Recording of flight data ceased four minutes before Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people, says transport ministry.

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Russia’s missing An-2 plane found, all aboard alive

Russia’s missing An-2 plane found, all aboard alive

The missing An-2 light aircraft, which disappeared in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has been found with all three people aboard alive, local authorities said on Sunday.All three individuals on…

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India Not On Track with Mangalore Crash Investigation

An Indian newspaper (Okay, it is the Times of India, you dragged it out of me) has revealed that “According to Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 5 (Air Safety), Series C, Part I issued on 13 October 2006, preliminary report by the inspector of accidents/inquiry officer should be finalized within 10 days of the accident.”

Furthermore, the preliminary report should be in the format provided by International Civil Aviation Organization, and the deadline for submitting the preliminary investigation report for the May 22 Air India Express Mangalore aircrash was June 2.

Here it is nearly halfway through July and no report.

Of course, never mind that other countries take a year or more to finalize their reports. Silly of other countries. After all, other countries carefully keep the wreckage. Apparently the DGCA doesn’t think that’s necessary, because they are reported to have just thrown out the wreckage with the garbage–after having let it sit in the elements for more than a month.

A court of inquiry has been formed to investigate the Mangalore air tragedy. The information uploaded on the ministry of civil aviation’s website under the title “initial investigation report” is not the preliminary investigation report but is “only put up to keep the public informed about the progress of the investigation.”

So, if you’re wondering what happens in India when the DGCA (India’s aviation equivalent of US. FAA/NTSB) officials violate their own rules?

Apparently nothing.

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Purdue University Opening New Aviation Engine Testing Facility

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University will operate a new federally funded facility to test aircraft engines and develop alternative fuels in work that also aims to reduce the nation’s reliance on imported oil.
The National Test Facility for Fuels and Propulsion is funded with a $1.35 million grant from the U.S. Air Force and will be housed in the Niswonger Aviation Technology Building at the Purdue Airport.

“The aerospace industry now has an unprecedented interest in developing green aircraft using biofuels,” said David L. Stanley, an associate professor of aeronautical engineering technology at Purdue and principal investigator of the facility. “Testing will be conducted while fuels are being researched for development. This means input will be provided during the development phase, not after the fuel has been developed, which helps to ensure the best results possible.”

The facility, expected to open in late 2010 or early 2011, will test aerospace hardware in engines and aircraft and provide data related to fuel-sustainability and emissions goals and for economic assessments.

“This is a multidisciplinary research approach that begins with growing crops, developing fuels from those crops in the laboratory and then testing those fuels in engines,” said Denver Lopp, a professor of aviation technology and one of two co-principal investigators.

The other co-principal investigator is J. Mark Thom, a professor of aviation technology.

Work will focus on jet engines but will include some testing related to piston engines.

“The project involves faculty members in the colleges of Agriculture, Engineering, Science and Technology to develop a well-rounded and capable research team for fuels research, with particular focus on aviation and aerospace,” Lopp said. “Purdue is strong in each of these areas, and having an airport also enhances these strengths.”

The researchers will work with the Air Force, industry and government agencies to develop the fuels.

“Roughly 17 billion gallons of turbine fuel are burned annually in the United States, and clearly a portion of this could be saved by blending alternative fuels,” Stanley said. “The U.S. Air Force intends to be able to operate its fleet on blends of these fuels.”

The work will tackle four major bottlenecks to aerospace progress: access to hardware testing; development of control logic and systems permitting flex-fuel operation and realization of improved efficiencies; sustainability of biofuels related to crop productivity, as well as bio and synthetic fuels’ ability to meet both near- and long-term aerospace requirements; and regulatory compliance.

“The overall goal is to update and maintain a multifaceted national testing facility with dedicated administration to support development and testing of alternative energy sources for aerospace equipment,” Lopp said. “This facility will address all energy sources and will not be an advocate of any particular fuel.”

Writer: Emil Venere, 765-494-4709, venere@purdue.edu

Sources: David Stanley, 765-494-6266, stanledl@purdue.edu

Denver Lopp, 765-494-6387, denver@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: ( 765 ) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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FAA Finalizes Recurrent Aircraft Registration Rule

For Immediate Release
July 19, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to create a more accurate aircraft registration database, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requiring re-registration of all civil aircraft over the next three years and renewal every three years after that.

The rule establishes specific expiration dates over a three-year period for all aircraft registered before Oct. 1, 2010, and requires re-registration of those aircraft according to a specific schedule. All aircraft registration certificates issued on or after Oct. 1, 2010 will be good for three years with the expiration date clearly shown.

“These improvements will give us more up-to-date registration data and better information about the state of the aviation industry,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt.

Current regulations require owners to report the sale of an aircraft, the scrapping or destruction of an aircraft, or a change in mailing address, but many owners have not complied with those requirements.

Re-registration of all U.S. civil aircraft by Dec. 31, 2013 will enhance the database with current data derived from recent contact with aircraft owners. The new regulations also will ensure that aircraft owners give the FAA fresh information at least once every three years when they renew their registration. The FAA will cancel the N-numbers of aircraft that are not re-registered or renewed.

Re-registration and registration expiration
Certificate issued (Any year) Certificate expires Re-registration required
March March 31, 2011 Nov. 1, 2010–Jan. 31, 2011
April June 30, 2011 Feb. 1–April 30, 2011
May Sept. 30, 2011 May 1– July 31, 2011
June Dec. 31, 2011 Aug. 1– Oct. 31, 2011
July March 31, 2012 Nov. 1, 2011–Jan. 31, 2012
August June 30, 2012 Feb. 1– April 30, 2012
September Sept. 30, 2012 May 1– July 31, 2012
October Dec. 31, 2012 Aug. 1– Oct. 31, 2012
November March 31, 2013 Nov. 1, 2012–Jan. 31, 2013
December June 30, 2013 Feb. 1– April 30, 2013
January Sept. 30, 2013 May 1– July 31, 2013
February Dec. 31, 2013 Aug. 1– Oct. 31, 2013
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