Flight Safety Information June 25, 2012 - No. 129 In This Issue NTSB: Cockpit Weather Displays Could Mislead Private Pilots Air Zimbabwe gets three-month ultimatum to improve air safety Scandinavian airplane with smoke in cockpit diverted to Bangor Establishment of independent safety board vital for aviation security in Pakistan ARGUS PROS Aviation Auditing Airbus chief looks beyond the A380 Avianca and TACA Airlines join Star Alliance Gulfstream cockpit receives EASA, FAA nod Indonesia's safety committee makes first recommendations after Sukhoi crash Virgin Announce Plans to Allow In-Flight Mobile Phone Calls NTSB: Cockpit Weather Displays Could Mislead Private Pilots WASHINGTON (CNN) - Weather imagery that private pilots see on cockpit displays - advertised as "real time" data by some firms - could be up to 20 minutes old, giving pilots a dangerously false sense of existing conditions, federal safety officials warned this week. While pilots generally know that weather information is five minutes old, the actual age can be much older, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a safety alert. That "could mean the difference between life and death" in rapidly changing weather conditions, said NTSB Chairwoman Deborah A.P. Hersman. The problem affects thousands of general aviation aircraft, ranging from small two-seat aircraft to large corporate jets, which use Next Generation Radar, or NEXRAD, systems. It does not impact large commercial jetliners, which use other weather-monitoring systems. Old weather information may have played a role in at least two fatal crashes in recent years, the NTSB said. In March of 2010, a med-evac helicopter crashed in Tennessee when the pilot tried to beat a storm back to his home base. And in December of 2011, a Piper PA-32 suffered an in-flight breakup in stormy weather near Bryan, Texas. In each case, the NTSB said, the pilots may have misinterpreted a time stamp on the weather monitor. The time stamps indicated the one-minute time interval used to create the image, and not the actual age of the data used to create the image. The pilots may not have realized that the images contained much older data, the NTSB said. In the helicopter crash, the weather data available to the pilot was about five minutes old. In the Piper crash, the data was between six and eight minutes old. In the case of the Piper, the weather display would have indicated that the line of rain showers was one mile east of the aircraft at the moment the Piper crashed in a rain storm. Both crashes occurred at night, when darkness would have obscured the storms. "We believe this is really a pitfall for pilots, that they're getting information that actually has a stamp on it that's telling them 'It's one minute old.' 'It's five minutes old.' But in reality the information used to create the image could be significantly older. We think it's important for them to know that," Hersman said. Aviation experts contacted by CNN said the NTSB alert likely will have little impact on cautious aviators who give wide berth to dangerous thunderstorms, but could impact riskier fliers. "The conventional wisdom is any severe weather you want to avoid by about 20 miles," said Bruce Landsberg, president of the AOPA Foundation and Air Safety Institute, the nonprofit education arm of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Even given a 20-minute lag in weather information, the 20 miles will provide an adequate cushion, he said. But "if you are prone to cutting corners, particularly around severe weather, (a misunderstanding of the delay in weather data) could be dangerous," Landsberg said. "There is some validity" to the NTSB's concerns, he said. "I wouldn't argue the point. Obviously our best defense against people having accidents is a good education," Landsberg said. "I think we have an opportunity here to take a look at this and say, 'OK, what does this mean' and put this in terms that the average pilot would understand," he said. Rob Wefelmeyer, a flight instructor at Maryland's Freeway Airport, said pilots need to be aware that Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) weather data is old. "You don't want to use it to navigate around weather. They have to be very aware that that is old info," he said. Hersman said modern weather-monitoring systems have increased safety. "We think this is great technology. We think it can be very helpful to pilots," she said. "They just need to be sure that they have all the correct assumptions about how that information is displayed to them and what it's based on." Back to Top Air Zimbabwe gets three-month ultimatum to improve air safety Nairobi, Kenya - Troubled Air Zimbabwe has been given 90 days to comply with international air safety standards or risk losing its membership of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the organisation said on Thursday. IATA said contrary to media reports that Air Zimbabwe's membership had been revoked, the troubled airline was still a member but risked losing its membership if it failed to comply within 90 days. 'IATA remains committed to developing aviation on the African continent. Safety is a key component in ensuring that Zimbabwe can benefit from all that safe skies can bring," said Mike Higgins, IATA Regional Vice President for Africa. IATA conducts a biennial Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), which measures an airline's system of operations, covering the operation of flights, boarding procedures and other aircraft safety issues. "In order to retain IATA membership, Air Zimbabwe, like all other IATA member airlines, must submit to and pass the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA)," IATA said in a statement sent to PANA Thursday. Since the introduction of the IOSA certification, the airlines body says there have been improvements in the hull loss rate, an issue it said was of significant importance in the building of safe and sustainable aviation in Africa. "As always IATA is ready to assist Air Zimbabwe wherever possible in renewing its IOSA certification and continuing to benefit from the financial and other services IATA members participate in,' said Higgins. The Zimbabwean carrier has faced difficulties, including management of its debts from aircraft leases and acquisitions among other operational difficulties. http://www.afriquejet.com/air-zimbabwe-gets-three-month-ultimatum-to-improve-air- safety-2012062240858.html Back to Top Scandinavian airplane with smoke in cockpit diverted to Bangor; lands safely with 242 aboard BANGOR, Maine (AP) - A Scandinavian Airlines Airbus 330 has been diverted to Bangor International Airport because its cockpit filled with smoke. It landed safely. The airplane, which had 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board, was enroute from Newark, New Jersey, to Copenhagen, Denmark, when it was diverted to Bangor on Wednesday. It landed shortly before 7:30 p.m. Tony Caruso, the airport's interim director, says the passengers and crew have been checked for smoke inhalation but that he has not heard of any injuries. Caruso tells The Bangor Daily News (http://bit.ly/NVsbNb ) that the flight has been cancelled and that airport officials are helping the passengers find accomodations. Back to Top Establishment of independent safety board vital for aviation security in Pakistan Karachi-Establish an independent safety board, Pakistan Transportation Safety Board (PTSB) is vitally important to ensure that aviation safety becomes its priorities in Pakistan. This was the consensual recommendation at a one day aviation safety seminar "Challenges for Aviation Safety Pakistan-South Asia (PALPA) as a part of their efforts to discharge their responsibility organized a one-day aviation safety seminar 'Challenges for Aviation Safety: Pakistan-South Asia' organized by Pakistan Airline Pilots' Association (PALPA) here today. Chairman Pakistan International Airline (PIA) Rao Qamar Suleman who was the chief guest said that PIA has remarkable and very competent human resource to take all measures to make Pakistan's airspace safe and to educate people involved in aviation safety domain. 'In Pakistan we need to have more and more people educated with a coherent and organised initiative on aviation safety, which is a new subject in Pakistan,' said the PIA Chairman. He said that PIA will continue to support all the efforts on aviation safety, while special emphasis would be given on training of human resource to enhance awareness on safety issues. 'Safety management systems academically is a good terminology but people implementing such systems should have stakes in aviation which will enable them to provide effective support,' he reasoned. He said 'we need to lay a lot of emphasis on human resources which is a basic factor in safety, including aviation safety, while data analysis and management is important that must be promoted to avoid repeating mistakes that eventually cause accidents'. On the occasion, President PALPA Capt Suhail Baloch in his speech asked the government to establish an independent Pakistan Transportation Safety Board (PTSB) with the representations from PALPA, SAEP, and ATC Guild. He said 'Professional safety in any field and more so in aviation is a continuous effort. Hence the need to regularly update, adapt and adopt to international standards.' He was of the opinion that PALPA alone cannot safeguard the interest of flight safety in Pakistan. 'We need to understand that pilots in any aviation industry or airline are the last line of defense, when it comes to safety, of any such organization,' he added. Curt Lewis, an expert in Aviation Accident Investigation, in his address congratulated PIA's new chairman on his appointment and said that he has a great responsibility to steer the airline out of difficult times, for PIA has a proud history. He also recognized the efforts of PALPA to take this bold step of bringing aviation community together for an important cause. Curt Lewis is currently president/owner of Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC - a consulting firm specializes in aviation safety, accident investigation and reconstruction, and airport and aircraft security. He has in excess of 35 years of safety experience as a professional pilot, safety engineer/director, and air safety investigator. He is currently serving as an Assistant Professor with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. 'Pakistan like many other places in the world is facing infrastructure issues, and to make things better it has to effectively implement better safety management systems,' said the president Curt Lewis & Associates, who served with American Airlines/AMR Corporation for 17 years. He added that safety management systems are to make you sure about fully comprehending the risks that are around there. He further said that safety management systems are simply to allocate your money and resources against risks. 'Safety management systems can be made unnecessarily complicated, but simplicity is the key to make intelligent decisions as how to manage risks,' he added. Former Attorney General and senior advocate Supreme Court Anwar Mansoor Khan in his message on 'Legal Aspect of Aviation Safety' said that there are three aspects which need to be altered in order for the law to be adequate for aviation safety, and that include updating the primary law in light of international conventions and standards, prioritizing aviation safety and with severe implications in failing aviation safety; having a separate investigation board for accidents in order to have correct and unbiased reports; and CAA should be a proper regulatory body without the influence of service providers. 'The CAO 1960 is the oldest document applicable to civil aviation in Pakistan. It has become an obsolete legal document in the context of aviation safety. It does not contain adequate provisions on aviation safety,' he added. http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=161370 Back to Top Back to Top Airbus chief looks beyond the A380 Fabrice Brégier, new chief executive of Airbus, thinks he has the "best job" in European industry. But it is also one of the most challenging managerial positions in the world. He has to oversee a highly ambitious increase in Airbus' production of passenger jets, while at the same time ensuring its planned new A350 widebody aircraft does not suffer the same delays and cost overruns as previous programmes. As if this were not enough, he also has the unexpected and complex task of sorting out a serious wing cracking issue on the A380 superjumbo, Airbus' flagship aircraft, that only became fully apparent in January. If Mr Brégier can juggle these challenges successfully, he will turn Airbus into a bigger profit generator for EADS, the aircraft manufacturer's parent. Too often in the past six years, Airbus has been reporting operating losses or reduced earnings because of problems with the A380 programme and another focused on the company's A400M military transport aircraft. The plan to boost Airbus' earnings is rooted in its effort to increase aircraft production beyond its existing record level, because the company has a large order backlog for 4,341 single and twin aisle passenger jets. "This [production ramp-up] is a huge operational challenge, because the supply chain is under pressure," says Mr Brégier, in his first interview since taking the top job at Airbus on June 1. Airbus has 1,500 suppliers covering everything from aerostructures to engines, and some of these companies are contending with increased demands from Boeing, which is also increasing aircraft production. The supply chain pressure looks most acute in the production of single aisle aircraft, where Airbus stole a march on Boeing by unveiling a revamped narrow-body jet with more fuel efficient engines, called the A320 Neo, which secured 1,226 orders last year. Airbus is already making 40 narrow-body jets each month, and this should rise to 42 in the fourth quarter, and Mr Brégier describes the increase as a "hell of a challenge for the supply chain", partly because some suppliers did not invest enough during the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009. So Airbus has put on hold a tentative proposal to increase narrow-body production to 44 jets each month from 2013 or 2014. Mr Brégier, previously Airbus' chief operating officer, is keen to reject Boeing's accusations that Airbus has unleashed a price war in the narrow-body market with the A320 Neo. Ahead of the Farnborough air show next month, where Boeing is expected to secure orders for its revamped 737 single aisle aircraft with more fuel efficient engines, Mr Brégier says: "Who is desperate to catch-up? Who is desperate to make announcements in Farnborough? Me? No." Meanwhile, he is ready to "bet" that Airbus' A350 twin aisle aircraft will not suffer the same level of delay that Boeing's 787 Dreamliner jet did. Fabrice Brégier Aged 50; educated at Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole des Mines; married with three children Started career in 1983 as a test engineer at Creys-Malville nuclear power station Worked as a civil servant in French industry and agriculture ministries during 1980s and 1990s 2001: appointed chief executive of MBDA, the European missile systems company created from French, Italian and UK assets 2003: became head of Eurocopter, EADS' subsidiary making helicopters 2006: appointed Airbus' chief operating officer, with responsibilities including restructuring and the A350 programme The two aircraft have been high risk technology projects because Boeing and Airbus are mainly using carbon fibre reinforced plastic rather than aluminium alloy, and this switch of materials is a key reason why the 787 was delivered three years late to its first customer last September. The A350 is due to go to its first customer by the middle of 2014, which would be one year later than originally proposed, but Mr Brégier says the revised timetable is "workable". The A380 is also going to preoccupy him because Airbus is busy fixing wing cracks on many of the 77 superjumbos that are flying today. Emirates Airline, the largest operator of the A380, complained in March of significant commercial disruption because of having to ground its superjumbos for repairs to cracked wing components. But Mr Brégier sees no evidence of a consumer backlash against the A380 because it is "safe" to fly, and he claims the superjumbo programme is "back on track" because Airbus is finalising a permanent solution to the wing crack problem. He also notes carriers are standing by the superjumbo, including Emirates. It is partly aircraft orders from fast-growing Gulf carriers that give Mr Brégier confidence that Airbus' production ramp-up is justified in spite of the eurozone crisis. He stresses western Europe is a small part of Airbus' market, and highlights large orders in the US and Asia. This means he is interested in whether Airbus can build more aircraft outside Europe by adding to its factory in China. All of Mr Brégier's strategy appears consistent with the one pursued by Tom Enders, his predecessor, who moved to become EADS' chief executive. Plain-talking Mr Enders is very different to the more reserved Mr Brégier, but their relationship will be crucial to the future success of Airbus and EADS. Both men are acutely aware of the strategic threat posed by Comac, China's fledgling aircraft maker, and Mr Brégier may have one eye on this new breed of competitor when he says Airbus needs greater "agility". "We need to be faster in introducing innovation into our products and our ways of working," he says. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3ef56200-bde6-11e1-9abf- 00144feabdc0.html#axzz1yoJwOdY5 Back to Top Avianca and TACA Airlines join Star Alliance Avianca and TACA Airlines have announced their official entry into Star Alliance. The airline network is the world1s largest in terms of daily flights, route network, service excellence and number of airline members. After two years of work in the approval process and with the adoption of the highest standards of operation and service, Avianca and TACA Airlines now offer passengers the opportunity to access this global network, which brings together 28 internationally renowned airlines. It operates more than 4,200 latest generation aircraft, servicing 21,500 daily flights to 1,356 airports in 193 countries. Star Alliance, with 15 years of experience (since 1997) is recognized as the first truly global airline alliance. Consistent with its goal of offering customers worldwide the largest number of destinations and a great travel experience, it now offers exclusive services and assistance to frequent flyers in 990 airport lounges on all five continents. It has the support of nearly half a million employees in America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The Alliance transports an average of 650 million passengers per year and has sales revenues of USD 160bn. The combined Star Alliance network will provide Avianca and TACA Airlines an opportunity to strengthen their presence in Latin America and the Caribbean in general. Passengers of the global network can quickly and seamlessly fly to over 50 destinations in the region through Avianca and TACA Airlines Hubs in Bogota (Colombia), San Salvador (El Salvador), Lima (Peru) and San Jose (Costa Rica). Multiple benefits for frequent flyers Thanks to the entry into this alliance, travelers can now enjoy easier, more convenient travel. Star Alliance provides an online reservation system for passengers of all its member airlines. It also offers a joint check in process, which allows passengers the option to perform self-check in special kiosks to travel on routes with several different airlines. Baggage handling is made simpler with a single contact point for the traveler, regardless of how many trips and journeys are made on Star Alliance member airlines. Avianca and TACA Airlines LifeMiles members now have access not only to all the flights on the network, but can also earn and redeem miles from the best loyalty programs in the world. Source: Avianca and TACA Airlines Back to Top Gulfstream cockpit receives EASA, FAA nod Gulfstream has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to retrofit Gulfstream GV, GIV, GIV-SP, G400 and G300 aircraft with the cockpit upgrade known as PlaneDeck. The optional upgrade, an exclusive for Gulfstream operators, converts the primary flight display from cathode ray tube to liquid crystal. Gulfstream's six-panel display configuration remains the same. Along with improved clarity of the displays, PlaneDeck offers operators enhanced safety, efficiency and reliability with the integration of XM graphical weather; electronic charts and maps, which will be certifiable as paperless; and video displays, accessible through all-new dual cursor controls. Minimal pilot training is necessary. "This is great news for the more than 700 GV, GIV, GIV-SP, G300 and G400 operators worldwide," said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream Product Support. "PlaneDeck's advanced technology offers many safety benefits and improves an aircraft's efficiency and reliability." The PlaneDeck installation complements upcoming FAA NextGen requirements, such as the Future Air Navigation System 1/A data link, Wide Area Augmentation System- Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance and Required Navigation Performance. According to the FAA, which projects increased business jet and airline travel in the next 20 years, the use of satellite-based technology will help reduce gridlock, in the air and at airports. The installation of PlaneDeck on Gulfstream GV, GIV, GIV-SP, G400 and G300 aircraft has already begun. Installation time is 10 to 12 business days. http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/2012/06/gulfstream-cockpit-receives-easa-faa- nod/ Back to Top Indonesia's safety committee makes first recommendations after Sukhoi crash Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) has issued some immediate recommendations to how demonstration flights should be conducted while investigations into the May crash of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 continue. To address the safety issues that were identified, the NTSC is recommending that Indonesia's directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) ensure that all aircraft on demonstration flights operate within a "published minimum safe flight altitude". It also wants Sukhoi to review its procedures for the preparation and operation of demonstration flights and if needed, make the appropriate changes. NTSC is also recommending that the manufacturer arrange additional training for crew who will be conducting demonstration flights, especially for those operated in mountainous regions. The DGCA and Sukhoi should also ensure that a copy of the crew and passenger manifest are kept on the ground, at the ground handling and operation service office, before each flight, says the NTSC. The SSJ100 aircraft, with the serial number 95004 and tail number 97004, which crashed on 9 May was scheduled for a 30-minute demonstration flight. It had been due to take off from Jakarta's Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport before heading to Pelabuhan Ratu, an area in West Java, and then return to the airport. Radar contact with the aircraft, however, was lost about 30 minutes after take-off, shortly after it requested to descend to 6,000ft (1,829m). The aircraft wreckage was later found on a near-vertical mountainside on the eastern side of Mount Salak, at an elevation of about 6,100ft. In its initial investigations, NTSC said it could not find a copy of the passenger manifest and aircraft documents, which were kept and carried on board by a staff who was also a passenger on the fatal flight. The aircraft had also been certified by Russia's ministry of industry and trade to be safe for operations under the conditions that the aircraft would be maintained and operated according to regulations. NTSC also confirms that both pilots operating the aircraft each held a valid test pilot licence issued by the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, both the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been retrieved and Indonesian and Russian authorities have formally signed a cooperation agreement over the investigation. None of the 45 people on board survived. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/indonesias-safety-committee-makes-first- recommendations-after-sukhoi-crash-373351/ Back to Top Virgin Announce Plans to Allow In-Flight Mobile Phone Calls Virgin Atlantic has become the first British airline to allow mobile phone use on planes LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, Jun 25, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Enjoying a quiet snooze on a long-haul flight or having an excuse not to answer your phone may soon become a thing of the past as Virgin Atlantic has launched a new service that allows passengers to use their mobiles inflight. Passengers travelling between London and New York on the carrier's new A330 Airbus will be able to send and receive text messages, make phone calls and have web access to emails. The luxury of using mobile phones at 35,000 feet, however, comes at a price. In-flight calls are expected to set phone users back GBP 1 a minute for making calls and 20p for sending text messages.(ii) This luxury is also exclusive as the service is only available to 10 people at a time because bandwidth is limited at such great heights. Phones will not be allowed to operate during take-off and landing and they will also have to be turned off within a 250-mile radius of US airspace because of American laws. Virgin Atlantic is just one of the growing numbers of commercial airlines that are adopting new technology which allows travellers to make mobile phone calls on board. Low cost airline, Ryanair is another carrier which allows passengers to use phones in- flight. They became the first European airline to launch the service in 2009. Mobile phone users on this airline can face even higher charges as in-call rates are around GBP 3 a minute. Whilst this may mark the start of an expensive journey, the holiday could be even pricier should valuable items such as a mobile phone become lost or stolen. Whether you intend using your phone inflight or not, and wherever in the world you are travelling you may wish to consider taking out travel insurance before you go. SOURCE: Asda Financial Services Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC