Laser pointers being directed into the cockpits of aircraft are becoming an increasing hazard for pilots as these powerful handheld lasers become more affordable and widespread.  There were 3,960 such strikes reported last year, the FAA says. That’s up from 283 in 2005.

Attacks are particularly common in New York and Los Angeles, and they often obstruct the work of the targeted pilots.

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Several American Airlines flight attendants were taken to a hospital in Miami on December 23rd when they were overcome by a strong odor.

They were aboard Flight 281 as it was preparing to take off on a scheduled flight to Los Angeles when the pungent smell entered the cabin.

American spokeswoman Andrea Hughley explained that the odor emanated from a leaking cargo bin filled with fish.

Passengers were not directly impacted by the fumes, but were forced to return to the terminal.

The airline delayed the flight for five hours to replace the crew, unload the aromatic cargo and clean things up.

The flight resumed its California journey later that day.

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Boston Logan International has become the first airport in the US to use an automated runway FOD detection system. The airport has had the state-of-the-art FODetect system installed, developed by Xsight Systems, that has been sited on runway 09-27, which is the busiest departure runway at Boston Logan.

The technology locates foreign object debris and improves operations to provide safer and more streamlined travel. FOD refers to any misplaced object found on airport surfaces that can damage aircraft, engines, tires or fuselage, potentially risking passenger safety, disrupting airport services and causing expensive damage.

Alon Nitzan, president and CEO of Xsight Systems, says: “Objects such as dislodged aircraft pieces are now being safely detected and removed, protecting aircraft and passengers. “Airport operators now have the ability to detect and remove objects as they appear on runway surfaces in between flights – a huge advantage which can save airlines millions of dollars in potential damage to aircraft, and enhance safety by adding a new layer of protection for passengers.”

The FODetect system is a supplement to the manual FOD inspections airport personnel are required to perform. It aims to improve the daily operation of airport runways by increasing safety and efficiency.

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Engineers from Airbus and their customer Easyjet have teamed up to create an artificial ash cloud to test a sensor that could help avoid massive airspace closures after a volcanic eruption.
When a volcano erupted in Iceland in 2010, it filled the skies over Europe with a massive ash cloud. From April 15-21, 2010, more than 100,000 flights were cancelled as officials scrambled to assess safety. The closures cost the airlines an estimated $2.6 billion.Flights had to be cancelled because the ash can cause structural damage as it melts inside aircraft engines and sticks to engine blades. It also sticks to windshields and can interfere with other instruments. The ash is difficult to detect and track because it is incredibly fine.
Europe could see a repeat situation within the next couple of years, experts say, because Icelandic volcanoes erupt about once every five years. If the wind is blowing to the northwest, the ash ends up in European skies.But the next time it happens, pilots should be better equipped to assess the dangers, with the help of a new sensor designed to detect ash in the atmosphere. Engineered by European airline easyJet, aircraft maker Airbus, and Nicarnica Aviation, the Airborne Volcanic Object Identifier and Detector (AVOID) would be mounted on aircraft.

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The new FODetect foreign object debris (FOD) detection systems went operational in mid-May at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport (LLBG). The equipment, developed by Israeli company Xsight Systems, was certified after an evaluation process and soft launch on Ben Gurion’s primary Runway that begun in August of 2012.

“During the past nine months [of testing] an average of six items per month were collected from the runway,” said Yair Gannot, safety director with the Israel Airports Authority. “We had no case of FOD found by our manual inspectors that was not earlier detected and visualized by the automated FOD detection system,” he added.

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Foreign Object Damage – or FOD – costs the Navy almost $90 million a year. That’s why combating FOD is a priority for sailors on the San Diego-based USS Peleliu.

The Navy put together this video on how Pelieliu sailors do their part to scope out foreign objects, some smaller than a dime, to keep their ship running smoothly.

The USS Peleliu is currently deployed in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

Israel’s Xsight has developed its new FODetect system to help airport managers keep runways clear during rainstorms or even in the middle of the night. Using a small swiveling radar transmitter and sensor unit installed near the runway’s edge, the FODetect beam sweeps the runway as often as every 30 seconds and, like traditional radar, highlights–both visually and aurally–objects as tiny as a rivet that may have fallen unnoticed from vehicles. The operator watching the FODetect screen will also see a high-resolution image of the object that caused the alarm. During nighttime hours, the unit uses a laser pointer to indicate objects on the runway to airport personnel. The crash of an Air France Concorde in July 2000 soon after takeoff from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport was attributed to the supersonic jet running over a piece of metal that had fallen off the Continental Airlines DC-10 that departed just a few minutes before. The metal was not detected prior to the Air France flight taking the runway for takeoff.
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