Flight Safety Information April 28, 2014 - No. 086 In This Issue Malaysia Airlines Missing Plane: Seabed Search Area Extended Flight 370 Search Enters New Phase With Wider Sub-sea Hunt Rescuers seek pilot after planes collide near San Pablo Bay FAA Seeks Overseas Drug & Alcohol Testing Information Most air traffic control applicants fail new FAA personality test Chinese Pilots Demand Pay Parity with Expats Three scramble to safety when jet rolls into pond Deborah A. P. Hersman - Interview PRISM SMS Secure World Foundation-Aviation Safety + The Role Of Satellite FAA Targets Takeoff Hazards Near Runways Embry-Riddle to offer SMS Workshop for Aviation Executives May 20-22 ICAO Loss of Control In-Flight Symposium Malaysia Airlines Missing Plane: Seabed Search Area Extended PERTH, Australia, April 26 (Reuters) - The undersea search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is to be extended beyond the small area identified as its most likely resting place as the quest for any sign of the missing plane enters its 50th day on Saturday. The submarine drone Bluefin 21 has so far searched about 95 percent of a 10 square km (6.2 square mile) area of the Indian Ocean seabed, pinpointed after the detection of acoustic pings believed to be from the plane's black box flight recorders. Bluefin 21 had to abort the search on Friday and resurface due to a software malfunction. Technicians fixed the drone overnight and its 14th, 16 hour trip to the sea floor at depths of more than 4.5 km (2.8 miles) was underway on Saturday. "If no contacts of interest are made, Bluefin-21 will continue to examine the areas adjacent to the 10km radius," Australia's Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) in in charge of the search said in a statement. Flight MH370 disappeared without a trace on March 8 flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. The search for MH370 is the longest and most expensive in aviation history, with ships and aircraft from some two dozen nations taking part. The air and sea search continued on Saturday with up to 8 military aircraft and 11 ships. A U.S. defence official told Reuters on Friday that the sea search is likely to drag on for years as it enters the much more difficult phase of scouring broader areas of the ocean near where the plane is believed to have crashed. Speaking under condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment on the search effort, the official said Malaysia would have to decide how to proceed with the search, including whether to bring in more underwater drones. The Australian and Malaysian governments are under pressure to show what lengths they are prepared to go to in order to give closure to the grieving families of those on board flight MH370. Malaysia is also under growing pressure to improve its disclosure about its investigation. Prime Minister Najib Razak told CNN on Thursday his government would make public a preliminary report into the plane's disappearance next week. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/26/malaysia-airlines-missing-plane- search_n_5216797.html Back to Top Flight 370 Search Enters New Phase With Wider Sub-sea Hunt The hunt for a missing Malaysian passenger jet entered a new phase as an international team abandoned its aerial search and said efforts to find wreckage on the ocean floor may take as long as eight months. After 52 days, it's "highly unlikely" that any debris will be found on the surface of the Indian Ocean, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters in Canberra today. Malaysia and Australia will hire commercial companies to carry out an intensified underwater search. The hunt for the Malaysian Airline System Bhd. (MAS) jet, which vanished March 8 with 239 people, is already the longest for a missing passenger plane in modern aviation history. An unmanned submarine has scoured 400 square kilometers (154 square miles) of ocean floor off the west coast of Australia without picking up a trace of the plane and the search area will be expanded. "What we are looking to do is conduct as thorough an undersea search as is humanly possible, if necessary of the entire probable impact zone" measuring about 700 kilometers by 80 kilometers, Abbott said. "If everything goes perfectly, I would say we'd be doing well if we do it in eight months," Angus Houston, who heads the Joint Agency Coordination Centre leading the hunt, told the same news conference. Remote Waters Flight 370's disappearance has baffled authorities because contact was lost less than an hour into a routine trip to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. The widebody plane vanished from civilian radars while headed north over the Gulf of Thailand, then doubled back and flew over Peninsular Malaysia and on into some of the world's most remote waters. The Bluefin-21 submersible had focused on an area within a 10 kilometer radius of where acoustic pings were detected on April 8. No signals have since been detected and the jet's data recorders had a battery life of only about 30 days. It may take "some weeks" to hire commercial companies to continue the expanded underwater hunt and the Bluefin-21 will continue diving in the meantime, Abbott said. The new phase of the search may cost A$60 million ($56 million) and Australia will be expecting other nations to make a financial contribution, he said. Aircraft have spent 3,000 hours searching 4.5 million square kilometers of ocean, with no debris found, he said. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-28/malaysia-jet-search-enters-new-phase- with-expanded-subsea-hunt.html Back to Top Rescuers seek pilot after planes collide near San Pablo Bay Coast Guard rescue teams search the choppy waters of San Pablo Bay for a pilot whose plane collided with another aircraft. interactive A view from San Pablo Point looking at the Coast Guard search effort after a plane went into the bay. Two planes collided over San Pablo Bay Sunday April 27, 2014 causing a Cessna aircraft to break up and land in the bay. Two planes collided near San Pablo Bay on Sunday afternoon, with one crashing into the water and the second flying 40 minutes east to land safely in Ione in Amador County, Coast Guard officials said. Rescue teams in boats and helicopters searched the water for the pilot of a 1965 Cessna 210 after the 4:05 p.m. crash and found only debris, said Coast Guard Lt. Jeannie Crump. The other plane, a single-engine Hawker Sea Fury TMK 20, landed later at the Eagle's Nest Airport in Ione, according to Ian Gregor, public affairs manager for the Federal Aviation Administration. The pilot and passenger - a husband and wife - in the Sea Fury were not injured, said Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner. The two planes, which apparently both had flown out of Eagle's Nest Airport, were flying together and had been in Half Moon Bay earlier in the day, Wegner said. The planes were at the Pacific Coast Dream Machines event in Half Moon Bay on Sunday. The Hawker, called Dreadnought, was reportedly one of the featured war birds at the event, an annual festival that included a variety of planes, motorcycles, cars and other tricked-out vehicles. The vintage aircraft is a renowned racing plane, registered to Sanders Aircraft Inc., which restores classic airplanes and is operated by brothers Dennis and Brian Sanders. The Hawker is a top-level competitor in events such as the annual Reno Air Races. The plane was rebuilt by their father, Frank Sanders, who died in a 1989 plane crash. Cessna crashes into water The planes collided about a mile north of the Brother Islands, near the entrance to San Pablo Bay. Witnesses at Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor said the Cessna spiraled out of control and crashed into water after the collision. Sailboats and the captain of the East Brother Light Station boat were the first to arrive at the scene of the crash, said harbormaster Roslynn Johnson, who called 911. The boats found only small bits of debris in the water. Four Coast Guard boats and a helicopter searched the choppy bay waters, along with five boats from local law enforcement agencies, including the Marin County Sheriff's Office and the Sausalito Police Department, as well as a local helicopter. Divers from the San Francisco Police Department also were on the scene. The search continued well after dark. Amador County firefighters and medics were dispatched to the Ione airport but were not needed. There was no immediate information on the plane or its occupants. Korean War-era plane safe The Hawker Sea Fury is a Korean War-era British fighter and ground attack plane. A woman answering the phone at Sanders Aircraft declined comment. A 1965 Cessna 210, the same model as the other plane involved in the crash, is also registered to the company. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the incident. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Two-small-planes-collide-near-San-Pablo-Bay- 5433885.php Back to Top FAA Seeks Overseas Drug & Alcohol Testing Information With comments due on May 16, overseas aviation companies should submit comments to the docket. Additionally, the foreign governments are strongly advised to provide detailed answers to the aforementioned questions. On March 17, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) to collect information to draft regulations regarding controlled substance and alcohol testing of part 145 repair station employees located outside the United States. This development was initially reported by the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) when the FAA announced that it would seek comments to the ANPRM on March 13. The FAA rulemaking is not a surprise; in fact, it is the direct result of a carefully crafted legislative compromise in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act (P.L. 112-95; enacted, Feb. 14, 2012). Specifically, the law mandates in Sec. 301: IN GENERAL.-The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Transportation, acting jointly, shall request the governments of foreign countries that are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization to establish international standards for alcohol and controlled substances testing of persons that perform safety-sensitive maintenance functions on commercial air carrier aircraft. APPLICATION TO PART 121 AIRCRAFT WORK.-Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator shall promulgate a proposed rule requiring that all part 145 repair station employees responsible for safety sensitive maintenance functions on part 121 air carrier aircraft are subject to an alcohol and controlled substances testing program determined acceptable by the Administrator and consistent with the applicable laws of the country in which the repair station is located. (emphasis added) ARSA steadfastly believes mandating drug and alcohol testing of maintenance providers is unnecessary and burdensome with no flight safety benefit. Unfortunately, for many years, labor unions, opposed to contract maintenance, successfully lobbied the FAA and Congress to mandate onerous requirements on repair stations, including drug and alcohol testing. Efforts to impose drug and alcohol testing on foreign maintenance providers date back to 2007, when then-House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Min.) included a broader version of the provision in his House-passed FAA reauthorization bills (H.R. 2881; H.R. 915), which as written would have required specimens be sent back to the United States for testing. Industry and foreign civil aviation authorities (CAAs), such as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), fought these efforts, amid the threat of the European Union-United States Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) collapsing. With many proponents adamant that requiring drug and alcohol testing in sovereign countries (despite strict laws prohibiting it) and several other key issues taking precedence, the FAA reauthorization bills were not enactment. In 2011, when Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller (D-West Va.) and House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica drafted their chambers respective FAA reauthorization bills, the lawmakers included a carefully crafted compromise mandating a proposal for alcohol and controlled substance testing of safety-sensitive employees working on part 121 air carrier aircraft consistent with the applicable laws of the country in which the repair station is located. On February 14, 2012, the compromise became law and now the FAA is implementing congressionally mandated provisions. Several years later, the FAA is attempting to get its arms around the drug and alcohol testing laws in other countries and how to comply with the ill-conceived congressional mandate. In particular, the agency is seeking answers to the following questions: Which drugs are most misused in a particular country? If testing programs exist, are they administered by a national regulatory authority? Are industry participants required to establish such programs under the country's laws and regulations, or does industry do that voluntarily? Should the program require testing for the same drugs the FAA requires tests for in the United States? At what concentrations should alcohol and drug tests be considered "positive? Does a particular country allow or require random drug and/or alcohol testing? If so, what is the process? If a country does not allow or require random drug and/or alcohol testing, are there laws that prohibit random testing? What other methods might successfully deter employees from misusing drugs or alcohol while performing safety-sensitive duties, or within a certain period of time before performing such duties? How would such misuse be detected? What are the standards that employees who have violated drug and alcohol regulations should meet before they are allowed to return to performing safety-sensitive maintenance work? With comments due on May 16, overseas aviation companies should submit comments to the docket. Additionally, the foreign governments are strongly advised to provide detailed answers to the aforementioned questions. The ANPRM should serve as a reminder that excessive regulation begins on Capitol Hill; by the time the aviation maintenance industry mobilized, the best that could be done was to moderate the drug and alcohol testing language. With your help, next time we'll be prepared to stop Congress' bad ideas while it's still a concept, not when it's already in legislation. http://www.aviationpros.com/blog/11417922/faa-seeks-overseas-drug-alcohol-testing- information?page=2 Back to Top Most air traffic control applicants fail new FAA personality test The control tower at LAX, where many graduates of Mt. San Antonio College's aeronautics program might get jobs if they can get past the FAA's tough new employment test. A group of aeronautics students at Mt. San Antonio College complain that a new FAA screening tool is shutting them out of careers as air traffic controllers. A dozen students met with Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D-Norwalk) this week to ask her help. The FAA adopted the new test, called a biographical assessment, this year. The 62- question test asks applicants about their abilities, life experiences and work backgrounds. It also asks how they've handled various stressful situations. Only about one-in-12 applicants passed the test. Many students spend money and time attending FAA-sponsored aeronautics colleges, such as Mt. San Antonio College in the San Gabriel Valley city of Walnut. The test is controversial because those students, who would normally have a big advantage getting into air controller training, are put on the same footing as applicants off the street who may apply with just three years of solid work experience in any field. The new test is intended to broaden the pool of air traffic controller candidates beyond those who attend the 36 schools that partner with the FAA, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a congressional hearing this year. In 2012, the FAA and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice analyzed the barriers that women and minorities face when trying to get jobs at the FAA. It found only five percent of the air traffic controller applicants coming from the FAA partnership schools were African-American. Mt. San Antonio College is the only FAA-partnered school in Southern California that is part of the Collegiate Training Initiative to help students prepare for careers as air traffic controllers. Students at Mt. SAC can take a group of 11 courses to qualify for an Associate of Science degree in Aviation Science. One student told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that he earned high grades at Mt. Sac, as well as a high score on the FAA subject test, but did not score high enough on the biographical test to move on in the selection process. And he will be too old to enter FAA training next year because it only takes applicants age 31 and under. Of 28,000 candidates, only 2,200 made it past the biographical assessment to be considered for 1,300 air traffic controller openings this year. About 1,700 openings will be filled next year, Foxx said. The FAA says the screening will make hiring less costly and more objective in identifying people who can succeed in the high-stress job of directing aircraft takeoffs and landings. The FAA is on a hiring boom because large numbers of its 15,000 air traffic controllers are retiring. Many were hired after 1981 to replace members of the PATCO air traffic controller union who went on strike and were dismissed. The FAA says biographical screening to find the candidates that have the best education, aviation experience and personalities to be successful as air traffic controllers is a high- stakes endeavor. It takes about two to three years to train an air traffic controller at an annual cost in salary and benefits of about $93,000. About one-fifth of those who begin the training do not finish, according to an FAA report. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/2014/04/18/16419/most-air-traffic-control- applicants-fail-new-faa-p/ Back to Top Chinese Pilots Demand Pay Parity with Expats Some of Air China's homegrown pilots have issued a complaint charging that their expatriate counterparts earn more, work less and draw more desirable routes. (Photo: Boeing) More than 100 Air China pilots have signed an open letter to management complaining of unequal treatment between homegrown flight crew and their expatriate counterparts, according to Chinese state-controlled media. The letter, now circulating on the Internet, alleges that foreign pilots enjoy more desirable schedules and routes as well as higher pay, a circumstance attributed to the desperation of airlines in fast expanding air transport markets to fill their cockpits with experienced crewmembers. Boeing documented China's personnel challenge in a report last year that estimated the country's airlines will need some 77,400 cockpit crewmembers through 2032. According to the manufacturer, that figure equates to around 40 percent of the overall requirement across the Asia Pacific region over the same period. The letter blames Air China's "blind expansion" policy for "severe damage" to the Chinese pilots' physical and mental health, according to a report in the South China Morning Post. It also appears to indicate a growing resentment toward the expatriate pilots by their domestic counterparts. "The arrogance in the bones of white people, plus the unfair payments, has made the relationship between Chinese and foreign pilots intense, extremely unhelpful to cockpit management and will eventually threaten flight safety," the letter reportedly stated. If, indeed, such preferential treatment of foreign pilots compromises cockpit resource management principles, it would undermine the point of hiring expats to help address safety concerns. In fact, the experience of Air China could prove a valuable lesson for Russian airlines as well, following President Vladimir Putin's recent passage of a law allowing them to hire foreign pilots in an effort to alleviate a serious shortage there. The Kremlin's move to allow more foreign pilots comes in reaction to a 14-percent rate of annual traffic growth among Russian airlines, which already suffer from a reputation for substandard safety. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ain-air-transport-perspective/2014-04- 23/chinese-pilots-demand-pay-parity-expats Back to Top Three scramble to safety when jet rolls into pond Plane goes off end of runway near Port Orange, officials say VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. -A jet rolled into a pond Saturday morning at the Spruce Creek Fly-In near Port Orange, officials said. The Cessna 525 "landed long" and went off the end of the runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. All three people aboard the jet got out safely around 11:30 a.m., according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Universal Towing Company of Holly Hill was hired to remove the plane from the pond. http://www.wesh.com/news/three-scramble-to-safety-when-jet-rolls-into- pond/25676882#ixzz3083IlQea Back to Top Deborah A. P. Hersman By KATE MURPHY Deborah A. P. Hersman stepped down this past week as chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board. The public will remember her as the cool presence on the ground after major aviation, rail, marine, highway and pipeline accidents. She leaves to become president and chief executive officer of the National Safety Council, a nonprofit devoted to preventing injuries and deaths through education and outreach. READING As a girl, I loved reading Nancy Drew novels, and over the last decade I have been fortunate to have a job reading hundreds of accident investigations that are often so compelling, I can't put them down. Twain said, "Truth is stranger than fiction," and I can honestly say, sometimes it really is. To prepare for my last public hearing, I read a lot of reports on the safety of crude oil transport in the U.S. I've also been reading reports from investigators we have positioned in Malaysia and Australia assisting with the MH370 investigation. In the ferry accident in South Korea, we offered assistance but they have not taken us up on that. LISTENING I love '90s country music - Martina McBride, Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, Faith Hill. I got into it because I used to do country dancing. It was actually competitive couples dancing - two-step, waltz, West Coast swing, East Coast swing, cha-cha. It was before the days of "Dancing With the Stars" when everyone knew what all the dances were. I was in pro-am competitions where people would come in from all over the country. WATCHING I was a keynote speaker at a helicopter conference in February and Disney producers gave us a sneak preview of the sequel to the movie "Planes." They had been out to visit a lot of helicopter companies and went up with helicopter stunt pilots to get the look and animation right. The movie has E.M.S. helicopters, firefighting aircraft and I think even an N.T.S.B. investigator. With three boys ages 13, 11 and 8, I absolutely have got to see that movie. FOLLOWING I am a transportation safety wonk, so I follow reporters like Matt Wald, Alan Levin and Joan Lowy who know the beat. There's also a guy named Curt Lewis, who sends out a flight safety newsletter every day. He's been around a long time and he's good. SCANNING My dad turned 75 on Friday and I put together a video chronology of his life from birth to the present. I've learned of awards for spelling bees, R.O.T.C. scholarships and decorations for combat service. It is humbling to be ignorant of a parent's life before you were born, but inspiring to learn and discover all these things now. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/opinion/sunday/deborah-a-p-hersman.html?_r=0 ************************* Thank you Chairman Hersman. Regards: Curt Lewis, PhD, CSP Back to Top Back to Top Secure World Foundation-Aviation Safety + The Role Of Satellites, An Important Discussion (Event) [SatNews] On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared from radar while en route to Beijing-with citizens from more than a dozen nations on board, the disappearance led to weeks of speculation about the airplane's whereabouts and initiated a complicated international search effort that involved over 25 countries in a wide search area. During the search, space assets, particularly satellite imagery and communications, featured prominently as investigators pieced together the airplane's actual flight path and final destination. Many around the world wondered why, even with the help of high- resolution imagery, satellite navigation systems, and advanced communication satellites, the search for the missing airplane proved so challenging. On Thursday, May 8, 2014, Secure World Foundation will host a panel discussion that will examine the challenges of combining multiple sources of ground-, air- and space- based data. Experts will highlight the value and limitations of space assets in the search of the missing airplane and consider how space may play an increasing role in aviation safety, helping prevent similar tragedies in the future. Entitled Beyond Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: The Evolving Role of Satellites in Aviation Safety, the discussion will occur at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036, and will run from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The speakers include: Mr. John Mackey, Senior Vice President of Network Operations, Inmarsat Mr. Keith J. Masback, CEO, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) Mr. Brian Weeden, Technical Advisor, Secure World Foundation The discussion will be moderated by Ms. Laura Delgado López, Project Manager, Secure World Foundation. To RSVP, please access https://secureworldfoundation.wufoo.com/forms/the-evolving- role-of-satellites-in-aviation-safety/ http://www.satnews.com/story.php?number=601694493&menu=1 Back to Top FAA Targets Takeoff Hazards Near Runways By ANDY PASZTOR and JON KAMP FAA's proposal calls for focus on new buildings or other obstacles near busy runways-in the rare event an aircraft loses an engine at takeoff. Federal regulators are paying more attention to potential hazards posed by new buildings or other obstacles near busy runways, in the event aircraft lose an engine during takeoffs. A proposed Federal Aviation Administration policy change for the first time explicitly calls for identifying such possible dangers-stemming from a malfunctioning or inoperative engine-when reviewing the height and location of construction projects near hub airports. The document released Friday also sets procedures for airlines, airport operators and developers to jointly design a single alternate flight path for each runway that would be used by all carriers at large and small airports, in case of an engine-out takeoff. Historically, FAA's policy has considered potentially hazardous obstacles only under normal aircraft operations. The agency typically requires each airline to determine individual fight paths to skirt or avoid obstacles at the end of runways if an engine should quit. Talk of changes has prompted years of controversy about the extent of proposed development around major hub airports including those serving New York, Miami and Chicago, as well as smaller fields serving Washington, D.C., and other cities. Some prominent developers and lawmakers oppose the shift as a major reversal of long- standing FAA policy, according to one industry official familiar with the details. Potentially thousands of proposed buildings face tighter height limitations, the official said Sunday, threatening a big financial blow to certain local communities. The issue has prompted high-level deliberations inside the FAA and the Transportation Department since at least 2012, with lawyers for some large real-estate developers arguing that FAA officials were overstepping their authority by seeking to impose more stringent height restrictions without a formal rule-making process. Aircraft that experience engine problems climb more slowly and usually require more airspace to clear obstacles. For airlines, the current policy sometimes translates into voluntarily cutting back on passengers or cargo, or reducing total fuel loads, in order to provide a margin of safety when departing specific runways. The FAA hasn't factored in the economic costs of such steps, including greater fuel burn to fly around obstacles and reductions in airport capacity. Now, the agency said it wants to consider "a broader definition of capacity when evaluating new obstacles." The proposal, among other things, highlights how construction of everything from high-rise structures to microwave towers to windmills is encroaching on airspace near many airports. With today's jetliners, it is rare to lose thrust from an engine at the instant of liftoff or shortly afterward, but such an emergency can swiftly become catastrophic unless it's handled correctly. The revised policy already has been used in Boston, Las Vegas, Phoenix and other busy airports, and the FAA hopes to expand it nationwide. Flight paths are often an important consideration for property development in Boston, for instance, where Logan International Airport sits across the harbor from the city's downtown financial district. Buildings also are mushrooming along South Boston waterfront land, where heights are tightly restricted due to proximity to Logan airport. In conjunction with the FAA, airlines and Boston's urban planning agency, Logan officials in 2008 produced a map indicating height limits that took into account one engine-out scenarios. The map doesn't remove the need for regulatory requirements, but developers have followed its guidance, said Flavio Leo, deputy director of aviation planning and strategy for the Massachusetts Port Authority, or Massport. "We wanted developers to know what the impacts would be if they came in with very tall structures near the airport," Mr. Leo said, because without early clarity, many "would wait until the very end to go for the FAA permit." The FAA is asking for public comment by the end of June, and then is likely to take at least several months to decide on the final language. Boeing Co. BA -0.92% officials last year said there wasn't a single instance of an engine on a wide-body 777 model quitting exactly on takeoff, over the course of several million 777 departures around the globe. Commercial pilots, however, still train regularly to cope with such emergencies. In the U.S. and many other countries, pilots many have to demonstrate proficiency roughly once a year, or sometimes more frequently, by conducting a takeoff in a simulator with one engine not working. Takeoffs from airports situated in hot and high areas, or planes carrying heavy loads, can be particularly challenging if an engine fails. In releasing the proposal, the FAA said it "provides a practical solution for airports, airlines and local communities," including real-estate developers, to ensure "a safe and obstruction-free takeoff route" while protecting airport efficiency and capacity. Critics, however, contend the proposal won't enhance safety but could adversely affect the economics of existing and future buildings scattered around more than 380 airports across the U.S. Instead of individual airlines continuing to tailor emergency takeoff routes to safely clear surrounding buildings, according to the industry official, the FAA instead wants developers to tailor their buildings to suit the wide array of emergency procedures developed by airlines. Since the 1970s, according to the FAA, increased economic activity and construction around airports have created "an ever increasing risk." But continuing to allow individual airlines to draft multiple engine-out procedures and flightpaths would lead to greater confusion and lack of uniformity, according to the agency. Before finalizing the policy, the FAA pledged to "identify and appropriately address any disproportionately high and adverse impacts on minority and low income populations." http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/ Back to Top Embry-Riddle to offer SMS Workshop for Aviation Executives May 20-22 Daytona Beach, Fla. - Aviation professionals seeking to enhance their knowledge in Safety Management Systems (SMS) concepts and implementation of SMS within their organization can take advantage of a three day course being offered on the Daytona Beach Campus from May 20-22. Topics will include: safety risk management (hazards, risks, and controls); human factors; reactive, proactive, and predictive safety management tools and methods; positive safety culture; and SMS implementation overview. Attendees will be able to explain the theory, principles and application of SMS and will understand the ICAO requirements for implementation as well as the current FAA guidance for operators and organizations. All participants will receive a signed copy of Safety Management Systems in Aviation, authored in part by Dr. Alan Stolzer, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, College of Aviation, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. For more information, click here or email case@erau.edu About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 60 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and through the Worldwide Campus with more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real- world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. Back to Top DO NOT MISS THIS KEY AVIATION EVENT, REGISTER NOW! Although Loss of Control In-flight (LOCI) accidents are rare, they have accounted for one third of all fatalities in scheduled commercial aviation over the last ten years, more than any other category of accident. Addressing LOCI has therefore become a priority for the aviation industry. ICAO will convene a Loss of Control In-flight (LOCI) Symposium on 20-22 May 2014 in Montreal to share information and experiences of professionals from a wide variety of aviation disciplines to address this safety priority. Our List of Speakers includes: - Bertrand de Courville, Consultant to IATA, Co-chair of the European Commercial Aviation Safety Team. - Peggy Gilligan, Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, FAA. - Kevin Hiatt, Senior VP for Safety and Flight Operations, IATA. - Jules Kneepkens, Rulemaking Director, European Aviation Safety Authority. - Terry McVenes, Director, Operational Safety and Regulatory Affairs, Boeing. - Harry Nelson, Executive Operational Advisor to Product Safety, Airbus. Click here to see the full list of our confirmed speakers >> Who Should Attend: The Symposium will attract aviation professionals from regulatory authorities, accident investigation bodies, manufacturers, airlines, training schools, international organisations, and members of the research and academic community. Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities: Industry stakeholders with relevant products and services are invited to exhibit and/or sponsor at this event in order to gain visibility with government and aviation industry audiences. For more information please contact: Ms. Enza Brizzi. ENGAGE. SHARE. MAKE A DIFFERENCE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER For more information go to:www.icao.int/meetings/loci Follow us at: Back to Top Upcoming Events: Airport Show Dubai May 11-13, 2014 Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) www.theairportshow.com/portal/home.aspx International Humanitarian Aviation Summit 12-14MAY Toledo, Spain wfp.org 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/ Embry-Riddle to offer Aviation SMS Workshop Daytona Beach, FL May 20-22, 2014 www.erau.edu/case ICAO Loss of Control In-Flight Symposium 20-22 May 2014 - Montreal www.icao.int/meetings/loci Asia Pacific Aviation Safety Seminar 21-22 May 2014, Bangkok, Thailand http://bit.ly/APASS2014 International System Safety Society Annual Symposium 04-08AUG2014 - St. Louis, MO http://issc2014.system-safety.org : Curt Lewis