AIRLINE SAFETY F-35 STOVL WOES NETTING NETJETS

WHY HAVE WE Manufacturers reveal fixes Lufthansa looks again to

SIMPLY STOPPED required before Marines fractional firm to provide
IMPROVING? can land their version of private feeder flights for
2010 ANALYSIS Joint Strike Fighter 15 premium passengers 17

FLIGHT
flightglobal.com

18-24 JANUARY 2011

INTERNATIONAL

PROGRAMMES

FIRST OF NEO
GENERATION
Indian low-cost carrier’s commitment gets
repowered Airbus A320 off to flying start

£3.10 USA$8.99
 

 

FIN_180111_001 1 1/13/11 10:14:08 AM

 BANGALORE AIR SHOW
PREVIEW
AERO INDIA:
WE HAVE IT
COVERED
Its huge appetite for aircraft makes India one of
the world’s most exciting aviation markets. Our
comprehensive, multi-platform coverage of Aero
India in Bangalore means you need not miss any
detail of the region’s biggest air show
W
hether you are attending Aero
India or following it from afar,
Flightglobal should be your first
stop to keep abreast of one of the
most important air shows in the calendar.
Held in Bangalore from 9-13 February, this
year’s Aero India should see several of the
leading military airframers intensify their
marketing efforts to secure key competitions,
including Delhi’s planned multirole fighter.
After decades of stagnation, India’s airline
sector is burgeoning and with one of the largest
potential markets for air travel, demand for
new airliners and for aviation services is enor-
2 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011
FIN_180110_002 2
mous, as witnessed by the recent commitment
by young airline IndiGo for 180 Airbus A320s.
And with one of Asia’s best-educated and
IT-literate workforces and a highly entrepre-
neurial culture, India’s own aerospace sector
is set to become a force to be reckoned with.
Our team will be on site throughout the
week to bring you everything from instant re-
action to detailed analysis from the show
across all our media platforms, including
Flight International, flightglobal.com, print
and interactive show newspapers and social
networks...in words and pictures.
flightglobal.com/aeroindia
Show newspaper
Published over the three days of the
show, the very best in on-site coverage
Interactive magazine
Sign up for our free digital edition, packed
with news, video and pictures
Twitter
Instant news and views from the show
from Flightglobal’s Twitter community
Web coverage
Show landing page is your online portal to
all our Aero India coverage
FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL
Preview and report
Our 1 February special issue sets the scene,
while 15 February will have show report
Video
Newsmaker interviews, air display foot-
age and action from the show
flightglobal.com
1/13/11 1:06:31 PM
 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL
VOLUME 179 NUMBER 5274 18-24 JANUARY 2011

PIC OF THE WEEK

Airbus/Tim Bicheno-Brown – Flightglobal
YOUR PHOTOGRAPH HERE
This Kuala Boeing 737 on approach to O R
Tambo International airport in Johannesburg
was photographed by Chowchow. Open a
gallery in flightglobal.com’s AirSpace
community for a chance to feature here.

COVER IMAGE
This image of what the

Chowchow Gallery on flightgobal.com/AirSpace

A320neo might look like in
IndiGo colours was
released by Airbus and
prepared for our cover by
Flightglobal artist Tim
Bicheno-Brown.
For full story see P6-7

Lockheed Martin (left), MAK

Report finds Polish pilots of crashed Tu-154 were under
flightglobal.com/imageoftheweek mental pressure from officials P9 Design changes required
to release F-35B from “probationary” status revealed P15

NEWS 14 India’s Tejas gets operational nod COVER STORY

Pentagon attacks USN for mishandling 6 Airbus ready to firm A320neo details
THIS WEEK BAMs Airframer prepares to release details as
6 Airbus gets ready to firm A320neo formal launch order nears
expectations. NEWS FOCUS
Airline’s engine choice holds clues for 15 Pressure mounts on F-35B variant for
Leap-X and GTF battle US Marines FEATURES
7 India brims with hope after false 22 AIRLINE SAFETY Must do better
BUSINESS AVIATION Advances in airline safety have been
starts of old 17 Swiss venture in danger as Lufthansa stalled for eight years, after a century of
8 J-20 flight makes neighbours wary courts NetJets constant improvement
9 Report finds Polish Tu154 pilots were Stratos 714 ready for windtunnel 26 ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS 2010 The
“pressured”. 18 Hawker Pacific expansion takes off statistics tell the story: we list the major
Slip for F-35A service entry “implied” Evektor postpones EV-55 first flight fatal and non-fatal accidents that
happened last year
AIR TRANSPORT SPACEFLIGHT
10 KLM debuts upset recovery training 19 NASA cracks Discovery tank problem
727 crash underscores safety concern
over Iran BUSINESS
11 Smart aircraft vital for future ATM 20 Oil has airlines over barrel: rising fuel
Qantas Airbus A380s set to fly to Los prices are hitting carriers hard
Angeles again
12 Swiss Saab’s fuel crisis explained after REGULARS
Turkish Technic

eight years 5 Comment

Airbus aims to raise A320 production 30 Letters
rate 32 Classified NEXT WEEK MIDDLE EASTERN MRO
DEFENCE 35 Jobs As the region’s maintenance providers
13 Supersonic target to club renewed 43 Working Week gear up for exponential fleet expansion
maritime threat by its carriers, we assess projects in the
37 JOB OF THE WEEK Head of Training UK
M-346 test reduces aircraft’s radar – Type Division, Oxford Aviation Academy, Gulf, Egypt, Turkey and the Lebanon.
cross-section London Gatwick, UK

 
 






 
 






 

flightglobal.com 18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 3

FIN_180111_003-004 3 1/13/11 7:18:01 PM

 CONTENTS

IN THIS ISSUE BEHIND THE

Companies listed
HEADLINES THE WEEK ON THE WEB
AeroVironment .............................................13
Airbus ....................................................11, 18
Air Deccan ..................................................... 7
Our business editor Dan Thisdell flightglobal.com
Air India ......................................................... 7 was in Paris for EADS’s annual
Air Sahara...................................................... 7 new year press briefing by chief FlightBlogger built suspense ahead of the Sukhoi Super-
A J Walter .....................................................21 executive Louis Gallois. This jet’s certification and service entry, publishing the first
Alcoa ...........................................................15
Alenia Aermacchi .........................................13 year’s event was held at Les official photos of an SSJ100-95LR in the colours of the
Alliant TechSystems .....................................13 Mureaux, where the Astrium regional type’s launch
All Nippon Airways .......................................11
American Airlines .....................................8, 12 space division builds key sec- customer, Aeroflot. On the
Ares Aeroespecial e Defesa ..........................21 tions of its mighty Ariane 5 rock- Asian Skies blog, Greg
Aria Air .........................................................10
Avcenter ......................................................21 ets. “Don’t let anybody fool you Waldron ran his eye over
Aviation Performance Solutions ...................10 into thinking these are just pipes grainy images purported to
BAE Systems ...............................................20 full of fuel. If I was an engineer,
Bell ..............................................................21 depict the Chengdu J-20’s
Boeing .........................................8, 11, 12, 14 I’d want to build something that
Bombardier .................................................21 first flight, and declared, “I’m
big and that awesome,” says
Caspian Airlines ...........................................10
Thisdell. Elsewhere, operations a believer.” RunwayGirl,
CFM International ..........................................6
Chengdu ........................................................ 8 and safety editor David meanwhile, carried a post on the Facebook campaign urging
Computing Technologies for Aviation ............17 United Airlines to offer in-flight wi-fi on a fleet-wide basis:
Coriolis Composites .....................................21 Learmount appeared on several
Curtiss-Wright ..............................................21 Russian television stations to “We run the gamut from business professionals to casual
EADS ...........................................................11 discuss the Polish Tu-154 crash. flyers, and we need our internet 10,000 feet up!” insist the
Elbit Systems ...........................................8, 21
Embraer......................................................... 8 agitators. Elsewhere, AirSpace user TripleDelta showed off a
Etihad ..........................................................20
Evektor ........................................................18 striking shot of an Ilyushin Il-96 in flight, against a
Flyington Freighters ........................................7 background of contrails.
Garmin .......................................................... 8
GE Aviation ..................................................14
GE Commercial Aviation Services ...................7
Hawker Pacific .............................................18 Find all these items at flightglobal.com/wotw
Hindustan Aeronautics .................................14
IndiGo ........................................................... 6
Ingegneria dei Sistemi .................................13
InterGlobe Enterprises....................................7 QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Iran Air .........................................................10 Last week, we asked for your views on the Chinese J-20
Iran Asseman ...............................................10 fifth-generation fighter. You said:
Jet Airways ..................................................... 7
Jet Lite ........................................................... 7 True fifth- Big step forward, A ruse
Kingfisher Airlines ..........................................7 generation but clear
Kingfisher Red ...............................................7
KLM .............................................................10 For a full list of reader services, editorial fighter weaknesses
and advertising contacts see P31

13 53 34
Landmark Aviation .......................................21
Lockheed Martin ................................9, 14, 15 % % %
EDITORIAL
Lufthansa ....................................................17 +44 20 8652 3842
Magna Parva ...............................................21 flight.international@flightglobal.com
Marshall Aerospace .....................................21
Navv Avia Technologies.................................14 DISPLAY ADVERTISING
NetJets Europe.............................................17 +44 20 8652 3315
Northrop Grumman......................................14 gillian.cumming@rbi.co.uk Total votes: 2,169
Oneworld .....................................................11 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING This week, we ask: How will Boeing respond to A320neo?
Periscopio Equipamentos Optronicos ...........21 +44 20 8652 4897
flight.classified@flightglobal.com R
Re-engined 737 R
Keep faith in current models R
Leapfrog
Pratt & Whitney ............................................15
Precision Aviation Group ..............................21 RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING with all-new narrowbody
Predator Systems.........................................21 +44 20 8652 4900 Vote at flightglobal.com/poll
ProSky .........................................................11 recruitment.services@rbi.co.uk
Raisbeck Engineering...................................21 WEBMASTER
Rockwell Colins ............................................17
Rolls-Royce............................................11, 15
andrew.costerton@flightglobal.com HIGH FLIERS
SUBSCRIPTIONS The top five stories for the week just gone:
Saab ...........................................................12 +44 1444 445 454
Seacor .........................................................18 flightinternational.subs@qss-uk.com 1 US military unveils possible F-35B redesign in budget reforms
Skytraders ...................................................18 2 Asiana orders six A380s
SpiceJet ......................................................... 7 REPRINTS
Stratos Aircraft .............................................17 +44 20 8652 8612 3 Long March: China’s fifth-generation fighter is years away
Sukhoi ...................................................10, 14 reprints@rbi.co.uk
FLIGHT DAILY NEWS
4 787 price push reveals changing message
Swiss PrivateAviation ...................................17
Taban Air ......................................................10 +44 20 8652 3096 5 GECI plans VIP Skylander as 100th F406 is constructed
Thales ..........................................................11 flightdailynews@flightglobal.com Flightglobal reaches up to 1.2 million visitors from 220
Turkish Airlines .............................................21 ACAS
United Airlines .............................................10 +44 1788 540 898 countries viewing 7.1 million pages each month
Wyle Aerospace ...........................................21 acassales@flightglobal.com



 




















   
   


 








  
 



9LVLWZZZÁLJKWJOREDOFRPHPDLOQHZVOHWWHUV
4 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011 flightglobal.com

FIN_180111_003-004 4 1/13/11 7:18:27 PM


How will Boeing respond to the
A320neo? Who was to blame
for the Polish Tu-154 accident?
Have your say on
flightglobal.com/comment
flightglobal.com
FIN_180111_005 5
Shock of the new
By going public with IndiGo’s intention to take 150 re-engined A320 aircraft, Airbus is aligning
its ambitions with global economic shifts – and turning up the heat on its dithering rival
n choosing the name of its A320neo, Airbus sought to
I head off any suggestion that the variant wasn’t quite
new enough. Many in the industry had agitated for a
clean-sheet design offering a leap forward in efficiency.
Instead, Airbus opted for a solution that could present
more incremental benefits in a nearer term.
News that IndiGo had become the first airline to en-
dorse the A320neo, by committing to an improbably
huge number of the aircraft – 150 – within a wider Air-
bus deal, carried a hint of déja vu. IndiGo was a mere
paper airline when, at the Paris air show in 2005, it
signed for 100 A320s and much head-scratching en-
sued – not to mention some scoffing. But the Indian
budget carrier proceeded to launch in 2006 and today
has 34 Airbus narrowbodies in operation, with another
61 on order. IndiGo is no fly-by-night and, what’s more,
in the half-decade since it first revealed grand plans,
the balance of economic power has shifted decisively.
Loud and clear messages have
been broadcast to Montreal
and Seattle
By today’s consensus, India is the powerhouse of the
future. China is of course similarly fast-growing and
populous, but accessing its markets is problematic for
outsiders, largely for political reasons. Corruption and
bureaucracy may bedevil India, but the economy runs
along familiar lines – and everyone wants a piece of the
action. Airbus’s decision to go public with IndiGo’s ten-
tative A320neo order must be seen in this context.
Tradition, of course, dictates that established major
airlines’ endorsements are most critical to a newly
Smolensk crash: the bitter aftertaste
n a drama closer to the plots of Cold War espionage
I fiction, the truth could hardly have been more impor-
tant. That an aircraft carrying the Polish president
could be lost in a misty Russian forest, en route to a
ceremony marking one of the most sensitive events in
the two countries’ history, was nothing short of a per-
fect storm of appalling misfortune.
Distrust between the two sides would have been
hard enough to suppress in ordinary circumstances. In
the shadow of the 1940 betrayal at Katyn, the destruc-
tion of Poland’s political and military elite has pitched
uncomfortable fact against national pride – a gift to con-
spiracy theorists, only made more valuable if the pro-
fessionalism of the inquiry is questioned too closely.
COMMENT
Sipa Press/Rex Features
Trading places
launched type’s prospects. But to raise an eyebrow at
the spurning of that logic is perhaps to misunderstand
Airbus’s intentions. Although it resisted pressure to
pursue an all-new airliner, the manufacturer is plainly
hopeful that the A320neo represents a new dawn for its
business. How better to trumpet that than by securing a
relative newcomer to an exponentially growing market
as the pacesetter for its sales campaign?
Certainly, loud and clear messages have been broad-
cast to Montreal and Seattle. For Bombardier, there is
the suggestion that new markets do not necessarily fa-
vour new market entrants like the CSeries. This is not
year zero, and India’s rise needn’t turn the airframe
manufacturing axis on its head. To Boeing, Airbus’s
new-year sally warns of the perils of procrastination.
While the US airframer continues to ponder the case
for re-engining, its chief rival not only has a confirmed
product strategy but a weighty endorsement from an
airline that might just represent the future. How many
more deals might be struck if it remains in stall? O
See This Week P6
Overwhelming evidence that the crew defied multi-
ple warnings in a bid to land at fog-enshrouded Smo-
lensk, an attempt that bordered on recklessness, had
left little margin for interpretation. The crucial out-
standing question – why? – is among those answered
by the final Russian inquiry report.
Within the pages of a novel, a sly twist in the de-
nouement might have rendered the loss of President
Kaczynski a little less meaningless and unnecessary,
acquitted the crew, and heaped blame on the Russians.
But Poland’s administration cannot allow pride and the
desire for a more satisfying conclusion to allow another
chunk of painful history at Katyn to be rewritten. O
See This Week P9
18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 5
1/13/11 6:45:26 PM
 COVER STORY
PROGRAMME GHIM-LAY YEO SINGAPORE
Airbus set to firm
Neo expectations
New A320 boosted by 150-strong commitment from IndiGo
irbus is set to release refined
A performance expectations for
the re-engined A320neo over
the next few weeks as it moves
closer to securing a formal launch
order for the type.
Indian budget airline IndiGo
has tentatively signed for 150 of
the type – without indicating
its crucial engine choice –
through a memorandum of un-
derstanding that also includes 30
regular A320s.
Airbus is detailing its 2010 per-
formance in Toulouse this week.
The company says: “Now things
are happening commercially,
we’re ready to talk about the
specifications.”
The airframer has been aiming
for a 15% reduction in fuel-burn
from the newer engines and im-
MARKET SHARE LORI RANSON WASHINGTON DC
Airline’s engine choice holds clues for Leap-X and GTF battle
IndiGo’s engine selection for the
150 A320neos that it plans to order
could set a precedent for how CFM
International and Pratt & Whitney
divide the market share for the
4,000 of the re-engined aircraft that
Airbus intends to build.
P&W clearly says that it wants to
capture business for its PW1100G
geared turbofan on half of those air-
craft, while CFM says it is in talks
with potential customers for Leap-X-
powered A320neos, “and those dis-
cussions are going very well”.
IndiGo has selected IAE – in
which Rolls-Royce, P&W and
Germany’s MTU are partners – as
the engine supplier for the 34
A320s it operates and for the 61
remaining for delivery from a 2005
order with Airbus.
The carrier’s operation of the IAE
V2500 could test a theory offered
by consultancy AirInsight that rests
on the assumption that operators
with CFM56-powered A320s are
likely to stick with the General
Electric and Snecma venture and its
6 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011
FIN_180111_006-007 6
proved aerodynamic perform-
ance from modifications such as
the “sharklet” wingtips.
Data available so far has indi-
cated that the airframe for the
A320neo – excluding engine as-
semblies – will be 250–300kg
(550–660lb) heavier than the cur-
rent A320, and that the maximum
empty weight will depend on the
engine selection.
The CFM International Leap-X
variant will be lighter by 100kg
than the Pratt & Whitney
PW1100G version.
The A320neo is due to come
into service in 2016, when IndiGo
expects to start taking delivery of
the newly developed twinjets.
IndiGo is adamant that it will also
take all the aircraft it has on order
– a backlog of 61 A320s – in addi-
Leap-X for A320neos, while airlines
opting for V2500s “will be more
inclined to the GTF”.
Currently, CFM has an advantage
over the V2500 based on its 57.7%
market share of installed engines on
A320 models.
Principals at AirInsight say that
the Leap-X, based on traditional
architecture, could be the safer
choice in the short term for
A320neo operators.
However, they suggest that the
higher operating temperatures of
the engine could raise questions in
the long term, although CFM joint
venture partner General Electric
says the new shapes and air cooling
pathways it has developed for the
nickel-based, single-crystal alloy
blades in the high-pressure turbine
will keep temperatures at the same
levels as current CFM56 engines.
P&W’s use of the largely unproven
gear box on a commercial jet engine
also could create uncertainty among
operators.
But Teal Group vice-president
For a round-up of our latest online news,
feature and multi-media content visit
flightglobal.com/wotw
IndiGo is ramping up its fleet, insisting it will take its order backlog of
IAE-CFM ENGINE SHARE P&W dismisses any perceived
disadvantage of the PW1100G
IAE-CFM split on in-service A320s* engines compared with CFM’s
V2500 CFM56
42.3% 57.7% Leap-X. By the time the A320neo
enters service, P&W estimates the
1,774† 2,421† PW1500G designated to power the
Bombardier CSeries airliner and
Mitsubishi MRJ regional jet will
have logged one million hours of
revenue service.
IAE-CFM split on ordered A320s*
Undeclared CFM56 But the AirInsight analysts say
18.6% 37.3% sceptics are still concerned about
411† the long-term maintenance costs of
824†
the geared turbofan, and of P&W’s as
977† yet unproven claims of 20% lower
maintenance costs than for current
V2500
engine models.
44.2% Significant competition between
†Number of aircraft the two manufacturers to supply
*Excludes A318s, for which IAE does not
offer powerplants powerplants to A320neo operators
SOURCE: Flightglobal ACAS database is likely to remain quiet in the near
term as they continue to produce
Richard Aboulafia says that while test results for their respective en-
initially the Leap-X could be on gines and “compete to establish the
parity with the PW1100G or have an highest risk-to-reward ratio”, says
initial advantage, that is likely to Aboulafia, adding that the earliest
erode as the geared turbofan gains he expects an engine order for an
acceptance. A320neo is 2012. O
flightglobal.com
1/13/11 7:04:34 PM
 Report finds Polish
Tu-154 pilots were
‘pressured’
THIS WEEK P9
tion to the 180 featured in the po-
tential launch deal.
Having regularly taken deliv-
ery of aircraft at around eight or
nine a year since its first in 2006,
IndiGo is to step up the accept-
ance rate. Fourteen will be added
this year, and it will take all 61
outstanding A320s by 2015.
The low-cost carrier had its be-
ginnings in 2005, when it placed
an order for 100 Airbus A320s at
the Paris air show.
The privately owned airline
was founded by travel-related IT
services firm InterGlobe Enter-
prises and by the former US
Airways chief executive Rakesh
Gangwal.
The airline had its first flight in
August 2006 and operates 221
flights weekly, with 34 A320s, to
24 destinations in India.
It has the biggest market share
Airbus/Tim Bicheno-Brown – Flightglobal
among low-cost carriers in India.
In November 2010 it was ranked
third in terms of market share
among all Indian airlines in
the domestic market, coming in
after Jet Airways and Kingfisher
61 A320s plus 180 more Airlines. O
Toulouse hopes high on leasing
Airbus is confident that its some were doubtful over
A320neo family will prove popu- Airbus’s Neo plans because of
lar with leasing companies, de- concerns that the re-engined
spite the lukewarm reception variant could unsettle used val-
that the re-engining plans re- ues of the current A320 mod-
ceived from some of the players els. But GE Commercial Aviation
in the build-up to launch. Services (GECAS), which is a
The upgraded family – pow- leasing affiliate of CFM through
ered by advanced turbofans GE, is seen as a likely early cli-
from CFM International and ent for the CFM-powered version
Pratt & Whitney – was launched of the Neo.
at the start of December with- The current A320 family – like
out the traditional fanfare of the modern-variant Boeing 737
customer commitments. – has proved popular with les-
But Airbus chief operating sors, and Airbus executive vice-
officer customers John Leahy is president and head of strategy
confident that, while nothing is and future programmes
likely to be on the books by the Christian Scherer sees no rea-
end of the year, sales will rack son for the Neo to be different.
up in 2011. “We see a lot of demand from
“We are talking to quite a few leasing companies,” he says.
airlines and leasing companies Boeing says it has still to de-
right now,” he says. “I’m sure cide on its future single-aisle
we’ll have a couple of hundred programmes. Jim Albaugh, chief
orders very quickly.” executive of Boeing Commercial
His inclusion of leasing com- Airplanes, says: “We haven’t
panies is significant, given that made a firm decision.”
flightglobal.com
FIN_180111_006-007 7
MARKET DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
India brims with hope
after false starts of old
ndiGo’s agreement for the new
I aircraft appears to illustrate
confidence in the Indian market’s
prospects despite the problems of
overcapacity, losses and poor
yields that followed an earlier
wave of aircraft orders by the
country’s carriers.
And for once, despite usually
disparate views on many sub-
jects, Airbus and Boeing both
agree that India – despite having
suffered a false start – is set to be
among the strongest areas of air
traffic expansion over the next
two decades.
IndiGo has remained outside
the flurry of consolidation involv-
ing Kingfisher Airlines and Air
Deccan, Jet Airways and Air Sa-
hara, and the merger of Air India
and Indian Airlines, as the air-
lines sought to counter economic
pressures. Carriers that emerged
from India’s increasingly liberal-
ised market to place impressive
orders from 2005–07 resorted to
deferring deliveries or hunting for
outlets to which they could sell or
lease excess capacity.
India’s in-service fleet of 100-
seat and above aircraft has trebled
in the 10 years to the end of 2010,
to 320. Airbus chief operating of-
ficer for customers John Leahy
INDIAN AIRLINES’ OUTSTANDING BOEING ORDERS
Customer 737
Air India
Indian navy 8 8
Jet Airways 20
Jet Lite 9 9
SpiceJet 35
Total 72
Source: Boeing data through December 2010
INDIAN AIRLINES’ OUTSTANDING AIRBUS ORDERS
Customer A320 family
Flyington Freighters
IndiGo 63
Kingfisher Airlines 24
Kingfisher Red
(ex Simplifly Deccan) 43
Total 130
SOURCE: Airbus data to 30 November
18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 7
COVER STORY
says the IndiGo deal will enable
the carrier to “take full advantage
of the predicted growth in Indian
air travel”.
Airbus predicts in its latest glo-
bal forecast that domestic Indian
traffic volume is set to soar at
9.2% a year, the overall figure ex-
ceeding 250 trillion revenue pas-
senger-kilometres by 2029. It also
predicts traffic from India to
China, South-East Asia and North
America as being among the fast-
est-growing flows.
Boeing believes that Indian
carriers have regained a degree of
control after the initial euphoria.
“Airlines have matched capacity
more closely to demand, espe-
cially on newly launched interna-
tional routes,” says the airframer
in its most recent 20-year outlook
for India. “Measures like [leasing-
out] have proved effective in miti-
gating the near-term effects of the
[economic] downturn and will,
in the longer term, facilitate the
return of leased airplanes to Indi-
an carrier fleets.”
IndiGo, which began services
in 2006, is among the carriers set
to take advantage of the Indian
threshold that permits airlines to
expand on to international routes
after flying for five years. O
777 787 Total
3 27 30
2 10 32
35
5 37 114
A330 A340 A350 A380 Total
12 12
63
15 2 5 5 51
43
27 2 5 5 169
1/13/11 7:14:39 PM
 THIS WEEK
For a round-up of our latest online news,
feature and multi-media content visit
flightglobal.com/wotw

BRIEFING
CHENGDU J-20 FIGHTER

HERMES 900 TESTING GATHERS PACE

UNMANNED SYSTEMS Elbit Systems’ second prototype Hermes
900 unmanned air vehicle will make its debut flight soon, as the
company’s first example has passed the 350h mark in testing. The
Israeli manufacturer launched flight activities with the 1,100kg
(2,420lb) UAV in December 2009 and last February received a
launch order to provide several to the Israeli defence forces. A follow-
on order is expected within the framework of the nation’s next multi-
COMBAT AIRCRAFT GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE
year plan.

PHANTOMS RETURN TO BALTIC

AIR POLICING The German air force has begun providing its fourth
J-20 flight makes
period of quick reaction alert cover for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania,
having deployed six McDonnell Douglas F-4F Phantoms to the latter’s
Siauliai air base. The air force’s 71st Fighter Squadron assumed the
neighbours wary
air policing task from a US Air Force contingent of Boeing F-15Cs on Debut of purported Chinese fifth-generation fighter could
5 January, and will provide cover until late April. The USAF’s aircraft prompt Japan and Taiwan to review their own plans
flew 66 training sorties and performed two live scrambles from
n 11 January China’s senior fellow at Singapore’s S Ra-
Siauliai in late 2010.

NEW DELAY FOR USAF TANKER?

O Chengdu J-20 had its maiden
flight, sending a signal about the
CONTRACT The US Air Force has backed off committing to any country’s aerospace ambitions
schedule for awarding the controversial KC-X tanker contract despite and possibly spurring fighter pro-
entering what was expected to be the final weeks of a protracted grammes among its neighbours.
evaluation process.“Source selection is moving toward completion, The 15min flight took place at
and that’s all we have [to say] with regard to timing,” Secretary of the the Chengdu Aircraft Design In-
Air Force Michael Donley says. stitutes’ aerodrome. The pilot
took off and circled the airfield
PHENOM 300 OFFERS SYNTHETIC VISION several times before landing.
CERTIFICATION Embraer’s Phenom 300 has become the first air- The tests show the purported
craft in the light jet category to offer Garmin’s Synthetic Vision fifth-generation aircraft is large,
Technology, which recreates a visual topographic landscape to simu- roughly the size of the General
late daylight flying. The Phenom 300 has received certifications from Dynamics F-111, and features a
the USA, Europe and Brazil for use of the system. delta wing and forward canards.
Otherwise, little is known about
THRUST REVERSER LAG IN 757-200 OVERRUN the aircraft, though analysts ques-
INVESTIGATION NTSB investigators say pilots of an American tion whether it is truly stealthy.
Airlines Boeing 757-200 that overran the runway on landing at Following the test, President Hu
Jackson Hole airport, Wyoming on 29 December did not fully deploy Jintao of China confirmed the ex-
the aircraft’s thrust reversers until 18s after touchdown. The thrust istence of the aircraft. According to
reverser timeline, culled from the flight data recorder, is one of sev- media reports he only learned
eral findings released on 12 January by the agency as part of its in- about the test when visiting US de-
vestigation into the incident. fence secretary Robert Gates asked
about them during a meeting. This
BOEING WAITS ON FAA APPROVAL FOR 787 SCHEDULE has led to speculation that China’s
TESTING Boeing is awaiting approval by the Federal Aviation military may have conducted the
Administration before releasing the company’s revised schedule for tests without the knowledge of
the 787 prompted by an electric fire on board a flight-test aircraft two China’s civilian leaders.
months ago. “We said in December that we hope to have a schedule China’s technological limita-
in January,” says Boeing Commercial Airplanes president James tions mean the J-20 – or any other
Albaugh. true indigenous fifth-generation
fighter – is unlikely to be opera-
CHINA TO LIFT LOW-ALTITUDE AIRSPACE tional before 2020. The J-20’s ap-
GENERAL AVIATION Authorities in the eastern Beijing district of pearance could, however, give a
Pinggu plan to open up its low-altitude airspace to private aircraft in nudge to aircraft procurement
the second half of 2011. The move follows an announcement by and upgrade programmes among
China’s central government late last year that it plans to open up the China’s neighbours.
airspace in parts of China to private aircraft to encourage the growth “A lot of countries will see the
of general aviation. emergence of the J-20 as a game
changer,” says Richard Bitzinger,
jaratnam School of International
Studies Military Transformations
programme. While he feels the
J-20 is not a true fifth-generation
fighter, he notes that it has a
number of fifth-generation fea-
tures, namely a stealthy design
and, apparently, the ability to
carry weapons internally.
Taiwan may feel particularly
vulnerable in light of the J-20 – in
addition to China’s continued in-
duction of Chengdu J-10s and
Shenyang J-11Bs – a Chinese copy
of the Sukhoi Su-27. Although its
air force was regarded as superior
to that of China’s 10 years ago, its
fleet looks increasingly antiquated,
equipped primarily with ageing
Lockheed Martin F-16 A/Bs, Das-
sault Mirage 2000s, and Aerospace
Industrial Development Corpora-
tion Ching Kuo IDFs.
Taiwan has requested 60 F-16
C/D Block 50s, but the USA has
dithered owing to its important
geo-political and economic ties
with Beijing. An industry source
says any F-16 C/D deal is frozen.
Although Japan revealed a
stealth mock-up at the Japan Aero-
space show in 2008, it is doubtful
the country has the financial
wherewithal to develop a fifth-
generation fighter on its own. The
USA has also consistently re-
buffed the nation’s efforts to buy
the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
Tokyo could eventually look to
purchase a fifth-generation capa-
bility in the Lockheed F-35. O

8 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011 flightglobal.com

FIN_180111_008-009 8 1/13/11 6:44:01 PM


ACCIDENT REPORT DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Report finds Polish Tu-154
pilots were ‘pressured’
Russian investigators say failure to divert to safer airport set off chain of events
he pilots of the governmental
T Tupolev Tu-154 that crashed
in Russia killing Polish president
Lech Kaczynski were mentally
pressured by the presence of sen-
ior officials into attempting the
fatal landing.
The crew tried to land the air-
craft in weather conditions below
minima at Smolensk despite hav-
ing alternate airports available.
Russia’s Interstate Aviation
Committee (MAK), in its final re-
port into the 10 April 2010 acci-
dent, says that the failure to divert
to a safer airport was the “begin-
ning of the chain of events” that
led to the crash.
But MAK also discloses that
the pilots faced “psychological
pressure” from the Polish air
force’s commander-in-chief, who
was in the cockpit without au-
thorisation, and says the crew
also expected a “negative reac-
tion” from Kaczynski if they
made the decision to divert.
MAK highlights key comments
within the cockpit as evidence the
captain expected an aborted ap-
proach to result in anger and reper-
cussions from the president. “On
final the [captain] experienced psy-
chological clash of motives,” says
the report. “On the one hand he
understood that the landing in the
actual conditions was unsafe, and
on the other hand there was strong
motivation to land exactly at the
destination aerodrome.”
MAK says the crew was “re-
peatedly” warned – by air traffic
control and the crew of a Polish
state Yakovlev Yak-40, which had
landed ahead – that the weather
was below minima, with visibili-
ty just 300-500m (980-1,640ft).
The pilots planned a trial ap-
proach, and were warned to pre-
pare for a possible go-around.
From a height of 980ft radio-al-
timeter readings were used to
monitor the descent, but the une-
ven terrain meant the pilots were
“misinformed”.
flightglobal.com
FIN_180111_008-009 9
First serial Superjet
is rolled out
THIS WEEK P10
The Tu-154 disintegrated after striking trees and rolling over
MAK says the presence of the air
force commander-in-chief – who
was found to have alcohol content
in his blood – “affected the [cap-
tain’s] decision” to continue the ap-
proach below minimum descent
altitude without establishing visual
contact with the ground.
Despite several warnings from
‘Level off’ command was too late
The Polish comments appended
to the report say that the
Smolensk controller’s command
to “level off” was delivered too
late, because the aircraft was
already at 55ft (17m) height.
In fact, the co-pilot is heard to
say: “We go for a go-around”,
and appears to have made a
nose-up input to the controls,
but not sufficient to trip the
autopilot out, and did not make
any further input.
That command was issued
after the trijet had descended
through its minimum descent
height of 330ft, but it was clear
from the controllers’ conversation
they had accepted that the crew
were carrying out a descent with
on-board navigation aids as they
had not requested guidance.
MAK
terrain-awareness systems, the
approach was not arrested and
the Tu-154 struck trees, rolled
over and disintegrated killing
everyone on board.
Poland’s government had ex-
pressed reservations over the 210-
page final report and has attached
comments running to 148 pages. O
Smolensk could have provid-
ed vertical guidance from their
radar, because they were moni-
toring the approach on it, observ-
ing that the aircraft was tracking
above the glideslope but within
permissible limits, and converg-
ing with it at a high descent rate
of 1,575ft/min (8m/s). Shortly
before impact the aircraft
passed through the glideslope
without any alteration in the rate
of descent. No landing clearance
had been provided.
Although the report leaves
the subject open, it seems likely
that the crew were using a flight
management system guided
approach, because the airport’s
co-ordinates had been set into
the FMS at a visit to Smolensk
the previous week.
18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 9
THIS WEEK
COMBAT AIRCRAFT
Slip for F-35A
service entry
‘implied’
he US Air Force’s top official
T confirms that service entry
date for the Lockheed Martin
F-35A variant will be delayed
again due to the programme’s sec-
ond major restructuring in less
than a year.
The changes first announced
on 6 January that extend the sys-
tem development and demonstra-
tion phase to early 2015 “implies”
a new delay for the initial opera-
tional capability milestone, Sec-
retary of the Air Force Michael
Donley says.
Donley has not specified the
extent of the new delay for the
Donley has not
specified the extent
of the new delay for
the F-35A
conventional take-off
and landing variant
F-35A conventional take-off and
landing variant. The A-model has
drawn a USAF commitment to
buy 1,763 aircraft despite average
unit costs rising from $50 million
to $92 million since 2001.
The F-35 joint programme of-
fice declines to elaborate on the
meaning of Donley’s implication,
but notes that “all three services
will reassess their planned IOCs”
because of the restructuring.
The revised schedule adds $4.6
billion to the development phase
– now estimated to cost nearly
$51 billion over 15 years – to add
more testing and to correct cost
estimates that were too low.
The new delay for the F-35A’s
IOC milestone means the USAF
will have to commit more resourc-
es to sustain its existing Lockheed
Martin F-16s, details of which will
are likely to be revealed when the
USAF submits the fiscal year 2012
budget request to the US Congress
in early February. O
See News Focus P15
1/13/11 7:02:13 PM
 AIR TRANSPORT Check out our collection of online dynamic
aircraft profiles for the latest news, infor-
mation and images on civil and military
programmes at flightglobal.com/profiles

TRAINING JOHN CROFT WASHINGTON DC

KLM debuts upset IRANIAN ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS SINCE 2006

26 Aug 2010 Iran Aseman Fokker 100 overruns into ditch,Tabriz

recovery training 24 Jan 2010 Taban Air Tu-154 breaks up on landing, Mashhad
16 Jan 2010 Iran Air A300 veers off runway after engine failure,
Stockholm
Compulsory courses begin next month in Phoenix as 24 Jul 2009 Aria Air Il-62 crashes on landing at Mashhad
momentum gathers following 2009 Colgan Q400 accident 15 Jul 2009 Caspian Airlines Tu-154 crashes in north-west Iran
15 Feb 2009 Iranian-built An-140 crashes near Isfahan

K LM Flight Academy is to
begin mandatory in-flight
upset recovery training for stu-
and 20° nose up or down,” says
van den Heuvel. “After upset
training, they realise they can re-
2 January 2008 Iran Air Fokker 100 veers off runway, Tehran
1 Sep 2006 Iran Air Tours Tu-154 crashes at Mashhad

dents at its Phoenix, Arizona fa-
cility in February, using two Extra
300L single-engined aerobatic
aircraft operated by Aviation Per-
formance Solutions.
APS will initially teach the
three-day course to 60 students a
year, possibly ramping up to
higher numbers based on KLM’s
pilot needs. The concept of re-
quired upset training has been
gaining momentum in the USA,
spurred by the February 2009
loss-of-control accident of a Col-
gan Airways Bombardier Q400 in
New York.
KLM Flight Academy head of
training Rob van den Heuvel, a
former Lockheed F-104 fighter
pilot, says the course is a first for
the airline industry. Students will
complete the course at the end of
the single-engine training portion
of their programme.
“Nowadays, training for civil
aviation does not involve ma-
noeuvres of more than 60° bank
cover from any situation. It does a
SAFETY DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
lot for self-confidence. We talked
to KLM about whether it would
contribute to safety and they 727 crash underscores
thought it would be helpful.”
KLM’s Arizona flight training
involves 135h in single-engined
safety concern over Iran
Piper Archers and retractable-
gear Piper Arrows. Upset training
at APS will include more than 4h
I ran Air’s loss of a Boeing 727-
200 outside of Orumiyeh is the
first serious accident involving
stances has been released.
The location of the wreckage,
several kilometres to the south-
of in-flight training that culmi- the flag carrier since much of its east of the airport, appears to co-
nates in spin-awareness and in- fleet was blacklisted by the Euro- incide with the missed approach
strument flight recoveries on the pean Commission last year. pattern to Runway 21 – consist-
last day. While there have been no con- ent with preliminary reports of a
Once complete, the students clusions drawn about the loss of go-around. Twenty-eight of the 93
return to the Netherlands for the trijet (EP-IRP), which had passengers and 12 crew members
164h of twin-engined training in been operating to Orumiyeh on 9 on board survived.
Beechcraft Baron simulators and January, the accident has never- Iran Air’s blacklisting followed
aircraft as well as Boeing 737 sim- theless focused attention on Iran’s an EC examination of its operations
ulators. safety standards, notably those at in the first half of 2010, which con-
Van den Heuvel says that, the country’s premier airline. cluded that the airline was “failing
while the results of the upset Orumiyeh airport had been ex- to address the basics in terms of the
training might not be immediate- periencing heavy snow and re- continued airworthiness of its air-
ly obvious, he expects to “see duced visibility at the time of the craft”, adding that this was “partic-
some differences” in the students’ arrival from Tehran. Both flight re- ularly evident” in its 727, 747 and
performance when they begin ini- corders have been retrieved, but Airbus A320 fleets. O
tial airline training with KLM. O little information on the circum- See Feature P22

SAFETY JOHN CROFT WASHINGTON DC

FAA renews seatbelt warning

U S regulators are advising air-
lines to renew efforts to alert
passengers to the risk of injury if
they fail to fasten seatbelts during
turbulence.
An “information for operators”
alert, issued on 6 January, aims to
increase public awareness of the
Superjet International
ing cause of in-flight injuries”.
Although the incidents are uni-
dentified, NTSB incident reports
from 2010 show nine turbulence-
related events in which passen-
gers or cabin crew were injured.
In one case 17 passengers and
four crew members were hurt

“increased risk of injury to pas- when a United Airlines Boeing

sengers and cabin crew mem-
bers” when passengers ignore the
DEBUT seatbelt sign, says the Federal
Aviation Administration.
First serial Superjet is rolled out Its action comes after three tur-
Sukhoi has rolled out the first serial Superjet 100 aircraft in the col- bulence incidents on air carriers,
ours of Russian flag carrier Aeroflot, ahead of initial deliveries of the and the FAA adds that its flight
regional type. The aircraft (RA-89001) carries the SkyTeam alliance standards service analysis and in-
badge and bears the name of Soviet polar pilot Mikhail Vodopyanov. formation staff recently conclud-
ed that turbulence was the “lead-
777 flew through an isolated thun-
derstorm cell en route from Wash-
ington to Los Angeles on 20 July.
As well as training crew for
“quick response” to possible tur-
bulence, the FAA suggests carriers
develop business card-sized warn-
ings printed with a slogan – “Tur-
bulence Happens: Click it, don’t
risk it” for unbelted passengers. O

10 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011 flightglobal.com

FIN_180111_010-011 10 1/13/11 6:48:52 PM

 Swiss Saab’s fuel AIR TRANSPORT
crisis detailed after
eight years
AIR TRANSPORT P12

AVIONICS DAN THISDELL LONDON

‘Smart’ aircraft vital for future ATM

Airbus launches ProSky to help develop air traffic control but warns that today’s fleet will need extensive modification

N ext-generation air traffic man-

agement concepts will only
realise their full potential to re-
duce airspace congestion in the
2020s with help from an all-new
generation of airliners designed to
be intelligent “swimmers” within
the electronic ATM environment.
But, says Airbus executive
vice-president for strategy and fu-
ture programmes Christian Scher-
er, such a vision of more-direct
flight routeing and reduced de-
lays will first have to begin with
extensive electronic modifica-
tions to the existing aircraft fleet.
“Intelligent” aircraft, says
Scherer, will be a critical element
in 21st century ATM systems
being developed in Europe
(SESAR) and the USA (NextGen).
Scherer sees SESAR as reaching
its full potential around 2025,
when a new generation of aircraft
are expected to be replacing the
current fleet of machines like Air-
bus’s A320 or Boeing’s 737.
Speaking as Airbus launched a
subsidiary business, ProSky, ded-
icated to developing ATM sys-
tems, Scherer noted that the vari-
ous SESAR players have a range
of diverging interests. Airlines,
for example, would benefit great-
ly from reduced delays and short-
er routes, but are also desperate to
minimise capital expenditure.
Suppliers of equipment ranging
from on-ground ATM systems to
on-board avionics want to sell as
much product as possible.
Airbus, Scherer admits, would
sell more aircraft if a new ATM
system could squeeze more flights
into the available airspace. But, he
insists, the airframer has no “par-
ticular conflict” over the creation
of SESAR and thus sees itself as
“the natural federator of all the
stakeholders’ interests” in this
bid, as in integrator, to remove the
threat of an ATM “bottleneck” to
the growth of air travel.
Thus, he stresses, ProSky is a
centre of expertise – to be found
inside the EADS group as well as
outside – rather than a profit cen-
tre, and ProSky is not meant to be
a competitor to businesses devel-
oping or supplying any part of the
SESAR system.
The unit could one day be-
come a profit-making business for
Airbus, but for now its focus is to
work with its main customer,
SESAR, to move that project for-
ward. Other customers include
the Chinese air traffic manage-
ment bureau, which in December
signed a memorandum of under-
standing with what was then an
Airbus operating department to
help develop and implement new
ATM systems and best practices
in China.
If ProSky proves to be the grease
that gets SESAR’s wheels turning
– development has proceeded at a
crawling pace, with a decade of
talk and study leaving Europe lit-
tle closer to achieving its goal of
moving from 36 national air space
zones to about nine integrated re-
gions – Airbus will earn much
thanks from other system players
even if its only payoff is more effi-
cient air transport in Europe.
According to the SESAR Joint
Undertaking office, the total esti-
mated cost of the development
phase is €2.1 billion ($2.7 bil-
lion), with the European Union,
Eurocontrol and the industry
each stumping up €700 million.
However, despite Airbus’s cre-
dentials, the history of airframer
attempts to promote ATM mod-
ernisation does not point clearly
to success. A diversification drive
saw Boeing in 2000 create an Air
Traffic Management business
unit, which was contracted to de-
velop ideas for SESAR.
Working in collaboration was
an industry grouping of EADS,
Airbus and Thales, known as the
Air Traffic Alliance. In 2005, Boe-
ing scaled down its ATM busi-
ness and folded it into its Phan-
tom Works research organisation,
while Air Traffic Alliance was
subsequently disbanded. O

OPERATIONS

Qantas A380s cleared

to cross Pacific again
Q antas is resuming operations
to Los Angeles with its Air-
bus A380, two months after sus-
“In close consultation with
Rolls-Royce, we are now confi-
dent that we can begin flying the
pending the type’s services on the A380 to and from Los Angeles
route following an uncontained without any conditions on the
engine failure. use of maximum engine thrust,”
Boeing

The Oneworld carrier is restart- says Qantas chief Alan Joyce.

PRODUCTION ing A380 flights from Melbourne
to Los Angeles and will then re-
767 reaches four-figure milestone start Sydney-Los Angeles services.
Boeing has started final assembly of its one thousandth 767. “After extensive engineering
Only one other widebody aircraft type has reached the same analysis and close consultation
marker: the 747, with more than 1,400 delivered to date. Both the [we] are satisfied that it is appro-
777 and Airbus’s A330 have each secured over 1,000 orders, with priate for Qantas to resume A380
777 deliveries having topped 900, while the 787, A350 and A340 flying on the Los Angeles-Aus-
have accumulated orders for 847, 573 and 379 respectively. tralia routes,” says the airline.
Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways is to receive the 1,000th Qantas had progressively re-
767, a -300ER variant, the last to undergo final assembly on this sumed A380 services since the 4
particular line at Everett. Boeing intends to transfer the line to a November failure of a Rolls-
smaller station. The first 767 to be completed there will also be a Royce Trent 900 engine, but
-300ER for ANA. thrust restrictions kept the carrier
off the Los Angeles route.
R-R has developed a modifica-
tion for the Trent 900 which aims
to prevent the overspeed which it
believes destroyed the turbine
disc in the Qantas incident.
The engine electronic control-
ler software change will detect
engine conditions that could po-
tentially lead to the overspeed
and shut down the powerplant
before the situation reaches a crit-
ical threshold. The update to the
“version 10.6” software is the
subject of a European airworthi-
ness directive. O

flightglobal.com 18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 11

FIN_180111_010-011 11 1/13/11 6:56:23 PM

 AIR TRANSPORT
INVESTIGATION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Swiss Saab’s fuel
crisis explained
after eight years
Deferred inquiry details how turboprop struggled to evade
series of storms before crash-landing at German air base
E ight years after a Swiss Saab
2000 was written off while
landing at a German air base, in-
vestigators have detailed the ex-
traordinary circumstances that
led the crew to divert five times to
escape surrounding storms.
Forced to land by rapidly di-
minishing fuel reserves – the
Saab had just 420kg (925lb) in its
tanks – it struck a 0.7m (2.3ft)
earthen berm across a restricted
part of the runway at
Werneuchen, snapping off its un-
dercarriage.
While the accident in July 2002
was serious, it was non-fatal, and
German investigation agency
BFU lowered its priority to con-
centrate on the mid-air collision
over Lake Constance, which had
taken place nine days earlier.
BFU says this was partly re-
sponsible for the long time-lapse
to produce its conclusions, but
SAFETY JOHN CROFT WASHINGTON DC
Fatigue-related decompression
incident sparks 757 inspections
M etal fatigue in certain skin
sections of two Boeing 757s,
including one that experienced
rapid decompression at 31,000ft
(9,450m), has spurred the Federal
Aviation Administration to man-
date repetitive inspections of the
US-registered fleet.
The decompression incident
occurred on an American Air-
lines 757 en route from Miami to
Boston on 26 October.
None of the 154 passengers
and six crew members was in-
jured when a 0.3 x 0.45m (12 x
18in) rip developed in the skin
above and behind the passenger
entry door on the left side of the
fuselage. The aircraft had accu-
12 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011
FIN_180111_012 12
adds: “The work on this report
was possibly a little more than
with the [collision]. There were a
lot of facets we had to investigate
– it was not easy to do this.”
Initially bound for Hamburg,
the crew, with a 600kg fuel re-
serve in case of storm delays,
aborted the first approach and
after holding for about 15min
opted to divert to Hanover.
Critically, the BFU says this
first diversion was made without
using available information and
“without first obtaining a com-
prehensive weather overview of
those airfields within range and
as yet unaffected by the front”.
As the pilots manoeuvred to
avoid thunderstorms at Hanover,
the information on their weather
radar prompted them to make a
second diversion to Berlin Tegel
20min later.
Although the flight was operat-
mulated 22,450 cycles.
Another unidentified 757,
which had accumulated 24,631
cycles, was found to have a 27cm
(10.6in)-long crack just above lap
joint stringer 4L, says the FAA.
In a directive the FAA calls
“interim action” and which cov-
ers 683 757-200s and -300s, oper-
ators must perform initial inspec-
tions on aircraft with more than
15,000 total flight cycles, and re-
petitive inspections every 30 to
300 cycles thereafter, depending
on inspection method.
“An investigation is ongoing
and no terminating action has
been developed yet,” says the
US agency. O
Check out our collection of online dynamic
aircraft profiles for the latest news, infor-
mation and images on civil and military
programmes at flightglobal.com/profiles
The Saab 2000 struck an earthen berm, snapping off its undercarriage
ing at low altitude – below 5,000ft
(1,520m) – during the diversions,
BFU says this did not lead to
higher fuel consumption.
But a low-fuel warning, indi-
cating just 40min flight time re-
maining, sounded as the Saab
vectored for Berlin, having been
airborne for 2h 9min. Ten min-
utes later the aircraft was forced
to find another destination as
storms closed on the German
capital, and air traffic control sug-
gested Eberswalde-Finow, 27nm
(50km) away.
En route to Eberswalde, with
the flight being treated as an
emergency case, the pilots aban-
doned this course owing to the
weather, and briefly turned to-
wards Neubrandenburg – 46nm
away – before similarly scrapping
this plan.
PRODUCTION ANDREW DOYLE LONDON
Airbus aims to raise
A320 production rate
A irbus is studying the possibil-
ity of raising the A320-family
production rate to 44 aircraft a
month but is yet to convince itself
that suppliers will be able to cope
with such an increase.
The European manufacturer
has already pledged to step up
single-aisle airliner production to
40 a month by the first quarter of
2012, up from 36.
Airbus executive vice-presi-
dent programmes Tom Williams
says that further incremental in-
creases, to 42 and 44 aircraft a
month, were under evaluation in
the face of strong airline demand.
Describing the A320 as the
BFU
Controllers suggested Wer-
neuchen, 20nm distant. Because
of the fuel situation, the crew did
not visually inspect the runway
from the air.
The pilots could not see the
berm that was blocking off the
western section of the 2,400m
runway on approach, and closure
markings were too unclear to be
made out.
After 2h 33min of flight, the
Saab hit the berm and slid 350m
before coming to rest.
Given the circumstances of the
crash, the BFU has not made any
safety recommendations. The in-
vestigator in charge of the inquiry
says the situation was “most in-
teresting”, but it adds: “I don’t
believe the accident at
Werneuchen is something that
will happen again.” O
company’s “cash cow”, Williams
says the airframer recognises that
lifting the production rate to as
high as 44 could present “pretty
significant challenges” for the
programme’s supply chain. O
Clarification In an article headlined “Fewer
slots at Heathrow ‘may improve experi-
ence’” (Flight International, 21 December
2010–3 January), we quoted Nigel Milton,
director of policy and political relations at
airport operator BAA as saying slot removal
was being considered as a way to cut
congestion at London Heathrow. We are
happy to clarify that the removal of slots
is one of several options being considered
by the South East Airports Task Force, and
has not been endorsed by BAA. “The list of
options contains some that BAA supports
and others we oppose,” says Milton.
flightglobal.com
1/13/11 5:41:31 PM

TARGET STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
Supersonic target to club
renewed maritime threat
US Navy launches programme after surprise reappearance of Novator 3M-54 missile
lliant TechSystems (ATK) has
A revealed key details of a new
aerial target designed to simulate
the flight profile of one of the most
dangerous potential threats to US
Navy ships and submarines.
A public briefing posted by the
US National Defense Industries
Association (NDIA) in early Janu-
ary, but dated 20 October, also re-
veals that the ZGQM-173A multi-
stage supersonic target (MSST)
could soon be offered for export
on a “case by case basis”.
Mike Stuart, ATK’s director of
missiles business development,
told the NDIA’s annual targets,
UAVs and range operations sym-
posium that the new target was
expected to achieve first flight on
17 November 2010.
However, the company now
confirms that the first flight has
been rescheduled to the first
quarter of this year, with the date
subject to development delays
and “range asset availability”.
ATK and the US Naval Air Sys-
tems Command (NAVAIR) were
DEVELOPMENT LUCA PERUZZI GENOA
M-346 test lowers radar cross-section
lenia Aermacchi has com-
A pleted a low radar cross-sec-
tion research project on its M-346
Master advanced jet trainer and
light combat aircraft.
Unspecified external airframe
modifications and material appli-
cations were tested to reduce the
radar cross-section. The work
was focused on the frontal area,
including two engine air inlets.
Conceived as an easy-to-install
and remove kit, the enhance-
ments were assessed last year by
Alenia Aermacchi in partnership
with Pisa-based Ingegneria dei
Sistemi (IDS). The work drew on
the latter’s previous research ex-
perience linked to other naval,
ground and air programmes.
flightglobal.com
FIN_180111_013 13
India’s Tejas gets
operational nod
DEFENCE P14
The multi-stage supersonic target will test defences against the Klub
not immediately available to com-
ment on the status of the flight-test
programme. NAVAIR awarded a
$93 million target to ATK in 2008
to develop the MSST.
ATK says the ZGQM-173A is
comprised of two existing sys-
tems. The subsonic bus, which
detaches from the vehicle as it be-
gins to climb, is derived from the
CEi BQM-167X target drone.
The second-stage, hypersonic
motor is adapted from ATK’s
Mk 114 vertical launch anti-sub-
marine rocket.
The US Navy launched the
programme after the surprise ap-
pearance of the Russian Novator
3M-54 Klub (or the SS-N-27 “Siz-
The modifications would benefit the type during light attack missions
The kit was first applied to air-
craft models and ground tested,
before a final configuration was
approved for flight-testing. Sourc-
es say that in the latter campaign a
zler”). The Klub is designed to
overwhelm the defences of its in-
tended targets – ships and subma-
rines – by cruising over wave-tops
at subsonic speeds, before acceler-
ating in a brief climb to Mach 3.5
and then diving back to the
surface and weaving toward a
ship’s hull.
Such variations in speed, alti-
tude and direction make the Klub
difficult to track on radar, compli-
cating the ship’s ability to evade or
stop the weapon.
When the MSST enters service
in fiscal year 2014, the USN will be
able to test how its defences would
compete against the threat posed
by the Klub’s speed and agility. O
Alenia Aermacchi
modified M-346 demonstrated
unchanged flying and perform-
ance characteristics, with no op-
erational limitations encountered
across its entire flight envelope. O
18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 13
DEFENCE
UNMANNED AIRCRAFT
GAYLE PUTRICH WASHINGTON DC
Global Observer
achieves
hydrogen first
eroVironment’s Global Ob-
A server high-altitude, long-en-
durance unmanned aircraft has
successfully made the transition
to hydrogen power, starting with
a 4h test flight from Edwards AFB
in California.
The milestone comes as the US
Special Operations Command
(SOCOM) eyes a life for the Glo-
bal Observer beyond its current
$120 million joint capability
technology demonstration effort,
which will deliver two aircraft. It
could become a programme of
record within the US government
between 2012 and 2014, Aero-
Vironment chief executive Timo-
thy Conver says.
Flight testing of the design
began under battery power in Au-
gust 2010, while ground testing of
its hydrogen system began last
November. This included an un-
interrupted seven-day mission
cycle in a test chamber that simu-
lated the temperature and pres-
sure changes of a high-altitude
climb, loiter and descent. The
company also recently ran sys-
tems on aircraft number one for
12 continuous hours.
Conver says SOCOM is “work-
ing” to find more funding for Glo-
bal Observer. The military could
either buy small quantities of new
systems to meet urgent needs, or
convert the demonstration aircraft
into operational assets, he reveals.
The aircraft is designed to fly
for five to seven days at a time at
altitudes up to 65,000ft (19,800m)
while carrying a 172kg (380lb)
communications and intelli-
gence, surveillance and recon-
naissance payload.
Liquid hydrogen is burned in an
internal-combustion engine to
drive a generator and produce
electricity to power four propellers
and charge the back-up batteries.
If accepted as a programme of
record, Global Observer would
generate more revenue annually
than the nearly $250 million
overall sales total reported in fis-
cal year 2009, Conver says. O
1/13/11 12:11:23 PM
 DEFENCE
The Indian air force already has 40 Mk I Tejas fighters on order
FIGHTERS RADHAKRISHNA RAO BANGALORE
India’s Tejas gets
operational nod
Clearance certificate from defence minister paves way for
series production of supersonic light combat aircraft
ore than two decades after it
M was conceived as a replace-
ment for the Mikoyan MiG-21,
India’s Tejas light combat aircraft
has received initial operational
clearance.
Defence minister A K Antony
handed over a release to service
certificate to Indian air force chief
of staff Air Chief Marshal P V Naik
in Bangalore on 10 January, mov-
ing the Aeronautical Development
Agency’s supersonic type a step
closer to its formal induction.
The declaration paves the way
for Hindustan Aeronautics to take
up series production of 40 Mk I
examples of the Tejas already on
order for the Indian air force. The
company has the infrastructure in
place to roll out 10 of the GE Avia-
tion F404-IN20-powered aircraft
a year, with the first due to be
handed over before the end of
2011. However, it is unclear
whether the company is in a posi-
tion to meet this deadline.
Since its launch in the 1980s,
the Tejas programme has been hit
by time and cost overruns caused
by India’s lack of experience in
combat aircraft technology, and
slowed by US sanctions imposed
after nuclear tests conducted by
India in 1998.
A first technology demonstra-
tor took to the skies in January
2001, and more than 1,500 sorties
14 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011
FIN_180111_014-015 14
For free access to Flight’s Defence
e-newsletter visit flightglobal.com/
defencenewsletter
UNMANNED FLIGHT GAYLE PUTRICH WASHINGTON DC
Pentagon attacks USN
for mishandling BAMS
he US Navy has mishandled
T its Broad Area Maritime Sur-
veillance (BAMS) unmanned air
Aeronautical Development Agency
vehicle programme by failing to
properly validate bills from prime
contractor Northrop Grumman,
says a report from the Department
of Defense inspector general.
Published late last month, the
document reveals that contracting
officials and programme manag-
ers at the US Naval Air Systems
Command (NAVAIR) failed to
properly review 39 invoices from
Northrop before payment. They
approved bills for $329 million
without any serious accounting
detail, plus unallowable travel ex-
penses totalling $206,000, it says.
NAVAIR has also been
have now been flown. criticised for having failed to
A Mk II version of the aircraft
should also fly in 2014, with this
reach planned work- and proper-
ty-sharing agreements with the
to feature a more powerful GE US Air Force, which is acquiring
F414 engine and other enhance- the same RQ-4 Global Hawk air-
ments requested by the Indian air frame manufactured in the same
force. The service is estimated as factory. These should have cov-
requiring around 200 Tejas, while ered manufacturing equipment
the Indian navy could acquire 40. worth more than $150 million,
India’s massive investment has plus specialised tools and test
helped to rejuvenate its aeronau- equipment.
tics sector, says the nation’s De- The report recommends that
fence Research and Development NAVAIR should speed cost audits
Organisation, while Antony adds for spending already incurred,
that it will also inform future
projects to produce an advanced
medium combat aircraft and un- HELICOPTERS CRAIG HOYLE ORLANDO
manned combat air vehicles.
“Small and medium enterpris-
Lockheed in Apache sensor deal
es played a major role in the pro- ockheed Martin has received a
duction of test equipment and
components” for the Tejas, says
L $15 million contract to launch
a low-light sensor upgrade for
Ashok Saxena, managing director some of the US Army’s Boeing
of Navv Avia Technologies. AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
“These companies are now get- The company will produce 65
ting business from many foreign visible/near infrared TV cameras
firms looking for good quality, under the VNsight programme,
low-cost outsourcing for their plus “an initial quantity” for an
own programmes.” undisclosed international cus-
Separately, HAL chairman tomer.
Ashok Nayak says he expects the Images from the new camera
Indian air force to order an addi- will be blended with forward-
tional batch of 42 locally-pro- looking infrared inputs from the
duced Sukhoi Su-30MKIs. The Apache’s Arrowhead sensor suite
company has already delivered on a cockpit display, enabling pi-
about 105 of the type from a pre- lots to determine laser spots,
vious order for 180 HAL-assem- ground beacons and even vehicle
bled aircraft, he says. O headlights. This will give “signifi-
conduct an administrative review
of BAMS contracting officials and
finalise planned shared-cost
agreements with the air force and
Northrop. “The BAMS pro-
gramme is at risk of increased
costs, schedule delays and not
meeting the needs of the warfight-
er” if the problems persist, it says.
“The programme is at
risk of increased
costs and delays”
INSPECTOR GENERAL
Department of Defense
Northrop says it is already
working with both services to
bring down costs and manage
BAMS through the programme’s
system development and low-rate
production phase. The company
won a $1.2 billion contract for the
high-altitude, long-endurance
UAV in April 2008, with this deal
having subsequently risen in
value to $1.8 billion.
The overall cost of the BAMS
programme will eventually ex-
ceeed $19 billion, the report says,
with 40 UAVs to be deployed at
five bases around the world. O
cant tactical advantages, safer fly-
ing conditions and enhanced mis-
sion capability”, says Lockheed.
The company’s Akron, Ohio-
based Mission Systems and Sen-
sors unit will supply the cameras,
which will use lenses produced
in Orlando, Florida.
VNsight could also be integrat-
ed as part of the Pathfinder situa-
tional awareness system being
offered for transport and utility
helicopters such as the Bell UH-1
and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk,
says Joe Elmer, manager interna-
tional business development,
Apache weapon system for Lock-
heed Martin Missiles and Fire
Control. O
flightglobal.com
1/12/11 1:24:38 PM

COMBAT AIRCRAFT STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
Pressure mounts on F-35B
Design changes revealed to solve ‘significant problems’ troubling STOVL variant of fighter for US Marine Corps
ockheed Martin and Pratt &
L Whitney have revealed the ex-
tent of design changes required to
release the short take-off and ver-
tical landing F-35B from “proba-
tionary” status within two years.
The Joint Strike Fighter pro-
gramme is cleared to spend an-
other $4.6 billion, partly to correct
structural and propulsion design
flaws in the F-35B. But patience is
swiftly cooling with the US Ma-
rine Corps’ specialised variant.
While the US Air Force’s con-
ventional take-off and landing
F-35A and the US Navy’s F-35C
carrier variant are “proceeding
satisfactorily” in tests, Secretary
of Defense Robert Gates says the
Marine Corps’ prized stealth
fighter is “experiencing signifi-
cant testing problems”.
Gates put the F-35B on a two-
year probation period during a 6
January statement on the Depart-
ment of Defense’s budget and ef-
ficiencies. “If we cannot fix this
variant during this timeframe and
get it back on track in terms of
performance, cost and schedule,
then I believe it should be can-
celled,” he says.
LAST CHANCE
Gates’s announcement seemingly
gives the USMC and Lockheed
one last chance to fix the
F-35B’s problems. It came just
three months after the UK shelved
plans to acquire the type in fa-
vour of the F-35C, leaving only
Italy as a potential buyer among
the programme’s nine interna-
tional partners.
In a positive sign, Lockheed has
determined that use of aluminium
material did not cause the crack-
ing problem which affected one of
six major bulkheads on its BH-1
STOVL ground-test aircraft less
than 10% through a 16,000h du-
rability test last November.
Cracks formed on the aircraft’s
Alcoa-supplied No 496 bulkhead,
where the fuselage attaches to the
flightglobal.com
FIN_180111_015 15
Stratos 714 ready
for windtunnel
BUSINESS
AVIATION P17
Test aircraft BF-2 made its first vertical landing on 6 January
main landing gear. This created a
“large stress concentration”,
Lockheed says. The company’s
decision to convert the bulkhead
structure from titanium to a light-
er-weight, aluminium alloy in
2004 was not a factor, it says.
However, Lockheed has now re-
designed the bulkhead, and adds
that “other locations of similar
design” on the F-35B are also
being evaluated.
P&W, meanwhile, is making
three changes to the propulsion
system engaged only during
STOVL operations. The drive-
shaft, lift-fan clutch and actuator
for the roll-post nozzles as cur-
rently designed meet Lockheed’s
original specifications, says Ben-
nett Croswell, P&W’s vice-presi-
dent for F135 and F119 pro-
grammes. But experience in
flight-testing has revealed that
each has encountered surprising
conditions.
In STOVL mode, the driveshaft
contracts and expands more than
expected, while the actuators for
the roll-post nozzles are blasted
by more heat than anticipated.
Plates in the clutch fan, mean-
while, touch unexpectedly dur-
ing normal flying mode, which
“very infrequently” creates more
heat than the clutch is designed
to tolerate, Croswell says.
Gates says the F-35B’s possible
redesign could “add yet more
weight and more cost to an air-
Lockheed Martin
“If we cannot fix this
variant during this
timeframe...I believe
it should
be cancelled”
ROBERT GATES
US Secretary of Defense
craft that has little capacity to ab-
sorb more of either”.
Croswell, however, believes
the propulsion redesign can
avoid penalising the aircraft’s
price tag or performance. “From a
cost and a weight standpoint, [the
impact] will be minimal,” he
says. In the case of the driveshaft,
P&W’s goal is to reduce the cost of
the strengthened, Rolls-Royce-
supplied component, he adds.
The STOVL variant was al-
ways expected to pose the hard-
est design challenges of the three
F-35 models, as it is the first fight-
er to blend stealth features, super-
sonic speed and advanced avion-
ics with the unique ability to take
off within roughly 250m (820ft)
and land vertically. Such capa-
bilities make the F-35B essential
for the USMC.
The variant’s unique perform-
ance requirements also drove a
major redesign in 2004 that be-
came the first in a series of delays
and cost overruns reported by all
three F-35 variants.
18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 15
NEWS FOCUS
PROPULSION FLAWS
O Driveshaft contracts and
expands more than ex-
pected in STOVL mode
O Roll post nozzle actua-
tors have encountered
excess heating
O Clutch plates can touch
in conventional flight,
causing overheating
In flight tests, the F-35A and
F-35C both exceeded a greatly re-
duced set of flight-test goals in
2010, but the F-35B notably strug-
gled. In all, 410 flights were re-
corded last year, against a target
of 394. Although the BF-1 flight-
test aircraft achieved its first verti-
cal landing last March, reliability
problems slowed the pace of
flight tests. In late September,
Lockheed grounded the F-35B to
fix a critical issue with a hinge
opening the auxiliary inlet door
for the lift-fan.
It would be nearly four months
before the BF-2 flight-test aircraft
completed another vertical land-
ing on 6 January.
Gates says tests for the F-35A
and F-35C will now be decoupled
from the STOVL version. The US
Navy, meanwhile, will buy 41
more Boeing F/A-18E/F Super
Hornets over the next three years
and slash planned orders for the
F-35B from 61 to 20 during the
same period.
Lockheed has already received
$37 billion over nine years to de-
velop and test the three variants,
plus contracts worth roughly $10
billion more to deliver 62 jets in
the first four lots of low-rate ini-
tial production. So far, only 10 of
13 flight-test aircraft have been
delivered. O
For more coverage of the F-35
programme, visit
flightglobal.com/jsf
1/13/11 11:00:37 AM
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FIN_180111_016 16 13/01/2011 09:45:07


CONSULTATION KERRY REALS LONDON
Swiss venture in danger as
Lufthansa courts NetJets
German flag carrier’s rumoured deal could force business aviation division’s closure
wiss PrivateAviation – the
S business jet division of Swiss
European Air Lines – is going
through a consultation process that
is likely to lead to its closure. Par-
ent company Lufthansa is under-
stood to be on the verge of entering
into a new co-operation agreement
with fractional ownership provider
NetJets Europe to provide flights
for its LPJ private jet offering.
Lufthansa previously had an
agreement with NetJets to provide
its first-class passengers with a
DEVELOPMENT KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Stratos 714 ready for windtunnel
tratos Aircraft is gearing up to
S begin windtunnel testing in
April of a 1/8th-scale model of its
Stratos 714 single-engined jet.
The Bend, Oregon-based start-
up has secured a slice of external
funding, but the company needs
more investment to bring the five-
seat Williams FJ44-3AP-powered
aircraft to market.
“Among other things, the tests
will give us valuable data on lift
and drag for the wing and fuse-
lage along with a number of pa-
rameters to verify stability and
control,” says Stratos chief execu-
tive Alexander Craig. “With the
results we’ll be able to refine the
profile of the Stratos 714, if need-
ACQUISITION STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
Collins purchase will boost information business
ockwell Collins has acquired
R a Virginia-based software
company to expand the Ascend
information management portfo-
lio it launched three months ago.
Computing Technologies for
Aviation, which supplies flight
operating system software, was
purchased for undisclosed terms.
The business will join the newly
created Ascend portfolio offered
flightglobal.com
FIN_180111_018-17 17
Evektor postpones
EV-55 first flight
BUSINESS
AVIATION P18
business jet feeder service through-
out Europe to and from its major
hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.
The agreement folded in 2007
and Lufthansa acquired a fleet of
Cessna Citation business jets op-
erated by Swiss PrivateAviation.
LPJ has grown rapidly and the
fleet now consists of three CJ1+,
two CJ3s and two XLS+s. Extra ca-
pacity is provided by German and
Austrian charter operators DC
Aviation and Jet Alliance. Lufthan-
sa is also seeking to expand the
Data from testing the single-engined jet will be used to refine its profile
ed, in anticipation of building the
prototype aircraft [within the next
two years].”
Stratos has opened the order-
book and is “taking $10,000 de-
by Collins’ flight information so-
lutions business.
Founded nearly 30 years ago,
CTA’s software allows corporate
and private aircraft owners to au-
tomate scheduling, charter
quotes, flight logs and regulatory
information. The company’s web
site lists 10 employees on staff,
including president Fred Powell.
The acquisition follows Col-
BUSINESS AVIATION
LPJ offering to the USA.
Swiss concedes that Lufthansa
“has decided to further expand
Lufthansa Private Jet in a way that
we couldn’t”. As a result of this,
combined with “very difficult”
market conditions, Swiss Private-
Aviation is undergoing consulta-
tions that Swiss describes as “a
normal process when you see that
you can’t go on with a business”.
Lufthansa declines to comment
on speculation that it is close to
signing a deal with NetJets. O
Stratos
posits on delivery positions” for
the $2 million aircraft, which has
a projected cruise speed of 400kt
(740km/h) and a range of
1,500nm (2,775km). O
lins’ purchase last year of Hou-
ston-based Air Routing, which
provides scheduling and dispatch
services for similar clients.
The Ascend service will offer
clients information management
tools from both CTA and Air
Routing, as well as adding the
firm’s datalinks to automatically
download regulatory and opera-
tional updates to the cockpit. O
18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 17
CAMPAIGN
KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Europe mounts
pressure on
illegal charters
he European Business Avia-
T tion Association has launched
a campaign for operators, brokers
and passengers to curtail illegal
charter flights within Europe.
“The operation of illegal char-
ters has been a top agenda item for
EBAA over the past year. The as-
sociation is taking this forward
into positive action in 2011. Oper-
ating without a valid air operator’s
certificate and failing to comply
with traffic rights are key concerns
for many within the business avi-
ation community,” says Brussels-
based EBAA.
The plight of Europe’s ap-
proved operators and brokers was
highlighted by Flight Internation-
al last year. This followed an in-
dustry roundtable discussion that
revealed widespread use of illegal
charters and abuse of regulations
by a number of operators, brokers
and owners.
“It is in the reputational and
commercial interest of all in busi-
ness aviation to ensure that the
flights advertised and arranged are
legally permissible and in compli-
ance with the regulatory safety
standards demanded of air opera-
tor certificate holders,” says EBAA
president Brian Humphries.
The association has compiled
a document called Is my flight
legal. Ensure the safety and legal-
ity of the business aircraft you
charter that stipulates what ac-
tivities fall within the realm of
permissible flight activity within
Europe and which do not.
A separate brochure has been
published “to help passengers and
all non-specialist interested par-
ties better understand the rules
and the risk of non-compliance”.
The vast majority of flights op-
erated to, within and from the EU
comply with legal requirements,
says Humphries. “Nevertheless,
there are some operators who un-
wisely choose to circumvent the
system,” he adds. O
Read more about the illegal
charter market at
flightglobal.com/greyoutlook
1/13/11 11:11:27 AM
 BUSINESS AVIATION
FUNDING EMMA KELLY PERTH
Hawker Pacific expansion takes off
New part-owner Seacor’s $25 million investment will boost fixed-base operations, MRO activities and salesforce
ustralian aerospace sales and
A product support company
Hawker Pacific is to use funding
from new part-owner Seacor to
provide fixed-base operations and
maintenance repair and overhaul
activities in India, Singapore and
Shanghai, as well as expanding its
Asia-based aircraft salesforce.
Offshore oil and gas and marine
transport service provider Seacor
acquired a 33% stake in Hawker
Pacific at the end of 2010. It in-
vested A$25 million ($24.6 mil-
lion) into the Sydney-based com-
pany, which is majority owned by
Saab and Lynton Holding Asia, in
OPERATIONS EMMA KELLY PERTH
Runway worries
put Antarctic
service on ice
he Australian Antarctic Divi-
T sion has put on hold Airbus
A319LR services between Hobart,
Tasmania and Wilkins aerodrome,
Antarctica because of safety con-
cerns with the aerodrome’s blue
ice runway caused by warmer
than normal temperatures.
Australia built the 4,000m
(1,200ft) blue ice runway near the
country’s Casey research station in
2006 to allow it to operate inter-
continental jet services during the
southern hemisphere summer. Be-
fore the runway was constructed,
Australian researchers had to un-
dergo a 10-day journey to Antarc-
tica by boat. The runway is used
for between 10 and 20 flights by a
modified A319LR operated by
Sydney-based Skytraders.
The flights usually operate
from mid-December, but runway
temperatures have forced the can-
cellation of services to Wilkins.
Some flights have been operating
to the US McMurdo Antarctica
base instead, with de Havilland
Twin Otter connections to Casey.
The situation is being monitored,
with the next flight to Wilkins
scheduled for 18 January. O
18 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011
FIN_180111_018-17 18
exchange for newly issued com-
mon equity and representation on
the Hawker Pacific board.
Hawker Pacific conducts aero-
space sales, special mission mod-
ification and systems integration,
technical support and handling
and FBO services across Austral-
ia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific and
the Middle East.
Hawker Pacific chief executive
Alan Smith says a new facility at
Seletar airport, Singapore will be
among projects to be paid for by
the funding.
As part of the airport redevel-
opment, Hawker Pacific must re-
DEVELOPMENT KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Evektor postpones EV-55 first flight
zech aircraft manufacturer
C Evektor is holding back first
flight of its EV-55 Outback twin-
engined turboprop until it gets
the green light from the Czech
army and the country’s ministry
of defence, which are supervising
initial testing of the 14-seat, high-
wing aircraft.
“The first flight – which was
originally planned for the third
quarter of 2010 – was postponed
for administrative reasons,” says
Evektor marketing manager Petr
Grebeníček.
He says that while the civil
market is Evektor’s primary tar-
get, it is also seeking military
sales of the Pratt & Whitney Cana-
da PT6A-21-powered EV-55. For
this reason “we have decided to
perform the initial flight testing
within the scope of military op-
erations and this requires more
time and effort [to plan] than orig-
inally expected”.
Kunovice-based Evektor will
not be drawn on a specific time-
line for the maiden sortie, but
says the EV-55 will take to the
skies “in the coming months”.
Grebeníček says that “the first
EV-55 prototype – serial number
001– has passed all the pre-flight
tests and is ready, from the
Keep up to date with all the latest
business and general aviation news at
flightglobal.com/bizav
locate from the East Camp to the
West Camp precinct, where it will
have a new 9,000m2 (96,900ft2)
FBO. This will include a state-of-
the-art aircraft paintshop and
dedicated line and heavy mainte-
nance hangars, with the compa-
ny’s Singapore workforce of 80-
plus set to grow substantially.
The investment will also be
used for the expansion into MRO
and aircraft management activi-
ties at Hawker Pacific’s joint ven-
ture FBO with the Shanghai Air-
port Authority at the Chinese
airport. “The current FBO activity
is experiencing healthy growth
Evektor is seeking military sales for the 14-seat Outback
technical point of view, for its
maiden flight”.
Evektor has also completed
static testing of the horizontal
tailplane, landing gear drop and
strength, control surface and
ground vibration testing.
The delay to the flight-test pro-
gramme has not hampered Evek-
tor’s quest to secure investment
for a second EV-55 production fa-
cility in Russia’s Ulyanovsk re-
gion. “Along with our partners
from Ulyanovsk, we are discuss-
ing with a strong Russian compa-
ny about a possibility of establish
a joint venture,” says Grebeníček.
He will not be drawn on the size
of each partner’s stakeholding, but
Evektor is expected to have a ma-
jority share in the venture.
and we will continue to look for
opportunities to expand opera-
tions into other key regional cen-
tres,” says Smith.
Hawker Pacific will also ex-
plore opportunities to establish
an FBO/MRO business in India –
a market it has been eyeing for
some time, he adds.
“Funds are also earmarked to
aggressively expand our Asia-
based aircraft salesforce. The in-
dividual markets in Asia contin-
ue to show good potential and it
is a priority to ensure we have the
resources to maximise our expo-
sure in the various markets.” O
Evektor
“There is a big market in Rus-
sia for the EV-55 from charter,
commuter, cargo, special mission
and military operators who need
the versatility of this aircraft to
access remote areas,” Grebeníček
adds. “The same can be said of
other regions such as Australia,
Brazil, Canada, India and the
USA where we have also received
very strong demand and a posi-
tive reception to the aircraft,
which can access unpaved air-
strips and high-altitude sites.”
Russian-produced aircraft will
be marketed in Russia and the
CIS. Czech-made aircraft will be
sold in Europe and elsewhere. O
Read more about Evektor at
flightglobal.com/evektor
flightglobal.com
1/13/11 11:50:31 AM

SPACE SHUTTLE GAYLE PUTRICH WASHINGTON DC
NASA cracks Discovery tank problem
Engineers pinpoint stringers and stress caused by loading extremely cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen as factors
ASA programme managers
N have finally found the cause
of the cracks on Space Shuttle
Discovery’s external fuel tank –
and a fix – setting a possible
launch date of 24 February, the
US space agency says.
Teams of engineers have been
searching for more cracks, and
their cause, since November.
“This was a tough problem,”
says John Shannon, the Shuttle
programme manager. “I’m very
confident that we’ve finally
gotten it figured out and we have
a fix that is easy to implement.”
As originally thought, the
stress of loading extremely cold
liquid oxygen and hydrogen into
the tank played a partial role in
the cracks, Shannon says. Further
BAE calls off sale of
Platform Solutions
BUSINESS P20
investigation has shown that an-
other contributing factor was that
this set of stringers is not as frac-
ture-resistant as earlier batches.
Tests on Discovery’s tank have
not been able to pinpoint either
material quality or flaws from as-
sembly as the sole source of the
cracking problem, showing it is
likely to be a combination of both,
NASA says, calling the matter
“hard to quantify”.
“It’s been a long road,” Shan-
non says. “I’m very confident we
have it finally figured out and we
have a fix. We’re going to fly with
a lot of confidence in this tank.”
According to Shannon, the
same problem may have existed
without programme officials real-
ising it on the fuel tank that flew


in May 2010 with Atlantis, al-
though it caused no problems.
Crews are fitting pieces of
metal, called radius blocks, over
both edges of all 108 of Discov-
ery’s 67.4m (21ft)-long stringers,
where they attach to the external
tank’s thrust panel area, strength-
ening them at the point that re-
ceives the most stress on the way
to orbit. NASA expects the work
to be complete by 23 January.
Although programme manag-
ers hope to have Discovery on the
launch pad by late February for
its much-anticipated final flight,
the repairs are not the only sched-
uling factor to contend with.
Mike Suffredini, International
Space Station programme man-
ager, says the launch date is
SPACEFLIGHT
“workable” given other traffic to
the station. A European cargo
spacecraft, ATV-2, is set to launch
to the station on 15 February, car-
rying supplies and equipment.
“We think we can support a
launch date of 24 February,” Suf-
fredini says. “There’s some work to
do to finalise the planning we’ve
done over the past several days.”
Discovery’s long string of delays
– first to repair leaking helium and
nitrogen gas lines on the Shuttle’s
orbital manoeuvring system pod,
then electrical problems and bad
weather struck before the stringer
cracks were found on 5 November
– has already pushed the lift-off of
the final scheduled Shuttle mis-
sion. STS-134 Endeavour is now
expected on 1 April. O

 

  
 



 

  

 
  
  

       


    
       
      


  






     

flightglobal.com 18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 19

FIN_180111_019 19 1/13/11 10:54:46 AM

 BUSINESS
Good week
ETIHAD The national air-
line of Abu Dhabi says
2010 revenue was up
nearly 30% to $2.95 bil-
lion and it is on track to
break even this year and
turn its first profit in
2012. Passenger num-
bers broke the 7 million
mark for the first time,
and cargo revenue
jumped 57.4% thanks to
its expanding route net-
work and the acquisition
of two dedicated Airbus
A330-200 freighters. A
major cost management
programme generated
$320 million in annual-
ised cost savings.
Airbus
BAE Systems
BAE SYSTEMS The UK
defence giant has failed
to offload a division that
has a product portfolio
ranging from fly-by-wire
flight controls and mis-
sion avionics for military
aircraft to hybrid electric
power systems for city
buses. New York state-
based Platform
Solutions had been on
the market since
September, but “despite
considerable expres-
sions of interest” BAE
has called time on “this
lengthy period of uncer-
tainty” and taken the
business off the market.
Bad week
20 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011
FIN_180111_020-21 20
ENERGY DAN THISDELL LONDON
Oil has airlines over barrel
Rising fuel prices are hitting carriers hard, but passengers will not stand increases
he International Energy Agen-
T cy raised an alarming note as
our power-hungry lives got back
into gear after the holidays. “Oil
prices are entering a dangerous
zone for the global economy. The
oil import bills are becoming a
threat to the economic recovery.
This is a wake-up call to the oil-
consuming countries and to the
oil producers,” it said.
What is worth waking up for,
says IEA chief economist Fatih
Birol, is several weeks’ steady
price rises, with benchmark Brent
Crude opening January trading
with a push to $95/barrel, its high-
est price in more than two years.
According to the IEA, oil im-
port costs for the 28 Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and
Development countries had shot
up by one-third to $790 by the
end of 2010. Within Europe, the
extra $70 billion cost equals the
combined budget deficits of
Greece and Portugal.
Whether rising fuel bills derail
economic recovery generally,
from an airline industry perspec-
tive oil prices – closely tracked by
jet kerosene prices – are in a trou-
ble zone. In 2010 Brent Crude av-
eraged around $80/barrel and in-
dustry talk in 2010 focused on
passenger demand rather than
fuel, which had dominated all
concerns as its price rose to his-
toric highs in summer 2008.
However, the International Air
Transport Association points out
that jet fuel prices at the close of
2010 were more than one-fifth
higher than a year earlier. And, if
those prices prevail for 2011, the
industry’s fuel bill will have risen
by $22 billion. To put that in per-
spective, the industry set an all-
time profit record in 2010, of
$15.1 billion. Last year, airlines
spent an IATA-estimated $139
billion on fuel, accounting for
26% of operating expenses, as-
suming Brent Crude at $79.
Oil at $100/barrel is entirely
likely. Even before the recent
surge into the $90 range, Bank of
America Merrill Lynch commodi-
Commercial Aviation Online tracks aircraft
finance worldwide. To find out how to sub-
scribe visit flightglobal.com/aboutcao
JET KEROSENE V BRENT CRUDE
Jet kerosene $/tonne
1,500
1,200
900
600
300
2008 2009
SOURCE: ICIS/CGES
ty strategist Sabine Schels forecast
that Brent would break through
$100 in 2011, but average $88.
Prices have been rising steadily
since December 2008, when they
had plunged into a $40s trough
following the peak in the $130
range in July 2008, which took jet
fuel prices to $1,360/tonne.
WINTER GLOOM
That long climb has been given a
push by a hard winter in Europe
and North America. As Leo Droll-
as, chief economist at the Centre
for Global Energy Studies in Lon-
don points out, jet fuel is a middle-
distillate crude oil derivative simi-
lar to heating oil. Refineries have
to choose between the two. Air-
lines, he says, are paying for a cold
winter, with jet fuel set to average
$906/tonne for this month. For the
year, Drollas is less optimistic than
Schels, expecting Brent to average
$93, which translates into about
$900/tonne for jet fuel.
In the short term, there is not
much airlines can do to counter
rising fuel bills. Hedging – essen-
tially a two-way bet against fuel
price movements – can keep the
per-tonne fuel bill more or less
constant. It is a technique used ef-
fectively by “strategic hedgers”
such as Air France, British Air-
ways or Lufthansa, which always
maintain hedged positions.
But, says Drollas, “tactical
hedgers” such as Ryanair, which
try to dip into the hedging market
Brent crude $/barrel
150
120
90
60
30
2010 Jan
2011
when they fear rising fuel prices,
often lose; airlines that had pan-
icked and hedged against sky-
high prices in 2008 found them-
selves paying way over market
prices after oil collapsed in Au-
gust 2008. Forecasting oil prices,
he notes, is a mug’s game.
Otherwise, airlines can hope to
raise prices to cover rising costs.
However, industry analyst Chris
Tarry of CTAIRA says price rises
only “stick” if there is excess de-
mand for travel. Asian markets
are strong, he says, but in Europe,
where the big volume market is
for leisure travel, the demand out-
look is not good so raising prices
would be a volume killer.
That condition puts airlines in
a bind. They cannot go on absorb-
ing rising fuel costs, says Terry,
but their greatest threat is lack of
passenger demand.
The IEA’s worry about rising oil
prices threatening economic recov-
ery bodes ill for airlines either way.
Schels believes that prices above
$100/barrel are not sustainable as
they cross the “pain threshold” for
OECD countries. Drollas notes that
the Saudis want to keep oil trading
in the $70-90/barrel range and are
raising output in a bid to take the
edge off recent rises.
Oil in the $80-90 range, then,
looks like a good bet; not high
enough to derail recovery, but
high enough to keep global
growth in check – and to keep air-
lines sweating the fuel bills. O
flightglobal.com
1/13/11 1:28:54 PM
 BUSINESS
Airline safety:
must do better
FEATURE P22

PEOPLE MOVES BUSINESS BRIEFS

ADS, AJ Walter, Hume Brophy, Marshall, WestJet, Wyle
is now managing director
defence at the UK’s ADS industry
group. Gulfstream has promoted
Doreen Gonzalez to senior
manager, G650 procurement.
Prague-based ABS Jets has
promoted marketing and public
relations boss Antonia Tomkova
to commercial director. Cam
Kenyon has joined WestJet from
Lynx Aviation in Denver, as
Gulfstream
BELL INTEGRATES SERVICE SUBSIDIARIES
ROTORCRAFT Bell Helicopter has brought six wholly owned support
and service subsidiaries into the main operation in a bid to provide
more comprehensive, lifetime service. Edwards & Associates, Rotor
Blades, Acadian Composites, Bell Aerospace Services and US
Helicopter will now trade as Bell Helicopter. Bell will continue to offer
parts and accessories under the Aeronautical Accessories brand.
DELIVERIES UP AT RAISBECK ENGINEERING
MANUFACTURING Raisbeck Engineering ended the year with a
record December and 26% increase in its fourth quarter sales and
deliveries, making 2010 the Seattle-based aerostructure maker’s

Gonzalez: G650 buyer
Marshall Aerospace has
appointed former Cobham
executive Steve Fitz-Gerald as
chief executive, to replace the
retiring Martin Broadhurst.
Company veteran and former
chief pilot Peter Green is now
president of Wyle’s Aerospace
group. He replaces Brent Bennitt,
who is now executive VP in head
office. At Magna Parva, former
Thales UAV VP and UK defence
ministry UAV procurement boss
Chris Day now heads the defence
business. Steve Williams has
joined AJ Walter Aviation as
technical purchasing director.
executive VP operations. Former
European Civil Aviation
Conference secretary general
Gerry Lumsden has joined Hume
Brophy as senior consultant.
Karen Twitchell is now executive
VP and chief financial officer at
Landmark Aviation, in Houston.
ABS Jets
second-best ever, behind only 2008. President Mike McConnell says
Raisbeck’s fully enclosed main landing gears and dual aft body
strakes for Beechcraft King Air 350ERs were sales drivers, particular
on surveillance and reconnaissance versions.
PRECISION RELOCATES AVCENTER
MAINTENANCE Atlanta-based Precision Aviation Group has ac-
quired Dallas-based Federal Aviation Administration repair station
Avcenter and relocated the operation to Atlanta.
AJ WALTER MOVES INTO ENGINE LEASING
PROPULSION AJ Walter Aviation is to extend its component man-
agement and support services to commercial aeroengines. The
company will offer engineering services, engine leasing and trading
as well as parts supply. Focusing on General Electric CF6-80, CFM
International CFM56-3/5/7, International Aero Engine V2500 and
Pratt & Whitney PW4000 series engines, the business is setting up
an inventory of powerplants.
EIGHT BID TO ADVISE TURKISH PRIVATISATION
AIRLINES Eight financial companies have submitted bids to the

Former UK army engineer and
defence consultant Gordon Lane
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Turkish privatisation administration OIB to prepare Turkish Airlines
Tomkova: Prague jets for another share sale: Goldman Sachs, Credit Agricole, Merrill
Lynch, BNP Paribas, UniCredit Bank, HSBC, UBS and CitiGroup.
Turkey’s government holds just over 49% of the airline. The success-
ful bidder will assist in drawing up a strategy for further privatisation
of the carrier.

“Our duty is CURTISS-WRIGHT ACQUIRES PREDATOR SYSTEMS

DEFENCE Curtiss-Wright has acquired Predator Systems for $13.3
to prepare the million. Predator designs and manufactures motion control compo-
nents and subsystems for ground defence, ordnance guidance and

company for aerospace applications. Sales in 2010 were around $8 million. The
company has 45 employees.

a new world” CORIOLIS COMPOSITES WINS CSERIES BUSINESS

AUTOMATION Bombardier has awarded Coriolis Composites a con-
tract to supply automated fibre placement robots to manufacture
composite parts for the aft fuselage of the CSeries airliner. Coriolis
has developed and supplied automated, robotics-based fibre place-
ment systems for original equipment manufacturers in Europe.

EADS chief executive ELBIT BUYS BUSINESS IN BRAZIL

LOUIS GALLOIS on ELECTRONICS Israel’s Elbit Systems has acquired two Brazilian
the challenges facing defence electronics companies, Ares Aeroespecial e Defesa and
Europe’s aerospace Periscopio Equipamentos Optronicos, in transactions worth “tens of
champion as it begins millions of Brazilian reals” (10 reals is about $6). Located in the vi-
its second decade cinity of Rio de Janeiro, the companies have around 70 employees.
EADS

flightglobal.com 18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 21

FIN_180111_020-21 21 1/13/11 11:20:08 AM

 AIRLINE SAFETY

Rex Features
The Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330 crash at Tripoli appears to have followed disorientation-engendered loss of control

MUST DO BETTER
After decades of constant improvement, the industry’s
safety record has frustratingly levelled off. What can be
done to lift it again?

DAVID LEARMOUNT LONDON time low of 0.28 hull losses per million flights IATA’s senior vice-president of safety, op-
(see IATA graph P25), whereas the world aver- erations and infrastructure, Gunther Mat-

I
n 2010 there were 26 fatal airline acci-
dents (see tables P26-28), causing the
deaths of 817 passengers and crew. This
spans all types of airline operation,
including scheduled and non-scheduled
passenger flights, jet and turboprop, plus
non-passenger operations such as pure freight
or positioning, and compares with 2009’s fig-
ures of 28 accidents causing 749 deaths (see
graph P23).
An indication that global average airline
safety could still be improved considerably
comes from the performance of International
Air Transport Association member airlines,
whose accident rate fell dramatically last year.
The hull-loss accident rate for IATA carriers
flying Western-built jets dropped to an all-
age remained fairly static at 0.66. And, of
course, that global average rate includes the
influence of the IATA carriers’ performance,
so the opposite ends of the spectrum are wider
apart than the two figures imply.
The IATA rate equates to one jet hull loss
accident every 3.57 million flights, whereas
the world average is one every 1.5 million
flights. A comparison with days gone by
shows that, in 1979, the world average acci-
dent rate in the same category was three fatal
accidents per million flights, so the global av-
erage has improved by a multiple of 4.5 in that
period. That statistical snapshot of the huge
improvement over the past three decades
helps to put into perspective the unprecedent-
ed safety stagnation that is now apparent.
schnigg, says the safety programmes IATA has
been embedding over the past decade are be-
ginning to bear fruit. The single biggest influ-
ence, Matschnigg believes, is the IATA Opera-
tional Safety Audit (IOSA) programme, which
has been introduced gradually over the past
five years and has become compulsory every
two years for member carriers. If a member
airline fails or refuses to undergo an IOSA, it
loses its membership. Now the IOSA is em-
bedded, it is continually being enhanced, says
Matschnigg. This year it includes a verifica-
tion of the effectiveness of carriers’ safety
management systems.
Meanwhile, safety programmes based on
information derived from an increasingly ef-
fective worldwide system of data sharing and

22 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011 flightglobal.com

FIN_180111_022 22 1/13/11 10:46:40 AM


flight operations data monitoring are also hav-
ing an effect on performance, Matschnigg
says, with the International Civil Aviation Or-
ganisation getting more and more involved in
spreading the message.
The difference between airlines from coun-
tries whose carriers still have 1980s accident
rates and those with 21st century performance
is, arguably, split between those who have
embraced the major cultural change in safety
that has taken place between then and now. In
simple terms, that change is a shift from reac-
tive to proactive safety management, a move
away from using safety regulations to try to
enforce good practice and towards a recogni-
tion that regulations define a minimum legal
standard, not a desirable one.
If the improvement trend is to resume,
industry consensus is that it can happen only
when all nations, particularly those with
immature or developing economies, embrace
modern safety management methods rather
than hoping that regulation will enforce
standards. Presenting on pilot standards at the
Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) International
Aviation Safety Seminar in October 2010,
the Air Line Pilots Association International’s
chief human factors spokesman Capt Charles
Hogeman summed up the limitations of
regulation to enforce safety thus: “Simple,
clear purpose and principles give rise to
complex, intelligent behaviour. Complex
rules and regulations give rise to simple,
stupid behaviour.”
CULTURAL CHANGE
The FSF’s director of technical standards, Jim
Burin, says the key to resuming global safety
improvement is persuading those countries –
mostly developing economies – to embrace
the radical cultural change in going “beyond
compliance” – the recognition that complying
with legal minimums does not deliver satis-
factory safety.
According to Burin, a good safety culture in
an airline is the key to safety performance im-
provement, because without a positive atti-
tude to safety from the board downward, the
tacit adoption of a safety management system
will not necessarily bring any improvement.
Burin says that almost all the serious acci-
dents that happened in 2010, as in the previ-
ous decade, could easily have been prevented
if the airlines concerned had applied existing,
fully understood, simple intervention strate-
gies. He cites a few examples of intervention
strategies that would eliminate most serious
accidents that are happening today: fitting a
terrain awareness and warning system
(TAWS) to all commercial aircraft, including
turboprops; providing upset recovery training
for pilots; and rigorous adherence to stabilised
approach procedures.
Burin points out that 2010 brought two
flightglobal.com
FIN_180111_022 23
AIRLINE SAFETY
WORLD AIRLINE FATAL ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES 2001-10
Fatalities Fatal accidents
1,400 40
40
34 34
1,200
1,022
1,000 33 28 28 30
27 27
26
1,050 25
800 863
817
778 749 20
600 702 744
583
400 466
10
200 Fatal accidents 10-year average fatal accidents = 30
Fatalities 10-year average fatalities = 777
0 0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
SOURCE: Flightglobal ACAS
more loss of control and two more controlled cling approach, intending to position for a
flight into terrain (CFIT) fatal jet accidents, landing on Runway 12 because of the wind
and that these types of incident really can be direction. During the circling approach, the
– and should have been – eliminated as a aircraft hit high ground.
cause of airline crashes. There have been two serious accidents in-
The Flight International accident tables volving loss of control or, perhaps more pre-
(starting P26) suggest that, among turboprop cisely, lack of control. The Ethiopian Airlines
regional and freight operators, when the offi- Boeing 737-800 out of Beirut incident seems
cial accident verdicts for 2010 finally become to have begun with pilot disorientation (see
available, it may be determined that as many accident list). In the case of the Afriqiyah Air-
as nine fatal accidents involved CFIT. ways A330-200 on approach to Tripoli at
As for lessons from individual accidents in dawn, the ground impact involved a ground-
2010, the Airblue Airbus A321 crash near Is- speed considerably higher than normal ap-
lamabad in Pakistan looks likely to be judged proach speed. Fuel starvation and technical
as the first-ever controlled flight into terrain malfunction have been ruled out, suggesting
catastrophe involving an aircraft fitted with a disorientation-engendered loss of control.
TAWS. Several questions arise if this is con- Meanwhile, runway excursions – usually
firmed. Was the TAWS serviceable and overruns after landing – continue to be by far
switched on? And if it was operating, what the most common type of aircraft accident,
mental attitude or preconception would cause normally leading to aircraft damage but not
a crew to ignore TAWS warnings? Pilots have often involving fatalities.
died after ignoring or rejecting alerts from the The worst of these in 2010 involved an Air
older type of ground proximity warning sys- India Express Boeing 737-800 that overran the
tem. In the Islamabad incident, the crew had runway at Mangalore, despite good weather
carried out an instrument landing system ap- and a dry surface. After an unstable approach
proach toward Runway 30 in rain and a low that should have been abandoned, the aircraft
cloudbase, and had then broken off into a cir- touched down long and fast, and ran off the
gg
Rex Features
A Dagestan Airlines Tu-154 crashed at Moscow Domodedovo after all of its three engines failed
18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 23
1/13/11 10:46:53 AM
 AIRLINE SAFETY
LESSONS
WHAT THE ACCIDENT REPORTS SAID
BELOW are brief synopses of
accident reports published in
the last six months of 2010.
For those published in the first
half of the year, see the report
in Flight International, 3-9
August 2010.
O On 7 January 2008, a
Qantas Boeing 747-400
(VH-OJM) suffered a major
electrical power failure on ap-
proach to Bangkok resulting
from a “substantial water
leak” in the forward galley
area. The Australian Transport
Safety Bureau urged Boeing to
update its flight handbook to
help crew with decisions dur-
ing an electrical power loss.
The ATSB said the leak came
from an overflowing drain when
a drain line became blocked
with ice that had formed be-
cause of an inoperable heater.
“The water flowed forward and
through a decompression pan-
el into the aircraft’s main
equipment centre before leak-
ing on to three of the four gen-
erator units, causing them to
malfunction and shut down.” A
drip-tray failed to shield the
electric systems from the spill-
age. The aircraft landed safely.
The 346 passengers and 19
crew on board were uninjured.
O On 25 July 2008, one of the
bank of oxygen cylinders sited
in the cargo hold of a Qantas
Boeing 747-400 (VH-OJK)
failed at its base. The explo-
sion ruptured the fuselage and
the pressurised gas projected
the cylinder up through the
floor into a galley area, damag-
ing an external door. The air-
craft, en route from Hong Kong
to Melbourne, suffered sudden
decompression, so the crew
descended to 10,000ft
(3,000m) and diverted to
Manila, Philippines. Nobody
was hurt. The ATSB has not
determined the reason for the
cylinder’s failure.
O
The 27 November 2008
crash of an XL Airways Airbus
A320 offshore from Perpignan,
France, during a post-mainte-
24 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011
FIN_180111_022 24
nance test flight was caused
by icing affecting the twinjet’s
angle-of-attack sensors, com-
bined with the crew’s complete
lack of test flying experience,
and the captain disregarding
operational guidelines for the
safe performance of low-speed
handling checks. French inves-
tigation agency BEA attributed
the icing to maintenance com-
pany EAS Industries’ failure to
protect the sensors during
water washing.
This meant the crew did not
receive correct stall warning
and protection during the low-
speed handling test, which
they carried out during descent
toward Perpignan when pass-
ing 4,000ft. Air traffic control
restrictions prevented them
carrying out the test manoeu-
vres they wanted to, so they
tried to carry out the low-speed
checks during descent, de-
spite the fact that the Airbus
procedures they were sup-
posed to be following demand
such tests are not carried out
below 14,000ft. The crew lost
control of the aircraft when it
stalled, and could not recover
before hitting the sea.
O Spanish legal procedures
are preventing technical inves-
tigators checking electrical
equipment that played a vital
part in the 20 August 2008
crash of a Spanair Boeing
MD-82 during take-off from
Madrid Barajas airport. The
pilots inadvertently failed to
The TAM Airbus A320 overrun led to alert modifications
set take-off flap, did not realise
their omission, and lost control
of the aircraft. The crash killed
154 passengers and crew.
What should have been a
relatively minor electrical relay
fault with the ram air tempera-
ture probe heating system
mysteriously disabled the take-
off configuration warning sys-
tem that would have alerted
the crew to their error as soon
as they set take-off power, but
the Spanish judiciary is stop-
ping investigators examining
the systems to establish the
connection between the relay
failure and the absence of the
take-off configuration warning.
O
In a follow-up to the Brazilian
report on the 17 July 2007
fatal overrun by a TAM Airbus
A320 at São Paulo Congonhas
airport, the European Aviation
Safety Agency is issuing an
airworthiness directive requir-
ing modification to the system
that generates the throttle le-
ver “retard” warning on touch-
down. The overrun occurred for
a variety of reasons but, most
importantly, at touchdown the
pilots failed to retard both the
throttle levers to idle. With the
existing system, the recorded
voice message to “retard” the
throttles would stop if one le-
ver was selected to reverse,
even if the other was not re-
tarded to idle. With the modifi-
cation, as long as one thrust
lever remains above idle, the
call to “retard” will continue. O
Rex Features

gg end of the runway down a steep slope,
killing 158 people.
Behind the aviation front line, a significant
emerging study from the Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration suggests flightcrew have never
been properly trained to operate highly auto-
mated aircraft. Perhaps they cannot, at
present, be effectively trained, the FAA report
implies, because there are no checklists for
many of the automation-related problems that
pilots frequently encounter. This leaves them
having to manage using ingenuity.
Entitled “Operational use of flightpath
management systems”, the report’s message is
that regular systemic failings in training, iden-
tified in real operations, show that airline op-
erations today contain an identified potential
for hundreds of latent accidents and incidents
unless changes are made. The study is, effec-
tively, a follow-up to the FAA’s 1996 land-
mark report “Interfaces between flightcrews
and modern flightdeck systems”, but it looks
like it might have far greater implications for
change than the original.
Leading the study team, FAA human fac-
tors specialist Dr Kathy Abbott focuses princi-
pally on the pilots’ relationship with what she
calls “automated systems for flightpath man-
agement”. This, she says, includes the auto-
pilot, autothrottle/autothrust, the flight man-
agement system, flight directors and
“associated pilot interfaces”.
INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE
Inadequate crew knowledge of automated sys-
tems was a factor in more than 40% of accidents
and 30% of serious airline incidents, Abbott
says. She catalogues evidence of disharmony
between crews and their highly automated air-
craft, based on detailed studies of accident and
incident data and line operation safety audits
between 2001 and 2009, so the research is recent
and involves real operations. Abbott says the
findings are raw data at this point, and there is
more work to do before publication this year.
Among the handling problems pilots have
repeatedly demonstrated, Abbott’s findings
include lack of recognition of autopilot or
autothrottle disconnect; lack of monitoring
and failure to maintain aircraft energy/speed;
incorrect upset recovery; inappropriate con-
trol inputs; and dual sidestick inputs. On
flight management system use, she found pi-
lots often focus on programming the FMS to
the detriment of monitoring the flightpath.
Abbott finds there are many failures for
which pilots receive little or no help from
checklists or from training of any kind. These
include failures or malfunctions of air data
computers, computer or software failures,
many electrical failures, and uncommanded
autopilot disconnects or pitch-up for which
the reason is not known. She comments:
“Failure assessment is difficult, failure recov-
flightglobal.com
1/13/11 10:47:04 AM
 AIRLINE SAFETY

ery is difficult, and the failure modes were not

anticipated by the designers.”
Despite being aware of the sometimes fickle
nature of automation, she observes, pilots
nevertheless frequently abdicate too much re-
sponsibility to automated systems. The rea-
sons for this include a perceived lack of trust
in pilot performance by the airline, policies
that encourage the use of automated systems
rather than manual flying and insufficient
training, experience or judgement. The result
is that “pilots may not be prepared to handle
non-routine situations”, says Abbott. When
she examined accidents in which crews had,
at some stage, reverted to manual flying, she
found “manual handling/flight control errors”

Rex Features
were contributory factors in 60% of cases.

INFORMATION AUTOMATION
Abbott highlights particular vulnerabilities in
automated systems and their interfaces, in-
cluding mode confusion, and a pilot tendency
This Aires Colombia Boeing 737-700 overran the runway in a storm at San Andres Island airport
WESTERN-BUILT JET HULL LOSS RATE (2000-2010)


 




to use processed information from the FMS  Total global figures
instead of raw data. Another problem she IATA member airline performance
identifies is that much of the information sup- 
plied to pilots is itself automated – what she
calls “information automation”. 
She says: “The current focus on managing
modes and automation may not always inte- 
grate well with flightpath management tasks.”

She found evidence that pilot knowledge is se-
riously lacking in many areas of automated 
systems, including understanding the flight di-
rector, autopilot, autothrottle/autothrust, and 
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
flight management system/computer systems
SOURCE: IATA
and their limitations; operating procedures,
mode transitions and behaviour; and unusual
attitude recognition and recovery.
Abbott predicts that recommendations on
pilot training are likely to say that it should
focus on standard operating procedures for
flightpath management, distinguish between
guidance and control and encourage flight-
crews to tell air traffic “unable to comply”
when appropriate. Finally, each individual
airline should ensure its standard operating
procedures are tailored to its specific needs.
Abbott says the industry as a whole needs to
review practice, regulatory guidance and re-
quirements for training in numerous areas.
These include flightpath and energy manage-
ment, recovery from off-path circumstances,
use of alternative modes to meet air traffic
clearances/requirements, operators’ opera-
tional policies and managing malfunctions.
That list of tasks – a resounding indictment
of the industry’s inability to adjust training ap-
propriately for the modern cockpit environ-
ment – should be enough to keep the aircraft
manufacturers, airlines and regulators busy. O
Tables start on P26
Rex Features

For more on airline safety issues read

David Learmount’s blog at
flightglobal.com/blogs/learmount A Taban Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 broke up landing in fog at Mashhad airport, Iran

flightglobal.com 18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 25

FIN_180111_022 25 1/13/11 10:47:17 AM

 AIRLINE SAFETY

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS

2010
NOTES ON TABLES
Accident data comes from Flight International’s own research, sister online publication Air Transport Intelligence and from our database
service Flightglobal ACAS’s daily occurrence information. Details of non-fatal incidents are not made available officially by many countries,
but Flight International continues to list as many significant incidents as possible, to maximise the availability of relevant information. We
accept the non-fatal listing may be weighted against the airlines of those countries that make safety information more readily available.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

AA airfield approach/early descent EFIS electronic flight-instrument system HP high pressure PNF pilot not flying
AAIB UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch EGPWS enhanced ground proximity IFR instrument flight rules RA runway/final approach
AAL above airfield level warning system IMC instrument meteorological conditions RNAV area navigation
ADC air-data computer EGT exhaust gas temperature ILS instrument-landing system SB service bulletin
ADF automatic direction finder EICAS engine indicating and crew alerting ISA international standard atmosphere = SID standard instrument departure
AF air force system sea level pressure of 1013.2mb and TAWS terrain awareness and warning system
AGL above ground level ER en route standard temperature/pressure lapse rate TO take-off
AMSL above mean sea level ETOPS extended-range twin operations with altitude TOGA press-button selected take-off/
AOA angle of attack FAA US Federal Aviation Administration L landing go-around thrust
APU auxiliary power unit FDR flight data recorder LP low pressure VFR visual flight rules
ASI airspeed indicator FL flight level = altitude, in hundreds of MEL minimum equipment list VHF very high frequency
ATC air traffic control feet, with international standard pressure- MDC McDonnell Douglas VMC visual meteorological conditions
C climb setting (ISA) of 1013.2mb set on altimeter MTOW maximum take-off weight VOR VHF omni-range navigation beacon
C-B circuit breaker (for example, FL100 = altimeter reading of NDB non-directional beacon V1 take-off decision speed
CFIT controlled flight into terrain 10,000ft with ISA set) NTSB US National Transportation Safety
CVR cockpit voice recorder FMS flight management system Board Conversion factors
DFDR digital flight data recorder G on ground PAPI precision approach path indicator 1nm = 1.85km
DME distance measuring equipment GPU ground power unit PAX passengers 1ft = 0.3m
ECAM electronic centralised aircraft monitor GPWS ground proximity warning system PF pilot flying 1kt = 1.85km/h

Date Carrier Aircraft type/registration Location Fatalities Total occupants Phase

crew/pax crew/pax
FATAL ACCIDENTS: SCHEDULED PASSENGER FLIGHTS
25 January Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 (ET-ANB) Offshore from Beirut, Lebanon 8/82 8/82 C
The aircraft was carrying out a climbing turn over the sea at night as part of its departure procedure, but then it descended into the sea.
12 May Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330-200 (5A-ONG) Nr Tripoli airport, Libya 11/92 11/93 RA
The aircraft, inbound on an overnight flight from Johannesburg, crashed about 900m from the threshold of Runway 09 in poor, hazy visibility just as dawn was breaking, and broke up. Its wreckage was widely dis-
persed, indicating that the aircraft hit the ground at high speed, but there was one survivor. Runway 09 does not have ILS, but its reciprocal does, and a NOTAM current at the time described the Tripoli VOR as being
unreliable because of work in its vicinity. Information from the FDR and CVR indicates there were no technical faults on the aircraft and fuel starvation was not an issue.
22 May Air India Express Boeing 737-800 (VT-AXV) Mangalore airport, India 158 166 L
The aircraft landed on Runway 24 just beyond the touchdown zone in fair weather with no rain, and overran the runway end, plunging down a steep incline. Mangalore airport is on a hilltop with no overrun. A leak from
a government employee alleges that the captain, who was the pilot flying on the approach, had been sleeping until top of descent, then ignored calls from the co-pilot to go around.
28 June Airblue Airbus A321 (AP-BJB) Nr Islamabad airport, Pakistan 6/146 6/146 AA
The aircraft carried out an ILS approach to Runway 30 at Islamabad in cloud and rain, then broke off for a circling approach to 12 because the wind was easterly. During this process, it crashed into high ground. The
A321 was on a scheduled flight from Karachi. Sources close to the investigation say there is no indication of a technical malfunction. If this is confirmed as a CFIT accident, it will be the first fatal CFIT accident involv-
ing an airliner with an EGPWS.
16 August Aires Colombia Boeing 737-700 (HK-4682) San Andres Island airport, Colombia -/2 6/121 L
Landing at night in stormy weather, the aircraft ran off the runway, suffering structural damage.
4 December Dagestan Airlines Tupolev Tu-154M (RA-85744) Moscow Domodedovo airport, Russia -/2 9/160 ER
After take-off from Moscow Vnukovo airport, the crew suffered problems with fuel supply to the engines, and Nos 1 and 3 stopped. The crew decided to divert to Domodedovo, and made a fast approach with only the
No 2 engine operating. The aircraft landed long beside the runway, the FDR recording a 3.5g acceleration on its first touchdown, from which it bounced, and at the second touchdown, the acceleration was 5g. It then
hit a mound, breaking into three sections.

FATAL ACCIDENTS: NON-SCHEDULED PASSENGER FLIGHTS

5 November JS Air Beech 1900C (AP-BJD) Nr Karachi Jinnah airport, Pakistan 4/17 4/17 C
In the early climb out of Karachi, the pilot transmitted an emergency call requesting return to the airport. An engine failure is believed to have occurred, and the pilot was not able to recover to the airport.

FATAL ACCIDENTS: REGIONAL AND COMMUTER AIRLINES

15 May Blue Wing Airlines Antonov An-28 (PZ-TSV) North-eastern Surinam 2/6 2/6 ER
The aircraft, on a domestic scheduled flight from Godo northward to Paramaribo, crashed in jungle.
17 May Pamir Airways Antonov An-24B (YA-PIS) Nr Salang pass, Afghanistan 6/38 6/38 ER
The aircraft was flying from Kunduz in the north, bound for Kabul, when it went missing. The wreckage was found two days later in high ground.

26 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011 flightglobal.com

FIN_180111_026-028 26 1/12/11 1:30:30 PM

 AIRLINE SAFETY

Date Carrier Aircraft type/registration Location Fatalities Total occupants Phase

crew/pax crew/pax
3 August Katekavia Antonov An-24 (RA-46524) Igarka airport, Russia 1/11 4/11 RA
The aircraft crashed on short final approach in bad visibility. According to the investigator’s report, this was a CFIT accident, and it occurred because the aircraft had continued the approach beyond its minimum
descent height without having the runway in sight, and it hit trees.
24 August Henan Airlines Embraer 190LR (B-3130) Yichun Lindu airport, Henan, China 42 96 L
The aircraft crashed on final approach to the airport in poor visibility. The authorities in Henan province have ordered the carrier to change its name back to its original one, Kunpeng Airlines, because the accident has
had a negative impact on the province.
24 August Agni Air Dornier 228-100 (9n-AHE) Nr Bastipur, Nepal 3/11 3/11 ?
The aircraft was en route from Lukla to Kathmandu when it was diverted to Simara because of bad weather at the planned destination. It hit high ground.
25 August Filair Let L-410UVP (9Q-CCN) Bandundu airport, DR Congo 3/17 3/18 RA
The aircraft hit the ground on final approach. The survivor reported passenger activity in the cabin during final approach, which has led to speculation that the aircraft was brought down by a centre-of-gravity shift.
13 September Conviasa ATR 42-300 (YV1010) Nr Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela 17 51 RA
The aircraft crashed on final approach about 8km from the end of the runway. Two years ago, a Conviasa Boeing 737-200 suffered a CFIT crash on approach to Latacunga, Venezuela, which was ruled to have been
caused by sloppy crew procedures in the letdown. After the ATR42 Puerto Ordaz accident, the aircraft was grounded for a safety audit.
4 November Aerocaribbean ATR 72-212 (CU-T1549) Guasimal, Cuba 7/61 7/61 ER
The aircraft disappeared after transmitting an emergency call en route from Santiago to Havana. The wreckage was found in high terrain.
15 December Tara Air DHC Twin Otter 300 (9N-AFX) Palunge, Nr Lamidanda, Nepal 3/19 3/19 ER
The aircraft crashed in high terrain en route from Lamidanda to Kathmandu.

FATAL ACCIDENTS: NON-PASSENGER FLIGHTS

22 January Alaska Central Express Beechcraft 1900C (N112AX) Sand Point airport, Alaska, USA 2 2 C
The aircraft, carrying cargo, crashed into the water shortly after take-off.
22 March Airnorth Embraer Brasilia (VH-ANB) Darwin airport, Australia 2 2 C
The two pilots were taking off for a training flight to revalidate the captain’s IR, and advised ATC that they would be simulating an engine failure soon after take-off. Soon after take-off, the aircraft rolled left, its nose
dropped steeply and the aircraft hit the ground.
13 April AeroUnion Airbus A300B4F (XA-TUE) Monterrey airport, Mexico 5 5 RA
On approach to Runway 11, the aircraft came down on a road 2km from the runway end.
21 April Interisland Airways Antonov An-12 (UP-AN216) Pampanga, Philippines 3 6 ER
The 47-year-old Ukrainian-registered aircraft, operating for Interisland Airways on a UPS flight, came down in fields and broke up.
1 August All West Freight Fairchild Provider (N709RR) Mount Healy, Alaska, USA 3 3 ER
Hit high ground.
3 September United Parcel Service Boeing 747-400F (N571UP) Nr Dubai airport 2 2 AA
Soon after departing Dubai for Cologne, the crew changed frequency to Bahrain, then declared an emergency, reporting smoke in the aircraft. They turned back to Dubai but could not change frequency. The subse-
quent approach to Dubai saw the aircraft positioned very high and fast relative to the runway. The 747 passed overhead Dubai heading south-east, with erratic height-keeping, indicating that the crew had increasingly
limited control, and finally crashed close to Silicon Oasis. US investigators have said unofficially they believe this was an accident, and sabotage does not appear to have been involved. The FAA has since issued a
precautionary reminder about safety regulations applicable to the carriage of lithium batteries, a consignment of which was among the 747’s cargo.
12 October Transafrik Lockheed Martin L-100-20 (5X-TUC) Nr Kabul, Afghanistan 8 8 ER
The aircraft crashed about 30km from Kabul on a flight from Kabul airport to Bagram air base. The airframe was built in 1969.
21 October TRACEP Let L-410UVP (9Q-CUA) Nr Bukavu, DR Congo 2 2 ER
The cargo flight took off from Bukavu for Shabunda, and an engine is believed to have failed not long after take-off. Bukavu has an elevation of 5,643ft AMSL.
11 November Tarco Airlines Antonov An-24 Zalingei airport, Sudan 6 38 L
This aircraft was dispatched as a cargo flight, but evidently had more people on it than a cargo aircraft normally would. The aircraft landed heavily and suffered severe structural damage.
28 November Sun Way Ilyushin 76 Nr Karachi Jinnah airport, Pakistan 8 8 C
The aircraft crashed soon after take-off from Jinnah.

Date Carrier Aircraft type/registration Location Injuries Total occupants Phase

crew/pax crew/pax
SIGNIFICANT NON-FATAL ACCIDENTS
2 January Compagnie Africaine Boeing 727-200 (9Q-CAA) Kinshasa Ndjili airport, DR Congo - ? L
d’Aviation
Landed in heavy rain and skidded off runway, sustaining considerable damage.
6 January Ameriflight Beechcraft C99 (N206AV) Kearney airport, Nebraska, USA - 1 L
The pilot was aware of icing on the ILS approach and used the de-icing boots. Shortly before flaring to land, the left wing appeared to stall, and the aircraft landed very heavily, causing damage to the left propeller and
wing spar.
21 January Aeromexico Connect Embraer 145LU (XA-WAC) Tijuana airport, Mexico - 39 L
The aircraft left the runway while landing in a gusty crosswind.
24 January Taban Air Tupolev Tu 154M (RA-85787) Mashhad airport, Iran 46 170 L
The aircraft crash-landed in foggy weather, sustaining serious damage.
28 January Manunggal Air Antonov An-26B (4L-IFE) Wamena airport, Indonesia - 3 L
Overran the runway at the end of a domestic cargo flight and suffered significant damage.
11 February Trigana Air Service ATR 42-300 (PK-YRP) 30km north of Balikpapan airport, - 52 ER
Indonesia
On approach to the planned destination at Samarinda airport, the aircraft’s No 1 engine control unit warning light illuminated, showing low oil pressure and other problems. The captain decided to shut down the engine,
abandon the approach and divert to Balikpapan airport, about 90km south. During the transit, the No 2 ECU warning illuminated, accompanied by similar indications. The captain carried out a forced landing in a field.
1 March ACT Airlines Airbus A300B4 (TC-ACB) Bagram air base, Afghanistan - 6 L
The aircraft ran off the left of Runway 03 and the left gear collapsed.
15 March Servant Air BN Islander (N663SA) Kodiak airport, Alaska, USA ? 3 TO
The aircraft struck trees just after take-off and crash-landed ahead.
18 March DHL Airways Antonov An-26B (SP-FDO) Tallinn airport, Estonia - 6 L
The crew, inbound from Helsinki, carried out a go-around from the first attempted approach, but one of the engines lost power, so the pilots landed on the ice of Lake Ulemist. The landing was successful, but the

flightglobal.com 18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 27

FIN_180111_026-028 27 1/12/11 1:30:49 PM

 AIRLINE SAFETY

Date Carrier Aircraft type/registration Location Injuries Total occupants Phase

crew/pax crew/pax
aircraft eventually sank through the ice.
22 March Aviastar TU Tupolev Tu-204-100 (RA-64011) Moscow Domodedovo airport, Russia ? 8 RA
The aircraft, on a ferry flight back to Moscow Domodedovo, crash-landed about 1km short of the runway at night in poor visibility without notifying ATC of any emergency. The aircraft had tracked well to the left of the
localiser for much of the approach, possibly because of difficulties caused by a faulty flight-control computer. Aviation authority Rosaviatsia found the crew were inadequately trained to deal with such a malfunction and
managed their resources inadequately, and that the airline had regularly ignored flight time limitations and crew rest requirements. It imposed a ban on Aviastar passenger flights pending an inspection of the carrier.
13 April Merpati Nusantara Boeing 737-300 (PK-MDE) Manokwari-Rendani airport, Indonesia 10 110 L
Airlines
Approaching the 2,000m runway in rain, the aircraft overran the end, descended a steep slope and came to rest in a river. The Indonesian investigators issued seven recommendations that implied a broad lack of
safety oversight at the airline, at Manokwari airport, and at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
19 June Air Service Berlin Douglas DC-3 (D-CXXX) Nr Berlin Schönefeld airport, Germany - 28 C
The left engine lost power shortly after departure from Schönefeld on a sightseeing flight. The pilots could not maintain height and committed to a forced landing. The aircraft was badly damaged.
28 June Mauritania Airways Boeing 737-700 (TS-IEA) Conakry airport, Guinea -/- 6/61 L
Overran runway on landing in heavy rain.
27 July Lufthansa Cargo Boeing MD-11F (D-ALCQ) Riyadh airport, Saudi Arabia 2 2 L
The aircraft bounced three times on landing, the first touchdown recording 2g acceleration, the second 3g and the third 4.3g. The rear fuselage detached, the aircraft left the runway and caught fire.
25 August Passaredo Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ145LU (PR-PSJ) Vitoria da Conquista airport, Brazil -/2 35 L
The aircraft was severely damaged when it overran the runway.
7 September Alrosa Mirny Tupolev Tu-154M (RA-85684) Nr Izhma, Russia -/- 9/72 ER
The aircraft suffered a total electrical failure, lost radio contact and could not transfer fuel between tanks. For the latter reason, the crew knew they had to land soon, descended and chose to land at a disused aero-
drome with a short runway. The aircraft overran the runway and was badly damaged.
24 September Windjet Airbus A319 (EI-EDM) Palermo airport, Sicily -/20 6/123 L
The aircraft landed heavily short of the Runway 07 threshold and was severely damaged. There were thunderstorms in the vicinity and windshear was forecast, but the conditions during the actual approach have not
yet been released.
2 November Lion Airlines Boeing 737-400 (PK-LIQ) Pontianak airport, Indonesia -/- 5/169 L
The aircraft overran the runway into soft ground, severely damaging the gear.
4 November Qantas Airbus A380 (VH-OQA) Nr Singapore -/- 26/440 C
Uncontained failure of the No 2 Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine intermediate pressure turbine disc shortly after departure from Singapore Changi for Sydney led to extensive airframe damage and the failure of some
hydraulic and electrical systems. The augmented crew dumped fuel, dealt with as many of the multiple ECAM systems warnings as they could, and returned to Changi, where the aircraft landed safely. Systems
damage meant the No 1 engine could not be shut down by normal means.
15 November Skytraders Casa C212-400 Bunger Hills, Australian Antarctic -/- 4/- L
Landing on an unprepared ice surface, the aircraft hit ice ridges (sastrugi) and suffered damage to the ski-fitted gear and lower fuselage.
3 December Kaya Airlines Beech 1900C (C9-AUO) Nr Maputo airport, Mozambique -/- 5/12 RA
On its final approach, the aircraft came down short of the runway threshold and was badly damaged.
Rex Features

Accident aftermath: Conviasa ATR 42-300

(above); Henan Airlines Embraer 190LR
(right); Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800
Rex Features

(below); and Air India Express Boeing

737-800 (below right)
Rex Features

Rex Features

28 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011 flightglobal.com

FIN_180111_026-028 28 1/12/11 1:31:22 PM

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 LETTERS flight.international@flightglobal.com

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My goal is an air transport pilot’s licence and a second career sources can be used in different
flying. I have narrowed down where I will undertake the frozen APTL ways when needed.
course and can’t wait to get started. Since firefighters are licensed
I am in a position where training costs are covered, but the ad- to drive airside, know the layout
ditional expenditure of over £20,000 ($30,000) for type rating is of the airfield well and have
causing me to rethink my aviation option. To self-finance over powerful all terrain vehicles, it
£50,000 to gain the frozen APTL should highlight the serious com- seems silly not to investigate
mitment made by the individual, but for some carriers, this seems ways in which they might be
to be not enough. able to help clear snow.
I fully agree with some form of training bond, but having to fi- Matt Wood
nance the total cost up front must be off putting to someone want- Range-Unlimited
ing to break into the industry. Sandbach, Cheshire, UK
I am also a realist. We all need to start somewhere. It’s just a
pity that commercial aviation’s way round it is to ask for new poten-
tial pilots to pay first. The airlines have the jobs, and that is their
prerogative. But why is there no middle ground?
Flying is overtaking my life at the moment. It’s where I want to be,

frozen air transport pilot’s li-
cence training in England and
have applied to all the well-
known low-cost carriers domes-
tically and abroad.
I agree with the views of Capt
Sergio Ponzo (Flight Internation-
al, 4-10 January) and Capt
Wetherell (Flight International,
13-20 December 2010) about ex-
ploitation of young pilots aspir-
ing to join the profession. But
other than paying for a type rat-
ing and being paid next to noth-
ing on a short-term contract,
what other option do I have?
I can afford to pay for a type
rating (I know many can’t), so am
I meant to reject a job offer and
continue working in the pub?
it’s all I want to do. I hope that my journey, like many others, will lead
to a front seat with minimum additional costs.
Jim Burke
Bristol, UK
this is ridiculous and something
must be done.
I don’t have that security and
can’t afford to take the moral high
ground. The unions should pro-
tect us, that’s what they are for.
What would one say to the Eu-
ropean Union? Legally I see
nothing wrong with what the
low-cost carriers are doing. Ethi-
cally? That is another matter.
Name and address supplied
Fighting snow
Greenpoint Technologies
A Greenpoint BBJ interior
such as London Heathrow or Getting inside
Gatwick would have four to six
such vehicles on call at all times.
Greenpoint
If an airport closes one runway I noticed Greenpoint Technolo-
or all runways for snow clear- gies was left off your list of US
ance then the required fire cover completion centres (Flight Inter-
is much reduced. national, 14-20 December 2010).
Is there any technical reason As a recognised Boeing Busi-
why a modern fire tender could ness Jet completion centre,
not be modified to push a large Greenpoint Technologies pro-
snow plough to supplement the vides interior solutions for Boe-
ing aircraft, including VIP interi-
or completions for private
individuals and heads of state.
James Boardman/Rex Features

Although I agree something

should be done, if I were to reject
an offer on this basis I can guar-
antee someone else will step in.
It’s too easy for people estab-
lished in a good airline job to say
JOIN THE DEBATES ON flightglobal.com/airspace
Crew resource management, Harrier lament, Ryanair bluff?
ON THE FLIGHTDECK
Has CRM had its day? Co-pilot
status must be relegated to the
practices of the glory days of
airline flight operations.
Dakota67
with fire
Modern fire vehicles are im-
mensely powerful all-terrain ve-
hicles capable of travelling over
soft ground and snow. An airport
HARRIER FAREWELL
I will miss the Harrier when it goes.
As superb as it was, the Lockheed
Martin F-35 will be better, but the
Harrier is a legend.
nepolean77
As a preferred OEM supplier to
Boeing, we have designed and
delivered speciality interior sys-
tems and modifications for near-
ly every Boeing commercial
Could fire tenders help? model, including working on US
government aircraft.
Greenpoint has completed 16
BBJs with an additional three
now in work.
Christine Hadley
Manager Sales and Marketing
Greenpoint Technologies
300 RYANAIR AIRCRAFT? Kirkland, Washington, USA
I guess the sole intention is to Editor’s reply The list of comple-
stimulate Boeing for an tion centres was not meant to be
agreement. Or does O’Leary really comprehensive and included just
believe in Santa Claus? a few of the leading players.
HAL9000 However, we acknowledge the
omission of a company of
Greenpoint’s stature in this sector.

30 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011 flightglobal.com

FIN_180111_030 30 1/13/11 11:40:38 AM


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FIN_040111_038-040:Layout 1 12/1/11 14:53 Page 38

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PRE-OWNED CITATIONS FOR SALE:

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Equipment, maintenance and service

ALL SECOND HAND

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ASU, GPU, Loaders, Tractors
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32 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011 flightglobal.com

FIN_180111_033-035:Layout 1 12/1/11 14:44 Page 35

Equipment, maintenance and service

CLASSIFIED
Avtrade and
bmibaby.
Growing up
together.
Avtrade is
proud to offer
bmibaby total
component

TEL +44 (0) 20 8652 4897 FAX +44 (0) 20 8652 3779 EMAIL flightclass@rbi.co.uk
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Courses and tuition

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I A320 / B737 FIRST OFFICER LINE TRAINING
I EUROPEAN & ASIAN bases. JAA or other ICAO type rating is accepted.
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I JAA A320 / B737 NG TYPE RATING + FIRST OFFICER LINE TRAINING
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FIN_180111_033-035:Layout 1 12/1/11 14:42 Page 34

Courses and tuition

CLASSIFIED

DIPARTIMENTO DI
JAR ATPL
INGEGNERIA AEROSPAZIALE
Theory Aeroplanes
Residential £3,000 incl.
Postgraduate Course Book Mar 2011 Distance Learning £2,000 incl.
Aviation Management and
in Rotary Wing Technologies Operations Degrees BSc and FdSc

The course is reserved to candidates with Master of call: +44 (0)20 7320 1757
Science in Aeronautical, Space, Aerospace, email: aviation@londonmet.ac.uk
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The course will be held at the Politecnico di Milano,

Bovisa Campus, Via La Masa 34, Milano, Italy, from
February 7th to April 20th, 2011.

Enrolment requests should be received no later than

January 23rd, 2011

For further information, visit www.aero.polimi.it

or email rotorcraft.course@aero.polimi.it

Tenders

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

SIKORSKY S-92A FULL FLIGHT SIMULATOR
TRAINING FACILITY IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
FOR THE SOUTHEAST ASIA REGION
Background
Brunei Shell Petroleum Sendirian Berhad (BSP) Aviation Department
(SAV) operates 3 Sikorsky S-92A Helicopters from its main base – Anduki
Airfield (WBAK) – in support of its Oil and Gas exploration and production
activities within Brunei territorial waters. These aircraft are crewed by
BSP employed pilots and are operated in accordance with the Brunei
DCA Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs,) JAR OPS-3 and the (Royal Dutch)
Shell Group Requirements for Aircraft Operators (SGRAOs.) Therefore
there is a continuous and ongoing requirement for flight simulator training
– both recurrent and ad hoc initial Type Rating courses. Within the region
there are numerous other operators who share a similar need.
Requirements
Expressions of interest are sought for the provision of a Full Flight
Simulator (FFS) training facility, for the S-92A. Proposals should address
as many of the individual requirements in as many combinations as
possible.
For further information and details on submission requirements kindly refer to
the Local Business Development webpage through our corporate website at
https://www.bsp.com.bn/main/commercial/com_expression_of_interest.asp
Note
Expressions of interest should be received no later than Friday 21st
January 2011 by 0900 hours, Brunei Local Time.
FIN_110111_037-041:Flight Rec Template Q& 13/1/11 11:58 Page 37

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flightglobal.com 18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 35

FIN_180111_036-040:Flight Rec Template Q& 13/1/11 10:28 Page 36

RECRUITMENT

Senior Medical Officer

Attractive Package
Canberra
The Role
This role provides the opportunity to utilise
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of aviation. As Senior Medical Officer you
will be responsible for the development and
application of aviation medical standards.
The Civil Aviation You also have the opportunity to address
Safety Authority takes challenging public health and occupational
medicine issues emerging within the
the lead in delivering industry. The position is based in Canberra
and requires domestic travel and some
world class air safety international travel.
The Person
for all Australians.
This position would suit a medical practitioner
CASA sets air safety who is qualified in aviation medicine, and has
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compliance and offers Applications quoting the relevant reference
number should be received by close of
safety education business 15 Feb 2011.
and training. Please send to: recruitment@casa.gov.au
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There are mandatory qualifications outlined
in the position description on our website
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the ability to gain in a timely manner, full
registration as a Medical Practitioner by
The Medical Board of Australia or eligibility
for such full registration. Other desirable
characteristics would include:
• A background in aviation medicine
regulatory standards and policies
• Experience in leading or managing small
teams or in working effectively in a small
team environment.
Dr Pooshan Navathe
Principal Medical Officer
Pooshan.Navathe@casa.gov.au
+61 2 6217 1005
Ref. No: PN 1250
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dcan i]Z gZhi XVc [daadl# cessful candidate will already be a TRE(H) with an Instrument Rating
and, preferably, be qualified on both the EC135 and Bo105 helicopters.
Nominally working Monday to Friday at the Company Headquarters at
HVjY^ 6gVbXd! i]Z ldgaYÉh aZVY^c\ ZcZg\n egdk^YZg! Gloucestershire Airport, daily duties would include the direct oversight
^h hZZ`^c\ ZmeZg^ZcXZY 6k^Vi^dc egd[Zhh^dcVah [dg and management of recurrent training of Bond Air Services personnel
as well as the delivery of this training and a high degree of flexibility will
hiVWaZ VcY gZlVgY^c\ XVgZZgh ^c HVjY^ 6gVW^V# be required due to the demands of the role. This position attracts a
competitive salary and benefits package.
The successful candidate would be required to reside within 45
6k^Vi^dc Deedgijc^i^Zh minutes/25 miles of Staverton or make arrangements for
accommodation at their own expense.
Applications in writing including a covering letter and CV to Mrs R
Wiseman, Administration Assistant, C/O Bond Air Services,
Gloucestershire Airport, Staverton, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire,
HZZ Vaa deZc edh^i^dch VcY Veean CDL GL51 6SP United Kingdom.
[dg Vc ^ciZgk^Zl deedgijc^in Vi/ Closing date: 8 February 2011.
lll#VgVbXd#_dWh$[^

www.bondairservices.com

36 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011 flightglobal.com

FIN_180111_036-040:Flight Rec Template Q& 13/1/11 10:37 Page 37

RECRUITMENT
B737-800 Pilots
We are flying B737-800s alongside our B737-300s & B757s in Manchester from this summer and will be
progressively introducing the type at other bases. Jet2.com is the North’s leading Leisure Airline and we are
recruiting Captains and First Officers for each type from both Civilian and Military backgrounds.
We have Pilot vacancies at Belfast, Blackpool, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester
and Newcastle from which we operate a mix of scheduled and charter programmes and our all important
Royal Mail flights – delivering their First Class service. If you are flexible and adaptable you will enjoy our
interesting flying.
You will need enthusiasm, energy and commitment to customer service delivering Friendly Low Fares to
our all important customers.
We offer a number of alternative contract opportunities including Full-Time or Summer Only, each providing
excellent benefits.

If you are interested in joining Jet2.com

please apply online at Jet2.com/pilots

Head of Training UK – Type Division

(based in Gatwick)

HUNDREDS OF JOBS @ flightglobal.com/jobs

OAA is one of the leading international providers of innovative airline pilot, cabin crew and maintenance training and resourcing services.
With locations across the UK, Europe, America, Asia Pacific and Australia, OAA offers tailored solutions to the global aviation industry.

Reporting to the Managing Director of Type Training, the Head of Training will ensure the regulatory compliance of the UK TRTO and will
oversee the day to day running of the Training Department striving to achieve the highest standards of training delivery.

You will already have detailed knowledge and understanding of the flight simulation and training industry, hold or have held a Type
Rating Instructor rating and be acceptable to the UK Civil Aviation Authority as the post holder of a UK approved TRTO. You will
have a strong management background preferably in the aerospace industry as a training expert and will possess strong leadership,
interpersonal and supplier relationship management skills.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package including: private healthcare, company pension
scheme, life assurance and employee assistance programme.

Closing date for this position is the 3rd February 2011

Please apply online at our website or send your CV, with a covering letter to:
Human Resources Manager, Oxford Aviation Academy, Fleming Way, Crawley, RH10 9UH
Telephone: +44 (0)1293 596754

www.oaa.com

flightglobal.com 18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 37

FIN_180111_036-040:Flight Rec Template Q& 13/1/11 11:14 Page 38

RECRUITMENT

Aerospace engineering opportunities

Competitive salary + benefits
Join our team and you’ll deliver innovative solutions to
clients that are shaping the aerospace industry. Applying
your expertise to some of the world’s most high-profile
projects, you’ll have a chance to operate at the cutting
edge of aerospace engineering.
We’re looking for experienced engineers in:
• Airframe (composite and metallic)
• Systems engineering (landing gear and fuel)
We have opportunities in Amsterdam, Bangalore, Bristol,
Derby, Farnham, Glasgow and Hamburg. So, to join the

First class
company that’s proud of its progress on diversity and
committed to going even further, apply at
www.atkinsglobal.com/careers/fi/aero

PEGASUS AIRLINES
IS LOOKING FOR
QATAR
BOEING 737 CAPTAINS
NEW DOHA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
HUNDREDS OF JOBS @ flightglobal.com/jobs

RESCUE FIRE FIGHTING SERVICE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

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All RFFS personnel must meet a minimum fitness level and will be
required to pass a medical examination.
If you would like to become a part of our developing Rescue Fire
Fighting Team please send your Curriculum Vitae, copies of your
certification along with a letter of introduction and to the following
address.
Recruitment Officer
Airport Rescue Fire Fighting Service
PO Box 3000 Qatar Civil Aviation Authority www.flightglobal.com/jobs
Doha Qatar
Email: fire@caa.gov.qa

38 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011 flightglobal.com

FIN_180111_036-040:Flight Rec Template Q& 13/1/11 10:44 Page 39

RECRUITMENT
HUNDREDS OF JOBS @ flightglobal.com/jobs

flightglobal.com 18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 39

FIN_180111_036-040:Flight Rec Template Q& 13/1/11 11:22 Page 40

RECRUITMENT

Business Development Manager

– Risk and Asset Management
Airclaims is the leading provider of claims, risk and asset
HUNDREDS OF JOBS @ flightglobal.com/jobs

management services to the global aviation industry. Founded in

1964, we have a network of 17 offices worldwide, serving some
of the biggest names in the business. During the past two years
we have doubled the size of our risk and asset management
business and now require a second Business Development
Manager to help us deliver the next stage of our growth
aspirations.
You will be responsible for generating sales leads, responding
to tenders, drafting proposals and negotiating contracts. The
successful candidate will have proven track record of at least
three years in sales and business development with strong
communication and organisational skills.
It is essential that you are able to engage with and listen to our
clients needs; creating solutions to the challenges that they face.
You will require the ability to present, cost and structure the risk,
technical and engineering services that we provide.
We would be interested in hearing from individuals with a strong
technical background gained in areas such as aircraft asset
management, aviation technical consulting, aircraft leasing,
aircraft sales / marketing or with an MRO. Business development
experience gained within a specialist service provider similar to
our own would be a distinct advantage.
To apply, please forward a detailed CV and covering letter along
with details of your current remuneration package to
jobs@airclaims.com or Peter Bull, Group Director RAMS, c/o HR
Department, Airclaims Limited, Cardinal Point, Newall Road,
Heathrow TW6 2AS
We are also recruiting Project Managers/Aviation Surveyors
please visit www.airclaims.com for further details.

40 | Flight International | 18-24 January 2011 flightglobal.com

FIN_110111_037-041:Flight Rec Template Q& 13/1/11 10:11 Page 41

RECRUITMENT
JOB VACANCIES
Stans, Switzerland FLIGHT OPERATIONS
Due to our continued success and market growth, we have several key
engineering positions available. If taking on responsibility, being an integral
part of an enthusiastic and successful team and dedication to excellence
INSPECTORS –
are key elements of your personality, then you fit into the Pilatus team.
You will be surrounded by people who feel passionate about their work.
FIXED WING
Vacancies currently available are: The Irish Aviation Authority is a commercial State
– Senior Stress Engineers body established to provide air navigation services
– Structural Design Engineers in Irish controlled airspace and to regulate safety
– Installation Design Engineers standards within the Irish civil aviation industry.
– Senior Mechanical Systems Engineers
– Electrical & Avionics Systems Engineers The Authority is dedicated to providing a working
– Avionics Technical Authors environment that encourages high performance, is
– Aircraft Performance Engineer developmental and supportive for all our people
– Flight Controls Systems Engineer committed to maintaining and improving services
– Reliability, Maintainability & Safety Engineer to our customers on a cost effective and efficient
For further information please visit our website or contact: basis while maintaining Ireland’s excellent aviation
Ursula Zimmermann, Human Resources Manager safety record.
Pilatus Aircraft Ltd., P.O. Box 992, 6371 Stans, Switzerland
The Authority wishes to recruit Flight Operations
uzimmermann@pilatus-aircraft.com, phone +41 41 619 33 27
Inspectors – Fixed Wing. The successful
www.pilatus-aircraft.com candidates will be responsible for the safety
oversight of Commercial Air Transport, Corporate,
Aerial Work and General and Sport Aviation in
accordance with Irish and international regulations;
the application of EU OPS/FCL as applicable to Irish
Aviation, assessing the competence of applicants
for AOCs, Aerial Work, Approved Training
Organisations and Facilities and instructor/examiner
personnel.
CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER Further information, including details of
Loganair, Scotland’s Airline, is seeking an exceptional candidate to join its senior
management team as Chief Commercial Officer. The role will be based at the qualifications and experience required for the
airline’s head office in Glasgow but will involve regular travel throughout position, can be obtained from www.iaa.ie.

HUNDREDS OF JOBS @ flightglobal.com/jobs

Loganair’s network.
If you feel you have the necessary skills and
Loganair was founded in 1962 and is one of the UK’s longest-established
airlines. It operates a fleet of 20 aircraft, of which the majority are Saab 340Bs competencies to join our highly skilled workforce
undertaking scheduled services under a franchise agreement with Flybe, Europe’s then we would like to hear from you.
largest regional airline. In addition, Loganair also undertakes a number of Public
Service Obligation routes for the Scottish Government and local councils and An attractive remuneration package will be
provides contract flying for Royal Mail, offshore oil support customers and available in accordance with existing terms and
newspaper distribution groups.
conditions of employment.
Following recent restructuring of its senior management team, a vacancy has
arisen for a Chief Commercial Officer. The successful candidate will be required Applications to include details of qualifications and
to demonstrate: career to date should be sent in strict confidence
● Senior management experience in a scheduled service airline
to:
● Recent experience and strong understanding of revenue management,
pricing and demand forecasting Director Human Resources
● Knowledge of airline scheduling and planning functions and their key drivers Irish Aviation Authority
● Excellent communication skills including the ability to interact with internal
and external stakeholders at all levels
The Times Building
● Strong numeracy and literacy skills 11-12 D’Olier Street
Previous experience in tendering for public sector contracts and a track record in Dublin 2
successfully managing contract operations with large corporate customers would Ireland
be advantageous, but not essential.
In return, Loganair can offer an excellent remuneration package for the right To arrive not later than 5.30pm on Friday 11th
candidate. February 2011.
To apply for this position, please provide a full Curriculum Vitae and covering The Irish Aviation Authority is committed to a
letter to Scott McEwan, Head of Human Resources, Loganair Ltd, St Andrew’s
Drive, Glasgow Airport, Paisley, Renfrewshire PA3 2TG, to arrive no later than policy of equal opportunity.
1st February 2011.
Canvassing will disqualify.
Loganair respectfully requests that employment and recruitment agencies do not
contact the company relating to this vacancy.

flightglobal.com 18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 41

050_FIN061009.qxd:062_FIN120509 12/1/11 15:14 Page 62

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flightglobal.com

WORK EXPERIENCE MIKE TURNER
Getting the right message across
With StandardAero dealing in engines, airframes, avionics and completions, keeping priorities and messaging
clear is in the hands of Phoenix-based marketing and corporate communications director Mike Turner
What led you into aviation?
My career path began in market-
ing at a public relations firm and
university in Omaha, Nebraska.
With a strong desire to fly, I
worked full time while taking
flight lessons and night classes to
complete my degrees.
I attended the University of
Nebraska at Omaha’s Aviation In-
stitute, where I earned under-
graduate and graduate degrees in
aviation administration and
commercial and flight instructor
certificates.
It just kind of worked out for
me to be able to combine market-
ing and aviation into a career. I
currently hold a commercial
pilot licence, although I have
very little opportunity to exercise
it these days.
What was your first job in
aviation?
My first real aviation job was
with Elliott Aviation in aircraft
sales/marketing. I had done some
aviation internships previously.
Marketing and selling, as well as
flying, new and used Beechcraft
Bonanzas was by far the most fun
job I have had. After a few years
in this role, I moved to its head-
quarters in Moline, Illinois as di-
rector of marketing.
After Elliott, I worked for Sul-
livan Higdon & Sink, an advertis-
ing agency in Wichita, working
on the Rockwell Collins account.
A year or so later, I moved to
Hawker Beechcraft in a public
relations role.
How does Phoenix compare
with Wichita?
Wichita is definitely the air capi-
tal of the world, but global eco-
nomics have caught up with the
industry there, forcing
changes to industry business
models. We loved Wichita and
if we could have stayed, we
would have.
We live in the Phoenix suburb
of Gilbert, which is a beautiful
area with fantastic weather in the
winter time. There are so many
activities to do here that there re-
ally is no excuse for being bored
– hiking, biking, golf, football,
basketball and so on. However, it
is a huge city and the commute
time is quite long.
And the heat in the summer
can be brutal.
What led you to your post at
StandardAero?
I came to StandardAero from Wi-
chita, where there were few job
opportunities. The company was
looking for a corporate commu-
nications manager at the time
and had just rebranded as the
new StandardAero. The timing
was perfect.
What are your duties there?
My duties encompass leading
the marketing team, including
corporate communications, pub-
lic relations, marketing commu-
nications and trade shows.
Is there stress in being a public
face for an entire company?
The primary stress is not know-
ing whether what you intended
WORKING WEEK
control you can have over what
gets printed. You usually have
only one shot to get it right.
Our industry trade press does
a really nice job of working to
get the message right, but the
mainstream media outlets are
often only concerned with
sensationalism.
What is the best part of
your job?
The opportunity to be involved
in such a large array of projects
and apply a variety of marketing
tools to develop solutions to the
challenges at hand.
StandardAero has a very di-
verse portfolio of businesses, al-
lowing us to be involved in sev-
eral different market sectors and
product lines. It is a challenge,
but a ton of fun too.
What is the most boring or least
StandardAero enjoyable task you have?
The least enjoyable task I must
deal with is the process of turn-
Turner does not enjoy turning ing down advertising salespeo-
away advertising salespeople ple for ad placements. There is
never enough budget to support
“The primary stress is even a fraction of the industry
publications out there. O
not knowing whether
what you intended to For more employee work experi-
say is interpreted and ences visit flightglobal.com/
workingweek
printed in the way you
wanted it said” If you want to feature in Working
Week, or know someone who
does, email murdo.morrison
to say is interpreted and printed @flightglobal.com a brief de-
publicly in the way you wanted scription of yourself and your job.
it said. There is only so much








 

flightglobal.com 18-24 January 2011 | Flight International | 43

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