Flight Safety Information February 5, 2013 - No. 028 In This Issue NTSB Sending Investigators to Assist with Helicopter Accident in Paraguay NTSB Uses Laser Scanners at Accident Scenes Boeing requests Dreamliner test flights Boeing wants to test 787 Dreamliner in flight FAA faulted for outsourcing 787 safety checks to Boeing Indonesian Boeing 737 suffers landing gear damage after colliding with deer on takeoff 130 African air operators banned from EU (NY & NJ) Port Authority admits lacking airport fire safety records in thousands of cases Family may be sued over aircraft's $50,000 diversion Topsy-turvy battery rules make no sense, say pilots Canada-bound jet returns to O'Hare after smoke fills cabin PROS IOSA Audit Experts Pinnacle names a successor to CEO Spanjer, who will retire North Texas Business Aviation Announces First Annual Safety Show-Down AI offers bitter pills to 'sick' pilots Kuwait May Allow Women As Air Force Pilots Air Force wants to replace jet trainers JDA and G&W Partner to Expand Aviation Services into China NTSB Sending Investigators to Assist with Helicopter Accident in Paraguay WASHINGTON - The National Transportation Safety Board is sending investigators to assist in the investigation of a Robinson R44 II helicopter that crashed about 80 miles north of Asuncion, Paraguay. Initial reports indicate that the pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The investigation is being led by the Paraguay Civil Aviation Authority (CIPAA). The NTSB has designated senior investigator Paul Cox as the U. S. accredited representative to the CIPAA's investigation and he will be accompanied by representatives from NTSB, the FAA, Robinson Helicopters, and Lycoming Engines. The U.S. team is expected to arrive Wednesday morning. Further information regarding the investigation will be released by the CIPAA. www.ntsb.gov *********** Candidate for President of Paraguay Dies in Crash RIO DE JANEIRO - Lino Oviedo, a candidate in Paraguay's presidential election and one of the country's most polarizing political figures, was killed in a helicopter crash on Saturday night while returning from a rally in northern Paraguay, government officials said Sunday. http://www.nytimes.com/ Back to Top NTSB Uses Laser Scanners at Accident Scenes The NTSB recently began using laser scanners as a replacement to standard camera photography to record important data at accident scenes. A camera records in two dimensions, but a laser scanner adds virtual reality by viewing evidence in three dimensions. The scanners mount on a tripod and rotate 360 degrees to digitally record everything within about 300 feet, accurately correlating the time for the signal to return to help build not only three-dimensional still photos, but also digital simulations of past events. Because the scanners cannot see the back of an object, the device is moved to a variety of locations at the scene to build a complete picture. The data gathered from the scanners can be digitally reassembled to provide information accurate enough to measure tire skid marks or even the deformation of damaged vehicles. The digital scanners also mean that simulations can offer viewers the opportunity to put themselves at any location to observe what occurred before or during an accident. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainsafety/2013-02-04/ntsb-uses-laser- scanners-accident-scenes Back to Top Boeing requests Dreamliner test flights Boeing Co has requested the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to conduct test flights on its 787 Dreamliner, raising speculation it has made progress in finding a solution to the technical issues that grounded the fleet last month. Boeing Co has asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for permission to conduct test flights of its 787 Dreamliner, suggesting the company is making progress in finding a solution to the battery problems that grounded the entire 787 fleet last month. Boeing said it has submitted an application to conduct test flights, confirming a report in the Seattle Times. The newspaper reported that the FAA might grant permission as soon as Monday night, citing sources with knowledge of the matter. The FAA said it is evaluating Boeing's request. Boeing would test a potential fix for the problem that caused two batteries to burn on 787s last month, the paper said. But passenger flights would still be weeks if not months away, the paper said, citing two sources. http://www.france24.com/en/20130205-boeing-requests-dreamliner-test-flights- aviation-usa-faa-safety Back to Top Boeing wants to test 787 Dreamliner in flight Boeing is hoping test flights will help reveal source of battery problem HONG KONG (CNNMoney) - Boeing has asked the Federal Aviation Administration to allow test flights of the 787 Dreamliner while investigators work to uncover the source of the aircraft's battery problems. "Boeing has submitted an application to conduct 787 test flights and it is currently under evaluation by the FAA," Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said Tuesday. Asked for more details about the plans, Birtel declined to comment, but a series of test flights would allow the company's engineers to study the performance of the aircraft's lithium batteries in normal operating conditions. A federal probe into electrical fires has grounded all 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners around the world. U.S. regulators have been tight lipped about their progress in identifying the cause of the fires, but much attention is being paid to lithium ion batteries manufactured by a Japanese supplier. Part of a revolutionary design, the Dreamliner uses mostly electrical power rather than pneumatics to control the aircraft. Stakes are high for Boeing. So far, 58 customers around the globe have ordered 848 of the $200 million jet. It's been particularly attractive to Asian and Middle East carriers that depend on long-range global flights, rather than domestic flights, for a greater percentage of their traffic. Even with the electrical snafus, airlines eager for the jet's improved fuel economy have yet to cancel any orders due to the grounding. The aircraft maker said it still intends to build more than 60 Dreamliners this year, which suggests no slower pace than the five jets a month it is now building. But the pace could be slower than the seven to ten jets a month it had originally projected to build later this year. Related: What you need to know about the Boeing Dreamliner Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) CEO Jim McNerney was optimistic when speaking to investors last week. While he said Boeing couldn't disclose details of the federal probe, he said "good progress is being made in narrowing down the potential cause of the events." McNerney dodged some questions about potential costs of the fix, saying a six-month delay would be "a highly hypothetical situation." He continued to voice confidence in lithium batteries, which the Dreamliner uses, instead of shifting to traditional batteries that are less susceptible to fires. "Nothing we've learned yet has told us we have made the wrong choice on the battery technology," he said. Still, the aircraft maker will face compensation claims from existing customers. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have said they intend to discuss compensation with Boeing once the planes are flying again. Back to Top FAA faulted for outsourcing 787 safety checks to Boeing The battery woes that have grounded the global fleet of Boeing 787s have raised a persistent question about how the Federal Aviation Administration certified the Dreamliner's cutting-edge design. The answer: Boeing, not the FAA, largely vouched for the airplane's safety. Officials inspect an All Nippon Airways 787 on Jan. 18 after an emergency landing three days earlier at Takamatsu airport in Japan. No fire broke out, but the incident raised further concerns about the 787's lithium-ion batteries. WASHINGTON - The battery woes that have indefinitely grounded Boeing 787s have raised questions about how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified the cutting-edge aircraft. But few may realize it was Boeing, not FAA inspectors, that largely vouched for the Dreamliner's safety. The tests on the lithium-ion batteries at the center of Boeing's unprecedented crisis were conducted by the company. And the people the FAA designated on its behalf to ensure that the batteries conformed to its safety regulations also were Boeing employees. That shift toward "self-certification" accelerated during the past decade even as critics say advances in aerospace technologies have created greater need for closer independent scrutiny. Under streamlining begun in 2005, the FAA has granted Boeing in- house oversight for new planes in production and approval of major repairs and alterations. In a 2011 review, the inspector general of the Department of Transportation found the FAA in one case delegated some 90 percent of the determination for regulatory compliance for new aircraft design to outside representatives. The Inspector General's Office would not identify the company, but the report focused on Boeing, Cessna Aircraft and Bombardier-Learjet. The FAA is examining its own certification of the 787 in 2011, even as an international probe continues into what caused a fire and another battery malfunction last month that sidelined Boeing's new flagship jet. Bret Jensen, a spokesman for Boeing, responded that the 787 was subject to greater scrutiny from the FAA than any previous jetliner. "We are confident in the regulatory process that has been applied to the 787 since its design inception and we are confident in the safety and quality built into our products," he said. Critics say the FAA's heavy reliance on manufacturers to attest to the safety of their own products has largely relegated the agency to an administrative role - and has left it without the expertise and manpower to adequately challenge and revise safety standards. For example, the FAA allowed Boeing more than three dozen deviations from existing safety requirements for the composite-frame 787. Called Equivalent Levels of Safety, they were Boeing's alternative proposals for complying with regulations concerning fuel- tank flammability, auxiliary power unit installation and other design and operational matters. The FAA issued so many exceptions for the 787 that it "represents an aircraft that sort of meets the regulations," contends Michael Dreikorn, principal partner at ASD Experts, an aviation consulting firm in Bokeelia, Fla. Dreikorn, a former FAA official who was vice president of quality and regulatory compliance for jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney, believes the FAA should have applied more of its own expertise and direct oversight to the 787's many new technologies. Dreikorn has been a paid expert in a whistle-blower lawsuit filed by Boeing employees in Wichita, Kan., claiming manufacturing defects in some 737-Next Generation planes. One question now is whether FAA engineers adequately gauged the risks posed by the 787 battery, which the agency called a novel technology. The FAA approved its use in 2007 - four years after Boeing first applied to build the jet - but attached nine conditions to reduce potential hazards. Lithium-ion batteries are well known for being much more flammable than older nickel- cadmium batteries, with fires that are all but impossible to extinguish until a battery's solvent-based liquid electrolytes burn out. Among other things, the FAA required the battery design to prevent the possibility of spreading, uncontrolled overheating. That danger, known as thermal runaway, is exactly what occurred in the first of two 787 incidents, when a fire broke out aboard a Japan Airlines 787 after it landed in Boston's Logan Airport on Jan. 7. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the battery showed signs of short-circuit and thermal runaway. The FAA also had decreed that any battery malfunction not damage surrounding electrical systems and equipment enough to cause a more serious failure. Yet the Japanese plane sustained damage to the adjacent electronics bay, although the NTSB has yet to determine whether the battery - located beneath the cabin in the plane's rear and accessible only from the outside - could have disabled critical flight controls had the fire occurred in midair. Mary Schiavo, former inspector general for the Transportation Department, said the FAA's extra safeguards for the battery instead turned out to be a blueprint for malfunctions. "This regulation predicted that this would happen," Schiavo said. She questioned the FAA's decision to "contain a failure, not eliminate it." She contends the agency perhaps should have pushed Boeing harder to consider alternatives to lithium-ion technology. According to the FAA, Boeing's battery tests were observed by both company employees and agency staff. Some of the Boeing employees were acting as representatives of the FAA because Boeing has what's called an Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) to act as proxy on certification oversight. From the early days of commercial aviation, the FAA has relied on third-party observers to ensure aircraft were designed, engineered and produced according to regulation. But partly in response to complaints about a slow and inefficient certification journey, the FAA has shifted even further away from detailed product oversight to focusing on overall systems safety. The creation of the ODA system was one big change. Under it, Boeing became an FAA designee with wide latitude in picking the company's own engineers to sign off on their employer's work on behalf of the FAA. Previously, engineers in that role were approved by and reported directly to the FAA. Bart Crotty, an aviation-safety consultant in Springfield, Va., said the FAA lacks the technical firepower to directly inspect every stage of getting a new aircraft in the air. So it's left to the manufacturers' employee engineering delegates to review the design, plan and observe tests, and certify they meet applicable standards. FAA staff will attend many critical tests involving safety issues - such as flammability of new materials and design of flight controls - especially before the initial "type certificate" is issued for a new jet model. If they witness something questionable, FAA employees can refuse to sign off on a certificate, Crotty said. But for the most part, the FAA's role is largely administrative, such as overseeing data recording. In fact, FAA employees don't conduct any hands-on inspections because of liability risks, said Crotty, who is a former industry designated airworthiness representative. And once the manufacturer receives a production certificate greenlighting assembly, "the FAA becomes a ghost," he said. Boeing's Jensen said ODA is not tantamount to self-certification. Instead, he said, Boeing's authority extends only to "routine compliance activity where we have the expertise and have demonstrated the capability," with the FAA retaining ultimate authority. Jensen said Boeing is not disclosing how many battery tests it ran or other details. Dreikorn, the former FAA official, doesn't believe the FAA ought to subsidize private research by conducting separate tests. Still, he contends the FAA wasn't quick or rigorous enough in anticipating troubles with the new lithium-ion technology. The FAA's conditional approval for the 787 battery came a year after a three-alarm fire in Tucson, Ariz., in 2006 leveled a building where the company that makes the battery's charging-control system was working with a prototype. In an incident in 2011, a new Cessna Citation business jet caught fire at that company's plant in Wichita, Kan., while its lithium-ion battery was being recharged. Cessna quickly decided to swap out the battery with nickel-cadmium versions that are less prone to ignite. That did not prompt the FAA to revise its special conditions on the 787 battery. According to the FAA, the design of Cessna's lithium-ion battery was different from Boeing's. Besides, the FAA said, the Cessna fire was caused by a mechanic who bypassed safety controls. Dreikorn said that wasn't good enough. "The FAA should have cast a very large shadow over the (787) design and certification processes. But, without the right expertise, the shadow does little good," he said. If Boeing turns out to have made technical mistakes or followed regulations with less than absolute diligence, he said, "the FAA allowed them to do it." http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020288737_787faaxml.html Back to Top Indonesian Boeing 737 suffers landing gear damage after colliding with deer on takeoff Batavia Air Boeing 737-300 PK-YVZ after the incident An Indonesian Boeing 737-300 collided with a deer on takeoff from Pontianak Airport (PNK), according to a preliminary report issued by the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC). On Novemer 22, 2012 a Boeing 737-300 aircraft registered PK-YVZ was operated by Batavia Air, as a scheduled passenger service flight Y6-206 from Pontianak Airport (PNK/WIOO) to Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK/WIII), Indonesia. There were two pilots and four flight attendants with 112 passengers on board. The Captain was the Pilot Flying (PF) and the Copilot was the Pilot Monitoring (PM). As the airplane was just about to lift off from runway 15, the flight crew heard a 'bang' followed by aircraft vibration and a swing to the right. The Captain decided to continue the take off. After selection of the landing gear handle to the up position the flight crew noticed that the left hand main landing gear red light was still illuminated. This did not change after recycling the gear. The engineer checked the left hand main landing gear position visually through the viewing window in cabin area and found that the landing gear was in the up position. The Pontianak Air Traffic Controller (ATC) reported that the aircraft hit a deer during take off based on the evidence there was a deer's meat and head found by the airport safety officer near the taxiway D of runway 15/33. The flight crew decided to continue flight to Jakarta. At 19:15 the aircraft landed normally on runway 25L at Soekarno Hatta Airport. As soon as the aircraft rolled down the runway the aircraft experienced heavy vibration and aircraft moved left and right of the centerline. All occupants were not injured and the aircraft suffered minor damage. The damage consisted of a broken left main gear shimmy damper; a broken left main gear lower torsion link; a missing left main gear inner door; and some damage to panels. The investigation is continuing. www.avaiton-safety.net Back to Top 130 African air operators banned from EU A third of all African country airlines are banned from operating in EU territory. In order to address this, a series of initiatives to addressing critical setbacks in the continent's vast aviation sector till 2015 were high on the agenda of the extraordinary session of aviation safety in Africa. One of the main issues discussed was the impact of regulatory oversight on the training of flight crew and maintenance personnel, and the vital role of efforts to reduce the large number of African carriers currently blacklisted in the EU, however regulations remained entangled in various difficulties that inhibit further progress. Of the 24 countries represented under the blacklist of airlines not permitted to enter European airspace, a staggering 17 of those are African nations which alone comprise 130 different air operators. Not only does this designate the monopoly on international services from the region to foreign carriers, but the stigma of EU blacklisting is noted to severely constrain further progress through prospective code share arrangements and third party collaboration. Last year's session mandated the adoption and implementation of an effective and transparent regulatory oversight system for industry training, underpinned by the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). However, despite the numerous action plans undertaken, its overall success has proven too little and too slow, primarily due to the lack of political will as well as institutional and procedural constraints evident in the region. Deputy Head of FL Technics Training Dainius Sakalauskas argued that political interference with technical aviation is widely regarded as one of the principal threats to aviation safety, be it in developed or less-developed markets. To achieve the objectives outlined last year, it is vital for African states to have effective and autonomous civil aviation authorities. The trend emerging at current however is for the region's nations to pool resources in establishing regional safety over sight bodies. While the reasons for this shift are valid, bureaucratic and geographic issues mean that it falls short of focusing effective regulation and power on a state level, thereby constraining the agency of CAA personnel to act with confidence in enforcing international safety standards through the training of air crew and maintenance specialists. "Over the past two years, audits of aviation risk standards by the Flight Safety Foundation resulted in an average of 93 compliance concerns per audit for African carriers, in comparison to the 17 or so that averaged for Australia,' Mr Sakalauskas commented. Further issues are presented by the fact that civil aviation regulations in Africa are routinely basic and not tailored to the local environment. Corruption and the lack of state-level oversight has resulted in numerous occasions whereby cavalier operators have not implemented what they have documented or otherwise have been found to be flaunting regulations in a wider respect. Much of this is attributed to the lack of adequate training, but also due to the insufficiencies in checking standards that would prevent ineffectual or even uncertified people from assuming critical positions. http://www.di-ve.com/news/130-african-air-operators-banned-eu Back to Top (NY & NJ) Port Authority admits lacking airport fire safety records in thousands of cases The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it failed to comply with reporting standards involving fire safety training in thousands of cases at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Federal officials are pressing the Port Authority to create a stand-alone fire department separate from its police force, citing the agency's failure to produce thousands of records proving its officers were certified to fight aircraft fires. The Port Authority says its airports are safe and that the failures amount to record keeping lapses that have been addressed. But federal aviation officials say the failure to maintain certification records shows precisely why a separate force is needed for firefighting. They says the missing records raised concerns that at least some officers may not have been adequately trained as firefighters. The issue has been the subject of a series of meetings involving Port Authority civilian and police leaders, officials of the Federal Aviation Administration and its parent agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation, including Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Similar to large hub airports around the country with full-time, dedicated firefighting units, the FAA and Port Authority are in ongoing discussions to develop a corrective action plan to meet aircraft rescue and firefighting requirements," read a statement from the FAA, which licenses airport operators, with the power to levy fines or other penalties. JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International are the only major airports in the country where aircraft rescue and firefighting is performed by police officers. While unique, the arrangement is not prohibited, and its defenders say the world's busiest airport system, with more than 100 million passenger-trips at the three airports, benefits from firefighters who are also qualified to shoot or arrest terrorists. At stake are the jobs of 600 Port Authority Police officers cross-trained to fight fires at the airports. Officials say it remains unclear what would become of those officers if a stand-alone fire department were created, though the union fears layoffs. The cross-trained officers make up more than a third of the entire 1,600-member PAPD, and nearly half the department's main union, the Port Authority Policemen's Benevolent Association, which fiercely opposes a stand-alone fire department. PBA officials say the FAA is in league with Port Authority Aviation Director Susan Baer, who wants to put firefighting under her department's control. "The FAA and some people in the (Port Authority's) aviation department are trying to use missing records ... as an excuse to create a separate firefighting unit costing tens of millions of dollars, under the control of the Aviation Department," PBA President Paul Nunziato said in a statement. Baer, a member of LaHood's cabinet-level Future of Aviation Advisory Committee, declined to comment on the assertion. The Port Authority also declined to comment. Nunziato said the department's aviation firefighting unit is second in size only to the U.S. military's, and deploys more equipment and at least 50 percent more personnel than operations at other airports. He said the unit has been commended repeatedly by the National Transportation Safety Board, for its rapid responses and bravery. Nunziato said the union is backed on the firefighting issue by Gov. Chris Christie and Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, who share control of the Port Authority. Christie received the union's re-election endorsement last month. Neither governor responded to requests for comment. Meanwhile, the Port Authority has put civilian airport officials in charge of firefighting records, and insists they have been in full compliance since July. Exactly what happened to the records or whether any records were kept is not clear. Beyond record keeping, Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye told FAA Administrator Michael Huerta in a Sept. 7 letter that the agency hired former New York City Fire Commissioner Thomas Van Essen for a "top-to-bottom" review of firefighting operations. On Friday, at the latest meeting with federal officials in Washington, Nunziato, Foye and Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni presented a compromise proposal to create a separate firefighting "cadre" within the police department. Its officers would still have guns and police powers, but would be assigned exclusively to firefighting duty. The dispute dates back to a December 2011 FAA inspection at JFK, when police could not produce firefighting certification records for officers assigned to aircraft rescue and firefighting, or ARFF, duties for the previous year. Under federal aviation regulations for firefighting known as FAR 139, certification requires officers to be trained in 14 areas ranging from spraying flame suppressant on burning aircraft to talking on radios. To keep their certification current, officers must undergo annual refresher training in each of those areas. To insure compliance with the firefighting regulations, FAA inspectors cross-check records indicating which officers were assigned to firefighting shifts against those officers' certification records. Each shift an officer is assigned without proof of certification amounts to a compliance failure. With thousands of firefighting shifts a year at Kennedy, the failure to produce certification records for a year amounted to thousands of compliance failures. The Port Authority acknowledged the failures during a follow-up FAA investigation, which by then was seeking five additional months of records dating to May 2012. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/02/port_authority_admits_lacking.html Back to Top Family may be sued over aircraft's $50,000 diversion The McNeil family outside court after being arrested in Bermuda after their flight was diverted to the Island from the Dominican Republic. Pictured from left: David McNeil, an unidentified young man, David Kale McNeil, and Donna McNeil. A Canadian family could find themselves sued for more than $50,000 after causing an international flight to be diverted to Bermuda. Sunwing flight 454 from Halifax to the Dominican Republic landed in Bermuda on Friday evening after reports of a disruption involving three of the plane's passengers. David McNeil Sr, 54, Donna McNeil, 52, and David McNeil Jr, 22, all from Mabou, Nova Scotia, were each charged in Magistrates' Court yesterday in connection with the altercation. Senior Crown counsel Carrington Mahoney told the court that shortly after the aircraft pulled away from the gate Mr McNeil Jr left his seat to use the bathroom. The plane's flight crew however instructed him that he had to remain seated during take- off. Minutes into the flight, Mr McNeil Jr again attempted to access the bathroom and was again turned away. He was followed by his father who attempted to open the locked door while crew members repeatedly ordered him to return to his seat. Donna McNeil also became involved, attempting to persuade the flight crew to let her son into the bathroom. When the bathrooms were unlocked, Mr McNeil Jr quickly used the bathroom, followed by his father who the court heard slammed the bathroom door. Leaving the lavatory, he told a flight attendant: "You f***ing a**hole. I p****d all over the floor." Two hours later, a crew member noticed Mr McNeil Jr coming out of the plane's bathroom smelling strongly of smoke. The crew searched the bathroom for cigarette butts, but found none. The decision was then made to divert the plane to Bermuda to remove the McNeil family. The three defendants were arrested by Bermuda Police shortly after the plane landed on Friday evening, and a subsequent search of Mr McNeil Jr revealed a package of cigarettes and a lighter in his pants pocket. Appearing in court today, McNeil Sr pleaded guilty to behaving in a disorderly manner after calling a member of the flight crew a "f***ing a**hole," while Donna McNeil, admitted disobeying a lawful command on the flight. Mr McNeil Jr was charged with smoking on the aircraft, but prosecutors elected to offer no evidence after he denied the allegation. Lawyer Victoria Pearman said that the trip was a family vacation gone awry, and that tensions were high because of delays in the flight's departure. She said McNeil Jr needed to use the rest room "urgently" and the family found the cabin crew's response "heavy handed". Ms Pearman said the error in judgement would prove costly with or without a fine, with the family having already lost out on a prepaid vacation in addition to paying for several days in Bermuda and their inevitable flight home. "It just seems that this could have all been done another way," she said. "Even though all offences before this court are serious, given the human element of this, the court may consider that this is a one-off and unlikely to happen again." Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner fined McNeil Sr and Donna McNeil $500 each for their offences, ordering that the fines be paid forthwith or they would could face up to ten days in prison. Daryl McWilliams, vice president of media relations with Sunwing Travel, told the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) that the company is seeking to get compensation from the family. "We are going to pursue legal action against the passengers to recover our out-of-pocket expenses which at the moment are estimated to be between $45,000 and $50,000," he said. " When we have the final tally from all invoices paid relating to this incident our legal department will proceed to recover our expenses through the courts. He explained the airline paid for hotel rooms in Bermuda for the flight's 170 other passengers. And Mr McWilliams said because the aircraft was fuelled for travel to Punta Cana it was overweight when it landed in Bermuda. As a result, a Sunwing Canadian-trained mechanic had to be flown to Bermuda to inspect the plane. "Those people will never get on a Sunwing aircraft again," he added. "There's no hope. We would have a record of what happened and we wouldn't carry them again." http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20130205/NEWS02/702059957 Back to Top Topsy-turvy battery rules make no sense, say pilots AT the same time the US government certified Boeing's 787 Dreamliners as safe, federal rules barred the type of batteries used to power the airliner's electrical systems from being carried as cargo on passenger planes because of the fire risk. Now the situation is reversed. Dreamliners worldwide were grounded nearly three weeks ago after lithium ion batteries led to a fire in one plane and smoke in a second. But new rules exempt aircraft batteries from the ban on large lithium ion batteries as cargo on flights by passenger planes. In effect, that means the Dreamliners' batteries are now allowed to fly only if they're not attached to a Dreamliner. The regulations were published on January 7, the same day as a battery fire in a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston's Logan International Airport that took firefighters nearly 40 minutes to put out. Pilots and safety advocates say the situation doesn't make sense. If the 787's battery system is too risky to allow the planes to fly, then it's too risky to ship the same batteries as cargo on other planes, they say. "These incidents have raised the whole issue of lithium batteries and their use in aviation," said Jim Hall, a former National Transportation Safety Board chairman. "Any transport of lithium batteries on commercial aircraft for any purpose should be suspended until an NTSB investigation is complete and we know more about this entire issue." Chesley Sullenberger, a former US Airways pilot famed for enabling passengers and crew to survive an emergency landing on the Hudson River in New York, said in an interview that he wouldn't be comfortable flying an airliner that carried lithium ion aircraft batteries in its cargo hold. The battery rules were changed in order to conform US shipping requirements with international standards as required by Congress, the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in a statement. The NTSB is investigating the cause of the 787 battery fire in Boston while Japanese authorities are investigating a battery failure that led to an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways 787 on January 16. http://www.avionics-intelligence.com/news/2013/02/05/topsy-turvy-battery-rules- make-no-sense-say-pilots.html Back to Top Canada-bound jet returns to O'Hare after smoke fills cabin; passenger hospitalized An ExpressJet bound for Canada returned to O'Hare Airport shortly after takeoff Monday after smoke filled the cabin. One passenger was taken to an area hospital. Flight 5828, operating as United Express to Ottawa, Canada, was carrying 38 people and three crew members when it declared an emergency and returned because of the smoke, ExpressJet spokeswoman Courtney Madden said. Paramedics responded about 6:30 p.m. and took one female passenger to Our Lady of the Resurrection Hospital in fair to serious condition, Chicago Fire Media Affairs said. Passengers were put on another flight that left about 9:50 p.m., Madden said. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/18018209-418/canada-bound-jet-returns-to- ohare-after-smoke-fills-cabin-passenger-hospitalized.html Back to Top Back to Top Pinnacle names a successor to CEO Spanjer, who will retire Pinnacle Airlines said Monday that president and CEO John Spanjers will retire and be succeeded by former Comair president Ryan Gumm upon the company's emergence from bankruptcy. The company named Gumm senior vice president and chief operating officer, effective Tuesday. Gumm was previously executive vice president and chief operating officer of Delta Private Jets. Before that, he was at Comair, a Delta-owned regional that closed last year. Spanjers succeeded Sean Menke as CEO in April 2012. Menke followed Donald Breeding, who served as interim CEO after Phil Trenary, who grew the airline and moved it to One Commerce Square, resigned in March 2011. Memphis-based Pinnacle announced late last month that it is moving its headquarters to Minneapolis in May. Its local flight crew base will close on April 1. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/feb/04/no-headline--- coffe5/?CID=happeningnow Back to Top North Texas Business Aviation Announces First Annual Safety Show-Down to be Held April 3rd, 2013 at Million Air Dallas It will be presenting the first annual Safety Show-Down event on April 3rd, 2013 at Million Air Dallas at Addison (KADS) Airport. February 4, 2013 -- Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas -- The North Texas Business Aviation Association (NTBAA), recently announced they will be presenting the first annual Safety Show-Down event on April 3rd, 2013 at Million Air Dallas at Addison (KADS) Airport. This one-day safety day event will include numerous industry experts with presentations on current issues and topics that are crucial to today's aviation safety culture. As a non- profit organization, NTBAA will be working with industry sponsors to support the event. Interested businesses wishing to participate in this event should contact NTBAA at www.ntbaaonline.com. In addition to presentations, a guest speaker from the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) will be addressing the group and the hangar will be set up with vendor exhibits. "This will be a tremendous event for Pilots, Aviation Directors, Flight Attendants, Schedulers, FBO management or anyone in business aviation interested in learning more about the most important topics in aviation safety," stated Marj Rose, President of NTBAA. "We are so excited to bring this type of educational event to the local business aviation community and look forward to a great day," added Ms. Rose. Registration is planned to open on February 15, 2013 at www.ntbaaonline.com and attendees are encouraged to pre-register to guarantee attendance. The program will begin with a continental breakfast and check-in at 7:30 AM and will wrap up with a networking reception from 5:15 - 7:00 PM. About NTBAA NTBAA is an association that brings together the growing North Texas Business Aviation Community. It provides a forum to network, educate, mentor, share best practices, and represent the interests of the business aviation industry. This group is made up of local flight operations, manufacturers and associated business aviation vendors, suppliers, and service providers, and it creates a platform to interact with policy makers and officials whose decisions affect this industry. It also brings those in the North Texasarea together for a free exchange of ideas and concerns and foster both professional and educational opportunities. For more information about NTBAA, contact Marj Rose at 214-862-8992 or email at her mrose@market-lift.com. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/10863395/north-texas-business-aviation- announces-first-annual-safety-show-down-to-be-held-april-3rd-2013-at-million-air-dallas Back to Top AI offers bitter pills to 'sick' pilots Fed up with its pilots constantly calling in "sick" - especially on weekends and during festivals - the Air India management has decided to refer the cases to the medical cell of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the air force's medical evaluation centres. From now on, the half-yearly fitness tests conducted by air force doctors - known as tests for licence renewal - will become gruelling for the pilots. The AI high fliers could be asked to go to specialists and get detailed investigations done. An AI official said the crew members only have to say "yes" or "no" to whether they have been absent due to any illness when undergoing the licence renewal process. And their answer is mostly "no". "Now that their health records will be available to the doctors examining them, the crew will have to provide details of their illness and the medication taken," the AI official said. "It is a common knowledge that the pilots report sick whenever a dispute arises with the airline management. The easiest way to take an off is to call in sick on weekends and during festivals," an aviation ministry official said. But an office bearer of the ICPA, an association of the pilots of the erstwhile Indian Airlines, said, "This won't serve any purpose and is being done to harass pilots." AI has already started sharing data on its Bangalore-based pilots. Although AI hopes that the move will help reduce the pilots' sickness, industry observers believe that this is the management's way of gearing up for an agitation, following the pay-cut recommended by the Dharmadhikari committee. http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/SectorsAviation/AI-offers-bitter-pills-to- sick-pilots/Article1-1006435.aspx Back to Top Kuwait May Allow Women As Air Force Pilots, But Gender Equality Remains Elusive In Kingdom The Kuwaiti government says it may consider allowing women to train as pilots in its air force. Kuwaiti women According to Al Rai, a Kuwaiti newspaper, there is "a serious study being conducted to allow women to join the Kuwaiti air force," after only seven men applied for the position, far below the requisite minimum. "There is now a serious tendency to benefit from the potential of Kuwaiti women to join this significant and sensitive sector, especially that the political leaders have been encouraging young men and women to become members of the army," a military source told the paper. "Kuwaiti women have already proven their prowess in the security forces, where they have held high positions as officers. They have displayed impressive levels on assuming responsibility, especially in dealing with the people." The Gulf News reported that the proposal to allow female air force pilots will be referred to the Cabinet for final approval. Pending such a measure, the first female applicants will be trained as helicopter and cargo plane pilots. In the event women join the Kuwaiti air force, it would mark another milestone in the long struggle for gender equality in the oil-rich Gulf kingdom. Only eight years ago, in 2005, Kuwaiti women gained the right to vote in parliamentary and local elections - a monumental change for the Gulf state. By May 2009, four women won seats in the Kuwaiti parliament - losing them in February 2012, but regaining three in December of that year. In addition, the Kuwaiti Cabinet now boasts two women: Dhikra Al Rashidi, minister of social affairs and labor, and Rola Dashti, in charge development and parliament affairs. Dr. Dilshod Achilov, assistant professor of political science at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, said that if women do indeed join the Kuwaiti air force, it "would be historic in Kuwaiti history. But it would not be a big surprise." Achilov points out that women have actively served in the military ranks of various Arab and/or Muslim nations, including Algeria, Syria and Turkey. "Oman, another Gulf state, allowed female officers to the join the army not too long ago," he said. "However, in general terms, female enrollment in the military is not common in the Middle East. But this trend has been shifting over the past few years. The best word that describes the Mideast social and political discourse is 'change.' The dynamics of this change has been happening from the bottom up, which demonstrates public engagement and commitment to pursue change." However, Kuwait women still face a long uphill battle in their quest for equal rights. Last year, Human Rights Watch noted that women in the kingdom continue to face a number of discriminatory laws. "Kuwait's nationality law denies Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men the right to pass their nationality on to their children and spouses, a right held by Kuwaiti men married to foreign spouses," the campaigners group said. "In cases of alleged domestic violence or marital rape, under Kuwaiti regulations, courts provide lawyers to the accused but not to the victims. Furthermore, Kuwait's laws do not specifically prohibit domestic violence or marital rape, and there are no government-run or funded shelters or hotlines specifically for survivors of domestic violence." Earlier this year, Dr. Alanoud Al-Sharekh, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and senior political analyst at the Kuwait National Security Bureau, spoke of the current condition of Kuwait's women at a forum for women's issues before students from the University of Colorado and Tufts. "The first election women participated in, no female won," she said, according to the Arab Times. "However, just in the second election, in a span of only two years, four women were elected. So, we are no longer a society that doesn't recognize women in a position of authority. Of course that gap was bridged by having two female ministers in the Cabinet." But she added that many laws pose obstacles to women achieving careers in other fields, like judgeships. "It is just a social bias and lack of awareness," she lamented. "There are many laws that are biased against women and have no value in the constitution and should be reformed. There are laws of nationality that are biased, housing laws and labor laws that are biased. "The laws are just a product of a tribal, warrior point of view that is very traditional and are in direct conflict with our civil rights and our rights as Muslims. They are not even covered under the political Islam umbrella. For example, there is a 1960s law that essentially allows honor killings." http://www.ibtimes.com/kuwait-may-allow-women-air-force-pilots-gender-equality- remains-elusive-kingdom-1060166 Back to Top Air Force wants to replace jet trainers The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a variety of roles because of its design, economy of operations, ease of maintenance, high performance and exceptional safety record. It is used primarily by Air Education and Training Command for undergraduate pilot and pilot instructor training. Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration also use the T-38 in various roles. WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE - Even as funding remains uncertain in an era of budget austerity, the Air Force met more than 300 aerospace industry representatives at Wright-Patterson about building a replacement for an aging jet trainer fleet in a future competition. The Air Force has its sights set on an initial purchase of 350 new aircraft along with a pilot training system, dubbed the T-X program, by the next decade to replace the T-38 Talon, the last of which rolled off a production line more than four decades ago. But no funding beyond planning has been guaranteed for the program. At Wright-Patterson last week, industry representatives from about 20 aerospace firms were briefed about Air Force needs and gave the military an opportunity to explore what the market could offer, officials said. The Air Force wants to begin to replace the jet trainer between 2020 to 2024, industry leaders were told, to train about 400 fighter and bomber pilots every year. The deal is expected to include flight simulators and multimedia educational and logistics support. Col. Dale Van Dusen, chief of the training aircraft division at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson, said the new aircraft must be "as affordable as possible" to meet budget needs. The Department of Defense is under the threat of automatic, massive spending cuts if Congress and President Barack Obama don't reach an agreement on sequestration by March 1. Also, a continuing resolution to fund the federal government is set to expire March 27. The twin-engine, supersonic T-38 took flight in 1959 and has trained more than 71,000 Air Force pilots. The last of 1,187 models were built in 1972. The Air Force has about 470 left in the Air Education and Training Command ranks. Northrop Grumman, the original manufacturer, has estimated the average airframe has flown about 15,000 hours and the aircraft with the highest flight times have more than 19,000 hours in the air. Over the years, the Air Force has replaced major components, such as the wings, avionics and engines, to keep the aging jets airborne. "With any aging airframe, just keeping it flying economically is a challenge," Van Dusen said. Even so, he added, "The T-38 is still continuing strong and part of what we're looking at is we may be able to keep it longer than we anticipate now." The new aircraft also would replace the F-16D Fighting Falcon in a "bridge program" that prepares student pilots to fly the fifth generation fighter, the F-22 Raptor. Where the service will find money to buy and field the new jets in an era of budget cuts will be difficult, one defense analyst said. "I'm not so sure how they can keep the schedule," said Richard Aboulafia, a defense analyst with the Teal Group in Fairfax, Va. "On the other hand, they have to do it starting this decade sometime." The Air Force has made a priority of buying the Boeing KC-46A aerial tanker, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and a new long-range strike bomber, he said. The average age of an Air Force aircraft is about 25 years. Chicago-based Boeing expects to offer the Air Force a new design for the T-X competition, while other U.S. firms will pair with foreign aerospace manufacturers to pitch jet trainers flying today. In each case, final assembly of the Air Force jets will be in the United States, company spokespersons said. "Over the past several years, Boeing has conducted extensive studies of both new and derivative platforms as well as many industry teaming approaches," the company said in a statement. "Our analysis consistently indicate an all-new, purpose-built solution will provide the most affordable and effective solution to the Air Force's advanced flight training requirements." General Dynamics will partner with Italy's Alenia Aermacchi to offer the T-100, a variant of the M-346 jet trainer. Italy, Israel and Singapore fly the jet. "It was developed specifically as a trainer for the global markets," said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics C4 Systems in Scottsdale, Ariz. "It's going to bring a lot of jobs to bear across the country and across the world if you consider Alenia's involvement," he said. Lockheed Martin will partner with Korean Aerospace Industries to field the T-50, a multirole aircraft that has trained South Korean jet pilots since 2007. The plane can mimic the performance characteristics of the latest jet fighters, such as the F-35, said B.J. Bowling, a Lockheed Martin spokesman in Fort Worth, Texas. Northrop Grumman has partnered with British-based BAE Systems Inc. and L-3 Link to pitch the Hawk Advanced Jet Training System. Britain, Saudi Arabia and Oman have chosen the Hawk T2 aircraft, the latest variant of the Hawk trainer, according to Lisa Hillary-Tee, a BAE Systems spokeswoman in Herndon, Va. "BAE Systems has built almost 1,000 Hawk aircraft in total, helping to produce highly trained combat pilots from 25 countries, with more than 3 million flying hours logged," she said in an email. http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/local-military/air-force-wants-to-replace- jet-trainers/nWDJg/ Back to Top JDA and G&W Partner to Expand Aviation Services into China They have entered into a strategic cooperative relationship to help aviation companies improve safety and quality management and comply with the U.S. and PRC civil aviation regulations and certification requirements. BETHESDA, MD -- JDA Aviation Solutions (JDA) and Group & Wang Associates (G&W) of Washington, D.C., and Beijing have entered into a strategic cooperative relationship to help aviation companies improve safety and quality management and comply with the U.S. and PRC civil aviation regulations and certification requirements. G&W is a Washington, D.C.. company doing business in Asia and China. The company also has offices in Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Bethesda-based JDA is an international aviation technology service company. "This is a great opportunity for JDA to work with G&W and help support the burgeoning aviation industry in China. Our joint resources will help provide clients in China a path to leadership in safety, compliance and certification," said Joe Del Balzo, President and CEO of JDA. The strategic relationship will focus on airworthiness, certification, airline and airport safety auditing and management to ensure clients comply with aviation regulations established by the United States and the People's Republic of China. Specifically, the partners will 1.Assist the PRC airports and airlines in improving the implementation of safety management system (SMS). 2.Help PRC aviation maintenance and repair enterprises apply for FAA Part 145 certification in the United States. 3.Work with Chinese aviation manufacturers applying for Supplemental Type Certification (STC) for aircraft and aerospace products, and Technology Standards Order (TSO) for aircraft parts, and airborne equipment. 4.Help PRC airlines and business aircraft operators comply with operational and safety regulations when operating in the United States. 5.Assit Non-PRC aero industry clients in certifying products and procedures in the PRC under the applicable international and PRC regulations 6.1.Train and provide advice on U.S. aviation regulations, airworthiness certification procedures and technical requests. 2.Advise PRC and U.S. aviation manufacturers on marketing in the U.S. and PRC. "In addition to assisting PRC firms expanding their businesses, the JDA-G&W relationship is an unique opportunity to help non-PRC aero firms entering into the PRC market through the CAAC certification process, as well as by taking advantage of G&W's broad contacts in the PRC aviation industry," said Xianping (Ping) Wang , the founder and CEO of G&W. About JDA - JDA is a well-known international aviation technology service company that offers safety and security management, certification and compliance solutions and services for airlines, airports, business and general aviation operators, aircraft manufacturers, aviation maintenance and repair companies, regulatory agencies, government agencies, commercial organizations and aviation system users. About G&W - Group & Wang Associates provides operation and management consulting, market analysis, regulatory consulting and investment advice services to airlines, airports, manufacturers, vendors, financial institutions/ private investors, service providers and governmental agencies in the PRC and abroad. Its clients over the past 22 years include most of the PRC passenger and cargo airlines, most of the major PRC airports, many non-PRC aero firms, as well as the Civil Aviation Authority of China and various provincial governments. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/10863363/jda-and-gw-partner-to-expand- aviation-services-into-china Curt Lewis