SEA RESCUE – PORT ELIZABETH – Tuesday, 05th March, 2013. Gyrocopters safe in Jeffreys Bay

Daniel Heimann, NSRI Port Elizabeth duty controller, said:


"This afternoon at 15h10, (Tuesday, 05th March), NSRI Port Elizabeth volunteer sea rescue duty crew were alerted by the Mandela Bay Water Emergency Response Committee following reports of an incident in the ocean at Sea View with eye-witnesses strongly suspecting that a small aircraft had ditched into the sea off Sea View, Port Elizabeth.

"The 5 credible eye-witnesses, while sitting at a restaurant, had seen a small aircraft bank sharply and disappear behind a sand dune and all indications led these eye-witnesses to strongly suspect that a small aircraft had ditched into the sea and they raised the alarm.

"NSRI Command enquired at ATNS (Air Traffic Navigational Services) at Port Elizabeth Airport who confirmed that 9 Gyrocopters were, at that time, flying en-route from Port Elizabeth to Paradise Beach landing strip, in Jeffreys Bay, but ATNS had no communication with these 9 Gyrocopter pilots to confirm if there had been any incident.

"With this new information at hand the incident command escalated the emergency response to meet the strong suspicion that a Gyrocopter may have ditched into the sea at Sea View.

"NSRI Port Elizabeth, the SA Police Services, Coastal Rescue, Guardmed ambulance services, the EC Government Health EMS, Mandela Bay Fire and Rescue Services responded and other emergency services agencies and the SA Air Force 15 Squadron Charlie Flight were placed on alert.

"NSRI Jeffreys Bay and NSRI St Francis Bay were alerted to also begin a search and to make enquiries at airfields along that stretch of the coast.

"NSRI Jeffreys Bay station commander, Rieghard Janse van Rensburg, responded directly to the Paradise Beach landing strip in Jeffreys Bay where he found all 9 Gyrocopters safe and on the ground at Paradise Beach.

"They confirmed that they had engaged in some low level and tight turn flying during their flight from Port Elizabeth to Jeffreys Bay and also positively confirmed that this activity was displayed in the vicinity of Sea View, Port Elizabeth.

"Prior to this incident becoming a full scale, multi emergency services, search and rescue operation, with the knowledge at hand that all the 9 Gyrocopter aircraft were safe and accounted for at Jeffreys Bay, the rescue operation was called off and all rescue resources were returned to base.

"The emergency services involved in this incident today have collectively acknowledged that this was a 'false alarm with the best of intentions of the eye-witnesses'.

"It has been learned that these 9 Gyrocopters are flying a coastal trip with their final destination in Cape Town.



-ENDS-


Released by:


Craig Lambinon
Sea Rescue Communications

Missing plane: bodies found

Johannesburg -

The bodies of missing pilots Bryan Simms and his son Robert have been found in Mozambique, according to a website set up to help find them.

“Yesterday afternoon, the Simms family received the news that the plane wreck was found in Mozambique by a local villager,” reads a note posted on the website operationsimms.co.za on Tuesday.

“Neither Bryan nor Robert survived the impact. We are awaiting positive legal identification.”

The two had been missing since October 27. They were travelling from Malawi to Lanseria airport, north of Johannesburg, and were last heard of when their Beechcraft 58 was near Beira, Mozambique.

Shortly before the plane went missing, Simms senior said in a radio message that he was experiencing problems with one of the engines.

“There will be a wake on Friday for those who wish to pay their respects; details forthcoming,” according to the note.

- Sapa/IOL

Missing aircraft found in Mosambique by local villager.

The wreck of the plane that went missing three weeks ago over Mozambique, while traveling from Uganda via Malawi to Lanseria Airport in northern Johannesburg was found in Mozambique by a local villager. Neither the pilot nor passenger survived the impact. Search and Rescue teams were unable to locate the wreck and the official search were called off after an area of 27 000 square kilometres have been covered by the aerial search.

Plane crash halts flight of sick in South Sudan

Khartoum - An airlift from Khartoum of nearly 1 400 sick, elderly and other "extremely vulnerable" South Sudanese has been suspended after a plane crash, the International Organisation for Migration says.

Miraculously, none of the 49 South Sudanese aboard was hurt when the aircraft crashed on landing at the airstrip in Aweil in South Sudan's Northern Bahr El Ghazal state, said Jill Helke, chief of IOM's Sudan mission.

"The plane is probably a write-off," she said, but the passengers were fine and continued to their final destinations in South Sudan after being examined by a doctor who was on the same flight.

The airlift, which began on 6 November, moved more than 1 000 South Sudanese to Aweil before the accident deprived the operation of its only plane.

The extremely vulnerable group includes unaccompanied children, the disabled and people whose health is at risk if they keep living in the open or make the difficult journey south by road, the IOM said in an earlier statement.

They are among between 30 000 - 40 000 South Sudanese encamped around the Sudanese capital awaiting transport to the South, which became independent in July last year.

The United Nations estimated that 500 000 South Sudanese were left in Sudan before an April deadline for them to formalise their status or leave the country.

Many had spent their entire lives in the north or came to Sudan when they were children, as millions fled a 22-year civil war.

The fighting ended in a 2005 peace deal which paved the way for South Sudan's independence following a referendum.


- SAPA/News24

Fuel crisis at OR Tambo

Johannesburg - The fuel pipeline to the OR Tambo International Airport has been contaminated and rendered unfit for use by airlines, the Airports Company SA (Acsa), said on Thursday.

"The impact of the contamination on the fuel pipeline is such that approximately seven million litres of fuel, which is currently in storage, is unusable, reducing OR Tambo International Airport's stock levels from four days to 1.6 days," Acsa spokesperson Solomon Makgale said in a statement.

He said Acsa had been advised by the Fuel Consortium that the fuel line between the National Petroleum Refiners of SA (Natref) refinery in Sasolburg and the airport had been contaminated with "off-specification Jet A-1".

The airport normally receives about three million litres of fuel a day through the dedicated pipeline from Natref, said Makgale.

"Acsa, together with its airline stakeholders, is engaging the fuel suppliers on what measures can be taken to maintain the supply of jet fuel at OR Tambo International Airport," he said.

"An announcement in this regard will be made tomorrow morning."

Makgale said an airport management team was working with domestic and international airlines on various measures, including the uptake of fuel at Acsa's other network of airports.

"These are aimed at minimising the impact on airlines, passengers and overall airport operations.

"At this point in time, the airport is operating normally and the same is expected tomorrow.

"We remain hopeful that the fuel suppliers will find a solution as a matter of urgency. Acsa will provide all the necessary support," he said.

- SAPA/News24

120 Passengers disembarked safely after aborted take-off

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has confirmed that a chartered MD82 flight operated by Global Aviation carrying 120 passengers and seven crew members aborted take-off at around 07h15 this morning at O.R. Tambo International Airport en route to Lilongwe, Malawi.

According to ACSA’s Unathi Batyashe-Fillis, Manager: Communication and Brand Management at O.R. Tambo International Airport, onsite reports indicate that one of the tyres burst and a wheel caught fire, which resulted in the pilot aborting take-off. ACSA’s Fire and Rescue team was on the scene within minutes of the incident being reported. All passengers and crew disembarked safely from the plane. No injuries were reported.

The runway has been temporarily closed to remove the aircraft and will be reopened shortly.

No major delays are foreseen at this stage.

For more information, please contact:

Unathi Batyashe-Fillis
Manager: Communication and Brand Management
O.R. Tambo International Airport
Airports Company South Africa
Direct: +27 (0) 11 921 6087
Cell: +27 (0) 79 882 7307
E-Mail: unathi.Batyashe-Fillis@airports.co.za
Web: www.airports.co.za
Mobi: m.airports.co.za


- ACSA

Plane catches fire at OR Tambo

Johannesburg -

A Global Aviation charter plane caught fire while it was aborting take-off at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday morning, the Airports Company SA (Acsa) said.

One of its tyres exploded, causing the plane to catch fire, Acsa spokesman Solomon Makgale said.

The aircraft, destined for Lilongwe, Malawi, was carrying 120 passengers and seven crew.

No injuries were reported and the fire had been extinguished.

Only one runway was currently operating at the airport.

- Sapa/IOL

With new storm looming, airlines take no chances

NEW YORK (AP) -- Major airlines are scrapping flights in and out of the New York area ahead of the second significant storm in little more than a week.

United and American plan to suspend operations in the region this afternoon. Other airlines are encouraging passengers to reschedule - without a fee.

Airlines are quick to cancel flights ahead of major storms to avoid stranding aircraft and crews. Doing so also lessens storm-related financial losses. As of 8:45 a.m. EST, about 360 flights had been canceled at the three New York airports, according to flight tracker FlightAware. About half of those are at Newark Liberty International.

Superstorm Sandy last week led to more than 20,000 flight cancellations. The latest storm is weaker than Sandy, but still brings high winds, a mix of rain and snow and the potential for more flooding. Sandy flooded some airport runways when it hit last Monday.

United, the world's largest airline, is suspending most service in New York starting at noon Wednesday. It warns that the bad weather will likely cause more delays and cancellations throughout the Northeast.

American Airlines is shutting down in New York at 3 p.m. It's also stopping flights to and from Philadelphia at noon.

Most other airlines, including Delta Air Lines Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corp., are asking passengers to reschedule their Northeast flights for a later date. They're waiving the usual change fees of up to $150.

JetBlue, which is the biggest domestic airline at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, said its operations had just gotten back to normal Monday.

There's a dollars and cents reason that airlines cancel big swaths of their schedules well ahead of bad weather. Cancellations aren't as expensive for airlines as one might think.

Most passengers eventually reschedule, so the airline still collects the fare. And if flights are canceled, the airline doesn't have to pay the crew or the cost of burning fuel. Many passengers on canceled flights are also often squeezed onto another flight, which improves the airline's efficiency.

Airlines also are not required to pay for hotel rooms, food or other expenses for passengers stuck overnight due to the weather, as many stranded by Sandy learned the hard way.

As the current storm moves up the Atlantic coast from Florida, it now is expected to veer farther offshore than earlier projections had indicated.

Storm surges along the coasts of New Jersey and New York are expected to reach perhaps 3 feet, only half to a third of what Sandy caused last week. High winds, which could reach 65 mph, could extend inland throughout the day, potentially stalling power restoration efforts or causing further outages.

- AP

Update: Missing Aircraft: Mozambique

Just heard that the Mozambique Government called off the official search and rescue operation. The SA Search and Rescue team to return home. This is really sad news but the team are bound by the decision made by the Mozambique Government.

Plane en route to SA missing in Mozambique

Maputo - The hunt was on Wednesday for a small aircraft that was last heard of over Mozambique's remote northwest, with fears growing about the fate of its occupants.

The craft - reported to be a small Baron 55 with five people on board- was last heard of travelling in Mozambique's vast province of Tete en route to Lanseria airport, north of Johannesburg, the Mozambique Civil Aviation Agency said.

The plane did not send out a distress signal and no sign of its wreckage has been found.

- AFP/News24

Sandy grounds SAA flights to US

Johannesburg - Hurricane Sandy has forced SA Airways (SAA) on Sunday to ground its flights coming to and from the eastern United States.

The cancellation was immediate and would affect flights to and from New York and Washington, SAA said in a statement.

The flights affected for Sunday are SA 203, Johannesburg to New York, and SA 207 Johannesburg to Washington.

The flights affected on Monday are SA 204, New York to Johannesburg, and SA 208, Washington to Johannesburg.

Passengers affected by the cancellations can approach the airline's call centre or ticket offices for help.

Customers will be offered a full refund, waiver of flight change fees or a waiver of cancellation and administrative fees.

SAA warned that this offer must be taken up by Wednesday.

- SAPA/News24

Air Canada flight finds Sydney yacht in Tasman Sea

An Air Canada passenger flight bound for Sydney has helped locate a yacht in distress in waters between Australia and New Zealand, authorities say.

Flight AC033 was diverted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) after it spotted an emergency beacon activated in the Tasman Sea.

Pilots descended to 1,800m (5,905ft) altitude and used a passenger's binoculars to find the vessel.
The boat and its lone sailor was found about 500km (310 miles) east of Sydney.

The yachtsman reportedly left the Sydney area about two weeks earlier and had been drifting for about one week after losing his mast and running low on fuel.

Remote location
 
The emergency beacon was spotted at about 08:15 local time on Tuesday (21:15 GMT on Monday), AMSA said.

The Air Canada flight from Vancouver, with 270 passengers and 18 crew aboard, was diverted about 12 hours into the flight. It flew an additional 400km as a result of the diversion.

The plane landed in Sydney some 90 minutes behind schedule, an Air Canada spokesman told the Globe and Mail newspaper.

"We're really pleased we could help," spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said, adding that weather conditions - and not the diversion - had been the main cause of delay.

Later, an Air New Zealand Airbus 320 en route to Sydney from Auckland was also diverted before an Australian rescue plane arrived and dropped a life raft and satellite phone down to the stranded seaman.
A merchant vessel was also asked to shield the boat from strong winds until a police vessel could reach the sailor.

An AMSA spokesman told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the help of the passenger jets had been needed because of the remote location of the yacht.

"The location of the beacon was within a flight path, so we needed to assess the situation and the Boeing 777 was the closest asset available to us," Jo Meehan said.

The sailor is believed to be safe and healthy, authorities said.

- BBC

1time “in distress”

JSE-listed low-cost airline 1time has applied to the High Court for protection against its creditors after its board yesterday decided the company’s subsidiaries are financially distressed and need business rescue.

The board of 1time added in a statement “it is also of the view that there appears to be a reasonable prospect of rescuing these subsidiaries from their current difficulties. “The business rescue process will allow 1time to continue to operate while it prepares and implements a plan of reorganisation – to focus on its more profitable routes and to reorganise the business financially and strategically so that it can operate efficiently and sustainably while aiming to return to profitability and to emerge as a healthier company.”

1Time chief executive Blacky Komani told the paper that the airline would continue scheduled services. “For us it is business as usual and we will fly tomorrow and for the days to come,” he told Moneyweb.

The object of the business rescue is to dig the companies out of R320 million of short-term debt. The firm had been carrying the debt for two years. "It is money that we owe for services and for some operational costs. We [the new management] inherited it," Komani told Business Day newspaper.

Earlier this month, 1time Holdings said it would co-launch Fresh Air, a low cost carrier for the Zimbabwe market, with scheduled flights expected to commence next month between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls. Under the arrangement with partner Nu-Aero, 1time will halt its flights on the Livingston-Johannesburg route and fly between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls, via Harare. This route would then become a Fresh Air operation. If the route were successful, the company would be able to apply for a second route after three months of operation.

1Time's shares have fallen 91% over the past two years, from about 155c a share to close at 14c a share on Tuesday. South African airlines are facing increasingly tough conditions domestically, as demand softens and operating costs increase dramatically – airport fees have gone up and the high oil price is weighing heavily on profits. In April this year 1time said its loss widened to R157 million in
the year through December from R11.1 million a year earlier, mainly due to the congested local market.. "What we need is time to present a turnaround strategy for the business, which will be sold to creditors and investors," Komani told Business Day.

Last year September, CEO and co-founder Glenn Orsmond resigned after heading the company for eight years. Orsmond told The Citizen that his departure was due to the fact that the airline “probably needs fresh ideas…I need a break.”

In March 2011 1time sealed a deal with a black economic empowerment consortium that would acquire a 25% stake in the group for nearly R50 million, which will be used to expand 1Time’s operations and acquire more aircraft. The consortium purchased 70 million shares worth R49 million, effective from March 2, the 1Time group said at the time. When first announced in November 2010, the deal was valued at R65.1 million. The consortium includes Mtha Aviation, SKMT Sunrise Investment Group and Oakleaf Investmetn Holdings. The latter was formed to acquire and hold the stake in 1Time, with Mtha Aviation owning the majority of Oakleaf. Sipho Twala, a founding shareholder and chairman of 1time, is also part of the BEE consortium.

- DefenceWeb

Lightning strikes runway

Taipei - Taipei's Songshan airport was briefly closed after its sole runway was hit by lightning, delaying 25 flights, an official said on Sunday.

The strike on Saturday afternoon left a hole of about 70cm long and 50cm wide. Authorities closed the transport hub for just under two hours after being alerted to the damage by an airport worker.

"Twenty-five flights to and from the airport, 20 of them on domestic routes, were delayed before the damage was fixed at 20:10," a Civil Aeronautics Administration official told AFP.

Around 3 500 passengers were affected, he said.

- SAPA/News24

1time flight from Durban to Cape Town make an emergency landing.

A 1time flight from Durban to Cape Town had to make an emergency landing at King Shaka International Airport on Sunday night when one of its engines appeared to malfunction soon after take-off.

At least seven flights out of the airport were delayed and approaching planes were rerouted.

Airports Company of SA spokesman Colin Naidoo said:

“We delayed all flights to ensure the runway had no debris that could damage or affect other flights.”

Among those delayed was a flight from Joburg bringing the Sharks rugby team home after their Super Rugby final in New Zealand. They had been due to land at 7pm, but their plane, was delayed on the tarmac in Joburg. A welcoming committee that included their families waited until after 8.30pm for them at the airport.

No one was hurt in the incident. The plane was about two-thirds full.

Naidoo said it was not clear what caused the 1time plane to signal an emergency landing. It was flying from Durban to Cape Town.

“The Civil Aviation Authority will conduct an investigation into the matter,” he said.

Cape Town journalist Angelique Arde, who was on the flight, said there was a loud bang on one side of the plane soon after take-off.

“The plane continued ascending but it felt like it was gliding. It was evident that something was very wrong,” she said.

After 20 minutes, when the plane was still heading north towards Richards Bay while dumping fuel over the sea, Arde said the pilot told passengers they would make an emergency landing.

He said they should not be worried about the emergency vehicles on the runway as that was routine for an emergency landing. “An automated voice told us to assume the brace position,” she said.

The pilot landed the plane safely and the passengers gave a loud cheer and applauded him.

Passengers were each given a meal voucher and told that they would continue their journey (on another 1time flight) later in the evening.

“It was very calmly handled by the staff,” Arde said.

Nevertheless passengers were shaken by the incident, she said. “I had such a wonderful weekend in Durban… my sister has just had a baby. I kept thinking, please God, I don’t want to die now.”

In 2010, several people were injured when they jumped out of a 1time plane when the pilot ordered an emergency evacuation after one of the plane’s engines started smoking before take-off at OR Tambo International in Joburg.

1time management could not be reached for comment.

- The Mercury

SACAA launching laser pointer awareness campaign

In the last seven months, the South African Civil Aviation Authority has recorded 102 incidents of lasers being shone at aircraft, prompting the Authority to launch an awareness campaign on the dangers of dazzling pilots.

Yesterday the SACAA, the Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) company, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Airline Pilots’ Association of South Africa (ALPA) held a press conference on the matter. Zakhele Thwala, Director of the SACAA, warned of the potential disasters if laser beams continue to be directed at aircraft by civilians on the ground.

Thwala said that the aviation industry has great concern about the illegal use of laser beams – ATNS reported 102 incidents to the SACAA between December 2011 and the end of June this year. ATNS noted that from January 1, 2010, until February 29, 2012, there have been 181 reported laser attacks at some of South Africa’s major airports.

ATNS said that Cape Town International Airport has had the highest number of reported events, with 106 (or 58.56%) incidents between January 2010 and February 2012, followed by Lanseria Airport at 21 (or 11.06%) of incidents. OR Tambo International and East London Airports are joint third with 14 (or 7.73%) reported incidents each.

ATNS said that while most laser attacks were directed at aircraft on final approach, other low-flying aircraft such as police and ambulance or rescue helicopters are also targeted at times. There have also been incidents where lasers were directed at air traffic control towers.

Thwala warned that flashing a light beam or other energy source, whether visible or not, towards any aircraft, air traffic control tower or any person therein is prohibited by the Civil Aviation Regulations and contravention could result in a fine or imprisonment of ten years, or both.

To date there have been no prosecutions for shining lasers at aircraft in South Africa. However, there have been three arrests. One occurred during the Soccer World Cup in 2010 at a Fan Park in Durban, KwaZulu Natal. Currently, there is a pending case in the Bloemfontein Courts. Two people were arrested during the ANC Centenary celebrations for shining lasers at aircraft.

Hennie Marais, an Executive from Air Traffic Management, said that when a flight deck is illuminated, the bright light inside is a distraction to both pilots and air traffic controllers and these incidents could result in catastrophic events taking place.

Captain Margaret Viljoen, who represented ALPA, has experienced this herself, and added that pilots could lose their configuration while being blinded by the light, and that this usually happens during the critical phases of takeoff and landing. A few years ago, ALPA already embarked on a project to prepare pilots for such situations. Pilots also have to inform air traffic control and the police of such incidents. ALPA emphasised the need for the public to have a greater understanding of the significance of laser beam flashing at aircraft.

Aletta Karsten, a laser physicist from the CSIR, condemned the irresponsible use of laser pointers on behalf of the CSIR, and called upon the public to report anyone engaging on such activities. Providers and users of laser pointers are legally obligated to be registered at the Department of Health. She explained that strong laser pointers directed on the retina of the eye cause permanent damage and therefore lasers should not be used as toys. Although a direct hit into the eyes of a pilot is unlikely, she agreed that the distraction is problematic.

Thwala emphasised that the Police and the judiciary system see these incidents in a serious light; however the difficulty lies in apprehending the perpetrators. The CAA’s awareness campaign will promote public awareness, which in turn could lead to the arrest of those involved in irresponsible laser-beaming incidents.

ATNS urged people not to buy powerful laser devices and to report the selling of them to the police.

- DefenceWeb

Plane crash lands in Cato Ridge, Kwazulu Natal

(Above: The scene being cordoned off. Photos: Netcare 911)

A pilot and his co-pilot have escaped injury after making an emergency landing in Cato Ridge.

The light aircraft clipped one of its wings on debris as it came in for a landing at an air strip at around 12pm today.

It spun out of control and landed in a nearby sugarcane field.

The Piper aircraft has been seriously damaged.

Netcare 911's Chris Botha says fortunately no one was hurt.

"SAP is on scene and have cordoned off the main area and are now waiting for the Civil Aviation Authority to come and investigate," he said.

- East Coast Radio

SA authority warns of increasing laser threat to aircraft safety

The number of incidents of laser lights being used against aircraft is increasing, and causing a threat to safety, the SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said on Wednesday.

There had already been 170 incidents of a laser being pointed at an aircraft or at an air traffic control tower this year, said SACAA director Zakhele Thwala at a media briefing in Midrand.

At this rate, there would be more incidents than last year when there were 175, he said.

"There's a huge concern from the airline industry... on the huge increase of their use," Thwala said.

The laser lights were a distraction to both aircraft pilots and air traffic controllers. They were usually laser pointers, easily available in electronics stores for as little as R150.

Air Line Pilots' Association SA representative Capt Margaret Viljoen said the laser light incidents were often at lower altitudes, such as take-off and landing, which were critical times for flights.

They were particularly dangerous when it was dark, because the flashing light was even more distracting then.

"Laser illuminations can interfere with pilot vision, potentially impacting the safety of a flight," Viljoen said.

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research national laser centre manager Dr Ndumiso Cingo said that while there had not been an accident on record as caused by lasers, this might change in the future.

"These lasers are becoming more powerful and readily available, the chances of the lasers causing an incident are increasing," Cingo said.

Thwala said there was also the threat that the lights could cause permanent damage to the vision of pilots, affecting their ability to earn a livelihood.

Thwala believed that the people flashing lasers at planes were not trying to cause accidents.

"It may not be malicious but it is dangerous," he said.

While the act of using a laser against aircraft might just be a prank, he said perpetrators could face serious consequences if they were caught. The penalties included a fine or up to 10 years' imprisonment.

However, few people had been caught in the act of using a laser against aircraft so far. Thwala said only three people had been caught, one each in Durban, Johannesburg and Bloemfontein.

He said the person in Bloemfontein was caught because of the presence of the SA Air Force in the area. The person caught was a minor and eventually the charges were dropped.

The other cases in Durban and Johannesburg had dragged on in the courts and the SACAA had lost track of them, Thwala said.

Viljoen said some people could be flashing lasers at aircraft because they had seen on television fictional scenarios where an aircraft was brought down by them. Others were just bored and entertaining themselves.

"There's my opinion that it's one individual: he's got his beer and his laser pointer and that's his evening fun," Viljoen said.

The bulk of the laser incidents had occurred at Cape Town airport, but almost all airports in the country had been affected.

Thwala warned that the lasers were not only a threat to the aircraft, but to the communities around an airport where a crash could take place.

He said the SACAA would launch a public information campaign to educate the public on the hazards of flashing laser pointers at aircraft.

- Times Live

Possible pilot shortage raises safety concerns

An industry forecast that nearly half a million new airline pilots will be needed worldwide over the next 20 years as airlines expand their fleets has raised safety concerns that airlines will hire lower caliber pilots as they struggle to fill slots.

Boeing, one of the world's largest makers of commercial jetliners, forecasts about 465,000 new pilots will be needed worldwide between now and 2031 as global economies expand and airlines take deliveries of tens of thousands of new commercial jetliners. The forecast includes 69,000 new pilots in the North America, mostly in the U.S. The greatest growth will be in the Asia-Pacific region, where an estimated 185,600 new pilots will be needed.

Likewise, Boeing predicts 601,000 new aircraft maintenance technicians will be needed over the same period, with greatest demand - 243,500 technicians - in the Asia-Pacific region. An estimated 92,500 new technicians will North America.

The rising global demand for airline pilots has raised concern among industry and government officials that there will be a global and a domestic pilot shortage.

"In many regions of the world, a pilot shortage is already here," the Boeing forecast said. "Asia Pacific in particular is experiencing delays and operational interruptions due to pilot scheduling constraints."

That's particularly true in China and India, industry officials said. Airlines based in Asia and the Middle East have been holding pilot job fairs in the U.S. and thousands of pilots laid off due to U.S. airline bankruptcies and mergers are now flying for foreign carriers.

"We have airlines around the world as they buy our airplanes and come to us on the training side of the house, saying 'We're struggling to fill (pilot) seats. Can you help us?' " said Carl Davis, Boeing's chief of pilot services. Davis presented his company's forecast Thursday at a conference in Washington on pilot training hosted by the Air Line Pilots Association, the world's largest pilot union.

U.S. industry and government officials are also concerned that the rising global demand for pilots, combined with an anticipated wave in pilot retirements and tougher qualification standards for new pilots that kick-in next year, will create a domestic shortage as well.

"I'm concerned because it has safety implications," John Allen, the Federal Aviation Administration's director of flight services, told The Associated Press.

Allen said he wants to spur a discussion among industry, labor unions, and academia about a potential shortage that will "really look at this and address it, not to just sweep it under the rug ... Is this a problem? And, if it is a problem, how bad is it?"

He said he is fearful that if there is a shortage, airlines will hire pilots who are technically qualified but don't have the "right stuff."

"If the industry is stretched pretty thin ... that can result in someone getting into the system that maybe isn't really the right person to be a pilot. Not everybody is supposed to be a pilot," Allen said.

Officials for the Airlines for America and the International Air Transport Association didn't respond to a request for comment.

Lee Moak, president of the pilots union, said he doubts a pilot shortage will be felt in the U.S. for about three to five years. If U.S. airlines start hiring pilots in large numbers, he said, pilots now flying for foreign carriers will likely return home. There are currently about 90,000 airline pilots in the U.S. and Canada.

"Globally is another matter," Moak said.

Industry and government officials anticipate a wave of pilot retirements at U.S. airlines beginning this year. Five years ago, the FAA raised the mandatory retirement age for pilots from 60 to 65. The fifth anniversary of that decision is Dec. 13. Pilots who were age 60 on that date five years ago are reaching the age where they have to retire.

Also, FAA regulations created in response to an aviation safety law passed by Congress two years ago will raise the experience threshold required to be an airline first officer from the current 250 hours of flying time to 1,500 hours, the same level as required of captains. That's expected to make it harder for airlines to find qualified new applicants.

At the same time, the pool of military-trained pilots that airlines have relied upon in the past has largely dried up as more pilots choose to remain in the military rather than seek airline careers, industry officials said. That means airlines have had to rely on new hires that have accumulated their experience at flight schools and, later, working as flight instructors at local airports and the flight schools.

"The cost of getting into flying is very expensive," Davis said. "When I talk to college students, if they're coming out of a 4-year collegiate (aviation) program most of them are $150,000 -to- $160,000 in debt. And that only gives them the qualifications to go be a flight instructor. If you're making $20,000 a year as a flight instructor you're lucky."

- Times Live

Meer vliegtuie val

JOHANNESBURG. – Al hoe meer ligtevliegtuigongelukke kom in Suid-Afrika voor ondanks pogings om lugvaartveiligheid te verbeter.

In die eerste week van Mei is vier mense in twee ongelukke in KwaZulu-Natal dood en ’n vlieënier moes ’n noodlanding op ’n Durbanse strand uitvoer.

Sedert begin vanjaar het 44 ongelukke plaasgevind wat deur die Burgerlugvaartowerheid (BLO) ondersoek word.

Volgens die BLO is daar ’n aantal redes vir ligtevliegtuig- en mikrovliegtuig-ongelukke.

Bongi Mtlokwa, ’n BLO-navorser, het gesê enjins kan probleme gee en menslike foute kom voor.

“Private vliegtuie maak meer ongelukke as ander.”

Van 2006tot 2010 was private vliegtuie betrokke by sowat 65% van alle lugvaartongelukke.

Mtlokwa het gesê leerlingvlieëniers is by 18% van die ongelukke betrokke.

“Dit laat die vraag ontstaan of leerlingvlieëniers te gou toegelaat word om alleen te vlieg aangesien hulle blykbaar onder toesig goed presteer, maar nie noodwendig op hul eie nie.”

Herhaalde opleiding is belangrik en vlieëniers behoort gereeld op verfrisserkursusse te gaan, het sy gesê.

“’n Verdere probleem met vlieg vir plesier en nie vir kommersiële doeleindes nie is dat dié vlieëniers nie daagliks vlieg nie. Hul vaardighede raak verroes.

“Dit is dus ’n goeie idee om op die hoogte van ontwikkelinge te bly.”

Die mees algemene oorsaak van vliegtuigongelukke is as ’n vlieënier in beheer van ’n lugwaardige vliegtuig per ongeluk, gewoonlik in swak weer, teen ’n berg, massa water, die grond of ’n ander hindernis vasvlieg.

Volgens Mtlokwa kan baie noodlottige ongelukke verhoed word indien ’n vlieënier die nodige kennis het.

“Dit is belangrik dat die vlieënier sy vliegtuig ken. Ongelukke kom meer voor as die vlieënier nie dikwels ’n spesifieke vliegtuig vlieg nie. ’n Vlieënier het minstens drie vlieguur per jaar nodig.”

Vlugbeplanning is ook uiters belangrik sodat die vlieënier weet wat om te verwag.

“Vra jouself ‘wat as?’ en berei jou voor.

“Vliegvaardigheid kan beskryf word as kennis en kundigheid – nie net boekkundigheid nie, maar hoe bewus die vlieënier van sy vliegtuig en omgewing is.”

- Volksblad