CV Thian

AAPA WELCOMES EASING OF RULES ON INFLIGHT ELECTRONIC DEVICES Passengers set to experience greater freedom in choice of personal entertainment Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The US FAA has announced that it is relaxing previous rules restricting the inflight use of portable electronic devices, such as tablets, smart phones and e-readers. Inflight cellular communications including voice calls and electronic messaging will still be prohibited. In terms of international implications, FAA rules apply to all US registered carriers. International airlines are similarly subject to regulatory oversight by their respective national governments. Individual national regulators will need to make their own evaluations and decide if and when to modify their own requirements in this regard. Airlines are also required to operate in accordance with agreed guidelines, consistent with applicable safety management systems. Mr. Andrew Herdman, Director General of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), commenting on these developments, said, “Airline passengers will certainly welcome more clarity about the use of their personal devices on board aircraft, and the reassurance that it is safe to do so. In an ideal world such requirements would be more or less standardised worldwide. This was a point recognised by the expert group which carried out the evaluation, which indeed recommended that efforts should be made to work with other international stakeholders to harmonise such rules.” Mr. Herdman added, “Passengers want a consistent flying experience, but given the number of individual regulators involved worldwide it will take some time to implement the necessary changes. Asian airlines will certainly be encouraging governments to agree on harmonised global standards, preferably on a multilateral basis working through he International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).” http://goo.gl/Tn3ewH

Hey guys, it was a great pleasure meeting the Mwingers who were at KLIA today. I managed to record a short video of V8-DLA taxiing in. Enjoy!

Flight Safety Foundation Statement on Approaches to SFO Due to recent events at San Francisco International Airport, the FAA has instituted additional landing guidelines for foreign carriers. FSF is concerned that the FAA is singling out foreign carriers unnecessarily due to an increased number of go-arounds. This increase is not reason enough to implement these new guidelines. A go-around is a standard operating procedure to be used as a result of an unstabilized approach and should not be used to single out foreign air carrier pilots. This can set a precedent to single out these pilots for performing a necessary risk-mitigation strategy. If the FAA believes that additional landing guidelines are necessary at a certain airport, than those guidelines should apply to all airlines, not just foreign carriers. http://flightsafety.org/blog/fsf-statement-on-approaches-to-sfo

Whether its the crew's decision to go-around or an ATC induced go-around, standard procedures have been adhered to by executing a missed approach when the runway is occupied. Crew have been trained for this many times and it is nothing unusual. No doubt it can cause some worries to passengers as well as inconveniences due to delays but safety is and should be the number one priority for airlines.

Indeed, in the past 5 years there have been 7 MA60 accidents, 4 of which resulted in hull-losses. Another fact to note is 6 of these accidents took place in ASEAN (2x Philippines, 2x Indonesia, 2x Myanmar) and the other in Bolivia. Specific details on each accident can be found here: http://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?Type=511

From the AV herald: Accident: Merpati MA60 at Kupang on Jun 10th 2013, landed short of runway and broke up A Merpati Nusantara Airlines Xian MA-60, registration PK-MZO performing flight MZ-6517 from Bajawa to Kupang (Indonesia) with 46 passengers and 4 crew, touched down short of Kupang's runway 07 at 09:40L (01:40Z), sheared off all landing gear, the propellers and engines contacted ground causing the wing to break apart and tilt. The aircraft came to a stop with the fuselage broken up in two parts just past the western threshold of the runway (07). One passenger was taken to a hospital with injuries. http://avherald.com/h?article=46399869&opt=0 Sorry! Just realised this link has been posted by member Mulyadir Fitri in post #7

The AV Herald has picked this up: Incident: Malaysia B734 at Medan on May 18th 2013, approached wrong airport http://avherald.com/h?article=4629f832&opt=0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgMI0xJbtjE

Port side from front 1 Cristiano Ronaldo 2 Wayne Rooney 3 Alan Smith 4 Ruud van Nistelrooy Starboard side from front 1 Park Ji Sung 2 Alex Ferguson 3 Rio Ferdinand

In related news: Jetstar CEO Bruce Buchanan departs the airline and joins Vanessa Megan Announced 22 May 2012 Vanessa Megan, an Australian organic skincare company, is thrilled to welcome Bruce Buchanan, Group Chief Executive Officer of Jetstar, into the fold. As one of the youngest and most revered CEO’s in Australia today, Bruce will bring a wealth of business experience to Vanessa Megan and will make a major and positive impact on its future. Vanessa Megan has spent the past six months on the product’s readiness to launch into key markets in Asia including China, Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. Bruce’s experience at Jetstar, successfully taking an Australian business into the Pan-Asian region will be invaluable for Vanessa Megan in taking this great Australian product to the world. “I am excited to be able to help another business, Vanessa Megan, realise its potential through-out Asia. I have used the product over the last twelve months and have fallen in love with the product and brand. When I drink wine (a hazard of building a business involving many partners) I can react with a rash around my eyes, which I used to treat with a steroid cream – I have now happily replaced this with the natural eye cream from Vanessa Megan. I know that once you have the opportunity to try Vanessa Megan, you will also fall in love with this product and brand. It’s a fantastic business that I am very proud to be part of”, said Bruce. “Having spent significant time in Asia, I recognize the wonderful opportunity Australia has to fulfill a strong demand for a clean and green product. Australia is quite unique in the way it is perceived around the world and Vanessa Megan has tremendous potential to meet the needs of an increased awareness by consumers about the benefits of using products from a pure environment like ours” added Bruce. Vanessa Megan produces skincare for Women, Men, Home, Pregnancy & Baby with currently 56 lines in the range. The products are manufactured by hand in Sydney, Australia using only natural and organic ingredients sourced from Australia (wherever possible). It is a premium skincare range, appealing to women and men who are accustomed to buying high end department store brands but who now want products they know are also completely safe. Vanessa Megan is organic food for skin, built on the belief that you ‘should never put anything on your skin you wouldn’t eat’ – as the skin is the body’s largest organ and will absorb anything you put on it into the bloodstream so should be safe. Vanessa Megan believes skincare must be beautiful, must be natural and absolutely must work. The range is presented in amber glass bottles for shelf-life longevity, recyclability and beauty. Vanessa Megan is organic food for your skin. Recently Bruce and his wife Elizabeth Buchanan invested in the business to take a 50% ownership in partnership with Vanessa Gray who began developing the range more than 12 years ago. www.vanessamegan.com

22 May 2012 THAI president hits back after being dumped Thai Airways International has fired Piyasvasti Amranand as president of the national carrier. Board chairman Ampon Kittiampon said the reason it discharged Piyasvasti was his lack of ''unity in communication'' with the board and failure to push ahead some of the airline's projects. Piyasvasti, quoted by local media, said the board had the right to end his employment "but it must explain why clearly to the public". He said it was also possible that his firing resulted from someone who wanted his position, from his investigations into graft at THAI, and from his punishment of corrupt THAI staff "who might have sought help from some powerful figures". He pointed out that he had brought THAI back from a loss of more than 20 billion baht to profits in two years. Piyasvasti said that in his two years and seven months in office, he had organised a huge aircraft acquisition programme to improve the airline that had suffered from old planes. http://www.travelmol...news_id=2001549

I was taking a flight out to Melbourne in T2 (Qantas Domestic) so I snapped a few shots!

I was flying out of T1 (Qantas Domestic) on Saturday so I decided to take a few shots.

8 December 2008 Two killed in San Diego jet crash A US military F-18 fighter jet has crashed into a residential area of San Diego, killing two people on the ground, the city's mayor has said. The San Diego Fire Department described the scene of the crash as "a heavily populated area" near Interstate 805. TV footage showed plumes of white smoke rising from several houses. The Federal Aviation Administration said the jet had crashed as it prepared to land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and that the pilot had ejected. The crash occurred two miles (3.2km) from the base, it added. Personnel from Air Station Miramar, famous for its role in the movie Top Gun, have been dispatched to the crash site to investigate. The Marine Corps said the jet, a two-seater F/A-18D Hornet, had been on a training mission with only one pilot on board. Mayor Jerry Sanders and a military official sent out their condolences to the families of the victims, whose identities have yet to be released. 'Out of control' FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the supersonic fighter had gone down in the University City area of San Diego at about 1200 (2000 GMT). Kurt Miller, who lives a few blocks from the crash site, told the BBC he had seen the jet coming in and thought it "seemed a little low". "I did not notice billowing black smoke from the engines or anything, however there were some noticeable fumes, which I originally just thought was exhaust," he said. "I did not realise until about 40 minutes later, on my way back to work, that they jet had actually crashed... barely missing the local high school." Donny James, who was visiting the area, said the jet had "spiralled out of control, just like out of Top Gun" before coming down. He said he was unable to get closer to the scene because two houses were on fire. One was destroyed and another was badly damaged, he added. "Both houses were totally engulfed in flames. I saw a pilot walking around and he was dazed. The police were telling everyone to get out of the way," Mr James told CNN. Debris from the aircraft, including one of its engines, is strewn around the neighbourhood, reports say. Officials have urged anybody who finds any parts to leave them and report them to authorities. Witnesses said the pilot had landed in a tree close to the crash site. He was later taken to Balboa Naval Hospital with injuries, officials said. The BBC's Rajesh Mirchandani in Los Angeles says there have been concerns voiced by local people in the past about the frequency of flights by military aircraft over residential areas in California. Extracted from <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7772344.stm>

Hey Wilson, Jetstar has indeed ceased operations from SYD to KUL since September this year. Their reasoning was to "free up" Airbus A330's in order to serve their Japan routes. As for the 787's, Jetstar does have plans to restart SYD-KUL flights but judging from more delays to the production line at Boeing, it would not happen in the near future.

MAS to fly to Utapao to bring back stranded passengers Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will on Friday operate one flight from Kuala Lumpur to Utapao, near Pattaya to bring back hundreds of its stranded passengers in Bangkok. MAS’ area manager for Thailand, A. Vijayakumaran, said two more flights would be operated on Saturday, using the Airbus aircraft with passenger capacity of 290 people, compared to the normal capacity of 144. Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation has agreed to allow airlines to use the airport, which is located about 140km from Bangkok, following the closure of the Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports in the capital since Monday by antigovernment protesters. Vijayakumaran said the MH782 flight on Friday would leave Kuala Lumpur at 3.15pm and arrive here at 16.20pm (Thai time), before the return MH783 departs at 5.10pm and lands in KLIA at 8.15pm. On Saturday, MAS will operate two flights, starting with MH784 at 9.10am and arriving here at 10.15am (Thai time) and departing (MH785) Utapao at 11.10am. The second flight (MH788) will depart KLIA at 12.25pm and arrive at 1.30pm while the return flight (MH789) is scheduled to leave at 2.15pm (Thai time) and arrive at KLIA at 5.25pm. Vijayakumaran said passengers with tickets would have to make their own arrangements to travel to Utapao while those without tickets could purchase them from the airline. He said the passengers could call MAS office at Tel: 662263056571 or Tel: 6621343184 to get more information. - Bernama

Source: AP Air Canada flight attendant helps land plane November 20, 2008 - 1:02PM An Air Canada co-pilot had a mental breakdown and had to be forcibly removed from the cockpit, restrained and sedated, and a flight attendant helped the pilot make an emergency landing, an Irish investigation concluded Wednesday. The report by the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit into an incident in January applauded the decision-making of the pilot and the cockpit skills of the flight attendant, who stepped into the co-pilot's seat for the emergency diversion to Shannon Airport in western Ireland. None of the 146 passengers or other nine crew members on board the Boeing 767 bound from Toronto to London was injured after the 58-year-old co-pilot had to be removed by attendants and sedated by two doctors on board. The report did not identify any of the Air Canada crew by name. Nor did it specify the psychiatric diagnosis for the co-pilot, who was hospitalised for 11 days in Irish mental wards before being flown by air ambulance back to Canada. It said the co-pilot was a licensed veteran with more than 6,500 hours' flying time, about half on board Boeing 767s, and had recently passed a medical examination. But it said the pilot noticed immediately that his co-pilot was not in good professional shape on the day of the flight, arriving late to the cockpit after all the safety checks and paperwork had been completed. He reported that the co-pilot's behaviour worsened once they were airborne, and the co-pilot advised him to take a lengthy break for naps and a meal. As the aircraft reached the middle of the Atlantic, the report said, the co-pilot began talking in a "rambling and disjointed" manner, took another nap, and then refused to buckle his seat belt or observe other safety procedures when he returned to the cockpit. The pilot concluded that his colleague was now so "belligerent and uncooperative" that he couldn't do his job. The report said the pilot summoned several flight attendants to remove the co-pilot from the cockpit, and one flight attendant suffered an injured wrist in the struggle. Doctors from Britain and Canada on board determined that the co-pilot was confused and disoriented. The report did not mention how the co-pilot was restrained. Departing passengers at the time said his arms and legs had been tied up to keep him under control. The pilot then asked flight attendants to find out if any passenger was a qualified pilot. When none was found, one flight attendant admitted she held a current commercial pilot's licence but said her licence for reading cockpit instruments had expired. "The flight attendant provided useful assistance to the commander, who remarked in a statement to the investigation that she was 'not out of place' while occupying the right-hand seat," the report said. AP

Source: www.theage.com.au Qantas jets collide at airport Larissa Ham November 18, 2008 - 2:33PM Two Qantas jumbo jets - including the plane involved in the Manila mid-air explosion last July - have collided while being towed at Avalon. "Two 747s at our Avalon maintenance base have come into contact with each other during towing this morning," a Qantas spokesman said. "Both aircraft sustained some damage, the extent of that is still being assessed." The spokesman confirmed one of the planes was the aircraft that was forced to make an emergency landing earlier this year when its oxygen tank exploded mid-air, blowing a hole in the plane's fuselage. Repairs to the aircraft involved in the July incident were undertaken in Manila by Boeing, but further work was being done at Avalon. The plane has not carried passengers since the emergency landing four months ago. Staff involved in this morning's collision, which occurred about 9.30am, have been stood down pending a full investigation, a Qantas spokesman said. He said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash. The airline believes both 747s will be out of action for at least a few days.

For those who missed this episode or want to watch it again, it is available online here: Majalah 3 AirAsia X

I think she docked at Gate 11 of Terminal 2. She arrived early though! about 20 minutes ahead of scheduled time!

From thestar.com.my Published: Tuesday November 4, 2008 MYT 2:00:00 PM MAS to allow cellphone, PDA use in flights PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines passengers can now use their BlackBerry-type devices and mobile phones on selected flights to send and receive email and text messages, and to make and receive voice calls. The airline has teamed up with AeroMobile to become the first air carrier in Asia to offer such in-flight mobile phone and data services. The facility is available immediately on selected flights on MAS’ routes covering Europe, Australia, and across Asia including China and Japan. Passengers would be able to safely use their mobile phone or personal digital assistant (PDA) during the “cruise” phase of the flight without affecting aircraft systems and ground telecommunication networks. Users will be billed on their regular phone bills by their own service providers as with any other international roaming call, the airline said. MAS has conducted trials over the last few weeks on a Boeing 777-200, testing all aspects of the system using standard BlackBerrys and mobile phones, it said in a statement. The Boeing 777 equipped with the AeroMobile system has received aviation safety approvals (Supplemental Type Certificate) from both the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Appropriate approvals have also been granted by the Malaysian authorities to operate the service, MAS said. The trial is ongoing and if findings are positive, the facility would be offered across the airline’s remaining wide body aircraft by next year, said MAS chief executive officer and managing director Datuk Seri Idris Jala. “We firmly believe that both our business and leisure passengers will very much welcome this new service,” he said in the statement. The AeroMobile system supports General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and uses Inmarsat’s Swift64 satellite system, which has been added to the trial B777 aircraft.

First media report on this incident: From thestar.com Tuesday November 4, 2008 AirAsiaX’s new Airbus from Perth hits a glitch By ROYCE CHEAH SEPANG: The anticipated tour of AirAsia-X’s new Airbus A330 ended up as a computer slide show after the plane failed to touch down on schedule here due to a delay in its departure from Perth. AirAsia-X chief executive officer, Azran Osman-Rani told the media, guests and AirAsia staff waiting at the low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) here yesterday that the plane was delayed in the interests of safety. The plane was to have touched down at the LCCT at 1pm but it only arrived hours later. “Warning lights for a certain component lit up as the plane was flying here from Perth. The pilot then decided to return to Perth. “Back there, the onboard computer system was restarted and everything was rechecked. This took six hours, including getting a new time slot to depart,” Azran said. In an e-mail sent to The Star, a passenger claimed the plane had encountered hydraulic problems. Asked if he was disappointed with the performance of the first Airbus A330 that AirAsia-X had acquired, Azran said such delays did not necessarily impact the ability of the plane to fly. “We must test everything. Even if it is going to take three, six or 24 hours, I would not risk it for the safety of the passengers,” he said. Azran said affected passengers, both from Kuala Lumpur and Perth, were provided with the necessary assistance such as replacement flights and hotel stays. AirAsia-X had taken delivery of its first A330 on Friday in Toulouse, France. The delivery of the second A330 is expected in mid-December. Yesterday was AirAsia-X’s first anniversary of commercial service.

Good to hear that AirAsia X took the necessary precautions and everything is alright in the end. Thanks for the update Azmir!

Still no news about this incident in the Australian media as of now.

The Australian Press is going to be all over this tomorrow morning!