European regulators plan to step up efforts to collect incident data involving pilots and air-traffic controllers, as agencies seek more information about potentially dangerous lapses in aviation safety.
According to many safety experts on both sides of the Atlantic, European regulators lag behind Federal Aviation Administration officials in gathering details about serious mistakes or safety missteps. In the U.S, voluntary reports by pilots, controllers and mechanics are funneled straight to the FAA. But in Europe, where aviation oversight is fragmented among more than 25 national authorities, EASA only began collecting and analyzing such data three years ago. Reports about safety problems from pilots, controllers and others go first to national regulators, who are then supposed to pass them on unfiltered to the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Low-cost airline easyJet PLC unveiled plans Friday to test infrared technology's ability to detect volcanic ash clouds and urged other airlines to help map the ash risk across Europe's skies.
The company said the devices — which are placed on an aircraft's tail fin and can detect ash clouds within 60 miles (100 kilometers) — are the first of their kind, calling them "essentially a weather radar for ash."
The airline is spending 1 million pounds ($1.46 million) developing and testing the technology with aircraft manufacturer Airbus and hopes to roll out the devices in a dozen planes by the end of the year. The devices aim to prevent a repeat of the five-day shutdown of European airspace in April caused by an erupting Icelandic volcano that affected 10 million passengers worldwide.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday it is investigating how a US Airways passenger jet flew within a third of a mile of a cargo plane at Anchorage's airport after the airliner's crew refused to make a turn they said would "put their flight in direct conflict" with the departing cargo jet.
The near-collision occurred at about 12:10 a.m. May 21, when US Airways Flight 140, arriving from Phoenix, missed an approach and was turning to make a second landing try, the federal agency said in a news release. The plane with 138 people on board came within an estimated 100 feet vertically and one-third of a mile horizontally of the departing Cargolux Boeing 747-400, which was bound for Chicago.
"It's a very, very serious loss of separation in controlled airspace," Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus said Friday.

When a plane crashes while landing, pilot error is always suspected. But, hardly anybody checks why there was scope for the pilot to err. Mangalore airport does not have an approach radar. If it was there, air traffic control (ATC) could have warned the pilot about the altitude, speed or the glide path. An approach radar that has a range of over 60 nautical miles is used by air traffic controllers to guide an aircraft to land. The radar not only increases air safety, but also helps the airport to handle more flights.

In the absence of approach radar, the pilot is virtually on his own. He will have to capture the Instrument Landing System (ILS) signals and use their judgment to land.

The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) has raised an alarm over the dearth of air traffic controllers across the world, noting that as many as 10 per cent of the work force would retire in the next two years.
IFATCA warned of safety risks associated with increasing overtime and extending the retirement age at its 49th congress held penultimate week.

Australia will upgrade its air traffic management systems after civilian and military authorities agreed to jointly operate a national setup.
A statement from the Ministry of Defense said that by purchasing and developing compatible equipment and technology the Australian air force "and Airservices Australia will provide better value for money and potentially save taxpayers millions of dollars."
The strategy also is to "reduce overlaps, increase cooperation, improve communication between civil and military air traffic control and deliver better training of air traffic controllers."

The Atlantic City International Airport, located at the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) Technical Center, is the first in the national airspace system to deliver digital notices to airmen (NOTAM). NOTAMs provide computer-generated safety information to pilots and air traffic controllers about conditions at an airport such as construction and hazards.

Digital NOTAMs have safety and efficiency benefits over traditional NOTAMs. They can be transmitted to all air traffic management systems simultaneously -- so everyone gets the same information at the same time. The information is integrated into cockpits and air traffic control systems.

The pilot of an American Airlines plane and an air traffic controller had a disagreement that forced the pilot to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport.
"American 2 heavy, 22L. You're clear to land," the air traffic controller at the JFK tower said.
When the pilots of the passenger-filled 767 American Airlines plane got their landing instructions from the Kennedy Tower, they realized they'd be touching down into a 35-mile per hour cross wind.
"We can't land on 22," the pilot responded. "We're breaking off approach and if you don't give us to runway 31 right, we're going to declare an emergency."
"The winds again increased, exceeded the characteristics of the plane, and he was forced to have another option," said Steve Abraham, of the JFK Controller union. "He had no choice. He couldn't land 22L, it would have been illegal for him."
It would also be dangerous, agreed Abraham.

It happened again! I issued an expected approach time and holding instruction to an IFR aircraft; then the pilot cancelled the IFR flightplan. There must be some serious misconception that cancelling an IFR flightplan will magically result in no delay for landing. After countless episodes of this sequence of events, the message seems far from being driven home.

As a kid I learned "if two men are riding a horse, one must ride behind the other". It simply means that only one aircraft can land at a time, and airmen must tow the line. Note to airmen: if you are given an EAT and holding instructions, it is probably because one or more aircraft are estimating the airport before you.

I will speak on three points here - the control zone, IFR flights on approaches, and the traffic circuit - with the hope that I can provide fodder for impatient airment and change some attitudes.

The Control Zone

A 737 with 124 people on board came within feet of a Cessna that was practicing landings. An FAA spokesman says an air traffic controller misjudged the distance between

Federal safety regulators are investigating the near-collision of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a small private plane that was practicing landings Monday at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.

NTSB officials said a single-engine Cessna 172 was practicing "touch and go" techniques on nearby Runway 15 when it passed over the 737, which was on the ground by that time and headed to the terminal.

The planes, which were at the intersection of two active runways, came within 10 feet to the side and 200 feet vertically of each other, according to federal authorities. Neither plane took evasive action.
the two planes.