Safety of passenger ships EC legislation review
Following the Costa Concordia accident Vice-President Siim Kallas, European Commissioner for Transport, has asked that the currently ongoing review of EU passenger ship safety legislation take fully into account any lessons to be learnt from the tragedy. The review will prioritise, in particular, the issues of: design and stability of passenger ships, technological developments in the sector, crew training and safe operation, including emergency evacuation procedures.
ITU and the leap second
ITU reported from Geneva on 19th January that its Radiocommunication Assembly had reached an important decision to defer the development of a continuous time standard in order to address the concerns of countries that use the current system of the leap second in Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC).
EASA and duty time limitations
EASA on 18th January published its Comment Response Document and it is available on the 7MB pdf. This concerns the implementation of rules on Flight and Duty Time Limitations and rest requirements for commercial air transport, commonly known as FTL regulations.
Also available is a 14MB pdf containing the 2382 pages of responses.
EASA and the A380
On 20th January the EASA published an Airworthiness Directive to mandate a prompt detailed visual inspection of the wings of twenty Airbus A380 machines.
EASA latest
On 6th January EASA issued preliminary aviation safety data for 2011 which shows a modest improvement in worldwide safety levels. In commercial air transport operations, the number of fatal accidents decreased from 46 in 2010 to 45 in 2011.
ICAO latest
Fourteen Asia/Pacific States meeting in Kuala Lumpur on 11th and 12th January adopted a comprehensive strategy to systematically improve passenger and cargo security throughout the region, part of a global initiative aimed at countering new and emerging threats to air transport worldwide, it was reported by ICAO from Montreal.
Black Hawk flying operations precautionary suspension
It was announced on 20th January that the Australian Army had temporarily suspended flying operations for the Black Hawk helicopters upon identifying a number of fractured bolts during a routine maintenance check.
Aviation security strategy
At a meeting in Moscow on 21st and 22nd November, European Member States of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) committed to a wide-ranging strategy aimed at significantly improving aviation security at the national and regional levels. This Regional Conference on Aviation Security was the third in a series of similar meetings around the world aimed at implementing an ICAO Assembly Declaration on Aviation Security adopted as a global framework to deal with new and emerging threats through greater international co-operation on passenger and cargo security.
EU airports package
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reacted cautiously to the publication on 1st December of the European Commission’s Airport Package of legislation which is aimed at addressing the critical issues of European airport capacity and competitiveness.
IATA highlighted two of the package’s positive features:
- IATA welcomes the further liberalization of the ground handling market which should allow airlines to provide a better and more efficient service at European airports.
- IATA acknowledged that by legalizing secondary trading of airport slots, the package provides a regulatory foundation for a practice that has become widespread. Transparent rules will ensure that this is done in fairness to all parties concerned.
Air race and air show safety
It was annaounced from Washington on 2nd December that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is to hold a hearing on air race and air show
safety. During the one-day meeting, the Board will gather information on the safety regulations and oversight in the planning and execution of these events.
Regulators, aviation organizations, industry groups, and airport authorities will be questioned by the Board about safety practices, procedures, and protocols.
Harrier retirement and sale
The sale of 72 Harrier aircraft to the United States was confirmed on 24th november by the UK Ministry of Defence, saving around £1 billion overall. The airframes and associated parts will be used as a major source of spares to support the US Marine Corps Harrier AV-8B Fleet.
Single European sky
It was reported on 28th November that CANSO, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation, has called on European Member States to provide political leadership and address the key issues delaying progress towards achieving a Single European Sky (SES).
CANSO’s member European Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) have reaffirmed their commitment to the SES, and their support for the performance scheme as a mechanism for driving progress.
Science achievement award
A world class innovation to shield Australian Department of Defence ships and aircraft from radar surveillance has earned an Australian scientist the 2011 Minister’s Award for Achievement in Defence Science. The Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, Warren Snowdon, on 21st November presented the award to Dr Cheng Anderson from the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) for her pioneering role in reducing the vulnerability of Australia’s Defence platforms over three decades.
Next generation of fighter pilots gear up
News was received from Defence Public Affairs that Australia’s next generation of
fighter pilots were set to graduate as F/A-18 Hornet pilots as they prepare to return to RAAF Townsville in North Queensland to participate in Exercise HIGH
SIERRA.
The pilots from No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit at RAAF Base Williamtown in
New South Wales are expected to be put through their paces during the final phase
of the six-month long operational conversion course.
News from IFALPA – RVSM
Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) was due to be introduced to the airspace of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on 17th November 2011. It is notable, according to IFALPA, that while the majority of these States will be using Flight Level (feet) based altimetry, Mongolia has opted for a metric application.
Accordingly, IFALPA has published two Briefing Leaflets using data obtained
from the affected States:
nws0299-ifalpa-russian-rvsm-introduction.pdf and
nws0299-ifalpa-mongolian-rvsm.pdf.
ATSB investigation: total power loss
At about 2010 Western Standard Time on 29th January 2010, a single engine Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, registered VH-NWO, was being operated on a night medical evacuation flight from Derby to Kununurra, Western Australia with four persons on board. The pilot reported that about 56 km after takeoff, as the aircraft was passing through flight level 180, the engine exhibited a number of problems before the pilot turned the aircraft back to the departure airport. The engine failed and the pilot glided the aircraft to land at Derby. There were no injuries. Subsequent inspection confirmed that the engine propeller reduction gearbox had seized.
European Navigation Conference 2011
It is now less than a week away from the opening of the 2011 European Navigation
Conference which will be hosted in London by the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN). The spectacular venue is the new Grange Tower Bridge Hotel in Prescot
Street, London E1 8GP (Tel: 020 7959 5000) close to Tower Bridge and HM Tower of London.
ENC 2011 will run from 29th November to 1st December, with a preliminary day of tutorials on 28th November.
Take a look at the programme.
Further information is available on www.enc2011.org.
RAAF award
A ceremony was held in Brisbane on 12th November recognising the Royal Australian Air Force’s receipt of a top international aviation award. The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN) presented its Grand Master’s Australian Medal to the Air Mobility Control Centre (AMCC) for its work co-ordinating the Australian Defence Force’s air lift responses to a series of natural disasters in early 2011.
Emirates rail
It was announced from London on 2nd November that Lloyd’s Register EMEA had been appointed by Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE’s national railway, as the independent safety assessor (ISA) for the extensive 1,200-kilometre rail line to be constructed across the region, stretching from the Arabian Gulf to the Indian Ocean.
As the ISA, Lloyd’s Register will help to ensure the safety of passengers, operating staff and members of the public at every stage of the railway’s development, from design through to the commencement of stage-one freight services in 2014 and the addition of passenger services during stages two and three.
ECDIS training
It was announced from Singapore at the beginning of November that ClassNK had issued its first Type Specific Training Course approval for an ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) Training Course offered by the FURUNO INS Training Centre in the City. This approval, which coincides with the grand opening of the new training centre, certifies that the course offered complies with the leading classification society’s new Standard for Maritime Education & Training.
Modernisation of Medina Airport, Saudi Arabia
It was announced from Jeddah on 1st November that IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is helping Saudi Arabia expand Medina’s international airport under a public-private partnership project that is the first of its kind in the region and is expected to spur economic development and help accommodate a growing number of religious pilgrims.
Galileo satellites handed over to control centre in Germany
Europe’s first two Galileo satellites have reached their final operating orbits, opening the way for activating and testing their navigation payloads, it was reported by the European Space Agency on 4th November.
Marking the formal end of their LEOP (Launch and Early Operations Phase), control of the satellites was passed on 3rd November from the CNES French space agency centre in Toulouse to the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany.
Oberfaffenhofen, operated by the German Aerospace Center DLR, will be in charge of the satellites’ command and control for the whole of their 12-year operating lives, it is understood.
Cockpit image recording on helicopters
Recent technology has produced small, lightweight data recording devices suitable for use in small helicopters that lack traditional flight data recorders. The most popular models of these devices have built-in video recorders that image the cockpit area.
IFALPA pilots, it was reported on 2nd November, have long supported the
use of flight data recorders recognising the potential they hold for improving
flight safety.
Galileo launch progress
On 21st October the first pair of satellites for Europe’s Galileo global navigation satellite system was launched into orbit by a Russian Soyuz vehicle from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, creating a milestone mission, reported ESA.
The Soyuz VS01 flight, operated by Arianespace, started with liftoff from the new launch complex in French Guiana at 1030 GMT (1230 CEST) on 21st October. All of the Soyuz stages performed perfectly and the Fregat-MT upper stage released the Galileo satellites into their target orbit at 23 222 km altitude, 3 hours
49 minutes after liftoff.
The 6th GNSS Vulnerabilities and solutions conference
CALL FOR PAPERS EXTENDED TO 1st JANUARY 2012
A Conference Organising Committee comprising The Royal Institute of Navigation, London, the Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy, University of Nottingham, (UK), and the Faculty of Maritime Studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia have extended an invitation to the 6th GNSS Vulnerabilities and Solutions 2012 Conference to be held from 21st to 24th May, 2012 in Baška, Krk Island, Croatia.