Flight Safety Information March 14, 2014 - No. 055 In This Issue Malaysian Airlines Jet Left Data Trail for Hours After Disappearing Search for missing jet expands toward Indian Ocean U.S. Takes Back Seat in Malaysian Jet Inquiry Aircraft Engine Monitoring: How It Works And How It Could Help Malaysia Air 370 Crash Investigators Jet blows tire, skids to stop at Philadelphia International Airport UPS pilots urge more rest for cargo crews PRISM SMS FAA: We're thinking about requiring alcohol and drug testing for aviation mechanics outside the United States Kansas Senators' bill could help general aviation pilots stay medically cleared to fly Sack of Aviation Heads May Cost Nigeria Cat 1 Safety Status India will need 1,300 aircraft over the next 20 years Asia Pacific Aviation Safety Seminar, 21-22 May 2014, Bangkok, Thailand ERAU Research Survey Upcoming Events Malaysian Airlines Jet Left Data Trail for Hours After Disappearing As search teams continue to look for the Beijing-bound Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 that went missing on Saturday, people briefed on the investigation have told The Wall Street Journal that communications satellites received data "pings" from the jet for at least five hours after it disappeared from radar screens. The pings gave the plane's location, speed and altitude. The final ping was sent from over the water at what one of the people described as a "normal' cruising altitude. As WSJ reports: U.S. aviation investigators said they were analyzing the satellite transmissions to determine whether they can glean information about the plane's location or status. The transmissions were sent via onboard technology designed to send routine maintenance and system-monitoring data back to the ground via satellite links, according to people familiar with the matter. Among the possible scenarios investigators said they are now considering is whether the jet may have landed at any point during the five-hour period under scrutiny, or whether it ultimately crashed. The people said aviation investigators are exploring the possibility that someone on the plane may have intentionally disabled two other automated communication systems in an attempt to avoid detection. One system is the transponders, which transmit to ground radar stations information on the plane's identity, location and altitude, and another system that collects and transmits data about several of the plane's key systems. If the plane remained airborne for the entire time the pings were being sent, it could have flown more than 2.200 nautical miles from it's last confirmed position over the Gulf of Thailand, the people familiar with the investigation said. The graphic below shows where the plane could have theoretically flown and which equipment on the plane could have sent data during the course of the flight. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/03/14/malaysian-airlines-jet-left-data-trail-for- hours-after-disappearing/ Back to Top Search for missing jet expands toward Indian Ocean KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - India said Friday it was expanding its search for the missing Malaysian jetliner to seas west of the Andaman Islands as the international hunt shifted toward the Indian Ocean amid signs that the jet may have flown on for hours after last contact. A U.S. official told The Associated Press that the Malaysia Airlines plane sent signals to a satellite for four hours after the aircraft went missing early last Saturday, raising the possibility the jet carrying 239 people could have flown far from the current search areas. Potentially, this vastly expands the area the lost jet might be. It also complicates an international search effort that has turned up no trace of the plane nearly a week after it vanished above the Gulf of Thailand between Malaysia and Vietnam in one of aviation history's most puzzling mysteries. Much of the early search has focused east of Malaysia in the South China Sea, where the aircraft last communicated with air traffic base stations about an hour after departing on a flight to Beijing. A similar-sized search is also being conducted in the Strait of Malacca, west of Malaysia, because of military radar sightings that might indicate the plane turned in that direction after its last contact, passing back over the Malay Peninsula and heading westward. The White House said the U.S. may be drawn into a new phase of the search in the vast Indian Ocean. The U.S. Navy 7th Fleet said it is moving one of its ships, the USS Kidd, into the Strait of Malacca. Six Indian navy and coast guard ships plus reconnaissance planes have searched eastern parts of Andaman seas over the past three days, and were expanding their search to areas west of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands chain Friday, said V.S.R. Murty, an Indian Coast Guard inspector. Vietnam, which has been heavily involved in the search from the start, downgraded its hunt in the South China Sea to regular from emergency by reducing the frequency of aircraft flights and cruises by ships involved, said Lt. Gen. Vo Van Tuan, deputy chief of staff of Vietnamese People's Army. "We are prepared for the case that the search mission will last long and we have to maintain our forces that way," he said. The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the situation by name, said the Boeing 777-200 wasn't transmitting data to the satellite, but was instead sending out a signal to establish contact. Boeing offers a satellite service that can receive a stream of data during flight on how the aircraft is functioning and relay the information to the plane's home base. The idea is to provide information before the plane lands on whether maintenance work or repairs are needed. Malaysia Airlines didn't subscribe to that service, but the plane still had the capability to connect with the satellite and was automatically sending pings, the official said. "It's like when your cellphone is off but it still sends out a little 'I'm here' message to the cellphone network," the official said. "That's how sometimes they can triangulate your position even though you're not calling because the phone every so often sends out a little bleep. That's sort of what this thing was doing." The plane had enough fuel to fly about four more hours, the U.S. official said. Boeing did not comment. Messages involving a different, more rudimentary data service also were received from the airliner for a short time after the plane's transponder - a device used to identify the plane to radar - went silent, the official said. If the plane had disintegrated during flight or had suffered some other catastrophic failure, all signals - the pings to the satellite, the data messages and the transponder - would be expected to stop at the same time. Experts say a pilot or passengers with technical expertise may have switched off the transponder in the hope of flying undetected. On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal quoted U.S. investigators as saying they suspected the plane stayed in the air for about four hours after its last confirmed contact, citing engine data automatically transmitted to the ground as part of a routine maintenance program. The newspaper later corrected the account to say the information came from the plane's satellite communication link, not the engines. Hishammuddin dismissed the initial report. He said Boeing and Rolls-Royce, the engine manufacturer, both said the last engine data was received at 1:07 a.m., 23 minutes before the plane's transponders, which identify it to commercial radar and nearby aircraft, stopped working. Asked if it were possible that the plane kept flying for several hours, Hishammuddin said: "Of course. We can't rule anything out. This is why we have extended the search. We are expanding our search into the Andaman Sea." The sea is northwest of the Malay Peninsula. He said Malaysia was asking for radar data from India and other neighboring countries to see if they can trace it flying northwest. India says its navy, air force and coast guard will search for the plane in the south Andaman Sea. "Because of new information, we may be part of an effort to open a new search area in the Indian Ocean," White House spokesman Jay Carney said earlier Thursday, declining to offer additional details about that information or the new area. Experts say that if the plane crashed into the ocean, some debris should be floating even if most of the jet is submerged. Past experience shows that finding the wreckage can take weeks or even longer, especially if the location of the plane is in doubt. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/vietnam-downgrades-search-for- missing-jet/2014/03/14/7b3b107e-ab3e-11e3-b8ca-197ef3568958_story.html Back to Top U.S. Takes Back Seat in Malaysian Jet Inquiry By MATTHEW L. WALD WASHINGTON - The best information about Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is probably in the hands of American officials sent to assist in the investigation. But they will say nothing. In an odd twist, some of the world's foremost experts on crash investigations, radar and the inner workings of the Boeing 777 are in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital - but technically only to assist the Malaysian government, and they are being scrupulously low-key. If a similar event happened in the United States, they would be gathering information from different parties and knitting it together into a progress report. But in the Malaysian case, at least so far, the Americans do not appear to have played any such role, and information is dribbling out, sometimes in contradictory fashion, from the government, the airline and the military. A Vietnamese military helicopter on Monday flew over the Gulf of Thailand. Planes and copters from nine nations are scouring the waters near a Malaysia Airlines flight's last reported location.Q. and A. on the Disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370MARCH 11, 2014 By international agreement, the country in charge of investigating a plane crash or other such event is the one where it occurred. If a plane comes down in international waters, jurisdiction goes to the country whose carrier was involved. In this mystery, the presumption is that the problem is Malaysia's. But whoever is officially responsible, there is a guiding American principle. "We try very hard not to make it look like we are running the investigation, even if we more or less are," said Bernard Loeb, a former head of aviation safety at the National Transportation Safety Board, which leads the American delegation of experts at any crash involving an American airline or an airplane built in the United States. When crashes occur here, foreign aircraft or engine manufacturers like Airbus or Rolls-Royce get the same "observer" status and often contribute technical expertise. In practice, although it varies by country, the inquiry is often an American show. "Most of the local guys are pretty darned good," said Thomas Haueter, another former chief of air safety. "The problem they have is, they don't do it a lot. We do this a lot." Mr. Haueter said that depending on the circumstances of the crash, the United States would show up with investigators from the safety board, the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and General Electric. Sometimes, he said, there is "this huge army of Americans showing up," and when they meet with local aviation safety authorities, "there's only two of them." "We're aware of that," he said. "We always have to tone it down." The main goal for American investigators is to determine whether there is a flaw in the hardware, maintenance practices or operations of an American-built jetliner that could cause another one to crash. But they often confront conflicting agendas. If the crash involved a government-owned airline or government-provided air traffic services, or if there was possible misconduct by a pilot from the host country, some parties may try to shift blame. (The same thing happens in the United States among airlines, plane manufacturers and even the F.A.A., but the safety board is known for being independent, dispassionate and merciless in seeking to determine causes.) In the Malaysian case, the safety board has sent its senior radar expert, who is a former air traffic controller and a veteran of many inquiries, including investigations of near- misses and of an air traffic controller who fell asleep in the tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington. Outside experts say the investigator, Scott Dunham, may be the single best person to make sense out of the limited civilian radar data and the route captured by military radar that may or may not show the missing aircraft. After its usual announcement that it was sending a team to assist the local authorities, the safety board was bombarded with questions. So it took the unusual step of issuing a second news release, emphasizing that the Malaysian authorities were leading the investigation, that American investigators were "providing technical assistance" and that it had no plans to comment further. Military radar detection Military radar detected blips 200 miles northwest of Penang that might have been from the missing aircraft. The last signal came at 2:15 a.m. Saturday, at 29,500 feet. Known path The plane stopped communicating with controllers at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, at 35,000 feet. The F.A.A. is also in Malaysia as part of a delegation led by the safety board. "The F.A.A. is going to be dead silent, because the N.T.S.B. is so careful about controlling information," said Steven B. Wallace, a former head of the aviation administration's office of accident investigation. In some previous cases, the safety board appears to have played a behind-the-scenes role in assembling and disseminating information, always over the signature of a local official. Ted Lopatkiewicz, who was the board's chief spokesman from 1997 to 2011, said those announcements took a standard form: "The government of blah blah blah has asked that we disseminate the following ..." Sometimes the board drafted the announcements, he said, and sometimes it cautioned against releasing certain information, but it never released anything without the consent of the country in charge. The board sends investigators to the scenes of remote crashes many times a year. Sometimes the accident is of more interest to the United States than to the country where it occurred - for example, the crashes of American-flagged cargo planes in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, or of an American Airlines flight from Miami to Cali, Colombia. But many foreign governments do not feel themselves as obligated as American agencies do to tell the public what they know. And the safety board's practice is to be seen to abide scrupulously by the international agreements that give it access to such investigations. "The N.T.S.B. wants to be as supportive as possible and not ruffle feathers," said Peter Goelz, a former managing director of the agency. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/world/asia/us-takes-back-seat-in-malaysia-jet- inquiry.html?_r=0 Back to Top Aircraft Engine Monitoring: How It Works And How It Could Help Malaysia Air 370 Crash Investigators Flight MH370, analysis of the engine data captured by Rolls-Royce could provide important information with regard to engine performance at the time the transponder stopped transmitting A lot of talk this morning about whether Malaysia Air Flight 370's aircraft engine monitoring data indicate that the aircraft continued to fly for hours after its transponder stopped transmitting. While the Wall Street Journal report that started all this talk may turn out to be incorrect - Malaysian officials are already disputing the story -one of the few facts that does not appear to be in dispute is that the Rolls-Royce engines on the Boeing 777 had an engine monitoring system. A number of people are asking me just what exactly an engine monitoring system does - how it works, the data it collects, how it transmits the data and what is done with it. (To be clear, I am only talking about the engine monitoring system. Boeing also has an aircraft monitoring system but reports indicate that Malaysia Air did not have that Boeing system.) Airline aircraft engine monitoring systems are used to check the health of the aircraft engines to avoid costly repairs, especially the time and cost of removing engines prematurely. Aircraft engines are the most expensive components on an aircraft and can cost as much as $20 million. Repairs are also extremely expensive, especially when an engine is taken out of service. Before engine monitoring systems, engines had to be removed more frequently for repairs, at times in places far from repair facilities, necessitating the time and expense of transporting replacement engines and taking the aircraft out of service for longer periods of time. Engine monitoring systems involve using sensors placed in various locations in an aircraft engine to gather information about the engine's performance. The sensors provide real-time information to pilots on the operation of the engines and also capture data for analysis of the performance of the engine over time. The data captured reveals important information about the health of the engine. For example, sensors will monitor how much fuel it takes to make a set amount of power. Increases over time in the amount of fuel consumed would indicate a degrading of the efficiency of the engine, which means the engine is more expensive to operate and it will need maintenance to restore its efficiency. Sensors can also detect impending failures and notify both the crew and ground stations. The data from the sensors are accumulated and transmitted at regular intervals to ground stations monitored by the engine manufacturers. Alert messages indicating anomalies are instantly transmitted. According to Rolls-Royce's website, their aircraft engine data is transmitted via satellite feed. Rolls- Royce would analyze the data submitted and make recommendations to the airline for engine maintenance, as appropriate. In the case of Flight MH370, analysis of the engine data captured by Rolls-Royce could provide important information with regard to engine performance at the time the transponder stopped transmitting. This information would indicate, for example, if the engines were running properly or if certain parts were running too fast, too slow or too hot or if the engine was running at all In the Air France AF447 crash in the Atlantic in 2009, the Airbus aircraft monitoring system was critical in giving accident investigators vital clues as to what might have caused the crash before the flight data recorder was found. The aircraft monitoring system indicated unusual aircraft speeds which could have been due to problems with the pitot tubes, critical components of the aircraft's airspeed indicator. These early clues allowed investigators to hone in on a possible accident cause and allow Airbus to make changes to the pitot tubes well before the black boxes were retrieved, which when recovered and analyzed confirmed the problem with the pitot tubes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoglia/2014/03/13/aircraft-engine-monitoring-how-it- works-and-how-it-could-help-malaysia-air-370-crash-investigtors/ Back to Top Jet blows tire, skids to stop at Philadelphia International Airport A plane skidded off the runway at PHL after a botched takeoff. PHILADELPHIA A US Airways jetliner bound for Fort Lauderdale, Fla., blew a tire and skidded nose-down to a stop Thursday evening at Philadelphia International Airport. Flight 1702, carrying 149 passengers, was trying to take off about 6:20 p.m. when the tire blew and the front landing gear collapsed, officials said. The flight had been scheduled to take off at 5:50, according to US Airways' website. The plane "blew a tire, and I believe that caused the nose gear to collapse," said airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica. There were no injuries, and all the passengers were evacuated and bused to Terminal A, officials said. Christopher Teaney, 33, was returning home to Fort Lauderdale from a business trip in Philadelphia. "The flight kind of shot up and then bounced down," Teaney said. "Bounced real hard. Shot up again, and then nose-dived." Once the exit doors opened, Teaney said, "we went down the slide, saw the smoke coming from the engine." The worst part of the ordeal, he said, was waiting 30 to 40 minutes in the cold for the buses to arrive to take the passengers inside the terminal. Asked how he responded when the plane seemed to be bouncing, Teaney said: "I was laughing the whole time. I didn't know what else to do." Hannah Udren, 18, of Lower Merion, was heading to Fort Lauderdale to visit family. "We were just entering the air and the front of the plane went down and hit the runway, and then popped back up and hit it again," she said. Then, she said, the plane stayed down and ground to a halt on the runway, as passengers smelled the stench of the damaged tires, and saw the smoke through the windows. "People started screaming," she said. "All the [interior] lights were switching on and off." Then, she said, "someone screamed, 'Evacuate!' and we all got out." Udren said she slid down the ramp and dashed as far from the jet as possible. "I was so happy that we weren't higher up," she said. Lupica said that US Airways was planning to put the passengers on a later flight Thursday night. Teaney said he had already booked a flight on American Airlines for Friday and was planning to spend Thursday night at a hotel. Said Udren: "I think I'm going to get a new flight." The cause of the accident was under investigation. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140314_ Back to Top UPS pilots urge more rest for cargo crews WASHINGTON -- As federal officials continue investigating last year's fatal UPS crash in Alabama, the freight carrier's pilots are pressing to be covered by the same rules that require passenger airline crews to get more rest. The cargo pilots have filed suit against the Federal Aviation Administration to bring them under those regulations and are backing legislation in Congress to do the same thing. "It's in the public interest," as a matter of safety, to include cargo pilots under the tightened duty and rest rules, said Bill Trent, general counsel for the Independent Pilots Association, which represents more than 2,600 UPS pilots. The rules for commercial passenger airline pilots - enacted in January - essentially limit their flying time to eight or nine hours, depending on when their shifts start. Carriers also are required to give their cockpit crews a minimum of 10 hours off in a way that allows the pilots to get at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. Passenger airline pilots also must work shorter hours if they are flying overnight. Cargo pilots fly under older rules that do not require as much rest, permit longer times on duty and allow them to fly beyond eight hours in certain conditions. And those rules do not impose any special limits on flight time at night, when cargo carriers do much of their flying. The FAA, meanwhile, has revised its economic rationale behind exempting cargo pilots, saying it would cost the industry $550 million to comply, outweighing safety benefits. Originally, it said the rules would cost an additional $214 million. "As a result, the FAA has determined that no revisions to the final rule on either cargo or passenger operations is warranted," the agency said in a regulatory filing expected to be finalized by July. The Cargo Airline Association, which represents UPS and other cargo carriers, said in comments submitted to the government on the FAA revision that the agency "has correctly concluded that the costs overwhelm the benefits." But Trent said the FAA's cost estimates for the cargo industry are overstated by at least $235 million. "We believe we will ultimately succeed, if not through the courts, then through legislation," he said. UPS spokesman Mike Mangeot said the carrier is not commenting on the lawsuit because "it's between the union and the FAA." But the airline opposes the legislation requiring cargo pilots to be covered by the new anti-fatigue rules, arguing that its own rules are sufficient. "We believe we go to great lengths to provide for crew rest, and the proposed legislation doesn't fit," Mangeot said. The National Transportation Safety Board is continuing its investigation of the Aug. 14 crash of a UPS Airbus A300-600 at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Alabama. Capt. Cerea Beal, 58, of Matthews, N.C., and First Officer Shanda Carney Fanning, 37, of Lynchburg, Tenn., were killed on the flight, which originated in Louisville. At the board's public hearing on the accident last month, a transcript of the conversation in the cockpit while the pilots were preparing the plane for takeoff shows that Beal and Fanning complained of fatigue and said rest rules for pilots of commercial passenger planes should apply to them as well. "It should be one level of safety for everybody," Beal told Fanning. That is precisely the argument the UPS pilots, their allies in Congress and many safety experts are making. "We need to heed their words," Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said after the NTSB hearing. Beal and Fanning "clearly knew the dangers they faced due to the lack of safe work hours for cargo pilots, and in their names we should pass" the measure to extend the new rules to cargo pilots. Boxer's bill, dubbed the Safe Skies Act, has four co-sponsors. A similar House bill has been introduced by New York Reps. Michael Grimm, a Republican, and Timothy Bishop, a Democrat. Neither bill has had a committee hearing yet, but Boxer spokesman Peter True said the senators are building support. Bishop is doing the same in the House, spokeswoman Krystyna Baumgartner said. The NTSB is aiming to complete its investigation of the Alabama crash, find a probable cause and issue safety recommendations before the accident's first anniversary. The new FAA rest rules, issued in 2011, resulted from earlier legislation Boxer and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, got through Congress after a 2009 commuter plane crash near Buffalo killed 50 people. In that case, the NTSB found that fatigue probably affected the pilots' performance. The FAA estimated the new rules would cost the commercial passenger airline industry $297 million over a decade. It encouraged cargo operators to abide voluntarily by the new rules - but stopped short of requiring them to do so. NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman urged the FAA to reconsider the "cargo carve out" after it issued its rules. "A tired pilot is a tired pilot, whether there are 10 paying customers on board or 100, whether the payload is passengers or pallets," she said. The UPS pilots sued the FAA in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia immediately after the rules were issued, arguing there should be one standard of safety for all carriers and that the agency had no legal authority to exempt cargo pilots. The court case is on hold as the FAA revises its analysis for leaving cargo pilots out of the rules. But the agency has not changed its position. UPS' Mangeot, meanwhile, said "crew rest is a complex concept." "For some, it's easy to jump to the conclusion that a pilot who flies at night must be tired," he said. "It's also easy to presume that if they are tired, it's induced by their assigned work schedule. Neither is necessarily accurate." The typical UPS pilot is on duty 70 hours per month and actually flies about 30 hours per month, he said, adding that those duty days are "well within FAA limits." In addition, the cargo carrier's maximum domestic scheduled duty day is shorter than the FAA's maximum, and pilots are provided with rest periods that are 25 percent to 50 percent longer than those required by the government rules, Mangeot said. UPS also conducts a fatigue management program in cooperation with the union and provides sleep facilities for pilots at its major gateways. "We believe those measures are appropriate," Mangeot said, adding that cargo operations are significantly different than passenger carriers because, in general, cargo pilots fly fewer hours and make fewer takeoffs and landings. But the UPS pilots union, Hersman and other safety experts argue that cargo pilots may be even more susceptible to fatigue because they fly so much at night, a time the industry calls "the back of the clock." "If there's any difference, the difference would argue for more stringent operations at cargo carriers," said Tom Devine, another attorney representing the UPS pilots. Capt. Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association International, which represents almost 50,000 pilots at 31 airlines, including UPS competitor FedEx, said that "it is becoming more apparent that separate rest requirements for cargo and passenger pilots is unsustainable, unsupportable, and unconscionable." "Pilots who operate in the same skies, take off from the same airports, and fly over the same terrain must be given the same opportunities for full rest, regardless of what is in the back of the plane," Moak said. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/13/ups-pilots-urge-more-rest- for-cargo-crews/6402615/ Back to Top Back to Top FAA: We're thinking about requiring alcohol and drug testing for aviation mechanics outside the United States The Federal Aviation Administration is considering requiring alcohol and drug testing of maintenance people outside the United States who work on aircraft operated by U.S. airlines. The FAA requires random drug and alcohol testing for maintenance workers based in the United States. However, as the FAA noted in a release, "the FAA's drug and alcohol testing regulations do not extend to companies or individuals who perform safety- sensitive functions, including aircraft and preventive maintenance, outside the United States." In its Thursday announcement, the FAA said that it was seeking comments on a possible rule, as required by Congress. "Consistent with the Congressional mandate for the rulemaking, the testing program would have to meet FAA standards and be consistent with the applicable laws of the country where the repair station is located," the FAA said. U.S. labor unions that represent aviation mechanics have long warned that foreign repair stations didn't undergo the same degree of regulation and oversight as do maintenance people and facilities in the United States. http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2014/03/faa-were-thinking-about-requiring-alcohol- and-drug-testing-for-aviation-mechanics-outside-the-united-states.html/ Back to Top Kansas Senators' bill could help general aviation pilots stay medically cleared to fly A bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate this week that aviation proponents hope will make it easier for general aviation pilots to remain medically cleared to fly. It would expand Federal Aviation Administration's third class medical exemption that covers light sport aircraft to cover additional small aircraft. The bill was introduced by Kansas Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran, and Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas. When notified of the bill's introduction earlier this week during a speech at the Wichita Aero Club, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Mark Baker stopped and applauded, saying a change in the FAA standards could make it easier and more affordable for thousands of pilots to fly. Similar legislation has already been introduced on the U.S. House of Representatives. Most recreational pilots today undergo FAA medical exams every two or five years, depending on age. They also must undergo flight reviews with a certified flight instructor every two years, checks which would continue Both the House and Senate measures call for the exemption to the FAA exams to now include pilots that make noncommercial, VFR (visual flight rules) flights in aircraft weighing up to 6,000 pounds with no more than six seats. Those pilots could carry up to five passengers and fly at altitudes below 14,000 feet and speeds of less than 250 knots. The legislation follows a petition filed in 2012 by AOPA and the Experimental Aircraft Association calling for reforms to the FAA's medical checks. But frustration over the issue in the industry has grown as the FAA had not yet taken action. Proponents of both bills hope the legislative moves lead to change. Said Sen. Roberts in this report from AOPA: "The FAA has had two years to review this request for an exemption. Let's get this thing moving." http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/blog/2014/03/kansas-senators-bill-could-help- general-aviation.html Back to Top Sack of Aviation Heads May Cost Nigeria Cat 1 Safety Status Captain Fola Akinkuotu The sack of the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Fola Akinkuotu may have heightened fears that Nigeria might lose Category 1 Safety Status, which was given to the country by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2010. The status is a certification that gives pass mark to the country's aviation industry and signifies the nation's airspace as safe. It came after the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had audited and certified the sector. Category 1 certification also approved that Nigerian registered airlines could operate into the United States, which the Nigerian carrier, Arik Air has been benefitting from as it flies to New York. Akinkuotu along with the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nnamdi Udo, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), George Uriesi and the Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, (NCAT) Zaria, Captain Chinyere Kalu, were sacked last week. The fear became apparent after FAA wrote to NCAA recently and indicated that due to media reports it would come to reassess the country's standards at the end of this month. But an industry operator and a seasoned pilot told THISDAY on Wednesday that Nigeria ought not to lose Category 1 because of the sack of the top official of NCAA and others if the processes and procedures that earned the country the certification were institutionalised. "Nigeria will not lose Category 1 because the processes and procedures should be institutionalised, so no matter whoever that is there what matters is that the process is already established. However, Nigerians who are eager to see the country lose the certification can go and sabotage it, but the safety status is not supposed to be built on individuals. It would have been wrong if FAA gave the Category 1 based on individuals," the pilot said. The source noted that Nigeria has improved in its safety standards since it was given the status in 2010, remarking that last Saturday a Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur on the morning of March 8, but lost contact with air traffic control an hour later and disappeared off the radar and it took five days for the country to realise that the aircraft flew across the breath of the country before it disappeared. "But that cannot happen in Nigeria because immediately it appears in Nigeria's airspace it will be picked up by the radar. It means that Malaysia does not have total radar coverage. As poor as Nigeria is, no aircraft can come into our airspace and will not be identified immediately. Nobody is calling for the sack of aviation officers in that country or their minister. They just kept calm, trying to know what happened. If it is Nigeria, everything would have been politicised," the source further said. The operator also said that this explains the ongoing campaign that the country should build institutions instead of individuals because institutions are permanent while individuals can die at any time. "What happened in Malaysia showed that Nigeria is ahead in air transport because investigations revealed that two passengers used fake passports and this was not noticed and they used them and boarded the flight. This can hardly happen in Nigeria and everyday people will be running down the industry in the media," the source also said. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/sack-of-aviation-heads-may-cost-nigeria-cat-1- safety-status/173652/ Back to Top India will need 1,300 aircraft over the next 20 years Srinivasan Dwarakanath (left), CEO, Airbus India with Joost Van der Heijden, Head of Marketing (Asia), at the India Aviation Show 2014 in Hyderabad. HYDERABAD - Airbus today said India will need more than 1,290 aircraft, worth at least $190 billion, over the next 20 years. The aircraft manufacturer said Indian carriers will require more planes between now and 2032 than what it had forecast in 2012, according to its latest report released at the India Aviation 2014 air show here on Thursday. Airbus executives said Indian annual passenger traffic growth rates of 8.6 per cent are above the regional Asia-Pacific average growth rate of 6.1 per cent and world average of 4.7 per cent. Of the required 1,290 new aircraft, some 73 per cent will be for growth and 27 per cent as replacement. Outlining the findings, they said the new passenger aircraft include 913 single-aisle ones like the A320 and A320neo family, 322 twin-aisle ones such as the A350 XWB and A330, and 56 large aircraft such as the A380. By 2032, today's fleet of aircraft will more than triple to some 1,233 aircraft. Third-largest market Addressing a media conference Joost van der Heidjen, Head-Marketing, Asia Airbus said that it estimates Indian passenger traffic growing at almost 10 per cent a year up to 2032, becoming the third largest market. Today, one in 20 travel by air, but by 2032, it is expected to grow five-fold. Srinivasan Dwarakanath, CEO of Airbus India, said Airbus expects to expand its engineering centre workforce in Bangalore from 350 to 450 researchers, step up pilot training activities, strengthen aero-structure design capability, and increase the sourcing of parts manufactured locally. He said Airbus is also sponsoring India's first aerospace and aviation education programme. The Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) and Toulouse Business School have signed an agreement to set up an Executive General Management Programme in aerospace and aviation management. The Aerospace MBA will be the first of its kind in the country . http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/india-will-need-1290-aircraft-in-next- 20-years-airbus/article5780528.ece Back to Top Asia Pacific Aviation Safety Seminar, 21-22 May 2014, Bangkok, Thailand The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) is holding the next Asia Pacific Aviation Safety Seminar (APASS) on 21-22 May 2014 in Bangkok. The seminar, hosted by THAI Airways International, is organised by the AAPA Flight Operations & Safety Working Group. This seminar is designed to create a common meeting place for all airlines from the Asia Pacific region, airports, aircraft manufacturers, regulators, insurers, ground handlers, MROs, service providers and suppliers to discuss and to be updated on the latest developments in aviation safety. Why attend? * Excellent networking opportunities for all safety stakeholders to exchange ideas on the important fundamentals and applications of aviation safety best practices, in-service experience and lessons-learned with like-minded aviation safety experts. * Topic-specific workshops in Cabin Safety, Flight Operations Safety and Safety Performance Indicators will enable participants to exchange views and debate on the practical approaches in managing some of the leading safety issues facing the region. Click here to find out more >> http://bit.ly/APASS2014 Back to Top ERAU Research Survey Researchers with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide are requesting that Aircraft Maintenance Technicians and Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics participate in their research study titled "Prevention of Back Injuries in Technicians and Mechanics". The purpose of the study is to identify protective factors and risk factors associated with back pain and back injury. The ultimate goal is to identify factors that are protective so that they can be implemented within organizations to curtail back pain and back injuries and to identify factors that can be improved to enhance safety for aircraft maintenance technicians and airframe and powerplant mechanics. Participation in the study is strictly voluntary. You will briefly answer questions about your work activities, perceptions of your workplace and your health. This questionnaire takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous as no personally identifiable information is collected. To participate in this important study please access the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CT8G2LH Thank you, Todd. D. Smith, PhD, CSP, ARM Principal Researcher Program Chair - Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management Program todd.smith2@erau.edu Back to Top Upcoming Events: North Texas Business Aviation Safety Show-Down is set for April 3rd http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/11327425/north-texas-business-aviation- safety-show-down-is-set-for-april-3rd Middle East Air Cargo and Logistics Exhibition & Conference 2014 April 9-10, 2014 Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) http://cargomiddleeast.com Airport Show Dubai May 11-13, 2014 Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) www.theairportshow.com/portal/home.aspx National Safety Council Aviation Safety Committee Annual Conference Savanah, GA - May 14-15, 2014 Contact: tammy.washington@nsc.org http://cwp.marriott.com/savdt/artexmeeting/ Asia Pacific Aviation Safety Seminar 21-22 May 2014, Bangkok, Thailand http://bit.ly/APASS2014 Curt Lewis