30 septembre 2008
Airprox au plus haut niveau de l'Etat
L'information va forcément se retrouver partout sur internet ... avec son cortège d'absurdité ... si seulement cela pouvait avoir un impact sur les violations de la classe A en RP !
Mais ce qui m'amuse c'est la photo associée à l'article ... ce n'est pas un F900 de l'ETEC qui est proposé ... regardez bien l'indicatif vous trouverez le propriétaire facilement ;-)
Abus de pouvoir à la FAA
Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration twice shut down the critical runway safety radar system at Boston Logan International Airport known as AMASS (Airport Movement Area Safety System) on orders from high-level FAA management to investigate a routine, safe go-around event involving an arriving AirTran flight that had on board Ventris Gibson, the FAA’s assistant administrator for human resources management.
Apparently upset at having her flight’s landing interrupted, Gibson attempted to blame a controller for the incident.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 10 p.m. EDT. A US Airways flight landed but was slow in exiting the runway because it had to roll to the end of the runway due to a taxiway closeure. The AirTran was on a short final approach. The delay by US Airways forced controllers to issue a go-around instruction to AirTran to prevent an unsafe landing. There are an estimated 900 go-arounds at Logan each year. Most, like this one, are routine and safe.
But Gibson ordered an investigation. So the next day, FAA headquarters in Washington requested a replay of the event on the AMASS radar system. In order to view the replay, the entire system has to be brought off line. The system was down for approximately two hours during the busy afternoon rush. Local FAA management found no irregularities with the go-around and no loss of separation between the aircraft.
But that wasn’t good enough for Gibson. The FAA sent Director of Runway Safety Wes Timmons to the tower the next day, Sept. 4. He wanted to see a replay of the event on the AMASS radar system so they shut down the AMASS a second time during the morning of Sept. 4. Again, nothing improper was found. The controller was not accused of any wrongdoing.
Petite sieste grecque ?
Two airplanes due to land on the Greek island of Lesbos had to circle above the Aegean sea for more than half an hour because an air traffic controller overslept.
An Olympic Airlines outbound from LGAV, and a Slovakian Airlines unsuccessfully try to reach the control tower.
"They were calling the tower to get directions, but no one would answer," a police official, "The woman later said she overslept."
An airport's secondary control service assisted the pilots to land after they had circled for 40 minutes. The controller, who was not named, would be suspended for a few days.
28 septembre 2008
Saving Oil ...
La photo insolite est dans toutes les revues de presse aéronautique ... on se rend pas bien compte de la conso au roulage mais c'est énorme !
27 septembre 2008
Fusionman a traversé la Manche
Yves Rossy dont nous avions parlé ici a réussi son pari en traversant la Manche avec son aile équipée de réacteurs.
Départ de LFAC
Arrivée près d'un phare de l'autre coté du channel
Voir la vidéo de National Geographics
26 septembre 2008
Flight Plan Processing System glitch in London ...
Hier, le système de traitement des plans de vol est tombé en rade au LACC ... la réduction des capacités qui en a suivi afin de passer les vols "à la main" - entendre par téléphone- a entrainé une bonne pelleté de délais.
"NATS said engineers were called in to investigate the cause of the computer fault at the LACC. Restrictions on take-offs and landings had been introduced to ensure passenger safety while controllers operated manual systems at reduced capacity. Air traffic controllers could still see where planes were, but were finding it difficult to identify them."
25 septembre 2008
Une partie de l'Afrique passe à la RVSM ...
En juin 2003, à sa 14ème réunion tenue à Yaoundé au Cameroun, le Groupe de planification et de mise en œuvre en Région Afrique et Océan Indien (APIRG) donnait dans sa conclusion 14/21, des indications précises sur les procédures de mise en œuvre du RVSM dans la Région AFI. Ladite conclusion stipulait que : « Les États fassent tout leur possible pour mettre en œuvre le RVSM dans les espaces aériens sélectionnés, comme prévu à la date du cycle AIRAC du 20 janvier 2005 concomitamment avec la Région CAR/SAM ».
En février 2004, il a été demandé à l’ASECNA de proposer à la Région AFI d’une part un Manuel ATC RVSM, et d’autre part un plan de formation RVSM des contrôleurs de la circulation aérienne. Les deux documents ont été adoptés par la Région AFI et mis à la disposition des Etats de la Région.
De report en report, la 14ème réunion de l’équipe de travail, tenue à Nairobi du 26 au 28 mai 2008, a adopté la date effective du 25 septembre 2008 pour la mise en œuvre globale du RVSM dans la Région AFI entre les FL290 et FL410 inclus.
24 septembre 2008
Au revoir Jéjé ...
23 septembre 2008
Un nouvel aéroport "londonien" ?
Ce qui suit peut paraître soit du délire soit relever de la promesse électorale qui n'engagera que ceux qui la croiront, les faits sont néanmoins relatés par le Sunday Times:
"How could Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson make his mark and create a genuinely better life for future generations? One neat solution is to end the misery of Heathrow, both for passengers and for the residents unfortunate enough to live under its flight path. Mr Johnson has a plan to do that and the London mayor and his team are working on the details. The scheme, which draws its inspiration from Hong Kong, would feature a Thames estuary airport, built on an artificial island off Sheppey with four (and potentially six) runways.
Cliquer sur l'image pour agrandir
Critics may scoff at the idea, regarding Sheppey as about as close to the centre of London as one of Ryanair’s destinations. But Mr Johnson’s team have an answer to that, too. Fast trains would whisk passengers there in 35 minutes. The airport would be integrated with Europe’s high-speed rail network so travellers for continental Europe could hop on a train and head through the Channel tunnel. Heathrow would be turned into Britain’s Silicon Valley, a home for high technology firms.
Cliquer sur l'image pour agrandir
This newspaper has campaigned for a new airport in the Thames estuary rather
than squeezing more into overcrowded Heathrow. Mr Johnson is to be commended
for thinking big and outside the box. It is increasingly evident that
Heathrow is in the wrong place and will never adequately meet the demands of
future air travel. Only a new airport which can operate for 24 hour."
Un projet à la Kansai donc mais en visiblement dexu ou trois fois plus grand ... avec une localisation qui pourrait bien avoir un impact sur le réseau de route ... Maastricht n'a pas fini d'avoir des soucis avec les départs ... et nous avec les arrivées ?
19 septembre 2008
Communiqué ATCEUC sur le SES II
Air Traffic Controllers ignored again!
ATCEUC is revolted by the attitude of the European Commission (EC). After a good start, and what looked like a useful preliminary meeting, the majority of European controllers who are represented by ATCEUC, to whom the EC did not even find useful to send its communication, have been completely excluded from any official consultation to the SES II.
Intolerable!
This communication is so far from what we expected after the coordination meeting held in April that we have to comment on some unacceptable statements of this document.
Performance at all costs
The introduction of a performance regulation as envisaged by the regulation will be detrimental to safety. The HLG recommended incentives to drive performance, deliberately omitting penalties. A system setting incentives and penalties to drive performance and to stick to the optimal trajectory will lead to a race for results rather than for safety. Economic incentives in ATM are dangerous. If considered at all they must be global, and cover safety issues as well.
Flexible Management of resource? Politicians' language for Social Dumping
The "more flexible management of resources" in this communication tends to promote a social dumping that cannot be accepted. We will not accept decisions based on dubious justification just to serve political interests or other lobbies connected with the airline industry. Therefore, any reallocation or flexibility of resources that might be envisaged for the future will only come true if all social aspects are fully considered.
Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs): the key players, disliked and side-lined!
ATCEUC is disgusted by the tone employed in this communication to describe what is presented as shortcomings in their professional activity: ATCOs do not keep aircraft on their tracks for pleasure; much to the contrary, every day, all over Europe, controllers do their best to safely shorten the routes of the traffic they control. It is part of their job. In the foreseeable future, this might be enhanced by new route structures through the real implementation of Functional Airspace Blocks (FAB) developed in cooperation with operational staff, but also by a strong will from the military side to cooperate and really increase the flexible use of airspace. Procedural harmonization and system interoperability will be among the key words to reach a less fragmented sky.
Ignorance and despise
During the last five years, ATCOs have dramatically increased their efficiency, productivity and reduced their cost. They stayed well in line with the requirements set by the first package of SES while, at the same time, maintaining the highest level of safety. According to the PRR 2007 figures, since 2002 all the states have fulfilled the requested cost decrease of 2% per year, achieving 2.6% in 2006, while safety levels (when measured) increased in every field. In parallel ATCEUC has worked to ensure that a large number of ATCOs get involved in the work towards a more efficient system through the different FAB initiatives. The current Commission communication comes as a cruel reminder that no matter our efforts, the EC is neither prone to recognising them nor to encourage them. Much to the contrary: the more we give, the more the EC will try to squeeze out of us.
Central Flow Management Unit: Independence at all cost
The independence of the CFMU must be protected and guaranteed, as it will also be the insurance for a just and efficient system. To turn it into a part of a profit-generating system will jeopardise its role as a safety-critical balancing tool.
Delays? ANSPs are not the biggest contributors
Most of the capacity problems and delays highlighted in this communication are not attributable to ATC. Runway capacity is totally independent from ATC performance and again, we have to remind that the delays caused by the inefficiencies of airlines in operations, boarding and scheduling are generating around 80% of the total amount of delays. Figures that the EC should consider as well, although those figures are usually publicised by lobbyists.
ATCOs: they have done their homework
ATCOs have managed to reduce delays by 2.8 % while traffic grew in the same time (2002-2007) by nearly 23% thanks to a strong personal involvement and the capability to adapt to new situations, thanks to systems assisting them in their routing tasks, and hardly as suggested by opening new sectors.
ATM Master Plan as a performance driver
The trajectory concept at the heart of the ATM master plan is extremely ambitious. Some would even say unrealistic. Yet, it is supposed to help us increase our performance. ATCEUC would like to stress that performance targets can only be met with operational tools, not with sweet dreams.
Price capping as the ultimate solution
Simple and pure promotion of price capping will not enhance cost-effectiveness. The reasons why this is constantly presented as the miracle solution is unclear to ATCEUC. But our members are probably too operations-minded to understand. Looking at the costs of the only provider under theses rules (NATS), one can easily see that they are higher than elsewhere when productivity is not (PRR 2007). But maybe airspace users prefer a structure that generates profits from the charges they pay.
The American Dream?
Once again the comparison with the US system is used to give weight to arguments even if it has been proved in the past that in many areas of high-density traffic (core area of Europe) this comparison was not valid and that the US figures were approaching the EU ones or at times higher...
Back to reality
ATCEUC is very disappointed by the outcome of this second package so far, and we urge the commission to get back on the optimum trajectory of real and comprehensive consultation to avoid any back-firing from its over 12.000 controllers running this "ever so inefficient" system.
