Flight Safety Information December 20, 2011 - No. 256 In This Issue USAIG Performance Vector Takes Off Boeing: FAA certifies 787 with Package B engines Boeing names Smith VP environment, health and safety Cape Air names Craig Bentley as VP of operations The top flight for FAA administrator Two Muslim religious leaders sue airlines for discrimination NTSB report says smoke plume trailed airplane that crashed in SD Airbus Delivers Their 7000th Aircraft USAIG Performance Vector Takes Off USAIG's new Performance Vector safety initiative, launched at the October 2011 NBAA Annual Convention, was designed from the ground up to help busy flight organizations enhance their safety posture. Safety and training directors in today's flight departments face many challenges. Tight resources drive a need for programs that go beyond nice-to-have, and actually service regulatory or accreditation requirements. Seeking cost effective and relevant options among a universe of available training programs competes for scarce time and attention from coordinators who typically wear multiple hats. Finally, delivering training to a team that's constantly flying and seldom together can be tough. With these realities in mind, USAIG is partnering with providers of world-class aviation safety programs and arranging flexible delivery options to ease their use. USAIG policyholders who operate turbine-powered aircraft can select a complimentary Performance Vector training package each policy year. Without needing to exhaustively research programs, requisition funds, or ask for an extra flight stand-down, safety directors can use Performance Vector to confidently plug high-quality programs into the annual training plan in one simple step. Human factors are a key focal point for Performance Vector. Fatigue and alertness management are addressed with "Z-Coach" provided by California-based Alertness Solutions. A new, aviation-specific version of this online program is being released in mid-January 2012 that summarizes fatigue science, illustrates practical strategies for optimizing alertness in aviation settings, and provides an array of customizable tools. Also available are Pilot Reliability and Maintenance Reliability courses provided by Convergent Performance of Colorado. These e-learning courses present professional discipline and error management lessons drawn from the works of well-known author and lecturer Dr. Tony Kern. Subscriptions for these courses are assigned to individuals, who can log on and use them at their convenience; anywhere they have web access. One Performance Vector option being made available for initial or renewing USAIG policyholders who operate turbine-powered aircraft is to receive up to five free subscriptions, comprising any combination of Z-Coach, the Pilot Reliability or the Maintenance Reliability Course. Preferred member rates are available for additional subscriptions beyond the complimentary allowance. While subscription-based courseware for individuals can be a great fit for flight organizations seeking to target training on key staff members, some may prefer a more group-focused option. Performance Vector offers a human factors webinar series, available free for initial or renewing USAIG policyholders that operate turbine-powered aircraft, as an alternative to individual e-learning subscriptions. Convergent Performance provides six webinars that run about an hour each, are facilitated live (many by Dr. Kern personally) and rotate through topics such as Crew Resource Management, Personal Flight Discipline, Threat & Error Management, and Automation Airmanship. Enrolling organizations provide a list of desired participants who receive emailed credentials to join the monthly webinars from wherever they have web access. A 30-day pass to watch a recording of each session is sent afterward for those who miss live sessions or wish to review them. The webinars are a flexible means to get a group to a common knowledge base in modern human factors thought and best practices, as well as stimulate "hangar flying" discussions after the group shares the presentations. Performance Vector programs meet regulatory requirements, accreditation protocols, and industry standards such as FAA, IS-BAO, NBAA's Certified Aviation Manager program, and ICAO. Eligibility for additional Performance Vector services refreshes upon each policy renewal. Flexible, web-based delivery works with, rather than against busy work schedules to help meet the training goals of modern flight departments. Visit www.usaig.com for a comprehensive overview of Performance Vector programs. Back to Top Boeing: FAA certifies 787 with Package B engines Boeing has obtained US FAA certification of the 787 with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Package B engines, capping a seven month flight test programme for the enhanced 70,000lb thrust turbofan. Package B upgrades include a modified low-pressure turbine design, relocation of the intermediate pressure compressor bleed off-take ports and improved aerodynamics for the fan outlet guide vanes. Launch customer All Nippon Airways, will be the first to receive the engines, which Flightglobal has reported will bring specific fuel consumption to within 1% of the original specification. European Aviation Safety Agency regulators approved the Package B version of the engine earlier this month. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top Boeing names Smith VP environment, health and safety Boeing has appointed Kim Smith as vice-president environment, health and safety. She will succeed Mary Armstrong, who will retire in February, said the manufacturer. Smith will report to Boeing chief technology officer and senior vice-president engineering, operations and technology, John Tracy. She was previously Boeing Commercial Airplanes' director of supplier management for Spirit AeroSystems. Source: Air Transport Intelligence Back to Top Cape Air names Craig Bentley as VP of operations US carrier Cape Air has appointed Craig Bentley as vice president of operations. Bentley will continue to oversee both Part 135 and Part 121 operations at Cape Air. In addition, he will be involved with the selection of a follow-on aircraft for its Cessna 402 aircraft. Cape Air has been working with Italian airframer Tecnam in the development of its new high-wing piston twin the "2012 Traveller". Prior to his appointment, Bentley served the airline as the managing director of operations. Source: Air Transport Intelligence news Back to Top The top flight for FAA administrator Deborah Hersman has been mentioned for her strong safety record. Who will be the next pilot of the Federal Aviation Administration? Former chief Randy Babbitt's drunken driving arrest - and subsequent resignation several days later - caught the aviation industry by surprise. Deputy Administrator Michael Huerta was immediately named to replace him in the interim, but a permanent nominee might fall prey to 2012 politics. Continue Reading After being confirmed by the Senate, FAA administrators serve a five-year term. Republicans have their eyes firmly on the prize of taking back control of the Senate and White House, leaving them unlikely to sign off on a nominee from President Barack Obama. The GOP doesn't want to let Obama choose an agency head who will serve the entire first term of who they hope will be a Republican president. The president, too, may not want to risk another nomination being rejected. His picks for ambassador to El Salvador and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals failed Senate cloture tests in December. "I doubt that the Senate will approve any of President Obama's nominees next year," said Illinois Rep. Jerry Costello, the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's aviation panel. "So I think it's very likely that the acting administrator will stay in for all of 2012 through the end of the president's term." Following an administrator's resignation, the president has 210 days to make another appointment, which on the surface, places the decision in summer 2012. But reality is murkier. The president may be able to punt - sources say Obama could appoint Huerta with no intention of getting him confirmed or even maneuver in a manner to restart the 210-day clock. Still, the FAA - which now has a void at the top spot in addition to being subject to more than four years of stopgap authorization bills from Congress - will eventually need someone who can replace Babbitt's expertise on both aviation and unions. Conventional wisdom is that Huerta will stay on through Obama's first term. But savvy politicos can't resist a game of "what if?" So here are five names to watch: Deborah Hersman The National Transportation Safety Board chief was mentioned by several industry sources for her strong safety record - and her career aspirations. There's precedent for the transition: Marion Blakey jumped from the NTSB to head of the FAA in 2002. It helps that Hersman went through a rigorous Senate confirmation process when she was approved for the NTSB in 2004. Since then, she has been an outspoken voice for the NTSB and is especially familiar to Washingtonians who were glued to TVs after a devastating Metro crash in 2009 spurred an investigation into the city's subway system. She has also played a key role in several major aviation safety investigations, including the fatal crash of Flight 3407 near Buffalo, N.Y. That commuter plane crash killed all 49 on board - in addition to one death on the ground . Some of the agency's subsequent recommendations made it into a pilot safety measure that sailed through Congress in 2010. If she becomes FAA administrator, the loss of her star power could decrease the NTSB's visibility - and there may be something bigger out there for her, anyway. Hersman has been mentioned as an option to replace Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood when he steps down after Obama's first term. Michael Huerta Huerta is the safe pick within the aviation community, should Obama decide to name a permanent replacement. Huerta has already won the support of many on Capitol Hill - nobody even asked for a roll call vote on his nomination for deputy administrator when it hit the Senate floor. He also has a fan in Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Finance Committee ranking member, who knows Huerta from his work during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. "He's a fine man. I was aware of his experience, and he's a fine man," Hatch told POLITICO recently. "If the president nominates him, I'd be in support of it." Picking Huerta would not signify any particular bold stroke by the administration, as questions remain on whether his laid-back public persona is what the agency needs right now. The flip side of that is that he may be a good selection for morale within the FAA: Staffers would be happy to see the elevation of one of their own, and his work on NextGen showcases his embrace of the wonky details. Duane Woerth Woerth, a pilot, has been in aviation his whole life. And he was reportedly on Obama's short list for FAA chief back in 2009. Woerth has served on the boards of directors for several major airlines, and soon after Sept. 11, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta named him to the Rapid Response Team for Aircraft Security. The Nebraska native also co-chaired the Next Generation Air Transportation System Executive Council, a private-sector group that worked with the DOT and FAA on a plan to modernize the national airspace system. Woerth has strong union ties, acting as head of the Air Line Pilots Association from 1999 to 2006 - the same organization that Babbitt once helmed. Republicans could make a fuss about Woerth's labor ties, especially if large unions support him. He currently serves as U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. body that oversees international aviation agreements and disputes. Robert Herbert Herbert, a staffer for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), was also rumored to be a finalist in 2009. He even met with LaHood the same day the former congressman won Senate confirmation to DOT's top job. He's passionate about his job and is regarded as sharp within aviation circles. The longtime Reid aide currently serves as senior policy adviser and director of appropriations. He advises Reid on transportation and defense issues, among other things. He's a recent graduate of the National War College and is a colonel in the Nevada Army National Guard. He also served as directorof aviation for the Nevada Army National Guard for six years. But Herbert's ties to Reid could hurt him: Does being one of Reid's guys carry baggage that Senate Republicans would have difficulty handling? Jim Oberstar Oberstar is considered a long shot, but that won't quell the speculation. Oberstar knows the issues, knows how Congress works and cares about aviation. Those factors would outweigh any age concerns for the dark horse candidate should Obama target him for the job. The big question is whether Obama has forgotten some of Oberstar's pointed critiques of how the administration has handled transportation issues. The former House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman and longtime lawmaker doesn't have the best relationship with the administration, LaHood or Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), whose support is critical for any FAA candidate. Those frosty relations with the White House stem from the summer of 2009, when the administration caught him off guard by requesting an 18-month extension of a surface transportation policy - putting the kibosh on his carefully crafted six-year proposal. Still, Oberstar said he'd listen if the White House called him about the job. "If the president of the United States asks you to serve in public office for the good of the country, you have to hear him out," he told POLITICO. "That call has not been made, but of course, I would listen to the president or the secretary. ... I love aviation and invested some 30 years of my service in Congress in that arena." Some have also speculated his age, 77, could be a disqualifying factor. But age isn't a huge factor with Leon Panetta running the Defense Department - a more rigorous job, noted an insider - at age 73 and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) winning reelection in his mid-80s. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70665.html Back to Top Two Muslim religious leaders sue airlines for discrimination Two Islamic religious leaders from Tennessee claim a Delta pilot prevented them from flying after they were cleared to board. Washington (CNN) -- Two Islamic religious leaders from Tennessee filed a lawsuit against two airlines Monday, claiming they were discriminated against and not allowed to fly on a plane in May because of the way they looked. Masudur Rahman and Mohamed Zaghloul, both imams, request a jury trial in the suit, filed in federal court against Delta Air Lines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines. In the suit, the two said they arrived at the Memphis, Tennesseee, International Airport on May 6, wearing traditional Muslim attire, including religious garb and headgear. The two were headed from Memphis to Charlotte, North Carolina, to attend a conference on anti-Muslim bigotry. Rahman is an Arabic-language adjunct professor at the University of Memphis and originally from Pakistan. Zaghloul is a religious leader at the Islamic Association of Greater Memphis and originally from Egypt. "Atlantic Southeast and Delta oppose discrimination in any form from any source and our employees act at all times in the best interest of passenger safety and security. We cannot comment further on pending litigation," said Eric Torbenson, Delta Air Lines spokesman. A spokeswoman for ASA, Allison Baker, released the same statement when contacted by CNN. The imams said they went through TSA checkpoints and their belongings were screened. According to the complaint, while at their gate preparing to board, both men were pulled aside and told they would be subject to a random, secondary security check and search. The two men claim they "willingly complied and cooperated to the best of their ability," according to the lawsuit. They say TSA agents asked them for identification and questioned them about their trip to North Carolina, then cleared them to board. The two were seated about five rows apart, the complaint said. While the airplane was still at the gate, the suit said an airline agent came onto the plane and once again asked the men to produce their photo identification. They say they complied willingly and were cleared again. But "moments after the plane began to taxi the runway and prepare for takeoff, defendants' pilot announced that the plane had to go back to the gate. Once the pilot returned the plane to the gate, defendants' pilot ordered both plaintiffs to get their bags and immediately leave the airplane," the complaint said. The two men said TSA agents again searched their bags and "conducted a comprehensive body pat-down." They claim the TSA agent thanked them for their cooperation and cleared them to board. However, the suit claims the pilot would not allow them on the plane and then refused to give a reason. A Delta supervisor went on the plane to explain to the pilot he could not exclude the men without "a rational basis," the suit said. When the supervisor returned, he was "irate," the suit said, and told them men, "He is wrong," referring to the pilot. A higher-ranking Delta manager was requested, the suit said. But while the men waited for the manager to arrive, the plane left the gate. According to the complaint, the airline manager ordered the plane back to the terminal, then boarded the plane to speak with the pilot. The manager returned, "visibly distraught," a half-hour later, according to the suit. The manager told the men that the pilot, "despite acknowledging that both plaintiffs were cleared to board, was personally objecting to the plaintiffs being on his flight. The pilot indicated that he believed the mere presence and perception of the plaintiffs on his plane would make other passengers feel uncomfortable." The Delta manager made an announcement in the cabin of the plane stating if any passengers felt apprehensive about either of the men then they could get on another plane and receive a voucher, the lawsuit stated. "Except for the pilot, however, no one else on that plane indicated that they were uncomfortable with either plaintiff being on the flight," the complaint said. In the end, the plane left without Rahman and Zaghloul. The tickets were purchased on a Delta Air Lines website, said the defendants. Atlantic Southeast Airlines contracts with Delta as a Delta Connections carrier, providing connecting flights to and from Memphis, according to the complaint. The two men are seeking compensatory and punitive damages against Delta and ASA to be determined at trial. Back to Top NTSB report says smoke plume trailed airplane that crashed in SD, killing 4 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - A pilot and three passengers killed in a plane crash apparently had tried to return to the Sioux Falls airport after an air traffic controller said a plume of smoke was trailing their aircraft, federal investigators said in a report released Monday. The preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report recounts previously unreleased details of the moments before the Dec. 9 crash that killed 54-year-old pilot Brian Blake and his three passengers, Kevin Anderson, 50, Joshua Lambrecht, 30, and 47-year-old Daniel Swets. All of them came from Sioux Falls except Lambrecht, of Brandon. The report says the controller informed Blake about the smoke about 30 seconds after the CESSNA 421C took off, although he could not determine the source of the plume. The controller then advised the pilot that the smoke had stopped and cleared the plane to land. The pilot acknowledged the clearance but did not communicate with the controller thereafter. Witnesses said the plane appeared to be trailing white smoke during takeoff, according to the report. "They subsequently observed flames at the inboard side of the left engine," the report said. "The airplane began a left turn, apparently in an attempt to return to the airport. As the airplane continued the turn, the flames and trail of white smoke were no longer visible." The nose of the plane dropped abruptly and hit the ground from an altitude of 800 to 1,000 feet, the report stated. It crashed in a field about 3/4 mile northwest of the airport. The NTSB said Blake held a commercial pilot certificate and flight instructor certificate for single and multi-engine airplanes. The pilot's most recent regulatory check was completed on Nov. 10. The three passengers were heading to Rapid City for a robotics meeting. Weather conditions recorded at the time of takeoff indicated clear skies and 10 miles of visibility, according to the report. The report makes no recommendations or conclusions. A final cause of the crash may not be determined for a year to 18 months. According to NTSB data, the last aviation crash it investigated in Sioux Falls was in 1984. http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/dc959bf9f312425d9a7d28451fba0841/SD-- Plane-Crash-Sioux-Falls/ Back to Top Airbus Delivers Their 7000th Aircraft - An A321 to US Airways Airbus was originally founded in 1970 as a consortium of aerospace manufactures to better compete with Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed. Their first aircraft was the A300, which first flight on October 28, 1972 and since then, the manufacture has created many successful aircraft that have flown millions of passengers around the world. A big milestone was reached by the company on December 12th; Airbus delivered its 7000th plane. The special aircraft was an A321 that was delivered to US Airways. "It's particularly fitting that our 7,000th aircraft is an A321 going to US Airways. The airline not only operates the largest fleet of Airbus aircraft in the world; with over 220 A320 Family aircraft flying in US Airways colours today," said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO. "This milestone is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of Airbus teams around the world. We have improved efficiencies company-wide and this has enabled us to deliver record numbers of latest generation aircraft at continually increasing rates, with an environmental footprint ever decreasing." It was only two short years ago that Airbus delivered their 6000th aircraft, which was an A380 for Emirates in January 2010. As of November, 2011, Airbus has received a total of 11,438 orders, with 816 for the A300/A310 family, 8251 for the A320 family, 2128 for the A330/A340/A350 family and 243 for the A380. A big congrats to Airbus on their 7000th delivery, let's see how long it takes to make the 8000 mark. http://blog.seattlepi.com/airlinereporter/2011/12/19/airbus-delivers-their-7000th- aircraft-%E2%80%93-an-a321-to-us-airways/ Curt Lewis