Travel Safety Update - North America.

May 31, 2009

Improved colour vision requirements for flight crew could lead to a 35 percent increase in the number of prospective pilots meeting the minimum medical threshold. Colour-blindness research sponsored by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority and the US FAA, and carried out by London City University's Applied Vision Research Centre, has established a more accurate assessment of colour deficiencies in pilot applicants' red-green and yellow-blue colour range. May 29, 2009

The U.S. Air Force is conducting fatigue tests on Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F-15C/D/Es to assess whether the aircraft are suitable for a service life extension program (SLEP). The fleet is expected to be good for about 8,000 flying hours, and Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford, military deputy for the Air Force acquisition czar, says a SLEP could take them to 12,000 flying hours. The service is also exploring a SLEP for the F-16, which would take the aircraft from 4,000 flying hours to 8,000 flying hours. Extending the lives of the legacy, fourth-generation fleet is a potentially attractive option as the Air Force faces a shortfall during the transition from F-16s and F-15s to new F-22s and F-35s reported AWST. May 26, 2009

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines has received its eighth consecutive Diamond Award for maintenance training excellence from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This is the sixth consecutive year Alaska received the award with the distinction of Special Recognition, an honor given only when all eligible employees participate in the Aviation Maintenance Technician Awards (AMT) program. The FAA also presented Alaska Airlines with a special award to recognize its six-year record of 100-percent participation in the AMT program. The FAA also honored 736 Alaska Airlines employees with individual AMT Awards. Anchorage, Alaska-based Lead Aircraft Technician Patrick Durbin and Seattle-based Technical Training Instructor Ray Bundrick received the highest honor -- the Diamond Award -- for completing more than 100 hours of training in 2008. The Aviation Maintenance Technician Awards program began in 1991. Its purpose is to provide incentives for aviation maintenance technicians to participate actively in initial and recurrent training programs, either on their own or in programs subsidized by their employer. For more information, visit www.alaskaair.com. May 29, 2009

Colgan Air, Bombardier

Commuter airlines which operate just over half of all US domestic flights are under pressure as business passengers weigh safety problems arising from a crash in February. A federal investigation into the crash of a Colgan Air commuter plane that killed 50 people in New York state has put the focus on regional airlines at a particularly vulnerable time for a business travel industry coping with recession. Colgan, a unit of Pinnacle Airlines, operates under the names of Continental Connection for Continental Airlines, as United Express for United Airlines, and as US Airways Express for US Airways. Colgan was flying Continental Connection Flight 3407 on February 12 when it crashed near Buffalo. Hearings by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) this month exposed issues of pilot fatigue, lack of experience and inadequate training. The poorly paid flight crew of the late-night commuter flight had arrived at work early the day of the crash and had commuted long distances to reach Newark, NJ where the flight originated. The pilot flew in from Florida and may have napped in a crew lounge to save money on a hotel; the 24-year-old co-pilot who earned only USDUSD 24,000 a year spent the previous two nights to get from her home in Seattle to Newark. The two, their voices captured on inflight recorders, discussed their inexperience with aircraft icing as the flight descended in wintry conditions. The captain ignored a warning system and crew members broke cockpit rules by chatting about things not connected to the flight as the plane entered the crucial landing phase. Congress also is looking into the safety of regional airlines that fly the 30- to 90-seat planes. May 26, 2009

Gulfstream International Airlines

A former pilot with regional carrier Gulfstream International Airlines alleges he was fired for refusing to fly a plane with a faulty collision-avoidance system, adding to the scrutiny of the Florida-based airline that serves as a training ground for many regional pilots. May 26, 2009

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