De: Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC de la part de Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC Envoyé: mercredi 6 mars 2013 15:24 À: fgae@club-internet.fr Objet: Flight Safety Information [March 6, 2013] [No. 050] Flight Safety Information Flight Safety Information March 6, 2013 - No. 050 In This Issue Pilot Says Drone Flew Past Jet Nearing J.F.K TSA draws fire, praise, on allowing previously-restricted items on board aircraft Flight attendants cry foul as TSA says some knives OK 3 bodies found in wreckage along Iditarod route Airplane makes emergency landing at OIA Russia's commercial aviation safety record improves in 2012 Dreamliner's Battery Woes A Deja Vu Moment For Aviation Industry PROS IOSA Audit Experts Flight Safety Foundation Highlights Helicopter Priorities Damn the regulations! Drones plying US skies without waiting for FAA rules EAAP - HF Training Chongqing hopes Enstrom Helicopter will secure 30% of Chinese market FSI on TWITTER CL&A - Quality Audits for FOD & Tool Control Pilot Says Drone Flew Past Jet Nearing J.F.K. Something like this? An American drone flying over Afghanistan in 2010. Updated, 4:00 p.m. |Flocks of geese are not the only airborne hazards pilots will be watching for around New York City's airports, after one captain reported passing a drone on Monday afternoon. About 1:15 p.m., the pilot of an Alitalia jet arriving from Rome told air traffic controllers that he had spotted a small drone or model aircraft as he approached John F. Kennedy International Airport, officials said. He said he was about four miles southeast of the airport when he saw the "drone," which he said was about 1,500 feet off the ground. That location would have put it near the South Shore of Long Island in Nassau County. Westbound planes headed for runway 31R at Kennedy Airport usually fly along the coastline. Aviation officials had no ready explanation for what the pilot reported. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate the sighting of a "small unmanned or remote-controlled aircraft." The F.B.I. started investigating the report on Monday, a bureau spokesman said. He said the pilot told the authorities that a small, unmanned aircraft flew within 200 feet of the jet as it was preparing to land. The jet was not so close to the small craft that the pilot had to take any "evasive action," the aviation administration said. The Alitalia flight landed safely and its passengers exited normally. It was not immediately clear if anyone else saw the object, which the pilot reported as being black and featuring several propellers, a person familiar with the inquiry said. One federal official said he could not recall another report of a drone sighting near a New York City airport, but said it was possible that the object spotted was a model aircraft operated by a civilian. The New York Police Department sent a helicopter from Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn to search for the aircraft but it was not found, the official said. Later on Tuesday, Paul J. Browne, the Police Department's chief spokesman, said, "The current thinking among aviation officials is that it was a large model aircraft, remote- controlled from the ground." http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/jetliners-pilot-reports-seeing-drone- near-kennedy-airport/ Back to Top TSA draws fire, praise, on allowing previously-restricted items on board aircraft New TSA list The TSA's decision to allow previously-restricted items like small pocket knives and golf clubs to be carried on-board aircraft is drawing fire from congressional leaders and flight attendants unions, but support from other airline industry quarters. At March 5 conference in Brooklyn, N.Y., TSA administrator John Pistole, announced his agency's change that allows knives with retractable blades of less than 2.36 inches (6 centimeters) and narrower than a half-inch; sticks used to play lacrosse; billiard cues; ski poles; and as many as two golf clubs in passenger cabins. In a statement the same day, TSA said a committee established to review the agency's prohibited items list based on an overall risk-based security approach had reported to Pistole. After the review, Pistole made the decision to start allowing the previously- restricted items in carry-on bags beginning April 25th. Razor blades, box cutters, full-sized baseball, softball and cricket bats are still prohibited in carry-on luggage, but can still be contained in checked luggage. TSA maintained that the new guidelines were part of its overall risk-based security approach, allowing Transportation Security Officers to better focus their efforts on finding higher threat items like explosives. It added that the allowances align it more closely with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. The decision drew immediate criticism from Congressional leaders and flight attendants unions and support from an airline industry group. Airlines for America, a group representing U.S. airlines, backed the move. "We support TSA's approach of combining its vast experience with billions of passenger screenings with thorough risk-based assessments," the group said in a March 5 statement. The ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said on March 5 that the decision was made without consulting outside sources, like flight attendants' unions and could confuse passengers with possibly contradictory policies. "Developing policies in a vacuum that will impact millions of passengers and critical stakeholders is a disservice to the American public," said Thompson. "Which is why I have always championed stakeholder participation across aviation security policies, particularly through existing mechanisms such as TSA's Aviation Stake holder Advisory Committee. I urge Administrator Pistole to seek the input of TSA's ASAC before implementing this policy." The Flight Attendants Union had more scathing criticism, saying the decision, which relaxes a decade-old ban, put its 90,000 members at risk. "Today's announcement to permit knives back into the aircraft cabin is a poor and shortsighted decision by the TSA. Continued prohibition of these items is an integral layer in making our aviation system secure and must remain in place," said the union in a March 5 statement. "As the last line of defense in the cabin and key aviation partners, we believe that these proposed changes will further endanger the lives of all flight attendants and the passengers we work so hard to keep safe and secure," said the group. http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/28681?c=airport_aviation_security Back to Top Flight attendants cry foul as TSA says some knives OK Airline passengers wait go through the Transportation Security Administration security checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesday August 3, 2011 in Atlanta. The TSA was created after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration touched off a firestorm Tuesday by announcing that passengers can carry small pocket knives, golf clubs, toy baseball bats, and hockey and lacrosse sticks on board airplanes. Since the September 2001 terrorist attacks, the items have been banned in carry-on luggage. TSA Administrator John Pistole, speaking at a conference in Brooklyn, N.Y., announced the policy change to permit knives with retractable blades of less than 2.36 inches (6 centimeters) and narrower than a half-inch; sticks used to play lacrosse; billiard cues; ski poles; and as many as two golf clubs in passenger cabins. The change, which brings the United States into conformance with international rules, becomes effective April 25. The Flight Attendants Union Coalition, representing 90,000 flight attendants nationwide, called the decision outrageous and shortsighted, and asked Pistole to reconsider. "We believe that these proposed changes will further endanger the lives of all flight attendants and the passengers we work so hard to keep safe and secure," the group said. The TSA said on its website, "The decision to permit certain items in carry-on bags was made as part of TSA's overall risk-based security approach and aligns TSA with International Civil Aviation Organization Standards and our European counterparts." "It's an intelligence-based, risk-based decision," said TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis. "It's part of his [Pistole's] overall risk-based approach to security." Airlines for America, the trade group representing U.S. airlines, favored the move. "We support TSA's approach of combining its vast experience with billions of passenger screenings with thorough risk-based assessments," it said in a statement. Flight attendants weren't buying it. "While we agree that a passenger wielding a small knife or swinging a golf club or hockey stick poses less of a threat to the pilot locked in the cockpit, these are real threats to passengers and flight attendants in the passenger cabin," said Stacy Martin, president of Southwest Airlines' flight attendants. Still banned in passenger cabins are knives with locking or fixed blades and molded grips, and razor blades and box cutters. The agency will allow souvenir novelty baseball bats less than 24 inches long and will permit lightweight plastic bats even if they are more than two feet long that are sporting equipment. Besides aligning with international standards, the TSA concluded that small pen knives are not going to cause catastrophic damage to aircraft. Passengers routinely carry things that could injure others - a pen, knitting needles, the heel of a shoe. The greatest threat to air travelers is explosive devices, not a Swiss Army knife or sporting equipment, said TSA spokesman David Castelveter. By not having to search for and remove these items, security screeners "can spend more time looking for explosive devices" - and work to improve the passenger experience, he said. American Airlines' 16,000 flight attendants' union said it welcomed periodic review of banned items on airplanes, but said knives of any kind should not be allowed in the cabin. Relaxing restrictions on hockey sticks, golf clubs, and ski poles "could lead to a more stressful and potentially dangerous environment for air travelers and employees," the group said. http://www.philly.com/ Back to Top 3 bodies found in wreckage along Iditarod route ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The bodies of two adults and a 10-year-old girl were found in the wreckage of a small airplane that crashed Monday near the route of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Pilot Ted Smith, 59, Carolyn Sorvoja, 48, and Rosemarie Sorvoja, 10, died in the crash near Rainy Pass. All were from Eagle River, a community on Anchorage's north side. They had left Anchorage on Monday morning bound for Takotna, a village of 53 people about 17 miles west of McGrath and 235 miles northwest of Anchorage. The community is more than a quarter of the way into the 1,000-mile Iditarod. The Sorvoja family referred questions to family spokesman David Morris, who said the Sorvojas were heading to Takotna to volunteer for the race. The Cessna 182 left Anchorage from Merrill Field at about 10 a.m. and did not file a flight plan. Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said by email that the airplane was supposed to drop off the Sorvojas and return to Anchorage to transport more passengers. The 182 Cessna did not arrive in Takotna and was reported overdue around 4 p.m. when it had not returned to Anchorage. The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, just before 6 p.m., launched a search with a HC- 130 airplane and a helicopter. The aircraft searched for about eight hours along the projected flight route, said the center superintendent, Senior Master Sgt. Robert Carte. Smith was an experienced, well equipped pilot, said Kalei Brooks, spokeswoman for the Alaska National Guard. Smith was carrying a personal locator beacon in his vest and an emergency locator transmitter on his airplane. However, neither sent out a signal that was detected Monday by the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system. On Tuesday morning, the search resumed with about 10 military, state trooper and private aircraft flying grids in an extended search. Aerial searchers spotted the wreckage at 10:22 a.m. near the 4,000-foot level of Rainy Pass. Iditarod racers reach an elevation of 3,200 feet at the pass, which divides southcentral Alaska from the state's vast Interior north of the Alaska Range. Searchers landed and confirmed that no one had survived. They recovered the bodies and flew them to Anchorage, where autopsies were scheduled. Back to Top Airplane makes emergency landing at OIA after An American Airlines had to make an emergency landing at Orlando International Airport Wednesday morning after pilots reported a smell of smoke in the cockpit. ORLANDO -- An American Airlines had to make an emergency landing at Orlando International Airport Wednesday morning after pilots reported a smell of smoke in the cockpit. The plane landed around 6:45 a.m. According to American Airlines officials, Flight 1083, carrying 80 passengers, was traveling to Dallas. There were no reports of injuries. Crews are checking to find the source of the odor. http://www.cfnews13.com/ Back to Top Russia's commercial aviation safety record improves in 2012 Russia's commercial aviation safety record improved in 2012, according to Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia. In its annual report, Rosaviatsia said there were six fatal accidents last year, down from 10 in 2011. In 2012, 58 people were killed in crashes, down from 119 in 2011. The number of non- fatal accidents decreased from eight in 2011 to seven last year. According to IATA, there was one hull loss for every 5 million flights of Western-built jet aircraft in 2012, the lowest accident rate for a single year ever. The accidents in Russia were on both Western- and Russian-built aircraft. In April, a UTair ATR 72 aircraft crashed shortly after taking off in Siberia, killing 31 of the 43 people onboard. In September, an Antonov An-28, operated by Petropavlovsk- Kamchatsky Air Enterprise, crashed on approach to a small town on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, killing 10 people. At the end of the year, a Red Wings Airlines Tupolev Tu-204 overshot a runway at a Moscow Airport and crashed into a road, killing four people. http://atwonline.com/operations-maintenance/news/russia-s-commercial-aviation- safety-record-improves-2012-0305 Back to Top Dreamliner's Battery Woes A Deja Vu Moment For Aviation Industry Lithium-ion batteries sparked a crisis for Boeing's Dreamliner 787 - but the crisis is not an unprecedented one. Four decades ago, a very similar transition to new battery technology in airplanes yielded similar problems. Audie Cornish describes what happened then - and what lessons might be learned as lithium-ion batteries become the next generation that power planes. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: As we heard in that report, lithium ion batteries help power Boeing's fleet of 787 Dreamliners, which have been grounded. Now, this technologically sophisticated aircraft was tested for thousands of hours before airlines took it to the skies. That's why the recent overheating and fires in its batteries came as a surprise to many. But to some in the aviation industry those battery problems are déjà vu. Flashback to the early 1970s. STEPHEN TRIMBLE: And that was the last time there was a transition from one kind of battery technology to a newer kind. That was the nickel-cadmium battery. CORNISH: Steven Trimble writes for Flight International magazine. He says that for decades, airplanes used the same type of battery as cars: the lead acid battery. But eventually some planes with new sophisticated electronics needed a lighter, better power source. TRIMBLE: And nickel-cadmium is to its previous generation what lithium ion is today to nickel-cadmium. It gives you more power for the amount of weight that you have to use. CORNISH: Forty years ago, that new battery was promising as it became more widely used in small, private aircraft. Then the nickel-cadmium growing pains began. TRIMBLE: What they saw was a whole series of battery failures across several different types of aircraft - batteries overheating and fires. And our magazine was covering it at the time. And there were quotes from that era of people saying that they're sitting on a ticking time bomb because of these batteries. CORNISH: The National Transportation Safety Board documented nearly one battery incident every month in 1972. None caused a crash or fatality in the U.S. but they were serious. Just ask aircraft mechanic Lee Coffman. He remembers when a Learjet had to land in Amarillo, Texas in the 1970s because of one of its nickel-cadmium batteries. Coffman, dressed in protective gear, rushed out to the plane as soon as it parked. He says the battery was so hot that he had to extract it wearing asbestos gloves. LEE COFFMAN: The temperature was such that the paint on the stainless steel case was already changing colors. CORNISH: Coffman left it smoldering on the tarmac that afternoon. The next day, it was still too hot to touch. COFFMAN: The inside of the battery had just burned and melted in on itself. It looked like you had taken a torch in there and just melted the core of the battery down to a pile in the bottom of the battery box. CORNISH: Engineers eventually redesigned the nickel-cadmium battery and it became the industry standard for airliners. In the future, will the standard be lithium ion batteries? Boeing wants it to be, at least for its Dreamliner. Boeing hopes the FAA will soon approve the company's proposed solution for overheating and fires. As for some of its competition, Airbus recently announced that it's dropping plans to use lithium ion in its newest plane, the A350. The European manufacturer is reverting to what it describes as the proven and mastered nickel-cadmium. http://www.npr.org/2013/03/05/173559204/dreamliners-battery-woes-a-deja-vu- moment-for-aviation-industry Back to Top Back to Top Flight Safety Foundation Highlights Helicopter Priorities The Flight Safety Foundation is highlighting rotorcraft topics at Heli-Expo. "Our mission is to be advocates of the best aviation safety practices in the world," said president and CEO Kevin Hiatt. "Based on what we're observing at the foundation, we need to understand more about helicopter operations as a whole and to foster a safety-centric culture." Too often, he explained, the safety practices that do exist are tribal in nature, created by operators, pilots, flight department managers and mechanics. At the foundation's Heli-Expo exhibit (Booth No. C7104), the emphasis is on five areas it believes are key to turning around the relatively high accident rate in the helicopter community. * Safety audits, in particular the model exemplified by the Basic Aviation Risk Standard, can be applied to various categories of rotorcraft operations, in particular EMS, industrial, charter and sightseeing. * Increased communication in identifying best safety practices and other forms of information sharing is encouraged through the International Helicopter Safety Team as well as other working groups and forums. * Standard operating procedure compliance has been highlighted by a recent spate of rotorcraft accidents, especially last fall. While major strides in safety can be made in the near term through compliance with existing rules, new initiatives may be needed to account for increasingly diverse helicopter operations. * Fostering a safety-centric culture is necessary in the rotorcraft community. "Sadly, among some operators, there exists a tolerance for suboptimal decision-making, especially with regard to varying flight conditions, urgency of mission and the fundamental conflict between profitability and the necessity of operations." * Laser targeting is an increasingly common experience judging by reports by pilots who have experienced a temporary disorientation as a result of lasers being point at them. This justifies a more concerted effort to combat a potentially catastrophic problem. One solution may be working with the FDA, possibly encouraging a reduction in laser device power and sales, as well as more coordinated and vigorous action by the FAA and local law enforcement." The foundation emphasizes that lasers are not toys and there have been reports of retinal damage to crews operating at lower and slower altitudes typical of helicopters. The Helicopter Association International has its own safety team and they are doing a great job, acknowledged Hiatt, adding, "We're also here to help promote their work in this regard. And we hope to get a read on what our next steps might be, perhaps a series of safety workshops and seminars or a partnership with HAI on future programs." Flight Safety Foundation has a full-time staff of 15 at its headquarters in Alexandria, Va., and another six employees in Australia running a basic aviation risk standards program. Australia, Hiatt noted, has a large helicopter community that services one of the world's most active mining industries. There are foundation affiliates in other parts of the world, including Africa, the Middle East and Taipei. FSF has more than 1,000 members, ranging from individuals to corporations to government entities. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/hai-convention-news/2013-03-04/flight-safety- foundation-highlights-helicopter-priorities Back to Top Damn the regulations! Drones plying US skies without waiting for FAA rules A Draganflyer X6, six-rotor remote controlled helicopter, which can fly up to 20 mph and travel a quarter mile, is pictured at the Grand Valley Model Airfield in Mesa County, Colo. The Draganflyer X6 is a property of Mesa County Sheriff's Department. NEW YORK (Reuters) -- They hover over Hollywood film sets and professional sports events. They track wildfires in Colorado, survey Kansas farm crops and vineyards in California. They inspect miles of industrial pipeline and monitor wildlife, river temperatures and volcanic activity. They also locate marijuana fields, reconstruct crime scenes and spot illegal immigrants breaching U.S. borders. Tens of thousands of domestic drones are zipping through U.S. skies, often flouting tight federal restrictions on drone use that require even the police and the military to get special permits. Armed with streaming video, swivel cameras and infrared sensors, a new breed of high- tech domestic drones is beginning to change the way Americans see the world -- and one another. Powered by the latest microtechnology and driven by billions in defense industry and commercial research dollars, domestic drones are poised for widespread expansion into U.S. airspace once regulation catches up with reality. That is scheduled to begin in late 2015, when the U.S. government starts issuing commercial drone permits. Veteran aerial photographer Mark Bateson, a consultant to the film and television industry and some police departments, said one reality show producer asked him last year whether his custom-made drone could hover over a desert and use its thermal imaging sensors to spot ghosts for a ghost-hunter reality series. Bateson rejected that request. "But I heard they eventually found someone to do it," he said. "Commercially, the culture already exists," said Ben Miller, a Mesa County, Colorado, sheriff's deputy who has been flying drones with special authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration since 2009. "Turn on your TV and pay close attention to major sports events. You'll see that in many cases they are getting aerial shots using a UAS (unmanned aerial system). I would venture to say that if you've seen an action movie in the last five years, chances are that a UAS was used." Open skies Federal legislation enacted last year requires the FAA to prepare a plan to open U.S. skies in 2015 to widespread use of unmanned aircraft by public agencies and private industry. Potential markets include agriculture, shipping, oil exploration, commercial fishing, major league sports, film and television production, environmental monitoring, meteorological studies, law enforcement and the news media. Ten years of war have given robot developers a chance to refine and improve their bots. Now the robots are finding all sorts of new jobs on the homefront. The aviation and aerospace industry research firm Teal Group estimated last year that global spending on unmanned aircraft will double over the next 10 years, to nearly $90 billion, with the U.S. accounting for 62 percent of research and development spending and 55 percent of procurement spending. For decades, model airplane hobbyists have been allowed to fly small, remote-controlled aircraft up to 400 feet and at least a quarter mile from any airport. While public agencies can get permission to use unarmed drones, all commercial use remains banned. "As a hobbyist - I can do whatever I want right now, within remote-control guidelines," said Bateson, the aerial photographer. "But as soon as you turn it into a business ... the FAA says you are violating the national airspace." Bateson said that whether his drone shoots video for fun or for profit, "There is no greater danger to the national airspace." Last year the National Football League petitioned the FAA to speed the licensing of commercial drones, joining Hollywood's Motion Picture Association of America, which has been lobbying the agency for several years, an MPAA spokesman told the drone news website UAS Vision. The FAA has issued 1,428 drone permits to universities, law enforcement and other public agencies since 2007, when the agency formally banned commercial drone use. Of those, 327 permits remain active, said FAA spokesman Les Dorr. Tough to enforce Bateson flies a customized 48-inch-wide Styrofoam fixed-wing remote-controlled aircraft that cost about $20,000 - compared with up to $1 million for a helicopter. He said his aircraft has logged 1,800 miles and has recorded 60 hours of high-resolution video. He said he has never run into trouble with the FAA. Patrick Egan, an unmanned aircraft consultant to the U.S. military and editor of sUAS News, a drone news website, said the FAA's commercial ban on drones is unenforceable. "How do you possibly enforce these regulations?" he said. Earlier this year, Connecticut marketing firm ImageMark Strategy and Design launched a drone-powered aerial photo and video service to offer to its existing clients, which include universities, golf resorts and real estate firms. Partner Scott Benton said his company invested about $20,000 in remote-controlled multi-rotor copters equipped to carry camcorders or SLR digital cameras with swivel tilts. Benton said he wasn't even aware of FAA restrictions on commercial drone use until after he purchased all the equipment. He said his company plans to charge clients for editing and post-production work, not the drone flights. Many commercial drone operators offer similar arguments. Some say they operate only on private land. Others say they are selling data, not drone flight time. Still others say they will simply take their chances. "Honestly?" said one commercial operator, who requested anonymity to protect his business. "My hope is that I'm far afield enough and small enough potatoes to the FAA that I can fly under the radar on this one." Privacy concerns In 2011, News Corp's tablet news site, the Daily, sent a Microdrone MD4-1000 into the skies over Alabama, Missouri and North Dakota to capture dramatic aerial footage of flood damage. A subsequent FAA investigation resulted in a warning, an FAA spokesman told Reuters. A News Corp spokesman declined to comment. Last fall, a collective shudder rose up from Hollywood when false reports surfaced that the aggressive tabloid news website TMZ was seeking permission to fly its own drone. The report was false, but it raised concerns. "I'm less worried about the police getting a fleet of drones than I am about the news media," said Egan. "Imagine what it will be like when the paparazzi can send a fleet of drones into the Hollywood hills." The boom in drone use, both private and public, is also raising privacy concerns. Civil liberties groups are urging federal and state legislators to place immediate restrictions on drone use by U.S. law enforcement agencies, which have historically been quick to capitalize on emerging technology like cell phone tracking. At least 15 states have drafted legislation that would restrict drone use. In Seattle last month, a public outcry prompted the mayor to order the police chief to return the department's two new drones to their manufacturer. Blacksheep drones An even bigger concern for many is security. The activities of some drone operators are fueling fears about the potential for terrorism or that drones could interfere with manned air traffic and cause an accident. A group of skilled drone operators using "first person view," or FPV, technology, has sent Ritewing Zephyr drones that capture high-quality video of visual thrill rides around some of the world's most famous landmarks. The group, known as Team Blacksheep, has made a series of videos using drones circling the torch on New York City's Statue of Liberty and London's Big Ben clock tower. Team Blacksheep's FPV drones have darted through the arches of the Golden Gate Bridge and buzzed the peak of the Matterhorn. The videos, captured at dizzying angles, are wildly popular online, but hobbyists and other drone enthusiasts worry that such videos give the industry a bad name. "Those are the people the FAA should be going after," Bateson said. A Team Blacksheep founder did not respond to requests for comment on security concerns. Would-be attackers have already tried to exploit drones. Last fall, a Massachusetts man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for plotting to attack Washington, D.C., with three remote-controlled airplanes carrying C-4 explosives. Anticipating domestic boom, colleges rev up drone piloting programs Drones may also be vulnerable to hacking. Last summer, Department of Homeland Security officials challenged Texas aerospace engineering professor Todd Humphreys and his class to try to "spoof" a DHS drone's GPS system. GPS "spoofing" is a technique by which a vehicle's GPS receiver can be tricked and taken over by a slightly more powerful signal that mimics the attributes of the original signal - essentially an airborne hack. Humphreys and his students succeeded in hacking the drone and took control of its flight path. If a college class "can spoof the GPS, what can other nation states or terrorist groups do?" Representative Paul Broun (R-Ga.) asked at a recent congressional hearing on domestic drones. Chinese espionage? Some U.S. drone designers worry about the consequences of what they see as a slow U.S. response to a rapidly evolving technology. "The Chinese are going to kill us," said Texas pilot Gene Robinson, who spent $20,000 designing an innovative fixed-wing drone for search-and-rescue missions. "They have copied every single design, including mine, that they can get their hands on." Robinson said he installed Web-tracking software on his drone design Web page and then watched last spring as a Chinese design company "spent a month on my Web page ... reverse-engineered my design" and began selling mass-produced copies in December - for $169. Side-by-side pictures of Robinson's model and the Chinese model that he showed a reporter look virtually identical. Robinson went online and ordered one of Chinese models - to see if he could attach his equipment to the cheaper version. "It was a dog, a pig," he said. "It didn't fly worth a damn." Back to Top European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP) "Human Factors in Flight Safety: Safety Management Systems (SMS), Risk Management and Safety Investigation" training courses to be conducted in Dubai and Barcelona, May 2013. Registrations are now open for these popular and internationally respected courses, to be held from: 12 - 16 May 2013, in Dubai, kindly hosted by Emirates, and, 21 - 25 May 2013, in Barcelona, kindly hosted by Barcelona-based airline, Vueling. Full details on the 2013 EAAP courses are included in the Registration Brochures for both the Dubai and Barcelona courses, which are now available for download from the EAAP website at: http://www.eaap.net/read/1316/human-factors-in-flight-safety-course.html The experienced team of Dr Rob Lee, Kristina Pollack and Brent Hayward will again be conducting the 2013 courses on behalf of EAAP. The first of these courses was conducted at Ispra, Italy in 1999, and since then the course has been continually updated, and held regularly, in locations including Luxembourg, Stockholm, Madrid, Lisbon, Interlaken, Dublin and Dubai, with a total of more than 320 participants from civil and military aviation attending, as well as from other high technology industries. The course is recognised by EAAP as contributing towards certification requirements for those wishing to become an EAAP-certified Aviation Psychologist or Human Factors Specialist. As detailed in the Registration Brochure, EAAP members are offered reduced registration fees for the course, and there is also a significant additional "Early Bird" discount for those who register early. Course participant numbers are limited, so those wishing to attend are encouraged to register as soon as possible to secure a place. Those with any questions about the course, please email Brent Hayward: bhayward@dedale.net Back to Top HELI-EXPO: Chongqing hopes Enstrom Helicopter will secure 30% of Chinese market Enstrom Helicopter's new Chinese owner, Chongqing Helicopter Investment, hopes to expand the company's presence in the Asian market, taking a 30% share of the segment, following its acquisition of the Michigan-based manufacturer in January. Chongqing acts as a general dealer for Enstrom Helicopters, says Guo Huaqiang, who is an official with the Chinese company. Guo says his company will further develop the Enstrom brand in the Chinese market with the ultimate goal of securing a 30% market share. But the company will also operate, maintain and provide training using Enstrom-built machines, he says. Enstrom Chongqing is investing to double the US company's production capacity by 2015, Guo says. Jerry Mullin, Enstrom president, says none of the company's helicopters are presently built in China, but in future some final assembly work will be performed there. As the Chinese learn how to better assemble the machines, more production work will be transfered. However, none of the actual manufacturing will take place in China. Mullin says Chongqing is not only the company's owner, it is also one of its best customers. It has already purchased six helicopters from Enstrom, Mullin says, but on 5 March the Chinese firm signed an order to acquire a further 10 units. Guo says Chongqing is likely to order an additional 15 helicopters next year. The aircraft will be used for agricultural work, powerline inspections, and training. The Enstrom-built machines will also be used by the Chinese police services, Guo says. Eventually, Guo says, Chongqing hopes to expand beyond helicopters into the fixed-wing market http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/heli-expo-chongqing-hopes-enstrom- helicopter-will-secure-30-of-chinese-market-383102/ Back to Top TWITTER For late breaking aviation news, follow us on Twitter @ curtllewis01 Back to Top Back to Top Quick Links Products Services Training Contact us... Contact Information "Flight Safety Information" is a free service of: Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP, FRAeS, FISASI CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC (Targeting Safety & Risk Management) curt@curt-lewis.com www.curt-lewis.com www.fsinfo.org PH: 817-303-9096 Cell: 817-845-3983 Fax: 682-292-0835 Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC is an international, multi-discipline technical and scientific consulting firm specializing in aviation and industrial safety. Our specialties are aviation litigation support, aviation/airport safety programs, accident investigation, safety & quality assessments/audits, system safety (PRA), human factors, Safety Management Systems (SMS) assessment/implementation & training, safety/quality training & risk management, aviation manual development, IS-BAO Auditing, airfield/heliport lighting products and Technical Support. Forward email This email was sent to fgae@club-internet.fr by curt@curt-lewis.com | Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Curt Lewis and Associates, LLC | Post Office Box 120243 | Arlington | TX | 76012