Flight Safety Information November 25, 2014 - No. 239 In This Issue Bird strikes Southwest jet inbound for Sacramento Studying owls to improve aircraft United flight to DIA held from gate after concerns about ill flier EXCLUSIVE: On the Flight Deck with 787 Test Pilot Heather Ross NTSB Rules Drones Are Aircraft, Subject to FAA Rules PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA Gulfstream makes 100th 'amazing' ultra long-range jet Amazon is hiring drone pilots...Calling all drone pilots AIRCON3 - Pre-Conference Workshop GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Pilot Health Survey Upcoming Events Bird strikes Southwest jet inbound for Sacramento Southwest Airlines flight 1923 from Phoenix SACRAMENTO - A Southwest Airlines jet inbound for Sacramento from Phoenix struck a bird just prior to landing Saturday night. Flight 1923 landed safely at 9:20 p.m. It was the second reported bird strike Saturday, following an incident involving an inbound Volaris Airlines flight from Guadalajara that was greeted by several fire trucks upon landing. According FAA data, Sacramento International Airport was among the most active for bird strikes in the country. There were 169 encounters between wildlife and aircraft reported last year at the airport, with 53 reported so far this year. Pictures of the Southwest jet showed damage to the nose and feathers lodged in equipment below the cockpit windows. No injuries were reported in either incident. http://www.news10.net/story/news/local/natomas/2014/11/24/bird-strikes-southwest- jet/19492389/ Back to Top Studying owls to improve aircraft Many owls have the extraordinary ability to fly in almost complete silence. Could this adaptation have implications for the way we design aircraft? That's what scientists are trying to find out, as Andrew Davies and David Fisher write. Nigel Peake spends his time watching and studying owls; not as an ornithologist, but as a professional mathematician. Owls might seem like an unlikely interest for a professor of applied mathematics, but Professor Peake believes their feathers could help improve the engineering and design of modern aircraft. Because these feathers are so complicated, there's no chance of actually being able to make replicas, let alone stick them on any structure and hope for them to survive out in the wind or the rain. PROFESSOR NIGEL PEAKE, MATHEMATICIAN He is not the only scientist looking at nature to help address complex human design and engineering problems. In recent years there's been growing interest in the field of biomimicry, which involves modelling and simulating systems from the natural world. Professor Peake studies the science of noise generation at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge. As part of his research, he has looked closely at the feathers of owls and found they have different features from other birds. Some owls can fly almost silently, which allows them to swoop on prey undetected. It's this capability that interests him, and how aspects of owl feathers could be used to design a device for aircraft wings and turbine blades that reduces noise and drag. 'Owls use their own auditory systems to detect the prey,' says Professor Peake, 'so they don't want to create noise which blots out the sound of the prey, and of course they don't want the prey to detect them.' 'But it's really not been understood how owls manage to do this. The big question for me that interested me was: could we understand how owls managed to do this, and if so could we learn some lessons and apply them on aircraft?' Professor Peake and his colleagues haven't performed any direct experiments on owls. Instead, they've simulated their wings and feathers by using a wind tunnel. 'The first thing we did was actually look at the feathers, and in fact people have been doing this for many years,' he says. 'When you look at the owl feathers what becomes clear is that they are quite different from any other bird.' 'In fact, they are quite different from some other owls that don't need to hunt quietly. There are some very small pygmy owls that don't have these special features on the feathers.' In looking at the findings from the research, two things have been identified that are unique to owls. 'The first thing is that when you look at the wing feathers under a microscope, they've got a much finer, almost fractural microstructure, much finer than ordinary feathers.' 'The second thing is that on the trailing edge of the wing the owl has something like a flexible comb, almost like a hairbrush, and that is not seen on any other bird that doesn't need to hunt in acoustic stealth.' It's one thing to understand the secret of owl feathers, but applying aspects of their complex structure to modern aircraft is more difficult than it might appear. 'Because these feathers are so complicated,' says Professor Peake, 'there's no chance of actually being able to make replicas, let alone stick them on any structure and hope for them to survive out in the wind or the rain.' However Professor Peake and his Cambridge University colleagues have recently developed an owl-ish device that could be used on a quieter plane in the future. 'Eventually we have come up with really a quite simple device that you could bolt on to the trailing edge of an aircraft wing or a wind turbine. It has been tested in the wind tunnel and it works. It's very satisfying.' They might not be mathematicians or engineers, but owls have long perfected the skill of silent flight, as Professor Peake observes: 'They've done this for millions of years before we ever thought of it.' http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/studying-owls-to-improve- aircraft/5913516 Back to Top United flight to DIA held from gate after concerns about ill flier A United Airlines flight from Washington, D.C. to Denver International Airport was kept away from its gate for a little more than an hour after a passenger became ill and the flight crew expressed concern about the flier's travel history. Flight No. 1173 from Washington Dulles International Airport arrived at DIA at about 7:09 p.m. Airport spokesman Heath Montgomery said the crew alerted paramedics from Denver Health after the passenger grew ill. According to Montgomery, the passenger said there was some concern with some of the answers provided by the passenger regarding his travel history. However, Montgomery said, at about 8:30 p.m. it was determined that the traveler "posed no threat" to the other passengers and the flight was allowed to go to its gate. In a statement issued Monday night, Denver Health said "Upon further evaluation, it was determined that the passenger has not been to any countries affected by Ebola, has no known exposures to Ebola, and has no medical symptoms consistent with Ebola." http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27006451/united-flight-dia-held-from-gate-after- concerns Back to Top EXCLUSIVE: On the Flight Deck with 787 Test Pilot Heather Ross (Editor's note: During the festivities surrounding the recent 787 test model handover at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, NYCAviation was granted an exclusive interview with Heather Ross who is one of the head 787 test flight pilots.) NYCAviation (NYCA): Before the Dreamliner, what other aircraft did you fly? Heather Ross (HR): I flew on the 737 program as the production chief pilot for Boeing, but overall I have flown on the 747, 757, 767 and 777. Before I joined Boeing I served in the Air Force in the T-37 and T-38 training aircraft before switching over to the C-5 Galaxy as my main mission plane before I transitioned to the C-141 Starlifter. After that I joined United Airlines flying the 747 and 727 as a flight engineer before getting upgraded to a first officer on the 737. NYCA: So out of all those airplanes, which has been your favorite? HR: Oh gosh, that's a tough one. There is a real tendency under the wing of this airplane (ZA003) to say this airplane. It's a great airplane; it really is. I love this plane but I love the 737 too, so it's really a tough choice. 3750 Heather RossNYCA: How does the Dreamliner compare to other Boeing aircraft, and what's it like to fly the dream? HR: It's named appropriately, for one; the aircraft really is a dream to fly. It's very easy and makes all of us pilots look good. The flight controls do a wonderful job of basically rejecting turbulence and upset so the ride is very, very smooth. Since we're standing under the Dreamliner, it's obvious we've flown this airplane all over the world; in fact, a couple times around. I can tell you even on 16- and 17-hour flights I don't feel as fatigued as I would on any other airplane. The cabin pressure is much lower, and the humidity is much higher so you don't feel dried out. It's just a real comfortable plane to fly not only as a crew member and pilot but also as a passenger. NYCA: How do you think the efficiencies created by the Dreamliner will help with, say, the 777X and other future Boeing aircraft? HR: I know we are already using some of the technologies that we have developed and some of the lessons that we've learned on this airplane and we're using that under the 777X. There's a lot of technology that we developed for this airplane that I know will flow to the 777X and future airplanes. I think it has been quite successful in that sense. NYCA: What did it mean [to you] to be selected for the 787 flight test program when pilots were being chosen? HR: It was a real honor. I was selected by Mike Carriker to come and be part of the 787 program almost eight years ago. At the time, he said, "I'd like you to come and be a part of the program. It should only be about two years or so." And now we are into six years, but I still love flying this airplane. I enjoy going to work every day. We keep changing which phase we are in. We were in that development phase, then the design phase, followed by the planning phase and finally we went into the planning for flight test phase. Then once we were wrapped up with the -8 program it was time to move onto the -9 and now the -10. So it's always something different, it's exciting even with one model to keep me busy likely for the rest of my career. NYCA: How many hours and test flights have you done on the 787? HR: I've got about 1,300 hours of time on the 787 in general, not really sure on the number of flights to be honest. Our test flights vary so dramatically as you know, some of them are super short while other are very, very long. I've done lots of those - not just on the world tour where we were flying the plane from point A to point B, but some of our test flights go from eight hours to 12 hours to 16 hours - and again, that is just in testing. Others are only 30 minutes, yet very intense depending on what we need to test. For a while I had the most hours of any pilot in the world on the 787 but now of course our airline customer pilots are passing us as they have pilots flying it every day and all day long. I think that is wonderful, and the way that it should be. NYCA: What was your most memorable moment during the 787 flight test program? HR: There were a lot of really memorable parts depending on if you're talking from a testing perspective. I think probably one of the most rewarding things I've done so far on the 787 program was the Service Ready Operation Validation. That was where we took ZA002 - the test 787 in All Nippon Airlines' paint scheme - and brought it to Japan for the carrier to test fly it for about ten days. That was really interesting and, really, a wonderful experience because you got to really talk to, be with and fly with the carrier's pilots and let some of them take control of the real airplane for the first time. It was one of the projects that I was directly responsible for. It was great to be able to give them the airplane even just temporarily and let their crews work it and let them give feedback on it. It was really an amazing experience. Second greatest was the dream tour. Getting to bring the 787 all over the world and show it to the customers who have been waiting so long for it and let them experience what it is like. Also to show it off to some of our suppliers and the folks that had worked on various parts of the airplane and to let them see their parts with the rest of the airplane connected around it because that is how they view it. It was exciting because they were really thrilled to see the airplane. NYCA: How much joy did you have once certification was achieved and the first aircraft was handed off to launch customer ANA? HR: It was a huge milestone. A culmination of what we've been working so long for a lot of the guys. I mean, I came into the program about a year and a half to two years after it was launched, but some folks already had six to eight years put into the aircraft. So it was a real excitement to see the first one delivered, as it was just a culmination of so many efforts to get to that point. NYCA: What does it mean to you for ZA003 to be officially delivered to the Museum of Flight? What do you think people will be able to take away and experience from the aircraft being here? HR: Sadly, it's the end of the airplane's direct participation in the 787 program, as the airplane will never fly again. From that perspective, it's a sad moment; but the reality is this airplane has potential to do even more for aviation and for aspirations of future generations. This airplane will be an inspiration to kids and young adults for generations to come and will inspire them to get into aviation. In fact, I actually brought three of my kids here today to experience this, and they are excited. They see the excitement of the people around the airplane and it helps bring people closer to the fact that dreams can come true. Brandon Farris is a Northwest-based aviation photojournalist who has a love and extreme passion for aviation and Major League Soccer. To see more of his work, check out his Flickr or contact him via email. http://www.nycaviation.com/2014/11/exclusive-flight-deck-787-test-pilot-heather- ross/#.VHSIB4vF-So Back to Top NTSB Rules Drones Are Aircraft, Subject to FAA Rules Board Reverses Earlier Ruling That Found Drones Aren't Legally Aircraft The National Transportation Safety Board has ruled that drones are aircraft and subject to existing aviation laws, affirming the Federal Aviation Administration's regulatory power over the fast-emerging industry, amid challenges to the agency's authority. The four board members of the NTSB on Tuesday overturned an earlier ruling that had dismissed a $10,000 FAA fine against an Austrian drone pilot, Raphael Pirker, for allegedly operating a drone recklessly to film the University of Virginia in 2011. Mr. Pirker is a well-known pilot in the industry and has traveled the world shooting aerial footage with his devices. The NTSB hears appeals of FAA enforcement actions regarding pilots. An NTSB administrative law judge ruled in March that Mr. Pirker's drone was a model aircraft and thus not subject to FAA rules for manned aircraft. That decision raised questions over the FAA's authority to regulate unmanned aircraft, at least until it completes rules for the devices in the next several years. The FAA appealed to the NTSB's board members, who ruled on Tuesday that existing laws' definitions of aircraft include drones. "The plain language of the statutory and regulatory definitions is clear: an 'aircraft' is any device used for flight in the air," the NTSB wrote. "We acknowledge the definitions are as broad as they are clear, but they are clear nonetheless." The NTSB ruling is a victory for the FAA, an agency that has struggled to regulate the rapidly increasing use of drones in U.S. skies. Technology has made nonmilitary drones smaller, cheaper, more powerful and easier to fly in recent years. The FAA allows recreational use of the devices but virtually bans their use for commercial purposes. Many commercial users have ignored that policy, and some were emboldened by the March ruling that dismissed the FAA's first fine for drone use. The FAA is expected to propose rules for drones by the end of this year, which would likely take another year or two to become final. Mr. Pirker's attorney, Brendan Schulman, said in an email that Tuesday's ruling "is narrowly limited to whether [drones] are subject to a single aviation safety regulation concerning reckless operation." Mr. Schulman is representing three other clients in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in separate challenges to the FAA's effective ban on commercial drones. The FAA said the decision affirms its authority to "take enforcement action against anyone who operates a [drone] or model aircraft in a careless or reckless manner." The NTSB on Tuesday sent the case back to its administrative law judge to decide whether Mr. Pirker operated the aircraft carelessly or recklessly. http://online.wsj.com/articles/ntsb-rules-drones-are-aircraft-and-subject-to-faa-rules- 1416326767 Back to Top Back to Top Gulfstream makes 100th 'amazing' ultra long-range jet Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has manufactured its 100th G650, an ultra long-range business jet that can travel near the speed of sound. "The production of the 100th G650 is a testament to the demand for this amazing aircraft," president Larry Flynn said in a statement. "It truly set a new world standard for performance, range, speed, safety and comfort when it entered into service in December 2012. The completion of the 100th aircraft also speaks volumes about the skilled employees who build these planes." The G650 was announced on March 13, 2008, and took its first flight Nov. 25, 2009. The aircraft was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration on Sept. 7, 2012, and by the European Aviation Safety Agency on Dec. 21, 2012. The aircraft can fly at a maximum speed of Mach 0.925 - faster than any other business jet on the market. It has a range of 6,000 nautical miles/11,112 kilometers at Mach 0.90 or 7,000 nautical miles/12,964 kilometers at Mach 0.85. It can connect passengers nonstop from London to Los Angeles and Beijing to New York. "Since it entered service, the G650 has proven it is a performance leader," Scott Neal, senior vice president, worldwide sales and marketing at Gulfstream, said in a statement. "The G650 has claimed 42 speed records and secured an around-the-world speed record. It's more fuel- efficient than many other aircraft, offers customers one of the most comfortable cabin experiences and is equipped with industry-leading safety features." The G650 has the largest business-jet cabin and provides passengers with wider seats, more aisle room and the ability to control the cabin entertainment, temperature and lighting with a smart device such as an iPhone or iPod, according to a company news release. It provides pilots with real-time images of the aircraft's surroundings. In zero-visibility conditions, pilots can rely on Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display to understand the position of the aircraft in relation to the runway, terrain or obstacles. Gulfstream was the first to implement these safety technologies in business jets. The G650 is certified in 12 countries and has more than 33,500 flight hours. Gulfstream has a service center and aircraft assembly facility at Outagamie County Regional Airport in Greenville. The company employs more than 15,000 people at 12 locations. http://www.postcrescent.com/story/money/2014/11/19/gulfstream-makes-th-amazing-ultra- long-range-jet/19285549/ Back to Top Amazon is hiring drone pilots Calling all drone pilots. Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) is looking for engineers to help test and develop Prime Air, its drone delivery service. According to the job posting, candidates should have at least five years of experience flying drones. It helps if you can fly actual airplanes. The company lists a pilot's certificate among the "preferred qualifications" for the job. Amazon first announced that it was working on delivering packages via drones last year. The type of drones proposed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos are currently not allowed for private use under federal law. But federal aviation rules are slated to change in 2015 and the company has suggested that it could start testing its "octocopters" -- as its drones are called -- to deliver small packages. http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/14/technology/amazon-drone-pilot-hire/ 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 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear fellow pilots: By way of introduction, my name is Adrian Aliyuddin and I am currently pursuing my Masters of Science in Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and as part of my final assignment I need to conduct a research paper. I have chosen the topic of the interaction between airline pilots and ground-based operational control personnel from the airline, commonly known by several different titles such as, Operations Controller, Flight Dispatchers, Network Controllers or Duty Controllers. These personnel have the capability of sending messages to aircraft in flight and having pilots react to them. The topic of interest is the influence these ground-based personnel have on the decision-making of the pilots. In order to gather the data on this topic, I have set up a short survey in order to solicit feedback from the target audience. The survey should not take much more than 10 minutes to complete and only requires the participant to answer a number of questions in the survey. None of the survey questions are framed in a manner that could identify the participant and the data from this survey will be kept confidentially. There is also no obligation for you to complete this survey. The target audience is airline pilots who work in organizations that have the capability for messages from their ground-based personnel to reach the aircraft while in flight. If you meet the criteria of the target audience, you can access the survey using this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6CTH5WN I would like to thank you in advance for taking the time out to fill up this survey. Back to Top Pilot Health Survey Harvard School of Public Health/Department of Environmental Health Survey: Pilots are exposed to a multitude of occupational health hazards, including fatigue, respiratory symptoms, radiation exposure, and much more, on a daily basis. Noise exposure has been associated with increased fatigue, cardiovascular effects, adverse cognitive functioning, increased stress, and hearing loss. Crewmembers could have significant exposure during flights, leading to an increase in these effects and health issues. The impact of environmental noise, such as aircraft noise, where exposures are sustained over the entire flight has not been studied for airline pilots. Harvard School of Public Health has conducted a large survey of over 4000 flight attendants, and found higher rates of fatigue, headaches, and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases, compared to the general population, which may be due to exposure to noise and other environmental factors on the aircraft. Occupational noise in the aircraft is not regulated. As a result, exposure monitoring is rare and pilots are not aware of the increased fatigue and additional health issues related to noise exposure, especially over a given duration. This also includes exposure from preflight to all phases of flight. As such, airline pilots represent a potential high risk exposure group with respect to occupational noise during flight. U.S. airline pilots are also an aging population, with the mandatory retirement age now being increased from 60 years old to 65 years old. Age is a risk factor for hearing loss, as well as fatigue and other chronic conditions that are associated to noise exposure and age. Longer flight and duty times, also increase the fatigue and also additional chronic conditions associated with noise exposure. This survey would be the first conducted for airline pilots, and would evaluate noise health related effects, such as fatigue and additional chronic conditions. It would also be used to compare pilots against flight attendants and a greater male population versus female population, of flight attendants. The results of this survey would be of value in advancing the level of understanding of the impact of noise exposures in airline pilots, especially fatigue and the effects. The flight attendant survey was conducted in conjunction with the Association of Flight Attendants, the FAA sponsored National Air Transportation Center for Excellence in the Intermodal Transport Environment (RITE) and the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute. The Harvard School of Public Health sponsored the survey and analyzed the data. The questionnaires include detailed inquires relating to the crewmember's personal characteristics, work history, and health status. The potential association of noise exposure with fatigue and hearing loss, could have significant implications for the safety of air travel and crewmembers. Please find the website for the flight attendant survey: www.FAhealth.org. A similar website would be created and administered by Harvard for the pilot group. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. This survey would be administered electronically, at no cost , by Harvard School of Public Health. The data would be analyzed and each response is anonymous and the airline would also be de-identified for Harvard data. This important data can be used to address the issue of fatigue and the working environment. Key points: -This would be the first group of airline pilots participating in this Harvard survey and/or data collection -This survey and data collection can also be offered to other industry pilot groups. -This data will be of exceptional use to the pilot group. -You would be at the forefront of this industry research and could also lead to new developments . -There is no cost and workload is minimal (sending an email with survey/follow up communications). -Please contact Deborah Donnelly-McLay (UPS pilot/Harvard Faculty Research Assistant) for more information at ddonnelly@ipapilot.org or 561-537-0046 Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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 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