Flight Safety Information November 5, 2014 - No. 225 In This Issue Virgin Galactic Will Proceed with Second SpaceShipTwo Despite Crash Air Canada Given Top Honours by Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine's Safest Employers Awards FAA Proposes Fix for Aircraft Dispatcher Courses MIT Study Reveals Pilots Satisfied with ADS-B Crash clouds future of space tourism Malaysia to join MH17 crash investigation team FAA Seeks Comments on Advisory Circular for Aviation Safety Action Program PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA AIRCON3 - Pre-Conference Workshop Jet Engine Maker Rolls-Royce to Cut 5% of Work Force as Demand Dips The TSA Has a New Record for Guns Found at Airport Checkpoints THAI flight skids off runway at Khon Kaen airport Upcoming Events Virgin Galactic Will Proceed with Second SpaceShipTwo Despite Crash Rocket Is About 65% Complete, said Branson's Space-Tourism Company By ROBERT WALL Virgin Galactic LLC Tuesday reiterated it would proceed with the building of a second SpaceShipTwo after the first model crashed Friday, killing the co-pilot and setting back the company's space-tourism plans. "While this has been a tragic setback, we are moving forward and will do so deliberately and with determination," Virgin Galactic said in a statement on Twitter . "We are continuing to build the second SpaceShipTwo," it said. The rocket is about 65% complete. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said late Monday it was close to wrapping up the on-scene portion of the investigation in Mojave, Calif. The investigation into what caused the crash could take a year. Investigators said an improper co-pilot command prematurely unlocked the movable tail surfaces, which then deployed without further pilot input. The vehicle then disintegrated. The rocket engine appears to have functioned normally until then. The ship's tail surfaces-called feathers-are supposed to be deployed only after the rocket motor finished its burn, to allow the craft to glide to a safe landing. Virgin Galactic said that "with the guidance of the NTSB and the assurance of a safe path forward, we intend to move ahead with our testing program." Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of Virgin Galactic, immediately after the crash said the project wouldn't proceed "blindly," raising questions about its future. The company had planned to start commercial service by 2008, but persistent development and testing problems have pushed back the date. Before the accident, company officials eyed first service by early 2015, with Mr. Branson and members of his family slated to take the first ride. The new schedule is uncertain. http://online.wsj.com/articles/virgin-galactic-will-proceed-with-second-spaceshiptwo-despite-crash- 1415096661 Back to Top Air Canada Given Top Honours by Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine's Safest Employers Awards CSE 2014 Air Canada Video: Air Canada is the gold winner in the transportation category for the 2014 Canada's Safest Employers Awards. More info: www.cos-mag.com [ Video: http://www.cos-mag.com/video/corporate-videos/4196-air-canada.html ] MONTREAL, Nov. 3, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada has been named the gold winner of the 2014 Canada's Safest Employers Awards in the transportation category. The Awards, announced in the November issue of Canadian Occupational Safety magazine, recognize companies from all across Canada for outstanding accomplishments in promoting the health and safety of their workers. "This award recognition speaks volumes about the countless efforts by Air Canada employees and is a considerable achievement," said Samuel Elfassy, Air Canada's Senior Director Corporate Safety. "The airline industry presents a complex operating environment, one in which occupational health and safety management plays a key role in maintaining a safe workplace." "Sharing of information is critical to safety. We use the latest technologies to gather data in new ways, to create a culture where employees are comfortable and confident in speaking up. This prestigious award is a prime achievement and speaks to Air Canada's safety culture which upholds our keystone value: Safety first and last - 100% - All the time," continued Mr. Elfassy. "Keeping 27,000 employees healthy and safe on the job is no easy feat. Air Canada's commitment to all its workers in this regard is why it is deserving of a gold Canada's Safest Employers Award," noted Amanda Silliker, Editor, Canadian Occupational Safety magazine. "Its various initiatives such as tackling back injuries and monitoring radiation make it stand out as a leader in occupational health and safety." About the Awards Launched in 2011, Canada's Safest Employers Awards recognize companies from all across Canada with outstanding accomplishments in promoting the health and safety of their workers. The award comprises 10 industry-specific categories, ranging from hospitality to mining and natural resources. Companies are judged on a wide range of occupational health and safety elements, including employee training, OHS management systems, incident investigation, emergency preparedness and innovative health and safety initiatives. Twenty-seven winners were recognized at a gala event in Toronto on October 28, 2014. The 2015 nomination process will be launched mid-January 2015. About Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine Canadian Occupational Safety magazine is the premier publication on occupational health and safety in Canada. In each issue of COS, readers get a whole new mix of practical, lively, and editorially sound articles to help them in their work as health and safety professionals. The magazine covers a wide range of topics, from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards. About Air Canada Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 182 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2013 served more than 35 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 60 Canadian cities, 49 destinations in the United States and 73 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,316 airports in 192 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax that ranked Air Canada in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers as Best Airline in North America in 2014 for the fifth consecutive year. For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com. SOURCE Air Canada Video with caption: "Video: Air Canada is the gold winner in the transportation category for the 2014 Canada's Safest Employers Awards. More info: www.cos-mag.com". Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UrjUt2Zhzg http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1438155/air-canada-given-top-honours-by-canadian-occupational- safety-magazine-s-safest-employers-awards Back to Top FAA Proposes Fix for Aircraft Dispatcher Courses In a move that could affect business aircraft operations that employ FAA-certified dispatchers, the FAA is proposing a new policy to fix what it sees as a flaw in dispatcher certification courses. The agency has released proposals for a new chapter of FAA Order 8900.1 and a new advisory circular (AC 65-XX) related to aircraft dispatcher certification courses. According to the FAA, there is a need to establish "formal policy" related to the operation and oversight of FAA-approved aircraft dispatcher certification courses because the current lack of a policy "has led to a wide range of inconsistencies with respect to individual course approvals." The FAA claims that the new guidance will "clarify the requirements found in FAR Part 65, Subpart C" (certification of aircraft dispatchers). Currently, FAA-certified dispatchers are required only for Part 121 operations. Comments on the proposals are due December 22. To date, there are 44 FAA-approved aircraft dispatcher certification courses in operation. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainalerts/2014-11-04/faa-proposes-fix-aircraft-dispatcher- courses Back to Top MIT Study Reveals Pilots Satisfied with ADS-B Results from an MIT survey administered last spring in Flying's Enews reveal that general aviation pilots value ADS-B In traffic and weather information as a tool to increase situational awareness, decision- making capability and safety. Of the 1,407 pilots who responded to the survey, 56 percent indicated that they had used ADS-B traffic and weather services. A higher percentage of pilots reported using portable ADS-B In systems (82 percent) versus installed panel-mounted systems (28 percent). The majority of survey comments focused on the value of ADS-B traffic as a supplement to see-and-avoid and ATC advisories. Among pilots who reported using ADS-B In traffic services regularly, 64 percent said that the technology frequently helps them visually acquire traffic. Among this same group, 42 percent reported that ADS-B had provided information that may have helped prevent a midair collision. In terms of inflight decision-making, pilots reported using ADS-B In weather information to make better decisions about rerouting, changing altitude or diverting to alternate airports. A sizable increase was noted in pilot satisfaction with ADS-B In traffic information for pilots who also flew with ADS-B Out gear. Among those pilots, 60 percent reported being "extremely" or "very" satisfied with traffic service coverage. For pilots using ADS-B In systems without ADS-B Out capability, the satisfaction rate was only 26 percent. Respondents in both groups voiced concerns about incomplete traffic information due to selective broadcast of TIS-B and ADS-R traffic information to ADS-B Out equipped aircraft only. Among pilots who have not yet flown with ADS-B In equipment, about half indicated that they have plans to equip in the future. The most common reason given for not equipping with ADS-B was cost, although 27 percent of pilots also indicated that their existing cockpit equipment provided similar information. A complete copy of the report can be found here. http://www.flyingmag.com/news/mit-study-reveals-pilots-satisfied-ads-b#ZZDaqKFrqzCVsXEQ.99 Back to Top Crash clouds future of space tourism Federal accident investigators have an early sense of what went wrong before an experimental spaceship designed to ferry tourists beyond the Earth's atmosphere broke apart during a test flight. But they still don't know why the craft prematurely shifted its shape prior to the deadly crash. And another question looms: How far will the accident push back the day when paying customers can routinely rocket dozens of miles into the sky for a fleeting feeling of weightlessness and a breathtaking view? National Transportation Safety Board investigators worked Monday at the main wreckage area where Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo fell to the ground in the Mojave Desert, but also collected tiny debris 35 miles away. The accident killed the co-pilot and badly injured the pilot who parachuted out of the ship Friday. Acting NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said cockpit video and data showed that the co-pilot unlocked SpaceShipTwo's unique "feathering" system earlier than planned. The system works somewhat like the wing flaps that airplanes use to slow for landing - except that Space ShipTwo's twin tails rotate up at a far more extreme angle, to a position that creates strong resistance and slows the descent. But while the co-pilot unlocked the system before planned, that action alone should not have been enough to change the craft's configuration. Activating the feathering system requires the pulling of a lever - not unlike how a gun fires only when the trigger is pulled, not just because the safety has been disengaged. Questions abound: Why did the co-pilot activate the system at that moment? Why did the tails begin to rotate without the co-pilot starting that process? Investigators believe once the feathers were unlocked, "aerodynamic forces" buffeting the craft as it hurtled along at about 760 mph caused the feathers to start rotating, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said Monday. Within a few seconds, the craft began to disintegrate, NTSB investigators determined. SpaceShipTwo is carried aloft on the underside of a jet-powered mother ship. It then drops from that ship and fires its own rocket to head higher. The feathers are not supposed to engage until the craft reaches a speed of Mach 1.4, or more than 1,000 mph, Hart told reporters. Knudson said a final cause will take months to determine and investigators were looking into other factors, including pilot training, mechanical failure and design flaws. Passenger jets typically fly about 7 miles high. Virgin Galactic envisions flights with six passengers climbing to more than 62 miles above Earth. Seats sell for $250,000 and the company says it has booked passengers including Justin Bieber, Ashton Kutcher and Russell Brand. The ultimate goal of Virgin Galactic co-owner Richard Branson is to create an industry that can move people around the globe in a fraction of the time it takes passenger jets. , by rocketing them into space and back down. But the company now lacks not only a craft to fly but also an understanding of what caused the crash. Though rival companies also are pushing ahead, the dawn of space tourism seems to have been pushed beyond the horizon yet again. SpaceShipTwo has been under development for years, and Branson originally predicted passengers would be enjoying the wonders of flight by now. In the weeks before the crash, he said he hoped to fly next year. Branson still plans to be on the maiden voyage. He said that day will not come before a new round of crew-only flights. "We need to be absolutely certain our spaceship has been thoroughly tested _ and that it will be," he said. "And once it's thoroughly tested, and we can go to space, we will go to space." Friday's crash could trigger increased government regulation. To give the fledgling commercial space industry space to innovate, the Federal Aviation Administration has not overregulated test flights during the past decade, according to Diane Howard, an assistant professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University who specializes in space law. But the crash could allow the FAA to propose new rules affecting future Virgin Galactic flights, and "it will be very interesting to see how Congress and the FAA and industry respond," Howard said. The FAA did not immediately comment Monday. The agency is able to initiate a rule-making process that would affect the design or operation of a spacecraft involved in a fatal accident, but is unlikely to do so before the end of the NTSB's investigation. http://www.theday.com/article/20141105/BIZ03/311059955/-1/BIZ Back to Top Malaysia to join MH17 crash investigation team KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will be made a member of the Dutch-led team which is investigating the MH17 crash in eastern Ukraine, the prime ministers of Malaysia and the Netherlands announced on Wednesday. Najib Tun Razak and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, who is here for a one-day official visit said both countries realised the importance of Malaysia's presence in the team, the Malaysian Star reported. "I would like to state that 43 people died in this crash and the aircraft MH17 was carrying the Malaysian flag, so it is only logical that Malaysia gets involved," Rutte was quoted as saying in a joint press conference here. Rutte was responding to a question asked by the Malaysian Ambassador to the Netherlands as to why Malaysia was still not involved in the criminal investigation team, the report stated. Najib in response to Rutte's comments said that he expected a "meaningful development" to take place in the next few days after his country's inclusion in the team. Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine July 17 as it flew from Amsterdam on its way to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew onboard. The aircraft is believed to have been shot down in strife-torn eastern Ukraine. There were 193 Dutch nationals and 44 Malaysians among the passengers onboard. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Malaysia-to-join-MH17-crash-investigation- team/articleshow/45045335.cms Back to Top FAA Seeks Comments on Advisory Circular for Aviation Safety Action Program http://targetednews.com/display_story.php?s_id=1180707 Back to Top Back to Top Pre-Conference Workshop: Thursday, January 15th: Investigations in support of Safety Management Systems (SMS): The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines SMS as "A systematic approach to managing safety, including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures." Most Civil Aviation Authorities support the implementation of SMS in aviation training organizations and service providers. Many also include the provisions for a Safety Manager within those safety programs. This workshop will investigate the attributes of a supportive Safety Culture along with the competencies and skill-sets required of the Safety Manager to appropriately collect, analyze and take actions on safety information. The outcomes of this workshop will be assembled and distributed to participants in order for their consideration for inclusion into existing and future aviation programs and curricula. Workshop Leaders: Stewart Schreckengast, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Aviation Department, University of South Australia & Douglas Drury, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Aviation Department, University of South Australia are hosting. Free conference add on- but space is limited. Sponsored by the Robertson Safety Institute Registration Back to Top Jet Engine Maker Rolls-Royce to Cut 5% of Work Force as Demand Dips LONDON - Rolls-Royce, the British maker of jet engines, said on Tuesday that it would cut its work force by 2,600 in the wake of a profit warning last month. The company said the cuts, which represent nearly 5 percent of its 55,000 employees worldwide, will come over the next 18 months and mainly occur in its aerospace division. The company did not say where, geographically, the jobs would be cut. Rolls-Royce has about 16,000 employees in Britain. Rolls-Royce is a leading global supplier of jet engines for military and civilian aircraft, and it also makes engines for ships and factories. The job cuts appear to be a sign of slackening global demand for big pieces of equipment. "The measures today will not be the last," John Rishton, the company's chief executive since 2011, said in a statement. "They will contribute to Rolls-Royce being a stronger and more profitable company." The company also said on Tuesday that its chief financial officer, Mark Morris, a 27-year Rolls-Royce veteran, was leaving the company. He will be succeeded by David Smith, a former chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, who joined Rolls-Royce this year and has been serving as chief financial officer of the aerospace unit. Rolls-Royce - which is separate from the automaker Rolls-Royce Motors, owned by BMW - gave no explanation for Mr. Morris's departure. Mr. Rishton announced the job reductions after the company disappointed investors in mid-October when it forecast that its profit next year would decline as much as 3 percent after previously predicting that profit would grow in 2015. The company's stock price had fallen almost 10 percent since that announcement, though it closed 1.5 percent higher in London on Tuesday. In October, Mr. Rishton said that economic conditions had deteriorated quickly and that revenue at Rolls- Royce, as at many other companies, would come under pressure. The company also said that sanctions on Russia were contributing to delays and canceled orders. At the time, the company said that profit for the current year, excluding acquisitions and sales of businesses, was likely to be flat, with revenue declining up to 4 percent. The October profit warning and one in February interrupted a long streak of profit growth at the company as it developed new engines for Boeing and Airbus. In the decade through 2013, revenue nearly tripled to 15.5 billion pounds, or $24.8 billion, while profit was up about sixfold to about £1.8 billion in 2013. In its announcement Tuesday, Rolls-Royce said that it was able to make cuts because the Trent 1000 and Trent XWB engines it produces for the Boeing 787 and the Airbus 350 were now in production rather than design, reducing the number of engineers needed. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/05/business/international/Jet-Engine-Maker-Rolls-Royce-to-Cut-5- Percent-of-Work-Force.html?_r=0 Back to Top The TSA Has a New Record for Guns Found at Airport Checkpoints Flyers at United States airports just broke a record for the third year in a row. As in 2012 and 2013, the number of guns discovered at airport security checkpoints by the Transportation Security Administration surpassed the number of guns discovered in the previous year. The 2013 tally was 1,813 weapons found, 1,477 of which were loaded. In 2012 the total was 1,550. This morning, TSA spokesman Ross Feinstein tweeted that gun discoveries have already exceeded the 1,813 mark. Year-to-date numbers in September were 1,630 firearms, but October resulted in another 200 discoveries. As of today the total for the year is 1,850. "We don't want to find a firearm," Feinstein told Skift. "It slows down the line for everyone." In a break from the last two years, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is leading perennial front- runner Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. According to the TSA's Feinstein, at the end of October 92 guns had been discovered at Dallas as opposed to 74 in Atlanta. Feinstein points out that Atlanta has had an aggressive education program this year to remind flyers how weapons can legally be transported in checked luggage. Historically, the top five airports for seizures have been in U.S. states with laws that make it easy to take loaded weapons into public places, airports such as Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Denver. Although airports such as New York-JFK and Chicago-O'Hare are highly trafficked, they rarely crack the top 20. All the numbers out the the TSA haven't been bad this year. After an ambitious push by the agency, PreCheck enrollments surpassed 500,000 in late August, and nearly 300 enrollment centers opened across the U.S. this year. http://skift.com/2014/11/04/the-tsa-has-a-new-record-for-guns-found-at-airport-checkpoints/ Back to Top THAI flight skids off runway at Khon Kaen airport Thai Airways' Flight TG047, scheduled to fly from Khon Kaen to Bangkok, skidded off the runway before it took off shortly after 8 pm Monday. No injuries were reported. The accident prompted Nok Air's flight from Bangkok to Khon Kaen to be unable to land and it had to land at the Udon Thani airport instead. Nok Air's passengers, who were scheduled to leave Khon Kane for Bangkok at 8:50 pm, were transferred to Udon Thani to catch their flight there. Thai Airways offered its passengers, who did not want to return to Bangkok right away, to stay at the Pullman Khon Kaen Hotel pending the clearing of the runway and fixing of the plane. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/THAI-flight-skids-off-runway-at-Khon-Kaen-airport- 30246919.html **************** Date: 03-NOV-2014 Time: ca 20:00 Type: Airbus A330-321 Owner/operator: Thai Airways International Registration: HS-TEG C/n / msn: 112 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 246 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Khon Kaen Airport (KKC/VTUK) - Thailand Phase: Taxi Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Khon Kaen Airport (KKC/VTUK) Destination airport: Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK/VTBS) Narrative: Thai Airways International flight TG47, an Airbus A330-300, taxied off the paved surface of the runway and became stuck with the nose gear in soft soil. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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 2014 Global FOD Prevention Conference Birds, Bolts, Budgets - Tracking the Dangers of Foreign Objects and What We Can Do About It Reagan National Airport 2 December 2014 www.stopfod.com ERAU UAS FUNDAMENTALS COURSE December 9 - 11, 2014 ERAU Daytona Beach Campus, FL www.daytonabeach.erau.edu/uas Event: "The Future of Regulation of SMS and QA" Symposium. Keynote: Mr. Martin Eley, Director General Transport Canada. Location: Coronado Resort Hotel @ Disney World, Orlando Florida. Date: Jan 4-6, 2015 info: http://www.dtiatlanta.com/symposium.html A3IR CON 2015 January 16-17, 2015 Phoenix, AZ http://commons.erau.edu/aircon/2015/ Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) NTSB Training Center, Ashburn, VA March 10-11, 2015 www.acsf.aero/symposium FAA Helicopter Safety Effort three-day safety forum April 21-23, 2015 Hurst, Texas eugene.trainor@faa.gov www.faahelisafety.org IS-BAO Workshop Information and Registration 12 - 13 Nov. 2014 Omaha, Nebraska USA 18 - 19 Nov. 2014 Houston, TX USA 2 - 3 Dec. 2014 Orlando, FL USA 6 - 7 Dec. 2014 Dubai, UAE 13 - 14 Jan. 2015 Baltimore, MD USA https://www.regonline.com/CalendarNET/EventCalendar.aspx?EventID=1592658&view=Month Back to Top Advertise with Flight Safety Information Reach a large domestic & global customer base Reasonable rates. Contact: curt@curt-lewis.com (817)845-3983 Curt Lewis