11 JUL 2009 _______________________________________ *Smoke prompts evacuation of British Airways jet *Hundreds evacuated from 747 at Phoenix airport *Jet lands in Norfolk after losing use of engine *FAA Opens ATC Jobs To The Public *One Of The Nation's Busiest Runways To Be Closed For 4 Months *AI grounds pilots over illegal flight *Say it ain't so: The 787 possibly just a 'mediocre aircraft' *Search for Air France Flight Recorders Nears End *************************************** Smoke prompts evacuation of British Airways jet (CNN) -- Officials said a British Airways jet had to be evacuated Friday at a Phoenix, Arizona, airport after smoke was reported in the cabin. British Airways Flight 288, headed to London's Heathrow Airport, had departed the gate for the runway, but returned after passengers detected odors strong enough to cause alarm, said Capt. Shelly Jamison, spokeswoman of the Phoenix Fire Department. The Boeing 747-400 was next to the terminal when emergency chutes flew open for the 298 passengers to evacuate, officials said. About 100 firefighters and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport about 8 p.m. (11 p.m. ET), she said. Jamison said about 15 people suffered injuries, mainly cuts and bruises. She also said a person experiencing shoulder pain was taken to a local hospital. Firefighters used a thermal imaging camera, but could not determine a source of a fire, Jamison said. Jamison said the smoke may have been caused by electrical problems. The airlines' engineering staff was examining the aircraft and the staff in Phoenix was assisting stranded passengers with hotel rooms, British Airways spokesman Richard Goodfellow said. *************** Hundreds evacuated from 747 at Phoenix airport PHOENIX (AP) - Hundreds of passengers aboard a British Airways Boeing 747 preparing to depart for London from the Phoenix airport were forced to use slides to evacuate the jet on Friday night after fumes filled the cabin. No serious injuries were reported among the 298 passengers and 18 crew when the incident occurred at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at about 8 p.m. Arizona time (11 p.m. EDT), Phoenix Fire Department Capt. Shelly Jamison said. About 15 people who were on board Flight 288 were evaluated for minor scrapes and bruises, but only one person was taken to a hospital with shoulder pain. The jumbo jet had just pushed back from the gate when smoke was reported in the cabin, Jamison said. When fire crews arrived minutes later, the passengers and crew had already used escape slides to leave the jet and were on the tarmac next to the terminal. Fire crews found light smoke in the cabin and in the cargo compartment, but no fire was discovered, Jamison said. No official cause has been determined, but she said fire crews on the scene believed the smoke and smell were likely caused by an electrical problem. British Airways and the airport sent a bus to take the passengers back to the terminal. KTVK-TV quoted one passenger as saying smoke was seeping out from under his seat, while a female passenger described an an acrid odor that didn't smell like smoke. Airport operations were not affected. "There were minor injuries obviously - scrapes and bruises related to the evacuation, but other than that I don't have concrete numbers," airport spokeswoman Alisa Smith said. British Airways has one daily nonstop flight from Phoenix to London's Heathrow airport that departs in the evening. Airline spokesman John Lampl said there were three pilots and 15 flight attendants on board. "We'll put up the passengers (overnight) and hopefully they'll send a replacement plane in the morning," Lampl said. **************** Jet lands in Norfolk after losing use of engine An Airbus passenger jet carrying 265 people flies over downtown Norfolk during its emergency landing at Norfolk International Airport on Friday, July 10. (Hyunsoo Leo Kim | The Virginian-Pilot) An Airbus A330 passenger jet carrying 265 people made a safe emergency landing at Norfolk International Airport on Friday afternoon after it lost use of an engine. Capt. Mike Marsala, a spokesman for Norfolk Fire-Rescue, said the airport called for a "level one alert," which drew emergency units from Norfolk and Virginia Beach to staging areas around the perimeter of the airport to assist airport crews if needed. The two-engine aircraft, operated by Thomas Cook Airlines, an international charter company, was en route from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Orlando Sanford International Airport, outside Orlando, Fla., said Wayne Shank, executive director of Norfolk International. The pilot said he felt a vibration in one engine, and "elected to shut it down and do a landing here in Norfolk," Shank said. Such emergency landings here aren't infrequent, occurring every several months, Shank said. Norfolk International's central location on the East Coast and its higher level of emergency equipment are reasons, he said. http://hamptonroads.com/2009/07/jet-lands-norfolk-after-losing-use-engine ***************** FAA Opens ATC Jobs To The Public Administration Plans To Hire 15,000 Over 10 Years If you've ever wanted to be an Air Traffic Controller ... this could be your chance. The FAA has announced the public now has the opportunity to apply to become air traffic controllers, and is accepting applications from the general public for trainee air traffic controller positions through July 17, 2009. The job announcements include vacancies for both Terminal and En Route controller positions throughout the nation. The opportunity for the general public to apply for entry-level air traffic controller positions does not come along very often. The job openings to the public support the FAA's controller workforce plan to hire approximately 15,000 controllers over the next decade. The FAA is undertaking an intensive hiring effort to replace the large number of controllers who began their careers in the 1980s and are now eligible to retire. The job openings are being advertised nationwide in newspapers and magazines, on the radio, on the federal government's job announcement website, USA Jobs, and on general job search websites like Monster, CareerBuilder and Yahoo! HotJobs. Any qualified U.S. citizen under the age of 31 can apply for the general public air traffic controller vacancies. FMI: www.faa.gov aero-news.net **************** One Of The Nation's Busiest Runways To Be Closed For 4 Months Kennedy's 13R-31L Slated For Construction Work At more than 2.75 miles long, the runway is the second longest in the nation, and it handled more than 143,000 operations last year. But New York Port Authority officials say it has to be closed at least four months for construction, and there is just no way around it. Never mind that Kennedy Airport consistently ranks at the top of the nation for delays in the best of times. "The scope of the project is truly enormous," said William DeCota, director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the New York Area's three primary airports. "It provides for the replacement of almost three miles of asphalt pavement." According to Newsday, the port authority has asked airlines to adjust their schedules during the construction period, and ATC will have to adjust traffic patterns, so it is inevitable delays will increase. FAA Spokeswoman Arlene Salac told Newsday it is unlikely that airlines will shift flights to other area airports. The last major construction work on 13R-31L was done in 1993. This project will begin this month and not fully completed until November 2011, but the runway is expected to be closed between March 1st and June 29th of next year, according to The Port Authorities DeCota. The current asphalt surface will be removed and replaced with concrete. "It's important for our contractor to get this done on the schedule it has to be done," DeCota told Newsday. The Air Transport Association said it is considering options for its member airlines that would help reduce expected delays during construction. FMI: www.panynj.gov aero-news.net **************** AI grounds pilots over illegal flight NEW DELHI: Stung by the DGCA findings that three extra flyers - a woman in the cockpit and two on foldable seats meant for cabin crew - were illegally accommodated on a flight on May 5, Air India swung into damage control mode on Friday, de-rostering five commercial staffers and two pilots on board the Mumbai-Mangalore flight. The three extra flyers, it is now learnt, could have been the wife and children of a senior AI pilot and probably, were all accommodated in the cockpit. AI spokesman Jitendra Bhargava said the five commercial staffers were named in the DGCA probe for issuing extra boarding cards. Action would be taken in 48 hours, he said. Beside these staffers, a ground engineer and a tow tractor driver were de-rostered for the lapse that originally led to the DGCA probe - the Airbus A-321 dented its door as towing started even as the plane was attached to the aerobridge. 'One-off incident shouldn't tarnish AI image' Following revelation that three extra passengers were illegally accommodated on a recent flight, Air India in a statement said: ''AI has taken an extremely serious view of the matter concerning issuance of boarding passes in excess of the seating capacity on flight IC-179 from Mumbai to Mangalore on May 5, 2009... employees involved in issuance of boarding passes for the extra passengers will also face strict disciplinary action.'' AI chairman-cum-managing director Arvind Jadhav has ordered an inquiry into the serious lapse and called for action against those found guilty. Jadhav also directed that all relevant papers be made available to the DGCA after its probe report complained that the AI commercial staff withheld details on the complete list of passengers due to which the inquiry could not be completed. ''We have always abided by all safety regulations. A one-off incident should not be used to tarnish our excellent record,'' airline spokesperson Jitendra Bhargava said. ''Strict guidelines to AI employees...are being reiterated for ensuring that safety rules and regulations, as prescribed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation or any other regulatory authority are judiciously followed and that in the event of any violation, howsoever minor, strict disciplinary action will be taken against those involved,'' the AI statement said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/AI-grounds-pilots-over-illegal-flig ht/articleshow/4764841.cms **************** Say it ain't so: The 787 possibly just a 'mediocre aircraft' A prominent aerospace analyst has floated a worst-case scenario that two years ago wouldn't have been thought plausible. The 787 could easily get mired down in more delays. And "there's also an unlikely but not impossible worst-case scenario: a 787 that's simply a mediocre aircraft," writes Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with the Teal Group Corp. And if that is the case, he adds, Boeing can thank its merger with McDonnell Douglas, which replaced leadership with people who cared most about money. Boeing's all new 787 Dreamliner program has been delayed by two years, which has made the company ripe for criticism and analysis. From Aboulafia's most recent aircraft letter: The proven Boeing track record ("We're ten for ten!") has been replaced by the unpleasant memory of McDonnell Douglas's checkered past. The nickel and dimed MD-11 mediocrity, the useless MD JSF competitor, the out-of-control cost overruns of the C-17, and worst of all, the scandalous MD/GD A-12 carrier stealth attack plane. The likely (or at least hopeful) scenario is that the 787winds up like the C-17, a nightmare development program followed by an impressive technical achievement and a profitable production phase. But we can't rule anything out. The A-12 is the most haunting extreme outlier: a mere Potemkin Village plane. Those of us at the 7-8-07 rollout wouldn't have dreamt of that comparison at the time. But who knows what to believe anymore? In short, the 787 has become less of an adrenaline rush of optimism, and more of await-and-see story. Boeing's latest delay -- its fifth -- and purchase of supplier Vought combine to prove that the company's strategy of saving money from outsourcing work to suppliers "has been dwarfed by the cost of remedying the damage wrought by that strategy." "This is all seriously bad," Aboulafia said. "As we digested the news, I paused to reflect on just what a tremendous drug-like rush the 787 program once was, and just what a ghastly let down it has become." What was supposed to be a category killer has turned out to be even worse than the "commercially irrelevant" Airbus A380, Aboulafia said. Because, at least the A380 flies. Finally, Aboulafia brings a sense of history to the present: To understand how this happened, you need to look back in time. A grossly oversimplified recent history of Boeing: Twelve years ago McDonnell Douglas effectively used Boeing's money to buy Boeing. This resulted in a struggle between a faction that wanted to invest in Boeing's future (basically the legacy Boeing crowd) and a faction that wanted to invest in Boeing's shareholders (basically the McDonnell Douglas leadership). The future investment faction won, but at a price: the McDonnell Douglas zombie bit them before it died. To sell the new plane to the board and to investors, they needed to get as much cost and risk as possible off Boeing's books. This resulted in a short-sighted decision to trust enormous parts of the 787's development and integration work to partners, without due diligence to ensure that these partners were up to the job. (Disclosure: I was a big fan of this approach at the time, and I still think production work outsourcing is a good idea.) . . . Finally, the new Boeing also disempowered the company's engineers, turning its back on a decades-old management culture that didn't always produce profits but did always produce great planes. Instead, it embraced McDonnell Douglas's culture of leadership by money people. Read the whole letter, as well as more history, at www.richardaboulafia.com. Aboulafia isn't the first person to talk this way. Recently, the Qatar Airways CEO blasted the company, saying it is run by "bean counters and lawyers." http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/173496.asp **************** Search for Air France Flight Recorders Nears End The search for flight recorders belonging to the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean last month is nearing an end. The Brazil-based commander of American forces supporting the search effort, U.S. Air Force Officer Willie Bergs, said that one ship towing a U.S. Navy listening device had already ended the search. He said a second ship was expected to depart the area as well. However, he said a French nuclear submarine will continue to look for the so-called black boxes, containing cockpit voice and flight data recordings. Ships have been searching since June 15 for the black boxes, which are designed to emit signals for about 30 days. Without the cockpit voice and flight data records it will be hard, if not impossible, for investigators to piece together the final minutes of the doomed plane and the exact cause of the crash. Investigators speculated that problems with the external speed sensors caused incorrect airspeed readings in the cockpit and led to the crash. The head of the French investigation, Alain Bouillard, has said the speed sensors were a factor, but not the main cause. Air France flight 447, traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1, hit a storm and crashed into the ocean, killing all 228 people on board. http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-11-voa10.cfm ************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC