Word: faa
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Time, in seconds, within which aircraft manufacturers must demonstrate a plane can be evacuated, to meet FAA rules...
...Boeing is developing a wind-shear detector that it will install on new jetliners starting this summer. The device includes a warning voice that proclaims, "Wind shear! Wind shear!" once the plane enters the deadly turbulence, and provides guidance on how to respond. Boeing is also working with the FAA and United on a program to teach crews to cope with wind shear more effectively...
...FAA is taking a careful look at the jet engines used in commercial aircraft. Inspectors began fanning out last month to investigate the 20 U.S. repair shops that service the jets. They are particularly interested in the Pratt & Whitney JT8D series, a highly respected engine that powered the aircraft involved in three of last year's major accidents. Said one inspector: "The series powers more than half of all the jet planes flying in the Western world, and they've been flown a long time. So naturally we wonder if we've all gotten complacent about them." Pratt & Whitney denies...
...some of their top personnel. In addition, a few pilots are jumping from one airline to another in order to gain higher pay. Warns Patricia Goldman, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board: "The enormous turnover rate of the pilot population results in pilots who just meet FAA requirements. It means crews flying together who have limited experience of working with each other, or with the equipment they are operating...
Passenger cabins are also becoming safer. Under FAA orders, all U.S. airlines will equip their fleets with more fire-retardant seat cushions over the next two years. By next spring the aircraft will have improved fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, and by year's end they will get emergency floor markings designed to enable passengers to escape dark, smoke-filled planes. Still more improvements are on the way. The FAA plans this week to require airlines to carry medical kits for any doctors on board to use in emergencies...