[simpits-chat] Fwd: Fw: Flight Safety Information (30JAN03-042) (fwd)

[Gene Buckle]

>Flight Safety Information (30JAN03-042)
>_________________________________
>
>*Suspicous Package Forces Airport
> Evacuation In Daytona
>*Medical Helicopter Crashes in Illinois
>*Armed Pilot Plan Still Under Questions
>*Helicopter crew members posthumously
> cleared in Russian crash
>*Malaysian Airline to unveil regional plan Thursday
>*Malaysia Airlines expands fleet with new Airbus planes
>*Boeing names services boss to head new jet team
>*Chinese ID 2 Men Who Fell From Airliner
>*Pilots Rip United's New Business Plan
>*Boeing Earns $590M Despite Lower Revenue
>*Swissair helped drive Sabena into ground - Belgium
>*Jordan Receives First Batch of F-16 Jets
>*New flight risk: Obesity?
>*FAA: Slammer (Virus) Didn't Hurt,
> But the Next One Might
>***********************************************
>
>Suspicous Package Forces Airport Evacuation In Daytona
>
>Authorities have reportedly evacuated a portion of the Daytona Beach
>International Airport Thursday morning after a suspicious package was
found,
>according to Local 6 News.
>
>The incident happened early Thursday morning as a passenger was
preparing to
>board a plane.
>
>The Delta flight was scheduled to depart at 7:20 a.m. and has been
delayed.
>
>Volusia County officials said that the next flight, which is scheduled
to
>leave at 9 a.m., will likely also be delayed.
>
>If you have a flight out of Daytona this morning you are urged to call
>ahead.
>
>Police are investigating the discovery.
>***************
>
>Medical Helicopter Crashes in Illinois
>
>WEST CHICAGO, Ill. (AP) - A medical helicopter practicing maneuvers at a
>suburban county airport crashed into a snowy field immediately after
>takeoff, killing the pilot, authorities said.
>
>The helicopter crashed on airport property about two miles south of its
>runways in a field Tuesday night, DuPage Airport spokesman Brian Kulpin
>said. Weather conditions were snowy and wet, but he didn't know if that
>contributed to the accident.
>
>``It had just taken off just a few moments before,'' Kulpin said.
>
>Pilot Michael Russell, 52, was the only person onboard; no one on the
ground
>was hurt.
>
>The helicopter showed no signs of mechanical failure prior to takeoff,
said
>Todd Fox, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.
>
>The helicopter was with Air Angels medivac service and was affiliated
with
>Good Samaritan Hospital in suburban Downers Grove, hospital
administrator
>Sue Sullivan said. It was not flying to or from the hospital at the time
of
>the crash, she said.
>*****************
>
>Armed Pilot Plan Still Under Questions
>
>WASHINGTON (AP) - The recent arrest of a Northwest Airlines pilot found
with
>a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage raises the question of how
airport
>security workers can identify those pilots authorized by the government
to
>have a gun.
>
>Congress gave the Transportation Security Administration until Feb. 25
to
>develop a plan to train those passenger airline pilots who volunteer to
be
>``federal flight deck officers.'' The agency also must come up with
rules by
>then that govern when and where those pilots may carry weapons.
>
>``There are still some policy questions that need to be answered,''
agency
>spokesman Robert Johnson acknowledged.
>
>Among the questions: How does the gun get into the cockpit? Does the
pilot
>carry it through the airport? If so, what happens in countries with
stricter
>gun-control laws than the United States? Who supplies the weapon? What
kind
>of weapon will be issued? And how much training should be required?
>
>The largest pilots' union, which favors arming pilots, is concerned the
>government may be looking for ways to limit or delay the program, which
the
>Bush administration only embraced after Congress expressed overwhelming
>support.
>
>``They want to restrict it as much as they can,'' said Capt. Steve
Luckey,
>chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association's national security
committee.
>
>Money is another unknown. The agency assembled $500,000 from various
>accounts for a test program for 50 pilots in the spring.
>
>But with perhaps 30,000 or more of the estimated 100,000 commercial
pilots
>interested in participating, far more dollars will be needed.
>
>The agency's chief, James Loy, estimated in November it would cost $900
>million to start the full program and about $250 million a year to
maintain
>it. The agency has backed off those figures, saying it will cost less,
but
>has provided no updated estimates.
>
>Airlines, still reeling from the Sept. 11 attacks and losing billions of
>dollars, do not want to cover any of the cost.
>
>``The pilots don't want to pay for it, the airlines don't want to pay
for it
>and the government doesn't want to pay for it,'' said Paul Hudson,
executive
>director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project, which advocates
airline
>safety and security.
>
>Polls have shown most people want to allow pilots to carry weapons. The
>airlines strongly oppose the idea, fearing a weapon could fall into the
>wrong hands, accidentally injure a passenger or cause a plane crash if a
>stray bullet struck a fuel line or navigational equipment.
>
>The big airlines' trade group, the Air Transport Association, argues
that
>stronger cockpit doors and the presence of air marshals provide
protection
>against hijackings.
>
>Capt. Fred Bates, an American Airlines pilot who heads a group of pilots
>working with agency to put the program in place, said the training
>requirements are pretty obvious because a cockpit is such a limited
>jurisdiction.
>
>``It's really not about guns, it's about no more 9/11s,'' Bates said.
>
>Agency spokesman Johnson said the agency is likely to go along with the
>pilots' recommendations for five days of training, including
marksmanship.
>
>The pilots want to be trained at federal facilities around the country
so it
>is more convenient for them. The agency has not decided whether to limit
the
>training to federal law enforcement training centers in Georgia and New
>Mexico.
>
>Also unanswered is what kind of gun will be allowed and whether pilots
can
>carry them or be required to leave them in the cockpit.
>
>Pilots want to carry semiautomatic pistols, not revolvers, so they can
fire
>multiple rounds in case more than one hijacker tries to commandeer a
plane.
>They also do not want to keep the guns in lockboxes in the cockpit, an
idea
>the government is considering. Pilots say it is safer to carry guns
because
>they know where they are at all times.
>
>On the Net:
>
>Transportation Security Administration: http://www.tsa.gov
>*****************
>
>Helicopter crew members posthumously cleared in Russian crash
>
>MOSCOW - Three crew members who died when their military helicopter hit
a
>cliff in Russia's mountainous Altai region last spring were posthumously
>cleared of responsibility in the crash, which also killed 8 snowboarders
who
>were passengers, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported Thursday.
>
>Military prosecutors determined that the Mi-8's crew, which was not
>qualified for flights in the high mountains, was taking the snowboarders
to
>their destination under orders from their unit commander in an "illegal
>commercial flight," the agency reported. All 11 people aboard were
killed
>when the helicopter crashed after its main rotor hit a cliff during an
>attempt to land.
>
>The commander of the helicopter unit near the Siberian city of
Novosibirsk,
>a colonel, has been suspended and charged with abuse of his authority,
>ITAR-Tass said. Relatives of the crew members and passengers in the May
7
>crash have sued the Russian Defense Ministry and the unit, seeking
>compensation.
>
>In Russia's cash-strapped military, helicopters and airplanes are
sometimes
>used to carry paying customers.
>*****************
>
>Malaysian Airline to unveil regional plan Thursday
>
>KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 (Reuters) - National carrier Malaysian Airline
System
>Bhd (MAS) said it would unveil a regional expansion plan on Thursday.
>
>The state-controlled airline said it was encouraged by its improved
>performance and busier passenger aircraft following a recent
restructuring.
>
>MAS said it would hold a media briefing at 2.00 p.m (0600 GMT).
>
>A source told Reuters last week that MAS was in talks to lease three
Airbus
>A330-200s to cope with growing Asian traffic.
>
>MAS shares were flat at 3.88 ringgit at 0142 GMT.
>
>($1-3.80 ringgit)
>******************
>
>Malaysia Airlines expands fleet with new Airbus planes
>
>KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia Airlines will lease three Airbus
A330-200
>planes enabling the flag carrier to add more domestic and international
>flights, an airline official said Thursday.
>
>The carrier's holding company Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd expects to take
>delivery of the twin-aisle planes Saturday, said Ahmad Fuaad Dahlan,
senior
>general manager of sales, distribution and marketing for the airline.
>
>Penerbangan, a government agency, will also lease five Boeing B737-400
>planes on a staggered basis in the next fiscal year which ends March 31,
>2004, said Ahmad Fuaad.
>
>Airbus, headquartered in Toulouse, France and Chicago-based Boeing are
the
>world's top passenger jet-makers.
>******************
>
>Boeing names services boss to head new jet team
>
>SEATTLE, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Boeing Co., the world's largest aircraft
maker,
>on Wednesday named the head of its aviation services unit, Mike Bair, to
run
>its newest commercial jet program, a proposed high-efficiency mid-sized
>aircraft.
>
>A 24-year Boeing veteran with engineering and marketing experience, Bair
>will coordinate the development of the proposed twin-aisle 200- to
250-seat
>aircraft, dubbed 7E7 for now.
>
>Bair will report directly to Alan Mulally, chief executive of Boeing's
>Seattle-based commercial jet unit.
>
>Boeing named Walt Gillette, another long-time company veteran with
>experience on several new product efforts, as lead engineer for the 7E7,
a
>twin-jet aircraft the company says will operate 20 percent more
efficiently
>than current aircraft of the same size.
>
>If it gets enough orders, Boeing plans to launch the jet program in 2004
for
>entry into service around 2008.
>
>In a telephone interview, Bair said the new aircraft will likely offer a
>more comfortable cabin than Boeing's current 250-seat 767, including
wider
>seats and a quieter ride.
>
>"More than likely it will end up between the 767 and (300-seat) 777 in
terms
>of fuselage diameter," Bair said.
>
>Boeing will also talk to potential airline customers about adding
moisture
>to the arid air on commercial jets or tinkering with cabin air pressure
or
>noise levels to make the ride more comfortable, Bair said.
>
>"The reason why a lot of people don't feel well when they get off an
>airplane is there's no humidity in the cabin. So we talked to airlines
about
>how much humidity there should be," Bair said.
>
>"We also talked about reducing noise. You don't want it to be like a
>library, where everyone can hear what you're saying, so there's a
balance
>between what's too loud and what's too quiet," Bair said.
>
>CONFIDENT NEW MODEL WILL TAKE OFF
>
>Boeing is "highly confident" that airlines will show enough interest to
>begin marketing the new plane once the details have been ironed out over
the
>next year or so, Bair said.
>
>The company has proposed and then shelved two other new jets in recent
years
>-- a larger version of its 416-seat 747 that failed to take a single
order
>away from rival Airbus SAS' A380 megajet, and the faster
>mid-sized Sonic Cruiser, which cash-strapped airlines rejected in favor
of
>better economy.
>
>The jet maker plans to enlist partners to build 60 to 70 percent of the
new
>airplane's parts -- roughly the same percentage as on its six current
models
>-- but has not yet decided whether to assemble it at its primary
factories
>near Seattle or elsewhere.
>
>Boeing will also pitch its own maintenance and services package to
potential
>7E7 customers, with an eye toward limiting excess capacity and thereby
>holding down costs.
>
>"One area where we know we can make the airline operation more efficient
is
>to make sure we don't have as much capacity out there for maintenance as
we
>traditionally have had," Bair said. "When an airline buys a new aircraft
>they tend to buy enough capacity to maintain their own airplanes and a
bunch
>of others."
>
>Boeing also announced the chief financial officer of its jetliner unit,
Mike
>Cave, will replace Bair as senior vice president of Commercial Aviation
>Services.
>
>Cave, in turn, will be replaced by current commercial jet unit
controller
>Robert Pasterick.
>*****************
>
>Chinese ID 2 Men Who Fell From Airliner
>
>SHANGHAI, China (AP) - Two men whose bodies fell from an Air France
jetliner
>in Shanghai last week were identified Thursday by police as Turkish
>nationals with a history of stowing away in airline luggage holds.
>
>Ramazan Karacoban, 20, and Onur Ozuyaman, 19, are believed to have been
>stowaways aboard the Air France flight, said police spokeswoman Fang
>Dinghua. She said they had a record of hiding in airline luggage holds
and
>had snuck into France aboard a ferry a week before the Paris-Shanghai
>flight.
>
>Fang refused to give other details, saying an investigation was still
>underway. Turkish diplomats in China and the Turkish Foreign Ministry
have
>also declined to comment.
>
>The two men fell from Flight 112, a Boeing 777, on Jan. 23 as it
approached
>Shanghai Pudong International Airport. One crashed through the roof of a
>house, while the other landed in a field.
>
>Footprints have been found in one of the compartments holding the jet's
>landing gear, said Air France spokeswoman Zhuang Ying.
>
>The wheel wells have no heat and are unpressurized, suggesting the two
men
>spent the 12-hour flight exposed to the thin, frigid air of higher
>altitudes.
>
>State media reports said the bodies were frostbitten, a sign the men may
>have died before their fall.
>
>While there have been repeated cases of people stowing in airplanes to
>emigrate to Europe, sneaking into China from Europe is unusual.
>
>Officials had said earlier the men were wearing red uniforms, suggesting
>they might have been baggage handlers or part of a plot to penetrate
airport
>security. State media reports said they were carrying walkie-talkies.
>
>The newspaper Shanghai Daily said Thursday the two men might have
boarded
>the wrong plane in Paris and were trying to reach a different
destination.
>Flights within Europe last only a few hours.
>*****************
>
>Pilots Rip United's New Business Plan
>
>CHICAGO (AP) - United Airlines' new business plan is encountering early
>turbulence in bankruptcy from its most powerful union.
>
>As CEO Glenn Tilton prepared to present the new strategy Thursday to UAL
>Corp.'s board of directors, the head of the pilots union ripped the
emerging
>details of a new discount carrier as constituting the equivalent of a
>breakup of United.
>
>In the biggest threat yet to the troubled carrier's turnaround effort,
Paul
>Whiteford pledged to fight the plan ``by every lawful means available to
>us.''
>
>While United declined comment on the report and has not disclosed
details of
>the plan, a published report Wednesday said it aims to reduce the number
of
>its pilots and flight attendants by up to 25 percent and implement a
>two-tier pay structure.
>
>The Chicago Tribune, citing unidentified sources, reported that pilots
and
>flight attendants working for a planned new discount carrier to be
operated
>by the airline would be paid significantly less than those on regular
United
>flights.
>
>The world's second-largest airline, which has posted heavy losses since
>mid-2000, filed for Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection on Dec. 9.
It
>is required to compile a new business plan in the first 120 days of
>bankruptcy to show its lenders how it intends to return to
profitability.
>
>Whiteford, who also has a board seat, chided the management of the
majority
>employee-owned company for its approach.
>
>``Inexplicably, in the seven weeks since United filed for Chapter 11
>bankruptcy protection, senior management has locked the pilots out of
the
>process and refused to engage in any meaningful negotiations over our
>future,'' Whiteford said Wednesday. ``Instead, they appear to be
proposing a
>plan to break up United Airlines by giving United routes, aircraft, and
>other assets to another company - with a whole set of new managers and
>employees.
>
>``If so, United's management is now telling us to give up on United
Airlines
>as we know it.''
>
>But United contends it must transform the company into a ``a successful
and
>aggressive competitor for the long term.''
>
>``We have been working collaboratively with our unions, through dozens
of
>meetings and the sharing of thousands of pages of documents, and will
>continue to do so in order to build a company with a future that can
sustain
>both profitability and jobs,'' the company said in a statement.
>
>A key to United's revised financial strategy is a planned $2.4 billion
>reduction in annual labor costs, which the carrier outlined last month
in
>bankruptcy court. Tilton also said last month that United plans to
launch a
>low-cost carrier to compete with Southwest Airlines - as Delta Air Lines
>also is doing.
>
>Union representatives said they hadn't been briefed on the plan. But the
>pilots' chief said that based on what has emerged so far, the company
>apparently intends to ``break up the strongest asset base and route
network
>in the airline industry.''
>
>United spokesman Joe Hopkins said specifics were given Monday to
financial
>advisers of United's creditors committee, which is monitoring the
bankruptcy
>reorganization and includes the three big unions, but not otherwise
>disclosed in detail.
>
>``Our plan is to share the information with our employees before we
share
>them with wider audiences,'' Hopkins said.
>
>United's employees already have taken temporary pay cuts while
negotiations
>proceed toward long-term contracts. The pilots agreed to 29 percent wage
>reductions and flight attendants to 9 percent cuts, while the bankruptcy
>court imposed 14 percent cutbacks on machinists, who include mechanics,
ramp
>workers and customer contact workers.
>
>The company, which has laid off 20,000 workers since the Sept. 11, 2001,
>terrorist attacks, currently has about 78,000 employees, including
nearly
>20,000 flight attendants and about 8,500 pilots.
>
>The company reports fourth-quarter and full-year results on Friday and
is
>expected to exceed the $2.1 billion loss of 2001 - an industry record
that
>has since been exceeded by American Airlines.
>
>On the Net:
>
>www.united.com
>******************
>
>Boeing Earns $590M Despite Lower Revenue
>
>CHICAGO (AP) - Boeing Co. posted earnings of $590 million for the fourth
>quarter on Thursday, riding strong results from its defense business to
>remain profitable despite 13 percent lower revenues amid the commercial
>airplane market downturn.
>
>The aerospace giant cautioned that 2003 revenues will continue to
decline
>sharply as the aviation slump continues, and it forecast full-year
earnings
>that are expected to be at or below the low end of Wall Street's
>expectations.
>
>Net earnings were $590 million, or 73 cents a share, for the
>October-December period compared with $100 million, or 12 cents a share,
a
>year earlier.
>
>Excluding non-recurring items and an accounting change, earnings were 71
>cents a share, - down 21 percent from a year earlier but matching the
>consensus estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call.
>
>Revenue was $13.7 billion, down from $15.7 billion in for fourth quarter
of
>2001.
>
>``Although we faced some noteworthy challenges, Boeing's balanced
portfolio
>of businesses generated solid cash and profitability and positioned the
>company for significant opportunities,'' said Phil Condit, Boeing's
chairman
>and CEO. He cited in particular the success of Boeing's newly integrated
>defense and space unit.
>
>Boeing's airplane deliveries were off sharply to 381 in 2002; based on
>projected deliveries, Boeing is on a pace to be surpassed by Airbus by
the
>end of 2003 as the world's largest airplane manufacturer.
>
>For the year, net earnings were $492 million, or 61 cents a share, down
from
>$2.83 billion, or $3.41 a share, in 2001. That reflects a $1.8 billion
>first-quarter 2002 charge for a change in accounting for goodwill.
>
>Revenues totaled $54.1 billion, down 7 percent from $58.2 billion.
>
>The Chicago-based company said it anticipates earnings of $1.90 to $2.10
per
>share for 2003, compared with analysts' estimate for $2.10 a share;
Boeing
>expects $2.10 to $2.30 a share in 2004. It pegged 2003 revenues at about
$49
>billion, rising to $52 billion to $54 billion next year.
>
>On the Net:
>
>http://www.boeing.com
>*****************
>
>Swissair helped drive Sabena into ground - Belgium
>
>BRUSSELS, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Belgium accused defunct Swiss carrier
Swissair
>on Thursday of starving its flagship airline of cash and pushing it into
>bankruptcy, turning Sabena into Europe's first national airline to go
bust.
>
>Sabena's bankruptcy in 2001 threw 12,000 people out of work, becoming a
>major embarrassment for the Belgian government, owner of 50.5 percent of
the
>airline.
>
>Swissair, which owned the other 49.5 percent of Sabena, met the same
fate
>after a costly acquisition strategy to become a leading European airline
led
>to a cash crunch.
>
>In presenting to reporters its findings into the causes of Sabena's
demise,
>a parliamentary commission said Swissair withheld money from the airline
and
>forced it to spend too much money on new planes that it did not need.
>
>Swissair oversaw the depletion of Sabena's finances by forcing it to
>virtually replace its entire fleet with 34 new Airbus planes, it said.
>
>Its refusal to honour a pledge to invest more money into Sabena finally
>drove the cash-strapped and heavily-indebted airline into the ground, it
>added.
>
>The commission also blamed successive Belgian government officials and
>Sabena executives for mismanaging the airline and not defending its
>interests in the face of Swissair.
>
>But it stopped short of holding specific people responsible.
>
>The commission's findings come a week after a summary report by
consultants
>Ernst & Young alleged that Swissair overestimated equity holdings and
hid
>losses at subsidiaries in its accounts.
>
>The report was deemed by lawyers representing Swissair investors to
heighten
>the chances of legal action against the airline's former management.
>
>The parliamentary commission said Swissair used Sabena for its own
purposes,
>disregarding the airline's own needs.
>
>"Sabena's strategy was aligned to the business plan of the minority
>stakeholder and not to its own," it said.
>*******************
>
>Jordan Receives First Batch of F-16 Jets
>
>AMMAN, Jordan - Jordan received six F-16 fighter jets on Wednesday, the
>first batch out of 16 attack aircraft donated by the United States to
its
>longtime Arab ally.
>
>The previously unannounced donation is the second since 1997, when
former
>President Clinton (news - web sites) granted Jordan $300 million worth
of
>military equipment under a program to award the Arab kingdom for its
1994
>peace treaty with Israel.
>
>That donation included 16 F-16 jet fighters, troop carriers, attack
>helicopters and other military gear, such as night vision goggles.
>
>"The six aircraft delivered today comprise the initial delivery of a
full
>F-16 squadron, with the remainder to follow," said a statement from the
U.S.
>Embassy. A squadron comprises 16 attack aircraft.
>
>The statement said the donation was made up of "excess defense articles
from
>U.S. Air/National Guard inventories and transferred to Jordan as part of
an
>ongoing bilateral military assistance program."
>
>Jordanian officials were not immediately available for comment.
>
>Last week, Jordan's army chief asked Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of the
>U.S. Central Command, to provide the kingdom with an anti-missile
battery to
>bolster Jordanian air defense.
>
>Jordan had negotiated a similar deal with Russia, which failed to
deliver on
>time, forcing the kingdom to turn to European arms firms — mainly in
Germany
>and the Netherlands — for the S-300 surface-to-air missile system.
>
>Jordan, wedged between Iraq to its east and Israel to its west, wants to
>deploy an anti-missile battery before any U.S.-led war on Iraq. In the
1991
>Gulf war, Iraq violated Jordanian airspace when it launched 39 Scud
missiles
>at Israel.
>
>The U.S. aircraft were delivered to Muafaq al-Salti air force base in
Azraq,
>about 60 miles east of the Jordanian capital Amman, the U.S. Embassy
>statement said. The desert air base is about 155 miles west of the Iraqi
>frontier.
>
>Jordan has had close military cooperation with the United States for
>decades. That includes an active calendar of joint military exercises.
>****************
>
>New flight risk: Obesity?
>
>As if there weren't enough evidence of health woes caused by increasing
>obesity, now comes news that the growth in overweight Americans could
>threaten air safety.
>
>Indeed, investigators are questioning whether inaccurate estimates of
>passengers' poundage played a role in the crash of a US Airways Express
>commuter plane in North Carolina on Jan. 8, which killed all 21 aboard.
>
>Using government guidelines, the airline calculated the plane's weight
at
>close to its capacity of 17,000 pounds. But because of passengers'
expanding
>girth, those calculations may underestimate the real load. Investigators
are
>examining whether malfunctioning flight controls and weight placed near
the
>tail caused the crash.
>
>The weight of passengers is irrelevant on big jetliners, according to
air
>safety experts. But every pound counts for those boarding the nation's
223
>small commuter planes.
>
>Yet the airlines still use estimates set by the Federal Aviation
>Administration (news - web sites) in 1995. Airlines assume adults weigh
an
>average 185 pounds (180 in summer), including clothing, shoes and a
20-pound
>carry-on.
>
>This week, the FAA told commuter-plane operators to check passengers'
>weights to determine whether a better gauge is needed. Beginning next
month,
>passengers on small planes will be given a choice: either step on a
scale or
>confess your weight. (To account for cheaters, airlines will add 10
pounds
>to the weights of those choosing option two.)
>
>Maybe that's not so bad. Having to weigh in to fly could jolt Americans
into
>shedding pounds, if not for their own health, then for the safety of
others.
>At the very least, it could prod the FAA to dump guidelines that have
been
>supersized into oblivion.
>
>A government survey of weight conducted from 1988 to 1994 put the
average
>American adult at 166 pounds. New statistics show a 10-pound gain. That
>squares with a survey showing that more than 59 million people were
obese in
>1999-2000 -- double the percentage of a 1980 study.
>
>The obesity epidemic is challenging more than assumptions about fliers'
>waistlines. Seats on subways, in stadiums and in movie theaters,
>traditionally 18 inches in width, are getting wider. And last year,
>Southwest Airlines said it would charge some overweight fliers for two
>seats.
>
>Safety concerns, not weight loss, are behind the government's mandated
>weigh-in. But calling attention to a new danger from overeating might
prove
>effective in encouraging the public to slim down.
>*****************
>
>FAA: Slammer (Virus) Didn't Hurt, But the Next One Might
>
>The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration survived last weekend's Slammer
>worm attack with only one administrative server compromised, and the
agency
>that controls commercial air traffic in the United States is taking a
>multipronged approach to network security, said Daniel Mehan, assistant
>administrator for information services and chief information officer at
the
>FAA.
>
>Mehan, speaking to the media at the ComNet Conference and Expo Tuesday,
said
>no "mission-critical" computers were compromised by the Slammer attack,
>which shut down Internet service in some parts of Asia and slowed
>connections worldwide. A combination of keeping up-to-date with patches,
>keeping workers trained, and using a variety of anti-hacking strategies
kept
>the FAA's important computer systems running during the Slammer attack,
he
>added.
>
>
>But Mehan is not gloating, because he knows more cyberattacks will come.
"In
>no way do we taunt or challenge people to have another run at us," he
>quickly added. "We were quite successful in dealing with this worm, but
>there's always the next one."
>
>Focusing on Security
>
>The FAA uses several security measures to fight cyberthreats, and the
agency
>is especially focused on such attacks since the September 11, 2001,
>terrorist attacks on the United States, Mehan said in his ComNet keynote
>address. The agency isolates its Web-enabled administrative computers
from
>its mission-critical flight control machines; it uses multiple
firewalls; it
>uses intrusion-detection and several packages of antivirus software; it
>completes an internal security audit on all new software; and it
actively
>scans for vulnerabilities.
>
>"We can't promise you'll never get a cold," he said of the agency's
computer
>security. "But we have to make sure it doesn't spread to pneumonia."
>
>All those strategies are needed, he said, because he sees a progression
of
>"less and less hacker knowledge required for more and more sophisticated
>attacks."
>
>The FAA controls 35,000 commercial flights a day in the United States
and
>owns 40,000 pieces of computer equipment, Mehan said. The agency is
working
>on updating some legacy, proprietary equipment to more open,
"off-the-shelf"
>technology, he said, and since 2001, it has offered a series of employee
>meetings and computer-based training focusing on information security.
>
>"This is an effort that will never end," Mehan said of security
training.
>"You'll never do enough of it."
>
>Built-In Solutions
>
>The FAA is also working with several IT vendors to build better security
>procedures into their products, Mehan said. He's not blaming IT vendors
for
>security problems, he said, but more needs to be done to build security
into
>systems before they're sold.
>
>"We have a whole industry looking at intrusion detection, scanning,
hacking,
>et cetera, all trying to do the information security after the fact,
when a
>lot of it should've been done in the design," he said. "To their credit,
the
>industry realizes that mistakes were made to get where we are, but we
need
>to work with them."
>