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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 0832.PDF
HEADLINES AIR TRANSPORT DAVID LEARMOUNT / LONDON Disregard of rules risks ATM safety Study warns of chronic shortage of air traffic controllers The greatest danger to European air traffic management (ATM) safety is non-compliance with agreed safety requirements by Eurocontrol mem ber states, says a safety study just completed by the air navigation organisation. It was the mid-air collision between two airliners over southern Germany in July last year that sparked the creation of the high- level Action Group for ATM Safety (AGAS). But when the group began its study it found that the real prob lems, apart from the disregard of rules, were basic ones like a wide spread and chronic shortage of air traffic control officers and lack of guidance for selection and training. AGAS lists eight high-priority safety areas, topped by the need to train more controllers, but it also deals with the need for standardisa tion and the elimination of ambigu ity in standard operating procedures governing pilot and controller reac tion to airborne collision avoidance system resolution advisories. Also included in the AGAS report is a study on runway incursions that was started before the October 2001 runway collision at Milan Linate air port between a Scandinavian Air lines Boeing MD-87 and Cessna CJ2 business jet. Eurocontrol has pro duced its recommendations which are ready for implementation, even though the accident report itself has not yet been published. SEE REPORT P14 SPACEFLIGHT GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC Columbia investigators shift focus further along left wing Investigators searching for the source of the thermal breach that brought down the Space Shuttle Columbia have shifted their focus further outboard on the left wing. Additional trajectory analysis suggests foam shed by the external tank during launch hit the leading edge at reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panels 7 and 8, further out than previously thought. This ties in more closely with sensor data and debris evidence. At the same time, a T-seal installed between the RCC panels has emerged as the likely object observed separating from Columbia during its second day in orbit after the further analysis eliminated a carrier panel from consideration. Loss of a piece of bow-shaped T-seal could have allowed a jet of superheated air to enter and "play like a hosepipe" across the inside of the wing, says Columbia accident investigation board member Scott Hubbard. Little of the alu minium substructure of the left wing has been recovered. Radar cross-section tests suggested a carrier panel - an access panel that fits between the leading-edge RCC panels and underwing tiles - was the prime candidate for the mystery object, but it did not fit the re-entry ballistics observed. "We are leaning towards a T-seal," says board member Stephen Turcotte. Evidence supporting a leading-edge breach further out than first thought includes data from the recovered OEX orbiter experiments recorder, which shows temperature spikes near RCC panel 9 just 480s after re-entry began. Recovered debris also shows significant damage at the interface between RCC panels 8 and 9. RCC rib and lug fragments have been eroded "to a knife edge", says Hubbard, which suggests long exposure to extreme heating. The analyses will guide foam impact testing, scheduled for mid-May. Investig ation continues into defects in the insulation foam covering the bipod area where struts attach the nose of the orbiter to the external tank. In super-lightweight tanks like that used on the Columbia flight, cracks were found in stringer valleys close to the bipod area. These may have allowed cryogenic fluid to creep under the insula tion to expand explosively on ascent and "liberate" a large piece of foam. Briefing Two airlines to test Boeing's AHM DIAGNOSTICS Air France and American Airlines are to test Boeing's Airplane Health Management (AHM) data-monitoring and prognostic service over the next year, as Boeing prepares to make the service available to airlines early in 2004. AHM monitors an aircraft's performance in flight and relays the information in real time to the ground, allowing engineers to make advance preparations for gate-side maintenance. The system is designed to cut dispatch delays by reducing non-routine maintenance, and by identifying recurring faults and trends. Boeing plans to release its AHM service in three phases. Release 1.0 will report fault data from the aircraft's central mainten ance computer, release 2.0 will use "snapshots" of systems in operation from the aircraft condition monitoring system, while release 3.0, due out in late 2005, will transmit a continuous stream of data taken during the entire flight. Lufthansa cleared to take over Air Dolomiti INVESTMENT Lufthansa is expected to launch a full takeover bid for Italian regional airline Air Dolomiti, following approval from Austrian, German and Italian competition authorities for it to acquire a majority stake. In early March the German flag carrier bought an additional 31.2% of Air Dolomiti's stock for €40 million ($43 million) to take its holding to 51.7%. Lufthansa is now expected to acquire the remaining shares within weeks. ICAO defines new R/T standards AT M The International Civil Aviation Organisation has published more precisely defined minimum standards for radio telecommunications (RfT) language. ICAO has amended its Annexes 1 and 10 to clarify standards for correct aviation phraseology and to establish defined levels of competence for pilots, air traffic controllers and other R/T users. English or an agreed common language must be used, and pilots should always be able to request the use of the English language by a ground control station. Cargolux cashing in as Atlas starts recovery R E S U LT S Luxembourg-based cargo carrier Cargolux made $49 million net profit from sales of $807 million last year, both record results for the airline. Despite falling traffic in the Americas, blamed on the slump in the high-technology sector, the airline saw traffic grow from 3.8 billion to 4.2 billion revenue tonne kilometres over the year. Meanwhile, Atlas Air of New York started to pull back from bankruptcy by signing a debt-restructuring deal with GE Capital Aviation Services, its largest lessor. It still hopes to sign deals with several other debtors by the end of this month "or as soon as possible thereafter", but warned success was uncertain. Failure could mean the repossession of much of its fleet. EC boosts ATC safety in SE Europe SINGLE SKIES The European Commission and Eurocontrol have approved a €5 million ($5.3 million) project to improve air traffic safety and navigation in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia and Mont enegro. The Joint Aviation Authorities is partnering the project which aims to prepare the region for the Single European Sky project. Meanwhile, Euro- control also met last week to consider what can be done to alleviate cost burdens on airlines and air traffic service providers hit by the business down turn related to the Iraq war, but has not yet announced remedial measures. Finmeccanica board interested in FiatAvio bid ENGINES Finmeccanica's directors agreed on 16 April that the company should "evaluate the possibility of taking a minority share" in FiatAvio. The Carlyle Group signed a memorandum of understanding on the deal earlier this month Flight International, 15-21 April) which would see Carlyle taking around 70% of the Italian engine manufacturer, while Finmeccanica would hold the rest, including FiatAvio's space activities. Carlyle had previously cited Finmeccanica as a potential industrial partner, but last week's announcement is the first confirmation of the Italian company's involvement. www.fliqhtinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 22-28 APR IL 2003 5
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