Flight Safety Information June 28, 2011 - No. 130 In This Issue Transportation board says foreign regulators to review helicopter certification Air India Pilots Allege Safety Risks FAA Proposes $1.05 Million Civil Penalty Against Boeing Jet loses cabin pressure, lands safely in Barbados Jet in emergency landing in Ky., flies on to Texas EU and Canada reach air safety agreement NTSB report sheds little light on ill-fated B-17 Boeing: 787 enters 'final phase of flight testing' General aviation safety comes under NTSB spotlight GPS Essential To Airline Industry, Proposal Threatens Efficiency And Safety VoltAir: The electric passenger jet of the future Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Approved by Japanese Aviation Authority Transportation board says foreign regulators to review helicopter certification GATINEAU, QUE.-Foreign regulators have promised to review controversial certification rules linked to the crash of a Sikorsky helicopter off Newfoundland, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Thursday. The board said the Federal Aviation Administration, Transport Canada and the European Aviation Safety Agency will undertake the review with a view to possibly changing how the aircraft is certified. The pledge was part of the regulators' response to recommendations made by the board last February after the crash of a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter in 2009. The accident killed 17 people and revealed that the helicopter had been given a 30- minute run-dry certification, based on the assumption that the chances of an oil leak were "extremely remote." The safety board found the primary cause of the 2009 crash was a massive loss of oil to the chopper's main gearbox after two of three titanium studs snapped off the oil filter assembly during flight. The safety board recommended that Transport Canada change regulations so that offshore helicopters are capable of flying without oil in the main gearbox for at least 30 minutes. The helicopters can still only fly for 11 minutes in the event of a total loss of oil and the board says it needs a commitment that they will be able to fly for at least 30 minutes after a major oil loss. "We'd like to have a minimum standard so that all the helicopters in that category, if they lose oil they'll be able to fly for 30 minutes," Wendy Tadros, chairwoman of the safety board, said in Gatineau. "There seems to be good intent there, but we don't have firm plans or commitments there." Tadros said the FAA has said it will look at proposing rule changes to either clarify or eliminate the extremely remote provision. But she added that changes to the certification may only affect future helicopters and not the S-92. Some of the families of those lost in the Newfoundland crash have been calling on the regulators to demand that the helicopters be able to fly for at least 30 minutes after a massive oil loss. The board would like to see that eventually, following a phase-in period. "The responses are a little bit tentative now," she said, adding that they include the creation of a task force and focus group. "They have to be firmed up ... so we'll take another look at them in six months." http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1013962--transportation-board-says- foreign-regulators-to-review-helicopter-certification Back to Top Air India Pilots Allege Safety Risks NEW DELHI (NYT) - Air India, the country's unprofitable national carrier, is using "coercion and fear" to compel pilots to fly long hours and while ill, an Indian pilots' union claims. "There are serious points relating to the passenger and air safety that need to be addressed by Air India," the Indian Pilots' Guild said in a June 14 letter to the Star Alliance, a network of 27 airlines that Air India is in the final stages of joining. Among other things, "rules and regulations meant to reduce pilot fatigue and the probability of human error related to accidents are routinely being flouted by Air India," the letter said. The letter is the latest salvo in a bitter feud between Air India's management and the 1,600 pilots in the company. Strapped for cash, Air India has delayed paying salaries and other compensation to pilots and tens of thousands of other employees. It has also missed payments to vendors, including fuel and ground transportation suppliers. Flight crews are being pushed to work even when ill, because of stiff penalties and strict disciplinary action for taking sick leave, guild members wrote in the letter. It is "highly likely that several contagious diseases could spread within the aircraft from ill and infected flight crew," the letter said. A growing chorus of pilots say Air India is engaging in unsafe practices, including changing schedules so often that some pilots refer to the company's management style as "schedule by wake-up call." The Indian Pilots' Guild represents Air India's international pilots, who fly dozens of flights a day to cities like Hong Kong, Frankfurt and New York. An Air India spokesman, Kamaljeet Rattan, did not respond to calls or e-mails for comment about the letter or the accusations. Air India has said in the past that pilot scheduling is not computerized, but the carrier has denied any safety problems. Entry into the Star Alliance network, which will allow frequent fliers to claim air miles for using Air India, could add more than 10 percent to revenue, Air India executives say. The airline lost more than $1 billion in its previous financial year, is 400 billion rupees, or $8.9 billion, in debt and is appealing to the government for more cash to allow it to continue operations this year. Air India has significantly reduced fares in recent weeks in an attempt to woo back customers after a pilots' strike that canceled hundreds of flights earlier this year. Some round-trip flights from Delhi to Bangkok, for example, now cost less than $400, including taxes. Air safety in India has come under a spotlight in recent months. Passenger numbers grew faster than nearly anywhere else in the world in recent years, as a booming economy helped millions of people move from trains to airplanes. Indian carriers placed a third of all new jet orders at the Paris Air Show last week, for a total of $23 billion. To date, government oversight of the industry and local training for pilots and safety personnel have lagged far behind the fast growth. Hundreds of positions created to police the industry better remain unfilled in India's central government, years after they were created. In April, India's aviation regulator said it had stripped a dozen commercial pilots of their licenses, after uncovering fraudulent training documents and favoritism. Despite the lack of safety infrastructure, India has had only one major air crash in the past decade, the May 2010 crash of an Air India flight to Mangalore that killed nearly 160 people. The regulator says it is toughening flight safety rules. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said Monday that it had allowed airlines to fly with fewer crew members than recommended in the past, because of employee shortages. But there will be no more exemptions, the government said. "These people must have the necessary personnel who are well-trained in an emergency," E.K. Bharat Bhushan, director general of the aviation agency, said in an interview. The regulator is also considering whether to increase training requirements for pilots and co-pilots, he said. "We felt that people could use more experience," he said. A Star Alliance executive said the network had received the letter from the Air India pilots. He indicated that he thought it had more to do with a fight between management and unions than actual safety concerns at the airline. In June, three representatives from Star Alliance airlines visited Air India's facilities for a week, checking training procedures, scheduling, maintenance and other operations for potential problems. They did not find any serious safety violations or major problems that would endanger the safety of a flight, Jaan Albrecht, the Star Alliance chief executive, said in a telephone interview. Air India has been having other issues, including a long-delayed restructuring, he said, but "regarding safety issues, we have the full satisfaction that the issues were examined, and we came up with a clean report." Officials from the Star Alliance are scheduled to meet with the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation on July 4 to get confirmation that the government will honor commitments to allow Air India and other foreign airlines to work together. Star Alliance executives are eager to sign up a second carrier in India, Mr. Albrecht said. "Now that Air India will probably become a member by the 31st of July, we need to formalize the second carrier," he said. Star Alliance is targeting Jet Airways but has not formalized any agreement with them. Back to Top FAA Proposes $1.05 Million Civil Penalty Against Boeing Cited For Failure To Correct B777 Passenger Oxygen Systems The FAA is proposing a $1,050,000 civil penalty against the Boeing Company for allegedly failing to correct a known problem in production and installation of the central passenger oxygen system in its B-777 airliners. The FAA based its proposed civil penalty on inspections of nine newly assembled aircraft between April and October, 2010. Inspectors discovered that spacers in the oxygen delivery system distribution tubing on the aircraft were not installed correctly. Improper installation could result in the system not supplying oxygen to passengers should depressurization occur. "There is no excuse for waiting to take action when it comes to safety," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We will continue to insist on the highest levels of safety from our aircraft manufacturers." "The FAA has strict regulations when it comes to the maintenance and installation of aircraft systems that all manufacturers and operators must follow," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. Boeing has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA's enforcement letter to respond to the agency. FMI: www.faa.gov, www.boeing.com Back to Top Jet loses cabin pressure, lands safely in Barbados SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Caribbean Airlines says it is investigating why one of its jets suddenly lost cabin pressure on a flight between Jamaica and Barbados. An airline spokeswoman says the Boeing 737-800 made an emergency descent, causing the oxygen masks to deploy. Laura Asbjornsen said there were no injuries to passengers or crew and the plane landed safely in Barbados. There were 48 people on board Sunday's flight. Asbjornsen said Monday that the aircraft is undergoing a thorough maintenance review. Caribbean Airlines is based in Trinidad. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43560775/ns/travel-news/ Back to Top Jet in emergency landing in Ky., flies on to Texas LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Authorities say an American Airlines flight with 142 passengers and five crewmembers made an emergency landing in Louisville but later continued its route from New Jersey to Texas. No one was injured. American Airlines flight 2559 reported the emergency around 4:50 p.m. Monday. Jim Faulkner, a spokesman for the airline, said a cockpit indicator indicated a fuel transfer problem and the plane landed as a precaution at Louisville International Airport shortly after 5 p.m. The MD-80 aircraft later flew on to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. . The flight originated in Newark, N.J. Back to Top EU and Canada reach air safety agreement BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- The European Union (EU) on Thursday announced that an air safety agreement with Canada had been approved by its Parliament. The agreement will allow smoother procedures between both parties as duplicate checks or certification procedures will be eliminated since the deal provides mutual recognition of technical aviation and aircraft standards. In addition, it foresees joint inspections, investigations, exchange of aviation safety data and increased regulatory cooperation. Furthermore, the deal is expected to enhance aviation safety by reducing red tape and facilitating trade between the two parties. The agreement also enhances certainty as to the law in EU-Canada relations, by recognizing the principles of the EU internal aviation market and the status of a "Community carrier." The air safety agreement, which is the EU's farthest-reaching with a third country, was signed in May 2009 but was waiting the Parliament's consent as required under the Lisbon Treaty. Back to Top NTSB report sheds little light on ill-fated B-17 The World War II-era Liberty Belle B-17 burns June 13 after making an emergency landing in Oswego. The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report about the accident Thursday, but the initial findings don't indicate what may have sparked the small fire that apparently began shortly after the plane took off from Aurora Municipal Airport. It may be a year or more before national safety officials determine what sparked an in-flight fire that ended with a World War II-era B-17 bomber in flames in an Oswego farm field. The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report Thursday detailing the events of June 13 that forced the Liberty Belle B-17 to make an emergency landing just minutes after taking off from Aurora Municipal Airport en route to Indianapolis. But the initial report does not indicate what may have sparked the fire, gives no insight into whether the plane was mechanically sound to fly, and contains no information on whether its crew followed all safety and maintenance procedures required by the Federal Aviation Administration. That and other information is expected to be included in the final report that could take 12 to 18 months to complete. Until that report is issued, the NTSB will not speculate about the accident's cause, spokesman Keith Holloway said. He said the NTSB will examine mechanical and maintenance issues, as well as numerous other possible factors, as a routine part of its investigation. The Liberty Belle's operator, a Tulsa, Okla.-based nonprofit group called the Liberty Foundation, has not returned phone calls or emails concerning the accident since it occurred. Two days before the Liberty Belle took off for the flight that ended in the farm field, the plane underwent an inspection, according to a statement the Liberty Foundation's Chief Pilot Ray Fowler posted on the group's website. Repairs were made the day before the flight, but "the maintenance performed has not been, in any way, associated to the chain of events that led to Monday's (June 13) fateful flight," according to the statement. About six minutes after takeoff, a plane following the Liberty Belle alerted its three- member crew of an in-flight fire, according to the NTSB report. The crew already had smelled fire and shut off electrical generators. Crew members then determined the fire was on the plane's left wing and shut off engine No. 2. Once the plane landed in the field, all three crew members and four passengers escaped, with only one passenger receiving a minor injury. Fire crews from Sugar Grove and other area departments struggled to reach the plane in the muddy field and the fire worsened, consuming the fuselage and inside portion of both wings. Different types of maintenance and inspections are required at different intervals for historic aircraft such as a 1940s-era B-17 than for contemporary commercial aircraft, according to the FAA. "The bottom line, in general terms, is all aircraft are inspected on a regular basis according to use to ensure that they're safe to fly," FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said. It doesn't necessarily take more maintenance or inspections to gain permission to fly a vintage plane like the Liberty Belle - just different procedures, Cory said. Historic planes must apply for an experimental certificate to fly and carry passengers. The application requires a statement of the aircraft's planned use, photos and an inspection to ensure the plane meets regulations and is in working order to fly. Once the experimental certificate is in place, keeping a historic aircraft in working order becomes a "labor of love," said Dick Knapinski, spokesman for the Experimental Aircraft Association, a nonprofit group of recreational pilots based in Oshkosh, Wis., that owns and operates its own World War II B-17. When historic planes or new jets need repairs, all fixes must be completed by an FAA- licensed mechanic, Cory said. Finding replacement parts can be one the biggest - and most expensive - challenges in keeping an antique plane airworthy, Knapinski said. All parts need to meet the original military specifications or be approved by the FAA. And the FAA inspects maintenance logs at least once a year, Cory said. "We're continually developing new patterns of inspection for different systems on those aircraft to ensure that they're inspected on a regular basis as needed," she said. The Experimental Aircraft Association's B-17 gets an inspection after every 25 hours of flight and a more in-depth inspection every 125 hours. "Certain things are required to inspect at each hour time frame," Knapinski said. "Engines come apart, the wing structure is inspected to make sure it's all up to specifications." Inspection schedules are not determined based on a plane's age, but on how other planes of that type are performing and what problems have been noticed in the past, Cory said. Chief pilot Fowler's statement on the Liberty Foundation's website says Boeing B-17s have an "exceptional safety record," with the Liberty Belle successfully flying 20,000 people across the nation since December 2004. "The aircraft's safety record is spectacular and I am certain the overall cause of our issue, which is under investigation, will not tarnish that safety record," the statement says. About 50 of the 12,713 B-17s built during World War II remain and fewer than 15 can fly, according to the Experimental Aircraft Association. "The goal is when you have an aircraft that's a museum piece like that, you want to ensure the fitness to fly," the FAA's Cory said. And organizations like the Experimental Aircraft Association and the Liberty Foundation "love to keep these museum pieces flying, and they're working on them constantly." Read more: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110623/news/706239870/#ixzz1QZuB0kve Back to Top Boeing: 787 enters 'final phase of flight testing' Boeing said Monday it has started function and reliability testing and ETOPS demonstrations on the 787, noting it is entering the "final phase of flight testing prior to certification of the airplane." VP and GM-787 Program Scott Fancher said, "The team has created a solid plan for accomplishing the hours and test points required for F&R and ETOPS testing in support of delivery to our customer ANA in the August to September time period." F&R testing "simulates various normal and non-normal operations for the airplane, in a realistic airline-like flight environment," the manufacturer explained. "During ETOPS demonstrations the company validates the airplane's ability to safely divert for a variety of reasons, including long diversions with one engine shut down." ANA is scheduled to conduct Dreamliner service readiness trials in Japan next week. http://atwonline.com/aircraft-engines-components/news/boeing-787-enters-final- phase-flight-testing-0627 Back to Top General aviation safety comes under NTSB spotlight General aviation safety has come under the spotlight in the USA after the National Transportation Safety Board highlighted the sector in its "Most Wanted" list of areas for improvement. The NTSB points out that although the nation has not had a fatal large commercial aviation accident since February 2009, last year alone 450 people died in general aviation crashes. It points out that GA has the highest accident rate of any sector in aviation: six times higher than small commuter and air taxi operators and "over 40 times higher than larger transport category operators". It added: "Perhaps what is most distressing is that the causes of GA accidents are almost always a repeat of the circumstances of previous accidents." Improvements to the aircraft, flying environment and pilot performance would all help cut the GA fatality rate, it said, along with improved maintenance and aircraft design that takes issues such as icing into account. Better occupant protection and working emergency locator beacons would also boost survival rates, it added. However, it focuses on pilot error and training as recurrent problems. "But the best aircraft in the world will not prevent a crash if the pilot is not appropriately trained and prepared for conditions. GA pilots should take initial and recurrent training on the various weather information sources and learn what to do when they inadvertently encounter adverse weather. "As aircraft become more sophisticated with glass cockpits, GA pilots need to be more than just familiar with the technology; they need to also understand how it can malfunction. An emergency is not the time to be checking a manual to figure out how to adjust the flight display." In response to the NTSB, Bruce Landsberg, president of the AOPA Foundation, said it was looking forward to working closely with the safety regulator. However, he warned against sweeping generalisations. He said: "There is an understandable tendency to compare GA with the airlines but in most cases, GA flight operations are different in so many ways that the comparison is meaningless. "General aviation is too diverse, with too many differing skill levels, aircraft and types of operations to take such a monolithic view. And there is still room for improvement in training, equipment, air traffic control procedures and weather dissemination." He called for more comprehensive and better targeted education for pilots. The NTSB publishes the "Most Wanted" each year. Other topics highlighted this year include runway safety, fatigue and the under-use of data recorders. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/06/28/358876/general-aviation-safety- comes-under-ntsb-spotlight.html Back to Top GPS Essential To Airline Industry, Proposal Threatens Efficiency And Safety June 28, 2011 - In a letter sent to the U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee, the world's largest pilot union declared adamant opposition to a private company's bid to expand its broadband communications services. This expansion would jeopardize the global positioning system (GPS) and threaten the tremendous contribution that the satellite-based navigation system makes to ensuring efficient and safe airline operations. "Over more than two decades, the invaluable navigation information available through GPS has enabled air transportation to take an enormous leap forward in safety and efficiency," said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA's president. Capt. Moak sent the letter to House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Tom Petri (R- WI) in preparation for the subcommittee's hearing titled "GPS Reliability: A Review of Aviation Industry Performance, Safety Issues, and Avoiding Potential New and Costly Government Burdens." Since 1983, when GPS became available for civilian use, the system has evolved to become an indispensible tool for aircraft navigation, all-weather approaches and landings, surveillance, maintaining separation between aircraft, and pilot situational awareness. GPS signals are low-power by design to allow them to be based on satellites, but this low-energy environment also makes them susceptible to interference from other radio transmissions. For this reason, only low-powered, satellite-based signals have historically been permitted in the radio frequencies that are closest to GPS bandwidth. In dramatic contrast to this safety-based approach, LightSquared, a privately held broadband provider, proposes to deploy 40,000 high-powered, ground-based transmitters in the radio frequency spectrum that is directly adjacent to GPS bandwidth. Rigorous industry and government testing demonstrates that, if the proposal were to go forward, GPS would be inaccessible over large regions of the United States at normal operational altitudes for airliners. As a result, airline pilots would lose a fundamental navigation tool that is particularly beneficial in mountainous terrain, remote areas, and bad weather. "In addition to safety and efficiency concerns, any proposal that compromises GPS as a crucial tool airline pilots use to provide safe and efficient air transportation in the United States also jeopardizes the enormous contribution that the airline industry makes to the U.S. economy and the tens of thousands of jobs it supports," continued Capt. Moak. Along with immediate operational issues, jeopardizing GPS would also seriously affect existing efforts to modernize the U.S. air traffic control system. ALPA strongly supports airspace modernization through NextGen and its potential to enhance safety, increase capacity and efficiency, and protect the environment. The FAA has already invested more than a billion dollars in GPS-based technology that is designed to replace radar- based surveillance of aircraft, and as NextGen continues to mature, GPS will become increasingly important. "The safety and efficiency of aviation operations today already depend on the extremely accurate navigation information provided by GPS," concluded Capt. Moak. "ALPA applauds the U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee for holding a hearing on this issue and underscoring the unmatched benefit that GPS provides to air transportation. The LightSquared proposal must not be approved or deployed unless we have clear evidence that the GPS system relied on by millions for safe and efficient air travel is fully protected." http://avstop.com Back to Top VoltAir: The electric passenger jet of the future The airliner's ultra-efficient engine, made of superconducting materials, will be bathed in liquid nitrogen VoltAir made a showing at the recent Paris Air Show, on the same stand as the incredible Concorde-of-the-future Zehst space plane, and though it looks much more conventional, it's almost (if not actually more) important for the future of travel. For though Zehst and other craft like it may shrink the globe with super-fast travel, it's aircraft derived from VoltAir that could change the world sooner. Because VoltAir is a zero-emissions airliner for the rest of us - an all-electric alternative to the planes you've always flown in. VoltAir's magic is all about its pusher-prop ducted fan, and the electric motors that power it. The prop's design is a twin co-axial contra-rotating design, delivering excellent propelling power very efficiently. But what's truly clever are the engines, which would be made of high-temperature super-conducting materials. The engine would be bathed in liquid nitrogen, to drop its temperature to the right operating zone for the wiring which, unlike the copper wiring in a traditional motor, actually only works if cooled. Though this adds a structural burden to the design, it has one astonishing upshot: Superconducting motors would waste almost none of the electrical energy pushed into them, making the plane ultra-efficient. The VoltAir makes use of plenty of other tricks in its design, though. The airframe would be made largely of composites which makes for incredible strength and significantly lighter weight. The wings use the same advanced curling wing tip that Boeing's employing on the 787 Dreamliner - they're better at preventing drag. And its unusual bullet-like shape means the drag vortices caused by the body itself is actually gobbled down by the pusher-fans, which also creates better aerodynamics. The problem of recharging the thing - you can't have your electric plane plugged in for 16 hours after each flight - is also neatly solved with a trick of the battery design. They're mounted in the cargo hold, so they could be swapped in and out in the same way as a pallet of cargo is. This also has the side-effect of speeding up ground operations compared to refueling a conventional jet, and that saves money (though we do wonder if that amazing refillable rechargeable cell idea would be a better fit to the VoltAir design). All of this is extremely plausible, even those novel batteries, and VoltAir is, in many ways, just a rethink of a small airliner. There's just one flaw: The tech to make the electric motors doesn't quite exist yet. It's not far off, though, and EADS - the designers of the plane - think it's possible they'll be available relatively soon (definitely sooner than the far distant first-flight of Zehst, for sure). http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43556583/ns/technology_and_science- tech_and_gadgets/ Back to Top Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Approved by Japanese Aviation Authority Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has received certification from Japan's aviation authority for its Trent 1000 engine, confirming its readiness to power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's entry into service with All Nippon Airways (ANA). A Certificate of Type Approval has been granted by the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), the first granted for an engine powering the 787 Dreamliner. Last month Rolls-Royce announced the Trent 1000 had been granted Extended Twin Engine Operations (ETOPS) approval by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), again a first for an engine operating on the 787. Flight tests to support ETOPS approval of the engine/aircraft combination are now taking place and engines have been delivered for the first ANA 787 Dreamliner to go into passenger service. Simon Carlisle, Rolls-Royce, Trent 1000 Programme Director, said: "JCAB approval is a significant milestone for this programme. The Trent 1000 is leading the way on the 787 Dreamliner, providing the lowest fuel burn, noise and weight, which contributes to the 787's target of generating 20 per cent less CO2 than previous generation aircraft. We look forward to celebrating the 787 Dreamliner's entry into service with All Nippon Airways." The Trent 1000, which ran for the first time in 2006, was granted FAA certification in August 2007, and has amassed more than 10,000 hours of ground and flight tests. The Trent 1000 powered the 787 Dreamliner's first flight in December 2009 and has powered 80 per cent of all test flights and test hours. The engine powers five out of the seven aircraft in the 787 flight test programme. Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, and has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 2,500 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in nearly 120 countries, with an installed base of 54,000 gas turbines. Annual underlying revenues were £10.8 billion in 2010, of which more than half came from the provision of services. The firm and announced order book stood at £59.2 billion at 31 December 2010, providing visibility of future levels of activity. Rolls-Royce employs over 39,000 skilled people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in over 50 countries. Over 11,000 of these employees are engineers. In 2010, Rolls-Royce invested £923 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental performance of its products, in particular reducing emissions. Rolls-Royce supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which connect the company's engineers with the forefront of scientific research. In Japan, Rolls-Royce began a joint research project in 2006 with the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) to develop the next-generation super alloys for turbine blades on future engines, which will help reduce fuel consumption and emissions. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills. At take off each Trent 1000 generates as much power as 1,000 family cars. Engine development has involved more than 10,000 cycles of testing over 5,500 hours. In November 2009, Rolls-Royce announced the successful completion of 3,000-cycle ETOPS (Extended Range Twin Operations) testing on the engine. Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) are involved in the design and manufacture of components for the Trent 1000. http://www.vadvert.co.uk/business/14902-rolls-royce-trent-1000-approved-by- japanese-aviation-authority.html Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC