Flight Safety Information March 28, 2014 - No. 065 In This Issue Search for lost Malaysian jet shifts significantly after new lead New Zealand air force plane spots objects in new search area IAF's C-130J Super Hercules aircraft crashes in MP (INDIA) FAA introduces new clearance terminology PRISM SMS Pilots Are Wearing Google Glass Now Court Upholds Ban on Older Pilots at Exxon World Airways ends operations Upcoming Events Search for lost Malaysian jet shifts significantly after new lead A crew member aboard the Australian Navy ship, HMAS Success, can be seen through a window looking for debris in the southern Indian Ocean during the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in this picture released by the Australian Defence Force March 28, 2014. (Reuters) - An international air and sea taskforce hunting for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was re-directed on Friday to an area 1,100 km (685 miles) north of where they have been searching for more than a week, after Australian authorities received new radar information from Malaysia. The dramatic shift in the search area, moving it further than the distance between London and Berlin, followed analysis of radar data that showed the missing plane had travelled faster, and so would have run out of fuel quicker, than previously thought. The new search area is larger, but closer to the Australian west coast city of Perth, allowing aircraft to spend longer on site by shortening travel times. It is also vastly more favorable in terms of the weather as it is out of the deep sea region known as the Roaring 40s for its huge seas and frequent storm-force winds. "I'm not sure that we'll get perfect weather out there, but it's likely to be better more often than what we've seen in the past," John Young, general manager of the emergency response division of Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), told reporters, adding the previous search site was being abandoned. "We have moved on from those search areas to the newest credible lead," he said. For more than a week, ships and surveillance planes have been scouring seas 2,500 km (1,550 miles) southwest of Perth, where satellite images had suggested there could be debris from Flight MH370, which went missing on March 8 with 239 people aboard. Ten aircraft searching on Friday were immediately re-directed to the new area of 319,000 sq km (123,000 sq miles), roughly the size of Poland, around 1,850 km (1,150 miles) west of Perth. The Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation was also redirecting satellites there, AMSA said. A flotilla of Australian and Chinese ships would take longer to shift north, however, with the Australian naval ship the HMAS Success not due to arrive until Saturday morning. The shift was based on analysis of radar data between the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said. At that time, the Boeing 777 was making a radical diversion west from its course from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. ATSB Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan said radar and satellite polling data had been combined with information about the likely performance of the aircraft, speed and fuel consumption in particular, to arrive at the best assessment of the area in which the aircraft was likely to have entered the water. An international investigative team continued to analyze the data, Dolan said, which "could result in further refinement of the potential flight path of MH370". SHIFTING SEARCHES The latest twist underscores the perplexing and frustrating hunt for evidence in the near three-week search. It comes less than a day after the latest reports of sightings of possible wreckage, captured by Thai and Japanese satellites in roughly the same frigid expanse of sea as earlier images reported by France, Australia and China. Satellite images had shown suspected debris, including pieces as large as 24 meters (70 ft), within the original search area in the southern Indian Ocean. Potential debris has also been seen from search aircraft, but none has been picked up or confirmed as the wreckage of Flight MH370, which disappeared from civilian radar screens less than an hour after taking off. Officials believe someone on board may have shut off the plane's communications systems before flying it thousands of miles off course, where it crashed into the ocean in one of the most isolated and forbidding regions on the planet. Theories range from a hijacking to sabotage or a possible suicide by one of the pilots, but investigators have not ruled out technical problems. David Brewster, a visiting fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University, said it was surprising that the new data analysis was just coming to light. "The Malaysians have never really had to handle a search and rescue operation of this nature before so it is maybe complicated by lack of experience," Brewster said. "There is no doubt they haven't got their systems working smoothly in terms of sharing within Malaysian organizations or with neighboring countries." REINFORCEMENTS The U.S. Navy said on Friday it was sending a second P8-Poseidon, its most advanced maritime surveillance aircraft, to help in the search. "It's critical to continue searching for debris so we can reverse-forecast the wind, current and sea state since March 8 to recreate the position where MH370 possibly went into the water," said Commander Tom Moneymaker, a U.S. 7th Fleet oceanographer. The United States has also sent a device that can be towed behind a ship to pick up faint pings from the plane's black box voice and data recorders, but time is running out. "We've got to get this initial position right prior to deploying the Towed Pinger Locator since the MH370's black box has a limited battery life and we can't afford to lose time searching in the wrong area," Moneymaker said. The prolonged and so far fruitless search and investigation have taken a toll, with dozens of distraught relatives of 150 Chinese passengers clashing with police and accusing Malaysia of "delays and deception". Chinese insurance companies have started paying compensation to the families of passengers, some of the firms and state media said. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/28/us-malaysiaairlines-flight-idUSBREA2701720140328 Back to Top New Zealand air force plane spots objects in new search area (CNN) -- [Breaking news update at 6:50 a.m.] A New Zealand air force P-3 patrol plane has spotted "objects" in the new Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 search area, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said Friday. The plane is returning to Perth and the agency is awaiting images of the discovery for analysis. (CNN) -- Nearly three weeks after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the focus of the hunt for the missing passenger jet has moved yet again. Photos: The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Photos: The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Ex-Malaysian Air CEO defends MH370 pilot Investigators zero in on MH370 captain Missing Malaysia flight stirs old memories Search teams have shifted to a different part of the southern Indian Ocean after Australian authorities said they received "a new credible lead" about the jetliner's most likely last movements. An analysis of radar data led investigators to move the search to an area 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) to the northeast of where efforts had been focused previously, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said Friday. It described the new information, which indicated the errant jetliner didn't fly as far south as previously thought, as "the most credible lead to where debris may be located." That means the huge, isolated areas of the ocean that ships and planes had combed for more than a week -- and where various satellites detected objects that might be debris from the missing plane -- are no longer of interest. "We have moved on from those search areas," said John Young, general manager of emergency response for the Australian maritime authority. The new search area is "considerable" and conditions there "remain challenging," acting Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters Friday. The sudden change of geographic focus is the latest twist in an investigation that has so far failed to establish why Flight 370 flew dramatically off course or exactly where the plane and the 239 people it was carrying ended up. "To me, it's not a game changer, it's a reset," David Gallo of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said of the shifted search. 'We have not seen any debris' Australian officials also played down the significance of hundreds of possible objects detected by satellites in the previous search region, some of which had been described by authorities as important leads. "In regards to the old areas, we have not seen any debris," Young said at a news briefing in Canberra, the Australian capital. "And I would not wish to classify any of the satellite imagery as debris, nor would I want to classify any of the few visual sightings that we made as debris. That's just not justifiable from what we have seen." Officials had repeatedly cautioned that the objects seen in the satellite imagery could just be flotsam that had fallen off cargo ships. But Hishammuddin said the new search area "could still be consistent" with the idea that materials spotted in recent satellite photos over the previous search area are connected to the plane. The materials could have drifted in ocean currents, he said. Some analysts raised their eyebrows at the search coordinators' readiness to move away from the satellite sightings. Satellite images show possible debris Expert: 'The ocean is a plastic soup' Conflicting reports on pilot's role Partner: My world is upside down "Really? That much debris and we're not going to have a look at it to see what that stuff might be?" said Gallo, who helped lead the search for the flight recorders of Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009. Others lamented the amount of time, money and resources that were spent sending planes and ships out to the now discounted areas for more than a week. "This is time that has been wasted, there's no question," said CNN aviation analyst Miles O'Brien. But Young and Hishammuddin disputed that suggestion. Hishammuddin said that Malaysian authorities have ensured that "no stones are unturned" in the search. "I don't think we would've done anything different from what we have done," he said. The previous searches were based on the information authorities "had at the time," Young said. "That's nothing unusual for search and rescue operations," he said "And this actually happens to us all the time -- that new information may arise out of sequence with the search itself." Plane traveled faster The latest data, based on an analysis of radar on the night Flight 370 disappeared, suggest the aircraft was traveling faster than previously estimated before it dropped off radar, Australian authorities said. The radar data concerns the phase of the flight during which the plane turned off its original path over the South China Sea and headed west over the Malay Peninsula out into the Strait of Malacca, authorities said. The faster speed means the plane is thought to have burned more fuel than previously calculated, shortening the possible distance it flew south into the Indian Ocean. CNN safety analyst David Soucie said it was "a good sign" that international aviation experts analyzing the radar and satellite data related to the plane had adjusted their assumptions. "Assumptions are the key to all of this," he said. "If you assume something and you end up with a final conclusion, you have to constantly review that." Less remote, better weather The new search area is closer to the Australian continent, allowing planes to spend longer flying over it as they hunt for traces of the missing passenger jet, which disappeared March 8 over Southeast Asia. "We will certainly get better time on scene," Young said. The new zone is also farther north, moving search teams away from latitudes known for difficult weather conditions. Search efforts in the old areas were disrupted twice this week by bad weather. Conditions in the more northerly zone are "likely to be better more often than we've seen in the past," Young said. They may also be better for taking satellite images, he said. The Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation has directed satellites to capture images of the new zone. But searchers are running out of time to find the plane's impact spot and start listening for the flight data recorder's locator beacon, which is likely to stop working in early April. Hishammuddin said Malaysian authorities will look into the "possibility of deep-sea search and salvage" after that time. Aircraft searching new zone But the area in question remains vast -- roughly 319,000 square kilometers (123,000 square miles) -- and remote -- about 1,850 kilometers (1,150 miles) west of Perth, the western Australian city that's the hub for search operations. The waters there are also deep, between 2,000 and 4,000 meters (6,500 and 13,000 feet). Ten search aircraft will fly over the area Friday. Six ships involved in the search -- one Australian and five Chinese -- are headed there, too. One Chinese patrol ship is already in the search area, authorities said. American flight crews involved in the search aren't frustrated or disillusioned by the sudden change in the search, said Cmdr. William Marks of the Navy's U.S. 7th Fleet. "For the pilots and the air crews, this is what they train for," he said. "They understand it." The focus of the search teams is "to get a visual confirmation of debris," Marks said, noting that any parts of the plane still afloat in the ocean could easily have moved 60-80 miles from where it hit the water. Vast, evolving search The shifting hunt for the plane has spanned oceans and continents over the past three weeks. It started in the South China Sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, where Flight 370 lost contact with air traffic controllers in the early hours of March 8. As news of the disappearance spread, authorities became aware of Malaysian military radar data suggesting the plane might have turned west after contact was lost. As a result, they expanded the search out into the Strait of Malacca, off the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. As those efforts proved fruitless, the search spread north into the Andaman Sea and northern Indian Ocean. It then ballooned dramatically after Malaysia announced on March 15 that satellite data suggested the plane's last position was somewhere along two huge arcs, one stretching northwest into the Asian landmass, the other southwest into the Indian Ocean. The total search area at that point reached almost 3 million square miles. On Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that further analysis of satellite data had led authorities to conclude that the plane went down in the southern Indian Ocean, far from land. Malaysian officials told the families of those on board that nobody would have survived. But many relatives have said that only the discovery of wreckage from the plane will convince them of the fate of their loved ones. http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/28/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/ Back to Top IAF's C-130J Super Hercules aircraft crashes in MP (INDIA) "A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate into the cause of the accident," IAF statement said. More details on the crash are awaited. NEW DELHI: In a major setback to the Air Force, a newly acquired US-made C-130J transport aircraft today crashed near Gwalior after taking off from Agra air base, killing five crew members, including four officers. Two Wing Commanders, two Squadron Leaders and another crew member were killed in the Super Hercules Special Operations plane crash, Defence PRO told reporters in Jaipur. "One C-130J aircraft crashed 72 miles (115 km) west of Gwalior air base. The aircraft was airborne from Agra at 1000 hours for a routine flying training mission. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate into the cause of the accident," an IAF spokesperson said in New Delhi. Senior officials, including Superintendent of Police, Karauli, have rushed to the spot of the crash along Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh border. Air Force Chief Arup Raha has briefed Defence Minister A K Antony about the crash. Senior officers from the Air Headquarters have been dispatched to the crash site, they said. Local IAF units have also rushed officers and men in choppers to the accident area, they said. India had recently inducted six C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, which were bought from the US at the cost of around Rs 6000 crore ($1.1 billion) four years ago. The home base of the 77 squadron 'Veiled Vipers' operating the aircraft is Hindan in Ghaziabad. The aircraft were recently landed on the Daulat Beg Oldie air field near China border and have helped in boosting IAF's capability to airlift troops closer to the borders in times of emergency. Customized for 'covert special operations', the C-130Js are capable of landing at makeshift, short runways. The aircraft is capable of airdropping commandos and material in darkness due to its night-vision imaging. It can prove very handy in wartime due to its ability for special air operations and transport ofBSE 0.31 % material and supplies. During peacetime, it can be used in mountainous terrain in hostile circumstances. The four-engine plane with Rolls Royce engines has the technology and configuration to perform low-level precision flying. India had recently deployed a C-130J Super Hercules to help search for the missing Malaysian plane MH370. It was also used in rescue operations in flood-hit Uttarakhand. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/iafs-c-130j-super-hercules-aircraft- crashes-in-mp/articleshow/32837463.cms Back to Top FAA introduces new clearance terminology New IFR communication for instrument procedures.The FAA is notifying pilots of new and modified phraseology to be used by controllers and pilots for standard terminal arrivals (STARs) and standard instrument departures (SIDs) starting April 3, including a requirement for pilots to read back the specified clearances verbatim. In an Information for Operators (InFo) message posted on its website, the FAA introduced the abbreviated-clearance phrase "climb via" for departure procedures and operations. The new phraseology is "consistent with existing 'descend via' phraseology and procedures in FAA Order 7110.65U," it said. The phrase "climb via" is "an abbreviated ATC clearance that requires compliance with the procedure lateral path, associated speed restrictions, and altitude restrictions along the cleared route or procedure." Both terms have been added to the Pilot/Controller Glossary, effective April 3, along with related phraseology concerning speed adjustments. Pilots should respond to the clearances "by repeating the clearance verbatim." Other responses "are not acceptable and can create miscommunication and additional workload with unnecessary controller queries," the FAA said. AOPA recommends that pilots become familiar with the terms and procedures before the effective date by reviewing the FAA's InFo message, which gives examples of clearances and responses, and by familiarizing themselves with additional guidance provided in this video. http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2014/March/26/FAA-introduces-new-clearance- terminology.aspx Back to Top Back to Top Pilots Are Wearing Google Glass Now First Google Glass Flight in aviation by Adventia, European College of Aeronautics Google upped its fashion game this week, announcing it's working with hip eyewear brands like Ray Ban to de-nerdify its high-tech glasses, which means we can look forward to augmented aviators before too long. Apparently, just in time, because Google Glass has officially entered the cockpit. Two pilots flew a Beechcraft King Air C-90 aircraft wearing the computerized eyewear this month, in what they're calling the first Glass-assisted flight. (Though, at least one tech-savvy pilot-to-be has tried it out before.) Naturally, there's a video of the pioneering trip, unearthed today by Jalopnik. It's shot from the cockpit, so you can see what the future of flight might look like. Admittedly, it's not exactly gripping footage. Information cards on the display walk the pilots through the pre-flight safety inspection and takeoff checklist, and augment their frame of vision with air navigation maps and meteorological charts en route. It's just like if Google Maps was projected on your windshield while driving, except the little blue dot that follows your current location is shaped like a tiny airplane. Nonetheless, it's something of a watershed moment for the aviation industry, which, like so many industries, has been speculating about the potential benefits of Glass and similar AR technology. Adventia European College of Aeronautics, the flight training school that carried out the Glass flight on March 5, as part of "Pilot Innovation Day," listed some of these benefits in a press release for the event. First, there's safety: Pilots don't have to let go of flight controls or even glance away to see data like coordinates, weather updates, etc during the flight. There's also potential cost savings: According to Adventia, the digital display could save 150,000 Euro and 60 kg a year spent carrying paper onboard. And the device could help better educate pilots-in-training by offering a real-time, data-rich peek into the cockpit. The flight app was developed by Droiders, an official Google Glass developer, and its checklists are modeled off the checklist app that Stanford University Faculty of Medicine use in surgery. It forces the wearer to complete every item on the list before continuing, so that it also theoretically minimizes mistakes. Of course, it's just a proof of concept; as you can imagine, there are lots of questions left to answer. What if pilots start relying on this automated controls, and their device is hacked, or there's a glitch? Just this week, a couple of computer engineering students in Israel demonstrated that the GPS app Waze, also a Google product, could be hacked to create a fake traffic jam and throw off everyone's commute. That's disconcerting enough on the road, imagine if someone wanted to mess with aircraft navigation in the sky. What's more, Glass isn't even commercially available yet, though it's supposed to hit shelves sometime this year. So, your next cross-country jaunt isn't going to be piloted by a robot. But some travelers will start seeing the device while flying the friendly skies. Virgin, everyone's favorite futurist airline, is testing out the gadget for staff attendants, so while a Google Glass app won't help captain your next trip, it might take your next in-flight beverage order. http://motherboard.vice.com/read/pilots-are-wearing-google-glass-now Back to Top Court Upholds Ban on Older Pilots at Exxon (CN) - Exxon Mobil does not discriminate against older pilots in banning the 60-plus crowd from flying its corporate aircraft, the 5th Circuit ruled. On behalf of three implicated workers, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the oil giant in 2006, calling the mandatory retirement of pilots at age 60 a violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Irving, Texas-based Exxon countered that the policy was a bona fide occupational qualification, of BFAQ, similar to a ban by the Federal Aviation Administration against older commercial pilots. U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade in Dallas granted Exxon summary judgment, but the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit deemed that ruling premature and called for further discovery to ascertain whether the policy is a BFAQ. The trial court reached the same conclusion after that inquiry, however, and this time did not face a reversal from the federal appeals court. "We conclude that Exxon has established its mandatory age retirement rule is BFOQ and the EEOC has not demonstrated a genuine issue of material fact," the unsigned Tuesday opinion states. "Therefore, we affirm the District Court." The appeals court shot down the EEOC's attempt to distinguish the jobs of the Exxon pilots from those of commercial pilots under the FAA rule. "Exxon has put forth significant evidence demonstrating that its pilots fly similar planes, in similar conditions, and in the same airspace and airports as commercial pilots," the 13-page opinion states. "Exxon's pilots must obtain some of their own pre-flight information, fly with little advance warning, allow passengers to change itineraries mid-flight, and occasionally fly into and out of unfamiliar remote airports. Although Exxon's pilots may face different regulations, certifications, and testing, the essence of their occupation - piloting Exxon's corporate aircraft - is congruent to the essence of commercial piloting." Likewise, the EEOC failed to show that evidence supporting the FAA's rule was inapplicable to Exxon's operations. "Although the FAA has not applied the Age 60 Rule to corporate pilots, that alone is insufficient to demonstrate a genuine issue of material fact concerning the applicability of the FAA's safety rationale," the opinion states. "To imply such an automatic conclusion ignores the relevancy of federal regulations or statutes in a private employer's ability to establish a BFOQ." Exxon had also not failed to prove it was compelled to establish and keep the policy. The EEOC contended that age is not an adequate gauge of fitness, and that individual testing is practical and possible. "Exxon has established that it was compelled to adopt the rule because there are no adequate means of individually testing each pilot," the opinion states. "Exxon presented the testimony of several medical professionals - including a cardiologist and neurologist-and the reports of multiple organizations on the issue. Each affirmed the notion that there are no adequate medical tests that would help Exxon predict whether a pilot was at risk for suffering sudden and subtle incapacitation while in flight. Further, the evidence confirmed that the risk for this incapacitation increased significantly with age and no individualized testing could account for this increased risk." Exxon has not returned a request for comment. http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/03/27/66527.htm Back to Top World Airways ends operations, but sister company North American Airlines to keep flying A World Airways MD-11 (World Airways) World Airways, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy along with parent Global Aviation Holdings in November, announced Thursday that it is no longer flying as of Thursday. Here's its statement: PEACHTREE CITY, GA, Mar 27, 2014 (Marketwired via COMTEX) - Today World Airways announced that the Company operated its last flight on Wednesday, March 26th. World Airways was founded in 1948 and operated cargo and passenger charter flights using B747-400 and MD-11 aircraft. The U.S. Military was their primary customer. Global Aviation Holdings and many of its subsidiaries, including World Airways, began restructuring November 12, 2013. World Airways has been in the marketplace for some months seeking funding to help it restructure in chapter 11 bankruptcy, and has been unable to secure that financing. Tuesday World Airways' first lien holder declared World in default on its loan and stopped providing the airline funding. World Airways has started the process of winding down its operations. Today the company laid-off 325 employees, including 109 pilots and 146 flight attendants. Eric Bergesen, World Airways' Chief Operating Officer, said, "The battle to save World has been difficult. A lot of people have worked hard to try to save our airline. Despite this regrettable outcome, I sincerely thank each of our employees for their dedication and continued support as we attempted to build a future for the Company." North American Airlines will continue operations with plans to emerge from bankruptcy in the near future. North American was founded in 1989 and operates passenger charter flights using B767-300ER aircraft. For more information please visit http://flynaa.com http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2014/03/world-airways-ends-operations-but-sister-company-north- american-airlines-to-keep-flying.html/ Back to Top Upcoming Events: WATS 2014 April 1-3, 2014 Orlando, FL http://halldale.com/wats#.UymQ_vldWSo North Texas Business Aviation Safety Show-Down is set for April 3rd http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/11327425/north-texas-business-aviation-safety-show-down- is-set-for-april-3rd 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 National Safety Council Aviation Safety Committee Annual Conference Savanah, GA - May 14-15, 2014 Contact: tammy.washington@nsc.org http://cwp.marriott.com/savdt/artexmeeting/ Asia Pacific Aviation Safety Seminar 21-22 May 2014, Bangkok, Thailand http://bit.ly/APASS2014 Curt Lewis