Flight Safety Information October 30, 2012 - No. 218 In This Issue EASA orders carriers to check A320 elevator weights Tupolev puts Tu-204SM through wet-runway trials Airport in northern Japan closed after unexploded WWII bomb found near runway Global Air Traffic Management Safety Conference opens in Cape Town String Of Accidents Challenges Helicopter Pilots Pilots Rewarded for Safety Records PROS IOSA Audit Experts Etihad Airways signs multi million deal with Airbus for new aircraft Unable to copy it, China tries building own jet engine Honda Starts Light Jet Manufacturing PC Air suspends operations after loss of charter licence American Eagle Airlines successfully exited SMS Level 1 Graduate Research Survey EASA orders carriers to check A320 elevator weights European safety regulators are ordering Airbus A320-family operators to check the weight of the type's elevators to verify that they remain within limits. The order is detailed in an airworthiness directive which comes into effect on 6 November. In the directive the European Aviation Safety Agency states that maintenance activities, such as repair or accumulation of paint layers, might cause the elevator weight to exceed certified limits. "This condition, if not detected and corrected, could result in reduced control of the [aircraft]," it adds. EASA is ordering a one-time check of both the right- and left-hand elevators on the type. Operators must carry out the checks within 48 months, unless the aircraft has not undergone maintenance that might affect the elevator weight - in which case the compliance time is 72 months. http://www.flightglobal.com/ Back to Top Tupolev puts Tu-204SM through wet-runway trials Tupolev has performed a series of wet-runway tests with its Tu-204SM twinjet as the type nears certification. It conducted the tests with aircraft 64151 at Moscow Zhukovsky's Gromov research centre, monitoring the jet with video cameras. Tupolev says the Tu-204SM carried out eight runs, on a runway coated with a layer of water, at speeds from 27kt (50km/h) to near-rotation, with positive results. It states that the tests aimed to demonstrate that the aircraft could operate safely in harsh rain conditions, "close to tropical", by analysing the path of water spray thrown up by the landing gear. The aircraft, whose test regime has covered some 285 flights by the end of October, is also to undergo wet landing tests. Tupolev says the Tu-204SM, which recently completed radiation field testing, has also been subjected to more than 44h of high-temperature operations and ground-based failure mode analysis. http://www.flightglobal.com/ Back to Top Airport in northern Japan closed after unexploded WWII bomb found near runway TOKYO -(AP) A major airport in northern Japan was closed Tuesday after construction workers found an unexploded bomb believed to be from World War II. All 92 flights in and out of Sendai airport were cancelled after the 250-kilogram (550-pound) bomb was uncovered during construction near a runway, local police official Hiroshi Ouchi said. The bomb was identified as American-made and is believed to be a dud from World War II. It appeared to have a working detonator, and a military bomb squad was considering whether to move the bomb or explode it on the spot. Sandbags were piled up around the bomb, and local officials said evacuations of nearby homes were being considered. They added that the area had been sealed off and there was no immediate concern the bomb would explode. The Sendai airport, a regional hub for travel into northern Japan, was closed for months due to severe damage from last year's tsunami. It is still undergoing reconstruction. Officials said the airport would reopen as soon as the bomb was considered secure, possibly by Wednesday morning. But they said it could take a week to actually dispose of it or erect barriers to prepare the site for a controlled detonation. The United States heavily bombed Japanese cities during World War II, and finding unexploded bombs is not unusual, even 67 years after Japan's surrender. Dozens of duds are uncovered in Tokyo each year, and even more are found on the southern island of Okinawa, which was the site of the most intense fighting during the war. Many of them are found at construction sites. The rusty condition of the bombs can make them prone to detonate when moved, but injuries are rare. Experts say it could take several decades to remove all of the unexploded ordnance. Last week, hundreds of residents in central Tokyo were evacuated so that bomb squads could remove a 220-kilogram dud buried there. Back to Top Global Air Traffic Management Safety Conference opens in Cape Town The Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) Global Air Traffic Management (ATM) Safety Conference has been officially opened by the Deputy Minister of Transport, Honorable Sindisiwe Chikunga, MP, in Cape Town. This six-day conference, which ends on 2 November, is sponsored by the Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) Company of South Africa. This is the first time in the history of aviation in South Africa that a conference of this magnitude is taking place on African soil, ATNS said. CANSO is currently divided into five regions, namely Caribbean & Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. The sixth region, CANSO Africa Office, will be launched at the conference. In her keynote speech, Chikunga said that, "Today is indeed another great day in the chapter and history of global aviation safety management. Some 30 years ago no one including us could predict that a gathering of this magnitude would transpire today in the city of Cape Town interrogating the much sensitive and desirable topic of air traffic management safety. "But because of technological innovation and safety concerns in the industry the conference of this magnitude is pertinent to the growth, safety and sustainability of the airline industry. This is a favourable opportunity of the Civil Aviation Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) to properly interrogate and work on its challenges and where it wants to be". Aviation Safety in Africa has been a focal point during recent conferences held in South Africa, for example, the 2012 Aviation Safety Summit held in Sandton, South Africa on 15th May 2012 and the Airport Expansion and Development Africa 2012 held in November 2011. "There is a need to learn from accidents and incidents through safety investigation so as to take appropriate action to prevent the repetition of such events. In addition, it is important that even apparently minor occurrences are investigated, in order to prevent catalysts for major accidents. Safety analysis and investigation is a necessary and effective means of improving safety, by learning the appropriate lessons from safety occurrences and adopting preventative actions. It is therefore important that an environment exists where occurrences are reported; the necessary processes are in place for investigation and for the development of necessary preventative actions such as re-training and improved supervision" said ATNS Board Chairperson, Captain Mpho Mamashela, during his opening address. There are several session underway, which are, firstly, the CANSO Operations Standing Committee (OSC), which will host its inaugural ATM Operations Seminar/Workshop (semshop) in Africa. This three-day session has been earmarked to handle regional operations matters, with an eye on global implications. Secondly, CANSO Safety Standing Committee (SSC) will hold the first African Regional Safety Seminar and the first African ICAO/CANSO Regional Runway Safety Seminar. This session will bring together a multi-disciplinary approach to mitigating runway safety risk. Lastly, the annual Global ATM Safety Conference - will bring together Safety Director's from around the world to discuss the accomplishments of last year within the CANSO Safety Programme and the future plans of the SSC. http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28287:global- air-traffic-management-safety-conference-opens-in-cape-town&catid=114:civil- aviation&Itemid=247 Back to Top String Of Accidents Challenges Helicopter Pilots Helicopter pilots need to take more ownership of a steadily increasing number of accidents, according to the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST). In the seven-day period between October 10 and October 17 the industry reported four accidents that took the lives of seven people. Two accidents on the same day, October 10, claimed two lives, one in northeastern Pennsylvania and the other in central Louisiana. An October 12 night accident into a wooded area near Fredericksburg, Texas, claimed all three onboard, while five days later, another helicopter crashed and caught fire in Bucks County, Pa. "As an industry, we need to focus on the expected, easy mission and on conventional risks, such as changes in weather [not just those that appear difficult]," said an IHST statement. "Many pilots are not evaluating the risk when they feel it is a standard, low-risk flight and the consequences of this mindset are tragic. One out of every five rotorcraft accidents occurs during routine general aviation/private flying, and another one out of five accidents occurs during instruction flights." The risk issues of night flying, weather, fatigue and stress are magnified for helicopters flying close to the ground. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainsafety/2012-10-29/string-accidents-challenges- helicopter-pilots Back to Top Pilots Rewarded for Safety Records NBAA Convention News » October 30, 2012 The National Business Aviation Association presents the Pilot Flying Safety Awards each year to member company pilots who have exemplary safety records. To be eligible for an award, a pilot must have flown corporate aircraft 1,500 hours without an accident. The actual number of safe hours flown by many of the 2011 top pilots is, in fact, above 20,000 hours. Steve Warner, pilot Spectra Energy Lancaster, Pa. 25,782 hours AIN first wrote about Steve Warner as a safe pilot in 2004, when he had 21,620 hours and worked for Duke Energy. He was sixth on the list. Now Warner is at the top of the list with 25,782 hours and today he flies pipeline patrol for Spectra Energy in a Cessna 206. Warner first went flying in an airplane at the age of seven, and, he said, "I told my dad this is what I want to do!" After serving in the military, he worked as a crop duster for five years, piloting Grumman Ag-Cats and Piper Pawnees. He flew for Williams Pipeline in Oklahoma then Duke, before joining Spectra. In all, he has 40 years of pipeline patrol flying logged. "I love the 206," he said. "It's forgiving and good for what we need it for. It's a joy to fly, and I like the high wing." He described Spectra as "a fantastic company." Warner said his safety philosophy is, among other things, "you don't fly junk. You set your standards based on experience and you don't exceed that." Donald Johnson Don Johnson Aviation Danville, Calif. 25,341 hours From an early age, Don Johnson grew up with a dream of soaring through the air. His father's orthodontist friend flew a Bellanca Cruisair, and at age 10, Johnson had his first flying lesson from that friend in an Aeronca Champ. He started flying gliders at 12 and soloed at 14. In high school Johnson flew friends almost every day, in his Cessna 172. At age 21, he owned the Holiday Haven Soaring School in Tehachapi, Calif., and, he recalled, "I lived in the towplane!" He subsequently formed an aircraft management company handling a Hawker 800, a Westwind, a Citation and two Fairchild Merlins. Currently, Johnson is flying as a contract pilot on the Gulfstream GIV and GV, and when we talked, he was heading off to Global Express school. Johnson said his favorite corporate airplane is the Falcon 20, which he flew for a fractional share company. Johnson's safety philosophy includes having an A&P certificate. "It helps me to have a better understanding of the systems," he said. "I fly so many different airplanes that I have to go by the checklist and stick with the procedures. I always have a way out or an option if the weather or a mechanical issue were to arise. It's important to review the flight, prepare for any obstacles and be ready to tell the boss 'no' if conditions are not right." Kenneth Pingel, line pilot Monsanto St. Louis 25,325 hours Monsanto's flight department started out with Douglas DC-3s, Convairs and a PBY. Today the company flies two Falcon 900LXs and a 900EX and three Hawkers out of Spirit of St. Louis Airport. "Monsanto has an incredible safety culture," line pilot Kenneth Pingel told AIN. "From headquarters down, safety is first." Pingel has been flying for the multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation for 14 years. "I fly with a great group of guys," he said, "and our flight department managers do a great job." Pingel also credits his father with instilling in him the basic fundamentals of safety and flying. He grew up on his father's small airport in southern Missouri; his two brothers are also professional pilots. Before joining Monsanto, Pingel worked for a medical company and flew for 15 years for Fabrick Tractor, a Caterpillar dealer. Maurice Evans, pilot Duininck Companies Prinsburg, Minn. 23,478 hours When he worked for Willmar Air Service, Maurice Evans often flew for Duininck Companies, then in 19979 he joined the firm as its sole pilot. Duininck, which is based in Prinsburg, Minn., has six divisions: food, resort, golf, water and sewer and heavy construction. The company keeps its Piper Navajo, which has logged 16,000 hours, and two Mooneys in Willmar. Evans said the three aircraft are flown about 900 hours a year. He likes to fly both types but said the Navajo is faster and roomier. Evans grew up around aviation. "Dad had an airplane on the farm from when I was an eighth grader," he said. "We would go to Flying Farmers events, and my older brother flew. In college, my friends flew and we had a competition to see who got a license first." His safety secret is good maintenance, and, said Evans, "One should never go out the door with an issue. The five owners of the company are pilots and they understand aviation. If conditions are bad, don't go. Safety is the number-one issue." Marion Maneth, pipeline patrol supervisor Spectra Energy Little Rock, Ark. 22,312 hours Spectra Energy, a provider of natural gas infrastructure, is headquartered in Houston, Texas, but Marion Maneth's division is based at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Little Rock, Ark. The company also has regional offices in Boston, British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia. "Spectra Energy is converting its fleet of Cessna 206 patrol aircraft to the Found FBA3," Maneth said. "We currently have two of them in Little Rock and are taking delivery of four more by 2014." Maneth joined the company in September 1989 and has been in his current position for 10 years. "When I was a young farm kid in Kansas," he said, "my Dad was working on his private license. He used to take my brother and me to the airport to hang around while he took his lessons. I have always been interested in flying." After serving in the U.S. Army, where he joined a military flying club, Maneth worked as a charter pilot and as an aerial applicator in Liberal, Kans. When asked his favorite corporate airplane to fly, Maneth said, "I've never met an airplane I didn't like, just some more than others. Obviously, the Cessna 206 ranks pretty high." Asked about his safety record, Maneth said, "Spectra Energy has always had a culture and commitment to safety. From our equipment to our training, safety is the first consideration. Flying 900 hours a year at 500 feet off the ground," he continued, "you really are safety conscious." http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/nbaa-convention-news/2012-10-29/pilots-rewarded- safety-records Back to Top Back to Top Etihad Airways signs multi million deal with Airbus for new aircraft Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, today announced it had purchased two more Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft in a deal worth $418m at current list prices. The UAE carrier has also converted seven of its previously ordered Airbus A320s to the larger Airbus A321 model. The new Airbus A330 aircraft are scheduled for delivery in January and March 2014 respectively. Etihad Airways commenced operations with its first Airbus A330-200 in November 2003. The airline currently has 16 Airbus A330-200, 6 Airbus A330-300 passenger types and two A330- 200 freighters in its fleet of 67 aircraft. Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said, "The reliable and highly versatile Airbus A330-200 has been an integral part of our global passenger and cargo success. As our operations and network continue to grow in scale, we feel the A330-200 is the right fleet type to expand with." The new Etihad Airways' Airbus A330-200s will be configured with 22 Pearl Business Class lie- flat beds and 240 Coral Economy seats. The aircraft will be powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines, enough to generate more than 70,000 pounds of thrust and give the aircraft a range of 14,000 kilometres. Etihad Airways operates its existing A330-200s on routes to: Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Manchester, Munich, Milan, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Lagos, Tripoli, Brisbane, Singapore, Chengdu, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Beijing. Mr Hogan added, "Our decision to convert seven of our A320s on order into A321s reflects the increasingly strong demand we are seeing across our different routes and we look forward to taking delivery of our first in November 2013." John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, said, "Winning a fifth repeat order from Etihad Airways for A330s is without a doubt a strong endorsement for the aircraft's unique combination of unbeatable economics, versatility and fuel efficiency." "In response to the continuing strong demand, we're making the A330 better and better, with for example new higher weight variants which offer our customers more payload-range capability with the same high operational reliability," he added. http://www.ameinfo.com/etihad-airways-signs-multi-million-deal-317058 Back to Top Unable to copy it, China tries building own jet engine HONG KONG (Reuters) - China has designed nuclear missiles and blasted astronauts into space, but one vital technology remains out of reach. Despite decades of research and development, China has so far failed to build a reliable, high performance jet engine. This may be about to change. China's aviation sector is striving for a breakthrough that would end its dependence on Russian and Western power plants for military and commercial aircraft. Beijing is evaluating a 100 billion yuan plan to galvanize a disjointed and under-funded engine research effort, aviation industry officials say. The giant, state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China AVIC.L, China's dominant military and commercial aviation contractor, has been lobbying hard for the extra money, officials familiar with the details say. AVIC, with more than 400,000 employees and 200 subsidiaries including 20 listed companies, has already set aside about 10 billion yuan of its own funds for jet engine development over the next three years. The engine financing plan is under high-level discussion in Beijing, said Zhao Yuxing, an official at the securities office of Shanghai-listed Xi'an Aero-Engine Plc (600893.SS), a key military engine-making unit of AVIC. "What we know is our company has been included in the strategic programme, which is designed to greatly develop and support the engine industry," he said by phone from his company's headquarters in the northwestern city of Xi'an. China's military industry as a whole has suffered from Tiananmen-era bans on the sale of military equipment from the United States and Europe. Moreover, foreign engine-makers have been loath to transfer technology. That has prevented China from taking its usual route to closing a technology gap: copying it. Some Chinese aviation industry specialists forecast that Beijing will eventually spend up to 300 billion yuan on jet engine development over the next two decades. "China's aircraft engines have obviously been under-invested," said Wang Tianyi, a defence sector analyst with Shanghai's Orient Securities. "One hundred billion yuan is not a huge amount of money in the engine world." JEALOUSLY GUARDED SECRETS While AVIC's long term priority is to develop high performance engines for military aircraft, it is also trying to design power plants for passenger aircraft in the world's fastest growing civil aviation market. Based on projected demand from Western aircraft manufacturers, engines for new passenger aircraft delivered in China could be worth more than $100 billion over the next 20 years. "Historically, all major players in aerospace have possessed both airframe and engine design capabilities," said Carlo Kopp, the Melbourne, Australia-based founder of Air Power Australia, an independent military aviation think tank. "Until China can design and produce competitive engines, the performance and capabilities of Chinese aircraft designs will be seriously limited by what technology they are permitted to import." For China's aviation engineers, the traditional short cuts of extracting intellectual property from foreign joint venture partners or simply copying technology from abroad have so far delivered minimal results. Foreign engine manufacturers including General Electric (GE.N), Snecma, a subsidiary of French aerospace group Safran (SAF.PA), Rolls Royce Plc (RR.L) and Pratt & Whitney - a unit of United Technology Corp (UTX.N), jealously guard their industrial secrets, limiting the transfer of know-how and opportunities for intellectual property theft. However, China may be poised to win access to technology from an expanding range of commercial aviation joint ventures with these companies. China's ability to develop engines for passenger aircraft could have considerable potential for technology transfer to the military, experts say. THE BOTTLENECK IN ENGINES Under AVIC's plan, fragmented engine research and development would be consolidated to minimize competition and duplication of effort. legacy of Maoist-era dispersal of defence industries, engine research institutes and aerospace manufacturing companies are scattered about the country in cities including Shenyang, Xi'an, Shanghai, Chengdu and Anshun. AVIC plans to inject its major engine related businesses into Xi'an Aero- Engine as part of this consolidation, the listed company said in its 2011 annual report. "There is widespread consensus that engines have become a bottleneck constraining the development of China's aviation industry," the report said. China faces a daunting challenge. Only a handful of companies in the United States, Europe and Russia have mastered this expertise. "Modern jet engine technology is like an industrial revolution in power," said Andrei Chang, a Hong Kong-based analyst of the Chinese military and editor of Kanwa Asian Defence Magazine. "Europe, the U.S. and Russia have hundreds of years of combined experience, but China has only been working on this for 30 years." Established manufacturers have laboured on research and development since the 1950s to build safe and reliable engines with thousands of components that function under extremes of temperature and pressure. This involves state-of-the-art technologies in design, machining, casting, composite materials, exotic alloys, electronic performance monitoring and quality control. Since then, the big players have collected vast stores of performance and operational data from existing engines that gives them a head start in designing new versions with improved fuel efficiency and reliability that airlines now demand. And, for commercial engines, all of the design and manufacturing processes must be carefully coordinated and exhaustively documented to satisfy aviation certification authorities. "The reason so few can do it is because it is really, really difficult," says Richard Margolis, a former regional director of Rolls Royce in northeast Asia. High performance military jet engines are crucial to Beijing's long term plan to increase the number of frontline fighters and strike aircraft in its air force and naval aviation units. These aircraft are a key element of a long term military build-up aimed primarily at securing military dominance over Taiwan and a vast swathe of disputed maritime territory off China's east and southern coasts. to the export bans on military equipment to China, Beijing has been forced to rely on imported fighters from Russia, reverse engineered copies of these Russian aircraft, and some home- grown designs. This strategy has delivered rapid results. Since 2000, China has added more than 500 advanced fighters and strike aircraft with capabilities thought to equal all but the most advanced U.S. stealth aircraft. At the same time, it has also sharply reduced the number of obsolete aircraft based on Soviet-era designs, military experts say. MANUFACTURING PROCESS A clear example of this progress was on display recently when a Chinese-made J-15 jet fighter practiced "touch and go" circuits on China's first aircraft carrier, the newly commissioned Liaoning. These manoeuvres suggest that J-15 pilots and crews will soon master take-offs and landings from the carrier at sea. Foreign and Chinese military experts were quick to point out that the J-15, one of China's newest military aircraft, was powered by a pair of Russian Al-31 turbofans - they power almost all of China's frontline aircraft. Reports in the Russian media say Moscow has sold more than 1,000 engines from the A1-31 family to China with further, substantial orders in the pipeline. While Chinese engineers have been able to reverse-engineer Russian airframes, the engines have been much more difficult to copy without access to the complex manufacturing processes. AVIC subsidiary and China's lead military jet engine maker, Shenyang Liming Aero- Engine Group Corporation, has been working on a homegrown equivalent, the WS-10 Taihang, but this power plant has so far failed to meet performance targets after testing on the J-15 and other fighters, Chinese and Western military experts say. The Chinese military is expected to introduce another 1,000 advanced fighters over the next two decades, according to Chinese defence sector analysts. However, anger over reverse engineering and wariness of China's growing military power has made Moscow reluctant to supply engines more advanced than the Al-31. Without imported or locally built versions of these engines, China will be unable to build aircraft that could compete with the latest U.S. or Russian stealth fighters, experts say. While military jets are strategically important, the commercial market is potentially much bigger. Boeing (BA.N) forecasts China will need an extra 5,260 large passenger aircraft by 2031. Bombardier Inc. (BBDb.TO) projects demand for business jets will reach 2,400 aircraft over the same period. With each aircraft requiring at least two engines plus spares, total demand could reach 16,000 engines with an estimated average cost of $10 million each at current prices. China plans to compete for some of these aircraft orders with two locally built passenger aircraft, the 90-seat ARJ21 regional jet and the 150-seat C919. GE (GE.N) will supply engines for the ARJ21. CFM International, a joint venture between GE and France's Snecma, won the contract to develop new engines for the C919. Some of these engines will be assembled at joint ventures in China. Despite the intensified research effort and potential for technology transfer from these ventures, some experts say foreign engines will continue to rule the skies in China. "This won't change for 10 or 15 years," says Chang from Kanwa Asian Defence Magazine. Back to Top Honda Starts Light Jet Manufacturing New lean production plant designed to standardize production work, eliminate defects Honda Aircraft announced it is making "steady progress" toward delivery of the first HondaJets to customers. Honda Aircraft Co. has started producing the HondaJet, the light business jet aircraft, that the it describes as "the fastest, highest-flying, quietest, and most fuel-efficient jet in its class." Honda Motor Co. established Honda Aircraft in 2006 to produce business jets according to its prototype design, though production was delayed several times. It set up a manufacturing plant and maintenance center in Greensboro, N.C. "An assembly line for HondaJet production is in place, major aircraft components including the fuselage and wing have been produced, and we have started assembly of the first customer aircraft," stated Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino, during an event at the National Business Aviation Assn. annual meeting this week. "Commencing production is the most important milestone in the HondaJet program to date, with only the future Federal Aviation Administration Type Certification and first customer delivery ranking greater in significance." The jets incorporate various technological innovations in aviation design, including the Over- The-Wing Engine Mount (OTWEM) configuration that improves performance and fuel efficiency by reducing aerodynamic drag. OTWEM design also reduces cabin sound, minimizes ground- detected noise, "and allows for the roomiest cabin in class, the largest baggage capacity, and a fully serviceable private aft lavatory." The HondaJet is powered by two GE Honda HF120 turbofan jet engines, and equipped with a glass flight deck, a Honda-customized Garmin G3000 next-generation all-glass avionics system with three 14-in. landscape-format displays, and dual touch-screen controllers. The manufacturing plant is described as a "lean" operation designed to standardize production work and eliminate defects. Honda indicated it has developed and implemented its own production process improvement device, focused on operator work instructions while on the assembly floor. Instructions are delivered on tablet devices, so technicians can see a graphical interface that outlines individual tasks. The plant also employs an on-site paint mixing system to achieve optimal color while reducing paint thickness in a controlled environment. This system allows for multiple aircraft to be coated with a single batch of paint, maintaining color consistency. It also pre-heats the paint, which results in a superior aesthetic quality. Honda Aircraft said it is making "steady progress" toward delivery of the first HondaJet to customers. Honda Aircraft stated it has completed various flight, systems and structural tests for the HondaJet over the past year including: crew seat crash tests, speedbrake testing, ultimate load tests, EASA windshield bird strike testing, wind tunnel icing tests, night lighting testing, and others. Also, it said it recently completed the first in a series of remote tests to validate the HondaJet aircraft's performance under extreme temperatures. These included hot-weather flight tests, hot-fuel testing, fuselage structure temperature validation, and powerplant cooling and electrical generator cooling. http://americanmachinist.com/news/honda-starts-light-jet-manufacturing Back to Top PC Air suspends operations after loss of charter licence Thailand's PC Air has suspended its operations after the country's department of civil aviation (DCA) decided not to renew its licence to operate charter flights. It is not certain when the licence will be reinstated, says the DCA's director-general Voradej Harnprasert. This comes as the agency investigates an incident on 17 October, where 400 tourists were stranded in South Korea after the airline's ground services agent failed to pay fuel and airport charges. This is believed to amount to around $300,000, he adds. Harnprasert adds that the airline's air operator's certificate had not been suspended and that the airline voluntarily grounded its operations. PC Air's website shows that it uses one Airbus A310-200 on routes from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Hong Kong and Seoul Incheon. http://www.flightglobal.com/ Back to Top American Eagle Airlines successfully exited SMS Level 1 on 10/17/2012. American Eagle entered the SMS pilot program on 8/23/2011, entered SMS Level 1 on 4/19/2012, and recently on 10/17/2012 successfully entered SMS Level 2. A lot of hard work and coordination between the working groups is the direct result in the efficient progression thru the SMS Levels. American Eagle builds its SMS foundation on a newly formed Integrated Operational Safety Review Board, IOSRB, that joins Directors from all operational areas of the airline in order to emphasize the Safety Risk Management and Safety Assurance aspects of SMS. Captain Scott P. Trepinski Director System Safety American Eagle Airlines, Inc. Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Fellow Pilots, As I work through a Graduate Research Project from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, I request your assistance to gather data about airplane tire pressure checks prior to the first flight of the day. The purpose of the research is to determine whether or not pilots check tire pressure prior to the first flight of the day, illuminate reasons why some pilots do not check tire pressure, and gather pilots' attitudes and feelings about the task. Your assistance and data that you provide is critical to the project and completely anonymous. The survey is open to all pilots who fly airplanes with inflated tires. The 13- question survey takes only four minutes to complete, but is only open from October 26, 2012 to November 16, 2012. Please answer honestly and do not include your name anywhere on the form or in the comments area. All responses are submitted electronically into a database where confidentiality and anonymity will be maintained. I will release findings only as analyzed data summaries and will not be able to identify any individual. Please complete the survey now by selecting this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tire_pressure If you are interested in contacting me, you may do so by email at wardj9@my.erau.edu. For participants who are interested in reviewing the data collected, data analysis, or the overall project, I will release all information upon completion of the project December 20, 2012. Jeff W. Ward Chief Fixed-wing Pilot, Wilson Construction Company Graduate Student, Master of Aeronautical Science; Safety and Management Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Curt Lewis