Flight Safety Information February 26, 2014 - No. 041 In This Issue Asiana fined $500,000 over jet crash in San Francisco Boston-Area Planes Report Lasers, FAA Investigates Jet Aviation Dubai Receives Safety Performance award Ga. Debates Leniency over Guns Brought to Airport Diverted Jet Makes Emergency Landing at Airport PRISM SMS Airbus Predicts Profit Gain as It Boosts A320 Jet Production Small aviation businesses say pilot shortage could drive industry into the ground Rolls-Royce unveils plans for more efficient aircraft engines Asiana fined $500,000 over jet crash in San Francisco SEOUL/WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (Yonhap) -- Asiana Airlines, a South Korean flagship carrier, was fined US$500,000 Tuesday for what the U.S. aviation authorities described as negligence in assisting families of passengers aboard its jet that crash-landed in San Francisco last year. The Department of Transportation (DOT) said Asiana "violated federal law last July by failing to adhere to the assurances in its family assistance plan" following the accident in which three passengers were killed. The federal law, set up in 1997, requires all foreign airlines to follow a "family-assistance plan" in the event of aircraft accidents. Asiana Flight 214, carrying 307 people, struck a seawall and crashed onto the runaway at San Francisco International Airport in July. "In the very rare event of a crash, airlines have a responsibility to provide their full support to help passengers and their families by following all the elements of their family assistance plans,"U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a news release. "The last thing families and passengers should have to worry about at such a stressful time is how to get information from their carrier." For approximately one day following the crash, Asiana failed to widely publicize any telephone number for family members of those on board, and the only number generally available to the public that family members could call was Asiana's toll-free reservations line, the DOT said. "In addition, Asiana took two full days to successfully contact the families of just three-quarters of the passengers," it added. "The families of several passengers were not contacted until five days following the crash." Asiana said it acknowledges its lapses in failing to quickly notify families of passengers following the accident and some initial problems in offering assistance. It, however, stressed it has since taken every necessary step to give extensive support to passengers and families of the ill-fated plane and will continue to do so. "We have covered hospital, travel and lodging expenses for all those affected by the crash, and have engaged in earnest talks to reach settlement on compensation," an official for the company said in Seoul. He said settlements have been reached in some cases, although he was not at liberty to disclose details, especially since the official investigation is still ongoing. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is still investigating the exact cause of the Asiana accident. The probe is expected to finish this summer. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/yonhap-news-agency/140225/asiana-fined-500000-over-jet- crash-san-francisco-2 Back to Top Boston-Area Planes Report Lasers, FAA Investigates NEWTON, Mass. (AP) The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating reports that someone pointed a laser light at the cockpits of two airplanes in the Boston area. Also, police in Newton, just west of Boston and the Logan Airport, are looking into a report from a driver that a man pointed a green laser at him and other drivers on Tuesday night, about two hours before the planes were allegedly targeted. One plane had left Boston and was heading to Atlanta; the other was en route to Boston and flying over Providence, R.I. The FAA pinpointed the coordinates to Forte Park in Newton, and police responded but did not find anyone. Police do not know if the incidents are related. The FAA and Newton police did not immediately return calls Wednesday for more details. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/boston-area-planes-report-lasers-faa-investigates-22677318 Back to Top Jet Aviation Dubai Receives Safety Performance award from the General Civil Aviation Authority in the United Arab Emirates Jet Aviation Dubai was selected for the award for having implemented a Safety Performance Measurement as part of its Safety Management System (SMS). Dubai, United Arab Emirates / February 25, 2014 - Jet Aviation Dubai was recently presented with a Safety Performance award by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates. The GCAA of the United Arab Emirates recognizes significant contributions to a "Safer Sky" as part of its mandate to promote and regulate civil aviation and flight safety. At its recent tri-annual Strategy Plan (2014-2016) meeting for GCAA stakeholders on January 30, 2014, the GCAA presented Jet Aviation Dubai its SafetyPerformance award. Jet Aviation Dubai was selected for the award for having implemented a Safety Performance Measurement as part of its Safety Management System (SMS). The company initiated SMS in 2011, and has integrated Safety Indicators & Objectives (SPI) to help continually identify and monitor safety issues under its Continuous Improvement program. "Our highest mandate is to ensure the health and safety of our customers," says Hardy Bütschi, vice president and general manager at Jet Aviation Dubai. "We continually strive to optimize our business processes to provide optimum service delivery. This award attests to our high standards and is a credit to our entire team of professionals." Jet Aviation Dubai's maintenance and FBO location was established in May 2005 as a joint venture company with the AL Mulla Group. The facility has a total of 4,200 square meters (45,192 square feet) of hangar space, a workshop area of 1,000 square meters (10,760 square feet), and a two-story FBO building with an area of 1,050 square meters (11,300 square feet). The facility holds EASA #145.0317 maintenance approval and is an FAA #U8JY426Y repair station. It also holds Bermuda DCA, Cayman CAA, Jordan CARC, Saudi Arabia GACA, Pakistan CAA, India DGCA and UAE GCAA approvals. Jet Aviation Dubai is an authorized service center for maintenance and warranty support to Boeing BBJ, the Gulfstream G150, G200, GIV and GV, G550 and G650 series, the Dassault Falcon 900, 2000 and 7X series, and full service capability for Hawker Beechcraft 800/900 series and Embraer Legacy aircraft, including L4 and L12 inspections. The company expanded its VIP handling service delivery to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central (DWC) in December 2012. Jet Aviation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), was founded in Switzerland in 1967 and is one of the leading business aviation services companies in the world. Close to 4,500 employees cater to client needs from more than 20 facilities throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North and South America. The company provides maintenance, completions and refurbishment, engineering, FBO and fuel services, along with aircraft management, charter services, aircraft sales and personnel services. Jet Aviation's European and U.S. aircraft management and charter divisions jointly operate a fleet of more than 250 aircraft. Please visit www.jetaviation.com and follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/jetaviation. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/11318094/jet-aviation-dubai-receives-safety-performance- award-from-the-general-civil-aviation-authority-in-the-united-arab-emirates Back to Top Ga. Debates Leniency over Guns Brought to Airport ATLANTA (AP) - Gary Lawrence usually carries a .22-caliber revolver while out walking his dog in rural Georgia as protection against venomous snakes and coyotes. But he says he learned a hard lesson while rushing to catch a flight at Atlanta's airport last month, the firearm forgotten in the pocket of a heavy coat. In the security line, he took off his belt, boots and leather coat and placed them on a conveyor belt to the X-ray machine when "all of a sudden, I had about five cops around me." One of the officers asked what was in his coat pocket. "That's when it hit me. I knew what was in my pocket. I just sank. I couldn't deny it. I told him the story," said Lawrence, who has a state-issued license to carry a gun. Handcuffed, he was escorted away to spend a night in jail, charged with a misdemeanor. Now gun-friendly lawmakers in Georgia want people licensed to carry a gun to avoid arrest if they accidentally bring their firearms into the security checkpoint at the country's busiest airport and willingly leave the security line. It comes as gun rights groups in Georgia push state lawmakers to broaden the places where people can legally take guns, including churches and bars. The labor union representing airport security screeners opposes loosening laws banning guns at security checkpoints, especially after one TSA officer was killed and three other people wounded last November in a shooting at Los Angeles International Airport. "The public has had 12 years' notice that guns are prohibited," said a statement from David Borer, general counsel for the American Federation of Government Employees. "Sooner or later they need to take responsibility for violating the law that's meant to protect our officers and the traveling public." Other critics say the proposal takes away the penalties for reckless behavior. "If we have people who are so indifferent and careless with their weapon that they can stand up with a straight face and say, 'Oh, I forgot I had a weapon with me,' that's not the sort of person who should be carrying a weapon," said state Sen. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta. "That calls for some stringent consequences." A total of 111 firearms were found last year at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, more than at any other airport nationwide, according to federal figures, besting even New York's John F. Kennedy with 10 weapons found; Miami with 24; Chicago O'Hare with 16; and Los Angeles International with 19. In response, airport officials in Atlanta started a public outreach campaign to remind passengers not to walk into security checkpoints while armed. They put up signs and held a news conference to drive the message home. The proposal emerged after a former speaker of Georgia's House of Representatives, Terry Coleman, was arrested last year when security screeners found a pistol in his briefcase. Coleman acknowledged carrying the gun but said it was an accident. The charges were dismissed after Coleman completed a pre-trial intervention program. Federal law prohibits people from carrying guns onto planes, though passengers can legally take a firearm if they declare it to authorities and follow rules about storing them in checked baggage. TSA officials turn over to local police anyone caught illegally carrying a gun at a security checkpoint. What happens next depends on local law. In Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, illegally carrying a gun into the security zone will get fliers arrested, just as it will at Newark International Airport in New Jersey or JFK International Airport in New York. Violators in Atlanta are also usually arrested. Lawmakers supportive of the plan in Georgia say some wiggle room should be allowed. They want to allow people licensed to carry a gun to avoid being arrested if they are caught at a security checkpoint carrying a firearm and obey instructions to leave. Offenders without a license to carry a gun could still be arrested. "I would tell you that a lot of people carry a weapon," said state Rep. Alan Powell, a Republican who supports the bill. "It's almost like it's just a second nature to them. And sometimes they forget where they have, you know, they basically forget they've got it in a briefcase or a suitcase." A local prosecutor, Tasha Mosley, said those caught at Atlanta's main airport checkpoint with guns have included politicians, clergy members, even one woman who was carrying two guns. Many defendants claim they forgot the weapons were there. Mosely said she once saw a judge who formerly worked as an airport baggage handler lecture a defendant about the time he moved a bag at the airport and a shotgun inside it fired. "They don't like the excuses, 'I put it in my luggage to hide it from my child. I forgot I had it in my briefcase,'" said Mosley, who carries a handgun for her own protection. "I know where my gun is at all times. I can tell you how many rounds are in it." The bill has not yet come up for a vote, and its prospects are unclear. Another gun bill failed last year because university officials strenuously objected to provisions that would have allowed people to carry guns on campus. That proposal was dropped this year. A coalition of clergy members has already criticized a provision to overturn a blanket ban on carrying guns in church. Those convicted of a misdemeanor for carrying a gun into the secured areas of Georgia's airports could face a $1,000 fine or up to a year of probation or prison time. However, charges are dismissed against most first-time offenders if they attend gun safety classes, surrender the firearm they illegally brought to the checkpoint and stay out of further trouble. They do not lose their license to carry a weapon in Georgia. TSA officials can separately fine them up to $11,000. Lawrence's case has not yet been resolved. He said he would support a law that offers more protection to people who make mistakes, though he acknowledges the incident was his fault. "I was wrong," he said. "How could I say I wasn't wrong?" http://www.dailyreportonline.com/id=1392635631815/Ga.-Debates-Leniency-over-Guns-Brought-to- Airport#ixzz2uQdJDJ9e Back to Top Diverted Jet Makes Emergency Landing at Airport PITTSTON TOWNSHIP - US Airways said a flight from New England to Philadelphia was diverted Tuesday morning, when cockpit lights indicated a mechanical issue. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport Director Barry Centini told Newswatch 16 that 42 passengers and three crew members were onboard, and no one was injured during the emergency landing. "They were having trouble with the trim, which pushes the nose down, especially on landing," said Centini. "They wanted to land here. They didn`t want to go any further." Tim Tierney said he and other passengers praised the flight crew, because they told everyone on board what was happening and tried to calm nerves. "When we landed it was all of a sudden, he slammed on the brakes," said Tierney. "Then all of a sudden the fire trucks are there." Dawn McNeely told Newswatch 16 that the experience was frightening. "It was the worst landing ever. We all were like forced to hold onto our seats because we were like thrown forward. I was like get me off this plane. I need some wine and a cigarette and I need to go call my kids," said McNeely. "I wasn`t sure if it was just turbulence, or if it was something with the plane. I just started to get nervous. I kept closing my eyes and then when he said that, I was like great, where the hell are we going?" US Airways said it provided a charter bus to Philadelphia, and the airline will try to help passengers who missed their connecting flights. Cathy Gerrish said she would likely miss her connecting flight to Tampa, but she was relieved that everyone is okay. "It was little rough. Yeah it was scary," said Gerrish. "I was scared." http://wnep.com/2014/02/25/diverted-jet-makes-emergency-landing-at-airport/ Back to Top Back to Top Airbus Predicts Profit Gain as It Boosts A320 Jet Production Airbus A320 Production An employee works on sections of Airbus A320 single-aisle passenger aircraft wings during production at the company's factory in Broughton, U.K. Airbus Group NV (AIR) said profit rose 21 percent last year and predicted further growth in 2014 as it lifts production of the best-selling A320 single-aisle jet. Earnings before interest, tax and one-time items rose to 3.6 billion euros ($5 billion), exceeding a company target of 3.5 billion euros, according to Toulouse, France-based Airbus, which will lift A320 output to 46 a month in 2016 from 42 now. Airbus delivered a record 626 planes in 2013 and is targeting a similar number this year as airlines seek more fuel-efficient models.Boeing Co. (BA:US) is lifting production of the 737, its rival to the A320, to 47 a month by mid 2017 to meet demand in a segment that forms the backbone of global fleets. "Order intake was particularly strong for our Airbus commercial aircraft and provides a solid platform for the future growth of the group," Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders said in a statement. "Strong demand allows us now to increase the single-aisle production rate." Airbus rose as as much as 3.6 percent and traded 1.7 percent higher at 54.01 euros as of 9:36 a.m. in Paris. The stock has declined 3.2 percent this year, valuing the company at 42.3 billion euros. Chicago- based Boeing is down 7 percent. 'Credibility' "Management has considerable credibility, and 2013 was a year of delivery for Airbus," said James Buckley, a portfolio manager at Baring Asset Management in London. "The order pipeline is strong, and they have positive order flow." Group sales gained 5 percent to 59.3 billion euros in 2013, and Enders said reaching cash-flow break-even remains a target after a shortfall last year, when "execution issues" led to an outflow before customer financing of 515 million euros. Airbus aims to reach positive cash flow after 2015. The namesake aircraft operation contributes two-thirds of revenue of revenue at Airbus, which adopted the unit's name in a switch from European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. last month after it became clear that sluggish military sales would leave jetliners as the main driver for the foreseeable future. Over the past seven years Airbus has steadily lifted A320-series rates, acclerating from 32 a month in the first quarter of 2007 to reach 40 early in 2012 and establishing the current level in October that year. Of those 42 jets, 22 are are built in Hamburg, 16 in Toulouse and four in China. Airbus is preparing production of an updated A320, called the Neo, with two choices of more fuel-efficient engines. The first A320neos are set to enter service late in 2015. A350 Challenge Net income rose 22 percent last year after one-time charges. The order intake more than doubled to 218.7 billion euros and Airbus plans a 75-cents dividend, up from 60 cents. In the fourth quarter, 434 million euros in charges were incurred from the new A350 wide-body plane and another 292 million euros for restructuring, mainly in space and military activities. For the year, charges reached 913 million euros. The company said in December it would cut about 6,000 jobs in defense and space in France, Germany, Spain and U.K., including about 250 in corporate posts, principally in Paris. Airbus said the A350 program remains challenging, and that cost-assumptions could lead to an increasingly higher impact on provisions. The planemaker, which has said it will deliver the first plane this year to Qatar Airways Ltd., has booked 814 orders from 39 customers for the twin-engine, long-range model. The company's financial hedging portfolio at the year's end was worth $75.9 billion, compared with $83.6 billion at the end of 2012. Chief Financial Officer Harald Wilhelm today said that Airbus is fully covered for 2014. In 2013 the company added hedges worth $15.8 billion at an average rate of $1.33 to the euro, compared with hedges worth $23.5 billion at a rate of $1.37 to the euro maturing in 2013. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-02-26/airbus-predicts-higher-earnings-as-plane-unit-builds- more-jets Back to Top Small aviation businesses say pilot shortage could drive industry into the ground In the past three decades, production of single-engine planes, such as this Cessna 172, has nosedived from 14,000 per year to fewer than 700. In the past several decades, the number of private and recreational pilots across the country has plummeted, as has the number of small aircraft being manufactured - trends that some say have been accelerated by increasingly strict federal regulations. If the decline continues, it will spell trouble for entrepreneurs such as Austin Heffernan, who runs an aircraft maintenance and repair company in Hagerstown, Md. He was one of several small-business owners asked to testify last week during a congressional hearing on the state of the general aviation industry. "We see many more pilots leaving general aviation than we see new pilots getting started," Heffernan told the House Small Business Committee, later adding that those pilots "are the main market for many of the on-airport small businesses that make up the general aviation industry." In addition to maintenance firms such as Heffernan's, which employs 14 people, the industry includes thousands of flight training schools, parts manufacturers and air cargo companies, the vast majority of which are small firms, according to data collected by the Small Business Administration. Those businesses depend on pilots to buy their products and services - and that has become a serious problem. Since 1980, the number of pilots in the country has nosedived from about 827,000 in 1980 to 617,000, according to the Frederick, Md.-based Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. During about the same period, data from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association in Washington show that production of single-engine planes plunged from 14,000 per year to fewer than 700. Some have attributed the declines to rising fuel prices, waning interest and heightened flying restrictions following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Others say the recent economic downturn has left fewer people with discretionary income, further accelerating the decline in the past few years. But at the hearing last week, Heffernan and other employers pinned the blame largely on federal regulators, who they say have built a complex maze of red tape and bureaucratic hurdles that deter pilots from obtaining and renewing their licenses, which hurts small businesses like theirs and the broader aviation industry. "One of the biggest problems facing us is the pilot population, and putting more requirements in front of people that stop them from flying is a real problem," John Uczekaj, chief executive of Aspen Avionics, a small aviation electronics firm in Albuquerque, said during the hearing. Among the most onerous hurdles for pilots, he said, is the Federal Aviation Administration's medical certification requirements. Under the current rules, private and recreational pilots under age 40 must pass a comprehensive medical exam every five years. Once they hit 40, the renewals are good for only two years. The requirement is "a definite detractor to business," Heffernan told the committee. He and several lawmakers noted that the closest individuals come to a medical exam when obtaining a driver's license is usually a vision test. Meanwhile, most boat operators do not need any medical certifications. Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), a pilot himself, called the rules an arbitrary intrusion into the lives of private pilots. Collins recently sponsored legislation that would allow many non-commercial pilots to use their driver's licenses in lieu of medical exams, as long as they fly small planes, carry fewer than six passengers and stay below certain speed and altitude limits. A similar proposal was submitted directly to the FAA two years ago by aviation groups, but the agency has not issued a response. While FAA officials did not reply to requests for comment, the agency's administrator, Michael P. Huerta, last month apologized in a letter to AOPA for failing to take action yet on the proposal. He did not, however, set a date to address the matter, and he emphasized the importance of ensuring "that such an unprecedented change will not result in any adverse impact that could lead to degradation in safety." Kenneth Button, a professor and director of the Center for Transportation, Policy, Operations and Logistics at George Mason University, issued a similar safety warning during his testimony last week. He argued that an accident in the air generally leaves pilots in a more precarious position than those on the road. "One involves two-dimensional safety, one involves three-dimensional safety," Button said. "Have a heart attack in an airplane, and you're coming down. Have a heart attack in a Winnebago, and you drive to the side of the road." Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) pushed back, arguing that he "could make the same generality the other way around - you have a heart attack in a Winnebago, you're going to cross the line and kill somebody." Graves later urged the FAA to do "a much better job of working with stakeholders so it can better meet the needs of those it regulates and boost the industry, rather than drag it down." If not, and the number of pilots continues to descend, small aviation businesses won't be the only ones running into problems. It could hit large commercial airlines, too. "Where do commercial pilots come from? They come from, by and large, general aviation," Button said, directing attention to a report by Boeing estimating that the global airline industry will need nearly a half million new pilots over the next 20 years and suggesting that, "in many parts of the world, a pilot shortage is already here." "If we are going to have commercial pilots, we need a healthy GA business," Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.), also a pilot, said during the hearing. "And GA is really in big trouble. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/small-aviation-businesses-say-pilot- shortage-could-drive-industry-into-the-ground/2014/02/08/2422cadc-8f5c-11e3-b46a- 5a3d0d2130da_story.html Back to Top Rolls-Royce unveils plans for more efficient aircraft engines DERBY, England - Feb 26 (Reuters) - British engineering company Rolls-Royce on Wednesday unveiled plans for a new aircraft engine which it said would be up to 6 percent more efficient than its latest model and could be ready by the end of the decade. Rolls, the world's second-largest maker of aircraft engines behind U.S. group General Electric, said the new engine, which it called "Advance," could be a successor to its Trent XWB which is due to enter service later this year. By 2025, Rolls said an even newer model, the "UltraFan", could be ready to be attached to an aircraft. This would be around 10 percent more efficient than the Trent XWB, it said. Demand for aircraft engines, and in particular more fuel efficient models, is expected to continue to grow strongly. The world will need to double its fleet of aircraft over the next twenty years as cities expand and Asia's increasingly affluent middle class takes to the skies, planemaker Airbus forecasted in September. It said airlines, lessors and cargo operators would need a total of 29,226 new passenger and freighter jets worth $4.4 trillion over the next 20 years. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/26/rolls-royce-engines-idUSL6N0LV20120140226 Curt Lewis