| |

CASA Media Release – Pilots urged to keep Shoalhaven skies safe

Shoalhaven pilots are being urged to attend an important air safety workshop next month.

The workshop will give local pilots special training to improve their flying and safety skills.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is holding the workshop to help make the skies over Nowra and the Shoalhaven even safer.

Safety issues to be covered at the workshop include aircraft maintenance and new rules for flying at regional aerodromes. There will also be the opportunity for pilots to ask questions and raise issues about local flying.

CASA’s Peter Gibson says the workshop is part of a national regional air safety campaign.

“Giving pilots from the Shoalhaven extra training will lift their safety skills to even higher levels,” Mr Gibson says.

“All pilots receive comprehensive training but this workshop means they will be even better equipped to fly safely at all times and deal with emergencies.

“Nowra and the Shoalhaven have a good air safety record but accidents do happen and everyone in aviation must work hard to keep local skies safe.”

The workshop is being held at the Albatross Aero Club Museum Building on Tuesday 1 February 2011, starting at 6:00pm.

CASA is providing free refreshments for everyone on the night.

To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.

Similar Posts

  • |

    Hainan Airlines Wins Prestigious 5-Star Rating From SKYTRAX

    BEIJING, Jan. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — Hainan Airlines was awarded the honor of a “SKYTRAX Five-Star Airline” at a gala awards ceremony in Beijing. The award was presented by SKYTRAX President Edward Plaisted to Hainan Airlines President Wang Yingming. With this award, Hainan Airlines officially becomes the world’s seventh five-star airline.

    London-based SKYTRAX, a research and certification organization for the air transportation industry founded in 1989, evaluates more than 200 airlines around the world each year in regards to their service quality. The star rankings reflect the customer experience – not just the platform of product standards offered by an airline such as cabin seating, in-flight entertainment and catering, but the assessment of service quality – using a rating system made up of more than 800 different areas of product and service delivery for each airline. As a global leader in the industry, SKYTRAX offers the most professional evaluation and rating services. Star ratings for the airline industry can vary from one to five stars, with “five stars” being the highest rating.

    Founded in 1993, Hainan Airlines has grown into a successful international airline offering personalized and gracious service. It was the first mainland Chinese airline to be awarded SKYTRAX four-star status in 2009. In accordance with SKYTRAX’s rigorous evaluation standards and the airlines’ own Chinese-style service concept, Hainan Airlines built an international brand through its superior service programs that encompass “convenience, hospitality and surpassing expectations” as its core values. Hainan provides its customers with unique and premium ground and cabin service, in-flight catering and entertainment based on diversified customer needs. As a result of its exceptional brand values and service, Hainan Airlines transitioned from four-star to five-star status in just one year, a significant achievement. Hainan Airlines is one of the airlines in the HNA Group of companies.

    At the SKYTRAX award ceremony, HNA Group Chairman Mr. Chen Feng said, “By winning the ‘SKYTRAX five-star award’, Hainan Airlines now becomes one of the most successful brands in the industry.”

    SKYTRAX also rated Hainan the best airline in China in 2008 and 2010, and the company has earned numerous awards including the “Customer Satisfaction Award” in the Chinese civil aviation industry repeatedly since 1998. In 2008, it received CCTV’s “60 Years- 60 Brands Award”, the only airline to be so honored.

    Hainan has a large network in China and also throughout Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and North America. Beginning January 19, Hainan spreads its wings “down under” to Sydney, Australia.

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.
  • | |

    PR: $1.3 Million in Grants for Airport Vehicle Surveillance

    WASHNIGTON–U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced $1.3 million in grants for Chicago O’Hare, Denver and San Francisco International Airports to buy vehicle surveillance equipment that will increase safety by helping to reduce the risk of conflicts between airport vehicles and aircraft.
    “This equipment will help ensure the safety of aircraft passengers and crew, as well as the safety of airport and airline vehicle operators,” said Secretary LaHood. “The safety of everyone involved in the aviation system is our top priority.”

    Each of the three airports will receive $421,875 through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) to buy up to 75 Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) units that will allow air traffic controllers and vehicle drivers to precisely identify vehicle locations on the airfield, especially during low visibility conditions.

    The ADS-B units will be installed in vehicles such as fire trucks, snow plows and other airport operations vehicles.

    “This grant allows ground equipment operators to have a better situational awareness of where they are on the airfield, which increases airport safety,” said FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta.
    The airports selected to receive the grants have operating environments that should benefit from this new surveillance technology. Chicago O’Hare will see enhanced surface coverage of vehicle locations across the busy, complex airfield. At Denver, the vehicle ADS-B units will provide precise vehicle tracking during low-visibility winter weather. At San Francisco, the vehicle units will improve situational awareness during upcoming airport construction projects.

    AIP provides $3.35 billion in annual funding for airport improvement projects that are vital to maintaining the safety, capacity and environmental stewardship of our nation’s airports. More than 3,300 airports are eligible for AIP grants benefiting commercial passengers, cargo operations and general aviation activities throughout the nation.

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.
  • | |

    Statement on Chinese Approval of 200 Boeing Aircraft

    SEATTLE, Jan. 19, 2011 — Boeing (NYSE: BA) is pleased to have received final approval today from the Chinese Government confirming a $19 billion aircraft agreement.

    China’s approval of airline contracts for 200 orders covers aircraft to be delivered over a three-year period, 2011-2013. The approval helps Boeing maintain and expand its market share in the world’s fastest growing commercial aircraft market. Comprised of 737s and 777s, the agreement positively impacts more than 100,000 jobs including those at Boeing and with its thousands of suppliers throughout the U.S.

    “We value China’s support for our products and its confidence in Boeing,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “With the outstanding support provided by the United States Government, this deal is a win-win for the Boeing-China partnership, which is approaching its 40th anniversary.”

    Today, Boeing jets are a mainstay in China’s air travel and cargo system, representing more than 50 percent of all commercial jetliners operating in China. Over the next 20 years, Boeing projects that China will need 4,330 new airplanes, worth more than $480 billion, and will be Boeing’s largest commercial airplane customer.

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.
  • |

    FAA Press Release: What Pilots Need to Know About Winter Flying

    October 2009 – In the November/December 2009 issue of FAA Aviation News, the focus is on winter flying safety, including icing avoidance strategies, safe operations on icy runways, snow/frost contamination, and more.

    In “On Thin Ice,” Aerospace Engineer Paul Pellicano writes about ice contamination, the differing vulnerability of different airplanes, and the havoc ice can play with lift, weight, and drag. Contributing writer and flight instructor Meredith Saini explains “known icing conditions,” provides resources for finding ice, and then outlines strategies to avoid it. In “A Long Winter’s Nap,” Airworthiness Safety Inspector Suzanne Mejia writes about what to consider in storing your aircraft for the winter.

    Other articles address safety on icy or slushy runways, the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning during winter, and stress the importance of position reporting on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF).

    To read the issue, and to see previous issues for more safety information, go to: www.faa.gov/news/aviation_news.

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.
  • |

    Lufthansa and UFO union agree pay settlement for around 16,000 flight attendants

    Successful arbitration under Heide Simonis / Agreement on 22-month pay freeze and significant improvements in working conditions

    Deutsche Lufthansa AG and the independent UFO flight attendants’ trade union have reached agreement at their protracted pay talks. Both sides today accepted a mediated settlement put forward by former Schleswig-Holstein Premier Heide Simonis, ending months of negotiations stretching back to March 2010. Under the terms of the arbitration settlement, the pay accord for some 16,000 Lufthansa flight attendants is to be extended and the collective wage agreement re-defined.

    At the talks on remuneration, the two sides agreed on a pay freeze. The existing pay settlement is to be re-concluded unchanged for a period of 22-months, lasting up to 31 December 2011. The new collective bargaining agreement is to last up to 28 February 2014. It envisages further improvements in working conditions: Among others, it reduces changes to duty rosters, giving cabin crews greater planning security, as well as defining and extending rest and break periods. Furthermore, in compensation for the staggered implementation of improved working conditions, cabin crews are to receive a structural, compensatory payment amounting to 1,000 euros in March.

    On conclusion of the pay accord, Member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board Finance & Human Resources, Dr. Roland Busch, said a fair compromise has been reached after long and difficult negotiations. It takes account of the need of flight attendants for planning stability and the special pressures they encounter in air traffic as well as the Company’s need for flexible and cost-efficient operations. “With this pay settlement, we are investing in significantly better working conditions for cabin crews. That was highly important to our staff, which is why we have made material concessions where their need for change was greatest. Now is the time to look ahead and face the challenges from competition in the industry together,“ Dr. Busch emphasised

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.
  • | |

    U.S. Army, Lockheed Martin Highlight M-TADS/PNVS Performance as Production Reaches 1,000 Systems

    ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 16, 2011 — Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) marked the delivery of the 1,000th Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) system to the U.S. Army at ceremonies held today at Lockheed Martin facilities in Ocala and Orlando, FL. M-TADS/PNVS, also known as Arrowhead®, is the advanced targeting and pilotage system for the U.S. Army’s AH-64D Apache attack helicopter.

    “The M-TADS/PNVS is a game-changer on the battlefield and has ensured Longbow Apaches remain dominant in support of our ground soldiers,” said Col. Shane Openshaw, U.S. Army project manager for Apache Attack Helicopter. “This combat-tested system has shown, through over five years of continuous combat operations since the first unit was fielded, that an Apache equipped with M-TADS/PNVS is the most lethal and survivable attack helicopter in the world.”

    M-TADS/PNVS provides Apache pilots with the most advanced long-range, electro-optical precision engagement and pilotage capabilities to ensure mission success and flight safety in day, night and adverse weather missions. It employs state-of-the-art forward-looking infrared sensors to provide Apache pilots with enhanced image resolution, giving them the complementary benefits of significant standoff range and unrivaled targeting capabilities. M-TADS/PNVS improves performance and reliability over legacy TADS/PNVS systems by more than 150 percent, reduces maintenance actions by nearly 60 percent, and will save the U.S. Army nearly $1 billion in operation and support costs over its 20-year system life.

    “Teamwork has been the secret to the success of this program,” said David Belvin, director of Apache programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “The U.S. Army, Lockheed Martin and its suppliers worked together as a team to achieve an unprecedented rapid development and production program to support the warfighter.”
    “U.S. Apaches are nearly completely equipped with this incredible system, and we will have retrofitted all of our Longbows in the field by the summer of 2011,” added Col. Openshaw. “In addition, many allied force Apaches around the world are M-TADS/PNVS-equipped, greatly enhancing their capability to conduct attack operations and to integrate with U.S. and NATO forces. This production milestone, the delivery of M-TADS/PNVS number 1,000, is another tremendous achievement for this outstanding program.”

    The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin the original M-TADS/PNVS contract in 2003. The first system was delivered to a U.S. Army Apache in theater in 2005. Previous milestones include the 250th system delivery in 2007 and the 500th delivery in 2008. During this period, M-TADS/PNVS was delivered at a rate of over 20 units per month. The 1,000th delivery ceremony signifies another important step in Lockheed Martin’s support of Army Aviation. Additional domestic and international deliveries will continue through 2014. Electronics assembly of M-TADS/PNVS is performed at the Lockheed Martin facility in Ocala, FL. Final assembly is performed at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Orlando, FL.

    Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 132,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.

    To include the featured image in your Twitter Card, please tap or click their icon a second time.