Flight Safety Information February 28, 2012 - No. 041 In This Issue Coast Guard copter crash: 1 dead, 3 missing Air Industry Faces Public's Perception of Safety Officials: Guatemalan helicopter crash kills 10 ANSV calls for review of Italian approach charts ARGUS PROS Global Auditing Conference on air safety begins in Cyprus Boeing delivers 747 to VIP customer POSITION AVAILABLE:...Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Accident Investigation POSITION AVAILABLE:...RESEARCH MEDICAL OFFICER Coast Guard copter crash: 1 dead, 3 missing MOBILE, Ala.(AP) - One crewmember died and rescuers were searching Wednesday for three others missing after a Coast Guard helicopter crashed in Alabama's Mobile Bay during a training mission, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. Divers planned to return to the sunken wreckage after daylight Wednesday. Overnight fog had hampered searches from the air, Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said. The MH-65C helicopter crashed Tuesday evening near Point Clear, Ala. One crewmember was found unresponsive and later declared dead, the Coast Guard said in a news release early Wednesday. "Our main concern is locating the three remaining crewmembers," Bordelon told The Associated Press early Wednesday. Edwards said fog was beginning to clear and visibility was improving. He said divers overnight had gone to the site of the helicopter, in about 13 feet of water, but were unable to gain access to its fuselage. He said they planned to try again Wednesday morning. The aircraft had departed the Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala., on a training mission earlier Tuesday, Bordelon said. Coast Guard officials say it went down about two to three miles southwest of Point Clear. The three missing are all Coast Guard members. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the crewmembers during this difficult time," Capt. Don Rose, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Mobile, said in a statement. The Coast Guard said two helicopters, an airplane and several vessels were involved in the search. The missing crew members are "very well outfitted with survival gear wearing cold weather exposure suits," Rose told WALA-TV "We're going to continue to search, were going to continue to go down," Rose said. "We know where the wreckage is so we're going to look there as well." The cause of the crash remains under investigation. ************** Date: 28-FEB-2012 Time: ca 19:40 Type: Aérospatiale MH-65C Dolphin Operator: U.S. Coast Guard Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 4 Airplane damage: Unknown Location: off Point Clear, Mobile Bay, AL - United States of America Phase: Unknown Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Mobile, AL Destination airport: Narrative: A U.S. Coast Guard Aérospatiale MH-65 Dolphin crashed into Mobile Bay during a training mission. The Coast Guard says one crewmember was found unresponsive by the rescue crew and was later declared deceased. Three people are missing. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Air Industry Faces Public's Perception of Safety Since entering service in 2007, the Airbus A380 has been the subject of 43 airworthiness directives, which are descriptions of a problem and the required repairs. PARIS - When Airbus disclosed last month that it had discovered dozens of hairline cracks in a wing component of several of its A380 jets, the news was followed by worrying headlines that ricocheted online. "World's largest passenger plane may be unsafe," CNet reported on its Web site. "Airbus in damage control," The Daily Telegraph of Australia announced. "Wing and a prayer?" The Associated Press wrote, unable to resist an ominous pun. The fact that those cracks did not, in the view of aviation regulators or independent safety experts, pose an imminent safety risk was noted in most of those reports. But the impression of a potential emergency lingered. Such problems are nothing new in aviation, industry executives said. With new planes - like the A380, which entered commercial service in 2007, or the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which carried its first passengers last year - the discovery of design weaknesses and performance issues is quite common early in the life of an aircraft. What has changed is the availability of this type of information for a public that until quite recently heard about air safety only after a publicly reported safety lapse or, worse, a crash. That may come as small comfort to airline passengers, many of whom struggle to place in context dispatches on the latest possible problem with a plane they are about to be a passenger on. Yet industry executives, regulators and safety advocates emphasize that aircraft are more closely scrutinized today than ever before. "Every aircraft that goes into service has something that crops up that's unforeseen," said Kevin Hiatt, chief operating officer of the Flight Safety Foundation in Alexandria, Va. "Every new airframe, or even an engine or a component, goes through a process of breaking itself in." It is an oversight process that still unfolds largely within the confines of maintenance hangars and test beds, involving teams of engineers, mechanics and designers who scour millions of hours of flight data in search of anomalies that might one day develop into a concern over performance or safety. "No industry is more comprehensively overviewed as aviation," said David Learmount, operations and safety editor at Flight International magazine. "That has been the case since the Second World War." Both Airbus and Boeing, which build the majority of the world's large passenger planes, said they received tens of thousands of service messages each year from airlines, of which only a fraction were related to safety issues. In 2011, for example, Airbus recorded about 80,000 of these service events, like the discovery of the A380 wing bracket cracks. Boeing, which did not provide data for any specific years, said it typically logged 100,000 to 200,000 such reports annually. Most incidents are the result of actions by flight crews or maintenance staff and are unrelated to airworthiness, the companies and regulators said. But some do warrant deeper investigation. Airbus said that last year it identified about 1,700 such incidents, just over 2 percent of the total. Boeing said it classified about 2,000 events each year as "reportable" to regulators, equivalent to 1 to 2 percent of all occurrences. More than 95 percent of these more significant issues are ultimately addressed with a proposed technical or procedural modification, which is communicated directly to the airlines and their maintenance providers, both Boeing and Airbus said. A full analysis of the problem is also provided to safety regulators, but it is still up to the airline to decide whether, and when, to make the recommended inspections or repairs. Regulators step in to order remedial action only when a problem is identified that could create a safety issue if uncorrected. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees Boeing, and the European Aviation Safety Agency, which regulates Airbus, each company is subject to no more than about 100 such airworthiness directives across its fleet each year. Every airworthiness directive, or A.D. in industry shorthand, includes a technical description of the problem and the required inspections or repairs. They are published on the regulators' Web sites with specified deadlines for compliance that reflect the urgency of the safety risk: days, weeks, months or even several years. "The A.D. process is helpful because it requires action by operators," Corky Townsend, director of aviation safety at Boeing, said. "Manufacturers can only ask and recommend that operators follow service bulletins, but regulators can compel action." A significant share of those directives tend to arise in the early part of an airplane's 25- to 30-year average working life, safety experts said. Dominique Fouda, a spokesman for the European Aviation Safety Agency in Cologne, described a trend line that regulators say is consistent across many aircraft types and models, whereby the number of airworthiness directives climbs sharply over the first few years of service, then drops and plateaus for a decade or more. The airworthiness directives rise again in later years as wear and tear begin to take their toll. "We have models that have proven to be extremely safe, like the Boeing 737 or the Airbus A320, that have flown hundreds of millions of hours without any major safety issues," Mr. Fouda said. "However, those types received in their early days a similar or higher number of A.D.'s at the same stage of their life cycle than, for example, an A380." Since entering service five years ago, the Airbus A380, which has a current fleet of 69 planes, has been subject to 43 airworthiness directives, an average of nine a year. That includes one that followed the midair explosion in 2010 of one of its four engines during a Qantas Airways flight and prompted an emergency landing in Singapore. That failure was traced to a faulty component in the engine, which was built by Rolls-Royce of Britain. By comparison, the four-engine Boeing 747, with an active fleet of nearly 800 planes, has faced 840 airworthiness directives since it began flying passengers in 1969, averaging 21 per year. Boeing's 777 twin-engine widebody averages 18 directives annually. The Airbus A330, also a widebody with two engines, has been the subject of 349 directives since 1994, or an average of 20 per year. Analysts attributed the strong safety records of modern jets to major improvements in aerospace engineering over the last decade. "Designs are getting better because of computer-aided design and manufacturing that enables engineers to calculate stresses before the first metal is cut," said Mr. Learmount of Flight International. Air safety experts applauded the industry's effort to share ever more information about potential safety issues with the public, but they acknowledged that such transparency sometimes amplified the perception of risk and distracted attention from other areas of genuine concern. "Because our air safety system is so safe these days, significant threats - runway collisions, midair collisions, antiquated air traffic control systems - that haven't recently manifested themselves in a crash don't receive the attention they deserve," said David M. Primo, a professor of political science at the University of Rochester and co-author of "The Plane Truth," a 2003 book about air crashes and the media. "They are, in essence, crowded out by a focus on maintenance issues that are, in many respects, much more minor." http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/business/global/air-industry-faces-publics- pereception-of-safety.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2 Back to Top Officials: Guatemalan helicopter crash kills 10 A civilian helicopter crashed in bad weather Tuesday, injuring three aboard, and a Guatemalan air force helicopter sent to help went down soon afterward, killing its 10 crew and passengers, officials said. The helicopter involved in the fatal crash was on its way to a base in the northern province of Peten when it got word of the crash of a civilian helicopter about 125 miles (200 kilometers) away, Defense Minister Ulises Anzueto told reporters. The crew on the air force aircraft determined the three civilians in the crash had been evacuated to a hospital and the helicopter was headed back to Peten when it crashed. http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-28/news/31108393_1_helicopter-fatal-crash- mountainous-area ********** Date: 28-FEB-2012 Time: Type: Bell UH-1H Iroquois Operator: Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca Registration: HL-190 C/n / msn: 18088 Fatalities: Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Chacalté, San Luis, Petén - Guatemala Phase: En route Nature: Military Departure airport: Guatemala City-La Aurora Airport (GUA/MGGT) Destination airport: Flores-Mundo Maya International Airport (FRS/MGTK) Narrative: The Guatemalan air force helicopter sent to help a downed civilian helicopter 125 miles (200 kilometers) away also went down killing seven officers and three air force specialists. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top ANSV calls for review of Italian approach charts Palermo (LICJ) VOR-Z RWY 07 approach chart The Italian investigation board ANSV is recommending a review of certain approach charts of Italian airports. The investigation into an Airbus A319 landing accident at Palermo learned that the crew used charts that were not fully compliant with ICAO principles. On September 24, 2010, Windjet Flight 243, an Airbus A319, impacted the ground 367 meters before the runway 07 threshold and, after hitting the runway 25 localizer antenna, slid for about 850 meters before stopping on the left side of the runway. The crew were flying the so called VOR-Z RWY 07 approach procedure which uses the TVOR and DME at Palermo. An examination of the charts used by the flight crew showed that the phrase "DME required" was not mentioned on their approach chart. ICAO Doc 8168 Aircraft Operations Vol. 2 - Construction of Visual and Instrument Flight Procedures (paragraph 9.5.2.2) states: "If additional navigation aids are required for the approach procedure, associated additional equipment requirements shall be specified on the plan view of the chart, but not in the title." The same omissions were noted on other charts. ANSV thus recommends the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) and the Italian Air Navigation Services company ENAV to review the charts and to add any equipment requirements on the chart's map. More information * ASN Accident Description * ANSV Safety Recommendation ANSV-3/1836-10/2/A/12 (PDF, in Italian) www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Back to Top Conference on air safety begins in Cyprus The Single European Sky initiative as well as the safety of aviation are on the agenda of the annual Conference of the European Organization for the safety of air navigation EUROCONTROL which takes place 28-29 February in the coastal town of Limassol. The Conference is co-organized with Cyprus Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). Addressing the Conference, Minister of Communications and Works Efthymios Flouurentzos underlined that air safety and regulations are of a great importance for the Cypriot authorities. He noted that Cyprus might be a small country, however it is a member of the bigger European community and EUROCONTROL and it contributes towards aviation safety. In statements to the press, Communications Minister said that Cyprus' records as regards air safety issues stand at a very good level. He stressed however that these records are affected by the air traffic controllers' strike on Friday. A total of 20 flights to and from Cyprus international airports of Larnaka and Paphos will be affected by the strike. Director of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) Leonidas Leonidou in his statements referred to the great significance the Conference has for Cyprus. According to Leonidou, the aim of the conference is to bring together Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) CEOs from across Europe. He said that Cyprus will be part of the Blue Med Project and aims to play an important role in the Mediterranean region. http://famagusta-gazette.com/conference-on-air-safety-begins-in-cyprus-p14634- 69.htm Back to Top Boeing delivers 747 to VIP customer Boeing said on Tuesday that it's on track to deliver the first of its new 747s that will haul paying passengers early this year. Flight testing on the 747-8 Intercontinental will wrap up in five to seven days, said Elizabeth Lund, program manager for the 747. The first customer for that plane is German airline Lufthansa. On Tuesday, Boeing delivered a new 747-8 to an unidentified VIP customer. It was something of a formality. The plane still needs modification in Wichita, Kan., that will take about six months. After that it goes to Hamburg, Germany, to have its VIP interior installed, a project that typically takes about two years, said Steve Taylor, president of Boeing Business Jets. Boeing has been making the 747 for more than 40 years, but this is a major overhaul. The new version includes changes to 70 percent of the plane. Boeing first delivered a cargo version in October. The VIP plane delivered on Tuesday still needs most of its interior. The passenger version that will go to Lufthansa needs more testing because it has electronics such as on-board entertainment that the other planes don't have, Boeing said. Boeing has booked orders for 96 of the new 747s. That includes 60 cargo planes and 36 passenger planes. Of those, nine have been ordered by VIP customers. Boeing said most of those are heads of state, generally in the Middle East. Boeing is also aiming to sell the plane to the White House to be used as the new Air Force One. The White House currently flies two older 747s. Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Boeing-delivers-747-to-VIP- customer-3368080.php#ixzz1nmUtwFbB Back to Top POSITION AVAILABLE: Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Accident Investigation Cranfield University, UK The Safety and Accident Investigation Centre is looking for a Lecturer / Senior Lecturer to join our rapidly expanding team. In 2011, the Centre led the University's successful bid for a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education for its contribution to aviation safety through research and teaching in accident investigation. Having established the world's first MSc programme for Aircraft Accident Investigators, the Centre is now developing parallel streams for the rail and marine industries. These part- time programmes sit alongside an extensive range of Continuing Professional Development courses from one to thirty days in length which are run both at Cranfield and at clients' premises around the world. This is an exciting opportunity for you to join a vibrant team to teach and supervise Masters / PhD students, as well as making a significant contribution to the wide-ranging research and consulting activities of the Centre. Holding a relevant degree in a field related to accident investigation (preferably at Masters of Doctorate level) or equivalent relevant industrial experience, you must be able to demonstrate the ability to work independently and within a dynamic team, and to deliver high quality presentations and papers / reports. The appointment will either be at Lecturer or Senior Lecturer level depending upon expertise and capabilities, and as such, previous teaching experience is essential. We are particularly keen to hear from applicants with experience within the rail or marine sectors, but will consider applications from other relevant sectors. The post is a full-time, permanent position based at the Cranfield campus, 50 miles north of London, UK. Apply online now at http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/hr or contact us for further details on E: hr@cranfield.ac.uk or T: +44 (0)1234 750111 ext 2346. For any enquiries, please quote reference number 1162. Closing date for receipt of applications: 12 March 2012 Back to Top POSITION AVAILABLE: RESEARCH MEDICAL OFFICER Apply Here: http://jobs.faa.gov/AnnouncementDetails/Modules/JobAnnouncement/JobDescription.aspx?case_id=24399 Job OpportunityU.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Position: Research Medical Officer Announcement Number: AAC-EXT-12-AAM630-24399 Opening Date: Feb 16, 2012 Close Date: Mar 19, 2012 Series: 602 Business Component: FAA Aeronautical Center Region, Office of Aerospace Medicine, Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Aerospace Medical Research Division, Aeromedical Protection and Survival Research Lab, AAM-630 Duty Location(s): Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Vacancies: 1 Salary Range: $120,096 - $179,700 Additional Salary Info: Salary shown includes locality payment of 14.16%. Grade(s): FV-L Job Status: Full Time Appointment Duration: PermanentPrint this page About the Application Process: * About the FAA... * Employment Information... * Citizenship Requirements... * Veterans Preference... * Locality Pay... * Cost of Living Adjustment(COLA)... * Financial Disclosures... * What to Expect Next...Permanent Change of Station (PCS) - U.S. Citizens: A fixed relocation payment of $10,000 will be paid to new hires to Federal service and student trainees; and a fixed relocation payment of $10,000 will be paid to employees with status.Who May Apply: U.S. Citizens - This announcement is open to U.S. Citizens We are not accepting applications from non-U.S. citizens.How We Will Evaluate You: Applicants may be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position(s). All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated.Key Requirements: *U.S. Citizen *Successful completion of a security investigation will be required. *A one year probationary period may be required. *This position has a positive education requirement, transcripts required. *Occasional travel may be required. The Next Generation of Flight is Underway - and you can be part of it! We need you and your fresh ideas to shape the air transportation system of tomorrow, and the way America flies. Come be a part of the new generation in aviation, an industry that is absolutely critical to this nation's economy and security. The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is a fundamental transformation of our nation's airspace system. It uses 21st century technologies to meet future demands, avoid gridlock in the sky and on the runways, further improve safety, and protect the environment. For more information on NextGen, watch this brief introduction : NextGen Introduction Job Duties: As a Research Medical Officer, you will provide aeromedical research expertise for the solution of problems affecting aviation safety under the review of the Medical Research Team Coordinator and the Protection and Survival Research Laboratory Manager. Research Medical Officer designs and conducts independent research to collect and analyze aerospace medical data that affects aviation safety, security and health. Provides direct assistance and consultation to FAA management including the Federal Air Surgeon regarding medical policy. In conjunction with accident investigators, reviews pilot medical records, toxicology reports, autopsy information and other accident data to determine potential medical causal factors, mechanism of injury or related factors. Work may involve on-site investigation at the request of investigating agencies. Provides written communication of findings and other relevant data to appropriate authorities. Develops and coordinates new aerospace medical safety research based on findings. Consults on aviation and space related medical issues, including occupant life support equipment and aircraft cabin environment. Author's aeromedical research reports for publication in peer-reviewed journals and Office of Aviation Medicine reports. Presents results at scientific meetings. Provides instruction on aircraft accident investigation and aerospace medical research in classroom setting to various audiences (i.e. FAA pilots, Cabin Safety Workshops, Aerospace Medical Examiners, Air Safety Instructors, aeromedical and aviation professionals).Minimum Qualifications: OPM Individual Qualification Standard for Medical Officer Series, 0602. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: DEGREE: Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy from a school in the United States or Canada approved by a recognized accrediting body in the year of the applicant's graduation [A Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree from a foreign medical school that provided education and medical knowledge substantially equivalent to accredited schools in the United States may be demonstrated by permanent certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) (or a fifth pathway certificate for Americans who completed premedical education in the United States and graduate education in a foreign country).] ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must have earned a doctorate, e.g., Ph.D. OR Sc.D. (in addition to the Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy degree) from an accredited college or university in a field of science directly related to medicine and closely allied to the position to be filled; OR 2 years of graduate training or medical research experience that demonstrated ability to do independent major medical research. COPIES OF TRANSCRIPTS, LICENSES, AND CERTIFICATES MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA FAX TO (405)954-3003 PRIOR TO CLOSING DATE, IN ORDER TO VERIFY QUALIFICATIONS. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL ELIMINATE YOU FROM CONSIDERATION. SCHOOLS MUST BE ACCREDITED BY AN ACCREDITING INSTITUTION RECOGNIZED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.Other Job Requirements: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) 1. Knowledge in aerospace medical and/or other medical research programs including experimental design and statistical analysis. 2. Skill in the use of appropriate statistical methods, preparation of written technical reports and manuscripts. 3. Ability to make clear and convincing presentations at management/scientific meetings as demonstrated by documented publications in referred scientific journals. Other Factors 1. QUALITY RANKING FACTORS(QRF): Well Qualified candidate MUST have experience in medical research as evidenced by publications as first or principal author in peer reviewed journals, text books or other professional media and experience and/or training in aerospace medicine and aviation safety including familiarity with the medical aircraft accident investigation process and aircraft accident analysis as demonstrated by work history. IMPORTANT: Ensure that your work experience supports your Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) and Other Factors answers. Your answers and associated work experience will be evaluated further to validate whether the answers that you selected are appropriate. Answers may be adjusted by a Human Resource Specialist as appropriate. Benefits: FAA offers an excellent comprehensive benefits programs. To learn more about the federal government benefits, please click here.More Information About This Job: We may use this vacancy to fill other similar vacant positions. Travel may be required. Position may be subject to a background investigation. A one-year probationary period may be required. As a condition of employment, male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Direct deposit of pay is required. Candidates may also apply and be considered for this vacancy based on eligibility under a Special Appointing Authority (e.g.: Disabled Veteran with 30% or more disability, Veterans Recruitment Appointment - VRA, Persons with Targeted Disabilities - PWTD, etc.). To be considered, you must submit: a separate application package referencing the Special Appointing Authority and the vacancy announcement number and documentation that provides evidence of eligibility for the special appointing authority. The application package must be faxed to 405-954-3003 and submitted by the closing date of the vacancy announcement. Notes: 1) As a part of the Federal-Wide Hiring Reform Initiative (streamlining the hiring process), the FAA is committed to eliminating the use of the Knowledge, Skills and Ability (KSA) narratives from the initial application in the hiring process for all external announcements. Therefore, as an applicant for this external announcement, you are NOT required to provide a narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA. In lieu of providing a KSA narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA and Quality Ranking Factor, in your work history, please include work history that describes how you meet the answer you chose for each KSA and Quality Ranking Factor. Your work history examples should be specific and clearly reflect the highest level of ability. Your KSA and Quality Ranking Factor answers will be evaluated further to validate whether the level that you selected is appropriate. Your answers may be adjusted as appropriate. 2) Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective factor(s), if applicable, may be further evaluated on the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) and Quality Ranking Factor listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: score order, category grouping, or priority grouping and referred to the selecting official for consideration. 3) Applicants must apply online. Faxed, mailed or emailed applications cannot be accepted. 4) Some, none, or all applicants may be interviewed. 5) Veterans' Preference: If you have completed your active military service and are claiming veterans' preference, a DD Form 214 MUST BE SUBMITTED prior to closing date. If claiming 10-pt veterans' preference, both a DD Form 214 and a SF-15 MUST BE SUBMITTED. If you are claiming 10-pt preference on the basis of a disability, you MUST also include appropriate documentation from the service or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Please fax documentation to (405)954-3003 prior to closing date and reference announcement number. 6) If you are still on active duty and are claiming veterans' preference, you will be granted a 5-pt tentative preference if your application shows that you have the required service (i.e. served in a war, campaign or expedition). At the time of appointment, you must produce a DD Form 214 documenting that your service was honorable. 7) Position is covered by the FAA Core Compensation plan. Additional information about core compensation is available on the following website: http://jobs.faa.gov/FAACoreCompensation.htm 8) Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement. 9) Applicants may be asked to verify information on their application for employment with the FAA. 10) Applicants should include examples of Specialized Experience in their Work History. 11) A fixed relocation payment of $10,000 will be paid. 12) To check receipt of faxed documents, please contact Danny Bolding at daniel.bolding@faa.gov or 405-954-7949. This is not a bargaining unit position. Required Documents: You must submit proof of veterans preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, SF-15 plus proof required by that form) as requested by the Human Resource Office. Veterans Preference will only be considered based on what is supported. If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, the Human Resource office may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration. Copies of Official college or university transcripts, licenses and certificates MUST be submitted by date announcement closes.Forms: *SF-15 : Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference For more information on this job: Call Wanda Witten at 405-954-3969 or email to wanda.witten@Faa.Gov. Servicing HR office: Federal Aviation Administration DOT/FAA/MMAC/AMH-140 6500 S. MacArthur Blvd HQ ROOM 155 Oklahoma City, OK 73169 Phone: (405) 954-7903 Fax Number: (405) 954-3003 You must apply on-line to receive consideration. Your application must have a status of "Submitted" by 11:59 PM Central Time on the Close Date for it to be accepted. If you are applying for positions associated with FAA registers, your application must have a status of "Submitted" each time a referral list is created in order to receive consideration for positions associated with register. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FAA is an Equal Opportunity Employer All qualified applicants will be considered regardless of political affiliation, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or other non-merit factors. DOT provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Additional information on reasonable accommodations procedures or on EEO Programs is available on www.faa.gov/acr or by contacting the local FAA Civil Rights Office. The person selected for this position may be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of entry on duty. FAA policy limits certain outside employment and financial investments in aviation-related companies. In addition to base salary, a COLA percentage is authorized depending on where the job is located. COLA is currently tax-free for Federal income purposes. For more information about COLA, see the "More Information about this Job" section of this announcement. Citizens in the United States include those who were: born in the United States (the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam [since 1950], or the U.S. Virgin Islands); born outside the United States to parents who are citizens of the United States, one of which was physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for a continuous period of one year at any time prior to the birth of the person (in some situations only one parent has to be a citizen); naturalized as a United States citizen; or otherwise granted citizenship under authorities described in law, beginning at 8 U.S.C. 1401. For more information about citizenship and FAA employment, click Here In addition to base salary, Federal salaries may include a Locality Pay adjustment which varies depending on where the job is located. To see Locality Pay adjustment percentages,click Here Candidates for FAA positions are evaluated using our Automated Vacancy Information Access Tool for Online Referral (AVIATOR) system. AVIATOR compares your skills and experience as described in your application with the requirements of the position. If you are found to be an eligible, highly-qualified candidate, you will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. (In some cases, individuals with priority for special consideration must be considered and selected before other candidates.) Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends upon the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. You can check the status of your application by accessing AVIATOR and selecting the "My Applications" tab. Simply click on the "Status" link in the "Status" column to see whether a list has been sent to the selecting official and if you were included on the list. You can return to your application at any time to review your answers, and until the announcement closes you can change your application. Important - If you make any change to your application, you must resubmit it. If you change your application and do not resubmit it, your changes will not be considered part of your application package, and your previous application will be considered. Why Preference is Given Veterans' preference in its present form comes from the Veterans' Preference Act of 1944, as amended, and is now codified in various provisions of title 5, United States Code. By law, veterans who are disabled or who served on active duty in the Armed Forces during certain specified time periods or in military campaigns are entitled to preference over others in competitive external hiring.When Preference Applies Preference in hiring applies to permanent and temporary positions when external competitive hiring procedures are used. To receive preference, a veteran must have been separated from active duty in the Armed Forces with an honorable or general discharge. As defined in 5 U.S.C. 2101(2), "Armed Forces" means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. The veteran must also be eligible under one of the preference categories below. Military retirees at the rank of major, lieutenant commander, or higher are not eligible for preference in appointment unless they are disabled veterans. (This does not apply to Reservists who will not begin drawing military retired pay until age 60). For non-disabled users, active duty for training by National Guard or Reserve soldiers does not qualify as ""active duty"" for preference. For disabled veterans, active duty includes training service in the Reserves or National Guard, per the Merit Systems Protection Board decision in Hesse v. Department of the Army, 104 M.S.P.R. 647(2007). For purposes of these guidelines and 5 U.S.C. 2108, "war" means only those armed conflicts declared by congress as war. Eligible veterans should claim preference on their application or resume. Applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF-15), Application for 10- point Veteran Preference, and submit the requested documentation.Preference Categories The following preference categories and points are based on 5 U.S.C. 2108 and 3309 as modified by a length of service requirement in 38 U.S.C. 5303A(d). (The letters following each category, e.g., "CPS", "CP", "XP","TP" are a short reference which will be used by the FAA in competitive external hiring procedures.) 5-point Preference (TP) Five points are added to the rating score of a veteran who served: During a war; or During the period April 28, 1952 through July 1, 1955; or For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955, and before October 15, 1976; or During the Gulf War from August 2, 1990, through January 2, 1992; or In a campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal has been authorized. Any Armed Forces Expeditionary medal or campaign badge,including El Salvador, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Southwest Asia, Somalia, Haiti,and Bosnia qualifies for preference. A Campaign medal holder or Gulf War veteran who originally enlisted after September 7, 1980, (or began active duty on or after October 14, 1982, and has not previously completed 24 months of continuous active duty) must have served continuously for 24 months or the full period called or ordered to active duty. The 24-month service requirement does not apply to 10-point preference eligibles separated for disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, or to veterans separated for hardship or other reasons under 10 U.S.C. 11 71 or 1173.10-Point Compensable Disability Preference (CP) Ten points are added to the ranked numerical score of a veteran who served at any time and who has a compensable service-connected disability rating of at least 10 percent but less than 30 percent. 10-Point 30 Percent Compensable Disability Preference (CPS) Ten points are added to the ranked numerical score of a veteran who served at any time and who has a compensable service-connected disability rating of 30% percent. 10-Point Disability Preference (XP) Ten points are added to the ranked numerical score of a veteran who at any time has a present service-connected disability or is receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension from the military or the department of Veterans Affairs but does not qualify as a CP or CPS; or a veteran who received a Purple Heart.10-Point Derived Preference (XP) Ten points are added to the numerical score of spouses, widows, widowers, or mothers of veterans. This type of preference is usually referred to a "Derived preference" because it is based on service of a veteran who is not able to use the preference. To receive 10- point preference (XP) the applicant must submit a SF-15 form and provide the required supporting documentation stipulated on the SF-15. Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC