Flight Safety Information November 12, 2014 - No. 230 In This Issue FSF Names New Chairman of the Board Transport watchdog lists safety risks (Australia) Wireless devices, apps used by private pilots susceptible to security attacks, says study Civilian Drones Are Causing Problems For Pilots Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Makes First Flight PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA AIRCON3 - Pre-Conference Workshop Boeing hires Chinese aviation company to make 777 parts The Cranberries' Dolores O'Riordan Arrested After Fight on Airplane Upcoming Events FSF Names New Chairman of the Board Abu Dhabi, UAE - The Flight Safety Foundation announced today that Ken Hylander, former Delta Air Lines executive, has been named the new chairman of the Board of Governors. Mr. Hylander has been serving as the Chair-Elect since his election to that position in November of 2013. David McMillan, the outgoing Chairman, introduced Mr. Hylander to the attendees of the 67th annual International Air Safety Summit as the new Chairman of the Board. "It is an honor to be elected to be the Chairman of the Board by the distinguished members," stated Mr. Hylander. "With its 67 year history, the Flight Safety Foundation is tremendously important for aviation safety. I look forward to taking on this challenge and privilege as chairman." "I'm confident that Ken will work well with the executives, the Board and the staff of the Foundation to lead it very ably into the future," said Mr. McMillan, who will become the Immediate Past Chair on the Board. "This has been a great experience to serve as Chair of this important organization." Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, non-profit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and publishing to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to be the leading voice of safety for the global aerospace community. www.flightsafety.org Back to Top Transport watchdog lists safety risks (Australia) The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has highlighted in its annual report the most significant transport safety concerns across the aviation, maritime and rail industries. Chief Commissioner of the ATSB, Martin Dolan said the Bureau had a growing concern about accidents caused by flying with reduced visual references, such as in cloud or at night. This had led to that matter being included as a top transport safety risk area identified in the ATSB's safety priorities. "By highlighting these priorities to visual flight rules pilots, we aim to make them more aware of the risks and of what can be done to avoid what can be catastrophic mistakes while flying," Mr Dolan said. ATSB sets out areas of concern He said three significant investigations into flying with reduced visual cues were included in the annual report, along with features on some of the 217 investigations conducted by the ATSB in 2013-14. The report also details the ATSB's involvement as the lead organisation in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that disappeared in March 2014. "Finding the missing aircraft and helping solve the mystery of its disappearance is our greatest challenge. Just as importantly, though, we continue our work to improve safety through investigating aviation, maritime and rail incidents at home," Mr Dolan said. Australia's current top transport safety priorities across aviation, maritime and rail (SafetyWatch) were flying with reduced visual cues, marine work practices, safe work on rail, data input areas for aviation, safety around non-controlled aerodromes, general aviation pilot risks, maritime pilotage, under reporting of occurrences and pilots handling approach to land. More information on these risk areas can be found at this PS News link. http://www.psnews.com.au/aps/Page_psn4352.html Back to Top Wireless devices, apps used by private pilots susceptible to security attacks, says study Scientists say that wireless devices and apps used by private pilots during flights are susceptible to a range of security attacks. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego and John Hopkins University presented their findings Nov. 5 at the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security in Scottsdale, Ariz. The findings revealed that a combination of three most commonly used devices- the Appareo Stratus 2 receiver with the ForeFlight app; the Garmin GDL 39 receiver with the Garmin Pilot app; and the SageTech Clarity CL01 with the WingX Pro7 app- are used by casual pilots to access information, which is same as the information provided to the pilots of private jets, for much lesser cost. Researchers found that the systems they examined were available for just 1,000 dollars as compared to more than 20,000 dollars worth instruments in a high-end cockpit. In order to display information, the devices need to be paired with tablet computers or most of the time with iPad apps that reportedly have flaws. Kirill Levchenko, a computer scientist at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego, who led the study, said that on attacking these devices, one could not only gain control over the aircraft, but also have control over the information the pilot sees. http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report-wireless-devices-apps-used-by-private-pilots- susceptible-to-security-attacks-says-study-2034167 Back to Top Civilian Drones Are Causing Problems For Pilots By: JOAN LOWY UTSA graduate student Prasanna Kolar controls a drone with a cellphone app - for now. The government is getting near-daily reports - and sometimes two or three a day - of drones flying near airplanes and helicopters or close to airports without permission, federal and industry officials tell The Associated Press. It's a sharp increase from just two years ago when such reports were still unusual. Many of the reports are filed with the Federal Aviation Administration by airline pilots. But other pilots, airport officials and local authorities often file reports as well, said the officials, who agreed to discuss the matter only on the condition that they not be named because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. Michael Toscano, president of a drone industry trade group, said FAA officials also have verified the increase to him. While many of the reports are unconfirmed, raising the possibility that pilots may have mistaken a bird or another plane in the distance for a drone, the officials said other reports appear to be credible. The FAA tightly restricts the use of drones, which could cause a crash if one collided with a plane or was sucked into an engine. Small drones usually aren't visible on radar to air traffic controllers, particularly if they're made of plastic or other composites. "It should not be a matter of luck that keeps an airplane and a drone apart," said Rory Kay, a training captain at a major airline and a former Air Line Pilots Association safety committee chairman. "So far we've been lucky because if these things are operating in the sky unregulated, unmonitored and uncontrolled, the possibility of a close proximity event or even a collision has to be of huge concern." The FAA requires that all drone operators receive permission from the agency, called a certificate of authorization, before they can fly their unmanned aircraft. Most certificates limit drones to 400 feet in altitude and require that they remain within sight of the operator and at least 5 miles away from an airport. Exceptions are made for some government drones. The military flies drones in great swaths of airspace in remote areas designated for military use. Customs and Border Protection flies high-altitude drones along the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada. Jim Williams, who heads the FAA drone office, caused a stir earlier this year when he told a drone industry conference that an airliner nearly collided with a drone over Tallahassee, Florida, in March. The pilot of the 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet reported the camouflage- painted drone was at an altitude of about 2,300 feet, 5 miles northeast of the airport. The FAA hasn't been able to find the drone or identify its operator. Some other recent incidents: -The pilots of a regional airliner flying at about 10,000 feet reported seeing at least one drone pass less than 500 feet above the plane moving slowly to the south toward Allegheny County Airport near Pittsburgh. The drone was described as black and gray with a thin body, about 5 feet to 6 feet long. -Air traffic controllers in Burbank, California, received a report from a helicopter pilot of a camera-equipped drone flying near the giant Hollywood sign. -Controllers at central Florida's approach control facility received a report from the pilots of an Airbus A319 airliner that they had sighted a drone below the plane at about 11,000 feet and 15 miles west of Orlando. The drone was described as having a red vertical stabilizer and blue body. It wasn't picked up on radar. -The pilots of a regional airliner reported spotting a drone 500 feet to 1,000 feet off the plane's right side during a landing approach to runway 4 of the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina. The drone was described as the size of a large bird. -A 5-foot-long drone with an attached camera crashed near Dallas Love Field in Texas. The wreckage was discovered by a worker at a factory near the airport. Police said they were looking for the operator. In some cases the FAA has "identified unsafe and unauthorized (drone) operations and contacted the individual operators to educate them about how they can operate safely under current regulations and laws," the agency said in a statement late Tuesday. The FAA also said rogue operators have been threatened with fines. Aviation safety expert John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member, said he's skeptical of some of the reports because most of the small drones currently being sold can't reach the altitudes cited by pilots. Still, "it needs to be run to ground. That means a real investigation, real work done to determine just what these reports mean," he said. More than 1 million small drones have been sold worldwide in the past few years, said Toscano, the official with the drone industry group. It is inevitable that some will misuse them because they don't understand the safety risks or simply don't care, he said. "This technology has a phenomenal upside that people are still just trying to understand," he said. "As unfortunate as it would be that we have an incident, it's not going to shut down the industry." The FAA is expected to propose regulations before the end of the year that would allow broader commercial use of drones weighing less than 55 pounds. The FAA prohibits nearly all commercial use of drones, although that ban is being challenged. So far, the only commercial permits the agency has granted have been to two oil companies operating in Alaska and seven aerial photography companies associated with movie and television production. But the ban has been ignored by many other drone operators, from real estate agents to urban planners to farmers who use them to monitor crops. http://www.businessinsider.com/civilian-drones-are-causing-problems-for-pilots-2014- 11#ixzz3IrK5QsnY Back to Top Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Makes First Flight The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X during its first flight. Bell Helicopter took its latest five-seat design, the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, on its maiden flight yesterday, bringing the helicopter one step closer to certification. The flight took off from the company's Mirabel, Quebec, manufacturing facility and lasted about 30 minutes. This initial test flight included hovering and two laps in the pattern flanked by a Bell 429. The flight focused primarily on engine performance, low speed maneuverability and tail rotor control, Bell said. Loads and vibrations were tested to a maximum speed of 60 knots. "The Bell 505 performed exactly as anticipated today," said Yann Lavalle, Bell's senior flight test pilot, who also described the helicopter as stable. The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X is powered by a fadec-controlled Turbomeca Arius 2R engine producing 504 shp for takeoff. Garmin's G1000H PFD and MFD panels dominate the 505's sleek flight deck. Since Bell announced the 505 at the Heli-Expo in Anaheim, California, in February the company has received 240 letters of intent for the new helicopter design. "Bell Helicopter pioneered the short light single market, and here we are nearly fifty years later, changing the way the world flies once again," said Matt Hasik, senior vice president of commercial programs at Bell Helicopter. http://www.flyingmag.com/news/bell-505-jet-ranger-x-makes-first- flight#KteT5zb0UGaFu3Jo.99 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 Boeing hires Chinese aviation company to make 777 parts Boeing's 777. The company struck a deal with a Chinese manufacturer to build the tips of the 777's tail, Tuesday. Boeing announced a contract with Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) Tuesday. The company, which is the largest state-owned aviation company in China, will produce composite empennage tips for Boeing's 777 family of planes beginning in 2017. AVIC's Shenyang Commercial Aircraft Corporation (SACC), a subsidiary of AVIC, will build tips for the vertical fine and horizontal stabilizer in a new facility near the airport in Shenyang, China. Those stabilizers are placed on the tail of the plane. Each 777 will need three. The contract means Boeing and SACC will work together to create a new training program and Chinese Manufacturing Innovation Center within the facility. SACC has a 24-year history of building parts for Boeing's commercial airlines. SACC's parent company has built similar stabilizers for Boeing's 737. Boeing is the largest foreign customer for China's aviation market. The company expects to double its purchases from China in coming years. Taking space in China may be a good move by the company to stay active in an aviation manufacturing market space that is heating up. Chinese airplane-manufacturing company, Comac, is rolling out its C919 prototype at 2014 Air Show China this week. It's the first mainline airplane built by China. The C919 will be similar in size to Boeing's 737 MAX. Larry Wilson, supplier management communications for Boeing, said "this decision is consistent with our Partnering for Success program, benefiting all parties involved - Boeing, our customers and AVIC." Boeing announced an $8.5-billion dollar deal with a Japanese leasing company for the 737 MAX, Monday. It's the largest deal of its kind in Boeing's history. Last week, Boeing Commercial Airlines CEO Ray Conner announced the company's plan to replace the 737 MAX with a similar-sized, but completely new aircraft by 2030. http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2014/11/11/boeing-hires-chinese-aviation- company-to-make-777.html Back to Top The Cranberries' Dolores O'Riordan Arrested After Fight on Airplane The Cranberries singer allegedly had a fit of air rage The Cranberries frontwoman Dolores O'Riordan was arrested early Monday after allegedly assaulting a flight attendant. The Irish singer was seated in business class on a flight from New York City's JFK airport to Shannon, Ireland, and allegedly attacked the flight attendant shortly before the plane landed around 5 a.m. local time. The as-of-yet unnamed victim reportedly suffered a fracture in her foot, and O'Riordan reportedly also attacked a police officer before she was detained, though the officer was not seriously injured. O'Riordan said she felt ill while being questioned at the police station, and was sent to the hospital after being examined by a doctor. She has since been discharged, and police have not charged her with any crime, though an Aer Lingus spokesman told BBC News police were still investigating the incident. http://www.spin.com/articles/cranberries-singer-dolores-o%E2%80%99riordan-arrested- airplane-fight/ 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 Curt Lewis