VVIP AW101
Very Very Important Person (VVIP) AW101 There are a number of nations introducing the AgustaWestland AW101 into VVIP service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfm3XM82SuQ&feature=player_detailpage In the VVIP role the large AW101 cabin has the flexibility to be fitted out in a wide range of configurations. One easy way to visualise potential cabin layout options is now offered by 3D printing techniques. The images below shows a range of single VVIP seats, double staff seats, a medical station (in place of the 4 side facing seats above), galley, toilet and even a shower. The shower though is limited to ground use only! UPDATE November 2014: Aerossurance has also discussed the booming aircraft interiors sector and its challenges. The type entered service in the VVIP role in 2013 in the oil and gas rich Central Asian republic of Turkmenistan. They received the first of two in March 2013. The first flight has recently taken place at Yeovil of the first of two VVIP AW101’s to be operated by the Nigerian Air Force (with a Defensive Aids suite visible and national marking covered). Meanwhile, one of the aircraft originally intended for India, AW101 Mk641 ZR343, shown here with British Prime Minister David Cameron, was conducting VVIP movements for the NATO Summit in Cardiff in September 2014. Other VVIP customers for the AW101 are reported to include Algeria and Saudi Arabia (each with a pair of VVIP aircraft) and, although earlier EH101 variants have been civil certified, the company is reported to be seeking civil certification for a more current variant. AW101 Background The Agusta Westland AW101 (nee EH101 and known in UK military service as Merlin) first flew as a prototype 0n 9 October 1987 and entered service in 1999. There are however a wide range of developments underway at the moment: The Royal Navy (RN) are taking delivery of the upgraded Merlin HM2 at RNAS Culdrose, being declared operational four months ahead of schedule in July 2014. This followed the largest-ever deployment of Merlins in Exercise Deep Blue in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. UPDATE: December 2014 Lockheed Martin released this video on Exercise Deep Blue: Nine aircraft flew 480 hours. during the deployment on HMS Illustrious in June 2014 (shortly before her retirement). These aircraft have been equipped with a new mission system and avionics suite as part of the Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme (MCSP). In the longer term the Royal Navy will be taking over the Royal Air Force (RAF) Merlin HC3, after a programme of ‘marinsation’ (ultimately to create the Merlin HC4), to replace the Sea King HC4s of the Commando Helicopter Force. UPDATE 30 September 2014 The transition has started with 78 Squadron RAF standing down at RAF Benson. Flight trials will soon be underway of both the Thales and Lockheed Martin Merlin based solutions to the RN’s Cowsnest requirement to replace the Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASaC) Sea Kings Mk7s. A video of the Royal Danish Air Force Merlins operating in the medevac role in Afghanistan has recently been released: The Royal Norwegian Air Force will receive the first of 16 AW101s for the Norwegian All Weather Search & Rescue Helicopter (NAWSARH) requirement in 2017. The AW101 has been in SAR service with the Royal Canadian Air Force as the CH-149 Cormorant for over 12 years. The Portuguese Air Force Esquadra 751 has demonstrated the AW101’s SAR capability with missions to a radius as great as 380nm. In particular, in February 2013, they completed a challenging 360nm night-time rescue mission...
read moreUS BSEE Helideck A-NPR / Bell 430 Tail Strike
US BSEE Helideck A-NPR / Bell 430 Tail Strike The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) issued an Advance Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking on Helideck and Aviation Fuel Safety for Fixed Offshore Facilities on 24 September 2014. BSEE explain: Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has broad authority regarding helicopter-related safety issues and onshore and offshore flight safety, BSEE has the lead responsibility for safety of helidecks and aviation fuel storage and handling on fixed offshore facilities, while the USCG [US Coast Guard] has the lead responsibility for helidecks and aviation fuel handling on floating offshore facilities. BSEE’s regulations are in 30 CFR Part 250. BSEE is seeking comments on whether to incorporate in its regulations certain industry and international standards for the design, construction and maintenance of offshore helidecks, as well as standards for aviation fuel quality, storage and handling. BSEE cite studies by both the Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference (HSAC), who publish Gulf of Mexico (GOM) focused helicopter safety data annually on their website, and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study in 2013. In their accompanying press release, BSEE state: We know that transportation accidents account for the majority of fatalities on the OCS [Offshore Continental Shelf], and that helicopter-related accidents are a significant concern” said BSEE Director Brian Salerno. “We are looking at our regulations to ensure that the aviation related areas over which we have jurisdiction have the benefit of rigorous safety standards.” The CDC found that helicopter accidents were responsible for 49 fatalities out of a total of 128 in the US offshore industry between 2003 and 2010. The significance of transport safety is also highlighted in the OGP safety data for 2013 (for global offshore and onshore oil and gas operations), where air transport formed the largest category of fatalities (all helicopter related). BSEE discuss some of the existing sources of standards and practices/regulations in other countries and want feedback on the following issues: (1) In addition to the statistical reports and summaries described in this notice, what other relevant, reliable data on accidents or other safety issues related to helicopters, helidecks, or aviation fuel systems on fixed offshore facilities should BSEE consider before deciding whether to propose any new regulations? (2) Which existing domestic or international standards or guidance documents, if any, related to planning, design, construction, inspection, maintenance and/or use of helidecks on fixed offshore facilities should BSEE consider incorporating by reference in its regulations? What would the potential cost impacts be if BSEE incorporated, and required compliance with, such documents? (3) Which domestic or international standards or guidance for aviation fuel quality, storage, or handling should BSEE consider incorporating in its regulations for fixed offshore facilities? What would the potential cost impacts be if BSEE incorporated, and required compliance with, such documents? (4) If you think that BSEE should consider incorporating any existing standards for helidecks or aviation fuel systems, please identify any specific provisions in those standards that BSEE should not incorporate, or that BSEE should modify or supplement before incorporation. (5) If you are a fixed offshore facility owner or operator, please describe how you currently address any existing industry or other standards regarding safety of helidecks and aviation fuel systems. (6) What differences between fixed and floating offshore facilities should BSEE consider with regard to whether any existing standards...
read moreMedevac Misadventure – Inquest in the Yukon
Medevac Misadventure – Inquest in the Yukon The Coroner for Canada’s Yukon Territory has recommended a review of procedures for medical evacuations (medevacs) following the death on board an air ambulance of a 31 year-old woman from Carmacks in November 2013, CBC has reported. In particular the wrong IV tubing was taken on the aircraft as different sizes tubes were stored in the same storage location. This is a classic human performance influencing factor that increases the risk of human error. The key medevac recommendations are below: The Coroner’s full judgement is here. Health Minister Doug Graham subsequently said: We believe that our systems are pretty good right now, but they need some improvement so we’ve agreed with the recommendations and we’ll be following through and dealing with them as quickly as we can. He also says there are now checklists for emergency equipment. Medevac Misadventure – Observations While these recommendations will be of interest to medevac providers they are also relevant to organisations, for example in the energy and resource sectors (e.g. mining, oil and gas companies), who contract for medevac support. At one end of the spectrum this can be done through a single turnkey contract for both aircrafts and medical provision using specially fitted out air ambulance aircraft or as part of a helicopter SAR contract (as discussed by Aerossurance earlier this year). These have the benefit that aircrew and medical crew are familiar with each others procedures and requirements plus medical carry-on equipment is usually ‘kitted’ specifically for air medevacs. In other cases the aviation and medical provision is contracted separately. At the other end of the spectrum, worst case, are scenarios where medevacs are conducted only very occasionally, on aircraft normally used for passenger duties, with medical staff who normally man normal site clinics, with minimal equipment, only gathered together at the time of the call out, that is not necessarily compatible with aircraft use, with limited medevac procedures or exercises. If this sounds like your current arrangements, perhaps it is time to look more closely. The hazards are not only related to patient safety. Among the highest risk scenarios are night-time call outs, where there is a long history of fatal air accidents. In offshore operations a study by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) Aviation Sub-Committee (ASC) Night Operations Working Group suggests the risk at night has been 5.25 times that of day operations. This is why the Night Operations Working Group introduced a specific control on a policy for emergency night flights into their bow-tie risk assessment: Control 1.6 Emergency Night Flight Policy: An Emergency Night Flight Policy should be established in all circumstances when night flights can reasonably be expected to be requested in response to medical, weather or other emergencies. OGP Members, in consultation with the air operator, should develop, using a risk assessment methodology, a documented night medevac/emergency policy. This should be issued to both parties and have a suitable level of authorisation to request such flights. In recognition of their higher risk, night offshore emergency flights should only be requested in genuinely life-threatening situations where the risk of waiting until first light is considered to outweigh the risk of an emergency night flight. Once the cause of the emergency is over, subsequent flights, such as for re-manning, should be conducted under the Non-Emergency Night...
read moreBuilding St Helena Airport – An Industrial Scale ‘Grand Design’
Building St Helena Airport – An Industrial Scale ‘Grand Design’ A remarkable construction project is underway to bring the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena closer to the outside world: VIDEO St Helena a 420 km² volcanic island, with a population of 4,300, is a British Overseas Territory 1200 miles off the coast of South West Africa. The island has neither had an airport or even a jetty in the past. The current life line has been landing by boat from RMS St Helena. St Helena Government and the UK Department for International Development are spending around £250 million on the development of the airport. They hopes the investment will promote tourism to the island and reduce the UK’s £25m annual subsidy. The runway location was identified by Atkins. A series of trial approaches had been conducted in 2006 with a Safair Lockheed Martin L100-30 Hercules and a study by the UK Met Office, on matters such as wind shear, followed. In November 2011 a contract was signed with South African construction company Basil Read. Due to the geography and lack of equipment and material on the island, the project is exceptionally demanding logistically. Around 70,000 tons of goods had to be shipped to the island, including 20 million litres of diesel, 20,000 tons of cement, 5,000 tons of explosives and more than 100 items of construction plant. VIDEO The projects, centred on Prosperous Bay Plain in the east of the island, entails: a 1850m concrete runway with taxiway and apron to cater for aircraft up to the size of an Airbus A320 or Boeing 737-800; approximately 8 million m³ rockfill embankment through which a 750m long reinforced concrete culvert will run; an airport terminal building of 35,00m² and support infrastructure; air traffic control infrastructure; bulk fuel installation for 6 million litres of diesel and aviation fuel; a 14km airport access road, and all related logistics. A key milestone has recently been achieved by the filling of Dry Gut valley with 450,000 lorry loads of material, moved over 22 months. The airport is scheduled to open early in 2016. The operational phase will be in partnership with Lanseria Airport for the first 10 years. Read more here and these project updates and here for the competition to provide air services. UPDATE 21 March 2015: See also this update from Think Defence and this BBC article. South African airline Comair has been named the preferred bidder for the air service. Comair is proposing a weekly flight between Johannesburg (JNB – O.R. Tambo International Airport, formerly known as Johannesburg International Airport) and St Helena using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft. UPDATE 11 August 2015: Erecting of the security fencing commences next week and will be in place by late October 2015, prior to the airport certification audits. The photos below show progress from earlier in the year. Navaid calibration flights are scheduled for mid-September 2015 with a Beechcraft King Air 200, subject to approval from Air Safety Support International (ASSI) for temporary use of the runway. ASSI’s Senior Aerodrome Inspector is expected to arrive on-Island on 29 August 2015 to carry out that assessment. ASSI is a not-for-profit, wholly-owned, subsidiary of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), established under directions from the UK Department for Transport (DfT) to help provide a “more cohesive system of civil aviation safety regulation” in the UK’s Overseas Territories. UPDATE 5 September 2015: Permission has...
read moreAir Accidents Investigation Branch Video
New AAIB Video The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has recently issued a short video on its role. The AAIB exists to determine the circumstances and causes of civil air accident with a view to the preservation of life and the avoidance of accidents in the future. The AAIB does not apportion blame or liability. The Chief Inspector of Air Accidents, Keith Conradi was a pilot with both the Royal Air Force and a UK airline before joining the AAIB in 2002. In the video he emphasises, as is fairly traditional in AAIB publications, that AAIB is independent of the regulators, such as the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Additionally it is emphasised that AAIB is independent from the Police. This emphasis is topical as in recent months there has been a court decision in England that AAIB reports can be admissible in evidence in court cases and an application in Scotland by the Crown Office for access to the Cockpit Voice Recorder from a recent helicopter accident. Details of the associated UK regulations can be found here. As well as participating on overseas investigations (for example when a British designed or registered aircraft is involved) the AAIB is also responsible for accident investigation in the UK’s overseas territories and the Crown Dependencies. The AAIB is administratively part of the Department for Transport (DfT), based alongside Farnborough Aerodrome in Hampshire. Their site is now shared with both the UK Military Air Accident Investigation Branch (MilAAIB) and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB). AAIB History While the video focus on the present it is worth reflecting briefly on the Branch’s history. The AAIB has its origins in the Accidents Investigation Branch (AIB) of the Royal Flying Corps, established in 1915. However, the AIB’s first Inspect of Accidents, Capt G B Cockburn had been an active member of the Royal Aero Club’s Public Safety and Accidents Investigation Committee formed 27 February 1912. It was this group which is believed to have conducted the worlds first air accident investigation. This followed an accident on 13 May 1912 a Flanders monoplane crashed and was engulfed by fire at Brooklands, Surrey. In an early example of safety promotion the brief report was included the magazine, then simply known as Flight. The first civil Accidents Investigation Branch of the Air Ministry was formed in 1919. Peter Coombs an Inspector of Air Accidents since 1972, gave a presentation to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Specialist Group on 11 April 2013. Audio of that lecture is available in an RAeS podcast. Follow Aerossurance on LinkedIn for our latest updates. ...
read moreCatastrophe in the Congo – The Company That Lost its Board of Directors
Catastrophe in the Congo – The Company That Lost its Board of Directors When you charter aircraft for business purposes, any fatal air accident can leave a terrible scar on your company as well as on the friends and family of the people who die. In 2010 a small Australian mining company suffered a particularly catastrophic air accident, as among the fatalities were the company’s entire board of directors. We look at that accident and some associated lessons on managing aircraft charters and corporate travel. The Air Accident The six directors of Sundance Resources, three other staff and two crew were aboard the twin turboprop CASA C212 TN-AFA of Congolese operator Aero-Service on 19 June 2010. TN-AFA went missing while flying between Yaoundé in Cameroon, to Yangadou in Congo. The wreckage was located 2 days later in mountainous rain forest by Gabon based French troops. There were no survivors. The accident in the Congo occurred just 9 weeks after the Polish Government suffered a loss of many national figures in an well-publicised air accident en route to a memorial service in Russia. The Travel Policy It is reported that the company did have a policy that no more that two members of the board could travel on one aircraft. They did try to respect the intent of that policy by reportedly originally planning to use two aircraft. However before departure they discovered that the other aircraft, the business aircraft of one of the directors and major investors, billionaire Ken Talbot, was not able to land at the short strip in Yangadou. Crisis Management Sundance had to suspend trading in it shares for a period and immediately recalled a former chairman, George Jones. Aerossurance recently reported on another case this year (Focus on Gust Locks after US GIV Accident) were a multi-million dollar takeover deal had to be restructured at the last moment after one of the business partners was killed in an business aircraft accident. In 2013, the former owner and new billionaire owner of a French chateau died with two other people during a post contract signature helicopter flight over the property in a Robinson R44. Just hours after being re-appointed, and minutes after it was confirmed that all were dead, Jones recalls receiving a call from a US fund manager: “I’ve heard that you’ve found the plane and they’re all dead,” the fund manager said. “How on earth did you find that out? I’ve only just been told myself,” Mr Jones replied. “That’s how it works,” the fund manager shot back. At that point, just before midnight in Australia, the families of the victims had not even been informed: “We didn’t have the luxury of waiting until the next day to do something about it,” he said. “We had to organise counsellors, police and various representatives of the company heads to make sure the wives were informed before the media, because we knew it was coming.” Observations In this case it appears that the realisation that one aircraft would be unable to land at the destination came late in the day. A last minute change of plan dramatically increased the risk. Proper advanced planning, and the involvement of the right aviation expertise early may have made a critical difference. Many commentators have previously highlighted that this accident highlights the importance of travel policies. According to a survey of 101 firms conducted by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) in 2009, 16% had no policy restricting the...
read moreAerossurance Wins MAA HUMS Maintenance Credit Contract
HUMS Maintenance Credit Contract Awarded to Aerossurance by the Military Aviation Authority Aberdeen based aviation consultancy Aerossurance has won a competitively tendered contract for a Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) maintenance credit project from the UK Military Aviation Authority (MAA). Part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the MAA is an independent and autonomous organization responsible for the regulation, surveillance, inspection and assurance of the Defence Air operating and technical domains. Aerossurance has extensive experience in the certification, Controlled Service Introduction (CSI) and operational management of helicopter HUMS / Vibration Health Monitoring (VHM) systems. Aerossurance also has deep understanding of helicopter rotor and transmission design, safety, certification and continuing airworthiness matters. We also have wide expertise in civil and military aviation regulations. UPDATE 7 January 2015: We have more on European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) HUMS / VHM activity, including maintenance credits, here. HUMS is also a priority area of attention for HeliOffshore, whose formation Aerossurance has previously reported on. Aerossurance is an Aberdeen based aviation consultancy. For practical advice and support on HUMS, VHM or regulation development you can trust, contact us at: enquiries@aerossurance.com Follow us on LinkedIn and on Twitter @Aerossurance for our latest updates....
read moreDC-10 Air Tanker Retardant Drop
DC-10 Air Tanker Retardant Drop A short but spectacular video of a DC-10-10 air tanker dropping fire fighting retardant. The aircraft are operated by US company 10 Tanker. The company has had three DC-10s converted to date, two of which are in service. Each carries nearly 12,000 US gallons (45,000 litres) of water or fire retardant in an exterior belly-mounted tank, the contents of which can be released in eight seconds. UPDATE An even more impressive video of a mountain drop on the 1500 acre Silverado Fire. This neatly underlines the importance of detailed structural stress assessment and usage monitoring. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made recommendations on the need for rigorous maintenance programmes after accidents in 2002. For detailed coverage see the excellent Fire Aviation site. For information on a smaller fire fighting conversion see also our article: BAe 146 & Avro RJ85 Fire Bombers UPDATE 24 September 2014: An illustration of the dangers of aerial fire fighting can be found in this NTSB report issued today. UPDATE 18 November 2014: FireAviation report that the first DC-10 to be converted for 10 Tanker has been retired, after 10 years service and 1,250 missions. The company is converting a fourth DC-10 which will take on the same fire fighting callsign ‘Tanker 910’. UPDATE 14 September 2016: The new Tanker 910 on the Soberanes Fire: UPDATE 14 September 2016: For details of another special mission conversion see our article: Oil Spill Response Boeing 727s UPDATE 6 February 2020: The Californian airman flying the DC-10 waterbomber in Canberra’s skies For expert advice on contracting for, design & conversion of and operation of special mission aircraft, contact us at enquiries@aerossurance.com Follow us on LinkedIn and on Twitter @Aerossurance for our latest...
read moreMastering the Message: Transform Your Safety Communication
Mastering the Message: Transform Your Safety Communication Effective safety promotion is an essential part of a Safety Management System (SMS) and a critical tool to influence an organisation’s safety culture. However safety promotion is an often neglected and misunderstood skill. Your Safety Communication: How to Craft Targeted and Inspiring Safety Messages for a Productive Workplace Australian communications and marketing specialist Marie-Claire Ross aims to correct that with her book Transform Your Safety Communication: How to Craft Targeted and Inspiring Safety Messages for a Productive Workplace. Ross wrote this book “to help all the passionate safety professionals who realise how important it is to influence and engage on safety and risk”. In the preface, Ross, drawing on her experience working with a public health department on a health promotion campaign, observes that advertisers extensively market test their campaigns to determine their effect. In contrast she observes, workplace communication is often delivered with a blind assumption of effectiveness, with effective marketing techniques being ignored as ‘manipulative’ rather than a positive way to create a persuasive message. The failure to apply these techniques perhaps explains why so much safety communication is overly-complex, legalistic and patronising. Chapter 1 emphasises the “Four Commandments of Safety Campaigns”: Promote the message in multiple places, multiple times to break through the general noise of other messages Understand and actually focus on your target audience Deliver a consistent core message Stick to a recognisable look and feel (one example used is the Yarra Trams Beware the Rhino campaign) Chapter 2 focuses on capturing the audience’s attention by using surprise, fear (but only when you offer a way to avoid the danger), being interesting (sad that needs to be said!) and being trustworthy. Chapter 3 give tips on making your message memorable through mnemonics, promoting the ‘lead’ of your message (as in a good newspaper story), using comparisons and metaphors and posing questions. Chapter 4 focuses on persuasion and the 8 element SELLSAFE formula to change safety behaviour. Chapters 5 and 6 look at compelling graphics and engaging copywriting respectively. Chapter 7 introduces some supporting online templates. This book is valuable whether you are communicating on a small scale locally with self-created material or you plan to commission a large global safety campaign across a multi-national. In the former case you will pick up practical skills to apply and develop. In the later case, you will become an intelligent customer, with a clearer idea of your requirements and what good safety communication looks like. Either way this book is an excellent investment. Buy the book: Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk Other Recommended Reading for Safety Promotion Readers who want to further delve into this subject are recommended to consider these two books: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Take Hold and Others Come Unstuck by Chip & Dan Heath. Referenced in Chapter 3 of Ross’ book, Made to Stick explores what makes some ideas and messages ‘stick’. Buy the book: Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear by Frank Luntz. Luntz, a pollster, describes how careful choice of words can enhance the audience’s reception. Buy the book: Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk Plus, Marie-Claire Ross publishes the Workplace Communicator Blog. UPDATE 3 May 2016: Also see our article: 5000-1 Safety Lesson: Communication UPDATE 3 August 2016: We also recommend this article on the importance of dialogue: People value dialogue and conversation. It takes much longer…but is infinitely more effective....
read moreNorth Sea Offshore Standardised Clothing Policy
North Sea Offshore Standardised Clothing Policy As anticipated previously by Aerossurance, a new standardised clothing policy is being introduced for helicopter travel to offshore installations in UK waters. It defines what should and should not be worn under survival suits. The policy is effective from Wednesday, 1st October 2014, in-line with the changeover to the winter season. UPDATE 1 October: The BBC has taken an odd and rather irrelevant angle on this story (“Skirts and dresses banned from offshore helicopter flights“)! Aberdeen based aviation consultancy Aerossurance has a proven track record in helicopter safety, air logistics, airworthiness, survivability and accident analysis. For aviation expertise you can trust, contact us at: enquiries@aerossurance.com Follow us on LinkedIn and on Twitter @Aerossurance for our latest...
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