Flight Safety Information August 26, 2014 - No. 175 In This Issue Federal Investigators Expel Pilots Union, UPS From Crash Probe Lawsuits Challenge FAA Drone, Model Aircraft Rules Inmarsat sees near-term adoption of SB Safety by airlines United Jet Diverted as Fliers Fight Over Knee Defender Device PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA AOPA safety chief and foundation leader Landsberg retiring after 22 years NetJets Brazil Sales at Record as Rich Prefer Private Jet NTSB Course -...Managing Communications Following an Aircraft Accident or Incident Helicopter Safety Effort. Small UAS Challenge The 11th International Symposium of the Australian Aviation Psychology Association ISASI 2014 - Annual Seminar, October 13-16, 2014 Upcoming Events Employment Federal Investigators Expel Pilots Union, UPS From Crash Probe Safety Board Says Union, Company Violated Rules Barring Public Analysis of Plane Crash By ANDY PASZTOR Federal investigators looking into last year's crash of a United Parcel Service Inc. UPS +0.13% cargo plane took an unusual step on Monday and expelled representatives of the company and the pilots union from the probe. The National Transportation Safety Board said both the union and the company violated long-standing rules barring them from publicly analyzing causes of the August 2013 accident in Birmingham, Ala. Two UPS pilots died when the jet slammed into a hill during a predawn approach to the runway. The investigation continues to spark debate over whether the cockpit crew's errors and failure to follow basic safety procedures were partly the result of fatigue. Information previously released by NTSB revealed the captain had complained to associates about feeling chronically tired and the pilots discussed work schedules during the flight. The safety board hasn't yet determined the precise cause of the Birmingham accident. But the crash has become a flash point for those critical of the Federal Aviation Administration for excluding cargo pilots from more-stringent rules covering pilots flying for passenger airlines. In a letter to the Independent Pilots Association, which represents UPS pilots, the NTSB said comments about fatigue-related issues improperly prejudged the results of the continuing probe and forthcoming federal findings. The IPA declined to comment. "We maintain that our actions have been in line with NTSB rules and guidance for communicating during an accident investigation," a UPS spokesman said. "We believe we have been unfairly reprimanded for attempting to set the facts straight and defending our brand." Debate over the impact of fatigue on cargo operations has prompted the IPA and other labor groups to file suit and lobby U.S. Congress to tighten the requirements for cargo carriers. UPS has consistently argued against such changes, saying the accident crew's schedule was consistent with pending revisions covering passenger airline crews. In a separate letter to the company, the NTSB's top lawyer said certain comments posted online by UPS violated rules of the investigation. Debate over fatigue rules has even embroiled Jim Fraser, the government's Federal Air Surgeon, in controversy. At a safety conference in Washington D.C. earlier this month, Dr. Fraser, a senior FAA official, suggested he didn't see any medical or physiological reasons for leaving cargo pilots out of the latest regulatory changes. "From a human perspective, there is no difference between" the two types of pilots, Dr. Fraser said, adding "there is a significant political side of the issue" because the cargo industry has complained the cost to comply with higher standards would be too high. While potentially embarrassing for both sides, the move to exclude both company and union representatives isn't expected to have much impact on the probe's outcome because much of the technical work has been completed. The decision is not without precedent. In 2011, NTSB officials removed American Airlines from participating in the federal probe of one of its jets that ran off the end of a runway in Wyoming. Two years earlier, the safety board took similar action against the union representing air-traffic controllers involved in a fatal midair collision over the Hudson River between a sightseeing helicopter and a private plane. http://online.wsj.com/articles/federal-investigators-expel-pilots-union-ups-from-crash-probe-1408991798 Back to Top Lawsuits Challenge FAA Drone, Model Aircraft Rules By JOAN LOWY Associated Press Model aircraft hobbyists, research universities and commercial drone interests filed lawsuits Friday challenging a government directive that they say imposes tough new limits on the use of model aircraft and broadens the agency's ban on commercial drone flights. The three lawsuits asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to review the validity of the directive, which the Federal Aviation Administration issued in June. The agency said the directive is an attempt to clarify what is a model aircraft and the limitations on their operation. The FAA has been working on regulations that would permit commercial drone flights in U.S. skies for more than 10 years, but the agency is still at least months and possibly years away from issuing final rules to permit flights by small drones. Regulations for flights by larger drones are even farther away. Part of the agency's challenge is to distinguish between planes flown by hobbyists and those used for commercial applications, a distinction that's become harder to draw as the technology for model planes has grown more sophisticated. A law passed by Congress in 2012 directed the FAA to issue regulations permitting commercial drone flights by the fall of 2015, but prohibited the agency from imposing new regulations on model aircraft. The FAA directive is a backdoor imposition of new regulations on model aircraft hobbyists and commercial drone operators without going through required federal procedures for creating new regulations, said Brendan Schulman, a New York attorney representing the groups that filed the lawsuits. Federal procedures require an opportunity for public comment on proposed regulations and an analysis of the potential costs of the regulations vs. the benefits. "People who have been using these technologies for years in different ways are concerned that they are suddenly prohibited from doing so without having their voices heard, and without regard to the detrimental impact on the commercial drone industry," he said. Schulman pointed out that hobbyists have been flying model aircraft nearly 100 years, but he knows of no instance in which a model aircraft has caused the crash of a manned plane or helicopter. "In situations where there really is no safety issue there appears to be not just some restrictions, but an outright prohibition on activities that have been done for a long time very safely," he said. FAA officials had no immediate comment on the lawsuits. The lawsuits were filed by the Academy of Model Aeronautics, which represents more than 170,000 model aircraft hobbyists; the Council on Governmental Relations, an association of 188 research universities; and several commercial drone and model aircraft interests. Among them are UAS America, a fund that invests in the commercial drone industry; SkyPan International Inc., an aerial photography company; FPV Manuals LLC, a company that sells video systems for unmanned aircraft operators and an association representing commercial drone operators. All argued that the FAA policy would impede their activities, from hobby use to research and innovation. --- Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP-Joan-Lowy http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/lawsuits-challenge-faa-drone-model-aircraft-rules- 25088965 Back to Top Inmarsat sees near-term adoption of SB Safety by airlines Broadband connectivity in aviation is often discussed in terms of what it means for the airline passenger experience, but important work is being done to ensure that a fatter, faster connectivity pipe - Inmarsat's SwiftBroadband service - can be used to transmit prioritized voice and ACARS/Future Air Navigation Systems (FANS) data when airliners are out of reach of land-based communications. The first airline customer for this so-called SB Safety service will be announced shortly. In May, ACARS-capable SB Safety equipment was installed on an Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ). Inmarsat heralded the achievement as the start of "a revolution in communications for the flight deck" because SB Safety provides an upgrade path for FANS for the nearly 10,000 aircraft currently relying on Inmarsat Classic Aero services (launched over 20 years ago) and provides greater value to those aircraft that already have SwiftBroadband installed, or will be equipped in the near future. The entire system has undergone Verification and Qualification (VAQ) testing by SITA, the company that acts as service provider to the airlines. So far, the SB Safety system on the Airbus A319 ACJ has "demonstrated very fast ACARS message delivery performance, comparable to VHF", reveals Miranda Mills, Inmarsat Senior VP, Aviation. "This is an important step that allows Inmarsat to test its SB Safety satellite network, SITA to test its ground interconnects and routing, and Cobham to assess the performance of the SB Safety software on the modified Aviator 300D terminal." SB safety operates over Inmarsat's I-4 constellation of L-band satellites. Inmarsat is in discussions with a number of commercial airlines that are "very keen" to be involved in the first SB Safety trials on air transport aircraft, Mills tells RGN. The company "expects shortly to be able to announce signing the first air transport airline for trials" of SB Safety, with the first trial installations expected in the first quarter of 2015. FANS approval is expected to follow in 2016. "SB Safety provides a unique combination of services," suggests Mills. "An operator can access ACARS services for applications such as FANS alongside broadband connectivity for new IP based applications, which will help airlines to optimize their operations and procedures." These include inflight updates to Electronic Flight Bags and Flight Data Record downloads. "SwiftBroadband additionally provides the very high levels of availability that are necessary for these applications, which will quickly become business critical," adds mills. The availability of SB Safety is also good news for those airlines that already split SwiftBroadband channels between cockpit and cabin, but want assurances that transmissions are completely secure. A key point is that SB Safety provides a prioritized IP data pipe for the cockpit, for both security and continuity of service, notes Leo Mondale, Inmarsat's President of Aviation. In the aftermath of the tragic disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370, Inmarsat's efforts have taken on a new level of significance, especially since some 5,000 aircraft in the world fleet are already equipped with - or earmarked for - SwiftBroadband for cockpit and/or cabin connectivity. Airlines that are installing aircraft with Ku- and Ka-band connectivity solutions are also studying ways to exploit the pipes for operational and safety gains. However, neither Ku nor Ka has been approved for safety services, or show any sign of garnering such approvals in the near term. http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2014/08/25/inmarsat-sees-near-term-adoption-of-sb-safety-by- airlines/ Back to Top United Jet Diverted as Fliers Fight Over Knee Defender Device NEW YORK -- Airline passengers have come to expect a tiny escape from the confined space of today's packed planes: the ability to recline their seat a few inches. When one passenger was denied that bit of personal space Sunday, it led to a heated argument and the unscheduled landing of their plane. The fight started on a United Airlines flight because one passenger was using the Knee Defender, a $21.95 gadget that attaches to a passenger's tray table and prevents the person in front of them from reclining. United Airlines said it prohibits use of the device, like all major U.S. airlines. The dispute on United Flight 1462 from Newark, New Jersey to Denver escalated to the point where the airline decided to divert to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, according to Transportation Security Administration spokesman Ross Feinstein. Chicago Police and TSA officers met the flight, spoke to the passengers - a man and a woman, both 48 - and "deemed it a customer service issue," Feinstein said. The plane then continued to Denver without them, arriving 1 hour and 38 minutes late, according to the airline's website. No arrests were made. http://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/united-jet-diverted-fliers-fight-over-knee-defender-device- n188956 Back to Top Back to Top AOPA safety chief and foundation leader Landsberg retiring after 22 years Bruce Landsberg was executive director of the AOPA Air Safety Institute. George Perry will fill the role. Bruce Landsberg, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Foundation and executive director of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, has announced plans to retire after 22 years. Landsberg, who will continue to serve as an advisor to the organization, will help AOPA's leadership transition to Jim Minow. He will also help transition the air safety role to George Perry. Minow brings 30 years of nonprofit experience, most recently as chief development officer for Foundation Fighting Blindness. He is a pilot and owns a Beechcraft Sundowner. Perry comes to AOPA from Cirrus Aircraft where he was director of fleet and special mission aircraft sales. Prior to that, he had a 20-year career in the U.S. Navy as a an F-18E squadron commanding officer. Both men will begin moving into their new roles next month. AOPA has more on the leadership transition available on its website. http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2014/08/25/aopa-safety-chief-and-foundation-leader- landsberg.html Back to Top NetJets Brazil Sales at Record as Rich Prefer Private Jet A new Netjets Inc. Embraer Phenom 300 jet sits in the Signature Fight Services hangar For an increasing number of wealthy Brazilians, first-class perks on airlines don't cut it anymore. They'd rather just fly in a private jet. A rise in high-net-worth individuals in Latin America's biggest economy is keeping demand in Brazil strong at NetJets, a unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/B), after record sales last year. NetJets pioneered fractional ownership for private jets 50 years ago. Its clients include corporate executives and wealthy individuals who pay for a stake in an airplane in exchange for flight hours. "2013 was our best year ever in the country and that really has shown no signs of abating this year," said Patrick Gallagher, NetJet's sales chief, in a telephone interview on Aug. 19. It's too early to tell "whether that's because we've made a more concerted effort to focus on sales there or whether it's a function of just market improvement or changing dynamics in the economy." The number of high-net-worth individuals in Brazil rose 17 percent to 172,000 in 2013 from 2009, according to the World Wealth Report, compiled by Capgemini Financial Services and RBC Wealth Management. Brazil counts 15 of its citizens among the world's richest 300 individuals, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with a combined net worth of $132 billion, an increase of $17.7 billion from a year ago. Brazil's biggest companies have seen revenue and profit grow over the past four years even as the economy has slowed. At the same time, commercial airlines are cutting back on first class seating in favor of business class. Lease Time Buoyed by rising earnings, corporations and wealthy individuals are seeking out NetJets either for shared ownership of large cabin jets or to lease time for travel within the U.S. NetJets provides financial incentives for customers to buy shares in Bombardier Inc. (BBD/B)'s Global 5000 and 6000, which can fly 6,000 nautical miles (11,112 kilometers), or from Sao Paulo to Stockholm. The jets have perks like a private state room and lavatory, and extra soundproofing. Another option is leasing time on planes through NetJets Marquis Jet Card program, which allows customers to buy 25 or 50 hours of flight time on the aircraft of their choice. "There's probably a bigger overall market opportunity there just because of the sheer number of people who can afford that versus buying a large share of a large cabin airplane," Gallagher said. Brazilians who have homes in Miami and New York fly to the U.S. on commercial airlines, and then use the Marquis card to fly domestically, he said. Olympic Boost The Columbus, Ohio-based company doesn't currently operate within Brazil, though it started to pay more attention to the country after interest began increasing in 2012. Given the demand it's seen, NetJets may reconsider its Brazil operations, Gallagher said. It's weighing placing staff in Sao Paulo permanently. Brazil experienced a high-profile accident involving a business jet last week. Presidential candidate Eduardo Campos died after a nine-seater Cessna 560XL crashed following an aborted landing because of bad weather. The two pilots and four members of Campos's campaign on board also perished. Gallagher declined to give revenue figures for NetJets in Brazil, where the company's inbound traffic surged during the World Cup. Much of that came from existing customers who hadn't used their services to fly to South America before, Gallagher said. The company anticipates that the success of the soccer championship will continue to drive traffic to Brazil from the U.S., including for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "There's an incredible amount of demand there," he said. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-21/netjets-brazil-sales-at-record-as-rich-prefer-private- jet.html Back to Top NTSB Course - Managing Communications Following an Aircraft Accident or Incident Title Managing Communications Following an Aircraft Accident or Incident Co-sponsor Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA) Description The course will teach participants what to expect in the days immediately following an aviation accident or incident and how they can prepare for their role with the media. ID Code PA302 Dates, Tuition and Fee October 23-24, 2014 $1034 early registration, by September 20, 2014 $1084 late registration,between September 21 and October 20, 2014 $100 processing fee will be added to tuitions for all offline applications. A tuition invoice can be ordered for a $25 processing fee. Note: payment must be made at time of registration. Times 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Location NTSB Training Center * 45065 Riverside Parkway * Ashburn, Virginia 20147 Status OPEN. Applications are now being accepted. Apply to Attend SIGN UP HERE CEUs 1.3 Overview * How the National Transportation Safety Board organizes an accident site and what can be expected in the days after an aviation disaster from the NTSB, FAA, other federal agencies, airline, airport, media and local community * Strategies for airline and airport staff to proactively manage the communication process throughout the on- scene phase of the investigation * How the NTSB public affairs officers coordinate press conferences and release of accident information and what information the spokespersons from the airport and airline will be responsible to provide to the media * Making provisions for and communicating with family members of those involved in the accident * Questions and requests likely encountered from the airlines, airport staff, family members, disaster relief agencies, local officials and others > Comments from course participants > See the 235 organizations from more than 30 countries that have sent staff to attend this course Performance Results Upon completion of this course the participant will be able to: * Be better prepared to respond to a major aviation disaster involving a flight departing from or destined for participant's airport * Demonstrate greater confidence in fielding on-scene questions about the many aspects of the investigation and its participants, including what types of specific information may be requested * Identify the appropriate Public Affairs roles for the various organizations involved in an accident investigation. * Be more productive in the first few hours after an aviation disaster by understanding which tasks are most important and why * Perform job responsibilities more professionally and with greater confidence given the knowledge and tools to manage the airport communications aspect of a major aviation disaster Who May Attend This course is targeted to who, in the event of an aviation disaster, will need to provide a steady flow of accurate information to media outlets and/or other airport, federal or local authorities. Accommodations Area hotels and restaurants Airports Washington Dulles International (IAD): 10 miles Washington Ronald Reagan National (DCA): 30 miles Baltimore/Washington International (BWI): 60 miles More Information Email StudentServices@ntsb.gov or call (571) 223-3900 Courses, forums and symposia are added to the schedule throughout the year. Subscribe to the e-newsletter to learn about upcoming events and new programs: http://www.ntsb.gov/trainingcenter/list/list_mw020207.htm www.ntsb.gov/trainingcenter/list/list_mw020207 Back to Top Helicopter Safety Effort The Federal Aviation Administration's Rotorcraft Directorate is seeking comments from helicopter pilots, mechanics, flight safety officers and others associated with personal/private, instructional/training and aerial application industries about what you would like to see in a safety forum. The Rotorcraft Directorate will host a three-day safety forum April 21-23, 2015, in Hurst, Texas, a Fort Worth suburb. The forum's purpose is to discuss ways to improve flight safety particularly among personal/private, instructional/training and aerial application industries. These three industries have consistently high accident numbers. Before we begin planning the forum, we want to know what lectures, displays, events and programs would encourage you to attend and what topics you think would be of the most value. Also, what forums have you attended that you particularly liked and why? Please contact me directly at eugene.trainor@faa.gov or at the FAA Rotorcraft Directorate, 2601 Meacham Boulevard, Fort Worth, Texas 76137. F or information about our safety conference visit, www.faahelisafety.org . Back to Top NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AIR RACES EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO Small UAS CHALLENGE OVERVIEW: The objective of the sUAS ERAU Challenge held in conjunction with the National Championship Air Races is to educate the public on UAS opportunities and operations, highlight the rapidly expanding business opportunities of UAS, highlight Nevada's and ERAU's leadership in the field, and showcase the innovative developments in multiple areas of UAS design (e.g., system, subsystem, and element development and configuration, verification and validation testing, application, and integrated system demonstration). Participants of this inaugural event will benefit by displaying their sUAS and its capabilities to a broad range of aviation enthusiast, businesses, governmental and media organizations. Two major issues surrounding the use of sUAS in national airspace system (NAS) are safety and liability;concerns that are also paramount to the Reno Air Races. To mitigate these concerns (i.e., Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations governing the use of UAS are in the development phase), an indoor facility (hangar) and/or an outdoor facility with safety nets and other safety precautions will be used. Since no flying will occur outside a controlled area, the FAA rules would not apply and competitors can participate in the challenge knowing their safety and legal concerns are mitigated. However, participants are required to sign an acknowledgement of liability and that they are entering the challenge at their own risk. The race course will be challenging and damage to participant's sUAS is possible. PARTICIPANTS: The Challenge is open to any private, academic or commercial participant, limited to one vehicle per entity and a maximum field of 20 entries or as determined by the event staff. The sUAS must be able to take off and land vertically (VTOL), be less than approximately 36 inches in major axis, less than 18 inches in elevation, and weigh less than 10 pounds. The sUAS will be required to use an electric propulsion, actuation, and powersystem, controlled by remote transmission using the FCC unlicensed bands (operators for all entries will be required to hold at least a Technician Class Amateur Radio license, show documentation or demonstrate that transmission power levels of their design conform to unlicensed requirement levels). To ensure control reliability, a spectrum analyzer will be employed to ensure deconfliction. CHALLENGE: The Challenge will be composed of three separate events combining for an overall and individual event champion. The events will be (subject to change): - Obstacle Course (emphasizing agility and maneuverability, time measured) - Dead Lift (lifting ability, weight measured both maximum and specific weight) - Time Trial (speed over a closed course, time measured) Initial inspection of each sUAS will occur prior to the competition start from 9:00am to 10:00am each morning to ensure compliance with size and modification rules. A full list of rules will be available upon request. The Challenge will take place over three days with check in at 9:00am and the competition from 10:00am to 1:00pm daily. The course will be open for practice on Thursday of race week. Thursday, Sep 11: Registration and practice Friday, Sep 12: Qualifications Saturday, Sep 13: Eliminations Sunday, Sep 14: Finals There will be no charge for entry in the ERAU sUAS Challenge and each entry will receive complementary general admission tickets to the National Championship Air Races for Thursday through Sunday. Back to Top The 11th International Symposium of the Australian Aviation Psychology Association. The theme for AAvPA 2014 is Consolidation, Complacency or Innovation: Our Challenge for the Future and features keynote presentations from Professor Neville Stanton, Dr Barbara Burian, Dr Key Dismukes and Professor Don Harris. The symposium is being held from 10-13 November 2014 in Melbourne. The web link is: http://conferenceworks.net.au/aavpa/ 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/ Small UAS CHALLENGE September 11-14, 2014 Reno, NV 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 FAA Helicopter Safety Effort three-day safety forum April 21-23, 2015 Hurst, Texas eugene.trainor@faa.gov www.faahelisafety.org Back to Top Employment: ARGUS PROS CHEQ Manager Please submit your cover letter and resume at: https://home2.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=13469062 Curt Lewis