Flight Safety Information November 6, 2012 - No. 223 In This Issue EASA Orders Inspections Of A380 Oxygen Pressure Systems For Leaks FAA urges airlines to inspect seats made by Texas firm Plane loses wheel landing in Vienna, no one hurt Flight safety top priority for Belarusian air carriers Astronaut Worries About Skills of Today's Pilots PROS IOSA Audit Experts Boeing considers wingtips that fold on its next big jet The coming personnel shortage in business aviation The FAA's ambitious NextGen program gets big data boost GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY EASA Orders Inspections Of A380 Oxygen Pressure Systems For Leaks The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is proposing mandatory inspections of Airbus A380 passenger emergency oxygen pressure systems following reports that leaks have been discovered during maintenance checks. In a draft directive issued Monday, EASA says that investigations have confirmed that cracked manifolds are to blame. The directive would require inspections of the systems before 5,000 flight hours or within 1,000 hours of the directive's effective date, whichever comes later, and then every 5,000 flight hours thereafter. Items to be checked include the oxygen distribution pressure line and container manifolds. http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/avd_11_06_2012_p05-03- 513837.xml Back to Top FAA urges airlines to inspect seats made by Texas firm The FAA recommends that airlines using seats made by Weber Aircraft - which made seats that came loose on American Airlines planes last month - inspect them. The Federal Aviation Administration has recommended inspections for airlines that use seats made by the same Texas manufacturer of seats that came loose last month on several American Airlines planes. Reports of loose seats on three American Airlines flights forced the Fort Worth carrier last month to temporarily ground and inspect almost 100 jets to ensure the seats were securely fastened to the cabin floor. After initially blaming the problem on a faulty seat clamp, the airline later said that the problem had to do with locking pins in the seat that failed to engage, possibly because of a build-up of spilled soft drinks, coffee and juice. American said it inspected and installed secondary locking devices on 48 of the airline's Boeing 757 planes and 49 Boeing 767 planes. "The installation work is complete," American spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said. Weber Aircraft, the Gainesville, Texas, company that manufactured the seats for American Airlines, issued instructions Friday on how to inspect and replace fittings on those seats, if needed. The instructions say Weber has sold seats to 25 other airlines that could be affected by the problem, including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Air Canada and Korean Air Lines. A representative for Weber could not be reached for comment. The FAA recommended that airlines using 11 Weber seat models inspect them "for loose seats and incorrectly installed fittings." The FAA stopped short of calling for a mandatory inspection, saying the problem "has not been determined to be an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive action," a more serious inspection requirement. A United Airlines representative said the carrier no longer uses those models of Weber seats recommended for inspection by the FAA. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-faa-seats-20121106,0,4393015.story Back to Top Plane loses wheel landing in Vienna, no one hurt Vienna-(AP) A passenger aircraft with 80 people on board has landed safely despite losing a wheel after touching down in Vienna. Austrian Airlines officials say the Bombardier aircraft lost one of two right-side wheels while landing Monday afternoon. They say none of the 76 passengers or four crew members were hurt or in danger during landing. The Vienna-bound flight originated from Florence, Italy. Other scheduled landings were delayed until the aircraft was removed from the runway. The plane is being inspected for clues as to what caused the mishap. Back to Top Flight safety top priority for Belarusian air carriers MINSK, 5 November (BelTA) - Flight safety is the top priority for Belarusian air carriers, BelTA learned from representatives of the Belarusian Transport and Communication Ministry. The statement was made to highlight results of the civil aviation performance in the last twelve months as the industry workers celebrated their professional holiday on 4 November. Although the number of aircraft in Belarus has increased considerably in the last few years, no accidents have been allowed in passenger, cargo transportation and aviation work, said the specialists. They remarked that requirements for flight safety, reliability, and the quality of air transportation will rise every year. In this sense the civil aviation industry keeps up with global trends. The source underlined that in 2011 and so far this year state aviation corporations of Belarus have been securing flight safety in full. Illegal interference in the operation of the civil aviation industry has not been allowed. In January-September 2012 Belarusian air carriers' net profit increased by 50% in comparison with the same period of last year. The financial dynamics was fuelled by the continuous improvement of the physical infrastructure of airports and the larger volume of services provided. All the airports have upgraded aerial navigation equipment, special vehicles, technological equipment, and mechanization tools. At present the National Airport Minsk is one of the best CIS airports as far as the technical parameters are concerned, said the specialists. The airport will be reconstructed and improved in the next few years. As far as the national air carrier Belavia is concerned, along with increasing the number of Western-make aircraft Belavia gradually increases the number of flights to virtually all the regular destinations and offers new ones. At present Belavia operates 20 aircraft including two new aircraft Embraer 172LR. The passenger traffic has increased considerably thanks to transit passengers, whose share exceeds 20% in the total number of those, who use Belavia's regular flights. The civil aviation is an important transportation subindustry for Belarus, with thousands of people employed. Among other things the complex includes major national passenger and freight air carriers, a company specializing in aviation chemistry services, a large number of airports, a company that organizes air traffic, and aircraft repair enterprises. http://news.belta.by/en/news/society?id=698027 Back to Top Astronaut Worries About Skills of Today's Pilots Former astronaut Gene Cernan said Bombardier's Safety Standdown has made him more honest in confronting his own shortcomings as a pilot. Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan said he worries about the flying skills of pilots today. The type-rated Learjet 45 pilot, who was the last man to walk on the moon, commented to AIN at last month's Bombardier Safety Standdown in Wichita, "I worry about the complacency that technology is imposing on pilots. Pilots tend to become overwhelmed with all the lights on these glass panels and forget they still have a responsibility to fly the airplane." Cernan believes that part of the solution is pilots being honest about their flying skills and their shortcomings. Reflecting on his own skill level, he said, "Just because you've gone to the moon doesn't mean you're exempt from making stupid decisions. I've made a lot of them in my life." Cernan, who now flies a Cessna 421, hopes honesty about his own vulnerabilities will allow other pilots to see their own a little more clearly. He said his 421 has a glass PFD and MFD and terrain avoidance technology that's "supposed to keep me from killing myself; but if that technology fails, I still need to fly the airplane and miss that mountaintop." He added that attending the Safety Standdown has forced him to be more introspective when he flies. "It's easy to preach and a little more difficult to do," he said. "I always feel a little guilty now when I'm flying if I take a shortcut that I told someone else not to try. I call it the standdown effect." http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainsafety/2012-11-05/astronaut-worries- about-skills-todays-pilots?qt-most_popular=1 Back to Top Back to Top Boeing considers wingtips that fold on its next big jet Passengers on the future 777X may be surprised to see its wingtips unfolding in a design that lets the Boeing jet's immense wingspan fit at airport gates. Boeing's next big jet may actually spread its wings as it prepares for takeoff. For the immense wings planned for the 777X, engineers at Boeing are studying a design in which the wingtips fold upward to reduce the jet's span when it sits at the gate or rolls along a taxiway. Passengers looking out the 777X's window would see each wingtip smoothly unfold to the horizontal as the jet lines up for takeoff on the runway. Just as the hump on a 747 gives that Boeing jet a distinctive look, the folding wingtips would make the next version of the best-selling, twin-aisle 777 instantly recognizable to the general public. "There's a coolness factor ... It's sort of a sci-fi-like thing," said a veteran Boeing engineer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to speak publicly on the subject. "But to those in the industry, it's not so surprising." The engineer emphasized that the precise design of the 777X won't be finalized until around 2014, with possible tweaks to design elements even later. But he said some kind of foldout wingtip looks almost certain, given the very large wingspan Boeing needs to provide extra fuel efficiency. Asked about the possibility of folding wingtips, Boeing spokeswoman Karen Crabtree said the company is still "exploring all technologies" and evaluating the trade-offs they involve. In fact, it isn't a new idea. In 1995, Boeing obtained a patent for a folding wingtip design on the original 777, which had a 200-foot wingspan. That mechanism was even built and tested - the full-scale model used then is on display at the Museum of Flight Restoration Center at Paine Field in Everett. But no airline ever bought this option. An old idea revisited The idea has been revived now because of the oversized wingspan envisaged for the new 777X, the next version of Boeing's large twinjet widebody. Targeted to enter service by the end of this decade, it will feature new, fuel-efficient engines and thin, aerodynamic wings that are similar to those of the 787 Dreamliner and likely made from the same carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic composite. According to reports in the trade press, engineers are looking at a wingspan as wide as 233 feet - about nine feet wider than Boeing's bigger jumbo jet, the 747-8. On the 1995 design, the outer 21 feet of each wing was to fold upward on a hinge. In the design now under consideration, however, the wingtip section that folds need be no more than about 10 feet on each wing to avoid airport restrictions. Most large airports in the world can accommodate airplanes conforming to an international standard referred to as Code E - which limits the wingspan to 213 feet. Anything wider creates problems. The Airbus A380 double-decker jet, with a wingspan of 262 feet, is a category higher, Code F. Airports have had to widen runways and taxiways and build larger gates to accommodate that massive jet. But the A380 is a niche airplane serving a relatively small number of megacity airports. Boeing intends to build many more 777Xs, and to sell well they must be able to land at hundreds of airports such as Seattle-Tacoma International. Emirates, Boeing's largest 777 customer, took delivery of the 1,000th Boeing 777 in March. The plan to revamp the highly profitable 777 is intended to extend its life to at least a further 1,000 jets, said Emirates President Tim Clark. He said Boeing knows it needs "a very large wing with a big span" to make it capable of the ultra-long-range missions Emirates wants it to fly. "The range and aerodynamic quality of this aircraft is all about the wing," Clark said. Yet, at the same time, he said, Boeing must also find a way to reduce the wingspan at the airport so the jet can be accommodated without infrastructure changes. "If they are going to produce 2,000 of these aircraft, it cannot be a Code F aircraft," said Clark. "It will not be compatible for the majority of airports in the world." Boeing's Crabtree said the 777X development team is studying configurations "that exceed today's 777 wingspan," but that no information on ongoing studies or any details of airplane configuration are ready for release. Large market When Boeing developed its new 747-8 jumbo jet - which has a wingspan of 225 feet and so is technically a Code F airplane - it solved the problem by doing special safety studies at each airport where the jet might land, coupled with operational restrictions where necessary. With that work done, the 747-8 is allowed to operate at Code E airports. But again, only a few hundred 747-8s will ever be built. For a new 777, with an even larger wingspan and many more of the jets operating at airports worldwide, such an airport-by-airport solution seems impractical. Emirates chief Clark said he doesn't yet know what Boeing's final 777X design will be, but "suffice it to say, they will make it a Code E airplane." "They have to think out of the box, and they know that," Clark said. The veteran Boeing engineer said much of the research and development for the 777X has to be completed next year. "I think that we'll offer it is guaranteed," he said about the folding wingtip. http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2019614451_777x06.html Back to Top The coming personnel shortage in business aviation IATA predicts over the next 10 years the aviation industry will need 17,000 new pilots per year worldwide Business aviation in the Middle East is continuing its predicted trend and growing year by year, and the demand for new pilots may soon exceed supply, according to industry trade body, IATA (International Air Transport Association). IATA predicts that over the next 10 years the aviation industry, both commercial and business, will need 17,000 new pilots per year worldwide. Currently global pilot training programmes can train only about 15,000 per year, which would leave a shortfall of over 3,000 new pilots annually. I think that is a conservative estimate and the actual numbers of new pilots required could be significantly higher. As such, commercial operators are stepping up their recruitment efforts and so should the business aviation sector. There are no silver bullet solutions to this complex issue. This region is predominantly dependent on the global supply pool for the pilots, trained and licensed under different regulatory systems. Our attempts to develop this resource have had a modest success rate so far. As with the airlines, finding qualified pilots for the planes is a major challenge. Not only are there more manufacturers of business jets than commercial airliners but business aviation pilots are a different breed to their airline cousins. While the latter operate from behind the closed doors of the flight deck, the former are highly visible to their clients and must have a broader skill set ranging from management and leadership to customer communication skills to accompany them. The business aviation sector will have to explore different strategies to address this challenge when you consider that 96 per cent of trainee pilots are more interested in the commercial sector. This is a major challenge in itself, and one that needs to be taken head on, if we are to assist in the continuing growth of the sector in the region. As a short-term measure, business aviation may also tap on the pilots pool who are over sixty years of age and may not be enjoying the rigours of commercial airliner flying. With proper inducement many could opt for the professional life style of business aviation. At the other end of the age scale a more considered and long-term approach must be taken. It is unrealistic to think that business aviation companies will set up flight schools similar to its commercial counterparts. But it can support local flight schools and/ or flight clubs which train pilots in small and medium jets, perfect for business aviation. Naturally newly qualified pilots might digress or aspire to commercial aviation but at least they have an option and, at the very least, much closer support from business aviation which can provide a more accessible route to employment from which it can begin to create programmes that offer a long-term future and rewarding career. Working with flying schools and clubs also allows business aviation to begin crafting its own curriculum. The Dubai-based Emirates Aviation College, for example, has recently launched the EASA Licensed Pilot Training Programme to address the need for commercial pilots in the region. So a similar curriculum that would prepare pilots for business aviation would help a great deal by showcasing that flying private jets offers an alternative challenge; pilots fly into smaller airports and have much more operational control over their flights. As well as this, the opportunity to fly some of the regions VVIP's as well as humanitarian efforts for some of the harder to reach locations in the world would go some way into highlighting to potential trainee pilots the benefits and prestige of flying private jets. Regardless of the solution, it is imperative that operators work together and one option that has been discussed is "pilot pool." Aviation Authorities should review the possibility of private jet operators having shared licensing qualifications for pilots, for example two Middle Eastern operators who both fly the Citation Sovereign, should be able to share pilots for charter flights. Currently pilots can only fly charter flights for an operator if they have an OPC (Operator Proficiency Check) with that specific company. This proposal appears attractive at the outset but calls for detailed investigation to aspects such as how to re-orient pilots in the 'pool' from one set of operational requirements to another at short notice. In this regard integration of a company's operational manual with another-whether it is feasible or desirable is a topic for in depth study by experts in the field. In summation, MEBAA, through discussions with our members, will continue to address the issue of personnel shortage in our industry. MEBAA is currently working on quantifying personnel numbers in the business aviation sector for our databank, which remains one of our key objectives and will allow our members and any interested parties to obtain true and accurate figures for our region. Also, at events, such as the Middle East Business Aviation Conference on December 10, we will be discussing the current issues facing the business aviation market. The upcoming personnel shortage will be one of the main topics of discussion, providing the perfect platform for leading figureheads in business aviation to propose possible solutions to the impending problem. (Ali Al Naqbi is Chairman of Middle East Business Aviation Association) http://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/the-coming-personnel-shortage-in-business- aviation-1.1099332 Back to Top The FAA's ambitious NextGen program gets big data boost This satellite-based traffic management system is expected to replace the country's aging ground-based radar traffic control system between now and 2025. November 06, 2012, 8:00 AM - If you fly as much as I do, which is to say, quite a bit, you have a stake in the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ambitious program known as NextGen. This satellite-based traffic management system is expected to replace the country's aging ground-based radar traffic control system between now and 2025. NextGen will be compatible with Europe's Single Sky initiative through technologies developed under the aegis of the Single Sky European ATM Research (SESAR) program. Naturally, such massive undertakings like NextGen and SESAR will hit some turbulence en route to completion, but their projected benefits to the flying public, air carriers, the environment, and the global economy will be substantial. For example, a Deloitte study estimates that if both NextGen and SESAR are completed on time the net-present value savings will exceed a stunning $897 billion through 2035. Most of those direct savings come from lower fuel costs due to less time taxiing on runways, more efficient routes, and direct landings. Passengers will benefit from much higher on-time and departure schedules and, hopefully, pass-along cost savings. And the environment will be a big winner as planes will consume much less jet fuel. In Houston alone the air quality benefits will be the equivalent of taking more than 6,000 cars off the city's roads. While many of these benefits are projected, some are already happening as portions of the technology are deployed in different regions. For example, at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix two carriers are using some NextGen technology to improve direct landings and will save a combined $6.4 million this year. Neither NextGen nor SESAR would be possible without managing the big data generated by the world's air traffic. In the U.S. alone at any given moment the FAA says there are 7,000 planes aloft. The data involved for each flight is substantial and for air traffic purposes must be managed in combination with numerous other flights-everything from varying air speeds and altitudes to relationship to other planes in the air. As the FAA describes its ambitious program: "NextGen boils down to getting the right information to the right person at the right time. It will help controllers and operators make better decisions. This data will assist operators in keeping employees and passengers better informed." Maybe in the near future as we deplane, in addition to exchanging polite words with a pilot or flight attendant, we can add our thanks to big data for helping to get us to our destination safely, on time, and for less cost. http://www.itworld.com/big-data/311324/faas-ambitious-nexgen-program-gets-big- data-boost Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY: My name is Steve Buckner, and I'm a Doctoral candidate at North Central University. I'm soliciting your participation in my research study by conducting a 5-10 minute survey. The topic of the dissertation is titled"Examination of Safety Management Systems and Aviation Technologies in theHelicopter Emergency Medical Services Industry". This anonymous survey examines the opinions and associations if any, of air medical rotor- and fixed-wing pilots with regard to their organization's safety culture, the support of safety by management, and use of technology to enhance operational safety. Link to survey is posted on the National Emergency Medical Service Pilot Association (NEMSPA) website http://www.nemspa.org/ or use direct link to survey: http://www.hostedsurvey.com/takesurvey.asp?c=NCUHEMS2012 If you have any questions, please email tnbuck1@msn.com or call 817-939-6496 Thanks in advance for your time and help in this research study Curt Lewis