Air safety

May 21, 2013 - 7:15am
BlueEye CAMO

Luxembourg’s MRX Systems is offering business aircraft operators its tablet-based BlueEye application for managing data associated with continuing airworthiness responsibilities. Its launch customer in the market is Dutch maintenance provider Jet Support, which is exhibiting here at EBACE with its FBO partner KLM Jet Centre (Booth 1937).

May 21, 2013 - 6:15am

The European Corporate Flight Attendant’s Committee chair Paul Milverton of Gama Aviation, Stafford, Connecticut, and vice chair David Hulme managed and moderated this year’s NBAA Cabin-Crew Symposium held here in Geneva on Monday. The symposium, sponsored by the NBAA Flight Attendants Committee, the International Subcommittee and EBAA staff, featured a program on issues relevant to business aviation cabin-crew operations and addressed topics ranging from safety and security to service and training.

May 20, 2013 - 2:20pm

The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) is to examine the FAA’s Runway Safety Program in the light of a steadily increasing number of runway incursions and evaluate the agency’s progress in implementing initiatives to prevent further incursions.

Prevention of runway incursions and ground collisions has been on the NTSB’s “Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements List” since 1990.

May 18, 2013 - 11:20am

New risk and safety management requirements imposed by the European Aviation Safety Agency are continuing to take up a lot of management time at TAG and other aircraft operators. TAG recently became the first business aviation company to achieve EASA’s stage-two requirements for its safety management system.

May 16, 2013 - 3:20pm

The FAA approved an automated rig approach for offshore operators on the Sikorsky S-92, offering new functionality for the medium-twin helicopter. The system is said to “reduce cockpit workload by 60 percent” and allow safer operations under challenging weather and operating conditions. Sikorsky has been developing the “rig approach” system since 2007 in cooperation with operator PHI.

May 13, 2013 - 2:17pm

The Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General (IG) released a report last week on FAA efforts to assume a more risk-based approach in overseeing nearly 4,800 repair stations used around the world by U.S. air carriers. “While the FAA developed a risk assessment process to aid repair station inspectors in identifying areas of greatest concern,” the report said, “its oversight continues to emphasize completing mandatory inspections instead of targeting resources where they are needed based on risk.”

May 13, 2013 - 2:10pm

A U.S. District Court jury in Spokane, Wash., convicted commercial pilot Paul Roessler of flying an aircraft while under the influence of alcohol. Roessler was arrested following an April 2012 flight when air traffic controllers in the Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center and Spokane Tower reported the pilot demonstrated some questionable behavior. In one incident, he failed to contact the center via radio during his flight and upon arrival in the terminal area lined up with the wrong runway.

May 13, 2013 - 1:50pm

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is pushing for clearer information on the state of FAA facilities. To set the stage for a new study of FAA facilities, the GAO said, “Our preliminary analyses indicate that as of February [this year] FAA-staffed facilities are generally in fair to good condition based on their facility condition indices.

May 13, 2013 - 11:15am

Sita is supporting the launch of datalink ATC service in Indonesian airspace. The Geneva-based company has an agreement with Indonesia’s air navigation service provider to provide an air-to-ground datalink infrastructure that will enable pilots and controllers to communicate in the Jakarta flight information region.

May 10, 2013 - 4:21pm

The FAA–and its parent agency, the Department of Transportation–today announced that it will keep open the 149 contract towers that the agency slated for closure on June 15. These cuts were to be made to comply with sequestration, but on April 26 Congress gave the FAA the authority to shift funds to stop controller furloughs and, possibly, contract tower closures.

Pages