Flight Safety Information June 21, 2013 - No. 125 In This Issue 'No risk to flight safety' from pilot who fell ill, forcing emergency stop FAA to Relax Rules for Gadgets in Flight One of Nicaragua's MI17 military helicopters crashed this morning in León Annual SMS Audit Results Released Shhh: Pratt & Whitney pioneers quieter jet engine Demand for civil aircraft is booming. Who will supply it? Graduate Research Survey 'No risk to flight safety' from pilot who fell ill, forcing emergency stop Federal and airline officials say proper procedures and protocols were followed when a plane out of Calgary was forced to make an emergency stop in Toronto after an Air Canada pilot fell ill mid-flight. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada was made aware of last week's incident but is not pursuing the matter further, said a department spokesman. "All the necessary procedures were followed and there was no risk to flight safety," said Chris Krepski. Air Canada spokeswoman Angela Mah added the flight was diverted to the nearest airport as soon as the pilot became sick, "per our standard operating procedures." "At no time was the safety of the flight ever an issue, as Air Canada pilots and crews are highly trained professionals skilled in the appropriate handling of a range of circumstances, situations and events which may occur," Mah said in an email. Ninety-three passengers were aboard the Embraer 90 aircraft on flight 584 en route to Newark last Thursday when the pilot suddenly became sick, Mah said. The plane landed "normally and without incident" at the nearest airport in Toronto, where the pilot received care from waiting medical staff. "For privacy reasons we cannot provide specific details on the nature of our pilot's medical condition, but we can say that it was an unforeseen, previously undiagnosed physical ailment," Mah wrote. "All Air Canada pilots undergo regular medical checks as per Transport Canada requirements." The flight was able to continue about 90 minutes later after a replacement crew was called in, she said. Transport Canada is aware of the incident and is following up with Air Canada, said Kelly James with the department. "The Canadian Aviation Regulations outlines the medical requirements pilots and air traffic controllers must meet to confirm their medical fitness," James said in an email. "All pilots and air traffic controllers except recreational pilots are seen by a medical practitioner prior to receiving a medical certificate from Transport Canada." James said civil aviation medical examiners with the department assess pilots and air traffic controllers on a regular basis depending on the type of licence, age and health of the certificate holder. http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ Back to Top FAA to Relax Rules for Gadgets in Flight By ANDY PASZTOR Airline passengers irritated at having to turn off their devices could soon see some reprieve, with regulators set to allow wider use of gadgets in flight. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to relax the ban on using some types of personal-electronic devices at low altitudes, allowing passengers leeway during taxiing and even takeoffs and landings, according to industry officials and draft recommendations prepared by a high-level advisory panel to the agency. The FAA is expected to relax rules for some types of electronic devices at low altitudes. Above, a passenger checks his phone before exiting the plane at Long Beach, Calif., airport in 2012. For fliers, the new rules would likely mean an end to familiar admonitions to turn off and stow all electronic devices. Cellphone calls are expected to remain off limits, however. The draft doesn't make any recommendations regarding phone use because the FAA didn't authorize the panel to delve into that particularly controversial area. Details are still being debated by the group and inside the FAA and could change. Still, the draft report reflects a consensus that the existing rules, essentially unchanged since the 1960s, have been overtaken by dramatic changes in technology and passenger expectations. "As the consumer electronics industry has exploded," the report says, the FAA's traditional stance of giving individual airlines leeway to evaluate the safety of specific devices before allowing them to remain on at low altitude "has become untenable." In practice, airlines follow the FAA's guidance and slap a blanket prohibition on all devices until planes climb to 10,000 feet. The FAA may be forced to act due to the sheer number of passengers flouting today's rules. The experts who wrote the draft referred to recent industry research showing that nearly one-third of passengers reported that, at least once, they accidentally left some device on throughout a flight. Unless the FAA eases its standards, the advisory group frets that "confidence in the FAA and the [industry's] ability" to integrate personal electronic device usage will erode, and a "nonstandard system" of patchwork rules adopted by individual airlines "could emerge that further confuses the public." The FAA's anticipated decision would relax the rules for use of approved devices from the time cabin doors close to when the plane reaches 10,000 feet. Some devices, such as e- readers, could even be used during all phases of a flight, if the FAA goes along with the thrust of the draft recommendations. The document is likely to bolster arguments of lawmakers, safety experts and everyday ticket buyers who contend the vast majority of today's portable electronics pose little or no risk of interfering with aircraft systems. The FAA likely won't make a formal decision on the matter until after it receives the final version of the advisory panel's study, now delayed two months to the end of September. An FAA spokeswoman released a statement saying the agency "recognizes consumers are intensely interested in the use of personal electronics aboard aircraft, that is why we tasked a government-industry group to examine the safety issues and the feasibility of changing the current restrictions." "At the group's request," the statements adds, "the FAA has granted the two-month extension to complete the additional work necessary for the safety assessment." Eliminating or easing today's strict constraints would amount to a major cultural shift for travelers-from frequent fliers to celebrities-many of whom are seemingly tethered to their digital gadgets and frequently fume when flight attendants tell them to power off. A 2011 incident involving actor Alec Baldwin-in which the actor was kicked off an American Airlines plane for playing a Scrabble-like game on his phone before it started taxiing-gained global attention. The impending changes also portend business opportunities for airlines, which are scrambling to satisfy customer demand for faster airborne connections along with expanded Wi-Fi entertainment and business applications. By some estimates, the world-wide market for such offerings already is close to $3 billion annually, with as many as 20,000 new Boeing BA -2.62% and Airbus jets slated to be modified for onboard connectivity over the next decade. The debate also has international ramifications, since rules for Wi-Fi systems, and especially cellphone usage, vary among airlines and countries. "It would be much more convenient for us" to have a single global standard, according to Alexandre de Juniac, chairman and chief executive of Air France. "Right now, it's a nightmare," he said, figuring out airspace where cellphone calls from planes are prohibited. The current draft doesn't discuss changes to cellphone rules, but says members of the panel believe a discussion of cellphone use-and whether allowing it would be an imposition on some passengers-should be part of their final product and the group intends "to provide a separate addendum" that the agency "may or may not address." The Federal Communications Commission has a long-standing ban on cellphones using certain frequencies in flight, due to potential interference "with wireless networks on the ground," according to the draft. Formed by the FAA last August, the 28-member panel includes industry, government and pilot-union representatives. Its findings have been eagerly awaited by airlines, regulators and safety experts around the world-prompting some discussion at the Paris International Air Show this week. "The FAA will set an umbrella safety standard for the world," said Stuart Dunleavy, vice president and general manager of the in-flight media and connectivity business of Thales HO.FR +0.48% SA. The original rules, written in 1966, took shape in an era when experts feared electromagnetic interference could wreak havoc with critical navigation systems and radios aboard aircraft. During the years leading up to this latest review, the FAA called on the industry to conduct four separate safety studies and ended up adopting the broad policy that personal electronics pose minimal risk at higher altitudes. The FAA has also said that listening to or watching a hand-held device can distract passengers if emergencies occur close to the ground. The draft report emphasizes that over the years, technical advances and stepped-up testing have contributed to building "much more tolerant" aircraft, while devices have improved dramatically to use less power, transmit weaker signals and "stay within a tighter range of frequencies." The combined result, according to the document, is "much less potential to cause interference." For airliners that pass stringent tests, the panel envisions allowing essentially unlimited, or what it calls "expanded gate to gate use," of electronic devices. The draft also urges that starting in 2015, the FAA require new models to comply with the strictest industrywide standard. Mr. Dunleavy of Thales said that "we absolutely haven't seen any concerns about interference from passenger devices." The conclusions are borne out by industry practice, according to Jay Gandhi, head of EMT Labs, a Mountain View, Calif., firm that tests hand-held devices for electronics manufacturers. They typically generate such weak electromagnetic fields "there is no way they can overpower aircraft systems," according to Mr. Gandhi. While the draft document is still missing certain key sections and some detailed recommendations, it repeatedly urges the FAA to ensure that current and future airliners incorporate features shielding critical systems from potential interference. Eventually, the draft envisions three different safety announcements before flight. For those planes with limited built-in protections, passengers would be told to power off devices until they are advised it is safe to hit the on switch. On many other planes, flight attendants would give the green light to use certain electronics from gate to gate, except in rare instances when the captain asks they be turned off because they could interfere with certain types of instrument landings. And according to the draft report, passengers on the third category of planes would hear the following announcement: "This aircraft tolerates emissions from electrical devices for all phases of flight." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323300004578557683978941640.html Back to Top One of Nicaragua's MI17 military helicopters crashed this morning in León The Nicaraguan Army is conducting a second day of search and recovery in León after one of the military's Russian-made MI17 helicopters crashed Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m, killing all 10 men aboard, including the head of the Nicaraguan Air Force and several other high-ranking military brass. The military helicopter, which was flying near the Momotombo Volcano on an unspecific "work mission," reportedly suffered mechanical problems and fell some 1,500 meters out of the sky and exploded on impact at the edge of Lake Managua. The pilot issued distress call moments before the crash, according to the army's spokesman. As of Thursday night, only one of the bodies had been recovered. The corpse of Colonel Mario Alberto Jirón López was found in Lake Managua around 3 p.m. on Thursday, along with part of the helicopter's fuselage, the army reports. The other victims have not yet been found. El Nuevo Diario reports that a fisherman in the area claimed he found severed body parts of a second victim floating in the lake, but those reports were not immediately verified by the army. Most of the wreckage is thought to have fallen into the lake, where army divers have been searching for the bodies. The victims, eight of which were ranking officers in the Nicaraguan Army, were: Colonel Manuel Antonio López, head of the Nicaraguan Air Force; Colonel Mario Alberto Jirón, base chief for aircraft repairs; Colonel Eugenio Enrique Alfaro, chief of operations; Lieutenant Colonel Aldo Mauricio Herrera, head weapons officer; Lieutenant Colonel Chester Porfirio Vargas; head of intelligence and counterintelligence for the Air Force; Lieutenant Colonel Ildefonso José Hernández, co-pilot and chief air inspector; Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Cruz, head of personnel; Major Oscar Antonio Silva, aviation technician; Osmar Antonio Acosta, anti-aircraft artilleryman; and Cristhian López Garcias, Air Force accountant. The cause of the accident is still unknown. http://www.nicaraguadispatch.com/news/2013/06/10-feared-dead-in-helicopter-crash- in-nicaragua/7913 Back to Top Boeing studying airline pilot fatigue and alertness An airline cockpit can be a busy place, especially on a short flight. It can also be a boring place with long flights over oceans and hours long stretches without a lot to do. Both scenarios can make pilots tired. KING 5's Glenn Farley gets wired in a ground breaking study to keep pilots alert. Boeing is always looking for ways to make flying safer and an alert pilot is a safer pilot. Concern has also been growing about pilot fatigue at the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board leading to new rules on pilot duty time. But while getting tired seems like such a simple thing, figuring out just why pilots get tired and what can be cone to prevent fatigue is much more complicated. The research program is expected to run another year using pilots from Delta Airlines. While there are no conclusions yet, the program could see a future where sensors that monitor signs of fatigue like eye movement could warn pilots they are becoming tired even before they realize it. http://www.king5.com/news/local/Boeing-study-on-airline-pilot-fatigue-and-alertness- 212427421.html Back to Top Back to Top Shhh: Pratt & Whitney pioneers quieter jet engine PRATT & WHITNEY ENGINE REDUCES NOISE Pratt & Whitney developed an engine with a gear that allows a larger fan to turn more slowly than a comparable fan and a typical engine, making the engine quieter and more fuel efficient. At one measurement point, 2 miles from the end of the runway when a plane taking off is 2,000 feet in the air, the engine is expected to be 3 to 5 decibels quieter. The engines that Bombardier plans to test fly this month are projected to dramatically reduce the noise footprint around an airport. Bombardier Aerospace plans to test-fly a new plane with quieter engines from Pratt & Whitney. The companies say the geared turbofan engines are projected to burn 20% less fuel and reduce noise, and Bombardier could be the first to use planes with the quieter engines a year from now. While airlines would appreciate better fuel efficiency, the promise of quieter flights for passengers and for people on the ground could also allow airlines to land more planes at airports with noise restrictions. "They're so quiet as you come in for an approach, if you shut off the engines you can't tell the difference," said Alan Epstein, vice president for technology and environment at Pratt & Whitney. Neighbors of noise-restricted airports are monitoring the development of quieter engines, but they have questions about how they will actually work. Donald MacGlashan, a board member of the group Citizens for the Abatement of Aircraft Noise, which monitors Dulles and Reagan National airports near Washington, would like a reduction in a regional jet's noise, but he's waiting to see the actual results. "We would certainly welcome it," MacGlashan said. "But I'm skeptical." The Pratt & Whitney engines could become the first to carry travelers on Bombardier planes next year. Pratt & Whitney's first test flight for an Airbus engine for the A320neo was May 15, but that plane isn't expected to be in service until late 2015. A rival engine manufacturer, the CFM International partnership of General Electric and Safran of France, is also developing a quieter engine for single-aisle planes such as the A320neo and Boeing's 737 MAX. That engine is first expected in commercial service aboard the A320neo in 2016 and the 737 MAX in 2017, according to CFM spokeswoman Jamie Jewell. The market for the quieter engines is significant, with projections for up to 25,000 aircraft over the next 20 years with as many as 50,000 engines, Jewell said. So far CFM has orders for 4,600 of the quieter engines, and Pratt & Whitney has more than 3,500 orders and options, according to the companies. Eventually, quieter engines could be developed for wide-body planes, too. Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst as vice president for the Teal Group in Virginia, called the Pratt & Whitney engine "a significant innovation." But he said it's unclear which engine will lead the market. "It's become a huge battle, with completely different propulsion philosophies, different customers, yet effectively two engines in the same power class," Aboulafia said. "It's a nice step forward. We just don't know what kind of lead it will have over the competition." The key to the Pratt & Whitney engine is a gear behind the engine's fan that allows it to turn slower for the same thrust, the same way a higher gear on a bicycle requires less pedaling to cover the same distance. The new engine's fan for the A320neo is 81 inches in diameter, rather than the previous 63 inches, Epstein said. While larger, it turns slower and burns less fuel through a gear the size of a car's wheel, Epstein said. The engines are headed to the Airbus A320neo; Bombardier CS100 and CS300; Embraer 170, 175, 190 and 195; Mitsubishi Regional Jet; and Irkut planes, Epstein said. Airbus and Embraer are retrofitting existing planes, while the others are putting the engines on new models. The quieter engines are projected to reduce the jet's noise 3 to 5 decibels at specific points around an airport, which is projected to shrink the zones covered by noise restrictions by 75%, according to Pratt & Whitney and CFM. "That means that aircraft noise, in most cases, will be contained within the confines of the airport," said Jewell of CFM. Numerous airports across the country have restrictions on late-night or early-morning flights because of noise. For example in 2011, Reagan National got 505 noise complaints and Dulles got 157 noise complaints, according to the most recent report available from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. MacGlashan, the airport noise watchdog, said reducing the noise of regional jets overhead would "certainly be an improvement." But he said residents are most concerned about the loudest noises that jets make rather than the average noise that manufacturers measure. "It depends on what kind of aircraft they're thinking of putting them on," he said. If the new engines are successful, airlines serving city airports with noise restrictions in Toronto, London and Stockholm are eager for quieter engines to allow more flights, according to Marianella de la Barrera, a spokeswoman for Bombardier. Pratt & Whitney and Bombardier expect the quieter engines aboard the CS100 to be the first delivered about this time next year, after the test flight expected later this month. Announced customers include Republic Airways, Porter Airlines in Canada and Gulf Air in the Middle East. "It's actually well suited for urban communities," de la Barrera said. "It's widely acknowledged that it's going to be a step-change for the industry." http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2013/06/20/jet-engine-noise/2401871/ Back to Top Demand for civil aircraft is booming. Who will supply it? NEWS of new aircraft, orders and technology rained from the skies this week at the Paris Air Show, where a bumper crowd of producers and customers dodged a real downpour with mingled curses and exhilaration. The biennial event at Le Bourget airfield which opened on June 17th is the aviation world's biggest jamboree, and every manufacturer and supplier struts its stuff in the hope of attracting more business. Things are looking bright for the civilian side of aerospace these days, though not for defence, with budget cuts in developed countries. As emerging economies grow, enthusiasm for air travel is growing even faster. Technological advances have made aircraft cheaper and cleaner to run, so airlines everywhere are keen to replace older planes. According to Boeing's annual forecast, published this month, more than 35,000 new aircraft-worth perhaps $4.8 trillion-will be needed over the next 20 years. Almost 25,000 of them will be single-aisle planes, and almost 13,000 of them will be used in Asia. This is a market that Western manufacturers-two in particular-now dominate. Airbus got off to an early public-relations lead with the maiden flight of its new A350 on June 14th. The 314-seater boasts a 25% lower operating cost than its predecessors, thanks to lightweight composites and a new Rolls-Royce engine. By mid-week Airbus had added 59 to its original 613 orders for the aircraft, and more for its older models. Even its little-loved double-decker superjumbo, the A380, got a look-in, with its first order since October. Seattle-based Boeing insisted it had expected to be outsold in Paris by the home team (Airbus is owned by the French-German-Spanish EADS). It still managed a creditable haul of its own. And Boeing took the next-generation fire to the enemy, launching a stretch version of its midsized 787 Dreamliner, briefly grounded this year with battery problems, to compete with the slightly larger A350, and revealing over 100 new orders for it. Boeing also upped the stakes against the upgraded "neo" version of Airbus's single-aisle A320, due to go into service in the second half of 2015, by promising to bring forward the first deliveries of its competing 737 MAX, from the end of 2017 to the third quarter. But for once it was not just "the usual pingpong between Boeing and Airbus", as French television put it. Other firms, including ones from developing countries, have long been eyeing the mainstream single-aisle market, where growth is strongest. They are closing in. Closest of all is Bombardier of Canada. Pierre Beaudoin, its boss, promises that its new CSeries, aimed at the 100- to 150-seat market, will make its maiden flight this month, give or take a week, and that deliveries will start in 2014. Bombardier has 177 firm orders for the plane so far. It will be the first to use Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan engine, the closest thing to a big idea engine-makers have had for a while. Replacing the usual shaft between fan and turbine with a gear allowing each to revolve at its optimal speed should cut fuel use, emissions and noise significantly. Embraer, the Brazilian firm that is Bombardier's biggest rival in the market for smaller "regional" jets, confirmed at the show that it would revamp its E-Jet, designed for the 70- to 130-seat market, and said it already had 300 orders and options for the new version. It does not intend-yet-to compete against Airbus and Boeing, but it will overlap with the smaller version of Bombardier's CSeries. And it will also use Pratt & Whitney's new engine. Russia too has aspirations. In Paris Irkut, owned by the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), displayed a mock-up of its planned 130- to 150-seater MC-21, which will again use the geared turbofan engine (and eventually a Russian one). Irkut expects to start building the aircraft this year and to fly it in 2015. Another firm from the UAC stable, Sukhoi, has until now been selling its smaller Superjet mainly in Russia and other former eastern-block countries. Thanks to a joint venture with Alenia Aermacchi of Italy, the first Sukhoi Superjet destined for a Western airline was handed over in Paris, to Interjet of Mexico. Among the missing at the air show was China's candidate to take on Boeing and Airbus- the COMAC C919. The 150-plus seater was scheduled for a maiden flight in 2014 but development has been knocked off course. It is the Chinese that both Boeing and Airbus claim to rate as their only serious mainstream competitor, despite Bombardier's lead. It takes billions of dollars, a couple of decades and unwavering determination to develop a family of models, a support network around the world and a reputation for quality, the argument goes. The barriers to entry in aerospace are high. But the world is not always as static as those on top would have it. After all, Britain used to make airliners-and Airbus used not to. http://www.economist.com/news/business/21579841-demand-civil-aircraft-booming- who-will-supply-it-singin-rain Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Embry-Riddle Capstone Survey - Helicopter Pilots Greetings! My name is Katherine Hilst. I have been flying helicopters for over 25 years, and have been involved in aviation safety as a safety manager or consultant for most of that time. I am finishing my Master of Aeronautical Science (MAS) degree with a concentration in System Safety through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Worldwide campus. Based on the results of the International Helicopter Safety Team's (IHST) findings that pilot judgment and actions is the primary cause of helicopter accidents worldwide, my research has focused on finding ways to create training programs that will help improve helicopter pilot decision making. This survey is designed for helicopter pilots at all levels of experience and is intended to gather information about the extent to which helicopter pilots have been, or are involved in scenario based training. Your participation in this survey may help advance the research understanding of the impact of the type of training received (scenario based training, maneuver based training, etc.) and its impact on safety. The survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. It is anonymous and the Survey Monkey software ensures that I will not be able to identify you or your computer IP address. Any results will be completely de-identified, analyzed, and aggregated prior to publication. There is no remuneration for taking this survey, except for my gratitude and the good feeling you will have that, with your help, we can get a better understanding of current training practices. If you are a helicopter pilot, please click on the link below to begin the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Scenario- based_training_survey_ERAU_Capstone_Project Feel free to forward this message to other potential participants. Thank you very much for your participation! Katherine Hilst P.S. I will post information about my research on my website at safetydesignconsulting.com Curt Lewis