In the 1980s, "many of our countries were going through a process
 of slow institutional weakening of our civil aviation authorities
 which in the end affected our capacity of vigilance and control,"
 Jimenez told an airline safety conference in Cartagena, Colombia,
 in February.
     Among the region's weaknesses is a radar system that covers only
 airports in large cities and is virtually nonexistent for large
 stretches of Amazonian jungle and desolate mountain ranges.
     Some fleets also have aging jets. Some airports have outdated
 navigation aids and inadequate inspection and maintenance facilities
 and procedures.
     U.S. pilots complain that some air traffic controllers have
 problems speaking and understanding English, the international
 language of flying.
     For all that, safety issues now tend to be addressed, not neg-
 lected. Barry Valentine, the FAA acting administrator, said flying
 in Latin America "is certainly much better today than it was several
 years ago, and it continues to improve."
     Boulton, 67, with a lifetime's experience of flying in his
 family's company, says new technology has helped to make flying
 safer.
     The former DC-3 commercial pilot noted global positioning de-
 vices are relatively inexpensive and help pilots determine their
 position at any given time to within a few feet. Other equipment
 alerts them to sudden shifts of wind and electrical surges as they
 travel through or near storms.
     In the years since the "lost decade" of the 1980s -- when South
 American countries suffered recession and sometimes turbulent trans-
 itions from military to democratic regimes and from state-controlled
 to free-market economies -- hundreds of millions of dollars have
 been spent to upgrade aviation facilities.
     Newer planes have collision warning devices, sophisticated nav-
 igation aids and larger fuel tanks that cut down on the need for
 refueling stops. That's significant because most crashes happen
 during takeoff and landing.
     While many passengers may be unaware of the specific problems
 in a given country, travelers to Latin America see safety as an
 issue.
     "Normally, the first three things people ask for are: quality
 (of the tour), their personal safety and aviation safety," said
 Stevie Borges, owner of SBA Nature Expedition, which specializes
 in environmental-related tourism.
     For those with expert knowledge it can be an even bigger con-
 cern. Andres Duarte, a prominent Caracas businessman and the former
 president of Venezuela's Aeropostal airline, says he considers some
 regional carriers to be too risky for flights between South American
 countries.
     "I'd rather fly to Miami and get a connecting flight," back to
 South America on a U.S. airline, he said.
 -----------------------------------------
    FAA ratings hurt some regional airlines, but may promote safety
    (July 26, 1997 2:33 p.m. EDT) -- The Federal Aviation Administra-
 tion says it just wants to make the skies safer. Some Caribbean and
 Latin American countries say what the FAA really wants is more U.S.
 planes in those skies.
    When it launched its international certification program in 1991,
 the FAA focused primarily on other countries in the Western Hemi-
 sphere. The program puts pressure on nations to meet the standards
 of the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency.
     Several countries feeling the squeeze of low ratings in the pro-
 gram contend the FAA is motivated, at least in part, by politics and
 trade.
     Ministers from the 14-member Caribbean Community contend lower
 ratings are more likely in countries whose airlines buy or lease
 European-made planes, such as Airbuses, instead of U.S. aircraft.
     "There seem to be situations where it would appear that if you
 were buying or leasing U.S.-made aircraft, you might have been
 treated differently," said Byron Blake, a Caricom assistant secre-
 tary-general.
     Air Jamaica recently replaced its fleet of aging Boeing 727s
 with Airbuses. But its routes and the number of aircraft it may fly
 are restricted because Jamaica has a conditional, or Category 2,
 rating from the FAA.
     "It has affected the whole economics of the operation," said an
 Air Jamaica senior vice president, William Rodgers. "It's really
 retarded our progress."
     A Category 1 rating is satisfactory and allows a country's air-
 lines to operate normally to the United States. Category 3 is un-
 satisfactory and usually means a country's airlines are barred from
 landing at U.S. airports.
     U.S. carriers flying to countries with low ratings do not suffer
 from the restrictions or suspensions -- and they get the business
 their sidelined competition has to turn away.
     Henry Lord Boulton, president of the Venezuelan airlines Servi-
 vensa and Avensa and head of the five-nation Andean Airline Associ-
 ation, says flatly, "What the FAA is doing is illegal." Venezuela
 is in Category 2.
     FAA spokeswoman Rebecca Trexler insisted safety was the agency's
 sole concern. She said the program examines a country's civil
 aviation authority and how well it is applying safety standards.
 The carriers -- and the kinds of planes they use -- are not looked
 at, she said.
     A study by the International Airline Passengers Association of
 airline operations during the five years ending in June 1996 seems
 to support the FAA's ratings. It found that aircraft traveling to
 or from Category 2 countries had fatal accidents at a rate of about
 2 per million flights. The Category 1 rate was much lower: about
 one fatal accident per 4 million flights. See Part 3  NEWS-631
--- DB 1.39/004487
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