Flight Safety Information July 2, 2014 - No. 133 In This Issue Cargo plane crashes into building in Kenya FedEx Plane Diverted To Nashville After Reports Of Smoke In Cockpit Water leak aboard Australia-bound plane forces flight to return to Los Angeles airport Oł est la bombe? French cops 'lose explosives' in airport during training and can't find them IATA says global air travel has high levels of safety despite disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Air safety: Germany develops wake turbulence warning system Pilots sick out - Caribbean Airlines flights cancelled Malaysia Jet Passengers Likely Suffocated, Australia Says PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Virgin Atlantic Starts Hunt for 747 Leisure-Fleet Successor Boeing captures UK's Monarch after jet contest -sources American Pilots Living Abroad: World's Worst Tax Returns? American Airlines close to $2.6 billion order for CFM engines: sources THE ALPA 60TH AIR SAFETY FORUM Graduate Research Survey Upcoming Events Employment Cargo plane crashes into building in Kenya A cargo plane crashed into a commercial building shortly after takeoff from an airport in Nairobi, Kenya, the country's airport authority said. (CNN) -- A cargo plane crashed into a commercial building shortly after takeoff from an airport in Nairobi, Kenya, early Wednesday, the country's airport authority said. All four people on board are feared dead. The Fokker 50 plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The Kenyan Red Cross said one body has been recovered from the crash site. Rescue crews are looking for more. Because the crash occurred early in the morning, there was no one inside the building, the airport authority said. http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/02/world/africa/kenya-plane-crash/ ************** Status: Preliminary Date: Wednesday 2 July 2014 Time: ca 04:00 Type: Fokker 50 Operator: Skyward International Registration: 5Y-CET C/n / msn: 20262 First flight: 1992-08-26 (21 years 11 months) Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW125B Crew: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Total: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Airplane damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: ca 2 km NE of Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta International Airport ( Kenya) Phase: Initial Climb (ICL) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO/HKJK), Kenya Destination airport: Mogadishu International Airport (MGQ/HCMM), Somalia Narrative: A Fokker 50 cargo plane, registered 5Y-CET, was destroyed when it impacted a residential area Utawala, Embakasi, shortly after takeoff. All four crew members were killed. The airplane came down about 2 km past the runway end of runway 06 and to the left of the extended centreline. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top FedEx Plane Diverted To Nashville After Reports Of Smoke In Cockpit NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A FedEx plane from Memphis had to be diverted to Nashville International Airport on Wednesday morning. FedEx officials said the 1412MD10 aircraft was en route to Manchester, New Hampshire, when it was forced to land in Nashville. They said they are working with authorities to determine what happened. According to FlightAware.com, the flight left Memphis International at 3:56 a.m., and landed in Nashville at 4:53 a.m. Reports said there was smoke in the cockpit. Only the pilot and co-pilot were on board the plane at the time. No injuries were reported. The plane remained on the tarmac, but runway traffic was not affected. http://www.newschannel5.com/story/25923143/fedex-plane-makes-emergency-landing-at-nashville- airport Back to Top Water leak aboard Australia-bound plane forces flight to return to Los Angeles airport LOS ANGELES (AP) - Qantas Airways says a water leak aboard a flight bound for Australia has forced the plane (Airbus A380)to return to Los Angeles. The company says in a statement that the flight bound for Melbourne on Tuesday night returned to Los Angeles International Airport about an hour after takeoff. Qantas says there were no safety concerns with the leak and that the captain decided to turn the plane around in the interest of passenger comfort. There was no immediate word on the type of plane involved. LAX spokeswoman Amanda Parsons tells The Associated Press the 11:40 p.m. flight was carrying about 400 passengers. Qantas says the plane's crew did all it could to help customers and that the issue with the plane was being addressed by its engineers. The company says it is working to determine the cause of the leak. http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2014/07/02/water-leak-forces-flight-to-return-to-los-angeles Back to Top Oł est la bombe? French cops 'lose explosives' in airport during training and can't find them French police put a block of explosives at Marseille Airport during training exercises...and forgot where they hid it, says a leaked report. The authorities have been searching for the perilous package for a week to no avail. The explosives were lost somewhere in the cargo area in Marseille Provence Airport in the second-largest French city, reported French media. The deadly substance was hidden during exercises in which the local gendarmes were training police dogs to find explosives. However, the sniffer dogs didn't seem to be trained well enough to find the substances. Neither were the officers, who forgot where they put no less than 100 grams of C-4 military explosives. "All searches to find the material have failed," the police source said. It is yet unclear whether fully-trained police dogs had been used to help find the substances. A criminal investigation has been launched to find out who is responsible for the incident, said local police, adding that the culprit could be subject to "administrative penalties and lawsuits." The preliminary inquiry said that "there was a negligent supervision" of the training exercise. Investigators still believe that the explosives were not stolen, but lost somewhere in the airport. The police reassured the public that without a detonating device, the substance is harmless. "It's a stable product... Without firing [device], it's not dangerous," added the police. C-4, or Composition C-4, is very stable and not sensitive to most physical shocks. C4 cannot be detonated by a gunshot or by dropping it on to a hard surface, and it doesn't explode when set on fire. But it can detonate if there is a combination of extreme heat and a shockwave. http://rt.com/news/169808-france-police-explosives-airport/ Back to Top IATA says global air travel has high levels of safety despite disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370 SAFETY in global aviation remains high, the International Air Transport Association says, as it seeks to improve in-flight tracking after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. There were 0.34 accidents per million flights in the first four months of 2014 compared with 0.32 over the preceding five years, IATA said overnight at its annual general meeting in Doha, Qatar. "The preliminary rate for the industry as a whole (including non-IATA airlines) is performing strongly," with 0.29 accidents per million flights in January-April against 0.48 in the previous five years, it said. IATA groups 242 airlines representing 84 per cent of global air traffic. Its statement noted that the industry recorded three accidents between January and April, including the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. "Aviation stakeholders are united in their desire to ensure that we never face another situation where an aircraft simply disappears," said Kevin Hiatt, senior vice president at IATA's Safety and Flight Operations department. MH370 disappeared on March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard. An extensive search in the Indian Ocean has been unable to locate the plane. An IATA taskforce on in-flight tracking, formed by the UN's aviation agency, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), is to present its findings in September. "While states work through ICAO to develop and implement performance-based global standards, the industry is committed to moving forward with recommendations that airlines can implement now," said Mr Hiatt. He acknowledged, however, that airlines alone can decide if they want to implement such standards. Meanwhile the company specialising in air transport communications and information technology SITA announced in Doha plans to introduce a new aircraft tracking device. "The solution, which is currently being evaluated by several airlines for testing, will utilise technology that is already installed in the aircraft to provide advanced tracking capabilities," a statement said. It said the system known as "SITA AIRCOM Server Flight Tracker solution" will alert airline flight dispatchers "to unexpected aircraft movements" it said. According to its designers, "the solution does not call for extensive additional cost or investment by the airlines" as it relies on a system that is already installed in many aircraft. http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/iata-says-global-air-travel-has-high-levels-of-safety- despite-disappearance-of-malaysia-airlines-mh370/story-fnizu68q-1226942303552 Back to Top Air safety: Germany develops wake turbulence warning system BRAUNSCHWEIG (GERMANY), A new warning system is being developed in Germany to protect aircraft during takeoffs and landings from dangerous wake turbulence from aircraft ahead of them. Wake turbulence has various components, the most hazardous of which are known as wake vortices. This is due to counter-rotating trails of turbulent air streaming behind an aircraft in flight they are caused by higher-pressure air beneath the wings curling around the wingtips to the lower-pressure area above. Occurrences of trailing planes flying into the vortices are "frequent, but there are relatively few accidents," noted Stefan Levedag, director of the German Aerospace Centre's (DLR) Institute of Flight Systems in the German city of Braunschweig. He and his team are working on the warning system. Accidents are infrequent because planes taking off or landing are required to keep a safe distance from preceding aircraft. The amount of separation depends on the size of the planes. A smaller aircraft trailing a jumbo jet must keep a distance of up to 15 kilometres, for instance. Nevertheless, accidents do happen. The most serious was in November 2001, when an Airbus A300 crashed in the New York City borough of Queens shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport. The accident was attributed to pilot error in the presence of wake turbulence from a Boeing 747, which caused the Airbus's vertical stabilizer (or vertical tail) and rudder to break off in flight. All 260 people aboard the Airbus and five people on the ground were killed. The strength of wingtip vortices is determined primarily by an aircraft's wingspan, weight and airspeed. "When an airplane is flying more slowly, wake turbulence increases," Levedag said. It can remain in the air for several minutes after the passage of an aircraft and drift laterally depending on the wind direction. Gradually sinking, it finally dissipates. The Wake Encounter Avoidance and Advisory system (WEAA) being developed by DLR scientists uses information on an aircraft's technical data, takeoff weight, speed and altitude, along with wind and atmospheric conditions. Using that data, it continuously computes where turbulence in its trail is most likely to be located in the sky. "We've tested the system a number of times already," Levedag said. In April the DLR used a Dassault Falcon jet as a vortex generator. It made repeated passes across the flight path of an Airbus A320 converted into a research aircraft. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/air-safety-germany-develops-wake-turbulence- warning- system/article6167146.ece?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication Back to Top Pilots sick out - Caribbean Airlines flights cancelled ALL flights scheduled for today on State-airline Caribbean Airlines will be affected since many of its pilots who were rostered to operate flights have called in sick. Flights international and domestic have been affected. Many flights to and from Tobago have already been cancelled. In a press statement Caribbean Airlines stated that it was disappointed with the pilots' action and apologised to passengers caused by the delays. The release quoted chief executive officer Michael DiLollo as stating in an internal release to staff: " We are naturally concerned firstly for the health and welfare of our pilot body since this is an unprecedented occurrence. This unfortunate situation has disrupted our scheduled services at the beginning of our critical summer season, during which we count most on our operational crews to demonstrate reliability and service for our loyal customers." He also said: " Many families choose this time to travel and have committed hard-earned savings to enjoying this time together. To disappoint them will surely be a serious breach of our unspoken contract with them, a betrayal far deeper than our legal commitment to provide the promised service." Caribbean Airline stated communication have been taking place between the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilot's Association (TTALPA) regarding outstanding issues and will continue to have discussions "in good faith." Passengers are being advised to confirm their flight times with the Flight Status Tool on the company's website at www.caribbean-airlines.com prior to travel to avoid further disturbance. Line Minister, Finance Minister Larry Howai could not immediately respond to the issue this morning since he was making a contribution in the Senate. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Pilots-sick-out---Caribbean-Airlines-flights-cancelled- 265379881.html Back to Top Malaysia Jet Passengers Likely Suffocated, Australia Says A crewman aboard a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion aircraft searches for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 over the southern Indian Ocean March 22, 2014. Jason Reed/Reuters SYDNEY (Reuters) - The passengers and crew of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 most likely died from suffocation and coasted lifelessly into the ocean on autopilot, a new report released by Australian officials on Thursday said. In a 55-page report, the Australian Transport Safety Board outlined how investigators had arrived at this conclusion after comparing the conditions on the flight with previous disasters, although it contained no new evidence from within the jetliner. The report narrowed down the possible final resting place from thousands of possible routes, while noting the absence of communications and the steady flight path and a number of other key abnormalities in the course of the ill-fated flight. Try Newsweek Print + Digital for only $1.25 per week "Given these observations, the final stages of the unresponsive crew/hypoxia event type appeared to best fit the available evidence for the final period of MH370's flight when it was heading in a generally southerly direction," the ATSB report said. All of that suggested that the plane most likely crashed farther south into the Indian Ocean than previously thought, Australian officials also said, leading them to announce a shift farther south within the prior search area. The new analysis comes more than 100 days after the Boeing 777, carrying 239 passengers and crew, disappeared on March 8 shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing. Investigators say what little evidence they have to work with suggests the plane was deliberately diverted thousands of kilometers from its scheduled route before eventually plunging into the Indian Ocean. The search was narrowed in April after a series of acoustic pings thought to be from the plane's black box recorders were heard along a final arc where analysis of satellite data put its last location. But a month later, officials conceded the wreckage was not in that concentrated area, some 1,600 km (1,000 miles) off the northwest coast of Australia, and the search area would have to be expanded. "The new priority area is still focused on the seventh arc, where the aircraft last communicated with satellite. We are now shifting our attention to an area further south along the arc," Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss told reporters in Canberra. Truss said the area was determined after a review of satellite data, early radar information and aircraft performance limits after the plane diverted across the Malaysian peninsula and headed south into one of the remotest areas of the planet. "It is highly, highly likely that the aircraft was on autopilot otherwise it could not have followed the orderly path that has been identified through the satellite sightings," Truss said. The next phase of the search is expected to start in August and take a year, covering some 60,000 sq km at a cost of A$60 million ($56 million) or more. The search is already the most expensive in aviation history. The new priority search area is around 2,000 km west of Perth, a stretch of isolated ocean frequently lashed by storm force winds and massive swells. Two vessels, one Chinese and one from Dutch engineering company Fugro , are currently mapping the sea floor along the arc, where depths exceed 5,000 meters in parts. A tender to find a commercial operator to conduct the sea floor search closes on Monday. http://www.newsweek.com/malaysia-jet-passengers-likely-suffocated-australia-says-256425 Back to Top Back to Top Virgin Atlantic Starts Hunt for 747 Leisure-Fleet Successor Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. said it's ready to assess options for replacing an aging fleet of Boeing Co. (BA) 747 jumbo jets that form the heart of its long-haul leisure operation from London's Gatwick airport. Virgin has seven 747-400s coming off lease around 2019 and aims to choose replacements in the next 12 to 18 months, with Airbus Group NV (AIR)'s A330 and A350 pitted against with Boeing's 787 stretch and 777, Chief Executive Officer Craig Kreeger said. "Any of those would be in the consideration set," Kreeger said yesterday in an interview in London at the unveiling of the U.K. carrier's new crew uniforms, adding that an order would also need to include "some options to grow." Kreeger is seeking to return Virgin Atlantic to profit by the end of this year having taken over in February 2013, a month after Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) agreed to buy a 49 percent stake in the Crawley, England- based company. Virgin already has 17 787-9s on order which it said last week will be deployed at its main London Heathrow hub for flights to the eastern U.S. Leases on the Gatwick-based 747s could probably be extended if necessary, so that a decision on a replacement isn't an urgent one, Kreeger said. The existing version of the A330 wide-body is integral to Virgin Atlantic's operations, according to the CEO, with Airbus currently examining a re-engined update that will cut fuel burn. BA, Gulf Challenge Kreeger confirmed interest in the 787-10, a plane Branson said last month might have a place in the lineup. Virgin will be the first European carrier to get the 787-9 variant of Boeing's newest wide-body, with flights scheduled from October. Airbus's A350 is due for its first delivery, to Qatar Airways Ltd., later this year, while Boeing's 777X, a successor to its popular long-range twinjet, is slated to enter production in 2017 with service entry in 2020. An order for Airbus A380 superjumbos has been put on hold, with delivery deferred until 2018 at the earliest, as Virgin mulls whether it has room for the world's largest passenger jet. Virgin is already retiring comparatively inefficient Airbus A340-300s which are due to exit by the end of February, and -600s of which two are due to be retired at the beginning of the year. The last five 747- 400s stationed at Heathrow are due to leave the fleet between September 2015 and July 2016. Punk Heritage Virgin's revamp of crew uniforms comes as Kreeger seeks to maintain its trendsetting status in the face of service enhancements at carriers spanning closest rival British Airways, pioneer of flat-bed seats, to Gulf operators such as Etihad Airways PJSC, which will offer enclosed suites in its A380s. "I think it's essential for Virgin Atlantic to be truly Virgin Atlantic," Kreeger said. "We represent a spirit of making things better for customers and doing it in a unique style with flare, and the uniforms speak to that." Designed by Vivienne Westwood, who found fame with her punk clothing in the 1970s in partnership with Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, the uniforms will be worn by 7,500 cabin crew, pilots, lounge staff and Virgin Holidays employees. "Every time we have a new uniform, other airlines start to emulate and copy, so we have to keep revamping," Branson said in an interview at the London event. He declined to comment on plans for the interiors of the 787 Dreamliners, which will account for more than half of the fleet by 2018. The relationship with new shareholder Delta helped halve Virgin Atlantic's 2013 loss to 51 million pounds ($87 million) as sales gained 4.9 percent to 2.98 billion pounds. Kreeger said he still aims to return the company to profit by the end of this fiscal year. British Airways, a unit of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG), boosted operating profit 73 percent last year to 651 million pounds. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-01/virgin-atlantic-starts-hunt-for-jet-to-replace-747-leisure- fleet.html Back to Top Boeing captures UK's Monarch after jet contest -sources LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - Boeing is poised to win a $3 billion jet order from UK carrier Monarch Airlines, ousting its European rival Airbus for a key victory two weeks before the Farnborough Airshow, industry sources said on Tuesday. The expected order for some 30 revamped 737 aircraft follows a contest lasting several months as the Luton-based carrier became the latest hotspot in a global battle for market share between two popular types of narrowbody jets. Most industry sources had expected Airbus to win the contest, which had been watched as a gauge of competition. Emerging less than two weeks before the world's largest aerospace event, it will be seen as a blow to Airbus, which had displaced its U.S. rival Boeing in an earlier fleet overhaul at one of Europe's oldest leisure airlines. But it could also rekindle concerns about a potential price war between the largest planemakers to try to win the advantage on models that have already sold many times more than their designers originally hoped. "Both Airbus and Boeing have huge pricing power, which could drive up aircraft values if it weren't for their ongoing battle for market share," said Bert van Leeuwen, a managing director of Germany's DVB Bank, on the sidelines of an industry conference. Boeing said it does not comment on negotiations with customers. Monarch said a final decision had not been taken. "Monarch Airlines is at an advanced stage in evaluating a range of options for re-equipping its fleet to enhance the economics of the airline and the standards of service it provides to its millions of customers," a spokesman said. "A further announcement will be made in due course when this process is complete," he said in an email. Sales and stock prices for both companies have soared ever since Airbus, and then Boeing, decided in 2010-11 to upgrade their cash-generating, narrowbody models with new engines. The first such jet, the Airbus A320neo, is due to enter service in 2015 and has won over 2,600 orders. It competes with the upgraded Boeing 737 MAX, which as of last week had 2,089 orders. SUPPORT FOR A330NEO Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Ray Conner urged employees in a recent internal campaign to fight for every sale and pay attention to winning back market share. So far this year, Boeing is well ahead on total airplane orders, prompting speculation that Airbus will respond with several hundred new orders at the July 14-20 Farnborough Airshow, including its 3,000th order for the A320neo. It is also expected to unveil sales of several dozen A320 jets to China during a visit next week by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, industry sources said. Airbus declined comment. Boeing is meanwhile seen as very close to finalising an order for 150 large twin-engined 777X from Dubai's Emirates. Speakers at the Ascend Flightglobal Aviation Forum in London said demand for new fuel-saving aircraft was being driven by high oil prices and low interest rate rates, but that demand was also fundamentally supported by economic growth projections. On a positive note for Airbus, Virgin Atlantic threw its weight behind a possible revamp of its A330, saying it might buy some while urging Airbus not to delay.. Airbus is nearing a decision on whether to adapt the same formula it used on the A320 by upgrading the wide-body jet. It has already selected Rolls-Royce as sole engine supplier, probably with its Trent 1000-TEN powerplant, according to industry sources, but Les Echos newspaper reported that the Airbus Group board was not yet ready to sign off on the move. "On paper it looks a fantastic offering. It will come with an increase in ownership costs, but as long as this is kept under control ... it will be appealing to a good number of airlines," Alan Leeks, Virgin Atlantic's head of strategic fleet planning, told the Ascend Flightglobal Finance Forum. Virgin Atlantic may, however, further delay taking delivery of six Airbus A380s that it has long had on order, he added. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/01/monarch-airlines-boeing-idUSL6N0PC5RS20140701 Back to Top American Pilots Living Abroad: World's Worst Tax Returns? HONG KONG (July 2, 2014 - CNNMoney) - Think filing your tax return is a pain? You've got nothing on American pilots who live abroad. As they crisscross the globe, IRS rules require expat American pilots to record exactly how long they're flying over the U.S., foreign countries and international waters. Once they land, the pilots have to track exactly when they're working, and when they're off the clock. Here's why: If they ever face an IRS audit, the pilots will have to prove - using flight plans or other documents - exactly how much money they've earned in each jurisdiction, on land or in the air. For this small slice of the American population, following the IRS rules to the letter means a tax headache that lasts 365 days a year. "It's insane," said a Hong Kong-based airline pilot, who asked to remain anonymous over fears he would lose his job. "On every flight, I have to log the time I'm over foreign countries, and the time I'm over international waters and the U.S." In fact, anyone who works abroad on a plane or a ship - flight attendant, merchant mariner or cruise ship dancer - can be required to produce those records. "The IRS wants to see how much of the pilot's time was spent over international waters and in the U.S.," said Sue Folkringa, an accountant at Wolcott & Associates, a firm that specializes in aviation taxes. "Typically, the pilot will have to go through their flight records - not a welcome task." Unlike most countries, the U.S. requires its citizens living abroad to file and pay taxes each year. Since expats already pay local taxes, the IRS grants an exemption on the first $97,600 earned in a foreign country. But here's the catch - the U.S. government says money made working in or over international waters doesn't count as foreign income. Take the example of an American expat pilot who flies a 13-hour direct route from Hong Kong to Los Angeles. Money made during the three flying hours over Asia qualifies as foreign income, but payment earned during the remaining 10 hours over the Pacific Ocean does not. This means the pilot is liable for U.S. tax on about 77% of earnings during that flight. "Every flight I go on, 12 months a year, I have to sit there and take notes," the Hong Kong-based pilot said. "It just doesn't make sense." The pilot said he pays an accountant $1,300 a year to prepare his 60-page tax return, because the laws are just too complex. Folkringa said that while it's up to the pilots to keep records, many don't know they have to until they're targeted by an IRS audit. The regulations are so obscure that some tax professionals don't even know they exist. Even for specialists, there are plenty of gray areas. Accountants, for example, say that the U.S. definition of "international waters" is far too vague - and even contradictory. Lack of clarity leads some accountants to conclude that international waters begin three miles off the coast, while others say the boundary starts 200 miles offshore. The pilots, meanwhile, are expected to keep track of every entry and exit with pinpoint accuracy. The IRS did not respond to a request for comment, but the agency website does have some tips. One guide encourages individuals to obtain flight or ship plans in order "to plot the geographical points and determine the actual planned time spent flying over foreign countries." "Who has that kind of calculation capability at their fingertips?" asked Folkringa. Vincenzo Villamena, managing partner of Online Taxman, recalled one particularly difficult IRS audit - his client was working on a Maersk cargo ship hijacked in 2009 by Somali pirates. Needless to say, the kidnapping made it hard to prove when the sailor was in international waters. (The incident was later turned into a movie called Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks). "It was like, 'Come on, don't you have any sympathy?'" Villamena said. "He was working, and then he wasn't working - he was kidnapped." http://fox17online.com/2014/07/02/american-pilots-living-abroad-worlds-worst-tax- returns/#ixzz36JOfb9o9 Back to Top American Airlines close to $2.6 billion order for CFM engines: sources (Reuters) - American Airlines Group (AAL.O) is close to finalizing an order for 200 CFM International engines, worth $2.6 billion at list prices, to equip 100 Airbus Group NV (AIR.PA) A320neo jetliners that the airline has on firm order, according to three people familiar with the matter. The deal between the world's largest airline and CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric Aviation (GE.N) and Safran SA (SAF.PA) of France, marks a loss for United Technologies Corp's (UTX.N) Pratt and Whitney unit, which makes the other engine offered on the A320neo. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the deal publicly. American Airlines, Airbus, CFM and Pratt declined to comment. The CMF LEAP-1A engine for the Airbus A320neo is expected to be up to 15 percent more fuel efficient than the comparable CFM56 engine powering current A320s. The A320neo is due to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2015 and flight testing of the plane is due to start in September 2014, Airbus said. The American order is significant in part because the carrier has options for additional A320neos. The orders are part of American's landmark firm order for 460 Airbus and Boeing planes, placed in July 2011. The 2011 American deal forced Boeing to follow Airbus' strategy of putting new engines on the stalwart A320. Boeing revamped its best-selling 737 with new engines rather than waiting for a more ambitious redesign. Boeing's rival plane, the 737 MAX, offers only the CFM LEAP-1B engine. American has placed firm orders for 100 737 MAX jets and options for 60 more. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/01/us-american-airline-engines-idUSKBN0F659P20140701 Back to Top THE ALPA 60TH AIR SAFETY FORUM A Celebration of Pilots Helping Get the Job Done Safely & Securely August 4-7, 2014 | Washington Hilton | Washington, DC SPONSORSHIP & EXHIBITING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE Contact Tina Long at tina.long@alpa.org for more information or click here to download the sponsorship brochure. AGENDA AT A GLANCE Visit http://safetyforum.alpa.org for full agendas MONDAY - AUGUST 4, 2014 8:30-9:00 General Session-ALPA Air Safety Organization Update (Open to all ALPA Members Only) 9:30-6:00 ALPA ASO Group Workshops & Council Meetings - (invitation only) 9:30-4:30 Jumpseat Forum (invitation only) 12:00-5:00 Aviation Security Forum (invitation only) TUESDAY - AUGUST 5, 2014 8:00-6:00 ALPA ASO Group Workshops & Council Meetings - (invitation only) 9:00-5:00 Joint Aviation/Security Forum - (invitation only) WEDNESDAY - AUGUST 6, 2014 - 60TH AIR SAFETY FORUM 8:30-9:00 Opening Ceremony 9:00-10:30 Panel: Surviving a Main Deck Lithium Battery Fire: New Technological Solutions 10:30-11:00 Break with the Exhibitors 11:00-12:30 Panel: Smoke In the Cockpit-Where Seconds Matter 12:30-1:45 Keynote Luncheon-100 Years of Commercial Aviation Mr. Paul Rinaldi - President, National Air Traffic Controllers Association 1:45-3:15 Panel: Finding the Runway with a Smoke-Filled Cockpit-Using All the Tools 3:15-3:45 Break With the Exhibitors 3:45-5:15 Panel: Landing A Distressed Airliner-What's Waiting at the Airport? 5:15-5:25 Presentation of the ALPA Airport Safety Liaison and ALPA Airport Awards 5:25-5:30 Closing Remarks 5:30-6:30 Hospitality Reception (Sponsored by Boeing) THURSDAY - AUGUST 7, 2014 - 60TH AIR SAFETY FORUM 8:30- 10:00 Panel - Current Security Threats and Countermeasures 10:00-10:30 Break with the Exhibitors 10:30-11:30 Panel: A Discussion With Key Regulators 11:30-11:40 Presentation of the ALPA Presidential Citation Awards 11:40-1:00 Lunch (on your own) 1:00-2:30 Panel: Pilot Health & Occupational Safety 2:30-3:00 Break with the Exhibitors 3:00-4:30 Panel: Modernizing Our National Airspace System: The Flight Path, The Potholes and the Promise 4:30-5:00 Closing Ceremony 6:00-7:00 Awards Reception (Sponsored by Airbus) 7:00-10:00 Awards Dinner 10:00-11:00 Post Awards Reception Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Dear Transport Pilots, My name is Joe Florek, and I am currently working on my Graduate Capstone Project in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Aeronautical Science, with a specialization in Aviation Aerospace Safety Systems from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide Campus. My Capstone Project will explore the impact automation in transport aircraft has on situational awareness in flight. I am seeking your assistance by completing an anonymous online survey. Based on your responses to the questionnaire, you will help me determine if automation decreases or increases overall pilot situational awareness in transport aircraft. Please note that this survey should be filled out by air transport pilots. The anonymous online surevey can be accessed via: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/875LDZQ Automation and Its Affects on Human Flight Survey You have been invited to participate in a research study. This anonymous survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Back to Top Upcoming Events: Managing Safety for High Performance Jul 14-15, 2014 London-Stansted Airport, UK http://www.universalweather.com/aviation-sms/education/managing-safety-for-high- performance/?utm_source=externalemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DBTKP007 International System Safety Society Annual Symposium 04-08AUG2014 - St. Louis, MO http://issc2014.system-safety.org ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition Atlanta, GA September 7 - 10, 2014 http://annual.aci-na.org/ IFA - Maintaining Airworthiness Standards and Investing in the Most Important Asset 'The Human Element' 17 - 18 September, 2014 Emirates Eng Facility, Dubai www.ifairworthy.com Public Safety and Security Fall Conference Arlington, VA October 6 - 9, 2014 http://aci-na.org/event/4309 Back to Top Employment: Position Available: Assistant Chief Flight Instructor LeTourneau University www.letu.edu/jobs Position Available: Safety Specialist NetJets Inc. www.netjets.com/careers Position Available: Human Performance Investigator NTSB https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/373245800 Curt Lewis