Flight Safety Information February 28, 2013 - No. 046 In This Issue Aviation officials, employees bracing for sequester 9 Stunning, Next-Gen Airport Designs Cleared for Takeoff Egyptian hot air balloon crash was company's second in 18 months In Japan, idled Dreamliner pilots lose pay, but want plane to be safe PROS IOSA Audit Experts ANA puts Dreamliner fleet architect in charge of airline business China nears approval of $16 billion domestic jet-engine plan FSI on TWITTER Aviation officials, employees bracing for sequester The looming budget cuts known as the sequester could have a huge impact on air travel, several officials and aviation workers warned Wednesday. This isn't breaking news, of course. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood appeared at the White House last week to warn about how the sequester could lead to major delays and other assorted havoc. But with the budget cuts set to begin (sometime) Friday, Post reporters staked out several events occurring in D.C. on Wednesday to get the latest. (These posts all ran over at Post Politics, your home for all things sequester, but we're rounding them up in one transportation-centric place.) FAA head warns about flight delays The head of the Federal Aviation Administration warned that the sequester could lead to major flight delays and the closure of hundreds of air traffic control towers at smaller airports across the country. Michael P. Huerta, FAA administrator, spoke to an American Bar Association forum in downtown Washington about the sequester's impact. He echoed LaHood in predicting delays of up to 90 minutes to major cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco, noting that these delays "could ripple across the country." Huerta also said that air traffic control towers in airports that are less busy could be closed, which could be a major problem for less-populated regions (we'll touch on that again). Read more. Air traffic controllers say sequester could have "long-lasting consequences" If the spending cuts known as the sequester proceed unimpeded, they could create major problems for air travel with "long-lasting consequences," the union representing air traffic controllers said in a report on Wednesday. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said that higher costs, lags in air traffic updates and greater delays would be felt by travelers, pilots, airlines, businesses and the military. Travelers would begin to notice the impact in mid-April, according to the union. Plus, the Regional Airline Association said recently that small communities relying on regional airlines would bear a considerable brunt of the sequester. Read more. TSA head: Sequester will snarl spring, summer travel TSA administrator John S. Pistole said Wednesday that his agency is working closely with the FAA to coordinate efforts in the event budget cuts tied to sequestration lead to flight delays and long security lines. Pistole, testifying before a House subcommittee on homeland security, said the biggest impact of the cuts could be felt during the busy spring break and summer travel seasons. The cuts would eliminate overtime, limiting the agency's ability to keep staffing levels up as passenger traffic builds. Read more. Air traffic controllers bracing for furloughs Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the sequestration cuts would be devastating to the country's aviation industry. Rinaldi, speaking at a luncheon, stressed what his union had said in the report issued earlier in the day. Furloughs and tower closures could "have extremely negative effects" on the nation's air traffic control system. In addition, workers could stand to lose as much as 20 percent of their pay due to the furloughs. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2013/02/27/aviation-officials- employees-bracing-for-sequester/ Back to Top 9 Stunning, Next-Gen Airport Designs Cleared for Takeoff Few of us will have the chance to visit an office designed by a world-class architect; an even smaller group will enjoy the luxury of living in a home designed by one. But for the price of a coach ticket, we can visit amazing spaces crafted by top designers, and enjoy their work while eating a slightly stale Cinnabon. Airports, especially those in big cities, expose an architect's work to millions of people every year and are highly sought-after assignments. New projects are awarded through competitions that can span years; once granted, they may take decades to be fully completed. The latest airport award to be given will be happening in London. The British capital is facing an aviation crisis and mayor Boris Johnson has called on Zaha Hadid, winner of the 2004 Pritzker Prize, to help solve it. London's Heathrow Airport is an icon of air travel, but one that is ill equipped to handle the 300 million people who are expected to pass through its gates by 2030. Expanding the existing airport would require significant parts of the city to be razed, so Johnson has recruited some of the finest architects in England to propose entirely new facilities to be built on the banks of the Thames. "This work is essential to deliver the most integrated transport solutions for London and the UK," writes Hadid in an e-mail. "It will enable London to maintain its position as one of the world's most important economic, commercial and cultural centres; outlining the city's future growth and development which has always been founded on global connectivity." Hadid is a natural fit for this type of project. Her buildings, be they skyscrapers or parking garages, are typically composed of broad swoops and sinuous curves that often appear ready to take flight. Her design for the airport expansion in Zagreb, Croatia, (shown above) utilizes "a series of flow lines, set in a tapestry-like configuration" to give it a feel that combines traditional designs with futuristic elements. The final determination, however, is still being made, and the award won't be granted until 2015 - don't be surprised to see a stunning new design proposals take shape over the months and years to come. Meanwhile, here are eight other world-class airport projects, underway now, that will help push the field of airport architecture to new heights. http://www.wired.com/design/2013/02/airport-architecture/ Back to Top Egyptian hot air balloon crash was company's second in 18 months Another balloon belonging to Sky Cruises - preferred carrier for Thomas Cook for several years - crashed into Nile in 2011 Egyptians stand by the site where the hot air balloon plunged to the ground in Luxor. The hot air balloon crash that killed 19 tourists, including two Britons and a UK resident in Luxor, Egypt, was the second crash involving the company Sky Cruises in the space of 18 months. Another balloon belonging to Sky Cruises - which has been the preferred carrier for the travel agent Thomas Cook for several years - crashed into the Nile in October 2011 (video). No one was killed, but the balloon hit a boat and was left floating on the river with passengers reporting bruising. It is understood that while the pilot involved in the 2011 crash no longer works for Sky Cruises, the company remained the preferred carrier for Blue Sky travel agents, and by extension Thomas Cook, whom they represent in Egypt. Representatives of Thomas Cook in Eg ypt referred press inquiries to the head office in London. But the Luxor manager of Blue Sky denied it should have changed carriers after the 2011 incident. "Sky Cruises are the highest one on the market," insisted Kamal el-Kordy, Blue Sky's Upper Egypt area manager. "We [were] worried, of course. But we have to follow the rules. They [Sky Cruises] have all the documents from all the civil aviation control. What can we do? We are not engineers and they have all the paperwork according to the law." He added: "All of the excursion companies we use satisfy the health and safety demands of all the major British travel companies. We work according to the laws in their countries." Tuesday's crash in Luxor (video) raised questions about safety standards, and all flights have been suspended pending an investigation. There are fears for the future of Egypt's ballooning industry, despite its popularity with tourists. The Britons Yvonne Rennie, 48, Joe Bampton, 40, and Bampton's Hungarian-born partner, Suzanna Gyetvai, 34, died in the tragedy. It appears to have been the worst accident of its kind in history. Rennie's husband, Michael, 49, was being treated on Tuesday night at Luxor international hospital, where a spokeswoman said he was in a stable condition. He and the pilot, named locally as Momin Mourad Ali, were the only survivors. They, along with seven other passengers, including the other three British-based tourists, are believed to have jumped out of the balloon to escape the flames. Ali suffered 70% burns and was also being treated in hospital in Luxor. The other tourists - nine from Hong Kong, four Japanese, two French and a Belgian - all died in the explosion. Bampton and Gyetvai were from Clapham, south London, and both worked for Lots Road Auctions in Chelsea, west London. Bampton was an expert valuer in rugs, carpets and antiques, and Gyetvai was a general valuer. Both were also artists, Gyetvai creating works in a variety of media under her professional name, Zsi Chimera. The Rennies, from Perth, Scotland, were described as "very nice people" who only spent the weekends together owing to work commitments and so were looking forward to going on holiday together. Yvonne Rennie was a medical receptionist, and her husband works in the construction industry. Representatives of Sky Cruises declined to speculate on the causes for the crash. "The [investigation] committee is the one that's going to decide on what happened. They have taken the witness statements, and they will decide. The fate is with God," said Captain Hany Salah, Sky Cruises' operations manager. But the company's general manager said it was painful to watch footage of the crash obtained yesterday by the Guardian. Khalid Khatifah said: "It was painful. I can't describe my feelings. The spirit comes out of my body at this sight." According to an investigator with the state prosecutor's office, initial indications are that the balloon was in the process of landing, after 7am, when a cable got caught around a helium tube and a fire broke out. The balloon then ascended rapidly, the fire detonated a gas canister and the balloon plunged about 300 metres (1,000ft) to the ground, crashing in a sugar cane field outside al-Dhabaa village, west of Luxor. Local balloon operators fear the suspension of flights may lead to more permanent measures, crippling an industry on which locals say around 1,000 residents depend for their livelihoods. "We're worried about our business," said Alaa Mahmoud, sales manager for Magic Horizon, a balloon line once used by Melvyn Bragg, whose photograph is framed in Mahmoud's office. "We follow the rules and regulations, but over 1,000 people will starve if the balloon business in Egypt is stopped. If they stop the balloons, what are they going to do?" After two years of political unrest, tourism in Egypt is already floundering, down 22% since 2010, with revenue down by a quarter. According to documentation seen by the Guardian, the balloon concerned was first licensed in 2008. It was last safety-checked by the civil aviation administration last October, and was not due for further checks until October 2013. Sky Cruises said the balloon was one of four in its fleet. The balloon would have made 12-15 flights a month, each lasting around 35-45 minutes. If true, this means the balloon would have been airborne for between 420-675 hours in its lifetime. Khatifah said balloons had a useful life of 1,500 hours. The head of the civil aviation administration, Mohammed Sherif, said at the scene of the crash that the pilot had renewed his licence in January, which meant he would have been tested and the balloon checked. But an aviation official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial results of the investigation showed the pilot jumped out when the fire began, instead of shutting off valves that would have prevented the gas canister from exploding. Mohammed Osman, head of the Luxor chamber of tourism, blamed civil aviation authorities, who are in charge of licensing and inspecting balloons, and whom he accused of negligence. "I don't want to blame the revolution for everything, but the laxness started with the revolution," he said. "These people are not doing their job. They are not checking the balloons and they just issue the licences without inspection." Balloon trips in Luxor over the Valley of the Kings are popular with visitors but concerns have been raised about their safety after recent crashes. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/27/egyptian-hot-air-balloon-company Back to Top In Japan, idled Dreamliner pilots lose pay, but want plane to be safe A Japan Airlines aircraft (above) approaches for landing as an All Nippon Airways' Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner plane parks on the tarmac at Haneda Airport in Tokyo February 4, 2013. TOKYO (Reuters) - Their smart uniforms are mothballed, their income has fallen and some are getting under their wives' feet at home. The grounding of Boeing Co's global fleet of 787 Dreamliner passenger jets due to undiagnosed battery problems is taking its toll on the hundreds of pilots specially trained to fly the high-tech, fuel efficient plane. In Japan, the 350 or so pilots at All Nippon Airways Co ANA.L (9202.T) and Japan Airlines Co Ltd JAL.L (9201.T), which operate around half the 50 Dreamliners in service, have been kicking their heels at home since the planes were idled in mid-January - an enforced rest period that is beginning to grate. "For the first two weeks after the grounding, the 787 was in my dreams. It's the first time I haven't flown for this long," one ANA Dreamliner captain told Reuters. He asked not to be named as he was not authorised to talk to the media. "It's like I'm rehearsing for retirement. My family teases me, saying I'm unemployed." Without planes to fly, the pilots - who have up to three months intensive training for the 787 - expect their monthly pay to fall by as much as 30 percent. They have mostly been assigned "blank" days - an industry term for pilots who are not on duty, staff at the airlines said. ANA has told its Dreamliner pilots they will undergo simulator refresher training next month, the pilot said. Air safety investigators don't yet know what caused lithium-ion batteries to overheat on two 787s last month. ANA has said it plans not to use the plane until the end of May, while JAL has for now said it won't fly the Dreamliner until March 30. INCOME DENT Dreamliner pilots at Japan's two biggest airlines are not currently allowed to fly other aircraft, even though they have previously flown other planes including Boeing 777s, said staff at ANA and JAL - a sidelining that is hitting their wallets. ANA pilots are paid 20-30 percent of their salary - a captain can earn more than 20 million yen a year - dependent on the hours they fly, including overtime and late night allowances, another of the airline's 787 pilots said. JAL, where more of a pilot's income depends on hours flown, has decided to add a special allowance to 787 pilots' salaries, said one employee at the airline. "The salary is higher than what many people are paid, but because the Dreamliner pilots are not getting the money they had expected to get, some pilots are facing economic burdens," said the second ANA Dreamliner pilot. "This situation is not the company's fault, and it's hard for the firm to take action until the cause of the incidents is clear." To get back in the cockpit, pilots would need to go through re-training on other planes, said airline employees familiar with the situation - a process that could take months and create a training backlog for non-Dreamliner pilots, too. "With no outlook on when flights will be resumed, we are not currently considering specific measures for pilots, such as switching them to other aircraft," said ANA spokeswoman Ayumi Kunimatsu. At JAL, pilots were doing some training to keep up their licenses, but there were no plans to switch them to other planes, said an airline spokesman. Boeing last week gave U.S aviation regulators its plan to fix the 787's volatile lithium-ion batteries. SPORT, DIY, GARDENING The pilots Reuters spoke to said the 787 is easy to fly, though one was wary about any quick fix to the battery problems. "Personally, I'm not satisfied by Boeing's proposals as the fundamental cause has not been identified," he said. "I want to fly, but I won't until it's certain the aircraft is safe." As they wait for the all-clear, pilots' routines have been turned upside-down. One of the pilots, used to constant jet-lag and skipping meals because of his flight schedule, now eats three home-made meals a day. He's put on weight and says his uniform has become a little tighter. For now, he's playing more sport and reviewing his flight manuals. The second pilot said he's keeping busy with gardening and DIY projects around his home. He also checks regulators' websites for updates on the 787 investigations. Both are trying to make the best of the unexpected break, but they have concerns. "Honestly, I'm worried because I don't know when it will be resolved. The longer I don't fly, the more negative impact it has on my skills to operate the plane," said one. "Pilots are better off flying," said his colleague. Back to Top Back to Top ANA puts Dreamliner fleet architect in charge of airline business An All Nippon Airways' (ANA) Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner plane is seen at Haneda airport in Tokyo January 29, 2013. TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's All Nippon Airways (9202.T) said it will switch to a holding company structure, putting Osamu Shinobe, the main architect of its strategy to put the Boeing Co (BA.N) Dreamliner at the centre of its fleet planning, in charge of the airline business from April. The management reshuffle comes as the airline juggles its schedules and cancels flights with its 17 Dreamliners parked at airports in Japan until U.S. and Japanese regulators allow the aircraft to fly again. All 50 of the technologically advanced 787s in service industry-wide have been grounded since mid-January after a battery fire on a Japan Airlines Co Ltd (9201.T) 787 at Boston airport and a second battery incident on an ANA flight in Japan. ANA's current CEO and president, Shinichiro Ito, who has managed the carrier since 2009, will still be Shinobe's boss as head of the holding company, which will also oversee ANA's other businesses, including airport services and its trading company. Shinobe, who joined ANA in 1976, has served as senior executive vice president since April of last year. Shinobe and Ito will hold a news conference in Tokyo on Friday at 10:00 a.m. (0100 GMT). Back to Top China nears approval of $16 billion domestic jet-engine plan: Xinhua SHANGHAI - China's cabinet may soon approve an aircraft engine development program that will require investment of at least 100 billion yuan ($16 billion), state-run Xinhua news agency quoted unidentified industry sources as saying. China is determined to reduce its dependency on foreign companies like Boeing Co , EADS-owned Airbus , General Electric Co and Rolls Royce Plc for the country's soaring demand for planes and engines. So far the domestic aerospace industry has failed to build a reliable, high-performance jet engine to end its dependence on Russian and Western makers for equipping its military and commercial aircraft. Xinhua on Thursday quoted an unidentified professor at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA) with knowledge of the project as saying the investment would be used mainly for research on technology, designs and materials related to aircraft engine manufacturing. The project was going through approval procedures in the State Council and may be approved shortly, the professor was quoted as saying. Participants in the project include Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine Group Corp, AVIC Xi'an Aero-Engine (Group) Ltd <600893.SS> and research institutes including the BUAA, Xinhua reported. Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's dominant military and commercial aviation contractor, had lobbied the government to back a multi-billion dollar plan to build a high-performance jet engine. China's military and aerospace industries have suffered from bans on the sale of military equipment imposed by Western governments after the Tiananmen Square crackdown and foreign engine-makers are reluctant to transfer costly technology. Some Chinese aviation industry specialists forecast Beijing will eventually spend up to 300 billion yuan ($49 billion) on jet-engine development over the next two decades. ($1 = 6.2273 Chinese yuan) http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2013/02/28/china-nears-approval-16-billion- domestic-jet-engine-plan-xinhua/#ixzz2MCA3KZqN Curt Lewis