Fewer Close Calls on Runways
The number of serious runway incursions at U.S, airports was cut in half during Fiscal Year 2009, according to he Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). There were 12 serious incursions in FY 2009, which ended Sept. 30, with only two involving commercial carriers, compared to 25 such events in FY 2008, with... [read more]
Airlines Test the Waters
Federal regulators have issued final rules that require air carriers to test the tap water served to passengers and crew and used in plane lavatories in an attempt to avoid bacteria contamination of onboard water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules set out schedules for how frequently airlines...
FedEx Installs Automatic Fire Suppression System
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., has unveiled the industry's first onboard automatic fire suppression system (FSS), elevating the level of safety during international, overwater flights. The fire safety system is the result of seven years of design and development efforts at FedEx Express, and...
No Ban on Lithium Battery Shipments
Federal regulators have turned down a request by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) to prohibit cargo shipments of lithium batteries. Instead, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) sent a warning to cargo shippers that the government intends to step up enforcement of...
Pilots Stand Down
The 13th edition of Safety Standdown, Bombardier's annual safety seminar, took place in Wichita, KA September 28 to October 1. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman, and NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen delivered opening remarks at this year's installment. The safety seminar offered...
Babbit Backs NextGen Recommendations
A senior FAA official says a recent report on the Next Generation (NextGen) system will help reshape the nation's future air traffic control system. The findings of an RTCA industry/government task force gives the FAA the means to implement the ATC modernization program, said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt...
FAA Names Carriers that Ignored Safety Summit
Following the crash of a Colgan Air flight in Buffalo, NY in February, the FAA announced a "Call to Action" to discuss best practices and essential safety programs with carriers. The goal was to make sure that carriers, particularly regional jets and other smaller operators, were doing everything...
Part 135 Pressure Cooker
Aviation Today recently conducted a webinar entitled Part 135 Operations: How to Handle the New Pressures. With the recent indictment of five Platinum Jet executives for illegal Part 135 operations, the stakes for operating without a Part 135 certificate just got a lot higher. In addition to the threat of...
Manufacturers Discuss US-Mexico Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement
Mexican aerospace companies will gather in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, October 20 -22, at the Offshore Group's Aerospace Manufacturing in Mexico Conference. Ricardo Dominguez Quijano of the Mexican Professional Aeronautical Engineers Association will discuss the provisions and ramifications of a 2007 agreement...
Onboard Fire Before Everglades Crash
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says a Piper PA-32R-301T (N2467Y) was on fire when it crashed into the Everglades on Sept. 20. All four people on board were killed, including the pilot, his wife, their son and a friend of the pilot. The group took off from Gainesville for South Florida after...
ANG Cuts Red Tape
An Air National Guard (ANG) program designed to cut through bureaucracy has led to several flight safety solutions, including pilot fatigue and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). The Disruptive Solutions Process program allows for common sense solutions that save lives. For instance, some older models of...
Carolinas Medical Center Selects EC135s
American Eurocopter will provide three new helicopters to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. The EC135s are to be delivered this fall and will subsequently be customized to meet the specific needs of the MedCenter Air program at Carolinas Medical Center. As they enter service, the new EC135s will...
Life Saver or Life Taker?
A New Era for Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) An Aviation Today Webinar Thursday, October 29, 2009 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (ET) Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) operations provide an important service to the public by transporting seriously ill patients and donor organs to emergency...
Safety & Technology Trends
Rosekind Nominated for NTSB The White House has nominated Mark R. Rosekind, Ph.D., an expert on fatigue and its effects on productivity and safe flight operations, to be a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The nomination was announced on Sept. 30. Dr. Rosekind has gained...
Security Shortlines
Criminal Deportees Fly Unescorted The Houston Chronicle reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials routinely put illegal immigrants unescorted on commercial flights for deportation, including some who are sex offenders or have other criminal records, according to documents and field...
Safety Rules and Regs
Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Model A300, A310, and A300-600. Final rule. SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD), which applies to certain Airbus Model A300 and A310 series airplanes. That AD currently requires replacement of the nose landing gear drag strut upper...
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