ISSUE 69 WINTER 07 ON COMMERCIAL AVIATION SAFETY The official publication of the United Kingdom Flight Safety Committee ISSN 1355-1523 Contents The Official Publication of THE UNITED KINGDOM FLIGHT SAFETY COMMITTEE ISSN: 1355-1523 WINTER 2007 FOCUS is a quarterly subscription journal devoted Editorial 2 to the promotion of best practises in aviation safety. It includes articles, either original or reprinted from other sources, related to safety Chairman’s Column 3 issues throughout all areas of air transport operations. Besides providing information on safety related matters, FOCUS aims to promote debate TAG Farnborough Airport 4 and improve networking within the industry. It by Paul Jones, General Manager (ATS) Farnborough must be emphasised that FOCUS is not intended as a substitute for regulatory information or company publications and procedures. Remote Management of Real-Time Airplane Data 6 Editorial Office: by John B. 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GU24 8HX Tel: 01276 855193 Fax: 01276 855195 e-mail: [email protected] No 55 (Reserve) Squadron and RAF Rear Crew Training 10 Web Site: www.ukfsc.co.uk Office Hours: 0900 - 1630 Monday - Friday Have you got the message? 13 Advertisement Sales Office: UKFSC The Graham Suite, Fairoaks Airport, Chobham, Retirement - What a Life? 13 Woking, Surrey GU24 8HX Tel: 01276 855193 Fax: 01276 855195 email: [email protected] Web Site: www.ukfsc.co.uk UKFSC Members List 14 Office Hours: 0900 - 1630 Monday - Friday Printed by: Stable or Unstable Approaches 16 Woking Print & Publicity Ltd by Simon Searle - FDSL The Print Works, St. Johns Lye, St. Johns, Woking, Surrey GU21 1RS Tel: 01483 884884 Fax: 01483 884880 All the Rage - Disruptive Passengers and the Law 19 e-mail: [email protected] by Edward Spencer - Barlow Lyde & Gilbert Web: www.wokingprint.com FOCUS is produced solely for the purpose of Panasonic In Flight Entertainment Systems, a Brief Introduction 20 improving flight safety and, unless copyright is by Stefan Suri indicated, articles may be reproduced providing that the source of material is acknowledged. Improving Air Traffic Management Safety 22 Opinions expressed by individual authors or in advertisements appearing in FOCUS are those of by Sean Jones, Head of Safety Strategy the author or advertiser and do not necessarily reflect the views and endorsements of this journal, the editor or the UK Flight Safety Committee. Adherance to ATC Clearances 24 by Glynne Dawson - ATC Planner, ATC Procedures & Planning Dept. LACC While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, FOCUS accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the information, or its consequences. Front Cover Picture: On Parade - RAF College Cranwell - 8th June 2007 at 20.47 hrs Specialist advice should always be sought in relation to any particular circumstances. Credit: RAF Cranwell, Photographic Section focus winter 07 1 EDITORIAL Can the UK Flight Safety Committee survive in the 21st Century? by Peter G Richards FRAeS Non-Executive Committee Member y the time you, the reader, will be support to committee ethos is more than Operations Group, routinely runs to an 8 page Bseeing this edition of FOCUS, Ed merely paying the membership subscription. essay, distributed worldwide. Paintin, our former Chief Executive will have retired from the committee and so we Too many times, we have held meetings at From the RAeS, as support for the UKFSC, I have are temporarily without an editor. The which little or no ‘lessons can be learned’ and gathered some very thought provoking feedback committee management team members this begs the questions, ‘What has been lost from a recent Conference addressing the topic of are confident that we will be able to within organisations if incident analysis is not Smoke Fumes and Fire in Transport Aircraft. The appoint a new Chief Executive in the early shared?’ and ‘What do we do, or not do, now Proceedings from this one day event are part of 2008. that means we cannot share our events with available by contacting the RAeS’ conference others?’ By outsourcing everything from the office and asking for Ms Emma Bossom, or email From time to time, all organisations need to flight data recorder onwards, or merely sifting to [email protected], from whom a review their complete range of activities, to the database for ‘exceedencies’ and then CD-ROM can be purchased. ensure that what they do and how they do targeting the crews; is very self-centred, safety them complies with their objectives and the management. world in which they interact. The UK Flight Safety Committee management board has The fundamentals of airline operating safety taken such a step, following some focused do not change, even though skies get more criticism of our current style of activities and, crowded and airports more congested. as a result, a request was made at a recent Performance needs to be robustly scrutinised, meeting for objective feedback, to me. From but not just economic performance. Level this request, 15 UKFSC members, roughly 15% Busts, Runway/Taxiway Incursions, Fatigue, of the total committee strength, have Security, Weather, Technical Innovation and responded and I would like, on behalf of the Ramp cleanliness all remain with us, as they management committee, to thank them for were at the very start.‘New stuff’ such as SMS, taking the time and trouble to help refresh our EGPWS, TCAS, RNAV/RNP, Emissions and goals and strategy. From this feedback, a TEAM (at LHR); these are merely tools to Strategic Review Meeting was called and every promote better management of the bigger aspect of our activities scrutinised. This picture. Closer co-operation with other flight produced an ‘Options for Change’ presentation safety organisations and better engagement to the most recent full UKFSC meeting, during with regulators and government bodies came which a request was made to the membership across strongly. for more information and support. If you are a reader in one of the UKFSC membership There are airlines out there with problems and organisations and have points to raise, then get conditions that will always seek somewhere to in touch with your representative and ensure call on for help, but they have to be prepared that they do raise them. to work with us. This includes you, the FOCUS reader, for this is your magazine too and if What are these ‘goals’ we seek to score or there are things you would like to read about endorse? The reader will find these printed or issues you would like us to chase, then, let elsewhere in this edition, but are they the us know. A major upgrade to the website is ‘right objectives’? The Strategic Review planned, including the possibility of an on-line Meeting consensus determined that they are. forum between all the Flight Safety They have given us ample scope to deliver a organisations by extension of the existing Gulf network of contacts and tools to improve and Flight Safety Committee ‘Blue Ballroom’. sustain the best of airline operating safety for over 40 years.What the committee cannot do The UKFSC can survive in the 21st Century, is manage or execute any business but only with better support from its mechanisms to make this happen – this has to worldwide membership. If your organisation be done by the membership. If members elect sends a representative to the meetings, make to join the committee, they do so in the sure that they submit some kind of feedback knowledge that they may well gain much to you, besides a copy of this magazine. Mine, more than they can give, but that giving back to the Royal Aeronautical Society Flight 2 focus winter 07 CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN Flight Safety – An International Concern by Robin Berry, CTC Aviation Services Ltd hat aviation is an international the ILS antennae by overweight cargo join on the basis of their operation into UK Tactivity goes without saying. As such aircraft dragging their gear through the airspace, they also provide valuable expertise it is an international activity that, perhaps localiser arrays. The airport could effect to those UK operators operating into their more than most, needs international co- repairs very quickly but often had to wait regions. Even more encouraging is the operation to truly keep the risks at the months to get the facility flight checked. growing desire to forge better links between lowest acceptable level. They would, however, offer use of the ILS the regional safety committees around the to anyone prepared to accept the risk! world. In recent UKFSC meetings I have had All nations recognise the importance of the pleasure of meeting representatives from aviation in developing their economies through 3. During preparations for operation to a a number of established and budding flight both trade and tourism. Millions are often new destination it became apparent that safety committees including Nigeria, spent on developing an international aviation the only published approach was the Malaysia and the Gulf region. The enthusiasm hub when there are far more pressing national classic night non-precision approach into is refreshing! needs for that resource. This approach can lead a “black hole” airport. However, crews on to some troubling anomalies in the early operations were reporting that they environment in which we have to operate. were being offered ILS approaches (and Some examples from my own experience may judicious use of flight data monitoring serve to illustrate my point: showed that some of them were accepting!). Further investigation 1. During the investigation into a fairly well revealed that other (local) operators were publicised near accident during a non- routinely using the ILS although no precision approach the question was procedure had ever been published.