Monarch to cut 1,000 jobs and reposition as low-cost airline

Up to 1,000 jobs will be cut at Monarch as the UK travel group attempts an overhaul that will reposition it as a low-cost airline competing with easyJet and Ryanair.

The private company, which is currently controlled by the Swiss-Italian Mantegazza family, has been undertaking a strategic review of its business that is aiming to attract new investors.

It will drop its charter flights to focus on short-haul scheduled flying and its fleet will shrink from 42 to 30 aircraft. The proposed cuts comprise about a third of its workforce.

The airline has warned of excess capacity in the market, which has increased competitive pressure on airlines.

Monarch will retain its focus on holiday destinations such as Spain, the Canary Islands and Turkey but add more European cities and skiing destinations. Overall, it will fly more frequently to fewer destinations.

The review is being led by Andrew Swaffield, chief executive, who was previously at International Airlines Group and took over the lead role in managing the airline from executive chairman Iain Rawlinson in July. Sir Roy McNulty has replaced Mr Rawlinson.

Last month, Monarch Airlines announced a fleet order of 30 aircraft at the Farnborough air show.

Its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, worth $3.1bn at list prices, are due to enter service from 2018.

The group, which has its headquarters at Luton airport, is made up of Monarch Airlines, tour operator Cosmos Holidays and an aircraft maintenance division.

It has been pursuing a turnround and had moved into profit in the past financial year.

“The company has previously stated that the new management team is conducting a strategic review of the group’s businesses, including in relation to their operations, ownership and financing,” Monarch said in a statement.

“That review is ongoing and further announcements will be made upon its conclusion or as otherwise appropriate.”

- Source:  http://www.ft.com

Mission, Texas: Man accused of pointing laser at Department of Public Safety helicopter pilot

A Mission man is accused of pointing a laser at a Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter, which temporarily blinded the pilot.

Omar Pina found himself in trouble with the law after aiming the green laser at a flying marked DPS helicopter, documents reveal.

The alleged crime happened on August 13th in Mission.

The pilot and co-pilot were conducting operations near Rancho del Rey Street when the “intensity of the light” impaired the pilots control of the helicopter momentarily, a criminal complaint explains.

Ground patrol responded to the residence where two men were seen standing outside.

That’s when DPS asked the homeowner for consent to search the home.

DPS found a small flashlight, which emitted a green laser light, underneath a couch cushion.

When authorities interviewed Pina, he allegedly told them he was shining the laser on trees.

Pina was arrested and charged with illumination of aircraft by intense light, a Class A misdemeanor.

The 20-year-old was booked into the Hidalgo County jail on the charge.

Incidents like this are called a laser strike and it's a federal crime punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Story, Photos and Comments:  http://www.valleycentral.com

Omar Pina // Hidalgo County Jail

Crop-dusting industry evolves with new safety recommendations: Downstown Aero Crop Service at Vineland-Downstown Airport (28N), Vineland, New Jersey

Pilot Ed Carter Jr., 49, of Williamstown, inspects his Air Tractor 602 after finishing a flight for Downstown Aero Crop Service at Downstown Airport, in Franklin Township,  New Jersey on Friday, August 15, 2014. 

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP — Even before dawn, the propellers were whirling and there was a heavy smell of aviation fuel at Downstown Airport, a grass airstrip that serves as a launching pad for crop dusters.

One plane took off about 5:45 a.m. Friday, heading out to spray a corn field near Woodstown, Salem County. As daylight began to appear, two other planes roared off to spray fertilizer on a cranberry bog in Chatsworth, Burlington County.

“We like to get an early start, because the air is cool and usually there is no wind at this time of the morning. These are the conditions that you want for good spraying,” explained Vern Becker, co-owner of Downstown Aero Crop Service Inc.

The company’s crop dusters have flown out of the Downstown Airport in Gloucester County for decades. Becker and co-owner Curt Nixholm say Downstown Aero, the largest aerial crop-spraying outfit in New Jersey, has distinguished itself with its safety record.

Federal aviation officials, though, are suggesting that the entire crop-dusting industry is not so diligent. The National Transportation Safety Board recently released a special investigative report that looked at agricultural aircraft accidents in 2013, including some fatalities blamed on pilot error. The board recommends new measures to boost safety.

John Sondgeroth, secretary-treasurer of the Northeast Agricultural Aviation Association, a trade group representing crop-dusting companies, said the industry will work with the government to improve safety.

“We’re very receptive,” said Sondgeroth, 69, a crop-duster who owns North Fork Helicopters in Cutchogue, New York.

The NTSB recommendations focus on pilot fatigue, safety precautions and aircraft maintenance. The board said the crop-dusting industry needs to do more to help pilots avoid deadly obstacles and to prevent them from flying when they are exhausted.

Accidents involving collisions with obstacles are among the most common types of agricultural crashes, the NTSB said. In 2013, 16 accidents involved agricultural aircraft hitting poles, wires, meteorological towers or trees.

“Crop dusting is a very physically demanding occupation, so much more than what the public is aware of. It is also a business with very little margin for error,” NTSB investigator Thomas Little said in a videotaped message accompanying the report.

Little, a former crop duster in California, said agricultural pilots almost always fly at low altitudes, including just a few feet off the ground while spraying crops. Obstacles make that type of flying even more dangerous, he said.

“At the same time, you’re constantly on the lookout for objects, such as irrigation apparatus, standpipes, telephone and power lines, trees, hedgerows around fields, cross-country transmission towers, cellphone towers and a myriad of other obstructions,” Little said.

To the public, crop dusters are a throwback to aviation’s barnstorming days — daredevils who fly by the seat of their pants. Despite that nostalgic image, federal aviation officials want to make sure crop dusters meet modern flying standards.

Becker and Nixholm said their company already does. They chafe at the term “crop dusting,” arguing that it is outdated for today’s industry.

“Don’t say crop duster,” Nixholm implored. “It’s an old, old term. It’s really aerial application.”

Becker and Nixholm said they recognize the need to boost safety. However, they said, their company has long been performing the safety steps the NTSB is now recommending.

“We’ve been doing it for years,” said Becker, 64, of Pittsgrove Township, Salem County.

Nixholm, 52, also of Pittsgrove Township, believes the NTSB’s eye is on companies in the South and Midwest, where crop spraying is more extensive than at the smaller farms in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

“We don’t fly like they do in the South and Midwest,” Nixholm said. “There, the pilots are working at least eight- or 10-hour days. It’s not uncommon for their guys to fly for 13 or 14 hours. Here, they’re usually flying four-hour days.”

During a tour of their facilities Friday, Becker and Nixholm spoke of the company’s safety record and innovations. Downstown Aero has not had a crash for at least eight or nine years, they said. The last crash involved a pilot who had engine failure and dropped down on the runway. He was not injured.

Downstown Aero’s office is filled with maps and aeronautical charts that depict hazards near the fields where the company sprays. The company also uses a laptop to check Google Maps for obstacles.

In addition to its six crop-dusting aircraft, the company has two observation planes it uses to scout hazards before spraying begins.

Both Becker and Nixholm said their pilots are not allowed to fly when they are tired. Pilots also receive extensive training, including sending them to Orlando, Florida, every two years for a safety refresher. In Orlando, the pilots test their skills in a cockpit simulator that puts them through emergency situations, such as engine failure or flying near hazards.

Ed Carter Jr., who flies for Downstown Aero, said pilots must keep up with technology and evolving safety regulations. Carter, 49, of Williamstown, Gloucester County, said he hasn’t had an accident in 29 years of flying.

Carter relies on Google to keep track of obstacles surrounding the fields he sprays. But he continues some old-fashioned methods to be safe.

“We’ll go out to the fields in a truck to check things out before we fly there,” he said. “You also talk to the farmers and ask them about any obstacles. You’ve got to become familiar with the area where you’re flying. Most of our work is done over and over in the same areas, so you get to know them pretty well. That’s how you avoid accidents.”

Story and Photo:   http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com

Community rebuilds plane-crash victim’s home – Volunteer efforts, donations will get an East Palo Alto woman back into her house: Cessna 310R, Air Unique, Inc., N5225J, accident occurred February 17, 2010

Four years after a Tesla employee’s plane plummeted into an East Palo Alto neighborhood, destroying Lisa Jones’ home and child care center, residents of Atherton and dozens of community volunteers have stepped forward to rebuild Jones’ home — and life.

Jones’ family members barely escaped when the twin-engine Cessna slammed into their bedrooms on the morning of Feb. 17, 2010. Since then, Jones has struggled while others in her Beech Street neighborhood have been able to recover.

When a lawsuit that settled in July 2013 did not give Jones enough money to rebuild, Maryan Ackley, a longtime friend and Atherton resident, started to raise funds to rebuild Jones’ home.

Now the project, which began in November, is nearly completed. This past Monday, Ebcon Corporation construction workers were putting the finishing touches on the neat, beige-and-white home.

“I’ve known Lisa since our kids were in kindergarten together 12 years ago,” Ackley said. “Our kids were friends, and we were friends. When the accident first happened, I stayed close to Lisa. When it became apparent that the settlement wouldn’t be enough, I reached out to the Sacred Heart Schools community” for help.

Pacific Peninsula Group, a real-estate development firm cofounded by Ackley’s husband, Stephen, became a corporate sponsor for the effort, which tapped into subcontractors who supplied in-kind donations.

Dollinger Properties executive David Dollinger put up a $125,000 matching grant, which gave impetus to the community fundraising, according to Ackley.

The nonprofit Rebuilding Together Peninsula, with whom Ackley has been active for many years, agreed to get involved. Scads of local businesses and contractors also donated money, materials and time.

“It really was a labor of love for a lot of people,” Ackley said.

Chalk messages on the pavement in front of Jones’ home this week attest to that affection.

“Lisa, You are loved!” student volunteers wrote. The students added words of encouragement at the driveway: “Audacity; Safety; Joy; Peace; Strength; Courage; Hope; Grace; Happiness: Community; Security; Care” — words that could describe Jones.

Ackley said she first understood Jones’ impact on her community when she visited Jones’ day care center years ago.

“She did such amazing work. She really provided very high-quality early education. She provided such a needed service in her neighborhood,” Ackley said.

But it all changed when the plane struck. Three Tesla employees — Brian Finn, Andrew Ingram and pilot Douglas Bourn — died in the accident, which was caused by pilot error, National Transportation Safety Board investigators determined. When Jones’ family fled the burning home, they left everything behind. The home was boarded up and red tagged.
Ackley said students helped the family clean out their belongings last November before demolition. Construction began in April.

The project went far beyond the usual scope of Rebuilding Together’s work, said Cari Chen, associate director of the Redwood City-based nonprofit. Workers replaced exterior walls, reframed the home and redid the entire roof. They replaced windows and doors and added new drywall, new electrical wiring and plumbing and fire sprinklers.

Volunteers showed up from trade unions; Menlo Park Presbyterian Church; Young Neighbors in Action Youth Ministry in Gig Harbor, Washington; the Atherton Sacred Heart Community; and Joan of Arc Parish in San Ramon.

When the volunteers first came, project Superintendent Clark Schoening of Ebcon Construction said he wasn’t sure how the project could be coordinated.

“But the kids really gave it their all. They gave up their summer vacations to do this. It took a lot of coordination to make this thing work,” he said.

For her part, Jones is ready to move on. She doesn’t want to do any more interviews after four years in the spotlight and being the subject, at times, of media misinformation. But Chen said Jones can’t wait to settle into her home. Sometimes, she’ll come and sit in her living room and just take it all in.

“Before November, she didn’t feel she could be in there. But when she saw the walls go up and the windows, she got really excited. She’s seen it all come together,” Chen said.

Once Jones is settled back in, Rebuilding Together Peninsula, Ackley and the volunteers will begin the second phase to restore Jones’ life. They’ll raise funds to repair the day care center playhouse and replace the playground equipment. At a minimum, they must raise $70,000, Ackley said.

Chen said they won’t leave until they’ve given Jones back everything she lost — her home and her livelihood.

Anyone wishing to help complete the playground and center can send donations to The Jones Fund, c/o Rebuilding Together Peninsula, 841 Kaynyne St., Redwood City, CA 94063.

- Story and Photo:   http://www.paloaltoonline.com

A chalk message which reads "Lisa you are loved!" is written on the sidewalk in front of Lisa Jones' recently rebuilt house in East Palo Alto. 

• Ground Control Audio (WMA, 43.28 MB)
• Local Control Audio (WMA, 43.28 MB)

(As always, If You Assume That Any Given Plane Crash is Due to Pilot Error, You’ll Probably Be Right.)

Here’s an article about the new NTSB report.

Does it make sense to commute to Los Angeles for work, assuming you had a pilot’s license and an airplane? I don’t know.

Does it make sense to listen to the advice of your air traffic controller concerning the advisability of taking off into heavy fog, even if you don’t have to? Yes it does.

Is there a reason why pilots are told to turn over the Bay after takeoff? Yes there is.
Oh well.

Here’s what people down Palo Alto Way are saying.

And here‘s the “chilling recording” from a SpotShotter tower. (It’s about what you’d expect, with crashing noises and the yelling of the day care center kids who saw the crash.)

Story and Photo:   http://sfcitizen.com

Why did Doug Bourn (the pilot) not execute the procedure as planned? Was he incapacitated?  Was he severely disoriented?   Did someone else other than him manipulate the controls or prevent him from doing so? 

To those who said he took off despite the tower warning him not to do so, this simply wasn’t the case.  When the controller said,  “I cannot clear you for takeoff because I don’t have visibility on the runway, so ah, the release is all yours and it’s at your own risk sir.”, he was not warning the pilot not to take off.  He was warning the pilot he could not confirm that the runway was in sight (by the controller), and the pilot would be responsible for ensuring the runway was clear.  This is standard FAA phraseology.   This is a common situation with fog that is close to the ground since the controller is quite high off the ground and some distance away from the runway.

What I will add to the story is that he had flown that departure dozens of times, and many times in conditions such as were the case that morning.  I personally have flown that departure as well, and have even flown it in that aircraft with Doug at the controls.  The point is, this is a procedure the pilot knew like the proverbial back of his hand.

Story and Photo:  http://eesmog.com

 Doug Bourn

This undated photo provided by Tesla Motors on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010 shows pilot Doug Bourn, 56, a senior electrical engineer and a five-year employee of the company. Bourn and two other colleagues were killed on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010, after the twin-engine Cessna 310 they were on crashed in East Palo Alto, Calif.
 (AP Photo/Tesla Motors)

This undated photo provided by Tesla Motors on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010 shows Andrew Ingram, 31, an electrical engineer and a two-and-a-half-year employee of the company. Ingram and two other colleagues were killed on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010, after the twin-engine Cessna 310 they were on crashed in East Palo Alto, Calif. 

(AP Photo/Tesla Motors) 

 This undated photo provided by Tesla Motors on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010 shows Brian Finn 42, a senior interactive electronics manager of the company. Finn and two other colleagues were killed on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010, after the twin-engine Cessna 310 they were on crashed in East Palo Alto, Calif.

 (AP Photo/Tesla Motors)

• Ground Control Audio (WMA, 43.28 MB)
• Local Control Audio (WMA, 43.28 MB)

 
NTSB Identification: WPR10FA136 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, February 17, 2010 in Palo Alto, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/22/2011
Aircraft: CESSNA 310R, registration: N5225J
Injuries: 3 Fatal.

NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot departed the airport in near-zero visibility instrument meteorological conditions, and shortly after takeoff, struck a power pole and power lines before impacting terrain. Review of recorded air traffic control tower (ATCT) transmissions revealed that the pilot was initially given his instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance to turn right to a heading of 060 degrees and climb to 3,000 feet. Shortly after verifying his IFR clearance, the pilot received his IFR release from the ATCT controller and was informed that the runway was not visible to the controller. The controller further informed the pilot that takeoff was at his own risk. Shortly after, the controller notified the pilot that he had two minutes for his IFR release, before it expired. The pilot stated that he did not hear a "cleared for takeoff" instruction from the controller. The controller responded that he could not clear the pilot for takeoff, due to not having the runway environment in sight and that "the release is all yours and it's at your own risk sir." The pilot acknowledged the transmission and proceeded to take off. One witness, who was adjacent to the accident site, reported that she observed an airplane “suddenly appear from the fog” left of her position. The witness stated that she continued to watch the airplane fly in a level or slightly nose up attitude until it impacted power lines.

Accident site evidence was indicative of a level impact with a power pole about 50 feet above ground level (agl) and at a high airspeed. All major structural components of the airplane were located within the wreckage debris path. Examination of the airframe, engines and propellers disclosed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomaly. Weather conditions reported five minutes prior to the accident were wind variable at 5 knots, visibility 1/8th mile, fog, and vertical visibility of 100 feet agl. Weather conditions recorded by the ATCT 11 minutes after the time of the accident were visibility 1/16th mile, fog, and a vertical visibility of 100 feet agl.

Local law enforcement provided recordings from a sound recording system, which captured the accident sequence. The recordings were coupled with airport surveillance radar to interpolate a flightpath for the airplane. The interpolated flightpath indicated an approximate 45-degree left turn shortly after departure to the area of initial impact with the power pole and power lines. A sound spectrum study determined both engines were operating near full power.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure follow the standard instrument departure as instructed, and his failure to attain a sufficient altitude to maintain clearance from power lines during takeoff in instrument meteorological conditions. 

National Transportation Safety Board investigators look over engine, propeller, and wing wreckage Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010, in East Palo Alto, Calif. Federal investigators are examining the site of a twin-engine Cessna 310 that crashed after taking off from a nearby airport shrouded in fog into a Silicon Valley neighborhood yesterday, killing three employees of electric car maker Tesla Motors.

 (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Audit critical of Beauregard Beauregard Regional Airport (KDRI) district

DERIDDER, Louisiana  — A new audit shows the Beauregard Parish Airport District 1 lost more than $280,000 from operations in 2013 and failed to reconcile its bank accounts in a timely manner.

The American Press reports (http://bit.ly/1eOXZNb) the audit shows the airport district, which manages Beauregard Regional Airport, saw a loss of $284,334 in operational expenses.

The report included the costs of personal services, fuel, contractual services, utilities, travel, depreciation, supplies and materials.

Beauregard Regional Airport manager Sam Lack says the airport agreed with the auditor on findings in the report, and would make procedural changes to address the issues.

Information from: American Press, http://www.americanpress.com

Skydive Long Island disputes report Federal Aviation Administration is investigating parachute in fatal accident

Skydive Long Island issued a statement Saturday disputing the report that the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether the parachute was properly packed in the fatal tandem skydiving accident July 30 that killed one man and critically injured the instructor.

The statement came in response to a Newsday story that claimed the FAA’s probe into the accident is “looking into whether the parachute was packed properly and deployed correctly,” citing an unnamed FAA official.

“This statement is untrue,” Skydive Long Island said in a statement. “The FAA inspected the gear and shortly thereafter released the gear to Skydive Long Island with no restrictions on further use.”

An FAA official told the News-Review Saturday the accident is still under investigation. The official said the FAA does not release information on an accident investigation until it is completed. It is unclear when the FAA investigation will be complete.

Skydive Long Island owner Ray Maynard told the News-Review Saturday that the FAA said it is not investigating the parachute pack as a cause for the accident.

Two days after the incident, the national director of the United States Parachute Association said his investigation concluded the accident was caused by a “dust devil,” a mini-tornado that collapsed the parachute, sending the jumpers into a free fall somewhere between 75 and 150 feet above the ground. The FAA’s investigation is separate from the one done by Richard Winstock, the national director.

A dispute emerged shortly after the accident when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent a compliance officer to investigate. OSHA routinely inspects workplace accidents to determine whether there were any violations of occupational safety or health standards.

The compliance officer visited the site July 31, one day after the accident. The following day, an attorney for Skydive Long Island, Saul Zabell, informed the officer that OSHA was no longer permitted to access the site or interview employees, according to online court documents.

A brief court battle ensued, as OSHA attempted to regain its right to investigate the accident. Skydive Long Island claimed the FAA held jurisdiction in the accident investigation. On Friday, OSHA, which operates under the U.S. Labor Department, agreed to that and withdrew its Application for Inspection Warrant with the Eastern District Court.

Mr. Maynard reiterated Saturday that the FAA has jurisdiction into the accident, which prompted him to stall OSHA.

The accident claimed the life of Gary Messina, a 25-year-old New York City correction officer. The instructor, 28-year-old Christopher Scott of Sound Beach, was critically injured in the accident. It was the first fatal accident in a tandem jump at Skydive Long Island, though a death was reported at the company’s East Moriches location in 1989.

- Source:   http://riverheadnewsreview.timesreview.com

Gary Benny Messina
(July 31, 1988 - July 30, 2014)
 http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net

 Skydive Long Island owner Ray Maynard speaks with investigators.
 (Credit: Grant Parpan)

Investigators at the scene of a fatal skydiving accident at Skydive Long Island in Calverton, New York.

(Credit: Grant Parpan)

 The plane is taxied back to its hangar. 
(Credit: Jennifer Gustavson)