Flight Safety Information July 6, 2011 - No. 135 In This Issue Passenger forces Marrakesh to Bristol flight diversion Recordings detail Southwest Airlines fuselage emergency Australia air safety regulator says to keep Tiger Airways grounded 9 feared dead in cargo plane crash in Afghanistan Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Accident Taxiing jet hits deer at airport Japan grounds its fleet of F-15 fighter jets Woman escorted off US Airways flight after snapping photo Air Force Academy orders 25 trainers from Cirrus Aircraft Russian 'Laser Hooligan' Attacks on Airline Pilots Rise Tenfold FAA approves use of Apple's iPad as electronic flight bag Boeing 787 to touch down in India Passenger forces Marrakesh to Bristol flight diversion A flight from Marrakesh to Bristol was diverted after a passenger became disruptive. (BBC) Bristol Airport confirmed the airplane was diverted to Brest airport in France but did not give details of what happened on board. The flight, which took off from Morocco at 2055 BST on Tuesday, was delayed by more than an hour and arrived in Bristol at 0045. The passenger was arrested and is in the custody of French authorities. Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said the passenger was "removed from the aircraft by police". "Ryanair apologises to passengers for this diversion and the knock-on delay which resulted from this highly unusual incident. "Ryanair will support and co-operate with any prosecution brought against this disruptive passenger." Back to Top Recordings detail Southwest Airlines fuselage emergency DALLAS - For air traffic controllers, the first sign something was wrong with Southwest Airlines Flight 812 came in a garbled radio communication obtained by News 8. Controller: "Southwest 812, I'm sorry I could not understand. Please say again." Pilot: "Request emergency descent. We've lost the cabin [pressure]. We're starting down." Flight 812 left Phoenix for Sacramento on the evening of April 1. But after reaching cruising altitude of 34,000 feet, passengers said they heard several loud noises when a hole ripped open in the fuselage, depressurizing the plane. Oxygen masks tumbled down from the overhead compartments and the pilot put the plane in a rapid descent. 1st Controller: "Southwest 812 is emergency decompression descent. He'd like 10,000 feet. Can you approve that? He's doing it anyway." 2nd Controller: "Yes. Yes, approved." The emergency is captured in more than 100 minutes of air traffic control recordings that were reviewed by News 8. Pilot: "We're probably going to turn around and go back to Phoenix." Controller: "Southwest 812, you're clear to the Phoenix airport via right turn." Pilot: "Southwest 812. We'll return to Phoenix and currently we got a hole in the fuselage in the back of the airplane." But minutes later, the pilot radioed back to air traffic controllers saying he needed to land immediately. Pilot: "We need the nearest airport." Controller: "Southwest 812, are you able to land at Blythe or do you want to go to Palm Springs?" Pilot: "Let's make a turn and go to uh, how far is Yuma away from us right now?" Controller: "Yuma is in your three o'clock position. And 50 miles." Pilot: "We'll take Yuma." National Transportation Safety Board investigators discovered a tear in the fuselage almost five feet long, and blamed metal fatigue. "At the NTSB Materials Laboratory, microscope examination of the fracture faces of the ruptured skin revealed fatigue cracks emanating from at least 42 of the 58 rivet holes connected by the fracture," the NTSB said in a preliminary finding on April 25. Within days, the FAA ordered inspections for stress cracks on dozens of similar planes. Federal investigators released that 15-year-old 737-300 jetliner back to Southwest in April. But almost three months later, the airline told News 8 that it still has not put the plane back in the air. The 118 passengers on Flight 812 were not seriously injured. At the time, many praised the pilots and crew for professionalism and a safe landing. The NTSB told News 8 it likely would not have a final report on the incident - which details the cause, contributing factors, and ways to prevent it from happening again - until next year. http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Recordings-detail-Southwest-Airlines-fuselage- emergency-125052144.html Back to Top Australia air safety regulator says to keep Tiger Airways grounded CANBERRA, July 6 (Reuters) - Australia's air safety regulator said on Wednesday it would seek a court order to keep budget carrier Tiger Airways grounded in the country until Aug. 1 due to ongoing safety concerns, a spokesman said. The move will likely block the airline's hopes of a return to the air over the weekend. "An application will be made to the Federal Court which will have the effect of continuing the suspension. CASA seeking a continuation of the suspension until 1 August 2011," the country's Civil Aviation Safety Authority said in a statement. ***** Tiger unlikely to be flying next week (AAP) TIGER Airways has been criticised for taking too long to stop selling tickets, with the budget airline unlikely to be back flying next week, even if it gets clearance from the air safety regulator. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) will decide today or tomorrow if it will seek a court-backed extension of the week-long grounding, which runs until Saturday. After pressure from the nation's consumer regulators, Tiger Airways Australia has temporarily suspended ticket sales for flights beyond Saturday. A "bewildered" Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman, Graeme Samuel, said Tiger took too long to respond to the regulators' concerns. "It's not a question of welcoming, it's a question of saying well at long last they've responded," Mr Samuel said. State and federal consumer regulators had warned Tiger that if it continued selling tickets for flights from Saturday, it needed to tell customers that it was uncertain whether it would be flying and that it was dependent on CASA approval. Tiger announced at 10pm (AEST) yesterday it was suspending ticket sales, but Mr Samuel said the airline's lack of response until then had been unsatisfactory. "There was 48 hours there where despite the fact that they knew that our view was that to comply with the Australian consumer law they needed to provide this advice to customers, they simply for one reason or another didn't respond and didn't deal with that appropriately for customers," he said. "There were a large number of customers potentially who bought tickets on Monday and Tuesday who did not have that advice and warning given to them at the time that they bought the tickets." Mr Samuel said the airline was also warned it needed to stop selling tickets if it got to a point where it didn't reasonably expect to resume flights. He said the regulators wanted an explanation from Tiger about why it took so long to respond, and would continue to monitor the airline's dealings with customers. "We are now in continual and constant contact with Tiger on this matter," he said. CASA and Tiger say their talks have been constructive. "CASA is working on a huge amount of material, making assessments as to the best and safest way that would allow Tiger to get back operating as soon as is possible," CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said. "We've still got quite a bit to do and that means it's still a little too early to know when we can announce whether we'll be seeking an extension of the grounding or when Tiger can start resuming operations." Even if Tiger's suspension is lifted, it appears increasingly unlikely it will operate next week. CASA, which issued Tiger Airways Australia with a show cause notice in March over pilot proficiency and aircraft maintenance issues, may impose a number of requirements that the airline must meet before fully operating again. It may also require a gradual return to service, so that not all of Tiger's Australian fleet of 10 Airbus A320 aircraft will be back operating immediately. Virgin Australia's largest shareholder, Sir Richard Branson, says he doesn't think Tiger's situation will affect airfares. "I don't think airfares need to go up," he said. Back to Top 9 feared dead in cargo plane crash in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A Russian-made Ilyushin-76 cargo plane chartered by the U.S. military crashed into a mountaintop in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday, as fears rose for the fate of its nine-member Azerbaijani crew. The plane was hauling equipment from the Azerbaijan capital of Baku to Bagram Air Field in eastern Afghanistan, said Kabul airport official Yaqub Rasoliob. Afghan transport ministry spokesman Nangyalai Qalatwal said it was unknown whether any of the crew survived. Qalatwal said the plane belonged to Azerbaijan's government. No Americans were aboard the plane, said U.S. Army Maj. James Lowe, a spokesman for the U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Lowe said the cargo included four pallets of heavy equipment, describing the flight as a standard shipment into Bagram. The plane crashed into a mountain while flying at an altitude of about 12,500 feet, said British Maj. Tim James, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan. There was no insurgent activity in the area at the time of the crash, he said. The plane hit a mountain peak late Tuesday night, around 11 p.m., said Sayed Aleem Agha, the top official in Sayagred district of Parwan province, north of Kabul. Agha said he fears that crew members were killed, but that rescue workers had not yet arrived at the crash site. "I saw a huge fire as a result of the crash," he said. "My guess is that it was a big cargo plane because the fire lasted for a long time." The Ilyushin-76 is a Russian-designed cargo plane similar in size to a Boeing C-17. A joint Afghan-NATO team, including Afghan interior, defense and transportation ministry officials has gone to the crash site to investigate, said Qalatwal, the transportation ministry spokesman. ***** Status: Preliminary Date: 06 JUL 2011 Time: 00:10 Type: Ilyushin 76TD Operator: Silk Way Airlines Registration: 4K-AZ55 C/n / msn: 2053420680 First flight: 2005 Crew: Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 Airplane damage: Written off Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: ca 25 km from Bagram Air Base (BPM) (Afghanistan) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Baku-Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) (GYD/UBBB), Azerbaijan Destination airport: Bagram Air Base (BPM) (BPM/OAIX), Afghanistan Narrative: An Ilyushin 76TD cargo plane, registered 4K-AZ55, was destroyed in an accident near Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. The plane is said to have flown into the side of a mountain at about 12,500 feet (3,800 meters). The transport plane carried a total of 18 tons of cargo for the NATO-led forces at Bagram Air Base. The flight left Baku, Azerbaijan at 21:26 local time. Contact with the flight was lost at 00:10 local time. At the same time a flash and fire were observed on a mountainside about 25 km from Bagram. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Accident (Canada) Status: Preliminary Date: 04 JUL 2011 Time: 16:00 Type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Operator: Missinippi Airways Registration: C-FMCB C/n / msn: 208-B1114 First flight: 2005 Engines: 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 8 Total: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 9 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Pukatawagan Airport, MB (XPK) (Canada) Phase: Takeoff (TOF) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Pukatawagan Airport, MB (XPK) (XPK/ZCFG), Canada Destination airport: The Pas/Grace Lake Airport, MB (YQD) (YQD), Canada Narrative: A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan was destroyed when it crashed on takeoff from Pukatawagan Airport, MB (XPK), Canada. There were eight passengers on board and one pilot. One passenger was killed in the accident. The airplane was owned by Beaver Air Service, which flies under the name Missinippi Airways. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Taxiing jet hits deer at airport This Delta Airlines jet was damaged late Monday after striking two deer after landing at the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport. The passengers and crew were unharmed. Both deer died. A late-night Fourth of July collision between two deer and a Delta Airlines RJ-85 jet at the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport resulted in no injuries to passengers and the flight crew, but did force the cancellation of Tuesday morning's Delta flight to the Twin Cities on a busy travel day of the year. The two deer were killed when they struck the taxiing plane shortly after it landed at about 11:30 p.m. Monday. Airport Manager Steve Sievek reported details of the collision at Tuesday's Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport Commission meeting at the airport. Sievek said he had no idea how the deer got onto the fenced-in airport property. A Delta Airlines ground handler at the meeting said two dents were on the jet's flaps and mechanics were looking at the plane. Sievek said deer-aircraft collisions were relatively rare. This, he said, was the third incident he could recall in his 17 years on the job. He said his staff will run the perimeter to see if they can discover how the deer entered the airport property. He said they could not scale the 10-foot fence. Possible ways the deer entered, he said, could be if there was an opening in the fence, if a gate had been left open or if they had crawled under a low spot under the fence. "It's an unfortunate thing that it happened," Sievek said. "We try to do as good a job as we can." The jet was being inspected by mechanics Tuesday morning and could not be used for the flight to the Twin Cities. For aviation safety, airport officials have the authority to kill deer on the property, Beth Pfingsten, airport commission chairwoman, pointed out at the meeting. http://brainerddispatch.com/news/2011-07-05/taxiing-jet-hits-deer-airport Back to Top Japan grounds its fleet of F-15 fighter jets CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa - Japan grounded its F-15 fighter jet fleet nationwide Wednesday as it continued the search for a pilot and aircraft that went missing during training off the coast of Okinawa Tuesday, according to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The grounding includes about 200 jets and was done because it is still unclear whether the incident was caused by pilot error or a malfunction of the aircraft, said Maj. Minoru Takara, chief spokesman of Naha Air Base on Okinawa. The incident is being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, he said. Takara said the military still does not know whether the pilot, a 37-year-old major in the Japan air force with thousands of hours of flight time and about 1,700 hours in F- 15s alone, ejected from his aircraft before it disappeared from Japanese radar around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. Japan mobilized aircraft and patrol boats and found pieces of the jet's tail wing floating in the ocean. Authorities said it is highly likely the aircraft crashed. The U.S. Air Force offered to assist with the search following the incident but had not gotten a request for assistance from Japan, said 1st Lt. Natassia Cherne, spokeswoman for Kadena Air Base. http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/japan/japan-grounds-its-fleet-of-f-15-fighter-jets- 1.148453 Back to Top Woman escorted off US Airways flight after snapping photo (MSNBC) - It doesn't take much for a passenger to be a security threat these days. Miami photographer Sandy DeWitt was reportedly escorted off a US Airways flight from Philadelphia International Airport on Friday after she used her iPhone to snap a photo of an employee's name tag, according to the photography website Pixiq. DeWitt said she took the photo after observing the employee, Tonialla G., being rude to passengers in the boarding area. DeWitt wanted to complain about the employee's behavior to US Airways, but the photo was too dark to use. When DeWitt was seated on the plane with her iPhone powered down, Tonialla G. entered the cabin and asked her to delete the photo. DeWitt was reluctant to comply, but turned the phone back on and deleted the photo. Unfortunately for DeWitt, that wasn't the end of the confrontation. The employee reportedly went to the cockpit and told the pilot that DeWitt was a "security risk." DeWitt said two flight attendants then escorted her off the plane. "I announced to the other passengers that I was being removed because I took a photo," she told Pixiq. Todd Lehmacher, a spokesperson for US Airways, told msnbc.com that DeWitt was removed for being "disruptive." "Once onboard, she was using foul and explicit language," Lehmacher said. "She was removed at the request of the captain." Lehmacher could not confirm whether or not DeWitt was asked by an employee to delete a photo or whether or not that employee told the captain DeWitt was a threat to security. He also did not know what DeWitt specifically said onboard that led to her removal. ****** No Smiles For This Photographer iPhone Photo Gets Professional Photographer Escorted Off A US Airways Flight A professional photographer was escorted off a US Airways flight last week after she snapped a picture of a gate agent's name badge with her iPhone. The agent subsequently convinced the captain of the aircraft the photog was a "security risk." Sandy DeWitt and her husband were traveling from Philadelphia home to Miami last Friday when the incident occurred. According the the photography blog Pixiq, DeWitt said the agent, who's name is Tonialla G., had been rude to several passengers boarding the flight. She says she snapped the photo with her phone because she intended to file a complaint. Unfortunately, the picture was too dark to see the name tag. But that didn't stop the agent from coming on the plane, confronting DeWitt, and demanding that the picture be deleted from the phone. DeWitt complied, according to an interview with Photography is Not A Crime, in which she said she would not have done so had the photo been usable. Since it was of no use to her, she deleted it. But that didn't stop the apparently disgruntled gate agent from complaining to the pilot that DeWitt was a security risk. She and her husband were subsequently escorted off the plane. As she was being removed, she announced loudly that she was being taken off the flight because she had snapped the photograph. A US Airways manager at Philadelphia backed up the employee, saying DeWitt could not re-board because she "was a security risk." But Supervisor Michael Lofton was perfectly willing to direct her to a Miami flight on American Airlines. Unfortunately, that flight had already departed. Eventually, the DeWitts got as far as Fort Lauderdale on Southwest, where they had to call a friend at 0115 on Saturday and ask for a ride to Miami International where their car was parked. www.aero-news.net ***** Some facts that may interest you: 1. Anyone in a public place can take pictures of anything they want. Public places include parks, sidewalks, malls, etc. Malls? Yeah. Even though it's technically private property, being open to the public makes it public space. 2. If you are on public property, you can take pictures of private property. If a building, for example, is visible from the sidewalk, it's fair game. 3. If you are on private property and are asked not to take pictures, you are obligated to honor that request. This includes posted signs. 4. Sensitive government buildings (military bases, nuclear facilities) can prohibit photography if it is deemed a threat to national security. 5. People can be photographed if they are in public (without their consent) unless they have secluded themselves and can expect a reasonable degree of privacy. Kids swimming in a fountain? Okay. Somebody entering their PIN at the ATM? Not okay. 6. The following can almost always be photographed from public places, despite popular opinion: * accident & fire scenes, criminal activities * bridges & other infrastructure, transportation facilities (i.e. airports) * industrial facilities, Superfund sites * public utilities, residential & commercial buildings * children, celebrities, law enforcement officers * UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, Chuck Norris 7. Although "security" is often given as the reason somebody doesn't want you to take photos, it's rarely valid. Taking a photo of a publicly visible subject does not constitute terrorism, nor does it infringe on a company's trade secrets. 8. If you are challenged, you do not have to explain why you are taking pictures, nor to you have to disclose your identity (except in some cases when questioned by a law enforcement officer.) 9. Private parties have very limited rights to detain you against your will, and can be subject to legal action if they harass you. 10. If someone tries to confiscate your camera and/or film, you don't have to give it to them. If they take it by force or threaten you, they can be liable for things like theft and coercion. Even law enforcement officers need a court order. What To Do If You're Confronted while photographing Be respectful and polite. Use good judgement and don't escalate the situation. If the person becomes combative or difficult, think about calling the police. Threats, detention, and taking your camera are all grounds for legal or civil actions on your part. Be sure to get the person's name, employer, and what legal grounds they claim for their actions. If you don't want to involve the authorities, go above the person's head to their supervisor or their company's public relations department. Call your local TV and radio stations and see if they want to do a story about your civil liberties. Put the story on the web yourself if need be. http://www.photographyisntacrime.com/ Back to Top Air Force Academy orders 25 trainers from Cirrus Aircraft The U.S. Air Force Academy has placed an order for 25 T-53A trainers with Cirrus Aircraft for its Airmanship Training Program. The value of the purchase is about $6.1 million, according to Cirrus. The 25 aircraft will be based at the academy's airfield near Colorado Springs. Delivery will start this summer and continue through next year. Each of the planes will be equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, airbag seatbelts, an integrated fuselage roll cage and a cuffed wing design. Lt. Col. Brad Oliver of the academy's 557th Flying Training Squadron said the academy has been studying the replacement of its existing trainer fleet since 2010. Oliver said the T-53 meets or exceeds the academy's performance and operational criteria. The T-53 is "well-suited to our mission," said Oliver. "And,while we hope we will never need it, our cadets and instructors will now have the option of 'pulling the chute' if it's needed." Jon Dauplaise, Cirrus vice president of domestic sales, said he was confident that the cadets and their instructors will benefit from the T-53's safety features. http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_18414841 Back to Top Russian 'Laser Hooligan' Attacks on Airline Pilots Rise Tenfold (Bloomberg) - Laser "hooligans" tried to blind the pilots of two passenger planes landing at an international airport in Moscow today as attacks with light-beam pointers surge in Russia. The planes touched down safely at Vnukovo airport after unknown assailants aimed laser pointers into the cockpits at about 2:00 a.m. Moscow time, Sergei Izvolsky, a spokesman for the Federal Air Transport Agency, said today by phone. One plane was arriving from Istanbul and the other flying from Yakutsk in Russia's Far East, he said. "Landing is usually done manually, so temporary blindness during the approach is a threat," Izvolsky said. More than 50 cases of "laser hooliganism" have been recorded this year, compared with five last year, Izvolsky said, adding that most have occurred in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don. Several pilots were temporarily blinded in attacks this year without serious consequences, he said. Chechnya banned sales of laser pointers today after a similar incident yesterday, which led to the arrest of 17-year- old boy, the Rossiya 24 state television channel said on its website. The Rostov police have called for similar measures, RIA Novosti said today. A man with a laser pointer was arrested on June 26 for trying to blind pilots, the news service reported. ***** Jail Terms Proposed for Airplane Laser Attacks Authorities proposed 10-year prison terms for people who direct laser pointers at airplanes on Tuesday after the practice went viral in recent weeks. The most recent incidents took place early Tuesday near Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, where two inbound jets, a Tu-204 from Istanbul and a Boeing 737 from Yakutsk, were hit by green laser beams during landing, Interfax said. The attacks can cause short-term vision loss, but neither crew was blinded and both planes landed safely, the report said, without identifying the airlines. The perpetrators of the attacks, which came within a four-minute interval, remained at large. There have been more than 30 laser attacks on pilots since the start of the year, compared with five in 2010. The majority of the incidents took place near airports in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don, where two crews were blinded last month but managed to execute safe landings. A 22-year-old suspect was briefly detained but not charged in Rostov-on-Don. The police chief for the Rostov region, Alexei Lapin, said Tuesday that federal law should be amended to jail people who blind pilots for 10 years if their actions result in deaths. "There's a certain category of people who don't think about the consequences of their actions," Lapin said, Interfax reported. "Publicity in the media only encourages them to act. In medicine, this is called an epidemic, and it has yet to peak." The ruling United Russia party has introduced a bill with similar penalties to the State Duma, but the legislation is unlikely to be approved during the spring session, which wraps up July 17, Deputy Pavel Krasheninnikov said Tuesday, RIA-Novosti reported. Lapin also called for a ban on the unregulated sales of laser pointers - a measure that Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov introduced Monday by prohibiting the sale of the gadgets in local stores, Interfax said. The Chechen ban came after a laser attack on a plane landing at the Grozny airport Sunday. The 17-year-old perpetrator was identified but got off with a "preventative talk" with the Chechen police chief, the report said. Kadyrov has accused the media of encouraging copycat crimes, a stance echoed by senior Transportation Ministry official Andrei Shnyryov, who called on the media Tuesday to stop covering the laser attacks. "Judging by the European experience, the less information there is on the issue, the fewer cases" will take place, Shnyryov said at a round table in Moscow. Meanwhile, Oleg Smirnov, president of the Aircraft Infrastructure Development Fund, a nongovernmental organization, urged the Kremlin to expand the Chechen ban nationwide. "Those lasers might blind the pilot of a president's or prime minister's plane," Smirnov said at the round table. The government will review proposals to ban or restrict the sales of laser pointers as soon as the documents are filed with the Cabinet, the prime minister's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Tuesday. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/jail-terms-proposed-for-airplane-laser- attacks/440076.html Back to Top FAA approves use of Apple's iPad as electronic flight bag The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has authorized a smattering of commercial and charter airlines to replace cumbersome 40-pound paper manuals with iPads, which will instead serve as so-called electronic flight bags for pilots. Customarily, an aircraft cockpit would contain a collection of paper flight manuals typically weighing around forty pounds, that encompass everything from log books to the operating manual. However, with the latest FAA authorization, they could all be replaced by a one and a half pound iPad. The first carrier to gain such approval was Alaska Airlines back in May. Their pilots were given permission to use the iPad to consult digital flight, systems and performance manuals. The move cut around 25 pounds of paper for each flight bag. Jim Freeman, who works both as a pilot and the director of flight standards at Alaska Airlines said "the iPad allows pilots to quickly and nimbly access information," adding that "when you need to a make a decision in the cockpit, three to four minutes fumbling with paper is an eternity." The new e-manuals on the iPad are also much easier to maneuver than before as a result of the added hyperlinks and color graphics, while updating the manuals is also a far simpler process. Instead of substituting old pages for new pages, the manual is updated automatically. Interestingly, the transition to iPad is thought to reduce healthcare costs that come about from shoulder and back injuries that are tied to carrying the cumbersome flight bags. David Clark, a pilot the manager of the connected aircraft program at American Airlines told the New York Times, "Cockpits are small, and lifting that thing up and over your seat causes damage, particularly when you consider a lot of pilots are over 40." Further still, Alaska Airlines has plans in place to add more applications including aeronautical maps and charts. Be that as it may, they will still need to consult the FAA for approval. The FAA's deputy director of flight standards said that "each airline must submit a unique proposal on how they want to use the iPad and prove that both the device and software application are safe and effective for that proposed use." In one instance, Executive Jet Management proved the iPad was safe by putting it through rapid decompression at 51,000 feet. By contrast, private and corporate pilots are not required to go though the vigorous approval process as they are deemed responsible for deciding what is safe for use in their own cockpit. Jack Long, a pilot for more than 30 years who flies for business and pleasure, told the Times, "I didn't ease into using the iPad, I jumped." He was able to scrap his $1,414 a year subscriptions to paper maps and charts, and replace them with the same maps and charts but sent to his two iPads, costing only $150 a year. He also stores digital versions of his aircraft, operating manuals, equipment and a copy of F.A.A. rules and regulations. The iPad itself possesses greater than 250 aviation apps. The top grossing of them all is 'ForeFlight' which can administer maps, aeronautical charts and weather while assisting the pilots with planning flight plans. On top of that, the tablet has a ten-hour battery allowing it to cope with all US domestic flights without the need for recharging. The iPad was announced in January 2010 and released in April the same year. As of June 6 2011, Apple has sold 25 million worldwide. http://www.appleinsider.com/Back to Top Boeing 787 to touch down in India After a long wait, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one of the world's largest aircraft in terms of seating capacity, will make its solo debut in India next week. It will touch down in Delhi on July 13, and then leave for Mumbai for a test flight meant for Air India (AI), which has ordered 27 aircraft. AI, which was to start receiving the delivery from June 2008, will now get the first Dreamliner in October. This will be followed by two more in November and one in December. "We will start getting the deliveries of Boeing 787 Dreamliners from October and will take the deliveries of four aircraft this year. One of the aircraft will come in October, followed by two in November and one more in December," said a senior official in the civil aviation ministry. The aircraft will be used for non-stop flights from Indian destinations to Melbourne, New York and Toronto. The arrival of the planes has been long delayed and was expected to begin from September this year and all the 27 aircraft ordered were to join the AI fleet by 2014. AI was one of the earliest customers of the Dreamliners. Of the 111 aircraft it had ordered in 2005, 27 of them are Boeing 787. Though the Boeing 787 aircraft project got delayed, the company has an order book of 835 aircraft from 55 customers around the world, making it the fastest-selling new commercial jetliner even before its first test flight. Jet Airways is the other Indian carrier which has placed orders for 10 Dreamliners. The aircraft's initial designation was 7E7, before it was renamed in January 2005. The first 787 was unveiled in a roll-out ceremony on July 8, 2007, also giving it a new name - 787. By March 2011, 835 Boeing 787s had been ordered by 56 customers. The launch customer for the aircraft is All Nippon Airways with the largest number of 50 787s on order. The Dreamliners come in two versions - 787-800 and 787-900. The 787-8 is the base model of the 787 family, with a flying range of 14,200 to 15,200 km, depending on seating configuration. It seats 210 passengers in a three-class configuration. The 787-9 can fly 14,800 to 15,750 km. It can seat 250-290 passengers in a three class configuration. http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/boeing-787-to-touch-down-in- india/441691/ Back to Top Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC