FAA Forms inspection teams to scan data from the affected Aircraft,

 I will be going out of town for a week so I will be "out of pocket" as they say, and I won't be able to check anything until Monday.  The spousal Unit and I are going on a cruise and it will be warmer than it is here,,,so I am excited :)

Credit: Alaska Airlines

Data from 40 Boeing 737-9 door plug assembly inspections conducted by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines is in the hands of an FAA team of subject-matter experts tasked with determining whether the work is sufficient to clear grounded aircraft for revenue service.

The 40 checks, done in recent days based on a preliminary set of Boeing instructions, will be reviewed by FAA experts with specific knowledge of the plug door, its potential hazards, and broader maintenance practices, sources with knowledge of the process told Aviation Week.

Neither the FAA nor Boeing will discuss the process or speculate on how long the inspection review will take.

Alaska and United have 65 and 79 door plug-equipped 737-9s on the ground following a Jan. 5 inflight loss of a plug from an Alaska 737-9. Alaska pulled its aircraft immediately after the occurrence, while the FAA ordered the affected fleet grounded via a Jan. 6 emergency airworthiness directive (AD).

Complying with the AD’s order to inspect and correct any issues requires FAA-approved instructions from Boeing. The 40 checks are FAA’s first step in a deliberate process to determine what operators must do to ensure affected 737-9s are safe.

The NTSB is investigating the Jan. 5 occurrence onboard Alaska Flight 1282 in which the left-side mid cabin exit door plug tore free as the 737-9 was climbing out of Portland, Oregon. The crew immediately declared an emergency and returned to Portland. None of the 176 occupants reported serious injuries.

The plug’s separation caused an immediate depressurization of the cabin and significant damage to interior parts, such as seats and seat frames, the NTSB said. No structural damage was reported.

Investigators have not officially linked the Alaska occurrence to problems subsequently found on other aircraft, including loose hardware, during preliminary post-grounding inspections. But statements by the FAA and Boeing suggest supply chain missteps linked to preliminary inspection findings, including non-conforming work at fuselage manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems and gaps in Boeing’s quality assurance process, likely contributed to Flight 1282’s emergency.

The FAA’s review will cover immediate actions needed to ensure the plug assemblies—which cover exit door gaps cut into every 737-9 fuselage that are not needed for lower-capacity seating configurations—meet Boeing’s approved design standards. The agency is also expected to review the door plug design to determine if any changes are needed to mitigate risks spotlighted by Flight 1282.

Broader reviews of 737-9 production and Boeing’s supply chain oversight are also underway. Boeing said it is working to identify any problems linked to the door plug issue or other production quality shortcomings.

"Time to nominate an FAA Administrator"

 I got this article off my 3rd party news at work.  The last time the Biden administration nominated  was basically a "Diversity Hire"  he was selected purely because he checked off certain boxes that are popular with the democrats and when he went before the senate for confirmation, he was clueless

I don't care who you are, as long as you are competent, and the administrator sets the tone for the agency.

Credit: Elijah Nouvelage/AFP/Getty Images

Every flight in the U.S., whether of a FedEx cargo aircraft or an American Airlines passenger airliner, requires a network of experts to load, taxi, take off, navigate and land safely. Every link in the chain must perform its duty skillfully for safe and efficient air travel.

America has excelled at this process for a century, resulting in the U.S. aviation industry comprising 5% of the country’s GDP and sustaining more than 2 million jobs. Aviation is a valuable sector of our economy, and the entire industry rests on the authority of the FAA to set the rules and policies that govern the skies.

The FAA is responsible for the safety of travelers and is vital to our nation’s economy, which is why it is deeply concerning that the agency has not had a permanent, Senate-approved leader—the FAA administrator—for more than 450 days. This vacancy is having a ripple effect not just in aviation but across multiple sectors and industries.

The FAA stands at an important juncture as it navigates an evolving environment. Demand for air travel has returned at an unprecedented pace following the COVID-19 pandemic, and new and evolving aircraft are rapidly being introduced into our National Airspace System. Severe and sometimes chaotic and dangerous disruptions continue to face Americans attempting to fly during holidays. A record number of air travelers and consumers dealt with thousands of canceled flights and tens of thousands of flight delays nationwide over this Fourth of July long weekend. We have also seen near collisions on the runway and emergency landings. To meet these current challenges, the FAA requires modernization and good leadership throughout the agency.

The current FAA Reauthorization Act is set to expire this fall. I have worked with my colleagues to write the legislation to reauthorize the FAA while also using my position on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on transportation, housing and urban development and related agencies to provide the FAA with the right resources. We must conduct proper oversight of the FAA and provide the agency with the tools it needs to evolve and excel.

However, even with new resources and modernized authorities, these are just words on paper without an FAA administrator. The agency is too critical to be guided by interim leaders. We need a confirmed administrator. 

The U.S. has long been a leader in aerospace by leaning into challenges and opportunities. Innovation, fostered with appropriate safety oversight by the government, can help cement the U.S. as a competitor on the global scale.

While Congress can help ensure resources, craft authorizing language and provide the FAA with most of the tools it needs to succeed, the agency must have a leader with a steady hand at the helm.

The White House must act to nominate an individual with extensive experience in transportation and aviation, an understanding of the role the FAA plays in consumer safety and knowledge of the business models by which aviation works in the U.S. and around the world.

I urge the president to put forward an experienced nominee so the FAA can reduce disruptions for air travelers, ensure the safety of our skies and guide us into the next era of aviation. 

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) is the ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s subcommittee on aviation safety, operations and innovation and sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on transportation, housing and urban development and related agencies.

The Commercial Aviation and the FAA are Focusing on Safety and doing a Safety Standown.

 I have my own ideas what the problems are and the biggie is that when Covid happened, the experienced people were forced to retire or took a package or leave on the commercial side and on the .gov side, a lot of people in the government side took retirement or were released rather than take "The VAXX".  Then when demand came back with a vengeance, the staffing wasn't there to handle it.

        I got this from me 3rd party email at work

Commercial aviation safety professionals will reexamine and refine risk-mitigation strategies as part of an FAA push to curb a troubling trend of serious incidents that suggest developing cracks in the industry’s solid safety foundation.

Industry groups kicked off the FAA-led initiative at a March 15 summit held to frame the issue and discuss possible responses. While signs of increased risk are evident across civil aviation, leaders focused on six runway incursions since Jan. 1 involving air transport aircraft as warning signs. “These events are concerning,” FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen said at the summit. “The question is, what do they mean?”

• Summit focuses on 2023 runway incursions
• Risk identification and mitigation efforts receive jump-starts
• Successful CAST program expected to play a key role

Industry will spend the next several months trying to find out. One immediate step is using existing safety programs both to flag risks and take action. The Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST)—the FAA-industry group that uses aggregated data to identify risks and develop mitigation strategies—is best positioned to deliver short-term results. But the program, the primary driver behind lowering the U.S. commercial airline fatality risk since its formation in the mid-1990s, must adapt.

“I believe that historians will look at the strides we’ve made under CAST as one of the greatest successes of the modern transportation age,” Nolen said, referring to a record that includes zero passenger fatalities in 10 of the last 12 calendar years. “But we must also ask ourselves if the CAST process is nimble enough to help us reach a goal of eliminating the rare but still concerning incidents we’ve seen recently.”

CAST participants remain confident in the program. “It has served us well over the past two decades,” Flight Safety Foundation President and CEO and CAST member Hassan Shahidi tells Aviation Week. “But moving forward, it needs to adapt to what we’re seeing.”

The March 15 event will help drive strategic discussions at subsequent CAST meetings. “We will definitely be taking the outcome of this and rolling it into the work program of CAST coming up, and seeing how CAST can find ways to start looking for solutions and mitigations,” Shahidi says.

Summit participants were reluctant to identify specific links between the incursions or several other notable events, including a December turbulence encounter near Hawaii and a pair of wrong-runway landings earlier in 2022. They agreed, however, that the industry’s strong safety record brings with it the risk of complacency. “The absence of a fatality or accident doesn’t mean the presence of safety,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at the summit.

Participants identified several steps that would eventually increase safety. They include hiring more air traffic controllers and obtaining stable, consistent funding for infrastructure. More and better training is another high-priority item.

But other issues are likely more to blame for the recent occurrences. Several participants noted as a significant disruption the unprecedented demand trends that saw most airlines stop flying in the spring of 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and then start to ramp up just a few months later. The whipsaw upset training routines and, perhaps most critically, led thousands of experienced employees, including senior pilots and other key front-line workers, to take voluntary retirement. The resulting shake-up in the ranks has created a training backlog (many experienced staff also serve as instructors) and means some new hires are being fast-tracked to roles normally held by more seasoned workers.

Some airlines also have changed how they schedule staff. At one U.S. major carrier, pilots now often have 3 hr. between flights at hubs—much longer than previously. A captain there suggested the move makes last-minute reassignments easier, giving the airline flexibility to respond to schedule interruptions.

“You’ll come into a hub city and, all of a sudden, whatever you were planning on doing, it’s probably not your plan going forward, because now they need you to go somewhere different,” the pilot tells Aviation Week. While reassignments are common, they increase the chance of distractions or unintentional errors, the captain says. “If I had known I was going to [the newly assigned airport], I would have prepped for it, as opposed to going through the manuals en route.”

While the FAA is focused mainly on short-term strategies, long-term changes are in the works. The agency plans to mandate installation on new aircraft—and possibly on the existing fleet—of cockpit voice recorders (CVR) that can capture at least 25 hr. Requiring such CVRs on large commercial aircraft would harmonize the FAA with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and International Civil Aviation Organization. It also will help fill an increasingly relevant gap in U.S. incident investigation and risk-mitigation strategies. Current FAA standards require 2-hr. durations, and guidance about preserving recorder data focuses on postflight actions, such as pulling circuit breakers to stop recorders after immediately recognizable “reportable incidents.”

Problems with this approach have been evident for years. Inflight emergencies that last longer than the CVR’s duration can result in key data loss, for instance. Occurrences such as runway incursions or losses of separation are not always recognized right away, and the aircraft involved may continue on, wiping out valuable information in the process.

The issue is hampering probes of the six runway incidents highlighted at the summit. In each case, CVR data was overwritten, Homendy confirmed, leaving investigators without key information to help explain what happened.

 

Vietnam building new MRO facilities

 This is interesting,Many Airlines send their widebodies to China and Singapore for overhaul, with the hostilities going on, I wonder if many airlines will switch over because of the Chinese being hostile to foreigners in their country, I do know that they don't like the FAA(Friends Against Aviation) going over there to observe the overhaul operations  and made it extremely difficult for them to enter the country to the point that the FAA has to inspect the aircraft after it leaves China.  I wonder if "EASA" deals with the same problems and I'm pretty sure they are similarly restricted because the Chinese are being obstinate.  I also am putting this out there because it shows that the Vietnamese are serious about becoming major players in the aviation world and build their homegrown industry. and they have no love of the Chinese.  

 

Rendering of a proposed New Long Thahn Airport near Ho Chi Minh City(SGN)

 

SINGAPORE—The Vietnamese Transport Ministry has approved an investment of VND2.7 trillion ($118 million) to develop four MRO facilities at the new Long Thanh International Airport that will serve Ho Chi Minh City. 

The facilities will be able to support aircraft as large as Code F—Airbus A380s and Boeing 747-8s—and comply with FAA, EASA and Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam regulatory standards. 

An initial investment of VND688 billion will be allocated to each of the four projects, which will have plots of around 45,500 m² (490,000 ft.²). Under a public-private partnership scheme, the concession period for the facilities will be around 25 years. 

The four-runway Long Thanh airport is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in 2025, when it will replace Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Vietnam Airlines Engineering is the primary MRO provider at Tan Son Nhat, which also has a joint venture with Singapore’s ST Engineering operating as Vietnam Singapore Technologies Engineering Aerospace.

Major Changes to Schools training new Aviation Maintenance Technicians.

 I ran across this and I know that my industry has been clamoring for changes for years, New A&P mechanics are coming out of schools and getting hired on the commercial side of the house and the FAR 147 schools stress mostly general aviation aircraft and maintenance.  As part of my getting my A&P I had to learn how to work dope and fiber and time magneto's and so forth but I am a commercial Aviation Mechanic and most of what is taught in the schools are tailored for general aviation and reciprocation engines.  It takes an average of 5 years to get a mechanic comfortable with our manuals and processes, that is part of the reason for the length of time it takes for "Top Out Pay".  And as I understand it, it is the same with other commercial carriers.  I do know that we call the A&P license a "License to Learn".  The industry is expanding and if you wish to make a good living, it is a way to go, a Commercial A&P mechanic at one of the major carriers and at Fedex or at UPS at top pay make excess of 6 figures, granted the work is hard, but we are compensated well for it.  The responsibility is daunting for us because we have the job of safeguarding the flying public and we do everything we can to make sure that the planes are as safe as we can make them.

 

WASHINGTON—A major revamp to the rules that spell out how U.S. schools teach aspiring aviation mechanics is inching toward completion, with a few key steps remaining before new standards come into force. 

The FAA on March 10 published on its website the proposed text of an interim final rule modifying Part 147, the regulations that set aviation technician education school standards. The agency called attention to the rule, alerting key congressional leaders and staffers that the regulations—which lawmakers have been pressing the agency to complete—were done. 

But the rule has not made it through the Federal Register and is not yet officially in place. Several days after it was posted online, the FAA-amended document clarified that the rule’s text is not quite set in stone. 

“Please be advised that the published document may contain minor changes due to formatting and editorial requirements,” the agency said. 

Industry sources with knowledge of the situation told Aviation Week that any changes are expected to be minor. However, several key pieces required to implement the new rules, including an advisory circular and the finalized mechanic airman certification standards (ACS), which are replacing current practical test standards and will provide the framework for all Part 147 mechanic testing.  

The ACS is made up of general subjects, such as Cleaning and Corrosion Control, with related subtopics, such as corrosion identification and inspection. Both the AC and the ACS are expected to be added to the docket as part of the rule finalization process. 

The final rule’s effective date will be 120 days after publication in the Federal Register, which the FAA said will be sometime “this spring.” 

A Part 147 revamp has been in the works for years. Unlike the aircraft, engines and components that mechanics work on every day, the current standards have changed little since 1970. Proponents of the revamp are confident that the new standards will produce better-qualified certificated mechanics that need less on-the-job training once they are hired. Getting mechanics qualified quickly and effectively is seen as key to meeting future demand, which is expected to be strong as the industry shifts from recovery to growth mode in the coming years.  

A lobbying effort succeeded in getting Congress to order the FAA to wrap up the rulemaking—even if the next step needs further revamping—as part of the massive Consolidated Appropriates Act of 2021 omnibus bill that also ordered changes the FAA’s aircraft certification process. 

“These improvements will help us educate the future workforce and meet the demands of the evolving aviation community,” the FAA said when the interim rule was posted. “Under the new rule, technical schools will update curriculum and incorporate technical training that aligns with the current industry standards.”

 

Stepped up FAA scruitiny on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Post Production Process.

 

I got this from Aviation World and Technology Report.  I wasn't aware that the 787 was under scrutiny

like the 737 Max was, this was new to me, I thought the "Dreamliner " program wasn't having any issues after they got the batteries problem worked out.  From what i had heard, the plane is a good plane from my friends that actually work on the planes.

Stepped-up FAA scrutiny of Boeing’s 787 post-production process will extend beyond resumption of deliveries, as the regulator plans to handle individual aircraft inspections and issuance of paperwork required to finalize customer handovers.

The agency says it plans to inspect 787s and issue airworthiness certificates until it is satisfied that: “Boeing’s quality control and manufacturing processes consistently produce 787s that meet FAA design standards,” Boeing’s aircraft-by-aircraft rework plan is in working, and its “delivery processes are stable.” It adds: “This will allow the agency to confirm the effectiveness of measures Boeing has undertaken to improve the 787 manufacturing process” (AW&ST Dec. 6-18, 2021, p. 14).

• Deliveries remain on hold
• It is unclear when deliveries will resume

The FAA’s plan, communicated to Boeing and confirmed by the agency Feb. 15, is the latest example of the shift toward retaining certification and airworthiness approval functions that the FAA often delegates. But unlike many delegated functions—such as compiling certification test data—the delivery process is both frequent and highly visible, making it an attractive one to take over to help spotlight the FAA’s firmer stance with applicants, notably Boeing.

Improving the delegation process work has been a focus of U.S. lawmakers and the agency in the wake of two fatal Boeing 737 MAX accidents caused in part by ineffective oversight (AW&ST March 9-22, 2020, p. 46). A year-old law mandates that the FAA retain some tasks it had previously delegated and review others before handing them over to company staffers working in FAA-designated Organization Designation Authorization units or otherwise representing applicants.

Final predelivery inspections should not reveal major problems. Effective internal procedures and competent regulatory oversight is supposed to catch any systemic issues before aircraft reach the predelivery stage.

“Deliveries can be target-rich if you want to find fault,” a former FAA employee and aircraft certification specialist tells Aviation Week. “All airplanes arrive at the delivery centers with rework, ‘use as is’ nonconformities, etc. Sometimes big numbers [of items are flagged], but it’s often random stuff.”

Assuming the routinely delegated role of final inspections and certificate issuances checks several boxes for the regulator. It gives FAA inspectors one final opportunity to ensure that rework Boeing must conduct meets agency standards, ensures the aircraft comply with Boeing’s type design and provides a chance to catch any unexpected issues that may crop up.

The FAA’s decision to conduct final 787 predelivery procedures mirrors its process on the 737 MAX. The agency took over final inspections and issuance of 737 MAX certificates when deliveries restarted in December 2020 after a 21-month pause, and the FAA continues to do the work.

Agency inspectors will conduct final inspections and issue paperwork required for each 787 delivery when customer handovers resume, the FAA said Feb. 15, following a precedent set on the 737 MAX by retaining a largely routine task usually delegated to the manufacturer.

A customer has not flown off with a new 787 since mid-2021, and issuance of airworthiness certificates—which the FAA assumed for a few airframes as part of stepped-up oversight on the program—stopped even earlier. The manufacturer slowed new-aircraft production and has been working with the FAA to find common ground on how to tackle a series of production-quality issues that require rework on all 110 aircraft that have been built but not delivered.

Developing a process to determine just how much work is needed, the type of work required and on which aircraft has proven challenging. Most of the lingering issues are related to tiny gaps between fuselage sections and around doors that must be identified, quantified and, if necessary, repaired before delivery.

Spirit AeroSystems says issues affecting the parts it provides—including the 787 nose section, or Section 41—have been identified, and its employees have corrected issues on about 40% of the stored inventory.

“We’ve been through all the engineering analysis, and we’ve completed that, and we know now what changes we need to make to production going forward,” Spirit CEO Tom Gentile said on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call Feb. 2. “In terms of the rework, again, we’ve also identified the rework that needs to be done, and we will complete that rework as we get access to those aircraft.”

Neither Boeing nor the FAA will discuss when 787 deliveries will resume. Weeks ago, an early second-quarter time frame seemed in play.

During American Airlines’ fourth-quarter earnings call on Jan. 20, Chief Financial Officer Derek Kerr said the airline is slated to take its next 787 delivery in mid-April—adding that the date had been “locked in for several months” (AW&ST Feb. 7-20, p. 26). The delivery was one of 13 that American said it expected to add in 2022, including four in time for the peak summer season.

During Boeing’s fourth-quarter earnings call Jan. 26, CEO Dave Calhoun declined to comment on a specific delivery resumption date, but he suggested that Kerr’s comments were accurate.

“The customers know everything that we do,” Calhoun said. “We share the same regulator. They are in our factories looking at the airplanes every day. So they know exactly what’s going on and where it is.”

Three weeks later, on Feb. 18, American revealed in an internal memo later made public that it now expects just 10 787 deliveries in 2022 and four in 2023. American revised its summer schedule, “reducing our flying versus our prior plans due to Boeing’s continued inability to deliver our 787-8 aircraft,” the memo states. American’s new schedule suspends service on three existing intercontinental routes, cuts frequencies on a fourth and delays the launch of a new one.

“We still have tremendous confidence in the aircraft and will continue to work with Boeing on their delivery,” the memo says. “In addition, as previously stated, Boeing has advised us that they will compensate us for their inability to deliver the aircraft.”

American’s memo does not provide any details on an updated 787 delivery schedule.

 

Engine Not shut down in Flight

Santa sees the FAA inspector arriving for the annual flight test and immediately notices the inspector carries a rifle again. Thinking of the last years Santa talks to the inspector: "Could we omit the part with losing an engine this year?" The inspector points out the regulations requiring the test. So Santa tries again and offers a bet: "what if I jump higher than your house, of course without assistance by my reindeer Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blixem and Rudolph?" The FAA inspector thinks a while about it, well, what should happen? He lives in a 5 story house, it would be impossible to jump as high as this house, wouldn't it? So nothing to lose here, only to gain, the inspector thinks and therefore agrees, demanding that not only the test would proceed but Santa would give him the one present, that he never had received all life, his own jet, if Santa loses. "Didn't you receive this beautiful Boeing 320 Regional Jungle Jet last year that you can't use anyway?", he asks. Santa nods and accepts the challenge.

So they walk over to the inspector's house. Santa performs a couple of knee-bends to warm up and prepare for a really high jump, looks up the house aiming at the roof top, goes very deep into his knees, then accelerates upwards with big gesture and lifts off. After reaching a height of about one centimeter/half an inch he descends and lands safely with an elegant Telemark.

After a stunned moment of silence the inspector breaks down in laughter and can't stop anymore. After a couple of minutes he gasps: "I have won the bet! Where is my new plane?"

"Wait a minute" says Santa, "first let your house jump!"

Incident Facts
Date of Incident	24.12.2019
Classification	News
Airline	Santa
Aircraft Type	N/A N/A
ICAO Type	SSLH
Aircraft Registration

Incident "Santa Navigation rejection"

An unusual number of wish lists had arrived and Santa's workshop was buzzing putting all those presents together.

Santa looked at the increasing mountain of presents, scratched his head and asked the load elves: "isn't this just too much for our good ole sleigh?" The load elves, busy sorting the parcels, updating the load lists and tracking mass and balance, looked up in surprise, nodded and became busy again updating their paper work.

Santa insisted: "Haven't we received this beautiful new B320 Regional Jungle Jet to test out this year?" The chief load elf looked up and confirmed: "yes, Santa, we were given this brand new B20J which is a common effort and a combination of all advantages of the Boeing aircraft, the Airbus A320 family, the Bombardier CRJ aircraft and Embraer ERJs."

Santa therefore decided: "So, let's try the B20J out this year!"

The cargo was loaded onto the brand new aircraft, the aircraft positioned onto the runway and power was applied for takeoff.

"STOP!" shouts Santa, "we can't fly without our navigator! Where is Rudolph?" and rejected takeoff.

Frantic panic broke out - Rudolph was nowhere found. Santa decided to check whether Rudolph was at his secret hideout and could see the red nose from some distance already.

"Rudolph, what is up with you?" asked Santa. Rudolph replied "I can't fly on that piece of alloy and plastics compound and without my comrades Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blixem. And did you think about that FAA overflight permission, which has been issued to our good ole wooden sleigh and not that piece of alloy and plastics compound?"

Santa scratched his head and thought, Rudolph got a point. The load elves recomputed mass and balance and found the sleigh would remain within limits yet depart at absolute maximum takeoff mass. Hence Santa decided that all cargo was to be reloaded onto the sleigh powered by all reindeer and off they went without further incident.

The FAA inspector told Santa: "Your type rating does not include the B20J!"

Incident Facts
Date of Incident	24.12.2018
Classification	News
Airline	Santa
Aircraft Type	N/A N/A
ICAO Type	B20J
Aircraft Registration

Incident "Engine Sneezing on Takeoff"

As usual Santa was preparing for Christmas deliveries, the annual FAA flight test was about to take place to demonstrate the sleigh and its engines are capable of safe flight, Santa was able to handle the sleigh safely and the flight data recorder, that had just been declared mandatory by the FAA, was working properly.

The sleigh was readied for the test, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixem propelling the sleigh as well as a 9th "red nosed reindeer equipped with supplemental safety and navigation gear", Rudolph, took their positions.

The FAA inspector, as every year, appeared. Santa looked at thim with a suspicious look and remembering the previous years looked a second time, then asked, "Where have you left your rifle this year?"

The inspector smiled and told Santa, "No need this year, yet, I am not supposed to tell, you are still going to lose an engine on takeoff, and you are going to breakdance today!"

The sleigh positioned onto the runway, the reindeer all pulled off with all their power, just before becoming airborne a muffled sound was heard from the direction of Dasher. Just when the sleigh had become airborne Dasher suddenly sneezed causing the sleigh to yaw and roll furiously, Santa applied rudder and steered the sleigh back into stable flight position, Dasher sneezed again and again and again forcing Santa to apply fancy footwork basically breakdancing on the rudder pedals and use all his airmanship to keep the sleigh airborne returning for an emergency landing back at the North Pole. Finally the sleigh touched down safely.

Immediately after the sleigh came to a stop Santa rushed forward to check out what's up with Dasher, who still sneezed again and again. Between two sneezes Santa managed to catch a glimpse of a bumble bee stuck in Dasher's nose, carefully removed the insect, Dasher sneezed a last time and sighed in relief. A borescopic inspection revealed no further damage.

The FAA inspector turned to Santa and said, "I told you so!"

An inspection of the runway and the area immediately past the runway as well as review of the new flight data recorder revealed the sleigh's right runner had briefly impacted the ground again at a high vertical acceleration of about +3.5G when Dasher had sneezed the first time. A hard landing inspection of the sleigh revealed a crack in the right runner. Both runners were replaced by carpenter elves.

The company taking care of Santa's public relations wrote: "Santa returned to the North Pole due to a very minor non-technical nuisance, which was quickly removed. Santa, the reindeers, the sleigh and your presents were safe at all times. Your presents are going to arrive on schedule."

Incident Facts
Date of Incident	24.12.2017
Classification	News
Airline	Santa
Aircraft Type	N/A N/A
ICAO Type	SSLH
Aircraft Registration

         "Image by "SleighSpotters"@Planespotters.com

incident" Smoke in Cockpit

As every year Santa was preparing his sleigh for Christmas deliveries. The FAA flight test had been passed, the reindeer were ready, overflight permissions had all arrived.

Santa was thus preparing his flight plan on his brand new tablet computer, when the load elves brought some additional last minute parcels to deliver. In the hurry Santa put the tablet onto the only free space available immediately, onto his head, grabbed the parcels and stowed them inside the sleigh carefully monitoring mass and balance. When he tried to grab his tablet again to update the load sheet, the tablet computer was terribly hot and Santa burned his fingers, the tablet fell down onto the sleigh's floor. Despite the smoke Santa could see an arrow sticking right through the middle of the tablet. Cabin elves quickly doused the tablet and put it into a secure container.

Looking around he saw an elf on guard duty equipped with a crossbow, who shrugged "Sorry, Santa, couldn't resist, why did you put the apple onto your head?"

Incident Facts
Date of Incident	24.12.2020
Classification	News
Airline	Santa
Aircraft Type	N/A N/A
ICAO Type	SSLH
Aircraft Registration

Some Valentine day humor...

 I have been under the weather for a couple of days and when you are feeling like crap, the muse just hides...if you know what I mean.

I work in the Airline industry and I saw this and only those that associate around airplanes will really get this humor.

Happy Valentine day humor...

    

Rants and Musings.......

First off, my Dad is doing much better, surprisingly the Lung has sealed itself so there is a good possibility that surgery will not be necessary.  But he is concerned still, because the same lung has deflated both times, it is a good possibility that there will be a third one. 

This is a pic of my Dad and my brother from a year ago. 
    On a different note... I saw this driving down the road and it was a surprise....

Yep a Deuce and a half or an M35A2 Truck Utility.  This one was in great shape, I talked to the owner and he told me that this one was built in 1989 and the U.S.A.F used it so it had few miles and no rust and rarely saw off road according to the owner.  I complimented him on the condition and I talked to the owner for a few minutes, The guy was gracious despite my stopping him and talking to him about the truck. 

This was a trip down memory lane, and everything worked. 

   On another note, I heard about this and "googled" it and this article popped up.  Apparently Democratic Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand wants to move noise abatement around airports from the FAA an agency with a history and a reputation of impartiality to the EPA an agency that is driven by an agenda.   Can you see the problems here?   Can you say "Lets cripple the American passenger airlines industry?"   I see a myriad of problems with this especially with an agency that has gone whole hog into Global warming, Global cooling, er I mean Climate Change.  I don't know about anything else but I see a disaster in the works.  I am really concerned, especially if the democrats are successful in taking the house and senate in 2018.

    This article was copied unaltered.

Queens Lawmakers On The Move Aug. 27, 2018

Queens County PoliticsAugust 27, 2018

Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Quiet Communities Act

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced Friday announced the Quiet Communities Act, legislation that would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reestablish an Office of Noise Abatement and Control and reauthorize the Office’s activities through fiscal year 2023.

The federal measure would empower the EPA to oversee airplane noise issues across the country, including airplane noise-plagued areas near JFK and LaGuardia airports. Currently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversees airplane noise issues, however, Schumer and Gillibrand explained that the EPA is better fit to address these matters, as its main focus is to protect human health and the environment.

“Empowering the same agency tasked with protecting our environment to protect our communities from excessive and burdensome aircraft noise while working alongside the FAA makes eminent sense. This legislation will once again set up an Office of Noise Abatement and Control at the EPA so that environmental experts can address airplane noise, continuing to allow science to help lead the way in both studying and crafting workable solutions,” said Schumer.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

“Our communities should not have to endure excessive airplane noise that strongly impacts their quality of life, and this legislation will provide additional tools to assist communities by reestablishing an EPA Office of Noise Abatement & Control,” said Gillibrand, a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee. “The federal government must take more proactive steps to address the concerns of New Yorkers who are affected by airplane noise, and this bill will give the EPA the ability to act.”

Due to budget cuts in 1981, the EPA’s Office of Noise Abatement and Control was dismantled and the FAA was given oversight into all matters regarding aircraft noise pollution. Schumer and Gillibrand’s Quiet Communities Act would restore the EPA’s Office of Noise Abatement and Control. Moreover, the legislation would require the EPA Administrator to conduct a study of airport noise and examine the FAA’s selection of noise measurement methodologies, health impact thresholds, and abatement program effectiveness.

Airline tickets will cost less???

AP2011

The FAA control tower at Reagan National Airport is seen in Arlington, Wednesday, March 23, 2011. (AP)

Washington –  Efforts to avert a shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration failed Friday amid a disagreement over a $16.5 million cut in subsidies to 13 rural communities, ensuring that nearly 4,000 people will be temporarily out of work and federal airline ticket taxes will be suspended.

Lawmakers were unable to resolve a partisan dispute over an extension of the agency's operating authority, which expired at midnight Friday.

The subsidy cut was included by Republicans in a House bill extending operating authority for the FAA, which has a $16 billion budget. Senate Democrats refused to accept the House bill with the cuts, and Republican senators refused to accept a Democratic bill without it. Lawmakers then adjourned for the weekendBut underlying the dispute on rural air service subsidies was a standoff between the GOP-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate over a provision in long-term funding legislation for the FAA that would make it more difficult for airline and railroad workers to unionize.

Obama administration officials have said the shutdown will not affect air safety. Air traffic controllers will remain on the job. But airlines will lose the authority to collect about $200 million a week in ticket taxes that go into a trust fund that pays for FAA programs.

FAA employees whose jobs are paid for with trust fund money will be furloughed, including nearly 1,000 workers at the agency's headquarters in Washington, 647 workers at FAA's technology and research center in Atlantic City, N.J., and 124 workers at the agency's training center in Oklahoma City.

"These are real people with families who do not deserve to be put out of work during these tough economic times," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement.

Airline passengers could see a big savings on their airfares, but the situation is complicated. Federal taxes on a $300 round-trip airfare are about $61, but about half that comes from airport and security fees that will continue to be collected, according to the Air Transport Association.

Airlines, alerted earlier this week that FAA authority could expire, have been making adjustments to their computer systems and websites so that at midnight, taxes would no longer be added to airfares, the association said.

One airline, U.S. Airways, was already raising its fares. Other airlines may try to reap a windfall profit from the tax holiday.

Passengers who bought their tickets before the shutdown, but who travel during the shutdown, may wind up due a refund, Treasury Department spokeswoman Sandra Salstrom said. That's because it's not clear whether the government can keep taxes for travel that takes place during a period when the government doesn't have authority to collect taxes, she said.

Likewise, it wasn't clear if passengers who buy tickets after midnight with no taxes included would wind up owing taxes if their travel took place after FAA's operating authority is restored, she said.

The IRS will probably issue guidance later to clarify the situation, Salstrom said.

Long-term funding authority for the FAA expired in 2007. Unable to agree on new long-term funding legislation for the agency, Congress has kept the FAA operating through a series of 20 short-term extension bills. The extensions had been routine until this week.

The Senate passed a long-term bill in February and the House a different version in April. Lawmakers have resolved most of the differences between the bills, but no progress has been made on a half dozen or more controversial issues.

Republicans say Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is insisting that a labor provision in the House bill sought by the airline industry must be dropped before negotiations can go forward.

The labor provision would overturn a National Mediation Board rule approved last year that allows airline and railroad employees to form a union by a simple majority of those voting. Under the old rule, workers who didn't vote were treated as "no" votes.

Republicans complain that the new rule reverses 75 years of precedent to favor labor unions. Democrats and union officials say the change puts airline and railroad elections under the same democratic rules required for unionizing all other companies.

The White House warned in March that President Barack Obama might veto the bill if the labor provision is retained.

Just before he blocked the Democrats' extension bill, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he shared House Republicans' frustration "that favors to organized labor have overshadowed the prospects for long-term FAA" funding.

Another unresolved issue involves about $200 million in air services subsidies to rural communities. The program was created when airlines were deregulated in 1978 to ensure continued air service on less profitable routes to isolated communities. The House long-term FAA bill would eliminate the program except for airports in Alaska.

The Senate bill would eliminate service to 13 communities that are either less than 90 miles from a hub airport or where subsidies total more than $1,000 per passenger. That's the language House Republicans added to their extension bill.

But one of the biggest defenders of the program is Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over FAA legislation. One of the airports that would lose subsidies is in Morgantown, W.Va

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/22/partisan-dispute-to-partially-shut-down-faa/#ixzz1Swada9Pz