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Two runway incursions this month occurring under the watch of the same developmental air traffic controller are under investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The two incidents occurred in a span of roughly three weeks. On 3 June the developmental controller under the supervision of a certified controller cleared a Southwest Boeing 737 to taxi into position on the same runway where an ExpressJet Embraer ERJ-145 was cleared for takeoff.

NTSB says the ERJ crew saw the 737 and contacted the tower controller as the two aircraft came within 500ft of each other on runway 6L.

The same developmental controller on 26 June cleared another ExpressJet ERJ-145 flight to cross runway 24L at taxiway S to depart from runway 24R.

NTSB explains 19 seconds later the controller cleared a Dash 8 Q200 turboprop operated by CommutAir for takeoff on runway 24L. Again, the ExpressJet crew saw the departing Q200 and advised the tower controller their aircraft should not cross the runway. The CommutAir aircraft rotated roughly 1,500ft from where the ExpressJet ERJ was positioned.

In February of this year NTSB determined errors by controllers were probable causes of three previous near-misses at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Fresno, California and LeHigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania.

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By John Croft
nvestigators at the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) faulted the FAA and cargo carrier ABX Air for deficiencies that led to a ground fire on board an ABX Boeing 767-200 at the San Francisco Airport late in the night of 28 June 2008.

The fire, which broke out in the supernumerary section directly behind the cockpit, began after cargo had been loaded but before pilots started the aircraft's engines for taxiing. The aircraft was substantially damaged though neither the pilot nor copilot was injured.

The probable cause of the fire, revealed by the NTSB during a final hearing on the incident this morning, was the design of the supplemental oxygen system in the supernumerary compartment installed by Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) during the conversion of the aircraft from a passenger-carrying to cargo-carrying configuration.

In particular, the supplemental oxygen hoses used to supply oxygen to masks in the supernumerary seating area were electrically conductive, and when put into contact with adjacent wiring that had contacted the oxygen lines and developed a short-circuit, caused a torch-like fire to break out from the hose and ignite nearby materials in the ceiling portion of the aircraft.

NTSB investigators simulated several ignition scenarios to determine the most likely chain of events.

The board faulted FAA for failing to require operators through an airworthiness directive (AD) to replace all oxygen hoses found to be electrically conductive, an issue first discovered by Boeing more than a decade ago. The airframer in 1999 had issued its own service bulletin (SB) to 76 operators advising them to change out certain hoses with a new version that included a plastic spacer at each end of the flexible hoses. FAA participated in the development of the SB, but considered the problem to be one of reliability, not safety, according to NTSB officials, and therefore did not release a companion AD.

ABX had been in the process of replacing its hoses, though the SB was focused only on the cockpit oxygen supplies and did not apply to the supernumerary area that IAI had installed.

To correct the problem, the NTSB has issued a recommendation to the FAA to modify its AD process to look more broadly at accessories of similar design to those identified as problematic by service bulletins.

For ABX, the NTSB faulted its in-house continuing airworthiness programme for not solving what had been recorded as a persistent problem with the incident aircraft's oxygen system for 18 months before the fire. The Board issued a recommendation that would require the cargo carrier to solve such problems earlier.

Also included were recommendations to better separate, isolate and ground oxygen and electrical lines, require smoke detectors in supernumerary areas and perform checks of passengers reading lights that during the investigation were found to be capable of generating sparks.

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By Mary Kirby

As airline passenger demand for greater bandwidth grows in the coming years, ViaSat sees Ka-band-based in-flight connectivity playing an important role in supporting these services.

"It's all about the bandwidth. You have to have the bandwidth to support high-speed [connectivity] on a cheap cost per bit and have lots of bits," says ViaSat strategy director Bill Sullivan.

ViaSat is initially focused on developing a global Ku-band mobile broadband network for airlines, the business aviation community, the maritime market and others. But while "Ku is a good first step, we think Ka is a great next step," says Sullivan.

Eutelsat will launch its Ka satellite in 2010 "and we're providing the ground segment for that with all the hooks for mobility", says Sullivan, and then in early 2011, ViaSat's own Ka satellite is expected to launch.

With this capacity, ViaSat is looking at hybrid solutions for aircraft operators that take advantage of Ku-, Ka- and L-band, where it makes sense, says Sullivan, who also acknowledges that air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity - the likes of which is offered by Aircell in North America - could also augment the offering.

"Now that Aircell has built out the system, the bandwidth is pretty cheap and it has reasonable speeds and passengers today are getting good quality service," notes Sullivan.

ViaSat is not the only firm keeping a close eye on Ka-band for in-flight connectivity.

JetBlue Airways subsidiary LiveTV remains on the fence about the role that Ku-band will play. However, it is looking at Ka-band and believes that "this network will finally deliver the cost and speed that is sustainable for a broadband service in the future", LiveTV VP of marketing and sales Mike Moeller recently told ATI and Flight Global.

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By George Larson

Opa-Locka Flightline, which claims to be the only African-American owned and operated FBO in the nation, is to be formally evicted from Opa-Locka Airport as soon as Judge Linda Singer Stein signs the judgment. The reason for the delay is unclear, but it has afforded attorney Willie Gary an opening to appeal the ruling in Miami-Dade County court.

AA Acquisitions, the county's designated leaseholder at OPF, filed the eviction notice, one of many that have resulted in the exodus of almost all the existing businesses from the airport. Some have relocated, but most have folded their tents. Flightline and owner-partner Anthony Robinson have continued to fight the closures, claiming racial discrimination and citing actions taken to force Flightline out of business.

In a press release, Tricia Hoffler, a partner at the Gary law firm, said, "This is an ongoing litigation and it will be a long, long fight."

Opa-Locka Flightline logo courtesy of Opa-Locka Flightline

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Researchers are looking forward to two more close flybys of Saturn's strange moon Enceladus by NASA's Cassini Saturn orbiter in November to resolve continuing questions about the source of spectacular water jets emerging from cracks at the moon's south pole. Separate new studies using large ground-based telescopes and an instrument on Cassini have drawn seemingly conflicting conclusions about Enceladus. Direct measurements of Saturn's outermost ring, made up of water-ice particles from the moon's jets, with Cassini's cosmic dust analyzer have found concentrations of salt that researchers believe are so high they could only have been dissolved in liquid water. Yet spectral analysis of the jets using the 10-meter Keck 1 and the 4-meter Anglo-Australian telescopes revealed almost no sodium in the water vapor, according to a team headed by the University of Colorado at Boulder. The results suggest that the jets originate not from a subsurface liquid ocean, but perhaps from smaller caverns or from ice melting in the heat of tidal friction. "These are all hypotheses, but we can't verify any one with the results so far," says Colorado's Nicholas Schneider, who led the ground-based study. The results of both studies appear in the journal Nature. Discovered in 2005 by Cassini, the jets send water vapor and ice deep into space from a series of cracks across the south pole of Enceladus. Data from the cosmic dust analyzer also turned up carbonates in them, and a slightly alkaline pH that could permit the formation of "life precursors" in liquid water with heat measured at the south pole. The plumes also have been found to contain organic compounds. "Finding salt in the plume gives evidence for liquid water below the surface," says Sascha Kempf of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, which supplied the dust analyzer. "The lack of detection of sodium vapor in the plume gives hints about what the water reservoir might look like." Cassini will fly by Enceladus twice in November as part of its two-year mission extension. On Nov. 2 it will make its deepest plunge into the plumes, passing only 99 kilometers (60 miles) over the surface for more direct measurements of the jets' composition and density. On Nov. 21 it will pass over the south pole at a distance of 1,603 kilometers to study the "Tiger Stripe" cracks where the jets emerge. Artist's concept of Cassini: NASA

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By David Kaminski-Morrow

Airbus has identified the Yemenia Airbus A310-300 which crashed as it neared the Comoros overnight as a 19-year old, Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered aircraft.

While few details are known about the circumstances of the loss, the flight crew would have faced a challenging approach to the Indian Ocean islands.

Airbus states that the accident occurred around 01:50 today. Weather conditions at the time indicate good visibility - although the approach would have been in darkness - but strong southerly winds, gusting to 35kt.

Moroni's Prince Said Ibrahim Airport is located on the western coast of Grande Comore. It has a single north-south runway, designated 02/20, which is 2,900m (9,515ft) long.

Aeronautical charts from air navigation authority ASECNA depict a VOR-DME-ILS approach to runway 02, although the wind direction suggests the A310 would have been more likely to land on runway 20.

Charts for runway 20 show a prescribed-track visual manoeuvre, an approach which commences from the south before aircraft peel off to the west, pass the airport, then perform a right-hand 180° turn for final.

Grande Comore has high terrain to the south and east of the airport and approach manoeuvring for both runway directions at Moroni is performed over the waters to the west.

The specific phase of flight and intended approach for the A310 have yet to be confirmed.

Flight IY626 had been conducting a service to Moroni from the Yemeni capital Sana'a, says the carrier, with 142 passengers and 11 crew.

Airbus says Yemenia had operated the aircraft since October 1999. It adds that the aircraft had accumulated around 51,900hr in 17,300 cycles.

It has dispatched specialists to the Comoros to assist with the inquiry, and will provide support to the French Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses as well as investigating authorities.

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By Siva Govindasamy

Taiwan's plans to buy new Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighters appear to be gaining some traction, with the outgoing de-facto US ambassador to the island saying that senior officials in Washington are likely to consider the issue shortly.

Stephen Young, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, told reporters in Taipei that senior officials from the Obama administration would study a long-standing request for 66 new F-16C/Ds worth $1.3 billion after settling into their new jobs.

"As (senior officials) get into place, they will continue to look closely at this whole question," said Young, who heads the institute that has represented US interests in Taiwan since Washington switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. The USA would help to enhance the island's security in a "nature that reflects our own national interests as well as our commitments to Taiwan", he added.

The USA is legally obligated to help Taiwan defend itself and the request for the F-16C/Ds is part of an arms package that Taipei put forward in 2001. But the issue is contentious because China has regarded the island as a renegade province since their split in 1949, and threatened to attack if Taiwan declares independence.

Young added that the USA does "not consult with Beijing on our security cooperation or our arms decisions involving Taiwan". China, however, opposes all arms sales to Taipei, and last year said that they "grossly interfered in China's internal affairs (and) endangered Chinese national security". The USA has been treading carefully as it wants to avoid rocky relations with an important strategic and economic partner.

Taiwan's defence minister Chen Chao Min said this week that, contrary to media reports, Washington had not asked Taipei to choose between upgrades to its existing F-16A/Bs and new F-16C/Ds. Requests for mid-life upgrades for the F-16A/Bs and the new fighters are proceeding in tandem, he added.

The island's air force is also waiting for the government to fund an upgrade programme for its indigenous Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC) F-CK-1A/B fighters. Apart from the F-16s, the service also has a fleet of ageing Dassault Mirage 2000-5s.

The USA said in March that Lockheed would refurbish 12 surplus P-3C maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft for Taiwan as part of the 2001 deal. The aircraft will be fitted with new avionics and life-extension kits, with the first P-3C scheduled for delivery in 2012 and the rest by 2015. The $1.3 billion contract includes support, maintenance, spares and other services.

Last year, it also said that it would sell 30 Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters worth $2.5 billion, upgrade packages for Taipei's four Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye airborne warning and control system aircraft, and badly needed spares for the island's F-16A/Bs and Northrop F-5 fighters.

Taipei is also hopeful that the Obama administration would give it the nod to buy 60 Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters by end-2009.

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By Siva Govindasamy

Thailand's air force will delay the retirement of its Northrop F-5 fleet after confirming that a plan to buy additional Saab Gripen fighters is off the table indefinitely.

Bangkok signed a deal with the Swedish company in 2008 and planned a follow-up order in 2010, with each contract including six Gripen fighters and one Saab 340-based airborne early warning aircraft.

However, the second deal is on hold after the Thai government cut its defence budget for the current fiscal year to 151 billion baht ($4.43 billion) from 171 billion baht. The military has taken the biggest hit as the country finds ways to fund an economic stimulus package.

As a result, the Royal Thai Air Force's older F-5E/Fs, which have been operational for several decades, will continue to be in service until the middle of the next decade, say industry sources. These will operate together with the first six Gripens until the country goes ahead with a follow-up order, they add.

"The air force had wanted to retire the older F-5s in 2013, when it planned to have an operational squadron of 12 Gripens. But now, they will continue to operate the F-5s as there is still no indication on when the budget for the Gripens will be back on the table. There is also no news on whether it needs to upgrade the F-5s, but that may be necessary at some point," says one source.

Apart from the older F-5s, which are believed to number around 12, the service also has around 15 F-5T Tigers that were upgraded by Israel's Elbit earlier this decade and 60 upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs in its inventory.

Saab has begun manufacturing the Thai Gripens and Bangkok hopes to induct its first three aircraft by end-2010 and put them into service by January 2011. The remaining three should be in service by April 2011, says the air force. The service has chosen 10 pilots to train in Sweden, and investing 700 million baht to build new hangars and other facilities for the aircraft.

Thailand's armed forces also have requirements for new search and rescue, utility, and attack helicopters. However, these procurements have also been postponed due to the budget cuts. Earlier this year, the air force ordered a third Embraer ERJ-135 regional jet for VIP transport and medical evacuation missions.

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By Robert Wall

Accident investigators, medical and rescue personnel have been dispatched to aid in the aftermath of the crash of Yemenia Airways Flight IY626, which went down on approach to Moroni Airport at 1:51 a.m. local, Comoros Islands time, today.

The Airbus A310-300 (registered 70—ADJ) left Sana’a in Yemen with 142 passengers and 11 crew onboard, the airline says. The aircraft crashed into the sea during approach. Yemeni officials suggest strong winds at the time of the attempted landing. Local reports indicate at least one child may have survived.

The French accident investigation agency, BEA, says it is sending a team to the crash site along with Airbus representatives. The French government says 66 of its nationals were on the flight. The country’s transport minister, Dominique Bussereau, also says the mishap aircraft, in 2007, had drawn critical scrutiny from the French civil aviation agency, the DGAC, and that Yemenia was being looked at by European authorities about potential inclusion on a black-list of carriers banned from operating in the Euroepan Union region.

Airbus says the aircraft, MSN535, rolled off its Toulouse assembly line in 1990 and has been in service with Yemenia since 1999. The aircraft had logged around 51,900 flight hours and 17,300 flights. It was powered by Pratt Whitney PW4152 turbofans.

The crashed aircraft is one of four A310s Yemenia operates and one of two the carrier acquired used. Yemenia also operates two A330-200s and has placed an order with Airbus for 10 A350-800s. The airline says it also operates four Boeing 737-800s.

The crash would be the first fatal accident for Yemenia, although a predecessor, Yemen Airlines, suffered a few accidents, the last in 1971, according to the Aviation Safety Network. It is the ninth hull loss for an A310. The deadliest accident was the Jan. 30, 2000, crash of a Kenya Airways flight in which 169 died.

The A310-300 has been in service since May 2009 and is operated by 41 airlines. The combined fleet time has reached 11.7 million flight hours, Airbus says.

Two French ships and a C-160 Transall from nearby Reunion have been mobilized to bring personnel and equipment to the crash site and aid the recovery operations, the French government says. The personnel include medical support and divers.

Photo: Wikipedia

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By Andrew Compart

Denver-based Frontier and Milwaukee-based Midwest plan to begin code sharing in late summer, which could be a prelude to even closer cooperation between the carriers if Republic Airways Holdings consummates its deals to acquire them both.

Frontier and Midwest said their deal also will include frequent flyer program reciprocity.

Separately, in an interview at a conference in Miami for low-cost carriers from North, Central and South America, Republic’s VP Market Planning Jeff Jones squashed the notion that Republic’s deals to acquire both Frontier and Midwest are part of some grand plan.

“The plan was to diversify in a way that not all of our eggs are in the fixed-fee basket,” Jones said. Buying an established brand to do that, he said, is “far better than starting from scratch.” He called the timing of the deals “coincidental.”

But Jones also said Republic would try to take advantage of owning both carriers — not just with their complementary networks — but also by combining back office functions where possible. That could include functions such as accounting, purchasing, marketing, sales and reservations, he added.

Jones also squashed the notion of any flying under Republic’s own brand. And he insisted that Republic’s fixed-fee flying partners, such as United and Delta, are not balking at the prospect of Republic owning airlines that compete against them. In any case, he said, nothing in the Republic regional subsidiary contracts with those carriers would let them terminate the contracts on that basis.

This all assumes both of those deals go through. The Frontier deal still is subject to a bankruptcy court-supervised auction process that could result in a higher bidder, and the Midwest deal is subject to regulatory approvals.

Photo: Airbus

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By Michael Fabey

With its star battlefield aircraft — the MV-22 Osprey — under fire in Washington for cost and performance issues, the U.S. Marine Corps counterattacked June 29 with an announcement that highlights the versatility of the tiltrotor.

The Marines said they used two MV-22B Ospreys for a ship-to-shore emergency medical evacuation (medevac) of a sailor, marking the first time the aircraft had been used to conduct such a mission from the sea.

While the Ospreys were deployed and touted for their abilities to move Marines safely and quickly into combat zones, rescue missions figure strongly in the aircraft’s development heritage.

The Ospreys were designed with combat, search and rescue (CSAR) missions in mind, and the tiltrotor was considered a frontrunner early on in the U.S. Air Force’s now-canceled CSAR-X replacement fleet competition.

Osprey cost considerations ultimately ruled the aircraft out of the competition. But now that the Pentagon has ordered a review of the whole CSAR mission mindset and requirements, the Osprey appears to be back in the running for the job, and has plenty of supporters for the role among current and former Pentagon acquisition officials.

When the Pentagon canceled the Air Force CSAR-X acquisition, analysts predicted other services would try to grab the mission for their aircraft, including the Marines, who had tried earlier to wrest CSAR work from the Air Force for its Osprey fleet.

Now that the Osprey is again the target of certain lawmakers, analysts say, Marines will be looking for whatever advantage they can get to keep their aircraft (Aerospace DAILY, June 24, June 29).

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the Osprey program it’s this — Don’t bet against the Marines,” said Richard Aboulafia, vice president of the Teal Group. “They even beat Dick Cheney on this one.” Cheney made several failed attempts to kill the program while serving as defense secretary in the George H.W. Bush administration.

Aboulafia noted that at-sea medevac missions are not the same as CSAR, per se, but they are cousins. It’s that kind of versatility that’s going to make the Osprey even harder to bring down. In the medevac mission, the two Ospreys were returning to the USS Bataan LHD 5 ship June 25 after a routine mission when the pilots were notified of an emergency situation. The aircraft were ordered to return to the ship at maximum speed.

A sailor had sustained head, hip and chest injuries after falling. After landing aboard Bataan, the patient and a team of medical personnel were brought aboard the aircraft and lifted off from Bataan’s flight deck. The aircraft traveled 147 nautical miles in 37 minutes to a regional airport, where an ambulance was used to transfer the sailor to a hospital for further treatment.

Maj. Brett Hart, an assistant operations officer and one of the Osprey pilots — who has had experience in conducting medevacs in other aircraft like the CH-46E Sea Knight — said the biggest difference with using the Osprey was its rapid speed. “By virtue of having this aircraft, we were able to do it much faster and farther,” he said.

Photo: US Navy

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By Darren Shannon

The U.S. Justice Dept.’s private scorn of Star Alliance’s attempt to expand its antitrust immunity has gone public with the issue of a filing late June 26 that questioned the validity of many of the alliance’s arguments, warns of significant fare increases, and seeks to impose stringent limitations on proposed collaboration in Latin America and the Pacific .

Justice also dismissed Star’s claims that it needs Continental Airlines’ inclusion in its current immunization to compete with the Delta and Air France-anchored SkyTeam alliance, and pointedly noted that approval of Star’s application could dramatically affect competition both at home and on cross-border services to Canada.

Star last year asked DOT to add Continental to its current immunization and approval to form a stronger joint venture between Air Canada, Lufthansa, United and Continental. This plan, with a few adaptations, was tentatively approved in April by the U.S. Transportation Dept.

Despite the seemingly painless approval, it soon became clear that there was intra-departmental discord between DOT and Justice. Details of this disagreement began to surface in early May when DOT failed to issue a final approval as expected, and just two weeks ago U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in a Senate hearing said his department wanted greater input on the deal. The new head of DOJ’s antitrust unit, Christine Varney, in her first speech as assistant attorney general said she would oversee the “vigorous” enforcement on antitrust law.

Now it appears DOJ wants more than input; it is calling for a wholesale revision of Star’s application.

The foremost concern for Justice is Star’s request for global immunization for its joint venture, notably for partnerships in Asia and Latin America. This “unprecedented” request, according to DOJ, contradicts U.S. government policy and must therefore be dismissed. “Granting immunity for Continental to coordinate with Star ATI Alliance members on U.S. to Latin American or Pacific routes is not likely to result in further liberalization discussions between the U.S. and countries with which we have not yet negotiated open skies, such as China or Brazil,” said Justice in its filing.

“Therefore, an expansion of immunity offers no open skies benefits for U.S. consumers.”

DOJ also noted that the alliance’s international request was made “despite the lack of any concrete plans” and that the one example of international collaboration – the consolidation of Star facilities at Beijing and Tokyo airports – requires no immunization or membership in Star’sjoint venture.

Justice also noted the dominance of Continental and United on U.S.-China routes, although the department does not mention that other U.S. carriers have postponed their own Chinese services and that Delta can operate flights to China from its hub in Tokyo.

Star’s potential dominance on key transatlantic hubs also worries Justice. In its attack, the department said Transportation’s decision to revoke controls on key United and Lufthansa routes would eliminate competition on flights from Chicago and Washington, D.C., to Frankfurt, while the introduction of Continental to Star’s ATI would increase fares from New York to Copenhagen, Geneva, Lisbon, Stockholm and Zurich.

Competition on services between the U.S. and Canadian could also suffer, while the potential for the U.S. domestic market to be adversely affected by the combined strength on Continental and United – theoretically the largest carrier in the world – calls for only one solution, according to Justice: absolutely no inclusion in the antitrust immunization.

Justice also warns that fares will increase by 6.6% to 15% on key routes if DOT ignores this advice.

Star’s application – which forms part of a broader plan to introduce Continental to the alliance in late October – is also criticized by Justice for failing to provide a compelling argument to expand its current immunization, which includes nine members. “The applicants present no evidence…that customers will receive quantitatively or qualitatively different service if Continental receives antitrust immunity to coordinate with the Star ATI members compared to what would be provided if Continental merely interacted with the level of cooperation expected of any member of the broader, non-immunized Star Alliance,” said DOJ.

But this was just the beginning of DOJ’s attack. “The applicants do not describe which specific “important” consumer benefits will be lost if DOT does not grant the requested immunity. Nor do the applicants make any attempt to quantify how much smaller the benefits enuring to the traveling public would be if Continental merely engaged with the Star ATI members, without antitrust immunity, in such standard alliance cooperation practices as code sharing, through-ticketing, frequent flyer reciprocity and lounge sharing - in short, the type of interaction Continental currently has with immunized SkyTeam members, or that US Airways has with the Star ATI members, including United,” added Justice.

The department also questioned Star’s assertion that it must achieve parity with the antitrust immunization granted to SkyTeam’s Delta and Air France-KLM (and the former Northwest Airlines). “[A]chieving balance in the market success of differing alliances is not a legitimate goal of sound competition policy,” noted DOJ, adding, “Alliances should compete against each other, and the market should determine the outcome of that competition.”

Photo: Star Alliance

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By Robert Wall
PARIS

The Iraqi air force has accepted back into service the first upgraded Mi-17 helicopters after the completed an upgrade program to modernize the missile warning and internal communications subsystems.

The Mi-17s currently are the backbone of the Iraqi air force’s rotorcraft force.

One of the problems with the old internal communications system has been that it could not handle multiple voices, so coordinating among crew members during critical phases of operations, including landing, was effectively not possible. The enhancement aims to cure that shortfall.

Also, the Mi-17s are being fitted with the EADS-built AAR-60 missile warning system. Besides the improved sensor, the aircraft’s also getting better ability to deploy countermeasures automatically, thus reducing response time. The countermeasures system dispenses M206 flares.

“The new ICS system will improve greatly coordination inside the aircraft between pilots and the rest of the crew, while the improved flare system will protect the aircraft against enemy threats,” Iraqi air force Lt. Col. Jasem Mohammed says in an announcement about the completion of the first helicopter. Mohammed is instructor pilot at the 15th squadron, which supports Iraqi special operations forces.

The upgrade is being performed in Jordan at Marka International Airport under a $14 million contract that will last about a year and lead to the upgrade of 10 rotorcraft, says the U.S.-led Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq. Arinc, through which the helicopters were acquired by the Iraqi military, is involved in the program.

U.S. Army officials have defended the Arinc sale, which ran a year behind schedule and over-budget, arguing that the urgency of the requirement and the uniqueness of buying Russian equipment necessitated going with Arinc as a sole source. Arinc, despite its lack of experience buying Mi-17s, was selected as the contractor because the company was already in Iraq performing maintenance work on the nascent Iraqi air force’s skeleton fleet, which included older Mi-17s and Bell helicopters, Aviation Week’s Defense Technology International reported in its June edition.

Photo: USAF

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Toronto airline reaches 20 firm orders for Bombardier Q400 aircraft

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Porter Airlines of Toronto has placed a firm order for two Q400 NextGen turboprop airliners. The transaction represents the conversion of the last two options of 10 Q400 aircraft which were announced in 2006. Add the airline’s original firm order for 10 Q400 aircraft, and today’s transaction brings to 20 the number of firm orders placed by Porter.

Based on the list price for the Q400 aircraft, the order announced today is valued at approximately $54 million US.

Porter Airlines began operations from Toronto City Centre Airport on October 23, 2006, serving Ottawa with 10 daily flights. It has since added Montreal, Halifax, Quebec City, New York/Newark, Chicago/Midway and Thunder Bay to its route network, as well as a seasonal service to Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Porter just announced a new service to Boston beginning Sept. 14, and additional frequencies to Montreal and Ottawa.

“We felt from day one that the Bombardier Q400 turboprop was the ideal aircraft for the kind of service we envisaged from our Toronto City Centre Airport base of operations,” said Robert Deluce, President and Chief Executive Officer, Porter Airlines. “The order for two Q400 NextGen aircraft announced today represents our continuing commitment to the aircraft.”

“Porter Airlines’ use of the Q400 aircraft precisely matches the operations for which it was designed,” said Gary R. Scott, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “It has the operating economics, speed and passenger comfort for high-frequency, short- to medium-haul inter-city operations.”

The order announced today increases firm orders for Q400/Q400 NextGen aircraft to 357 aircraft, with 245 delivered as of April 30, 2009.

About Bombardier
A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2009, were $19.7 billion US, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). Bombardier is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. News and information are available at www.bombardier.com.

Bombardier, NextGen and Q400 are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

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ARLINGTON, Va., June 29, 2009 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that it will provide systems engineering expertise and data distribution tools for the integrated ground system of the GOES-R series of weather satellites, under a contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Boeing is part of Harris Corporation's prime contractor team for the ground system, which will operate the GOES-R and -S satellites on orbit, as well as generate and distribute weather and scientific data. The data will be used by weather forecasters and scientists to analyze changing climate conditions and predict dangerous storms. Boeing's subcontract is valued at $55 million.

"Boeing is pleased to be part of the Harris team," said Sparky Olsen, director of Mission Operations for Boeing Intelligence and Security Systems. "This new contract enhances our ongoing partnership with Harris, as well as our long-standing relationship with NOAA."

Boeing is the prime contractor for the GOES N-P satellite series, which consists of three weather and environmental imaging spacecraft and their supporting ground command and control elements. The GOES-N satellite, now known as GOES-13, was launched on May 24, 2006, and began operating in a back-up mode in December 2006. GOES-O was launched on June 27, and GOES-P is expected to launch in 2010.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

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Media Information on Yemenia (Yemen Airways) Flight IY626 (Issue I)

30 June 2009 Airbus regrets to confirm that an A310-300 operated by Yemenia (Yemen Airways) was involved in an accident shortly after 01.50 (local time) near the Comoro Islands. The aircraft was operating a scheduled service, flight number IY626, from Sana’a (Yemen) to Moroni (Comoro Islands). The aircraft involved in the accident, registered under the number 70-ADJ was MSN (Manufacturer Serial Number) 535. It was first delivered from the production line in 1990 and has been operated by Yemenia since October 1999. The aircraft had accumulated approximately 51,900 flight hours in some 17,300 flights. It was powered by Pratt and Whitney engines PW4152. At this time no further factual information is available. In line with the ICAO Annex 13 international convention, Airbus will provide full technical assistance to the French BEA as well as to the authorities who will be responsible for the accident investigation. A team of specialists from Airbus is being dispatched to the Comoro Islands. The A310-300 is a twin engine widebody seating 220 passengers in a standard two class configuration. The first A310-300 entered service in December 1985. By the end of May 2009, 214 A310s were in service with 41 operators. To date, the entire fleet has accumulated some 11.7 million flight hours in some 4.5 million flights. The concerns and sympathy of the Airbus employees go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident of Flight IY626.

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A Yemenia Airbus A310-300 with 153 people on board, including 66 French nationals, crashed into the sea as it approached the Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros in bad weather early on Tuesday, officials said.

Some bodies were recovered from the wreck of the Yemenia plane, said Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Qader, undersecretary of Yemen's aviation authority. The airline said one survivor had been rescued from the sea.

The Paris airports authority said 66 French nationals were aboard the plane, which was flying the final leg of a flight taking passengers from Paris and Marseille to Comoros via Yemen. A large number of Comoros nationals were also on board.

Two French military planes and a French ship left the Indian Ocean islands of Mayotte and Reunion to search for the plane.

"The planes have seen debris at the supposed point of impact," Ibrahim Kassim, an official at the regional air security body ASECNA, said.

It is the second Airbus to plunge into the sea this month, following an Air France Airbus A330-200 that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean killing 228 people on board on June 1. A preliminary report on that crash is due on Thursday.

The Paris-Marseille-Yemen leg of the Yemenia flight was flown by an Airbus A330. In Sanaa, those passengers who were flying on to the Comoros changed onto a second Yemenia plane, the A310 that crashed.

FAULTS DETECTED

French Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau said faults had been detected during inspections in France in 2007 on the Yemenia A310, and that it had not flown to France since.

"The A310 in question was inspected in 2007 by the DGAC (French transport authorities) and they noticed a certain number of faults," he told the I-tele television channel.

"The company was not on the black list but was subject to stricter checks on our part, and was due to be interviewed shortly by the European Union's safety committee."

French television showed pictures of friends and relatives of the passengers weeping at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport, many of them railing at the airline.

Airbus said it was dispatching a team of investigators to the Comoros. It said the aircraft was built in 1990 and had been used by Yemenia since 1999. Its engines were built by Pratt & Whitney.

"We still do not have information about the reason behind the crash, or survivors," Mohammad al-Sumairi, deputy general manager for Yemenia operations said.

A Yemenia official said there were 142 passengers including three infants, and 11 crew. The plane was flying to Moroni, capital of Grande Comore, the main island of the archipelago.

"The weather conditions were rough; strong wind and high seas. The wind speed recorded on land at the airport was 61 kph (38 mph). There could be other factors," Sumairi said.

"We think the crash is somewhere along its landing approach," said Kassim from ASECNA. "The weather is really not very favorable. The sea is very rough."

ASECNA -- the Agency for Aviation Security and Navigation in Africa and Madagascar -- covers Francophone Africa.

FRENCH HELP

The French military said it had sent military and civilian medical teams, boats and divers to the crash site aboard the plane from Reunion. Comoros authorities sent small speedboats to the area.

France and the Comoros have enjoyed close ties since the islands' independence in 1975. France estimates 200,000 people from Comoros live in mainland France, and remittances from France are an important part of the islands' economy.

A United Nations official at Moroni airport, who declined to be named, said the control tower had received notification the plane was coming in to land, and then lost contact with it.

Yemenia is 51 percent owned by Yemen and 49 percent by Saudi Arabia. Its fleet includes two Airbus A330-200s, four Airbus A310-300s and four Boeing 737-800s.

The Comoros comprises three small volcanic islands, Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli, in the Mozambique channel, 300 km (190 miles) northwest of Madagascar and a similar distance east of the African mainland.

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