Flight Safety Information September 29, 2014 - No. 199 In This Issue FAA: Dozens of Alaska aircraft mechanics must retake exams Swiss Pilots to Fly Solar Plane Around World Supersonic business jet will fly at 1,217 mph. Airplane Makes Emergency Landing in Omaha PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA ICAEA-ANAC-CIPE Aviation English Workshop Project Dixon: Quant Survey for respondents from Aircraft MRO companies ISASI 2014 - Annual Seminar, October 13-16, 2014 - Early Bird Registration Deadline Upcoming Events Employment FAA: Dozens of Alaska aircraft mechanics must retake exams According to a formal notice issued last month by the Federal Aviation Administration, all individuals holding mechanic certificates with airframe or powerplant ratings (or both) who were tested by Designated Mechanic Examiner (DME) Marty James Simmons of Anchorage must be re-examined. Simmons' DME designee status was terminated after investigators conducted interviews with "numerous" airframe and powerplant mechanics who received testing from him. The interviews presented compelling evidence raising doubts as to the adequacy of the testing, according to the agency. FAA investigators determined there was "reasonable basis to question whether airmen who received a certificate from Marty Simmons possess the qualifications to hold their certificates." There were 151 total mechanics affected by the termination of Simmons' DME designation -- approximately 60 of them in Alaska. All mechanics who received a certificate from Simmons must retake the oral exams from FAA employees at FAA facilities. Airframe and Powerplant certificate holders will be re-examined for competency of both certificates at the same time. The FAA is not permitting these re-examinations to be taken with another DME. The FAA has mailed letters to all mechanics who must retake the oral exams, however any mechanic who believes they might be affected and has not received a letter should contact Brian Richmond at the Anchorage Flight Standards District Office. The re-examination notification had a mandatory date of 10 days to contact the FAA and schedule a re- examination; failure to do so result in initiation of a suspension notification. Retesting must occur by September 1, 2015. All aircraft the affected mechanics have worked on previously are not affected by this re-examination process. Only if the affected mechanics fail to respond to the letters or subsequently fail their re- examination will they suffer a certificate action that affects their ability to perform work on aircraft. A lengthy series of questions and answers for affected mechanics can be found at the FAA website. Brian Richmond can be contacted at 907-271-2032 or brian.richmond@faa.gov. http://www.adn.com/article/20140928/faa-dozens-alaska-aircraft-mechanics-need-retake-tests Back to Top Swiss Pilots to Fly Solar Plane Around World Solar Impulse 2, the solar aircraft the Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg designed to fly around the world. Credit Solar Impulse/Rezo.ch Last year, two Swiss pilots became the first to fly across the United States in a featherweight plane using the power of the sun. Now they are back with a more ambitious plan, to be announced on Thursday, to fly an even more advanced solar airplane around the world early next year, beginning and ending in oil-rich Abu Dhabi. The journey, like its cross-country predecessor, will not be continuous, more to meet the needs of the pilots than those of the plane, which, with an elaborate combination of solar cells and lithium batteries, can fly day and night. In the earlier trip, the men flew roughly 24 hours before stopping. But this time the pilots - who will trade off the roughly dozen legs of the trip - must fly for up to five days and nights at a time because of the ocean crossings. "We trained in the simulator for longer times, for three or four days, but, of course, we never flew - that's going to be the first time," said André Borschberg, one of the pilots. "You need an airplane which is reliable - you cannot do the maintenance in the flight." The men's mission has drawn support from dozens of entrepreneurs and companies, including Masdar, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company, and is meant to be a grand demonstration of the possibilities of clean energy. But it has also become an unlikely incubator of more practical technologies, including a thin insulation that can allow refrigerators to have more internal space and a product developed with NASA that makes urine drinkable. The pilots are also developing a way to produce oxygen with solar energy, but that will not be available until later flights, Mr. Borschberg said. But, the men said, one of the biggest commercial applications for the plane itself could be as a kind of satellite replacement, making it into a sustainable high-altitude, unmanned platform with cameras or communications equipment. Designing the plane - a carbon-fiber frame, with more than 17,000 solar cells and a sheer wrapping - has been a relentless drive to reduce weight, Bertrand Piccard, the other pilot, said. The cockpit fits only one, so both men have developed techniques using yoga, meditation and self-hypnosis to rest or remain alert as necessary - including sleeping for no more than 20 minutes at a time 10 or so times a day. The method worked so well that Mr. Borschberg even tried it on vacation, he said. Still, the new model plane has more legroom and a reclining seat to make the journey more comfortable. The men anticipate about 25 days of flying over a period of four to five months, stopping in Asia, the United States and Southern Europe or North Africa before returning to the United Arab Emirates. The tour was the brainchild of Mr. Piccard, a psychiatrist who grew up in an exploration-oriented family and was part of the team that was first to circumnavigate the globe nonstop in a balloon. He became enamored of the idea of flying without fuel when a propane shortage nearly ended the balloon ride in 1999. He met Mr. Borschberg, an engineer and entrepreneur who had been a jet fighter pilot in the Swiss Air Force, after Mr. Piccard presented his idea to the Swiss Institute of Technology, which put Mr. Borschberg in charge of studying the project. Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, minister of state of the United Arab Emirates and the chairman of Masdar, said the collaboration between the solar mission and his country was natural, given its investments in renewable energy and clean technologies. "It's a country that fits with the message we have," Mr. Piccard said. "It's an oil-producing country that invests a lot for renewable energy knowing that oil will not be forever. We don't fight against oil - we just show that we can diversify and be more energy-efficient." Mr. Borschberg added that oil should be left to producing new materials, saying, "It's a fabulous molecule." http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/business/energy-environment/swiss-pilots-to-fly-solar-plane- around-world.html?_r=0 Back to Top Supersonic business jet will fly at 1,217 mph The Aerion AS2 will be able to reach speeds of 1,217 mph. (Aerion) A new business jet will get travelers from New York to London in three hours and joins efforts to usher in a new age of supersonic travel. Nevada-based aerospace firm Aerion announced that it is teaming up with Airbus to create a supersonic jet that will fly at 1,217 mph. That is faster than the speed of sound (about 768 miles per hour at sea level) and almost as fast as the now retired Concorde, which flew at 1,350 mph. Regular commercial airliners typically fly from between 480 - 560 mph. Aerion hopes to conduct its first test flight in 2019 and achieve certification by 2021. (Aerion) "This is a major step forward for Aerion," said Aerion chairman, Robert Bass in a statement. "It puts us solidly on track toward our objective of certifying the world's first supersonic business jet in 2021." The Aerion AS2 business jet will be made mostly from carbon fiber composite material and will use proprietary supersonic laminar flow technology that claims to reduce drag on wings and fuselage by 20 percent. Its 30-foot-long cabin is designed to carry 12 passengers and will have seats that will berth for overnight flights. The AS2 will hold 12 passengers and is thought to be cost than $100 million. (Aerion) Engineers from Airbus' Defense and Space Division will lend their expertise for access to Aerion's proprietary anti-drag technology, the companies said. "We see no technical show stoppers," Aerion CEO Doug Nichols told Bloomberg. "The collaboration with Airbus was an essential piece in order to bring the expertise of a premier aircraft development concern into the fold." Currently, the U.S. prohibits aircraft to fly at the speed of sound overland. Aerion said that the AS2 will fly at subsonic speeds over the U.S. and throttle to Mach 1.6, or 1.6 times the speed of sound, while crossing the ocean. Over Europe, the plane will be able to reach Mach 1.2 without a boom that's perceptible on the ground, Nichols told Bloomberg. The U.S. forbids civilian planes from the sound barrier - about 750 mph per hour -- but plans are for the AS2 to fly subsonic speeds and then increase throttle over the ocean. (Aerion) There are other companies developing supersonic business jets, such as Boston-based Spike Aerospace with S-512 Supersonic Jet is designed to fly at Mach 1.6, and the U.K.-based HyperMach's SonicStar claiming it can reach Mach 4 (about 2,600 mph). The cost of the Aerion AS2 will be about $100 million. Aerion hopes test flights will begin by 2019 and for certification by 2021. http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2014/09/26/new-supersonic-business-jet-will-fly-at-1217-mph/ Back to Top Airplane Makes Emergency Landing in Omaha A commercial airplane traveling from Boston to Los Angeles made an emergency landing in Nebraska on Monday, officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the Virgin America flight made the unscheduled landing Monday morning at Omaha's Eppley Airfield following a medical emergency on board. The agency didn't provide additional details, but passengers say a man had tried to open an emergency exit door. The U.S. Attorney's Office told KETV in Omaha that a passenger was taken to the hospital for observation. Sam Slater, an LA film producer who videotaped police officers boarding the plane in Omaha and taking a man away in handcuffs, said the passenger was wearing a hospital bracelet and sat behind him on the plane. "He asked if he could use the restroom. He'd been mumbling about not wanting to be violent," Slater told KCAL-TV. Slater's business partner, Paul Bernon, said the man returned from the bathroom and began arguing with a woman sitting next to him and tried to tell an attendant that he wanted her to move. A doctor examined the passenger, who was taken to a back row of seats that had been cleared for him. "He at that point was fidgeting and began to remove the plastic covering from the emergency exit door and tried to pull to open the door," Slater said. "Fortunately there were a couple of Boston police officers on the flight that were there at that point to help as well." Among other projects, Slater and Bernon produced the 2013 movie "Drinking Buddies." http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/faa-airplane-makes-emergency-landing-omaha-25686435 Back to Top Back to Top ICAEA-ANAC-CIPE Aviation English Workshop Buenos Aires, Argentina. International Civil Aviation English Association Workshop, hosted by Argentina ANAC and CIPE. "Skills and competencies needed in aviation communications: The Latin American Challenge." Open to anyone interested in aviation English. Nov. 20-21, 2014. www.icaea.aero Back to Top Want to make a quick 100 bucks??? Complete this 15 min online survey... Optimal Strategix Group Inc. invites you to complete a 15 minute survey offering feedback on 3 product concepts targeted at protecting you from harmful chemicals and solvents while working on your tasks. Complete this survey before September 30,2014 and earn a cool $100. If you are interested, please click on the below link - http://survey.confirmit.com/wix/p3070608493.aspx INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS ISASI 2014 45TH ANNUAL SEMINAR "Investigations and Safety Management Systems" This year's seminar will take place at the Stamford Hotel in Glenelg, near Adelaide, Australia, from 13 -16 October, 2014. All current information regarding seminar registration, hotel reservations and speakers can be found on the official seminar website at www.asasi.org. Please note the deadline for Early Bird Registration and the discounted rate at the hotel is midnight September 4. Questions can be directed to: Mr. Lindsay Naylor ISASI 2014 Seminar Chair lindsaynaylor77@gmail.com or Ms.Barbara Dunn International Seminar Chair - ISASI avsafe@shaw.ca Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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 SMS Seminars Daytona Beach, FL Nov. 17-18 & 19-21, 2014 www.erau.edu/sms ICAEA-ANAC-CIPE Aviation English Workshop. Buenos Aires, Argentina. International Civil Aviation English Association Workshop, hosted by Argentina ANAC and CIPE. "Skills and competencies needed in aviation communications: The Latin American Challenge." Open to anyone interested in aviation English. Nov. 20-21, 2014. www.icaea.aero 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: Positions Available: Pilots (India) TATA SIA Airlines Limited pilots@airvistara.com www.airvistara.com Curt Lewis