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JAKARTA, Indonesia – The crash of a Russian-made passenger jet into the flanks of anIndonesian volcano has put a spotlight on the notoriously informalatmosphere aboard new aircraft during manufacturer demonstrations— known here as "joy flights." These junkets for potential buyers commonly see passengers join orcancel at the last minute, wreaking havoc to manifest lists. Pilotseager to show off the versatility of their planes often makelightning-fast ascents and buzz famous landmarks. With no sign yet of the black boxes, it is not clear what causedthe Sukhoi Superjet 100 to smash into the side of Mount Salak onWednesday, presumably killing all 45 people on board, and sendingdebris raining down a densely forested, jagged slope. An investigation by a joint team of Indonesian and Russian expertsis expected to take at least a year. There is nothing to suggest the pilot did anything wrong. But thedisaster is a reminder of the continuing concerns of air-safetyspecialists about demonstration flights. That's true not just herein Indonesia — where several invitations from Boeing,Bombardier and other manufacturers land on the desks of airlineexecutives and industry experts every year — but globally. Tom Ballantyne, a Sydney-based aviation expert, has gone on manysuch trips. "The purpose of these flights obviously is to show off the aircraftto potential customers," he said. "If they are flying over a landmark, they might circle around it sothe passengers can get a better look," he said. "They might fly alittle lower or show the rate of climb of the aircraft." That's not to say they don't follow the rules, he said, or push theplanes beyond what they are capable. "But there's definitely a bit of showing off." With 240 million people and a rapidly growing middle class hungryfor cheap air travel, manufacturers will continue to flock toIndonesia, as evidenced by a purchase late last year by thelittle-known airline Lion Air. Its order of 230 planes from Boeing Co. was the manufacturer'sbiggest ever, and the carrier said it will need smaller aircraft aswell. Lion isn't alone. Many other Indonesian carriers, some ofwhich don't even have websites, also are trying to build up ormodernize their fleets. The ill-fated Superjet was carrying dozens of representatives fromlocal airlines and journalists on what was supposed to be a50-minute flight to the southern of Java island and back. Picturesposted on social networking sties like Facebook showed excitedpassengers, smiling and waving in front of the twin-engine jetbefore liftoff. Others sipped champagne handed out in the cabin byglamorous air hostess wearing electric-blue pencil skirts. Soon after takeoff from a Jakarta airfield, however, the Russianpilot and co-pilot asked air traffic control for permission to dropfrom 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet (3,000 meters to 1,800 meters). The plane disappeared from the radar immediately afterward —with new satellite imagery revealing heavy cloud cover and rain.It's not clear if that's why the crew asked to drop or if they gota response. Officials here say they didn't. The pilots on demonstration flights are known to be experienced,often having spent years flying for major airlines. Alexander Yablontsev, in charge of Wednesday's flight, was noexception, logging 10,000 hours in the Sukhoi Superjet and itsprototypes. "He was our best testing pilot," said Mikhail Pogosian, head ofUnited Aircraft Corporation, which built SuperJet. He saidYablontsev oversaw "everything from the designing of the aircraftto its certification." Even so, at least one decision has come into question — theflight path. "As I understand it, it was the pilot who asked to pass MountSalak," said Ruth Simatunpang, a former investigator with theNational Commission on Safety Transportation. The long dormant volcano has been the scene of seven crashes in thelast decade, Wednesday's by far the deadliest, trailed by a 2008Indonesian air force accident that killed 18. Its jagged peaks are often shrouded in heavy mist. "Usually, in a demo flight, you would go out of your way to avoid aroute that is full of obstacles," said Simatunpang. "But almosteveryone knows Salak is dangerous and that the weather is extremelyunpredictable." Like many others, she was surprised that the pilot would seek sucha sharp descent so close to the 7,000-foot-high (2,100-meter-high)mountain. "But it's much too early to say," she said. "We won't know anythinguntil we get hold of the voice and data recorders in the blackbox." Last-minute passengers switches also caused confusion, with numbersflip-flopping at least five times after the crash, whileauthorities tried to figure out who was aboard. As it turned out, the final manifest was not given to officers onthe ground, as is standard procedure. It was on the doomed plane. Suharso Monoarfa, a former government minister who now hasinterests in the aviation industry, says he was invited on theflight, but had to cancel at the last minute. "I was invited inside the jet to look around with my wife and son,"he said. "It was exciting, the crew was very welcoming and treatedus very nicely, explaining everything I needed to know." They again asked if he wouldn't like to get on board, saying hisfamily was more than welcome to join. "Actually, I would have loved it, especially with my son, but itwas a 50-minute joy flight, and that was just too long, I had ameeting to get to." "My heart was pounding when I heard the plane had lost contact," hecontinued. "It's unbelievable!" ___ Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini contributed to this reportfrom Jakarta. I am an expert from mixed-refrigerant.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Cryogenic Refrigeration Manufacturer , HFC Refrigerant, Mixed Refrigerant,and more.
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