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Aviation History
1989
1989 - 0040.PDF
YOUR VIEW. Wanted: a closer look at pilot error SIR—It never ceases to amaze me that the US Air Line Pilots Association (Atpa) can persist in the claim that mechanical fail ure, rather than simple human error, is the root cause of some airline crashes. Even when these claims are couched in such terms as "may have contributed to the crash", they distort the primary issue. The latest example, reported in Flight's December 3, 1988, issue, seems to suggest that a flaw in the take-off warning system "may have contributed" to the crash of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 727 at Dallas in August 1988. Alpa says that a split-flap condition would not be sensed by the 727's take-off warning system, and would thus not alert the pilots to the potentially hazardous condition. What Alpa fails to point out is that the flightpath of the aircraft concerned cannot be accounted for by a simple split-flap condi tion. According to expert testi mony given at the US National Transportation Safety Board's public hearing into the cause of the Delta 727 crash, both the leading-edge and trailing-edge flaps must be fully retracted in order for the aircraft trajectory to match that of the accident take-off. If pilot error is, in fact, found to be the root cause of an acci dent, and since Alpa's card carrying members are usually the first to be killed in serious accidents, one would think that Alpa management would seek to determine the underlying reason for pilot error, such as forgetting to set the flaps before take-off. Only then can effective steps be taken to obviate such errors. Who knows, maybe these insights into human error may also explain why Flight's head line writers mistakenly attrib uted the accident to a Delta DC-9, rather than to the Boeing 727 actually involved. STEVE R. LUND 25041 Linda Vista Laguna Hills California 92653-5337 USA Let Solar Max live SIR—Among the spacecraft which Nasa has in orbit is America's only functional Solar / Meterological observa tory. Called Solar Max, it' provides the West with its only sources of "combined" solar and atmospheric data. It studies solar flares, thus giving us a better understanding of how the Sun works and how it affects medium-term global weather phenomena. It even studies the ozone layer. And it is going to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and be destroyed in little under 13 months' time. Is Nasa going to kill this valuable national asset in space, just as it did with Skylab nine years ago? All that would be needed to effect a rescue is a meagre $25 million and one- quarter of the cargo bay of a Space Shuttle to carry the necessary equipment to re-boost its orbit. Or would it rather save $25 million and see one $250 million spacecraft destroyed in the process? We will soon see which way they will decide. Solar Max comes back for good in Jan /Feb 1990, in a burning shower of debris. RAMON HARTOPP Avenida Diagonal 17: entlo, 2a Castelldefels, 08860 Barcelona Catalunya Spain Nats appreciates Rnav published Nats Operational Strategy Plan, which makes many references to Rnav, its further use, and the benefits it can bring. G. A. PAULSON Director Planning Analysis National Air Traffic Services CAA House 45-59 Kingsway London WC2B 6TE SIR—In your story "Cut regular airspace, UK urged" (Flight, December 3), you stated that Nats is not keen on the concept of area naviga tion. May I point out that Nats controllers regularly take advan tage of the Rnav capability to offer direct routeings. I would also refer you to the recently Ironic criticism SIR—In his letter to Flight (November 19), Mr Solhjou, as a spokesman for Iran Air, insinuates that the downing of an Iran Air airliner by the US Naval forces was not a mistake, as claimed by the USA. I would like to ask Mr Solhjou what would be the purpose of such an American action, the only outcome of which was to promote the Iranian propa ganda machine. I find it ironic that such a statement can be made by Mr Solhjou while his own country had a policy of attacking unarmed merchant vessels in international waters in the Gulf. These attacks were not only intended to destroy the ships and their cargo, but to attack civilian workers in their crew quarters with rockets and machine-gun fire. Several hundred civilians were killed in these attacks. The American action was a grave mistake, in which family survivors will be compensated. The Iranian action was blatant slaughter of unarmed men. FRANK ITASECKI PO Box 798 Champlain New York 12919 USA WHAT'S ON January 12 RAeS Aerodynamics Group, lecture, "Heat Transfer Problems of Gas Turbine Blades", by M. J. Holland. Royal Aero nautical Society, 4 Hamilton Place, London W1V OBQ; tel: 01-499 3515. January 12 RAeS Heathrow Branch, "The Lutonic Fringe, or, Maintenance in the Charier Airline", by Jim Rainbow. 6.15 p.m., Wings Restaurant, Technical Block A, British Airways, Hatton Cross, Heathrow Airport, January 12-13 Two-day helicopter fire course. Offshore Fire Training Centre, Montrose. For further in formation about this and other off shore fire courses in 1989, contact: OFTC, Forties Road, Montrose, Angus DD10 9ET, Scotland; tel: 0674 72230. January 16-18 FSI course, "Principles of Troubleshooting". Mercer County Airport, Trenton, New jersey. Contact: FlightSafety International, 100 Moon- achie Avenue, Teterboro, NJ, USA; tel: (201) 939-1810. January 16-19 Seminar, "Integrated Optics—an introduction to optical integrated circuits and Fibreoptics". Contact: Frost and Sullivan, Sullivan House, Dept RE-838F, 4 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DH; tel: 01-730 3438. January 17 RAeS Boscombe Down Branch, lecture, "The EH.101 Pro ject", by Colin Hague. 5.30 p.m., Lecture Hall, east end of civilian staff restaurant, near North Gate, A&AEE Boscombe Down, Salisbury, Wilts. Tel: 01-499 3515. January 18 RAeS Graduates' and Students' Group, conference, "An Introduction to the Aerospace Industry Based on the Tornado". Royal Aero nautical Societv, 4 Hamilton Place, London W1V 0BQ; tel: 01-499 3515. January 18 RAeS Cambridge Branch, lecture, "Wind Power", by P. Rendall. 8.15 p.m., Lecture Theatre O, Cambridge University Engineering Laboratories, Trumpington Street. Cambridge. Tel: 01-499 3515. January 18 RAeS Hatfield Branch, lecture, "Thrusting Forwards—a history of de Haviltand propellers", by D. A. Thurgood and R. C. Baker. 5.30 p.m., Main Staff Restaurant, BAe Dynamics, Hatfield, Herts. Tel: 01-499 3515. January 18 RAeS Weybridge Branch, lecture, "Airbus Industrie— a success ful example of international co operation", by Heribert Flosdorff, 6.00 p.m., Brooklands Museum, Club House, Brooklands Road, Weybridge, Surrey. Tel: 01-499 3515. January 18 RAeS Medway Branch, lecture, "Aircraft versus Submarines", by Laurie Hampson. 7.00 p.m., Main Canteen, GEC Avionics, Airport Works, Rochester, Kent. Tel: 01-499 3515, January 18 IMechE/RAeS Gloucester and Cheltenham Branch, lecture, "Review of Postwar de Havilland Aircraft", by V. W. Clarkson. 7.30 p.m., Dowty Cinema. Tel: 01-499 3515. January 18 RAeS Coventry Branch, lecture, "Aggressor Squadron (Top Gun in Europe)". 7.15 p.m., Lecture Theatre F107, Coventry Polytechnic, Priorv Street, • Coventry, West Midlands. Tel: 01-499 3515. January 18-20 FSI course, "Principles of Troubleshooting". Mercer County Airport, Trenton, New jersey. Contact: FlightSafety International, 100 Moon- achie Avenue, Teterboro, Nj, USA; tel: (201)939-1810. January 19 RAeS Southampton Branch, lecture, details to- be announced. 8.00 p.m., Southampton University. Tel: 01-499 3515. January 19 Seminar, "Using Experi mental Measurements of Dynamic Behaviour to Update Finite Element Models". Aston University, Birming ham. Contact: Dynamic Engineering, Bennett House, Pleasley Road, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S60 4HQ; tel: 0709 366376. January 23-25 FSI international procedures course. Savannah, Georgia. Contact: FlightSafety International, Marine Air Terminal, La Guardia Airport, Flushing, NY 11371, USA; tel: (718) 565-4120. January 23-25 FSI course, "Principles of Troubleshooting". Hurst, Texas. Contact: FlightSafety International, 100 Moonachie Avenue, Teterboro, NJ, USA; tel: (201) 939-1810. January 25-27 Aviation Law/Insur ance Symposium. Indigo Lakes Resort, Daytona Beach, Florida. Contact: Karta Marchione, Professional Pro grammes, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL 32014; tel: (904) 239-6185, 38 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 7 January 1989
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