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FAA Safety Briefing Celebrates 50 Years

The new issue of FAA Safety Briefing celebrates the publication’s 50th anniversary by looking back on the state of general aviation (GA) safety and highlighting a half century of safety focus and progress.

The magazine, then called FAA Aviation News, was first published in January 1961, just three years after the creation of the FAA. Its purpose was “to acquaint readers with the policies and programs” of the FAA. While the look of the magazine has changed, the inaugural issue’s core message of safety awareness and education has remained constant.

Building on the tremendous safety strides the FAA and GA community have made to reduce fatal accidents (see the article “The Evolving Art of Aviation Safety”), this issue of FAA Safety Briefing outlines the agency’s plan to further reduce the fatal accident rate by reaching out to and working with the GA community.

This issue also helps airmen recognize that managing risk is the foundation for safe flying from both a theoretical and practical sense. In “Building Blocks and Safety Circles,” editor Susan Parson helps readers get their head around safety rules, safety realities, and the concept of safety risk management to build a barrier to accidents. The issue looks at “Safety from the Ground Up,” providing pointers for ramp safety. And there is a guide to the “Small Cost, Big Benefits” of aircraft safety enhancements that can mean the difference between life and death in the event of an accident.

Read the 50th anniversary issue of FAA Safety Briefing at http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/.

United Arab Emirates Facing Financing Changes

The end is coming for special credit financing for plane purchases for developing countries if an “Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development” agreement is ratified; the current agreement would allow Airbus and Boeing deliveries made under current conditions until 2012, affecting more than 138 planes ordered prior to May 2007. Eithad saves $20m in annual interest payments for eight newly purchase wide-body aircraft. The proposed changes would bring the interest rates closer to market rates.

Critics are competitors who do not enjoy the same financial breaks as those given to “developing” countries by export credit assistance from US Export-Import Bank. Proponents are obviously those airlines who benefit, i.e. Emirates, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Pemex (Mexico) and airlines headquartered in India.

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Altera’s DO-254/ED-80 Certifiable Nios II Processor Leveraged in Thales Safety-Critical Avionics System Certified by EASA


Industry’s First DO-254/ED-80 Certifiable Soft Core Processor Saves Thales Nearly Two Years in Development Time

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 20, 2010 — Altera Corporation today announced the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified a safety-critical avionics system that includes a DO-254/ED-80-certifiable version of Altera’s Nios® II embedded processor. Thales Avionics implemented a safety-critical version of the Nios II embedded processor in an Altera® HardCopy® ASIC for use in its family of integrated electronic standby instruments rather than developing a custom ASIC solution. Leveraging Altera’s DO-254/ED-80-certifiable processor allowed Thales to significantly reduce overall system development time when developing their family of integrated electronic standby instruments.

“When we began defining our integrated electronic standby instrument family, we determined it would be too costly and time consuming to develop a custom ASIC that meets the RTCA DO-254/Eurocae ED-80 objectives,” said Jerome Papineau, product manager at Thales Avionics. “The integration of a safety-critical Nios II embedded processor with a HardCopy ASIC saved nearly two years off our development while also saving considerable costs. The processor provides us with a compelling solution that meets our performance and system requirements while allowing us to manage system obsolescence. With its RTCA DO-254/Eurocae ED-80 level-B compliance determination, the Nios II embedded processor can be integrated into our system with confidence.”

Altera’s HardCopy ASICs offer customers a low-cost, low-risk and low-power migration path to take their FPGA prototype designs to volume production. The use of HardCopy ASICs provides Thales with improved single-event upset (SEU) immunity while also giving Thales pin-to-pin, functional and timing compatibility with the FPGA prototype design.

The development of a safety-critical version of Altera’s Nios II soft-core processor is the result of the close partnership and cooperation between Thales, HCELL Engineering and Altera, which dates back to 2006. The RTCA DO-254/Eurocae ED-80 compliance package of the Nios II embedded processor provides avionics equipment manufacturers a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) microprocessor that can be quickly and easily implemented in safety-critical avionics applications. Leveraging the Nios II embedded processor in these systems helps manufacturers comply with safety standards while dramatically lowering development time and costs and eliminating the threat of processor obsolescence.

“Today’s announcement significantly reduces the risk barrier for customers wanting to implement a soft-core processor into their safety-critical avionics system,” said Amr El-Ashmawi, senior marketing manager in Altera’s military business unit. “Having the EASA certify Thales’s integrated electronic standby instruments allow us to clearly demonstrate the significant reduction in cost, development time and risk that Altera’s DO-254-certifiable Nios II processor provides.”

About the Safety-Critical Version of Nios II Processor

Altera’s Nios II embedded processor is a configurable, 32-bit FPGA-based soft microprocessor used in a wide variety of applications and end markets, including military, aerospace and avionics. The safety-critical version of the processor core includes complete RTCA DO-254/Eurocae ED-80 compliance, with source code and documentation such as a plan for hardware aspects of certification (PHAC), a hardware design document (HDD) and a hardware accomplishment summary (HAS). Airborne electronic hardware designers complying with the DO-254 standard can leverage the Nios II soft processor core while minimizing obsolescence in systems that typically have long life cycles. Nios II embedded processors can be implemented within Altera’s portfolio of Cyclone® series and Stratix® series FPGAs and HardCopy series ASICs. For more information about Altera’s DO-254 strategy, visit www.altera.com/end-markets/military-aerospace/do-254/mil-do-254.
About Altera

Altera® programmable solutions enable system and semiconductor companies to rapidly and cost-effectively innovate, differentiate and win in their markets. Find out more about Altera’s FPGA, CPLD and ASIC devices at www.altera.com. Follow Altera via Facebook, RSS and Twitter.
ALTERA, ARRIA, CYCLONE, HARDCOPY, MAX, MEGACORE, NIOS, QUARTUS and STRATIX words and logos are trademarks of Altera Corporation and registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. All other words and logos identified as trademarks or service marks are the property of their respective holders as described at www.altera.com/legal.

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Multiple Causes Lead to Crashes

We have said this all along–that it takes more than one catastrophic coincidence to take down a plane. And here we are supported now by the latest Polish investigation into the crash of the Polish Presidential plane.

In the case of that crash, the weather was bad. There was no possibility of safe landing. The investigation does not stop there. It goes on to cite a dozen mistakes, safety violations which led to the crash, including crew training, flight prep and rule violations.


Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Martin Lidzba

What: Polish Air Force Tupolev TU-154M
Where: Smolensk
When: Apr 10th 2010
Who: 88 passengers and 8 crew
Why: On approach to Smolensk North Airport in dense fog, the plane impacted a forest, coming to rest short of the runway. There are conflicting reports leading up to the decision to land at Smolensk (versus Minsk or Moscow), holding pattern, the number of approaches.

Everyone aboard the flight was lost, including Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, the national bank president, deputy foreign minister, army chaplain, head of the National Security Office, deputy parliament speaker, Olympic Committee head, civil rights commissioner and at least two presidential aides and three lawmakers.

Read More

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And a Little Dog Shall Lead Them…

The dog was in his crate, and got anxious; his owner tried to comfort him, and let him out of the crate, accidentally or not. So the anxious, terrified dog bit a passenger and a flight attendant. And consequently the pilot of Newark-Phoenix U.S. Airways Flight 522 landed in Pittsburg, booted out the senior citizen and neurotic little Toto too, and flew the rest of the way to Phoenix.

And the senior citizen and the little dog took another flight from Pittsburg to Phoenix. No word if it was on U.S. Airways or not.

George’s Point of View

If Solomon had been on that flight, what would he have done?

Threaten to cut the eight pound dog in thirds? I can see it now, as he is posed with a plane-legal 10th century BC weapon, ready to divide the dog into thirds, to the horror of the dog’s owner. Given the mindset of most contemporary Americans, rather than being upset, the bitten attendant and passenger would likely both have their hand out, even after getting their share of dog. However, possibly not, since only a diehard dog lover would try to handle an angry chihuahua (or whatever the little canine is.) Let’s hope for the owner’s sake that the injured comrades-in-travel were forgiving dog lovers.

And also, let’s hope that Fido, Rover, Toto (or whatever his name is) stays home instead of going on the next trip.

The thing that I don’t understand these days is the suspension of common sense. How many thousands of dollars in fuel and expenses did that diversion to Pittsburg cost? Was it really essential to make an emergency landing to strand a senior citizen and pet in Pittsburg? How serious were the bites? There’s no mention of a medical emergency.

Let’s hope no charges are filed.

Irony thy name is Flight Attendant

Randall Wulff, a flight attendant for Air New Zealand was fired for sitting down on the job.

The airline felt Wulff could not be “relied on to follow safety procedures.” You see, Wulff sat down during turbulence.

As vice-president of flight attendant union FARSA in March 2008, he issued a statement that urged flight attendants to “take the precaution of sitting down when a plane’s seatbelt light was showing.” So he sat down over Vancouver in April 2008 during turbulence and got fired. Now the airline owes him $10,000 and his job back.

How exactly is it an Air New Zealand safety procedure that the flight attendant is exempt from being safely buckled in?

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Australia’s CAA Investigation Points to Baggage Handlers


The April 9 emergency landing of Eagle Air/Air New Zealand Beech 1900D en route from Auckland to Whangarei, attributed to an open rear cargo door, has been blamed on untrained baggage handlers who did not lock cargo doors.

The hatch flew open on takeoff. See the link to a photograph of the open door posted on the NZ Herald

The doors tend to be left unlocked in case late bags come in; but that is not a good safety practice because a broken cargo door can smash the tail of the plane or worse.

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787 Dreamliner Has its Wings Back

Remember when that Boeing 787 botched it’s test flight and caught on fire? The one with the power distribution panel that burned up, insulation and all? Well that plane flew out of Laredo today. The Dreamliner has its wings back.

This is what Boeing had to say as of a week ago:

EVERETT, Wash., Nov. 24, 2010 — Boeing is developing minor design changes to power distribution panels on the 787 and updates to the systems software that manages and protects power distribution on the airplane. These changes come as the result of what has been learned from the investigation of an onboard electrical fire on a test airplane, ZA002, earlier this month in Laredo, Texas.

“We have successfully simulated key aspects of the onboard event in our laboratory and are moving forward with developing design fixes,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “Boeing is developing a plan to enable a return to 787 flight test activities and will present it to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as soon as it is complete.”

Engineers have determined that the fault began as either a short circuit or an electrical arc in the P100 power distribution panel, most likely caused by the presence of foreign debris. The design changes will improve the protection within the panel. Software changes also will be implemented to further improve fault protection.
The P100 panel is one of five major power distribution panels on the 787. It receives power from the left engine and distributes it to an array of systems.

The 787 team is now assessing the time required to complete the design changes and software updates that are being developed. A revised 787 program schedule is expected to be finalized in the next few weeks.
“Our team is focused on developing these changes and moving forward with the flight test program,” said Fancher. “The team in Laredo is also well along in preparing to return ZA002 to Seattle.”

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Air India Express flight IX-812 from Dubai to Mangalore Report Released (updating)


Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer WT

Splashed across today’s international headlines is the news that the Indian Court of Inquiry probe report (which we have not yet seen) is final, and was submitted to the civil aviation ministry yesterday. The report says that “Air India pilot Zlatko Glusica, from Serbia, was asleep for much of the three-hour flight and was “disorientated” when the plane started to descend.” The experienced First Officer had fewer hours but was soon due for command, and had landed frequently at that airport. He called for a go-around which the Captain ignored.

Captain Z Glusica had more than 10,200 hours of flying experience—but not landing at that airport. He was the pilot in command and reacted late, and was suffering from “sleep inertia”. His heavy nasal snoring and breathing was captured on the CVR. Many standard operating procedures were not followed during landing. Co-pilot H S Ahluwalia repeated “abort landing” saying they didn’t have enough runway left, three times asking for a “go around”.

With less than 3,000 feet of runway left, the pilots tried to take off again and crashed in the gorge at the runway’s end.

The plane’s takeoff gear was found activated. Experts concluded if the pilots had not attempted to take off again, the plane emergency brakes could have brought the plane to a halt.

This is not the first time Air India has had exhausted pilots. What had their schedule been that week?

June 2008: Mumbai air traffic controllers woke two sleeping pilots with an alarm when they were 200 miles past their destination.

What: Air India Express Boeing 737-800 en route from Dubai to Mangalore
Where: Mangalore airport
When: 6:00 a.m May 22 2010
Who: Passengers including 23 children, 6 crew= 158 fatalities and 8 survivors
Why: Air India Express flight 812 attempted touch down was around the middle marker. (Conflicting) reports are that it overshot the runway, and that the pilot intended a go round (tapes reveal the co pilot was urging a go-round) but the plane hit the localizer antenna at the runway’s end, plowed through the perimeter losing part of a wing, and went down 75 feet into a ravine, and broke into pieces and burst into flames. On touchdown, there was a reported “bang” which may have been a tire bursting. A drizzle started after the accident. From 5 to 10 people have been hospitalized, but according to reports there are possibly 3 survivors.

Survivor Abdul Puttur suffered burns. He was seated near the wing exit and said that the pilot had announced the landing, then there was a thud. He saw huge flames after the plane fell into the ravine and then he jumped out from the back entrance. Another passenger said the pilot made no announcement.

The Serbian pilot was Zlatko Glusica, first officer was S.S. Ahluwalia.

According to DGCA rules, Mangalore International Airport is deemed a “critical airfield” which means that “supervised take offs and landings” are prohibited. Only the captain (not the first officer) can pilot take-offs and landings. Mangalore International Airport has a controversial table top runway and which forces pilots to make a precision landing. The airport has no buffer zone, and pilots landing planes must fly precisely or risk hurtling off the edge.

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Air T, Inc. Announces Award of $10.5 Million Contract from the City of Charlotte

MAIDEN, N.C., Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Air T, Inc. (Nasdaq: AIRT) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Global Ground Support, LLC, has been awarded a $10.5 million contract to supply deicer trucks and training simulators to the City of Charlotte. Global expects to deliver the first units under the contract in the current fiscal quarter ending December 31.

Walter Clark, Air T’s CEO, stated that, “We are excited to have been selected by the City of Charlotte and look forward to working with them. Our equipment will be utilized to ensure that departing flights during inclement winter weather at Charlotte Douglas International Airport continue to operate safely and reliably. This contract was the result of a competitive process which we won due in part to the quality of product and the high level of service that Global Ground Support provides to all of its customers.”

Air T, through its subsidiaries, provides overnight air freight service to the express delivery industry, manufactures and sells aircraft deicers and other special purpose industrial equipment, and provides ground support equipment and facilities maintenance to airlines. Air T is one of the largest, small-aircraft air cargo operators in the United States. Air T’s Mountain Air Cargo and CSA Air subsidiaries currently operate a fleet of single and twin-engine turbo-prop aircraft daily in the eastern half of the United States, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands. Air T’s Global Ground Support subsidiary manufactures deicing and other specialized military and industrial equipment and is one of the largest providers of deicers in the world. The Global Aviation Services subsidiary provides ground support equipment and facilities maintenance to domestic airline customers.

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Bomb Claim Initiates Review


Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Timo Jäger

What: Interpol alerted 188 member states to look for disguised bombs after claim of responsibility in UPS Boeing 747-400 freighter en route from Dubai United Arab Emirates to Cologne Germany.
Where: Dubai
When: Sep 3 2010
Who: 2 crew
Why: The crew reported smoke and fire in the cockpit and was returning to Dubai International Airport, failed to land and crashed.

See UPS Boeing Crashes in Dubai

Evidence from examination of the scene and the black boxes does not point to an explosion, however the claim will be investigated, according to the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The “Orange Notice” issued by Interpol on Saturday will be published. The warning came days after several packages were intercepted shipped from Yemin in mid-September, possibly a test run for an Al-Qaeda attack.

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FAA Sets Crew’s Alert Parameters

Alerts should be designed so that the pilot can acknowledge the problem and suppress the alarm. According to the FAA, the system should automatically remove the alert when the conditions no longer exist, preventing a “nuisance.”

The FAA recommends manufactures use six or fewer colors.

Alert colours on the flight deck for future aircraft will have red warnings, amber or yellow cautions and any colour but red, amber, yellow or green for advisory alerts. Attention cues can not rely solely on color but must alert two senses.

Weather, terrain or traffic displays may still use the four colours, but “must not adversely affect flightcrew alerting.”

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The Real Reason behind the Democratic Republic of Congo Crash this August

In case anyone is following this, the real reason behind the Aug 25th 2010 crash of the Filair LET L-410 en route from Kinshasa Ndolo to Bandundu Democratic Republic of Congo has been published. A passenger had secreted an alligator in his duffel bag, when the alligator got loose, everyone ran away from it, which unbalanced the plane which caused the crash. Of the 18 passengers and 3 crew, there were only 3 survivors (2 people plus the alligator.) One of the survivors later died; and someone killed the crocodile with a machete. I wonder if the lone survivor is the one who owned the duffel bag. Somehow I doubt it.

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Boeing Recognized as NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Large Business Prime Contractor of the Year

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Oct. 19, 2010 — Boeing announced today that it has been named the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Large Business Prime Contractor of the Year by NASA for outstanding contributions to the agency’s small-business program on the Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing Services (CAPPS) contract at KSC. The honor is one of NASA’s Small Business Industry Awards for 2010.

“Boeing’s partnership with NASA at KSC helps to enable the continued success of the space program,” said Mark Jager, Boeing CAPPS program manager. “Boeing is committed to helping its small-business partners succeed and grow, and we work closely with them to provide quality services to the customer and to the KSC community.”

“We appreciate the efforts of companies such as Boeing that work with NASA and make significant contributions to the agency’s small-business program,” said Glenn Delgado, associate administrator, NASA Office of Small Business Programs.

As the prime contractor for NASA’s CAPPS contract, Boeing provides payload processing services for the International Space Station (ISS), space shuttle and expendable launch vehicles. Boeing employees and teammates have successfully processed every major payload flown on the space shuttle. CAPPS also works with NASA’s international partners to ensure the continued construction and maintenance of the ISS. Approximately 450 Boeing employees and 300 teammates work on the CAPPS contract. Boeing continues to meet and exceed performance goals for subcontracting requirements under CAPPS.

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Superjumbo: How big is too big?


Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer hummelfX

Haneda Airport does not normally accommodate the SuperJumbo because of the effect on other flights.

For the first time, the superjumbo Airbus A380, flew from France to Tokyo’s Haneda airport to check, among other things, if the airport’s passenger boarding bridges fit the double-decker wide-body plane’s doors.

Other Superjumbo problems? Some reasons why they do not and can not land at all airports-

—Being too big for the runway
—Generating wake turbulence that requires following planes to delay longer to avoid disruption and tarmac gridlock
— Requiring taxiways to be shut when it arrives or departs
— Requiring an official escort whenever it taxis

Hopefully we will be hearing about how the Superjumbo fared at Haneda today.

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Delta Connection flight 4951


Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Hartsfield Photography

In an interview, Captain Jack Conroyd, the pilot who landed Delta Connection flight 4951 when the landing gear failed, called the training provided by Atlantic Southeast Airlines instrumental in the success of the emergency landing. He also praised the crew, and the calm demeanor of the passengers.
Click to see video of Conroy

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France: Air Traffic Control Strike

French air traffic controllers are on strike.

Strikers are protesting France’s pension reform that would raise the country’s state pension age for all workers in France from 60 to 62 by 2018. Although public announcements tried to assert that only short haul travel would be affected most strongly, air travel has come to standstill. British Airways has cancelled 90% of flights to France, and Ryanair has also cancelled flights over French airspace. Easyjet cancelled 61 flights; Iberia cancelled 34 flights yesterday alone.

Spanish airports report some delays.

French train service has also ground to a halt.

Reports are that the general strike in France affect French airspace until 0600 hours on Friday, September 24.

Dubai UPS Crash Update

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has issued its preliminary report on the Boeing 747 – 400 cargo airplane had departed from Dubai International Airport at 14:53 UTC (6:53pm local time) headed to Koln-Bonn (Cologne) – Germany.

Here are some of the big questions on the crash which the investigation will focus on regarding the crash that caused the death of Capt. Doug Lampe of Louisville, Kentucky, and First Officer Matthew Bell of Florida.

Which “general” cargo was located just forward of the starboard wing, where the fire started? Were there batteries there among the electronic goods?

Some additional issues: Pilots reported smoke in the cockpit 20 minutes after leaving Dubai. They had difficulty getting the correct frequency to ATC. After the fire broke out, the smoke was too thick for the pilots to read the instruments. What can be done to give the pilots options for extinguishing a cargo fire? What changes can be made to instruments to make them visible under these conditions?

The cockpit recorder was recovered in”reasonable” condition just hours after the Boeing 747-400 went down and will be sent to the US for analysis.

Key Transportation Indicators: Air Cargo, State and Local Expenditures Added

Friday, August 27, 2010 – The U.S. Department of Transportation‘s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today expanded its Key Transportation Indicators with the addition of two new tables: U.S. Air Carrier Cargo Revenue Ton-Miles, a monthly measure of freight shipments on U.S. airlines, and State and Local Government Transportation Construction Value, a monthly measure of state and local government expenditures on air, land and water transportation infrastructure. The new tables bring the total number of transportation indicators tracked by BTS to 23. Indicators are drawn from BTS and other sources to provide timely, easily accessible information for the transportation community. BTS also updated a number of existing tables that contain information on transportation and the economy, fuel prices, passenger and freight traffic, transportation costs to users, and system performance.

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1st Boeing C-130 AMP Low-Rate Initial Production Aircraft Inducted at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 30, 2010 – The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced the induction of the first C-130 aircraft slated to receive the Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) upgrade at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Ga. This is the first of 20 aircraft to be upgraded during low-rate initial production (LRIP).

“Warner Robins is ready to receive the C-130 and begin installing the AMP kits,” said Tommy Jackson, C-130 AMP deputy program manager for the U.S. Air Force. “Our team has been trained by Boeing, and we are excited to get the first of many aircraft through our line and upgraded.”

Air Force workers at Robins will install glass cockpits that include a head-up display; six flat-panel, full-color displays; and night-vision capability in 10 of the 20 LRIP aircraft. Warner Robins will receive its second C-130 for AMP modification in October.
“The C-130 AMP is production-ready,” said Mahesh Reddy, C-130 AMP program manager for Boeing. “Today marks a very important day for the warfighter. Boeing and the Air Force are one step closer to delivering a fleet of C-130 AMP aircraft.”

Boeing will begin its portion of the installations in early 2012 at its San Antonio facility.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

Closed: Mexicana, Mexicana Click and Mexicana Link

“Grupo Mexicana” failed to reach agreement, and thus Mexicana Airlines, Mexicana Click and Mexicana Link flights have suspended all operations. The financial situation has been deteriorating ever since ticket sales were suspended and suppliers began demanding advance payment.

The announcement on their website page says

“Mexicana Airlines (Grupo Mexicana) suspends its operations indefinitely

The current administration received the company seven days ago under Business Reorganization (Concurso Mercantil) and technically bankrupt.

Financial deterioration and lack of agreements force Grupo Mexicana to stop flying.

Grupo Mexicana deeply regrets all inconveniences caused to its passengers.”

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We Predict…

…that you should watch this space tomorrow.

If the Federal Aviation Administration publishes their safety directive as expected tomorrow, we will publish it here.

Expectations are that airlines operating Boeing 737-600s will be the subject of the FAAs upcoming directive, and their Boeing tail sections will required to undergo revamped inspections.

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FAA Warns of Design Flaw

The FAA says the rudder system design in the Airbus A300-600 and the Airbus 320 is susceptible to potentially hazardous rudder pedal inputs at higher airspeeds. The system is designed to limit available rudder pedal deflection as airspeed decreases, so at higher speeds, the pedal must be manipulated with greater sensitivity.

The plane’s vertical stabilizer can separate due to excessive input because of the speed differential limits of rudder pedal deflection.

The findings may affect several accident cases where the Airbus rudder separated, causing catastrophic conditions.

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Planes, Equipment Up In Smoke

HELENA-WEST HELENA, AR—Although under control by 6 a m, the hanger fire in West Helena Arkansas consumed seven planes, two trucks, a number of tools and repair equipment, and a tractor. The hanger is one of three, and the only one that burned.

The owner of South Delta Aviation said while the planes were insured, the other items were not. According to locals, some tools had been operating in the hanger for twenty-thirty years. The business plans to stay open.

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Fake Boeing Disaster at Harare Airport

Although the head of Zimbabwe’s Civil Aviation Authority David Chawota confirmed with the BBC: “I can confirm that a 767 plane coming from London has had an accident at Harare airport,” the whole thing was a drill with paid actors.

BBC’s Brian Hungwa reported seeing a large plume of smoke and helicopters over the runway.

Apparently no one but a chosen few were informed it was a drill. Apparently seeing what the media would do was part of the Zimbabwe’s Civil Aviation Authority’s “exercise.”

George’s Point of View

Maybe I’m out of line here, but it seems to me a drill is supposed to test responses in-house.

The fire drill at a school, for example, involves firemen arriving and evaluating the response time of those endangered.

But if someone at the school sets off an alarm to see what would happen, or calls 911…they’re criminally liable. Okay, well maybe they were testing emergency services which for the CAA might be considered in house.

But testing the media? Allowing the news to go out to the media that there was a disaster? As someone who deals with people suffering horrible loss from disasters that are real, this sounds more like a cruel joke than a drill. I wonder what the IATA and ICAO will have to say about this. At the very least, it is unethical.

Chawota said “This was a usual drill for the period. We do this once every three years. This was for the benefit of our police personnel, security, aviation, medics, hospital — everyone was involved. This exercise helps the general preparedness of our facilities here.”