News Extra June/July 2005 Editor: Donald K Smith, I. ENG, FRAeS IFA Celebrates - 30 years Making a difference since 1975.. The formation of IFATE in 1964 by dedicated individuals from 8 International Engineering Associations established the basis from which IFA was born. In 1975 the group was re-organised and re-named the International Federation of Airworthiness, with more defined structure and aims. Since that time IFA has continued to grow and to help to communicate and facilitate the message of Airworthiness across the globe. It has attracted small companies and individuals as well as large corporate airlines, regulators and organisations. In fact, anyone who wishes to be involved in making air travel safer is welcome to join IFA. Annual conferences have always been an important part of how IFA communicates its safety messages, and in getting people to talk and to listen. The first IFA conference was held in Karachi in 1976 and had a theme of International Airworthiness, since then these annual events have covered very continent and also covered every issue of airworthiness. To achieve economies of scale and to respond to the growing importance of linking operatins and airworthiness issues, IFA linked up with FSF in 1992 to organise a joint safety conference. IATA subsequently joined this consortium and the three organisations now jointly manage what has become the International Air Safety Seminar, recognised as the worlds premier air safety event. Today, 30 years on we can all look forward to another such conference, as IASS 2005 will be held in Moscow later in the year. IFA members have always put a high priorty on training and education. 1980 saw the presentation of the first IFA Scholarship award to Mr Tsang of HAECO, who was sponsored by Boeing for one year s work experience. Many further scholarships were awarded and have given individuals many opportunities. Now with the work place being very different from 30 years ago, this type of scholarship can no longer function and IFA has taken the opportunity of it s Anniversary Year to re-develop the scholarship scheme into something more practical for today s needs. Other important dates in IFA s History have been: 1987 IFA was recognised as a UK Charity. Trustees were appointed and a Constitution written. 1991 The Trust Fund was organised. 9 IFA members contributed to the fund, which today supports the IFA Secretariat. 1994 IFA gained status as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). 1998 A busy year with the launch of the IFA website and IFA s Training Video entitled Every Day. The first Whittle Safety Award was also presented. Despite the commercial difficulties experienced by the industry since 9/11, 2001, IFA has continued to support the industry and today, as we go forward into the 21st Century it becomes apparent that worldwide communication is more important than ever before. The sharing of knowledge, best practice and experience is necessary to help us to improve all aspects of airworthiness. There had been a small decline in IFA s membership during this period, but we are pleased to report that gradually momentum is returning and throughout this Anniversary year IFA will be moving forward. Our latest White Paper Extended Working Hours has attracted significant interest. Our new brochure and website will be launched in the summer. Once again, we will provide free workshops at the IASS November conference in Moscow. This represents just a few ways to illustrate that IFA is
New IFA Website We are currently re-working our website, we are planning to have the new site on line by the end of the summer. In the meantime we must apologise for the lack of updates to the existing site, unfortunately, we have run into some technical difficulties with transferring ownership of the site and at present are unable to amend or add to it. Until the launch of the new site, any updates or information will be e-mailed to members. The new website will provide members with more comprehensive information and should be easier to access. Whittle Award Nominations 2005 All IFA members have been asked to nominate individuals, teams or groups of dedicated people for the 2005 Whittle Award. The closing date for this prestigious award is 1st August 2005. If you would like further details please contact the IFA Secretariat immediatley. IFA Scholarship Winner 2004 At the April 2005 Executive Council meeting it was decided to award Mr Chen Yi Yu, of TAECO with the scholarship for 2004. He is the first recepitent of the revised Scholarship and as such has been enroled on the UK CAA, Airworthiness course, which will be taking place in October. OBITURARIES The Executive Council regret to announce the passing of two former members. John McDonald and Alistair MacKenzie. Both men were very energentic in their support of IFA, holding various position within our organisation. Mr. John Fraser McDonald, FRAeS, FIME, MSAE Mr. John Fraser McDonald, Born: June 17 1917 London England, passed away in April this year. He was one of the original Global Vice Presidents, succeeded Sir Peter Masefield as the IFA President for 1983/5 at the Singapore AGM. Our condolences go to his wife Kathleen and his family. Starting his aeronautical career in 1933 when he commenced an engineering apprenticeship with the Westland Aircraft Company Ltd at Yeovil Somerset, he moved to the Thrissell Engineering Co. Ltd. Bristol Design in 1938 as a Draftsman (Design Engineer). He then joined BOAC as a design draftsman for 12 years. In 1952 he joined Lockheed Aircraft Corporation & Lockheed-California Co Burbank California as a Staff Engineer, Division Engineer, Manger Logistics and Maintenance. In 1967 he became V.P Maintenance and Engineering, Flying Tiger Line Inc. During this time he was appointed V.P North America for IFA later being elected IFA President in 1983. In 1980 he was appointed to NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory panel to oversee the Space Shuttle programme up until has retirement, so ended a forty-nine year career almost equally between Aircraft Design, Manufacturing and Airline Engineering Maintenance. Mr. Alistair Frazer MacKenzie Alistair Frazer Mackenzie was born in Birkenhead UK in 1926. He passed away in May this year. Alistair started his professional aeronautical career in 1944 as an Apprentice at the De Havilland Aircraft Company. He worked as a Licensed Engineer with the Iraq Petroleum Company in the Lebanon and subsequently for Iraqui Airways. It was there that he developed his love for sailing and cricket.. In 1959 he joined the Air Registration Board as a surveyor with postings to Southend, London Airport and Manchester area offices. At London Airport he was deeply involved in the introduction of the B747 for British Airways, also the implementation of radically new concepts of aircraft maintenance. In 1974 he went to the Kuala Lumpur office in Malaysia as Surveyor in Charge where he made a significant contribution to the development of the local and regional civil aviation.on returning to the UK he became deputy Chief Surveyor and subsequently Chief Surveyor in 1984. Alistair was a very keen supporter of IFA and was the CAA representative on the TC and EC for several years until retirement in 1986. He then became a Trustee until 1995. Alistair is succeeded by his wife Gweneth and his four children.
REVISION OF IFA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME The exisitng 2 IFA Scholarship programmes, The Len Gore Scholarship and the ISTAT Scholarship have been revised and amalgamated into one Scholarship Scheme. The Scholarship will provide sufficent funds for an individual to attend a training course which covers airworthiness issues, such as the UK CAA Course. Research will be made as to other suitable courses taking place around the world. The rules and working of the Schoalrship are: - The Scholarship scheme is open to all IFA Corporate members. - Nominations will be asked for annually in August, a letter will be written to all CEO/Presidents of member companies requesting for candidates to be forwrded. The deadline for applications will be 1st November. - The Technical Committee will assess the applcations and propose a winner which will be ratified by the Executive Council. - All nominees will be advised in writing of the outcome during December. - The selected winner will receive a certificate and will attend a course at some point duing the following year. - The scholarhsip will cover the course fees, accommodation and food for the duration of the course. It will not cover travel to and from the course, additional accommodation, food and pocket money. - All winners will be expected to supply IFA with a written report of their scharship experience. As you can see by the above details the exisitng Scholarhsip Committee has now been disbanded. On behalf of IFA members the Executive Council would like to thank all the current and previous members of the Scholarhisp Committee who have freely given their time and energy into supporting the schemes, in particular special thanks are given to Don Hammond who has been the Scholarhsip Administration since 1989 and has worked extemely hard in finding placements for the Len Gore Scholaship scheme. MR DON HAMMOND IS AWARDED HONOURARY MEMBERSHIP OF IFA At the EC meeting in April 2005 it was decided to cease operation of the Len Gore Scholarship Scheme. Since its inception in the early days of IFA, young engineers from around the world have benefited from the scheme. Started by Len Gore from Air New Zealand. Don Hammond took over the administration of the scholarship in 1989 and carried on the good work that made the scholarship unique. Don Hammond started his career as an apprentice with TEAL working on flying boats and the like, in Auckland in the 50 s. He progressed through Air NZ Engineering to become their Quality Manager and Air NZ representative in IFA. On his retirement from Air NZ Don stayed with IFA to become the Scholarship Administrator following in Len Gore s footsteps until as times change the scholarship in its present form was wound up. Don in his earlier years was a sportsman and played Rugby league for NZ on a number of overseas tours visiting the UK on more than one occasion. We would all like to say a big thank you to Don and in recognition of his services and to keep in touch with him the Executive Council has awarded him an Honorary Membership of IFA. Thank you Don.
IATA World Air Transport Summit & 61st AGM Tokyo, 20-31st May 2005 Report form IFA Executive Director, John Saull Giovanni Bisignani, IATA Director General and CEO in his opening address included the following statements: ` Notwithstanding such tragedies as 9/11, the mood within the industry has remained largely optimistic, and the outlook for traffic growth is promising. By the end of 2004, IATA had over 260 members and the world`s airlines had safely moved 1.8 billion passengers and 40 million tons of cargo. In fact, 2004 was the safest year ever for aviation` `With rising fuel costs as a backdrop, efficiency has become the industry`s battlecry. IATA`s focus on route and fuel efficiency generated US$ 1 billion in cost reductions,. Further, its members have embarked on an industry- wide initiative to simplify the business` `Air transport has grown to provide the only worldwide transportation network essential for global business and tourism. It employs 4 million people and generates US$400 billion in output. Indirectly, it creates a further 24 million jobs, bringing its output to nearly US$1.4 trillion, or 4.5% of global GNP `For every passenger journey in 1945, there were some 200 trips in 2004`. Progress indeed!` Other statements in the Annual Report are: `We are en route to a low cost industry and speed is of the essence`- we are instilling a new industry paradigm of cost efficiency. Combating the high price of fuel, IATA campaigned for route and infrastructure improvements that netted US$1 billion in cost savings last year. Further savings of US 1.5 billion were achieved by challenging airports and air navigation service providers for greater efficiency. The IATA Annual Report includes detailed chapters on : State of the Industry: Simplifying the Business: Safety: Security: Regulatory and Public Policy: Environment: Operational Efficiency: Cost Efficiency: Fuel Efficiency: Training and Publications. The Safety Chapter includes statements on : The IATA IOSA ( IATA Operational Safety Audit ) programme. launched in 2003 is a pillar of the industry`s safety plan. It is the key to improving safety for all airlines while reducing overall industry audits and costs. As of March 2005, 59 audits have been completed. To encourage the participation of all airlines, including non-iata, in IOSA audits, IATA has waived its programme management fees and made the IOSA Standards freely available. Further, the incorporation of Safety Management Systems (SMS) concepts to the audit process has re-inforced the value in seeking IOSA registration. Accident Rate The rate for hull losses was reduced to 0.78 per million sectors, with an IATA goal of 0.65 by 2010. ( NOTE : it was circa 1.0 in 2000) As part of its Ground Damage Prevention Programme, IATA has targeted a 10% reduction in ground accidents. E Ticketing IATA are targeting 2007 as the introduction date for all member airlines to have electronic ticketing. NOTE : A copy of the IATA Annual Report and World Air Transport Statistics documents are available from the IFA Secretariat.
Headlines Summary Report 2005 Europe/US International Aviation Safety Conference Cologne, Germany June 7-9 2005 The Conference theme was Aviation Safety Regulation Setting the Sights for the Future. Organised by the EASA, JAA and FAA, it was attended by over 320 people from all parts of the world, and maintained its international influence with contributions from a number of non European and non US participants. The conference briefly covered the continuing implementation of the EASA processes with a structured hand over of work from JAA, aiming for a target completion by January 2007. The main emphasis was made on the initiatives being taken by the EASA and the FAA to focus on air transportation system safety, capacity, international cooperation and organisational excellence. Many interesting papers were presented. General The format of the conference was changed slightly this year, and it was shortened to three days. The first day in plenary session dealt briefly with updates from the EASA, the JAA and the FAA. This was followed, under the general title Thematic Day, with a number of presentations introducing subjects which were to be dealt with in more detail during later Thematic Workshops. There was an interesting perspective of the current experience and future aspirations regarding the Bilateral Environment for Aviation Safety which included presentations from, EASA, FAA, JAA, Transport Canada, CIS/Interstate Aviation Committee, Australia/New Zealand, Brazil and Japan. This was followed by an overview of the main initiatives taken from the US and Europe to address the future of the air transportion system. The final item on the first day highlighted further interesting topics to be addressed in more detail during the Thematic Workshops on the second day. The Thematic Workshops on the second day were split in to three parallel sessions. One session on Institutional Changes covered The Role of Bilateral Oversight Boards, Multilateral Approaches to Aviation Safety, Facilitating the Sharing of Aviation Safety Data and The Future of Delegation. Another session on Industry Initiatives covered The Future Vision of Operational Initiatives, IATA Strategy for the Future/IOSA, Application of Information Technology in Design and Certification, The Future of Global Manufacturing and RNP Global Implementation. The third session on New Technologies covered Future Vision of Aeronautical Products and Technologies, General Aviation e.g. very light jets, supersonic business jets, etc., Rotorcraft/Vertical Lift and UAVs. These presentations were intended to highlight the impact on aviation safety regulation, the relations between industry and authorities and international relations as a whole, and the results of the subsequent session discussions were highlighted in a round table plenary period at the end of the second day. The morning of the third day was used for Discipline Related Workshops, again in parallel sessions, on Aircraft Certification, Maintenance and Operations and Licensing, which provided quick updates on new or ongoing contentious/challenging issues in the present day context. Also included was a joint Certification/Maintenance session, which covered Fuel Tank Safety, Continued Airworthiness Initiatives and an interesting presentation about Electronic Exchange of Airworthiness Documents. The afternoon session on the third day was a plenary Closing Session giving general Summaries, Conclusions and Closing remarks. Conclusion This was the first annual Conference hosted by the new EASA organisation, and the general comment was very positive. The new format was welcomed as was the continuing involvement of the international participants. EASA still has much to do to ensure the continuing implementation of the work it is taking over from the JAA. There seems to be a better understanding of the current relationship between the JAA and EASA regarding who is doing what, and how the handover is expected to be completed by a target date of 1 January 2007.
The strong proactive participation of the FAA with its own industry in the future air transportation system safety was noted. EASA will need to show an equivalent intention with the European industry. All parties noted their intention to work together with other regions in the world for an overall improvement in International Aviation Safety. Apart from the general conclusions from the thematic session discussions it was a regret that no Action List was created as a conclusion to this Conference. The list of papers presented at the Conference is being gradually updated on the EASA website: www.easa.int.eu/conference2005/agenda.html. It will eventually include the discussion and conclusion sessions highlights. A CD will be provided to Conference attendees. A more comprehensive report of this 2005 Conference will be available soon on the members section of the IFA website, plus an additional summary provided by Thor Johansen, Technical Director/Assistant VP, Boeing Europe, and IFA EC/TC member. Andrew McClymont IFA VP Europe June 2005 IFA White Paper - Extended Work Hours (Maintenance) receives good feedback from across the globe The White Paper relesed in February, has been instigating discussions and has assisted in highlighting the issues surrounding maintenance errors caused by tierd technicians. Comments have been received from many people and organisations as well as offers to help with any follow up work. IFA is currently considering progressing this issue, there may be the possibility of workshops or seminars, we will let you know as soon as possible. In the meantime, if there are any comments you would like to make on the paper and the issues raised please do not hesitate to contact Mr Frank Jauregui or Mr Phil Hosey. A Roadmap to a Just Culture Enhancing the Safety Environment The March 2005 edition of Flight Safety Digest includes a report which is an overview of how aviaton organisations can promote improvements in the level and quality of reporting of safety information. With comments from Professor James Reason this report supports the messages that IFA promotes in the video Everyday and the safety management workshops. A copy of the report is available from the FSF website or via the IFA secretariat. ICAO UPDATE Unified Strategy will ensure optimum safety. ICAO Council President Dr Assad Kotaite recently informed a Washington held global summit that Safety Oversight Audit Reports will now be made availalbe in their entirety to all ICAO member States. The audit report, which assesses the level of a State s implementation of ICAO standards and recommendation practices (SARPs) as well as its safety overisght capability, is currently disseminated to member States only in the form of a summary. Dissemnination of the full report will foster safety by providing far greater transparency of audit results and the sharing of important safety information.
IFA Events at IASS Conference Sunday November 6th 13.00-17.00 Technical Committee Meeting All members are welcome to attend Monday November 7th 9.00-12.00 Executive Council Meeting 14.00-17.00 IFA Workshops (Free of Charge) Safety Management Systems Commercial Aviation Safety Initiatves Tuesday November 8th Time to be advised IFA Annual General Meeting IFA s 30th Birthday celebration (at members own expense, costs and details TBA) 58th Annual International Air Safety Seminar (IASS) Moscow, Russia November 7-10th 2005 Safety is Everybody s Business www.flightsafety.org/seminars.html reservations.moscow@radissonsas.com International Federation of Airworthiness International Air Transport Association Disclaimer: Except where stated, none of the articles or other items are to be taken as expressing the opinion of the Federation. IFA Secretriat: 14 Railway Approach, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 1BP, UK Tel: +44 1342 301788 Fax: +44 1342 317808 E-mail: sec@ifairworthy.org Website: www.ifarworthy.org