Flight Safety Information August 14, 2014 - No. 167 In This Issue Jet pilot dozes off, co-pilot busy on iPad as Mumbai flight to Brussels plunges 5000 feet Fatal Private Jet Crash in Brazilian City Santos History of Brazil Airplane Crashes Since 1982 Pilot's artificial arm 'became detached while landing plane' UPS pilots call for end to exemption from fatigue prevention rule Civil Aviation Minister sets strict rules for Air India E-Cigarettes Under Scrutiny for Listing as Flight Hazard PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Airplane black boxes: How can they be improved? Brit targets aviation insurance Diesel Engines Gaining Steam for General Aviation ISASI 2014 - Annual Seminar, October 13-16, 2014 Upcoming Events Jet pilot dozes off, co-pilot busy on iPad as Mumbai flight to Brussels plunges 5000 feet over Turkish airspace The incident occurred when the Boeing 777-300, operating flight 9W-228 from Mumbai to Brussels and onwards to Newark. Terming it a serious incident, DGCA has suspended the two pilots and initiated a probe into the incident. The pilots had not responded to the Air Traffic Control callouts while the plane was over the German airspace for almost 30 minutes. In a major scare, a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Brussels, carrying around 280 passengers, plunged 5,000 feet while overflying Turkish airspace last week as the commander was asleep and the co- pilot busy with the iPad containing flight information. Terming it a "serious incident", aviation regulator DGCA has suspended the two pilots and initiated a probe into the incident. It has also set up a three-member team to review the airline's flight training programmes and facilities following the incident last Friday, official sources said, adding the team has been asked to submit their report by August 31. DGCA has directed the airline to come forward with all related reports, as well as the records of the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) within this week, they said. The incident occurred when the Boeing 777-300, operating flight 9W-228 from Mumbai to Brussels and onwards to Newark, plunged from 34,000 feet to 29,000 feet while traversing on the busy air route to Europe. As the aircraft descended, the air traffic control at Ankara sent an emergency message to the aircraft asking the pilots why they had deviated from the assigned flight path and directed them to climb up to the designated height immediately. On wednesday, both pilots were summoned by DGCA for questioning. While the commander said he was on "controlled rest", implying a short nap inside the cockpit which is allowed by flight operation procedures, the co-pilot told the regulator that she was working on her iPad or the electronic flight bag which has all aircraft documents loaded on to it, the sources said. Immediately after the Ankara ATC message, the co-pilot woke up the commander who restored the height of the plane. Confirming the incident, an airline spokesperson said Jet Airways has initiated an internal inquiry into the matter. "The airline is also extending all co-operation in the matter to the DGCA by providing all necessary assistance for the inquiry. Safety is of paramount importance to Jet Airways as is also the welfare of our guests and crew and the airline will always take appropriate steps to ensure the same," the spokesperson said. Following the incident, DGCA has constituted a team comprising officials from its Airworthiness, Air Safety and Flight Operations wings to audit Jet Airways' training procedures for pilots for an entire year. The team would also look into the airline's training policies, including how it defined 'controlled rest' for a pilot, the sources said, adding that inspections would also be carried out of its training facilities. The regulator would also probe why the airline or the pilots failed to report the incident to it, as the DGCA got to know of the incident only after an anonymous message, the sources said. While both the pilots kept flying until they were grounded two days ago, they did not even file a flight safety report, which is a mandatory exercise to document any untoward incident during the course of a flight, they said. The cockpit crew should have informed the airline which in turn should have apprised the Accident Investigation Board of the incident, the official sources added. The DGCA would also enquire into whether there was any technical failure in the aircraft which led it to lose height and going for an 'uncontrolled descent' or was any switch accidentally pressed by any of the pilot, they said. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has been asked to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident which could take 4-5 months. Only after the Board gives its report, would it be possible to determine the quantum of penalty, if any, for the pilots, officials said. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/jet-pilot-dozes-off-co-pilot-busy-on-ipad-as-mumbai- flight-to-brussels-plunges-5000-feet-over-turkish-airspace/2/ Back to Top Fatal Private Jet Crash in Brazilian City Santos Santos, Brazil: A private jet crashed Wednesday into a gymnasium and two homes in the Brazilian city of Santos, claiming multiple lives, officials said. "There are fatalities but we still do not have a number confirmed," a Sao Paulo state police spokeswoman told AFP, saying a fire had hampered access the area. Santos firefighters said there were at least 10 people injured, according to online news portal G1. Police had initially said the aircraft was a helicopter, but the Brazilian air force said it was in fact a private plane, a Cessna 560XL, which is a medium-sized jet. The plane took off from Rio de Janeiro's Santos Dumont airport and was headed to Guaruja airport on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, said aviation authority spokesman Pedro Luis Farcic. "As it was preparing to land, the plane fell due to bad weather. Air traffic control then lost contact with the aircraft," he said. TV images showed the destroyed plane amid piles of burning rubble, with a large column of smoke rising from several houses in the residential area. Flames could be seen in the windows of some houses. Local restaurant owner Thiago Fernandes said the impact had shattered the front windows at his business. "I was working in the restaurant and there was a very loud boom, like nothing I had ever heard. All the front windows broke. Later they told us that an aircraft had fallen on the pool of a gymnasium a block away," he told Globo News TV. http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/fatal-private-jet-crash-in-brazilian-city-santos-575643 ***************** Status: Preliminary Date: Wednesday 13 August 2014 Time: 10:00 Type: Cessna 560XLS+ Citation Excel Operator: AF Andrade Empreendimentos e Participações Registration: PR-AFA C/n / msn: 560-6066 First flight: 2011 Crew: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 Total: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 Airplane damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: Santos, SP ( Brazil) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport, RJ (SDU/SBRJ), Brazil Destination airport: Guarujá Airport, SP (SSZ/SBST), Brazil Narrative: A Cessna 560XLS+ Citation Excel corporate jet, registration PR-AFA, was destroyed in an accident in Santos, Brazil. None of the seven occupants survived the accidents. One of the victims was PSB candidate for president, Eduardo Campos. The Brazilian Air Force reported that the airplane too off from Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport and was bound for Guarujá. The accident occurred when the airplane was approaching the airport. It came down in a residential area, about 4,3 km soutwest of the Guarujá Airport. The only instrument approach available for Guarujá Airport is the NDB approach for runway 35. For aircraft with Approach Category B, like the Citation Excel, the minimum visibility is 2400 m. The visibility at the time of the accident, according to the automated weather report, was 3000 m in rain and mist. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top History of Brazil Airplane Crashes Since 1982 The following table details major Brazilian passenger plane crashes since 1982. Brazil's Air Force today reported the crash of a private jet carrying presidential candidate, Eduardo Campos. ================================================================= Date Airline Phase Cause Location Fatalities ================================================================= 08/13/14 AF Andrade(1) Approach Weather Santos 7 07/13/11 Noar Linhas Init. climb Mechanical error Recife 16 06/01/09 Air France En route Loss of control Atlantic Ocean 228 05/22/09 Santa Coloma Approach Weather São Paulo 14 02/07/09 Manaus Aero(2) En route Engine fire Manacapuru River 24 07/17/07 TAM Landing Runway excursion São Paulo 199 09/29/06 GOL En route Air collision Amazon Jungle 154 03/31/06 TEAM En route Unexplained Saquarema 19 05/14/04 Rico Approach Unexplained Manaus 33 08/30/02 Rico Approach Weather Rio Branco 23 07/29/98 Selva Taxi(3) En route Pilot error Manacapuru River 12 10/31/96 TAM Init. climb Mechanical error São Paulo 99 ================================================================= Date Airline Phase Cause Location Fatalities ================================================================= 02/03/92 Nordeste En route Weather Caetite 12 11/11/91 Nordeste Init. climb Mech. error Recife 17 06/06/90 TABA Approach Pilot error Altamira 22 09/03/89 Varig En route Pilot error São Josedo Xingu 13 03/21/89 Transbrasil Approach Pilot error São Paulo 25 06/23/85 TABA Approach Mechanical error Juara 17 06/28/84 TAM En route Weather São Pedro 18 04/18/84 VOTEC Approach Air collision Imperatriz 18 04/18/84 VOTEC Approach Air collision Imperatriz 19 09/03/82 Comp. BT(4) Approach Ran out of fuel Rio Branco 10 06/12/82 TABA Approach Weather Tabatinga 44 06/08/82 VASP Approach Pilot error Foreleza 137 ================================================================= NOTE: Fatalities include passenger and ground casualties. Included are crashes where fatalities totaled 10 or more, except in the case of the Aug.13, 2014 crash, which is considered major due to the death of the presidential candidate. (1) AF Andrade Empreendimentos e Participações (private operator) (2) Manaus Aerotaxi (3) Selva Taxi Aereo (4) Compañia Brasileira de Tratores SOURCES: Aviation Safety Network, http://aviation-safety.net/index.php. Brazil Air Force. Back to Top Pilot's artificial arm 'became detached while landing plane' Cockpit of Dash 8 aircraft The pilot was sitting on the left of the Dash 8 cockpit when his artificial left arm detached from the controls A pilot lost control of a passenger plane after his artificial arm became detached as he was coming in to land, an accident report has said. The Flybe flight from Birmingham, with 47 passengers on board, was approaching Belfast City Airport in gusty conditions on 12 February. It landed heavily but no-one was hurt and the plane was not damaged. The pilot said he would be more cautious in future about checking his attachment, according to the report. In a statement, Flybe said the senior captain was one of its "most experienced and trusted pilots", and the safety of passengers and crew had not been compromised in any way. Flybe Dash 8 aircraft Flybe said the senior captain was one of its most experienced and trusted pilots Shortly before beginning to land the Dash 8 aircraft, the 46-year-old had checked that his prosthetic lower left arm was securely attached to the clamp that he used to fly the aircraft, with the latching device in place. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said the captain had disconnected the autopilot and was manually flying the aircraft. However, as he made the flare manoeuvre - a stage of the landing shortly before touchdown - "his prosthetic limb became detached from the yoke clamp, depriving him of control of the aircraft". While he had thought about getting his co-pilot to take control, the time available and the challenging conditions meant his best course of action was to move his right hand from the power levers on to the yoke to regain control. "He did this, but with power still applied and possibly a gust affecting the aircraft, a normal touchdown was followed by a bounce, from which the aircraft landed heavily," the report found. The AAIB reported that the captain had said that in future he would be more cautious about checking the attachment on his prosthesis as he may have dislodged the latching mechanism. He also said he would brief his co-pilots about the possibility of a similar event and that they should be ready to take control at any time. 'Safety checks' Captain Ian Baston, Flybe's director of flight operations and safety, said it was an equal opportunities employer and "in common with most airlines, means we do employ staff with reduced physical abilities". "The safety of our passengers and crew is our number one priority," he said. "This means that Flybe not only adheres to the Civil Aviation Authority's strict requirements relating to the employment of staff with a reduced physical ability, but exceeds them to ensure that safety is never compromised. He said an internal investigation following the incident had "determined a series of additional failsafe safety checks" that had been implemented "immediately to ensure that this type of incident could not happen again". http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-28778728 Back to Top UPS pilots call for end to exemption from fatigue prevention rule On the eve of the first anniversary of the fatal crash of UPS Flight 1354, UPS pilots are calling for an end to the exemption of all-cargo airline operators from FAR Part 117, the new pilot rest and operating rules enacted by Congress. On Aug. 14, 2013, UPS Flight 1354 crashed on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, killing Capt. Cerea Beal, Jr. and First Officer Shanda Fanning. "What we didn't know then, but suspected, was the role fatigue played in this accident," Capt. Robert Travis, president of the Independent Pilots Association (IPA), said. "Once the cockpit voice recorder transcripts were released, there was no doubt. Cerea and Shanda told us on the CVR that they were fatigued and wanted one level of safety in commercial aviation." Part 117, which became effective for passenger carriers on Jan. 4, is a major revision of pilot flight and duty limits and rest requirements. This new rule is designed to mitigate fatigue among commercial pilots. But all-cargo airlines are carved out of Part 117. "This carve-out puts our nation's entire aviation system at risk," said Jim Hall, former Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "A tired pilot is a tired pilot, regardless of the plane he or she may be flying. By excluding cargo pilots from Part 117, the FAA is failing to adhere to its mission of making safety the first priority in aviation. If the FAA believes even one life lost in an accident is too many, the principle should also apply to cargo pilots." From the moment the FAA announced the cargo carve-out, the IPA has fought to reverse it. This includes suing the FAA. "We had no choice but to lead this fight," Travis said. "The crash of UPS Flight 1354 has intensified our efforts. Tragically, Capt. Beal said to our scheduling committee chairman just before the fatal flight, 'These schedules over the past several years are killing me.' We owe it to Cerea and Shanda, their families and every pilot, whether flying passengers or packages, to end this dangerous exclusion. As we mark this difficult anniversary, I call on the FAA to end the cargo carve-out and apply one level of safety to all commercial aviation." http://www.aircargoworld.com/Air-Cargo-World-News/2014/08/ups-pilots-call-end-exemption-fatigue- prevention-rule/6702 Back to Top Civil Aviation Minister sets strict rules for Air India The government hopes that a strict set of rules will help monitor the management of the struggling airline.Civil Aviation Minister A. Gajapathi Raju has cracked the whip on national carrier Air India by putting in place a strict set of rules for monitoring the management of the loss making airline. According to sources, Raju has issued a detailed set of instructions to Air India seeking details of route- wise profits of the airline. He has instructed the national carrier to make improvements on 20-odd parameters relating to streamlining operations, discipline in the work force, adequate use of mammoth manpower and ways being adopted to make a turnaround. Monthly report The minister also wants the national carrier to submit its progress report during the first week of every month. Falling in line, Air India on August 8 had issued an order to all its 23,000 employees across the country to strictly follow working hours and threatened disciplinary action against erring officials. "It has been brought to the notice that some employees are reporting late to office and leaving early. Also, during office hours, employees are not found at their workplace. Many of the employees are also not punching their attendance while coming or leaving office," the notice states. The Air India management is now putting in place a biometric system to ensure regular attendance as the earlier system of punching cards was being misused. A top Air India official told MAIL TODAY on Wednesday that they had received an order from the Civil Aviation Minister's office in this regard. When contacted, Air India executive director Deepa Mahajan confirmed the development, saying "as per the ministry's instructions, we have issued a tender for installing biometric attendance system at all our offices." Though punching of attendance has been made mandatory since 2007 by the Air India management, it is hardly followed, another Air India official said. The official also claimed that some senior officials have not issued attendance punching card in their name. "They have done this so that their movement at the workplace is not tracked." "Employees rarely punch their attendance cards at automatic attendance recording machines installed at the Air India headquarters and the Safdarjung airport. At many times, these machines don't even work," the official said. Disciplining Air India employees has been a very serious issue. After the merger of Indian Airlines and Air India in 2007, the national carrier has witnessed serious issues related to its workforce. Challenging task A former top Air India official admitted that his tenure at the airline was extremely challenging. "Be it a pilot, a cabin crew member or even the junior most employee in the organisation, many of them are well-connected. If you initiate action against them, you start getting calls from the higher ups,'' he lamented. "The airline is financially supported by the government and you cannot annoy anyone in the government. This makes it difficult to infuse discipline in the airline. There is no sense of fear of losing jobs. It is a pakka job. If you want to change the work culture in the airline, you need to implement extremely bold measures," he added. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/civil-aviation-minister-sets-strict-rules-for-air-india/1/377013.html Back to Top E-Cigarettes Under Scrutiny for Listing as Flight Hazard By MATTHEW L. WALD The Massachusetts fire marshal is focused on an e-cigarette as the possible cause of smoldering in a bag that had to be removed from a jet on Saturday night at Boston's Logan International Airport. Airport officials are asking the Transportation Department to consider classifying e-cigarettes as hazardous materials. Baggage handlers pulled the bag off the jet, a JetBlue flight bound for Buffalo, and put it out with a hand-held extinguisher. It was not clear if the combustion had reached the stage of fire. The episode raises the question of whether e-cigarettes that use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries should be added to the list of banned items, which already includes matches, flares and most batteries that are "spillable." Ed Freni, director of aviation at the Massachusetts Port Authority, said it was clear that lithium-ion batteries posed a hazard. "The more you see these type of items sold out there, the more our industry has to take a closer look at them, as we've done with other hazardous materials," he said. Ed Freni, a Massachusetts official, said that lithium-ion batteries posed a hazard. Credit Michael Dwyer/Associated Press Airport officials met with local Federal Aviation Administration inspectors to ask for an investigation, he said. In Washington, a spokeswoman for the F.A.A. said that the list of banned items was controlled by the Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. A spokesman there said his agency was waiting for a formal determination of the cause. Jennifer Mieth, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts fire marshal, said, "if a battery had been in the e- cigarette, it had the potential to cause a fire." She said the investigation was not complete. Passengers on the plane, an Embraer 190, were taken off through the regular passenger door, and all the bags were removed and checked, according to the airline. The plane, which can carry 100 passengers, eventually took the fliers to Buffalo. Thus far, concern about lithium-ion batteries has focused on the possibility that one would suffer an internal flaw that would cause it to heat up, and the heat would set off nearby batteries in a runaway reaction. A commercial shipment of 1,000 e-cigarettes was blamed for a fire on a FedEx MD-11 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport in August 2009. In January 2013, a lithium-ion battery on a Japan Airlines plane ignited while the aircraft, a Boeing 787, was parked at a gate at Logan. A second episode a few days later on an All Nippon Airways flight over Japan caused 787s to be grounded for months. But those batteries were installed as part of the plane's equipment, rather than carried as cargo. Materials that can set off fires are considered more of a risk in baggage or cargo areas than in carry-on bags because a device that caused smoke or fire would be noticed faster in an aircraft cabin. The cargo holds of passenger jets are equipped with systems to detect and fight fires, but in-flight fires are considered dangerous. On the ground, e-cigarettes have been blamed for a variety of house fires, often while the battery is being recharged. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/14/business/e-cigarettes-under-scrutiny-for-listing-as-flight- hazard.html Back to Top Back to Top Airplane black boxes: How can they be improved? In-flight recorders are instrumental for aviation accident investigations, but these black boxes could use some technological upgrades. Black boxes have two separate recorders, one that examines flight data and another that records cockpit voices. Credit: Joe Kunzler Recent tragedies involving airplanes - including Flight 17's downing over Ukraine, Air Algérie's crash in Mali and TransAsia's wreck in Taiwan - have highlighted the importance of onboard flight recorders to locate airplanes. These devices, commonly referred to as black boxes, are designed to keep track of thousands of data points as an aircraft completes its journey. Generally, black boxes are only useful when something goes wrong. This doesn't happen often, experts say. "Commercial aviation has reached incredible levels of safety in the past decades, but we still see occasional accidents or incidents such as these," Jon Beatty, Flight Safety Foundation president and CEO, told USA Today. "These are tragedies, but commercial aviation is still extremely safe." In the wake of recent catastrophes, black boxes are being examined and redesigned to transmit data in a more effective way. Limitations of flight recorders Black boxes have two separate recorders, one that examines flight data and another that records cockpit voices. Flight data recorders are designed to track thousands of parameters on larger aircrafts such as Boeing 777s and Airbus A370s. These recorders document each time a pilot flips a switch or turns a nob in the cockpit. Based on Federal Aviation Administration regulations, black boxes must monitor at least 28 characteristics, including time, pressure altitude, airspeed, fuel flow, vertical acceleration and control- wheel position. Solid-state recorders, which are standard in the airline industry, can record up to 25 hours of this data and at least 34 characteristics. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 demonstrated some of the limitations of flight recorders. Although they are generally designed to withstand the full brunt of catastrophic crashes, recorders have relatively short battery lives and other limitations. Once submerged in water, recorders ping rescue crews that can then track the wreckage. This was particularly important in the cases of Flight 370 and Air France Flight 447, both of which disappeared while flying over deep water. If these boxes are not found before the battery dies, however, planes disappear from the radar of rescue crews. The battery life of most black boxes is 30 days. New regulations, however, require that black boxes last for at least 90 days, according to the Federal Register. Some flights such as Air France Flight 447 took more than two years to discover. Voice recorders have short lives as well, recording only the last two hours of information after a plane crashes. In addition, important information leading up to the crash may be lost over a long flight. Engineers and regulators are working to address these issues by pushing stricter regulations for airlines. Upgrade or replace the black box? One idea experts have floated is to remove black boxes from flights completely, replacing them with data and voice recorders that are always on and send information directly to satellites that would store it. This way, if a black box fails, all the data is backed up elsewhere for rescue crews to review. Flights that disappear over the ocean would then have a greater chance of being discovered. Experts would have more clues pointing to the aircrafts' locations. The European Aviation Safety Agency has also recommended changing flight data recordings in light of the continued search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. They have recommend installing black boxes capable of recording at least 90 hours of information rather than two. "The proposed changes are expected to increase safety by facilitating the recovery of information by safety investigation authorities," Patrick Ky, executive director of the agency, said in a statement. Although flight remains one of the safest modes of transportation to date, the recording devices designed for catastrophes must be built to better suit the needs of investigators and streamline access to vital flight information. http://techpageone.dell.com/technology/airplane-black-boxes-how-can-they-be-improved/#.U- yqHfldV8E Back to Top Brit targets aviation insurance Brit, the Lloyd's of London insurer that floated this year, is planning to write more aviation insurance to take advantage of a sharp rise in premium levels following a series of catastrophes. Mark Cloutier, chief executive, said aviation premiums had risen as much as 50 per cent as the insurance industry seeks to recoup losses from disasters including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July. Brit, which provides a wide range of specialist cover from kidnapping to sporting events, recently acquired rights to renew aircraft policies written by Australian insurer QBE and took on its 20-strong aviation underwriting team. Disasters including the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet in March are set to make this year the most expensive for aviation insurers since the 9/11 attacks in 2001. However, brokers have said they expect most airlines to continue securing coverage as insurers are prepared to fill any gaps left by rivals. Mr Cloutier highlighted aviation as an area of expansion for Brit, along with property insurance for small companies in North America. This too was less exposed to the downward pressure on premiums across the specialist insurance market, he added. The chief executive made the comments after Brit released interim results on Wednesday showing a drop in first-half operating profits from £83m a year ago to £69m. The insurer, which writes a large part of its business in North America, took a £35m hit from the strong pound. Fees and expenses associated with the stock market launch cost another £14m. Shares in Brit, backed by private equity houses Apollo and CVC, have turned in a mixed performance since being listed in March. After being priced at 240p, the shares sank as low as 204¾p, although they have since recovered. They rose 1.7p on Wednesday to 246.7p. Joy Ferneyhough, director of strategy, said investors could expect a possible special dividend given Brit held 54 per cent more capital than that required by regulators as of the end of June - above its 40 per cent target level. Such a payout would depend, however, on the scale of insurance claims made later in the year. Brit declared a maiden interim dividend of 6.25p, payable from earnings of 14.2p a share. The half-year payout is worth £25m and Brit is planning a final dividend worth £50m. Pre-tax profits in the first half fell from £75m a year ago to £61m, pushed £23m lower by higher commissions to brokers and other middlemen. The insurer said this was partly because it was writing more "binder" policies, under which it effectively outsources the underwriting. Overall, Brit wrote £701m worth of premiums during the period, 5 per cent more than a year ago. Mr Cloutier said Brit wrote less of the most competitive insurance business - natural catastrophe reinsurance - than several of its peers. The private equity houses retain a stake of 75 per cent. A lock-up on them selling more shares expires in September. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f1fe1068-22e3-11e4-9dc4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3AMyOGUhS Back to Top Diesel Engines Gaining Steam for General Aviation Engineered Propulsion Systems Vision 350. Photo: Diesel Technology Forum [Avionics Today 08-13-2014] Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, believes the general aviation industry in the United States appears to be reaching a new diesel evolution phase. Several major aircraft and engine manufacturers recently entered the diesel revolution by announcing the development of new diesel aircraft engines, including Cessna, Continental Motors, American Champion Aircraft, Lycoming and DeltaHawk Engines. "The manufacturers are reporting the new diesel engines have lower fuel consumption and increased range and better performance at altitude - some very significant improvements that are being welcomed by the general aviation industry. The industry is also facing an increased scarcity of 100 low-lead avgas, not only in the U.S., but also in the European and Asian markets where diesel fuel is readily available," said Schaeffer, who believes that widespread adoption of diesel engines throughout the industry is imminent. http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/topstories/Diesel-Engines-Gaining-Steam-for-General- Aviation_82844.html#.U-yvZvldV8E Back to Top Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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 ISASI 2014 - Annual Seminar October 13-16, 2014 Adelaide, Australia www.isasi.org IASS 2014 Abu Dhabi, UAE November 11-13, 2014 http://flightsafety.org/meeting/iass-2014 ERAU UAS FUNDAMENTALS COURSE December 9 - 11, 2014 ERAU Daytona Beach Campus, FL www.daytonabeach.erau.edu/uas Curt Lewis