Hopefully, everyone is watching this....
it is F'n amazing.
from the automated CC of the meeting:
>> WE LOOK AT THAT STATISTICALLY. TYPICALLY THERE HAS BEEN A VERY GOOD SAFETY RECORD FOR LITHIUM BATTERIES OVER THE YEARS. BUT WE ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK AT THE RISK WHAT IF SOMETHING DID GO WRONG. WHAT IF THERE WAS A FIRE UNRELATED TO THE BATTERY? IT DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE NOT SAFE BUT THEY ARE PRESENT. IF THERE WAS AN UNRELATED FIRE AND THEY BECAME INVOLVED, WOULD THAT CHANGE ANYTHING? WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING WE SHOULD LOOK AT?
>> HAS DOT DONE ANY EVALUATIONS OF HOW MANY AIRCRAFT WE COULD LOOSE? DUE TO THIS RISK?
>> THERE IS A RISK ANALYSIS ON THE FAA TECH CENTER WEBSITE. JUST RECENTLY BEEN UPDATED. AN UPDATED VERSION WILL BE AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK. THERE IS ANALYSIS ON THE WEBSITE THAT THEY COMMISSIONED IN TRYING TO ASSESS DIFFERENT MITIGATION STRATEGIES IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF AIRCRAFT, A DIFFERENT WAY OF VIEWING AT TRYING TO PROVIDE MITIGATION WITHOUT A COMPLETE RETROFIT OF FREIGHTERS.
>> DO THEY ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT THEY THINK COULD BE LOST?
>> THEY DO. THE ESTIMATE IS APPROXIMATELY ONE EVERY TWO YEARS.
This is the direction it is going
Chair of NTSB...
ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS STRUCK BY FROM ALL OF THE PANELISTS THIS MORNING AS THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF A CHICKEN AND EGG PROBLEM WITH THE STANDARD. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH DEVELOPMENT TO GET TO A POINT TO SAY WE NEED A STANDARD. EARLY ON THERE IS SO MUCH PROPRIETARY INTEREST THERE IS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE A LOT OF SHARING ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY AND STRATEGIES. HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT IS THE RIGHT TIME TO CONVENE TO DO STANDARDS AND ALSO THAT YOU ACTUALLY END UP HAVING PEOPLE BUT ARE NOT SO COMMITTED TO THEIR OWN TECHNOLOGY THAT THEY DRIVE THE STANDARD? I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE TO HAVE A LOT OF PARTICIPANTS. I THINK IT GETS COMPLICATED.
one very interesting question:
She asked if the batteries from the 787 would be allowed to be carried as cargo.
The FAA answered that yes in the US, as Class 9 HAZ, (but they had a modification to standards to allow it) and no according to ICAO.
Chair:
THE FINAL QUESTION IS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. THAT IS WHAT WE NEED. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE STANDARDS DO NOT BEAR OUT IN THE REAL WORLD OF EXPERIENCE? WHERE IS THE SAFETY VALVE THEN? YOU HAVE CREATED A SET OF EXPECTATIONS PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO PERFORM TWO. IF THAT DOES NOT BEAR OUT, WHAT IS NEXT?
Last edited by FlightPathOBN; 11th Apr 2013 at 20:24.