Flight Safety Information April 9, 2014 - No. 073 In This Issue Official: Missing Jet Could Be Found Within 'A Matter Of Days' Defence cuts and staff shortages 'increasing risk of military air accidents' (UK) First Air investigating off-course Nunavut flight (Canada) Cebu Pacific awaits EU decision on banned airline exclusion (Philippines) Emergency landing at JAX Airport WWI Artillery Shells Found in Luggage at O'Hare Airport Light aircraft crashes, killing 2 people in Papua (Indonesia) Drunken passenger causes security breach at Sea-Tac PRISM SMS IATA Report: Aviation Accidents Decreased in 2013 Beaver reigns in Best Aircraft Showdown Note To China: Get Out of the Airplane Business - Leave it to Boeing and Airbus Calls for Application for...The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship International Humanitarian Aviation Summit Upcoming Events Official: Missing Jet Could Be Found Within 'A Matter Of Days' RAAF P3 Orion captain Flt Lt Benn Carroll speaks to reporters after returning from a search mission for debris from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 at RAAF Base Pearce on April 8, 2014 in Perth, Australia. Paul Kane-Getty Images Authorities attempting to locate Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean last month, say new pings heard Tuesday may originate from the plane's black box that officials worry is about to run out of battery life Two more underwater signals that may have emanated from the black boxes of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 were heard Tuesday, prompting the Australian official in charge of the search to say the missing Boeing 777 may be discovered within "a matter of days" "I'm now optimistic that we will find the aircraft, or what is left of the aircraft, in the not- too-distant future," Angus Houston, the head of a joint agency coordinating the search, said at a news conference in Perth. "Hopefully in a matter of days, we will be able to find something on the bottom that might confirm that this is the last resting place of MH370." The Australian vessel Ocean Shield originally picked up two signals over the weekend, and the new transmissions were now considerably weaker, said Houston, indicating that the beacons' batteries may now be close to exhausted. Analysis showed "the transmission was not of natural origin and was likely sourced from specific electronic equipment." MH370 vanished soon after departing Kuala Lumpur for Bejing early March 8, and investigators now believe the 11-year-old aircraft crashed in the southern Indian Ocean some 1,000 miles (1,600 km) northwest of Perth. All 239 passengers and crew are presumed dead. Despite the growing body of evidence, Houston insists that no crash site can be confirmed before wreckage has been positively identified. The beacons' batteries have already surpassed their 30-day expected life, heaping pressure on search efforts. Investigators currently have the pings pinned down to a 12-mile (20 km) radius, but hope to narrow this further through trawling, as it generally takes six times as long to search with the Bluefin autonomous underwater vehicle than it does with towed pinger locators. If the noises can be narrowed down, an unmanned submarine may soon be deployed to locate wreckage from the missing Boeing 777. Some 11 military aircraft, four civil aircraft and 14 ships assisted in Wednesday's search for debris across 29,000 sq miles (75,000 square km) of ocean - an expanse slightly smaller than South Carolina - located about 1,350 miles (2,200 km) northwest of Perth. http://time.com/55169/pings-mh370-missing-jet/ Back to Top Defence cuts and staff shortages 'increasing risk of military air accidents' (UK) The military's air safety watchdog has warned that a shortage of qualified engineers and technicians is increasing the risk of air accidents RAF sources said the service was struggling to keep highly skilled engineers and mechanics from being poached by industry Photo: Getty Defence cuts and a dangerous shortage of engineers risk increasing military air accidents a safety watchdog has warned. The lack of qualified technical personnel is "restricting progress at every level" and is a "strategic risk" for air safety the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) said. The independent watchdog for the UK's military air safety said the strain of deep defence cuts and the pressure of pulling out equipment from Afghanistan could also "coincide to undermine current levels of air safety". Shortages of qualified personnel are "of more concern than previously understood", the MAA said in its latest annual report. Air Marshal Richard Garwood, director general, said while the shortages continued, safety was being harmed by unfinished work, poor supervision and falling standards. RAF Tornado crash: Helicopter rescue pilot was wife of missing airman 10 Jul 2012 Red Arrows 'lacked experienced engineers' before aerobatics death 10 Jan 2014 He said: "I cannot see this situation changing in the near-term without a coordinated intervention across the military and civil service." Mid air collisions such as the deadly crash between two Tornado GR4s which killed three crew over the Moray Firth in July 2012 are the biggest air safety risk. The risk extends to civilian planes, with 30 per cent of near misses in UK airspace involving a mix of military and civil aircraft. "This poses societal and reputational risks to the department with unquantifiable consequences in the case of a collision between, for example, a fast jet and an airliner potentially resulting in significant loss of life," Air Mshl Garwood said. The RAF must lose 8,000 airmen by 2020 as part of the Coalition's defence cuts and thousands have already left. RAF sources said the service was also struggling to keep highly skilled engineers and mechanics from being poached by industry. The problem is likely to get worse as the economy picks up. One officer said: "These guys are very well qualified and much sought after, not only by us, but also by industry. At the end of the day you can't force people to stay in the Armed Forces." Air Commodore Andrew Lambert, of the UK National Defence Association, said that cuts over the last few years had left the RAF ever more stretched. He said: "The RAF has been forced to change procedures year on year to become ever more efficient. But we have to ask 'Do we still have the safety margins that we had previously?' "If you are doing with one man what you previously did with two, the question is whether there is adequate supervision, sufficient training, or sufficient spares. Is the job still being done safely?" He said "cut backs and shortages of technicians mean fewer flying hours with young pilots able to fly fewer training missions. Simulators are not panaceas, and any lack of proper flying experience inevitably reduces safety margins." The MAA said overall "substantial progress" had been made overall on air safety, but the lack of qualified personnel and other priorities meant much more had to be done. But Angus Robertson MP said the report was "damning". He said: "It is unacceptable that mid-air collisions, like the one over the Moray Firth two years ago, remain the highest safety risk. Vital collision warning systems trialled as early as 1996 on the Tornado remain uninstalled and other jets like Typhoon don't have them either. Combined with a severe shortage of qualified personnel because of brutal defence cuts only makes this risk worse." A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said air safety was "at the core of all MOD aviation activity". He said: "We take very seriously our obligations to ensure that our activities are as safe as reasonably practicable, nevertheless, we accept that there is further work to be done and are committed to addressing the identified residual issues as soon as possible.' http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/10749922/Defence-cuts-and-staff- shortages-increasing-risk-of-military-air-accidents.html Back to Top First Air investigating off-course Nunavut flight (Canada) "We hope to have some more clarity" This image posted on the Aviation Herald shows the March 31 First Air flight deviating about 225 nautical miles northwest of Iqaluit, its intended destination. First Air has launched an investigation to determine why one of its Nunavut flights flew many miles off course last month. On March 31, a Boeing 737-200, with 23 people on board, departed Rankin Inlet en route to Iqaluit. The aircraft appeared to have proceeded on course until about three-quarters of the way to Iqaluit, when communications with air traffic control switched from Edmonton to Montreal. During the hand-over, air traffic controllers in Montreal could not make out the flight's communications, said the Transportation Safety Board, which is assisting First Air with the investigation. It wasn't until the flight crew received a message from another nearby aircraft that pilots realized the plane had deviated well to the north of its intended flight plan. "We not sure of the exact [distance]," said the TSB's Peter Hildebrand. "[But] we believe they were substantially off course." The Aviation Herald reported that the plane was 225 nautical miles northwest of Iqaluit when the crew determined the flight was off course. Pilots re-set the aircraft's autopilot flight director and GPS instruments and turned south to Iqaluit, where the plane landed without incident. In an April 8 release, First Air said they have determined there was not any threat to the safety of passengers and crew on board the March 31 flight. "The safety of our passengers and crew is paramount at First Air and we are taking this incident very seriously," said the release. "We immediately launched an investigation after learning that the flight from Rankin Inlet to Iqaluit deviated from the intended flight plan. "We have also suspended the pilots with pay until our investigation is complete." As part of the investigation, First Air has reviewed the flight data, the navigational aids on the aircraft and is conducting interviews with the pilots and cabin crew who were on board. The TSB said there is no indication that the problem stems from transmission or radar coming from Montreal's air traffic control. "It's not a situation you'd hope to see," Hildebrand said. "So is this an ongoing problem or a one-time issue? We hope to have some more clarity." http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674first_air_investigating_off- course_flight/ Back to Top Cebu Pacific awaits EU decision on banned airline exclusion (Philippines) THE European Union (EU) will announce on Thursday its decision on the plea submitted by low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific for its removal from the 28-member state body's list of banned airlines, a ranking official of the air safety regulator said. "The announcement of the decision of the EU on Cebu Pacific's plea on the ban is set on Thursday," Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) Deputy Director John C. Andrews said in a phone interview. He noted that the air safety agency is confident that Cebu Pacific will be delisted from the EU list of banned carriers. The decision, he said, will be announced at the Caap's headquarters in Pasay City. The Gokongwei-led carrier last month sent a formal plea to the EU body, asking for the removal of Cebu Pacific from the register of blacklisted carriers. "We cannot preempt the EU pronouncement on this matter, but we are optimistic and hopeful for the outcome," Cebu Pacific Spokesman Jorenz T. Tañada replied, when sought for comment. The EU placed the Philippines in the aviation blacklist in 2010, after the then-Air Transportation Office (ATO) was demoted by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from Category 1 to Category 2 status in 2008. In July last year, the body announced the lifting of the ban imposed on Philippine Airlines, allowing the flag carrier to resume flights to Europe. A lifting from the EU ban would allow the country's largest local budget carrier to start servicing European destinations such as Italy, the UK and France. "The lifting of the ban is a promising prospect. It would facilitate easier travel from Europe to the Philippines," French Ambassador to the Philippines Gilles Garachon said in an interview. He added that there would be a surge in European tourists to the country, particularly French tourists. Cebu Pacific has a fleet of 50 aircraft composed of 10 A319, 29 Airbus A320, three Airbus A330, and eight ATR-72 500 planes. It expects the delivery of 13 A320, 30 A321neo, and three A330 between 2014 and 2021. Cebu Pacific President Lance Y. Gokongwei earlier said Cebu Pacific is also planning to mount flights to Guam and Hawaii, once the US-based regulator upgrades the country to Category 1 status. The FAA, on January 24, conducted an air safety audit on the regulator, which reportedly flunked the review again. Andrews, however, denied the reports, saying that the regulator is still confident that it passed the audit. "FAA decision should be out any day now," Andrews said. An upgrade would mean further growth of the local airlines's expansion in US and South Korean destinations. http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/business/companies/30257-ceb-awaits-eu-decision-on-banned- airline-exclusion Back to Top Emergency landing at JAX Airport JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Jacksonville International Airport Tuesday morning. American Airlines Regional Jet flight 3551 was diverted to JAX Airport at 7:40 a.m. after electrical fumes were reported, according to Michael Stewart with JAX Airport. The flight landed safely and no injuries were reported. The flight originated from Norfolk, Va and was heading to Miami according to website FlightAware. Matt Miller with American Airlines told First Coast News the flight was diverted as a precaution due to a mechanical issue and also confirmed the flight landed safely. The 38 passengers have since been placed on other flights to Miami. The Embraer 145 aircraft is still in Jacksonville having repair work done. Three crew members were also on board the flight. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/2014/04/08/emergency-landing-jax- airport/7461267/ Back to Top WWI Artillery Shells Found in Luggage at O'Hare Airport FBI and Chicago Police officers evacuated the baggage room until the items could be clears as inert Two minors allegedly brought large military-grade munitions to O'Hare International Airport Monday, sparking the evacuation of a baggage room and a response from police and FBI. Transportation Security Administration officers at O'Hare Airport spotted two military-grade shells in the checked baggage of two minors, who were part of a field trip returning from London, according to a release from TSA. FBI and Chicago Police officers evacuated the baggage room until the items could be clears as "inert" and interviewed the two minors. "As a reminder, large munitions are not permitted to be brought on board airplanes, in carry-on or checked baggage," TSA said in a statement. "Small arms ammunition, including under .75 caliber and shotgun shells, can be packed in checked baggage in accordance with airline policies." The teens told law enforcement they obtained the shells at a French World War I artillery range. It was not clear how. TSA explosives experts believe they are French 77 mm shells. They were seized Monday evening while the teens were transferring to a flight to Seattle. The teens were questioned then allowed to travel onward. They weren't charged. http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Military-Grade-Munitions-Found-at-OHare-Airport- 254369441.html#ixzz2yOi9ep9j Back to Top Light aircraft crashes, killing 2 people in Papua (Indonesia) Five surviving passengers were taken to a nearby hospital A light aircraft has crashed in eastern Indonesia, killing its American pilot and a passenger. Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said the US-made Kodiak plane belongs to a private religious foundation, Advent, and was carrying seven people when it crashed while taking off from an airstrip in Papua province. He says the five surviving passengers were taken to a nearby hospital. No cause of the crash was immediately given. Indonesia, a sprawling archipelagic nation of 240 million, has been plagued by transportation accidents in recent years. Overcrowding, ageing infrastructure and poor safety standards are often to blame. Air flight is the main transportation in Papua, the second biggest of Indonesia's more than 17,000 islands. http://www.business-standard.com/article/international/light-aircraft-crashes-killing-2- people-in-papua-114040900772_1.html *************** Date: 09-APR-2014 Time: 09.40L Type: Quest Kodiak 100 Owner/operator: Adventist Aviation Indonesia Registration: PK-SDF C/n / msn: 100-0049 Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 7 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Doyo Baru Airstrip - Indonesia Phase: Take off Nature: Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: WAJJ Destination airport: WAJC Narrative: Crashed on takeoff. Reports say the airplane climbed to a height of about 4 m before the left wing tip hit the edge of the bridge. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Drunken passenger causes security breach at Sea-Tac SEATAC, Wash. - A drunken passenger was taken into custody Monday night after breaching security to make his flight at Sea-Tac Airport. An airport spokesman said after going through security as required, the passenger wandered through an exit and into a non-secure area where he went to a bar in the departures area. After apparently losing track of time, the man then realized he had to make his 11 p.m. flight, so he decided to dash back into the secure area through an exit, which set off alarms. Everything at the airport came to a halt, including checkpoint screenings and trains. TSA agents spotted the man using surveillance cameras and chased after him, but he ended up outrunning them through the concourse. Every Port of Seattle officer received an alert showing a surveillance image of the man zipping by. Officers found the man in a motionless north satellite train that was shut down during the breach. "He was sitting there, apparently on his phone, speaking to someone and was surprised he was being apprehended by police," said airport spokesman Perry Cooper. It was only after they handcuffed the man that he seemed to realize what had happened. He was described by authorities as being very intoxicated. The whole incident lasted about 15 minutes. http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/sea-tac-passenger-custody-after-security-breach/nfTtB/ Back to Top Back to Top IATA Report: Aviation Accidents Decreased in 2013 The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its 2013 commercial aviation safety performance that showed 210 fatalities from commercial aviation accidents in 2013. That's down from 414 in 2012. The 2013 safety figures were released in conjunction with the start of the IATA OPS Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In his keynote address at the conference, Tony Tyler, IATA's director general and CEO, said partnerships are driving progress in safety. "About 100,000 flights are operated safely each day," he stressed. "Every flight that takes off involves thousands of coordinated actions across multiple businesses and organizations. "To keep flying safe, we need not only to understand and work with each other every day," said Tyler, noting it was important to compare notes, collaborate and work together to build the future with a common vision. He also stressed that no matter how hard airlines compete within an industry sector or how different they see the world when it comes to thorny commercial issues, "we are an industry that is absolutely unified in its dedication to global standards and safety." Safety Report Highlights Among the safety report's major findings? IATA said the 2013 global Western-built jet accident rate -- measured in hull losses per million flights of Western-built jets -- was .41, the equivalent of one accident for every 2.4 million flights. This was not as good a performance as 2012, when that rate was .21, the lowest in aviation history. But when considering a five-year period (2009-2013), 2013 showed a 14.6 percent improvement on the five-year average of .48, IATA said. In addition, the 2013 Western-built jet hull loss rate for only IATA members was .30, which outperformed the global average by 26.8 percent. That's an improvement over the five-year average of .32. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 "Safety is our highest priority," said Tyler, noting that the aviation industry is united in its commitment to ensure continuous safety improvement. "Importantly, that commitment has made flying ever safer. Accidents, however rare, do happen." That said, Tyler acknowledged that IATA was releasing the annual data as the world continues to focus on the search effort for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. "The airline industry, its stakeholders and regulators are in the beginning of the journey to unravel this mystery, understand the cause and find ways to ensure that it never happens again," he said. He acknowledged that "it may be well be a long time before we know exactly what happened on that flight. But it is already clear we must never let another aircraft go missing in this way. And it is equally clear that governments must make better use of the passenger data that they mandate airlines to provide." In the case of MH 370, Malaysia officials failed to check the Interpol list that provided details about stolen passports; several passengers on the ill-fated flight were traveling under stolen passports. The continual speculation by media about the accident's probable cause was also addressed by Tyler: "Speculation will not make flying any safer. We should not jump to any conclusions on probably cause before the investigation into MH370 closes." However, he acknowledged aircraft tracking and passenger data collection and usage by governments are challenges. "In a world where our every move seems to be tracked, there is disbelief both that an aircraft could simply disappear and that the flight data and cockpit voice recorders are so difficult to recover," Tyler emphasized. The investigation of the crash of Air France 447 into the Atlantic Ocean during a flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris several years ago brought some progress. "But that must be accelerated," Tyler said. "We cannot let another aircraft simply vanish." More Safety Report Detail IATA told conference attendees that it will provide more information on the 2013 safety performance when it releases its 50th annual Safety Report on April 3; that report will have more data and analysis. In general, though, over the five years 2009-2013, the industry has shown improvement in both accident rates and fatalities, although year-to-year comparisons may fluctuate. Here are some additional facts: More than 3 billion people flew safely on 36.4 million flights (29.5 million by jet, 6.9 million by turboprop) in 2013. There were 81 accidents (all aircraft types, both eastern and western built), up from 75 in 2012, but below the five-year average of 86 per year. There were 16 fatal accidents (all aircraft types) versus 15 in 2012 and the five- year average of 19. Twenty percent of all accidents were fatal, unchanged from 2012. But that was below the five-year average of 22 percent. There were 12 hull loss accidents involving western-built jets compared to six in 2012 and the five-year average of 13. Six fatal hull loss accidents involved western-built jets, raised from three in 2012 and unchanged from the five-year average. Passenger and crew fatalities in 2013 were 210, compared with 414 in 2012 and a five-year average of 517. Safety Performance by Region Regions that had improved safety performance from 2012 to 2013 were Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. North Asia and Europe's safety performance was unchanged. Showing a declining safety performance year-over-year were Asia-Pacific, Commonwealth of Independent States, Middle East-North Africa and North America. In terms of progress? Safety has definitely improved in Africa, IATA said with African airlines experienced only one western-built jet hull loss last year. "Airlines on the IOSA registry [airlines which have had their safety performance audited by IATA standards] are performing almost seven times better than non-IOSA operators in the region," said Tyler. "But we must remember two things," he stressed. First, Tyler said Africa's overall rate is still many times worse than global levels, so there is plenty of work to do. "Second, we cannot take the recent improvement trend for granted," he stressed. He said to make the gains in Africa a sustainable foundation on which to achieve world-class safety levels is going to require the continued determination and commitment of all stakeholders, including governments. IATA, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and others have united behind the Africa Strategic Improvement Action Plan aimed at achieving world-class safety levels by 2015 by addressing safety deficiencies and strengthening regulatory oversight capabilities. A key focus for governments in the effort to achieve more effective safety oversight will be the implementation of ICAO's safety-related standards and recommended practices (SARPS), according to the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP). As of the end of 2013, only 11 African states had achieved 60 percent implementation of the SARPS. Elsewhere across the globe in the Commonwealth of Independent States, IATA member airlines in the CIS experienced zero accidents in 2013, outpacing all regions. However, the region as a whole experienced a significant deterioration compared to 2012, the IATA press release noted. IATA said it has encouraged regulators in the region's individual states to benefit from existing internationally-recognized audit programs, like IOSA, by utilizing them to enhance safety oversight systems already in place. Accident Analysis Runway excursions, in which an aircraft departs a runway during landing or takeoff, are the most common type of accident, accounting for 23 percent of all accidents over the past five years (2009-2013). Yet, survivability of these accidents is high. Such accidents account for less than 8 percent of fatalities over the previous five years. Improving runway safety is a key focus of the industry's strategy to reduce operational risk, IATA said. While very few "loss of control in-flight" (LOC-I) accidents occur, they are almost always catastrophic, IATA stated. In fact, 95 percent of the LOC-I accidents over the past five years involved fatalities to passengers or crew. There were eight LOC-I accidents in 2013, all of which involved fatalities, and over the period from 2009 through 2013, 10 percent of all accidents were categorized as LOC-I. These resulted in 1,546 of the 2,585 fatalities over this period. Controlled-flight-into-terrain (CFIT) accidents also remain a concern for IATA, as there were six of these accidents in 2013. Most CFIT accidents occur in the approach and landing phase of flight and are often associated with non-precision approaches. From 2009 through 2013, 52 percent of such accidents were known to involve the lack of a precision approach. Data Analysis to Drive Improvements ATA said it's created the Global Aviation Data Management (GADM) program as a comprehensive safety data warehouse resource. This data includes analysis reports covering accidents, incidents, ground damage, maintenance and audits, plus data from more than 1.8 million flights in the last 15 months. Up to 390 airlines are contributing to at least one GADM database. IATA said analysis of this information is being used to further identify industry safety issues and to drive and prioritize initiatives and actions to solve the identified issues. "Safety is a team effort in which IATA, ICAO and other stakeholders are fully aligned," said Tyler. "Using data will help us identify potential areas of concern, long before they rise to the level of a threat to safety." For more information, agents might check out this IATA Safety Fact Sheet at http://www.iata.org/pressroom/facts_figures/fact_sheets/Documents/safety-fact-sheet.pdf Or, for more information on IATA, visit www.iata.org http://www.internationalmeetingsreview.com/airlines/iata-report-aviation-accidents- decreased-2013-98565 Back to Top Beaver reigns in Best Aircraft Showdown Whether on wheels, floats, or skis, the legendary de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver is a rugged, powerful, and smooth-flying machine. While it is built like a truck and can carry a load, the Beaver's responsive handling-among other qualities-made a Beaver believer out of AOPA Pilot Senior Editor Dave Hirschman, who reported on his Beaver checkout in the June 2013 issue. Now, AOPA members have added another accolade to this storied aircraft's résumé: winner of AOPA's 2014 Best Aircraft Showdown, powered by Aero-Space Reports. While the U.S. military has historically been among de Havilland's largest customers, the DHC-2 Beaver remains a general aviation classic. AOPA file photo. Matched up in the final against another general aviation legend, the Piper PA-18 Super Cub, the Beaver captured 55 percent of the vote, and accolades from AOPA members who added comments to the discussion, speaking of "Beaver Fever" and noting that the de Havilland legend is still in service in many backcountry locations nearly 50 years after the last of 1,650 DHC-2s rolled out of the factory in 1967. "What makes the Beaver a Beaver are it capabilities," opined Beaver fan cjsays, noting that the 5,600-pound aircraft can handle tight spots (the listed takeoff distance over a 50-foot obstacle is 1,610 feet). Another commenter, Peter Norton, was impressed by the carrying capacity on flights with Brooks Range Aviation in Bettles, Alaska. "The five of us and our gear weighed in at just over 1,180 lbs for the flight in. So with pilot (6), fuel & safety gear we comfortably flew into the Brooks Range," Norton wrote. "Probably wouldn't be doing that in a [Super Cub]." The PA-18 had its share of supporters, who propelled the Super Cub into the final matchup after a tough early-round loss to the Cessna 172 in 2013. The Super Cub bounced back in 2014 and knocked warbirds to the side on its way to the final matchup, dispatching the B- 29 Superfortress in the opening round, the legendary Supermarine Spritfire in the round of 16, then the AT-6 Texan to reach the "Four on Final" matchup against the P-38 Lightning. The Beaver, meanwhile, had its own share of victories over famous warbirds, including the B-25 Mitchell and the F4U Corsair. It was Beechcraft, however, that really felt the sting, as the Beaver toppled both the Bonanza and Baron in the first two rounds. The Cessna 180/185, which has an impressive backcountry résumé of its own, fell to the Beaver in the Southwestern regional final, the DHC-2 pulling off an upset as a 15 seed beating the top- seeded Cessna. The 2014 victory secures a place for the Beaver in the Best Aircraft Showdown Hall of Fame, alongside the P-51 Mustang and the DC-3. That will leave room for the rest of the field-and a newcomer or two-to make a run in 2015. http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2014/April/08/Beaver-wins- showdown.aspx?CMP=ADV:1 Back to Top Note To China: Get Out of the Airplane Business - Leave it to Boeing and Airbus Santa Monica, Calif. (TheStreet) -- A new report by the Rand Corporation said China should get out of the aircraft manufacturing business, where it is hopelessly behind Airbus and Boeing (BA_) and losing ground. Commercial aviation manufacturing "is a huge waste of money for China," said Keith Crane, director of the Rand Environment, Energy and Economic Development program and co- author of the report "The Effectiveness of China's Industrial Policies in Commercial Aviation Manufacturing." China has already spent more than $7 billion to develop the C919, a narrowbody aircraft. The problem is that "by the time it gets out there in the market, it will be a full generation behind the Boeing 737MAX and the Airbus A320neo," Crane said in an interview. Being so far behind means that the C919 "will be competing against used aircraft, where you are really in a very tough position," he said. "The bottom of the used aircraft market is scrap value, (where) you just look at how much you can get out of it." Asked whether Chinese could overcome buyer resistance by cutting the price of its aircraft, Crane responded: "If it's a generation behind and lacks improvement, that could not be overcome by cutting the price. For an airline, it's not the price that drives a purchase. It's down-time and fuel efficiency." China is also developing a regional jet, the ARJ-21, which "has also been expensive," according to the Rand Corporation report, which noted that "most of our interlocuters were skeptical that either the C919 or the ARJ-21 will ever be commercial successes. The principal problem, the report said, is that "foreign companies are not given the same treatment as their Chinese counterparts (or) are afraid that their intellectual property rights will not be safe (and) they will remain cautious about what technologies they bring to China. "If China wishes to become fully integrated into the global commercial aviation manufacturing industry, China's government would be well advised to change its current policies to create a more equitable business environment for both foreign and Chinese commercial aviation manufacturers." Aviation consultant Richard Aboulafia of Virginia-based Teal Group, who has read the report, said Rand did "a good job of documenting (what) has been an open secret in the airplane business," which is that flawed government policies have led to the failure of Chinese aircraft manufacturing. "The Chinese have great talent, a great market, and great resources," Aboulafia said. "You have to work awfully hard to destroy its prospects of getting into commercial aviation." http://www.thestreet.com/story/12634014/1/note-to-china-get-out-of-the-airplane- business--leave-it-to-boeing-and-airbus.html Back to Top Calls for Application for The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship DEADLINE for filling application 15 April, 2014 The 2014 ISASI Seminar will be held in the Stamford Hotel in Glenelg, near Adelaide, Australia 13-16 October 2014. INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS 2014 The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship (In memorial to all ISASI members who have died) Purpose: To encourage and assist college-level students interested in the field of aviation safety and aircraft occurrence investigation. Funding: The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship fund will be established through donations and will provide an annual allocation of funds for the scholarship if funds are available. Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled as full time students in a recognized (note ISASI recognized) education program, which includes courses in aircraft engineering and/or operations, aviation psychology, aviation safety and/or aircraft occurrence investigation, etc., with major or minor subjects that focus on aviation safety/investigation are eligible for the scholarship. A student who has received the annual ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship will not be eligible to apply for it again. Administration of the Fund: The President of ISASI will appoint a two person committee to be executors and administrators of the fund. The ISASI Treasurer will oversee all expenditures. The Scholarship Fund Committee will check that the education program is at a recognized school and applicable to the aims of the Society, assess the applications and determine the most suitable candidate. Donors and recipients will be advised if donations are made in honor of a particular individual. Annual Scholarship: Funded attendance at ISASI Annual Seminar An award of $2000 will be made to each student who wins the competitive writing requirement, meets the application requirements and will register for the ISASI annual seminar. ************ The award will be used to cover costs for the seminar registration fees, travel, and lodging/meals expenses. Any expenses above and beyond the amount of the award will be borne by the recipient. ISASI will assist with coordination and control the expenditure of funds. In addition, the following are offered to the winner(s) of the scholarship. 1. A one year membership to ISASI 2. The Southern California Safety Institute (SCSI) offers tuition-free attendance to ANY regularly scheduled SCSI course to the winner of the ISASI Scholarship. This includes the two-week Aircraft Accident Investigator course or any other investigation courses. Travel to/from the course and accommodations are not included. More information at http://www.scsi-inc.com/ 3. The Transportation Safety Institute offers a tuition free course for the winner of the Scholarship. Travel to/from the course and accommodations are not included. More information is available at http://www.tsi.dot.gov/ 4. The Cranfield University Safety and Accident Investigation Centre offers tuition-free attendance at its 5-day Accident Investigation course which runs as part of its Masters Degree program at the Cranfield campus, 50 miles north of London, UK. Travel to/from the course and accommodation are not included. Further information is available from www.csaic.net/ Application requirements: 1. A full time student who meets the Eligibility requirement stated above and has been enrolled for a duration of one year 2. The student is to submit a 1000 (+/- 10%) word paper in English addressing "the challenges for air safety investigators" 3. The paper is to be the students own work and must be countersigned by the student's tutor/academic supervisor as authentic, original work 4. The papers will be judged on their content, original thinking, logic and clarity of expression 5. The essay and application must be submitted in a format that can be opened by Microsoft Word. 6. The student must complete the application form with their paper by April 15, 2014 and submit it to ISASI by mail, fax, oremail to isasi@erols.com. ISASI contact information - Ann Schull, International Office Manager 107 E. Holly Avenue, Suite #11 Sterling, VA 20164 703 430 9668 (Main) 703 430-4970 (FAX) Some advice to those applying: 1. Late submissions are not advisable 2. Handwritten applications are not advisable 3. Make sure to include your email address as indicated above ****************** Application Form 2014 INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship (In memorial to all ISASI members who have died) Name: Date: Address: Course enrolled for: Year /Subjects Studied: Academic Institute: Address: Email: Telephone number: Student Signature:_____________________________________________________________ Tutor/Academic Supervisor title and signature:________________________________________ 1000 Word Paper ""the challenges for air safety investigators" NOTE: Students who wish to apply for the scholarship should visit www.isasi.org or send email to isasi@erols.com. The ISASI office telephone number is 1-703-430-9668. www.isasi.org Back to Top Back to Top Upcoming Events: Middle East Air Cargo and Logistics Exhibition & Conference 2014 April 9-10, 2014 Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) http://cargomiddleeast.com Flight Safety Foundation Business Aviation Safety Summit 2014 April 16-17, 2014 San Diego, CA http://flightsafety.org/files/doc/2014FSF_Prospectus.pdf Airport Show Dubai May 11-13, 2014 Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) www.theairportshow.com/portal/home.aspx International Humanitarian Aviation Summit 12-14MAY Toledo, Spain wfp.org 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