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E-170 Steep Approach Programme Aviation MBA: IFALPA Scholarship Sri Lankan Pilots aid work helps 2,000 June 2006 I F A L P A . . . . . news The Global Voice of Pilots

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E-170 Steep Approach Programme

Aviation MBA: IFALPA Scholarship

Sri Lankan Pilots aid work helps 2,000

June 2006

I F A L P A. . . . . newsThe Global Voice of Pilots

June 2006

A combined team representing both IFALPA and ALPAInternational visited the Embraer engineering and man-ufacturing facilities in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil fromApril 24-26. Representing the IFALPA ADO Committeewere Terry Lutz (Team Leader, Northwest) and ThomasWeiser (Austrian). Representing the ALPA InternationalADO Committee were Dave Hayes (Northwest), BillDeGroh (American Eagle), and Doug Hoesch (Mid-Atlantic). The visit had several objectives, including anengineering update on the E-170/190 program, a steepapproach evaluation in the E-170, and familiarizationwith the newest member of the family, the E-195. Thisreport will focus on the steep approach capabil-ity that Embraer hopes to certify in the E-170.

London City Certification the goalEmbraer has already successfully certified theERJ135 for steep approaches, and Luxair iscurrently operating these aircraft to LondonCity (LCY) from Luxembourg. To carry more pas-sengers into LCY using the E-170, Embraer haschosen to utilize the unique flexibility of the Fly-By-Wire control system to reconfigure the flightcontrols and provide the steep approach capa-bility. The design goal is to carry a full cabinload of 70 passengers (at 220lbs per passen-ger) into LCY, and depart with the same load,no wind, and fly 600 nm with IFR reserves.

The Steep Approach Mode (SAM) is enabled with apushbutton switch located on the center pedestal justahead of the speed brake handle, which is appropriatefor the function. When activated, the word “Steep”appears in the Flap/Slat/Spoiler depiction in the lowerleft corner of the center EICAS display (the E-170 fami-ly utilizes 5 displays rather than 6). The word Steep isjust above the spoilers, which are observed partiallydeflected in the display. Steep also appears in theupper left corner of the PFD.To begin a steep approach, the pilot selects the SteepApproach Mode. If there are no EICAS messages, the

City Lights: The E-170steep approach

programme

City Lights: The E-170steep approach

programme

By Capt. Terry LutzBy Capt. Terry Lutz

The steep approach elements of thedemonstration were flown at Embraer’s

Gaviao Peixoto test facility whichboasts, at 5,000m (16,500ft), South

America’s longest runway.

I F A L P A. . . . .The Global Voice of Pilots news

June 2006

airplane can be configured with gear down and Flaps 6(this is the maximum landing flap setting - slats at 25deg and flaps at 35 deg). In this configuration with SAMselected, spoiler panels 4 and 5 are positioned 16degrees up. They will now be used as drag devices toincrease rate of sink on the approach, while maintain-ing the normal approach speed. Embraer has success-fully integrated the Steep Approach Mode so that speedadditives are not required to fly the approach.

Approaches flown at Gaviao PeixotoFlight Test FacilityWe began our evaluation with a 40minute flight from Sao Jose dos Campos(SBSJ) to Embraer’s flight test facilitiesat Gaviao Peixoto (SBGP). Of the fiveevaluation pilots on board, Dave Hayesand Thomas Weiser had no previousexperience in Embraer aircraft, so theyconducted a limited evaluation withsome preplanned maneuvers enroute.Once in the traffic pattern at SBGP, allfive pilots participated in the steepapproach evaluation. Each pilot flew anormal approach at -3.0 deg fpa, thenflew two steep approaches to -5.5 degfpa. There were no demo approachesflown by our Embraer test pilot, Matiasde Olivera, who flew in the right seat. A5.5 deg ILS system was not available,and due to other test commitments, theVASI system could not be reset from 3.0to 5.5 deg for our steep approaches. So

we flew the approaches “open loop”, using the excellentflight path guidance on the PFD, and an aiming pointjust short of the marked portion of the 5000 mtr runwayat SBGP. During certification testing, Embraer must demonstratethat the airplane can maintain Vref with idle thrust. Tofly the approach at idle thrust requires a flight path of -7.5 deg. As the flare maneuver is begun at 50’ agl, theengines are spooled up and the airplane must demon-strate touchdowns at no greater than 3 fps rate ofdescent. All the approaches we flew were at the nomi-nal approach angle of -5.5 deg. Auto thrust providedengine speeds around 42% N1 during our approaches,although variations were noted due to thermal turbu-lence in the middle part of the day. Normal idle for theCF34-8E5 engines is 27%. With an initial ramp weightof 65,150 lbs (fuel weight 13,670 lbs, cg at 14.9%),most of our approaches were flown at about 60,000 lbs(max landing weight is 72,310 lbs).The key to success of these approaches is that the SAMallows spoiler panels 4 and 5 to move in and out inresponse to pilot inputs to either steepen or shallow theflight path. Since the E-170 is a Fly-By-Wire airplane,the control system senses the neutral position of thecontrol yoke. If the pilot moves the yoke aft of neutral,the spoilers will begin to retract; if the pilot moves theyoke forward, spoiler deflection increases. These spoil-er motions are transparent to the pilot in terms of con-trol feel, but are noticed as smooth and precisechanges in flight path as noted on the PFD. The gainsare set such that the spoilers could be deflected fromas low as 4.5 deg to as high as 23 deg. During the flare

Embraer has placed theSteep Approach pushbut-

ton appropriately aheadof the speed brake han-dle. It is the only switch

of its type in that location,and cannot be mistaken

for a similar switch with adifferent function.

During the stabilized portion of approach-es flown to a -5.5 deg fpa, the aircraft

pitch attitude is +2 degrees. Pitch atti-tude at touchdown during our evaluation

was very repeatable at + 6 degrees, sothe nose of the airplane only needs to

move 4 degrees from initiation of the flareto a smooth touchdown.

I F A L P A. . . . .The Global Voice of Pilots news

June 2006

maneuver, since the pilot is moving the column aft,spoilers retract and the resulting lift capability is essen-tially the same as during a normal approach. To set up for the approaches, we configured the air-

plane on the base leg, which was planned at 3000’ agl,and in a position to turn final about 5 nm from the run-way. Using the flight director on the HoneywellPrimus/Epic avionics, the target flight path was select-ed on the FCU panel. This puts a flight path target onthe PFD, and the flight director will provide steeringguidance to the selected flight path. With auto thrustengaged and the airplane manually flown, we eased theram’s horn style control column forward at 5 nm totrack the 5.5 deg flight path.For our approaches, Vref was about 120 kts, andgroundspeed on final was about 116 kts with lightwinds. Indicated vertical velocity was 1100 to1300 fpm(calculated vertical velocity for -5.5 deg at 116 kts gswould be 1132 fpm). In the E-170, the approach anglecan be held all the way to 50 feet agl, which is whereEmbraer recommends beginning the flare maneuver.During the stabilized portion of approaches flown to a -5.5 deg fpa, the aircraft pitch attitude is +2 degrees.Pitch attitude at touchdown during our evaluation wasvery repeatable at + 6 degrees, so the nose of the air-plane only needs to move 4 degrees from initiation ofthe flare to a smooth touchdown. If the flare is per-formed by moving the nose at 3 deg/sec, the flaremaneuver can be completed easily in less than 2 sec-onds.

The joint IFALPA/ALPA team flew several variations onthe basic steep approach. This included:

* A slight push-over/pull-up from -5.5 deg fpa to -7.5deg fpa and back again to observe power settings andspoiler activity on the Flight Controls page of the EICAS.

* A simulated weather approach to a 400 foot decisionheight. This was accomplished by blocking the realworld with a baseball cap while the approach was flownto minimums by Matias de Olivera from the right seat.At minimums, the left seat pilot took over, looked up toacquire the runway, and landed.

* An approach flown with the autopilot tracking -5.5 degfpa all the way to 50’, with disconnect and manual land-ing.

* A normal go-around from simulated minimums of 400feet agl to measure altitude loss during go-around froma steep approach.

Significant difference in perspectiveDuring the simulated weather approach, the time fromminimums to touchdown is about 12 seconds. Whilethe timing may be similar for a 200 foot decision heightusing a 3.0 deg glide slope, the perspective with therunway is decidedly different. Once visual, the pilotmust look for specific cues to assess touchdown pointand runway remaining. In periods of reduced visibility,this may prove difficult without a well-defined trainingprogram. Use of the autopilot below minimums, oncethe runway environment is in sight, may be beneficial tosituational awareness. Rate of descent is high enoughthat the normal callouts of “200 to minimums” and“100 to minimums” may be inadequate, and could bemodified to “400 to minimums” and “200 to mini-mums” to allow additional time to monitor other param-eters when close to minimums. The altitude loss follow-ing a go-around initiated at minimums was measuredon the flight test instrumentation at 102’. With a 400’agl decision height, this would not create either anoperational or an approach climb problem.The steep approach capability that Embraer has devel-oped for the E-170 takes advantage of the Fly-By-Wirecontrol system to create handling characteristics whichare effective in controlling flight path while maintaininga stable approach that does not require a speed addi-tive. This makes the airplane an ideal platform toincrease capacity into small airports such as LondonCity. Flying approaches to a 50’ flare height could beaccomplished precisely using the flight path markerand flight director guidance on the PFD. The Flaps 6approach configuration with SAM engaged provides aslight nose up pitch attitude which makes the flare

SAM allows spoiler panels 4 and 5to move in and out in response to

pilot inputs to either steepen orshallow the flight path.

I F A L P A. . . . .The Global Voice of Pilots news

June 2006

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maneuver almost identical to those observed during3.0 degree approaches.

ConclusionSteep approaches are decidedly different, and requireslightly different procedures and a specific training pro-gram. Embraer has placed the Steep Approach push-button appropriately ahead of the speed brake handle.It is the only switch of its type in that location, and can-not be mistaken for a similar switch with a different

function. Pushing the Steep Approach switch, andverification that the Steep Approach Mode isactive are the only changes from any normalapproach. However, good training and good proce-dural advice should be provided to flight crews sothat pre-approach briefings cover acquisition ofthe appropriate visual cues at minimums, and pro-cedures are accomplished without time compres-sion or increased pilot workload. After conductingthis evaluation, the IFALPA/ALPA team found thatthe modifications to the E-170 to conduct steepapproaches provide an important, additional capa-bility to the airplane, without changing any of theaeroplane’s excellent handling characteristics.

TTeerrrryy LLuuttzz is a Captain with Northwest Airlines flying theA319/320. Terry is a member of the IFALPA AircraftDesign and Operation Committee and the Director,Aircraft Development and Evaluation Programmes forUS-ALPA. He is a graduate of the US Air ForceAerospace Research Pilots School and a member of theSociety of Experimental Test Pilots.

The BAe -146/Avro RJ is the dominant jet at LCY butwith steep approach certification pending for both

the A318 and E-170 this is likely to change.

Airport Planning, Engineeringand Management Course

Lisbon, 5-7 June 2006

Increasingly, Pilots, Air Traffic Controllers who specialize in airportoperation together with their counterparts in airport managementface a wide ranging and, on occaision, bewildering series of chal-lenges as they struggle to marry the competing elements of capacitydemand and economic realities with safety issues. For this reason, The University of Texas has joined with TheAssociacao Pilotos Portugueses Linha Aerea (APPLA) to presentthe IFALPA endorsed “Airport Planning, Engineering andManagement” Course. The course will be run in Lisbon over threedays from the 5th to the 7th of June and is designed to fulfill theneeds of airport regulators, managers, planners as well as opera-tions and engineering and maintenance staff. Equally the course isdesigned to be of benefit to airport users notably pilots and airtraffic control officers. The course curriculum focuses on thedesign, enginnering, planning and policy issues connected to air-port development as well as day to day operations. The moduleswill include planning and development, airport operations, noiseand environmental issues, airside and landside planning, airportcapacity, security, pavement design and rehabilitation, airport con-struction and project management. It will incorporate simulationmodels, the application of Geographical Information Systems(GIS) as a planning and management tool and will include a num-ber of case studies.

AAddvvaanncceedd AALLRR aaccccrreeddiittaattiioonnParticipants will receive a certificate of completion from theUniversity of Texas and will be awarded Continuing EducationUnits (CEU). The course is also recognized by IFALPA as qualify-ing towards its Airport Liasion Representative (ALR)accreditation.

TThhee PPrriinncciippaall LLeeccttuurreerrDr Michael T. McNerney, P.E. is Associate Vice President andDirector of Airport Planning for the Central Region of DMJMAviation. He is formerly the Director of the Aviation ResearchCenter of the Center for Transportation Research and adjunct fac-ulty of The University of Texas. Dr McNerney holds a PhDDegree in civil engineering from the University of Texas. He taughtthe Airport Design Course at UT for 4 years and was guest lectur-er for 7 years. He developed and continues to teach the AirportSeries of Short Courses at UT. He has 31 years aviation experienceas a pilot and airport engineer/planner. Additional lecturers will be invited to give an airport and users per-spective.

Who should attend: Anyone involved in any aspect of airport planning, development, operations or engineering, including,

airport managers, operations managers, supervisors and staff, strategic planning and development, engineeringand maintenance managers and supervisors. In addition, the course is also highly recommended for pilots and

air traffic controllers involved in airport operations, safety committees, and airport regulators.

CCoouurrssee rreeggiissttrraattiioonn:: Act now. places on this year’s course are strictly limited

To register for the course contact APPLA +35 1 21 792 6810 email: [email protected]

CCoosstt:: €€11,,220000(Includes all course materials and lunch on each day of the course).

IFALPA members qualify for a 25% discount

I F A L P A. . . . .The Global Voice of Pilots news

June 2006

In November 2002 I decided that I might take out addi-tional insurance. It was not however, the standard poli-cy where I would pay a premium and receive benefitsshould the unthinkable occur. My greatest concern inmy career was that events may take place beyond mycontrol which could leave me unemployed as a profes-sional pilot. I therefore pursued a policy with no realguarantee. One which would cost me my most valuableresource…..time.As professional pilots we mitigate risk every day, makingdecisions based on ‘what ifs’. These are on-the-spotdecisions which require training and experience andoften need to be made immediately. I had a bit moretime to ponder what I woulddo if I were furloughed orthe company shut down, soI decided that I would pur-sue additional skills just incase. By chance IFALPA wasoffering a half scholarshipfor Concordia UniversitiesInternational Aviation MBAprogram in Montreal. Iapplied and was awardedthe scholarship and beganmy program in April 2004. The program consisted offive ‘on campus’ sessionsand 20 weeks of distance

learning modules. The first week was a general reviewof economics and calculus, which would have beengreat if I had taken these courses as a prerequisite.However, I was accepted into the program based uponmy Aviation College and work experience. The first weekwas grueling as I struggled to attain the necessarybackground to attempt 16 full time courses in 2 yearswhile flying a full roster. Following our first ‘on campus’ sessions we all depart-ed to various parts of the world to hit the books. Mostof us found the pace very demanding with assignmentsdue every 3 or 4 days. The end was nowhere in sightand sacrifices made particularly with family were diffi-

MBA: An AlternativeInsurance ProgramMBA: An AlternativeInsurance Program

By Capt. Dean NewhouseBy Capt. Dean Newhouse

As a night cargo pilot, Dean’s schedule was conduciveto VOIP a Swiss pilot in Zurich or classmates in theMiddle East or India. Mauritus and Romania who wereusually online when he went to bed at 0700 in Canada.

I F A L P A. . . . .The Global Voice of Pilots news

June 2006

cult. Although I had the same 24 hours in a day that weall have, mine now involved much multitasking.Checking email at each station stop, tests on weekendsand the general stress of time management would bemy life for a good part of 2 years. The courses were tai-lored specifically to aviation covering financial account-ing of major airlines, organizational behavior, and manyairline economic and operational courses. The firstsemester involved exercises in statistical analysis usingreal world problems. This was very enlightening and Ienjoyed dealing with questions that had hard, definitecorrect answers. Some of the human relations coursesfocused on more than one correct answer….very foreignfor an aviator. Into the third semester we began to usemodels and simulations. All teams were given the sametools to begin with and then we were off to the races tocompete as an airline. Fleet planning, routes, financing,services offered, labor costs, customer preferences andadvertising were all variables which we could tweak tobuild the number one airline in the world. This provedvery interesting as competitor strategy was an integralpart of our success or failure. Unfortunately we werethe one airline which experienced a pilot strike, whichwas viewed as rather ironic with an IFALPA pilot at thehelm. We settled quickly and the outcome was that ourairline ended up somewhere in the middle when thegame ended. The next semester covered strategic man-agement, international air law, and airline operationsand management. The reading was now taking me 4hours per day instead of 6 when I started.

Living on the laptopI lived in a laptop for 2 years, constantly in contact withteam members spread across the globe. As a nightcargo pilot my schedule was conducive to using VoiceOver IP with a Swiss pilot in Zurich or classmates in theMiddle East or India. Mauritius and Romania were usu-ally online when I went to bed at 7AM.

Much emphasis was placed onteamwork and collaboration.Diverse cultures and personalitiespresented unique challenges, andlike most MBA programs you learnas much from your peers as youdo from the courses. As the soleunion man among 20 manage-ment types the debates werequite heated at times and like thereal world there was not alwaysan amicable resolve. I am happyto report my successful comple-tion of the program in March2006 and I have a few more let-ters to add to my credentials. I

would recommend this program to any and all whoseek a challenge and a different type of insurance.A 50% IFALPA discount is offered each year atConcordia which lessens the financial burden to$14,000 USD (2004). The full program cost is$28,000 USD, plus accommodation and air travel. Allcourse materials are provided along with a laptop sostudents are required to bring only their brain andbackground. Admission into the program is competi-tive and dependant upon successful completion ofthe GMAT exams. If you would like further informationon the IFALPA/Concordia, Global Aviation MBA pro-gram contact IFALPA or the University directly on theirwebsites. If you need information on how hard it willbe, feel free to contact me personally.I would like to thank the Federation for making thispossible and hope others can pursue this “alternateinsurance plan”.

DDeeaann NNeewwhhoouussee is a Captain for Kelowna Flightcraftflying B-727s and, since earlier this year, he also

holds an International Aviation MBA from ConcordiaUniversities, Montreal.

Keeping his ‘night’ job in the left seat of a B-727meant checking email at each station stop and

tests on weekends

I F A L P A. . . . .The Global Voice of Pilots news

June 2006

Air Line Pilots’ Guild of Sri Lankain Action with IFALPA help

Everyone will long remember the devastation wroughtby the Tsunami of December 2004. Inresponse, the people of the world erupt-ed into action with unparalleled gen-erosity with the world’s charities collect-ing hundreds of millions of dollars. Yeteven with help on this scale, the sheermagnitude of the disaster has meantthat much of that aid has been directedto the efforts to mitigate the crises ofthe immediate aftermath, with food,shelter and acute medical assistancetaking priority. But for full recovery totake place a return to the normality ofday to day living requires a longer termand more concerted effort. This iswhere the members of the Airline Pilots’Guild of Sri Lanka (ALPGSL) have donegreat work. With assistance from IFALPA in the form ofwaiving the MA’s 2005 subscription fee, the ALPGSLassessed the situation and focussed their efforts onways to help their countrymen, in part by using thesefunds. It became apparent that the need for ongoingmedical assistance for longer term injuries and chronic

illness was com-pelling, especiallyin rural districts.With this in mindthey set aboutorganising a freemobile MedicalClinic staffed bydoctors, pharma-cists and socialworkers. So far,the clinic hashelped over2,000 people

with medical screenings and primary medical care. Inaddition the ALPGSL also addressed the problems of alack of school supplies and put together stationary kitsto help in the childrens’ return to normal education. Commenting on the activities of the ALPGSL, IFALPAPresident Capt. Dennis Dolan said “It is obvious thatthe pilots of the Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka havedone a fantastic job of assisting their fellow citizens ina time of need. Their devotion and dedication in lendinga hand to these suffering people, especially the chil-dren, is very heartwarming indeed, and they have theutmost respect and admiration of their colleagues in

the international community for their work”.Responding, ALPGSL Secretary Capt. UpendraRanaweera said “The reaction of the people we havehelped and the happiness gleaming in the faces of thechildren speaks for itself. We’d like to add our heartfeltthanks to our colleagues in the Federation for making itpossible to help these people in their time of need”.

I F A L P A. . . . .The Global Voice of Pilots news

June 2006

Should crosswind risk bereassessed?

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) hasreleased the preliminary findings of its investigationinto a landing incident at Melbourne (YMML) in Octoberof last year. The text that follows is a précis of thePreliminary Report, the full text of which can be foundon the ATSB website http://www.atsb.gov.au/publica-tions/investigation_reports/2005/aair/aair200505311.aspx

At 1200 local time on 26 October 2005, an A340-600arrived at Melbourne International Airport (YMML) atthe end of a scheduled service from Bangkok. Theapproach and landing on runway 16 was conducted instrong crosswind conditions. Surface conditions report-ed in the 1130 (local) ATIS (Information Yankee) werewinds 230-280 degrees (magnetic) 18 gusting to 30ktswith a maximum crosswind component of 14kts.The weather data from the flight data recorder exam-ined by the ATSB revealed that the wind direction at850ft (RALT) was about 250 degrees true; the windspeed between 850ft RALT and 400ft RALT was about22kts with a peak value of 27kts at 500ft RALT. From400ft RALT the wind reduced to about 18kts until aboutsix seconds before touchdown when the wind speedbegan to increase reaching a peak of 40kts about halfa second before the right main gear contacted the run-way. The aircraft’s heading remained relatively constantbetween 166 and 168 degrees M from about 850ft andthen increased to 175 degrees as the A340 encoun-tered the gust just before touchdown. The aircraft

touched down, yawed 15 degrees to the right of the run-way heading and rolled five degrees right wing low.Unsurprisingly, the right main gear (MLG) was the firstto make contact with the runway surface followed by theleft MLG and then the centre MLG (In normal opera-tions on the A340, the centre bogey will be the last tomake contact with the initial load taken by the underwing bogies.) The centre MLG transitioned back from‘ground’ to ‘air’ mode followed by the right MLG with theright MLG transitioning back to ‘ground’ mode a halfsecond later indicating a bounced landing. The leftMLG remained in contact with the runway after touch-down. At touchdown the vertical ‘g’ load was about 1.6and the lateral load about 0.4 to the left indicating aright sideslip. At the time of touchdown, the outboardbead heel of the number one tire of the left MLG sepa-rated from the rim of the wheel assembly. The tireimmediately deflated and then partially disintegratedduring the remainder of the landing roll. Fragments ofrubber from the disintegrating tire resulted in someminor damage to the undersides of the left wing andfuselage and dislodged an inspection panel on theinboard side of the number two engine pylon. More seri-ously the debris from the tire fractured a hydraulicbrake line on the left MLG and heat from the brakeassembly on the rear wheel pair of the left MLG causedthe hydraulic fluid from the damaged brake line to igniteresulting in a fire. This fire was quickly extinguished bythe airport RFFS thanks to a rapid response to the inci-

I F A L P A. . . . .The Global Voice of Pilots news

June 2006

HHaavvee aann iiddeeaa ffoorr aann aarrttiiccllee oorr wwaanntt IIFFAALLPPAAnneewwss ttooccoovveerr yyoouurr ssttoorryy?? Contact Gideon Ewers, IFALPA Mediaand Communications Officer Tel. +44 1932 579041 oremail [email protected]

Don’t Forget!

Electronic Subscription to IFALPANews is easy and

FREE. Simply email [email protected] with

your name and country and News Subscription

in the subject line

June

11th

International Flight Engineers MeetingParis, France

Contact: Arnaud du Bedat [email protected]

12th-14th

Aircraft Design and Operation CommitteeMeetingParis, France

Contact: Arnaud du Bedat [email protected]

14th-16th

Air Traffic Services Committee MeetingParis, France

Contact: Valerie Godfrey [email protected]

19th-21st

Aerodrome and Ground Environment CommitteeMeetingBejing, China

Contact: James Eales [email protected]

22nd

Airport Liaison Representative Seminar Bejing, China

Contact: James Eales [email protected]

July

10th-12th

Human Performance Committee Meeting Singapore

Contact: James Eales [email protected]

Dates for your Diary

dent. In addition to the damage to the airframe, the rimof the number one wheel scored the surface of runway16/34 for some distance after the tire separated. TheATSB is continuing to evaluate data from the FDR andCVR.

Conclusions and recommendations

It is worth noting that the flight crew in this incidentdid a superb job of controlling the aircraft encounter-ing, as they did, a maximum crosswind component inthe flare 3 kts higher than the maximum demonstrat-ed for the aircraft type. This of course was immediate-ly followed by the braking asymmetry as a result of thetire failure. Also worth recalling is effectiveness ofRFFS in attending the incident and extinguishing thehydraulic fluid fire. Risks in this incident were mitigat-ed by the fact that, despite the wind, conditions wereotherwise good, daylight, with good visibility. In addi-tion the crew benefited from accurate METAR and ATISas well as wind data derived from the IRS displayed onthe PFDs. What lessons can be drawn from the inci-dent? Is it worth reconsidering your crosswind tech-nique? Is it best on the aircraft you fly to reduce lateralloads by using a wing down technique in the flare ordoes this present a greater risk of pod strikes? Asalready stated this incident took place on a dry runwaybut what impact might a wet or contaminated runwayhave on a crews’ ability to maintain directional control,and should this be taken into account when planningor continuing an approach? Or is a more elementalreview of ‘maximum demonstrated crosswind’required? As it stands these limits are ‘for guidanceonly’. Is there, therefore, a case for a campaign forcrosswind limits to be imposed which take intoaccount runway surface conditions? Certainly there isevidence to support this position. In any event a dis-cussion of all these factors is beyond the scope of thisarticle and accordingly a Safety Bulletin is being devel-oped that is intended to address these issues.