Flight Safety Information November 30, 2012 - No. 240 In This Issue Spice Jet passengers bristle at risky mid-air manoeuvre China says its jet technology not a copy ICAO Audit Reveals -Lankan Skies to be Safe & Secure Indian Air Force's Jaguar fighter aircraft crashes in North Sikkim Government reject Erebus disaster report claims (New Zealand) Milwaukee flight delayed after passenger finds shotgun shell Airbus to raise A330 take-off weight and fuel capacity PROS IOSA Audit Experts AAR Announces the Sale of 10 737-400 Aircraft to MAS from its Joint Venture Portfolio Boeing Dreamliner on track, but rework may stretch to 2015 Airline mergers keep failing; let's do another Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association to Host February 2013 Conference in Orlando PhD Study Request Spice Jet passengers bristle at risky mid-air manoeuvre INDORE: In what is being termed as a risky mid-air manoeuvre and possibly a violation of standard rules, a Spice Jet aircraft at 5,000 feet was allowed to land before another Spice Jet flight hovering at 3,700 feet at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport on Wednesday night at about 8. Passengers, who came to know of the 'confusion' vented their anger on the airport authorities after landing. According to the air traffic controller (ATC), two Indore-bound Spice Jet aircraft from New Delhi and Hyderabad were vying for space to land at the airport. The flight that took from Hyderabad was about 3,700 feet above while the one coming from New Delhi was flying the height of 5,000 feet. The pilots of these aircraft were simultaneously seeking signal to land. However, the ATC allowed the Delhi flight, flying at 5,000 to land first. "This might have created confusion among the pilots," said airport director R N Shinde, adding that the pilot of flight flying at 3,700 feet objected to the permission given to the flight flying at 5,000 feet. He said it was not an air miss. According to him, as per the ATC rules, if the aircraft are in sight of the controller then 'descend permission' can be given and separation may be reduced. "It was not an air miss as the anti-collision devices in both the aircraft were fully functional," the airport director said.A Spice Jet official, who refused to be identified, ruled out that the aircraft were of Spice Jet. He said it was impossible that both the flights land at a time in Indore as there is a big difference between the landing times of both the flights. The irate passengers of both the aircraft sought an explanation from the director about the goof- up. However, the airport director said passengers do not understand the ATC language. "They fear that something has gone wrong." "Directorate General Civil Aviation will conduct a probe into the incident," Shinde added. http://timesofindia Back to Top China says its jet technology not a copy BEIJING, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- China said the technology behind its aircraft carrier-borne fighter jet J- 15 is its own, rejecting suggestions it was copied from foreign systems. Geng Yansheng, a spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, told reporters China sticks to independent innovation and has the capacity to build and develop its own aircraft carrier, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Official Chinese media had reported the J-15 landed successfully last Sunday on the deck of the retrofitted aircraft carrier "Liaoning," China's first such carrier. "The assertion of China copying a foreign country's aircraft carrier technologies is unprofessional, if not an intentional attack," Geng said, stressing there was a transparent attitude during the landing exercises and that China released the news in a timely manner. The J-15 was described as being capable of firing anti-ship, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and precision guided bombs, and Xinhua quoted military experts as saying they believe the jet's capabilities are comparable to Russia's Sukhoi Su-33 and the U.S. F/A-18 Hornet. The aircraft carrier was originally built in 1988 by the Soviet Union, and China bought it from Ukraine, a former Soviet state, in 1998. The vessel formally entered into China's service Sept. 25, after its crew completed more than 100 training and test programs. Earlier, Xinhua, saying some foreign media reports had claimed the new J-15 carrier-borne fighter jet is merely a copy of a Russian model, dismissed such assertions as groundless, while noting the successful Sunday test made China one of the few countries to operate carrier-borne jets. "It is not surprising that some western media quickly responded to the inspiring news with criticism and taunts, since the J-15, with an unfinished coating during the exercise had a similar aerodynamic shape with the Russian Su-33 jet," Xinhua said. "There is always criticism of China for the crime of 'plagiarism' when the country makes progress in military hardware development, questioning China's respect to others' intellectual property rights and belittling the hardware's technological and tactical qualities." Luo Yang, who headed the J-15 project, died of heart attack as the carrier was returning from the J-15 landing exercise. "Those with ulterior motives should never underestimate China's capabilities of independent innovation in national defense technologies," Xinhua said, adding China developed nuclear weapons and artificial satellites when it was "still in poverty and hardship." The article said as some military powers seek to curb China's military progress to "retain their position as world's top countries in key military technologies," China's development in such technologies "must rely on self-dependent scientific innovation." Back to Top ICAO Audit Reveals -Lankan Skies to be Safe & Secure Media Release- Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka A significant achievement by Sri Lanka Aviation in the air safety and security is contained in the Media Release, provided in the attachment. These achievements, we consider is appropriate to be brought to the notice of both national & international communities, industry associates, and those air travelers in the world over. Hence, we shall be very much thankful to you, if your web page could take care of the informative message to the readers of your well recognized web site. For Full Report Go to http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items12/USAP%20RESULTS%20TO%20MEDIA%20RELEASE%20- K1.pdf http://www.lankaweb.com Back to Top Indian Air Force's Jaguar fighter aircraft crashes in North Sikkim Jaguar fighter aircraft had taken off from Bagdogra airport near Siliguri in West Bengal. A Jaguar fighter aircraft of Indian Air Force crashed in a forest near Lik in Upper Dzongu in North Sikkim on Friday, but the fate of the pilot was not immediately known. Colonel Gurung of 27 Mountain Division stationed in North Sikkim said that the fighter jet crashed at 1:15 pm. The aircraft had taken off from Bagdogra airport near Siliguri in West Bengal, Col Gurung said. Army sources quoting eyewitnesses said Flight Lieutenant Yogesh Yadav, who was flying the aircraft, had bailed out. Army troops have launched a search for him and his fate was not immediately known, the sources said. Rescue helicopter from Bagdogra has left for the spot. According to eyewitness accounts, there was a loud bang before the plane crashed and the pilot ejected from the aircraft. http://indiatoday. Back to Top Government reject Erebus disaster report claims (New Zealand) The Government has rejected claims that a failure to officially lodge a scathing report into the Erebus disaster has resulted in New Zealand not meeting its international aviation safety obligations. The New Zealand Airline Pilots' Association this week claimed the Mahon report into the 1979 tragedy has not been lodged with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). They say the Royal Commission of Inquiry report holds critical safety lessons that should be shared with the other 191 signatories to the ICAO. "We cannot understand why the Ministry of Transport has not yet officially submitted this report to ICAO," says NZALPA President Glen Kenny. "This investigation report ... holds many valuable safety lessons for the aviation community and travelling public worldwide and has been widely accepted as a groundbreaking investigation into accidents caused by systemic failure." The Ministry of Transport is uncertain if the report has been officially laid. But APNZ can exclusively reveal the Mahon report, tabled and accepted by Parliament in 1999, has been given to the world body. And the ICAO says while it doesn't form part of the Annex 13 - Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation report which was shaped by Ministry of Transport investigator Ron Chippindale in 1980, it is still well consulted by the international aviation community. "It (the New Zealand Government) did submit the Mahon report to ICAO," a spokesman for the Montreal-based group said today. Eight months after New Zealand's biggest aviation disaster, when an Air New Zealand DC-10 on a sightseeing flight slammed into Mt Erebus in Antarctica, killing all 257 on board, a royal commission was launched. Justice Peter Mahon, a High Court judge, concluded navigational programming errors were largely to blame, but slated Air New Zealand for "an orchestrated litany of lies" during the hearing. The NZALPA today said it had always "assumed" the report had been officially lodged with the ICAO and made up part of Annex 13. But after looking into it this year, they were "surprised" to find it wasn't included. Responding to news that the ICAO said they had received a copy, Mr Kenny said: "That's the first I heard of it. Our enquiries to ICAO found they never officially received a copy, while the Ministry of Transport and TAIC had no record of having sent it," he said. "It was a surprise to us. We'd always assumed it was all okay until we went and had a look." Secretary for Transport, Martin Matthews wrote to ICAO in September this year stating that the government considers both the Chippindale and Mahon reports to be "official government reports into the accident". Mr Kenny says that when the global aviation industry goes to ICAO to find out about an accident, Annex 13 is the go-to document. "Until the Mahon report is submitted as an official Annex 13 record of the 1979 Mt Erebus accident, with equal status to the Chippindale Report, we are not fulfilling our international obligations. For the ministry to attempt to argue otherwise is disingenuous," he says. The ICAO, however, were not worried about the omission when approached for comment by APNZ. Anthony Philbin, acting chief of communications, said the Chippindale report meets its requirements in accordance with Annex 13. He added that it's "available to anyone who wishes to consult it". The Ministry of Transport, meanwhile, denied failing to meet its international aviation safety obligations. A spokesman said both the Chippindale and the Mahon reports "offer valuable safety lessons". "Both are in the public domain and have been frequently referenced over the years, including by the ICAO." http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10851128 Back to Top Milwaukee flight delayed after passenger finds shotgun shell MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - A Delta flight from Milwaukee to Detroit was delayed on Wednesday after a passenger found a live shotgun shell by his seat and everyone on board had to pass through a security check a second time, a sheriff's official said. The passenger found the shell at 6:47 a.m. local time in the seat-back pocket in front of him, said Fran McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. The incident occurred at Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport. A sheriff's canine unit swept the plane and found no other shell casings, McLaughlin said. The Transportation Security Administration rescreened all the passengers aboard the flight. After a one-hour delay, the plane took off for its original destination of Detroit, she said. Representatives from Delta and the TSA could not be reached for comment. The man who found the shell was interviewed by investigators, who found nothing suspicious about him, McLaughlin said. It remained unclear how the shell ended up on the flight. Back to Top Airbus to raise A330 take-off weight and fuel capacity Airbus is further hiking the maximum take-off weight of the A330, raising it to 242t, and will offer a higher fuel capacity option for the larger A330-300 variant. The airframer had previously disclosed plans to increase the twinjet's take-off weight to 240t. Airbus's latest enhancements will extend the range of the A330-300 by 500nm (930km) over the 235t model, and by 350nm for the 238t A330-200 at full passenger load. It will give operators of the -300 the option of activating the centre wing fuel tank, a standard feature on the longer-range -200 but one which has remained unused on the larger aircraft. This will increase the -300's fuel capacity from 97,500 litres to more than 139,000 litres. The modification will include tank inerting. Airbus hopes the improvements will extend the A330-300's range to 6,100nm by 2015, enabling it to perform westbound flights from south-east Asia to Europe. A330 programme chief Patrick Piedrafita says the airframer has "taken it as our duty" to maximise the capability of the twinjet. Airbus took gross orders for 76 of the type over the first 10 months of this year, and delivered 80 - including six freighters - over the same period. "We are currently delivering more A330s per month than ever before, and this is set to continue," adds Piedrafita. Airbus's formal technical documentation for the A330 lists 21 weight variants for both the -200 and -300. The new weight increase and fuel-capacity improvements will become available to carriers in 2015. The airframer is aiming to achieve the enhancements by refining the A330's aerodynamics - shortening flap-track fairings and reshaping inner slats - and capitalising on the aircraft's load- alleviation function. The aircraft will also undergo partial wing and fuselage reinforcement. Airbus expects to reduce the -300's fuel burn by 2%, half of which will derive from the aerodynamic tweaks and the rest from higher engine efficiency. No customer for the 242t variant has been disclosed but lessor CIT had signed up to take the 240t version shortly after it was unveiled in July this year. http://www.flightglobal.com/ Back to Top Back to Top AAR Announces the Sale of 10 737-400 Aircraft to MAS from its Joint Venture Portfolio Company continues to make progress on its stated goal to reduce investment in leased aircraft WOOD DALE, Ill., Nov. 29, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- AAR (NYSE: AIR) and its joint venture partner have entered into an agreement to sell 10 Boeing 737-400 aircraft to Malaysian Airline System Berhad (MAS). The aircraft have been on lease to MAS since they were acquired by the joint venture in July 2007. The sale is consistent with the Company's stated goal to reduce its investment in aircraft leasing. At its peak in 2007, the Company held 31 aircraft in joint ventures and 11 aircraft in its wholly- owned portfolio. Upon completing the sale to MAS, AAR's portfolio will include six aircraft held in joint ventures and two aircraft that are wholly-owned. While AAR has reduced its portfolio of leased aircraft, it will remain active in the aircraft sales and re-marketing business where the Company has an established market presence and a successful track record. The transaction is expected to be completed during AAR's 2013 fiscal third quarter with net cash proceeds of approximately $20 million, and will record a slight gain. Due to joint venture accounting, there will be no impact on sales. About AAR AAR is a leading provider of value-added products and services to the worldwide aerospace and government and defense industries. With facilities and sales locations around the world, AAR uses its close-to-the-customer business model to serve aviation and government/defense customers through two operating segments: Aviation Services and Technology Products. More information can be found at www.aarcorp.com. SOURCE AAR Back to Top Boeing Dreamliner on track, but rework may stretch to 2015 The 787 program remains on track to ramp up to 10 airplanes a month by the end of next year, Boeing executives said Monday, and they are now focused on cutting costs on the jet to reach profitability. The 787 Dreamliner program remains on track to ramp up to 10 airplanes a month by the end of next year, Boeing executives said Monday, and they are now focused on cutting costs on the jet to reach profitability. They also said suppliers have begun to build the major structural sections of the 787-9 model in development. The first 787-9 is on schedule to start final assembly in late spring or early summer and to fly within a year. Some of the Dreamliners that rolled out early remain a challenge, however. Larry Loftis, head of the 787 program, said that by Dec. 31 Boeing will have modified and prepared for delivery a majority of the Dreamliners needing rework that were parked on the Paine Field flight line in Everett. But those 787s that have been reworked up to now were later-build jets requiring much less modification than the earliest Dreamliners. The latter need extensive, time-consuming work that will continue into 2015, Loftis said. "By the end of the year, we should be in a position where ... we would burn through about 60 percent of the airplanes we had up on the tarmac here," Loftis said. "We'll spend largely 2013 and 2014 and into 2015 redoing and finishing up the remaining airplanes." Loftis and Boeing Senior Vice President Pat Shanahan, who heads all airplane programs, gave the 787 update in a teleconference call with RBC Capital Markets analysts and investors. Shanahan said production is now split between three final assembly lines, two in Everett and one in North Charleston, S.C. He said he anticipates a 70-30 split in production between the two sites as the rate of 10 jets per month is achieved next year. Boeing may go to an even higher production rate later, and the Charleston line specifically is "sized to be larger," Shanahan said. Right now, however, the program is most focused on working with suppliers to bring down costs. "We've been very focused on getting the airplane into service and going up in rate," Shanahan said. "Now we need to focus on cost savings." Boeing has delivered 38 Dreamliners to eight airlines, 35 of them this year. That means it has achieved the low end of the delivery range projected earlier in 2012. http://seattletimes.com/ Back to Top Airline mergers keep failing; let's do another Posted by Jon Talton When United Airlines merged with Continental Airlines in 2010, it was sold as salvation for both carriers. As the New York Times puts it, the deal "promised an unparalleled global network, with eight major hubs and 5,500 daily flights serving nearly 400 destinations. As an added benefit, the new airline would be led by (Jeffrey) Smisek of Continental, which was known for its attention to customer service." As anyone who has followed the industry since deregulation could have predicted, the merger has turned into a disaster. The merged United has the worst on-time record of any airline, computer systems have repeatedly failed, employees and customers have been alienated, finances are a mess and shares of United Continental Holdings are in the cellar. This always happens. The good never survives. When plucky, beloved Piedmont Airlines was bought by the old USAir in 1989, all the pathologies of the acquiring airline survived and were amplified. Piedmont's reputation for great customer service and excellent operational performance became history. This is no mere history lesson, though. American Airlines, which was partly dragged down by its 2001 merger with Trans World Airlines, is preparing to exit bankruptcy court protection and a marriage with USAirways is the talk of the industry. Why do these deals keep happening? They eliminate competition in one of the most consolidated of American industries. Executives, investment bankers and lawyers involved in the merger make huge compensation. Suddenly "redundant" hubs, often expanded with local tax money, can be closed and thousands of employees ("carbon-based life cost centers") can be eliminated. Maintenance can be further outsourced to questionable outfits, often out of the country. It's all about short-term looting and knocking off one more rival. None of it deals with the problems of "legacy" carriers, much less focuses on building business by, er, serving customers and being innovative. But in the absence of antitrust enforcement, they will keep happening and the damage will continue. The friendly skies, indeed http://seattletimes.com/ Back to Top Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association to Host February 2013 Conference in Orlando The Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association will host its Winter 2013 conference from February 20-24, 2013, at Orlando's gorgeous Villas of Grand Cypress resort, located right outside the entrance to Disney World and convenient to all of the many other Orlando area attractions. LPBA's biannual meetings are a key LPBA feature, different from any other bar association meeting or continuing legal education (CLE) program. Besides the opportunity to network with peers and participate in educational and entertaining morning-only CLE sessions, LPBA members will enjoy lunch and a spot landing demonstration at the nearby Fantasy of Flight attraction (www.fantasyofflight.com) on Friday, February 22, and other planned activities for members and for their spouses and families throughout the conference. The Winter 2013 meeting will also feature a fun and beneficial silent auction, which has previously included aircraft refinishing, discounts on avionics upgrades, aviation artifacts, artwork, and unique vacation opportunities. The Conference is open to both LPBA members and non-members, and LPBA membership is open to both lawyers and non-lawyers, as well as pilots and non-pilots. Conference registration information is currently available at www.lpba.org. Discounted Grand Cypress room reservations may be made right now by calling 800-835-7377. The LPBA room rate is reduced to just $225.00/night and all rooms are Club Suites, which will have been freshly renovated this fall. Ranger Jet Center (www.rangerjetcenter.com) at Kissimmee Gateway Airport will be serving as the host FBO for attendees flying to the conference. Ranger will be providing fuel, ramp and hangar discounts for conference attendees and can arrange ground transportation. LPBA is a unique international, non-profit association with members in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia which fills a special niche in the multitude of bar associations and affiliation groups of lawyers, pilots and aviation aficionados. The LPBA has been in existence since 1959, and facilitates its members' involvement in many aviation and legally-related activities. Membership benefits include a superb website and Facebook page describing LPBA and its meetings; an online membership directory; the LPBA Journal, which is a valuable aviation law and information resource; and fun-filled, entertaining, and rewarding Summer and Winter continuing legal education meetings. The LPBA is dedicated to aviation safety, the just administration of the law and continuing legal education. Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association P.O. Box 1510 Edgewater, MD 21037 Tel: 410-571-1750 Fax: 410-571-1780 Email: karen@lpba.org Back to Top PhD Study Request Subject: Study Participant Recruitment Solicitation People who have skills in project management and project cost analysis are needed to be a part of a research study that will be conducted at Northcentral University. In addition, these people need to be familiar with aviation safety management programs. If you know of anyone with these skills, please contact ninaduncan@ymail.com or call 832-215- 7037. Curt Lewis