Flight Safety Information October 12, 2012 - No. 206 In This Issue American Airlines bird strike: Flight 1388 lands safely at Miami International Airport FAA to test data-communication innovations with Federal Express, United Airlines, and Delta Airlines FAA to redefine aviation in near future, says chief 9500 miles in 18½ hours - Singapore Airlines Flight 21 and the Airbus 340-500 Court orders arrest of Kingfisher Airlines boss (India) Space shuttle Endeavour leaves LAX, now on L.A. streets PROS IOSA Audit Experts Iraq agrees to buy 24 Czech combat, training aircraft ERAU - Aviation Safety Program Management - Course American Airlines bird strike: Flight 1388 lands safely at Miami International Airport American Airlines says a bird got caught in the engine of a Chicago-to-Miami flight MIAMI (AP) -- American Airlines says a bird got caught in the engine of a Chicago-to-Miami flight but that the passenger jet landed safely. Airline spokesman Matt Miller said late Thursday that the American flight "took a bird strike just prior to landing" at Miami International Airport. He said an emergency landing was declared on Flight 1388 from Chicago O'Hare International Airport as a precaution and that the Boeing 737 landed safely Thursday evening. The flight had 145 people on board. Back to Top FAA to test data-communication innovations with Federal Express, United Airlines, and Delta Airlines WASHINGTON, 11 Oct. 2012. On the heels of awarding Harris Corp. a $331 million contract to deploy data communications (Data Comm) in dozens of air traffic control towers in the next six years, FAA officials, including FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta, plan to deploy Data Comm in en route centers that manage high-altitude traffic. "To facilitate the roll out of Data Comm, we plan to validate the system's capabilities at three air traffic control towers around the country in a pilot program," Huerta explains. Government and industry will test Data Comm with FedEx in Memphis, with United in Newark, and with Delta in Atlanta. The goal of Data Comm is to provide a two-way data exchange between controllers and flight crews. It will supplement, but not entirely replace, voice communication on the radio, as well as help with departure clearances, instructions, advisories, flight crew requests, and reports. Data Comm will also enhance air traffic safety by enabling controllers to provide more timely and effective clearances. The more reliable and timely delivery of messages will reduce the risk of incidents associated with voice communications. "Data Comm is just one part of the big NextGen picture," Huerta says. "But, it shows the relevance and importance of interconnecting technologies. It also shows how important it is to work together as operators, regulators, unions, and airports." http://www.avionics-intelligence.com/articles/2012/10/faa-data.html Back to Top FAA to redefine aviation in near future, says chief The Federal Aviation Administration will make a variety of critical decisions regarding aviation-related issues over the next two to three years - decisions that will "define what aviation looks like in this country for the next 25, 30 or 40 years," the FAA's top official said Thursday. "There is so much as an industry that we need to do," Michael Huerta, the FAA's acting administrator, said Thursday at a Wichita Aero Club luncheon where he was the keynote speaker. The luncheon was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Wichita Airport. Earlier, Huerta spoke at Bombardier Aerospace's annual Safety Standdown, an event attended by hundreds of pilots and other aviation industry professionals focusing on safety education. Wichita has long been a cradle of aviation innovation, Huerta said at the luncheon. The city's manufacturers have delivered hundreds of thousands of airplanes over the years. General aviation has been good for the U.S., contributing positively to the country's balance of trade. The tremendous advances made in aviation in the first century of flight are "mind-boggling," he said. The agency is tackling issues facing the industry, such as enhancing safety while decreasing the costs associated with aircraft certification, Huerta said. It formed an aviation rule-making committee to look at ways to make improvements. Today, "essentially what we're doing is preventing the last accident," Huerta said, an approach that has served the industry well. Going forward, the FAA wants to learn the safety lessons from the past, but also take more proactive, results- oriented steps. It wants to enhance general aviation safety while cutting certification costs in half, Huerta said. One way to work toward that goal, he said, would be to have a standard set of testing for a product to be certified by the various foreign aviation authorities around the world. Today, one foreign authority typically requires manufacturers to perform a test on, say, a wing that is different than what the next foreign authority requires. Having more global testing standards would take costs out of the process and help companies develop technologies faster, Huerta said. "We still have authority to whether an aircraft design meets the standard," he said. The FAA rule-making committee will finish its report next year. Another issue is how to standardize the use of non-standard equipment for existing general aviation aircraft. The goal is to make it easier for owners to install life-saving products on their airplanes, Huerta said. New general aviation airplanes have the latest safety features, but are much more expensive to buy. And the bulk of the general aviation fleet is about 40 years old, he said. Another issue is how best to replace low-lead aviation fuel used by 160,000 airplanes with a non-leaded fuel. An FAA report was issued earlier this year, and Huerta said its recommendations are still being considered. The FAA is also working on a multi-billion NextGen air traffic control modernization program, one that would shift the use of ground-based radar to satellite technology. Huerta was confirmed as the FAA's deputy administrator by the Senate in June 2010 and assumed the role of acting administrator in December 2011. Huerta worked with presidential candidate Mitt Romney on the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. He served as managing director of the games. Before joining the FAA, he held senior positions at Affiliated Computer Services, including president of its Transportation Solutions Group. He also was commissioner of the New York City's Department of Ports, International Trade and Commerce and served as executive director of the Port of San Francisco. He also held senior positions in the U.S. Transportation Department in Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California-Riverside and a master's in international relations from Princeton University. Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2012/10/12/2529599/faa-to-redefine-aviation-in- near.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top 9500 miles in 18½ hours - Singapore Airlines Flight 21 and the Airbus 340-500 Airbus A 340-500, the type used for Singapore Airlines Flight 21 - Singapore Airlines Flight 21 routinely travels from Newark to Singapore nonstop, where passengers and crew fly just short of 9500 miles in 18½ hours. Yes, 18½ hours of flight with most of it at several hundred miles per hour within the stratosphere - and routinely. Compare Flight 21 with the historic first powered and controlled flight by the Wright Brothers which lasted mere seconds, never leaving ground effect just over a century ago. The Wrights opened the door to a dimension of travel no one but the most insane of the day could have foreseen. During the 20th Century aviation pioneers like Batten, Lindbergh, Post and Kingsford-Smith were rightfully lionized for their perilous one or two person ocean crossing feats. Now the infrastructure exists to safely and reliably cross half the globe on a scheduled basis three times per week with 99 fellow passengers. Truly, it is difficult to fathom this progress over such a short time! Singapore Airlines uses the Airbus A 340-500 for this flight which is a poetic match to superior service of Singapore Airlines - both marked by elegance and poise. http://blog.seattlepi.com/travelforaircraft/2012/10/11/9500-miles-in-18%C2%BD-hours-%E2%80%94- singapore-airlines-flight-21-and-the-airbus-340-500/ Back to Top Court orders arrest of Kingfisher Airlines boss (India) An Indian court has ordered the arrest of the highflying owner of beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines on charges of bouncing checks. MUMBAI, India (AP) - An Indian court has ordered the arrest of the highflying owner of beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines on charges of bouncing checks. The decision came as Vijay Mallya's airline struggled for survival and appeared set to extend a suspension of flights it began on Oct. 1. A court in the southern city of Hyderabad issued an arrest warrant Friday for Mallya on charges his airline bounced four checks worth over 103 million rupees ($1.9 million) to the consortium running the airport in the city. The cash-strapped airline has stopped selling tickets on its website through Oct. 20 as it struggles to convince pilots and engineers who haven't been paid for months to return to work. Kingfisher, once one of India's best airlines, is more than $1 billion in debt. Back to Top Space shuttle Endeavour leaves LAX, now on L.A. streets The space shuttle Endeavour has left the grounds of the Los Angeles International Airport and is now on city streets, heading east toward Inglewood. The massive spacecraft, rolling at under 2 mph, left the airport at 2 a.m. exactly. "Right on time, it just cleared the gates," said airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles. The weathered shuttle -- its blemishes easy to see -- took up two of the four lanes of the road as it rolled down Northside Parkway, and a handful of vehicles led the procession, including a truck that had a U.S. flag fluttering behind it. At the first sight of Endeavour, scores of onlookers waiting patiently on city streets began running on Westchester Parkway, some with camera tripods in tow, snapping photos furiously. They had been waiting hours in the dark, some perched on top of car roofs, and others on ladders and step stools yearning, in the crisp autumn darkness, for their first glimpse of America's last space shuttle. About 100 people whooped and hollered from the corner of Westchester Parkway and McConnell Avenue. "Welcome Endeavour! You're ours now!" a young woman wearing a lavender jacket shouted before melting back into the crowd. Half a dozen firefighters on top of their engine snapped photos on Westchester. A woman wearing furry tie- dyed legwarmers gazed at the shuttle, wearing a bike helmet with U.S. and California flags sticking out. People on sidewalks scrambled to follow the shuttle as it moved to the east. The sides of the road were littered with abandoned bicycles as shuttle fans rushed to follow Endeavour just a little bit more. Los Angeles Police Capt. Jon Peters stopped in front of a couple marveling at Endeavour, and paused for a moment as it negotiated a turn around a tree -- a delay long enough for spectators to catch up. "You see that guy in the front there, with the joystick? Amazing. Tell your kids to stay on those video games," Peters said. Earlier, the mood was anxious, if a bit weary, as the spectators stood in the cool night air, nearby light stands creating patches of brightness in the darkness. A few bicyclists sauntered down the pathway that the still- distant shuttle would take, prompting a couple of yells from officials in hardhats. Others lingered at a corner, not quite sure if or when they would be told to leave. Earlier in the night, TV trucks and camera crews outnumbered pedestrians at the first viewing spot along the shuttle's 12-mile trek. "I'm surprised there isn't a mob of people around here," said David Loudenback, 66, a retired engineer who lives a mile down the road. He said that he is no night owl, but that he decided the spectacle was worth a little lost sleep. "This is one of the little perks of living by the airport, said Loudenback, who is familiar with the nightly hum of jet engines passing over his home. He and a handful of others continued to look over their shoulders for the first sign of authorities. There were soft groans when a tram full of nearly 50 uniformed officers pulled up. "I feel like I'm in 'I, Robot,'" said Helen Pans, 45, of Playa del Rey. Pans had just been shooed down the road by a police officer. "They were really touting it when Endeavour was flying by, saying it would be a parade, and now all of a sudden you've got people coming up to you telling you you have to leave," she said. Pans said even as a child, she was fascinated by the space shuttles. She said she clearly remembers the day of the Challenger disaster. She was working on Capitol Hill at the time, and she recalled her entire office crowding around a tiny screen after the disaster. "People were in tears," she said. Endeavour, which was built to replace Challenger, landed for the final time at Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 21. Pans was at the Grove at the time, and sprinted to the top of the parking garage to catch a glimpse. "I've always wanted to see a takeoff or see a landing," she said. Perhaps, she added, this would be good enough. For Ali Hart, though, the spectacle was only worth so much. Her brother, Nathan, had roused her from bed before midnight and persuaded her to come with him to try to see the shuttle's passage. Their parents had been at the site of Endeavour's first landing at Edwards Air Force Base, just yards away from President Reagan. "I thought it would be cool to see it," said Hart, 21. "But I'm not going to chase it all over L.A." Over the next two days, the 170,000-pound shuttle is expected to travel at no more than 2 mph along the 12- mile route that includes Westchester Parkway, La Tijera Boulevard, Crenshaw Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The shuttle is moved by four computer-controlled transporters that will help it negotiate complex turns and avoid streetside obstacles. At points along the way, the space vehicle will be inches away from buildings and protrude onto driveways and sidewalks. Because of the enormous weight of the shuttle, thousands of heavy steel plates have been used to reinforce city streets. Endeavour is scheduled to arrive at the California Science Center by 9 p.m. Saturday. En route, the public can see the shuttle on Friday at a number of public viewing areas along Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood, including Isis, Hindry and Glasgow avenues as well as La Cienega Boulevard. On Saturday, there will also be several designated public viewing areas, including the Forum in Inglewood, the intersection of Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and certain parking lots in Exposition Park. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/10/space-shuttle-endeavour-leaves-airport-los- angeles.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+(L.A.+Now) Back to Top Back to Top Iraq agrees to buy 24 Czech combat, training aircraft BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has agreed to purchase 24 combat and training aircraft from the Czech Republic for about $1 billion as part of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's program to rebuild the country's air force and control its vulnerable airspace. The purchase of Czech L159 jets came as Maliki faces pressure from Washington to prevent Iran transporting arms through Iraqi airspace to help Tehran's ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his battle to end a 19- month-old uprising. Iraq has no real air force since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, and Baghdad says it will not be able to defend its airspace until 2020. "We have a deal to buy 24 L159 combat and training aircraft from the Czech Republic. Four of them will be given for free and will be handed over within seven months," Ali al-Moussawi, Maliki's media advisor, told Reuters by telephone from Prague. Czech Defence Ministry spokesman Jan Pejsek confirmed a preliminary deal for around $1 billion. L159s are sub-sonic planes used for training or as light combat planes. The Czech Republic has not been able to sell the jets beyond the Czech army so the Iraqi deal would be a huge success for its arms industry. Back to Top Aviation Safety Program Management Center for Aerospace Safety Education Professional Development Course Description: This course and respective topics are designed to provide the participant with the working knowledge of the development and management of an effective safety program. The philosophical and historical development of major concepts are examined with particular emphasis on areas of special concern. The participant will review problems facing today's aviation safety program manager and learn how to deal with basic safety and risk management concepts, as well as analyze program elements typically found in aviation safety programs. Participants will partake in classroom exercises based on real world experiences to learn how to use additional tools and techniques to promote safety management in their organization. Course topics include, but are not limited to: Safety Culture, Economics of Safety, Risk Management, Internal Reporting Systems, Human Factors, Accident Investigation, and Introduction to Safety Management Systems (SMS). Who should attend: This course is valuable for full-time and additional duty safety managers. It contains a complete review of the requirements for aviation safety management in Part 91, 121, and 135 Operations. This course is also valuable to pilots, mechanics, ground employees, and other employees who have safety duties listed in their job descriptions. What you will learn: ? Concepts of risk management as applied to aviation safety ? Factors that influence "risk taking" by people, and management's controls over "risk taking." ? Typical goals of an aviation safety program and various techniques to achieve these goals ? Elements of an effective safety culture ? Reasons for and the requirements of a pre-accident plan ? Four pillars of safety management systems ? Safety inspection procedures and techniques ? Goals of an internal reporting systems ? Role that human performance and human error play in aircraft incidents/accidents C.E.U.'s: 4.0 Date: Oct.29 - Nov.2, 2012 (8am-5pm Monday-Friday) Location: Daytona Beach Campus, FL Tuition/Materials Fee: $2,000 (USD) Email: case@erau.edu Web: www.erau.edu/case Curt Lewis