Flight Safety Information March 4, 2014 - No. 045 In This Issue F-15 fighter jet loses canopy near Okinawa; no injuries reported American Airlines Jet Clips Concrete Pillar Indian Ambassador Hopes FAA Restores Top Air-Safety Rating Facebook plans to unleash an army of drones to connect the world Australia suppresses criticism of its aviation safety body Graduates of TransPac Aviation Academy Becoming Pilots Leading the Future of International Flight PRISM SMS Jet Engine Technology at The Heart of DoD's Drive To Preserve At-Risk Sectors Gulf Flight Safety Council meets in Abu Dhabi Upcoming Events European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP) - Courses GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY F-15 fighter jet loses canopy near Okinawa; no injuries reported An Air Force KC-135 from the 909th Air Refueling Squadron refuels a 44th Fighter Squadron F-15 Eagle while two other F-15s fly in formation during a training mission over Okinawa, Japan, on April 5, 2013. Maeson L. Elleman/U.S. Air Force An Air Force F-15 fighter jet lost its canopy Tuesday morning during routine training off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base said. The aircraft landed without incident at Kadena, and there were no injuries. The cause of the incident was not immediately known, and base safety officials were investigating, according to the wing. U.S. aircraft based at Kadena regularly train over a vast stretch of ocean to the east of Okinawa. Last year, a F-15C jet fell into the sea in the Hotel-Hotel training zone, and the pilot safely ejected following mechanical problems. http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/f-15-fighter-jet-loses-canopy-near-okinawa-no-injuries-reported-1.271006 Back to Top American Airlines Jet Clips Concrete Pillar GRAPEVINE (CBSDFW.COM) - There have not been very many flight delays caused by icy weather at DFW International Airport on Monday morning, but American Airlines has had a couple unusual problems to tackle. First, they had a jet somehow end up in the mud, just off of a taxiway. Then, an arriving flight clipped a concrete pillar. The incident happened just after 8:30 a.m. at Gate D40 in Terminal D. According to American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller, the flight was inbound from Leone, Mexico. As it was being towed to the gate, the jet's left wing struck a concrete pillar that supports the terminal. Douglas Thompson was a passenger on the flight, and captured a photograph after the incident occurred. "As they made the turn to the gate, the wing clipped the concrete pillar," Thompson said afterward. "Passengers had to wait until they got someone out, pull it out, and they moved all of us to another gate." No injuries were reported during this incident. Miller said that the aircraft was scheduled to continue flying after its stop in DFW on Monday, but that has now changed. The plane is being taken out of service for an inspection and any required maintenance. http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/03/03/american-airlines-jet-clips-concrete-pillar/ Back to Top Indian Ambassador Hopes FAA Restores Top Air-Safety Rating CHICAGO-India is hopeful U.S. regulators will reinstate its top-tier aviation safety rating this year following a downgrade that placed restrictions on its fast-growing airlines, the country's new ambassador to the U.S. said Friday. Ambassador S. Jaishankar also said work is continuing on a new security agreement that could allow Indian companies to jointly produce military equipment with U.S. partners. The U.S. last year overtook Russia as India's largest source of arms imports by value. The Federal Aviation Administration in January downgraded India's aviation-safety ranking, citing inadequate oversight by local regulators. Though other countries have taken several years to regain the coveted Category 1 status, Mr. Jaishankar said India's return could be swifter. "I'd hope so," he said, when asked if the FAA could upgrade India from its new Category 2 status this year. Speaking after an event in Chicago, Mr. Jaishankar acknowledged it was difficult to determine a timetable as discussions continue between regulators from the two countries. The FAA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Jaishankar said in his speech that the FAA downgrade was among a list of issues that had "bogged down" U.S.-India relations in recent months, citing also a ban on some pharmaceutical imports and the recent complaint filed by the U.S. against India with the World Trade Organization over solar-power equipment. "Such headlines are not representative of the totality of our ties," he said, citing military equipment and future gas exports from the U.S. as two examples of evolving economic ties. India is the world's largest arms importer, rebuilding the many antiquated parts of its military in response to long- standing tensions with Pakistan and to China's military expansion. U.S. defense exports to India have climbed eightfold since 2009 and reached $1.9 billion last year, according to IHS Jane's, an industry consultant, and the countries signed a joint declaration on defense cooperation in September. Boeing Co. has driven the expansion with sales of helicopters and surveillance jets, followed by Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT +0.77% , which has found a ready market for its military transport aircraft. The widening defense trade balance has seen Indian and U.S. officials open talks for the co-production or co-development of weapons systems, though no deal has been reached. Mr. Jaishankar said talks continued about "more effective" technology transfer and on potential cooperation in developing the next generation of the Javelin antitank missile, which is currently produced by a joint venture between Lockheed and Raytheon Co. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303801304579411601510939962 Back to Top Facebook plans to unleash an army of drones to connect the world It's a bird... It's a plane... It's that guy from The Social Network! Facebook plans to unleash an army of drones to connect the world Facebook is said to be in talks to snap up drone manufacturer Titan Aerospace, its first significant play in the Internet.org initiative. Titan Aerospace creates unmanned solar-powered drones capable of flying at 65,000 feet for five years without needing to land, which would offer a cheaper alternative to orbital satellites. Facebook is rumoured to be in negotiations with Titan right now in the hope of using its drones to beam internet connectivity to areas of the world that currently lack access. Zuck 5, standing by According to TechCrunch, which learned of the deal, Facebook's first step will be to have 11,000 drones built with Africa the first country on the list of targets. According to an anonymous source, the deal is going down for $60 million although nothing has been verified as of yet. Internet.org is a coalition movement including Facebook, Qualcomm, Samsung, Nokia and others, which plans to bring internet to the 5 billion people of the world who still don't have means of access. Google, meanwhile, has a similar initiative of its own called Project Loon, which uses balloons instead of satellites or drones. Titan is not currently responding to requests for clarification, but we'll let you know as soon as we get any sort of official confirmation. http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/facebook-plans-to-unleash-an-army-of-drones-to-connect-the-world-1230877 Back to Top Australia suppresses criticism of its aviation safety body BY: BEN SANDILANDS Plane Talking publishes links to the suppressed 'public' submissions to a critical review of air safety safety regulation in Australia. A series of submissions to Australia's Aviation Safety Regulation Review (ASRR) that offer detailed documented criticism of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) have in effect been suppressed by that panel of 'independent' experts chaired by David Forsyth, a distinguished career aviation administrator and aero engineer. The ASRR decided not to publish the 'public' submissions lodged for its consideration. This action, which is contrary to the long established practices of accountability and transparency in democracies world wide, has stunned a number of professionals in bodies like the US FAA who had contacted Plane Talking seeking a single point link to the submissions which had been intended by the parties making them to be public. Because of the disrepute this action by the ASRR might bring to Australia, and the panel itself, including a loss of confidence in the proceedings, a list of links to 11 of the public release intended submissions are provided below. 1. Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia http://www.aerialag.com.au/Portals/0/AAAA%20Sub%20Av%20Safety%20Review%20Jan%202014%281%29.pdf 2. Australian Airports Association http://airports.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Submission-to-the-Aviation-Safety-Regulation-Review-Jan-20141.pdf 3. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Australia http://www.aopa.com.au/assets/424/AOPA_regulatory_review_submission_25.01.2014.pdf 4. Australian Federation of Air Pilots http://www.afap.org.au/files/nrteUploadFiles/92F022F201443A453A25PM.pdf 5. Australian Lawyers Alliance http://www.aviationlaw.eu/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Australian-Lawyers-Alliance_ASRR-Submission.pdf 6. Shine Lawyers http://www.shine.com.au/submission-to-the-aviation-safety-regulation-review/ 7. Australian Local Government Association http://alga.asn.au/site/misc/alga/downloads/submissions/2014/ALGA_Submission_Avn_Safety_Regulation.pdf 8.Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association http://www.alaea.asn.au/attachments/article/548/ALAEA_Aviation_Safety_Regulation_Review_Submission_20140214.pdf 9. ProAviation (Paul Phelan) http://proaviation.com.au/?p=2147#more-2147 10. Dr Robert Liddell, former director Aviation Medicine CASA (then CAA) http://proaviation.com.au/?p=2172#more-2172 11. Royal Aeronautical Society http://www.raes.org.au/news/raes-submission-to-the-aviation-safety-regulation-review/ This is not a full list of publicly available submissions. The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Warren Truss, is urged to direct the ASRR, which he set up in November, to provide a centralised and comprehensive on-line register of public submissions lodged for its consideration in the normal manner of such government established inquiries in Australia. The ASRR is required to report this May. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2014/03/02/australia-suppresses-criticism-of-its-aviation-safety-body/ Back to Top Graduates of TransPac Aviation Academy Becoming Pilots Leading the Future of International Flight Young Pilots Take Aviation, Culture, and Life Lessons Back to Chinese and Other Asian Airlines PHOENIX, March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - TransPac Aviation Academy, the largest training facility of its kind with 400 annual graduates, is pleased to announce the graduation of 29 students today. Hainan Airlines and West Air 2 Airlines are supporting the students. TransPac, a school with one of the safest flight records of any program of its kind in the US according to the National Transportation and Safety Board, has helped the students train for both careers in aviation and for an international workplace. Before these 29 students traveled from China for training with TransPac, many had never been away from home or to another country. Their families put all of their hopes for prosperity and opportunity into these students to train and become pilots. "Overcoming the cultural and geographical boundaries to fly at the highest levels of aviation is no easy feat," said Stephen Goddard, Chief Executive Officer of TransPac Aviation Academy. "These students have thrived under the tutelage of our instructors and flight simulators. They are ready to take to the skies in their homeland of China or wherever they choose to fly." Ahead of the graduation, TransPac Aviation Academy honored students who have excelled in their classes or as leaders in their community. Three of these students commented on their experiences and the importance of aviation during the graduation ceremony. "[Flying at TransPac], it helps us to use English, and it helps us to fly international flights," said Chao Chi, also known as "Jay" by his instructors. All students and instructors at TransPac echo Jay's comments about the importance of understanding English as the universally accepted language of aviators. For instance, commercial pilots cannot fly at Beijing airports without a command of the English language. Guang Liao Zeng, called "James" by instructors, found the training at TransPac Aviation Academy "very professional and safe" and said aviation growth is vital in China because of the "need to connect with other countries." Training at TransPac Aviation Academy is one big step in the career path for Yan Qi, or "Alex" as his instructors called him. "In the future, after doing the hard work, I could be a training captain or even at a higher level at any airline company. My hope is that the money I earn will help my family and allow them to live a rich life." During training, students learn to fly in the Piper Archer III (PA28-181), the Piper Seminole (PA44-180), and the Beechcraft King Air (BE-90). The Piper Archer III provides students the opportunity to acquire skills in instrument flying and navigation. Use of a flight simulator compliments this training. The Piper Seminole is flown for more advanced training, challenging students with tougher concepts and multi-engine flight. Students fly the King Air for mastering airline-style operating procedures and manuals because of it is the ideal transition aircraft with advanced electrical, hydraulic and pressurization systems. The licenses the graduating students received include PPL - Private Pilot License, IR - Instrument Rating, CPL - Commercial Pilot License, ATP - FAA Knowledge Test Endorsement, and the High Performance Certificate from TransPac for advanced turbine systems. Students will go on to fly Airbus, Boeing, and Gulfstream, which are mostly domestic airlines in China. Many graduates also go on to fly international routes. TransPac Aviation Academy offers a variety of programs, including the Career, VA, ATP, Self-Paced and Degrees. Financing is available through numerous means giving prospective students from around the world opportunities to pursue their aviation careers and dreams. http://www.ereleases.com/pr/graduates-transpac-aviation-academy-pilots-leading-future-international-flight-204007 Back to Top Back to Top Jet Engine Technology at The Heart of DoD's Drive To Preserve At-Risk Sectors A Pratt & Whitney turbofan engine undergoes testing. The Pentagon has signaled its intention to invest in next-generation jet engine technology. WASHINGTON - The Pentagon for years has said it would intervene to protect vulnerable areas of the industrial base during a period of declining defense spending. Now it's acting on that policy. Senior US defense officials last week said the Pentagon's fiscal 2015 budget proposal, which is being sent to Congress on March 4, would put money toward preserving at-risk sectors of the industrial base to protect technological know-how. At the center of the effort is a $1 billion investment in next-generation jet engine technology. The goal is to reduce fuel consumption and maintenance needs. "This new funding will also help ensure a robust industrial base, a very strong and important industrial base, itself a national strategic asset," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Feb. 24 when he previewed major decisions in the Pentagon's 2015 budget. Just one problem: The effort will not begin until 2016 and would go away if Congress does not raise defense spending caps in that year and through the remainder of the decade. This comes at a time when the Pentagon could use science and technology investments to help dig itself out of the budget hole. "If we can make key investments in areas we know are really important, [that] is going to be the big thing," Mica Endsley, the Air Force chief scientist, told Defense News on Feb. 24. Endsley pointed to the cost savings that could result from more efficient engines and noted two Air Force projects that could one day yield 25 percent to 35 percent fuel efficiency savings. "I think there's a lot of our technology investments that can also help us with our costs over the long run, but you have to be able to make those up-front investments to do that," Endsley said. More efficient engines could prove a game changer in operations and make existing aircraft more lethal, said Todd Harrison, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments think tank. A 10 percent efficiency improvement could increase the range and payload of the F-35 joint strike fighter, he said. It could also reduce the reliance on refueling tankers. In addition to the engine initiative, DoD's $496 billion 2015 budget proposal would look at designs for a new combat vehicle and next-generation aircraft, Frank Kendall, DoD's acquisition chief, said on Feb. 25 at a conference sponsored by McAleese and Associates and Credit Suisse. As the defense budget shrinks and the Pentagon looks to tailor its strategic investments, Christine Fox, the acting deputy defense secretary, warned that DoD and industry will likely not see eye-to-eye on everything. "Clearly the department needs a more cooperative, transparent and ... realistic relationship with the commercial sector," Fox said at the same conference. Hagel also announced the Army would terminate its Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) program. Instead, Kendall said last week, DoD would look at designs for a next-generation combat vehicle. "We're going to go back and take a look at that and try to advance technologies so that we have more capability than GCV was going to give us, hopefully with less weight and the equivalent protection, but with more capabilities in other areas as well," Kendall said. Army officials are laying out the details of the GCV follow-on, Army acquisition executive Heidi Shyu said at the same conference. In addition to that project, DoD also plans investments to sustain rotary and design teams, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is looking at ways to maintain air dominance 30 years from now. DoD Contracts Declining Just before defense spending caps kicked in last year, the Pentagon began slowing contract awards in an effort to save money. Even though Congress has injected more money into DoD's coffers in 2014 and 2015, Pentagon spending has not picked up. "As it sits right now, looking at it from an industrial base point of view, contract spending, '12 compared to '13, is down at least 15 percent," said David Berteau, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "That's a huge decline," Berteau added, noting his estimates include both DoD base and war funding. "It's looking like [research and development] took the biggest part of that hit." Berteau said he has not seen evidence that the Pentagon is buying back the deferrals it made last year. "We know that DoD deferred a number of contracts in 2013 because of sequestration. We know that there is no headroom in the budget to compensate for those deferrals," he said. "What we don't know is how are those deferrals being accommodated in the outlays and obligations in current FY14 spending. The real impact on the industrial base depends upon the specifics of those questions." Many details of the Pentagon's 2015 spending plan have not been released yet, making it tough to gauge the entire five- year outlook for the industry, Berteau said. Still, it appears the Obama administration will continue investments in shipbuilding and rotary wing aircraft, he said. Army vehicle production is a little more unclear with the cancellation of the GCV. Defense companies have a large backlog, high profits and every expectation of continued business, just at a lower level, said Gordon Adams, an American University professor who oversaw defense budgeting during the Clinton administration. The large contractors - which are more diversified, particularly with commercial business - face less of a problem as defense spending declines compared with the first two tiers of subcontractors, Adams said. Third-tier and fourth-tier suppliers are generally commercial-focused, producing technology, widgets and parts, and tend to be more agile, he said. More Uncertainty The Pentagon's five-year spending plan raises numerous questions and poses new uncertainty for defense companies, experts say. Several factors complicate matters. First, DoD's five-year spending projections between 2016 and 2019 are $115 billion over federal spending caps that only Congress can modify, which is unlikely. While the 2015 budget falls in line with spending caps, it will include a separate $26 billion measure, which would make up the shortfalls caused by sequestration. The extra money in 2015 money would go toward training, upgrading aircraft and weapons systems, and facilities repairs, said James Swartout, Fox's spokesman. "To me the industrial base is a captive of the same dynamic as the overall budget," Berteau said. "The uncertainty of what it is we're planning for and what we're going to execute, not only permeates military thinking and how you plan and scope your force structure and your requirements to support that, I think it permeates industry as well. How do you know where to invest? You can't tell with this gap of $140 billion over a five-year period. "Industry lives inside that $140 billion gap," Berteau said. "How can you do good industrial planning at the corporate or facility level without more certainty?" As spending contracts, the Aerospace Industries Association has continued its push for a defense industrial base strategy. "As this Congress and the administration consider future defense planning, we advocate that our leaders adopt an industrial base strategy to mitigate looming investment deficits and sustain the US defense industrial base," Marion Blakey, Aerospace Industries Association president and CEO, told the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee last week. "We should identify and protect core, military-unique private sector capabilities that are most needed to defend our homeland and build security globally." Reaction on Wall Street Wall Street seemed to take the early preview of budget decisions as a sign defense companies would have a brighter future, with stocks climbing after Defense News first reported details of the 2015 budget Feb. 23 and Hagel previewed some of the budget decisions that would be part of the Pentagon's submission the next day. That optimism was built on the back of planned personnel cuts and compensation reform that might allow the Defense Department to protect its acquisition spending and, by extension, the industrial base. But those plans depend on billions of additional dollars of funding and congressional approval for reform that might not materialize, said Byron Callan, an analyst for Capital Alpha Partners. "This idea that modernization is going to be shielded or protected may be unfounded," Callan said. "The consensus seems to be built around the idea that DoD is going to do something about compensation, but they really didn't touch retirement, and it's really debatable that Congress is willing to touch compensation." While there may be some optimism that companies could fare better than thought, the important decisions that will shape the industrial base won't be available until the full budget is released this week. Those include questions about how production lines and shipyards could be impacted by the reduction in the planned littoral combat ship order, details of which won't be part of the 2015 budget but will begin to appear as part of the future years' defense plan. Despite what may be optimism on the surface, Callan said that the mid-level personnel who drive defense firms understand that the burden of cuts hasn't suddenly been lifted. "I just don't get the sense that people are of the mindset that wow, we've made it through and we're all clear ahead, despite what some of the CEOs have said," he said. "People in the mid level of these companies are pretty realistic." http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140302/DEFREG02/303020015/Jet-Engine-Technology-Heart-DoD-s-Drive- Preserve-Risk-Sectors Back to Top Press Release - Gulf Flight Safety Council meets in Abu Dhabi The Gulf Flight Safety Council (GFSC) has conducted its first meeting for the year 2014 on Sunday 2nd of March in Gulf Center for Aviation Studies (GCAS) building in Bateen Airport (Abu Dhabi). The Council conducts its meeting periodically every three months to exchange information on Flight Safety issues among more than two Hundred Members (200) representing more than Eighty (80) different agencies from around the world that have interest in the Gulf region Flight Safety. Among the recent activities of the GFSC, which aims to improve Flight Safety in the Gulf Region, was the organization of the Aviation Safety Management Systems course delivered last week in Dubai by the University of Southern California (USC). This is the first course of an ongoing educational partnership between the GFSC and the USC that will deliver the Safety and Security Program in the Gulf region. The Gulf Flight Safety Council has addressed many regionally and internationally important Flight Safety issues in its Sunday meeting. The Council has emphasized the importance of the continuous cooperation and exchange of information among all stakeholders in the Aviation field as a cornerstone in building the highest possible level of safety regionally and internationally, the attendees also agreed on seconding the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) point of view that does not endorse the approach of Safety Ranking of Air Carriers conducted by some Websites; and stand with the view of the airline community that safety is not a competitive issue. GFSC strongly supports and encourages all possible mechanisms to exchange information that enhances flight safety, said Captain Mohammed Ahmed Malatani the Chairman of Council after the Sunday meeting. For additional information, contact Captain Mohammed Ahmed Malatani: chair@gfsc.aero or +966 505 356760 About the Gulf Flight Safety Council The Gulf Flight Safety Council began over a cup of coffee several years ago in Oman, when a small group of individuals sought to establish a focus for Gulf regional flight safety issues. From those humble beginnings the GFSC has grown into a diverse organization consisting of members from all over the region and around the world, including manufacturers, regulators, air traffic service providers, business jet and VVIP operators, airli Back to Top Upcoming Events: 25th Annual International Women in Aviation Conference March 6-8, 2014 Disney's Coronado Springs Resort Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA www.wai.org/14conference/index.cfm 8th World Cargo Symposium March 11-13, 2014 Los Angeles, California https://www.iata.org/events/wcs/pages/index.aspx Middle East Air Cargo and Logistics Exhibition & Conference 2014 April 9-10, 2014 Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) http://cargomiddleeast.com Airport Show Dubai May 11-13, 2014 Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) www.theairportshow.com/portal/home.aspx Back to Top European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP) - Courses "Human Factors in Flight Safety: Safety Management Systems (SMS), Risk Management and Safety Investigation" training courses to be conducted in Dubai and Barcelona, May 2014. Registrations are now open for these popular and internationally respected courses, to be held from: 11 - 15 May 2014, in Dubai, kindly hosted by Emirates, and, 19 - 23 May 2014, in Barcelona, kindly hosted by Barcelona-based airline, Vueling. Full details on the 2013 EAAP courses are included in the Registration Brochures for both the Dubai and Barcelona courses, which are now available for download from the EAAP website at: http://www.eaap.net/read/1801/human-factors-in-flight-safety-courses.html The experienced team of Dr Rob Lee, Kristina Pollack and Brent Hayward will again be conducting the 2013 courses on behalf of EAAP. The first of these courses was conducted at Ispra, Italy in 1999, and since then the course has been continually updated, and held regularly, in locations including Luxembourg, Stockholm, Madrid, Lisbon, Interlaken, Dublin and Dubai, with a total of more than 320 participants from civil and military aviation attending, as well as from other high technology industries. The course is recognised by EAAP as contributing towards certification requirements for those wishing to become an EAAP-certified Aviation Psychologist or Human Factors Specialist. As detailed in the Registration Brochure, EAAP members are offered reduced registration fees for the course, and there is also a significant additional "Early Bird" discount for those who register early. Course participant numbers are limited, so those wishing to attend are encouraged to register as soon as possible to secure a place. Those with any questions about the course, please email Brent Hayward: bhayward@dedale.net Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Greetings! My name is Cristina Gonzalez, and I am a Master of Science in Safety Science student at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott Campus. I Am basing my final research on the Standardization of English in International Aviation for my Graduate Research Project. This survey is completely anonymous and directed at Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers. It is designed for people who work or have worked in international aviation. The purpose of it is to see how people in the international aviation arena feel about the Language Proficiency Requirements (LPR\'s)required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to fly or be a controller, and also to find out what the general opinion is on English Standardization in International Aviation. In the history of aviation many accidents and serious incidents have occurred due to problems in understanding communications due to language barriers. A prime example is the Tenerife disaster in 1977. By completing this survey you implicitly give your consent for the use of the information answered. Thank you for your help. Here is the link for the survey!! https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/snBVsl Curt Lewis