Flight Safety Information January 7, 2013 - No. 005 In This Issue FAA High-Tech Next Steps Smoke in cockpit forces flight's return to Chicago Cargo aircraft catches fire, runway blocked for 3 hours (India) Airlines differ on safety judgment (New Zealand) Raging Airplane Passenger Duct Taped to Seat Kingfisher may lose int'l rights, slots PROS IOSA Audit Experts "Superjet" variable cycle jet engine could power future fighter aircraft INTERNATIONAL System Safety Society...31st International System Safety Conference...CALL FOR PAPERS FAA High-Tech Next Steps The Federal Aviation Administration finally got a break. The acting administrator for the last year, Michael Huerta, was confirmed by the Senate to a five-year term to run the agency last week. His nomination finally cleared when Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., lifted his objection to the nomination. (DeMint now heads the conservative Heritage Foundation.) By all accounts, Huerta is more than qualified for the job. He has been at the FAA since 2010 and has served previous stints at major ports in New York City and San Francisco. He replaces former FAA administrator Randy Babbitt, who resigned after a drunken driving arrest a year ago. Babbitt's demise was the perfect, if ironic, complement to the years of uncertainty in the aviation community over a long-stalled FAA bill that finally passed last year. Now it's time to think about the FAA's next steps, and they are big-time high-tech. Huerta will be charged with overseeing the transition to GPS-based air traffic control system from the current radar-based system. He also must integrate unmanned aerial systems into the national airspace, which carries with it a host of delicate issues about privacy and aviation markets. Technology enthusiast Mitch Joel says unmanned aircraft are "the dawn of a new industry." Not too much pressure, there. Let's not forget the day-to-day funding of the FAA, which could be on the chopping block by some 8 percent if lawmakers don't reach a deal on the automatic spending cuts in the next two months. Still, the outlook for the FAA is better than it has been in years with the aviation bill and a confirmed leader in place. How can the agency take advantage of the limited breather it has before the next crisis comes along? What are the most important actions the agency should take? How can NextGen air traffic control best be spurred along? What should the FAA do about unmanned aerial systems? Are there other issues that could trip up the agency? What advice do you have for Huerta as he begins his term in earnest? http://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2013/01/faas-hightech-next-steps.php Back to Top Smoke in cockpit forces flight's return to Chicago CHICAGO - A Mesa Airlines flight from Chicago to Jacksonville, Fla., was forced to return to O'Hare International Airport shortly after takeoff because of reports of smoke in the cockpit. United Airlines spokeswoman Mary Ryan says the plane landed safely and taxied back to the gate, where all 44 passengers got off the aircraft. United Airlines was operating Mesa Air flight 3738. The Chicago Department of Aviation confirmed there was a standby alert Monday morning for the flight and that the plane landed without incident shortly before 7 a.m. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130107/us-chicago-flight-returns/?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=green Back to Top Cargo aircraft catches fire, runway blocked for 3 hours (India) The main runway at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was blocked for about three hours Saturday after a Russian charter cargo aircraft caught fire while landing. The secondary runway 32 was immediately activated after the closure of runway 27, ensuring other operations and flights were not affected, said a spokesperson for Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) that manages the airport. At 12.43 pm, an airside team of MIAL noticed that the charter cargo aircraft (AN 74) had caught fire. Lot of smoke was coming out of its under carriage. The team immediately coordinated with Air Traffic Control (ATC) and found that starboard tyre of the aircraft had burst. ATC advised the pilot to switch off engine, activated emergency services and sought fire assistance, the MIAL spokesperson said, adding that there were no injuries or damage to cargo. At 3.43 pm, the aircraft was towed to a stand after replacing both its tyres, he said. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/cargo-aircraft-catches-fire-runway-blocked-for-3-hours/1055179/ Back to Top Airlines differ on safety judgment (New Zealand) While Jetstar cancelled a number of Airbus A320 Wellington flights on Wednesday, rival Air New Zealand judged it could land the same aircraft safely in the capital. Jetstar's New Zealand domestic fleet is made up of nine Airbus A320s, three flights of which were cancelled due to severe wind gusts in Wellington, leaving more than 1000 passengers stranded in Auckland, Wellington and Blenheim. Air New Zealand cancelled flights between Wellington and Blenheim using Beech 1900D planes, the smallest in their fleet. However, they were able to land Airbus 320s and Boeing 737s. An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said safety was paramount and the final decision on whether or not to fly rested with the pilot. Jetstar's spokeswoman said three flights between Wellington and Auckland were cancelled, the first of which was due to a windshear warning. Windshear occurred when the wind speed and direction changed quickly, creating unpredictable and at times dangerous flying conditions. A second flight was diverted after wind speeds exceeded 60 knots while the third was cancelled because of the weather and curfew restrictions at Wellington Airport, she said. Jetstar's safety policies were aligned with those of umbrella company Qantas, she said. Massey University School of Aviation chief executive officer Ashok Poduval said each plane model operated in wind conditions differently. "At any given time if an airline pilot judges the approach as not suitable, they will abandon the approach." http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/8144865/Airlines-differ-on-safety-judgment Back to Top Raging Airplane Passenger Duct Taped to Seat The pitfalls of apparently mixing alcohol and air travel were taken to a new level when an evidently intoxicated man was constrained to his seat with duct tape on an international flight. Iceland Air said the man went on a rampage on a New Year's Eve flight from Reykjavik to New York, hitting, screaming at and spitting on other passengers. Passengers took matter into their own hands, taping the man to his seat. Andy Ellwood tweeted a photo of the disruptive passenger that a friend of his, who was on board the flight, had snapped and wrote on his blog that the man became unruly after drinking all of the duty-free liquor on board. "He was restrained by passengers and crew and was monitored for his own safety for the duration of the flight," Iceland Air said in a statement to ABC News. The man, who has not been identified, was taken by police to an area hospital where he was treated for alcohol poisoning. Port Authority police wouldn't confirm that the man in the picture was the person they took into custody, but said he had not been charged. http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/raging-airplane-passenger-duct-taped-seat-165526162--abc-news-topstories.html Back to Top Kingfisher may lose int'l rights, slots Airline Needs To Restart Ops Before Summer To Retain Permit To Fly Abroad New Delhi: Kingfisher may theoretically have two years to restart operations but top aviation ministry sources say that unless the airline does so in the next month or two, it could well be the end of the road for it. For the airline's international flying rights-which remain in demand even when domestic traffic is dipping sharply-are going to be given to other Indian carriers, along with its airport slots, in the coming summer schedule if KFA shows no sign of life soon. And then Kingfisher, which in its eagerness to start flying abroad before completing five years had bought Air Deccan to do so on its permit, willhave to wait endlessly for foreign rights. "After that an airline will be able to get more foreign routes only when India and other countries enhance their bilateral flying. If Kingfisher has to start flying, it must do so in the coming weeks. Both state-run Airports Authority of India and private metro airports are also not going to reserve its slots, both domestic and international, forever," said a senior official. Aviation authorities handling the Kingfisher crisis say they do not see any urgency among promoters to raise funds to restart flying. While the airline's licence was expiring in the New Year, the management simply submitted an 'unsatisfactory' revival plan. Director general of civil aviation Arun Mishra had called the airline's VP Hitesh Patel on December 29 (a Saturday) to point out the various loopholes in the plan. The idea: the airline must have a working day (December 31, a Monday) to resubmit if it had anything concrete to offer. "The airline management just gave an unsatisfactory plan and did not even bother to find out what our response to that was. We really wonder if they can raise funds and have any concrete plans to do so because of the dire condition the airline is in with a collective debt-cum-loss of over Rs 15,000 crore," said an official. Sources indicate that the promoters wanted to somehow make the airline fly again so that they can sell it off. "Who is going to put in money in a grounded airline? Without putting funds, the management wanted us to give the nod to fly again and then get an investor. We have very clearly told them that get funds first either through an investor or through internal group funding, pay off employees and others and then fly," said an official. END OF THE ROAD? Aviation authorities, which are handling the Kingfisher crisis, say they do not see any urgency in the promoters to raise funds. While the airline's licence was expiring in New Year, the management submitted an 'unsatisfactory' revival plan Kingfisher, which in its eagerness to start flying abroad before completing five years had bought Air Deccan to do so on its permit, will have to wait endlessly for foreign rights. "Both state-run Airports Authority of India and private metro airports are also not going to reserve its slots, both domestic and international, forever," said a senior official http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/01/07&PageLabel=19&EntityId=Ar01902&ViewMode=HTML Back to Top Back to Top "Superjet" variable cycle jet engine could power future fighter aircraft Cross-section of the GE ADVENT engine design GE Aviation is developing a revolutionary new jet engine that aims to combine the best traits of turbojet and turbofan engines, delivering supersonic speed capability and fuel efficiency in one package. The new engines are being developed under the USAF ADVENT project, which is seeking 25 percent fuel saving which will in turn lead to an increase in mission capability. There are two main species of jet engines for aviation: low-bypass turbofans, usually called turbojets, and high-bypass turbofans. Turbojets are optimized for high-performance, pushing fighter jets to above Mach 2 (and the SR-71 "Blackbird" to well over Mach 3), but pay for that performance with terrible fuel efficiency. The performance outcome of a conventional turbojet is dominated by the operation of the high-pressure engine core (compressor, combustion, turbine, and exhaust nozzle). In contrast, high-bypass turbofans are the heavy lifters of commercial aviation, being optimized for subsonic thrust and fuel efficiency, but performing poorly at supersonic speeds. A conventional turbofan adds lower-pressure airflow from an oversized fan which is driven by the jet turbine. The fan airflow bypasses the combustion chamber, acting like a large propeller. ADVENT | GE Aviation | Advanced Technology In an ADVENT (ADaptive VErsitile ENgine Technology) engine, the high-pressure core exhaust and the low-pressure bypass streams of a conventional turbofan are joined by a third, outer flowpath that can be opened and closed in response to flight conditions. For takeoff, the third stream is closed off to reduce the bypass ratio. This sends more of the airflow through the high- pressure core to increase thrust. When cruising, the third bypass stream is opened to increase the bypass ratio and reduce fuel consumption. The extra bypass duct can be seen running along the top and bottom of the engine. This third duct will be opened or closed as part of a variable cycle to transform it from a strike aircraft engine to a transport-type engine. If the duct is open the bypass ratio will increase, reducing fuel burn, and increasing subsonic range by up to 40 percent, leading to 60 percent longer loiter times on target. If the ducts are closed, additional air is forced through the core and high pressure compressor, enabling thrust and speed to increase and providing world-class supersonic performance. GE's ADVENT designs are based on new manufacturing technologies like 3-D printing of intricate cooling components and super-strong but lightweight ceramic matrix composites. These allow the manufacture of highly efficient jet engines operating at temperatures above the melting point of steel. Engineers also designed the new engine to be easy to fly. "We want the engine to take care of itself and let the pilot focus on the mission," says Abe Levatter, project manager at GE Aviation. "When the pilot says 'I'm out of danger, I want to cruise home,' the engine reconfigures itself. We take it upon ourselves to make the engine optimized for whatever the pilot wants." GE is now testing the engine's core components and plans to run a full test in the middle of 2013. The video below provides additional visual description of its operation. Source: GE Aviation Back to Top INTERNATIONAL System Safety Society 31st International System Safety Conference CALL FOR PAPERS "Safety for the Long Run" August 12-16, 2013 Marriott Copley Place, Boston, Massachusetts, USA The ISSC theme for 2013 is "Safety for the Long Run" to show and learn the long term benefits of integrating safety into a system. We want you to share your knowledge and invite you to just attend and learn. We also invite you to provide a presentation on any safety process, method, or technique you believe contributes to the goals and objectives of system safety. This conference will bring practitioners and the foremost thinkers of the system safety discipline together for an exchange of ideas, knowledge and experiences. There will be contributions from many different industries including: automotive; aviation; defense; health care; oil and gas; power generation; rail; robotics; and transportation. The conference is accepting four types of presentations: Technical Papers, Panels/Roundtables, Tutorials, and Workshops Key Submission Dates March 29 - Paper Abstracts Due April 5 - Panel, Roundtable, Tutorial & Workshop Proposals Due May 10 - Draft Papers Due June 28 - Final Paper July 12 - Draft Presentation July 26 - Final Presentation For more information or to submit a presentation visit: http:/ /issc2013.system-safety.org/ Curt Lewis