Flight Safety Information January 10, 2014 - No. 010 In This Issue U.S. surveillance plane crash in Afghanistan kills 3 Americans Flight delays in Delhi fog: Blame it on pilots not trained to fly in zero visibility Ethiopian Airlines 787 returns to service after repair Pilot safety rules could cut flights Airlines banned in EU are flying in UAE U.S. Business Jet Accidents Plummet in 2013 Parents of teen killed in jet crash file claim against San Francisco Congress renames NASA flight center after Neil Armstrong Think ARGUS PROS And the world's safest airline is .? NCAA Responsible for Last Two Air Crashes in Nigeria Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA): Air transport industry improves safety performance in 2013 Position Available: Director of Safety. C-23 Sherpa makes final flight as Army Guard retires aircraft Emirates Airline President Tim Clark Named Person of the Year by Aviation Week Solar flares delay space station supply flight U.S. surveillance plane crash in Afghanistan kills 3 Americans It's unclear why the plane crashed but it reportedly was not shot down. The crash is the latest in what has been a deadly week for American airmen. An MC-12 surveillance airplane, like the one that crashed Friday in Afghanistan, killing three Americans. A U.S. military MC-12 plane crashed in eastern Afghanistan early Friday morning, killing three Americans. The plane was not struck by enemy fire, a defense official told ABC News, though a cause of the crash has not been released. "Two International Security Assistance Force service members and one ISAF civilian died following an aircraft mishap in eastern Afghanistan today," a NATO spokesman said in a statement to the Daily News. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities." The MC-12 is traditionally used as a surveillance airplane, ABC News reports. The aircraft has multiple cameras, allowing an onboard technician to analyze data from different areas in real time. The crash comes during what has been a deadly week for U.S. airmen. The MC-12 plane crash Friday marks a total of at least 10 Americans who have died in aircraft mishaps since Tuesday. The MC-12 plane crash Friday marks a total of at least 10 Americans who have died in aircraft mishaps since Tuesday. An Air Force Pave Hawk helicopter crashed into a marshy area on the England coast Tuesday night during a training mission, killing all four crewmen aboard. On Wednesday, an MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 20 miles off the coast of Virginia. Two people died and two more were rescued in that incident. A fifth crewman has not been recovered and is presumed killed. And reports surfaced Thursday that a December helicopter crash that killed six Americans had been caused by Taliban insurgents. That incident was originally thought to have been caused by a mechanical issue. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/surveillance-airplane-crash-afghanistan-kills-3-americans-article- 1.1571738#ixzz2q00eMebW *********** Status: Preliminary Date: Thursday 9 January 2014 Type: Beechcraft MC-12W Liberty (King Air 350) Operator: United States Air Force - USAfF Registration: registration unknown C/n / msn: First flight: Crew: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Airplane damage: Damaged beyond repair Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Eastern Afghanistan (Afghanistan) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: Military Departure airport: ? Destination airport: ? Narrative: A US-military MC-12 reconnaissance aircraft flying a nighttime mission crashed in eastern Afghanistan. There are said to be three casualties. There are no indications that the aircraft was brought down by enemy fire, said a defense official. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Flight delays in Delhi fog: Blame it on pilots not trained to fly in zero visibility Aircraft seen in dense fog at a runway at Chowdhury Charan Singh Airport in Lucknow on Thursday. With shortage of pilots trained to fly in zero visibility conditions (Category III) leading to delays and cancellation of flights in the national capital, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has said that if the crew of an airlines is not trained to fly in CAT III conditions, its operations in Delhi will be suspended during the next fog season. The DGCA has constituted a technical committee to make Delhi a zero-diversion airport from next season. CAT III is an instrumental landing system that allows aircraft to take off and land even when the visibility at the runway falls to zero. Seven domestic commercial operators fly to and fro Delhi. Sources say all these airlines have been asked to ensure that their crews are trained to fly using CAT III system. "Both the commander and the co-pilot flying in and out of Delhi would have to be trained to fly in zero visibility," said Prabhat Kumar, director general of civil aviation. According to DGCA records, 1,283 commanders and 965 co-pilots of these airlines are trained to fly in CAT III conditions - which is roughly only half their strength. In the past 10 days, more than 600 flights flying in and out of Delhi have been affected because of dense fog. Except for Air India and Jet Airways, not many pilots of the other airlines are trained to fly in CAT III conditions. "Not all pilots of private airlines are trained to fly using CAT III system, which leads to these delays," added Kumar. The training for flying in CAT III conditions is costly and not required in India except for 10 to 15 days. "Most airlines have created infrastructure for training their pilots for CAT II and CAT III procedures. But it is not required all the year round. So the airlines have not made it mandatory," said a senior officer of the DGCA. As the DGCA has threatened to temporally cancel operations of the airlines that fail to get their crew trained, the private airlines will have to utilize their trained fleet for the capital. "We will utilise our trained pilots to fly in the Delhi sector during the fog season," said an airline operator. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-flight-delays-in-delhi-fog-blame-it-on-pilots-not-trained-to-fly-in-zero- visibility-1948304 Back to Top Ethiopian Airlines 787 returns to service after repair An Ethiopian Airlines 787 Dreamliner that was damaged in a fire at London's Heathrow Airport is back in service. The Seattle Times reports that Boeing repaired the plane, and that it flew from Frankfurt, Germany to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Dec. 23 after a few test flights in England. Boeing spokeswoman Kate Bergman told the Times on Wednesday that "the repair and refurbishment took approximately two months and has returned the airplane to full structural integrity, with no degradation to passenger safety or comfort." The Dreamliner has been hailed as one of the most innovative planes in years because it is 20% more fuel efficient and has 20% fewer emissions than similar planes. It is made from composites, a first for the industry, and is the first Boeing plane to use rechargeable lithium ion batteries. But the jetliner has been plagued with problems since last year, when a battery caught fire on an All Nippon Airways flight in January. Other incidents led the Federal Aviation Administration to ground all Dreamliners for four months. The Heathrow fire broke out Jan. 12 when the aircraft was parked and empty. According to the Times: "Investigators say it was likely caused by the incorrect installation of a small lithium battery inside an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT), an electronic device that transmits location data to satellites in the event of a crash." Bergman declined to give details of the repair method. The United Kingdom Air Accident Investigation Branch is still investigating the cause of the fire. http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/01/09/boeing-dreamliner-ethiopian-airlines-london- heathrow-fire/4385277/ Back to Top Pilot safety rules could cut flights New rules to give pilots more rest could mean there aren't enough pilots to fly the regional jets that are used on about half of the nation's flights. New safety rules that played a part in JetBlue Airways' epic meltdown this week could further stretch the industry's supply of pilots, and cause problems at local airports nationwide. That's because busy regional airlines, which carry a big chunk of all U.S. passengers, are particularly vulnerable to the same rules that felled JetBlue. At issue is an FAA policy that went into effect on Saturday requiring more rest for pilots. Experts say the rules will mean more flight cancellations in bad weather, since weather-related delays will eat up the fixed number of hours that pilots are allowed to be on duty. More downtime will also exacerbate an existing shortage of pilots, which could eventually cost some cities service altogether. Many major airlines are not really affected by the rules because their union contracts already require similar rest periods for pilots. But JetBlue's pilots are not in the union, so the carrier had to make adjustments when bad weather backed up flights. And many regional carriers might have to follow suit. While many of them are unionized, their pilots don't have the same strong contracts as those at the major carriers. So they too will have to start giving pilots bigger breaks. Regional jets operate about half of the nation's passenger flights and carry about 25% of fliers. What's more, about 70% of U.S. cities -- from Bangor, Maine, and Bakersfield, Calif., to Shreveport, La., and Kalamazoo, Mich. -- are served only by regional outfits. Regional airlines operate under contracts with the major carriers under names such as American Eagle and Delta Connection. They typically carry passengers between smaller airports and the major hubs. A look back at JetBlue's tarmac woes The new rest rules were aimed at combating the problem of pilot fatigue, after the crash of a regional jet in Buffalo in 2009 that killed 50 people. They require a minimum of 10 hours of rest before a pilot reports for duty, and place weekly and monthly limits on the amount of time a pilot can work. The upshot: Airlines as a whole will have to hire an estimated 8% to 10% more pilots, according to airline consultant William Swelbar. "The industry will be required to have more pilots on hand today to do the same amount of flying as it did a week ago," he said. For regional carriers, which have around 16,000 pilots, that will be a costly and difficult requirement. Regional carriers already have a hard time hiring pilots because they pay a fraction of what the major carriers offer. "Communities that rely on regional airlines are going to lose service -- it's just a question of where and how much," said Roger Cohen, president of the Regional Airline Association, the industry trade group. "There just aren't enough pilots." Two other relatively new rules, unrelated to the rest policy, are making the pilot shortage at regional carriers more acute. One has led to a jump in the number of pilots retiring, while the other has prolonged how long it takes to hire new pilots "I'm all for the new rules. They're great for safety," said Kit Darby, a consultant who helps pilots with their careers. "But [they] ignore the tenets of business, which is that you need the pilots to do the job. The rules should have been phased in." Darby said it's too soon to say which cities are at risk of losing air service altogether. He believes eventually the airlines will have to decide which cities are no longer profitable enough to justify using the limited supply of pilots. "It's not something that typically happens the day the rule takes effect," he said. "But it will happen when the regionals run out of pilots." To top of page http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/09/news/companies/pilot-flight-cancellations/ Back to Top Airlines banned in EU are flying in UAE Aviation official says UAE not bound by EU dictates on carrier services Dubai: Airlines blacklisted by the EU over safety concerns are flying in the UAE. A simple web search shows that Ariana Afghan Airlines, banned by the EU since 2006, flies to Dubai seven times a week. Sudan Airways, banned by the EU since 2010, flies to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah for a total of seven times a week. A spokesperson for the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) would not comment on the presence of banned airlines in UAE airspace but pointed out that the UAE does not share the same list as the EU. While the GCAA has banned 61 aircraft operators, including 35 charter operators, the EU blacklist can be used by other countries as a guideline on aviation safety policies and as an indicator of unsafe airlines. The EU ban imposed includes "all air carriers certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of" Afghanistan and Sudan. Ernest Arvai, a US-based aviation consultant and CEO of The Arvai Group, told Gulf News that the presence of EU-banned airlines in the UAE provides an opportunity rather than tainting the country's image. "The key is helping those countries in difficulty take steps to correct their problems," he said. http://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/airlines-banned-in-eu-are-flying-in-uae-1.1275960 Back to Top U.S. Business Jet Accidents Plummet in 2013 U.S.-registered business jets experienced significantly fewer total accidents and fatalities last year versus 2012, but the number of fatalities in U.S. business turboprop accidents more than tripled year-over-year. According to preliminary statistics compiled by AIN, U.S.-registered business jets were involved in 14 total accidents last year, compared with 34 in 2012. Although there were six fatal accidents last year, one more than in 2012, the number of fatalities dropped to 17 from 24 year-over-year. All six fatal crashes last year occurred under Part 91. In 2012, four of the five fatal accidents happened under Part 91, while the other fatal befell a Part 135 operation. U.S.-registered turboprops incurred 28 nonfatal crashes last year versus 37 in 2012, but 45 people were killed in 15 accidents last year, compared with 15 fatalities in seven mishaps in 2012. Two of the fatal crashes last year involved Part 135 operations, with the remainder occurring under Part 91. In accidents involving non-U.S.-registered business jets, preliminary data show six people died in two crashes last year, compared with two killed in a single crash in 2012, all while flying privately. Accidents last year involving non-N-numbered turboprops resulted in 42 fatalities, the same number as in 2012. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainalerts/2014-01-09/us-business-jet-accidents-plummet-2013 Back to Top Parents of teen killed in jet crash file claim against San Francisco The parents of a Chinese girl who survived the Asiana Airlines crash but was run over by emergency vehicles and died have filed a claim against the city San Francisco. Ye Meng Yuan poses for photos in a classroom in Jiangshan city in China's Zhejiang province. The claim said emergency crews were reckless and poorly trained. Attorneys for the parents of Ye Meng Yuan, who was 16 when she died, say firefighters who came across the girl after the July 6 crash should have examined her and transported her to a safe place. "She was the only child," Gretchen Nelson, an attorney for the family, told Reuters. "That is a significant issue. In China there is a one child policy and this was their one child." Nelson said that state law dictates that a claim be filed within six months of the crash. No specific dollar amount in damages was requested. Firefighters have told investigators they thought the girl was dead as they hurried toward the wreckage of Asiana Flight 214 at San Francisco Airport on July 6. An autopsy showed that Yuan was alive at the time the vehicles hit her. The Asiana flight hit a seawall in front of the runway during its final approach then slammed into the ground before cartwheeling and coming to a smoky stop. The impact tore open the rear of the plane, tossing out three flight attendants and their seats and scattered pieces of the Boeing 777 across the runway. The crash killed three Chinese teens and injured more than 200 others out of 307 people aboard. In the family's claim, attorneys at the Los Angeles law firm Kreindler and Kreindler, which specializes in aviation-related lawsuits, name 37 individual airport, fire and police department employees, The Associated Press reported. Two San Francisco firefighters saw the girl lying on the ground and alerted a supervisor, but they were instructed to move on and failed to mark her location, the claim says. How Yuan was separated from the plane remains unknown, though the claim says rescuers may have removed her from the plane. Documents introduced at a National Transportation Board Hearing said that girl was actually run over twice - once by a fire rig spraying foam and about 15 minutes later by a water truck. As a result of Yuan's death, airport firefighters in San Francisco are getting more training. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/09/22246551-parents-of-teen-killed-in-jet-crash-file-claim- against-san-francisco Back to Top Congress renames NASA flight center after Neil Armstrong Neil Armstrong, seen here in an original painting by artist Robert McCall depicting the astronaut's early NASA career when he was a research pilot at the center that will bear his name. (NASA) Jan. 9, 2014 - Lawmakers have renamed NASA's primary flight research center to honor the first man to walk on the moon. The U.S. Senate on Wednesday (Jan. 8) passed a bill that redesignates the space agency's Dryden Flight Research Center in southern California the "NASA Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center." The legislation continues to honor the facility's displaced namesake by renaming the surrounding area the "Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test Range." The U.S. House of Representatives earlier introduced and passed a corresponding resolution in February 2013. This was at least the third time since 2007 that Congress has sought to name the flight research center for Armstrong. On Thursday, the bill was presented to the President to be signed into law. Aerial photograph of NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, which Congress voted to rename for astronaut Neil Armstrong. (NASA) In July 1969, Armstrong and his Apollo 11 crewmate Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon, where Armstrong became the first human in history to set foot on the lunar surface. Armstrong, 82, died Aug. 25, 2012 following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. "Neil Armstrong turned dream into reality by making that 'one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind' on another world almost 240,000 miles away," Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), one of the bill's eight co-sponsors in the House, said last year. Prior to his becoming an astronaut, Armstrong served as a research pilot flying out of the center that will now bear his name. From 1955 to 1962, Armstrong served as an experimental test pilot at the then High-Speed Flight Station, amassing 2,400 hours of flying time, including flying the X-15 rocket plane. While still at the station in the early 1960s, he was part of the team that conceptualized the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, which helped create the training vehicle that later he and other Apollo astronauts used to practice landing on the moon. Neil Armstrong (at top left) was one of seven test pilots at NASA's Flight Research Center when this was taken in 1962. (NASA) "In some respects, I think Neil might have been a happier man if he had stayed a test pilot, becoming chief test pilot at NASA Dryden," historian James Hansen, the author of Armstrong's 2005 authorized biography "First Man," said. "His career in test flying will be remembered even more now that his name will be forever associated with the flight research center." The center, located at Edwards Air Force Base, is NASA's premiere facility for atmospheric flight research and flight operations. In addition to its work to advance the design of civilian and military aircraft, the center was designated the primary alternate landing site for the space shuttle and is now managing launch abort system testing and integration for NASA's Orion crewed spacecraft. The center was originally known as the Muroc Flight Test Unit under NACA, the aeronautics predecessor to NASA. The facility was also referred to as the High-Speed Flight Research Station and High-Speed Flight Station prior to it becoming a part of the space program with the founding of NASA in 1958. The main building at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, Calif., as seen in May 1999. (NASA) On March 26, 1976, the flight research center was named in honor of Hugh L. Dryden, the former director of NACA, who served as NASA's first deputy administrator up until his death in 1965. One of the country's most prominent aeronautical engineers, Dryden helped shape policy that led to the development of the nation's high-speed research program and its record-setting X-15 rocket plane. He also headed the negotiations for the early agreements with the Soviet Union on the peaceful use of space. "Dryden recommended to President John F. Kennedy that the goal of putting a man on the moon within 10 years was achievable and something the American people could rally behind," Smith, who serves as the chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, said in a February 2013 statement. "Dryden was not able to see his dream become reality, as he died in 1965." "Neil Armstrong was the one who flew the spacecraft that Dryden envisioned," Smith said. http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-010914b-neil-armstrong-nasa-center-name.html Back to Top Back to Top And the world's safest airline is ... Africa was once again the most dangerous continent for aviation in 2013 but the worst accident was this Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 crash at Kazan, Russia, which killed all 50 people onboard. (CNN) -- Flight-phobics, relax -- a list of the world's safest airlines has just been released. Top of the ranking from AirlineRatings.com of the safest carriers in 2013 is the Australian airline Qantas. Awarding it a full seven stars, the website cites the airline's fatality-free flying record from the beginning of the jet era in the early 1950s. Other airlines sharing the seven-star rating and winning a place among the top 10 safest airlines are, in alphabetical order, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Eva Air, Royal Jordanian, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. Safest industries Commercial aviation is one of the most heavily monitored industries in the world and statistically the much- cited comparison bears out: you are much less likely to die in an airplane crash than in a car accident. Indeed, the number of fatalities last year was at a record low, according to the Aviation Safety Network (ASN). Many airlines go for years without experiencing significant safety incidents, let alone a crash. There is thus often little to distinguish the largest and most reliable carriers apart from a safety point of view. Of the 448 airlines AirlineRatings.com surveys, 137 have a top seven-star rating. Along with fatality crash records and audits from aviation governing bodies, the website takes into account the quality of the "in-flight product" airlines offer -- including in-flight entertainment, seating and food -- to determine their ranking. Nonetheless, it's useful know some of the airlines to consider booking if you'd prefer to concentrate on the inflight movie rather than rejigging your last will and testament in your head. Probably not among them, however, is Scat, the unfortunately named Kazakh airline that shares a one-star ranking with the Afghan Kam Air and the Surinamese Bluewing Airlines. All are on a list of airlines banned from flying within the EU. Quite what the one star is for isn't revealed -- perhaps just getting off the ground. It's certainly not for brand name development in the case of Scat. Of the carriers awarded two stars, three are from Indonesia and one each from Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Eritrea and Myanmar. The United States doesn't blacklist individual airlines, but it does make public a list of countries, including Indonesia, that it judges to fall short of international aviation safety standards. Record year Dubious names and rankings aside, nervous flyers should be breathing easier. Last year was the safest for flying since 1945, with 269 deaths from 29 accidents, the ASN records. That compares with a far higher 10-year average of 719 fatalities and 32 accidents annually (involving planes with a minimum passenger capacity of 14). "The average number of airliner accidents has shown a steady and persistent decline," said the ASN president, Harro Ranter, "probably for a great deal thanks to the continuing safety-driven efforts by international aviation organizations." However, the picture is uneven worldwide. With one-fifth of all fatal airliner accidents but only around 3% of global aircraft departures, Africa remains the least safe continent for flying. Yet the worst accident last year was in Russia. A Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 from Moscow to Kazan crashed and exploded into flames on landing on November 17, killing all 44 passengers and six crew aboard. The Russian carrier receives only four stars from AirlineRatings.com because of its failure to complete the "critical" International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit. Airlines that have completed the audit have a 77% better safety record than those that haven't, the website reports. http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/09/travel/safest-airline-2013/ Back to Top NCAA Responsible for Last Two Air Crashes in Nigeria' Industry operators have attributed the last two air crashes involving Dana Air and Associated Aviation to poor safety oversight by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The Dana Air flight 092 which crashed in Lagos on June 3, 2012, killing 153 persons on board was caused by an engine failure and the decision of the pilot to continue with the flight instead of returning to base, leading to the failure of the second engine. Also on October 3, 2013 Associated Aviation Embraer 120 plunged headlong to the ground after take-off, killing about eight passengers on-board. Preliminary report disclosed that the engine of the aircraft was weak and that the captain of the flight defied aircraft voice warnings and his co-pilot's suggestion that the flight be aborted. Operators who spoke with THISDAY pointed out two facts: one, the two aircraft involved in the accidents had weak engines and two, the pilots took bad decisions that led to the crashes. They attributed the malfunctioned aircraft to poor inspection by NCAA and disclosed that shortly before the Dana Air flight crash, an official of the NCAA who inspected the airline's fleet had grounded the aircraft over poor air worthiness but this was overruled by a superior officer who directed the airline to continue its services with the aircraft. A seasoned Nigerian pilot who was a top government official at the time disclosed that NCAA applies its regulations unequally on airlines, protecting some airlines and being hard on others, noting that some airlines were allowed to defer the maintenance schedule of their fleet, while others, contrary to the regulation were allowed to operate with one aircraft, instead of minimum two. "NCAA lacks the right manpower and they have the tendency to compromise and the new director-general is yet to assert himself. Any civil aviation authority that actually compromises or does not have in-depth maintenance of aircraft as prescribed by the manufacturers will tend to second guess on safety oversight," the source said. The source also noted that the inability to fully computerise its records is one of the major problems of NCAA because such failure would impact on its efficiency on how it could manage the fleet operating in the country. "NCAA is expected to monitor every aircraft that flies in Nigeria's airspace. It should have knowledge of its history, maintenance profile and its whereabouts at any time. How can you do this by carrying heaps of log books and be searching every day. Every aircraft should have soft copy profile in the system," the source also said. Another source who spoke to THISDAY remarked that nothing has changed since the Dana Air crash in June 2012 and that in spite of the promises made after the October 3 crash, noting has be done. "When they talk about interference by the Ministry of Aviation on the activities of NCAA I laugh. How can the Ministry interfere in the safety oversight of NCAA? NCAA has not done anything remarkable to show it has deviated from the past. Nigeria has got the weather monitoring right; it has got safety in the airspace with the radar, but NCAA cannot put the airlines to be in charge of the air worthiness of their aircraft. This means that another crash is just a matter of time." Speaking on behalf of the regulatory body, Sam Adurogboye told THISDAY, "How can I react to an allegation on an issue of accidents? The proper thing is to wait for AIB (Accident Investigation Bureau) final report on each of the accident before making a categorical statement or taking action. No. NCAA will not react to such allegations." http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/ncaa-responsible-for-last-two-air-crashes-in-nigeria-8217-/168460/ Back to Top Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA): Air transport industry improves safety performance in 2013 09-Jan-2014 New technologies and certification standards contribute to the lowest ever number of fatalities 2013 was the safest year in terms of commercial airline jet fatalities. The low number of fatalities can be attributed to regulatory and industry efforts to continuously improve safety performance by the introduction of enhanced technology, new designs and strict certification standards to aircraft over the years. This has both reduced the number of accidents and increased passenger survivability, enhanced by further improvements to cabin safety. Worldwide, for the year 2013 as a whole, there were seven major accidents involving large western-built commercial airline jets, which resulted in a total of 115 fatalities. This represented a loss rate of one major accident for every four million flights. Looking back over the past five years, the industry has more than halved the average major accident loss rate, due to continuous improvements in safety performance. Asia Pacific carriers experienced three major accidents involving large western-built commercial airline jets, which resulted in a total of 24 fatalities. Turboprop operations also maintained their good safety record, but remain in focus as they continue to experience somewhat higher accident rates compared to larger jet aircraft operations. Many of these commercial turboprop operations are carried out in more challenging environments and conditions, which can be considered a contributory factor. Mr. Andrew Herdman, Director General of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) commented, "Flying is the safest form of travel, and now part of everyday modern life. The positive outcome for 2013 is that the number of major accidents remains extremely low with just seven losses from more than 30 million commercial flights worldwide. Furthermore, the number of fatalities has declined significantly due to the improved survivability of accidents. This excellent performance reflects the introduction of modern technology and operational procedures that place passenger safety above all else." He added, "Aviation in the Asia Pacific region has been expanding rapidly and effective safety oversight needs to match this growth. AAPA's safety objective is to deliver further positive improvements in safety performance, recognising that this can only be achieved through the joint efforts of the region's operators, working in close partnership with regulators and other involved stakeholders. AAPA continues to be fully supportive of the latest ICAO safety objectives, including those addressing further enhancements to runway safety, approach and landing procedures, wildlife hazard management, and wider deployment of safety management systems." Mr. Herdman also noted, "In addition to large commercial jet operations, greater attention also needs to be focused on turboprop aircraft operations. We need firm regulation to ensure that all carriers operate to the highest international standards, including wider deployment of automated terrain awareness warning systems for all commercial operations." Mr. Herdman concluded, "Passengers can be assured that flying is safer than ever, thanks to the efforts and commitment of a wide range of aviation industry stakeholders in the sharing of safety data and the development of best safety management practices." http://centreforaviation.com/members/direct-news/aapa-air-transport-industry-improves-safety- performance-in-2013-147290 Back to Top Position Available: Director of Safety F.I.T. Aviation, LLC of Melbourne, Florida is recruiting for the position of Director of Safety. F.I.T. Aviation was established in 1968 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Florida Institute of Technology, supporting the college of Aeronautics aviation program through our flight training activities. The Director of Safety is responsible for ensuring that appropriate standards are established and maintained to provide the highest level of safety. The Director of Safety develops, coordinates and implements preventive measures affecting present and potential safety issues. The successful candidate will have a bachelor's degree in Safety Management, Aviation Management, or Business Management; have 2-3 years related work experience in aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS); and hold a Commercial Pilot Certificate, ATP, or ICAO equivalent. Salary will be commensurate with experience. A complete job description or to apply to this position please visit our website at http://fitaviation.hirecentric.com/jobs/. This posting will remain active until January 31, 2014. F.I.T. Aviation, LLC is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Back to Top C-23 Sherpa makes final flight as Army Guard retires aircraft An aircrew from the California Army National Guard's Detachment 1, Company I, 185th Theater Aviation Brigade, flies a C-23 Sherpa aircraft over San Diego. The cargo plane, which has served the Army National Guard since the early 1990's, has recently been retired by the Army National Guard. WASHINGTON (Jan. 9, 2014) -- The sounds of the C-23 Sherpa are now a thing of the past as the Army National Guard bids farewell to the venerable aircraft after two decades of service. The box-shaped aircraft described by many as a "work horse" is now heading into retirement. Throughout its operations in the Army Guard, the Sherpa has been used in response to natural disasters and war missions, said Maj. Matthew Moore, chief of future operations with the Operational Support Airlift Agency, or OSAA, adding that it was also a widely used aircraft to support parachute-drop training missions for all components of the Army and special operations organizations. The Sherpa, a fixed wing aircraft, was introduced to the Army Guard in the early 1990's, and has been flown in countless missions in both stateside and overseas operations, including the 1991 Gulf War and more recently during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The C-23 provided limited rear support during the Persian Gulf War," said Moore. "However, it saw continued action from 2003 through 2011, in Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn, often moving half-a-million pounds of cargo a month." The aircraft has seen continued use in other missions as well, including in Egypt as part of the Multi-national Force and Observers' peacekeeping mission. "I was fortunate enough to ferry the first C-23 through Israel to El Gorah, Egypt," said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Clarence Shockley, an instructor pilot and instrument examiner for the OSAA. He said the mission was two- fold: first to use the C-23 as an observation platform for the Multi-national Force and Observers, to monitor military activity on the Sinai to ensure compliance with the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, and, second, to provide transportation to personnel and cargo from different locations throughout the region. The Sherpa was no stranger to disaster response or providing assistance to other countries around the world. "The C-23 provided disaster relief during hurricanes, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, forest fires, flooding, blizzards and the earthquake in Haiti, and was also used during the (2010) Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia," Shockley said. The Sherpa was a versatile aircraft and was used to do things other cargo aircraft could not do, Shockley said. "A C-130 (Hercules aircraft) simply cannot land at every location," he said. "Sometimes a CH-47 (Chinook helicopter) is too expensive to operate for a light load. It was another tool that was cost-effective in homeland defense, disaster preparedness and the Global War on Terrorism." But for Shockley, one of the best things about flying the Sherpa was that, "it was a very stable instrument platform," and the crew stations were comfortable. Now with the aircraft at its final destination and set to be retired, Shockley said he has many personal memories about the aircraft. "My first deployment, in 1999, was to Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, for disaster relief after Hurricane Mitch devastated much of the coastal regions of Central America," Shockley said. During his time in Honduras, he flew the Sherpa to haul disaster relief supplies, medical personnel, engineers and construction equipment throughout Central America. Other moments stand out as well. Shockley recalled a flight in 2009 from Greenland to Iceland when a cockpit side window blew out. "It was a little noisy and cold, but where are you going to land when you are over the North Atlantic? We landed in Keflavik, Iceland, without any problem," Shockley said. Being a pilot of the Sherpa also sparked an interest in the aircraft in Shockley's son Conor. "You see, the first time Conor was in a C-23 he was barely one year old," said Shockley. "He was bundled up in a snow suit at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and sitting on my lap. He would reach up to the yoke and try to move it." Throughout the years, Shockley continued spending "Sherpa time" with Conor and Erin, Shockley's wife, adding that the "toddler grew into the small boy and each visit to the Sherpa was not complete without a thousand questions that only a young boy could ask." Sixteen years after first introducing the aircraft to his son, Shockley and his son recently had their final "Sherpa moment" together. "As Conor sat in the cockpit one last time, he looked around with a smile on his face and I realized that the little boy had grown into a young man, but the enjoyment he once had for sitting in dad's airplane was still there," Shockley said. The last Sherpa's journey to its final destination to the United States was not easy. Shockley, who was part of the crew that flew the final Sherpa in the inventory on its final mission, said that electrical issues and inclement weather caused several delays in getting the aircraft home from Egypt. Still, Shockley said was glad to have flown the Sherpa this last time. "It was a privilege to have had the opportunity to fly the last Sherpa into retirement and the greater privilege was to have served as a crewmember with those hard-working quiet professionals," said Shockley. http://www.army.mil/article/118054/C_23_Sherpa_makes_final_flight_as_Army_Guard_retires_aircraft/ Back to Top Emirates Airline President Tim Clark Named Person of the Year by Aviation Week WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Penton's Aviation Week has selected Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, as its 2013 Person of the Year. Aviation Week's editors recognized Clark for his role in reshaping the competitive landscape in the long-haul airline market and his outsize sway in aircraft design. "Clark's in-depth airline and aircraft expertise combined with his friendly outspokenness have made him into one of the most influential figures on the customer side of the industry. Clark is never shy to express his opinion publicly," said Jens Flottau, Aviation Week's Managing Editor, Civil Aviation. With Clark at the helm, Emirates Airline is the largest operator of Boeing 777s and a launch customer for the new 777X. Emirates also accounts for half of the Airbus A380 orderbook. "Since 2006, Aviation Week's Person of the Year has recognized individuals who have had a major impact on the aerospace, defense and aviation industries- for better or worse," says Aviation Week & Space Technology Editor-in-Chief Joseph C. Anselmo. "Under Tim Clark's leadership, Emirates is transforming the competitive landscape in the long-haul airline market. Emirates has also become a crucial customer of Airbus and Boeing to the point where it holds sway in the design configurations of new aircraft such as the Boeing 777X." Prior recipients of the Person of the Year distinction include German Chancellor Angela Merkel; Louis R. Chenevert, chairman and CEO of United Technologies Corp., United Continental CEO Jeff Smisek; the Space Entrepreneur; former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; the father of China's space program, Tsien Hsue-shen; Alan Mulally, previously of Boeing Co.; and Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, previously of Finmeccanica. Tim Clark appears on the Jan. 13, 2014 cover of Aviation Week & Space Technology. Complete coverage of the Person of the Year is available at aviationweek.com . Back to Top Solar flares delay space station supply flight CAPE CANAVERAL, Fl. -- A strong solar storm is interfering with the latest grocery run to the International Space Station. On the bright side, the orbiting lab has won a four-year extension, pushing its projected end-of-lifetime to at least 2024, a full decade from now. "This is a big plus for us," said NASA's human exploration chief, Bill Gerstenmaier. On Wednesday, Orbital Sciences Corp. delayed its space station delivery mission for the third time. Another launch attempt will be made Thursday afternoon. The company's unmanned rocket, the Antares, was set to blast off from Wallops Island, Va., with a capsule full of supplies and science experiments, including ants for an educational project. But several hours before Wednesday afternoon's planned flight, company officials took the unusual step of postponing the launch for fear that solar radiation could doom the rocket. Orbital Sciences' chief technical officer, Antonio Elias, said solar particles might interfere with electronics equipment in the rocket, and lead to a launch failure. After evaluating the situation all day Wednesday, Orbital Sciences decided to aim for Thursday at 1:07 p.m. EST. The solar flare peaked Tuesday afternoon and more activity was expected, but the company determined that the space weather was within acceptable risk levels. The sun is at the peak of a weak 11-year storm cycle. Although the solar storm barely rated moderate, some passenger jets were being diverted from the poles to avoid potential communication and health issues. GPS devices also were at risk. But the six men aboard the space station were safe from the solar fallout, NASA said, and satellites also faced no threat. The Cygnus cargo ship aboard the rocket, for example, is built to withstand radiation from solar flare-ups. The storm also will push the colorful northern lights farther south than usual to the northern U.S. The Cygnus was supposed to fly in December, but a breakdown in the space station's cooling system required repairs by spacewalking astronauts. The repair job, which was completed on Christmas Eve, bumped the supply mission to this week. Then frigid temperatures forced a launch delay from Tuesday to Wednesday. Then came the sun - at full force. Frank Culbertson, an executive vice president for Virginia-based Orbital Sciences, said the delays can be frustrating, but he pointed out there's nothing wrong with the rocket itself. "All we're really delaying is the success that's going to come when we execute this mission," he told reporters. NASA is using two private companies - Orbital Sciences and the California-based SpaceX - to keep the space station stocked. The space agency turned to private industry for help following the space shuttle program; the last shuttle flight was in 2011. Russia, Europe and Japan also periodically launch supply ships. Russia corners the space station market, though, on astronaut travel. NASA astronauts are hitching rides on Russian Soyuz capsules until American companies are ready to launch human crews. Gerstenmaier said that should happen by 2017. NASA will evaluate the proposals again this spring before deciding whether to buy more Soyuz seats for that year and beyond, he said. Each seat costs many tens of millions of dollars. The White House, meanwhile, is poised to announce an extension of the space station's lifetime until at least 2024, according to NASA. The previous end-of-life date was 2020. That's good news for scientific research aboard the orbiting lab, Gerstenmaier said. The first space station piece rocketed into orbit in 1998. Construction ended the same year the shuttle program did, allowing inhabitants to concentrate on research. The major partners in the station are the U.S., Russia, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=9387166 Curt Lewis