Flight Safety Information February 21, 2014 - No. 038 In This Issue Parallels Seen in Two Jet Crashes in 2013 Etihad flight diverted by reported bathroom arsonist Group of sick teens aboard incoming Delta flight treated at LAX Cockpit monitor could provide valuable insight into fatal Alaska helicopter crash New CAA controls ban helicopters from flying in severe North Sea weather PRISM SMS Hefty salaries on offer for flight safety inspectors (India) The Case for Heated Runways The FAA Finds Commercial Drone Flights Hard to Police Parallels Seen in Two Jet Crashes in 2013 By MATTHEW L. WALD WASHINGTON - The crew of a U.P.S. cargo jet that crashed on approach to Birmingham, Ala., last August had planned to land by using a method that was rare for them, following a computer-generated path to give vertical guidance, according to testimony given Thursday at a National Transportation Safety Board hearing. But the crew changed its strategy in the last minutes because the onboard computer did not perform as they had planned, investigators said. At the hearing, strong parallels emerged to the crash of an Asiana passenger plane at San Francisco International Airport five weeks earlier: heavy pilot reliance on automation, possible failure to anticipate its limits, not enough experience landing without a full instrument system, and failure to keep track of key parameters. In the Asiana crash, which killed three people and destroyed a Boeing 777, the issue was airspeed; in the Birmingham crash, of an Airbus A300, it was altitude. The safety board is also looking into fatigue in the Birmingham crash, which came shortly before 5 a.m. and killed both people on board. The National Transportation Safety Board is holding hearings into the Aug. 14 crash of a U.P.S. cargo jet in Birmingham, Ala. According to documents released by the safety board, the captain in the Birmingham crash, Cerea Beal, 58, had told co-workers that the schedule was very hard. "I can't do this until I retire because it's killing me," he was quoted as telling one co-worker. Cargo airlines were exempted from new, stricter flight and duty time rules initiated by the Federal Aviation Administration recently in response to the crash of a commuter plane in Buffalo five years ago. But U.P.S. said that it provided sleeping rooms in excess of F.A.A. requirements and operated a "fatigue working group" with the union. "Crew rest is a complex concept," the company said in a statement. It did not always follow, the company said, that "a pilot who flies at night must be tired." Cargo pilots, though, face the challenge of habitually flying at night, then transitioning to a daytime schedule on off-duty days. U.P.S., the Federal Aviation Administration and the pilots' union have submitted analyses on whether adherence to the stricter passenger rules would have changed the crew's work schedule. "There is no reason to exempt pilots simply because they're carrying pallets rather than passengers," said the safety board chairwoman, Deborah A. P. Hersman, but she cautioned that the board had not yet determined if applying passenger rules to this plane would have made a difference. Fatigue, though, looms large. After the crash, one pilot told investigators that a few months earlier he had seen the plane's first officer, Shanda Fanning, 37, with her head down on a table in a ready room, and she had said that she was exhausted; another pilot said the first officer seemed to be "zoning out" during the cruise portion of a flight. The plane was on a flight from the U.P.S. hub in Louisville, Ky. Information released by the board indicated that the flight dispatcher, a licensed aviation professional who helps guide pilots, did not provide all relevant weather information to the crew members, who may not have anticipated a low deck of clouds. The crew was conducting a "nonprecision approach," meaning they were not using an instrument landing system. The main runway had one such system, but it was closed for maintenance, and they were landing on a shorter runway that gave lateral but not vertical guidance. The early stages of the approach were routine enough that the pilots sent a text message asking their hotel to send a van to the airport. But the crew, following instructions from air traffic control, had made a course change, and that threw off the onboard computer that they were counting on to provide guidance. They did not reprogram the computer, but instead set the autopilot to an unusually steep descent. And they overlooked or ignored at least four cues that they were not proceeding along their planned path, which is generally a sign that they should break off the approach and try again, according to experts at the hearing. At 235 feet above the ground, an "enhanced ground proximity warning system" alerted that the plane was descending too fast, more than 1,500 feet per minute, investigators found. This system did not sound a more severe alert until after the first impact with trees about seven seconds later. That warning system has drastically cut the number of accidents like this, but it is not foolproof. The captain had more than 20 years of experience with U.P.S. and had previously flown into Birmingham 175 times, but it was not clear how often he had used that runway. The first officer, Ms. Fanning, 37, had flown there once; she had six and a half years of experience at U.P.S. U.P.S. pilots said that they seldom flew "nonprecision approaches" outside training exercises, investigators said. In the San Francisco crash, the crew was landing at a runway with part of the instrument landing system disabled for maintenance, and was counting on an onboard computer to help, but crew members may have disabled that feature by changing the way they operated the autopilot. The safety board will issue findings in both crashes in the coming months. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/us/investigators-look-at-landing-system-and- pilot-fatigue-in-ups-crash.html?_r=0 Back to Top Etihad flight diverted by reported bathroom arsonist Etihad Airways made an emergency landing after fires on board a flight from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi on Monday. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Flight EY461 from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi made emergency landing in Jakarta Cause of emergency landing reportedly a passenger setting fires in bathrooms Plane reached Abu Dhabi four hours behind schedule Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information from Etihad Airways and passengers. (CNN) -- A reported arsonist on board an Etihad Airways flight is being blamed for an emergency landing. According to Etihad Airways, flight EY461 from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi had to make an emergency stop in Jakarta on Monday after smoke was detected in bathrooms mid-flight. "It was very smoky, and it felt like the aircraft had filled with smoke," said passenger Sarah Jefferey, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald. "When smoke was detected in two of the toilets ... the captain decided to divert the aircraft as a precautionary measure and land in Jakarta in order to allow the authorities to assist him to conduct a security assessment of the situation," said the airline in a statement. After a search of the aircraft, passengers and carry-on luggage, the flight took off from Jakarta, continuing to Abu Dhabi. Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, didn't say whether any passengers were removed from the flight in Jakarta. According to an updated statement from the airline, 12 passengers are being held by Abu Dhabi security authorities. No arrests have been made. More smoke Despite strict controls over passenger movements instituted by the pilot, that wasn't the end of the smoking bathrooms. Yet another toilet smoke alarm went off two hours before arrival in Abu Dhabi. At this point, flight attendants ceased normal service to take up watch at each restroom and to monitor passenger access, said the airline. The plane landed in Abu Dhabi four hours behind schedule. No injuries were reported. First person account While Etihad Airways' official statement made no mention of an arsonist -- simply noting that smoke had been detected on board -- several passengers say they were told upon landing in Jakarta that someone had started fires on the plane. Passenger Graham Foote, a singer traveling to Abu Dhabi for a performance, told CNN he became aware of the issue when cabin lights suddenly came on five hours into the flight. "I looked at the inflight map and discovered that we were 90 minutes out from our destination, which seemed unusual given it's a 13-hour flight," said Foote. "The captain then came over the intercom and announced that there had been a security breach and that we were diverting to Jakarta." MORE: Turbulence on United flight causes woman to crack ceiling with head Other passengers say the reason for the diversion was explained to them only after landing in Jakarta. "Upon arrival in Jakarta, we were told that a passenger had attempted to light two fires on the aircraft," said Foote. When more smoke began coming from the bathroom following the Jakarta takeoff, all semblance of normal service -- including food and drink service -- was abandoned. "Approximately two hours (away) from Abu Dhabi, we were informed that the arsonist had made another attempt and that all service was to be suspended," said Foote. "The cabin staff also further restricted bathroom access at this point, checking the trash and toilet after every passenger had been inside." Suspects While the Sydney Morning Herald reports that a female passenger is a suspect, Foote said that two men "of Middle Eastern origin" seemed to be the subjects of investigation and were detained by police upon arrival in Abu Dhabi. "One of the guys had a very nervous demeanor and intermittently changed seats throughout the flight from directly in front of me to another vacant seat with his travel companion," said Foote. "During the first flight, when he entered the bathroom about seven staff members were congregated around the area, two of whom held fire extinguishers." Upon landing at Abu Dhabi Airport, all passengers and crew were interviewed by authorities. Etihad Airways has not commented on suspects, stating only that the event is still under investigation. Abu Dhabi police are also investigating the incident. Passengers have lauded the airline's crew for rising to the occasion. Passenger Paul Ross wrote to CNN praising the airplane crew's response. "The crew on this flight should be highly commended," wrote Ross. "They dealt with these incidents with complete professionalism. They ensured there was no panic and kept passengers on the plane calm and settled." Foote called the crew's response "extraordinary." As for his own state of mind during the episode, Foote said that the flight felt "so surreal it didn't really feel dangerous." "Like most passengers on board, my biggest reaction was frustration at the delay and anger toward the person or persons who were attempting to light the fire." http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/19/travel/etihad-fires-jakarta/ Back to Top Group of sick teens aboard incoming Delta flight treated at LAX Ambulances and other emergency vehicles line up on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airpot to meet a Delta Airlines flight from Guatemala City with nine sick teenagers aboard. (KTLA-TV / February 19, 2014) Paramedics met a Delta Airlines flight at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday to treat nine teenagers who apparently became ill after consuming food before boarding in Guatemala City, officials said. Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said the nine passengers consumed "common" food, possibly fruit, before the flight, prompting the medical emergency at Terminal 5 upon landing. The teens were traveling together, Humphrey said, and were experiencing nausea and vomiting. None of the flight's other passengers needed medical attention, he said, adding that none of the sickened teenagers required hospital care. In a message posted on Twitter, Humphrey called the illness "mild to moderate" and not life threatening. "The main reason for our alert is to clarify the reason for ambulances rushing to the airport," he told The Times. "We want to remove fear, uncertainty and doubt." Airport spokesman Marshall Lowe said Delta Flight 1392 from Guatemala City landed at 11:21 a.m., with the captain reporting that the teens were possibly suffering from food poisoning. LAX had been the plane's destination, he added. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-lax-sick-teens- 20140219,0,6432930.story#ixzz2txwUZz5m Back to Top Cockpit monitor could provide valuable insight into fatal Alaska helicopter crash As National Transportation Safety Board investigators continue to examine last year's crash of the Alaska State Troopers' helicopter Helo-1, a new piece of onboard technology is providing significant insight into the flight's final moments. Appareo Vision 1000 The Appareo Vision 1000 cockpit imaging and flight data monitoring device was installed in the Eurocopter AS350 B3 by the State of Alaska several years ago. The Vision 1000, which weighs only 9 ounces, is far less obtrusive than the more standard flight data recording equipment found in larger aircraft, making it an attractive choice for helicopters. It is now installed as a standard component in all AS350 helicopters produced in the U.S. According to recently released NTSB documents, in Helo-1 the Vision 1000 was mounted on the aircraft's overhead panel providing a view "out the front of the windscreen down to about the bottom of the front instrument panel in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction it shows the full width of the instrument panel...to the pilot's Garmin 296 GPS mounted on the far right window bracket." The crash of Helo-1 is the first accident that will see the NTSB utilizing data from this type of device to help determine probable cause. The NTSB has long pursued installation of crash-resistant monitoring systems like Vision 1000 in a variety of aircraft to "give more information to investigators to solve complex accidents." In the wake of a multiple-fatality crash of a New Mexico State Police helicopter in 2009, the agency reiterated its recommendation to rotorcraft as well. In response to these recommendations, Alaska State Troopers pursued installation of the Vision 1000 in Helo-1. After a highly publicized plane crash in 2002 that killed Sen. Paul Wellstone and seven others, the agency held two days of intensive hearings on cockpit imaging devices. In a subsequent press release, the Air Line Pilots Association, the world's largest pilot union, did not support use of the devices, insisting they were a breach of cockpit privacy and further that "...benefits of video imaging are vastly overrated, and because far more effective and efficient tools exist that will not only obtain the safety data necessary to accurately investigate an accident, but also help to prevent future accidents." This sentiment is countered, however, by the experience of investigator Clint Johnson, chief of the NTSB's Alaska Region. In a recent telephone call, Johnson explained why the agency supports the use of devices like the Vision 1000 so much. "There are a number of accidents where we flat do not know what happened," Johnson said. "Image recording devices take a lot of the guess work out of it [the investigation] and would be very helpful in learning what happened." Over the years there have been several aircraft accidents in Alaska where the probable cause of the crash could not be determined. One recent example occurred in 2010 when an Alaska Central Express Beech 1900C crashed into the water shortly after takeoff from Sand Point, killing the two crew members aboard. Although there was speculation in the aviation community that there might have been a sudden load shift resulting in an aircraft stall, investigators could not assess cause beyond an "in-flight loss of control for an undetermined reason..." According to the accident report, after the Sand Point accident, the board of directors with Alaska Central Express "opted to install cockpit image recording systems in all company owned and operated aircraft." However, that equipment was not present in the company's Beech 1900C that crashed last March while on approach to Dillingham resulting in the death of its two-member flight crew. Neither was any other flight data recording device. That accident is still under investigation. http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20140220/cockpit-monitor-could-provide- valuable-insight-fatal-alaska-helicopter-crash Back to Top New CAA controls ban helicopters from flying in severe North Sea weather Regulator tightens flight safety rules for offshore helicopters in wake of August 2013 Super Puma tragedy Tighter safety controls are to be imposed on helicopter flights in the North Sea, including a ban on flying in the most severe weather, after a string of crashes in recent years, the regulator has announced. Other measures introduced by the Civil Aviation Authority will require enhanced safety equipment such as extra flotation devices for helicopters and emergency breathing systems for passengers. Until helicopters have been upgraded, passengers will only be able to fly if seated next to an emergency window exit. The new rules are the result of a comprehensive review of offshore helicopter operations undertaken with the Norwegian regulators and the European Aviation Safety Agency, with a panel of independent experts, conducted in the wake of the August 2013 Super Puma tragedy in which four people died. The CAA said there would also be important changes to the way pilots are trained and checked, with the regulator also approving each offshore helideck to ensuring safety standards are met. The oil industry will also be expected to give further survival training given to offshore workers. The CAA's chairwoman, Dame Deirdre Hutton, said: "The safety of those who rely on offshore helicopter flights is our absolute priority. The steps we are announcing today will result in significant improvements in safety for those flying to and from offshore sites in the UK and potentially worldwide. "We expect helicopter operators, the oil and gas industry and EASA to move forward with recommendations to them as soon as possible. For our part, the CAA is already taking forward actions directly under our control. We will monitor and report regularly on progress, so that people can have confidence that these important changes are being implemented as quickly as possible." Before last August's accident, helicopters had ditched in the North Sea on four other occasions in three years. In the worst incident, 16 people died in April 2009 when a Super Puma plunged into the sea off Aberdeenshire after its gearbox failed. Mary Creagh MP, the shadow transport secretary, said the report was "a wake-up call" to the oil and gas industry about the need to improve the safety culture of its helicopter operations in the North Sea. Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the pilots union Balpa, said: "The hundreds of dedicated helicopter pilots flying in support of Britain's oil and gas industry and ferrying people to offshore rigs welcome these proposals. The CAA has recognised that independently setting and protecting decent helicopter flight safety standards in the North Sea is more effective than a 'light touch' approach. "Pilots particularly welcome the ban on flying in adverse conditions and the recommendations on how the chances of surviving an incident can be improved." http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/20/north-sea-helicopter-caa-adverse- weather-ban-super-puma Back to Top Back to Top Hefty salaries on offer for flight safety inspectors (India) Experienced pilots offered 3.5 lakh to 7 lakh a month to certify planes CHENNAI - The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is wooing experienced pilots to become flight safety inspectors by offering them a hefty pay package. Their job will be to check airworthiness of planes and handle air-crew certification. The department will hire 58 flight safety officials, including nine senior flight operations inspectors (aeroplane), with monthly emoluments nearly ten times more than what was offered by a leading domestic airline last year. The recruitment drive comes a week after the US Federal Aviation Administration downgraded India's flight safety standards. The DGCA will hire nine senior flight operations inspectors (aeroplane) by paying a monthly salary ranging 5.57 lakh to 6.77 lakh and 40 flight operations inspectors (aeroplane) at 3.70 lakh to 4.50 lakh. They should have flown not less than 6,000 hours and not less than 5,000 hours as pilot-in-command on air transport aircraft. Two senior flight operations inspectors and seven flights operations inspectors for helicopters will be hired at a lower salary range. The annual salary outgo for the DGCA to hire these safety officials could be nearly 21 crore, according to sources. Secondment Last fiscal, 75 aircraft were registered by Airworthiness Directorate taking the total number of aircraft registered under various categories to 1,628, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Industry sources said finding the right people is going to be a challenge as the post of a pilot is considered as a 'supreme' job in the airline. The issue is many inspectors now are on 'secondment' basis - the inspectors are employees of an airline who also handle inspection on behalf of the DGCA. Though this helps the DGCA avoid having a big team of auditors, it also has its own shortcomings, said B Govindarajan of Tirwin Management Services, a Chennai based aviation training and consulting company. India's airline traffic is growing at 40-45 per cent annually since 2009 and manning of the DGCA is not in line with such rapid growth. There are reports indicating gross understaffing to an extent of 40 per cent, said E Balaji, an HR consultant. Poor pay could be one reason for not attracting good talent. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/hefty-salaries-on-offer-for-flight- safety-inspectors/article5681677.ece Back to Top The Case for Heated Runways Researchers Seek Ways to Warm Snowy Airport Surfaces The snow has been falling all day, but the plane takes off right on time, no delays, no hassles. The missing piece of the puzzle to make this dream of easy wintertime travel a reality: heated runways. Research is under way around the world to find economical ways to heat airport surfaces or develop pavement resistant to freezing. Widespread use is still probably five or 10 years away, even though heated pavement is already used by hospitals, office buildings, shopping malls and luxury homes. The desire for heated runways to keep planes moving in storms has taken on new urgency after this winter's serial snowstorms and nearly nonstop ice. The idea has been kicking around since the 1970s. So far this year, more than 76,300 flights have been canceled, leaving millions of travelers in the lurch and costing airlines and airports millions in revenue. The number of flights canceled in January and February is double the number for the same period the past two years combined, according to FlightStats Inc. Airports can't use salt because it is too corrosive to aluminum airplanes and jet engines, though there are some chemical deicing fluids that can be used on airport pavement. Plows and sweepers can clear runways and taxiways, but each time crews have to hit the runway, it slows operations considerably. Many airports have invested in tricked-out plows capable of clearing runways rapidly. Even those can't always keep up. Some airports are using heated surfaces on a small scale. At Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, two taxiway bridges over roadways have embedded pipes that carry heated oil, keeping the surfaces free of snow and ice for planes without having to plow it onto passing cars below. At Oslo's Airport, some gate areas use geothermal heated-water systems to keep aircraft parking areas clear of snow and ice. Big airports like Boston's Logan International place giant snow-melters in terminal areas because snow can't just be pushed aside without blocking gates and roads. Often flights remain grounded even when weather has turned favorable for flying as storm cleanup can take a day or more. Of course, heated runways won't solve every winter storm issue. Airlines still face difficulties from lack of visibility for takeoffs and landings to ground workers unable to get to work. The Federal Aviation Administration says heating systems could enhance safety, reduce snow removal time and minimize travel disruptions. But airports, airlines and the FAA all say it boils down to money: Heating large airport surfaces is too expensive. "There's a better way to do this than snowplows going up and down. It's just a matter of finding it,'' said Ernie Heymsfield, an associate professor at University of Arkansas, who recently completed a solar-powered heated runway project for the FAA using concrete with steel fibers and graphite dust embedded in it to conduct energy. It wasn't reliable enough during cold and windy conditions, the team's report to the FAA said, and the costs were substantial. The Binghamton, N.Y., airport is a test site for a geothermal heating system. McFarland Johnson, Inc. Now Dr. Heymsfield is working on embedding wires in grooves in airport surfaces similar to wires embedded in a car's rear window. The FAA is funding a large-scale test of geothermal heating at the State University of New York in Binghamton. Pipes have already been embedded in a gate area at the Binghamton airport terminal, and 20 500-foot-deep wells are currently being drilled. Testing could begin as early as March 1. The wells are filled with tubes that carry water deep below the surface where it is heated to 55 degrees. Then the temperature is boosted with a heat pump, and the water is used to warm antifreeze that circulates under the airport tarmac. The hope is that it will be cheaper to operate over large surfaces than an all-electric system. If it works, "you never have to shut things down theoretically,'' said William Ziegler, the associate professor running the research. The FAA says it just awarded two grants to Iowa State University, one to look at the economics of heated pavements at both large and small airports and the other to study concrete coatings that repel water. The FAA also gave Purdue University funding to study materials that could be added to pavement to delay freezing. But some in the aviation industry say airports should be taking the lead, rather than waiting for the FAA. There are no firm estimates of what it would cost to heat runways. Most of the expense comes from operating the systems, not from installing them. So much energy is required that they've only been appropriate for limited pavement areas, said Chris Oswald, vice president of safety and regulatory affairs at Airports Council International, an industry group representing airports. "They really aren't feasible as replacements for conventional winter" snow removal, he said. "Nobody looks at what it costs not to do it,'' said Alex Wilcox, an early executive of JetBlue Airways JBLU +3.21% and now chief executive of a private jet firm. He got stuck with his 9-year-old daughter for 12 hours on Jan. 3 at New York's Kennedy International Airport when the departure time of his JetBlue flight kept getting pushed back, he said, because airport plows couldn't keep up. He began thinking then of the tens of millions of dollars that might be saved with heated runways. "To me, it's pretty simple math,'' said Mr. Wilcox, who suggests passengers would willingly pay $1 extra in airport facility charges to fund heated runways. People who already have heated pavement chuckle at the struggle. Richard Silverstein, a Chappaqua, N.Y., doctor who specializes in headache treatment, has a $250,000 electric system that heats 7,000 square feet of driveway and walkway. Patients come to his home office and he was worried they could easily slip on ice. Dr. Silverstein said his system costs about $800 to run for 24 hours-before recent electricity rate increases. He thinks train stations, airports and other public places should have it. "It's like the snow didn't snow there,'' Dr. Silverstein said of his driveway. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/ Back to Top The FAA Finds Commercial Drone Flights Hard to Police By Alan Levin It came from the sky. One moment, Eileen Peskoff was enjoying a hot dog at a Spanish- style running-of-the-bulls festival last August in Petersburg, Va. The next, she was on her back, knocked down when a 4-foot-wide helicopter drone filming the event lost control and dove into the grandstands. "You sign up for something called running the bulls, you think the only thing you'll get hurt by is a 1,200-pound bull," Peskoff says. Commercial drones such as the one that left her and two friends with bruises are prohibited in the U.S. That hasn't stopped a proliferation of flights nationwide that's far beyond the policing ability of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is laboring to write long-awaited rules governing flights of unmanned aircraft. Drones, which are available online and at hobby shops, have been used to film scenes in The Wolf of Wall Street and to deliver flowers. They've been sent aloft to inspect oil-field equipment, capture sporting events, map farmland, and snap aerial photographs for real estate ads. Some operators plead ignorance of the law. Others claim their flights are permitted under exemptions for hobbyists. Flying model aircraft below 400 feet and away from populated areas is generally permitted, provided it's for recreation only. There's not much the FAA can do to stop people from flouting the rules. The agency tells them to stop when it learns about illegal flights, it said in an e-mail. According to FAA data, it did so 17 times in the 13 months that ended in July. But for every time the FAA orders an operator to stand down-as it did when a Michigan florist staged a delivery by drone on Feb. 8 as a promotional stunt-untold others fly below the radar, says Patrick Egan, who organizes an annual unmanned aircraft expo in San Francisco. The FBI opened an investigation on March 4, 2013, after the pilots of an Alitalia flight nearing New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport spotted a multirotor copter that came within 200 feet of their Boeing 777. At least six other pilots or airline crews have reported close calls since September 2011 with what they say were small unmanned aircraft, according to NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System. Doug Davis, who ran the FAA's unmanned aircraft office in the mid-2000s, says the agency doesn't have the resources to go after everyone who's breaking the law. "The reality is, there is no way to patrol it," he says. Some businesses that fly drones make no attempt to hide it. Freefly Cinema, an aerial photography company in Los Angeles and Seattle, has photos on its website of helicopter drones it says it used to film scenes for The Wolf of Wall Street and a commercial for Honda Motor (HMC). Freefly President Tabb Firchau declined to comment. A Freefly drone also shot footage for a documentary about the Battle of Gettysburg that aired on PBS in November, says the filmmaker, Jake Boritt. He says he got permission from the U.S. National Park Service: "It's not something that we did a whole lot of research into." The Park Service didn't check with the FAA about aviation regulations either, Katie Lawhon, a spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail. For Hollywood the benefits of using drones are worth the minuscule risk of being caught, says an operator who films scenes for TV shows and commercials and who asked not to be identified because the practice isn't permitted. An unmanned aircraft system costing a few thousand dollars or less can replace dollies, booms, and stabilization equipment costing tens of thousands, he says. "The longer the FAA takes to write the safety rules for small unmanned aircraft, the more difficult it will become to regulate this industry," says Ben Gielow, general counsel of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a trade group that represents drone makers. The FAA had planned to propose rules by 2011 allowing commercial flights of drones weighing less than 55 pounds. The agency now doesn't expect to release the proposal until November. It will also likely miss a Congress- imposed deadline to spell out rules for safely integrating drones into the nation's airspace by 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general said in a report on Feb. 5. Even without those regulations, the FAA says it has the authority to prohibit commercial unmanned aircraft operations and "careless or reckless" flights. The copter drone that hit Peskoff was owned by a local filmmaker hired to produce aerial views of the event for a promotional video. The drone crashed when its batteries died. The FAA says it spoke with the operator and explained the rules. "It was kind of lucky," Peskoff says. "It hit three adults instead of a child." http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-20/faa-finds-drone-flights-hard-to- police Curt Lewis