FLIGHT OPS FLYER August 14, 1998 **************** *************** Hush Kit Installation on B727s Begins ------------------------------------- As part of their heavy maintenance visits to the Oakland Maintenance Center, United's 75 B727 aircraft will receive hush kits, bringing them into compliance with a federal aviation requirement. With hush kits, United's B727s will meet U.S. government noise-level reduction requirements before the 1999 deadline. "Installing hush kits is a major job requiring about 4,000 work-hours The heavy maintenance visits with the hush kits involve about 211 employees," says Wayne Evans, hush kit program coordinator-Engineering. "We have to modify all three of the engines on the B727 and restructure the back end of the airframe." Although an outside vendor still performs B727 heavy maintenance visits, United picked up a portion of this work to speed up the schedule and hush kit installation. Employees at the Oakland Maintenance Center recently completed the first aircraft in the United B727 maintenance line. Thirteen B727s are scheduled for heavy maintenance visits in 1999. Second Medical Kit on International Flights ------------------------------------------- In the past, medical diversions to remote, off-line locations have caused serious schedule disruptions and inconvenience to United's customers when contents of the medical kit were depleted below FAR requirements. If the kit cannot be replaced or the required contents cannot be replenished, the next flight segment is not legal to operate. To address this problem, by the end of September all long-range international flights will carry a second medical kit as a back-up. The presence of the second medical kit will allow immediate re-dispatch as it automatically becomes the compete FAR-required medical kit. The kits will be placarded to identify their purpose as back-up. Reporting Cabin Maintenance Items via Airfone Test -------------------------------------------------- For 28 days in August (August 4-28) on select transcon flights between SFO, LAX, JFK and IAD, Line Maintenance is testing a new procedure for reporting cabin maintenance items: flight attendants can call Line Maintenance (SAMC) directly using the Airfone. The test is being conducted to prove the concept, which has been approved by the FAA, and refine the process prior to system-wide implementation. Benefits of the new process include better deferred planning for overnight maintenance visits, reducing the length of time maintenance items remain deferred; reduction of last-minute notification of cabin items; and more defects fixed on the turn. Most flights involved in the test are being met by Maintenance personnel to answer questions and solicit feedback from pilots and flight attendants. Welcome Aboard -------------- Twenty-six new-hire pilots began training at the Flight Center this week, bringing our 1998 total to 278. The latest assigned pilot number was 9543. Their assignments are: 18 B727 S/O 4 to ORD, 6 to JFK, 6 to DEN, 1 to DCA, 1 to SFO 8 DC10 S/O 1 to ORD, 3 to ANC, 4 to SFO ************************Safety Issues*********************** Gross Navigation Error ---------------------- During cruise, the crew of the B777-200 received a verbal reroute from ATC. The fix was entered incorrectly into FMC resulting in a gross navigation error of approximately 30 to 40 nm. The pilots notified Winnipeg Center of the error Fuel Imbalance -------------- A fuel imbalance of 3,500 lbs was experienced prior to the approach at the destination airport. To bring the B737-500 into tolerable limits, 2500 lbs were burned prior to landing. The aircraft landed with 9300 lbs without incident. ************************************************************ Flight Operations Communications, WHQVF 847/700-7288 August 14, 1998 ***************