jul-aug2012

Flight Safety Australia
Issue 87 July–August 2012
07
Non-destructive testing seminar
The National Aerospace NDT Board will hold a Quality and
Testing in Aircraft Maintenance seminar in Sydney on
14-15 November 2012. The themes include NDT but extend
beyond it to capture the quality and compliance issues that
underpin any effective inspection and quality program in
aircraft maintenance.
Australian and international presenters will cover subjects
such as quality management, SMS, human factors, regulatory
compliance (including CASR Part 145), training, NDT
inspections, composites, ageing aircraft and much more.
This event is targeted at the aircraft maintenance professionals
from general aviation, executive transport, regional operators
and the airlines who are responsible for quality, inspection,
maintenance, audit, NDT and compliance. There will also be
an inspection equipment and services exhibition.
As an incentive to join them in Sydney, the board will
maximise the value to attendees and their employers by
generously subsidising registration costs. Seminar and
registration details can be found www.ndtboard.com
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Oxygen bottle fire forces diversion
An OLT Express Poland Airbus A320 made an emergency
landing in Sofia, Bulgaria on May 17 after suffering cabin
decompression and, subsequently, a fire in the cabin.
The aircraft was en route from Warsaw to Hurghada, Egypt
when cabin pressure was lost at cruising altitude and the
oxygen masks deployed. The cause of the decompression
has not yet been determined.
The fire was caused by a short circuit in an oxygen generator,
which then fell onto the cabin carpet during the oxygen
mask deployment. It ignited the carpet, but the cabin crew
immediately extinguished the fire.
The captain decided to make an emergency landing in Sofia.
The aircraft landed around noon, and all 147 passengers and
eight crew evacuated via the escape slides with no injuries.
Source: Flightglobal
Go East cabin crew
As China’s major airlines expand flights across the globe
they are looking for foreign cabin crew in a bid to become
more international. The main reason for this, they say, is that
international passengers prefer to be served by cabin crew
from their own countries, and more foreigners than ever are
now working, living and travelling in the People’s Republic
of China.
Ryan Cornish, a British expat who regularly flies between
Europe and China, said: ‘While I don’t mind Chinese-speaking
attendants, if there’s ever a problem on board it helps to have
a native English speaker. For foreign cabin crew, working for a
Chinese airline is likely to provide very valuable experience.’
However, applicants may also need to be fluent in Mandarin,
plus at least one of the other major spoken languages of China.
Major carriers Air China, China Southern Airlines and China
Eastern Airlines have all said they plan to increase their
recruitment of foreign cabin crew.
Industry figures show that Chinese airlines are flying more
foreign passengers as they expand their international reach.
According to Air China’s annual report, it carried more than
seven million international passengers last year. It also added
eight new international and regional routes.
China Southern Airlines recently flew its maiden voyage
from the city of Guangzhou in south China to London, and is
targeting passengers wanting to travel between Europe and
Australasia. There will be three flights on the new route a week,
with the flights also expected to benefit Asian passengers
heading to the Olympic Games this summer.
Source: The Telegraph