Flight Safety Information July 22, 2013 - No. 150 In This Issue Sukhoi jet has belly landing in Iceland NTSB Risks Skewing Asiana Crash Probe, Korea Pilots' Unions Say T-38 Crash: Pilots Survive After Ejecting From Plane (Sheppard AFB, TX) Rig that hit Asiana crash victim didn't have heat sensor installed Japan Air 787 returns to Boston on fuel pump concerns F.A.A. Orders Airlines to Inspect Transmitter Wiring Two Britons killed by helicopter blades on luxury fishing trip in Russia Drones: FAA warns public not to shoot at unmanned aircraft A Black Box for Car Crashes Think ARGUS PROS United Airlines to install 'winglets' on planes to save fuel Sukhoi jet has belly landing in Iceland (Reuters) - A Sukhoi Superjet made a belly landing during a test flight on Sunday at Iceland's Keflavik airport in Reykjavik, according to a statement by its Russian manufacturer. The Superjet program hit uncertainty last year after one of its planes crashed in Indonesia during a promotional flight, in which 45 people were killed. At the final stage of a test flight to evaluate the Sukhoi Superjet 100's automatic landing system on Sunday, the aircraft "touched the runway with retracted landing gear," Sukhoi Civil Aircraft said in a statement. One certification center expert injured his leg during evacuation, but the other four people aboard were unharmed, the statement said. Sukhoi is currently looking at debt restructuring options to support the Superjet program, which it expects to break even in 2015. Sukhoi is part of state-owned United Aircraft Corp, an umbrella corporation Russian President Vladimir Putin created in 2006 to revive the country's aircraft industry in partnership with Italy's Finmeccanica. Sukhoi Civil Aircraft is 75 percent minus one share owned by Sukhoi, which also makes military aircraft, and 25 percent plus one share owned by Alenia, a unit of Finmeccanica. Back to Top NTSB Risks Skewing Asiana Crash Probe, Korea Pilots' Unions Say The National Transportation Safety Board's emphasis on "possibility of a pilot error" as the cause of the crash of Asiana Flight 214 this month could affect the results of the investigation, two unions said. The Asiana Pilots Union and Air Line Pilots Association of Korea have communicated "concerns about the possibility of inaccurately identifying the cause of the accident" on a San Francisco runway because the NTSB's press conferences have focused on whether pilot error or speed played a role, according to a statement yesterday. "The purpose of an accident investigation is not to benefit national interest of one country or enhance the corporate image of an airline, but to prevent the same or similar accidents from occurring in the future," according to the statement. "The investigation must rule out any elements, including any prejudices or intended plans, which could affect the result of an investigation." The pilots of Asiana Airlines Inc. (020560)'s Flight 214 made no mention of the plane's speed in its final moments until less than nine seconds before it hit a seawall on July 6, NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said at a July 11 briefing. From the time the plane descended below 500 feet, the first mention of speed is heard after an automated system called out an altitude of 100 feet, Hersman said. 'Variety of Factors' "The NTSB has not narrowed the scope of the investigation to any one area of focus," the agency's spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said in an e-mailed statement. "We continue to look into a variety of factors that may be causal or may have contributed to the accident." A pilot from the Asiana union has been sent to the accident site to help with the investigation, according to the unions' statement. South Korean government said last week that it plans to draw up stricter aviation rules in about three months as the crash raises concerns about the nation's safety regulations. Three people were killed while more than 300 survived after Asiana's Boeing Co. 777 crashed, the first fatal airline accident in the U.S. since 2009. It was South Korea's first passenger jet crash since 1997. In July 2011, an Asiana cargo freighter plane went down at sea south of Jeju island. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-21/ntsb-risks-skewing-asiana-flight-crash-probe-pilots- unions-say.html Back to Top T-38 Crash: Pilots Survive After Ejecting From Plane (Sheppard AFB, TX) A T-38 crashed this morning in Texas. Both pilots were able to eject from the plane and only suffered minor injuries. According to The Texas Home Page, the T-38 crashed a few miles south of the Sheppard Air Force Base. The cause of the strike hasn't been officially announced yet but one of the pilots said that the incident was caused by a bird strike. The Times Record News reports that Major Chris Thompson was giving 1st Lieutenant Julius Dressbach are part of the Sheppard Air Force Base's Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program. Major Thompson was giving Dressbach a flying lesson when the plane was reportedly hit by a bird strike. Both pilots were able to eject from the plane and escaped the wreck with only minor injuries. Sheriff David Duke said: "The deputies did tell me that the pilot that was injured apparently was hung in the trees and fell through the trees to get down while trying to get out of it. He was covered with jet fuel but then again, from the crash and their ejection and coming down through it and the fire. He had made a comment that he was involved in the fire ball when he went through it and he had some minor burns on his face and neck." Melissa Baker, a resident who lives near the crash site, said that she heard the crash at about 7 am this morning. Baker said: "All of a sudden you hear a big loud noise, it sounded like a blow torch and then just a big loud bang, so we flew out of bed, threw shoes on went outside and you just see a big mushroom cloud everywhere." http://www.inquisitr.com/858781/t-38-crash-pilots-survive-after-ejecting-from-plane/ Back to Top Rig that hit Asiana crash victim didn't have heat sensor installed A blanket covers the body of Ye Meng Yuan, a student from China, who was covered with fire retardant foam when she was hit by at least one of the airport's rescue firefighting rigs shortly after the Asiana Airlines jet crashed on landing at SFO on July 6. San Francisco airport officials had purchased heat sensing equipment that experts say might have prevented a 16-year-old Asiana Airlines victim from being hit by a fire rig, but the infrared technology to detect and map obstacles was not acquired for the rig that ran over the girl. Ye Meng Yuan, a student from China, was covered with fire retardant foam when she was hit by at least one of the airport's rigs shortly after the plane crashed on landing on July 6. On Friday, the San Mateo county coroner said Ye was alive when she was hit by the rig. The two-axle truck is believed to have run her over as it moved to get a better position to spray foam on the fire, police investigators have said. The older-model engine - No. 37 - did not have infrared forward-looking imaging technology now required by federal law, fire officials acknowledge. Other airport rigs are equipped with the technology. The system measures heat given off from objects on the ground as well as hot spots left in burning debris. The equipment is designed to detect objects that are otherwise invisible in fog, smoke and debris. It is especially vital on giant airport rigs, which are difficult to see around because of their size. In 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration urged - but did not require - that U.S. aircraft rescue firefighting rigs be equipped with the infrared cameras. Such sensing technology has long been available. In 2011, the FAA required all new rigs to have forward-looking infrared sensing equipment to alert drivers to obstacles. San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White confirmed Sunday that some rigs at the airport did not have the equipment fully installed. She did not know if the equipment on hand - which she believes was purchased before 2011 - could have played a role in possibly preventing Ye's death. "I don't know one way or the other. I don't know enough about the technology," she said. Hayes-White said the rigs in the airport's arsenal were purchased before the FAA requirements were in place. The system the airport ordered from a Canadian maker allows the driver to see a real-time map of upcoming obstacles created with an infrared thermal imager. Hayes-White said the airport has always been cooperative in procuring new equipment. "We tell them what we like, what we need and what is required. They are very good about paying for it," she said. Assistant Deputy Fire Chief Dale Carnes said Sunday that the department is in the process of installing the Driver's Enhanced Vision System on three of its other airport rescue firefighting rigs. He said multiple agencies are involved in the installation process and he did not know when it would be completed. "It's basically designed for inclement weather, to navigate safely." Carnes said he did not know whether the system would have been able to prevent Ye's death. "That would be complete conjecture," he said. But a veteran FAA airport safety expert turned consultant said the system is designed to do just that - avoid hitting people. "Had the person been alive - the foam has a cooling action, but the body would still have given off some ambient heat that could have been visible," said Ben Castellano, who was acting manager of airport safety when he left the agency in 2009 after 34 years. As for detecting humans, Castellano said: "That was the main purpose of the development" of the technology. In this situation, he said, the conditions that could have made the technology useful "lined up together." http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Rig-that-hit-Asiana-crash-victim-didn-t-have-heat- 4678450.php Back to Top Japan Air 787 returns to Boston on fuel pump concerns BOSTON (AP) - A Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo's Narita Airport returned to Boston's Logan Airport on Thursday because of a possible fuel pump issue on the Boeing 787 aircraft. It's the latest trouble for the new Dreamliner aircraft after a lithium ion battery problem grounded the fleet in January and a fire erupted on an empty Ethiopian Airlines plane parked at Britain's Heathrow Airport last week. Flight 007 returned to Boston "as a standard precautionary measure" to check out a maintenance message indicator showing the possible fuel pump problem and landed safely, Japan Airlines spokeswoman Carol Anderson said. The pilot didn't declare an emergency, and the aircraft burned off fuel before landing, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Salac said. The plane left for Tokyo just before 1 p.m. Thursday for a flight of nearly 14 hours. It returned just before 6:30 p.m. The flight was canceled, and passengers were being put on other flights. One of two battery fires that grounded the 787s for three months broke out on a Japan Airlines plane at Logan in January after passengers had exited. The next day, another Japan Airlines 787 leaked 40 gallons of fuel at Logan. The airline said an open valve caused a tank to overflow through a vent. The 787 is the newest and highest-profile plane from Chicago-based Boeing Co., which has said it stands behind its safety and overall integrity. The 787 is assembled at Boeing plants in Everett, Wash., and North Charleston, S.C. Back to Top F.A.A. Orders Airlines to Inspect Transmitter Wiring The tail section of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, which caught fire at Heathrow Airport on July 12. The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that it would order inspections of the wiring in emergency transmitters on Boeing 787s as it continues to narrow the search for what caused a fire on one of the jets last week at London's Heathrow Airport. Safety investigators are examining whether a pinched wire on a harness connecting a battery to the transmitter caused or helped spread the fire. They also want to check the transmitters' battery for signs of unusual heating or moisture. While the agency prepares the order over the next few days, Boeing plans to instruct all 13 airlines that use the Dreamliner to either inspect or remove the transmitters, which send out a plane's location after a crash. The F.A.A.'s plans to order only an inspection fall short of a recommendation on Thursday by British investigators, who called on the F.A.A. to order airlines to disable the batteries. It also might place the F.A.A. in conflict with other regulators. Air Transport World, a trade publication, on Friday quoted a spokesman for the European Aviation Safety Agency as saying that it was drafting instructions to European airlines to remove the transmitters. The British Air Accidents Investigation Branch also called on Thursday for a broader safety review of similar devices in thousands of other jets. But the F.A.A. will take more time to review the recommendation. Reuters reported on Friday that Japanese authorities planned to temporarily waive rules that require its airlines to have transmitters on their planes. That action would allow All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, which fly more than 40 percent of the 68 Dreamliners delivered so far, to remove the devices if they saw fit. Boeing and regulators from the United States, Europe and Japan have been trying to devise a solution that would work even if various countries differ on whether the devices should be removed or merely inspected. The British investigators made their recommendations after finding signs of disruption in the battery cells of an emergency transmitter on an Ethiopian Airlines 787 that caught fire while parked at Heathrow Airport. The British said the investigation was still in its early stages, and the cause had not been established. British investigators called for quick action to address the problem because most passenger jets do not have fire suppressant systems near the transmitters, which are attached to the top of the plane just in front of the tail. That area received the most damage from the fire on the Ethiopian Airlines 787, which had been parked at Heathrow for 10 hours. If such a fire occurred in flight, the British investigators said on Thursday, "it could pose a significant safety concern and raise challenges for the cabin crew." The Dreamliner, which makes extensive use of lightweight composite materials and cuts fuel costs by 20 percent, is crucial to Boeing's future. United States officials have said that the lack of proof about the cause of the fire - and the fact that none of the transmitters had been known to cause a fire in more than 50 million flight hours - suggested that simply inspecting, rather than removing, the devices should be sufficient. In its report on Thursday, Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said that about 6,000 of the transmitters had been produced by Honeywell Aerospace since 2005. The transmitters are used in a wide range of aircraft, including Airbus planes. Honeywell and other manufacturers also make similar devices for thousands of other commercial and business jets. Aviation experts said the devices have been particularly helpful in locating the wreckage of smaller private and corporate planes. The global positioning and communications systems on the 787 and other large jets are so sophisticated that they constantly relay the planes' locations to computers on the ground, making the devices less critical. Given the possibility of malfunction, Boeing and Honeywell have each said it would be prudent for airlines to temporarily remove the devices from 787s while the investigation into the cause of the fire continues. In looking for signs of unusual heating or moisture in the transmitter's battery, investigators are also considering whether distinctive characteristics of the 787 could have played a role. The 787's cabin maintains a higher humidity level than other jets to increase passenger comfort. One theory is that the humidity could have created condensation that caused a short circuit in the battery or its wiring. Another concern is that the composite skin absorbs more heat from the sun than the aluminum on other planes. That has prompted questions about whether the battery in the transmitter could have been degraded by excessive heat from the skin. But battery experts said that barring a flaw in the battery's construction, the transmitter is sealed so tightly that neither moisture nor heat was likely to cause a short circuit. "I can't really subscribe to either one of those," said Ralph J. Brodd, a battery consultant in Henderson, Nev. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/20/business/boeing-787-inquiry-zeroes-in-on-transmitters- wire.html?_r=0 Back to Top Two Britons killed by helicopter blades on luxury fishing trip in Russia A third passenger also died in a Eurocopter crash but the pilot is believed to have survived Two British tourists have been killed in a helicopter crash in northern Russia, officials confirmed on Sunday. Two British men in their late 60s were killed while on a luxury fishing trip in Russia on Sunday, when a helicopter they had disembarked from tipped on to its side, hitting them with its rotor blades. The incident occurred on the Rynda River on the Kola Peninsula, about 100 miles south-east of the city of Murmansk, in the north-west of the country. A third man, their Russian tour guide, was also killed, but the pilot of the helicopter is believed to have survived. The pair, described as "VIP tourists" by one local news website, were reported to be staying in a nearby luxury camping facility for tourists on fishing trips. Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry confirmed the crash, saying the private five-seat Eurocopter EC-120 suddenly banked on to its side while trying to take off. "After the helicopter landed on the ground it tilted on its side and hit its passengers with its rotor blades," a spokesperson for Russia's Investigative Committee said. "The pilot was also injured." Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that a spokesman for the local investigative body had blamed human error, saying: "It is most likely that the pilot, who also suffered in the accident, is to be blamed for the crash." The Rynda River is popular with wealthy tourists on salmon fishing expeditions. A company called Atlantic Salmon Reserve runs a fishing camp called Rynda Lodge, but nobody there was available for comment on Sunday. Its website features images of a Eurocopter helicopter and lists a "24-hour helicopter call up". Chris Clemes, director of a London-based fishing equipment firm, said he had referred customers to Atlantic Salmon Reserve, which he said was one of only two companies offering fishing trips in the region, and the only one on the Rynda River. "They are very reputable," he said. "Everyone who has come back has always had great reviews about the staff and the fishing. The river is only open for five months over the summer and June and July are prime season. It attracts a lot of Americans and Britons and a few Russia. It's high-end and it's quite expensive to go out there "The reason they have the helicopters is for conservation: they don't want people to walk on the banks and damage the tundra. It's a very remote and is a former military base." http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/two-britons-killed-by-helicopter-blades-on- luxury-fishing-trip-in-russia-8724519.html Back to Top Drones: FAA warns public not to shoot at unmanned aircraft In response to a local ordinance under consideration in Deer Trail, Colo., which would issue hunting permits to shoot drones, the Federal Aviation Administration cautioned against shooting at aircraft, manned or unmanned, which could result in fines or jail time. By Joan Lowy, Associated Press / July 21, 2013 (AP) People who fire guns at drones are endangering the public and property and could be prosecuted or fined, the Federal Aviation Administration warned Friday. The FAA released a statement in response to questions about an ordinance under consideration in the tiny farming community of Deer Trail, Colo., that would encourage hunters to shoot down drones. The administration reminded the public that it regulates the nation's airspace, including the airspace over cities and towns. A drone "hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air," the statement said. "Shooting at an unmanned aircraft could result in criminal or civil liability, just as would firing at a manned airplane." Under the proposed ordinance, Deer Trail would grant hunting permits to shoot drones. The permits would cost $25 each. The town would also encourage drone hunting by awarding $100 to anyone who presents a valid hunting license and identifiable pieces of a drone that has been shot down. Deer Trail resident Phillip Steel, 48, author of the proposal, said in an interview that he has 28 signatures on a petition - roughly 10 percent of the town's registered voters. Under Colorado law, that requires local officials to formally consider the proposal at a meeting next month, he said. Town officials would then have the option of adopting the ordinance or putting it on the ballot in an election this fall, he said. The proposed ordinance is mostly a symbolic protest against small, civilian drones that are coming into use in the United States, Steel said. He acknowledged that it's unlikely there are any drones in use near Deer Trail. "I don't want to live in a surveillance society. I don't feel like being in a virtual prison," Steel said. "This is a pre-emptive strike." He dismissed the FAA's warning. "The FAA doesn't have the power to make a law," he said. The FAA is working on regulations to safely integrate drones into the skies over the U.S., where manned aircraft are prevalent. The Congress gave the FAA until 2015 to develop the regulations, but the agency is behind schedule. FAA officials have estimated that once regulations are in place, thousands of drones will be in use across the country for a wide variety of purposes, from helping farmers figure out which crops need watering to tracking sea lions in remote rocky outcroppings to aiding search and rescue missions. But the Deer Trail proposal is the latest ripple in a spreading backlash against drones. Dozens of laws aimed at curbing the use of the unmanned aircraft have been introduced in states and cities. Privacy advocates have expressed fear that police will use drones to cheaply and effectively conduct widespread surveillance without warrants. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a drone industry trade group, was concerned enough last year about people threatening to shoot downdrones that it issued a statement warning that such comments were "irresponsible, dangerous and unlawful." Michael Toscano, president and CEO of the group, expressed similar concerns Friday, saying drones "are being designed to serve the public good....The myriad of important uses will be imperiled if they become targets. ... The suggestion that Americans take up arms against unmanned aircraft also endangers citizens on the ground." Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy Back to Top A Black Box for Car Crashes Michael Merolli, center, an accident reconstructionist, removed the air bag control module from a car at a training session for New York State Police investigators. When Timothy P. Murray crashed his government-issued Ford Crown Victoria in 2011, he was fortunate, as car accidents go. Mr. Murray, then the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, was not seriously hurt, and he told the police he was wearing a seat belt and was not speeding. Within the programming of the air bag control module is the capability to store crash data on an event data recorder. But a different story soon emerged. Mr. Murray was driving over 100 miles an hour and was not wearing a seat belt, according to the computer in his car that tracks certain actions. He was given a $555 ticket; he later said he had fallen asleep. The case put Mr. Murray at the center of a growing debate over a little-known but increasingly important piece of equipment buried deep inside a car: the event data recorder, more commonly known as the black box. About 96 percent of all new vehicles sold in the United States have the boxes, and in September 2014, if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has its way, all will have them. The boxes have long been used by car companies to assess the performance of their vehicles. But data stored in the devices is increasingly being used to identify safety problems in cars and as evidence in traffic accidents and criminal cases. And the trove of data inside the boxes has raised privacy concerns, including questions about who owns the information, and what it can be used for, even as critics have raised questions about its reliability. To federal regulators, law enforcement authorities and insurance companies, the data is an indispensable tool to investigate crashes. The black boxes "provide critical safety information that might not otherwise be available to N.H.T.S.A. to evaluate what happened during a crash - and what future steps could be taken to save lives and prevent injuries," David L. Strickland, the safety agency's administrator, said in a statement. But to consumer advocates, the data is only the latest example of governments and companies having too much access to private information. Once gathered, they say, the data can be used against car owners, to find fault in accidents or in criminal investigations. "These cars are equipped with computers that collect massive amounts of data," said Khaliah Barnes of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington-based consumer group. "Without protections, it can lead to all kinds of abuse." What's more, consumer advocates say, government officials have yet to provide consistent guidelines on how the data should be used. "There are no clear standards that say, this is a permissible use of the data and this is not," Ms. Barnes said. Fourteen states, including New York, have passed laws that say that, even though the data belongs to the vehicle's owner, law enforcement officials and those involved in civil litigation can gain access to the black boxes with a court order. In these states, lawyers may subpoena the data for criminal investigations and civil lawsuits, making the information accessible to third parties, including law enforcement or insurance companies that could cancel a driver's policy or raise a driver's premium based on the recorder's data. In Mr. Murray's case, a court order was not required to release the data to investigators. Massachusetts is not among the states to pass a law governing access to the data. Asked about the case, Mr. Murray, who did not contest the ticket and who resigned as lieutenant governor in June to become head of the Chamber of Commerce in Worcester, Mass., declined to comment. Current regulations require that the presence of the black box be disclosed in the owner's manual. But the vast majority of drivers who do not read the manual thoroughly may not know that their vehicle can capture and record their speed, brake position, seat belt use and other data each time they get behind the wheel. Unlike the black boxes on airplanes, which continually record data including audio and system performance, the cars' recorders capture only the few seconds surrounding a crash or air bag deployment. A separate device extracts the data, which is then analyzed through computer software. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a Washington-based trade association that represents 12 automakers including General Motors and Chrysler, said it supported the mandate because the recorders helped to monitor passenger safety. "Event data recorders help our engineers and researchers understand how cars perform in the real world, and one of our priorities for E.D.R.'s continues to be preserving consumer privacy," said Wade Newton, a spokesman for the trade association. "Automakers don't access E.D.R. data without consumer permission, and we believe that any government requirements to install E.D.R.'s on all vehicles must include steps to protect consumer privacy." Beyond the privacy concerns, though, critics have questioned the data's reliability. In 2009, Anthony Niemeyer died after crashing a rented Ford Focus in Las Vegas. His widow, Kathryn, sued both Ford Motor and Hertz, contending that the air bag system failed to deploy. The black box, however, derailed Ms. Niemeyer's assertion that her husband had been traveling fast enough for the air bag to deploy. Though Ms. Niemeyer lost the suit last year, her lawyer, Daniel T. Ryan of St. Louis, was successful in excluding the black box data as evidence on the grounds that the device is not fully reliable. The judge in the case ruled that because an engineer working on behalf of the defense retrieved the data, the plaintiffs, who maintained there were errors, had no way to independently verify it. "It's data that has not been shown to be absolutely reliable," Mr. Ryan said. "It's not black and white." The origins of black boxes, which are the size of about two decks of cards and are situated under the center console, date to the 1990 model year, when General Motors introduced them to conduct quality studies. Since then, their use and the scope of the data they collect has expanded. The lack of standardization among manufacturers has made it difficult to extract the data, most notably during the investigations into the crashes caused by sudden, unintended acceleration in some Toyota vehicles. Until recently, crash investigators needed an automaker's proprietary reader as well as the expertise to analyze the data. The safety administration's regulations will help enable universal access to the data by using a commercially available tool. At the same time, police departments are receiving training on the new regulations. In Romulus, N.Y., last week, the Collision Safety Institute, a consultancy in San Diego, helped teach New York State Police investigators how to read the devices. But privacy advocates have expressed concern that the data collected will only grow to include a wider time frame and other elements like GPS and location-based services. "The rabbit hole goes very deep when talking about this stuff," said Thomas Kowalick, an expert in event data recorders and a former co-chairman of the federal committee that set the standard for black boxes. Today, the boxes have spawned a cottage industry for YouTube videos on how to expunge the data. And Mr. Kowalick, seeing an opportunity, invented a device that safeguards access to in-vehicle electronics networks. It is controlled by the vehicle's owner with a key and is useful in the event of theft, he said. "For most of the 100-year history of the car, it used to be 'he said, she said,' " Mr. Kowalick said. "That's no longer going to be the way." http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/business/black-boxes-in-cars-a-question-of- privacy.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=2&adxnnlx=1374494727-w1EQX69U6mIatUyltm39YQ Back to Top Back to Top United Airlines to install 'winglets' on planes to save fuel With airlines operating on razor-thin profit margins, carriers are pulling out all the stops to cut costs. The latest example is United Airlines, which plans to install new angled tips to the ends of the wings on more than 140 of its 737-model jets beginning next year. The aerodynamically shaped tips, known as "split scimitar winglets," can save up to 2% on fuel by reducing drag. Once the winglets are installed on all of United's 737, 757 and 767 planes, the airline predicts it can save more than $200 million a year in fuel costs. "We are always looking for opportunities to reduce fuel expenses by improving the efficiency of our fleet," said Ron Baur, United's fleet vice president. Angled wing tips are not new. Several carriers, including Southwest Airlines, have already added upturned tips to their planes' wings. The split scimitar winglets, however, add two tips to each wing: one that turns up like a shark's dorsal fin and another that angles down like a pectoral fin. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-united-airlines-winglets-fuel- 20130719,0,6463920.story Back to Top U.S. Forest Service Seeks Regional Aviation Safety Manager News Staff posted on July 19, 2013 15:03 Position: Regional Aviation Safety Manager, GS-2101-13 Duty Station: Milwaukee, WI Area of Consideration: DEMO/Merit The Eastern Region is concurrently outreaching and re-advertising (anticipate July 24) under both merit promotion (internal) and DEMO (external). This position is located on the Regional Forester's Fire and Aviation Management Staff and provides Regional Aviation Safety leadership; formulation and implementation of the Regional Aviation Safety program within the parameters of overall policy and objectives, including Safety Management Systems; development of the principal operating strategy for all phases of the aviation safety program, and guidance for the development of specific annual and long range Regional aviation action plans. The duty station is Milwaukee, WI. The Eastern Region - Candidates are sought to provide leadership in a team environment; strengthening delivery of fire and aviation management expertise; and provide support to Eastern Region line officers and interagency fire and aviation management partners for safe, successful mission planning and accomplishment. This position provides an opportunity to serve in a region of 20 states with 40 percent of the Nation's population, consisting of 14 National Forests and the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. Work is performed in partnership with the Northeastern Area of State and Private Forestry - Fire and Aviation staff. Milwaukee, WI - The metro-Milwaukee area is Wisconsin's largest population center and is located on the western shores of Lake Michigan, approximately 90 miles north of Chicago. The city and surrounding suburbs encompass four counties and have a combined population of more than 1.4 million people. While the Milwaukee area offers many high-quality urban amenities, it also offers a small- town feeling in many well-established and proud neighborhoods. Milwaukee is served by a community-based public school system, numerous hospital and health care facilities, and college, university, & religious institutions. The city also offers many entertainment opportunities, including summer festivals, performing arts attractions, and various major-league sports venues. The Lake States of the upper Midwest provide outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities, with many in close proximity to Milwaukee. How to Apply - Candidates interested in applying for career positions are encouraged but not required to submit the information requested as displayed below. Given this is a second advertisement for the position, we are sharing the forthcoming opportunity and advising potential candidates of the likely announcement on or about July 24. Contact Information - If you would enjoy working in this exciting environment please complete the optional outreach response form and submit to Scott Ohlman via email (scottaohlman@fs.fed.us) or fax (414-944-3963). If you would like additional information regarding the position, please contact Mark Boche, FAM Director, (mboche@fs.fed.us or 414-297-1280). Posted in: Employment Opportunities http://www.rotor.com/Publications/RotorNews/tabid/843/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/3120/US- Forest-Service-Seeks-Regional-Aviation-Safety-Manager.aspx Curt Lewis