Christmas Lists and Microsoft Flight Simulator X!

This is what I want for Christmas! 


Next month I am going to upgrade from my bespoke, original Pentium 4, 3GB Ram with a half decent graphics card to a more dedicated 'Games Machine' computer.  Ironically the only game I want to play on it is Microsoft Flight Simulator!  At first, thinking about, the idea of buying a decent, beefed up computer for the sole purpose of playing ONE game doesn't sound like the best of investments does it? Exactly, I agree.  Looking slightly below the surface the true value of having the ability to play, or 'operate' possibly the best value for money and easily accessible flight simulation software in your own home comes to light.


Before my current computer stopped 'shining' in the performance stakes, I used Microsoft Flight Simulator as a key part of my pre flight planning ritual.  As a student pilot one of the things my CFI told me was, "when planning a flight, make sure you have flown it [the flight] in your head prior to actually getting airborne".  This made complete sense to me.  Still true today, before each flight, whether I am in the car or sitting on the sofa I fly each flight in my head! Radio calls, checklists, departure, zone transits, arrival all the way to landing gets acted out with an Oscar winning performance.  Qualified pilots don't always continue certain practices that are drummed into them during initial training into their post-qualifying flying, but this 'Mind Flying' works for me.  Taking this further, before flying to a new destination I used Microsoft Flight Simulator to fly the route, approach and landing at the new field.  This helped tremendously with seeing the runway orientation on approach to the new airfield. When flown for real there would be no surprises, or at least reduce the level of potential surprises!!


I know that there are other simulator software titles out there, X Plane being one of them, but I tend to stick to what I have tried and tested.  Also the amount of expansion packs available for Microsoft Flight Simulator is second to none.


I am looking forward to upgrading and getting back up into a virtual sky near you!


Have Fun!!


Flight Acceleration X-pack enables gamers to play head to head against their friends or others in exciting racing missions, in addition to 20 new missions and new content.  Looks better than ever with enhanced DX10 graphics!
Price: $39.99
Click here to buy from Amazon

Embraer Claims It Hasn’t Given Up on China Talks

Air Transport and Cargo, Aerospace Industry Brazil’s Embraer remains in negotiations with Chinese authorities over the prospect of building E-Jets at the Harbin-Embraer plant in Harbin, China, a company spokesperson told AIN today. The spokesperson contradicted a Dow Jones report published today indicating that Embraer will close the factory in Harbin in March, following delivery of the last 50-seat ERJ-145 on backlog. “We’re still in discussions [with the Chinese],” said the spokesperson, who nevertheless acknowledged that if Embraer and the Chinese authorities do not come to terms by the time the last airplane rolls out of the factory, the joint venture would likely dissolve.

The Dow Jones article cited a report by Brazilian news agency Estado, which attributed its information to Embraer vice president of commercial aviation Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva. According to Estado, Souza e Silva said that Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote a letter to the Chinese government about the matter but that he received no reply.

Last winter Embraer had given itself until the middle of this year to reach an agreement with its Chinese partners about adapting its assembly line in Harbin to build 70- to 110-seat E-Jets. “We think by mid-2010, that would be the deadline to start the implementation of the new tooling and training of people or [head in] a new direction,” Embraer executive vice president for new airline market programs Mauro Kern told AIN early this year. Although the Embraer executive mentioned “other possibilities,” he chose not to name them.

Since then, Embraer has said little about the negotiations and has declined several requests for interviews on the subject.

All signs point to an anemic or non-existent market for Harbin-Embraer ERJ-145s after the joint venture builds its last 50-seat jet next year. As the rate of 50-seat jet retirements continues to accelerate in North America and Europe, a robust supply of used airplanes appears likely to satisfy any demand that exists for the relatively fuel-thirsty jets in the rest of the world, including China.

View the original article here

Hawker and Union To Reopen Contract Negotiations

Business Aviation Wichita-based Hawker Beechcraft and the machinists union that represents its production workers agreed to reopen contract negotiations tomorrow, with a membership vote now scheduled for October 16, a union spokesman said. This comes on the heels of an agreement reached on Tuesday evening by the company, the union and Kansas Gov.

Mark Parkinson that would keep the “vast majority” of Hawker Beechcraft jobs in Wichita. “We have an agreement in principle that allows the union and the company to resume their contract negotiations,” said Parkinson.

“The state has offered, and Hawker Beechcraft has accepted, an incentive package for product development, workforce training and tuition reimbursement…in Wichita. However, he added that the agreement is contingent upon the successful conclusion of a new long-term labor agreement between the union and Hawker Beechcraft.

Bill Boisture, chairman and CEO of Hawker Beechcraft, thanked the governor for his role and noted the “full support of the International Association of Machinists in pursuing this process jointly. A major issue in the union negotiations has been the insistence by the company that among its options is the possibility of moving some jobs elsewhere, possibly to Mexico.

Talks were suspended last Friday after union negotiators became aware that Louisiana was offering incentives to lure the entire company to Baton Rouge.

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Standing Room Only at Bombardier Safety Standdown

Business Aviation, Safety Bombardier’s four-day Safety Standdown seminar, which concluded today in Wichita, was fully booked. A new format was launched this year, featuring two days of workshops and two days of general sessions.

New on the agenda at this 14th annual edition were workshops on aviation meteorology, human performance, advanced aerodynamics and aviation leaders/managers, the last-mentioned focusing on establishing benchmarks for professional ethics. “Safety Standdown promotes the philosophy of knowledge-based training and personal discipline,” said Learjet director of flight operations Puja Mahajan.

“It is designed to initiate and sustain positive changes in behavior and cultural norms through the use of workshops and seminars given by subject-matter experts. Among the return presenters were Gene Cernan, U.S. Navy (ret.) and commander of Apollo 17; NTSB member Dr.

Mark Rosekind; Dr. Tony Kern, CEO and senior partner at Convergent Performance; and Sean Roberts, director of the National Test Pilot School.

The free event was held in partnership with NBAA, the European Business Aviation Association, the FAA and the NTSB.

View the original article here

Air Mekong Launching Service in Vietnam with SkyWest CRJ 900s

Air Transport and Cargo, Regional Airlines Vietnam’s Air Mekong, 30-percent owned by U.S. regional airline SkyWest, plans to launch domestic services on October 9 using four 86-seat Bombardier CRJ900s subleased from the St. George, Utah-based regional. The new airline, aided with a $7 million investment by SkyWest and staffed with several pilots recruited from SkyWest subsidiary Atlantic Southeast Airlines, will fly to eight destinations, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Phu Quoc, according to SkyWest vice president of finance and treasurer Mike Kraupp. Early next month it plans to add to two more destinations to a schedule expected to cover between 28 and 30 flights a day.

Apart from SkyWest’s stake, the capital base of privately held Air Mekong consists of investments from Vietnamese businesses and individuals, said Kraupp.

SkyWest has sought opportunities outside the U.S. ever since it invested $5 million in Brazil’s Trip Airlines in 2008. Six months later it invested another $15 million, and during the first quarter of this year it invested another $10 million in the airline, bringing its total ownership stake to 20 percent–the most it is permitted to own under Brazilian law. Trip Airlines flies ATR turboprops and Embraer E175 jets.

 Original article here

Sixth Boeing 787 Takes Flight, Company Reports ‘Good Progress’ with Test Program

By: Gregory Polek

October 5, 2010
Aerospace Industry, Air Transport and Cargo The sixth and final Boeing 787 to join the flight test fleet flew for the first time yesterday from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. The airplane, ZA006, landed at Seattle’s Boeing Field as planned, but two hours earlier than expected. A Boeing spokesperson said a maintenance message during the flight forced Captains Christine Walsh and Bill Roberson to cut short the mission “as a precautionary measure.” 

ZA006, the second 787 equipped with General Electric GEnx engines to fly,  took off from Paine Field at 11:41 a.m. local time and landed at Boeing Field one hour and four minutes later.

“It's great to have our last flight-test airplane join the fleet,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “We have been focused on completing the testing required for certification of the 787 with Rolls-Royce engines, because that is the first model we deliver. A great deal of the testing that we’ve done also applies to the 787s with GE engines and won’t need to be repeated.” 

Boeing noted, however, that a smaller portion of testing unique to the engine/airframe combination includes noise trials, extreme weather operations, function and reliability and extended operations. Furthermore, the 787 team must verify uniformity of airplane handling and systems function regardless of engine type. 

Boeing said it plans to conduct some further flight tests with one of the production airplanes, the ninth 787 built, but that it does not consider that airplane a full-time member of the flight-test fleet.

Boeing reports that the Dreamliner team has completed a number of flight-test milestones in recent weeks, including a series of natural and artificial icing tests. The trials indicated no need for changes, it added, and pilots reported that the airplane handled well despite the presence of ice. 

The company has also finished flight loads survey testing, which demonstrates the pressure distribution on the airplane structure throughout the phases of flight in a variety of configurations. The team conducted that testing on ZA004, primarily at the airport at Victorville, Calif. Analysis of this testing continues.

Boeing completed a series of tests that stress the airplane’s brakes, called maximum brake energy testing, in late September at Edwards Air Force Base. It used ZA001 to conduct that testing, as well as a series takeoffs and landings under extreme conditions, including minimum takeoff speed testing. Earlier in the month, ZA001 completed wet runway testing at Roswell, N.M.

The third Dreamliner, ZA003, flew to Glasgow, Mont., to complete community noise testing. All results fell within expectations.

Boeing reports that it has completed all takeoff performance and handling characteristics testing for the Rolls-Royce-powered 787. It will need to perform some further testing with the two 787s equipped with GE engines.

The 787 flight-test program has logged more than 1,900 hours over 620 flights and completed more than 65 percent of the flight-test conditions for 787s with Rolls-Royce engines. Boeing has also completed “well over” 4,000 hours of ground testing on the same airplanes involved in the flight-test program.

Meanwhile, fatigue testing has started at a test rig in Everett, where Boeing has simulated 15 flights. Federal regulations require the company to conduct twice as many flight cycles as any airplane in revenue service. Boeing plans to have completed 10,000 flight cycles before first delivery.

Back

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Pratt & Whitney Canada Launches Global Flight Test Operations Facility

Aerospace Industry, Air Transport and Cargo Engines, Business Aviation Engines Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) joined Canadian and Quebec government officials in inaugurating the company’s global flight test operations center yesterday at Montreal-Mirabel International Airport. The ceremony marked the launch of the first phase of Pratt & Whitney Canada’s Mirabel Aerospace Center at Montreal-Mirabel International Airport, where the company plans to conduct flight testing of its complete range of engines, including turboprops and turbofans rated at up to 90,000 pounds of thrust. The center houses two Boeing 747SPs converted to flying test beds designed to simulate a complete range of flight conditions and collect record amounts of engine data. 

The second phase of the project, already under way and scheduled for completion next spring, involves construction of facilities dedicated to assembly and testing of Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1524G for the Bombardier C Series and the PW800 engine family for the next generation of large business jets. 

A 300,000-sq-ft facility, the Mirabel Aerospace Center represents a $360 million investment. P&WC plans to employ some 300 people at the center by 2015. 

Consistent with P&WC’s stated commitment to sustainable development, P&WC has equipped the Mirabel Aerospace Center with a wall to absorb and store solar energy as well as an energy-efficient lighting system that maximizes the use of natural light. 

View the original article here

ADS-B Gets Green Light, GPS Backup Less Clear

Government, ATC, Avionics Following successful ADS-B deployment at key sites in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, Louisville and Philadelphia, the FAA recently gave the go ahead for the system’s national rollout, with coast-to-coast U.S. coverage forecast in 2013. The agency’s announcement also stated that wide-area multilateration (Wam) “will serve as a backup to ADS-B in the event of a GPS outage in high-value airspace.

The FAA did not define high-value airspace , but it possibly includes that surrounding the nation’s 35 Operational Evolution Plan airports. Puzzlingly, however, the FAA has an expert panel currently examining GPS backups, with its recommendations still to be made, while the agency’s final ADS-B rule in May downplayed Wam as a backup candidate.

Possibly, this is a pre-emptive FAA strike, following continuing concerns of the Government Accountability Office in September that the Department of Defense cannot be certain that the GPS constellation will always provide adequate civil coverage before 2018. The expert panel’s recommended solutions might also not be widely available commercially to counter any early GPS outages.

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GA fatalities decrease

Preliminary figures released by the National Transportation Safety Board this week show aviation deaths decreased from 574 in 2008 to 538 in 2009. Nearly 90% of aviation fatalities occurred in general aviation accidents (471), but they still represented a decrease from the previous year (494).

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Approved Model List expansion for AvTek’s Pulsar

The Pulsar-MOSFET Landing Light Flasher System from AvTek has received an expanded Approved Model List from the FAA. The AML expansion (which includes nearly all popular certificated aircraft) is applicable to either the one-light or two-light system. See the AvTek website for pricing.

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Maverick first to market with LSA “Flying Car”

Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, is an expert on Light Sport Aircraft.
Terrafugia has been getting tons of press and no wonder. The MIT brain trust developing the Transition is breaking new ground in numerous ways. While we await their sophisticated “roadable airplane,” a simpler flying car concept won its SLSA approval Sept. 28. Entering the SLSA List at #110… welcome I-tec Maverick. Like Transition, this is one clever critter.

Unlike Transition, Maverick does not need to meet federal motor vehicle standards. It’s classified as a kit car and is thereby exempt from those onerous requirements. Though I-tec Design Manager Troy Townsend drove it 1,400 miles from central Florida to Oshkosh, Maverick was created to be more of an off-road vehicle. Company videos appear to show Maverick is well suited to this role (plus they’re well edited and fun to watch).
“The Orlando office of the FAA issued a historic Special Light Sport Aircraft airworthiness certificate to I-tec,” stated the company. Troy clarified, saying this was “the first-ever certificate issued for a vehicle that drives and flies.”
Maverick is the culmination of six years of R&D by I-tec — the Indigenous Peoples’ Technology and Education Center — a Christian non-profit humanitarian organization based in Dunnellon, Florida. I-tec is lead by Steve Saint, who spent his youth in the frontier regions of Ecuador. He identified many of the primary requirements for what he calls a “frontier vehicle”: It must be rugged, and be easy to service in remote areas; use widely available automotive fuel; and be able to fly over terrain when the roads fail. Maverick fits the bill.
Maverick’s patented “Dual Drive System,” with “Integrated Controls” means it drives and flies using the same steering wheel and gas pedal. Powered by a 128-hp engine, the 900-pound Maverick can reach 80 mph on pavement. For pilots, the “Wing Deployment System” makes Maverick distinct. A carbon fiber mast telescopes up and by crossing the mast with a span bow at the leading edge, Maverick can maintain its parachute aloft after landing.
This permits the flying dune buggy to land in a tiny space with rough terrain that would not allow conventional lay out of a parachute canopy. The project aimed to fill a need for frontier transportation. The organization didn’t set out to become a manufacturer, so I-tec is entertaining the possibility of licensing production to an outside entity in order to concentrate on its “engineering ministry” focused on health care for people beyond the reach of medical services. Priced at $84,000, a few early buyers can qualify for $79,000.
For more information: Itecusa.org/Maverick.html or ByDanJohnson.com
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ADS-B stalls on takeoff

An FAA memorandum is causing severe turbulence for the early implementation of ADS-B equipment. The Aug. 30 memo mandates that all ADS-B equipment must be installed via a supplemental type certificate (STC).

In the memo, FAA officials state: “The FAA feels that TC, ATC or STC design approval is more appropriate to ensure consistent performance. It is expected that as both the FAA and the industry gain experience on these initial installations, that the FAA will allow other approvals, including field approvals.”

In a letter sent Oct. 4 to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, the Aircraft Electronics Association points out the unintended consequence of this action, and states the policy likely will kill not only early implementation, but also any innovation and new products that were expected to be brought to market to provide low-cost solutions for general aviation aircraft.

The policy specifically addresses the installation of products that meet TSO-C166 Revision “B” or TSO-C154 Revision “C.” This policy does not apply to Mode S transponder products that were certified to earlier revision levels of these TSOs.

AEA officials say they continue to work directly with the FAA concerning this issue, but notes that the association “cannot encourage or support the early implementation of ADS-B technology until this flawed policy has been resolved.”

For more information: AEA.net or FAA.gov

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Sporty’s expands international chart selection

Sporty’s has expanded its offerings of aviation charts to cover many additional countries, including: Mexico, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands. This is in addition to Sporty’s full selection of Canadian and Caribbean charts.

“As pilots, we know how hard it can be to find international charts,” said Sporty’s Vice President John Zimmerman. “That’s why we have worked with multiple chart agencies to offer a wide selection of charts all in one place.”

VFR charts are available for Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, UK, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands. En Route Low Altitude Charts for instrument pilots are also available for Mexico and the Caribbean. In addition, airport guide books are offered for Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

“Pilots need charts fast, so every chart we sell, including international ones, receive our standard same-day shipping and two-day delivery,” added Zimmerman. “And pilots can be assured that every chart we sell is up to date.”

To order charts, start a new chart subscription, or use any of Sporty’s online chart tools: Sportys.com/Charts.

View the original article here

FAA mandates upgrade to Eclipse avionics

“Uncommanded changes” to radio frequencies, altitudes and transponder codes by the electronic flight information systems in some Eclipse jets have been reported, leading to an Airworthiness Directive issued this week that mandates upgrades to the system, according to a report at AVweb, which notes the AD affects approximately 168 aircraft in the fleet. Depending what kind of system the airplane has, the fix could cost as little as $770 to $1,670, or as much as $249,950.

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Multisump Aviation Fuel Tester debuts

Now available at Aircraft Spruce is the Multisump Aviation Fuel Tester, which was invented and designed by a general aviation pilot.

The design of the Multisump Aviation Fuel Tester accommodates the fuel checking needs of today’s modern aircraft and pilots while taking into account current environmental needs, according to company officials. The tester is constructed from stainless steel and a fuel resistant plastic. It also includes a specially designed, no-drip, no-dribble pour spout for mess-free emptying. The clear construction allows for the final inspection of collected fuel before the catch can is emptied.
The Multisump Aviation Fuel Tester is priced at $24.95. For more information: 877-4SPRUCE or  AircraftSpruce.com
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Pressure mounts to ‘park’ EU vote on pilot certification

With the European Union Commission nearing a vote on adopting EU-wide pilot certification rules, AOPA is warning that the package — which does not include acceptance of third-country pilot credentials — would erect trade barriers with consequences felt in the U.S. flight training and manufacturing sectors, according to a report at AOPA.org.

The story notes that pilots who complete their flight training in the United States would be required to repeat most of the same training upon returning to an EU state, and it would render the FAA instrument rating useless in Europe. U.S. aircraft manufactures and flight training schools will suffer from a downturn in business from Europe as it is unlikely anyone would invest getting a U.S. aircraft or license which lasts for one or two years, said Craig Spence, AOPA vice president of operations and international affairs. Read the full report here.

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Playing Jeopardy with Aviation’s Future

That Future of Flight Training session at AirVenture a few weeks ago left me feeling pretty cranky … whiny even.  Not because of the session itself. All the folks on the panel, including moderator Greg Laslo, couldn’t have been nicer.
But we all walked away from the discussion with the same thought … now what? Considering the lousy turnout, as Scott Spangler mentioned last week, I left wondering how anything we spoke about could in any way affect how the management types view flight training or its foundational position within the industry?
So here’s an idea, let’s not make the argument for flight training any longer.
Let’s focus the light where it really needs to be, on the Big Picture, where everyone claims they’re looking anyway.
Without pilots, there is no aviation industry, period. No Part 135 charter, no corporate flight departments, no sightseeing flights and most of all, no airlines … nothing.
We need to stop pussy footing around trying to grab a few new students here and there to fly our shiny new Cessnas, and Cirrus SR-22s and Piper Warriors. Let’s be serious, none of the previous incarnations of any Learn-to-Fly programs have ever come even close to returning us to the old days when 17,000 new airplanes were delivered in a year and a commensurate number of pilot starts kept the Government Printing Office in business producing student pilot certificates. We’re all so focused on Learn-to-Fly though as the solution as if the only audience we need to succeed with are those potential customers for flight schools.
Another Perfect Storm?
We all hate listening to the fact that 75 percent of new student starts last year quit before they ever earned their Private Pilot certificate. But for the moment, how we deal with that one issue is irrelevant.
The Big Picture question really is why only a few of us appear to see the writing on the wall … that very soon, we’re again going to be short of qualified pilots not simply to teach people to fly, but with the commensurate skills to compete for professional pilot cockpit jobs coming down the road?
Making matters worse is that fewer and fewer young people see flying as a career … starting pay is almost food-stamp level and the amount of debt to pay for the training is beyond most. The military long ago dried up as a viable source of pilots and the passing of HR 5900 – the Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act – that could force airlines to require an ATP from all candidates (with a few exceptions) will only make the situation worse. We haven’t even spoken yet about the rash of “Fly-til-their-65” airline pilots who will very soon be grounded.
It’s time we stopped looking at each individual business as separate from what make aviation fly … airplanes. No pilots, no FBOs … no pilots, no need for many training airplanes … no pilots, no need for airlines, no pilots, no need to see John and Martha much down the road. But we all seem to look at the shortage of people learning to fly as if it really has nothing to do with these individual segments … but it does, all of them.
A Bright Spot
At AirVenture this year, I met a really bright young Singapore Airlines pilot who was just crazy in love with aviation. One reason he was so enthused was not simply because he had a job, but because he’d always wanted to fly but was successful even though he lacked the funds to pay for the training. Originally from Mumbai, he mentioned it was a tad more expensive there to learn to fly.
So how did he reach the skill level of licenses and hours necessary to get hired by Singapore? Easy. He didn’t. He was hired through Singapore’s cadet program, better known to us here in the states as an ab initio training system.
Singapore paid for all his flight training from his private right up through his turbine time via a Lear 45 type rating. His total time is somewhere in the neighborhood of 350 hours and he’s soon off to school on the Boeing 777 all at the expense of Singapore Airlines. His commitment to Singapore for their commitment to him … seven years of his life after he completes training.
In the U.S. of course, no such programs exist. Our airlines – in fact every organization that uses pilots in this country – assumes the pilots should bare the costs of learning the ropes because that’s the way we’ve always done it. This strategy of course makes pilots rather expendable when it suits the company. That strategy is going to begin biting us all in the butt pretty soon though.
Our Future
“This whole pilot shortage thing doesn’t seem that bad to me,” a fellow told me at AirVenture over a cold drink one afternoon. I asked this young man to consider that the only item that has kept this pilot shortage chaos from running rampant right now is that our economy tanked which forced many companies to lay off crews. But that life preserver is going to sink once  we’re all back in business again.
Think back though, to just a few short years ago when anyone with a pilot’s license was being hired and upgrade times were shoving questionable captains into a command role, a topic that forced some of the recent regulatory chaos in the aftermath of the Colgan crash in Buffalo.
The question again is why we aren’t working as a group on this. Wait you say? What about DOT Secretary Ray LaHood’s Future of Aviation Advisory Committee (FAAC) seminars coming soon to a town near you?
With only Cessna’s Jack Pelton representing general aviation vs.. a slew of airline and airline union people, I doubt LaHood’s future will have much to do with people learning to fly. Of course, I could be wrong. Let’s take a look at the agenda for this week’s meeting in Chicago. There’s NextGen, and Financing, Safety, Competition, the Environment and Work Force Issues. Nope, nothing about the foundation of the industry there.
If these sessions are really about the future of our industry, it’s time someone thumped Mr. LaHood on the back of the head and told him that without a steady supply of men and women to drive these ever-evolving aerial machines, there won’t be much of an industry for aircraft manufacturers like Cessna, Boeing, Airbus, Embraer … the list goes on. That also mean the parts and service suppliers are going to get a whack as well. Flight training is simply the foundation upon which our industry is built … and trust me, the low-fuel light is on and no one seems to notice, or if they have, they seem clueless to solve the problem.
Now if, as some industry insiders have told me, the LaHood shows are simply PR fluff to make it look like someone is taking action, then I say shame on Mr. LaHood – as well as our President – for wasting a precious opportunity to actually use the experts gathered together for these little pow- wows to try and solve some of the problems we’re desperately struggling with in the industry.
If these FAACs aren’t fluff, and if you really believe that a steady supply of pilots is critical for success, why is Cessna CEO Jack Pelton the only man in the room representing the general aviation side of the world … the foundation of our industry?
What’s it going to be? Are we going to build yet another general aviation Learn-to-Fly program to encourage more people to take to the air or are we finally going to gather the industry’s best and brightest together – the Cessnas, the Boeings, the John and Martha Kings, the Garmins, the airlines, the FBOs, the charter industry and people from every other segment of the industry to solve the problem?
If we don’t, there’s no need for a Flying magazine, no need for Aviation International News, no need for Avweek, and certainly no need for @flightblogger, or @avweekbenet, no @getintheair, no Airplane Geeks podcasts and of course, no @jetwhine. Without a way to encourage people to choose aviation as a career, we won’t need any of this.
Whatever we do, we’d better get moving pretty quickly. Pilots are turning away from the industry much faster than they’re signing up. If we’re going to gather all these experts together, lets put them to work on a problem that needs solving … building a foundation for every other element of the aviation industry. That’s a Big Picture idea.
Visit the FAAC page here and tell them you’re mad as hell and you’re not going to watch our industry crumble while the politicians play pretend. The next FAAC meeting is in Chicago on Wednesday, but here’s a thought. When the invites go out for that next Big Picture meeting, let’s not invite the people who put that guest list together for our Transportation Secretary because it’s pretty clear they don’t have a clue.
Rob Mark, editor
Technorati Tags: Cessna aircraft,Jack Pelton,Ray LaHood,DOT,Future of Aviation Advisory Committee,FAAC,@flightblogger,@avweekbenet,John and Martha King,Flying Magazine,Boeing,Embraer,Aviation International News,HR 5900,Garmin,Singapore Airlines

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What’s Wonder Bread got to do with GA?

AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli posits a new theory about the stagnating GA industry: He says blame Wonder Bread. In his blog, which you can read in full here, he states:

“As long as diverging income inequality continues, as long as the better paid wage earners find their pay to be stagnant or declining, flying is going to be out of reach except for the most resourceful and determined.”

Confusion reigns over ETS implementation in Europe

By: Charles Alcock

Environment Europe’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) is not much more than a year away, with a mandatory introduction date of January 1, 2012, for all operators making even the shortest flights into the continent’s airspace, and yet there is still widespread confusion about how key aspects of the system will work. In particular, with less than six months until the March 31, 2011 deadline for verified 2010 emissions and activity reports to be submitted, there are serious doubts about what operators need to do to find an accredited verifier and how much the process will cost them.

For many in the business aviation community, and especially those based outside Europe who might log only a small number of flights into Europe, the core dilemma is how user-friendly the rules for small emitters–defined as emitting fewer than 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year–will prove to be in practice.

When the European Commission (EC) approved the so-called small emitters tool for calculating emissions from data generated by Eurocontrol, many bizav operators let out a sigh of relief on the assumption that this would be easy enough for them to figure out their own CO2 numbers and avoid the need to involve costly consultants.
More specifically, it was hoped that there would be no need to use accredited verifiers to check the emissions reports because the data would be accepted as having come from an approved, independent source.

However, there has been no official ruling to excuse small emitters from using a verifier. As things stand, operators accountable to national authorities in many of the 27 European Union (EU) states are still struggling to find lists of the accredited verifiers that they are permitted to use. Even those who can find verifiers are not clear as to what this service will cost them, mainly because authorities have yet to rule on whether to waive the costly site visits that strictly speaking are required to complete the process.

So far only the ETS authorities in Germany and France have published lists of verifiers for the aviation sector, and in the case of France the companies listed have not actually completed the accreditation process and so are not yet legally approved to do the job. Accreditation bodies in other countries, including the UK, are still working on the applications from companies that have applied for approval, but in some states the ground rules and timetable for this key process have not even been confirmed, raising serious doubts as to whether operators assigned to these states will be able to meet the March 31 deadline. Failure to meet the deadline could trigger significant fines.

Prospective verifiers SGS and VerifAvia told AIN that operators should begin the process with companies that they believe are likely to be accredited, in the hope that they will be and that the authorities will then accept the completed ETS reports.

Verifiers are divided as to whether site visits, even for small emitters, will be required. Paulomi Raythatha, UK product manager for SGS, said that at least for the first year site visits would be mandatory as this is the only effective way to ensure that operators are following an acceptable process to monitor and report emissions.
However, Antony Barrett, business development manager with BSI, predicted “sense will prevail” and that expensive site visits will not be required and that confirmation of this could come before the end of next month. VerifAvia CEO Julien Dufour explained that individual states will decide whether or not they waive the site visit, and he expects at least some will do so.

Several verifiers told AIN that they have yet to work out pricing, in part because of the uncertainty as to whether site visits will be needed but also because they are trying to work out what rates the market will bear. Since all the approved verifiers are expected to be based in Europe, in theory, a small U.S. operator might have to meet the cost of a verifier crossing the Atlantic for several days. Pressed by AIN to give estimated prices for a small emitter’s verification, verifiers indicated that these could run from around $1,800 to $3,400. For a medium-sized operator, the estimates increased to as much as $12,000.

Universal Weather & Aviation regulatory services supervisor Adam Hartley said the verification process could be complicated by the fact that many of the accredited verifiers will have a background in dealing with ground-based industries and will have little or no appreciation of the aviation sector’s circumstances. The flight-planning group is looking into setting up its own ETS support subsidiary to help operators with monitoring, reporting and verification. Its online EU-ETS Reporting Resource Center already provides a wealth of information on the process.

“ETS is still totally misfitted to this part of aviation,” Hartley told AIN. “However, we do expect [the authorities to give] more leeway during the pre-trading period into next year.”

The March 31, 2011, deadline for verified emissions reports applies only to those operators who registered to participate in the 2010 reporting period that will result in free CO2 credits being assigned. Many operators who expect to be small emitters effectively decided that this would be more trouble than it is worth. Nonetheless, these operators will need to be ready to monitor and report their emissions from the start of 2012.

Numbers Don’t Stack for Small Emitters Tool
The ETS small emitters tool for calculating CO2 emissions is remarkably simple at first glance, consisting of no more than an Excel spreadsheet into which operators can insert data from flight plans filed with the Eurocontrol central flow management unit. The resulting calculations are based on stored data for fuel burn of listed aircraft types.

But early users of the system have uncovered significant discrepancies. Aaron Misko, co-owner of Ohio-based ETS consultants Shockwave Aviation, has crunched numbers for 60 operators covering more than 100 aircraft operating last year. He found CO2 emission estimates overstated to the tune of 40 to 50 percent in the case of aircraft such as the Bombardier Global Express and Global 5000.

Misko has alerted Eurocontrol and the European Business Aviation Association to the inaccuracies. He told AIN that in ­reality the problem is of no direct consequence yet to operators, which will not be accountable for emissions until 2012 and by then the errors could be rectified.

Some ETS experts have acknowledged that the small emitters tool will be inaccurate but have maintained that it is still a financially viable option if it avoids the need to use consultants and verifiers. If European authorities are, after all, going to insist on data being fully verified then this calculation too could prove to be ill founded.

 

Building a winning team

Jamie Beckett is a CFI and A&P mechanic who stepped into the political arena in an effort to promote and protect GA at his local airport.

Powerful allies can pop up out of the blue, if you’re open to recognizing the opportunity. Since my basic rules of advocacy lean in the direction of the more the merrier, I am always on the lookout for either new converts, or old stalwarts, who are willing to join the campaign to make general aviation more readily accepted, and better understood.

My most recent flirtation with expanding the roster of our growing airport friendly team of players started simply enough. A friend sent me an e-mail that essentially said, “I have a friend who is interested in aviation. Can you make time to meet her?”

“Sure,” was my quick and honest response. If someone wants to get together to talk about airplanes, aviation, or the airport, I’m ready for a cup of coffee and a good chat. Who knows? They might become a valuable asset down the road. Or they might become a good friend. It’s certainly possible that the setup will be no more than a one time deal that results in nothing more stimulating than the caffeine my drink can supply. But that’s a chance you just have to take if you’re hoping to build a working team that can have a truly beneficial effect in the long run.

In this most recent case at least, the decision to get together was a true winner.

It turns out that my friend’s characterization of my coffee date as, “interested in aviation,” was just slightly conservative. The charming, southern woman I met is in fact a captain for a major airline. She has flown everything from light singles early in her career to turbine powered heavy iron more recently, which makes her a true professional in my book. But she is honest enough to acknowledge that commercial airline work is nearly as foreign to general aviation and piston-powered single-engine aircraft as general aviation is to the management staff hunkered down in most city hall offices.

As peculiar as it may seem, it is exactly that recognition that GA and the airlines are only loosely connected in the aviation world that makes the participation of a line captain so potentially powerful. While a flight instructor like myself might receive only minimal respect at city hall, and a private pilot might receive even less, a full-blown airline captain can easily get the attention of everyone in the room. And that’s a positive. Because while we may deliver essentially the same message to the airport management, the airline captain will automatically find her message to be better received and more likely to be acted on.

That’s reality. It’s unfair, it’s myopic, and it’s counter-productive in a general aviation environment – but it’s the way of the world. I can live with it. But then I don’t have any need to be the center of attention, either. It’s perfectly okay with me if the winning argument comes from somebody else – as long as we are all on the same page and carry the same message forward, what difference does it make who gets the credit for scoring the winning point? Progress is progress. I’m just happy to be on the team, coach.

What I anticipated would be a one-hour encounter turned into a three-hour festival of story-telling, reminiscing about pilots and days gone by, and a few familiar memories about early flying experiences. It turns out we both flew out of the same airport early in our careers, and we both took check rides with the same, old-dog examiner in Vero Beach many years ago.

It’s a small world, indeed. But it’s a world with two more pilots who took the time to get better connected, both of whom are ready to go to bat for the local airport, and carry the fight as far as it has to go to win the day.

So what was my next step after meeting a fellow pilot and finding out what an asset she might be to the team? I shot off an e-mail to a good friend here in town that said essentially, “I just met the most fascinating woman who flies for a living – wanna meet her for coffee?”

And so the team continues growing, and becoming more powerful.

I like the way this is working out. We still have a long way to go, but we’re getting there – little by little. There’s no doubt about that.

You can reach Jamie at Jamie@GeneralAviationNews.com.

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Flightcraft named Cirrus service provider

Flightcraft Inc. is the new Cirrus authorized service provider in Portland, Ore., and the surrounding area.

“Partnering with Cirrus is a great opportunity for both companies, but Cirrus owners are first to reap the benefits,” said John Frevola, vice president of Flightcraft. “These owners can get all of their Cirrus needs met through Flightcraft’s complete line of services, including maintenance, fueling, avionics installations and repair, aircraft management and charter service, accessory and component overhaul, and parts support for aircraft worldwide.”

For more information: CirrusAircraft.com or Flightcraft.com

 

Cougar Sues Sikorsky Over Fatal S-92 Crash

By: Mark Huber

Rotorcraft, Accidents On the eve of a Canadian Government report on the fatal March 2009 crash off Newfoundland that killed 17 of 18 aboard a Sikorsky S-92A, operator Cougar Helicopters and its insurers filed a $26.6 million suit against the OEM. Cougar is charging Sikorsky with “fraudulent misrepresentation, reckless behavior and willful misconduct” relating to the performance of the helicopter’s main gearbox (MGB) and its ability to function without lubricating oil for 30 minutes. Cougar is also suing the federal minister of transport and Sikorsky’s Helicopter Support repair subsidiary.

Cougar Flight 491 crashed into the Atlantic 11 minutes after pilots reported falling MGB oil pressure, and examination of the wreckage revealed that two of the three titanium studs that secure the oil filter bowl assembly to the helicopter’s main gearbox had failed. Sikorsky subsequently made changes to the MGB, including replacing the titanium studs with ones made from steel.  

Cougar filed a statement of claim with the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. Sikorsky’s lawyers moved quickly to quash the suit on jurisdictional grounds, and a hearing will be held to consider that motion next month.

The 30-minute run-dry claim is at the heart of the suit. Since landfall was within 30 minutes’ flying time, Cougar maintains that its pilots acted properly when they turned the helicopter around, rather than ditching immediately, after the low-pressure warning alerted. Cougar’s claim asserts, “By promoting and advertising the S-92 as having a ‘30-minute run-dry capacity,’ Sikorsky fraudulently misrepresented to buyers and operators the airworthiness and flight safety of the S-92” and thus showed “callous disregard for the risk of death or injury to crews and passengers.”

Sikorsky declined to comment, but earlier this year it reached an undisclosed settlement with the lone crash survivor and the families of the deceased.

 

Solar storms pose threat to aircraft nav and com systems

By: Malcolm Payne

ATC, Safety Progression in the development of both aircraft and their systems have made it so that in many cases pilots manage the systems more than they handle the airplane. However, old-fashioned piloting skills remain as essential as ever since such systems can be affected by interference from outside sources such as the sun–a vulnerability that might rear its head quite soon. Every 11 years the sun emits solar flares that can disrupt long-range communications and cause aircraft navaids to fail, and particularly those that depend on satellite navigation system. Such flares create difficulties in planning and operation, and the next expected flare–in 2013–will be particularly difficult because it will coincide with an enhanced magnetic cycle, according to Dr. Richard Fisher, director of NASA’s Heliophysics division.

In Europe the Technical and Air Safety Committee of the London-based Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators has issued a warning that space scientists say that solar storms are impending and will cause problems for satellite-dependent systems such as GPS and ADS-B.

Scientists believe the solar storms will temporarily shut down navaids. Particularly disturbing is the fact that it is difficult to forecast the location and timing of such failures.

At a recent conference in Washington representatives from the government agencies studying solar storms gathered to raise awareness about the upcoming solar storm and facilitate the sharing of information among the user community, including flight crews and developers of satellite communications, GPS systems and domestic electrical-generation and -distribution systems.

Given adequate warning of an impending storm, managers of the systems can reduce the risk of damage by putting satellites in a non-functioning mode and disconnecting transformers to avoid electrical surges.

The National Academy of Sciences first raised the alarm in 2008 by producing a report titled “Severe Space Weather Events–Social and Economic Impacts,” outlining how many high-technology electrical systems (such as power grids and satellite navigation) can be rendered unusable through intense solar activity. In cost terms a major solar storm could leave a financial bill greater than that for 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.

View the original article here

London To Host Future of Bizjets Conference

By: Chad Trautvetter

Business Aviation The fourth annual Future of Business Jets conference will be staged in London from November 10 to 11 at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel. It will address prospects in emerging markets such as the Middle East, Brazil, India and China.
Also on the program are issues such as environmental impact, security restrictions, ­financial challenges, future business aviation airports, ­legislative and insurance issues. Notable scheduled speakers include EBAA president and CEO Brian Humphries and TSA general aviation manager Brian Delauter.
View the original article here

UK club welcomes VFR helicopter operations

By: Charles Alcock
Heliports Helicopter operators wanting to fly into London now have a less costly alternative to the London Heliport at Battersea. Aircraft charter broker Jet Booking Direct is offering the use of a temporary landing site at The Ham Polo Club for VFR movements only.
Operators wanting to land at Ham will have to be pre-approved as meeting the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s rule five congestion clearance requirements and carry at least $5 million in liability insurance. Then they need to give at least 24 hours’ notice to Jet Booking Direct, which arranges the landing with the club.
A landing fee of £180 ($275) is charged for helicopters of any size and this includes one hour of parking. Additional parking is charged at £60 ($92) per hour. These rates are significantly less than those at the London Heliport, where landing fees range from around £350 ($535) to £1,500 ($2,295) and parking is charged at £300 ($460) per hour (or less for longer stays booked in advance).
The London Heliport is still the UK capital’s only fully licensed public heliport. It can handle IFR operations between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., while the Ham site is strictly limited to daylight operations.
Both facilities are on the south bank of the Thames River. The driving distance from Hyde Park Corner in central London is just under 9 miles from Ham and only 3.5 miles from Battersea. Jet Booking Direct envisions that some operators might opt to drop passengers at the London Heliport and then use Ham for less expensive parking.
London Heliport owners the Von Essen hotel group recently updated the facility, which now features a new terminal and adjoining five-star hotel. The facility is operated by Von Essen group company PremiAir.

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Simulator tech just keeps evolving

By: Andrew Wood

Training Just when we might have thought that flight simulators are about as “leading edge” as they can get, it turns out that the engineers have been busy developing new concepts.

At the UK’s Farnborough airshow in July, European flight simulator manufacturer Thales introduced a fixed-wing simulator in which the flight-deck module for one aircraft type could be lifted out of the simulator–leaving the visual system behind–and replaced by that of a different type. The company’s initial offering is an Airbus A320/Boeing 737 combination, and is aimed at smaller airlines that operate both types. The company has not indicated whether it has its eye on such things as a GV/Global Express combo.

But while Thales has introduced the first fixed-wing convertible machine, its Canadian competitor, CAE, did a similar thing with an Indian partner some years ago with a moving-base helicopter simulator, offering a selection of four separate cockpits. After the exchange, the removed cockpit is placed into a docking station that has its own visual system, and becomes a fixed-base simulator. Peter Jarvis, the company’s chief technical officer, said CAE’s fixed-wing simulator line could be adapted to dual-cab operation, but questioned the market demand as well as the cost and efficiency benefits. On the other hand, he pointed out that in-situ cockpits of “family” pairs such as the GIV/GV and Embraer E170/190 are routinely converted at training centers by changing some control panels and software programs.

FlightSafety sees little benefit in interchangeable cockpits although, like CAE, it also converts “family pairs” of aircraft. “The question we always ask about any new concept,” said v-p for simulation Rick Armstrong, “is how does it train a pilot better than what we already have?” That, he said, was what drove FlightSafety’s pioneering investment in replacing hydraulics with electric-powered motion five years ago, and is what is now driving the company’s research into higher-accuracy and distortion-free visual systems. Work is also going on in improving icing models, weather simulation and upset training.

Sim Experiences To Rival the Real World
But more things are going on behind the closed doors of research laboratories. Ideally, for simulation to be totally effective, a pilot with experience on a certain aircraft type should never feel that the simulator environment is a “close, but no cigar” copy of the real thing, since such feelings distract from the training experience. We can therefore expect that cockpit noise effects–including even subtle avionics noise–will become even more realistic, from start-up to shutdown.
Motion, too, will more precisely mirror the cockpit environment, clearly differentiating, for example, between a heavy landing and a smooth “greaser,” and accurately representing changes in cockpit vibrations.

And the most difficult simulation of all, the full simulation of positive and negative g, is getting closer, although it seems unlikely to be able to reproduce an equivalent slightly heavy sensation in one’s arms as the simulation presses the seat into one’s back in a positive-g event.

At ICAO, in partnership with the UK’s Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and the flight-training industry, a concerted effort is now under way to both advance and internationally standardize computer-based and flight simulator training, under the aegis of the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals. Designed specifically for the airline industry, where many overseas training departments are noticing a slightly deteriorating quality in new hires, the objective is to introduce “performance-based” (sometimes called “competency-based”) standards. The idea–although over-simplified here–is to produce young pilots who not only have the basic motor skills to fly straight and level and land the aircraft in an emergency, but who can also fully appreciate what’s going on throughout the flight, along with an understanding of what today’s complex systems are actually doing, plus their inter-relationships with each other, rather than merely pushing buttons. Also, it clearly establishes the roles and responsibilities of captain and copilot.

This is the Multi Crew Pilot License (MCPL) training formula, and extensive studies have shown that this type of training–coupled, of course, with actual flight training–develops a level of capabilities four times more quickly than the traditional ways of accumulating experience. It certainly appears to be based on sounder principles than the recent Congressional view that 1,500 hours (even when spent in small piston singles) makes for an acceptable copilot in an advanced turbine aircraft. The MCPL concept is now fairly widely accepted overseas, but it is unclear whether U.S. authorities will consider it equal to the 1,500 hours Congress requires.

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Phenom 100 Brakes Face Scrutiny

By: Chad Trautvetter

Business Aviation, Accidents The NTSB is investigating a September 10 incident in which an Embraer Phenom 100 suffered minor damage upon landing in Brenham, Texas. The light twinjet experienced a runway excursion at Brenham Municipal Airport after its brakes failed and both main gear tires blew.

According to the pilot’s statement, the crew received a brake fail warning soon after takeoff from Tucson International Airport, but continued to their destination. After touchdown, the pilot noted “zero” braking and applied the emergency brakes.

As the tires blew, the crew lost directional control of the aircraft and it skidded off the left side of the runway, causing the right main gear to collapse when it reached muddy turf on the east side of Runway 16. The pilot and copilot were uninjured.

The incident bears similarities to another dual tire blowout on a Phenom 100 landing at Mammoth Yosemite Airport in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., in March, though the NTSB told has not investigated that incident.

View the original article here

Spectrum Air Starting Bizjet Flights

By: Chad Trautvetter

Charter and Fractional Charter broker Spectrum Air is launching scheduled nonstop business jet flights between Van Nuys, Calif., and Teterboro, N.J., on October 10. Travelers will be able to make per-seat reservations on the flights, at a cost of $3,950 each way, including all fees and catering.

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ALPA Attacks ‘Outsourcing’ During UA-CAL Talks

By: Gregory Polek

October 1, 2010
Air Transport and Cargo Pilot leaders from Continental and United Airlines have proposed abolishing so-called regional jet outsourcing during contract negotiations in Denver. The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents the pilots of both Continental and United, wants any new contract at the would-be merged airline to contain language calling for a kind of phased approach to eventually dismantling the system that relies so heavily on regional affiliates.

According to a spokesperson for ALPA’s Continental unit, the union has proposed placing an initial cap on subcontracting, allowing the contracts with the regional carriers to run their course and, finally, requiring a transition of the flying from the regionals to the newly merged major airline. If implemented as written, the restrictions would eventually spell the end of the United Express system.

“That could be one outcome,” acknowledged the spokesperson. 

Back

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Bizav Flight Activity Regains Momentum

By: Chad Trautvetter

October 1, 2010
Business Aviation Business aircraft flight activity returned to positive ­territory in August, increasing 1.7 percent from last year, after posting an almost 1-percent year-over-year decline in July, according to TraqPak data from aviation services company Argus. Midsize business jet activity soared by 8 percent and light jets ticked upward by 0.6 percent, while turboprop and large-cabin jet flying fell 1.2 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.

By operator type, the fractionals led with a 3-percent increase in flying, followed closely by the 2.4-percent rise in Part 91 activity. Part 135 charter flying fell a slight 0.3 percent from a year ago.

Some individual market segments showed big gains: Part 135 midsize jet activity jumped 12.9 percent year-over-year, and Part 91 midsize jet traffic rose 8.1 percent. Argus’s TraqPak data “is serial-number-specific aircraft arrival and departure information on all IFR flights in the U.S.”

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As sales slow, LSA companies use pause to refine their products

Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, is an expert on Light Sport Aircraft.

The sluggish economy has slowed the pace of new model introductions. Holding steady at 109 approved Light-Sport Aircraft — every one of which arrived in the last five and a half years — more designs are still to come. In the interim, companies whose aircraft already populate the LSA marketplace are putting additional effort into refining their aircraft and processes.

Much like the residential housing market is seeing more remodeling work than new construction, LSA companies are making good use of a slower sales period to improve products, revamp production lines, upgrade engineering and documentation, and tweak other organizational tasks. When companies are building airplanes as fast as they can (as in 2006, 2007, and early 2008), these time-consuming details can be challenging to accomplish.

Aviation giants are suffering, judging from continued layoffs at major aircraft producers. The malaise also affects recreational aviation, but not as harshly. Smaller companies don’t have large overhead structures and big payrolls to meet so they can actually weather economic recessions somewhat better. Nonetheless a small number of LSA producers have been forced to close their doors and that possibility is why LAMA, the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, is constructing its LAMASafety.org website. In addition to directing owners and mechanics to a single location where they can find links to safety alerts for all LSA manufacturers, the website will also permanently store relevant information like Safety Bulletins, Pilot Operating Handbooks, maintenance manuals, parts catalogs, and more.

Why? Because when a company leaves the business, its website — through which safety information is commonly distributed — goes dark, possibly stranding owners of their models. The FAA asked the industry to do better at maintaining this vital information and LAMA has stepped up to the plate, thanks to donations from leading producers. I’ll have more about this pivotal development in the weeks ahead.

For more information: ByDanJohnson.com

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A320 accident crew did not notice jammed AOA probes

By: Thierry Dubois

October 1, 2010
Accidents The November 2008 fatal crash of an Airbus A320 into the Mediterranean Sea off Perpignan, France, was the result of the pilots’ improvisation of procedures during an “operational flight check,” raising the crew’s workload to the point that it failed to notice that two angle-of-attack sensors were jammed, according to France’s accident investigation bureau, the BEA. The final report reveals that the two probes ingested water during a rinsing operation conducted, without proper protection, by Perpignan-based EAS Industries maintenance technicians. The water froze at altitude, causing the XL Airways crew, in the presence of an Air New Zealand pilot, to lose control of the aircraft, killing all seven on board.

XL Airways was returning the aircraft to Air New Zealand at the end of a lease agreement and Air New Zealand, which owned the A320, had requested the flight. Such “acceptance” flights, however, are not defined in any official document. The procedures the crew eventually followed were improvised from Airbus demonstration flights. Regional air traffic control rejected the crew’s request for maneuvers because it was inconsistent with the flight plan. The pilots thought they had adequately informed local ATC but conducted the checks along the lines of the flight plan.

While conducting a low-speed check during approach, the pilots did not realize some inconsistency in speed indications. The blocked probes caused the fly-by-wire airliner’s flight envelope protection system to fail. When the aircraft stalled, the pilots did not perceive that the flight control laws had switched to direct mode, and therefore did not perform the appropriate actions needed to return the aircraft to normal flight.

Back Phenom 100 Brakes Face Scrutiny
October 01, 2010 The NTSB is investigating a September 10 incident in which an Embraer Phenom 100 suffered minor damage upon landing in Brenham, Texas. The ...

Cougar Sues Sikorsky Over Fatal S-92 Crash
October 01, 2010 On the eve of a Canadian Government report on the fatal March 2009 crash off Newfoundland that killed 17 of 18 aboard a Sikorsky S-92A, operator...

Another CRJ in Gear-Up Landing
September 29, 2010 Yet another Bombardier CRJ landed with one side of its main landing gear retracted yesterday. The SkyWest CRJ200, operating in partnership with...

View the original article here

Cessna Lowering Citation Production

lmcaleer@ainonline.com

October 1, 2010
Business Aviation Just three days after union production-line workers at Cessna Aircraft were forced by default to accept a new contract (see article on page 10), the Wichita-based manufacturer announced on September 21 that it is again reducing Citation production and, as a result, will lay off 700 more employees. Parent company Textron cited “continued weakness in new aircraft orders” as the reason for the action.

In a note to employees, Cessna chairman, CEO and president Jack Pelton said these production cuts will lower costs and keep the company competitive. “Our strategy is to defend and protect our current markets while investing in products and services to secure our future, but we can do this only if we succeed in restructuring our processes and reducing our costs,” he said.

In January, Textron estimated that Cessna would deliver 225 Citations this year, but would not say what the “readjusted” ­production estimate will be.

View the original article here

Cessna bent by overrun

This September 2008 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.

Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Wadsworth, Ohio. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: The pilot reported that he was intending to practice his skills in the local practice area since he had not flown in 18 days. Shortly after takeoff, he decided to stay in the traffic pattern and return to practice a full-stop landing. He stated that his approach was fast and the airplane touched down past the midfield yellow marking, which designates the go-around point if the airplane has not touched down. As he passed the yellow line, he was concerned that if he performed a go-around, he would not be able to clear the trees at the end of the runway, so he elected to continue the landing. The airplane traveled off the end of the runway, through a barricade, and down sloping terrain where it nosed over. The pilot reported that he should have flown to the practice area to get comfortable with the airplane prior to landing and/or should have made the first landing at an airport with a longer, wider runway.

Probable cause: The excessive airspeed during the approach and landing and failure to perform a go-around. Contributing to the accident were the barricade and the down-sloping terrain at the end of the runway.

For more information: NTSB.gov

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Kings arrested after mistaken aircraft ID

By: Matt Thurber

October 1, 2010
Security, People, Business Aviation John and Martha King got the surprise of their lives on the evening of August 28, when they landed in a Cessna 172 (N50545) at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport after some instrument currency practice. The Kings are well known to the aviation industry, not only as the founders and the faces of King Schools, which has helped train thousands of pilots, but also as tireless advocates of general aviation safety and education.

The landing was normal on that typical California late-summer evening, but then something unexpected and puzzling happened: the controller insisted that the Kings taxi to a remote corner of the airport instead of to the FBO. When the Kings saw that four police cars were waiting for them, they carefully complied with all directions even though they had no idea what was going on. The police cars emptied and officers surrounded the 172 with guns drawn. After shutting down the engine, an officer hailed the Kings on a loudspeaker and instructed each of them to exit the airplane. They were handcuffed and placed in separate police cars. “This is a risky, lethal situation,” King told AIN. “Do not argue, don’t complain, don’t explain, just do what you’re told. I was thinking not to screw this up and get shot.”
When one officer asked John for the vehicle identification number of the airplane, it was apparent that some behind-the-scenes discussion was going on about whether this was the correct airplane. Finally, John explained that the aircraft’s serial number could be found on a placard on the rear fuselage and an officer checked this. The officers told the Kings that the airplane was reported stolen by a U.S. government agency called the El Paso Intelligence Center (Epic), which tracks stolen aircraft and matches them to IFR flight activity. Epic had alerted the Santa Barbara police about the Cessna 172 that the Kings were flying, not knowing that it carried the retired N-number of a Cessna 150 that had been stolen eight years ago.?

Epic is a multiagency organization led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and composed of agents from 15 U.S. law-enforcement entities and was the subject of a critical Department of Justice inspector general report released in June. The report notes that one of the databases that Epic’s Air Watch is supposed to use is the FAA registration database. The FAA database does show the correct registration of the 172 flown by the Kings, including a note that the N-number used to be assigned to the stolen Cessna 150. That Cessna 172 was detained a year-and-a-half ago in Wichita for the same reason during its delivery flight as a new airplane. John King wonders why Epic doesn’t have a system to remove stolen aircraft and check them against the FAA registry.

“This is a bad procedure,” he said. King doesn’t fault the Santa Barbara Police Department, although he does believe that the police could have handled this matter in a safer manner, not as a high-risk vehicle traffic stop. “When you file IFR you’re telling who you are, what time you’ll arrive, where you’re going,” he said. “Is this how you would behave if you’re flying a stolen airplane?”

The Aviation Crime Prevention Institute (ACPI), which is an insurance-industry organization, receives a monthly stolen aircraft list from the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which stores records on more than 15 million people and items and processes more than 7.5 million transactions per day. According to research by the head of the ACPI, Bob Collins, the last time that N50545 was mentioned as an active stolen aircraft in the monthly report that he receives from NCIC was Dec. 27, 2008. “The next report I have dated 1/31/2009 shows that N50545 was not listed on NCIC,” Collins told AIN. “The record reappeared on the report I received dated 8/29/09. This was the first instance that notes the FAA reassigned the registration number. It looks like an information entry, not an active theft entry.” This record included a confirmation phone number from the McKinney, Texas, police department, which originally reported the Cessna 150 as stolen. “It looks like Epic is the agency responsible for this whole situation.”

“I’m aware we’re getting flak from people saying we could have checked [the FAA] database,” said Santa Barbara Police lieutenant Paul McCaffrey. “We had a federal agency and the police both saying it was stolen.” The police dispatch center received phone calls from both Epic and the McKinney, Texas, police, which had originally reported the Cessna 150 as stolen eight years ago. Shortly after the Kings were detained, Epic spoke to the lead officer at the scene and verified that the serial number of the 172 didn’t match that of the stolen 150, according to McCaffrey. He said that the officers apologized to the Kings when they discovered this information and released them.

McCaffrey explained that the Kings were subjected to a standard felony stop procedure because the officers had no knowledge about the occupants of the allegedly stolen airplane. “You don’t know if they’ve been kidnapped or forced to fly at gunpoint,” he explained. “If something does go wrong, it’s too big a price to pay.
I feel bad about what the Kings went through and it doesn’t look like any part of it was their fault.…In this case, the SBPD is helpless to change whatever information Epic had access to.” A Santa Barbara Police detective has been assigned to look into this incident, he said.

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said, “We recognize that law-enforcement officials need to have a reliable source of up-to-date aircraft information to prevent illegal activities. At the same time, we believe the government process for using the data appears woefully inadequate. We believe there is an urgent need for the creation of a joint government-industry group that can expeditiously conduct a top-to-bottom review of the process to ensure that incidents such as this one never occur in the future.”

A Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesman explained to AIN how Epic handles stolen aircraft. The spokesman confirmed that Epic first contacts the local law enforcement agency that created the stolen aircraft record when it detects that aircraft in flight or in relation to other enforcement actions. He didn’t say why Epic wasn’t able to determine that the 172 the Kings were flying was not the stolen 150 the McKinney police department reported. “The Epic watch officer or the law enforcement agency that created the NCIC record then contacts the state or local law enforcement agency at the destination airport of the in-flight stolen aircraft.”

The responsibility to remove an aircraft from the Epic database rests with the originator of the stolen aircraft record, according to the spokesman. However, the aircraft owner is responsible for notifying “the FAA and law enforcement of any final disposition involving the aircraft so that updates can be made to law enforcement and FAA records.” As for N50545, he explained, “In response to notification by the FAA, this aircraft identified by tail number N50545 has been removed from NCIC, stolen aircraft databases and the national stolen aircraft list.”

John King raised an important question when he asked whether a criminal flying a stolen aircraft would file an IFR flight plan and fly in plain sight from San Diego to Santa Barbara. And this relates to the effectiveness of the NCIC database and Epic’s role in monitoring flight activity and law-enforcement investigations for stolen aircraft. It turns out that Epic’s efforts have resulted in only one aircraft that was reported stolen “thus identified and recovered by law enforcement in the past two years,” according to the DOJ spokesman.

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Bombardier: Bizjet Market Recovering

By: Chad Trautvetter

October 1, 2010
Business Aviation Bombardier Aerospace “is starting to see signs of recovery as shown by the significant reduction in business aircraft order cancellations,” Bombardier president and CEO Pierre Beaudoin said early last month. During the second quarter ending July 31, Bombardier took gross orders for 26 business jets but had 12 cancellations, resulting in net orders for 14 business aircraft.

While this is much better than the 27 orders and 80 cancellations (-53 net) a year ago, “We’re seeing only a slow progressive trend for order intake,” said Bombardier Aerospace president Guy Hachey. “We expected the market recovery to be better by this point, though the business pipeline for business jets is good.

Demand is strongest for the company’s large-cabin Globals and weakest for its Learjet line.

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Airport Congestion Likely for EU VLJs

By: Chad Trautvetter

October 1, 2010
ATC, Business Aviation The latest Eurocontrol traffic projections suggest that capacity constraints for the anticipated growing numbers of very light jets (VLJs) will be at airports rather than in the sky. Alex Hendriks, principal advisor to Eurocontrol’s air traffic management director, said that by 2030 Europe’s existing airports could have a capacity shortfall equivalent to around 6,500 flights per day and that as many as 50 percent of all flights could face delays as a consequence.

New-generation VLJs can avoid this squeeze, he argued, by using performance-based navigation tools to start flying to small airports with inadequate ground-based navigation infrastructure.

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ADS Introduces Electronic Oxygen-planning Service

By: Matt Thurber

October 1, 2010
Safety How much oxygen do you need to make sure you’re not only legal for a planned flight but can also safely provide for crew and passengers in the event of a diversion? Aeronautical Data Systems (ADS), based in Upper Saddle River, N.J., has developed Web-based software that helps answer this question easily and comprehensively.

ADS’s E-Ops (electronic oxygen planning service) software requires an Internet browser that runs a recent version of Java. I tried E-Ops using Google’s Chrome browser, and that worked fine. E-Ops is running as a beta test program for now using a Dassault Falcon 900EX for the calculations. After users log onto the ADS Web site and click on the E-Ops button, a small window pops up with three data fields, for the user ID, password and N-number. A larger window then appears, with fields for aircraft type and tail number (already filled out because the beta uses only this one airplane), flight altitude (which is really diversion altitude), number of crew, number of passengers, equal time point (ETP, to suitable alternate), number of oxygen bottles and size, crew mask type, passenger regulator and passenger mask PSU (the last four are already filled out). The flight altitude field doesn’t let the user input anything higher than the maximum diversion altitude.

After filling out these fields, a click on the submit button reveals the minimum required oxygen cylinder pressure needed for dispatch. I tried a few examples. At 25,000 feet with two crew and no passengers and a 3:15 ETP, the minimum was 1,108 psi. Adding six passengers under the same conditions prompted this message: “WARNING: oxygen deficit 1,834 liters.” With two crew and two passengers, the minimum cylinder pressure was 1,701 psi.

ADS welcomes pilots who want to try E-Ops, and the company can add other aircraft types to the system if you want to see how it works on your company’s aircraft. Pricing is not yet available. For more information, contact ADS vice president Jim Stabile at (973) 383-2224 or jstabile@adsopp.com.

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Cessna machinists have to accept new contract

By: Kirby J. Harrison
October 1, 2010
Business Aviation Fifty-eight percent of Cessna Aircraft’s union workers voted to reject a contract offer by the Wichita-based OEM but ended up returning to work rather than hit the picket line.
After the majority of union workers rejected the proposed contract on September 18, members were asked to vote whether to strike. The strike vote failed to win a two-thirds majority, so the contract offering was accepted by default. In a town where close to 15,000 aerospace workers have been laid off in the past 18 months, 49 percent of the 2,400 union members at Cessna voted to strike.
Cessna expressed satisfaction with the final vote. “We are satisfied to begin this next week [of September 19] with a new contract in place so we can move forward with our efforts to reshape Cessna to be more competitive in a global market and a tough economy,” said Cessna chairman, president and CEO Jack Pelton. He concluded, “We presented the members a contract that was more than fair, given our business environment.”
As listed by Cessna, key elements of the seven-year contract include:
• a ratification bonus of $2,500 paid in January.
• a lump-sum payment of $1,000 in January 2012.
• a general wage increase of one percent in years five through seven.
• wages augmented with performance-based bonus opportunities after the first year of the contract.
• annual cost-of-living increases through the life of the contract.
• transition to the consumer-based medical, dental and vision plans used by Cessna’s non-bargaining unit employees.
• an increase in Cessna’s contribution to the existing defined pension plan.
When first presented with the contract on September 13, the union leadership described it as “ugly.” Machinists District 70 directing business representative Steve Rooney said Cessna “chose to use the economic downturn as an opportunity to gut the [existing] contract and saddle employees with extreme and punitive measures.”
Among the most objectionable aspects of the contract, according to the union leadership, is its inclusion of “no wage increases for the first four years for anyone and no increases for 25 percent of the membership.” The union also noted that while Cessna proposed a “performance pay” system, it would be directed exclusively by management, “which may never pay a dime.”
It also criticized the “gutting” of the traditional healthcare plan, replacing it with “a consumer-driven plan that raises premiums by as much as 160 percent and will cost members $5,000 a year before coverage finally kicks in.”
With the Cessna contract settled, however acrimoniously, the union can put its full energies into equally contentious contract negotiations with another Wichita OEM, Hawker Beechcraft.
Hawker has made it obvious that among the possible cost-cutting measures is a shifting of jobs away from the main facilities in Wichita. According to chairman and CEO Bill Boisture, to remain competitive, the company is [considering] a number of possibilities, [including] exploring other locations both within and outside the U.S.