Many USAF F-15s Get Green Light to Fly
About 60 percent of the U.S. Air Force's Boeing F-15 Eagle fighter fleet has been found fit and ready to fly again. About 260 F-15s were returned to full operational duty Jan. 8 after receiving nose-to-tail inspections following the Nov. 2 midair breakup of a Missouri Air National Guard single-seat F-15C as... [read more]
VMA-542 Marine Harrier Pilots Tune Up Their Inclement Weather Landing Skills
While the AV-8B Harriers may be used to deploy precision guided munitions, the Marines in the driver's seat are working on their Harrier precise guiding abilities. Pilots of Marine Attack Squadron 542 recently set some time aside to sharpen their rolling vertical landing (RLV) skills. The RVL is used if...
Controllers Declare 'Staffing Emergency' in Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Southern California
U.S. aviation labor unions are ratcheting up the volume as regards their labor unrest with the nation's air traffic controllers among the most vocal. The nation's controllers, suffering a 10 percent loss of their workforce in 2007, a record pace of new losses this year and worsening stress and fatigue levels...
Safety Board Issues More Recommendations for Lithium Batteries
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued two new recommendations regarding proper air transport of rechargeable lithium batteries, which are used in a variety of electronic equipment. The NTSB made the following recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Department of...
FAA Pushes Runway Safety Initiatives
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes to extend enhanced standards for taxiway centerline markings to all U.S. certificated airports and strongly recommends regular recurrent driver training for all persons with access to the airport movement areas and ramp apron areas of those aviation...
BAE Systems to Demonstrate C-MANPADS on Passenger Aircraft
BAE Systems has received a $29 million contract from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to test an infrared aircraft missile defense system on revenue-producing passenger aircraft. The award relates to the Department of Homeland Security's Counter-MANPADS (C-MANPADS) program. The flight program...
A Behind the Scenes Look at TSA's Ops Center
Have you ever wondered what happens when someone on the 'No-Fly' List attempts to board an aircraft, when a plane is diverted or an aircraft loses communications with the ground? While each situation is different and requires a distinct response, TSA's Operations Center, also called the Freedom Center, is...
CAA Creates System for Birdstrikes
The U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has created a new online reporting system for birdstrikes. Previously, airport and aircraft operators filed birdstrike reports by completing the CA1282 Birdstrike Occurrence Form, which is faxed or posted. The online reporting form is now available at...
First Test of Autonomous Landing System
BAE Systems last month completed the first test of an autonomous landing system intended for large mobility and transport aircraft. The test demonstrated the system's ability to enhance pilot vision in a simulated zero-visibility landing scenario. The demonstration of the Autonomous Approach and Landing...
Beyond the Black Box
Images of burnt wreckage and broken wings dominate headlines when an airplane crash occurs. However, often these horrific montages eclipse the amazing technology that makes commercial aviation in fact highly safe. In his new book, Beyond the Black Box: The Forensics of Airplane Crashes (Johns Hopkins...
Accidents & Incidents
Date Aircraft Type Narrative Death/Injury Remarks 14 Dec 1555Z O'Hare International Airport, Chicago Illinois 777-222 of United Flight: 836 Reg: N220UA Smoke began to fill cabin from the rear on approach to runway 10 at O'Hare so pilot evac'd aircraft on taxiway M5. Inspection revealed a low oil quantity in...
Significant Regulatory Activity
A proposal dated 2 January addresses auxiliary fuel tanks made by Southeast Aero-Tek, one of three manufacturers that have built such systems for VIP conversions. Florida-based Aero-Tek holds STCs for the Boeing 727 as well as several models of the DC-9. Based on Aero-Tek's self-funded analysis, the FAA...
Safety News in Brief
The FAA's Transport Safety Institute (Flight Standards Service) is running a 5-7 Feb course for air safety managers at their Transportation Safety Institute in Oklahoma City. The course is designed to provide instruction in the theory and application of Internal Evaluation Program (IEP) processes within an...
Security Roundup
Date Incident 11 Jan The pilot of a US Airways flight said an 82-year-old man on oxygen didn't have the proper paperwork for the device and kicked him off the plane. Bill Sullivan battles emphysema and congestive heart failure and said he needs his oxygen machine 24 hours day, seven days a week. US Airways...
|
