GAC UPDATE ISSUE 33 - JANUARY 2014
Contents
1. Editor's Message
2. Airline safety flight issues could be mitigated by better user interface
3. News from the SA CAA
4. Hazard, Incident and Accident Statistics
5. ERP/AEMS
6. Henley/Global Training
7. Safety Risk Management process according to the SA CAA
8. How the US Navy might spin seawater into jet fuel
9. News from the Jo'burg Airports
10. Commercial Airlines/Airports Information
11. Security/Safety Tip of the Month
12. Guidance system shows promise of safer landings for gulf rig pilots
1. MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
The festive season is now behind us with incidents varying from a RH22 crash in Midrand through to a B744 attempting to rearrange a building's layout at OR Tambo and a B767 making an unscheduled landing on an exceedingly short runway in Arusha, Tanzania. Sadly the outcome of the LAM ERJ190 crash on 30th November now appears to be as a direct result of the Captain's decision to commit suicide and mass murder. Of course this is not the first such occurrence with Egyptair and Air Botswana suffering the same fate in recent years. This brings me to the subject of Human Factors and/or CRM in terms of attention to detail by other crew members in the preceding couple of months might have uncovered the instability which must have been apparent to members of the Flight Operations Staff as well. This untimely accident must serve as a reminder to all of us that we do not work in isolation and should be observant of our fellow crew, engineering or ground staff members reporting (in confidence) any peculiarities or anomalies in behaviour or attitude to the Air Safety Officer who must follow up on it.
We at Global Aviation Consultants would like to wish you all a safe and prosperous 2014.
Vivienne Sandercock
2. AIRLINE SAFETY FLIGHT ISSUES COULD BE MITIGATED BY BETTER USER INTERFACE
Amid news reports on the National Transportation Safety Board hearings regarding possible causes of the Asiana plane crash at San Francisco International Airport in July, questions have been raised about pilots' over-reliance on or failure to understand cockpit automation and even whether pilots are sufficiently trained to fly without it. Eric Geiselman and colleagues propose that user interfaces that take advantage of avionics' underlying data and logic could enable pilots to better cope with extraordinary circumstances like the unavailability of an instrument landing system, as was the case in San Francisco.
In Geiselman et al.'s October Ergonomics in Design article, "Flight Deck Automation: A Call for Context-Aware Logic to Improve Safety," the authors describe prototype designs that could mitigate errors leading to accidents and incidents such as the A330 Air France Flight 447 crash in 2009 and the airport overfly of Northwest 188 that same year. A Northwest 188 pilot programmed in an incorrect radio frequency early in the flight, cutting off communication with air traffic control and especially ATC's alert that the plane had missed the planned descent point by 150 miles. "Through a simple database comparison algorithm," the authors wrote, "the system can seek clarification when an erroneous frequency is selected . . . and issue an alert."
In the Air France 447 tragedy, a sensor malfunction caused the autopilot and auto thrust to disconnect, which unnecessarily caught the pilots off-guard and began a series of critical errors. Geiselman and colleagues also noted that invisible dual-control inputs, which enable both pilots to enter commands, basically (and by design) cancelled out corrective actions attempted by the co-pilot. The authors developed a prototype concept for visually displaying the actions of both pilots and the aircraft so each pilot can be kept aware of all actions. The article is intended "to offer a point of departure" for discussion about improvements to cockpit avionics among the design community.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
3. NEWS FROM THE SA CAA
One of the requirements for the SMS is that the State shall have a Centralised Safety & Security Reporting system (CSSR) where all minor incidents and hazards will be reported. At a recent meeting where the SA CAA were in attendance along with aircraft operators and UN WFP Officials they re-iterated the requirement to report all incidents and hazards to them on csr@caa.co.z
Their phone number is 011 545 1188/1242 Office Hours
Fax number is 011 545 1453mail
E-mail address is csr@caa.co.za
Please note: The process for Centralized Safety & Security Reporting does not replace the existing Confidential Aviation Hazard Reporting System (CAHRS). For all confidential reporting, please use CAHRS as usual.
4. HAZARD, INCIDENT AND ACCIDENT REPORTS
FIXED WING ACCIDENTS IN AFRICA - 2013
01 Jan Aeroprakt A-22 FoxBat 2 Phalaborwa Airport, Limpopo, RSA
10 Jan Windlass Aquila 2 R304, near Klipheuwel, WC, RSA
17 Jan CASA 212 0 AFB Bloemfontein, Tempe Airfield, RSA
03 Feb Jabiru SPT 0 N4 Motorway, South of Witbank, MP, RSA
05 Feb Cessna 0 East African Aviation Academy, Soroti, Uganda
05 Feb Light Aircraft 3 Niamey Airport, Niger
11 Feb Military 3 crew & 6 pax Monrovia, Liberia
23 Feb B733 0 RWY26L, Muscat, Oman
24 Feb Aeroprakt A-22 FoxBat 2 Initial climb out from Nanyuki Civil Airstrip, Kenya
28 Feb A321 0 Hurghada, Egypt
03 Mar Rally 2 Remote part of Namibia
04 Mar Fokker 50 5 Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
18 Mar MIL 1 500km N of Nouakchott, near Aoujeft, Mauritania
07 Apr B1900 1 In the area of the Gulf of Guinea
16 Apr Tiger Moth 2 Modimola Dam in Mmabatho, NW, RSA
13 Apr MT7 1 200 metres short of the runway at Arusha, Tanzania
27 Apr Cessna 152 1 Worcester, WC, RSA
6 May Alpha Jet 2 Dargol Village, 60km west of Niamey, Niger
9 May Military TBA UNK number Port Harcourt, Nigeria
06 Jun Dromader Fire Bomber 1 Piet Retief, MP, RSA
10 Jun Military Aircraft UNK number 1 km from Ngaoundere (Adamaoua Airport) Cameroon.
21 Jun Cessna 182 2 Close to Rand Airport (FAGM), GP, RSA
03 Jul Embraer Bandeirante2Francistown, Botswana
16 Jul PA38 0 Close to Lilongwe's Kamuzu International Airport (KIA), Malawi.
18 Jul Cirrus SR20 2 Lanseria International Airport, GP, RSA
25 Jul Cessna 206 3 Aberdares Mountain region of central Kenya
31 Jul SF340B 0 Lubumbashi, DRC
01 Aug Cessna 0 Arusha, Tanzania
09 Aug AN12 4 Mogadishu Airport, Somalia
21 Aug Cessna 182P 2 Drakensberg Mountains, Limpopo, RSA
29 Sep RV6A 2 P. C. Pelzer Airport, Klerksdorp, NW, RSA
02 Oct Cessna 172 0 Nairobi National Park, Nairobi, Kenya
03 Oct EMB-120 15 Lagos, Nigeria
12 Oct Red Bull Extra 300 1 Secunda Airport, RSA
13 Oct Mig21 2 (on the ground) Luxor, Egypt
24 Oct Light 4 seater 1 Nr Stellenbosch Flying Club, WC, RSA
01 Nov Antonov 72 0 Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo
29 Nov ERJ190 33 En-route Maputo (Mozambique) to Luanda (Angola) in the Namibian national park near the border with Angola
30 Nov Antonov 26 0 Omega Airport, Namibia
04 Dec B747-200F 0 Abuja Airport, Nigeria
19 Dec B727 0 Juba Airport, South Sudan
22 Dec B747-400 0 OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, RSA
Source, amongst others, PlaneCrash info.com; News24, Aviation Herald, Flight Safety Information
ROTOR WING ACCIDENTS IN AFRICA - 2013
DATE TYPE FATALITIES LOCATION
18 Jan Bell 47G 3B.1 0 Hibberdene, KZN, RSA
07 Feb RH44 0 S 25° 49' 40"E 028° 13' 15, Kestell, FS, RSA
9 Mar MIL 2 35km from Bukavu, S Kivu Province, DRC
12 Mar Z9 1 Lusaka City Airport, Lusaka, Zambia
23 Mar Bell 206B 0 Mayors Walk, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, RSA
30 Mar Agusta A109 5 Kruger Park, South Africa (on rhino protection)
04 Apr RH44 1 Alongside N1 Nylstroom, Limpopo, RSA
05 Apr MIL 0 Nr US Embassy, Tunis, Tunisia
12 Apr MIL 5 Nr Ouro Modi, 56km southeast of Sevare, Mali
23 Apr RH44 4 Sondagskraal, nr Schoemanskloof near Nelspruit MP, RSA
31 May Military Helicopter 9 Abu Kershola, north east of South Kordofan State, Sudan.
06 Jun Military Training Helicopter 2 Damazin Town, Blue Nile State, Sudan
07 Sep R44 0 On a farm 10 nautical miles of Eshongwe Settlement, KZN, RSA
21 Dec R22 0 Allendale Road, Midrand, RSA
FIXED WING INCIDENTS AND HAZARDS REPORT TO GAC DEC 2013
INC 04 Dec A320 Benghazi, Libya 0 A/C was on approach to and cleared to land on Benghazi's rwy15R but landed on closed rwy15L instead. The a/c burst both right hand gear tyres during roll out and came to a stop disabled on the runway. At the time of the occurrence rwy15L/33R was NOTAMed closed due to long cracks in the rwy surface, the state of the runway surface causing the burst tyres. The occurrence was rated a serious incident by the French BEA, COM
INC 13 Dec ATR42-600 Arusha, Tanzania 0 The a/c had departed Dar es Salaam and landed in Arusha (Tanzania) with 37 passengers, blowing all 4 main tyres upon landing at Arusha. The aircraft stopped on the runway and was disabled. COM
INC 18 Dec B767-300ER Arusha, Tanzania 0 The a/c could not land in Kilimanjaro due to a disabled Cessna Caravan on the rwy. The crew subsequently declared emergency due to low fuel and diverted to Arusha for a safe landing on runway 27 (length 1620 meters/5300 feet). At the end of the runway the A/C turned left as if attempting to turn around for backtracking and came to a stop with all gear on soft ground. COM
INC 18 Dec Cessna Caravan Kilimanjaro, Tanzania 0 A/C blocked and closed the rwy when it experienced a flat tyre. COM
INC 19 Dec B735 Juba, South Sudan 0 A/C landed on Juba's RWY13 and then suffered the collapse of its nose gear during roll out. The a/c came to a stop on the RWY about abeam the airport terminal on both main gear and the nose. No injuries occurred, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. COM
INC 22 Dec B744 OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg, RSA 0 A/C taxiing out to the rwy when one of the wings collided with a building. COM
INC 23 Dec B738 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (SPL), The Netherlands 0 Having left Tangier (Morocco) the A/C was on descent for SPL when the right hand engine (CFM56) shut down. Landed safely. COM
INC 24 Dec B738 OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg, RSA 0 Ascent stopped at 9000 with the gear still extended. A/C returned from airborne to OR Tambo to a full deployment of the AR&FFS COM
INC 29 Dec B735 Lagos, Nigeria 0 Tyre burst on landing and a/c had to be towed to the apron. COM
ROTOR WING INCIDENTS AND HAZARDS REPORTED TO GAC DEC 2013
HAZ 26 Nov Bell 222 Ellisras, RSA 0 Stone flew up during the start and taxi of a B1900 causing a stone chip in the windscreen. COM
HAZ 11 Dec Augusta 109E Rand Airport, GP, RSA 0 The a/c had just come out from an AMO where a new oil pressure switch had been fitted. The flight was completed an on arrival the starboard (SBD) side of the a/c was covered in oil with the engine oil showing at a minimal level. A broken rigid oil line was found to be the cause. COM
HAZ 11 Dec Egyptian Rand Airport, GP, RSA 0 2 x Egyptian Geese made use of the helipads for take-off without obtaining clearance TRNG
HAZ 19 Dec Bell 206B En-route 0 Comms failure. Unable to receive but could transmit. COM
AERODROME HAZARDS
DATE REPORTED AERODROME HAZARD
November Kadugli, N. Sudan Security Risk
November Cape Town, RSA Heliport - bird hazard
November Rand Airport, RSA Guinea Fowl hazard.
November Lanseria, RSA Bird hazard
November O.R. Tambo, RSA Bird hazard
December Rand Airport, RSA Gate adjacent to flying school left wide open and unattended giving direct and uncontrolled access to the Apron.
5. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANNING
Blake Emergency Services is the International Crisis Management and Contingency Planning Consultancy who, although based in the UK, have serious experience in Africa having handled accidents, incidents, counselling, repatriation, DNA sampling and confirmation, in amongst others Lagos, Nigeria; Fez, Morocco; Pointe Noire, Congo; Moroni, Comores; Maputo, Mozambique. Please go to www.blakeemergency.com. The date for your diary for the next training day in Gauteng is 29th March 2014.
6. HENLEY/GLOBAL AVIATION TRAINING
Should you wish to make a booking for any of these courses please contact Candice on 011 024 5446 or by email to candice@gaconsultants.net
13 Jan 2014 CRM - Recurrent Verity Wallace R 950=00
13 Jan 2014 Dangerous Goods - Recurrent Verity Wallace R 750=00
20-21 Jan 2014 Quality Assurance Auditor Course Dan Drew R 2,250=00
3 Feb 2014 CRM - Recurrent Verity Wallace R 950=00
3 Feb 2014 Dangerous Goods - Recurrent Verity Wallace R 750=00
17-18 Feb 2014 Quality Assurance Auditor Course Dan Drew R 2,250=00
Note: Cost per delegate includes all training materials, refreshments and lunch.
Note: Attendees paying in cash on the day are eligible for a 10% discount
Note: Both Recurrent CRM and Dangerous Goods Training Courses are available upon request - even at short notice.
First Aid and the Law, please contact candice@gaconsultants.net
Emergency Response, Incident Response, Operations Control, Emergency Response and Family Assistance training together with the writing of Emergency Response Plans and Procedures training is now offered by Blake Emergency Services. For more information, please contact Rethea on rethea.mitchell@blakeemergency.com
7. SAFETY RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS ACCORDING TO THE SA CAA
This procedure describes the process to be followed for identifying and documenting hazards, for determining their associated risk(s), severity and probability of occurring and the strategies for their mitigation.
Any staff member/ stakeholder
1. Identify a hazard within any area of work within or outside the company.
2. Record the hazard in the hazard reporting system/form.
3. Forward to the Safety Manager/ASO for review.
Safety Manager/Air Safety Officer
4. Review hazard form and verify information (if necessary initiate root cause analysis).
5. Log details of hazards into database (including system factor failures).
6. Arrange a Safety Committee meeting. (minimum 2/two core persons as applicable)
7. Send hazard information to Safety Committee members.
Safety Committee
8. Review hazard information and confirm applicable System Factor failures.
9. Determine and list specific risk(s) of each hazard.
10. Evaluate (or assess) each risk in terms of its severity (first) and its probability.
11. Prioritize hazards for action based on their risk in terms of their tolerability or acceptability.
12. Identify managers responsible to plan mitigation action.
Safety Manager/Air Safety Officer
13. Forward request for mitigation action to the responsible manager.
Responsible Manager
14. Review hazard and risk information provided.
15. Determine mitigation action that can reduce risk to an acceptable level. (ALARP)
16. Implement mitigation action and report back on successful implementation to Safety Manager.
Safety Manager/Air Safety Officer
17. Record mitigation action taken in database and report back to Safety Committee.
18. Evaluate effectiveness of mitigation action taken and report back to Safety Committee.
8. HOW THE US NAVY MIGHT SPIN SEAWATER INTO JET FUEL
Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink - but maybe a drop of alternative fuel? The U.S. Navy is hoping next-generation technology will let it replace petroleum fuels with something much more accessible and abundant: seawater. Hydrocarbon fuel is, as the name suggests, made up of hydrogens and carbons. The first step to powering ships and planes with seawater is extracting carbon dioxide (CO2) from seawater. There's actually a lot of CO2 dissolved in the ocean - at a concentration 140 times greater than in the air, in fact. NRL's way of capturing carbon involves a three-chambered cell that applies electricity to seawater. This cell pulls out carbon dioxide and also produces hydrogen. Next, the team uses a two-step process to combine the CO2 and hydrogen gases into a liquid soup of hydrocarbons. An iron-based catalyst converts both carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas into a type of hydrocarbon called an olefin (without the catalyst, you end up with a lot of wasteful methane production). For the second step, Navy chemists convert olefins to a jet fuel precursor through a process known as oligomerization - combining little links of molecules called monomers into a longer, more complex chain called a polymer.
Challenges remain, of course. The initial part of the process does gobble up a lot of energy, and while the technique has become more efficient in recent years, NRL's carbon capture methods could still be more efficient, Willauer told NextGov. In the fiscal year of 2011 alone, Navy vessels at sea used nearly 600 million gallons of fuel, according to the NRL. The Navy has set a goal of reducing its petroleum use by half by 2015.
Pulling carbon dioxide out of the ocean to make jet fuel could also have an additional environmental boon, science writer David Biello noted at Yale Environment 360: reducing the trend of ocean acidification, which is caused by increased levels of CO2 in the ocean and has a range of effects on marine life, including making it harder for shellfish and coral to build their shells.
9. NEWS FROM THE JOHANNESBURG AIRPORTS
We apologise for the incorrect dates given in the December Issue of GAC UPDATE. The correct dates are as below. Thanks to Lin Barrett for advising on the corrections.
FAGM - RAND AIRPORT, GERMISTON - www.randairport.co.za
Rand Airport Management is looking for someone to assist with the removal of about 150 Guinea Fowl from the airport.
The next Safety Meeting will be held at 09.00 on Tuesday 4th February 2014
FAGC - GRAND CENTRAL AIRPORT, MIDRAND - www.grandcentral.co.za
The next Safety Meeting is to be held at 12.00 on Tuesday 7th January 2013.
FALA - LANSERIA AIRPORT - www.lanseriaairport.co.za
The next Safety Meeting will be held at 12.00 on Tuesday, 11th February 2014
10. COMMERCIAL AIRLINE / AIRPORT INFORMATION
1time airline is making plans to rise from the ashes, with its deal with Global Airways and Pak Africa Aviation
Ethiopian Airlines commenced flights to its 78th destination of Singapore in early December 2013.
Air Cote d'Ivoire has ordered 2 x Q400 aircraft from Bombardier.
Air Seychelles will operate two return services per week between Seychelles and Paris-Orly via Abu Dhabi from February 2014, with an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, configured with 18 flat-bed Business Class seats and 236 Economy seats.
Airlink will commence operating double daily flights between Johannesburg and Gaborone from 20 January 2014.
Starting 26 January Brussels Airlines will offer an additional flight frequency between Brussels Airport and the airport of Luanda in Angola.
For the International Forum for Investments in Côte d'Ivoire, Air France will operate a special flight to Abidjan by Airbus A380 on 28 January 2014.
11. SAFETY/SECURITY TIPS OF THE MONTH
PNEUMONIC PLAGUE - A plague spread by rats has killed 39 people in recent weeks in Madagascar, the health ministry said Thursday. "There is an epidemic in Madagascar which is currently affecting five districts (out of 112). Eighty-six people have been inflicted by the plague, of which 39 have died," said the ministry in a statement read to AFP. A doctor in the ministry in Antananarivo said 90 percent of the cases were diagnosed as pneumonic plague, a vicious strain, which can kill within three days, leaving little time for antibiotics to work. The plague has been blamed on an infestation of rats in residential areas due to uncontrolled deforestation. In its statement the government urged anyone suffering fever and headaches to consult a health practitioner, saying drugs to treat the plague were available free of charge. Affected districts are in the north, northeast, southeast and the centre of the island nation. AFP
POLIO - The Kenyan government on Saturday declared the recurrence of polio after its elimination 29 years ago as a public health emergency. The Cabinet declared the outbreak a public health emergency and directed the Ministry of Health to fast-track the ongoing immunization exercise and ensure the entire country is covered. The East African nation has been polio free in recent years but due to low immunization coverage, the region remains vulnerable to the importations of the wild polio virus. There have been no cases reported in the outbreak epicentre for the past 6 weeks as air organisations are actively searching for cases of suspected polio in all health facilities countrywide. Both WHO and UNICEF said rapid interventions by regional governments in collaboration with the two UN agencies across the region have been stepped up to contain the outbreak. The Cabinet directed the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to provide security and ensure cooperation by citizens. The UN health agency has declared polio a programmatic emergency meaning that Kenya must join in the fight to ensure that all the children at risk are immunised. The Ministry of Health said that countries which are close to South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia have the highest risk because the cases reported in the country are mostly imported from there, adding that the solution to end polio is to ensure good sanitation is available to all Kenyans. Cameroon has also reported an outbreak of the disease which it had previously eradicated.
ANTHRAX - Anthrax disease has broken out in Nakayembe area of Zambia killing three herds of cattle and leaving nine people admitted to Hospital. In an interview, Kaoma the District Senior Environmental Health Technologist, confirmed that nine patients admitted developed localised symptoms of swelling of upper lips, legs, face and heads. He has since appealed to the residents of Nakayembe and other surrounding areas where anthrax is rife to avoid eating meat of an anthrax-infested animal as the disease was contagious. He said a team of health experts had already been dispatched to the area in order to contain the disease and carry out health education meetings on the dangers of eating anthrax-infested meat and its devastating effects.
He said all the nine patients were treated by the use of antibiotics and were now out of danger.
And Kaoma district agricultural coordinator Veterinary Officers were securing vaccines in order to vaccinate all the cattle in Nakayembe area of Mulwa ward in Luampa district, so that the outbreak does not spread to other areas.
He said any dead animal should be burnt and buried so that the disease could be brought to manageable levels in the district.
CHOLERA - Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria are warning of severe outbreaks of cholera with an outbreak also being reported in Limpopo, South Africa
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE - An outbreak has been reported in Mpumalanga in South Africa; Bomet, Kenya and Botswana
12. GUIDANCE SYSTEM SHOWS PROMISE OF SAFER LANDINGS FOR GULF RIG PILOTS
Imagine zooming from 200 feet in the sky onto a small green circle in the middle of a vast, dark ocean. Louisiana helicopter pilots do it daily, carrying workers to and from offshore oil rigs. It often takes more than two hours over Gulf waters to fly to a rig, but the final minutes can be the most nerve-shredding. "You're basically manoeuvring a 70-square-foot steel box next to a skyscraper," veteran oil rig helicopter pilot Ron Doeppner said. "Night landings can be very difficult; you're in complete darkness with two small lights to guide you to the landing platform," Doeppner said. "You don't willingly fly into a storm, but one can sneak up on you over the ocean so you may have to land with zero visibility in high winds." A new automated helicopter guidance system created in Lafayette makes those landings safer and easier, even in bad weather and total darkness. The system is called Rig Approach, and it got its maiden voyage in November on an S-92 helicopter flown by PHI Inc.'s Lafayette-based pilots.
PHI approached Sikorsky Aircraft - the company that makes Black Hawk helicopters for the military - five years ago and asked Sikorsky to create software that helped pilots in an array of situations. As chief research and development pilot for Sikorsky, Doeppner tested every aspect of the guidance system himself, first in a simulator, then in the sky. "Rig Approach gets all of its data from the satellite constellation; there is no land-based equipment involved," PHI Operations Director Pat Attaway said. "The system can fly the helicopter until its half a mile away from the rig and 200 feet above the water." At that point, the pilot can manually land the S-92 or stay coupled with Rig Approach, helping him land. Rig Approach automatically slows the S-92 down to about 35 mph. Most importantly, Doeppner said, Rig Approach positions the helicopter in the ideal place for an approach to the rig every time. "When the pilot is manually flying the helicopter, it takes a lot of mental gymnastics to figure out the approach," Doeppner said. "Rig Approach frees the pilot to concentrate on other details like weather and responding to radio crosstalk from the home base and the rig." Sikorsky said Rig Approach can fly in 120-degree heat and at 40 degrees below zero. PHI Gulf Coast pilot Lucas Bardsley has flown workers to Arctic oil rigs and looks forward to using Rig Approach in the frozen north.
"In the Arctic, ocean waves can be 40 feet high, and the rig's landing pad is about 150 feet above the sea. So there's little margin for error," Bardsley said. "The GPS system is better than relying on signals from land-based systems. From the air, you can see exactly how remote the Arctic is and how little ground infrastructure exists." Like Doeppner, Bardsley sounds laconic and confident when describing white-knuckle, in-flight situations. But both pilots noted the oil and gas industry went through a sea-change in attitude, becoming far more safety conscious about 30 years ago. Doeppner, who flew for 21 years in the Air Force before coming to Sikorsky, can remember when twin-engine planes tried to ferry workers to offshore rigs. And the Federal Aviation Administration began using technology that allowed it to track oil rig helicopters only two years ago. They said they are delighted Rig Approach is making their jobs safer. But some non-pilots still cling to the vision of a helicopter pilot's work as romantically dangerous. A National Science Foundation Antarctica helicopter Bardsley has flown is in the PHI hangar awaiting inspection. When some schoolchildren spotted two antennas jutting from the helicopter, Bardsley said they were a bit disappointed to learn the metal tubes were not machine gun barrels he could use to battle pirates and James Bond-ish bad guys.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/12/16/314566.htm
13. ADVERTISEMENTS
HENLEY AIR, HANGAR 6, RAND AIRPORT - FAGM
Henley Air proudly offers fully accredited AIETB and CAA approved helicopter training on piston and turbine type aircraft. It is the aim of HENLEY AIR to make your flight training experience an enjoyable one where personal attention by instructors ensures sound grounding in all aspects relating to helicopter flight. License courses offered are: Private Pilot License and Commercial Pilot License. Our rating courses include: Instructor, Instrument, Mountain, Night, Radio and Sling.
See www.henleyair.co.za
Upcoming flights on Springbok Classic Air's DC-3 (ZS-NTE):
20 Minute Scenic Flight over Johannesburg
01 February 2014 10:00 R480.00 pp
29 March 20114 10:00 R480.00 pp
Book your seat for the flight with Ronéll Myburgh:
Tel: Landline +27 11 824 2142; Mobile +27 82 779 9421
or via e-mail: info@springbokclassicair.co.za
SITUATIONS VACANT.
Part Time Consultant Air Safety Officers required who comply with the requirements of SA CARS Part 135, Part 121, Part 127, Part 140, Part 141 and Part 145 - mustb have had appropriate SMS training, previous experience and preferably been approved by the South African Air Services Licencing Council.
Part Time Quality Assurance Consultants required who are appropriately qualified and comply with the requirements of Part 135, Part 121, Part 127, Part 140, Part 141 and Part 145.
If you are interested and qualified please send your CV to global@gaconsultants.net
GLOBAL AVIATION CONSULTANTS (PTY) LTD
Can we help you with your aviation safety
and / or quality requirements?
Under SA CAR 140.01.2 if you and your organisation hold one of the following
Q a category 4 or higher aerodrome licence;
Q an ATO approval;
Q an aircraft maintenance organisation approval;
Q a manufacturing organisation approval ;
Q an ATSU approval;
Q a design organisation approval;
Q an AOC issued in terms of Part 121, 127, 135, 141;
Q a procedure design organisation approval; and
Q an electronic services organisation approval,
then you shall establish a Safety Management System for the control and supervision of the services rendered or to be rendered by that organisation.
If you do not already have an approved Air Safety Officer and an approved Safety Management System then please contact us for assistance.
We, at global aviation consultants, deliver the following SA CAA Approved training courses for Air Safety Officers at Rand Airport;
Q Safety Management Systems
Q Integrated Safety Officer Course
Q Quality Assurance Auditor
Q Crew Resource Management (Initial and Recurrent)
Q Dangerous Goods
Q Human Factors for AME's
Should your operation be of a size whereby the full time employment of an Air Safety Officer and/or Quality Assurance Officer is not financially viable then we can provide you with Consultants who have previously held Air Services Licensing Council approval. We can also provide you with a tailor made SA CAA approved Safety Management System.
For further information on how we can help you please contact Rethea or Candice in Hanger 6, Rand Airport, Germiston on 011-024--5446/7 or e-mail global@gaconsultants.net
Global Aviation Consultants, Hanger 6, Spitfire Avenue, Rand Airport, Johannesburg, RSA
www.gaconsultants.net
1. Editor's Message
2. Airline safety flight issues could be mitigated by better user interface
3. News from the SA CAA
4. Hazard, Incident and Accident Statistics
5. ERP/AEMS
6. Henley/Global Training
7. Safety Risk Management process according to the SA CAA
8. How the US Navy might spin seawater into jet fuel
9. News from the Jo'burg Airports
10. Commercial Airlines/Airports Information
11. Security/Safety Tip of the Month
12. Guidance system shows promise of safer landings for gulf rig pilots
1. MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
The festive season is now behind us with incidents varying from a RH22 crash in Midrand through to a B744 attempting to rearrange a building's layout at OR Tambo and a B767 making an unscheduled landing on an exceedingly short runway in Arusha, Tanzania. Sadly the outcome of the LAM ERJ190 crash on 30th November now appears to be as a direct result of the Captain's decision to commit suicide and mass murder. Of course this is not the first such occurrence with Egyptair and Air Botswana suffering the same fate in recent years. This brings me to the subject of Human Factors and/or CRM in terms of attention to detail by other crew members in the preceding couple of months might have uncovered the instability which must have been apparent to members of the Flight Operations Staff as well. This untimely accident must serve as a reminder to all of us that we do not work in isolation and should be observant of our fellow crew, engineering or ground staff members reporting (in confidence) any peculiarities or anomalies in behaviour or attitude to the Air Safety Officer who must follow up on it.
We at Global Aviation Consultants would like to wish you all a safe and prosperous 2014.
Vivienne Sandercock
2. AIRLINE SAFETY FLIGHT ISSUES COULD BE MITIGATED BY BETTER USER INTERFACE
Amid news reports on the National Transportation Safety Board hearings regarding possible causes of the Asiana plane crash at San Francisco International Airport in July, questions have been raised about pilots' over-reliance on or failure to understand cockpit automation and even whether pilots are sufficiently trained to fly without it. Eric Geiselman and colleagues propose that user interfaces that take advantage of avionics' underlying data and logic could enable pilots to better cope with extraordinary circumstances like the unavailability of an instrument landing system, as was the case in San Francisco.
In Geiselman et al.'s October Ergonomics in Design article, "Flight Deck Automation: A Call for Context-Aware Logic to Improve Safety," the authors describe prototype designs that could mitigate errors leading to accidents and incidents such as the A330 Air France Flight 447 crash in 2009 and the airport overfly of Northwest 188 that same year. A Northwest 188 pilot programmed in an incorrect radio frequency early in the flight, cutting off communication with air traffic control and especially ATC's alert that the plane had missed the planned descent point by 150 miles. "Through a simple database comparison algorithm," the authors wrote, "the system can seek clarification when an erroneous frequency is selected . . . and issue an alert."
In the Air France 447 tragedy, a sensor malfunction caused the autopilot and auto thrust to disconnect, which unnecessarily caught the pilots off-guard and began a series of critical errors. Geiselman and colleagues also noted that invisible dual-control inputs, which enable both pilots to enter commands, basically (and by design) cancelled out corrective actions attempted by the co-pilot. The authors developed a prototype concept for visually displaying the actions of both pilots and the aircraft so each pilot can be kept aware of all actions. The article is intended "to offer a point of departure" for discussion about improvements to cockpit avionics among the design community.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
3. NEWS FROM THE SA CAA
One of the requirements for the SMS is that the State shall have a Centralised Safety & Security Reporting system (CSSR) where all minor incidents and hazards will be reported. At a recent meeting where the SA CAA were in attendance along with aircraft operators and UN WFP Officials they re-iterated the requirement to report all incidents and hazards to them on csr@caa.co.z
Their phone number is 011 545 1188/1242 Office Hours
Fax number is 011 545 1453mail
E-mail address is csr@caa.co.za
Please note: The process for Centralized Safety & Security Reporting does not replace the existing Confidential Aviation Hazard Reporting System (CAHRS). For all confidential reporting, please use CAHRS as usual.
4. HAZARD, INCIDENT AND ACCIDENT REPORTS
FIXED WING ACCIDENTS IN AFRICA - 2013
01 Jan Aeroprakt A-22 FoxBat 2 Phalaborwa Airport, Limpopo, RSA
10 Jan Windlass Aquila 2 R304, near Klipheuwel, WC, RSA
17 Jan CASA 212 0 AFB Bloemfontein, Tempe Airfield, RSA
03 Feb Jabiru SPT 0 N4 Motorway, South of Witbank, MP, RSA
05 Feb Cessna 0 East African Aviation Academy, Soroti, Uganda
05 Feb Light Aircraft 3 Niamey Airport, Niger
11 Feb Military 3 crew & 6 pax Monrovia, Liberia
23 Feb B733 0 RWY26L, Muscat, Oman
24 Feb Aeroprakt A-22 FoxBat 2 Initial climb out from Nanyuki Civil Airstrip, Kenya
28 Feb A321 0 Hurghada, Egypt
03 Mar Rally 2 Remote part of Namibia
04 Mar Fokker 50 5 Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
18 Mar MIL 1 500km N of Nouakchott, near Aoujeft, Mauritania
07 Apr B1900 1 In the area of the Gulf of Guinea
16 Apr Tiger Moth 2 Modimola Dam in Mmabatho, NW, RSA
13 Apr MT7 1 200 metres short of the runway at Arusha, Tanzania
27 Apr Cessna 152 1 Worcester, WC, RSA
6 May Alpha Jet 2 Dargol Village, 60km west of Niamey, Niger
9 May Military TBA UNK number Port Harcourt, Nigeria
06 Jun Dromader Fire Bomber 1 Piet Retief, MP, RSA
10 Jun Military Aircraft UNK number 1 km from Ngaoundere (Adamaoua Airport) Cameroon.
21 Jun Cessna 182 2 Close to Rand Airport (FAGM), GP, RSA
03 Jul Embraer Bandeirante
16 Jul PA38 0 Close to Lilongwe's Kamuzu International Airport (KIA), Malawi.
18 Jul Cirrus SR20 2 Lanseria International Airport, GP, RSA
25 Jul Cessna 206 3 Aberdares Mountain region of central Kenya
31 Jul SF340B 0 Lubumbashi, DRC
01 Aug Cessna 0 Arusha, Tanzania
09 Aug AN12 4 Mogadishu Airport, Somalia
21 Aug Cessna 182P 2 Drakensberg Mountains, Limpopo, RSA
29 Sep RV6A 2 P. C. Pelzer Airport, Klerksdorp, NW, RSA
02 Oct Cessna 172 0 Nairobi National Park, Nairobi, Kenya
03 Oct EMB-120 15 Lagos, Nigeria
12 Oct Red Bull Extra 300 1 Secunda Airport, RSA
13 Oct Mig21 2 (on the ground) Luxor, Egypt
24 Oct Light 4 seater 1 Nr Stellenbosch Flying Club, WC, RSA
01 Nov Antonov 72 0 Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo
29 Nov ERJ190 33 En-route Maputo (Mozambique) to Luanda (Angola) in the Namibian national park near the border with Angola
30 Nov Antonov 26 0 Omega Airport, Namibia
04 Dec B747-200F 0 Abuja Airport, Nigeria
19 Dec B727 0 Juba Airport, South Sudan
22 Dec B747-400 0 OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, RSA
Source, amongst others, PlaneCrash info.com; News24, Aviation Herald, Flight Safety Information
18 Jan Bell 47G 3B.1 0 Hibberdene, KZN, RSA
07 Feb RH44 0 S 25° 49' 40"E 028° 13' 15, Kestell, FS, RSA
9 Mar MIL 2 35km from Bukavu, S Kivu Province, DRC
12 Mar Z9 1 Lusaka City Airport, Lusaka, Zambia
23 Mar Bell 206B 0 Mayors Walk, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, RSA
30 Mar Agusta A109 5 Kruger Park, South Africa (on rhino protection)
04 Apr RH44 1 Alongside N1 Nylstroom, Limpopo, RSA
05 Apr MIL 0 Nr US Embassy, Tunis, Tunisia
12 Apr MIL 5 Nr Ouro Modi, 56km southeast of Sevare, Mali
23 Apr RH44 4 Sondagskraal, nr Schoemanskloof near Nelspruit MP, RSA
31 May Military Helicopter 9 Abu Kershola, north east of South Kordofan State, Sudan.
06 Jun Military Training Helicopter 2 Damazin Town, Blue Nile State, Sudan
07 Sep R44 0 On a farm 10 nautical miles of Eshongwe Settlement, KZN, RSA
21 Dec R22 0 Allendale Road, Midrand, RSA
FIXED WING INCIDENTS AND HAZARDS REPORT TO GAC DEC 2013
INC 04 Dec A320 Benghazi, Libya 0 A/C was on approach to and cleared to land on Benghazi's rwy15R but landed on closed rwy15L instead. The a/c burst both right hand gear tyres during roll out and came to a stop disabled on the runway. At the time of the occurrence rwy15L/33R was NOTAMed closed due to long cracks in the rwy surface, the state of the runway surface causing the burst tyres. The occurrence was rated a serious incident by the French BEA, COM
INC 13 Dec ATR42-600 Arusha, Tanzania 0 The a/c had departed Dar es Salaam and landed in Arusha (Tanzania) with 37 passengers, blowing all 4 main tyres upon landing at Arusha. The aircraft stopped on the runway and was disabled. COM
INC 18 Dec B767-300ER Arusha, Tanzania 0 The a/c could not land in Kilimanjaro due to a disabled Cessna Caravan on the rwy. The crew subsequently declared emergency due to low fuel and diverted to Arusha for a safe landing on runway 27 (length 1620 meters/5300 feet). At the end of the runway the A/C turned left as if attempting to turn around for backtracking and came to a stop with all gear on soft ground. COM
INC 18 Dec Cessna Caravan Kilimanjaro, Tanzania 0 A/C blocked and closed the rwy when it experienced a flat tyre. COM
INC 19 Dec B735 Juba, South Sudan 0 A/C landed on Juba's RWY13 and then suffered the collapse of its nose gear during roll out. The a/c came to a stop on the RWY about abeam the airport terminal on both main gear and the nose. No injuries occurred, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. COM
INC 22 Dec B744 OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg, RSA 0 A/C taxiing out to the rwy when one of the wings collided with a building. COM
INC 23 Dec B738 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (SPL), The Netherlands 0 Having left Tangier (Morocco) the A/C was on descent for SPL when the right hand engine (CFM56) shut down. Landed safely. COM
INC 24 Dec B738 OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg, RSA 0 Ascent stopped at 9000 with the gear still extended. A/C returned from airborne to OR Tambo to a full deployment of the AR&FFS COM
INC 29 Dec B735 Lagos, Nigeria 0 Tyre burst on landing and a/c had to be towed to the apron. COM
ROTOR WING INCIDENTS AND HAZARDS REPORTED TO GAC DEC 2013
HAZ 26 Nov Bell 222 Ellisras, RSA 0 Stone flew up during the start and taxi of a B1900 causing a stone chip in the windscreen. COM
HAZ 11 Dec Augusta 109E Rand Airport, GP, RSA 0 The a/c had just come out from an AMO where a new oil pressure switch had been fitted. The flight was completed an on arrival the starboard (SBD) side of the a/c was covered in oil with the engine oil showing at a minimal level. A broken rigid oil line was found to be the cause. COM
HAZ 11 Dec Egyptian Rand Airport, GP, RSA 0 2 x Egyptian Geese made use of the helipads for take-off without obtaining clearance TRNG
HAZ 19 Dec Bell 206B En-route 0 Comms failure. Unable to receive but could transmit. COM
AERODROME HAZARDS
DATE REPORTED AERODROME HAZARD
November Kadugli, N. Sudan Security Risk
November Cape Town, RSA Heliport - bird hazard
November Rand Airport, RSA Guinea Fowl hazard.
November Lanseria, RSA Bird hazard
November O.R. Tambo, RSA Bird hazard
December Rand Airport, RSA Gate adjacent to flying school left wide open and unattended giving direct and uncontrolled access to the Apron.
5. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANNING
Blake Emergency Services is the International Crisis Management and Contingency Planning Consultancy who, although based in the UK, have serious experience in Africa having handled accidents, incidents, counselling, repatriation, DNA sampling and confirmation, in amongst others Lagos, Nigeria; Fez, Morocco; Pointe Noire, Congo; Moroni, Comores; Maputo, Mozambique. Please go to www.blakeemergency.com
6. HENLEY/GLOBAL AVIATION TRAINING
Should you wish to make a booking for any of these courses please contact Candice on 011 024 5446 or by email to candice@gaconsultants.net
13 Jan 2014 CRM - Recurrent Verity Wallace R 950=00
13 Jan 2014 Dangerous Goods - Recurrent Verity Wallace R 750=00
20-21 Jan 2014 Quality Assurance Auditor Course Dan Drew R 2,250=00
3 Feb 2014 CRM - Recurrent Verity Wallace R 950=00
3 Feb 2014 Dangerous Goods - Recurrent Verity Wallace R 750=00
17-18 Feb 2014 Quality Assurance Auditor Course Dan Drew R 2,250=00
Note: Cost per delegate includes all training materials, refreshments and lunch.
Note: Attendees paying in cash on the day are eligible for a 10% discount
Note: Both Recurrent CRM and Dangerous Goods Training Courses are available upon request - even at short notice.
First Aid and the Law, please contact candice@gaconsultants.net
Emergency Response, Incident Response, Operations Control, Emergency Response and Family Assistance training together with the writing of Emergency Response Plans and Procedures training is now offered by Blake Emergency Services. For more information, please contact Rethea on rethea.mitchell@blakeemergency.com
7. SAFETY RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS ACCORDING TO THE SA CAA
This procedure describes the process to be followed for identifying and documenting hazards, for determining their associated risk(s), severity and probability of occurring and the strategies for their mitigation.
Any staff member/ stakeholder
1. Identify a hazard within any area of work within or outside the company.
2. Record the hazard in the hazard reporting system/form.
3. Forward to the Safety Manager/ASO for review.
Safety Manager/Air Safety Officer
4. Review hazard form and verify information (if necessary initiate root cause analysis).
5. Log details of hazards into database (including system factor failures).
6. Arrange a Safety Committee meeting. (minimum 2/two core persons as applicable)
7. Send hazard information to Safety Committee members.
Safety Committee
8. Review hazard information and confirm applicable System Factor failures.
9. Determine and list specific risk(s) of each hazard.
10. Evaluate (or assess) each risk in terms of its severity (first) and its probability.
11. Prioritize hazards for action based on their risk in terms of their tolerability or acceptability.
12. Identify managers responsible to plan mitigation action.
Safety Manager/Air Safety Officer
13. Forward request for mitigation action to the responsible manager.
Responsible Manager
14. Review hazard and risk information provided.
15. Determine mitigation action that can reduce risk to an acceptable level. (ALARP)
16. Implement mitigation action and report back on successful implementation to Safety Manager.
Safety Manager/Air Safety Officer
17. Record mitigation action taken in database and report back to Safety Committee.
18. Evaluate effectiveness of mitigation action taken and report back to Safety Committee.
8. HOW THE US NAVY MIGHT SPIN SEAWATER INTO JET FUEL
Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink - but maybe a drop of alternative fuel? The U.S. Navy is hoping next-generation technology will let it replace petroleum fuels with something much more accessible and abundant: seawater. Hydrocarbon fuel is, as the name suggests, made up of hydrogens and carbons. The first step to powering ships and planes with seawater is extracting carbon dioxide (CO2) from seawater. There's actually a lot of CO2 dissolved in the ocean - at a concentration 140 times greater than in the air, in fact. NRL's way of capturing carbon involves a three-chambered cell that applies electricity to seawater. This cell pulls out carbon dioxide and also produces hydrogen. Next, the team uses a two-step process to combine the CO2 and hydrogen gases into a liquid soup of hydrocarbons. An iron-based catalyst converts both carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas into a type of hydrocarbon called an olefin (without the catalyst, you end up with a lot of wasteful methane production). For the second step, Navy chemists convert olefins to a jet fuel precursor through a process known as oligomerization - combining little links of molecules called monomers into a longer, more complex chain called a polymer.
Challenges remain, of course. The initial part of the process does gobble up a lot of energy, and while the technique has become more efficient in recent years, NRL's carbon capture methods could still be more efficient, Willauer told NextGov. In the fiscal year of 2011 alone, Navy vessels at sea used nearly 600 million gallons of fuel, according to the NRL. The Navy has set a goal of reducing its petroleum use by half by 2015.
Pulling carbon dioxide out of the ocean to make jet fuel could also have an additional environmental boon, science writer David Biello noted at Yale Environment 360: reducing the trend of ocean acidification, which is caused by increased levels of CO2 in the ocean and has a range of effects on marine life, including making it harder for shellfish and coral to build their shells.
9. NEWS FROM THE JOHANNESBURG AIRPORTS
We apologise for the incorrect dates given in the December Issue of GAC UPDATE. The correct dates are as below. Thanks to Lin Barrett for advising on the corrections.
FAGM - RAND AIRPORT, GERMISTON - www.randairport.co.za
Rand Airport Management is looking for someone to assist with the removal of about 150 Guinea Fowl from the airport.
The next Safety Meeting will be held at 09.00 on Tuesday 4th February 2014
FAGC - GRAND CENTRAL AIRPORT, MIDRAND - www.grandcentral.co.za
The next Safety Meeting is to be held at 12.00 on Tuesday 7th January 2013.
FALA - LANSERIA AIRPORT - www.lanseriaairport.co.za
The next Safety Meeting will be held at 12.00 on Tuesday, 11th February 2014
10. COMMERCIAL AIRLINE / AIRPORT INFORMATION
1time airline
Ethiopian Airlines commenced flights to its 78th destination of Singapore in early December 2013.
Air Cote d'Ivoire has ordered 2 x Q400 aircraft from Bombardier.
Air Seychelles will operate two return services per week between Seychelles and Paris-Orly via Abu Dhabi from February 2014, with an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, configured with 18 flat-bed Business Class seats and 236 Economy seats.
Airlink will commence operating double daily flights between Johannesburg and Gaborone from 20 January 2014.
Starting 26 January Brussels Airlines will offer an additional flight frequency between Brussels Airport and the airport of Luanda in Angola.
For the International Forum for Investments in Côte d'Ivoire, Air France will operate a special flight to Abidjan by Airbus A380 on 28 January 2014.
11. SAFETY/SECURITY TIPS OF THE MONTH
PNEUMONIC PLAGUE - A plague spread by rats has killed 39 people in recent weeks in Madagascar, the health ministry said Thursday. "There is an epidemic in Madagascar which is currently affecting five districts (out of 112). Eighty-six people have been inflicted by the plague, of which 39 have died," said the ministry in a statement read to AFP. A doctor in the ministry in Antananarivo said 90 percent of the cases were diagnosed as pneumonic plague, a vicious strain, which can kill within three days, leaving little time for antibiotics to work. The plague has been blamed on an infestation of rats in residential areas due to uncontrolled deforestation. In its statement the government urged anyone suffering fever and headaches to consult a health practitioner, saying drugs to treat the plague were available free of charge. Affected districts are in the north, northeast, southeast and the centre of the island nation. AFP
POLIO - The Kenyan government on Saturday declared the recurrence of polio after its elimination 29 years ago as a public health emergency. The Cabinet declared the outbreak a public health emergency and directed the Ministry of Health to fast-track the ongoing immunization exercise and ensure the entire country is covered. The East African nation has been polio free in recent years but due to low immunization coverage, the region remains vulnerable to the importations of the wild polio virus. There have been no cases reported in the outbreak epicentre for the past 6 weeks as air organisations are actively searching for cases of suspected polio in all health facilities countrywide. Both WHO and UNICEF said rapid interventions by regional governments in collaboration with the two UN agencies across the region have been stepped up to contain the outbreak. The Cabinet directed the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to provide security and ensure cooperation by citizens. The UN health agency has declared polio a programmatic emergency meaning that Kenya must join in the fight to ensure that all the children at risk are immunised. The Ministry of Health said that countries which are close to South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia have the highest risk because the cases reported in the country are mostly imported from there, adding that the solution to end polio is to ensure good sanitation is available to all Kenyans. Cameroon has also reported an outbreak of the disease which it had previously eradicated.
ANTHRAX - Anthrax disease has broken out in Nakayembe area of Zambia killing three herds of cattle and leaving nine people admitted to Hospital. In an interview, Kaoma the District Senior Environmental Health Technologist, confirmed that nine patients admitted developed localised symptoms of swelling of upper lips, legs, face and heads. He has since appealed to the residents of Nakayembe and other surrounding areas where anthrax is rife to avoid eating meat of an anthrax-infested animal as the disease was contagious. He said a team of health experts had already been dispatched to the area in order to contain the disease and carry out health education meetings on the dangers of eating anthrax-infested meat and its devastating effects.
He said all the nine patients were treated by the use of antibiotics and were now out of danger.
And Kaoma district agricultural coordinator Veterinary Officers were securing vaccines in order to vaccinate all the cattle in Nakayembe area of Mulwa ward in Luampa district, so that the outbreak does not spread to other areas.
He said any dead animal should be burnt and buried so that the disease could be brought to manageable levels in the district.
CHOLERA - Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria are warning of severe outbreaks of cholera with an outbreak also being reported in Limpopo, South Africa
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE - An outbreak has been reported in Mpumalanga in South Africa; Bomet, Kenya and Botswana
12. GUIDANCE SYSTEM SHOWS PROMISE OF SAFER LANDINGS FOR GULF RIG PILOTS
Imagine zooming from 200 feet in the sky onto a small green circle in the middle of a vast, dark ocean. Louisiana helicopter pilots do it daily, carrying workers to and from offshore oil rigs. It often takes more than two hours over Gulf waters to fly to a rig, but the final minutes can be the most nerve-shredding. "You're basically manoeuvring a 70-square-foot steel box next to a skyscraper," veteran oil rig helicopter pilot Ron Doeppner said. "Night landings can be very difficult; you're in complete darkness with two small lights to guide you to the landing platform," Doeppner said. "You don't willingly fly into a storm, but one can sneak up on you over the ocean so you may have to land with zero visibility in high winds." A new automated helicopter guidance system created in Lafayette makes those landings safer and easier, even in bad weather and total darkness. The system is called Rig Approach, and it got its maiden voyage in November on an S-92 helicopter flown by PHI Inc.'s Lafayette-based pilots.
PHI approached Sikorsky Aircraft - the company that makes Black Hawk helicopters for the military - five years ago and asked Sikorsky to create software that helped pilots in an array of situations. As chief research and development pilot for Sikorsky, Doeppner tested every aspect of the guidance system himself, first in a simulator, then in the sky. "Rig Approach gets all of its data from the satellite constellation; there is no land-based equipment involved," PHI Operations Director Pat Attaway said. "The system can fly the helicopter until its half a mile away from the rig and 200 feet above the water." At that point, the pilot can manually land the S-92 or stay coupled with Rig Approach, helping him land. Rig Approach automatically slows the S-92 down to about 35 mph. Most importantly, Doeppner said, Rig Approach positions the helicopter in the ideal place for an approach to the rig every time. "When the pilot is manually flying the helicopter, it takes a lot of mental gymnastics to figure out the approach," Doeppner said. "Rig Approach frees the pilot to concentrate on other details like weather and responding to radio crosstalk from the home base and the rig." Sikorsky said Rig Approach can fly in 120-degree heat and at 40 degrees below zero. PHI Gulf Coast pilot Lucas Bardsley has flown workers to Arctic oil rigs and looks forward to using Rig Approach in the frozen north.
"In the Arctic, ocean waves can be 40 feet high, and the rig's landing pad is about 150 feet above the sea. So there's little margin for error," Bardsley said. "The GPS system is better than relying on signals from land-based systems. From the air, you can see exactly how remote the Arctic is and how little ground infrastructure exists." Like Doeppner, Bardsley sounds laconic and confident when describing white-knuckle, in-flight situations. But both pilots noted the oil and gas industry went through a sea-change in attitude, becoming far more safety conscious about 30 years ago. Doeppner, who flew for 21 years in the Air Force before coming to Sikorsky, can remember when twin-engine planes tried to ferry workers to offshore rigs. And the Federal Aviation Administration began using technology that allowed it to track oil rig helicopters only two years ago. They said they are delighted Rig Approach is making their jobs safer. But some non-pilots still cling to the vision of a helicopter pilot's work as romantically dangerous. A National Science Foundation Antarctica helicopter Bardsley has flown is in the PHI hangar awaiting inspection. When some schoolchildren spotted two antennas jutting from the helicopter, Bardsley said they were a bit disappointed to learn the metal tubes were not machine gun barrels he could use to battle pirates and James Bond-ish bad guys.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/12/16/314566.htm
13. ADVERTISEMENTS
HENLEY AIR, HANGAR 6, RAND AIRPORT - FAGM
Henley Air proudly offers fully accredited AIETB and CAA approved helicopter training on piston and turbine type aircraft. It is the aim of HENLEY AIR to make your flight training experience an enjoyable one where personal attention by instructors ensures sound grounding in all aspects relating to helicopter flight. License courses offered are: Private Pilot License and Commercial Pilot License. Our rating courses include: Instructor, Instrument, Mountain, Night, Radio and Sling.
See www.henleyair.co.za
Upcoming flights on Springbok Classic Air's DC-3 (ZS-NTE):
20 Minute Scenic Flight over Johannesburg
01 February 2014 10:00 R480.00 pp
29 March 20114 10:00 R480.00 pp
Book your seat for the flight with Ronéll Myburgh:
Tel: Landline +27 11 824 2142; Mobile +27 82 779 9421
or via e-mail: info@springbokclassicair.co.za
SITUATIONS VACANT.
Part Time Consultant Air Safety Officers required who comply with the requirements of SA CARS Part 135, Part 121, Part 127, Part 140, Part 141 and Part 145 - mustb have had appropriate SMS training, previous experience and preferably been approved by the South African Air Services Licencing Council.
Part Time Quality Assurance Consultants required who are appropriately qualified and comply with the requirements of Part 135, Part 121, Part 127, Part 140, Part 141 and Part 145.
If you are interested and qualified please send your CV to global@gaconsultants.net
GLOBAL AVIATION CONSULTANTS (PTY) LTD
Can we help you with your aviation safety
and / or quality requirements?
Under SA CAR 140.01.2 if you and your organisation hold one of the following
Q a category 4 or higher aerodrome licence;
Q an ATO approval;
Q an aircraft maintenance organisation approval;
Q a manufacturing organisation approval ;
Q an ATSU approval;
Q a design organisation approval;
Q an AOC issued in terms of Part 121, 127, 135, 141;
Q a procedure design organisation approval; and
Q an electronic services organisation approval,
then you shall establish a Safety Management System for the control and supervision of the services rendered or to be rendered by that organisation.
If you do not already have an approved Air Safety Officer and an approved Safety Management System then please contact us for assistance.
We, at global aviation consultants, deliver the following SA CAA Approved training courses for Air Safety Officers at Rand Airport;
Q Safety Management Systems
Q Integrated Safety Officer Course
Q Quality Assurance Auditor
Q Crew Resource Management (Initial and Recurrent)
Q Dangerous Goods
Q Human Factors for AME's
Should your operation be of a size whereby the full time employment of an Air Safety Officer and/or Quality Assurance Officer is not financially viable then we can provide you with Consultants who have previously held Air Services Licensing Council approval. We can also provide you with a tailor made SA CAA approved Safety Management System.
For further information on how we can help you please contact Rethea or Candice in Hanger 6, Rand Airport, Germiston on 011-024--5446/7 or e-mail global@gaconsultants.net
Global Aviation Consultants, Hanger 6, Spitfire Avenue, Rand Airport, Johannesburg, RSA
www.gaconsultants.net
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