Flight Safety Information July 24, 2014 - No. 152 In This Issue Air Algerie Plane Missing: Flight AH5017 Disappears From Radar Taiwan launches inquiry into plane crash that killed 48 U.S. flights returning to Tel Aviv, but Israeli tourism will feel turbulence for long time No evidence found that Malaysia jet's voice recorder tampered with MH17 crash: Challenges of forensic investigation Private jet skids off Aspen runway PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Passenger jet demand push Boeing profits up 52 percent Airline safety still high despite high-profile crashes Evolution of aircraft explains Concordes fate Canadian aviation giant to cut 1800 jobs Nigeria: Jonathan Appoints Osita Chidoka Aviation Minister THE ALPA 60TH AIR SAFETY FORUM Graduate Research Survey (1) Graduate Research Survey (2) Upcoming Events Employment Air Algerie Plane Missing: Flight AH5017 Disappears From Radar ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) - An Air Algerie flight from Burkina Faso to Algiers disappeared from radar early Thursday, the official Algerian news agency said. Air navigation services lost track of the plane after 0155 GMT, or 50 minutes after takeoff, the agency said. That means that Flight AH5017 had been missing for hours before the news was made public. "In keeping with procedures, Air Algerie has launched its emergency plan," the agency quoted the airline as saying. The flight path of the plane from Ouagadougou, the capital of the west African nation of Burkina Faso, to Algiers was not immediately clear. Ougadougou is in a nearly straight line south of Algiers, passing over Mali where unrest continues in the north. However, a senior French official said it was unlikely that fighters in Mali had weaponry that could shoot down a plane. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak for attribution, said the fights have shoulder-fired weapons which could not hit an aircraft at cruising altitude. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/24/air-algerie-plane-missing_n_5616335.html ****************** Date: Thursday 24 July 2014 Time: 01:55 UTC Type: McDonnell Douglas MD-83 Operating for: Air Algérie Leased from: Swiftair Registration: EC-LTV C/n / msn: 53190/2148 First flight: 1996 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: 6 Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: 110 Total: Fatalities: / Occupants: 116 Airplane damage: Missing Airplane fate: Presumed damaged beyond repair Location: between Ouagadougou and Algiers ( Algeria) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Ouagadougou Airport (OUA/DFFD), Burkina Faso Destination airport: Algiers-Houari Boumediene Airport (ALG/DAAG), Algeria Flightnumber: 5017 Narrative: The Algerian air navigation service reported that they had lost contact with Air Algérie flight 5017, about 50 minutes after departure. Flight AH5017 departed Ouagadougou Airport (OUA), Burkina Faso on a regular service to Algiers, Algeria. Airlineroute.net reports that according to Air Algerie's inventory listing, the Ouagadougou service is operated by a leased MD-83. ACARS data show that EC- LTV has been operating flights on behalf of Air Algérie in the past few days and Flightradar24 shows the airplane being scheduled for flight 5017. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Taiwan launches inquiry into plane crash that killed 48 Rescue personnel survey the wreckage of a TransAsia Airways turboprop plane that crashed, on Taiwan's offshore island Penghu July 24, 2014. REUTERS-Stringer (Reuters) - Taiwan authorities launched an investigation on Thursday into the crash of a TransAsia Airways turboprop plane in which 48 people were killed with the weather expected to be a factor in the inquiry. The plane, a 70-seat ATR 72, crashed on Wednesday evening near the runway while trying to land on the small island of Penghu, west of Taiwan island, after a typhoon had passed earlier in the day. The aircraft had 54 passengers and four crew on board. Two of the dead were French, the French foreign ministry said, and 10 people were injured and taken to hospital. The leaders of rivals China and Taiwan both offered their condolences over the deaths. Taiwan's civil aviation authorities said the weather had been suitable for flying. "There were nine flights on the same route between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. yesterday. Only the TransAsia flight crashed," said Jean Shen, director of the Civil Aeronautics Administration. "The weather reports showed it was totally OK for landing," she said, adding that authorities were not ruling anything out. "We can not say for sure what went wrong at this point. The flight safety committee has opened an investigation." Both black boxes had been found and officials would begin examining them later in the day, she said. Alison Kao, a TransAsia spokeswoman, said the weather could have been a factor but the airline was not jumping to any conclusions before the investigation. The aircraft took off from the southern Taiwan city of Kaohsiung, heading for Makong airport in the Penghu islands, but it crashed just short of the runway on its second attempt to land during a thunder storm. The islands are also known as the Pescadores.. No one on the ground was hurt. Airline seats and life jackets were strewn around the crash site and the roof of a nearby building was destroyed. Victims' families were heading there, officials said. POOR RECORD Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou said in a statement all of the island's people were grieving. "Today is a very sad day in the history of Taiwan aviation," Ma said. China's president, Xi Jinping, who is on a Latin America tour, felt "deeply grieved" after learning of the casualties, the mainland's State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement, according to media. The mainland and Taiwan have been rivals for decades, with the mainland regarding Taiwan as a renegade province, though commercial relations have grown in recent years. Typhoon Matmo hit Taiwan on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and strong wind. It later passed the island and headed to China and was downgraded to a tropical storm. Taiwan has had a poor record for aviation safety over the last two decades, though it has improved recently after the government tightened safety measures. TransAsia had been involved in eight "incidents" since 2002, including this latest one, according to data on the website of the Aviation Safety Council. It had a fatal accident in 2002 when a cargo plane carrying two pilots crashed into the sea. TransAsia and bigger rivals, China Airlines and Eva Airways, have been facing pressure from higher energy prices and increasingly popular budget airlines. TransAsia Airways is a Taiwan-based airline with a fleet of about 23 Airbus and ATR aircraft, operating chiefly short-haul flights on domestic routes as well as to mainland China, Japan, Thailand and Cambodia, among its Asian destinations. Shares of TransAsia Airways ended down 5.5 percent after opening 7 percent lower. The main index ended up 0.3 percent. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/24/us-taiwan-crash-idUSKBN0FS1EK20140724 *************** Date: Wednesday 23 July 2014 Time: 19:06 Type: ATR 72-500 (72-212A) Operator: TransAsia Airways Registration: B-22810 C/n / msn: 642 First flight: 2000-06-14 (14 years 1 months) Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127F Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: 4 Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: 54 Total: Fatalities: 46 / Occupants: 58 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: NNE of Magong Airport (MZG) ( Taiwan) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH/RCKH), Taiwan Destination airport: Magong Airport (MZG/RCQC), Taiwan Flightnumber: 222 Narrative: A Transasia Airways ATR-72 passenger plane was destroyed in an accident near Magong Airport (MZG), Taiwan. There were 58 persons on board. Flight GE222 had departed from Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH) at 17:43 on a scheduled domestic flight to Magong Airport, Penghu Islands, Taiwan. The flight had been delayed from 16:00 hours because of poor weather as a result of Typhoon Matmo that was passing through the area. The airplane crashed during a go around following an attempted landing at 19:06. Transportation Minister Yeh Kuang-shih said that there were twelve survivors. According to the Magong Airport flight schedule, 55 out of 66 flights to Magong were cancelled. The last aircraft to arrive prior to flight GE222 was an ATR-72-600 operating UNI Air flight 647, which landed at 18:56. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top U.S. flights returning to Tel Aviv, but Israeli tourism will feel turbulence for long time People will see the two-day FAA airline ban as a warning, says U.S. travel guru. United Airlines' departure board, with the canceled flight to Tel Aviv The empty arrival lounge of Ben Gurion International airport, near Tel Aviv, is seen following several flight cancellations on July 23, 2014 due to the ongoing the Gaza bloodshed. Photo by AFP Israel opens airport in Negev as alternative to Ben-Gurion NEW YORK - The two-day flight ban imposed on American carriers flying to Tel Aviv is likely to have a serious long-term impact on Israel's tourism business, travel experts say, even though the Federal Aviation Administration lifted its ban on Thursday morning. Flights from the United States are set to resume Friday. The FAA had been "operating from an abundance of caution, especially because of the Malaysia Airlines flight" shot down over Ukraine on July 17, said CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg. He said that U.S. and European airlines canceled flights to and from Israel because of "their own liability and insurance. The war-risk insurance companies that write these policies [for the airlines] are dramatically altering their policies as we speak. It's way beyond eastern Ukraine here. "Right now, an airline flying into Tel Aviv might not be covered if their airplane is damaged or destroyed by a missile," said Greenberg, who may be America's best-known travel maven. A winner of multiple Emmy awards, Greenberg has been to Israel more than 40 times. A year ago he filmed "Israel: The Royal Tour," with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which premiered in March and continues to air on public television stations in the United States. The new approach signaled by the two-day grounding and the FAA's directive "could have serious ramifications around the world," Greenberg said. It would have "a serious impact, a dramatic impact, on where we fly and how we fly." Asked if the FAA's move was related to the Malaysia Airlines attack, agency spokesperson Lynn Lunsford, in an email interview, said it wasn't. In a statement Wednesday, before the ban was lifted, the FAA said it was "working closely with the Government of Israel to review the significant new information they have provided and determine whether potential risks to U.S. civil aviation are mitigated so the agency can resolve concerns as quickly as possible. The agency instituted the flight prohibition Tuesday, July 22, in response to a rocket strike that landed approximately one mile from the airport." The FAA statement added, "The agency's responsibility is to act with an abundance of caution in protecting those traveling on U.S. airlines." Though the flight ban has been lifted, "the ripple effect on the tourism economy will be enormous," warned Greenberg. People "are already booking away not just from Israel and Ukraine, they're booking away from the entire region. The impact is not just on the airlines, it's the hotels, tour operators, restaurants." It also provided a headache for American travelers who were booked to fly on U.S. airlines this week. Stand-up comic Ari Teman was supposed to fly Delta to Israel, in time to participate in the "Rocket Shelter Comedy Tour" with three other comedians. He learned that Delta suspended operations to Israel - something it did even before the FAA mandate - from friends. "At first I was so relieved not to have to fly Delta. It may be the only good thing Hamas has accomplished," joked Teman. When he called Delta, they offered to connect him with Air France to see if he could get onto one of their flights. "Paris - that's a safe place for Jews right now," he added. So he called El Al. He had difficulty getting through, with their phone system down and their website showing no availability. Then he called a friend who works in the travel business, who said he could book him on El Al with a stopover in Madrid. Teman says he thinks the FAA move seemed "politically motivated. Israel is a much safer airport than many of the airports in conflict territories right now. It's more likely a [U.S.] State Department tactic to isolate and punish Israel's economy." This suggestion was also made by Republican Senator Ted Cruz, the State Department rejecting Cruz's comments as "ridiculous and offensive." El Al spokeswoman Sheryl Stein said the company was flooded with at least quadruple the typical number of calls from people trying to rebook their flights from American carriers to El Al. The Israeli airline currently runs five nonstop flights a day from U.S. cities, carrying close to 2,000 people, and added some flights between Israel and Europe to accommodate people who were stranded. Last year, 630,000 Americans traveled to Israel, said Haim Gutin, Israel's consul commissioner for tourism in North America and South America, in an interview with Haaretz. This year, he added, 700,000 Americans were on track to visit Israel. Until now. The FAA's directive came as a surprise to the Israeli government, said Gutin. After the last military operation in Gaza - Operation Pillar of Defense, in November-December 2012 - it took about two months for Israel's tourism business to return to normal, he added. The American and European airline stoppage to Israel is likely to have a long-lasting impact, said Greenberg, because people view the FAA and airlines' decisions as warnings. "Whether it's about Israel or London, they embrace fear, and they're just not going to go," Greenberg said. "People tend to circle the wagons and stay home when these things happen. "When airlines aren't landing there, it sends a very clear message ... People will remember they canceled. It's going to take awhile to get back on track." http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.606996 Back to Top No evidence found that Malaysia jet's voice recorder tampered with: Dutch Probe Finds No Tampering With Malaysia Jet Black Box AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch Safety Board, which is leading an international inquiry into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, said on Wednesday investigators had found no evidence that the jet's "black box" voice recorder had been tampered with. The DSB also said it expected to get the information it needs from the crash site in eastern Ukraine, although much evidence had been damaged or lost. Experts have been downloading data from the Boeing 777's voice and data recorders at Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch after pro-Russian rebels, who control the crash sites in eastern Ukraine, handed them over early on Tuesday. "The Cockpit Voice Recorder was damaged but the part that contains the data was intact," the DSB said in a statement. "Nor was there any evidence or indication that (it) had been manipulated." Rebels released the recorders more than four days after the disaster in which 298 people, two thirds of whom were Dutch citizens, died. Ukraine has accused the rebels of tampering with the recorders, while the United States has said its suspects they shot down the jet with a Russian-made missile. "Despite the fact that evidence and traces have been damaged or lost, the DSB expects it will be able to gather sufficient relevant information from the crash site," the DSB said. It added that it would coordinate a team of 24 investigators from Ukraine, Malaysia, Germany, the United States, Britain and Russia, as well as the International Civil Aviation Organisation. http://news.yahoo.com/dutch-safety-board-takes-charge-mh17-crash-investigation-145851255-- finance.html Back to Top MH17 crash: Challenges of forensic investigation Crash site near village Debris in field Tail piece Three teams of international experts have now reached the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines plane that crashed in eastern Ukraine on 17 July. World leaders have called for the investigation to start urgently but there are fears that the crash site may have been compromised. Rob Brown and Alison Trowsdale look into what challenges the air crash investigators will face when they start to piece together the final moments of flight MH17. The crash site Could the evidence at the crash site of flight MH17 have been tampered with or contaminated? Footage has shown cranes lifting large sections of the fuselage. A video which emerged on Sunday showed pro- Russian rebels shortly after the crash searching through wreckage and the personal belongings of those on board. Monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have visited the site several times. Their spokesman Michael Bociurkiw told the BBC World Service that major pieces of the aircraft - including the tail fin - looked different during their most recent visit from when they first saw them. He said the pieces looked as though they had "been cut into". Aviation expert David Learmount says the usual procedure is for a crash site to be secured like a crime scene so that evidence is not disturbed until official investigators arrive. "This particular site has never been secured and it still isn't," he says. The pattern of the wreckage on the ground is also important. If it is scattered across an extremely wide area, then it shows that the plane "blew up in the sky and fell apart in the sky," says Mr Learmount. Moving or tampering with the wreckage would disrupt that pattern. How a missile could have brought down MH17 The wreckage Once at the crash site, investigators will want to look at the external marks on the wreckage, says David Gleave, an aviation expert from Loughborough University and a former air crash investigator. "Some pictures I've seen look as if various panels of the plane have been hit with a 12-bore shotgun and that shows evidence of something from the outside trying to get in, rather than a blast inside the aircraft trying to get out." Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) says: "The imagery that has so far been available is certainly in keeping with the kind of damage one would expect from a surface-to-air missile with a fragmentation warhead." There has been speculation that a Buk or SA-11 missile was responsible - this type of missile is equipped with a proximity fuse which can sense when the target is close and detonate the missile before impact, firing out fragments of shrapnel. But David Owen, author of the book Air Accident Investigation, says, "Even if fragments of a missile were retrieved, it would not be enough to establish responsibility because both sides have access to this kind of equipment." But with parts of the aircraft already moved, how difficult will it be for investigators to prove the cause of the crash? Mr Gleave says it would be incredibly difficult to substitute the aircraft parts or to cover up the damage. "Instant and secure access to a crash site is always ideal," he says, but he believes that if the crash was indeed caused by a missile, there will be enough evidence on the ground. The outside skin of the aircraft also can provide essential evidence, says Mr Learmount. "It could contain traces of explosives from an internal blast or a missile - unless it has been tampered with," he says. "In theory, air crash investigation techniques are very good but the big problem here is possible crime scene contamination," says Mr Owen. "Bodies have been moved, pieces of wreckage have been moved and there are the chaotic conditions of a war zone - all that means information may be obscured or the wrong conclusions may be drawn from it." The two recorders compared The flight data recorder (FDR) is designed to record the operating information from the plane's systems. Whenever the pilot touches the controls or changes course, the FDR records that action. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR), as its name suggests, records conversations between crew members on the flight deck and any other sounds that occur within the cockpit. In commercial aircraft there are usually several microphones sending audio information to the CVR. There were two black box recorders on flight MH17, storing key information about the flight as well as conversations in the cockpit. The pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine handed over both recorders to Malaysian experts on Monday and the head of the Malaysian delegation said they were "in good condition." But could the information inside have been tampered with? "It is possible to tamper with black boxes, but in order to be successful, it takes a lot longer than four days," says Mr Gleave. "Someone could have interfered with the recorders to make the data unreadable but in that short space of time, you couldn't substitute fake data for real data to come up with a different cause of accident." Robert Francis, former vice-chairman of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), agrees. He says flight recorders can be damaged, rendering them unreadable, but he has not heard a case of the data inside being tampered with. The chance of the recorders not containing good data is very slim, he says. The victims The bodies of those killed in the crash have been taken out of rebel-controlled territory and will be flown to the Netherlands for identification. However, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has warned that this process could take months. There are also concerns how the bodies have been treated, stored and transported. Mr Francis says that, depending on how much has been taken from the crash site, there will be big challenges for any scientific investigation. "Just the fact that all the victims are gone makes it difficult to do any kind of analysis on how the aircraft blew apart and how the passengers died." "The bodies of those who died need to go under pathological examination," says Mr Gleave. This will allow investigators look at shrapnel wounds and will assist with information on whether it was a bomb onboard the plane or an external explosion coming into the cabin. Some experts are warning that even talk of evidence tampering might bring the results of any investigation into question. "Anybody who doesn't like the outcome of this investigation can claim it is not valid because nothing has been protected," says Mr Learmount. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28424083 Back to Top Private jet skids off Aspen runway No injuries; runway closed 4 hours ASPEN, Colo. - A private jet skidded and went off the runway at the Aspen airport Wednesday afternoon, but no one was injured. The Galaxy G200 jet was carrying two pilots and a passenger when it landed at 4:45 p.m. The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office said there was minor damage to the aircraft and the runway, but there was no fuel leak. The main runway was closed after the mishap. Airport operations officials were towing the aircraft off the runway and expected to have the runway reopened by 9 p.m. Travelers with questions about commercial flight delays should call their airlines for the most up-to-date information. The NTSB is expected to begin its investigation into the cause of the crash on Thursday. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/private-jet-skids-off-aspen-runway Back to Top Back to Top Passenger jet demand push Boeing profits up 52 percent Increased production of passenger jets helped push up Boeing's profit by 52 percent in the second quarter, topping Wall Street's expectations. The Chicago-based company said net income increased to $1.65 billion, or $2.24 per share, from $1.09 billion, or $1.41 per share, in the same quarter a year ago. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $2.42 per share. The average estimate of analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.02 per share. Boeing Co. (BA) said Wednesday that revenue climbed 1.1 percent to $22.05 billion from $21.82 billion in the same quarter a year ago. Analysts expected $22.32 billion, according to Zacks. Revenue at Boeing's Commercial Airplanes division increased 5 percent to $14.3 billion on higher deliveries - 181 new jets, compared to 169 during the same period last year. Those gains were partially offset by a 5 percent drop in the company's defense, space and security division's revenues to $7.7 billion. The largest problem for that division was fewer deliveries of its C-17 and P-8 military planes, and a pre-tax charge related to its KC-46A tanker program. "While challenges resolving engineering and systems installation issues on our tanker test aircraft are resulting in higher spending to maintain schedule, the issues are well understood and we remain on path to begin flight testing fully provisioned tankers the first part of next year," CEO Jim McNerney said in a statement. Boeing also increased its earnings guidance for the year to $6.85 to $7.05 per share, up from a range of $6.10 to $6.30. Its annual revenue guidance remains the same at $87.5 billion to $90.5 billion. Boeing shares have declined $6.75, or 4.9 percent, to $129.74 since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has climbed 7.3 percent. However, the stock has climbed $21.95, or 20 percent, in the last 12 months. Shares of the company fell $2.22, or 1.7 percent, to $127.52 in early trading. http://www.delcotimes.com/business/20140723/passenger-jet-demand-push-boeing-profits-up-52- percent Back to Top Airline safety still high despite high-profile crashes Rescue workers survey the wreckage of a TransAsia Airways flight that crashed while attempting to land in stormy weather on the Taiwanese island of Penghu on Wednesday. Although Malaysian Airlines has suffered two tragic incidents involving jumbo jets this year, the commercial aviation industry has recorded fewer accidents so far this year than in previous years. "When we look at the big picture, the number of accidents itself is still far below the 10-year average," said Harro Ranter, president of the Aviation Safety Network, which tracks crashes and fatalities worldwide. However, the number of passengers killed as a result of an airline crash this year is already up significantly. Last Thursday, a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777, carrying 298 passengers and crew, was brought down by a surface to air missile, believed to have been fired by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. It came just months after another Malaysian jet, carrying 239 passengers and crew, disappeared off radar while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite intense searches across a huge geographic area, authorities have not found any trace of the missing plane. The year "has been an exceptional year because of these two high-profile accidents, which really mark the safety profile of this year," Ranter said. So far, there have been 11 fatal accidents including Wednesday's crash of a TransAsia Airways turboprop, which killed 47 as the plane was trying to land on an island off Taiwan. That is still far below the 10-year average, year to date, of 17 fatal accidents. "It's quite significantly below the 10-year average, although the number of fatalities is markedly higher because of these two high-profile accidents," Ranter added. According to International Air Transport Association, which represents 240 of the world's airlines, there were 210 fatalities from commercial aviation accidents last year, down from 414 in 2012. The five-year average of fatalities was 517. The total number of fatalities from the two Malaysian Airlines incidents alone is 537. More than 3 billion people flew safely on 36.4 million flights last year, of which 29.5 million were by jet and 6.9 million by turboprop, IATA said. In all, there were 16 fatal accidents in 2013 versus 15 in 2012, and a five-year average of 19. Ranter added that airline safety is a very high standard, noting that the two Malaysian Airlines cases appear to be of a different nature, and are not typical air crashes. "The most recent one in Ukraine almost certainly has a criminal component, and the other accident is still uncertain," he said. "There is nothing in both accidents that would suggest that there is an underlying safety issue." He argues that the Ukraine accident will enhance safety as airlines make decisions about whether or not to fly over hostile territory. Even if local authorities suggest it is safe to fly, as was the case over eastern Ukraine at altitudes above 32,000 feet, airlines may choose to reconsider. In fact, several U.S. and European carriers along with Air Canada have suspended service to Israel after a rocket attack landed near the Tel Aviv airport on Tuesday. "From now, airlines assess the risk themselves, and choose themselves whether to fly over the terrain," Ranter said, adding decisions might have been different if the Malaysian accident hadn't occurred. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has banned U.S. carriers from flying to Tel Aviv, and its European counterpart has advised against such operations, though some carriers are continuing service, including British Airways. Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg made a point of flying to Tel Aviv on El Al, the Israeli carrier, on Wednesday, in an attempt to show it is safe to fly in and out of Israel. Bloomberg was greeted at the airport by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a statement, Bloomberg argued that halting flights "hurts Israel and rewards Hamas for attacking Israel," adding Hamas wants to shut down the airport. "It was an overreaction for the FAA to halt U.S. flights here - and a mistake they should correct." http://www.thestar.com/business/2014/07/23/airline_safety_still_high_despite_highprofile_crashes.html Back to Top Evolution of aircraft explains Concordes fate The failure of the supersonic, trans-Atlantic passenger jet Concorde has been explained with evolutionary theory Concorde was doomed to failure from the start because it hit an evolutionary cul-de-sac in terms of aircraft design, new research suggests. An analysis by mechanical Adrian Bejan, professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke University, has suggested that design trends dominating the aerospace industry have been driven by the constructal law, which he developed in 1996. The law states that for a system to survive it must evolve to increase its access to flow - a process he says is evident in animal vascular systems, river systems, tree branches and even modern road networks. In a paper appearing online in the Journal of Applied Physics, Bejan teamed up with Jordan Charles, a researcher and development engineer, and Sylvie Lorente, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Toulouse, to apply his law to the design of commercial aircraft using statistics on design parameters from the historical databases of commercial aircraft. While many patterns emerged, the two that stood out were the increasing size of commercial airplanes and the fact that the relationship of body mass to speed is nearly identical to similar statistics from various animals - suggesting evolutionary constraints found in nature are at work in the aviation industry. "Larger animals have longer lifespans and travel farther distances, just as passenger airplanes have been designed to do. For example, the ratio of the engine to aircraft size is analogous to the ratio of a large animal's total body size to its heart, lungs and muscles," said Bejan. One notable outlier in the results was the Concorde, which Bejan points out had limited passenger capacity, a low mass-to-velocity ratio, an off-the-charts fuselage-to-wingspan ratio, massive engines and poor fuel economy. "The Concorde was too far off from the ratios that evolution has produced in passenger jets," he explained. "It would have had to adhere to the constructal design rules to succeed." According to Bejan, the same constructal law that underpins animal evolution has also dictated the main design features needed for aircraft to succeed; the engine mass has remained proportional to the body size, the wing size has been tied to the fuselage length, and the fuel load has grown in step with the total weight. He says the analysis reveals the general design parameters that future passenger aircraft should follow to succeed economically. "This study gives the rough sketch of what airplane designs will put you in the game," said Bejan. "For design companies, it is money in the bank." Jose Camberos, research aerospace engineer and lead of design space exploration at the Multidisciplinary Science & Technology Center of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, said that the work will hopefully give the field better insight into where the design of airplanes is going. "There is definitely an analogy to be understood and articulated to explain why engines and airplanes are sized the way they currently are and how that has evolved," said Camberos, who was not involved with this study. "By looking at the development of aircraft in a larger context in these terms, it may be possible to gain insights into how best to achieve what nature has been able to accomplish already." http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2014/jul/concorde-evolution.cfm Back to Top Canadian aviation giant to cut 1800 jobs Troubled Canadian aviation giant Bombardier is to cut 1800 jobs in a major reorganisation. "This marks another step in Bombardier's evolution," said Pierre Beaudoin, the company's president and chief executive officer, on Wednesday. Beaudoin said the overhaul, to be completed by January 1 next year, would reduce costs and overhead. A spokeswoman for the Montreal-based company, Isabelle Rondeau, confirmed the size of the cuts. Beaudoin said in his press release the reorganisation - in particular of the company's Aerospace branch - "will enable us to be more agile and flexible in addressing customer needs, while increasing our focus on growth areas". Among other recent woes, Bombardier had less than anticipated demand for its CSeries medium-range planes, which for a time were plagued by costly engine problems. Company officials announced that as part of the overhaul, one of its senior officials, Aerospace President and Chief Operating Officer Guy Hachey, is stepping down. "Guy led Bombardier Aerospace during an important period in its history. I wish to thank him for his contributions over the past six years," Beaudoin said. Bombardier, one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers, is the only company to build both planes and trains. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, the company had revenues of some $US18.2 billion ($A19.69 billion). http://money.msn.co.nz/businessnews/other/8879511/aviation-giant-bombardier-cuts-1800-jobs Back to Top Nigeria: Jonathan Appoints Osita Chidoka Aviation Minister Nigerian Govt Appoints New Aviation Minister Govt Names Chidoka Aviation Minister President Goodluck Jonathan has named Osita Chidoka, the former Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, as new Aviation Minister. Mr. Chidoka was sworn in Wednesday alongside Abubakar Olanrewaju, who was appointed National Planning Minister. Mr. Olanrewaju, from Kwara State, replaces Shamsudeen Usman, who was removed last September. Mr. Chidoka replaces Stella Oduah, fired in February amid allegations of mismanagement of public funds. Until Mr. Olanrewaju's appointment, the National Planning Commission was supervised by the Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda. The two new Ministers were sworn in shortly before the commencement of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, Wednesday. An indigene of Anambra state, Mr. Chidoka clinched the ministerial post after a bitter political wrangling in his home state compelled President Jonathan to replace the immediate past Anambra governor, Peter Obi, who was earlier tipped for the ministerial post. Powerful financiers of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had argued that as the leader of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, which controls Anambra State, Mr. Obi would leave the state PDP disgruntled were he to also be a minister. http://allafrica.com/stories/201407240869.html 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 _______________________________________________________ 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 Captain Lee Moak - President, Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l General Edward Bolton - Assistant Administrator, NextGen, Federal Aviation Administration 9:00-10:30 Panel: Surviving a Main Deck Lithium Battery Fire: New Technological Solutions 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: Responding To the Emergency - Using All the Tools 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 10:30-11:30 Panel: A Discussion With Key Regulators 11:30-11:40 Presentation of the ALPA Presidential Citation Awards 1:00-2:30 Panel: Pilot Health & Occupational Safety 3:00-4:30 Panel: Modernizing Our National Airspace System: The Flight Path, The Potholes and the Promise 4:30-5:00 Closing Ceremony Astronaut Garrett Reisman-Commercial Crew Program Manager, SpaceX 6:00-7:00 Awards Reception (Sponsored by Airbus) 7:00-10:00 Awards Dinner 10:00-11:00 Post Awards Reception SPONSORSHIP & EXHIBITING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE Contact Tina Long at tina.long@alpa.org for more information or click here to download the sponsorship brochure. Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Hello, Our names are Aanu Benson, Hajar Taouil, Alexandre Arnau and Vincent Oyaro. We are graduate students at Toulouse Business School and are currently conducting a project on Frequent Flyer Programs. The purpose of the project is to improve the understanding of frequent flyer programs from airlines and customers perspectives. By gathering data about preferences, perceptions and how rewards and benefits impact a passenger's choice of an air carrier, conclusions will be made about the importance of a frequent flyer program as a business model for airlines. To achieve this, we have created two surveys: One targeting Frequent Flyers and the other targeting Airlines. We are seeking your assistance in completing an anonymous online survey as appropriate. Both surveys are 14 questions long and will take approximately five to ten minutes. You can omit any question you prefer not to answer. Your responses will be greatly appreciated, and the feedback provided by your survey responses will provide valuable information that will help process findings of this study. The survey links can be accessed via: For Passengers: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FFP_Passengers For Airlines: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FFP_Airlines If you have any questions about this project or your participation, you can email v.oyaro@tbs- eductaion.org or a.arnau@tbs-education.org We thank you in advance for your participation. Sincerely, Aanu, Hajar, Alex, and Vincent Aerospace MBA Students, PT8 Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Hello, my name is Steve Roe and I am a graduate student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) who is finishing my Master of Science (MAS) degree with a specialization in Educational Technology. I currently work as a Senior Training Analyst that provides training delivery support, blended learning solutions, and resident instruction for the U.S. Army TRADOC Capability Manager - Army Training Information System (TCM-ATIS). I am a retired NCO who served the U.S. Army for 20 years working primarily as an Aircraft Electrician/Avionics Mechanic first in operational units then as an Instructor training Soldiers in aviation maintenance at Fort Eustis, VA. For my masters degree capstone project I am conducting research of Part 121 air carrier training programs. The objective of my research is to gather opinions about participation in the Advanced Qualification Program (AQP), a voluntary program currently overseen by the FAA's Voluntary Safety Programs Branch (AFS-280). I need to have current Part 121 air carrier Pilots, Flight Instructors, Flight Engineers, Flight Attendants, or Dispatchers take an on line survey to give opinions about Part 121 training and how it can be changed. The survey is anonymous and should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. http://www.statcrunch.com/5.0/survey.php?surveyid=8310&code=ONOQY Thanks, Steve Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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 IASS 2014 Abu Dhabi, UAE November 11-13, 2014 http://flightsafety.org/meeting/iass-2014 Back to Top Employment: NTSB Position Available - Mechanical or Aerospace Engineer https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/375124300 or https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/375127300 Curt Lewis