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ETOPS 207 - THE ALPA/ATA
PROPOSAL
WHAT'S BEHIND THE NEW PROPOSAL
OPINIONS FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDES
ETOPS 207 - THE
ALPA/ATA PROPOSAL :
March 4, 1999 : The Air
Line Pilots Association (ALPA) reiterated its support for a proposal that would allow a 15
percent extension to the 180-minute limit on extended twin-engine operations (ETOPS) on
long-range flights.
However, in statements printed in the Mar. 3 Aviation Daily, the Allied Pilots
Association (APA), which represents American Airlines pilots, has cast doubt on
both the ETOPS change and the method used to build the consensus.
The APA also claimed that the Coalition of Airline Pilots Association (CAPA),
of which APA is a member, opposed the change and that the APA was shut out of the process.
Then, APA representatives were invited to, and attended all of the ATA ETOPS subcommittee
meetings dealing with this issue.
However, they were not invited to a closed-door briefing requested by ALPA
from the FAA, Boeing, and ATA, so that ALPA political leaders and
safety representatives could have their questions answered by the principal parties.
ALPA itself was initially skeptical of the proposal so the union formed its own ETOPS
Working Group to study the issue and presented the final draft document to the pilot
leadership and safety coordinators at all the ALPA carriers.
The proposal would lead to a discretionary policy that only allows the
207-minute limit to be authorized as needed on an "exception" basis if, and
only if a normally available diversion airport required for 180-minute operations is not
available and if there is another diversion airport within the 207-minute radius.
There also is a mechanism for FAA and industry review which will keep the use of the
exception to an "acceptable minimum"...
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| WHAT'S BEHIND THE NEW
PROPOSAL? |
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"Boeing lobbies to
expand 777's ocean range" (Seattle Times, Sep.13, 1998)
The company invited regulators and pilot and airline representatives to Everett, where
Boeing engineers began making a case for loosening restrictions on flying the 777 across
the Pacific Ocean. Some pilots raised safety concerns, which Boeing promised to address
before making a formal proposal [...]
If the request is granted, airlines will be able to fly the 777 from North America
to East Asia on optimal polar routes when bad weather shuts down air fields in remote
parts of the Aleutian Islands and Russia..."
The essential features of this request are related to boeing competion with the
European Consortium Airbus. They both supply long-range jets to airlines for
trans-Pacific flights between cities in Asia and North America...
Because it is equipped with four engines, the 777's competitor A340 isn't constrained
by ETOPS restrictions placed on jets crossing oceans with just two engines. Last May,
Singapore Airlines chose the A340 over the 777 to launch its new trans-Pacific routes.
In orders announced at the Farnborough Air Show last week, International Lease
Finance Corp. and Emirates Airlines opted for the A340 over the 777 as well...
B777 survival thus depends on
Boeing's capability to put pressure on the FAA in order to obtain ETOPS extension, but
what about pilot and passenger survival?
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OPINIONS FROM THE
OPPOSITE SIDES:
Many pilots are uncomfortable with the
thought of flying a 777 over the Pacific for four hours on a single engine to a landing at
an unfamiliar airport. And, they questioned Boeing engineers about scenarios where a
flight crew is forced to fly for four hours over the ocean or remote terrain with one
crippled engine, and where ice developes on the disabled engine or where
another system shuts down...
Against :
- The Allied Pilots
Association (APA), which represents 9,000 American Airlines
pilots
"The proponents of this change
rely heavily on the technical merits of the B777....We do point out that two of the engine
models currently used on the B777 have already been the subject of FAA Airworthiness
Directives mandating the redesign and replacement of important subassemblies because of in
service failures....No one involved in the design or certification of B777 aircraft
equipped with these engines for ETOPS...anticipated these problems. Studies are often
different than actual experience...."
- The Independent
Association of Continental Pilots, which represents 5,000 Continental Airlines
pilots - remain skeptical:
"If all the alternates, including
those located in Siberia, are considered, there would likely be only one day a year when
weather would compel an operator to select a somewhat longer route to stay within 180
minutes...That doesn't seem to us to establish a real need. The proponents of this change
avoid stating their case plainly because it is very weak."
Continental pilots
group :
"Boeing put out an
awful lot of information that still needs to be looked at and reviewed" (Rene
Minjares, secretary-treasurer for the Continental pilots group).
International Air
Crash Victims Families Group:
"As surviving families of air
crashes that occurred on trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific flights over water, with total
fatalities, we have a special interest in the proposed regulation...we have great concerns
about the requested extension of the range of separation between airports for two engine
aircraft....The fact that two engine aircraft have operated up to now without major
accidents should not lull us into a false sense of safety...
* There is no guarantee that in a
worst-case scenario both engines of a two engine plane may not fail.
* There is no guarantee that if one
engine fails the second engine can carry the load of the plane for...(more than) 3
hours...
- International Airline Passengers
Association (IAPA) supports the concept... subject to the following:
* Substantial satisfactory evidence of
180-minute operations...
* The en-route ETOPS alternates...must
have adequate facilities to...care for the maximum number of passengers that might be
expected, including...appropriate aircraft steps... sufficient warm
accommodation...adequate toilet facilities...
- Independent Pilots Association
(IPA, the union of United Parcel Service air freighter pilots):
"IPA has no confidence that fires
would be contained within cargo compartments for the extended period of time."
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In favor:
 Chet Ekstrand, the Boeing vice president of
government and industry affairs, said the company's new ETOPS proposal isn't driven solely
by economics. He said Boeing is convinced its proposal is fair and poses no safety issues.
John Mazor, spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association, which
represents 50,000 pilots from 50 domestic airlines, said his group hasn't formed an
official opinion yet about Boeing's proposal.
Boeing : "There are already over 200 B777's in
service and all of them are equipped for ETOPS....The average twelve month rolling average
inflight shutdown rate for the 777 fleet is .007/1000 hours, significantly better than the
FAA recommended target rate of .02/1000 engine hours." More
about this...
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