Police Chopper Shot Down in Brazil

Two Brazilian policemen were killed after their helicopter came under fire from gang members below them and crashed. The pilot struggled to put the helicopter down safely after being shot in the leg by suspected drug-traffickers while flying over a Rio de Janeiro slum on Oct. 17. The aircraft exploded shortly after crash landing, leaving the two officers stuck inside the burning wreckage. Police were responding to gunfire between rival drug gangs shortly after dawn. Rio police frequently use helicopters to take on the gangs that dominate drug trafficking in the city's more than 1,000 slums, but were unable to say whether this was the first time that one of their helicopters had been shot down. . The incident comes just weeks after the city was awarded the 2016 summer Olympics.

DynCorp Sued for Wrongful Deaths

The families of three servicemen filed suit against DynCorp after a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter they were riding in crashed near Aviano, Italy on November 8, 2007. The lawsuit alleges that lapses on the part of DynCorp who contracted with the military to provide maintenance and repairs to the UH-60 fleet in Aviano allowed the chopper to return to service without needed repairs During the flight, the UH-60, suffered a catastrophic maintenance-related failure of the flight control system and loss of yaw control due to improper re-installation and/or mis-rigging by the DynCorp employees, causing the flight crew to lose control of the helicopter and crash, according to the lawsuit.

Accolades for Ed Stimpson

The Flight Safety Foundation says its past chairman, Ed Stimpson, has been awarded the 2009 FSF-Boeing Aviation Safety Lifetime Achievement Award. "Ambassador Stimpson is the epitome of whom this award seeks to recognize," said FSF President and CEO William R. Voss. "His work at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), his service to the International Civil Aviation Organization and his years of dedication to Flight Safety Foundation have left an indelible mark on aviation safety. I am pleased that the Foundation has this opportunity to publicly recognize Ed's lifetime commitment to the safety of aviation." Stimpson served as the Representative of the United States to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for five years, starting in 1999, a post that carries the rank of ambassador. He has served on numerous government and industry advisory boards, including most recently his service as chair of the "Managing Risks in Civil Aviation" Independent Review Team at the request of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters in 2008. Prior to his service at ICAO, Stimpson spent 25 years as president of GAMA, which represents companies involved in the manufacture of aircraft and component parts. Before joining GAMA, he served as assistant administrator of congressional relations at the FAA.

FedEx Kudos for Fire Suppression

The Flight Safety Foundation's annual Honeywell Bendix Trophy for Aviation Safety has been awarded to the Air Operations Division of FedEx Express. The company developed a fire suppression system for FedEx's DC-10 and MD-11 freighters, and it will eventually be installed on all new production aircraft for FedEx prior to entering service. In-flight fire is an especially significant risk on cargo planes as so much of the cargo compartment is inaccessible. The system uses infrared heat detection and heat modeling to pinpoint a fire, which the system attacks with a fire extinguising agent. "This is a game-changer," commented William R. Voss, FSF president and chief executive officer, as he presented the award. "This system required thousands of hours of testing and development, but it was worth it. FedEx pilots now have an enhanced level of protection from cargo fires that could occur."

MEDEVAC-configured UH-72As Delivered

The US Army Air Ambulance Detachment, 5th Aviation Battalion at Fort Polk, LA, has received three new MEDEVAC-configured Lakota UH-72As for its air medical operations. Over the coming years, this US Army base will replace its entire fleet of UH-1 Iroquois ("Hueys") rotorcraft with Lakotas. Unit members received the aircraft at American Eurocopter's assembly and production facility in Columbus, MS, and ferried them back to Fort Polk. Army aviators praised the speed and fuel-efficiency of the LUH, which travels 20 to 30 knots faster and weighs 11,100 pounds lighter than the Huey. They also commented on the ease of loading patients through the UH-72A's rear clamshell doors, as well as its excellent performance in low-visibility conditions. It's an all-weather helicopter with autopilot, a glass cockpit and an advanced avionic package. These are configured for MEDEVAC operations, so it has racks for medical equipment such as monitors and oxygen, and litter racks for two patients. By early 2010, there will be six Lakotas at Fort Polk. The last two UH-72As are scheduled for delivery to the base by the summer of 2011.

Certification Rules Updated

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published new regulations for manufacturers of aircraft and aviation products that will update and standardize FAA requirements to better align them with the current global manufacturing environment.

The aircraft manufacturing industry has evolved significantly over the past several decades. The FAA first issued most of its certification rules in 1964, when a typical business model involved many aircraft manufacturers with relatively few suppliers. Today, there are fewer manufacturers, but the number of suppliers has increased. Many of those suppliers are located outside the United States and build much larger portions of the aircraft than in earlier years.

The major changes to the regulations include:

• Standardization of quality control system requirements for all aviation manufacturers.
• Updated export requirements to facilitate global acceptance and documentation of parts.
• Standardization of part marking and identification requirements so they align with other countries' rules, and consolidation of the requirements into one regulation.
• Updated and standardized language in the regulations for production approvals, exporting and identification marking.

The final rule is published in the Federal Register: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-24821.htm