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Federal Officials Mark Opening of New Aiken Transportation Resource Center

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 – Peter Appel, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), and Federal Transit Administration Regional Administrator Dr. Yvette Taylor today joined state and local officials to mark the expansion of a $2.9 million transportation resource center that will provide enhanced, coordinated, accessible, cost-effective transportation choices for older adults, people with disabilities and low-income populations in a six county region surrounding Aiken, SC.

“The Resource Center here in Aiken is a great example of how Intelligent Transportation Systems technology can make a real difference in the lives of the people who depend on transportation and transit services to meet their most basic needs,” said RITA Administrator Appel. “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-sponsored projects are getting Americans back to work and having a positive impact on the quality of life in our communities.”

Funded in part by a $561,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant and $980,032 in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s United We Ride/Mobility Services for All Americans (UWR/MSAA) initiatives, the Lower Savannah Council of Governments Aging, Disability & Transportation Resource Center (ADTRC) will now provide accessible customer-based travel information and trip planning services to a 4,000 square mile rural region with a population of 300,000 people.

The newly enhanced transportation resource call center has added customer-oriented features, such as automated telephone and Internet-based trip reservations and management, and has expanded its transportation resources to four counties that previously had no access to transportation services. In addition to transportation management, callers and those visiting the center’s website will also have access to a searchable database of human service resources information, including utility bill assistance, local food pantries, support groups for health issues, workforce training, and how to contact officials concerning local governmental questions.

The goal of the UWR/MSAA initiative is to improve transportation services and simplify access to employment, healthcare, education, and other community activities through advanced technologies like Intelligent Transportation Systems, and by extending transportation service partnerships with consumers and human service providers at the federal, state, and local levels across various modes of transportation, social welfare programs, and geographic areas. The ADTRC is one of three national demonstration one-call centers funded by the UWR/MSAA initiative.

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    PR: FAA Proposes $987,500 in Civil Penalties Against Delta Air Lines

    ATLANTA – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing two civil penalties totaling $987,500 against Delta Air Lines of Atlanta, for allegedly operating an Airbus A320 and a Boeing 737-800 on flights when they were not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.

    In the first case, the FAA alleges Delta failed to repair a chip in the nose radome, or nose cone, on the B-737 after an FAA inspector conducted a pre-flight inspection and informed Delta he had observed chip damage. Delta’s structural repair manual requires the airline to seal radome chip damage before further flight. The enroute inspection took place Feb. 25, 2010, and the airline operated the plane on 20 additional flights between that date and March 1 while the aircraft was not in compliance.

    The FAA further alleges Delta again failed to repair the radome during layover inspections of the aircraft on Feb. 25 and 28. The proposed civil penalty is $687,500.

    “Safety is our highest priority,” said FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta. “Operators must follow the proper procedures to maintain their aircraft.”

    The FAA also proposes a civil penalty of $300,000 against Delta for allegedly operating an Airbus A320 on 884 flights between May 25, 2010 and Jan. 3, 2011, when it was not in compliance with FAA regulations.

    The FAA alleges the carrier incorrectly deferred repair of a broken cockpit floodlight socket at the first officer’s position. Maintenance procedures allow the airline to defer repairs on a dome light for no more than 10 days before repairing or replacing it. The FAA discovered the alleged violation during a routine inspection.

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    TUIfly Receives First Next-Generation 737 With New Boeing Sky Interior

    SEATTLE, Dec. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Hannover, Germany-based TUIfly last week celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first Next-Generation 737-800 with the all-new Boeing Sky Interior.

    TUIfly, which offers scheduled flights and charter services from cities in Germany to destinations in Europe and Northern Africa, has scheduled this airplane’s first passenger flight on Dec. 15 from Hannover, Germany, to Las Palmas on the Canary Islands.
    The 737 Boeing Sky Interior features new, modern-sculpted sidewalls and window reveals, larger stow bins and more headroom around the aisle seats. Other features include a quieter cabin, intuitive placement of switches and call buttons, improved sound quality and different interior lighting schemes. Boeing designed this series of enhancements to improve the overall travel experience for passengers, making the cabin more spacious and comfortable.

    Go on board the TUIfly 737-800 for a video tour of the Boeing Sky Interior presented by one of TUIfly’s flight attendants. The video is available in English: http://www.twitvid.com/4YR9L and in German: http://twitvid.com/5MINX.

    A total of 60 airlines and leasing companies have ordered the 737 Boeing Sky Interior for more than 1,400 airplanes.

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    Boeing Begins Certification Testing on 737 Performance Improvements

    SEATTLE, Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — A Boeing (NYSE: BA) Next-Generation 737-800 in the new United Airlines livery successfully completed its first test flight late last week, signifying the start of certification for a package of 737 performance improvements. Testing and certification will continue through April 2011. Aerodynamic and engine changes included in the package will reduce fuel consumption by 2 percent. Boeing is phasing the changes into production mid-2011 through early 2012.

    One percent of the savings comes from reducing resistance as air flows around the airplane. The upper and lower anti-collision lights change from round to a more aerodynamic, elongated teardrop shape. Wheel-well fairings are re-contoured to smooth the air flow near the main landing gear. A redesign of the environmental control system, exhaust vent and streamlined wing slat and spoiler trailing edges round out the aerodynamic changes.

    CFM is introducing the new CFM56-7BE engine enhancement program to coincide with Boeing’s airframe changes. Low- and high-pressure turbine modifications will result in a 1 percent reduction in fuel consumption. In addition, Boeing is optimizing the engine’s primary nozzle and plug. Together, the changes result in cooler-running engines that may provide up to 4 percent lower maintenance costs.

    Watch video of the first certification test flight and learn how engineers came up with the design improvements here: http://bit.ly/a8T9oM.

    Boeing’s continuous efforts to improve the Next-Generation 737 family have resulted in an accumulated 5 percent gain in fuel efficiency since the first airplane was delivered in 1998. The new improvements will give operators an airplane that is 7 percent more efficient than the first Next-Generation 737s delivered.

    In late October, Boeing delivered its first two Next-Generation 737-800s with the new Boeing Sky Interior. The interior features new cove lighting and curving architecture that create a more open feel in the cabin. Updated sidewalls and window reveals add a modern feel, and larger stowage bins enable passengers to store more luggage while giving them more headroom. Deliveries to new operators continue each month.

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    NTSB CITES LACK OF BIRD STRIKE RESISTANT WINDSHIELD REQUIREMENTS IN FATAL CRASH OF HELICOPTER IN LOUISIANA

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 24, 2010
    SB-10-45

    NTSB CITES LACK OF BIRD STRIKE RESISTANT WINDSHIELD REQUIREMENTS IN FATAL CRASH OF HELICOPTER IN LOUISIANA

    The National Transportation Safety Board today released a final report on a fatal crash involving a transport-category helicopter caused by a bird strike. The Board said the lack of requirements for bird strike-resistant windshields contributed to the crash, and called on the FAA to develop such requirements.

    On January 4, 2009, a dual-engine Sikorsky S-76C++ helicopter (N748P), registered to and operated by PHI, Inc., crashed into marshy terrain near Morgan City, Louisiana approximately 7 minutes after takeoff from Amelie, Louisiana, on a charter flight to an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Both pilots and 6 of the 7 passengers were killed in the crash.

    The aircraft had reached level cruise flight at 850 feet mean sea level and 135 knots when the cockpit voice recorder recorded a loud bang, followed by sounds consistent with rushing wind and a power reduction on both engines. The aircraft crashed several seconds later. Feathers and other bird debris were collected from the canopy and windshield of the aircraft. Laboratory analysis identified the remains as coming from a female red-tailed hawk; the average weight of such a bird is 2.4 pounds.

    The investigation revealed that the impact of the bird on the canopy just above the windshield near the engine control quadrant likely jarred the fire extinguisher T-handles out of their detents and moved them aft, pushing both engine control levers into or near the flight idle position, reducing fuel to both engines. The pilots were probably disoriented from the broken windshield and rushing air and were unable to react in time to maintain control of the helicopter.

    The helicopter was originally equipped with laminated glass windshields that complied with European bird-strike resistance standards. PHI replaced the windshields with lighter-weight, aftermarket cast acrylic windshields that did not have any bird-strike resistance standards.

    The NTSB determined that the helicopter crashed because of the sudden loss of power to both engines following the bird strike and the subsequent disorientation of the crewmembers. Contributing to the accident, the Board said, were the lack of FAA regulations and guidance requiring helicopter windshields to be resistant to bird strikes, the lack of protections that would prevent the T-handles from inadvertently dislodging out of their detents, and the lack of a master warning light and audible system to alert the flight crew of a low-rotor speed condition.

    Recommendations were issued to the FAA dealing with, among other things, the design of S-76C++ fire extinguisher T- handles and engine control quadrants, and similar designs of other helicopters, and of audible low-rotor alarm systems; certification standards for helicopter windshields; and simultaneous dual-engine power loss training for helicopter pilots.

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    NTSB sending Team to Peru Crash Investigation


    Jan. 9, 2013
    WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team of investigators to Pucallpa, Peru, to assist the Government of Peru with its investigation of yesterday’s crash involving a Boeing helicopter. According to the U.S. Department of State, the accident claimed the lives of five American citizens.

    On Monday afternoon, in Pucallpa, Peru, a Boeing-Vertol 234 helicopter, operated by the U.S. operator Columbia Helicopters, crashed shortly after takeoff. The helicopter had departed from FAP Captain David Abenzur Rengifo International Airport, Pullcapa, Peru enroute to Tarapoto, Peru. It has been reported that all seven persons aboard the aircraft sustained fatal injuries.

    The NTSB has designated senior air safety investigator, Paul Cox, as the U.S. Accredited Representative. He will be accompanied by two NTSB investigators with expertise in helicopter systems and operations, a representative from the Federal Aviation Administration, and a representative from Columbia Helicopters. The team is expected to arrive in Peru tonight.

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    News:

    • AAAE President Charles Barclay urged the Senate majority leader and his Senate colleagues to quickly pass a multi-year FAA bill reauthorization bill and to permanently eliminate the AMT penalty on airport private activity bonds. Rushing the bill through in its current format would seriously hurt Federal Express. FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009
    • Northwest Airlines pilots Capt. Timothy Cheney of Gig Harbor, Washington, and First Officer Richard Cole of Salem, Oregon, who overshot Minneapolis by 150 miles have filed appeals of their license revocations with the National Transportation Safety Board.
    • Bill introduced to ban pilots from using laptops.
    • PASADENA, Calif. — /PRNewswire/ — The Tournament of Roses revealed that the heroic pilot who masterfully landed US Airways Flight 1549, Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger, III, will serve as the Grand Marshal for the 2010 Tournament of Roses festivities: Themed 2010: A Cut Above the Rest.
    • NAPA, Calif. — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Accused whistler-blower Dr. Frederick J. Foreman, former Senior Analyst for Metron Aviation Inc. (an aviation consulting company with numerous government contracts), who was fired for allegedly revealing critical information regarding airline passenger safety to Kate Hanni of the Flyers’ Rights coalition, has joined forces with the volunteer organization.

    VERO BEACH, Fla., November 6, 2009 — Piper Aircraft today announced that Piper Chief Executive Kevin J. Gould will assume the company’s presidency effective December 1, 2009. In addition, three other Piper executives have been promoted to vice president positions and one to a senior director position.PIPER AIRCRAFT ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP CONSOLIDATION

    EMBRAER HAS A NEW COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER FOR ASIA PACIFIC
    Based in Singapore, Shorbani Roy is responsible for media relations in the region São José dos Campos, November 4, 2009 – Embraer has named Shorbani Roy as Corporate Communications Manager for Asia Pacific, reporting directly to Alex Glock, Embraer Asia Pacific (EAP) Managing Director. Embraer also announced they will produce its 120-seat E-190 jet in China to respond faster when the country’s aviation market recovers, O Estado de S. Paulo said on Friday.

    LONG BEACH, Calif., Nov. 6, 2009 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) received Aviation Week magazine’s Program Excellence Award in the category of System Level Research & Development/System Development & Demonstration at the Aviation Week Aerospace & Defense Programs conference in Phoenix on Nov. 3. Boeing C-130 Avionics Modernization Program Receives Aviation Week Program Excellence Award

    Mesa Air Group, Inc. Announces Update on CRJ-200s Operating at United Airlines
    PHOENIX, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The timeframe for United Airlines to exercise its renewal rights with respect to extending Mesa’s operation of 26 CRJ-200 aircraft under its code-share agreement with United Airlines has expired. Mesa plans to work with United Airlines on an orderly transition plan, but, in any event, the date of exit from service is expected to be no later than April 30, 2010. Mesa Air Group, Inc. Announces Update on CRJ-200s Operating at United Airlines

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