FAA Needs to Evaluate ATC Worker Fatigue

According to a new report issued by the United States’ National Research Council (NRC), the FAA needs to improve its models used to determine Air Traffic Controller’s (ATC) staffing needs at terminal areas and airport towers across the country. The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, and examined the methods used by the FAA to estimate how many controllers are needed to staff its ATC facilities on a daily basis. 

The biggest concern of the report came from the shift schedules that NRC believes contributes to worker fatigue. According to the report, the popular schedule among controllers features five eight-hour work shifts over four consecutive days, with the last one being a midnight shift. Researchers contributing to the report say that the schedule is popular because it allows controllers to have 80 hours off afterward, but it also "likely results" in reduced performance during the midnight shift due to fatigue. Recent U.S. government budget costs eliminated an FAA fatigue risk management program's ability to monitor fatigue concerns proactively, the report says. 

The report is recommending that the FAA use a wider range of data, such as accident and incident reports to provide a better formula for structuring controller schedules. 

“Other complications include the uncertainty of air traffic forecasts and the fact that a large percentage of the controllers are eligible to retire, as it can take years to train new controllers. The committee’s recommendations aim to enable controller staffing decisions that are consistent, that are driven by proper science and data analysis, and that will address relationships between ensuring safety, meeting the operational needs of the aviation community, and demonstrating cost effectiveness," said committee chair Amy Pritchett, associate professor of cognitive engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.

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FAA orders Boeing to protect 737s from computer hackers

The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering Boeing to modify the technology aboard late-model 737 aircraft to prevent computer hackers from damaging the planes. The order published Friday in the Federal Register is effective immediately, although the agency allowed a comment period until July 21. The special conditions are urgent because the FAA is trying to avoid slowing down design and delivery of new planes, according to the agency. Doug Alder, a Boeing spokesman, said the special conditions will institutionalize actions that the manufacturer was already taken or planned, in line with similar protections for the 747-8, 777 and 787.

"They are a normal part of the process for introducing new technology or design features not previously addressed by regulation," Alder said. "Special conditions are one way regulators and manufacturers work together to ensure that commercial airplanes are safe and secure."

The latest FAA order applies to 737-700, -700C, -800, -900ER, -7, -8 and -9 aircraft, one of the most popular types of planes for the last 20 years. The special conditions apply to these aircraft because their technology is connected more thoroughly than other planes with computer networks outside the aircraft, making the 737 more vulnerable, according to FAA. The plane's technology "may allow the exploitation of network security vulnerabilities resulting in intentional or unintentional destruction, disruption, degradation, or exploitation of data, systems and networks critical to the safety and maintenance of the airplane," the FAA said.

The order from Jeffrey Duven, manager of FAA's certification services, calls for Boeing to "ensure that the airplanes' electronic systems are protected from access by unauthorized sources external to the plane, including those possibly caused by maintenance activity."

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The Boeing 787 is granted extended 330 minutes ETOPS

Boeing (Chicago and Seattle) has released this statement about extended ETOPS for the 787:

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved additional extended operations (ETOPS) for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The move will allow 787s to be operated up to 330 minutes from a landing field and signals continued confidence in the airplane’s technical capabilities.

Dreamliners have been allowed to operate up to 180 minutes away from a landing field since they were introduced into service in 2011. Granting of the expanded operational permission will allow airlines to introduce additional routes after they meet the proof of capabilities requirements and receive approval from their own regulatory agencies for such operations.

ETOPS operations will make the 787 even more efficient in operations as they enable more direct flight paths, which can save thousands of pounds of fuel and reduce carbon emissions.

More than 1,030 787s have been ordered by 60 customers to date. Boeing has delivered 146 Dreamliners to 19 customers.

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