JetBlog! Interactive

Greetings from Oshkosh!

Today is the opening day of EAA's AirVeture 2008. I am camped out with my son here for most of the week and we are online! EAA has brought WiFi networking to the campsites so those of us who come to work can also enjoy th ereall essence of th eOshkosh experience - camping. Maybe one day we'll be able to really get to the DNA of the experience and camp under the wing of the official PAMA/SAE Institute Aviation Maintenance Certification aircraft...Of course it will have to be maintained by A&Ps with advanced specialized certifications.

The literature here is filled with expected announcements about all kinds of new products and arrivals of awesome new aircraft. Please visit EAA's AirVenture website for all that info. For my part, I'll try to bring you up to speed on interesting maintenance aspects of what I see, some feedback on how our certification program is being received, and on some of the activites being sponsored by SAE International here at the show.

There is an SAE Pavilion here on Wednesday and all SAE and PAMA members in attendance are welcome to stop by. More later. The House Aviation Subcommittee is meeting here at 11 this morning I am am attending. Also, I'll be visiting KidVenture with my son and help with some of the great work AWAM and FAA are doing to attract young people into our exciting profession.

Until later...Stay Strong!

Brian Finnegan

Safety Management Systems: A Hot International Topic

At the June FAA-EASA International Safety Meeting, the single most-discussed topic was the Safety Management System (SMS) for air transportation. Strategies for implementation by government regulators and the form that such programs might take at both the government and industry level were all much-debated. One thing is clear from these discussions: everyone has a different view of what SMS will be.

The SMS debate is prompted by a requirement issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ICAO Annex 6 currently demands that member states require that operator and maintenance providers implement an acceptable safety management system. The ICAO rule requires that all governments implement their systems by January 1, 2009. The current state of the industry makes it clear that no government will be in compliance by that time.

The most advanced implementer seems to be Transport Canada...but the Transport Canada SMS Program seems to have gotten entangled in legal issues and industry opposition. A major practical problem with the program was that it sought to make significant changes too quickly, causing a visceral reaction among the regulated industry.The FAA intends to take a more measured approach to implementation. The first official step in this approach will be the solicitation of public comments on what a potential SMS rulemaking should look like.

The SMS proposal would ultimately apply to operators, repair stations and manufacturers (design approval holders). Certificate holder would implement systems able to identify hazards and would then develop, implement, and maintain effective risk controls based on the identified hazards.

The FAA plans to issue an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking later this summer, seeking public input into the form that such a rule might take.

Aircraft Life Limits are in Our Future

The FAA plans to issue a new rule that would require airframe manufacturers to establish a life-limit for each airframe, based on the “limit of validity” of the engineering data that supports the original maintenance program. A purpose of this exercise is to prevent widespread fatigue damage in aging aircraft, and airframe manufacturers will be required to identify maintenance actions necessary to prevent widespread fatigue damage before the airplane reaches its life-limit.

This rulemaking would require operators of any affected airplane to incorporate the life-limit into the airworthiness limitations section of the aircraft’s instructions for continued airworthiness. In order to operate an affected airplane beyond the life-limit, the operator would need to develop an FAA-approved maintenance program designed to prevent widespread fatigue damage.

The official deadline for publication of this Final Rule is July.

Will the Repair Station Rule Be Issued?

The FAA has an outstanding proposed Part 145 rule that would establish new requirements for quality assurance programs and would also reorganize the repair station rating system. The Final Rule is expected to be released later this year.

Expected? At the June FAA-EASA International Safety Meeting, the proposed rule was noticeably absent from a list of FAA major rulemaking tasks expected for the coming year. The maintenance community voiced significant opposition in their comments to this proposal, leading PAMA to wonder whether the rule is being shelved or perhaps being re-proposed in a new form as a supplemental notice.

FAA Production and Airworthiness Approvals Changes Imminent

At the June FAA-EASA International Safety Meeting, the FAA renewed its commitment to publish the final rule revising the Part 21 manufacturing rules, and pledged to get the rule out by late August.

This rule change is expected to modify certification procedures and identification requirements for aircraft products and parts. The changes proposed included a number of features that would affect the maintenance community, including requiring production approval holders to issue airworthiness approvals as “birth records” for aircraft engines, propellers, and other aviation parts, and requiring manufacturers to mark all parts and components.

DoL Provides Assistance for Laid-Off ATA and Aloha Mechanics

On June 2, 2008, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a $5,220,500 grant to Hawaii to assist approximately 710 workers affected by the discontinuation of passenger airline services once provided by ATA Airlines and Aloha Airlines.

"This grant will provide immediate assistance to Hawaii residents that have been affected by these layoffs," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "The state of Hawaii is working hard to ensure these workers have access to important re-employment services that will help them get back to work as quickly as possible."

The grant, awarded to the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, will provide affected workers with a range of re-employment services, including skills assessment, individual career counseling, and career and occupational skills training.

FAA Releases New 8130-3 Tag Guidance

The FAA has released the eagerly-awaited revision to its instructions for completing the 8130-3 tag: Download order_8130_21f_053008.pdf

. The instructions deactivate block nine by requiring persons completing the form to insert “N/A” into this block in all cases. The revision also includes significant new instructions for establishing an electronic data system that will permit the exchange of electronic airworthiness authorization information. Dated May 30, the new guidance can also be found on the FAA’s Regulatory and Guidance website.

DOT OIG Issues Review of FAA’s Oversight of Airlines and Use of Regulatory Partnership Programs

"On June 30, 2008, we issued our review of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) oversight of airlines and use of regulatory partnership programs. We initiated this review at the request of the Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The objectives of our initial review were to determine (1) the thoroughness of FAA’s investigation of whistleblower complaints regarding FAA’s oversight of Southwest Airlines (SWA) and (2) the type and timeliness of corrective actions FAA took in response to any inappropriate inspector actions.

"At the request of Congress, we continue to review FAA’s air carrier oversight processes to determine if there are areas in which FAA could strengthen its oversight. We testified multiple times before the House and Senate regarding the SWA matter in April. During these hearings, we made a series of recommendations to improve FAA’s air carrier oversight practices. We are still reviewing these issues and plan to issue our final report later this year. This interim report formally transmits to FAA the recommendations we have identified to date.

"While FAA generally agreed with most of our recommendations, it disagreed with two that are fundamental in improving its air carrier oversight: (1) periodically rotate supervisory inspectors to ensure reliable and objective air carrier oversight and (2) establish an independent organization to investigate safety issues identified by FAA employees. Given the seriousness of the issues these recommendations were intended to address, we believe FAA needs to reconsider its position."
Download oig_av2008057_063008.pdf

Continental Maintenance Workers Among Five To Stand Trial Over Concorde Accident

Others Include French Aviation Representative, Concorde Project Engineer
Continental Airlines is among the entities that will stand trial in a Paris court for the 2000 downing on takeoff of an Air France Concorde, French officials declared Thursday.

Two employees with the airline will face the judge, according to BBC News, along with two employees at Aerospatiale, builder of the supersonic transport. The fifth person is a member of France's civil aviation authority.

Flight 4590 took off on July 25, 2000 for what was supposed to be a routine trip across the Atlantic to New York's JFK International. The aircraft caught fire on the runway at CDG, however, and crashed shortly after takeoff into a nearby hotel. All 100 passengers and nine crew onboard the plane were killed, as were four people on the ground, in the only fatal accident involving the SST.

Investigators later determined the Concorde's tires were punctured by a piece of metal on the runway, that had fallen from a Continental Airlines DC-10 that had taken off prior to Flight 4590. A large chunk of a left maingear tire impacted the underside of the SST's wing, piercing a fuel tank and causing flames to erupt.

The Concorde's flight crew detected the fire and shut down the number two engine in response, but continued with the takeoff as the aircraft had already passed V1. The plane was not able to gain altitude on the three remaining engines, however.

As ANN reported, a 2004 French accident inquiry determined the strip of metal shed by the Continental DC-10 was a titanium wear strip from one of the engine nacelles. Investigators allege that piece should have been fabricated from aluminum, which is much softer... and, presumably, would not have caused the same level of damage to the Concorde.

The five accused are Continental mechanic John Taylor, who allegedly fitted the metal strip to the DC-10, and Stanley Ford, a Continental maintenance official from the airline; Henri Perrier, former head of the Concorde division at Aerospatiale, which is now part of the aerospace company EADS; Jacques Herubel, the former chief engineer for the Concorde program; and Claude Frantzen, a former member of France's civil aviation oversight board.

Continental says it will vehemently fight any charges in the case. The trial is expected to start in 2009, and may last as long as three months.
FMI: Continental Airlines, EADS

For the WHOLE story, go to Aero-News

FAA Approaches ICAO SMS Compliance with SASO

System Approach for Safety Oversight (SASO) on the Web and in the News
Notice Number: NOTC1280

Over the next four years, the SASO program is leading preparations to implement a Safety Assusrance System (SAS) that will constitute one step in our process toward meeting ICAO's SMS mandates. To share current, comprehensive information about the status of the SASO program, the FAA's SASO Program Office has launched a new, enhanced Web site. The Web site will be updated quarterly and can be accessed here.

Additionally, the SASO Program Office has just released the June edition of its quarterly newsletter. Located on the SASO Web site (under SASO News), the newsletter provides timely updates on important issues related to system safety. We encourage you to visit the site and review the newsletter regularly for the most up-to-date program news and information.

For more information, please review the website above or contact the FAA.