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NTSB Recommends More Sophisticated Flight Tracking Technologies

NTSBIn the wake of recent aviation tragedies, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued new recommendations, on January 22, aimed at enhancing the flight tracking technologies.

In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the NTSB said, “Recent events have highlighted that recovering flight data can be costly and difficult when an accident occurs in a remote area, outside radar coverage.” To prevent such difficulties, the NTSB has recommended installation of tamper-resistant location transmission devices in all aircrafts.

Furthermore, the NTSB called for regulations mandating that the flight data and cockpit voice recorders of all commercial airliners be equipped with low-frequency underwater beacons capable of being easily located.

Cockpit video recorders and longer lasting batteries on the beacons are also among other recommendations submitted for consideration by the FAA.

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    FAA Forecast Predicts Air Travel to Double in Two Decades

    “NextGen” Investments Necessary to Meet Airspace Demands

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released its annual forecast today predicting that air travel will more than double in the next 20 years. This report underscores the need to keep the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) on track to accommodate future growth.

    “We need to invest in aviation today to make sure America’s economy remains competitive,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. “Innovative NextGen technology will help meet the demands of the future by getting passengers to their destinations safely and more quickly.”

    Today’s release of the FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal Years 2011-2031 predicts that U.S. airlines will reach the one billion passengers-per-year mark by 2021, two years earlier than last year’s prediction of 2023.

    Through NextGen, the FAA is transforming the U.S. aviation system from radar- to satellite-based systems that will help passengers reach their destinations more quickly and will increase capacity and safety. New, more precise routes will also reduce fuel burn, carbon emissions and noise.

    “We are already seeing the tangible safety and efficiency benefits of NextGen,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “Only a modernized air transportation system will be able to keep up with our forecasted demand.”

    The aviation standard to measure air travel volume is Revenue Passenger Miles (RPM) or one paying passenger traveling one mile. According to the forecast, RPMs are projected to more than double over the next two decades, from 787 billion in 2010 to 1.7 trillion in 2031.

    The FAA 20-year forecast predicts the number of passengers traveling on U.S. airlines will increase by 3.5 percent from last year to 737.4 million passengers in 2011. That figure is projected to grow an average of 2.8 percent each year during the remaining forecast period to 1.3 billion by 2031.

    Total landings and takeoffs at FAA towered airports are forecast to slightly decrease in 2011, and then grow at an average annual rate of 1.6 percent each year, reaching 69.4 million in 2031.

    Additional details on the forecast, including a detailed breakdown on general or private aviation, cargo demand, and landing and takeoff operations at airports and FAA facilities can be found in the FAA Forecast Fact Sheet Fiscal Years 2011-31 .

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    Proposed Brazilian Airline Restrictions

    Defense Minister Nelson Jobim announced plans to for an escape area at the end of the notorious Congonhas runway and limits on operations in wet conditions.

    Proposed rules would restrict destinations to a 620-mile radius of the Congonhas airport; it would also bar connecting flights

    Plans include limiting the number of passengers, and restricting takeoffs/landings to 33 hourly, and cutting passenger capacity from 5,100 per hour to 4,700.

    Operations at Brazil’s busiest airport were reviewed after an airliner ran off the runway and crashed into a building on July 17, the deadliest air accident in the country’s history. The 620-mile limit would eliminate tourist destinations in the northeast. One wonders if they are deliberately targeting the American market.

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    Experimental Plane Crashed in South Carolina; Pilot Remained Stuck in Cockpit for 7 Hours

    Experimental plane crash

    An experimental plane crashed near Sumter Airport, Sumter County, South Carolina, at about 11:30am on April 27.

    The single passenger plane was scheduled to land at Sumter Airport around lunch time but it never showed up. The search and rescue teams were then sent for finding the plane, which finally spotted it along Brewington Road at around 5:30pm.

    According to the rescue workers, they found the crashed plane in an upside down position, with the pilot stuck in the cockpit. The rescuers then cut through the wreckage and lifted the pilot, who had remained stuck inside the cockpit for around seven hours. He was then taken to Palmetto Health Richland for medical treatment. His injuries are believed to be non-life threatening.

    According to the Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis, “The FAA will come in and do an investigation and determine what caused the crash… At this time, we have no knowledge of what actually caused the crash.”

    As per the FAA records, the airplane was an experimental plane, built in 2012.

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    Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Orange County

    A small Piper Cherokee plane made an emergency landing at Red Hill and McGaw avenues in Irvine, Orange County, California, on September 16.

    Authorities said the plane, owned by Orange Coast College, came to rest at MacArthur Boulevard near John Wayne Airport.

    There were 2 people, including a student pilot and an instructor, aboard at the time; none of them reported any injuries.

    The FAA is looking into the cause of crash.

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    ICAO Takes Air Cargo Security and Transparency Safety Initiatives

    The ICAO released a report that they are joining forces with the World Customs Organization to counter terrorism and criminal activity. The Memorandum of Understanding between the WCO and ICAO is intended to strengthen Air Cargo Security.

    The complex, multifaceted network of the global air cargo system will require a complex, multifaceted safety solution.

    Read the press release pdf

    Two weeks ago, the ICAO announced they were adopting a Code of Conduct for sharing safety information touting the concept that “Transparency and sharing of safety information are fundamental to a safe air transportation system.”

    The code is based on consistent, fact-based and transparent response to safety, and a guide to international bureaucracies for implementation of transparency.

    Read the press release pdf

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    IATA Releases 2013 Commercial Aviation Safety Performance Statistics

    IATA-logoInternational Air Transport Association (IATA) has released the 2013 commercial aviation performance statistics.

    According to IATA, more than 3 billion people enjoyed safe air travel last year, through 36.4 million flights. 81 air accidents happened throughout the year, out of which 16 were fatal. The total fatalities in commercial aviation accidents were 210, as compared to 414 in 2012.

    Furthermore, the global Western-built jet accident rate for 2013 was 0.41 i.e. one accident per 2.4 million flights. The rate is 14.6% lower than the five year average of 0.48.

    The Western-built jet hull loss rate for IATA members remained 0.30 in the year 2013, showing an improvement of 28.6% in the five year average rate of 0.32.

    The Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Tony Tyler has urged the governments and the aviation industry to make combined efforts in order to ensure flight safety. He said that the MH370 case has highlighted the pitfalls in flight tracking technologies. The airline industry, its stakeholders and regulators should make efforts to avoid such accidents in future.

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