AINsafety

Collin County Airport Dedicates New Runway
November 12, 2012 - 1:30pm

While the new Runway 18/36 at Collin County Regional Airport (KTKI) took longer to build than anyone would have liked–about seven years from first concept to the first takeoff–the new 7,002-foot-long by 150-foot-wide surface was badly needed to replace the original runway built in 1979.

The $52 million project in McKinney, Texas, consumed nearly 53,000 tons of concrete and was constructed just east of the original surface, which now serves as a parallel taxiway. The runway was the Texas Department of Transportation’s largest ever aviation construction project.

Banyan To Test New Ground-Safety Technology
November 12, 2012 - 1:30pm

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based FBO Banyan Air Service will be the launch customer for a new ground accident avoidance system. RampTrack by Wingspan Systems is supposed to help prevent ramp and hangar accidents by tracking aircraft on the ground and warning operators if they are at risk of striking a building, another aircraft, vehicle or person.

Using redundant sensors, intelligent software, visual and aural alarms, the system reduces the chance of hangar rash due to contact with toolboxes or ground tugs while relocating or taxiing aircraft.

NTSB Issues Rules on Explosive Aircraft Devices
November 12, 2012 - 1:25pm

The NTSB issued a number of recommendations on November 1–A12-64 and A12-65–in an attempt to prevent aircraft accident first responders from being injured by ejection seats or ballistic parachute recovery devices at crash scenes. The Board wants the FAA to identify the devices aboard an aircraft during every tri-year registration and also determine a method of making that information readily accessible to emergency crews. Recommendation A12-66 will also require STC-modified aircraft to report any new on-board devices.
FAA Issues Wiring AD for Beechjet 400A
November 12, 2012 - 1:20pm

The FAA plans to issue Airworthiness Directive FAA-2012-1111 to address wiring issues on the Beechjet 400A. The AD was prompted by a report that the wiring for the five-volt direct-current system is undersized and does not have adequate circuit protection for the smaller-gauge wire. This proposed AD would require installing an in-line fuse in the five-volt DC system for each of the five instrument lighting control power supplies.
ICAO Flight Plan Changes Begin This Week
November 12, 2012 - 1:15pm

New flight plan requirements developed for ICAO compatibility with digital ATM systems around the world take effect November 15. “The amendments to flight plan content go to the very core of flight plan processing,” said a Eurocontrol statement. The basic flight plan form and the field composition within the FPL message remain unchanged, but the content of some fields will change.
Indian Airline Pilots Take Aviation Minister to Court
November 12, 2012 - 1:10pm

Ajit Singh, head of India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and members of the Association of Indian Commercial Pilots have begun another safety-focused battle of wills. The pilots have filed a petition in court claiming the minister overstepped his authority when his department increased the maximum number of hours pilots will be expected to fly in a single day, as well as the length of their maximum allowable duty day. The pilots claim Singh’s actions violate current Indian civil aviation rules.
U.S. Assists Iraq with Safety Investigator Training
November 12, 2012 - 1:05pm

NTSB officials recently arrived in Baghdad to train 22 students from the Iraqi civil aviation authority and air force. The training took place on October 14 through 18 at Iraq’s Aviation Training Institute in support of the country’s efforts to meet ICAO investigation standards. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad sponsored the training.
ADS-B Separation Trial Begins in Oakland Center
November 5, 2012 - 4:00pm

The FAA has released details of a new ADS-B-based oceanic airspace trial that started October 26 with the goal of reducing longitudinal separation between participating aircraft in the Oakland air route traffic control center’s oceanic control area. The in-trail procedure (ITP), which applies to climbing and descending aircraft, is designed to prove that more aircraft will be able to fly at their requested altitudes using the ADS-B reduced separation standards. A number of conditions must exist during the trial period in order for controllers to apply reduced separation standards.
Astronaut Worries About Skills of Today’s Pilots
November 5, 2012 - 3:39pm

Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan said he worries about the flying skills of pilots today. The type-rated Learjet 45 pilot, who was the last man to walk on the moon, commented to AIN at last month’s Bombardier Safety Standdown in Wichita, “I worry about the complacency that technology is imposing on pilots. Pilots tend to become overwhelmed with all the lights on these glass panels and forget they still have a responsibility to fly the airplane.” Cernan believes that part of the solution is pilots being honest about their flying skills and their shortcomings.
Researcher Hopes To Better Understand East-West Safety Cultures
November 5, 2012 - 3:38pm

Ph.D. aviation safety researcher Meng-Yuan Liao is surveying pilots about the cultural differences about aviation safety between pilots operating in the Far East and those flying in Western countries. Taiwan-based Liao plans to publish the results of his efforts in an international safety magazine, as well as share them with AINSafety. “The importance of developing a safety culture is vital to good safety management,” he told AIN.

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