Civil Aviation Development & Discussion

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 19 Feb 2013 18:28

A340 is out of production now. A four engined aircraft will require more fuel than a twin engined one for carrying the same amount of passengers over the same distance. Airlines will find the 777 much cheaper to operate than the A340, while providing similar passenger capacity and range. When the A340 was built the gigantic, highly efficient and highly reliable GE-90 engines weren't available. And the thinking back then was still along the lines of more engines == more reliability. The A340 unfortunately came out just when engines were becoming so reliable that 3 or 4 engines were unnecessary unless the aircraft really needed the additional thrust.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 20 Feb 2013 00:34

Growing ETOPS coverage pretty much killed all the trijets and quads like the A340. Only the biggest of the big (747 and A380) are quad-jets now. ETOPS mandates reliability guidelines for engine+airframe combinations, and provides certification for operations on one engine; ETOPS-120 certification states that the airliner can fly 120mins on just one engine. Thus ETOPS-120 certified aircraft can fly routes that are within 2hrs of a diversion airport in case of one engine malfunctioning. The only major route still exclusively on quadjets today is the US-Australia route, IIRC, because there's no reliable diversionary airport within 2-3hrs of the route. Even New York-Hong Kong nonstops are flown by twinjets like the 777-300ER now.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Feb 2013 08:22

Boeing 777 is flying australia routes across pacific. Iirc they are certified for 200 plus mins of single engine ops and infact this for tested when a auckland to lax flight lost pne engine and diverted north to hawaii.

Big engines are so in and ge is the world leader and crown jewel

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 20 Feb 2013 10:49

From dfw, the only 4-engine flights i've seen fly out are the qantas 747s to sydney. Thats the longest 747 route today and the 3rd longest route. Singapore routes are longer on the 4-engined A340 . SA is cutting those services and is planning to stop at seoul or hk instead to reduce fuel consumption apparently. Any flight to oirope is 777 area.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Feb 2013 17:58

this is from 2003. its been said north pacific has a special rule for 207 min allowance vs usual 180min for other regions..perhaps due to paucity of large airbases.

"RECORD DIVERSION-United 777 Flies for 192 min. on a Single PW4077, Longest Ever ETOPS Diversion" by James Ott/Cincinnati

United Airlines' Boeing 777 carrying 255 passengers flew over the mid-Pacific Ocean against strong headwinds for 192 min. under single-engine power Mar. 17 to land without incident at Kona on the western coast of the big island of Hawaii.
Boeing confirmed that it was the longest single-engine diversion during Extended Twin Operations (ETOPS) since the advent of transoceanic twin-engine flights 20 years ago by a Trans World Airlines Boeing 767-200.
United spokesman Joe Hopkins said the 777 crew shut down the No. 2 PW4077-90 powerplant after the engine indication and crew alerting system (EICAS) displayed a high oil temperature and low oil quantity. The No. 1 engine powered the aircraft, operating as Flight 842, for the next 3+ hr. to the Kona landing.
The 777 had departed Auckland, New Zealand, bound for Los Angeles. Hopkins said the 777 was likely well past the midway point to Hawaii when the engine was shut down.
United was operating the 777 in ETOPS mode on a route that, for planning purposes, is 180 min. from a suitable airport in still air with one engine operating. A Boeing official said the crew expected a 180-min.-long diversion but the 777 encountered headwinds that extended the flight by another 12 min.
The diversion during the ETOPS portion of the flight was the third recorded for all 777s, which have completed more than 400,000 flights under the FAA rules for extended-range operations. A 767 held the previous record for diversion length, but it was "not close" to the Mar. 17 diversion time, the manufacturer's spokesman said.
A Pratt & Whitney official said a detector in the No. 2 engine showed evidence of chips. Pratt and United will investigate what caused the problem.
Hopkins said United's 777 fleet has recorded a total of 16 inflight shutdowns during all phases of flight since the carrier's first 777 flight in May 1995. The United 777s have flown 2.3 million hr. during the eight years, with an inflight engine shut down rate of 0.0021 per 1000 engine hours. United operates 60 777s.
The aircraft was expected to be out of service in Kona for at least two days, if not more. United shipped a replacement engine to Hawaii, but it had to be placed on an oceangoing barge to reach the Kona airport where it was to be installed.
In addition to the crew on board Flight 842, 10 passengers occupied the first-class cabin, 47 were in business-class and 198 in economy. After the Kona landing, passengers were accommodated on United and other airline flights.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 20 Feb 2013 19:11

WoW more than 3 hours on a single engine thats superb , Shows how reliable engines are needed for transatlantic or long range flights.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 20 Feb 2013 20:36

Came across this chart for PD-14 Engine and Comparision with its latest gen peers PW1000 GTF and LEAP-X

The Yellow parameter column, from top to bottom:
Fan diameter
Takeoff thrust
Bypass Ratio
Total Compression Level
Thrust @ Cruise
Specific Fuel Consumption
Number of compressor stages
Number of staged in Turbine
Total number of stages
Number of shafts
????
Engine Weight
And the last two are emission reduction and noise levels.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 20 Feb 2013 20:41

Did any body got information on RTA project at AeroIndia 2013 , dint come across any civil development news from AI2013 . Any information will be nice.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 20 Feb 2013 21:00

Theo_Fidel wrote:Hmm! I'm pretty sure the 787 engines do have a very minimal bleed air component. I think for anti-ice functions maybe. I could be completely wrong.

They do.

Limited to engine (nacelle?) de ice only

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 20 Feb 2013 21:09

India’s Commercial Air Transport Sector Beset By Myriad Problems

ravit · Post by **ravit** » 20 Feb 2013 23:46

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ind ... 434932.ece

Tatas return to skies with AirAsia. Kuala Lumpur-based low-cost airline AirAsia has tied up with Tata Sons and Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace Pvt Ltd to start a low-cost airline in India....

... AirAsia Investment Ltd (AAIL), seeking approval for AAIL to invest 49 per cent in the proposed Indian joint venture. Tata Sons will hold a 30 per cent stake in the project and Arun Bhatia the rest.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 21 Feb 2013 12:34

Commercial Engines 2012 - Flight Global pdf

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 21 Feb 2013 15:31

A Nice Short Video "Tupolev 9 Decades of History"

http://youtu.be/YqCKGyI7aFU

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 21 Feb 2013 15:57

Boeing 737 and Airbus A320: Cockpit Differences

http://youtu.be/c06S8rCwOnI

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 23 Feb 2013 12:31

A Nice Documentary on NAL Saras Program

Klaus · Post by **Klaus** » 25 Feb 2013 08:57

Qantas director Corrine Namblard resigns amid Italian corruption investigation.

Ms Namblard, a French financier who joined the Qantas board in 2011, has been questioned in Italy as part of an investigation into alleged bid rigging and the Tuscan Monte dei Paschi di Seina bank.

She reportedly was asked to by Italian investigators to provide evidence about her involvement in the privatisation of Siena airport in 2007.

She was chief executive of Galaxy Fund, the winning bidder, at the time.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Feb 2013 19:40

Kingfisher has got its foreign and domestic flying slots taken away.
Etihad is with jet and not interested in bailout deal.

Its all over. Sad for kf staff who hung on hoping to be paid back arrears.

Lease repo people have already reclaimed most flyable ac i expect. The rest are baking on the tarmac and will soon be scrap like nepc, jagson, damania, east west crates we sometimes saw lying in remote corners of aprons.

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 26 Feb 2013 19:42

Singha wrote:Kingfisher has got its foreign and domestic flying slots taken away.
Etihad is with jet and not interested in bailout deal.

Its all over. Sad for kf staff who hung on hoping to be paid back arrears.

Sad for the consumers as well. Reduction in competition is never good. Indians already pay a lot more than others to fly domestically and yet the airlines are unable to make money.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 27 Feb 2013 09:02

Sad indeed to see KF go down and sad for the employee who stuck to KF due to loyalty.

Wish some big cash rich indian private players ( Reliance ? ) could have bailed it out and took over the operation.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 02 Mar 2013 05:58

folks, any updates on the 787 saga....

SriKumar · Post by **SriKumar** » 02 Mar 2013 06:08

Austin, nice links and video.

787- nothing substantative. I am sure Boeing engineers are working like crazy on this and coming up with engineering work-arounds. Here's Boeing touting a solution: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/28/boei ... batteries/

But, IMHO the whole thing is in FAA's hands now. IMO they have to be doubly careful that the solution approved by them will permanently address the battery issue. They reversed themselves once and cannot afford this kind of a fiasco again. I think they still dont have the root cause(s) down yet of the short circuit (in one of the cells) yet.

Just found this article that sort of confirms this tone. FAA tough talk:
http://seattletimes.com/html/businesste ... taxml.html

Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta said Wednesday that Boeing won’t get its 787 Dreamliners back into passenger service without extensive testing and recertification of its proposed fix for the jet’s lithium-ion battery problem.

But he said FAA approval for Boeing to develop its fix will only be the start. “Once we approve the plan, then we have to go through the process of actually implementing the plan, which will involve a great deal of testing, a great deal of further analysis and re-engineering before these planes are back in the air,” Huerta said.

He did not cite any potential time frame, but the requirement for extensive testing, analysis and re-engineering suggests at least weeks of work after Boeing gets the green light to proceed

Boeing would do well to use this time to fix any other 'minor problems' that surfaced during the last year of service. REcently ANA (or JAL?) had stated that last year they had to replace batteries several times in their fleet. The emergency landing was the final straw and the airline grounded the fleet.

manish · Post by **manish** » 04 Mar 2013 10:32

The carcass is now beginning to be picked apart by the circling vultures...
Jet Airways seeks Aviation Ministry's nod to buy 6 Kingfisher slots

Jet Airways sources said on Sunday that the airline has approached the Aviation Ministry to acquire six of the vacant slots of Kingfisher Airlines. The government had withdrawn Kingfisher Airlines' international flying rights and domestic slots last week, which remains grounded since October 1 last, with immediate effect and decided to allot them to other domestic airlines..

"We have applied to the government to acquire six slots from Mumbai. Of these, we are looking at four domestic and two international routes," Jet Airways sources said.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 06 Mar 2013 11:00

Aviadvigatel revises PD-14 turbofan architecture

Russian engine specialist Aviadvigatel has made substantial changes in the configuration of its prospective PD-14 turbofan to enhance its performance and variability.

The firm is steering the PD-14 development project, aimed at creating a family of engines to power Irkut's medium-range MS-21 twinjet.

While retaining the core engine's two-shaft, two-bypass architecture, Aviadvigatel has decided to revise the location of particular engine modules.

"The key move involved the accessory drive gearbox," says Aviadvigatel deputy director and PD-14 chief designer Igor Maksimov. "We opted to put it under the nacelle cowl rather than under the gas generator. This ensures a steadier thermal regime and reduces temperature-related risks for oil lines and cooling systems.

"There is now more room inside the nacelle for rejigging other modules," adds Maksimov. "So it is easier to modify the baseline engine configuration and meet thrust requirements of stretched and shortened MS-21 variants."

Aviadvigatel has introduced an array of innovations to enhance service life and slim down all core engine components.

Maksimov explains: "To reduce weight, we've thoroughly re-designed the low-pressure turbine. It has become smaller and lighter. We've also worked in improvements stemming from the latest aerodynamic research. As a result, we've bumped up the turbine's efficiency."

In cooperation with domestic engine makers Perm Motors, UMPO and Motor, Aviadvigatel has begun the assembly of two modern low pressure turbines for the PD-14 prototype. One will be tested at its own laboratory and the other at the Central Aeroengine Institute (TsIAM) in Moscow.

Both Aviadvigatel and TsIAM have completed tests of the combustor prototype. Maksimov says these checks, which were also carried at a high-altitude test facility, validated all pre-test predictions in terms of emission and performance data measurements.

To further reduce risks, Aviadvigatel is co-operating with the Ukrainian engine design bureau Ivchenko-Progress in developing an alternative combustor. The partners plan to start testing the prototype this year - initially on a designated test-bed and then within a demonstrator engine.

If the jointly-developed prototype proves to be a better solution, Maksimov does not rule out that Ivchenko-Progress-affiliated engine manufacturer Motor Sich could become a major supplier of combustors for the PD-14.

Test runs of the technology demonstrator engine are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2013. Maksimov notes that the MS-21 project envisages - for the first time in Russia - that the engine developer is also in charge of developing the turbofan nacelle.

"Under our agreement with Irkut we bear an overall responsibility, from designing the engine to customer specifications and selecting suppliers to certifying and providing after-sales support," says Maksimov.

"We've already defined nacelle configuration. It features sliding panels rather than hinged cowl doors. This makes for a lighter and more rigid nacelle frame. It is also better from the maintainability standpoint."In addition, key nacelle components, such as air intakes, thrust reverser grid and cowl panels will be made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastics. Overall, composite materials will account for up to 60% of nacelle weight."

Full-scale engine nacelle tests are scheduled to begin in early 2014. By then, Aviadvigatel plans to have finalised the selection of second- and third-tier suppliers for the PD-14 serial production.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 06 Mar 2013 22:30

Bell 525 “Relentless” Program Changing Bell Culture

“There are many new things on this program, not just in terms of product but also in terms of process and cultural change,” he said. The 525 features fly-by-wire flight controls and will be equipped with Garmin’s new G5000H touch-screen-controlled flight deck.

The process and cultural changes include how the aircraft is designed and built. Engineers are drawing the 525 digitally, using Dassault Systemes’ Catia v6 and Enovia software. “This is a paperless aircraft, which is new for us,” said Thimmesch. The new software streamlines the design-build cycle, he said. “This is the first project designing an aircraft in the digital environment with Enovia and Catia v6, which is new in the industry, and other major OEMs are watching us pilot these tools through the program to learn from the process.”

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 06 Mar 2013 22:32

Not sure of this was posted but A350X is moving away fro Lithium-Ion battery

Airbus Nixes Lithium-Ion Battery for A350

“Airbus is confident that the lithium ion (Li-ion) main battery architecture it has been developing with Saft and qualifying for the A350 XWB aircraft is robust and safe. The A350 XWB flight test program will continue as planned with the qualified Li-ion main batteries,” said the company in a statment.

“However, to date, the root causes of the two recent industry Li-ion main batteries incidents remain unexplained to the best of our knowledge. In this context, and with a view to ensuring the highest level of program certainty, Airbus has decided to activate its ‘Plan B’ and, therefore, to revert back to the proven and mastered nickel cadmium main batteries for its A350 XWB program at Entry into Service (EIS). Airbus considers this to be the most appropriate way forward in the interest of program execution and A350 XWB reliability.”

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 08 Mar 2013 15:26

Sukhoi Superjet Assembly line ( Pictures )

http://fotografersha.livejournal.com/367125.html

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 08 Mar 2013 16:37

Nice plane

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 08 Mar 2013 23:03

Haha Where's the plane

Nice Crosslanding Video

Emirates Airbus A380 - Crosswind Landing at Heathrow [ this is a frekin massive beast ]

Polet IL-96-400 Cross Landing

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 09 Mar 2013 14:19

A380 London night departure Cockpit view

A380 Cockpit outside visual view is really superb , some how I find the cockpit has too many LCD panels ....I wonder if the pilot ever go through information overload if it has too many LCD displaying too much of data , A case of information overload

SriKumar · Post by **SriKumar** » 09 Mar 2013 20:15

^^^ Interesting. I flew in one of these recently. There are 3 camera views that a passenger can see: one showing a forward view from th nose, one rear view and one on the tail, looking forward. The tail cam shows almost the full plane. Looks like the pilots were also keeping the tail camera view on their screen

while taxiing. And this was modified to some other display just before takeoff (wonder what that was..engine data? positions of flaps/rudder?). About info. overload, I suppose one could argue that electronic display might be a way to mitigate info. overload. Atleast one can control the amount of info. shown on the displays at one time (and switch to more-detail mode if needed). Perhaps the need for more info. in a cockpit can not be avoided anymore as the planes get more sophisticated (more systems = more monitoring = more info. at cockpit).

Added later: Regarding the post on Airbus and Li ion battery, the decision of Airbus to go back to NiCad for A350 is really interesting. And a tad surprising. Perhaps the decision is temporary i.e. go with NiCad for now, after 1-2 years when things truly settle down with Li ion cells, they can bring it back.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 10 Mar 2013 15:24

Chennai airport to use satellite-based technology for aircraft landing - BusinessLine

The Chennai International Airport will use the help of satellite-based technology for precision approach and landing of aircrafts. For this, it will implement, on a pilot basis, Honeywell’s SmartPath Ground-Based Augmentation System, which uses GPS satellite data to provide accurate guidance to aircraft on approach, enabling them to fly a wide range of closely spaced, complex approaches to increase arrival capacity.

SmartPath can handle up to 26 separate approaches across four runways simultaneously, as against the traditional Instrument Landing Systems that supports one approach at one end of a single runway, says a company press release.

SmartPath, which the company claims is the world’s only Ground-Based Augmentation System (GBAS) certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, was selected by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

With growing passenger numbers across India expected to reach 540 million annually by 2025, SmartPath will support future demand at Chennai airport by reducing delays and journey times for passengers, lowering operational costs for airlines, and increasing traffic throughput at the airport, says the release.

The pilot project is being led by the AAI in collaboration with the US-India Aviation Cooperation Programme and with partial funding from the US Trade and Development Agency.

The AAI plans to install further GBAS infrastructure at other Indian airports in the coming years as part of its air traffic management upgrade program.

Honeywell, in collaboration with the FAA and USTDA, will provide technical assistance and training to support SmartPath’s certification by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Another report on the same - Business Line

“Unlike the instrument landing system (ILS), GBAS is not susceptible to signal interferences from weather, terrain or other obstacles, so it can be successfully implemented in hilly areas where ILS approach is not very effective,” Bhavnani said.

“The implementation of GBAS is a step forward towards the implementation of Satellite Based Precision Approaches that would enhance airport capacity, providing multiple precision approaches to all associated runways at an airport,” an AAI spokesperson said in a statement.

Anyway, the ILS at Chennai is not working for some time now as those who were sent to do some non-technical work near it damaged it and it now appears that it will take a few more months to set it right. How callous. No head will roll for this damage because the labour union is strong.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 10 Mar 2013 17:44

Bombardier Launches Higher Capacity CSeries

Latvia’s Air Baltic has agreed to become the launch customer for a high-density version of the Bombardier CSeries CS300 capable of carrying 160 seats, Bombardier announced Thursday during an official unveiling of the airplane’s first flight test vehicle (FTV1) at its factory in Mirabel, Quebec. Air Baltic has chosen a 148-seat version of the larger of the pair of CSeries narrowbodies, stretched two feet beyond its original specified length of 125 feet to accommodate the extra capacity. Air Baltic holds a firm order for 10 CS300s and purchase rights on another 10.

In an interview with AIN following the announcement, CSeries program head Rob Dewar explained that Bombardier added the extra length to the center fuselage section, the only part of the CS300’s aluminum-lithium barrel that doesn’t use part numbers common to the CS100. However, said Dewar, Bombardier also needed to apply some of the modifications needed for the CS300 to the CS100, thereby contributing to its six-month delay. Other changes include the addition of a pair of over-wing emergency exit doors to satisfy certification requirements associated with the capacity addition. Previously expected to fly the CS100 by the end of last year, Bombardier consequently moved the target to the end of June, therefore delaying certification until mid-2014.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 10 Mar 2013 17:52

SriKumar wrote:About info. overload, I suppose one could argue that electronic display might be a way to mitigate info. overload. Atleast one can control the amount of info. shown on the displays at one time (and switch to more-detail mode if needed). Perhaps the need for more info. in a cockpit can not be avoided anymore as the planes get more sophisticated (more systems = more monitoring = more info. at cockpit).

Some how i get the impression that having too much of LCD in the cockpit leads to information overload , the A-380 cockpit seems to have too many LCD and the night makes all the LCD glow bright , Imagine having to look at 7 LCD 17 inch screen at the workplace , even though those screen might give you minute details , the human brain over a period of time might just choose to ignore or get tired very soon getting exposed to too much of LCD lit up with information.

Perhaps they need to maintain a judicious balance between LCD and Analog instruments even on modern cockpit.

Some how i find even with big LCD the 787 Cockpit has much better ergonomics compared to A380

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/uf/123715/ ... 606vR.jpeg

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Mar 2013 18:30

they say other than landing and takeoffs, pilots do not need to monitor much instrumentation these days...if anything goes beyond range then visual and audio alarms will sound. the waypoints are set in GPS for the plane to fly through and TCAS is always on. I think pilots mostly manage the radio comms with different ATC, adjust trim and throttle for headwind/tailwind , follow the occasional ATC instruction to change flight levels and just sit there, while enjoying a glorious business class dinner brought in by the air hostess on time.

during takeoff , parking and taxiing and landing they really earn their pay and need to be on their toes.

once large UCAVs are proven I suspect commercial aviation might see some brave souls take a chance on having no pilot in cruise phase and the sole pilot only used during automated F18 style takeoff and Ghawk style auto landing. if the pilot is ill, there will be a printed manual "how to land a 777 for beginners"

and vol2 "how to land a 777 in blind conditions and heavy crosswind" for more advanced college credit passengers.

SriniY · Post by **SriniY** » 11 Mar 2013 00:09

Austin wrote: Some how i get the impression that having too much of LCD in the cockpit leads to information overload , the A-380 cockpit seems to have too many LCD and the night makes all the LCD glow bright , Imagine having to look at 7 LCD 17 inch screen at the workplace , even though those screen might give you minute details , the human brain over a period of time might just choose to ignore or get tired very soon getting exposed to too much of LCD lit up with information.

Perhaps they need to maintain a judicious balance between LCD and Analog instruments even on modern cockpit.

Some how i find even with big LCD the 787 Cockpit has much better ergonomics compared to A380

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/uf/123715/ ... 606vR.jpeg

is that a HUD in the pic. a380 or most other planes doesn't seem to have one

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 11 Mar 2013 16:27

Yes that HUD , its common these days on most modern Civil passenger and Military transport aircraft.

I guess the idea is when you are landing or taking off all the critical data is presented on the HUD so that you dont have to look down on the LCD of cockpit , its also integrated with FLIR so you can look out in bad weather with clear visibility

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 11 Mar 2013 17:43

In the future, airliner cockpits will be occupied by a crew of one man and one dog.

The man's job will be just to monitor that anything goes OK, and yeah! feed the dog too.

The dog's job will be to make sure that the man won't touch anything

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 11 Mar 2013 18:02

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 12 Mar 2013 10:54

fire in the "ATC room" of chennai airport again today. all flights to chennai are grounded this morning. wife had gone to BIAL and looks like will just call it a day and return to office.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 922119.cms

Sridhar saar is not gonna like this

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 12 Mar 2013 11:10

Singha, not a wee bit. Chennai airport has been in the news for quite some time for all the wrong reasons. First of all, there was the agitation not to let the modernization go to private hands (the bitter fruits of which passengers through this airport have endured and will endure for a long time), then the radars were very poorly maintained and took nearly five years to be replaced, the modernization itself was delayed by three years, the car park project was dropped for lack of funds, the second runway is inoperable because of inability to remove structures at the Cowl Bazaar end of the runway, the new domestic terminal is inoperable because the battery-operated baggage carts cannot climb the steep ramp, there is no in-line baggage scanning, the charging of the User Development Fee even when the new terminals are unavailable for usage, the damage to the ILS by unsupervised casual labourers, the frequent mishaps involving tractors and the aircraft, poor maintenance of the existing terminal buildings etc. And, now this.