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Northrop Grumman Delivers Europe’s First Runway Status Light Control System at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris

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  • IATA PR: Copenhagen Agreement Step in Right Direction – Aviation Strengthens Commitment to Tough Targets

    Copenhagen – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the Copenhagen Accord as an important step in the right direction for climate change. Aviation emissions were not addressed specifically in the Accord, a reflection of the pro-active measures the industry has taken to set challenging targets for itself, together with an aggressive strategy to achieve them. The industry will continue to work towards achieving these global targets, which were recognized by the member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) at its High Level Meeting on Environment in October 2009 and which were commended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at a meeting with Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO, in New York later that month. IATA will continue to work with ICAO to develop a global framework for managing aviations emissions.

    “We came to Copenhagen to be part of the deal and we were encouraged by the level of support for the industry’s global sectoral approach and targets. We will continue to press states to include these global targets in any future deal,” said Bisignani. “Airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and manufacturers are reinforced in their commitment (1) to improve fuel efficiency by an average of 1.5% per year to 2020, (2) to stabilize carbon emissions from 2020 with carbon-neutral growth, and (3) to a net reduction in carbon emissions of 50% by 2050 compared to 2005,” he added.

    Bisignani said, “We also found consensus among the delegations that a global sectoral approach should be established for aviation emissions by ICAO, the UN’s specialized agency for aviation. We will work closely with ICAO to prepare a global framework for managing aviation’s emissions for the ICAO Assembly to consider in September 2010. And we will urge governments to ensure this framework is presented to COP16 in December 2010. In the meantime we continue to urge governments to avoid creating a patchwork of national and regional solutions and to ensure aviation’s emissions are dealt with as a sector and across the world. A global sectoral approach supported by tough targets is the only sensible way forward for a global industry.”

    A Global Sectoral Approach, under ICAO, to manage aviation’s emissions will ensure a level playing field. The approach consists of three main elements:

    Full accounting for aviation’s emissions as a global industrial sector, not by state.
    Global coordination of economic measures to ensure that aviation will not pay more than once for its emissions
    Full access to global carbon markets
    The aviation industry is already working towards its climate change goals through its four pillar strategy. The strategy focuses on investing in new technology, flying smarter, building efficient infrastructure, and taking advantage of positive economic measures.

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    CAPTAIN’S INAPPROPRIATE ACTIONS LED TO CRASH OF FLIGHT 3407 IN CLARENCE CENTER, NEW YORK, NTSB SAYS

    NTSB PRESS RELEASE

    National Transportation Safety Board
    Washington, DC 20594

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 2, 2010
    SB-10-02

    CAPTAIN’S INAPPROPRIATE ACTIONS LED TO CRASH OF FLIGHT 3407 IN CLARENCE CENTER, NEW YORK, NTSB SAYS

    The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the
    captain of Colgan Air flight 3407 inappropriately responded
    to the activation of the stick shaker, which led to an
    aerodynamic stall from which the airplane did not recover.
    In a report adopted today in a public Board meeting in
    Washington, additional flight crew failures were noted as
    causal to the accident.

    On February 12, 2009, a Colgan Air, Inc., Bombardier DHC-8-
    400, N200WQ, operating as Continental Connection flight
    3407, was on an instrument approach to Buffalo-Niagara
    International Airport, Buffalo, New York, when it crashed
    into a residence in Clarence Center, New York, about 5
    nautical miles northeast of the airport. The 2 pilots, 2
    flight attendants, and 45 passengers aboard the airplane
    were killed, one person on the ground was killed, and the
    airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash
    fire. The flight was a 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
    Part 121 scheduled passenger flight from Newark, New Jersey.
    Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the
    time of the accident.

    The report states that, when the stick shaker activated to
    warn the flight crew of an impending aerodynamic stall, the
    captain should have responded correctly to the situation by
    pushing forward on the control column. However, the
    captain inappropriately pulled aft on the control column and
    placed the airplane into an accelerated aerodynamic stall.

    Contributing to the cause of the accident were the
    Crewmembers’ failure to recognize the position of the
    low-speed cue on their flight displays, which indicated that
    the stick shaker was about to activate, and their failure to
    adhere to sterile cockpit procedures. Other contributing
    factors were the captain’s failure to effectively manage the
    flight and Colgan Air’s inadequate procedures for airspeed
    selection and management during approaches in icing
    conditions.

    As a result of this accident investigation, the Safety Board
    issued recommendations to the Federal Aviation
    Administration (FAA) regarding strategies to prevent flight
    crew monitoring failures, pilot professionalism, fatigue,
    remedial training, pilot records, stall training, and
    airspeed selection procedures. Additional recommendations
    address FAA’s oversight and use of safety alerts for
    operators to transmit safety-critical information, flight
    operational quality assurance (FOQA) programs, use of
    personal portable electronic devices on the flight deck, and
    weather information provided to pilots.

    At today’s meeting, the Board announced that two issues that
    had been encountered in the Colgan Air investigation would
    be studied at greater length in proceedings later this year.
    The Board will hold a public forum this Spring exploring
    pilot and air traffic control high standards. This
    accident was one in a series of incidents investigated by
    the Board in recent years – including a mid-air collision
    over the Hudson River that raised questions of air traffic
    control vigilance, and the Northwest Airlines incident last
    year where the airliner overflew its destination airport in
    Minneapolis because the pilots were distracted by non-flying
    activities – that have involved air transportation
    professionals deviating from expected levels of performance.
    In addition, this Fall the Board will hold a public forum
    on code sharing, the practice of airlines marketing their
    services to the public while using other companies to
    actually perform the transportation. For example, this
    accident occurred on a Continental Connection flight,
    although the transportation was provided by Colgan Air.

    A summary of the findings of the Board’s report are
    available on the NTSB’s website at:
    http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2010/AAR1001.htm
    -30-

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    Pinnacle, Mesaba, Colgan Pilots Approve ALPA Contract

    MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Pinnacle Airlines Corp. (Nasdaq: PNCL) has announced that its pilots have ratified a collective bargaining agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA). The single contract covers pilots at all three of Pinnacle’s operating subsidiaries – Pinnacle Airlines, Inc.; Mesaba Aviation, Inc.; and Colgan Air, Inc.

    The single contract completes negotiations that were under way at Pinnacle and Colgan prior to Pinnacle’s acquisition of Mesaba on July 1, and provides a new contract for pilots at Mesaba that would supersede their present contract. Pinnacle has 1,305 pilots, Mesaba has 1,080 and Colgan has 541.

    “I am extremely pleased that our pilots ratified the agreement with ALPA for a strong contract that brings together the pilots of Pinnacle, Mesaba and Colgan,” said Philip H. Trenary, President and CEO of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. “The new contract provides for competitive compensation for our pilots and will help ensure that we maintain our place as a leader within the regional industry.”

    The five-year agreement provides improved salary and benefits, which will result in a substantial increase in compensation for the majority of the pilots. The majority of the new terms will go into effect March 1, 2011.

    About Pinnacle Airlines Corp.

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  • Flight 447: Press release N° 6

    Paris, 01 June 2009 – 20:30 local time
    Press release N° 6
    Versão brasileira abaixo

    Air France is doing its utmost to provide support for relatives and friends.

    Medical and psychological assistance involving 15 specialist physicians has been set up at Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 and Rio de Janeiro airports.

    Some one hundred voluntary members of Air France staff are backing up the teams in Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Rio de Janeiro.

    Air France has also established a special toll-free number for the relatives and friends of passengers.

    Phone numbers reserved for relatives and friends

    0800 800 812 in France,
    0800 881 20 20 in Brazil,
    and + 33 1 57 02 10 55 for calls from all other countries.

    Air France will release further information as soon as it is available.

    NB: We ask journalists not to call this number, which is reserved for relatives and close friends.
    Português

    A Air France está fazendo tudo ao seu alcance para dar apoio aos familiares e pessoas próximas aos passageiros.

    Os familiares estão sendo encaminhados a um hotel na Barra da Tijuca, no Rio de Janeiro, onde podem se hospedar se assim desejarem. Além disso, uma equipe de médicos e psicólogos está no local para total assistência, sendo: 4 psicológos, 2 psiquiatras e dois clínicos.

    Equipes médica e psicológica também estão disponíveis no aeroporto do Galeão, no rio e no de Paris – Charles de Gaulle.

    Cerca de 100 voluntários da Air France reforçam as equipes dos aeroportos de Paris Charles de Gaulle e do Rio de Janeiro.

    Números toll free estão disponíveis para atendimento às famílias:

    Para todo o Brasil: 0800 881 2020;
    Para a França: 0800 800 812;
    Para outros países: + 33 1 57 02 10 55

    NB : Solicitamos aos jornalistas que NÃO liguem para este número, reservado às famílias.

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    Northrop Grumman’s Joint STARS Re-Engining Program Completes Preliminary Design Review for Updated Bleed Air System

    MELBOURNE, Fla., Feb. 9, 2011 ( ) — Northrop Grumman Corporation recently completed the JT8D propulsion pod’s bleed air system’s preliminary design review (PDR) for the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS).

    “The successful completion of the PDR indicates that the design is extremely mature and will meet the Joint STARS mission requirements,” said Steve Pauly, Northrop Grumman program director for Joint STARS Development and Modernization. “This significant design effort has been a major focus of the Re-Engining development program.”

    The Northrop Grumman program team is re-designing the E-8C’s commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) bleed air system’s equipment in support of the Joint STARS Re-Engining program.

    The main function of the bleed air system is to extract high-pressured hot air generated from the JT8D’s engines and convert it into cool air. The resulting cool air pressurizes the Air Cycle Machines (ACM) which cools the aircraft’s environmental control system, cabin and prime mission equipment (PME), as well as pressurizes the utility hydraulic subsystem, engine starting capability and liquid cooling system.

    “The newly designed bleed air system will be installed and flight tested towards the middle of next year,” stated Pauly. “This is a major step toward clearing the way for full production and installation of the new JT8D propulsion pod system.”

    Today, the 17-aircraft Joint STARS fleet is the only all-weather, long-range, real-time, wide area surveillance and battle management and command and control weapons system in the world. It is flown by the 116th Air Control Wing based on Warner Robins, Ga. and since 2001, the crews have flown over 63,000 hours in 5,200 combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

    On Jan. 14, 2011, the weapons system marked the 20th anniversary of its first operational combat sortie in support of Operation Desert Storm. A developmental test aircraft system at that time, two E-8A aircraft were called into theatre in January 1991 by then General Norman Schwarzkopf.

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  • North American Airlines and VT Systems Plan Conversion of Boeing 757-200 to Combi Configuration

    ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 17, 2010 — North American Airlines, a subsidiary of Global Aviation Holdings Inc., and the aerospace division of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), a subsidiary of ST Engineering, today announced that they have entered into an agreement for the conversion of Boeing 757-200 passenger aircraft to Combi configuration. In the Combi configuration, the aircraft will accommodate up to 10 cargo pallets and provide comfortable cabin seating for 45 passengers.

    “The Boeing 757 Combi will be utilized on routes where our customers require the shipment of heavy supplies as well as personnel,” said Brian Bauer, Chief Commercial Officer of Global Aviation. “As a longtime operator of the passenger Boeing 757, North American will be able to offer customers a seamless upgrade using this modern and fuel-efficient platform.”

    “This agreement is a vote of confidence in our strong MRO and engineering track record in the U.S. and our capability to offer tailored solutions to meet customers’ special operating requirements,” said General (Retired) John G. Coburn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VT Systems. “We look forward to supporting North American Airlines with a complete solution – from design and development to implementing the conversion at our MRO facilities.”

    VT Systems’ aerospace division, which owns maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities in Mobile and San Antonio, is the largest private employer in Mobile, and the largest private independent MRO employer in San Antonio. Managed by ST Aerospace as part of its global network of MRO facilities, these facilities have been performing heavy maintenance and modification works for numerous aircraft types, including the Boeing 757. The Mobile facility previously designed and converted two Royal New Zealand Air Force 757-200 passenger aircraft into multi-role combination configuration. It also jointly developed the engineering solution with Boeing for the 757-200 passenger-to-freighter (PTF) conversion and redelivered 17 converted freighters to Boeing’s customer DHL. It is currently performing PTF conversions for FedEx Express, following the award of a conversion contract for 87 Boeing 757-200 aircraft. ST Aerospace is the aerospace arm of ST Engineering.

    North American Airlines is a provider of customized, non-scheduled air transport services. Founded in 1989, North American operates Boeing 757-200 and Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. North American is a subsidiary of Global Aviation Holdings Inc. which is the largest provider of contracted air transportation services to the U.S. Military.

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