Flight Safety Information June 2, 2014 - No. 111 In This Issue Jet carrying Philadelphia Inquirer owner crashed after failed takeoff India's air safety fit for Category 1 upgrade: DGCA to FAA Solar aircraft has successful test flight PRISM SMS The female pilots of Vietnam IJAAA Article Submissions Gulf Flight Safety Council to meet in Doha, Qatar..22nd of June 2014 ERAU Unmanned Aircraft Systems Short Course, Seattle Campus Upcoming Events Jet carrying Philadelphia Inquirer owner crashed after failed takeoff Jet carrying Philadelphia Inquirer owner crashed after failing to take off, officials say Death of Philadelphia Inquirer owner in plane crash heaps new turmoil on the newspaper A small jet carrying media mogul Lewis Katz and six others appeared to not make it off the ground as it tried to take off from a Massachusetts airport and instead veered off the runway, hit an antenna and a fence and crashed into a gully, investigators said Sunday. Everyone aboard the Gulfstream IV jet died in the fiery crash Saturday night. Luke Schiada of the National Transportation Safety Board said those on board the plane, which was heading to Atlantic City, N.J., included a flight attendant, two crew members and four passengers, including Katz. Just last week, Katz, 72, and a partner became sole owners of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com. His death heaps new turmoil on an organization plagued by disputes among its previous owners, including Katz, over the direction of its news coverage. Firefighters called to the crash scene at Hanscom Field, about 20 miles from Boston, struggled to douse flames that quickly engulfed the jet. At a news briefing, Schiada said an airport employee was watching the jet as it began its takeoff. "He did not see the aircraft break ground," Schiada said. Video taken in the aftermath of the crash shows smoke rising from the runway and billowing into the sky above trees surrounding the field. "It was gigantic. It just kept rising and rising -- it was awful," said 14-year-old Jared Patterson, whose home's yard faces the runway. The teenager said he felt an explosion shake his house on Saturday night. "It sounded like a tire pop, but a million times stronger," he said. "I ran outside thinking someone was trying to get into the house." He and others standing near the fence that surrounds the airport saw flames rising 20 to 30 feet high from the crash site. "I didn't expect anyone to come out," he said. "The flames were just engulfing it." Michelle and Kevin Thompson also heard the crash from their home near the edge of the airfield. "We just heard a big bang. We came out and saw all this smoke coming up," Michelle Thompson said, pointing from her driveway past where children were playing under a sprinkler to nearby trees. The crash site was about 200 yards away, but Thompson said the bang was so loud that she thought something had happened in her yard. "It sounded that close," said Thompson, who her four small children were at home at the time of the crash. "All you could see was this big black cloud." "It can be like rush hour out there," Kevin Thompson said of Hanscom, which the couple said has a constant stream of takeoffs and landings near the surrounding residential areas. The couple said fears of a crash are often on the minds of the airport's neighbors, but they always figured it would involve one of the helicopters using the military section of the airport. New Jersey media said the victims of Saturday's crash also included Anne Leeds, a retired teacher and the wife of James P. Leeds, a town commissioner in Longport, NJ. The Press of Atlantic City said that the Leedses were long-time friends of Lewis Katz and that Katz had invited Anne Leeds, 74, to accompany him to Boston for an education-related event. No other victims were immediately identified. On Tuesday, Katz and H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest bid $88 million in a private auction to become co-owners of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and Philly.com. The acquisition ended a bitter feud involving Katz, Lenfest and three former partners. The five had purchased the news organization in 2012 for $55 million but had a falling-out over how best to revive the newspaper's fortunes. The dispute peaked last fall when the faction headed by insurance executive and Democratic Party fundraiser George Norcross announced the firing of Inquirer Editor Bill Marimow. Katz sued to block the move, contending that Norcross could not unilaterally oust Marimow. A judge in November ruled that Marimow could remain on the job. "We both know that this public conflagration wasn't good for anybody," Katz said after he and Lenfest emerged as the Inquirer's new sole owners. Last week's transaction was the fifth time since 2006 that the newspaper has changed hands, and it raised hopes that the Inquirer would invest more resources in investigative and in-depth reporting. "Hopefully it'll get fatter," Katz said after the purchase. http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-massachusetts-plane-crash-lewis-katz-inquirer- 20140601-story.html ************* 31-MAY-2014 - SK Travel LLC Gulfstream G-IV accident: 7 dead A Gulfstream G-IV crashed and burst into flames during takeoff from runway 11 at Bedford-Hanscom Field, MA (BED). There were seven people on board. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the registration of the G- IV was N121KM. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top India's air safety fit for Category 1 upgrade: DGCA to FAA The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has written to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) saying that it has completed all the requirements necessary for the latter to upgrade India's air safety rating back to Category 1. While the original plan was to approach the FAA for a fresh safety audit this month, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India now expects to start the process in August 2014. Two issues had been remaining as of January this year when the FAA had downgraded the safety rating to Category 2. These were the hiring of "adequate" number of Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) and training of airworthiness officers. While the training was completed in March itself, DGCA also selected 35 FOIs for hiring in the first phase, an official said. This month, it will again advertise for posts of 16 more FOIs, Roudra Bhattacharya reported for The Financial Express. "What the FAA had said was that we need an adequate number of FOIs as per the aircraft fleet of the country. They had not prescribed a number. Our calculation is that we need one FOI per ten planes, and we have about 750 aircraft in the country across both the scheduled and non-scheduled operators," a DGCA official said. The official added, "We have selected 35 FOIs, of which 15 are already with us and the rest 20 should join in a month. Some are coming from the Air Force, so they need about 45 days for discharge." The hiring had started after the Cabinet in late January this year allowed DGCA to hire 75 FOIs on its pay rolls at salaries competitive with the prevailing market rate, instead of the previous practice where airlines sent its own staff to the DGCA on deputation as FOIs. The FAA had also highlighted that the previous practice has a severe 'conflict of interest'. "We expect to go to the FAA seeking a fresh audit by August. The hiring of FOIs from our end is nearly complete," a Civil Aviation Ministry official said. DGCA faces a major staff shortage that has been credited to being one of the major reasons for the downgrade. In all, the regulator has 1,250 sanctioned posts, of which 613 are for key technical staff who among other things are tasked with aircraft health inspections. http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/indias-air-safety-fit-for-category-1-upgrade-dgca-to-faa-24147 Back to Top Solar aircraft has successful test flight Solar Impulse two carried out a flight lasting two hours and 15 minutes A sun-powered plane made a successful test flight in Switzerland today, clearing a vital hurdle towards its goal of a round-the-world trip next year, its pilot said. Solar Impulse two carried out a flight lasting two hours and 15 minutes, half an hour longer than scheduled, he said. "Everything worked as expected," German pilot Markus Scherdel told a press conference in Payerne, central Switzerland. "Of course, we have to do more testing, but it's a good start and I'm looking forward to flying the airplane the next time," he said. Built from carbon fibre, the 2.3-tonne plane has four electrical motors powered by 17,248 solar cells studding its fuselage and 72-metre (234-feet) wingspan. It is the successor of Solar Impulse, a record-breaking craft that in 2010 notched up a 26-hour flight, proving its ability to store enough power during the day to keep flying at night. The forerunner was put through its paces in Europe, crossed the Mediterranean to reach Morocco and traversed the United States last year without using a drop of fossil fuel. The goal with Solar Impulse two is to fly non-stop for more than 120 hours, five days and five nights, enabling it to cross the Pacific and Atlantic on its global flight. The operation will begin in the United Arab Emirates in March 2015 and circle the globe eastwards, making numerous stops on the way. http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0602/621087-solar-aircraft-makes-successful-debut/ Back to Top Back to Top The female pilots of Vietnam Female pilot Nguyen Kim Chau in the cockpit of an Airbus A330 Female pilots of the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines are often nicknamed 'the long-legged' as they look like beauty queens or fashion models thanks to their good appearance. Besides hiring a large team of foreign pilots, the flag carrier now has 558 Vietnamese male aviators and eight Vietnamese female pilots. The 'long-legged' are under 30 years old. After each flight, some passengers linger to request the women to pose with them for pictures, or ask for their phone numbers for 'convenient contacts later'. Other passengers even sent messages of gratitude via air hostesses to pilots after they learned that they had female pilots on the flight, said Nguyen Ly Huong, who is a pilot trainer for the twin-engine turboprop short-haul aircraft ATR-72 and is going to take over the post of chief pilot. Now, Vietnam has no woman acting as a chief pilot. Huong, deputy chief pilot of Cambodia Angkor Air - a joint venture of Vietnam Airlines in Cambodia - has over 2,500 hours of flight time with ATR-72. It is the longest time among Vietnamese female pilots. "To fly four trips with total time of four hours, a pilot spends 11-12 hours making preparations," Huong said, adding that it is not including possible problems such as bad weather, technical problems, and troubles from passengers. 'Models' in the air Huong said she and her teammate Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, started working for Vietnam Airlines in 2009 and were the first female pilots of the airline. Thuy is now the deputy chief pilot of Airbus A321 at Vietnam Airlines. Then, many people curiously looked back at her on seeing she was wearing the pilot uniform, Huong recalled. Years having passed by, the curiosity from clients has gone down because of the increasing appearances of Vietnamese female pilots on flights and in airports. "It is our pride to work for the national air carrier. We are proud to introduce ourselves as pilots of Vietnam," said female pilot Dong Phuong. Aside from learning technical terms to operate a plane, female pilots do more than that since "we learn from one another how to use make-up to become more beautiful and polite looking," said a female pilot. 'This profession chooses me' An interesting detail is that most women come to this job by chance, not from a previously planned intention. Huong, who is working for Cambodia Angkor Air, said she graduated from the urban traffic planning and management faculty of Transport University in 2005. On preparing to go to work, she realized that she met standards for a pilot and just tried it. Nguyen Kim Chau, who has over 1,500 hours of flight time and started flying for Vietnam Airlines with ATR-72 aircraft when she was 21 years old, admitted that most female pilots of the carrier were working in other jobs of other professions before selecting flight operation by chance. Chau, 25, is the youngest female pilot of Vietnam Airlines. Last year, she finished learning to switch from flying an Airbus A321 to an A330. In 2008, the woman who stands at 1.65m tall was preparing for an overseas study trip in the U.S. and happened to know that Vietnam Airlines was recruiting women to train as pilots. "I applied because I don't like paper work," she said, adding that she prefers changes and that she tailors her hair style every two months to be 'cheery'. Another female pilot is Tran Trang Nhung, who said she had never imagined to work as a pilot for an Airbus A330. In 2007, she was admitted to the information technology faculty of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. Once, she entered the website of Vietnam Airlines to book tickets for her family and knew that it was recruiting pilots. She tried it and passed an entrance exam for trainee pilots. "This profession chooses me," she added. Dong Phuong, who has Vietnamese parents but was born in Belgium, is a special case. When she realized her passion for flying, she was still in high school. She even applied for training as combat pilot for Belgium Air Force but failed. She confessed that she only studied business to satisfy her father's dream. But later, she dropped the business curriculum and switched to learn flying. Female pilot Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy revealed that a pilot flies on average 90 hours a month. According to the Flight Crew Division 919 based on Hong Ha Street in Ho Chi Minh City, it costs VND3 billion (US$144,000) to train a female pilot. Vietnam Airlines now has 760 pilots, including more than 350 foreign aviators. http://tuoitrenews.vn/features/20029/the-female-pilots-of-vietnam Back to Top Back to Top Gulf Flight Safety Council to meet in Doha, Qatar 22nd of June 2014 The Gulf Flight Safety Council will have it's next meeting in Doha, Qatar on the 22nd of June 2014. Key Guest Speakers for the meeting are Captain John Cox and Captain John Ranson from Safety Operating Systems. They will be presenting two topics that are key concerns in aviation safety today - cause and effects of lithium battery dangers on aircraft and smoke evacuation. The meeting is an excellent opportunity for safety professionals from regional operators, military units, regulators and air service providers to network and share information. This meeting is also the AGM for the GFSC. If you are interested in attending please contact GFSC Secretary, Captain Mark Trotter on membership@gfsc.aero Back to Top View this email in a web page TWO-DAY CONTINUING EDUCATION UNIT (CEU) COURSE UAS Applications, Operations and Support: Key Topics of Industry This two-day, continuing education unit (CEU) course is specifically designed for professionals and specialists seeking to expand their understanding of the application, operation and support of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Discussions will focus on the considerations, regulations, policies, business opportunities and challenges of the industry. This course is developed and taught by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide faculty with UAS operations and research experience. Who Should Attend: ? Business Developers ? Executive Leadership ? Small Business Owner/Entrepreneur ? Engineers (including aerospace, communications, electrical, GNC, hardware, logistics, software, systems, quality assurance and test) ? UAS Operators, Pilots, Sensor Operators ? Analysts (system, data management, manufacturing, operations, procurement, research and quality) ? Managers (account, contracts, program, project and operations) ? Training Developers/Coordinators ? Administrators (government, contracts, IT and property) ? Planners (mission, facilities, schedule and strategic) ? Technicians (avionics, electronics, manufacturing and radio frequency) ? Writers (technical, grant and proposal) Key Topics: ? Introduction and Impact of UAS ? UAS Designs ? Legislation, Certification and Regulation ? Industry Concerns ? Applications ? Operational Profiles ? Business Opportunities ? Future of UAS When: Where: Course Fee: Thursday, June 5 to Friday, June 6 Embry-Riddle Worldwide Seattle Campus 1000 Oakesdale Avenue SW Suite 110 Renton, WA 98057 USD $700 Time: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with an hour lunch For more information: Al Astbury, Office of Professional Programs Tel: (866) 574-9125 * email: training@erau.edu CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS AND REGISTRATION Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 600 S Clyde Morris Boulevard Daytona Beach, FL 32114 USA If you wish to be removed from this group's mailing list, click here Upcoming Events: SMS & Risk Management Training Tampa, FL June 4-5, 2014 http://atcvantage.com ERAU Unmanned Aircraft Systems Short Course Seattle, WA June 5-6, 2014 http://proed.erau.edu/programs/specialized-industry-training/unmanned-aircraft-systems-workshop-nv/index.html Gulf Flight Safety Council Doha, Qatar 22nd of June 2014 membership@gfsc.aero 6th Annual Aviation Human Factors & SMS Seminar June 24th & 25th 2014 Dallas, TX www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1384474 21st Century Pilot Reliability Certification Workshop June 30th and July 1st, 2014 Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07605 Please contact Kacy Schwartz kacy@convergentperformance.com 719-481-0530 International System Safety Society Annual Symposium 04-08AUG2014 - St. Louis, MO http://issc2014.system-safety.org Curt Lewis