Aussie newbie pilot lands plane after instructor blacks out

France24 – AFP, 2 September 2019

Sydney (AFP) - An Australian man venturing into the skies for a first flying lesson has been forced to make an "amazing" solo landing after his instructor blacked out mid-flight.

Max Sylvester's wife and three kids watched from the ground as air traffic control talked him through safely landing the Cessna two-seater at Perth's Jandakot airport on Saturday.

The 30-something had issued a panicked mayday call from an altitude of 1,900 metres (6,200 feet), after his instructor slumped onto his shoulder and could not be woken.

"Do you know how to operate the aeroplane," the air traffic controller in Perth asked urgently, according to a recording of their exchange.

"This is my first lesson," Sylvester responded, adding that he had never landed an aircraft before.

Realising the enormity of the task at hand, the tower responded: "The first thing that we are going to do is make sure that the wings stay level."

He was instructed to maintain altitude and to make a pass above the runway to get a sense of the terrain and become more at ease.

"You're doing a really great job," the operator reassures the trainee as someone more familiar with the aircraft was rushed to the tower.

"I know this is really stressful. But you're going to do an amazing job and we're going to help you get down to the ground, OK?"

Some twenty minutes later, the plane made a heart-stoppingly bumpy landing.

"You did it mate!" exclaimed the air traffic controller. "Well done. That's amazing!"

The instructor was taken to hospital in a stable condition and Sylvester received his first solo flight certificate from the instructor's employer, Air Australia International.

"This could have gone way, way bad," Air Australia International owner Chuck McElwee said, according to public broadcaster ABC.

"But everything worked out right, and it worked right, mostly because of the cooperation of the tower."

No cause found for fatal Stint crash, says public prosecutor

DutchNews, July 5, 2019

Two stints in action. Photo: Stintum.nl 

Dutch public prosecutors have said that the woman who was driving an electric Stint vehicle when it crashed into a train at Oss, killing four young children, apparently did everything she could to stop the vehicle. 

Menno Buntsma, a laywer who is representing the 33-year-old woman from Heesch, told Oproep Brabant that she was ‘relieved and emotional’ at the announcement. 

The OM prosecution service said in a news release that nine months after the fatal accident, it has not been able to find a specific cause. It said that witnesses confirmed that the driver ‘had done everything possible to stop the Stint in order to stop a collision.’ 

A technical investigation has found no clues about what went wrong and the NFI Dutch forensic institute is currently investigating the vehicle’s motor controller. 

Two children of four, one of six and another of eight died in the accident in September last year. An 11-year-old and the driver were seriously wounded. 

Transport minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen immediately banned the electric wagons – used by hundreds of daycare centres to ferry children around. New tough safety regulations agreed by MPs this year mean Stints will need technical upgrades and will then be allowed back on the roads in autumn, carrying eight children rather than 10. 

The OM says, however, that until the investigation is fully complete, it has made no decision about whether or not to pursue a prosecution.

Boeing acknowledges flaw in 737 MAX simulator software

Yahoo – AFP, Luc OLINGA, May 19, 2019

Boeing has acknowledged for the first time that there was a design flaw
in software linked to the 737 MAX (AFP Photo/Jason Redmond)

Boeing acknowledged Saturday it had to correct flaws in its 737 MAX flight simulator software used to train pilots, after two deadly crashes involving the aircraft that killed 346 people.

"Boeing has made corrections to the 737 MAX simulator software and has provided additional information to device operators to ensure that the simulator experience is representative across different flight conditions," it said in a statement.

The company did not indicate when it first became aware of the problem, and whether it informed regulators.

Its statement marked the first time Boeing acknowledged there was a design flaw in software linked to the 737 MAX, whose MCAS anti-stall software has been blamed in large part for the Ethiopian Airlines tragedy.

According to Boeing, the flight simulator software was incapable of reproducing certain flight conditions similar to those at the time of the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March or the Lion Air crash in October.

The company said the latest "changes will improve the simulation of force loads on the manual trim wheel," a rarely used manual wheel to control the plane's angle.

"Boeing is working closely with the device manufacturers and regulators on these changes and improvements, and to ensure that customer training is not disrupted," it added.

Southwest Airlines, a major 737 MAX customer with 34 of the aircraft in its fleet, told AFP it expected to receive the first simulator "late this year."

American Airlines, which has 24 of the aircraft, said it had ordered a 737 MAX simulator that will be delivered and put into operation in December.

"As a result of the continuing investigation into both aircraft accidents, we are looking at the potential for additional training opportunities in coordination with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and Allied Pilots Association," it added.

Certification process

The planes have been grounded around the world, awaiting approval from US and international regulators before they can return to service.

Only Air Canada has a MAX simulator, industry sources told AFP.

Currently, there is only one flight simulator specific to the 737 MAX in the United States, and it is owned by Boeing, according to FAA documentation.

US airlines train their pilots flying the MAX on a simulator built for the 737 NG, the version preceding the 737 MAX in the 737 aircraft family.

Southwest said that's because during the certification process for the MAX, Boeing stressed that there were only minor differences with the NG and simple computer and online training could accommodate for the differences.

The FAA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Canadian regulators had approved those recommendations, Boeing stresses.

However, the 737 NG lacks an MCAS, specially designed for the MAX in order to correct an aerodynamic anomaly due to its heavier motor and to prevent the plane from stalling.

Pilot training will likely be at the heart of the meeting of international regulators in Forth Worth, Texas on Thursday when the FAA will try convince its counterparts of the robustness of its certification process for the modified 737 MAX.

The American regulator has maintained that training pilots on a simulator is not essential, a position with which pilots and its Canadian counterpart disagree.

Boeing said Thursday that it completed its software update on the 737 MAX.

The proposed fix, which addresses a problem with a flight handling system thought to be a factor in both crashes, must now win approval from US and international regulators before the planes can return to service.

US airlines have targeted August as the date they expect to resume flying on the 737 MAX.

Related Article:

Boeing knew of 737 MAX safety system glitch year before deadly crash

Stints will be allowed back on Dutch roads after technical upgrade

DutchNews, April 17, 2019

Two stints in action. Photo: Stintum.nl

MPs have approved changes to the law which will allow electric wagons known as ‘Stints’ back onto the Dutch roads in time for the next school year. 

The Stints, which were used by hundreds of daycare centres to ferry children around, have been banned since a fatal crash last year in which four children died. 

The new rules include tougher safety specifications and technical requirements and the company which makes the Stint has said it will upgrade all 3,000 vehicles. The wagons will also be allowed to carry 10 rather than eight children, after MPs urged transport minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen to rethink her plans for fewer seats. 

Last September a wagon ploughed into a train at a level crossing after the brake apparently failed, killing four children. However, the cause of the accident has not yet been determined. 

Last December, research institute TNO said the wagons can only be allowed back into traffic after modifications have been carried out. In particular, there are problems with the braking system, the report said. 

Stints made their debuts on the Dutch roads in 2011 via legislation covering ‘special scooters’ – a new category of road transport introduced to cover Segways. 

MPs and ministers were keen to encourage new forms of transport and did not introduce extra safety measures so as not to dent innovation.

Train drivers on failing high speed line demand more training

DutchNews, March 14, 2019

A Dutch high speed train. Photo: Alfenaar via Wikimedia Commons

Train drivers on the Dutch HSL high speed train route say they are not getting enough training and are threatening to strike if the NS does not act, the AD reported on Thursday. 

The 400 train drivers currently employed on the HSL say their lack of adequate training is increasing the number of malfunctions on the Amsterdam to Antwerp route. Currently there are up to 10 breakdowns a week. 

This means the reliability of the HSL stands at 82%, which is below the legal standard. Other train services have a 92% reliability rate. 

The reason for the malfunctions is a not yet identified problem with the train’s software and, according to the drivers, a multitude of voltage and safety systems which they are ill-equipped to handle. 

Now the FNV train drivers union has drawn up a manifesto, which has been signed by 1,200 people and will be handed over to the NS on Friday. It calls for better training and a monitor on the trains. 

‘The NS has the world’s best drivers but they are given too little time to master the intricacies of the high speed line. And once they drive the train, the support they get is often far below par,’ union official Henri Janssen told the paper. 

The NS said it is taking the complaints of the drivers seriously. ‘Everything they say can be done to improve the situation will be taken into consideration,’ a spokesman said. ‘We have a help desk in place and a team of people to help on the ground. But the uncertainty among drivers shows how complex the line is. Not everything has been properly installed.’ The FNV said strike action may be on the cards if the NS does not listen to the drivers.

Court upholds electric wagon road ban, says safety must come first

DutchNews, November 1, 2018

Two Stints in action. Photo: Stintum.nl

Judges in Utrecht have upheld the transport minister’s decision to ban the electric wagons known as Stints from the Dutch roads. 

The minister imposed the ban shortly after last month’s fatal accident in which four children died when a wagon ploughed into a train. It is thought that the brakes had failed. 

Thursday’s court case was brought by a daycare centre which claims the minister had not taken users of the Stint sufficiently into account in reaching her decision. Hundreds of daycare centres in the Netherlands have been forced to find alternative ways of moving children from place to place because of the ban. 

‘The claim that the minister acted in a panic is not correct,’ the court said. ‘The minister has explained that the decision was taken on the grounds of traffic safety and that this had priority over all other interests.’ 

Stint Urban Mobility, which makes the electric carts, has since gone bankrupt. 

The formal investigation into the vehicle safety is due at the end of the year.

Saudi university to open driving school for women

Yahoo – AFP, October 1, 2017

A Saudi woman drives her car along a street in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah,
 on September 27, 2017 (AFP Photo/Reem BAESHEN)

Riyadh (AFP) - A university in Saudi Arabia has said it will open a driving school for women, in a first for the ultra-conservative country after a ban on women driving was lifted.

"Princess Nourah University is preparing to set up a driving school in cooperation with the relevant authorities," the women's university said on Saturday.

"This is the first such announcement following this week's order by King Salman to allow women to drive," it said.

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said it would allow driving permits for women under a royal decree to take effect in June, sparking euphoria and disbelief among activists who long fought the ban.

The Gulf kingdom was the only country in the world to ban women from taking the wheel, and it was seen globally as a symbol of repression in the Gulf kingdom.

Princess Nourah University says it has more than 60,000 female students in Riyadh and other cities.

Tuesday's decision is expected to push women into the workforce and boost car sales, especially in the coming months before a scheduled imposition of a government value-added tax in January 2018.

Car makers including Nissan, Chevrolet and Ford have rushed to congratulate Saudi women, as millions of women are expected to hit the road in the kingdom in coming years.

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"Listening to the Voice of Spirit" (2) - Feb 20, 2016 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (DNA Efficiency is on average at 35 percent now) - (Text version)

“… With free choice, the percentage of DNA efficiently started to go down as humanity grew. As soon as the DNA started to lose percentage, the gender balance was dysfunctional. If you want to have a test of any society, anywhere on the planet, and you want to know the DNA percentage number [consciousness quota] as a society, there's an easy test: How do they perceive and treat their women? The higher the DNA functionality, the more the feminine divine is honored. This is the test! Different cultures create different DNA consciousness, even at the same time on the planet. So you can have a culture on Earth at 25 percent and one at 37 - and if you did, they would indeed clash. …”

“… You're at 35. There's an equality here, you're starting to see the dark and light, and it's changing everything. You take a look at history and you've come a long way, but it took a long time to get here. Dear ones, we've seen this process before and the snowball is rolling. There isn't anything in the way that's going to stop it. In the path of this snowball of higher consciousness are all kinds of things that will be run over and perish. Part of this is what you call "the establishment". Watch for some very big established things to fall over! The snowball will simply knock them down. …”

TransAsia crash adds to air safety concerns

As divers pull more bodies from a Taiwanese river where a TransAsia Airways propjet crashed shortly after takeoff, DW takes a look at the airline's safety record and what is known about the cause of the crash.

Deutsche Welle, 7 Feb 2015

Baggages are placed near the wreckage of TransAsia Airways plane Flight GE235
 after it crash landed into a river, in New Taipei City February 5, 2015 (Photo:
Reuters/Pichi Chuang)

The horrifying footage of TransAsia Flight GE235's crash on February 4 went viral around the world. Captured by at least two cars carrying dashboard cameras, the videos show how the plane banked steeply away from buildings in Taiwan's capital, Taipei, hit an elevated road and crashed into the Keelung River - leaving behind a trail of debris and a smashed taxi.

The TransAsia ATR 72-600 went down shortly after taking off from Taipei's downtown Songshan airport with 58 people on board, killing at least 35 of them. The one-year-old aircraft was bound for the Taiwanese island of Kinmen. Among those on board were 31 tourists from China, mainly from the southwestern city of Xiamen.

Engine shut down manually

As people in both Taiwan and China mourn the victims of the tragedy, investigators are frantically trying to find out what went wrong.

The footage of TransAsia's crash
went viral around the world

According to Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council, both engines of the turboprop plane failed before it plummeted into the shallow river.

"Based on the data we have so far, we can see that for a period of time both engines showed no thrust," said Thomas Wang, director of the agency, based on information from the flight data and voice recorders. "The right engine flamed out and triggered a warning in the cockpit. The left engine was shut down manually and the pilot tried to restart the engine but couldn't," Wang said, adding that it was "not clear" why the left engine was shut down manually. "We are not reaching any judgment yet," he said.

An engine "flameout" can occur when fuel supply to an engine is interrupted or when there is faulty combustion. A more detailed report on the crash will be available in next 30 days, with a final report expected in the next three to six months.

Similarities with British Midland Flight 92

According to Gerry Soejatman, an independent Jakarta-based aviation analyst,confusion among crew members seems to have led to the wrong engine being shut down. "The Flight Data Recorder shows that it was only in the last moments that the crew corrected their mistakes in an effort to restart the engines."

This would be similar to what happened to British Midland Flight 92 in 1989. Back then, a Boeing 737-400 crashed onto the embankment of the M1 motorway near Kegworth, UK, when the pilots shut down the wrong engine after the second one had malfunctioned.

Soejatman therefore believes the investigation into TransAsia Flight GE235 will likely look into the cause of the initial flameout, and how the crew ended up shutting down the wrong engine. Daniel Tsang, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Aspire Aviation, explains that typically planes are designed to be able to climb and take-off even under single engine failure.

Developed in 2007, the ATR72 600 is a new, more powerful version of the old ATR, and has PW127M engines, which enable a five percent increase in takeoff power. The propjet is a joint venture aircraft between Italy and France and is used extensively around the world with a high safety record. Given that a single engine failure is normally not enough to bring down a plane, Tsang believes other factors seem to have been at play with Flight GE235.

'Exceptional skill and bravery'

Whatever caused the plane to crash, the video footage also shows that the crew fought to save the airplane right up to the last moment. The pilot and co-pilot, whose bodies were retrieved from the cockpit, have been praised for what seems to be a last-ditch attempt to steer the plane away from populated areas.

"From what I can deduce, the pilots showed both exceptional skill and bravery in trying to keep the aircraft from hitting buildings or any built up area," Hugh Ritchie, chief executive of Aviation Consultants International, based in Australia, told DW.

The expert said that despite the engine flameout, a subsequent loss of lift and a significant loss of directional control, the crew managed to ensure that the aircraft missed buildings and it appears that they were trying to do a belly landing on the Keelung River.

Ritchie also pointed out the flameout may have been caused by a bird striking the engine: "Songshan Airport is renowned for bird strikes, with a large number of birds nesting on or around the runway in ground nests."

Safety record

Founded in 1951, TransAsia Airways is Taiwan's third largest airline. The private company mainly flies on domestic routes within Taiwan, but has also added some two dozen routes to mainland China. It also offers flights to other North Asian destinations in Japan and Korea.

But analysts say the airline's safety record is reason for concern as it has written off five planes since 1995 and had seven serious incidents over the past 20 years, four of which resulted in fatalities, according to data from Flightglobal Ascend, an industry consultancy.

The February 4 accident comes just seven months after another fatal crash which claimed the lives of 48 of the 58 people on board. The incident occurred in July 2014 when the pilots of an ATR 72-500 tried to land the aircraft at Penghu Island, off mainland China. "The accident can be attributed to pilot error of flying in extremely bad weather and trying to land when conditions were well beyond aircraft limit," said Ritchie.

Multiple plane crashes in Asia in the past one year have increased
air safety concerns in the region

It has also emerged that as of the end of December 2014, TransAsia had failed to meet around a third of the requirements the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) demanded as a result of the July crash. Moreover, Macau's Civil Aviation Authority said the engines of Flight GE235 had been replaced at Macau Airport in April last year "due to engine-related technical issues."

The CAA has grounded a total of 22 Taiwanese ATR planes for safety checks to inspect maintenance issues following the accident, and TransAsia has been banned from applying for new routes for one year.

'No trust, no ticket sales'

In view of this development, Hamburg-based independent aviation expert Heinrich Grossbongardt believes the latest incident could have a severe economic impact on the airline. "Without the trust of the people, no airline is able to sell tickets," he said. The analyst pointed out that Malaysia Airlines, for instance, is fighting for survival after two tragedies last year, despite the fact that the carrier and its management in both cases most likely only bear a minor part of the blame – if any.

TransAsia has had seven serious safety
incidents over the past 20 years

In the case of TransAsia, however, there are signs that pilot error has been a contributing factor in some accidents, which raises doubt about the safety culture and the operating procedures of the entire airline, Grossbongardt told DW.

Neil Hansford, chairman of Strategic Aviation Solutions, agrees: "There is a thing in the industry that you are only as good as your next crash." The Australian expert argues that in most countries this number of crashes would be terminal and the regulator would immediately stop any fleet additions and new routes and make the carrier downsize to a level where they can operate competently and safely with an ability to be profitable.

Nonetheless, analyst Tsang believes the economic impact will likely be limited. "Short-term bookings are expected to come under pressure, but given its prized routes out of a downtown airport in Taipei, TransAsia's bookings should rebound." This would be similar to what happened after the July 2014 crash which resulted in a sharp slump in revenue for about a month, but then passenger traffic rebounded again a month later.

According to Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at the analytics firm IHS, TransAsia was helped by the popularity of its flight connections out of Songshan Airport, which is much closer and more accessible than Taipei's main Taoyuan international airport, which is 40 kilometers from downtown.

Moreover, the number of passengers using direct commercial flights between mainland China and Taiwan has risen sharply from five million in 2010 - the first full year of direct scheduled flights - to an estimated nine million in 2013. Negotiations are currently underway between China and Taiwan to allow mainland Chinese travelers to make transit stops in Taiwan on their way to other destinations.

Asia needs pilots

But many industry experts are concerned that the shortage of experienced pilots might jeopardize the safety of air travel in Asia. A number of accidents and incidents involving latest generation aircraft inside and outside the region (e.g. the Asiana crash in San Francisco) might be signs on the wall.

According to the latest Boeing study, the region needs 255,000 new pilots by 2033, which means some 20,000 every year. When an airline takes delivery of an additional jet it needs 14 pilots on average to operate the aircraft. But as Grossbongardt explains, the crew's level of experience is at least as important, especially in a region where severe weather is a frequent occurrence and navigation aids at smaller airports don't always have the highest standard.

In December, AirAsia flight QZ8501 crashed
into the Java Sea, leaving 162 people dead

"The problem with experience is: it only builds with flight hours," said the analyst. Carriers which can afford it have started hiring pilots from Europe and the US. But this will not be a solution in the long run, because a pilot shortage is looming in these regions as well.

A downward trend in safety?

Aviation analyst Ritchie says the aviation industry is witnessing a downward trend in safety oversight. "This, I believe is a global phenomenon brought about to some extent by the introduction of self-auditing of the quality safety management of airlines, airports and maintenance organizations which are overseen by regulators who are neither skilled nor capable due to the increased aircraft operations to clearly maintain oversight of airport and airlines," he said.

The analyst argues that with the increased number of low cost carriers and the subsequent rise in flight operations over the past few years, there has also been a reduction of safety oversight and management awareness. "Too often economic and operational management imperatives impact safety decisions," Ritchie said.

Relatives of the victims pray during a Buddhist ritual near the wreckage of 

TransAsia Airways plane Flight GE235 after it crash landed into a river, in New

Taipei City, February 5, 2015. Reuters/River Wang 

Related Article:

TransAsia pilots tested after Taipei plane crash

Singapore looks to Taipei as unlikely model for cleanliness

Want China Times, CNA 2015-01-31

A worker cleans Taipei Main Station, July 24, 2009. (Photo/Chen Chih-yuan)

Singapore is well known for its strict rules intended to keep its streets clean, so it may come as a surprise that activists in the city-state are looking to Taipei as an example of how to maintain a trash-free city.

But Liak Teng Lit, chairman of Singapore's non-governmental Public Hygiene Council, told the Straits Times that his country has "let things deteriorate until we now have a crisis of cleanliness," a reference to the massive amount of trash left strewn about last weekend after a music festival.

In contrast, Liak said that on a recent trip to Taiwan, he and other council members learned that "cleaning is a part of education," adding that it "teaches the value of labor and that it is not shameful to sweat."

He praised Taipei for keeping its streets clean with only 5,000 professional cleaners looking after a city of almost 3 million people, whereas Singapore has a small army of 70,000 cleaners for its population of 5 million.

The praise echoes remarks made by William Wan, co-founder of the Singapore Kindness Movement that works with Liak's organization, who said earlier in the month that trash left after New Year's celebrations showed that Singapore needs to transform from a "cleaned city" to a "clean city."

Revelers who left a "meadow of trash" at the Gardens by the Bay this past weekend told the Straits Times they littered because they saw other people doing it and assumed somebody would come by to collect it.

On Wednesday, Singapore's prime minister Lee Hsien Loong took to Facebook to draw attention to the sad scene left after the Laneway music festival.

"All of us can play a part in picking up our own litter, educating our children and grandchildren, and reminding others to do the right thing," the prime minister wrote.

Pilots lacked automation understanding in Asiana crash

Yahoo – AFP, 24 June 2014

A July 6, 2013 view of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 on the runway at

San Francisco International Airport after it crashed while landing

The pilots of a South Korean airliner that crashed in San Francisco last year depended too much on automated systems they didn't understand, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.

Acting NTSB chairman Christopher Hart made the statement at the start of a day-long hearing to establish the probable cause of the Asiana crash that left three dead and 187 injured.

"The Boeing 777 is one of the more sophisticated and automated aircraft in service," said Hart in his opening remarks.

"But the more complex automation becomes, the more challenging it is to ensure that pilots adequately understand it," he said.

"In this instance, the flight crew over-relied on automated systems that they did not fully understand. As a result, they flew the aircraft too slow and collided with the seawall at the end of the runway."

The crash of Asiana Flight 214 on July 6 was a the first fatal commercial airline disaster in the United States since 2009.

The Boeing 777 was completing an otherwise routine 10-1/2 hour flight from Seoul when it clipped the seawall at San Francisco International Airport July 6 with its landing gear, skidded off the runway and burst into flames.

All three of the fatalities were young Chinese women, including one who was struck by a fire truck beneath a wing covered with firefighting foam.

Hart said the NTSB's aim was "to help prevent similar accidents in the future," before on-the-ground investigators took turns presenting their findings.

China sends Bolivian communications satellite into orbit

Want China Times, Xinhua and Staff Reporter 2013-12-21

The Bolivian satellite is launched from the Xichang Satellite
Launch Center, Sichuan province, Dec. 21. (Photo/Xinhua)

China successfully sent a Bolivian communications satellite into orbit with its Long March-3B carrier rocket from southwest Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 0:42am (Beijing Time) Saturday.

Bolivian president Evo Morales was present, the first time a foreign head of state has witnessed a satellite launch in China.

The satellite was produced by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) with a designed longevity of 15 years. It is Bolivia's first communications satellite and is named Tupac Katari in homage to an 18th century indigenous hero who fought Bolivia's Spanish colonizers.

China's president, Xi Jinping, sent a message of congratulations to President Morales, saying the successful development and launch of the satellite represents the latest achievements and level of cooperation between China and Bolivia in the field of science and technology.

"The satellite will play an important role for Bolivia to improve its broadcasting, education and medical services. It will make important contributions to promote cooperation between China and Latin American countries," Xi said.

Bilateral ties have been progressing smoothly while pragmatic cooperation in all areas are making steady headway since China and Bolivia established diplomatic ties 28 years ago, Xi said.

Xi said China hopes for more space collaboration with Bolivia, which will promote mutual beneficial cooperation and friendly relations, bringing benefits to the people of both countries.

In a speech made after the launch, President Morales thanked Xi for his congratulations and expressed gratitude towards the Chinese government, scientists and the people. He hopes that China and Bolivia will take the opportunity of the successful launch to deepen cooperation in all areas and bring bilateral ties to a higher level.

The satellite agreement was signed between the Bolivian Space Agency (ABE) and the Great Wall Industry Corporation of China, a subsidiary of CASC, in December 2010.

It is the fifth Chinese communications satellite for international users and the second in-orbit delivery for a Latin American customer. China launched a telecom satellite for Venezuela in 2008.

The successful launch will bring Bolivia into an age of digital economy and make its people more connected, said Ivan Zambrana, head of the ABE.

"We wish to launch a remote sensing satellite in 2017 and China is one of our best alternatives," he added.

Related Article:

Chinese spacecraft lands on moon

Indonesia wants to send more Air Force officers to study in US

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 07/29/2010 12:55 PM

Air Force chief of staff Vice Marshall Imam Sufaat expressed his intention to send more Air Force officers to study in the United States.

“Because the human resources development is vital for us,” Imam said after leading a ceremony to commemorate the Air Force's 63rd anniversary in Yogjakarta.

Imam explained there were five Air Force officers who were still studying in the US. “The larger the number, the better,” Imam said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com news portal. “I just returned from there yesterday,” he added.

He explained that the relations between the two countries' Air Forces was good. “It can be seen from the frequent visits of officials and our participation in various joint exercises,” he said.

Imam also disclosed that the US has help the maintenance of several planes belonging to the Indonesian Air Force. “Now one of our Hercules plane is in the US for a free-of-charge maintenance service,” he added.

Garuda won't reinstate pilot cleared of negligence

The Jakarta Post, Rod McGuirk, Associated Press, Jakarta | Sun, 12/13/2009 6:41 PM

National carrier Garuda Indonesia on Sunday ruled out reinstating a pilot despite an appeal court overturning his conviction for causing a crash landing in 2007 that killed 21.

The High Court of Yogyakarta quashed Capt. Marwoto Komar's conviction for negligence in the fiery crash of a Boeing 737-400 airliner at Yogyakarta airport on March 7, 2007, lawyers said last week.

Komar was sentenced in April to two years in prison, half the sentence that prosecutors had asked for.

Garuda said Komar, a 22-year career pilot, resigned after an initial accident investigation that found he ignored 15 automated warnings and calls by his co-pilot to circle around the airport again.

"He has not been employed by the company since then and we do not expect this situation to change," Garuda said in a statement. "We wish to reassure everyone that the incident of March 2007 has not been in vain as the airline has since invested heavily in pilot training and safety."

Komar was initially charged with deliberately crashing the plane. He approached the airport too fast and the airliner careered off the runway into a rice paddy where it burst into flames.

Komar blamed mechanical problems. He told the court during the lengthy trial he knew the plane was coming in too steeply, but when he turned off the automatic pilot and tried to pull up the nose manually, it did not respond.

Five Australians were among the 21 killed. One hundred and twenty people survived the crash.

Indonesia has one of Asia's worst aviation records and Garuda's planes were until recently blacklisted from landing in the European Union. Experts say poor maintenance, rule-bending and a shortage of properly trained pilots may be to blame.

Indonesia's space agency prepares educational satellite

www.chinaview.cn 2009-12-12 09:10:43

JAKARTA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's National Flight and Space Agency (LAPAN) will help launching program of communication satellite to support long distance education held by the Ministry for the National Education, Kompas daily quoted an official as saying on Saturday.

The satellite named after the country's prominent education hero Ki Hajar Dewantara will be connected to 50,000 points (schools).

The agency's head Adi Sadewo Salatun said on Friday that "tele-education satellite" will refer to concept implemented by many countries like India, China and Nigeria.

The Ki Hajar Dewantara Satellite Program will be prepared in three years, starting from system engineering, tele-education infrastructure preparation to the satellite launch and operation.

Currently, the program is still in feasible study phase, which is expected to take six months.

The satellite operation is expected to help solving problem of the lack of skilled educators and experts in remote areas, Adi said.

The infrastructure could provide knowledge dissemination to villages about health, cleanliness and personal development as well as to help professionals in increasing their knowledge.

The ministry allocated 200 million U.S. dollars for the program preparation to the satellite launch.

The tele-education satellite weighted 820 kg will be launched at the geo-stationer orbit or at height of 36,000 km. The equipment will be loaded with 12 transponders, consisting of education, telemedicine, defense and back-up ones.

The eight education transponder will serve interactive class in200 points and non-interactive class in 40,000 points.

Community demands bike lanes

Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Fri, 02/06/2009 10:51 AM  

The Bike to Work (B2W) community urged the city administration to finally implement its delayed plan to create bicycle lanes along main thoroughfares this year. 

“We will continue to push the administration to build the lanes,” said B2W chairman Toto Soegito. 

I want to ride my bicycle: Students of the state elementary school in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, look at rows of bicycles in their school yard Thursday. The bikes, donated by state oil and gas company Pertamina, is part of the Bike for School program organized by several NGOs. (JP/R.Berto Wedhatama)

“We expect them to be finished by the end of the year. The pilot project should have been completed last December.

“We have talked to the relevant agencies and they said bureaucracy had hampered the plan.”

The city administration has planned to build a 3-kilometer lane connecting Suropati Park and the National Monument (Monas), both in Central Jakarta, as a pilot project.

It will also build another lane connecting Blok M, Jl. Sudirman and the Sudirman Central Business District area. 

Nirwono Joga, consultant to the city parks agency on the matter, said the plan was impeded by internal politics within the administration.

“The project has been delayed because the deputy governor has not yet to approved the project, although the governor has agreed,” he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

“We will begin building the lane and complete it within two months, as soon as we have the approval.”

He said the lane would not require major construction, as the lane would occupy part of the existing pedestrian lane. 

Furthermore, B2W recommends the construction of lanes along riverbanks, Toto said. “Building lanes along riverbanks is feasible and would not disturb traffic.”

As part of the bike campaign, B2W, along with the Indonesian School Bike Community (SSI) and several other organizations, donated 100 bicycles to several elementary and junior high schools across the city Thursday.

The recipient schools will now select students to lend the bicycles to, prioritizing the underprivileged and those who live far from school.

The aim of the donation, carried out under the Bicycle for School program, is to encourage students to ride bicycles as a healthy and environmentally friendly transportation alternative, said the head of the program, Danang Caksono.

“We hope the donation will help underprivileged families who cannot afford transportation costs for their children to go to school,” Danang said Petamburan state elementary school in Central Jakarta.

The program will donate 10,000  bicycles across the country.