Flight Safety Information February 18, 2013 - No. 038 In This Issue New report questions FAA's promise over safety of major airlines' smaller partners Airline Animal Deaths Raise Concern Spirit Airlines ex-employee files suit on falsified maintenance records Bolivia says LAN, TAM airlines no longer authorized to fly there Man Arrested at NJ Airport With Loaded Gun PROS IOSA Audit Experts Cirrus hiring ramps up for new light personal jet David Carr Joins Med-Trans Corp as Safety Director European pilots want to work in Russia Airplane mechanic program set to open in fall 'Shark skin' technology to boost aircraft efficiency Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: Advanced Aircraft Accident Investigation Workshop Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: OSHA/Aviation Ground Safety Workshop New report questions FAA's promise over safety of major airlines' smaller partners WASHINGTON (AP) - Since a deadly airline crash in 2009, the government hasn't kept its promise to ensure that major airlines are holding their smaller partners to the same safety standards, a federal watchdog says. In this Feb. 12, 2009, file photo, the wreckage of Continental flight 3407 lies amid smoke at the scene after crashing into a suburban Buffalo home and erupting into flames, killing all 48 people aboard and at least one person on the ground, according to authorities. Faced with substantial industry opposition, federal regulators are struggling to implement a sweeping aviation safety law enacted in the wake of the last fatal U.S. airline crash nearly four years ago, according to a report by a government watchdog. The Transportation Department's inspector general faults the Federal Aviation Administration for not taking steps to encourage the big airlines "to consistently share safety information and best practices" with regional airlines that operate flights under contract for them. That business link is known as code-sharing, by which one airline sells tickets for seats on a flight operated by another airline - United and United Express, for example. More than half of all airline flights in the U.S. are operated by regional airlines using names such as United Express, Delta Connection, American Connection and US Airways Express under code-sharing arrangements. A flight operated by regional carrier Colgan Air for Continental Airlines under the name Continental Express crashed in February 2009 near Buffalo, N.Y., killing 50 people. After that crash, officials at the department and the FAA said they would begin reviewing code-share contracts to see if they impinged on safety. Investigators cited pilot training lapses by Colgan as a factor. Colgan ended flying in September as part of its parent company's restructuring. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation and congressional hearings after the Colgan crash pointed out the differences in safety cultures that sometimes occur between the two types of airlines. For example, at that time, some regional carriers were hiring pilots with as few as 250 hours of flight experience, which FAA rules allow. Major airlines typically hired pilots with about 10 times that much experience. After the crash, pilot unions and safety advocates said regional carriers were driven to cut corners on safety, including hiring inexperienced pilots at low wages, in part to meet performance goals required under the code-sharing contracts. Airlines that met their goals often earned more money under the agreements, while those that failed to meet such goals were sometimes penalized. The FAA, despite earlier promises, isn't reviewing any code-share contracts for their safety implications, and the Transportation Department reviews only a small share for their potential economic impact, not safety, the report said. "As a result, most domestic code-share agreements go into effect without being reviewed by any (federal) regulatory entity," the report said. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report before its public release. The FAA also doesn't have procedures in place "to advance the agency's commitment to ensure the same level of safety between mainline air carriers and their code-share partners," the report said. Responding to the report, Robert Rivkin, the Transportation Department's general counsel, said the FAA "believes that all carriers ... meet an appropriate level of safety" regardless of whether they are in a code-share agreement. After the Colgan crash, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and then-FAA chief Randy Babbitt announced an industry-government "call to action" and they held a well- publicized safety summit. An airline safety "action plan" released by FAA officials at the time promised that the FAA and the department would "develop the authority and processes to review agreements" between major carriers and their regional partners. That plan said one of its short-term goals was that "major carriers should seek specific and concrete ways" to ensure that their smaller airline partner carriers adopt and implement the larger company's most effective practices for safety. That was to include periodic meetings to review safety data gathering programs and "to constantly emphasize their shared safety philosophy." The inspector general's report said that although the FAA sponsors biannual information- sharing events for the airline industry, "it has not taken steps to encourage mainline carriers to consistently share safety information and best practices with their code-share partners." The FAA dropped its plans to review code-sharing agreements because agency officials felt the largest airlines had taken steps to increase their safety sharing with their regional partners, the report said. But the inspector general found that while that was true of one large airline, it wasn't the case for others. The report reviewed four major and eight regional carriers who participate in code share agreements, but did not identify the airlines. Rivkin replied in a letter to the inspector general that the FAA doesn't make a distinction between "major" and "regional" carriers because "all of those carriers meet the same standards." Scott Maurer, whose 30-year-old daughter, Lorin, died in the Colgan crash, said he was disappointed but not surprised by the inspector general's findings. "These promises tend to end up becoming lip service," he said. "It sounds good at the time, but there is no follow through." A year after the Colgan crash, then-Continental Airlines CEO Jeffrey Smisek angered victims' families when he said it was the FAA's responsibility to ensure Colgan's pilots were properly trained, not Continental's. "We did not train those pilots. We did not maintain those aircraft. We did not operate the aircraft. But we expect them to be safe. We expect the Federal Aviation Administration to do its job," Smisek told a hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The father of a law student killed in the crash later cornered Smisek in the hallway outside the hearing room, complaining that his daughter bought her ticket from Continental, not Colgan. Smisek is now the president and CEO of the holding company for United Airlines, which merged with Continental. Back to Top Airline Animal Deaths Raise Concern Should you rethink bringing your pet on your next vacation? After a five-month analysis of government documents, the NBC Bay Area Investigate Unit uncovered that in a six-year span 302 animals have died, been injured, or have disappeared in the care of commercial airlines. After a five-month analysis of government documents, the NBC Bay Area Investigate Unit uncovered that in a six-year span 302 animals have died, been injured, or have disappeared in the care of commercial airlines. Delta Airlines saw the most tragedies followed by Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, and United Airlines, according to Air Travel Reports published by the Department of Transportation. How the animals got hurt or killed remains largely unknown. For the most part, the data does not give a clear answer to why the pets died or were injured. It's also hard to get a full perspective. By law, airlines only have to disclose if a pet is lost or dies during a trip, not the number of animals that have been transported. The number of incidents has pet owners worried. "Just treat my dog gently," said a San Jose woman. She is shipping her dog Caleb, as cargo from the Bay Area to the state of Washington. "I am just praying that he will get there safely, it will all go smoothly," she said. Michael Jarboe of Miami said pet owners should be worried. "He was my best friend," described Jarboe of his 2- year-old Mastiff, Bam Bam. Jarboe paid United Airlines $650 to have his beloved pet fly from Miami to San Francisco on August 28, 2012. He said he chose the airline because of its "PetSafe" program. The program promises benefits such as "weather and proactive shipment monitoring" and more "PetSafe climate-controlled van than any other carrier." But Jarboe would later learn in a letter from United that animals aren't always transported in climate-controlled vehicles. "While our PetSafe program affords us air conditioned vans at our hub locations, there are times because of size of the animal and kennel, and availability, that when connections are less than four hours, we place the animals in a USDA Animal Welfare approved holding area," the airline wrote. "His ticket was twice mine, so the assumption is that they (animals) are getting some decent care," Jarboe said. According to him, during a layover in Houston, he saw his dog sitting on the tarmac on a luggage cart. Jarboe claims Bam Bam spent almost four hours in conditions well above 85 degrees. When Jarboe arrived in San Francisco, he was told the dog didn't make it. The cause of death was acute cardiovascular collapse, according to a letter sent to Jarboe by United, which paid for the dog's necropsy. A United Airlines representative told The Investigate Unit, "We understand that the loss of a beloved pet is difficult and express our condolences to Mr. Jarboe for his loss. The safety of the animals we transport is always considered first and foremost when making decisions regarding their routing and carriage." The United States Department of Agriculture is the regulatory agency that oversees the transport of animals on commercial airlines. The USDA is investigating to see if United Airlines will receive any civil penalties in Bam Bam's death. After pouring through hundreds of Live Animal Incident Reports, the Investigative Unit found government oversight varies. According to a February 2012 report, a Delta Airlines clerk accidentally loaded two pets in a baggage bin with a container of dry ice. Both animals died. The USDA investigated the incident but no action was taken against the airline. Jarboe argues, "If we were in public and we left our dogs in the car in the heat of summer they would arrest us, and the airline can just get away with that." He said United paid him $3,500 dollars for a new puppy, but said nothing will replace Bam Bam. His advice to travelers thinking about putting their animal in cargo, "Don't fly. Don't fly." Jarboe's claims came one week after former supermodel Maggie Rizer lost her 2-year- old golden retriever, Bea. Rizer has modeled for dozens of top designers from Gucci to Gap and currently lives in San Francisco. Her agent, Patty Sicular, told the Investigate Unit, Rizer is so devastated; she is unable to discuss her loss publicly. "The airlines are not being forced to take responsibility," said Mary Beth Melchior. She founded "whereisjack.org" and launched a Facebook page to help a missing cat named Jack. The page has nearly 25,000 followers. In August 2011, the feline went missing at Kennedy International Airport in New York after an American Airlines clerk dropped his kennel. Two months later, Jack fell through the ceiling in the Terminal 8 customs area. The Norwegian forest cat was so ill that he had to be euthanized. Today the Department of Transportation still lists Jack as lost. "The airlines don't treat your animal any differently than they treat any other luggage," claims Melchior. However, it's hard to know just how big of a risk it really is to ship an animal in cargo. Airlines don't have to publicly release how many pets are transported. By law, air carriers only have to disclose when a pet is hurt, lost, or dies during a trip. Airlines for America, the only trade organization of the principal U.S. airlines, denied a request for an on-camera interview. Instead this statement was released: "The transportation of all passengers, including pets, to their destination safely and comfortably remains the airlines' number-one priority, and airlines adhere to all federal regulations concerning the air transportation of animals. Because not all airlines accept pets for travel, owners should contact the carriers that do for their pet transportation policy." "I think a lot of owners think that if I can be flown from point A to point B and nothing happens to me, then the same will be for my pet," said Dr. Chris Cowing who is the President of the California Veterinary Medical Association. He said that transporting an animal in cargo should be a pet owners' last resort, especially if the animal is older and in poor health. When asked if airlines should even be allowed to transports animals, Cowing responded, "I think we demand it and the airlines have to respond in kind. The owners have to be responsible to make sure the pets are healthy." And clearly not all trips end in tragedy. Caleb arrived safely from the Bay Area to the state of Washington. Cameras caught him mostly resting alongside his bone in his kennel and temperature graphs showed that he was kept in conditions ranging from 48 to 72 degrees. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/Airline-Animal-Deaths-Raises-Concern- 191487781.html Back to Top Spirit Airlines ex-employee files suit on falsified maintenance records A lawsuit alleges Spirit Airlines filed false inspection records, but an FAA probe early in 2012 didn't find evidence of this. Pictured is a Spirit Jet at LaGuardia in 2008. A former senior aircraft mechanic for Atlantic City International Airport's only carrier, Spirit Airlines, claims the airline regularly falsified inspection records and performed subpar maintenance on its aircraft, according to a lawsuit filed last month in state Superior Court. Richard Torrecq, of the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township, and eight other mechanics sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2011 alleging that Spirit Airlines was servicing planes with improper or contaminated fluids and was not providing mechanics with proper tools to service the planes. Within five months, six or seven of those mechanics, including Torre, were fired, the lawsuit states. None of the other mechanics is named in legal documents filed at the Atlantic County Courthouse. "In addition, Mr. Torre advised Spirit's management that his supervisor, Steve Cohencq, was signing inspection stickers in blank and giving them to mechanics to fill out, date and use without him actually performing the inspections which he was signing off on," states the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages. An FAA investigation in early 2012 found no evidence to substantiate allegations that Spirit Airlines improperly kept aircraft maintenance records. No violations of regulations were found during the review, according to the FAA. Spirit Airlines spokeswoman Misty Pinsoncq did not respond to requests for comment. The airline, which is currently Atlantic City International's sole scheduled carrier, has been flying from the airport since the 1980s, originally as a charter service called Charter One. By the early 1990s, the low-fare, no-frills airline had changed its name and had begun providing scheduled service. The South Jersey Transportation Authority, which operates the airport, has not been served with any lawsuit related to Torre. "Other than the fact that he worked for Spirit at Atlantic City International, the SJTA is not involved," authority spokesman Kevin Rehmanncq said. Torre, a Spirit Airlines employee since 1999, began making complaints in February 2011, but those complaints were initially about management practices rather than safety issues. In a letter to Spirit's human resources department, Torre and other mechanics claimed a supervisor was favoring certain employees and retaliating against others. Torre continued to follow up with additional written and oral complaints, but those complaints were not investigated, the lawsuit states. Shortly after, Torre, at that point an employee of 12 years, was moved to a night shift, contrary to seniority rules in the airline's employment handbook, the complaint states. Torre was then cited for multiple job performance issues. In January 2012, Torre was terminated, after supervision said he improperly signed off on a service entry in an airplane maintenance logbook, a mistake Torre claims had been corrected. Richard Kilsteincq, Torre's Elmwood Park, Bergen County-based attorney, did not return calls. Records show Spirit has seen $152,325 in six fines since 2005 for maintenance-related issues flagged by the FAA, the largest of which was a $50,000 fine in 2008. The FAA has levied even larger fines against Spirit in the past. In 1999, the company was fined $86,000 for failing to inspect a jet within a required timeframe. A $67,000 fine followed the next year after an FAA inspection of eight Spirit planes found the airline jeopardized passenger safety because signs throughout the plane displayed incorrect information or did not work properly, the FAA said at the time. Some placards told passengers their seat cushions would work as flotation devices in an emergency situation when, in fact, the cushions would not float, the FAA said. http://skift.com/2013/02/17/spirit-airlines-ex-employee-files-suit-on-falsified- maintenance-records/ Back to Top Bolivia says LAN, TAM airlines no longer authorized to fly there LA PAZ/SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Bolivia's air transport regulator said on Saturday that units of LATAM Airlines Group had lost their operating licenses to fly in the Andean country, although they could still file to extend or renew them. Two units of the LATAM group, LAN and TAM-Mercosur, "are not authorized to continue providing service as of February 15," the regulator said. No reason was given in its statement. A statement on LAN's website said the affected airlines would "formally seek to renew their licenses, with the objective of continuing to regularly operate their flights." "Flights in which customers had already bought their tickets will operate normally and will not be affected by the resolution," LAN added. LAN and TAM serve the Bolivian cities of Santa Cruz and La Paz, with direct flights from Iquique, Chile, Lima, Peru, and Asuncion, Paraguay. The site did not mention the number of flights affected. Industry sources said earlier on Saturday that the carriers were still planning to provide service to Bolivia over the weekend as they had not been formally notified of the ruling. LATAM Airlines, Latin America's largest carrier, is the product of the recent takeover by Chilean flagship airline LAN of Brazil's TAM. Back to Top Man Arrested at NJ Airport With Loaded Gun NEWARK, N.J. February 18, 2013 (AP) Officials say a Pennsylvania man was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport after screeners noticed a loaded gun in his carry-on bag. The Star-Ledger of Newark (http://bit.ly/VYP1I9) reports that 59-year-old Robert Kellerman of Long Pond was taken into custody just after 6 a.m. Sunday by Port Authority police. They were notified after Transportation Security Administration screeners saw the .22-caliber handgun at a checkpoint inside Terminal C. Kellerman was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon. Officials say Kellerman told police he forgot the gun was inside the bag. A telephone number for Kellerman could not be located Sunday afternoon. Airline passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage. They must be stored properly and unloaded. Back to Top Back to Top Cirrus hiring ramps up for new light personal jet Cirrus Aircraft is on a hiring spree as the development of its Vision Jet moves into high gear toward the targeted 2015 delivery date. A Cirrus Vision Jet, with its distinctive V-shaped tail, flies over Duluth during one of its many test flights. Cirrus Aircraft is on a hiring spree as the development of its Vision Jet moves into high gear toward the targeted 2015 delivery date. About 50 people have been hired in Duluth in the past six months to fine-tune the new light personal jet, Cirrus spokesman Todd Simmons said. Most hired are engineers, technicians and designers. That brings the number of Cirrus employees in Duluth and Grand Forks, N.D., up to about 570, with nearly 500 in Duluth - including virtually all of the jet program positions, Simmons said. Many more will be needed as the jet program is accelerated. "We're hiring, without question," Simmons said. The Cirrus website suggests more than 60 additional specialists are being sought. It lists about 30 positions for engineers, drafters, technicians, planners and designers with the SF-50 Vision Jet Program, with some of them involving multiple hires. It's a big difference from a year ago, when the Vision Jet program had slowed for lack of capital after several years of development. But when new owners China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. invested nearly $100 million to bring the new light jet to market, that put the program back on track. Promotion of the Vision Jet then geared up again with public demonstrations of the prototype. The single-engine personal jet will seat five adults and two children and feature advanced technology, avionics and luxury features similar to Cirrus' piston- powered planes. It will fill the gap between high-performance propeller planes and light- business jets. Orders for the Vision Jet are up to 525, the vast majority getting in before the price tag rose from $1.72 million to $1.96 million on July 1. "I don't expect to add a whole lot more," Simmons said of the orders. "We've got enough orders out there. That's quite a lot of planes to build." He said a comprehensive update on the Vision Jet will be made in a few weeks. Other manufacturers have tried and failed to bring a similar owner/pilot personal jet to market, including Piper Aircraft. Cirrus could face direct competition from Diamond Industries, which is developing the Diamond D-Jet, a personal jet that will seat five people. Its development also stalled when funding dried up during the economic downturn that hit the aviation industry hard. But the development of the Diamond Jet has since resumed. Aviation industry analyst Richard Aboulafia has said the company that first fills a niche in the low end of the light-jet market will have an advantage, especially if it doesn't have competition. He doubted the market was big enough for two companies with small personal jets. "Cirrus isn't in a race," Simmons said. "It's important that Cirrus gets their plane right. We have to build a plane that's right for our customers. That's more important than to worry about competitors. That's the way we look at bringing a jet to market." http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/259008/ Back to Top David Carr Joins Med-Trans Corp as Safety Director David Carr has accepted the position of Safety Director for Med-Trans Corporation (MTC), beginning his position Feb. 14. Carr is a proven safety professional and leader in the aviation industry, having earned numerous safety-related awards and certifications. Prior to joining the Med-Trans Leadership team, Carr served as a Director of Risk Management & Safety for CareFlite in Dallas, where he created and implemented a Safety Management System and integrated a structured "Just Culture" program. Carr has considerable experience as an Aviation Consultant and previously served as a Director of Safety and Security for a large aviation firm. Carr has also held the position of commercial pilot for a major carrier and has amassed more than 6,600 multi-engine and rotor-wing flight hours. Carr proudly served in the United States Army for more than 20 years, retiring in May 2005 as an Executive Officer where he was supervising more than 500 military team members and 32 aircraft operating in three states. He was awarded four Meritorious Service Medals, three Commendation Medals, two National Defense Service Medals and a U.S. Army Master Aviator Badge. Rob Hamilton, COO stated, "We are pleased to announce that David Carr has joined our team. Carr is a recognized leader in the aviation industry and has a tremendous performance record of implementing and overseeing successful aviation safety management systems. Carr will lead all aviation safety related topics for our organization and will be a valuable resource for the industry as a whole." Carr earned his Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. He attended the U.S. Army Military Police School, U.S. Army Flight School, U.S. Army Aviation Safety Course and DHS Federal Flight Deck Officer Course. Carr completed the NTSB Accident Investigation Course, NTSB Human Factors in Accident Investigation Course and the Transportation Safety Institute Safety Management Systems Course. About Med-Trans Med-Trans Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a leading provider of emergency air ambulance programs throughout the United States. A proven solution to our partners, Med-Trans offers an array of customized air medical program designs including hybrid models, community based models or traditional hospital-based models. The company's extensive fleet rapidly delivers teams of highly trained professionals to patients, striving to provide the patient with the best possible outcome. http://www.rotor.com/Publications/RotorNews/ Back to Top European pilots want to work in Russia European pilots, as well as pilots from the CIS are interested in working in Russian airlines due to higher wages, a company engaged in the selection of personnel for the aviation industry said. According to experts, the Russian aviation needs new pilots every year. The number varies from one to two thousand people. Russian colleges provide about 900 new pilots, which creates a shortage of skilled workers. Experts said that the level of quotas set by Russia's Ministry of Transport would not be able to cover the need in aircraft commanders. The Ministry of Transport established quotas on foreign workers of not more than 200 people a year for five years. It is expected that foreign pilots will be recruited from the countries of the Customs Union, where their salaries are much lower. http://english.pravda.ru/news/business/18-02-2013/123826-european_pilots-0/ Back to Top Airplane mechanic program set to open in fall Baton Rouge Community College officials plan to have a program to train airplane mechanics up and running by the fall, more than two years after originally hoped, officials said. The program, which would produce federally-certified mechanics, is still being reviewed by the Federal Aviation Administration, said Mark Peeples, the program's director. "We are just waiting for them to get around to us," Peeples said. "It's always frustrating, but it's just one of those things." Peeples said the FAA review includes an examination of the proposed curriculum for the program as well as site visits to the location to make sure the facilities are adequate. FAA officials did not respond to a call to their Baton Rouge office. When the program was first announced, in 2010, officials said they hoped to have it going by spring 2011. Getting the program started, however, is contingent upon accreditation and funding and the accreditation process has taken awhile, Peeples said. He said it takes from 18 months to 24 months "to get the equipment and go through the federal bureaucracy." FAA officials have not given BRCC any indication of when the program might receive final approval, Peeples said. When the program does start, it will have 25 students and take 18 months to complete, he said. BRCC has rented a hangar at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport which will house the program until it can move into a new, $4 million facility. The Airport Commission approved the issuance of $4 million in bonds to build the facility for BRCC on Feb. 5. That request must now go before the Metro Council for approval. BRCC's yearly rent on the new facility would repay the bonds over a 30-year period, airport officials said. In the meantime, BRCC is offering students a course in avionics - "all the electronic equipment inside the aircraft," Peeples said. The avionics course requires an increasing level of computer proficiency with the prevalence of "glass cockpits" that contain few analog instruments, Peeples said. Students taking the class start "touching airplanes immediately," Peeples said. "That gets them interested." BRCC has acquired three airplanes for the two programs: a Cessna, a Beech with retractable landing gear, and a Boeing 727 that was donated by the New Orleans Hornets in 2011. For airport officials, seeing the avionics and aircaft mechanic program up and running will be the fruit of years of effort. "It was something that was already in the works before I got here" in 2001, said Ralph Hennessy, the airport's assistant director of aviation. Airport officials discussed the possibility of such a program with several schools, Hennessy said, but for various reasons it never got off the ground. Sowela Technical Community College, Southern University at Shreveport and Louisiana Technical College in Lafayette also offer the certification. There is a market for certified mechanics, Hennessy said. "We like it because we have companies on the airport that like to hire aircraft mechanics," he said. "Having a local workforce is a plus." A large part of the current mechanic workforce is getting close to retirement age, he said. "It's going to create a void there," he said. "There is a market there that's going to be growing in the future." Starting salary for an aircraft mechanic is in the low $40,000 range, Hennessy said. http://theadvocate.com/news/5045580-123/airplane-mechanic-program-set-to Back to Top 'Shark skin' technology to boost aircraft efficiency Riblets that allow great whites to slide through the water are being tested by Lufthansa on its planes Back to Top A shark-skin-like, friction-lessening material could help airlines save money. . (CNN) They've been banned from Olympic swimming pools, but shark skin suits might reappear in the air, thanks to a new initiative from Lufthansa. The German carrier has partnered with Airbus and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM) to test a new surface coating that mimics shark skin on two Airbus A340-300s. It's part of a two-year long research project that started in the summer 2011, and will conclude this year. The new technology mocks the riblet effect of a shark's skin in aircraft paints -- tiny riblets on the surface reduce flow resistance when moving at speed. It's not the first time shark skin has inspired human design, as Michael Phelps and Jenny Thompson demonstrate. Swimmers got there first The same technology has previously been tested on ships and more famously was used by Michael Phelps and other professional swimmers, until it was banned by The International Swimming Federation. The latest research indicates that shark skin structures can reduce fuel consumption by about 1 percent and lower operating costs. Eight 10 x 10 centimeter patches of the special lacquer coating have been attached to the fuselage and wings of the two aircraft. It's hoped that the new coating system will enhance the aerodynamics and energy efficiency of the plane. The new coating is also dirt-repellent, UV-stable and abrasion- and erosion-resistant, according to Lufthansa Technik's research report. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: Advanced Aircraft Accident Investigation Workshop Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Professional Programs is hosting the following five-day Center for Aerospace Safety Education (CASE) short-course which combines the latest issues in advanced aircraft accident investigation, crashworthiness and survivability at the ERAU Campus in Prescott, Arizona. This course is tailored for industry professionals involved in the management, supervision and operations of aviation organizations and corporations. Prior participants have included representatives from the FAA, Boeing, Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, Bahamas Civil Aviation Department, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Etihad Airways, Saab Aeronautics, and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Testimonials from prior participants: "Excellent professors and world-class curriculum!" "Very interesting and informative, learned not only from the instructors, but the other students as well" Advanced Aircraft Accident Investigation Workshop - May 6-10, 2013 Course Description This 5-day course is designed to introduce the participant to advanced accident investigation procedures involving design, materials and aircraft performance. This comprehensive course is a follow-on course for the accident investigation management course, or for an individual who has experience in accident investigation. Participants will analyze various mechanical and structural factors and loads on an airplane, as well as be introduced to advanced fire investigation. Participants will also discuss aircraft crashworthiness and survivability and CFR emergency response procedures. Extensive use will be made of the Prescott Campus - Robertson Crash Laboratory, one of the most complete facilities of its kind in the U.S.A.. Participants will experience accident investigation simulated scenario exercises and learn how to identify, collect and analyze data in the process of determining probable cause/s. Learning Objectives: ? Appraise various mechanical and structural factors, which produce accidents including design, manufacturing and maintenance. ? Analyze typical air loads on an airplane to calculate external design loads. ? Analyze a particular in-flight break up to determine sequence of failure, primary, and secondary structural failure. ? Describe events and forces associated with an aircraft accident. ? Identify the crashworthiness and survivability factors of an aircraft accident ? Explain the basis of airworthiness and crashworthiness from both an investigation and a design standpoint. How to analyze an accident from a "survivability" perspective and gather the necessary evidence from the scene necessary to carry out those evaluations. ? Complete a fire investigation and fire survival analysis. ? Describe the fundamentals of crash fire rescue techniques and apply those techniques to an aircraft crash scenario. ERAU Continuing Education Course Schedule: Spring 2013 * Apr. 15-19, 2013: OSHA/Aviation Ground Safety (Daytona Beach Campus, FL) * Apr. 22-26, 2013: Aviation Safety Program Management (Daytona Beach Campus, FL) * Apr.29-May3, 2013: Aircraft Accident Investigation and Management (Daytona Beach Campus, FL) * May 6-10, 2013: Advanced Aircraft Accident Investigation(Prescott Campus, AZ) Registration Information: www.erau.edu/case Email: case@erau.edu Phone: 386-226-6928 Contact: Sarah Ochs, ERAU Director of Professional Programs Back to Top Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: OSHA/Aviation Ground Safety Workshop Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Professional Programs is hosting the following five-day Center for Aerospace Safety Education (CASE) short-course which combines the latest in safety management and accident prevention topics with a focus on OSHA compliance. This course is tailored for industry professionals involved in the management, supervision and operations of aviation organizations. Participants may elect to take this course independently, or complete three courses to receive a Certificate of Management in Aviation Safety fromEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University. ERAU OSHA/Aviation Ground Safety Workshop - April 15-19, 2013 Description: This course is designed to provide the participant with the working knowledge of OSHA's General Industry Safety and Health standards. In addition participants will gain a fundamental working knowledge of an aviation ground safety program concentrating on how incidents/accidents can be prevented and the expense of avoidable incident/ accident in terms of dollars and lives lost. Participants will become familiar with current OSHA violations and issues in aviation, acquire skills in the design and implementation of a ground safety program and engage in hands on exercises based on real-world experiences to aid them in application of principles covered in the course. Participants will receive the OSHA 30-Hour General Industry Safety & Health training card shortly after completion of the course. Who Should Attend: This course is valuable for all individuals who are involved or will be involved in the ground side of aviation. The course includes the OSHA 30-hour card for general industry training. This course is also valuable to supervisors, mechanics or line personnel. What you will learn: * Understand the purpose and goals of a Ground Safety Program * Become familiar with ground accident investigation * Become familiar with current programs in FOD, Deicing, and the EPA that are applicable to Ground Safety Managers * Gain a working knowledge on auditing operations * Become familiar with General Industry OSHA and OSHA compliance issues ERAU Continuing Education Course Schedule: Spring 2013 ? Apr. 15-19, 2013: OSHA/Aviation Ground Safety ? Apr. 22-26, 2013: Aviation Safety Program Management ? Apr.29-May3, 2013: Aircraft Accident Investigation and Management ? May 6-10, 2013: Advanced Aircraft Accident Investigation(Prescott Campus, AZ) Registration Information: www.erau.edu/case Email: case@erau.edu Phone: 386-226-6928 Contact: Sarah Ochs, ERAU Director of Professional Programs Curt Lewis