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Aussie Aviation engineers urged to learn about new rules

All licensed aircraft maintenance engineers, apprentices and aircraft maintenance engineers are being urged to attend a seminar on Australia’s new aviation maintenance regulations.

All licensed aircraft maintenance engineers, apprentices and aircraft maintenance engineers are being urged to attend a seminar on Australia’s new aviation maintenance regulations.

A series of 13 seminars on the new maintenance rules are being held by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority across the nation from mid March to mid April.

Seminars are being run in all capital cities, except Canberra, as well as Newcastle, Wagga and Cairns.

The new maintenance regulations come into effect on 27 June 2011.

All licensed aircraft maintenance engineers (LAMEs) with current licences will have them converted to the new regulations before 27 June 2011. It is expected new licences will be issued in early June.

LAMEs with licences that expire before the end of June are reminded to renew their existing licence.

While LAMEs will retain their current privliges under the new rules it is important they understand how the new regulatory system operates and its impact on all sectors of the aviation maintenance industry.

Apprentices and aircraft maintenance engineers also need an overview of the rule changes.

Importantly, under the new rules there will be a focus on safety management systems and human factors training will be introduced for maintenance organisations which support regular public transport operations.

The new maintenance suite of regulations covers all LAMEs, all maintenance training organisations, maintenance organisations maintaining regular public transport aircraft and regular public transport air operators.

Revised maintenance regulations for other sectors of aviation such as charter, aerial work and private operations will be developed at a later date, after wide consultation with these sectors.

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    INVESTIGATION OF BOEING 787 BATTERY FIRE IN BOSTON

    NTSB CHAIRMAN SAYS ‘WE HAVE NOT RULED ANYTHING OUT’ IN INVESTIGATION OF BOEING 787 BATTERY FIRE IN BOSTON
    WASHINGTON – In a press conference today, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman released preliminary findings from the NTSB’s ongoing investigation into the Jan. 7, 2013, Boeing 787 battery fire in Boston. “We have not ruled anything out as a potential factor in the battery fire; there are still many questions to be answered,” Hersman said.

    Noting that there was a B-787 battery incident in Japan on Jan. 16, 2013, which is being investigated by the Japan Transport Safety Board, Hersman said, “One of these events alone is serious; two of them in close proximity, especially in an airplane model with only about 100,000 flight hours, underscores the importance of getting to the root cause of these incidents.”

    The investigation revealed that the battery in the B-787 fire in Boston showed signs of short circuiting, and had indications of thermal runaway, a situation in which a significant temperature increase can initiate a destructive chain reaction.

    Chairman Hersman also expressed concerns about the adequacy of the systems to prevent such a fire from occurring. “The investigation will include an evaluation of how a fault that resulted in a battery fire could have defeated the safeguards in place to guard against that,” said Hersman. “As we learn more in this investigation, we will make recommendations for needed improvements to prevent a recurrence.”

    Investigators developed the following timeline of the events on Jan. 7, which was released at today’s briefing:

    10:06 am EST – Aircraft arrived at gate in Boston from Narita, Japan
    10:32 am – Cleaning and maintenance crew noticed smoke in cabin
    10:35 am – Mechanic noted flames coming from APU battery in aft electronics bay
    10:37 am – Airport Rescue & Fire Fighting notified
    10:40 am – Fire and rescue personnel arrive on scene
    12:19 pm – Fire and rescue personnel report event was “controlled”

    The batteries were manufactured by GS Yuasa for the Thales electrical installation and are unique to the Boeing 787. The same battery model is used for the main airplane battery and for the battery that is used to start the auxiliary power unit, which is the one that caught fire in Boston.

    Radiographic examinations of the incident battery and an exemplar battery were conducted at an independent test facility. The digital radiographs, or computed tomography (CT) scans, generated from these examinations allowed NTSB investigators to document the internal condition of the battery prior to disassembling it.

    Ongoing lab work includes an examination of the battery elements with a scanning-electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectroscopy to analyze the elemental constituents of the electrodes to identify contaminants or defects.
    NTSB INVESTIGATIVE TEAMS

    In addition to the activities at the NTSB lab in Washington, members of the investigative team have been conducting work in Arizona, Seattle and Japan. Their activities are detailed below.

    ARIZONA
    – The acceptance test procedure of the APU battery charging unit was conducted at Securaplane in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 21.
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    – Members of the airworthiness group examined the APU start power unit at Securaplane in Tucson. The same team traveled to Phoenix to conduct an examination of the APU controller at UTC Aerospace Systems.

    SEATTLE
    – NTSB investigators are working with Boeing teams as part of root cause analysis activities related to the design and manufacturing of the electrical battery system.
    – The two JAL B-787 general purpose module units, which record airplane maintenance data are being downloaded at Boeing to obtain information that was recorded after the airplane’s electrical power was interrupted.

    JAPAN
    – The NTSB-led team conducted component examination of the JAL B-787 APU battery monitoring unit at Kanto Aircraft Instrument Company, Ltd., in Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan.
    – The team cleaned and examined both battery monitoring unit circuit boards, which were housed in the APU battery case. The circuit boards were damaged, which limited the information that could be obtained from tests.

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    CASA Media Release – Tuesday 18 January 2011 Canberra aerodrome flight safety checks

    Special flight safety checks are being carried out at Canberra aerodrome this week.

    There will be a series of low-level flights to make sure flight paths at the aerodrome continue to operate safely.

    A twin-engine Cessna Conquest aircraft will be used to conduct the safety checks within an area up to 35 kilometres from the aerodrome.

    The two pilots flying the aircraft will ensure navigation aids are operational and not suffering interference, as well as looking for any new obstacles that could be a danger to aviation safety.

    The Civil Aviation Safety Authority requires these checks to be carried out every three years to maintain a high level of air safety at Canberra aerodrome.

    Low-level flying is an essential part of the safety exercise, with aircraft down as low as several hundred feet at times.

    Local residents may notice an uncommon flying pattern, but this is to make sure obstacles are accurately marked on charts and no new obstacles exist. Obstacles can be towers, trees, masts or buildings that can be a danger to aircraft.

    The checks are scheduled to be carried out on Tuesday 18 January 2011.

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    NTSB TO HOLD BOARD MEETING ON MID-AIR COLLISION OVER HUDSON RIVER NEAR HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY

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    ###

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    Flight 253 Incident Calls for Increased Vigilance

    WASHINGTON, DC – Capt. John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association , Int’l (ALPA), issued the following statement on the December 25 failed terrorist attack aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253.

    “The crew of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 performed their jobs flawlessly during the recent security incident, making this flight one of thousands across the country to arrive safely at its destination that day. A well-trained professional flight crew remains the last line of defense in keeping the nation’s airlines safe.
    “While an extraordinary level of safety and security exists in our nation’s air transportation system today, we must continue to scrutinize all aspects of aviation security. Working with government, industry, and airline operators, ALPA will thoroughly evaluate the series of events that led to this in-flight security incident and identify areas where the system can be improved.

    “The Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration have sought ALPA’s views on a broad range of security issues, including this most recent event. While ALPA respects the work and commitment of the current TSA leadership, we call for the rapid confirmation of Erroll Southers as TSA Administrator as an important step in providing security for the traveling public.

    “For decades, ALPA has advocated for a threat-based aviation security system that directs resources toward the greatest risk. We are continuing to work with the federal government agencies, Congress, and the airlines to ensure that our nation’s aviation security moves away from a one-size-fits-all approach to a threat-based system that focuses on intent rather than objects.”

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    He’s Making a List, Checking it Twice – Santa Claus is Coming to Town

    From One Continent to the Next, AirTran Airways Tracks Santa’s One-Night World Tour –

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    Southwest Airlines Confirms FAA Acceptance of Transition Plan for AirTran Airways Acquisition

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    DALLAS, Feb. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ —
    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) informed Southwest Airlines that it has accepted the carrier’s transition plan to combine the operations of Dallas-based Southwest Airlines and Orlando-based AirTran Airways, following the financial close of its transaction to acquire AirTran. On Sept. 27, 2010, Southwest (NYSE: LUV) announced an agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI), the parent company of AirTran Airways (AirTran), for a combination of cash and Southwest Airlines’ common stock. Closing is subject to the approval of AirTran shareholders, receipt of certain regulatory clearances, and fulfillment of customary closing conditions.

    “It’s been a great team effort by a lot of people to reach this initial milestone, but we still have a lot of work to do to ultimately bring our two carriers together. We appreciate the collaborative approach of all parties, including the FAA Joint Transition Team (JTT),” said Brian Hirshman, Southwest’s Vice President Maintenance and Engineering, and Executive Sponsor of the carrier’s Single Operating Certificate (SOC) team. “We consider this acceptance by the FAA as the first major milestone on the journey towards SOC. There are too many people to recognize individually, but we are hopeful the team’s hard work will allow us to achieve our SOC goal in the first quarter 2012.”
    Southwest and AirTran currently have separate operating certificates. The transition plan accepted by the FAA outlines the methodology, processes, tools, and timing to be employed to maintain the safety of their day-to-day operations during the transition period and to ultimately achieve a Single Operating Certificate. The SOC is issued by the FAA once all of the steps outlined in the transition plan have been completed. The carriers’ processes, and procedures may not be fully integrated when the SOC is issued, however; they will operate under a single FAA certificate at that time.

    Relevant to its submitted plan, Southwest clarified that after the transaction close, which is currently anticipated to occur during the second quarter of 2011, all certificated and flight-related AirTran Employees (Pilots, Dispatchers, Flight Attendants, Mechanics, Schedulers, etc.) will maintain their AirTran employment status at least until the SOC is issued by the FAA for the combined carriers. The logistics of how and when this group of certificated employees will then be transitioned to Southwest employment status has yet to be determined.

    In its 40th year of service, Southwest Airlines continues to differentiate itself from other low-fare carriers–offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service. Southwest Airlines is the nation’s largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded, now serving 69 cities in 35 states. Beginning March 13, 2011, Southwest will initiate service to Charleston and Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina, and on March 27, 2011, service will begin to Newark Liberty International Airport. Southwest also is one of the most honored airlines in the world known for its commitment to the triple bottom line of Performance, People, and Planet. To read more about how Southwest is doing its part to be a good citizen, visit southwest.com/cares to read the Southwest Airlines One Report(TM). Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide.

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