Flight Safety Information August 30, 2013 - No. 180 In This Issue New FAA Rule Gives Embry-Riddle Students Advantage for Airline Jobs Infighting among pilots might impact Air India's 787 flights Hong Kong passengers injured as flights are hit by turbulence How Do The Challenges With Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Compare To The Introductions Of Other Aircraft? FAA Proposes CRJ Rudder Pedal Inspection Mandate Harrier jet from Yuma crashed in Afghanistan PILOT'S SCATHING ATTACK ON AIR SAFETY AGENCIES (Australia) Airlines face a pilot shortage, Boeing report says US aviation authorities may restore PHL Category 1 status in Oct. (Philippines) Ted Nugent's wife arrested at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Think ARGUS PROS WestJet to purchase 65 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft AMR Regional-Jet Order Delayed as Suit Imperils Financing Boeing debuts Dreamliner training facility in Miami Another LSA claims spin-resistance New FAA Rule Gives Embry-Riddle Students Advantage for Airline Jobs Graduates of Aeronautical Science Degree Programs at East and West Campuses Eligible for ATP Certificate, Right Seat Pilot Titles Sooner Daytona Beach, Fla, and Prescott, Ariz. (PRWEB) August 29, 2013 NEWS RELEASE A special authorization by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced last week grants Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University the authority to certify its Aeronautical Science degree graduates the opportunity to apply first officer status upon reaching 1,000 hours and therefore eligible sooner to work for commercial airlines. Effective immediately, pilots with 1,000 flight hours rather than the 1,500 hours identified last month by the FAA will be eligible for a Restricted Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license and opportunity to apply for a first officer position with an airline. Under the July rule, aviation degree-granting four-year universities like Embry-Riddle were allowed to apply for flight-time reductions for its graduates based on its comprehensive and a rigorous training curriculum that includes the nation's only full- motion simulator training at an accredited academic higher educational institution. The FAA notified the university's Colleges of Aviation officials at both its Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., campuses just prior to students heading back to campus to start the fall semester. "This further shows how the governing bodies and leaders in the aviation industry value the quality, hands-on education our students receive," said Embry-Riddle President Dr. John P. Johnson. "Our graduates represent the highest level of professionalism, experience and standards that the airlines have come to expect and want in their job force. "This rapid action taken by the FAA demonstrates that our degree programs and students are at the forefront of collegiate aviation," Johnson added. "We are pleased to receive this validation as the preeminent aeronautical and aerospace academic institution in the world." The new ruling comes just one month after the FAA increased qualification requirements for first officers - also known as co-pilots - who fly for U.S. passenger and cargo airlines to 1,500 hours in conjunction with holding a restricted ATP. It included allowances for reduced hours for pilots holding bachelor's degrees from Embry-Riddle's two residential campuses. (Previously, first officers were required to have only a commercial pilot certificate, which requires about 250 hours of flight time.) To be hired by the airlines, candidates will need both the ATP license and an airline aircraft type rating. Embry-Riddle graduates will be able to meet each of these training requirements with their access to full-flight simulation via a full-motion simulator installed this month at the Daytona Beach, Fla., campus and a long-standing contract with a Phoenix-based pilot training center with full-motion simulator training alongside airline crews for students at the Prescott, Ariz., campus. About Embry-Riddle Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 40 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and through the Worldwide Campus with more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real- world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. For more information, visit http://www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv. Media Contact: Melanie Hanns Director, University Public Relations University Communications & Marketing Dept. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Office: (386) 226-7538 melanie(dot)hanns(at)erau(dot)edu Back to Top Infighting among pilots might impact Air India's 787 flights Till now, crew rostering managers have avoided mixing pilots from both sides The issue of mixing pilots from Air India and the erstwhile Indian Airlines (IA) on a flight has been a hot potato for the AI management, on which it will have to soon take a bite, as it prepares to launch the Delhi-Sydney schedule later this month. The cabin crew, operations and engineering departments of the airline are still divided on the lines of narrow body (IA) and wide body (AI) planes. AI will use its latest Boeing 787 on the Delhi-Sydney-Melbourne route. At present, the Boeing 787 is used on the London, Paris, Frankfurt, Birmingham and domestic routes. Pilots of both AI and the erstwhile IA fly the aircraft but never together. The only exception is training and IA pilots have trained in simulators and done training flights under wide body plane captains. Here, too, there have been problems and IA captains have refused to fly with three AI instructors. Till now, crew rostering managers have avoided mixing pilots from both sides, as issues like a common pay scale and common seniority have not been resolved. Fears have been raised that mixing pilots from the two fleets without solving merger-related issues like pay scale or seniority will create crew resource management (CRM) problems and affect flight safety. The Indian Commercial Pilots Association which represents the IA pilots has taken a stand that the merger-related issues must be addressed before deploying AI and IA pilots on a single flight. However, the higher crew requirement on the Delhi-Australia route might require such mixing. So far, no decision has been taken. While two pilots (a captain and a first officer) are required for the European and domestic flights, four (two captains and two first officers) will be required for the Delhi-Sydney flight, which has a duration of a little over 12 hours. Further, another two pilots will be required for Sydney- Melbourne and four for the return flight to India. Sources said the higher crew requirement might make it difficult for the operations department to use pilots only from AI or IA for a particular flight. "It is creating an artificial shortage of pilots," a senior commander remarked. The airline has 58 sets of pilots from both the fleets trained on the Boeing 787. A set includes a captain and first officer. Air India spokesperson did not comment on the issue. Capt Rajat Rana, general secretary of ICPA said "We are mid way through the merger and we want it to be completed quickly. There are many issues still pending and finally the company has started addressing and forming common policies/rules and treating both sides as one cadre." "Individually some pilots from both sides had reservations about flying with each other, but now on request from the company we have started training with them, thereby reducing financial burden on the company. We are co-operating with the management and have no objections if erstwhile AI pilots are sent to fly on the erstwhile IA fleet. We have been told that cockpit crew of both erstwhile AI and erstwhile IA will fly separately (except training flights) till the entire merger process is complete and we are hopeful that then issues like CRM training, Seniority will be addressed for the same, which is also the standard industry norm. Sufficient number of pilots have been trained from both the fleets for 787 operation. There is a very remote requirement of cockpit crews of erstwhile AI and erstwhile IA to fly together for Australia or other flights as of now. We feel this is non issue," he added. http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/infighting-among-pilots-might- impact-air-india-s-787-flights-113081500663_1.html Back to Top Hong Kong passengers injured as flights are hit by turbulence Thirty-nine people are injured as planes landing at Hong Kong airport are affected by tropical storm Kong-rey Hong Kong airport: passengers on two flights were injured when their aircraft hit turbulence before landing. Photograph: Jack Kurtz/Zuma Press/Corbis Thirty-nine people on two flights have been injured when their aircraft hit turbulence before landing at Hong Kong airport. Thai Airways said people were hurt when an Airbus A380 carrying 500 passengers from Bangkok encountered the turbulence on Friday morning. The sales manager Kenny Kung said both passengers and crew had suffered slight injuries and were sent to three hospitals in the southern Chinese city. The local carrier Hong Kong Airlines said three passengers and three flight attendants had been hurt when their flight from Phuket hit "sudden turbulence" as it neared the city's airport. The airline said the plane landed safely and the six had left hospital. The plane was carrying 110 passengers and seven crew. Hong Kong has been experiencing unsettled weather as tropical storm Kong-rey passes nearby. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/30/hong-kong-flights-turbulence Back to Top How Do The Challenges With Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Compare To The Introductions Of Other Aircraft? Answer by Tom Farrier, Retired US Air Force command pilot; Current aviation safety contractor for the government; Chair of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators' Unmanned Aircraft Systems Working Group, As somebody who's been in the aviation safety business for quite a while now, the most striking difference to me is in how (comparatively) smoothly both introductions have taken place compared with days of yore. Yes, the Dreamliner has had some highly publicized battery-related problems; for that matter, does anybody remember the A380s "wing-cracking" concerns that arose soon after it began regular revenue service? Here's why I say both new generation aircraft are good, safe systems. In the early days of jet aviation, it was normal(!) and expected(!) that there would be accidents with a new type of aircraft once it started passenger-carrying operations. I'm not talking about a smoky cabin or a galley fire on the ground; I'm talking about smoking holes on the ground and genuinely appalling body counts (although until the Seventies it was tough to kill more than eighty or so at a whack). It's kind of axiomatic in aviation that most contemporary accidents are traceable to human versus mechanical causes in a ratio of about 4 to 1 (often stated as 80% human factors/20% mechanical/materiel failures). While these two seem to have kept to more or less the same proportions throughout the history of commercial jet aviation, there have been some subtle shifts in the precise character of the underlying sequences of events, making the top-level categorizations a little suspect if you try to draw over-broad conclusions decade over decade. Let me try to give you a (mostly) lay summation of what these two product lines tell me about how much progress actually has been made in aviation safety over time. First, neither new jet has to date been involved in a fatal accident. Let me repeat that, because it's frankly extraordinary compared to the introduction of other airliners over time: both the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A380 have yet to be involved in a fatal accident. This doesn't mean they haven't had perhaps one or two close calls, but that's kind of leading up to my point(s). On November 4, 2010, Qantas Flight 32 suffered a catastrophic engine failure in flight, one that disabled a number of key systems and subsystems in a highly automated aircraft. The airplane remained flyable, the crew landed it successfully, and after eighteen months of VERY expensive repairs it was returned to service. Despite a lot of media huffing and puffing, consider: both the A380 itself and the Rolls Royce Trent 900 engine were very new at the time of this occurrence - which met the definition of "accident" because of the damage resulting from it - but the designs of both were robust enough that the crew was able to hold things together and land, despite literally hundreds of emergency "messages" from the airplane to its pilots (many seemingly contradictory in nature). So, while earlier introductions of new jets were accompanied by some uncertainty as to the best way to build them for all possible operating conditions, airliner design, testing, and certification requirements in combination seem to be resulting in aircraft that pretty much stand up to the worst that can happen to them, and one mechanical failure in a modern jet doesn't automatically result in a cascade of consequent failures that bring down the aircraft. In other words, improvements in the science of aviation are preventing many accidents outright, and are at the same time helping keep those that still occur to be much less severe. So, the 20% side of the "cause" equation is being worked pretty hard. Now, what about the 80% that involve human performance problems? QF32's captain had 35 years of experience at the time of the event, presumably with most if not all flown in jet transports. (I'll peek at the formal ATSB report later just to confirm this, but new fleets are flown by the most qualified and experienced pilots, so I think I'm on safe ground.) Jet airliner accidents in the Fifties through the Seventies often involved equally experienced crews. However, in many cases these seasoned crews came to command jets on the basis of time built mostly in propeller aircraft ... and often that experience was either inapplicable to issues they faced in jet operations, or it actually created some instances of "negative transference," where the right thing to do in a propeller airliner emergency turned out to be the worst thing to do in a similar jet airliner emergency. So, the second of my two points is simply that airline captains today possess skill sets that complement the latest and greatest new fleets (having been built in previous generations of jets instead of totally different types of aircraft), and their skills are reinforced by training that's getting better all the time. Present-day captains are used to big jets and how they fly, and "crew resource management" has largely replaced the authoritarian approach to completing an airline trip without incident. Why did I say above that the types of accidents underlying the historical "top-level" man vs. machine proportions are changing? In a nutshell, it's because there are still human performance problems to be found, but more and more they can be related to the steadily growing complexity of the aircraft being flown. It really is harder to keep up with systems that are increasingly empowered to conduct much of the business of getting the aircraft from Point A to Point B, especially when real-time visibility into what those systems actually are doing is not always easy to obtain. At the same time, the aircraft themselves, and especially the engines, are sufficiently reliable these days that more efforts are going toward obtaining more performance, ease of maintenance and/or economy out of them. That means that some previously robust safety margins are being cut into in some cases, usually on the basis of long experience with a given system or design and a sense that previous levels of safety can be maintained while tweaking certain system/design attributes. Every now and then, we are likely to see accidents - or at least headline-grabbing events - involving the unexpected failure of something that's been used "for as long as jets have been around." If and when that happens, it'll probably be because of efforts to achieve greater economies through design. However, I firmly believe that most such failures will not result in loss of life as they might have in the past, simply because so much more attention is paid to the need to understand interdependencies among the various systems in today's super-automated airliners. Still, I think they'll happen often enough to make the "machine" continue to be responsible for a fraction of all future accidents. Finally, let's circle back to the beginning. The 787 definitely needs to solve its battery issues; it's probably the most electrical power-dependent aircraft of its type ever built, and it must have a reliable electrical system. The ground fire at Heathrow in July 2013 also pointed up a new challenge: how to make effective repairs to an aircraft consisting of as much composite material as the 787. In this latter case, Boeing has some institutional history driving them toward caution and thoroughness: two accidents in the 1980s (JAL 123, a Boeing 747 that crashed as a result of the failure of a critical repair made seven years before), and Aloha 243 (a Boeing 737 that lost most of its main cabin roof due to fatigue cracking. What about the Big Guy? Airbus has been aggressively working on the wing crack issue for close to two years now (at least), taking it seriously enough to delay deliveries just like Boeing did. The Trent 900 engines continue to build flying hours; I suspect they may come up with one or two surprises, if only because they represent a major set of technological leaps all in one package. Both the engines and the planes, both being large and brawny, may have hidden problems that haven't shown up yet (just like a person taking steroids, pumping up in some places can unexpectedly create weaknesses elsewhere). However, the overall quality of both designs shows in month after month of essentially problem-free flying. http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/08/29/how-do-the-challenges-with-boeings- 787-dreamliner-compare-to-the-introductions-of-other-aircraft/ Back to Top FAA Proposes CRJ Rudder Pedal Inspection Mandate The FAA on Aug. 26 will propose rudder pedal assembly inspections on more than 500 U.S.-registered Bombardier 50-seat regional jets to prevent a key part cracking from repeated use when pilots set the parking brake. The draft order, based on a Transport Canada (TC) directive issued in May, focuses on the assembly's pedal tubes. TC said it received two reports of in-service pedal tube fractures at the connecting rod attachment point. In both cases, the cracked tubes were on the pilot's (left) side of the cockpit. Fatigue testing determined the cracking came from repeated loads induced during parking brake applications, which require depressing the top parts of both rudder pedals. "Therefore, only the rudder pedal tubes on the pilot's side are vulnerable to fatigue cracking, as the parking brake is primarily applied by the pilot," TC said. Similar to the TC mandate, the FAA proposes a tiered inspection schedule based an aircraft's service history. Bombardier regional jets with less than 20,000 cycles would need initial inspections within 3,000 cycles, while the most-used airframes-those with at least 37,000 cycles-would require checks within 300 cycles. http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_08_23_2013_p0- 609679.xml Back to Top Harrier jet from Yuma crashed in Afghanistan A Yuma-based AV-8B Harrier jet deployed to Afghanistan was heavily damaged this summer after it careened off the Camp Bastion runway, according to the Naval Safety Center. The previously unreported incident in early July involved a vertically-landing jet from Marine Attack Squadron 311 (VMA-311). At about 6:45 p.m., an outrigger landing gear collapsed on the jet, causing it to veer shortly after touchdown onto an unprepared surface and catch fire, according to mishap summaries on the center's web site. The pilot was able to exit the aircraft "successfully" and there were no fatalities. The incident, listed as both July 9 and July 10 on different pages of the center's web site, caused nearly $3.6 million in damages. The Navy did not declare whether the Class A mishap destroyed the aircraft. A spokesman for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing released no further details Thursday, saying home commands are not responsible for information about damage to deployed aircraft. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/29/harrier-jet-crash-afghanistan/ Back to Top PILOT'S SCATHING ATTACK ON AIR SAFETY AGENCIES (Australia) A Sydney pilot who ditched his plane into the ocean has launched a scathing attack on Australia's air safety agencies. Three months after a damning report into the accident, the pilot has told 7News the Government has done nothing, and he warns it could happen again. Pilot Dominic James has effectively flown to hell and back. It has been almost four years since he ditched his medivac flight off Norfolk Island, and he only now has his jet licence, and his life back. "There are so many people who feel strongly on what's gone on - and are really desperate for things to be straightened and set right," James said. "I think a large amount of cover up was going on." The accident happened in November 2009, and at first, James was blamed and shamed. But a Senate inquiry this year found not only was operator Pel Air also at fault, so too were Australia's aviation safety watchdogs. The Senate report was scathing of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and the Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), finding audits had been hidden, lies told, and the original investigation a whitewash. One former safety chief says that it has ruined Australia's safety reputation. "This ATSB report has turned that Triple-A status into junk status overnight," former CASA Deputy Mick Quinn said. That was in May, and the Government is yet to respond. The Transport Minister said he could not and would not act, because Parliament is suspended. "Well, we're actually in caretaker mode right now, you might have noticed Parliament is not sitting," Anthony Albanese said. But the former deputy of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority said caretaker mode should not get in the way of aviation safety. "The disturbing thing is, safety is no longer the priority," Mick Quinn said. The Senate Inquiry thought the situation was so serious that it asked the Federal Police to investigate our safety watchdogs - that is unprecedented. The Minister says that he is not concerned. "Well, anyone can refer anything to the Federal Police," Minister Albanese said. http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/newshome/18694051/pilots-scathing-attack-on- air-safety-agencies/ Back to Top Airlines face a pilot shortage, Boeing report says MIAMI - Airlines will need nearly half a million new commercial pilots worldwide by 2032 as they expand their fleets, an industry forecast released today predicts. Boeing, the Chicago-based airline manufacturer, said today that airlines will have to hire 498,000 pilots - about 25,000 each year - to support all the new aircraft they are expected to add to their fleets over the next two decades. They also will need 556,000 new maintenance technicians, or about 28,000 a year. Boeing's outlook, released today during the launch of the 787 flight training center at its campus here, predicts demand for pilots will grow in all regions except for Europe. The projected increase in pilot demand is greater than what Boeing had indicated in previous forecasts. It is particularly driven by airlines' interest in single-aisle aircraft, the company said. But other factors are coming into play, analysts say. Thousands of pilots are retiring this year just as the Federal Aviation Administration is introducing new rules requiring new training and more rest in between flights. The FAA announced a new rule last month requiring co-pilots, or first officers, to get 1,500 hours of flight time for their certification, up from 250 hours. Starting next year, the minimum rest period before a pilot's flight duty will increase from eight hours to 10 and must include the ability to get eight hours of sleep in a row. "The urgent demand for competent aviation personnel is a global issue that is here now and is very real," said Sherry Carbary, vice president of Boeing Flight Services. "The key to closing the pilot and technician gap in our industry is enhancing our training with the latest, cutting-edge technologies to attract and retain young people interested in careers in aviation." The most pronounced shortage will be in the Asia Pacific region, where 192,300 pilots and 215,300 technicians will be needed, according to Boeing's forecast. Even though demand has declined slightly in Europe, the region still will need another 99,700 pilots and 108,200 technicians. North America follows with a projected demand for 85,700 pilots and 97,900 technicians. Latin America will be in need of 48,600 pilots and 47,600 technicians. Analysts say the brunt of the shortage will be felt by regional carriers that operate half of the USA's scheduled flights. They simply won't be able to compete with the larger airlines. "The major U.S. airlines are just beginning the longest and largest pilot hiring binge in history, and the 'wake turbulence' will be very disruptive to smaller flight operations who feed them pilots," says Louis Smith, president of FAPA.aero, a company that provides career and financial advice to professional pilots. The pool of qualified candidates is drying up for everyone, says Robert Mann, president of airline consulting company R.W. Mann & Co. in Port Washington, N.Y. The industry has historically hired former military pilots, he says. "These days the military is short of pilots, not mustering them out, like in the post- Vietnam years through the 1980s," he says. Meanwhile, the number of people willing to deal with the liability insurance and fuel and maintenance costs for a plane has declined. All that, he says, has made getting a pilot's license "a huge expense, and the number of flight schools has likewise declined." Poor wages also have not helped to attract qualified candidates, he says. A first officer for a regional carrier, still on probation, typically makes $18,000 to $20,000 a year before taxes at first, Mann says. Flight school loans can reach $100,000, he says. Katie Connell, a spokeswoman for Airlines for America, which represents the industry, disputes that there is a lack of qualified candidates. "Long-term projections about pilot hiring are inherently subjective as they are based on assumptions about airline growth that have often proved to be faulty," she says. "We expect the major commercial airlines will be appropriately staffed, and are not expecting any shortage within the next few years." http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2013/08/29/airlines-face-a-pilot- shortage-boeing-report-says/2725815/ Back to Top CAAP: US aviation authorities may restore PHL Category 1 status in Oct. (Philippines) A team from the United States Federal Aviation Authority is headed for the Philippines in the next two months, a visit that may yield an upgrade back to Category 1 status by October and allow Philippine carriers to mount additional flights to the US, an official said Friday. "We don't know when that will be, it could be sometime by September or October. We'll know by that time whether there are any other remaining hurdles," (Ret.) Gen. William Hotchkiss III, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), told reporters at the sidelines of the 1st Aviation Safety and Corporate Governance Symposium. Based on recommendations by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the US-FAA downgraded Philippine aviation safety standards to Category 2 for failing to comply with safety standards on air carrier operations. Before the year ends or as early as October, CAAP is confident the Philippines would get back its Category 1 status, Hotchkiss noted. "It is now being implemented, and as I speak, a second visitation from the FAA is on-going and all indications are positive towards a possible upgrade before the end of the year," he said. The task now for the Philippines is to make sure that improvements in aviation safety are long-term in nature, Hotchkiss said. "We have to address the sustainability issue. Even if we get FAA upgrade before the end of this year, we'll still need their presence to see to it that things are moving towards sustainability," he added. 'Remaining hurdles' Among concerns that must be addressed is the amendments to Republic Act 9497 - the law that created CAAP. "The last remaining hurdles, which are considered show stoppers, are the amendments to RA 9497 to authorize the Republic of the Philippines to transfer its State of Registry responsibilities to the State of the Operator, the creation of an independent and separate government agency to handle aircraft accident investigation to replace the present AAIIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board)," Hotchkiss noted. In July, a US FAA team - particularly from the Western Pacific-Flight Standards Division - headed by manager Nicholas Reyes and senior FAA representative to the Philippines James Spillane staged a Philippine audit to validate if CAAP has complied with the recommendations made in 2010. William Hess of the US-FAA is now the Philippines as part of a two-year Technical Assistance Services Agreement signed on June 4. On July 10, the European Union lifted a ban that blocked Philippine carriers from entering European skies two years after it was imposed to penalize CAAP for failing to reform the civil aviation system. Less than six months earlier, ICAO lifted sanctions on significant security concerns over the Philippines after CAAP passed an audit in February. - VS, GMA News http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/324292/economy/business/caap-us-aviation- authorities-may-restore-phl-category-1-status-in-oct Back to Top Ted Nugent's wife arrested at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport The wife of singer Ted Nugent was arrested Thursday afternoon after security found a gun in her carry-on luggage at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Airport spokesman David Magana confirmed that the DFW Airport Department of Public Safety took Shemane Ann Nugent, 51, into custody, and "the rest of it is working its way through our system of legal approval." Nugent's attorney, David Finn, said that taking the gun to the airport was an "honest mistake." Finn said Nugent has a concealed handgun license. Finn said Nugent had worked late and got up early Thursday for the airport, and either "completely forgot or never knew the weapon was in her bag." "She is very embarrassed. She's never been in this situation before," said Finn. "She has expressed remorse for any inconvenience for any public safety officials." Finn said Nugent has no criminal record, and he does not expect his client to be indicted by a grand jury. A police report is expected to be released tomorrow. Shemane has been married to Ted Nugent since 1989. He is scheduled to play in Ramona, Calif., on Thursday night. Ted Nugent, a staunch supporter of gun rights, made headlines earlier this year when he criticized President Obama on his views on gun control. Guns are allowed in checked luggage, but not on planes. Through July, security found 57 guns in carry-on bags at D/FW Airport. The airport ranks second behind Hartsfield- Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to a Transportation Security Administration spokesman. George Bush Intercontinental Airport ranks third, and Dallas Love Field comes in at No. 12. In the first seven months of the year, more than 1,000 guns have been recovered in airports across the country, according to a Transportation Security Administration spokesman. http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2013/08/wife-of-ted-nugent-arrested-at-dallasfort- worth-international-airport.html/ Back to Top Back to Top WestJet to purchase 65 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft (Reuters) - Canada's WestJet Airlines Ltd (WJA.TO) said on Thursday it has reached a preliminary agreement to purchase 65 737 MAX aircraft from Boeing Co (BA.N), moving to expand its fleet with more fuel-efficient aircraft. The 737 MAX series is due to enter production in 2015, with deliveries to customers starting in 2017. It is the latest version of Boeing's top-selling 737 jet, which has been in production for more than four decades. The narrow-body 737 MAX is set to compete with the A320neo made by Airbus (EAD.PA). Boeing said in May it expects the craft to burn 13 percent less fuel than current 737 models. Calgary-based WestJet said it plans to buy 40 of the 737 MAX 8 aircraft and 25 of the smaller 737 MAX 7 planes, with delivery to begin in September 2017. The MAX 8 will accommodate between 162 and 175 passengers, while the MAX 7 will fit 126 to 140 passengers. WestJet also said that 15 of its existing Next-Generation 737 aircraft orders, currently scheduled for delivery between December 2014 and 2018, will be filled by 737 MAX aircraft instead. Including the new orders, WestJet's future Boeing 737 aircraft deliveries total 92. WestJet's current fleet consists of 103 Boeing Next-Generation 737s and four Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) Q400 NextGen aircraft. WestJet expects to sign a final purchase agreement for the 737 MAX aircraft before the end of September. The airline said it now expects capital expenditures to range between C$210 million and C$220 million for the third quarter of 2013, and between C$690 million and C$710 million for the full-year. It previously forecast C$100 million to C$110 million for the third quarter and C$610 million to C$630 million for the full year. WestJet's move comes as competition among Canadian airlines is heating up, with Air Canada (ACb.TO), the country's largest airline, boosting capacity with the launch of its Rouge airline this summer. Rouge, a low-cost carrier, is aimed at high-volume leisure travel heading to the Caribbean, the United States and other international markets. WestJet itself recently launched Encore, a regional carrier aimed at competing head-to- head with Air Canada on some routes to smaller cities and towns where Canada's biggest airline has enjoyed a monopoly. Back to Top AMR Regional-Jet Order Delayed as Suit Imperils Financing American Airlines (AAMRQ)' pending order for larger regional jets has been delayed by a U.S. lawsuit seeking to stop the merger with US Airways Group Inc. (LCC) that would allow the carrier to exit bankruptcy. An agreement to buy a "substantial" number of planes was near when the U.S. Justice Department sued to block the US Airways deal on Aug. 13, AMR Corp.'s American said in a court filing, which didn't specify its supplier. Embraer SA (EMBR3) said in July that it was in talks for an order of 76-seat jets. Bigger, more-fuel efficient regional aircraft are part of Fort Worth, Texas-based American's plan to cut operating costs by shedding models with 50 or fewer seats. Backstop financing from the manufacturer and favorable export credit funding are only available upon leaving court protection, the airline said. "Any alternative financing for a company still in bankruptcy would almost certainly be under considerably less favorable terms, and would result in additional costs to American," the airline said yesterday in the filing. Michael Trevino, an American spokesman, declined to confirm a pending order with Sao Paulo-based Embraer. Calls left with Embraer after regular business hours in Brazil weren't immediately returned. American and Tempe, Arizona-based US Airways expected to close their merger by the end of September before the U.S. challenge was filed. The case is U.S. v. US Airways Group Inc., 13-cv-01236, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington). http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-29/amr-regional-jet-order-delayed-as-suit- imperils-financing.html Back to Top Boeing debuts Dreamliner training facility in Miami MIAMI-The flock of birds approached fast and furious on the left side of the Boeing 787 aircraft preparing to land at Miami International Airport. Pilot George Walters didn't flinch as the birds struck the plane, even as the electronic flight display monitoring the engine looked like a slot machine as numbers rapidly changed. The engine quickly recovered. "We train for the worst case," said Walters, Boeing's lead instructor for its latest aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner. Walters was not in an actual Dreamliner. But he was as close to it as one can get-a 787 full-flight simulator with a replica of a cockpit and LCD video screens that displayed razor-sharp images of the Miami airspace. The simulator can throw any number of scenarios at training pilots--from thunderstorms to loss of hydraulics systems to electrical issues. "It actually has a spine and brain," Walters said of the simulator, one of two that Boeing debuted Thursday at the launch of its 787 customer training center in Miami, the company's largest training campus in the world. Thursday's event, attended by members of Congress and Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), who also took a spin in the flight simulator, marks the completion of Boeing's relocation of training services from Seattle to Miami. In addition to the 787 simulators, the facility will have a Next-Generation 737 full-flight simulator, as well as ones for the manufacturer's 717, 747 and 767 models. A 777 simulator will be added later this year. There are 787 training facilities in other parts of the world, including Singapore, Shanghai and London. Sherry Carbary, vice president of Boeing Flight Services, said the company decided to move its American facility to South Florida because airlines in Latin America, Europe and Africa told them it was a more convenient location. "This is where they asked us to be," she said. The facility will have a total of 17 full-flight simulators across various airplane types. But the 787 simulator is drawing the most interest. Airlines have been keen on the innovative Dreamliner because it is 20% more fuel efficient and has 20% fewer emissions than similar planes. The jetliner is made from composites, a first for the industry, and is also the first Boeing plane to use rechargeable lithium ion batteries. But those batteries made for a bumpy start to what the industry hailed as a game- changing product. The entire Dreamliner fleet was grounded worldwide for four months after a battery fire in January on an All Nippon Airways flight. Other incidents led to a temporary vote of no- confidence on the aircraft. But the ban was lifted in April after the Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing's fixes to the battery systems. Carbary says Boeing is ready to move forward and get more pilots trained. The training will also constantly be evaluated and tweaked based on feedback and events, she said. "We are already adjusting our training program to address some of the concerns," she said. Boeing has 936 orders for the 787 from 58 customers around the world. So far, the company has delivered 83 airplanes. Aeromexico and LAN Airlines are the first two customers to train on the 787 simulators in Miami. The amount of time pilots have to spend in the simulator varies but can range from 20 or so days for those who have never flown a Boeing plane to five days for those who've flown the Boeing 777, which has some similarities. Pilots also have computer-based training. "You look at the pilots that were training 30, 40 years ago. They would sit in a classroom with earphones in, reading manuals," Carbary said. "The kids today ... they want it to be interactive, digital." And that's what they'll get with the 787 flight simulator. The large display screens that serve as the flight deck look just as they would in an actual Dreamliner. The captain and the co-pilot each have a head-up display above their steering wheels. The HUDs, as they are called, display information on clear screens at eye level so that pilots can see flight data while looking out the window rather than having to scan the flight deck all the time. Walters prepared the cockpit for a quick 15-minute flight above Miami. In front of him was a clear view of the Miami skyline. The simulator uses hydraulic and electric systems to produce a flying sensation. On this particular flight, the systems were turned off, but typically the simulator will actually bounce around during take-off and landing. Once cleared for takeoff, Walters pressed a few buttons and the plane glided down the runway for a smooth takeoff. He took the plane up to 3,000 feet at a speed of 240 miles per hour. Then he veered left. Although the simulator wasn't moving, anyone sitting in the pilots' seats could feel the sensation of the plane turning. All throughout the flight, he listened to the radio to find out what other planes around him were doing. And he let his co-pilot know exactly what he was doing. "You don't want any ambiguity in what you're doing," he said. After the bird strike, 787 instructor Gary Beard decided the flight was going too smoothly and sent the plane into a patch of clouds. But Walters kept his cool the whole time. He tapped a few more buttons and declared the situation under control. When he was ready to land, he made sure all the plane's systems were properly prepared. "Approaching minimum," a computerized voice warned him, meaning the minimum visibility required to land, which varies depending on the airspace. He decided visibility was good enough. He slowed the plane down to 160 miles per hour. "You always want to slow down as much as you can," he said. The flaps came up, and the runway appeared before him, looking almost like a video game screen. The wheels came down. His touchdown was as easy as his takeoff. "It's like a Mercedes," he said. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2013/08/29/boeing-dreamliner-flight- simulator-miami/2735191/ Back to Top Another LSA claims spin-resistance SAM Aircraft touts flight test results A Canadian aircraft maker developing a new light sport aircraft claims that flight tests have demonstrated the two-seater will not spin. SAM Aircraft President Thierry Zibi issued a press release Aug. 27 touting flight test results, providing links to online videos, and offering brief excerpts from a test pilot's report on the SAM LS. The aircraft is being developed as both a kit and factory-built aircraft, with deliveries expected to begin in 2014. "Our test pilot tried to make it spin, and the SAM just spirals... He also crossed the controls; the SAM buffets and goes nose down," Zibi said in the news release. "The SAM won't spin -- and we tried hard to make it spin." Without naming Icon, which was recently granted an FAA exemption to the light sport aircraft (LSA) weight limit on the strength of a spin-resistant design for its two-seat A5, Zibi claimed there was "more than one spin-proof design at Oshkosh this year!" It is unclear to what extent the SAM LS has been tested, and Zibi said in an email that there are no plans to seek independent validation of the results, appearing to suggest that customers will themselves validate the spin-resistant quality of the new design: "At this time, we will not ask a third-party verification, but that will be soon the case when more and more SAM will fly, this characteristic will be third-party confirmed," Zibi wrote. He did not respond to a subsequent email seeking additional detail about the flight tests conducted. The YouTube videos posted to demonstrate the aircraft's (attempted) spin and cross- controlled behaviors do not show clearly the control inputs applied during the maneuvers. The pilot appears to be alone in the tandem seat design, with the rear seat empty. William J. Fredericks, a NASA aerospace engineer with the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch at NASA's Langley Research Center, said with the rear seat unoccupied it would be much more difficult to induce a spin, because the center of gravity would be toward the forward end of the envelope. "As you move the CG aft, it's easier to spin the airplane," said Fredericks, who is familiar with recent aircraft design efforts but not involved in the development of Icon, SAM Aircraft, or other commercial designs. Fredericks noted that the side-by-side seating arrangement of Icon's A5 is part of what helps it resist spins, limiting the aft excursion of the CG. Combined with aerodynamic features and limited elevator travel, the side-by-side arrangement helped Icon achieve its design goal of resisting spins. Accomplishing the same in a tandem seat aircraft is "a much more challenging bar to reach," he said. Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, said in an email that he considered the assertion that "SAM won't spin" to be "merely a claim and not particularly meaningful therefore." Johnson softened his stance in a follow-up email: "Since we corresponded, I watched their videos and the test pilot really messed up the controls worse than most customer pilots might, yet Sam LS did not respond poorly." Zibi said in his email to AOPA Online that the design team did not set out to make the SAM LS resist spins. "To be honest, spin resistance wasn't a design goal, even though we wanted a safe aircraft, easy and enjoyable to fly," Zibi wrote. Spin resistance "was a surprise for us, a great surprise." http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2013/August/28/lsa-maker-claims-spin- resistance.aspx Curt Lewis