February 19, 2010 - Aviation and Airport Development Updates
FAA Safety Reforms Finally Going to Senate. --- Jerry Zremski, The Buffalo News,
A week of the U.S. Senate floor time will be scheduled in March for the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, including its safety provisions. Several of the provisions address concerns that the National Transportation Safety Board listed last week as part of its investigation into the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 near
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Senate FAA Reauthorization Bill Expected to Finally Move in March! --- Rotor News, February 12, 2010
Senator Charles E. Schumer has persuaded Senate leadership to move ahead with the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill in March. FAA authorization and safety reforms will be considered over the course of a week, though it is unknown if the Senate Finance Committee will mark up the bill before it goes to the Senate floor for debate.
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FAA Reauthorization and Rule Changes to See Debate in March. --- Glenn Pew, AVweb,
A week of Senate floor time will be scheduled in March to address aviation safety reforms and the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. The FAA reauthorization bill has been through several short-term extensions which are set to expire March 31. The bill’s current provisions address pilot safety standards and set requirements for remedial training programs for commercial carriers, as well as call for independent study of pilot fatigue research to be considered in new flight-time and duty-time rules for pilots. The House already passed its version of the reauthorization bill but it is considered more stringent than the bill the Senate has proposed, and whatever the Senate passes will have to be merged with the House bill by a House-Senate conference committee.
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Airport to Conduct Study on Wildlife Hazards for Planes. --- Eve Byron, Independent Record, February 12, 2010
Helena Regional Airport in Montana is undertaking a wildlife hazard assessment over concerns about the potential of a devastating collision between birds and airplanes. The one-year study, paid for with $125,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration, will look at birds, deer, elk, and other wildlife that could cause problems at the 13,050-acre airport. A qualified airport wildlife biologist will be hired to complete the study and that person will also look at wildlife habitats in and around the airport, and may be able to make suggestions, like changing flight patterns if birds are a problem.
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A Year After Fatal Regional Airline Crash, Claims of Safety Progress Questioned. --- Joan Lowy, Associated Press, February 11, 2010
Little has been done in the year since the crash of a regional airliner near Buffalo, New York. The Federal Aviation Administration has failed to require improved airline safety on key fronts, like addressing the tiring long-distance commutes of many regional companies’ pilots, despite claims to the contrary. The National Transportation Safety Board, the Transportation Department’s inspector general, and even members of Congress are questioning the FAA’s so-called progress and complain that the agency has bent to industry pressure to delay or weaken new requirements before they are proposed.
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Critics Say Airline Safety Changes Coming Too Slowly. --- David Dykes, Greenville Online, February 12, 2010
The crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York highlighted several safety lapses, but it is unlikely that change is quickly forthcoming. Regulators in the past have taken years to adopt new regulations, and it will take federal legislation to resolve differences in pilot qualifications and airline safety management programs among commuter airlines and larger carriers to create two levels of safety for the flying public. After a thorough investigation of the crash the National Transportation Safety Board made several recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration, but the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General found that the FAA’s progress in implementing any measures has been slow.
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FAA Still in Lubbock Testing ILS. --- Katie Bauer, KCBD, February 12, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration’s technical teams have been testing the instrument landing system at Lubbock International Airport in Texas, where flights have been cancelled or delayed for more than a week, due in part to weather but mostly to the instrument landing system. The FAA is trying to pin point the problem and believe some sort of radio interference is responsible. They have made test flights and had crews on the ground from the FAA and Federal Communications Commission monitoring the approach path and surrounding area, listening for potential sources of radio or electronic interference.
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Clear Weather Helps FAA Fix ILS. --- Melinda Alvarado, Fox 34, February 13, 2010
Clear blue skies are helping the Federal Aviation Administration investigate the instrument landing system problems at LubbockInternationalAirport. The Federal Communications Commission and the City of Lubbock partnered with the FAA and found that a handful of power poles and a sub-station north of the airport were emitting intermittent but significant radio frequency energy that was causing the problems. The FAA said the ILS is now reporting properly though it is limited in service, and if weather is good, the agency is hopeful problems will be nonexistent.
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New Runway at Charlotte Douglas Could Save Travelers Valuable Time. --- WSOCTV.com, February 12, 2010
With the new runway at CharlotteDouglasInternationalAirport in Charlotte, North Carolina becoming fully operational Friday, February 12, up to three planes can now land at once. The option is valuable because it will save airlines tens of millions of dollars in substantially lowering the number of delays, and might even save time for air travelers. Another positive is that an airport that can handle more passengers as well as endure fewer delays could also entice businesses to relocate.
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Airline On-Time Performance Improves in 2009 as Rate of Mishandled Baggage Increases. --- eNews Park Forest, February 13, 2010
According to the Air Travel Consumer Report recently released by the Department of Transportation, the nation’s largest airlines had an on-time performance rate in 2009 that was their best since 2003, but the carriers’ rate of mishandled baggage last year was the lowest recorded since 2004.
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Algae to Solve Pentagon’s Jet Fuel Problem. --- 2012 Changes are Now, February 14, 2010
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) at the Pentagon says it is just months away from producing a jet fuel made from algae. DARPA’s research projects have extracted oil from algal ponds at a cost of $2 per gallon, and it is now on track to begin large-scale refining of that oil into jet fuel at a cost of less than $3 a gallon. Unlike corn-based ethanol algal farms do not threaten food supplies, and the innovation represents a boon for the military, the nation’s single largest consumer of energy, as well as holding the promise of low-carbon driving and flying for all.
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MichiganRegionalAirport Radar Merger Draws Fuss. --- Associated Press, February 14, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration is looking to consolidate radar operations at four regional airports at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, but the decision is being questioned by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. An NATCA spokesperson told the Grand Rapids Press that representatives of the air controllers group met with pilots at GeraldFordInternationalAirport in Grand Rapids, saying they want to pressure lawmakers to give them a say in discussions on the consolidation, which is expected to occur about a year from now.
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Alternative Plans Made for Airport. --- Cassandra Shofar, The News-Herald, February 15, 2010
Cuyahoga County, Ohio commissioners are working on runway extension alternatives more than a year after the Cuyahoga County Airport master plan was approved. The Federal Aviation Administration asked the airport to come up with an immediate alternative that addresses runway safety area issues, but the airport continues to support and believe that it has the justification for an extension as part of a long-term plan. Proponents argue the extension would make the airport safer for pilots and note that the plan would not require any residential land to be acquired, but critics fear increased air traffic and decreased safety, home values, and standards of living.
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Airlines Invest in Biofuel Companies. --- All Things Aviation, February 15, 2010
Driven more by higher fuel costs than a desire to reduce emissions from jet aircraft, some 14 airlines have been working with biofuel companies to develop a camelina-based jet fuel. Camelina is a crop that can be grown on marginal land and does not compete with food crops, requiring little water or nitrogen. The International Air Transport Association and Airbus are calling for governments to support the aviation industry’s efforts to gain access to biofuels, but aviation accounts for little more than 12% of transportation fuels so it is unlikely the industry will receive much support.
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Bird Strikes Plane, Forces Landing at FortLauderdale-HollywoodInternationalAirport. --- Juan Ortega and Ken Kaye, Sun Sentinel, February 16, 2010
A Spirit Airlines plane made an unscheduled return to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida on Monday, February 15 after a bird struck the jet’s nose after takeoff. No one was hurt and an inspection found no damage to the plane, and the passengers were placed on other flights. U.S. airplanes collide with birds more than 2,500 times a year, with bird strikes causing an average of $400 million in damage.
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$6 Million Dayton Airport Project Delayed by Compiling of Buy-American Data. --- John Nolan, Dayton Daily News, February 16, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration will not release the funding for a $6.1 million project to install a new electronic security system at Dayton International Airport in Ohio until the contractor provides information that shows the project complies with a law requiring the use of steel and manufactured goods produced in the U.S. The airport must give the FAA the buy-American information, or request a waiver. Officials of the airport expect to complete the project by 2010, even with the delay caused by securing the data.
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Passengers Rights Groups Give Airlines Failing Grades for Tarmac Delays. --- Alison Grant, The Plain Dealer, February 16, 2010
FlyersRights.org, a passenger rights group, issued an air travel consumer report card on Tuesday, February 16, and gave Continental Airlines and five other carriers an F grade for tarmac delays of two hours or more. The group claims the carriers trapped fliers in “metal tubes” during weather delays without food, water, or medical assistance, and with overflowing toilets. The report was optimistic about some form of legislation being passed this year, as a passenger bill of rights was included in the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill pending in Congress.
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FAA Administrator Discusses Aviation Safety With Rockefeller. --- West Virginia Media, February 17, 2010
Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt and aviation officials from YeagerAirport in West Virginia met with U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller to discuss the importance of airport safety, particularly as it applied to a January incident at YeagerAirport that required the use of the airport’s Engineered Material Arresting System. Senator Rockefeller and Mr. Babbitt viewed the work being done to fix the EMAS system, which was funded through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program.
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American Airlines Union Moves Toward Strike. --- World Travel Service, February 18, 2010
The Transport Workers Union said it will ask federal mediators to let the employees walk away from contract talks if there is no deal by March 8. Strikes have become very rare in the airline industry, but if federal mediators agree, it could be the start of a countdown toward a strike. An American Airlines spokeswoman said the talk of ending mediation was premature, however.
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Watchdog Finds Aircraft Maintenance Problems at American Airlines, Calls FAA Oversight Weak. --- Joan Lowy, Associated Press, February 18, 2010
According to a report released Thursday by the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Aviation Administration’s lax oversight of aircraft maintenance at American Airlines raises concerns about the agency’s ability to regulate aircraft maintenance in general. At least four maintenance-related allegations made two years ago have “potential safety implications,” and despite a significant increase in maintenance problems at American, the FAA did little to address the issues. The report questions the FAA’s effectiveness and notes that the FAA only ever took action after the department had briefed agency officials on the need for them.
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