Japanese pilots complain about U.S. warplanes
     TOKYO - April 2, 1998 2:37 p.m. EST -- Accusing Japan of ignor-
 ing their concerns, three Japanese pilot unions declared Thursday
 that they will take their complaints about close encounters with
 American warplanes directly to U.S. authorities.
     The unions say Japanese commercial airliners have had three close
 calls with U.S. military jets in Japanese airspace since September.
 None of the airliners was forced to take evasive action and no one
 was injured.
     But the commercial pilots say the incidents were dangerous,
 prompting their unions to petition the Japanese government for an
 investigation. All three unions were turned down, said Kazuhiro
 Kawamoto, president of the Flight Crew Union of Japan.
     "We are dissatisfied with the response from the government," said
 Kawamoto, a Boeing 747 captain at All Nippon Airways Co. "This should
 be taken care of by Japanese authorities, but we will meet with the
 Americans."
     Kawamoto said the three unions, whose 6,800 members represent all
 Japanese commercial pilots, will hand their petition to officials
 from the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. military.
     The U.S. Air Force refused to comment.
     "All flight operations are governed by stringent regulations,"
 said Master Sgt. Dan McCarthy, an Air Force spokesman.
     The unions stressed that they weren't calling for the departure
 of the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan, just new rules to keep fighters
 away from commercial air routes.
     The petitions describe three separate incidents in which cockpit
 alarms -- called Airborne Collision Avoidance Systems -- warned
 pilots that they were on a collision course with another aircraft.
 The ACAS sounds when two aircraft are on course to collide within
 40 seconds.
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         FAA urged to prohibit laptop recharging on flights
     NEW YORK - April 2, 1998 1:49 p.m. EST -- A group of battery
 makers is urging the Federal Aviation Administration to prohibit
 airline passengers from recharging laptop computers, saying they
 may start a fire.
     The concern involves electric outlets that several airlines
 have installed allowing flyers to recharge laptops at their seats
 or keep them running without draining the battery.
     The outlets are found primarily in first-class or
 business-class.
     In a letter this month to the FAA, a trade group that represents
 rechargeable battery makers said the devices can cause the batteries
 to become overcharged, vent pungent fumes and even catch fire.
     The dangers are highest with older batteries or when a mismatch
 exists between the type battery and adapter.
     "We would not have urged the FAA to halt this practice if we
 didn't feel there was a danger. Our caution is based on common
 sense," said Norman England, head of the Portable Rechargeable
 Battery Association.
     The group does not oppose the use of battery-powered equipment on
 flights, just the use of rechargers. In addition, it said it is not
 aware of any dangerous incident that has occurred because of onboard
 recharging.
     An FAA spokeswoman did not immediately return a phone call seek-
 ing comment. But The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that FAA
 officials are conducting what they call a "high-priority" safety
 review.
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