Another air-traffic controller has been discovered sleeping on the job whiles on night shift. Government officials said yesterday he might be dismissed from his job because of the incident.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the man who’s identity is being kept anonymous fell asleep for five hours intentionally whiles on the midnight shift. The incident occurred on February 19 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

This is the second incident involving an FAA air-traffic controller sleeping on the job in just two months. On March 23, an air-traffic controller fell asleep for about 24 minutes whiles working alone at the Reagan National Airport in Washington.

The Knoxville incident happened at the McGhee Tyson Airport. The air-traffic controller who was on duty in a radar room that controls some 50-miles radius of the airspace around it could not be reached for at least five hours, said the FAA.

There was another controller working in the tower of the airport and he was able to assist and land all seven aircraft that flew into that airspace during the period, the FAA revealed in a statement.

The FAA has begun a countrywide examination of how it staffs the midnight shifts of its air-traffic facilities as a reaction to the two incidents.

The anonymous air-traffic controller’s job is under threat as FAA officials are taking measures to fire him. He is being represented in the proceedings by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

After last month’s incident at the Reagan National Airport, the controller’s union called for an extra air traffic controller to be posted to towers where only a single person operates to act as a precaution against a controller falling asleep.

The controller involved in the incident at the Reagan National Airport admitted to having fallen asleep unintentionally and has been placed on paid leave whiles investigations are being conducted by the NTSB.

Two planes were able to land at the airport without being given a landing clearance as the controller did not respond to their calls. The were told by a controller from another airport that they could land using the rules for airports without towers.

A United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday after losing power in all its instruments. The pilots managed to land the plane safely after using landmarks and guidance from air traffic controllers.

Listen to audio recording

The almost disaster happened just three days after the Southwest Airlines Incident. Pilots of the Southwest Airlines flight were able to to land the plane safely despite a portion of the fuselage getting ripped off during flight.

Monday’s incident happened on United Airlines flight 497 which had 105 people on board, including passengers and crew members. The plane was an Airbus A-320. The plane lost on-board power shortly after taking off from the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans. Reports say the plane started vibrating.

According to passenger accounts, the pilot was addressing the passengers through the public address system when he suddenly stopped.

A recording made by liveatc.net showed the pilots calmly reporting to air traffic controllers about smoke in the cockpit. One pilot told air traffic controllers the flight was declaring emergency.

Air traffic controllers’ initial assessment was that there was smell of smoke in the cockpit and begun work on bringing the plane back to the Airport.

A pilot could then be heard over the sounding of alarms that the plane had lost the use of all its instruments.

This now meant the pilots were basically flying the plane blind with no navigation and could not get back to the airport without assistance.

Air traffic controllers then took over navigation of the plane by guiding the pilots turn-by-turn over the two way radio. An air traffic controller could be heard telling the pilot of the United Airlines flight to continue turning left until told to stop.

Pilots of the United Airlines flight 497 started relaying their whereabouts to the air traffic controllers by using landmarks such as the Mississippi River.

With no instruments to help them, the pilots knew they will have difficulty steering the plane and breaking when they touch down. So they asked for the longest runway to land on. However, the longest runway at the airport was closed for construction works.

In a frantic scene, workers quickly started clearing the runway by removing construction vehicles and traffic cones from the runway.

It took ten minutes for air traffic controllers to guide the plane back to the airport and gave clearance for the pilots to land.

One air traffic could be heard asking the pilot, “you going to make it sir?” The pilot responded in the affirmative.

Just as the pilots had thought, the plane had minimal steering and breaking capabilities when it touched down. It run off the runway, blew a front tire dug into the muddy grass.

After it finally came to a stop, passengers were quickly asked to leave their belongings behind and get off the plane. Passengers used emergency slides to get off and ran to safety.

A united Airlines statement said no one was injured in the emergency landing yesterday and that passengers were able to continue their journey on other flights.

The united Kingdom has made changes to it’s visa rules that will see “super investors” who are willing to invest £5 million in the UK. The new rule stipulates that you will be allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK after three years if you can invest that amount of money.

If you can invest £10 million, then you can stay indefinitely after two years. These are significantly faster than the five years waiting period for the average migrant to the UK.

The new changes are clearly aimed at attracting new high-powered investors and entrepreneurs to the UK.

There is also a new rule for “high-potential” entrepreneurs. Beginning April 6th, any potential entrepreneur wanting to enter the UK will be allowed to enter, provided they have £50,000 in funding from a reputable organization.

If you are a “high-potential” entrepreneur, you will be allowed entry to the UK on a visitor visa to enable you secure funding and make other arrangements for starting your business before being given a full Tier 1 visa. Normal entrepreneurs will need to show £200,000 in funding to receive a Tier 1 visa.

This means that Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) applicants will not be required to have an employer sponsorship but will be required to have an endorsement by an “accredited competent body”. The UK government is yet to announce the list of accredited competent bodies.

Some senators in the United States are working on introducing a similar “startUp visa where anyone with an idea will be given a two years visa if they can prove that they have funding to the tune of $100,000 from a U.S. based investor or can prove that their business have generated more than $100,000 in sales annually from the U.S.

The idea is yet to be passed though.

The U.S. Travel Association has made recommendations to the Obama government to introduce a trusted traveler program and make airlines to allow travelers to freely check in one bag to make the screening process at airports faster. They said this will encourage more people to travel.

The travel group, which is made up of hotels, car rental services and amusement parks, made these recommendations after closely working with security experts on the screening process at airports.
The group said the current screening process is turning away travelers because they have to endure searches which some view as invasive and long waiting times.

In recent months, the government has been trying to tighten airport security after a Nigerian man almost blew up a trans-Atlantic flight on December 25th, 2009. The man managed to sneak a bomb on the plane by hiding it in his underwear.

Travelers however are not amused at the fact that they now have to come to airports several hours before their flight to go through the screening process. They are also complaining about going through full body scanners that invade their privacy.

The travel sector has been asking the Department of Homeland Security to find ways to make the screening process more effective and efficient to boost the travel sector and help the economy.

The U.S. Travel Association wants the Obama administration to order airlines to include on bag in the base fare charged. But this plan may lead to increased air fares as some airlines depend on the extra money they charge for baggage to make money.

They also recommended that a trusted traveler program be initiated for passengers who undergo a background check ahead of time. This will be so that airport security focuses on the more risky passengers.

The group wants the government to allow travelers considered low risk to join connecting flights, after arriving from international flights, whithout going through the screening process again.

Life in Tokyo 72 hours after Japan earthquake and Tsunami

Some 72 hours after the devastating quake and tsunami struck Japan, people are in Tokyo are struggling to return to normal.

In downtown Tokyo, there is controlled chaos as residents try to buy food stocks and prepare for the difficult days aheard.

The weather in Tokyo today is a dreamlike scene of calmness, beautiful sunshine and warm perfect temperatures.

But residents continue to experience aftershocks of the quake. Train stations are packed with people trying to get to work. the city’s shops are packed full of shoppers trying to stock up with as much grocerry as they can buy. The city has announced rolling power outages, something the residents are not used to.

A lot of Tokyo’s residents live and work in high rise apartments and will have to get used to climbing the stairs when the power does go out.

In a park in Inokashira, workers who had given up trying to get downtown for work sat despondently on city benches, probably still trying to asimmilate the scale of devastation caused by the tsunami and quake.

Shortage of basic food stuff

When you visit local markets, you will not be able to buy basic food stuff like milk, rice, eggs and bread because they were sold out by 10:00 a.m. local time.

A lot of the train lines to the outskirts of the city are closed and even those going downtown are operating on a reduced scheduele.

At some train stations, Tokyo residents are experiencing queues and quotas for the first time. This is a measure being taking by officials to prevent the stations being overwhelmed with travelers.

There are reports of some offices asking their staff to remain home for the next couple of days to help ease the situtaion.

Although the scene is far from chaotic, with people respecting queues at stations and supermarkets, on could sense the apprehension in the air.

Despite the planned power outages (which has yet to be implemented), food shortages, queues at stations and supermarkets, residents are taking a positive attitude to it all. Perhaps they know that what they are experiencing in the capital is nothing compared to those in northern Japan where the earthquake and tsunami hit hardest.

NEW YORK — 14 people have been confirmed dead after a passenger bus crashed into a pole on Interstate 95 in Bronx, New York.

The accident occurred when the driver of the bus lost control. It happened around 5:30 a.m. local time at Bronx-Westchester. This forced police to close the l-95 from both directions. Eight other passengers sustained serious injuries and were rushed to local hospitals.

According to police, the driver of the bus, Ophadel E. Williams, sustained injuries but his injuries were not life threatening.

Officials do not yet know what caused the crash. Police reveal the crash is now under criminal investigation.

According to the bus driver, he got cut off by a truck. He was forced to swerve and he lost control of the bus which hit a guardrail, flipping on it’s side before smashing into a pole. The pole almost cut the bus into two.

Police reveal they have spoken to the driver of a truck that was traveling through the area around the time of the accident but it is not clear whether he was involved in the accident or not.

Police are checking the bus driver’s background and carrying out a test on his blood sample to check for any intoxication. Police also reveal they have in possession a video camera from the bus but have yet to watch the video.

Majority of the passengers were propelled to the front of the bus when it crashed with the pole. Most carry injuries from the chest up.

According to doctors treating the injured, at least five of the injured had skull and spinal fractures, internal bleeding and broken bones.

In a statement by New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, he wished the families and loved ones of the victims sympathies.

It is reported that a lot of the people on the bus were Chinese and a translator had to be brought in to help the families.

The bus was traveling from Uncasville, Connecticut.

A Canadian tourist, who got the idea that it will be fun to pose for a holiday picture outside Reichstag in Berlin and give a Heil Hitler! salute, has found himself in the grips of the law.

The man, who is 30 years old, posed in front of the Parliament House building in Germany mimicking the Heil Hitler Salute. His 29-year-old girlfriend then took the photo of him for their holiday collection.

Little did they know they were breaking the law. Within a few seconds, German police arrived on the scene and handcuffed the man. they then confiscated the camera’s memory card.

If he is charged by the police, he could face charges of making forbidden gesture and if found guilty, could spend up to 6 months in jail.

But reports indicate he is only going to receive a fine and a stern warning not to repeat the offense again. He was released on Saturday after spending many hours at the police station after being bailed.

Each year, a lot tourists make the mistake of believing that it was alright to make Monty Pythonesque gestures as a joke about Hitler and his associates when visiting Germany. A popular gesture they make is the famous Heil Hitler salute.

You should be made aware that, making any gestures or portraying any symbols of the Nazi regime is a very serious crime in Germany today.

About 3 years ago, a United Kingdom business man gave the Heil Hitler salute to a taxi cab driver and was instantly arrested by police.

Beijing , China – China expands number of airports

Reports say that China has planned to build an additional 45 airports across the country over the next 5 years. This was made known on Friday by aviation regulators.

This is raising new concerns about the possibility of overcapacity in the transport sector.

China’s head of Civil Aviation, Mr. Li Jiaxing, the building of the new airports will see China’s airports come to a total of 220. They are building these new airports despite the fact that majority of the current airports are making losses.

Even though the number of people demanding air travel has increased over the past years due to the increased buying power of the Chinese, the rate at which airport infrastructural expansion has grown over the past two years is a potential area of too much investment across China.

Mr Li Jiaxing revealed that the Chinese government will spend some Rmb1500 billion (Approximately $228 billion) on the aviation sector during the next five years. He however did not reveal how much of the total will be invested in airports.

Reports by Reuters say that Mr. Li revealed that a total of 130 out of the current 175 airports in china are making losses. He said the losses total some Rmb1.68 billion.

Some new airports in China’s big cities are fast running at almost full capacity but there are also new airports in the smaller cities that are running only a small number of routes per week. There have been forecasts of a 15% rise in passenger traffic this year, due to demand from China’s growing middle class.

China is investing a great deal in it’s transport sector and this is raising concerns amongst industry experts about over-investment. One sector that is also rapidly expanding is the country’s high speed railway system. Last week it was reported that the country’s minister of railways is under investigation for “severe violation of discipline”.

There are fears that the increasing expansion in the high speed railway sector will see it competing with air travel for passengers.

One potential good news for China’s rapidly expanding airports is that, there could be an increase in the number of smaller aircraft. This after the government said last November that, civilian owned aircraft will be allowed to fly below 4km. This might cause a rise in the number of helicopters and small light aircraft.

There have been reports of a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that tore through Christchurch, New Zealand toady Tuesday, February 22. The earthquake occured around noon and devastated the city, with buildings collapsing onto public buses, streets buckling leaving an estimated 200 – 400 people dead.

The New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key described the day as “one of the darkest days in New Zealand’s history.

the New zealand Police quickly announced on their website that a massive evacuation has begun in the city. It is reported that several people were killed on two buses when buildings toppled over them.

TVNZ, the national TV station, reported that the pier of the city’s 147-year old Cathedral has collapsed and that an evacuation was on going at the Christchurch Hospital.

There are also reports the Christchurch airport has been closed.

According to the U.S.G.s, the earthquake hit the city shortly before 1 pm local time (7 pm on Monday ET). 15 minutes later, a magnitude 5.6 aftershock was recorded and another magnitude 5.5 aftershock was recorded just before 3 pm local time.

The Herald newspaper in New Zealand also reported the communication lines in the city had stopped working including 111 emergency services.

There are eye witness reports of windows blowing out, people screaming and running onto the street.

There are also reports that Christchurch’s 106-year-old Blessed Sacrament Cathedral has been severely damaged.

There have been calls for people to avoid using the city’s water supplies as pipes have burst and the water could be contaminated.

The U.S.G.S said that this is an after effect of the September earthquake.