TSA, Mergers, Dreamliner Delays And A380 Engines Grab Headlines

A fairly major controversy swirled around TSA in 2010, as people began to strongly resist the use of full body scanners and "enhanced pat-downs" at airport security. Meanwhile, after finally getting off the ground, the Dreamliner suffered a setback from an electrical fire and deliveries were pushed back again. On the plus side, research continued into the use of biofuel, and airlines continued to order new airliners from both Boeing and Airbus. Here is a sampling of the airline stories ANN covered during 2010.

January

• The TSA issued new security directives Sunday to all domestic and international air carriers with inbound flights to the US effective January 4, 2010.

  

• Mesa Air Group said Tuesday that it has commenced a financial restructuring through the voluntary filing of petitions to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
• Canadian government said it will install full-body scanners in all of that country's major airports in the next two months, following the Christmas Day attempt to bring down a Northwest Airlines aircraft en route to Detroit.
• Barack Obama outlined his administrations' efforts to beef up intelligence and security systems in the wake of a failed attempt to detonate an explosive device aboard a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit on Christmas Day.
• BioJet Corporation and Great Plains Oil & Exploration announced they have executed a Teaming Agreement for the purpose of producing renewable jet fuels. The companies plan to jointly develop integrated Camelina cultivation and associated refinery projects in the U.S., Europe, South America, and Asia.
• Civilian flights into Haiti were halted at the request of the Haitian government due to overcrowded conditions at Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport following a massive earthquake. The government said there was no room for arriving aircraft on the ramp, and no fuel available for departing aircraft.
• Boeing completed initial airworthiness testing on the 787 Dreamliner. This milestone will enable more crew members to take part in flights and will allow more airplanes to join the flight test program.

  
  Dreamliner

• A TSA inspector must have thought it was going to be a harmless prank, but wound up unemployed after planting a bag of white powder in the suitcase of a college student.
• The FAA released its final 200-plus-page "Call to Action" on airline safety and pilot training. The document is the culmination of a half-year's work by the FAA, the NTSB, and the DOT.

February

• It's a routine part of any aircraft evaluation, and yet you might not think about stalling an airliner. But Boeing's 787 Dreamliner pilots conducted the program's first stall tests as part of the initial airworthiness program for the airplane.
• The NTSB determined that the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407, a Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 owned by Colgan Air, was the fault of the pilots not taking appropriate corrective action when the accident sequence began.
• Continental Airlines and five individuals have been named as defendants in a French lawsuit which seeks to determine the cause of the Air France Concorde accident ten years ago that killed 113 people and spelled the beginning of the end of the SST's flying days. They face charges of involuntary manslaughter.

  

• As part of the FAA's "Call to Action" to enhance airline safety following last year's Colgan Air accident in Buffalo, NY, the agency asked for recommendations to improve pilot qualification and training requirements.
• The Boeing 747-8 completed a lengthy first flight after a nearly three hour delay due to low ceilings.Reports indicate that the flight went "very well."
• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said Thursday that a week in March would be set aside for debate on the FAA reauthorization bill, which has been on hold in the U.S. Senate for months.
• Nearly a year after the fact, TSA has issued an apology to a Pennsylvania family who says their physically-challenged son was required to remove his leg braces before clearing security on a trip to Florida.
• The UK-based Balli Aviation Ltd. pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal information in connection with its illegal export of a 747 from the United States to Iran.  Under the terms of the plea agreement, Bali agreed to pay a $2 million fine and five years of probation.
• Boeing recently unveiled the first 787 Dreamliner to feature interior components. The third flight test airplane, ZA003, has a partial interior that provides a glimpse into what the passengers on the plane will eventually see.
• International Association of Machinists District 751 (IAM) and the Boeing Co. have agreed on a letter of understanding that will allow some members to volunteer to be laid off with benefits.
• The NTSB says airlines and pilot's unions should use cockpit voice recorders to routinely monitor what goes on in the cockpit, and not just for accident investigations ... a suggestion that has received a cold reception from pilots and unions.

  

• One of JFK International Airport's (KJFK) busiest runways closed for an extensive renovation project that is expected to last four months.

March

• The FAA placed two employees at John F. Kennedy Airport Tower are on administrative leave following an incident last month when a child was permitted to talk with pilots on an air traffic control frequency.
• Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who famously ditched a US Airways A320 in the Hudson River over a year ago saving all aboard, said he's calling it a career after 30 years with the airline.

  
  Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger

• The Coalition of Airline Pilot Associations (CAPA) reached out to their membership, encouraging commercial pilots to voice their opposition to a bill that would allow air carriers to use information obtained from a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) or a flight data recorder "to discipline or discharge a pilot or flight engineer for actions that endanger the safety or well being of passengers."
• The No-Fly list ... one of the federal government's best-known counterterrorism tools, has nearly doubled in size since Farouk Abdulmuttalab allegedly attempted to bring down a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas day last year. According to a senior intelligence official, the list currently stand at about 6,000 names up from about 3,400 before the bombing attempt.
• The Northwest Airlines pilots who had their airman certificates pulled in an emergency revocation after they overshot their destination airport by 150 miles dropped their bid to have the licenses returned, the FAA said Monday. Shortly there after, the NTSB determined that Northwest Airlines flight 188 overflew its destination airport of Minneapolis by more than 100 miles and failed to maintain radio communications because the pilots became distracted by a conversation unrelated to the operation of the aircraft
• Boeing said that it will accelerate planned rate increases on both the 777 and 747 programs. The accelerated rate increases will support increasing customer demand in the recovering airplane market.
• Boeing's Dreamliner completed flutter and ground effects testing, and apparently passed "with flying colors."
• Boeing fired another shot in the word skirmish over the WTO decision concerning European government subsidies for Airbus. The statement below was issued following news reports quoting officials who indicated that the United States has prevailed on all of the major issues in the WTO's final decision.

  

• The second of President Obama's nominees for the top spot at the Transportation Security Administration withdrew his name from consideration due to growing questions concerning his background as a defense contractor.

April

• DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that the TSA will begin implementing new enhanced security measures for all air carriers with international flights to the United States to strengthen the safety and security of all passengers.
• Boeing took another visible step toward full 787 Dreamliner production by placing the first steel column for its Charleston 787 Final Assembly and Delivery facility.
• Airbus took advantage of scheduled development test flights to assess the impact on the aircraft and its flight systems within the volcanic ash on aircraft over Europe.
• Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, and 94 other people were killed when the TU-154 they were aboard went down on approach to Smolensk in western Russia in a thick fog.

  
  TU-154

  Officials said aircraft, which was the official Presidential plane, struck tree tops and broke apart.
• The NATA 2010 Day on the Hill event drew nearly 100 association members to the Capitol to visit their Members of Congress and their staff.
• At least two airlines implemented policies to send airplanes back to the gate if they are closing in on a three-hour tarmac delay. New federal rules which go into effect April 29 limit how long passengers may be held on a plane to three hours, and airlines who violate those rules face hefty fines.
• Ninety-three percent of Americans said they are willing to sacrifice some level of privacy to increase safety when traveling by air, according to research conducted in January and February.
• New York Senator Charles Shumer (D) said  that Spirit Airline's decision to charge passengers for carry-on bags is "a slap in the face to travelers," and he wants the Treasury Department to exempt luggage carried onto an airliner from additional fees.

  

• As air travel in Europe moved slowly back to something resembling normal, the European ash crisis continues to impact airlines, passengers and cargo around the world.
• The U.S. DOT denied the requests of five airlines for a temporary exemption from the new rule limiting tarmac delays. As a result, all U.S. carrier flights covered by the rule will be subject to its terms effective April 29.
• The FAA issued an InFO on Monday calling on air carrier operators to create and enforce policies that will limit distractions in the cockpit, and keep pilots focused on transporting passengers safely.

May

• In a deal estimated to be worth $3.7 billion, UAL was allowed to buy the entire stock of Continental in an all-stock transaction that is expected to close before the end of the year and will retain United's brand name. The combined value of the two companies is estimated at well over $8 Billion.
• The  NTSB issued a probable cause report for US Airways flight 1549, in which a US Airways A320 jetliner bound for Charlotte was ditched into the Hudson River after striking a flock of Canada geese shortly after departing New York’s LaGuardia Airport. All of the 150 passengers and five crewmembers survived.
• A report from an aviation analyst indicated that Boeing may be leaning towards a wholesale replacement of its workhorse 737, rather than the re-engining the airplane as had been originally planned.
• The long-simmering dispute between British Airways and its cabin crews showed no signs of abating. Unite the Union said Monday cabin crews plan to hold an additional 20 days of strike action following their "overwhelming" rejection of the company’s offer in a ballot last week.
• A Libyan Airbus A330 landing in Tripoli after a flight from South Africa reportedly "disintegrated" on landing at Tripoli Airport, killing 103 of the passengers and crew on board, but leaving a "miracle" survivor ... an 8-year-old boy.
• President Obama's third choice to fill the top job at TSA should have no trouble with an F.B.I. background check, since his position was deputy director of the F.B.I.

  
  John Pistole

• A disruption of air travel in Great Britain was reportedly based on an inaccurate prediction from the UK Met Office.
• United Parcel Service (UPS) announced it was going through with the furlough of as many as 300 pilots as part of a effort to cut $1.4 billion in overhead. The plan was first unveiled in February.
• An Air India Express B737-800 carrying 167 passengers, including 4 infants, and 6 crew has overshot the runway on landing at Mangalore airport. The initial casualty estimates for the accident  were correct. 158 people were killed in the crash, and that 8 have survived.
• The NTSB issued 24 individual recommendations following the conclusion of its investigation into US Airways Flight 1549, which famously ditched in the Hudson River with no loss of life following the ingestion of large birds into both engines of the Airbus A320.
• The NTSB issued two urgent safety recommendations to the FAA, one asking that the agency require operators of aircraft equipped with a particular model engine to immediately perform blade borescope inspections (BSI) of the high pressure turbine rotor at specific intervals until the current turbine disk can be redesigned and replaced with one that can withstand the unbalance vibration forces from the high pressure rotor, and the second seeking a requirement that the engine manufacturer immediately redesign the disk.

June

• Talks between British Airways and it's cabin crews broke down, prompting flight attendants to walk off the job on a busy travel weekend both in the UK and the U.S.

  

• DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said that 100 percent of passengers traveling within the United States and its territories were being checked against terrorist watchlists through the TSA Secure Flight program, which it calls a major step in fulfilling a key 9/11 Commission recommendation.
• The CEO of the International Air Transport Association expressed "cautious optimism" that the international airline industry could see a return to profitability this year.
• As a result of its pilot union's decision to strike, Spirit's flights were cancelled for several days.
• The two pilots who said they were distracted by their laptop computers and a discussion over airline scheduling will not be returning to a Delta cockpit, th e airline said.
• The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously reported out John S. Pistole to be Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Administrator of TSA.
• A second production rate increase for the Next-Generation Boeing 737 program was announced by the Washington state aircraft manufacturer, taking the rate from the previously announced 34 airplanes per month to 35 in early 2012.
• The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner with General Electric (GE) engines, an airplane referred to as ZA005, completed its first flight.
• After some very successful initial flight testing, the Dreamliner program has been dealt a bit of a setback, as Boeing recently identified a workmanship issue with the 787's horizontal stabilizers.
• The FAA is proposing a significant expansion of its icing certification standards, including a new requirement that manufacturers show that airplanes can operate safely in freezing drizzle or freezing rain, conditions that constitute an icing environment known as "supercooled large drops" (SLDs).
• United Airlines CEO Glenn Tilton and Continental chief Jeff Smisek did not exactly receive a warm welcome from the U.S. House Transportation Aviation subcommittee Wednesday in the first hearing concerning a possible merger of the two airlines.

July

• While some of the large legacy carriers look for ways to join forces ... Pinnacle Airlines Corporation announced that it has acquired Mesaba Aviation, Inc. from Delta Air Lines for $62 million.
• Reports of near collisions of aircraft in congested airspace are increasing, according to statistics from the NTSB, and the bump seems to correspond with an increase in the number of less-experienced air traffic controllers training to replace retirees.
• Arrow Air Holdings Corp. (“Arrow”) has ceased scheduled service operations, effective immediately. In papers filed with the US Bankruptcy Court in Miami the company declared assets of $10 million to $50 million and listed debts of $100 million to $500 million.
• The FAA issued an AD that requires operators of Boeing 757, 767, and 777 airplanes to either inspect or replace certain flight deck windows. The AD only affects the forward viewing windows, not the side windows.

  
  B767

• Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Portland International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Spokane International Airport and Washington State University kicked off a a strategic initiative to promote aviation biofuel development in the Pacific Northwest.
• TSA cast a broad net in search of potential screeners. They instituted a recruiting campaign that was delivered to homes on pizza boxes.
• The head of Boeing's 787 program said in a conference call with reporters that, while the company still plans to get the Dreamliner to their launch customer late in 2010, the delivery could slip "a few weeks" into 2011.
• Major orders for both Boeing and Airbus at the top of the Farnborough Air Show are indications of a strong economic recovery, right? That was the opinion of the leadership for the two rival plane makers, but analysts aaid it's not a sure thing.

August

• Airbus said it planned to increase the monthly production rate of its A320-family aircraft to 38 per month in August 2011 and to 40 per month in first quarter 2012.
• The airline industry met a key requirement of the 9/11 Act by screening 100 percent of air cargo on domestic passenger aircraft.
• The Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA) which represents over 28,000 professional airline pilots, issued a statement praising the US House and Senate passage of the pilot safety bill which will greatly increase part 121 airline pilot qualifications.
• Sources inside Boeing indicate that the final Dreamliner test aircraft (ZA006) may not fly until September 12, but it is still targeting the first delivery of a production aircraft to launch customer ANA in the 4th quarter of 2010.
• The nation's largest airlines reported only three flights in June with tarmac delays of more than three hours, compared to 268 flights in June 2009 and with no increase in the rate of canceled flights, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
• A Boeing 737-100 operated by Aerovias de Integracion Regional SA went down during a landing attempt in a thunderstorm on San Andres Island in the Caribbean. There has reportedly been only one fatality among the 131 people on board the aircraft.
• Two years ago, TSA angered some police groups by issuing police-inspired uniforms and badges to its screeners, which it calls "Transportation Security Officers," or TSOs.
• A small passenger airliner with 14 people on board went down in poor weather near Katmandu. The 11 passengers on board the aircraft were on their way to Lukla near Mt. Everest, a popular spot for hikers. There were no survivors.
• A Chinese regional airliner with 91 people aboard went down during a landing attempt after overshooting the runway at Yichun city. 48 people have reportedly been rescued, with 20 of those hospitalized.
• Boeing engineers loaded up the second 747-8 test aircraft to more than 25,000 pounds over its 975,000 designed maximum weight, and pointed it down the runway.

  
  747-8 Freighter

• Boeing said that it expects to deliver the first 787 in the middle of the first quarter 2011. The delivery date revision follows an assessment of the availability of an engine needed for the final phases of flight test.
• Boeing said that it has removed Mohammad "Mo" Yahyavi as the top executive of its delayed 747-8 program. The announcement came just one day following Boeing's announcement that the first delivery of the 787 would be pushed into at least February of 2011.

September

• Two men who flew aboard a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Amsterdam were arrested when they arrived in the Netherlands and charged with "Preparation of a Terrorist Attack." One of the two was allegedly carrying what were described as "mock bombs" in his luggage while in the U.S.
• Teamsters Local 513 in Florence, KY, said it planned to closely monitor the downsizing announced by Comair.
• A United Parcel Service 747-400 freighter wen t down shortly after takeoff from Dubai after the crew reported there was a fire in the cockpit. Both crew members were fatally injured in the accident.
• A six-member court of inquiry has been told pilot error is to blame in the Air India accident that took the lives of 158 people when it overshot the runway at India's hilltop airport.

  
  Air India Express 737 File Photo

• An investigation got underway in China to determine if pilots, mechanics, instructors, and other aviation personnel there are actually qualified to do their jobs. The move was triggered by the revelation that as many as 200 Chinese commercial pilots may have falsified their resumes in 2008 and 2009.
• U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt announced a landmark proposal to fight fatigue among commercial pilots by setting new flight time, duty and rest requirements based on fatigue science. An NPRM was published in the Federal Register.
• The apparent cargo fire which is being investigated as a factor in the recent downing of a UPS 747 freighter in Dubai may lead to tighter regulations on the transportation of lithium batteries.
• The WTO handed its interim findings on complaints about alleged U.S. government subsidies for Boeing to U.S. and European government officials. While details will likely be leaked over the next few days, a final official report on the issue is not expected for six months to a year.
• After Congress voted to extend the FAA Reauthorization Bill for another three months, the Teamsters Union issued a call to the Legislature to pass the permanent reauthorization.
• Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray pledged to open a preliminary review of Southwest Airlines' announced acquisition of AirTran Airways. Both Southwest and AirTran, respectively the nation's largest and eighth largest carriers by passenger count, are major airline operators in Ohio.

  

• In remarks during the ICAO Triennial Assembly currently underway in Montreal, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano urged representatives from nearly 190 ICAO countries to approve an unprecedented joint Declaration on Aviation Security.

October

• United Continental Holdings, Inc., formerly UAL Corporation, announced that a wholly owned subsidiary has merged with Continental Airlines, Inc., and that Continental Airlines and United Air Lines, Inc. are now wholly owned subsidiaries of United Continental Holdings, Inc.
• In a new study, "The Market for Regional Transport Aircraft", Forecast International projected that 4,016 regional aircraft, valued at some $123 billion, will be produced from 2010 through 2019.
• The FAA had a bit of egg on its face over separation rules issued for Boeing's new 747-8 and 787 aircraft. A spokeswoman said they were issued "prematurely," and that there were "a number of errors."
• American Airlines said that it is sending recall notices to 545 flight attendants and 250 pilots. Several factors contributed to the company's ability to recall.

  

• The FAA issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) alerting operators to results of new research on the risks associated with transporting lithium batteries as cargo on aircraft, and recommended actions air carriers can take to reduce those risks.
• The nation's largest airlines reported only one flight in August with a tarmac delay of more than three hours, compared to 66 flights in August 2009, with no change in the rate of canceled flights, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released by the U.S. DOT.
• The Board of Directors of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), elected Capt. Lee Moak as ALPA President, along with a full new slate of leaders. The team will guide the pilots' union over the next four years.
• U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) released a letter to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt urging him to reject a formal advisory group’s recommendation to scale back the 1,500 hour training requirement enacted into law this summer.
• In a decision that could have far-reaching implications for aviation, a federal judge ruled that the actual recording from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) made when Continental Connection Flight 3407 went down can be introduced as evidence in the wrongful death suits filed in connection with the accident.
• The FAA went back to its original rule setting the following distance behind the new, larger 747-8 at ten miles, after announcing the rule and then retracting it earlier in the month.
• Packages found abroad addressed to U.S. addresses contained "explosive materials" according to President Obama. Discovery of the packages caused some cargo planes to be grounded, and led to a day of heightened tensions.

November

• Secure Flight, TSA's "behind-the-scenes watch list matching program," went into full effect  Nov. 1. TSA says the program fulfills a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission by assuming responsibility of watch list matching from individual airlines.
• New security scanning equipment has been approved for use in the U.S. and the U.K. TSA said that it was approving six models of the Morpho Detection HRX Series X-ray screening system product line to its Air Cargo Screening Qualified Technology List, while a trace detection system from the same company has been approved for use in the U.K.
• Qantas grounded its entire fleet of six A380 superjumbo airliners following an incident in which a plane departing from Singapore suffered what appeared to be the catastrophic loss of an engine, forcing an emergency landing.

  
  ASTB Image

• A Cuban airliner carrying 68 Cubans and others from Europe and Latin America went down, fatally injuring all aboard. The accident reportedly happened about 1742 EDT near about 220 miles east of Havana.
• The FAA has proposed to require Safety Management Systems (SMS) for most commercial airlines. Safety management systems give operators a set of business processes and management tools to examine data from everyday operations, isolate trends that may be precursors to incidents or accidents, and develop and carry out appropriate risk mitigation strategies.
• Boeing completed the power on sequence for the new 747-8 Intercontinental... a milestone that enables the program to begin functional tests on the airplane.
• In a letter to its 11,000 pilots, APA urged its members to refuse the full-body scans and insist on pat-down searches when clearing security at airports.

  

• Rolls-Royce says it identified the Trent 900 engine component which it believes caused the failure of an engine on the Airbus A380 operating as Qantas flight QF32 on 4 November 2010.
• The FAA has finalized a rule designed to protect most of today's commercial planes and those designed in the future from structural damage as they age, in what the agency calls a continuing effort to address aging aircraft issues.
• During approach to Laredo, Texas, Boeing's Dreamliner ZA002 lost primary electrical power as a result of an onboard electrical fire. Backup systems, including the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), functioned as expected and allowed the crew to complete a safe landing. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The FAA said the Dreamliner will be grounded until the cause of fire was determined.
• Orlando Sanford Airport (KSFB) in central Florida says it will opt out of TSA screening in favor of a private contractor, but that may not end the controversy.
• A well-known former professional wrestler and Governor of Minnesota said on a national radio show that he will no longer be flying commercial airlines because of TSA's search procedures.
• Just as most of the media was heading off to start various Turkey-oriented pursuits, Boeing admitted that it is developing minor design changes to power distribution panels on the 787 and updates to the systems software that manages and protects power distribution on the airplane.
• The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) announced that it has named Nicholas E. Calio as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective Jan. 1, 2011.
• The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has given a green light to a plan developed by Qantas to return its A380 aircraft to service. Qantas submitted a detailed A380 plan to CASA which sets out how the aircraft will be operated, additional safety measures and required inspections.

  

December

• A mother in a security line at Phoenix Airport who also happens to be an attorney was reportedly placed in a "specialty screening area" by TSA agents when she objected to allowing breast milk she was carrying to be x-rayed.
• Southwest Airlines pilots union has voted to ratify a tentative agreement to add the Boeing 737-800 to the current collective bargaining agreement. The agreement was reached between the airline and the Southwest Airlines' Pilots' Association (SWAPA) in October.

  

• While the official preliminary report from the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau reads like a sterile government document, officials said in a news conference that the pilots of a Qantas A380 which suffered an uncontained engine failure over Batam Island after departing from Singapore prevented a major disaster from occurring.
• Continental Airlines and one of its mechanics are guilty of homicide in the 2000 accident which spelled the beginning of the end of the Concorde, a French judge has ruled. Continental said it would appeal the ruling.
• At least U.S. Congressman is asking TSA to release inspection reports that show whether or not X-ray machines in airports to screen passengers and bags are emitting levels of radiation low enough to meet requirements.
• In the ongoing Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation of an engine failure involving a Qantas A380 aircraft over Batam Island, Indonesia on November 4, the ATSB issued a safety recommendation that identified a potential manufacturing defect with an oil tube connection to the high-pressure (HP)/intermediate pressure (IP) bearing structure of the Trent 900 engine installed in some A380 aircraft.

  
  NSTB Chair Hersman

• NTSB Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman said that the recommendations issued by a federal advisory panel dealing with child safety in aviation are a step in the right direction, but they do not go far enough to ensure the safety of the smallest children in airplanes.

FMI: www.aero-news.net