. "The [flying pilot] made an input on the sidestick to the left and nose-up stops, which lasted about 30s," said the BEA. Just 20s after the captain returned to the cockpit, said the BEA, the thrust levers were set to the 'idle' position, with the engines delivering 55% of N1. Measured angle of attack values, the BEA pointed out, are only considered valid when the measured speed is above 60kt. It said that the angle of attack, when valid, always remained above 35°. AF447's had turned almost a three-quarter circle to the right during the emergency, and - having descended for 3min 30s - it struck the ocean surface with a ground speed of just 107kt, a nose-up pitch attitude of 16.2°, with a heading of 270°. BEA stated that the aircraft stalled but that the inputs from the flying pilot were "mainly nose-up". It added that the engines "were operating and always responded to crew commands". Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top El Al 777's failed main gear underwent MRO in Singapore Serious structural failure in the main landing-gear of an El Al Boeing 777-200 has been discovered after the aircraft made an emergency landing at Tel Aviv. The aircraft departed for Newark on 23 May, with 279 passengers, but returned to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport after the left main gear failed to retract. The 777 was escorted by an Israeli air force fighter which checked the condition of the undercarriage before the twinjet landed. Israel's ministry of transport said the 777 had undergone landing-gear maintenance in Singapore and engineers from the centre involved will participate in the inquiry. Two specialists from Boeing also arrived in Israel on 25 May to take part in the investigation. Accident investigators have started removing the main gear from the 777 for close inspection. An image of the 777 obtained by Flightglobal appears to show the structural failure affected the pivot around which the entire gear rotates upon retraction. The ministry of transport's air accident chief described the failure as "serious" and added that it seemed to be the first such case for this aircraft type. "At this stage it is too early to determine the failure process, let alone the reason," said the ministry, adding that the landing-gear will be subjected to metallurgical tests and other examinations, abroad if necessary. "Only after the reason for the structural failure is found will it be possible to form, along with Boeing and aviation authorities, technical instructions for 777 operators around the world," it said. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Mayday for civil aviation: 37 dead in 37 days (INDIA) NEW DELHI: It could well be the worst month in India's aviation history. In 37 days from April 19 to May 25, the country has witnessed five air crashes in which 37 people have lost their lives. The dead include a serving chief minister, BSF personnel and a seriously ill patient who was being flown to Delhi to - ironically - save his life. Not surprisingly, alarm bells are ringing in the aviation ministry - which is already grappling with serious issues like fake pilots and keeping a critically ill, Air India, alive. "The frequency of crashes is alarming. A single crash of a big plane can have higher casualties, like last May's Mangalore accident involving a Boeing 737 saw 158 people perishing. But in the last month, the crashes are happening with alarming regularity ," said a commander. This alarm has led to renewed calls from the aviation industry to strengthen the regulatory mechanism. India made big plans to shore up the critically weak Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to escape being downgraded to sub-Sahara African level by the US Federal Aviation Administration. But its implementation is caught in red tape. Sanction of every post takes its own time, caught in the maze of departmental clearances. "Of the sanctioned 570 posts in DGCA (which too are inadequate to handle growing traffic), only 128 are filled by full-timers . There are 91 people on short term basis. DGCA is in such a weak form that unless the proposed civil aviation authority takes its place in full strength, there's not much hope," said sources. After each incident, the aviation ministry announces that a particular area of operation would be checked. But the reality is that the problem of staff shortage is so severe that the ministry was some time back planning to take people from AAI, Pawan Hans and AI on deputation to take up oversight jobs. HITTING THE AIR POCKET 5 crashes in 37 days April 19: Pawan Hans' Mi-172 chopper crashes in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. 18 dead April 30: Pawan Hans' EuroCopter crashes on way from Tawang to Itanagar with Arunachal Pradesh CM Dorji Khandu on board. 5, including CM, dead May 4: Cessna Caravan of North East Shuttle Service crashlands at Lengpui, Mizoram. 9 injured May 14: BSF Chetak chopper operated jointly with Pawan Hans crashes at Abu Road, Rajasthan. 4 dead May 25: Air ambulance from Patna to Delhi crashes at Faridabad. 10 dead http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/mayday-for-civil-aviation- 37-dead-in-37-days/articleshow/8599698.cms Back to Top Doctors face special challenges during in-flight emergencies USA TODAY - Doctors traveling as airline passengers are often called upon to assist if a medical emergency occurs in flight. Though flight attendants are trained in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and airplanes are generally equipped with first aid kits, the contents of those medical kits can vary greatly from airline to airline, according to a recent article in the New York Times. According to the article, there are no statistics for the actual number of medical emergencies that occur in flight, as the Federal Aviation Administration does not track in-flight medical episodes and airlines are not required to report them. MedAire, a company that advises more than 60 airlines on in-flight medical emergencies, reports that out of 19,000 cases they handled for commercial airlines last year, 442 were serious enough to warrant diverting the airplane and 94 people died onboard. The Times article reports that, although most doctors want to help when a medical emergency occurs in flight, many are hesitant to try to treat a stranger with an unknown medical history. Additionally, doctors traveling as passengers don't have access to many of the necessary tools or resources readily available on the ground and they never know what is included in the first aid kit aboard that airplane since there are no standards for these kits. Many doctors, traveling as passengers, may also be specialists who don't normally treat the malady affecting that particular patient and many are concerned about the possibility of legal action if they are unsuccessful in being able to help the patient, despite applicable protection under Good Samaritan laws. The Times article says pilots can generally obtain advice from physicians on the ground if a medical emergency occurs in flight, but airlines have been calling upon doctors on the passenger list to help with in-flight medical emergencies since the dawn of aviation. Unfortunately, because of this serendipitous relationship airlines have with physicians traveling aboard airplanes, the kind of medical advice and care available to a passenger might vary greatly from flight to flight. Back to Top EASA Grounds All Dassault Falcon 7X Executive Jets PARIS (Dow Jones)--The European Aviation Safety Agency on Thursday grounded the worldwide fleet of Dassault Falcon 7X executive jets after one of the aircraft encountered an in-flight anomaly that could have caused the pilots to lose control. The Cologne, Germany-based agency said in its Emergency Airworthiness Directive that the decision to halt all flight operations of Dassault's flagship jet at the request of the Paris-based company. The plane was en route between Europe and Malaysia with no passengers on board, Dassault spokesman Stephane Fort told Dow Jones Newswires by telephone. The pilots managed to regain control of the aircraft and land it safely in Malaysia, he said. Fort couldn't say who owns the aircraft or who was operating it. The EASA directive said that the jet "experienced an uncontrolled pitch trim runaway during descent. The crew succeeded in recovering a stable situation and performed an uneventful landing." Analysis of the plane's Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Fault History Database (FHDB) confirmed the event, EASA said, but the cause of the pitch trim runaway couldn't be explained. "This condition, if occurring again, could lead to loss of control of the aeroplane," the EASA notice said. Fort said the decision to ground the aircraft is a precautionary measure. Dassault has sent a team of technicians to Malaysia to try to identify the cause of the problem, he said, adding: "Our priority is the safety of our passengers and our aircraft." To date, Dassault has delivered 112 of the jets, which have a range of nearly 6,000 nautical miles and have collectively clocked up 75,000 flight hours. Dassault Falcon, a division of Dassault Aviation (AM.FR), is one of the world's leading manufacturers of premium business jets. The 7X was the world's first fly-by-wire business jet when it entered into service in 2007, drawing from Dassault's experience as a builder of combat aircraft. Competing with the Gulfstream 550 and Bombardier Global Express at the top end of the executive jet market, the 7X has a sticker price of about $50 million, depending on cabin features. Back to Top Passenger coached to fly plane after pilot incapacitated By Alan Levin A Denver air-traffic controller and a pilot on a commuter airliner coached an incapacitated small plane pilot and his wife down to safety last week, helping them dodge mountain peaks and guiding them to a safe emergency landing, the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday. The unidentified 70-year-old pilot and his wife touched down at Four Corners Regional Airport in Farmington, N.M., after a sometimes harrowing 45 minutes. The wife, who could not fly, had to take over radio contact with the controller after her husband had difficulty speaking and maneuvering the plane, the FAA said. Controller Charlie Rohrer, a 22-year veteran, suspected that the pilot was woozy from lack of oxygen while flying over the Rocky Mountains at 17,000 feet and began urging him to descend at about 12:15 p.m., according to a recording of the air-traffic radio calls. But the pilot's responses were confused and he was not complying. About 10 minutes later, his wife radioed the controller: "I'm trying to help. Hang on." What followed was a confusing effort to get the Cirrus SR22 single-engine plane to descend to a lower altitude. After Rohrer asked whether anyone flying nearby knew how to fly the SR22, the pilot of a Great Lakes Airlines plane began advising the woman. "There should be a knob on there that you'll turn to the left," the airline pilot said, instructing the woman how to use the autopilot to descend. After several minutes, the SR22 began to drop. "We're going down," the wife radioed. "I don't know where." As they got to lower altitudes, another critical problem arose. The plane was now too low to clear upcoming mountain peaks. The controller repeatedly radioed the small plane, urging it to turn south away from the mountains. "If you continue northbound, it's quite a bit higher. I need you to start turning southbound as soon as you can," Rohrer said. Finally, the plane began a slow turn toward the south. The woman reported that her husband "seems to be more lucid." Still, the plane was flying erratically and the small-plane pilot remained confused. "I've got an autopilot, uh, disabled," the pilot said. "I, I don't understand." When the pilot asked to continue his flight to his original destination of Colorado Springs, Rohrer said, "You're still not, uh, sounding like you're very coherent." He suggested the plane fly to nearby Farmington. "Alright," the pilot replied. A few minutes later, he radioed that he was "getting better." The plane touched down without incident and the pilot was taken to the hospital, the FAA said. The FAA said it does not know why the pilot was confused. Lack of oxygen could have caused the confusion, but the pilot and his wife were using oxygen at the time, she told the controller. Rohrer issued a statement saying the safe outcome "was the result of good training and teamwork." http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/story/2011/05/Passenger-coached-to-fly-plane- after-pilot-incapacitated/47692430/1 Back to Top Blues cancel another air show The Blue Angels have canceled a second air show because of safety concerns arising from a maneuver that the team performed at an air show in Lynchburg, Va., on Sunday. The latest cancellations come after the flight demonstration squadron scrapped a practice session and an air show planned for Tuesday and Wednesday in Annapolis, Md. On Thursday, the squad announced that its flyover at the U.S. Naval Academy graduation today has been canceled as well as appearances at a Millville, N.J., air show Saturday and Sunday. Strike Fighter Squadron 143 based out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Va., will replace the Blues at the graduation ceremony. "We are just reviewing our safety standards regarding the maneuver and the demonstration as a whole," said Lt. Katie Kelly, the Blues spokeswoman. "We are making sure our safety standards are as high as possible and represent the fleet." The Blue Angels have been on a safety stand-down since the team exited a looping maneuver while in a diamond formation at too low an altitude during the Lynchburg show. One of the pilots called a "knock it off," a radio transmission to stop operations when something has gone wrong, and the team halted its show. The team's leader, Cmdr. Dave Koss, later ordered the stand-down. No one was injured, and no aircraft was damaged. The Blues have not practiced this week, Kelly said. She said she was not sure when practices will resume. The Blues' next performances are scheduled for June 4 and 5 in Rockford, Ill. Fans of the flight demonstration team have been understanding of the stand-down, Kelly said. "We have got a lot of fans out there, and people who really support us," she said. "A lot of the calls actually have been from people just offering their support." http://www.pnj.com/article/20110527/NEWS01/105270330/Blues-cancel-another-air- show?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs Back to Top Australian Outback To Get Big Aircraft Graveyard SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--Australia's vast desert, known as the outback, is set to become home to the first large-scale graveyard for unwanted aircraft outside the U.S. in an effort to provide a final resting place for an expected glut in decommissioned jumbos in Asia. Alice Springs Airport said Friday that it's signed a lease agreement for an aircraft storage and recycling facility 100 hectares in size that could accommodate up to 250- 300 aircraft and rival the massive aircraft "boneyards" in Arizona, California and New Mexico where old jets are traditionally stripped of parts for recycling. At over 800 hectares in size, the Pinal Airpark in Arizona is one of biggest storage places for commercial aircraft. Even larger spaces exist in Arizona and California for military and space craft. "The facility will provide a local alternative and deliver significant fleet efficiencies and costs savings for aircraft operators," said Tom Vincent, managing director of developer Australia Pacific Aircraft Storage. The new jet graveyard comes at a time when Asia airlines are growing at a faster rate than their European and U.S. rivals after the region led by China recovered at a faster rate from the global financial crisis. According to Boeing Co., Asia Pacific airlines will need 10,320 new airplanes, valued at more than US$1.3 trillion, over the next 20 years creating a growing number of obsolete plans that will require dismantling. Boeing expects that half of the world's new traffic added during the next 20 years will be to, from, or within the Asia Pacific region. The new site will also provide a temporary storage space for planes while they're not needed by carriers. Dry deserts are the best place for aircraft preservation as there's little moisture to cause rust and corrosion. Construction of stage one of the project, including a taxiway and de-fuelling pad, will begin in the second half of 2011 and it's hoped it will be ready by year end, Katie Cooper, the general manager for Alice Springs Airport said. "There could be some constraints laying bitchumen just because of how hot the Alice gets," said Cooper. Back to Top Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC