[simpits-chat] Fwd: Fw: Flight Safety Information (07JAN03-008) (fwd)

[Gene Buckle]

>Flight Safety Information (07JAN03-008)
>_________________________________
>
>*Germans Urge Tighter Airport Security
>*Small Airports Are a Security Concern
>*Boeing's Deliveries Off 28 Percent
>*NYSE Company Traces History to Wright Brothers' First Flight
>*Global airline losses topped $13 bln in '02 -IATA
>*Strap-On Aircraft to Be Sold on EBay
>*37th Annual SMU Air Law Symposium
>*Today in History
>**********************************************
>
>Germans Urge Tighter Airport Security
>
>FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - Officials urged a security review for small
>airports Monday after a man stole a plane and threatened to crash it
into
>Frankfurt's financial center, sowing fear of a terror attack.
>
>Police said the man was a 31-year-old German who is apparently mentally
>disturbed. The man circled the city's skyscrapers Sunday for about two
hours
>before landing safely at Frankfurt's international airport.
>
>He said he wanted to draw attention to Judith Resnik, a U.S. astronaut
>killed in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. The pilot was
>persuaded to land after air traffic controllers arranged a phone
>conversation with the astronaut's brother, Charles S. Resnik, in
Baltimore.
>
>During his flight and attack threat, military jets shadowed him and
>authorities ordered thousands of people to leave Frankfurt's main rail
>station, two opera houses and several skyscrapers - the latter mostly
empty
>on a Sunday afternoon at the end of the Christmas season.
>
>The incident also forced the brief closure of runways at the Frankfurt
>airport, continental Europe's busiest.
>
>German media identified the man as Franz-Stephan Strambach. He made a
>partial confession to investigators Monday, but his questioning was
>interrupted after several hours when his lawyer said Strambach was
>exhausted, said Job Tilmann, a spokesman for Frankfurt prosecutors.
>
>A state court judge in Frankfurt ordered that he be transferred to a
mental
>institution pending a decision by authorities on whether he is fit to be
>charged. ``This was not a terrorist attack, but the act of an apparently
>disturbed person,'' Axel Raab, a spokesman for German air traffic
control,
>said Monday.
>
>In a rambling dialogue with air traffic controllers during the drama,
>officials said, the man threatened to crash into the European Central
Bank
>headquarters unless he was allowed a TV interview as well as a call to
>Resnik's family.
>
>``I want to make my great idol Judith Resnik famous with this,'' the
pilot
>said in a call from the plane to news channel n-tv. ``She deserves more
>attention, she was the first Jewish astronaut, and maybe that's why she
>isn't really considered.''
>
>Charles Resnik spoke to the pilot for several minutes in English, urging
him
>to land the plane safely, said Bill Seiler, a spokesman for the
University
>of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, where Resnik is director of
>musculoskeletal radiology.
>
>The spokesman would not go into detail, saying ``their conversation is
>private.'' Resnik is also a professor at the university's medical
school.
>
>In their conversation, Strambach apologized to Resnik for putting up a
Web
>site commemorating his sister without asking permission, Raab said.
Resnik
>reassured the pilot that the site was fine. Frankfurt air traffic
>controllers then persuaded Strambach to land, Raab said.
>
>Strambach's name appears as the webmaster of an Internet site devoted to
>Judith Resnik, among seven astronauts killed when the Challenger
exploded on
>Jan. 28, 1986, seconds after taking off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
>German media reported that he lives with his mother in Darmstadt, about
25
>miles south of Frankfurt.
>
>He is believed to be the man who stole a plane from an airfield at
>Babenhausen, southeast of Frankfurt, threatening the plane's pilot with
what
>turned out to be an unloaded gas pistol. The man then seized the
controls
>and took off.
>
>The incident raised jitters with its echoes of the Sept. 11 attacks.
>
>Roland Koch, the governor of the state of Hesse where Frankfurt is
located,
>said there would be a review of security at small airports like the one
at
>Babenhausen.
>
>Wilhelm Bender, head of Frankfurt airport, also said security needed to
be
>tightened.
>
>``Apparently it was possible for someone with a pistol simply to walk in
>with pistol and take an airplane,'' he was quoted by the Bild newspaper
as
>saying. He added that it was ``sad that a crazy person succeeded in
>paralyzing an entire city for hours.''
>
>In Berlin, Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Hannes Wendroth said a
panel
>set up after Sept. 11 to review how to respond to rogue aircraft has yet
to
>reach conclusions.
>
>Asked whether the military would have been allowed to shoot down the
plane,
>Wendroth said, ``You would need to take special care in deciding to do
that
>over a built-up area.''
>
>``Once it emerged that this plane had nothing but the pilot and fuel on
>board, it could certainly be supposed that it would come down of its own
>accord,'' he added.
>*****************
>
>Small Airports Are a Security Concern
>
>WASHINGTON (AP) - Much has been done to improve security at America's
>commercial airports, but gaps remain in the nation's aviation system.
>
>Tens of thousands of small private planes are vulnerable to the kind of
>incident that occurred Sunday in Germany, where a man stole a motorized
>glider and threatened to crash it into Frankfurt's financial center
before
>landing without incident.
>
>One year ago Monday, a 15-year-old boy crashed a stolen plane into a
Tampa
>skyscraper. Only the boy was killed.
>
>It's unlikely that small planes will ever receive the kind of protection
>given to commercial airliners. It would take billions of dollars to hire
>security guards and install special locks, fencing and metal detectors
at
>each of the 5,000 U.S. airports that don't have scheduled service.
>
>Warren Morningstar, spokesman for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
>Association, acknowledged there are security gaps but said every one of
>those airports has done something to increase security since Sept. 11.
>
>``Can we ever make these airports impenetrable?'' he asked. ``If we did,
>they'd no longer be airports, they'd be fortresses.''
>
>Private pilots now must carry government-issued IDs and a hot line has
been
>set up for them to report suspicious behavior around airports.
>
>And flight restrictions for small planes have been imposed around
>Washington, D.C., military installations and large public gatherings
such as
>the Super Bowl.
>
>``We think these measures have helped,'' said Robert Johnson, spokesman
for
>the Transportation Security Administration. The agency, created in
response
>to the terror attacks, doesn't think small planes present as high a risk
as
>big airliners.
>
>In the nation's 429 commercial airports, the government has spent
billions
>hiring security personnel and installing high-tech security equipment.
Each
>airport has an all-federal work force that now screens baggage, though
the
>method varies from airport to airport.
>
>There also are thousands of air marshals flying on commercial airliners.
>
>Private planes that fly out of commercial airports undergo the same
scrutiny
>as airliners, Morningstar said. But the security at smaller,
``public-use''
>airports varies tremendously.
>
>Some of the bigger airports, like Burke Lakefront in Cleveland,
increased
>patrols and vehicle inspections since the attacks. But small airports
like
>the one near Plum Island in Newburyport, Mass. - little more than a long
>asphalt strip - can't afford much more than a fence that could be easily
>scaled.
>
>Last summer the agency issued an alert saying terrorists may turn to
private
>planes and airports because of stepped-up security at commercial
airports
>and airlines.
>
>Morningstar said fears are overblown that a small plane can cause
anywhere
>near the damage of a commercial airliner. A typical private plane weighs
>less than a Honda Civic and carries about 50 gallons of fuel, less than
1
>percent of the 25,000 gallons a Boeing 767 can hold.
>
>``No one's just going to hand the keys over to someone who says, `I want
to
>own an airplane','' Morningstar said.
>
>Many pilots who don't want their valuable planes hot-wired and stolen
will
>put a lock on the throttle or the chain holding it to the ground, or
chain
>the propellor, Morningstar said.
>
>Some fear private planes could easily be used to spread panic, as they
did
>on Sunday.
>
>A man described as mentally disturbed circled Frankfurt's financial
district
>for two hours, telling air traffic controllers he'd crash into European
>Central Bank headquarters. During his flight, military jets shadowed
him,
>Frankfurt's airport was closed and authorities ordered thousands of
people
>to leave the city's buildings before he was persuaded to land safely.
>
>In this country, several of the Sept. 11 terrorists trained on small
private
>planes, and the government is now checking the background of all foreign
>students at flight schools. Crop dusters nationwide were grounded three
>times after the attacks and anthrax scare.
>
>``Of course we're concerned about it,'' said Capt. Steve Luckey,
chairman of
>the Air Line Pilots Association's national security committee.
``(Private
>planes) are very difficult to protect.''
>
>Luckey said intelligence, rather than fences and guards, is what's
needed to
>prevent terrorism because it will ultimately be impossible to keep
>terrorists from weapons - including the more than 200,000 private planes
in
>the United States.
>
>The private pilots' association recommended the TSA review pilot
>certificates to make sure none are on terrorist watch lists.
>
>On the Net: Aircraft Pilots and Owners Association: http://www.aopa.org
>******************
>
>Boeing's Deliveries Off 28 Percent
>
>CHICAGO (AP) - Boeing Co. said Monday it delivered 381 commercial
airplanes
>in 2002 - the fewest in five years but on target with its lowered
estimate
>in the depressed aviation industry.
>
>The company said it delivered 86 planes in the fourth quarter to finish
the
>year with one more delivery than its latest announced objective of 380.
>
>The year's total was down 28 percent from 527 deliveries in 2001, when
the
>full impact of the Sept. 11 attacks wasn't yet evident. With airlines
mired
>in their worst-ever slump throughout 2002, it was the fewest since 1997
when
>Boeing delivered 375 jets.
>
>Boeing has said it expects 2003 deliveries to fall to between 275 and
285 -
>a decline likely to hand its title as world's largest commercial jet
>manufacturer to rival Airbus.
>
>Nearly 60 percent of the commercial airplanes it delivered in 2002, or a
>total of 223, were of its single-aisle 737. Boeing also delivered 47 of
its
>twin-aisle 777s, 35 767s, 29 757s, 27 747s and 20 717s.
>
>Boeing shares fell 5 cents to close Monday at $34.13 on the New York
Stock
>Exchange.
>
>On the Net:
>
>www.boeing.com
>*****************
>
>NYSE Company Traces History to Wright Brothers' First Flight
>
>Historic North Carolina Firm Changes Name to Curtiss-Wright Controls to
>Mirror Business Growth
>
>GASTONIA, N.C., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Curtiss-Wright Flight Systems, a
>segment of Curtiss-Wright Corporation, has an aviation pedigree that
>stretches from the historic Wright Flyer to the unmanned Global Hawk.
With
>operations in Gastonia and Shelby, it is the only company in the world
with
>a direct link to aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright.
>
>Now, as the yearlong celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Flight is
>underway, the venerable company is changing its name to Curtiss-Wright
>Controls, Inc. While subtle, the name change reflects the company's
growing
>focus on the design, manufacture and service of motion control and other
>control components and systems for the aerospace and defense industries,
>according to George Yohrling, president of Curtiss-Wright Controls.
>
>"While the aerospace industry continues to be a major market we serve,
we
>are also diversifying our efforts into the ground defense and industrial
>markets," says Yohrling. "In addition to the legacy mechanical actuation
>Flight Systems product line, we are also focusing on component and fully
>integrated subsystem solutions for these markets that include control
>electronics, position sensors and drive components from Antriebstechnik
>(Drive Technology), VISTA Controls, Penny & Giles and Autronics
>Corporation."
>
>Curtiss-Wright Controls (www.curtisswright.com) develops high-tech
motion
>control products and systems for commercial transports, regional and
>business jets, military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), fighter and
attack
>jets and aircraft. Headquartered in Gastonia, with manufacturing
facilities
>in both Gastonia and Shelby, Curtiss-Wright Controls also manufactures
>mechanical and electrical controls for commercial and military
helicopters.
>
>In addition to OEM products, Curtiss-Wright Controls also provides
component
>repair services and aftermarket repair and overhaul services for more
than
>400 commercial airlines and military agencies.
>
>A list of customers currently using Curtiss-Wright Controls' components
or
>motion control systems in aviation applications include: Boeing,
Northrop
>Grumman, Bombardier, Lockheed and Sikorsky among others.
>
>Curtiss-Wright Controls also provides turret aiming and stabilization
and
>fire control systems for military armored fighting vehicles and tanks.
>Customers include Cockerill Mechanical Industries (CMI), Santa Barbara
>Blindados (SBB), General Dynamics, and United Defense.
>
>Industrial products include stationary and shipboard propulsion
controls,
>valves, industrial automation, printing machinery, position sensors,
linear
>position controls, joystick controllers and powered wheelchair and
>off-highway vehicle controls. Curtiss-Wright Controls' major industrial
>customers include John Deere, Eaton Hydraulics and MAN.
>
>For more information regarding Curtiss-Wright Controls or its products
and
>services, contact Deanna C. Smith, Manager of Market Development, 3120
>Northwest Boulevard, Gastonia, NC 28052-1167, USA. Tel: 704-869-4650;
Fax:
>704-869-4601.
>
>For media queries, to set up interviews, or to request a Curtiss-Wright
>Controls logo, contact Nora Carr, Luquire George Andrews, Inc.,
>704-552-6565, ext. 145/phone; 704-589-0784/cell;
>carr@lga-advertising.com/email.
>
>About Curtiss-Wright Controls
>
>Curtiss-Wright Controls is the motion control segment of Curtiss-Wright
>Corporation, a multinational provider of highly engineered products and
>services for the aerospace and defense industries. The publicly traded
>company traces its history to 1903, when Orville and Wilbur Wright
launched
>the world's first powered flight. For more information, visit
>www.curtisswright.com.
>
>SOURCE Curtiss-Wright Corporation
>*****************
>
>Global airline losses topped $13 bln in '02 -IATA
>
>PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Jan 6 (Reuters) - The global airline industry
>suffered a US$13 billion loss in 2002, the second straight year of
>staggering losses as costs for tighter airport security and "war"
insurance
>took their toll, an International Air Transport Association official
said on
>Monday.
>
>"It's the second year of record losses in the industry," said Giovanni
>Bisignani, director general and chief executive officer of the
Geneva-based
>aviation industry body.
>
>The global airline industry lost an estimated $18 billion in 2001
following
>the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, he said.
>
>"When you add those two figures, it means the industry is really in
grave,
>grave problems. The losses together are more than the total profit all
the
>airlines made since 1945. This gives the dimension in which the airlines
are
>moving," Bisignani told a news conference while visiting Trinidad.
>
>The global airline industry in 2002 also suffered a 2.5 percent
reduction in
>passenger travel but recorded a 6 percent growth in freight carrying, he
>said.
>
>Bisignani said the IATA forecasts that total passenger traffic will grow
6.4
>percent in 2003 and on average 3.3 percent per year until 2006.
>
>"We really think that if nothing happens in the international scene and
if
>there is the possibility of solving all the big political problems on
the
>table and there are no major events, we will start seeing some small
profits
>in 2004 if this political situation gets over in a smooth way," he said,
>referring to the threat of war in Iraq.
>
>But while passenger traffic and freight are expected to grow, the losses
>facing the airline industry continue to be staggering, he said.
>
>Bisignani, a former managing director and CEO of Alitalia, said airlines
now
>pay $3 billion annually for security at airports, which IATA is
protesting
>against.
>
>"Governments have to take responsibility for security in the airports,
it's
>not an airline issue," he said.
>
>Insurance costs have also increased to $5 billion from $1 billion a year
>since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he said.
>
>Bisignani said that 2002 was the best year for safety in IATA's 58-year
>history. IATA represents 280 airlines that together account for more
than 95
>percent of all international scheduled air traffic.
>*****************
>
>Strap-On Aircraft to Be Sold on EBay
>
>SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) - Ever wanted your very own personal flying
machine?
>Now's your chance to get one, but you'll have to shell out some serious
cash
>- and resist the urge to take it for a spin.
>
>The SoloTrek XFV, which made its maiden ``flight'' in December 2001, is
>scheduled to go on sale Friday on eBay with a starting bid of about
$50,000.
>Michael Moshier, chief executive of Trek Aerospace, the military-funded
>company designing the machine, expects the final price in the seven-day
>auction to exceed $1 million.
>
>The prototype has only hovered a few feet off the ground in tests. But
it is
>built to zoom up to 69 mph for 100 miles, carrying a person who weighs
up to
>180 pounds. Two overhead ducted fans lift the gas-powered machine, and a
>standing operator steers with a joystick in each hand.
>
>``We didn't want to test it higher than we were willing to fall,''
Moshier
>said.
>
>Engineers at Trek Aerospace retired the prototype last summer to
concentrate
>on a second-generation model with better joysticks and a smoother
engine.
>The Sunnyvale-based company hopes to sell personal flying machines to
the
>military, allowing soldiers to pass over swamps, mine fields and other
rough
>terrain.
>
>The company is studying whether consumers would use its craft, which
>theoretically could ascend to 10,000 feet.
>
>The winner of the auction must sign a contract promising not to fly the
>prototype, to use it for exhibition only. Moshier expects to sell the
>aluminum and titanium machine to a museum or aviation enthusiast.
>
>``It's a different kind of aircraft,'' he said. ``It has a tremendous
amount
>of historical value.''
>
>On the Net:
>
>http://www.ebay.com
>
>http://www.solotrek.com/
>*****************
>
>Southern Methodist University
>Dednam School of Law
>Presents
>37th Annual SMU Air Law Symposium
>Addison, Texas
>February 27-28, 2003
>
>Thursday Luncheon Speaker:
>
>James F. Parker --CEO Southwest Airlines
>
>
>Cost: $345 per participant.
> $395 per participant after January 31, 2003.
>
>Site: Hotel InterContinental
> 15201 Dallas Parkway
> Addison, Texas 75001
> (972) 386-6000
>
>Register:
>Mail to: SMU Air Law Symposium
> P. O. Box 750116
> Dallas, Texas 75275-0116
>
>Fax to: 214-768-3946
>Or Call: 214-768-2570
>*****************
>
>Today in History:
>
>Date of Accident: 07 January 1980
>Airline: Alitalia
>Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15
>Location: Rome, Italy
>Registration: I-DIKB
>Fatalities: 0:0
>MSN: 47118
>Line Number: 196
>Engine Manufacturer: Pratt & Whitney
>Engine Model: JT8D
>Year of Delivery: 1967
>Accident Description: The aircraft was damaged beyond repair in a hangar
>fire.
>*****
>
>Date of Accident: 07 January 1994
>Airline: Atlantic Coast Airlines
>Aircraft: British Aerospace J-41
>Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA
>Registration: N304UE
>Flight Number: 6291
>Fatalities: 5:9
>MSN: 41016
>Accident Description: The aircraft stalled while executing the ILS
approach
>to runway 28L during a snowstorm. Failure of the flight crew to use
adequate
>power to maintain airspeed during the final approach segment of the
flight.
>