Flight Safety Information MM DD YYYY No. NNN In This Issue FAA stats show fewer pilots break airspace rules Air safety authorities launch investigation into Thai jet that flew too low 78 killed in Morocco's military plane crash Aviation innovator Rutan honored at AirVenture Tom Poberezny retires as EAA chairman Landmark Aviation Welcomes New Director of Safety Chilean volcanic ash grounds flights in Buenos Aires FAA orders GE to modify engines for 787, 747-8 Woman carrying gun arrested at Burbank airport 'You're Fired' Doesn't Mean Fired to Four of 10 Air Controllers Cranfield Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) & Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) Course GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY FAA stats show fewer pilots break airspace rules DENVER (AP) - Even as fighter jets were scrambled on successive days this month to intercept airspace violators near the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md., military and civilian aviation officials say fewer pilots are breaking U.S. airspace restrictions this year. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, which represents private and business pilots, has been trying to reduce the number of airspace violations through publicity and training, said Craig Spence, the organization's vice president for operations and international affairs. The group is also working with the Federal Aviation Administration to configure airspace restrictions to minimize disruption of private flights but still protect people on the ground, Spence said. "We have one common goal, and that's making sure there are no (temporary flight restriction) violations," he said. Nationwide, the number of airspace violations is down so far this year, according to FAA figures. The FAA has reported 122 airspace violations in 2011, a pace that would result in about 220 for the full year. That would be the lowest by far since 2008, when the agency began tracking the number in detail. The FAA reported 387 violations in 2008, 358 in 2009 and 382 in 2010. The North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled fighter jets twice on July 9 and once on July 10 to intercept private planes that were flying near Camp David and weren't in radio contact with civil aviation officials. President Barack Obama was at Camp David for part of that weekend. All three planes left the restricted area and landed at nearby airports. An FAA spokesman said he didn't know whether any of the pilots faced civil or criminal action. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, NORAD aircraft have responded to 3,432 airspace violations nationwide, or about 346 a year, said NORAD spokesman Lt. Mike Humphreys. NORAD aircraft actually intercepted violators an average of 140 times a year, he said. In the other cases, the planes left restricted areas before the interceptors arrived. "It's more often ... that we scramble and don't intercept than we scramble and do intercept," Humphreys said. NORAD sends aircraft only if the FAA requests it. The FAA can impose a range of airspace restrictions. Some highly sensitive areas, including Camp David and Washington, D.C., are always off-limits. Other places are designated air defense identification zones, where pilots are required to identify themselves to air traffic controllers. The FAA also can impose temporary flight restrictions when the president or other dignitaries are in an area, or for special situations such as space launches, air shows, big sporting events or disasters. Restrictions apply primarily to general aviation flights, which include private pilots and business flights but not scheduled commercial flights or military aircraft. NORAD doesn't calculate the price tag of each incident, but the aircraft most commonly used to respond cost between $7,800 and $19,600 per hour to fly, according to military calculations, including the U.S. Coast Guard. Those aircraft include the Air Force F-15E, F- 16 and F-22 and the Coast Guard HH-65 helicopter. So far this year, NORAD has scrambled or diverted aircraft to respond to airspace violations 43 times nationwide, Humphreys said. Suspect planes were intercepted in 19 of those cases. At that pace, the year's totals would be about 77 responses and 32 intercepts, well below the averages since 9/11. Not every violation involves a plane intruding into closed airspace, Spence said. Some are technical violations, such as using the wrong radio frequency. NORAD has its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Back to Top Air safety authorities launch investigation into Thai jet that flew too low over Melbourne (AAP) AUTHORITIES have launched an investigation after a Thai Airways jet flew too low over central Melbourne, an action similar to the two incidents which led to Tiger Airways being grounded. The Boeing 777-3D7, carrying passengers from Bangkok, descended below the minimum permitted altitude, about 11km south of Melbourne Airport, just at 8.19pm (AEST) on July 24, according to Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) data. It is understood the aircraft flew at about 1000 feet over the suburb of Sunshine North, when the permitted height was just under 2000 feet. "During the approach, the aircraft descended below minimum altitude. The investigation is continuing," the ATSB said in a part-summary of its investigation so far. It called it a "serious incident". The 777-3D7 went on to land safely at Melbourne Airport a short time later. The incident follows a decision by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to ground all Tiger Airways flights on July 1 after two of its jets breached safe altitude limits. A Tiger Airways flight flew too low without permission as it approached Avalon Airport, near Melbourne, on June 30. An earlier investigation into a Tiger Airways aircraft landing at Melbourne Airport on June 7 found the flight approached at 2000 feet, instead of the minimum 2500 feet. A directions hearing is scheduled in the Federal Court in Melbourne on Thursday regarding Tiger Airways resuming flights. Comment is being sought from Thai Airways. Back to Top 78 killed in Morocco's military plane crash RABAT, July 26 (Xinhua) -- A military plane crashed Tuesday in a mountainous area in south of Morocco, killing 78 people and wounding three others, the official news agency MAP said. The agency said the Royal Armed Forces C-130, carrying military personnel, crashed into a mountain as it prepared to land at Guelmim's military air base. Guelmim is located about 830 kilometers southwest of the capital Rabat. The plane crashed after taking off from Dakhla and was heading for the northern city of Kinitra. "The crash caused by bad weather conditions has killed 78 people and seriously injured the other three," the Royal Armed Forces said in a statement carried by MAP. A total of 81 people were on board the plane, including nine crew members, 60 soldiers and 12 civilians. The rescue team has found 42 bodies and sent the three survivors to the nearby military hospital, the military said. It is Morocco's worst plane crash since 1973, when 105 passengers were killed after a Royal Air Maroc aircraft crashed near Rabat. The most recent plane crash in the country happened in 1994 when 44 passengers and crew members were killed in a crash near the southwestern city of Agadir. Back to Top Aviation innovator Rutan honored at AirVenture OSHKOSH - When it comes to airplane design, many in the aviation community agree that Burt Rutan was never one to think inside the box. Instead, he challenged what were considered the standards and came up with ways to improve airplanes, whether it was making them fly faster or longer, or even just making them easier to build. And anyone who has an opportunity to make a private space flight in the coming years likely will have Rutan to thank. Rutan, the founder of Scaled Composites in Mojave, Calif., announced his retirement in April. He is known for designing unique and innovative homebuilt airplane designs, many of which were first seen at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture. His designs went beyond homebuilt aircraft to include well-known planes such as Voyager, the first airplane to fly around the world without refueling, and GlobalFlyer, another aircraft that flew around the world. His SpaceShipOne, SpaceShipTwo and White KnightTwo designs aim to take people in space. "He's an innovator," said Kent Ashton, of Charlotte, N.C. "His career has progressed from building model airplanes and testing them out of his car window to going into space." To mark the 25th anniversary of Voyager's flight, EAA and AirVenture will honor Rutan with several events during the week, including a Tribute to Burt Rutan Day on Thursday that will include special presentations, a Theater in the Woods program and displays during the daily air show. Rutan, who will make his first appearance at EAA forums today, said in a statement that EAA played an important role in his success. "EAA has been a critical component of my career since 1972," said Rutan, a 1998 inductee to the Homebuilders wing of the EAA Hall of Fame. "Our annual trips to Oshkosh were the highlight of our business year; and the interface with homebuilders, both at tent forums and on the flightline, were critical to the success of the builders and me personally." Some believe the innovative characteristics that are unique to planes designed by Rutan will at some point begin showing up as features in the airplanes used for commercial use. "Every plane Burt designed was out of the box," said Warren Stiska of Springfield, Ill. "Twenty to 30 years from now we'll have more things in commercial aviation that have things Rutan's planes now have." http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110727/GPG0101/107270560/Aviation- innovator-Rutan-honored-AirVenture Back to Top Tom Poberezny retires as EAA chairman EAA Chairman Tom Poberezny is retiring from the association effective Aug. 1, Poberezny and EAA announced July 26 at EAA AirVenture. Poberezny, 64, became president of the association in 1989, when he assumed the role after his father and the organization's founder, Paul, retired from day-to-day involvement; he has served as chairman since 2009. The announcement came a year to the day after EAA announced that Poberezny was handing over the reins as CEO and president of the association to business manager and Stearman pilot and rebuilder Rod Hightower; Poberezny remained chairman of the organization and its annual EAA AirVenture. With Poberezny's retirement, Hightower will assume his responsibilities while the board determines how to fill the position. "Tom, like his father, has been a visible leader for EAA and a mentor to thousands of flight enthusiasts, especially the countless young people that he has helped understand and become involved in the wonder of flight and the importance of aviation to our society," Louie Andrew, vice president of the EAA board and chairman of its executive committee, said in a press release. "We will miss his daily involvement and valuable input, but we are happy to know that he will continue to be a good friend and an informal adviser as we move into an exciting future." The association made the announcement at a surprise press conference by the brown arch on the EAA AirVenture grounds in Oshkosh, Wis. While Poberezny will assume the role of chairman emeritus, Aug. 1 will mark the first time in the association's 58-year history that a Poberezny has not been in a top position. "The building blocks for the continued success and growth for EAA have been laid, and I look forward to helping in new and different ways in the years ahead," Poberezny said. "On behalf of AOPA's more than 400,000 members, I want to thank Tom and commend him for the work he-like his father before him-has done during five decades at EAA to build it into the incredible organization it is today," said AOPA President Craig Fuller. "I personally want to wish Tom and his wife, Sharon, well, and I look forward to working with Rod Hightower and the rest of EAA's great staff to strengthen the ties between our two organizations as we work collectively to protect our freedom to fly." EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski said that the younger Poberezny's legacy with the organization includes the success of the Young Eagles program, the creation of the light sport category, and the expansion of EAA AirVenture. "He has taken this event from a fly-in to one of the world's greatest aviation gatherings," Knapinski told AOPA after the press conference. Poberezny has been chairman of the event for more than 30 years. http://www.aopa.org/oshkosh/2011/news/110726tom-poberezny-retires-as-eaa- chairman.html Back to Top Landmark Aviation Welcomes New Director of Safety Landmark Aviation (Houston, TX - July 7, 2011) Landmark Aviation welcomes a new Director of Safety. Eric Lugger comes to Landmark Aviation with a strong general aviation, military and safety background. "I am excited to work with all of our locations to elevate Landmark's safety culture," Lugger said. "I hope to weave the Landmark Safety and Quality Management System seamlessly into every part of our organization." As a U.S. Army helicopter pilot, Eric served on a combat tour in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm. Since retiring from the military, he has worked as a line pilot, a general manager of an aircraft structural repair facility, and as a corporate safety manager for a large air ambulance operator with over 300 aircraft. In all, Eric has had a nineteen-year career in aviation accident investigation and insurance claims management, conducting safety audits of business models including FBO operations. He was the principal industry representative for the development of the HEMS Tool graphical aviation weather product with the FAA and has authored several safety policies, periodicals and training manuals. "He is superbly qualified to help us integrate our SQMS into every aspect of our operation," Executive Vice President of Operations Ted Hamilton said. Eric will be based in Houston at the company's corporate office. About Landmark Aviation Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Landmark Aviation operates a network of fixed base operations located throughout the U.S., and in Canada and Western Europe. The Company offers a wide range of services, including FBO, MRO, charter and management. Landmark is a portfolio company of GTCR and Platform Partners, LLC. For more information, visit www.landmarkaviation.com. http://amtonline.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=13998 Back to Top Chilean volcanic ash grounds flights in Buenos Aires BUENOS AIRES, July 26 (Xinhua) -- All flights from the Argentine capital's airports were suspended Tuesday afternoon after ashes from an erupting Chilean volcano moved into the airspace of Buenos Aires, aviation authorities said. All flights arriving or departing the Metropolitan Airport, which is used for domestic and regional flights, as well as all flights from the Ezeiza International Airport were canceled mid-afternoon. "Flight operations at some airports have been affected because of the ashes expelled by the Puyehue volcano," said a statement from Aeropuertos Argentina 2000, the company which operates both airports. Company spokesman Julio Scaramella said Aerolineas Argentinas and LAN Chile "have canceled all their services," and it was not yet known when air traffic would resume. "There are no forecasts yet. The cloud's displacement has to be evaluated in order to know when we will get back to normal conditions," Scaramella said. Although the airports have not been closed down, "it is every company's decision whether to suspend their flights or not," he said, explaining that flying through volcanic ash could damage an airplane's engines. Back to Top FAA orders GE to modify engines for 787, 747-8 The FAA is requiring GE to modify its jet engines for Boeing's two new airplanes, the 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 jumbo jet, because flight tests have revealed releases of small amounts of fuel into the air after the engines are shut down. GE says it's "a minor hardware change" that will be fitted to all new airplanes from the end of 2012 and retro-fitted to airplanes built earlier by the end of 2014. The Federal Aviation Adminstration (FAA) is requiring GE to modify its jet engines for Boeing's two new airplanes, the 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 jumbo jet, because flight tests have revealed releases of small amounts of fuel into the air after the engines are shut down. GE has been given more than a year to comply, so the Boeing jet programs won't be delayed by the requirement. "Small quantities of fuel (up to 5.5 ounces) are being released intermittently under certain conditions," stated an FAA filing made Tuesday concerning a decision dated July 14. "Under certain atmospheric conditions this release of fuel results in a visible vapor." The inadvertent releases from the GEnx engines are caused by unexpectedly high pressures inside tubes that distribute the fuel. The releases contravene a 38-year-old regulation designed to prohibit the intentional discharge of fuel after engines are shut down. The FAA filing stresses that the sophisticated GEnx design reduces fuel consumption compared to current jet engines, so they "more than exceed" the requirements for emissions. The FAA filing expresses some doubt that the discharge regulation is relevant and commits to re-examine the language of the regulation to determine whether it needs to be changed. But until then it's the law. To satisfy the regulation, GE must develop and install modifications to eliminate the intermittent fuel releases and observed vapors. These modifications must be done on all new airplanes manufactured after 2012, and will have to be retro-fitted to airplanes built earlier by the end of 2014. In an e-mail, GE spokeswoman Deborah Case described the FAA requirement as "a minor hardware change" and said the engine-maker will make the modifications. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2015736608_geengines27.html Back to Top Woman carrying gun arrested at Burbank airport A woman was arrested at Bob Hope Airport on Tuesday after a routine security check turned up a loaded handgun in her carry-on bag, authorities said. The woman, who was described as in her 40s, was passing through security about 9 a.m. on her way to board a Southwest Airlines flight, Transportation Security Administration spokesman Nico Melendez told the Burbank Leader. A TSA officer who was working the X-ray machine discovered the gun, Melendez said. Officers opened the bag and founded a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum with five rounds in it, he said. The woman, who was not immediately identified, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a concealed weapon and transported to the Glendale City Jail, which is temporarily servicing Burbank arrests. Airline passengers regularly travel with firearms for a variety of reasons, including hunting trips and sport shooting, Melendez said, but they must follow proper protocol by packing it in checked baggage. "It needs to be unloaded, it needs to be in a proper case, and it needs to be declared to the airline," Melendez said. Melendez said it is not uncommon to find a weapon during security checks. "It happens at least two times every day in our nation's airports," Melendez said. "More often than not, the passenger says they forgot it was there." http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/woman-carrying-loaded-gun-in-carry-on- arrested-at-burbank-airport.html Back to Top 'You're Fired' Doesn't Mean Fired to Four of 10 Air Controllers More than 4 of every 10 air-traffic workers the FAA tried to fire over almost two years kept their jobs or were allowed to retire, according to data obtained by Bloomberg under the Freedom of Information Act. Nine people died in August 2009 when a plane and helicopter collided over the Hudson River. The air-traffic controller, whom safety investigators said was distracted and partly to blame for the accident, still has his job. (BLOOMBERG) - Moments before a single-engine aircraft and a helicopter collided over the Hudson River near Manhattan in 2009, an air-traffic controller who should have been advising the plane's pilot was on the phone, joking with an airport worker about a dead cat. Nine people, including three teenage boys, died. The Teterboro, New Jersey, controller, whom safety investigators said was distracted and partly to blame for the accident, still works for the Federal Aviation Administration. Although the agency tried to fire him, his punishment was reduced to a suspension, a transfer and a demotion. What happened to the controller isn't surprising, according to data obtained by Bloomberg News under the Freedom of Information Act. More than four of every 10 air-traffic workers the FAA tried to fire over almost two years kept their jobs or were allowed to retire, the data show. That included two-thirds of those targeted for firing over drug or alcohol violations. "Americans should be outraged," said Marc Scribner, transportation analyst for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit Washington group that advocates limited government. "Most government employees are good people and are not screwing up, not doing drugs, but there are bad apples in all levels of government and they should be fired." The findings spotlight Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's challenge in carrying out his pledge to fire three controllers caught sleeping on the job in Seattle, Miami, and Knoxville, Tennessee. The Miami worker still works for the FAA after the proposed termination was reduced to a lesser penalty, the Seattle case is pending and the Knoxville worker retired, according to an agency official who isn't authorized to speak on personnel matters and asked not to be named. Disciplinary Data Workers in 58 of 140 proposed firings who kept jobs had penalties rescinded, reduced or deferred, the data show. The disciplinary information was culled from a pool of 20,486 FAA workers, including about 15,600 controllers, and excludes employees with less than one year of service who lack disciplinary protections in the union contract. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union for the 15,600 employees, declined three requests to respond to the findings of the Bloomberg analysis and offered an e-mailed comment. Controllers "work to ensure the safety of 70,000 flights every day and make our system the world's safest," Doug Church, the group's spokesman, wrote. "This is the story that the public needs to hear." The Senate aviation subcommittee will "ensure that safety standards are a top priority" as the panel evaluates FAA personnel practices, said Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the panel's leading Republican, in a statement. "While many factors need to be considered when making air traffic control personnel decisions, safety must be the FAA's guiding principle," Thune said. Dual Protections The FAA's firing rate, as a percentage of its total workforce, is similar to that of other federal agencies, where disciplinary terminations are also rare, government data show. Federal workers have due-process protections to prevent wholesale firings when a new administration comes to power. Union contracts provide another layer of protection. Controllers are among the top-paid government workers, according to a Web page published by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Certified controllers, excluding trainees, earned an average of $136,000 in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, according to FAA figures. The pay figure excludes benefits and includes overtime pay, incentives and other sorts of extra compensation, according to agency figures from last fiscal year. 15 Pages The agency's public-safety mission should allow it to fire more easily than other government bodies can, Scribner said. "Any time there is a greater risk of human casualties due to government error, those employees should be held more accountable," he said. Federal workers including controllers can challenge disciplinary penalties through a government panel called the Merit Systems Protection Board. Controllers also have the option to use a process described in 15 pages of their union contract to appeal sanctions to an arbitrator. The process has been in contracts for at least two decades, signed during both Republican and Democratic administrations. Two Years Disciplinary cases can take months, even years, to complete. A controller appealed to the Merit Systems Protection Board after the FAA fired him in August 2009 for testing positive for marijuana during rehabilitation for an alcohol violation in January of that year, according to the board, an independent federal agency. The FAA challenged his right to appeal, saying he had waived it when he agreed to rehabilitation, board documents show. The employee contends he was forced into the waiver as the only way to keep his job, according to the documents. Almost two years later, the case is still pending before an administrative law judge, though the employee no longer works for the agency, according to the agency official who couldn't be named. LaHood said he hasn't given "one second worth of thought" to seeking changes in the controller contract, which expires next year, to make it easier to dismiss workers. "We have due process so that people can be treated fairly," LaHood, whose department includes the FAA, said in an interview in May. The FAA's disciplinary system is "essentially the same process that every federal employee enjoys in the interest of fairness," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in an interview in May. "I have experience in the private sector, and it's not unsimilar there." He is a former airline pilot and former head of the Air Line Pilots Association, the world's largest union for cockpit crews. 'Kafkaesque' System The "Kafkaesque" FAA and federal-government personnel processes lead to firing rates below that of the private sector, said Andrew Steinberg, a partner at Jones Day in Washington and FAA chief counsel under President George W. Bush. "That tells you we have extremely low standards or we aren't able to enforce them, and I'd say it's the latter," he said. Managers who crack down on bad employees often receive harassment, discrimination or whistle-blower complaints, said Mary Schiavo, a former Transportation Department inspector general. "Federal managers take the easy way out and let some underperformers or troublemakers retire, or they transfer them," said Schiavo, now an attorney with Motley Rice LLC in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. "It is just easier to go with the flow than weed out underperformers." 'Fire Up the Cat' Babbitt announced the Teterboro worker's planned firing in November 2009, three months after the accident, citing violations of procedures "we expect employees to follow, period." The controller, about two minutes after he had cleared a small plane for takeoff, called an airport worker who had been forced to pick up a dead cat. "We got plenty of gas in the grill," the controller said, according to a transcript of the call on the National Transportation Safety Board's website. "Fire up the cat." The nearly three-minute call, which ended four seconds before the collision over the Hudson, distracted the controller from correcting the small-plane pilot's mention of a wrong radio frequency and delayed handing off responsibility for the flight, according to the board. Penalty Reduced The NTSB in September 2010 partly blamed the controller for the accident, which killed five Italian sightseers -- two teenage boys and three of their parents -- and the pilot aboard a Eurocopter AS 350 BA. The pilot, his brother, and his 16-year- old nephew aboard the Piper PA-32R-300 single-engine airplane also died. The FAA moved to fire the controller for "negligent or careless work performance." The termination was reduced to a suspension in May 2010 after "the opinion by neutrals, or outside parties, suggested" the firing wouldn't be upheld, Babbitt said in the interview, without elaborating. "That's part of the due process." The employee no longer controls traffic, according to the agency official who couldn't be named. "He should have been fired," House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica, a Florida Republican, said of the controller in an interview July 14. "That was just dereliction of duty." JFK Firing Dropped Another proposed firing dropped by the FAA was of a controller at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York who allowed his son and daughter to make radio calls to aircraft from the tower on two successive days in February 2010, according to agency data, news media reports and a recording posted on the website LiveATC.net. "This is what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school," the controller told pilots 10 seconds after a child cleared a JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU) flight for takeoff, according to a recording posted at LiveATC. "These kinds of distractions are totally unacceptable," Babbitt said in a statement two weeks after the incidents. The controller appealed the proposed firing, succeeded in getting the penalty reduced to a 45-day suspension without pay and is still on the job, according to the FAA official. Records Request Bloomberg requested 10 years of FAA data on controller disciplinary actions after cases of workers napping and watching a movie on duty became public earlier this year. Nine controllers have been reported by the FAA as sleeping or being unresponsive on the job since January, resulting in five suspensions and a reprimand letter, and the three proposed firings, according to FAA statements. The FAA provided a database of disciplinary decisions only from Oct. 1, 2009, through May 20, 2011, deleting names and locations of the workers. Information from 2001 to Sept. 30, 2009, is in a database "that is no longer in use and is not searchable," Angela Porter, the FAA acting deputy assistant administrator for human resource management, said in a letter May 27. The database provided by the FAA contained records of 715 disciplinary cases, mostly non- termination actions such as reprimands and suspensions, from the pool of 20,486 workers. Besides about 15,600 controllers, workers with the same job classification included supervisors, support staff and other executives in air-traffic management. Firings Breakdown The agency carried out proposed firings in 82 of 140, or 59 percent, of termination cases completed during the period, the data show. Terminations were proposed for actions ranging from inappropriate conduct to unauthorized absences. They led to 73 firings and nine resignations to avoid firing, the data show. Of the other 58 cases, the penalty was lessened, overturned, settled or rescinded in 21. In 17 cases, proposed firings were deferred, pending no further violations, data show. Workers were transferred, reassigned or demoted in 11 cases and retired in nine. The Bloomberg analysis excludes 91 cases of proposed terminations during the 20-month period -- 33 because outcomes haven't been determined and 58 because workers were on probationary status. That means they'd been federal employees for less than a year and lacked due-process rights of more experienced colleagues. No Sleepers Fired Six of the 715 disciplinary cases involved sleeping offenses, the Bloomberg analysis found. One of those cases -- in Fort Worth, Texas, this year -- was previously publicized by the agency. The FAA proposed termination in one of the sleeping cases, involving a probationary employee, who resigned. The other five cases resulted in two letters of reprimand and three suspensions. Penalties for sleeping on the job when safety is endangered range from a 14-day suspension to removal on the first offense, and removal for the second, according to the "Human Resources Operating Instructions," a 12-page table that lists offenses and sanctions supervisors should administer in response. Penalties for sleeping when safety isn't threatened start with a reprimand to a 10-day suspension for the first offense, a 10- to 30-day suspension for the second offense, and removal for the third offense, according to the table. Drug, Alcohol Violations The agency didn't carry out proposed removals in 18 of 27, or 67 percent, of drug or alcohol violations cited among the 140 cases, FAA data show. In 14 cases the sanction was deferred pending an opportunity for rehabilitation and no further violations. The employee settled, was transferred or accepted a lesser penalty in the other four cases, the data show. The employee failed drug or alcohol tests in 10 of the 27 cases, the data show. In three of those 10, the worker was fired or resigned, according to the FAA. Controllers who test positive for illegal drugs or have a blood-alcohol content of 0.04 percent, half the legal limit for automobile drivers in most U.S. states, face termination, according to the FAA's penalty table. Workers who use illegal drugs or misuse legal drugs off duty should be fired on the first offense, according to the table. Conflicting Drug Policies However, a broader Transportation Department order calls for employees to generally get a chance at rehabilitation after a first failure of a drug or alcohol test. A second offense calls for removal, according to the order. On-duty use of alcohol, or use or possession of illegal drugs on the job, results in termination with no offer of a chance for rehabilitation, according to the FAA penalty table. The FAA said July 19 it was investigating a controller near Denver who tested positive for alcohol on the job, according to media reports. Giving workers a "last chance" to get off drugs and alcohol is better than firing them, said Patrick Forrey, former president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. "Alcoholism and drug abuse addiction is a disease," Forrey said. "Everyone should be given one opportunity to come forth and address that." 0.5 Percent The FAA overall fired 247 of 48,343 workers, or 0.51 percent, for discipline and performance reasons in the year ending Sept. 30, 2010, based on data on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management website. The entire government fired 11,668 of an average of 2.08 million workers on the payroll during the same period, a 0.56 percent rate. While there are no directly comparable figures, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found private sector layoffs and discharges ranged between 18 and 23 percent annually from fiscal 2001 through 2009, while the figure for the government was 4 to 8 percent during the same period. "The disciplinary process or lack thereof is an ugly secret in our dysfunctional government personnel system," said Paul Light, a professor of public service at New York University who has written on federal workforce issues. "It's nearly impossible to fire someone" in the federal government, he said. Fewer than one percent of federal workers get performance ratings below "fully successful," Jeffrey Zients, the government's first chief performance officer, said in a speech in February 2010. Only 29 percent of employees believe steps are taken to address poor performers, he said. The government is working on "strengthening the performance appraisal system," said Kenneth Baer, a senior adviser at the Office of Management and Budget, where Zients is based, in a statement. 'Damn Good Reason' Proposed penalties at the FAA are sometimes reduced because of poor investigations and incomplete evidence, said Forrey, the former controllers' union president. "Once the facts come out, firing isn't always the most advantageous for the agency," which spends years and tens of thousands of dollars training controllers, Forrey said. "When you're going to talk about terminating an employee and throwing all that away, you better have a damn good reason." For instance, the FAA found after proposing to fire a controller in February, for failing to report the use of a prescription drug, that the charge was incorrect, according to the FAA official. The worker was transferred anyway after a "training failure," the data show. Layers of Appeals Controllers can contest the penalties under a process described in their collective- bargaining agreement with the FAA, if they choose not to pursue an appeal at the Merit System Protection Board. The agency, for instance, must give controllers 30 days written notice of a proposed termination, according to the contract. The worker has 15 days to reply, and the agency must consider the response before issuing a written decision, according to the contract. The union can file a grievance with the agency over the action within 20 days, and if managers uphold the termination, the union can appeal to a higher level within the agency. If the FAA upholds the termination again, the union can appeal within 30 days to an independent arbitration process. After a hearing is scheduled and an arbitrator issues a decision, the contract allows the dispute to be taken to a U.S. appeals court. The FAA addresses the vast majority of disciplinary matters before they become significant enough to warrant termination, through steps such as decertifying workers, said William Voss, a former FAA controller and training manager. "When you are told you are being removed, you're at the end of a long road," said Voss, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Flight Safety Foundation, based in Alexandria, Virginia. "You've done something really awful. It's likely something in your private life -- you stole a car or got convicted for a drug possession." Back to Top Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) & Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) In Commercial Aviation (In association with the Civil Aviation Authority) Course date: 19 Sep 2011 - 22 Sep 2011 Course overview This course will provide delegates with an advanced appreciation of the technical, operational, management and legal issues surrounding a flight data monitoring (FDM) programme, also referred to as flight operational quality assurance (FOQA). FDM / FOQA has already been practised by a number of airlines for many years and under new ICAO regulations became mandatory for most operators of large aircraft early in 2005. Course description In the past there was little opportunity for those running FDM / FOQA programmes to receive appropriate training in order to make them most effective. In an attempt to correct this position Cranfield University, in association with the UK's Civil Aviation Authority, has brought together experts in their respective fields for an intense 3½ day course. To date, applications have exceeded available places. This course builds on past success to offer delegates even more in their appropriate field, so early registration is essential. Who should attend? Subject matters and speakers ensure the course's relevance to novice and expert alike. Intended participants include FDM / FOQA analysts and operators, flight safety officers, aircrew representatives and honest brokers, regulatory auditors, FDM / FOQA system suppliers and aircraft manufacturers, accident investigators. Delegates have come from a wide variety of passenger and freight airline operators from Europe, North and South America, Africa, Middle East, Far East and Australasia. Delegates have also come from international helicopter operators, research organisations, aircraft manufacturers, military organisations and regulatory authorities, in all from over 50 countries. Content summary * The history of FDM and an overview of its objectives * CAP739, JAR and ICAO regulatory frameworks * Integration of FDM within a safety system * FDM technology * Setting analysis targets * Data recovery and analysis tools * Principles of data validation and assessment * Trace interpretation, with both theoretical and practical sessions * Database management * The use of statistics in data analysis * Animations and visualisation in data presentation * FDM in accident and incident investigation * The interface between the analyst and crews * Legal aspects of FDM data collection, retention and use * The use of FDM to justify operational and technical change * The potential of FDM within maintenance programmes. Course Director Nicholas Dann Cranfield Safety & Accident Investigation E: n.dann@cranfield.ac.uk Dr Matthew Greaves Cranfield Safety & Accident Investigation T: +44 (0) 1234 754243 E: m.j.greaves@cranfield.ac.uk Location Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, UK Course fee: £1435 The course fee of £1435 includes tuition, notes, luncheon and beverages. Accommodation fee: £348 The accommodation fee includes single room, breakfast and evening meal from Sunday 18 September until Thursday lunchtime 22 September. Further information For more information on this course or booking details please contact: Academic Operations Unit T: + 44 (0) 1234 754192 E: shortcourse@cranfield.ac.uk Course Booking Conditions Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY My name is Claudia Ruehl. I am working on my Masters Degree in Aeronautical Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Part of my degree program requires me to complete a graduate research project on a topic related to my field of work. The topic I have chosen deals with the TSA security checkpoint at Part 139 airports. The purpose is to study passenger perception about the changes that have been made at these checkpoints. Anyone over the age of 18 is eligible to take the survey. It is a 13 question survey and should only take a few minutes to complete. All responses will remain confidential and the information will only be used for the purpose of this project. Completion of this survey indicates voluntary consent to participate in this study. The link to the survey is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W5RZFPT Thank you for your time to assist me in my project. Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC