Flight Safety Information January 6, 2015 - No. 004 In This Issue Indonesia Struggles With Air Safety Oversight Angry, hungry passengers stuck on Etihad jet for 28 hours The US Air Force needs way more drone pilots Pilots have encountered drones six times in the past seven months in Mass PRISM TO HELP PREPARE FOR E-IOSA United Airlines Launches In-flight Wi-Fi on Regional Jet Service N.D.'s unmanned aircraft test site has plenty of demand, waiting for rules from FAA. Eva Air retires Boeing 747-400 Combi aircraft ERAU NextGen 101 Seminar - Washington, D.C. Upcoming Events Indonesia Struggles With Air Safety Oversight U.N. Agency Puts Indonesia Air Safety Among Worst in National Audits Passenger seats believed to be from AirAsia Flight 8501 were recovered Monday. ENLARGE By ANDY PASZTOR Despite more than seven years of concerted international help to improve the Indonesian government's air-safety oversight, its system still ranks among the worst in national audits conducted by a United Nations agency. Countries that have been scored higher by the International Civil Aviation Organization on the overall effectiveness of their aviation laws, regulations and monitoring efforts include tiny players such Albania, Kyrgyzstan, Cameroon and Burkina Faso. Regulators in Jakarta now oversee a global aviation powerhouse with domestic airlines operating nearly 400 jets-carrying more than 50 million passengers annually-but results of the country's latest ICAO audit are more comparable with those for Guinea or Latvia, nations with limited aviation activity. In a statement Monday, Indonesia's Transport Ministry said "it's not true that Indonesia is one of the world's most hazardous in terms of aviation." The statement also said airlines "are required to have internal quality and safety inspectors licensed by" regulators, who perform "routine and periodic audits every two years, and surveillance every month." In July 2007, after a spate of deadly crashes, Indonesian officials and leaders of ICAO, an arm of the U.N., signed what they described as a "groundbreaking declaration" committing Jakarta to "prompt and wide- ranging action" to enhance commercial aviation safety. Indonesia pledged to provide the necessary financial and human resources to properly regulate fast-growing airlines, with early progress slated to come within a year. Since then, the country's aviation sector has continued to expand dramatically, with new airlines taking wing and traffic growing at an average annual rate of roughly 15%. But ICAO and independent air-safety experts say many of the same oversight problems remain, despite improving accident rates in this decade. The issue of Indonesia's safety initiatives is under enhanced scrutiny after the Dec. 28 crash of AirAsia Flight 8501. The ICAO's audit program doesn't rate the safety or the management of individual carriers. Instead, it is intended to gauge how well government agencies are staffed and financed to ensure compliance with global standards. The timing, duration and focus of the agency's audits vary based on the complexity of each nation's aviation activities, as well as information received from that country. Over the past decade or so, more than 180 separate audits have been completed, covering 99% of international air traffic. In May 2014, the agency found Indonesia's progress toward those goals was significantly below the world- wide average in each of the eight categories audited. Agency experts assessed everything from legislation to the level of pilot licensing to aircraft inspections. Other categories dealt with air-traffic control services, airports and accident investigations. According to ICAO's website, Indonesia scored below 40% in five categories and came close to the global average only in two. After examining Jakarta's oversight system, the ICAO assessed its level of "effective implementation" below India, Philippines and Bangladesh, which also have wrestled with oversight difficulties and ended up in the crosshairs of U.S. authorities. The ICAO doesn't have any direct enforcement authority, but its assessments influence U.S. and European Union actions to restrict or ban certain foreign airlines from serving their citizens. Responding to the May audit, Indonesia agreed to a corrective action plan. But last month, the EU said "the safety oversight system in Indonesia still needs substantial improvement." The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said it found "no objective or conclusive evidence that the implementation of the corrective action plan" by Indonesian officials was adequate. Since 2007, the U.S. has effectively barred Indonesian carriers from increasing flights to American destinations. The EU currently has Indonesia on a "blacklist" that includes 20 other states with substandard safety records, and certain Indonesian carriers are barred from flying into Europe. But the country's accident rate has been trending down. Tatang Kurniadi, who heads Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee, said last week that the nation's 2014 aircraft accident rate fell to 0.82 per million flights this year, down from 2.94 per million in 2007. The rolling five-year average was about 1.2. Over the same period, crashes and major accidents involving Western-built jets averaged around .36 per million flights, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association. Prior to the AsiaAir crash, no commercial jet had suffered a fatal accident in seven years. Indonesia's worst airline accident took place in September 1997, when a Garuda Indonesia A300 jet crashed into a hill as it approached the city of Medan, killing all 222 passengers and 12 crew. The country's ranking by U.S. officials, which doesn't assess the safety of individual carriers, is unlikely to improve in response to the AirAsia disaster. "Our efforts to get an upgrade" from U.S. authorities now will be more difficult, said Hadi Mustofa Djuraid, an expert at the transportation ministry. Corrections & Amplifications Regulators in Jakarta oversee domestic airlines operating nearly 400 jets that carry more than 50 million passengers annually. A previous version of this article stated that the airlines carried 300 million passengers. http://www.wsj.com/articles/indonesia-struggles-with-air-safety-oversight-1420506169 Back to Top Angry, hungry passengers stuck on Etihad jet for 28 hours An Airbus A380 with the new design of Etihad Airways is pictured on Septemner 25, 2014, in Hamburg on the Airbus facilities in front of a paint shop. MARKUS SCHOLZ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES SAN FRANCISCO -- Imagine being stuck in a plane for more than a day. That was the nightmare travel scenario for passengers in Abu Dhabi trying to make it to San Francisco. Etihad Airways Flight 183 got stuck on the tarmac for over 12 hours after fog forced the temporary closure of Abu Dhabi Airport on Saturday. That, on top of the 16-hour flight to SFO, made for some very unhappy campers. All told, they spent more than 28 hours on the plane, reports CBS San Francisco. The airline wouldn't allow passengers to get off, so some took to social media to vent that they were hungry, sleep deprived, and never flying with the airline again. As San Francisco International Airport awaited Flight 183's arrival, angry twitter posts were coming in by the hundreds. One passenger tweeted she felt like she was in a Seinfield episode. When Flight 183 finally landed at SFO around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, passengers looked tired. The feeling of land under their feet was bittersweet. "Out of every airline, this has been the worst experience in my life," said Vinay Ramakrishna. "There's no sanitation, they're out of water, out of tissues, out of apples, out of chocolates!" Friends and family of the passengers who waited all day at SFO to pick up their loved ones were equally dismayed. Molly Rogers was particularly anxious. Her 11-year-old daughter was on the flight alone and Rogers was unable to reach anyone at the airline who could tell her what was going on. She finally saw her daughter after a 28-hour wait. "I was really missing my mom," said the girl. It was no joke for Etihad Airlines, either. The airline responded with a statement saying: "Today in Abu Dhabi we have experienced extraordinary weather conditions which have caused severe disruption to our flights. Etihad Airways is working around the clock to restore flight schedules and to ensure that guests can travel as soon as possible. Normal change or cancellation fees will be waived." In fact, Etihad Airlines could be facing steep fines as a result of the tarmac delay. Had it happened in the U.S., fines would start after 3 hours on the tarmac for domestic flights; four hours for international flights. Fines can go as high as $27,000 per passenger. It's unclear whether Etihad Airways will owe passengers anything, since the delay happened overseas. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/angry-hungry-passengers-stuck-on-etihad-jet-for-28-hours/ Back to Top The US Air Force needs way more drone pilots A "Hunter" drone controller. The drone program run by the US Air Force lacks so much manpower that it is at a "breaking point" an official told The Daily Beast. The website reports that according to an internal memo between top generals, the force has enough drones, but so few pilots that it may not be able to fulfill the growing demand for air patrols. With its efforts aimed at ISIL in Iraq and Syria the Pentagon is pushing back against the pleas of the Air Combat Command, which runs the program, to reduce the number of flights. An unnamed senior military official told the Daily Beast that the force has been at the "breaking point" for a "long time," and what was different now was that "band-aid fixes are no longer working." At the moment, the Air Force has seven pilots per eight slots, but that is not the extent of the shortage- the program requires other machine operators and maintenance crews, and intelligence analysts to go through the footage. With the high-pressure work, long hours, and leave days canceled many disillusioned pilots left the job. Two reports last year showed that the job was incredibly demanding and offered few rewards. In fact, it's a dead-end job. A report by US Air Force Col. Bradley Hoagland found that the drone pilots can't attend the required training to advance in the ranks, and are hence less likely to get promoted than other Air Force officers. And if the rules proposed by the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2014 are instituted, they may reduce the pool of US military drone pilots even further. The FAA may require that commercial drones be only operated by licensed pilots, potentially leading businesses to siphon away the Air Force's drone pilot ranks. http://qz.com/321557/the-us-air-force-needs-way-more-drone-pilots/ Back to Top Pilots have encountered drones six times in the past seven months in Mass. An image of an unmanned aerial vehicle carrying a package, shown by CyPhy Works founder Helen Greiner during a TEDxBoston talk last year. In the past seven months, there have been six incidents in Massachusetts involving close encounters between drones and pilots of various aircraft, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration. The data was released last November as the FAA continued to review regulations around drones, which have been become increasingly popular among hobbyists. The FAA had previously said it would release new rules governing drones this year, but that plan has since stalled. The agency that regulates the American civil aviation industry now says it won't have drone rules set until 2017 at the earliest. The FAA said it receives about 25 reports per month from pilots who have seen unmanned aircraft or model aircraft operating nearby. The reports range from unmanned aircraft sightings without impact to other pilots and aircraft, to on a few occasions, pilots altering course to avoid an unmanned aircraft, although the reports in Massachusetts only involve sightings of the aircraft. In some cases, the incidents were reported to the FAA and the Massachusetts State Police, but the results of the investigation were not immediately available. Here are the six incidents, three of which took place in Boston (most of these took place in the summer): Oct. 31, 2014 2:56 p.m., Bedford: The pilot of a Piper aircraft reported a white drone at 2,700 feet near Bedford. No conflicts were reported. The local police department was contacted via 911. Aug. 28, 2014, 6:58 p.m., Falmouth: The pilot of a Gulfstream reported a drone with "green lights" at around 7,500 feet in the air 25 miles from Cape Cod Coast Guard Air Station. Aug. 23, 2014, 3:36 p.m., Boston: An Air Wisconsin flight reported a "small metallic" drone passing the opposite direction at 1,000 feet while approaching the runway at Logan Airport. Massachusetts State Police dispatched a helicopter but didn't find any sign of a drone. Aug. 9, 2014, 2:15 p.m., Worcester: A plane encountered a drone at 3,500 feet, 500 to 1,000 feet off the right side of the aircraft. No evasive action was required. The pilot described the drone as being "4 to 5 feet in length, gray in color. July 21, 2014, 7:53 p.m., Boston: A pilot reported a drone with a 10 to 15-foot wingspan passing 1,000 to 1,500 feet below heading southbound. No conflict was reported. May 30, 2014, 5:15 p.m., Boston: A pilot of a MedFlight helicopter leaving Tufts Medical Center reported a drone at 500 feet. No evasive action was taken. http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/techflash/2015/01/pilots-have-encountered-drones-six-times-in- the.html Back to Top Back to Top United Airlines Launches In-flight Wi-Fi on Regional Jet Service - E175 the first of more than 200 two-cabin regional jets to receive Wi-Fi - Personal Device Entertainment also coming to regional jets CHICAGO, Jan. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines has expanded Wi-Fi to the first of its United Express regional aircraft, enabling more customers to stay connected in flight during their journeys. The airline will outfit more than 200 E175, E170 and CRJ700 regional jets with Gogo's ATG-4 advanced air- to-ground Wi-Fi product. By mid-2015, United expects to complete installation on nearly all these aircraft. Additionally, the company will begin providing Personal Device Entertainment on regional jets this year, offering customers hundreds of complimentary movies and television shows to view on their Wi-Fi-enabled iOS and Android devices using United's mobile app, as well as on laptop computers. "Expanding in-flight connectivity and personal device programming aligns the customer experience on our regional jets with our mainline aircraft and will enable many more of our customers to enjoy Internet access and streaming entertainment on their personal devices when traveling with us," said Tom O'Toole, United's senior vice president of marketing and loyalty and president of MileagePlus. United Wi-Fi and Personal Device Entertainment United's regional jet Wi-Fi installations begin as the airline continues to outfit its mainline fleet with Wi-Fi, which the carrier currently offers on nearly three-quarters of its domestic mainline fleet. United also operates more international aircraft with Wi-Fi than any other U.S. airline. The company has installed Personal Device Entertainment on nearly 200 mainline aircraft, including its entire Boeing 747, Airbus A319 and A320 fleets and its nine Boeing 777 aircraft that fly primarily between the continental United States and Hawaii. Regional Service Upgrades In addition to Wi-Fi and Personal Device Entertainment, United is further investing in its customers' regional-jet experience, including: Adding 120 E175 aircraft to the regional fleet, each offering wider seats and aisles than other regional aircraft, large overhead bins and a power outlet at each United First seat; and Upgrading premium-cabin meal service on United Express this spring by replacing snack boxes with freshly prepared food on flights that are more than 2 hours and 20 minutes, or 800 miles. About United United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,055 flights a day to 373 airports across six continents. In 2014, United and United Express operated nearly two million flights carrying 138 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates more than 700 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 34 new Boeing aircraft, including the 787-9 and the 737-900ER. United is also welcoming 50 new Embraer 175 aircraft to United Express. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 27 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL. SOURCE United Airlines http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-airlines-launches-in-flight-wi-fi-on-regional-jet-service- 300015817.html Back to Top N.D.'s unmanned aircraft test site has plenty of demand, waiting for rules from FAA Hundreds of companies have contacted North Dakota's unmanned aircraft test site over the past year hoping to test drones, cameras or other technology. More than a year after North Dakota was named one of six national test sites for drones, the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to write regulations governing drone use in the United States. Observers say the pace of rule making is keeping a potentially huge industry grounded. The lack of rules is forcing businesses and even some North Dakota researchers to take their drones to Canada where it's easier to get permission for test flights. Canada, Australia and several European countries have fewer restrictions on drone flights. That's attracting U.S. firms and leading some in Congress to worry the United States will lose business. "The FAA is just not moving as quickly as we would like them to move and we don't really understand why that is," said Al Palmer, head of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Industry leaders and researchers have become increasingly frustrated waiting for regulations, said Palmer, who compared the FAA to a turtle. "In order to move forward they have to stick their neck out." The FAA is expected to release proposed rules for drones that weigh less than 55 pounds within the next month.But Palmer said those rules won't likely be final until 2017, extending the uncertainty for unmanned aircraft businesses. Military drones fly from the Grand Forks Air Force base, and the region is developing a commercial drone industry. Testing of drone-carried sensors for agriculture is expected to begin this spring, said Robert Becklund, director of the Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site. Becklund said the lack of clear guidance from the FAA is scaring away customers. Businesses don't know what kind of restrictions the federal agency will impose for commercial use of drones, and the rules for using the North Dakota airspace are bureaucratic and limiting. But Becklund said he isn't deterred by the slow pace of federal bureaucracy and hopes the FAA will soon authorize drone test flights over a large area of North Dakota. That will significantly reduce paperwork and delays. "It doesn't really surprise me that it's taking this long to get things moving," he said. "From a practical point of view, it's plenty frustrating for us here who want to contribute directly to the FAA's needs." The FAA doesn't comment on pending regulatory decisions and declined to make officials available for this story. Part of the problem, observers say, is that the FAA needs drone data to help establish safety standards. Test sites could help provide that data. But Congress provided no funding for the test sites, so the FAA can't order research. Becklund is looking for creative ways to make the test site more accessible to companies doing drone research and development. Under current rules, they need to partner with a public research university to test drones or drone equipment. Some businesses balk at sharing information and equipment, however. Economic development officials say uncertainty about federal rules has many small businesses waiting to invest money in drone technology. But some big companies are already committed to the Grand Forks area. Aerospace giant Northrop Grumman plans a facility in a new technology park at the Grand Forks Air Force base. Local officials say they are close to finalizing an agreement with the Air Force so drone companies can build research facilities at the air base. Becklund said changing the description of drones from aircraft to experimental aircraft might smooth the FAA rule process and move things forward. "I think that's the real way ahead here," said Becklund, who may push for the change this year. "The test site will help them get the airspace and then they can fly those airplanes themselves." http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/region/3648560-nds-unmanned-aircraft-test-site-has-plenty- demand-waiting-rules-faa Back to Top Eva Air retires Boeing 747-400 Combi aircraft Taiwanese carrier Eva Air retired the Boeing 747-400 Combi aircraft from its fleet on 5 January. The type's last service was operated by B-16409 on the Hong Kong-Taipei Taoyuan route, says the Star Alliance member. Besides operating passenger and cargo services, the aircraft had also performed diplomatic missions for the island nation's presidents. Flightglobal's Ascend Fleets database showed Eva Air took delivery of the first Boeing 747-400 Combi in May 1993, and had operated 10 aircraft. All of Eva's Combi aircraft had a lower passenger seat count than a typical Boeing 747-400 aircraft, configuring it with 276 seats. Besides Eva Air, Asiana Airlines, Kuwait Airways and KLM also operates the 747-400 Combi aircraft. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/picture-eva-air-retires-boeing-747-400-combi-aircraft-407623/ Back to Top ERAU NextGen 101 Seminar - Washington, D.C. "The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide Office of Professional Education is pleased to announce a two-day seminar entitled NextGen 101. The course is designed to identify the key concepts, attributes, and challenges of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Government and industry employees with an interest in NextGen, aviation stakeholders and members of the military transitioning to a career in civilian education should attend. The course will take place in Washington D.C. on April 21-22, 2015. Course fee is $750 per person or $675 per person with five or more people registering from the same group. For more information and to register, please visit us online at http://proed.erau.edu/programs/specialized- industry-training/nextgen-101-seminar/index.html" Back to Top Upcoming Events: IS-BAO Workshop Information and Registration 13 - 14 Jan. 2015 Baltimore, MD USA https://www.regonline.com/CalendarNET/EventCalendar.aspx?EventID=1592658&view=Month 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 ERAU NextGen 101 Seminar April 21-22, 2015. Washington D.C. http://proed.erau.edu/programs/specialized-industry-training/nextgen-101-seminar/index.html FAA Helicopter Safety Effort three-day safety forum April 21-23, 2015 Hurst, Texas eugene.trainor@faa.gov www.faahelisafety.org Curt Lewis