Flight Safety Information February 13, 2015 - No. 030 In This Issue Korean Air clips parked plane at night, still takes off. TransAsia Won Delay of New Safety Rule Prior to Fatal Air Crash. FAA to establish aircraft cyber security working group. Navy helicopter crash lands at Spencer Field. Former Korean Air Executive Faces Judgment Over 'Nut Rage' Incident. PROS 2015 TRAINING Boeing Can't Make Case for Revamping 757 Jet. Budget Airlines Shop the World for Cheaper Pilots. Air Safety Institute debuts seaplane, helicopter FIRC electives New MTSU degree to focus on unmanned aircraft systems Ethiopian capital expands airport, plans new hub to meet growth. RESEARCH QUESTION: Upcoming Events Korean Air clips parked plane at night, still takes off SEOUL, South Korea A Korean Air Lines Co. plane returned to Yangon International Airport on Friday after officials discovered it had clipped another aircraft while taxiing. The airline said in a statement that Flight 472 bound for Incheon, South Korea returned to Myanmar's biggest city Yangon not long after midnight. The jet carrying 134 passengers and 11 crew was about 20 minutes into its flight when air traffic control informed pilots of the collision. Korean Air said one of the plane's winglets hit the tail of a parked Bangkok Airways aircraft but pilots did not notice the incident because of the darkness. It said no alarm was set off by the collision, which was seen by a member of ground staff who notified the control tower. There were no injuries. Korean Air said passengers boarded another flight early Friday afternoon and would reach Incheon some 13.5 hours later than originally scheduled. Authorities in Myanmar are investigating the incident. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2015/02/13/5512549/korean-air-jet-clips-parked- plane.html#.VN3cLfnF-So#storylink=cpy Back to Top TransAsia Won Delay of New Safety Rule Prior to Fatal Air Crash TransAsia Plane Crash Site Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration had on Friday ordered the retraining and tests after investigators provided the first details of what happened to TransAsia Flight 235, an ATR72 turboprop that plunged into Taipei's Keelung River after takeoff on Feb. 4. Photographer: Ashley Pon/Getty Images (Bloomberg) -- Taiwan aviation officials agreed last month to TransAsia Airways Corp.'s request to push back enforcement of a new rule aimed at forcing them to have more time to conduct pre-flight checks. Authorities delayed until March 1 their implementation of minimum transit time requirements, introduced this year after a fatal crash on Taiwan's Penghu islands in July, because the airline had already published its schedule for January and February, Clark Lin, director of flight standards at the Civil Aeronautics Administration told Bloomberg News. Enforcement of the new rule, which applies only to TransAsia and its fleet of ATR 72 aircraft, would not necessarily have prevented last week's fatal crash, he said. Flight GE-235, with aircraft registration No. B-22816, departed Taipei's Songshan airport on Feb. 4 for the pilots' second trip to Kinmen near China that morning before crashing four minutes later in the nearby Keelung River. A review of the aircraft's Technical Log Book entries, which were kept by TransAsia and released by the CAA, show the pilots may have spent just 20 minutes at the gate in Kinmen while fuel was added, before returning to Taipei. At least 40 people have been confirmed dead and three are still missing after pilots responded to engine warning alarms before the aircraft plunged into the water. Delayed Enforcement TransAsia officials met with the CAA over the weekend to review the logbooks, after after being shown the entries by Bloomberg News on Friday, and found that they were in compliance because enforcement had been delayed, Lin said. Amy Chen, a spokeswoman for Taipei-based TransAsia, didn't respond to two calls to her mobile phone Sunday. Chen attended a CAA media conference Feb. 5 when the logbook entries were released and declined to immediately comment when asked about compliance with the new rules on Saturday. Under the new rule, pilots must spend no less than 30 minutes at the gate to meet a requirement aimed at giving pilots more time between flights to take bathroom breaks, check fuel and conduct checks, Lin said. "The transit time has been set at 30 minutes so the pilot can have sufficient time," Lin said in Taipei Friday. Transit time measures the duration when an aircraft's wheels are in blocks at the gate, allowing passengers to disembark and embark while ground crew clean, restock and refuel the aircraft, and pilots inspect fuel and conduct pre-flight checks. Block time measures the duration from when the wheel blocks are removed to start the flight to when they're replaced again at the next destination. Fines TransAsia would be issued a warning letter if found in breach of the minimum time requirements, Lin said. If further violations follow within six months, the airline can be fined up to NT$3 million ($95,400). Taiwan civil aviation rules require that record books be kept for both flight operations and maintenance. The maintenance logs must be endorsed by a certified mechanic and accepted by the pilot-in-command before each flight. Aviation authorities had been concerned even before the Feb. 4 crash in Taipei that fast turnaround times for the airline's fleet of short-haul twin turboprop aircraft could lead to further safety breaches, according to three people familiar with the new rules, who asked not to be named because they're not authorized to speak about ongoing investigations. Pilot Training Minimum transit times were among a list of action items given to TransAsia by Taiwan's aviation regulator following the July crash of an ATR 72 on approach to Penghu from Taiwan's southern Kaohsiung city, Lin said. Pilot training was among the highest priority, he said. All 71 of TransAsia's ATR pilots were ordered on Friday to undergo oral tests by this week, and would not be able to fly if they failed, the CAA said last week. Pilots could still fly before taking the tests. That requirement for emergency testing prompted TransAsia to cancel 122 ATR flights, all on domestic routes, from Saturday through Tuesday. Although flight GE-235 data show the right engine was operating normally, a warning sounded 37 seconds after takeoff and the propeller was automatically switched to feathering, a setting that turns its blades parallel to the wind to reduce drag and is similar to idling a motor, Thomas Wang, managing director of the Aviation Safety Council said Friday. Soon after, the other engine had its propeller setting manually reduced before fuel was cut off, Wang said. Investigators aren't yet able to explain the warnings, engine operations or the crew's action, Wang said. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-08/transasia-won-delay-of-new- safety-rule-prior-to-fatal-air-crash Back to Top FAA to establish aircraft cyber security working group The US Federal Aviation Administration is establishing a new industry working group to provide guidance on how to bolster aircraft cyber security as concerns mount over the potential for e-enabled aircraft to be hacked. In a notice published in the Federal Register the FAA says it has tasked the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) to provide recommendations regarding aircraft systems information security and protection (ASISP) policy, plus guidance on best practices for airplanes and rotorcraft, covering "both certification and continued airworthiness". Though there currently exists many industry standards addressing various security topics, including from ARINC, the International Standards Organization and others, federal regulations do not specifically define how the FAA should address cyber security vulnerabilities for aircraft operating in the US National Airspace System. Without fresh guidance to address concerns, says the FAA, vulnerabilities "may not be identified and mitigated, thus increasing exposure times to security threats". These threats include hackers gaining unauthorized access to aircraft systems and networks which "could result in the malicious use of networks, and loss or corruption of data (e.g., software applications, databases, and configuration files) brought about by software worms, viruses, or other malicious entities". Additionally, notes the FAA, a lack of cyber security regulations, policy, and guidance "could result in security related certification criteria that are not standardized and harmonized between domestic and international regulatory authorities". The FAA is now soliciting industry stakeholders to participate in a new, so-called ASISP Working Group, which will deliver recommendations to the ARAC. In turn, the ARAC is responsible for reviewing and approving the recommendation report for submission to the FAA. The agency's notice comes at a time when industry stakeholders are growing increasingly vocal about cyber security concerns. In October of last year, Boeing's chief engineer cabin and network solutions, John Craig, warned airline bosses that they ignore these concerns at their peril. With inflight connectivity suppliers "coming out of the woodwork" offering various different solutions and "talking about bringing operational data over Ku and Ka pipes", an airline chief executive "has to understand the risk to their company" posed by cyber security threats, said Craig. Pointing to the high-profile hacking incidents at US-based retail giants Home Depot and Target, Craig warned that "people are starting to look at aviation now". Indeed they are. For the last few years, a variety of security specialists have claimed that hacking an aircraft is an app away, and that modern aircraft with inflight connectivity are particularly susceptible. However, their demonstrations were of the virtual variety, and plagued with flaws, some industry stakeholders noted. A recent survey of airlines by consultancy AirInsight found that less than half of respondents were familiar with their airline's cyber security policies as they pertain to pilots' electronic flight bags. "It is hard to imagine that among airlines fewer people [than in 2013] would be aware of their company's cyber security policies. Even so, it should be fairly alarming that so many people involved with EFBs that can be impacted by cyber threats are not aware of policies. While it is reasonable to assume cyber security policies are created and managed by IT departments, flight operations need to be more aware of these policies," said AirInsight in its report. The FAA hasn't sat on its hands on the issue of cyber threats to aircraft. The agency has published special conditions for particular make and model aircraft designs, like the e- enabled Boeing 787 and 747-8, when it became apparent that current airworthiness regulations did not contain adequate safety standards for novel features. But even though the FAA published special conditions for specific types, "an update to the current regulations should be considered", it says, noting that international civil aviation authorities are also considering rulemaking for ASISP and that the ASISP Working Group could be used as input into harmonization of these activities. The group will be comprised of technical experts, says the FAA. "A working group member need not be a member representative of the ARAC. The FAA would like a wide range of members to ensure all aspects of the tasks are considered in development of the recommendations." http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2015/02/12/faa-to-establish-aircraft-cyber-security- working-group/ Back to Top Navy helicopter crash lands at Spencer Field A helicopter accident occurred at Naval Outlying Field Spencer on Thursday night, Whiting Field Naval Air Station Public Affairs Officer Jay Cope said. At about 5:10 p.m., a Training Wing FIVE helicopter rolled on its side while landing, according to a news release. Two pilots exited the aircraft on their own and were evaluated by Whiting Filed NAS Emergency Medical Services personnel on site. The pilots have been transported to the Santa Rosa Medical Center for routine evaluation. Cope said one of them may have suffered from a mild laceration. It is unclear what caused the helicopter to roll. Whiting Field will investigate the crash. The results of that report may not be known for a couple of months, according to Cope. NOLF Spencer is a military airport owned by the U.S. Navy used for flight training. Whiting Field NAS, known as the busiest naval air station in the world according to globalsecurity.org, provides aviation and ground fuel support services to helicopters using the field. http://www.pnj.com/story/news/military/2015/02/12/helicopter-crashes-spencer-field- pace/23321105/ Back to Top Former Korean Air Executive Faces Judgment Over 'Nut Rage' Incident Case Seen as Test of Authorities' Resolve to Tackle Executive Crime Amid Rising Public Anger Cho Hyun-ah, daughter of the chairman of Korean Air Lines, faces judgment over accusations of disrupting SEOUL-Is South Korea finally starting to crack down on bad behavior by its biggest business families? One clue could come Thursday, when a Seoul district court is due to pass judgment on the daughter of the chairman of Korean Air Lines Co. , who is accused of disrupting a flight in an angry rage over the way she was served macadamia nuts. If found guilty, Cho Hyun-ah -who was also a Korean Air executive vice president at the time-faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison on charges ranging from changing flight plans to obstruction of justice. She is pleading not guilty to all but one of the charges: assaulting the flight attendant who served her the nuts. The "nut rage" case has been watched closely by the Korean public, which viewed it as the latest example of misbehavior by families of the powerful conglomerates, or chaebol, that dominate the local economy. South Korea has a long history of giving light sentences to chaebol leaders convicted of crimes, or of later granting pardons and watering down punishments. Politicians have commonly cited the role of chaebol leaders in the national economy as the reason for leniency. http://www.wsj.com/articles/former-korean-air-executive-faces-judgment-over-nut- rage-incident-1423690201?tesla=y Back to Top Back to Top Boeing Can't Make Case for Revamping 757 Jet Aerospace Company Delivered the Last of the 757 Jets in 2005 LYNNWOOD, Wash.- Boeing Co. examined reviving its single-aisle 757 jetliner in a bid to close a gap in the market but couldn't establish a profitable business case, a senior executive at the giant aerospace company said Wednesday. The company delivered the last of the 757 jets in 2005 and considered revamping the model with new engines and other upgrades in response to airline needs and competition from rival Airbus Group NV . However, Boeing marketing Vice President Randy Tinseth told an industry conference that "we're not studying 757 re-engining replacement, right now." Mr. Tinseth said the company had studied reviving the jets, which are still widely used on trans-Atlantic and domestic coast-to-coast flights, "a couple of times." He noted the 757 had a unique and expensive production system and "the business case just does not close." The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Boeing had added a possible revival of the aging 180- to 239-seat jets. Those studies had concluded that demand for such a jet remained uncertain, but remained an option for fending off gains in market share among single-aisle jet sales by Airbus Group NV. http://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-cant-make-case-for-revamping-757-jet- 1423694888 Back to Top Budget Airlines Shop the World for Cheaper Pilots Ryanair and Norwegian Air Shuttle are turning to the cockpit for ways to trim costs Travelers have demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice comfort and convenience for cheap airfares. Now this low-cost ethos is extending into the cockpit, with budget airlines chasing the lowest pay and most relaxed work rules for pilots. Discount carriers in Europe are using creative hiring arrangements to slash labor costs. Some of these practices, such as hiring pilots through outside employment agencies, are fairly common in the industry. But the cost-cutting envelope has been pushed furthest by Norwegian Air Shuttle and Ireland's Ryanair, among others, with measures designed to dodge labor regulations and taxes in countries where their pilots are based. More than half of pilots working at Norwegian, Ryanair, and four other smaller European discount carriers have been hired under "atypical" arrangements, according to a study released Thursday by researchers at Ghent University in Belgium. The airlines cited in the report use labor practices that are markedly different than those of traditional airlines, as might be expected. But they also stand apart from rival discounters in Europe such as EasyJet and Germanwings, which hire most pilots under traditional contracts. The findings are based on a survey of more than 6,600 European airline pilots. Ryanair is known to operate one of the most unusual hiring schemes. It refers many of its new hires to a company called Brookfield Aviation International, which according to its corporate registration is based in the British town of Epsom, within a building that houses a storefront cafe and betting parlor. Brookfield sends the pilots to accountants who set up small companies and then appoint groups of pilots as directors. These companies then "enter into a contract with [Brookfield] whereby the service company would provide the services of the pilot" and Brookfield "would, in turn, provide these services to Ryanair," according to a 2013 British court ruling in favor of a pilot based in Belgium who successfully challenged part of the arrangement. Ryanair, the court found, avoided responsibility for "taxation or pay-related social insurance contributions" on behalf of pilots hired under the arrangement. The building housing Brookfield Aviation in Epsom, Surrey, U.K. Photographer: Tom Hall/Bloomberg Ryanair spokesman Robin Kiely says the company doesn't comment on contractual arrangements yet it uses "a mix of direct employee and contractor pilots in exactly the same way as many other airlines do." Brookfield didn't respond to phone and e-mail messages. Ryanair also has drawn criticism for employing pilots under Irish contracts even when they are based in countries that have higher taxes and tougher labor rules. A French court last year ordered Ryanair to pay some 9 million euros ($10.2 million) in fines and back social charges for Marseille-based crew members hired on Irish contracts. Ryanair says it plans to appeal. The use of Irish contracts is facing court challenges from labor unions in Denmark and from Belgium's air transport association, which contends the practice gives Ryanair an unfair advantage over local competitors. Norwegian Air Shuttle, a low-cost airline based in suburban Oslo, also has some unusual hiring practices. It has formed a long-haul subsidiary, Norwegian Air International, that hires pilots and flight attendants through an employment agency based in Singapore and then bases the pilots in Bangkok. Norwegian Air is opening another long-haul pilot base at London's Gatwick Airport. The airline began its long-haul flying two years ago with new Boeing 787s and has been granted an exemption from Norwegian officials. The Norwegian business model has drawn heated objections from European pilots and the largest U.S. pilots union, the Air Line Pilots Association, which argues that Norwegian is "Walmarting" the airline industry in its effort to "scour the globe for low labor standards and lax rules and regulations." These hiring schemes don't always depress wages. In most cases, pilots receive the same hourly pay but see lower total compensation in pension and other benefits. Regulators, meanwhile, face complex questions about labor conditions, tax avoidance, and safety oversight. In the Norwegian example, for instance, its long-haul operation is based in Dublin but does not fly planes to Dublin Airport. Norwegian says it chose Ireland because Norway is not a member of the European Union. The airline claims an operating certificate in an EU nation is necessary to have regulatory approval to open new routes to Asia, South America, and Africa. As with many other companies, part of the appeal is undoubtedly Ireland's low corporate taxes. "If allowed to continue, the Norwegian business model will force other airlines in Europe and the U.S. to adapt," says Martin Lindgren, president of the Swedish Airline Pilots Association, which has members who fly for Norwegian Air. "The cost-driven approach by Norwegian will cause harm to the working conditions for all airline employees in Europe and the U.S." "They are importing working conditions from Southeast Asia to Europe and the U.S." Controversial or not, the Ryanair and Norwegian staffing arrangements seem to give the carriers a competitive boost. In a presentation to investors in November, Ryanair said its unit labor cost was only 6 euros per available seat-mile, compared with 19 euros at U.S.- based discounter Spirit Airlines and 35 euros at Southwest Airlines. Norwegian's fares to Europe are typically hundreds of dollars lower than rival carriers, although the company tends to credit the 787's fuel efficiency as the foundation of its ability to fly such long distances and still offer cheap tickets. A round-trip flight on Norwegian from Los Angeles to Copenhagen, for example, sold for $561 in April. Of course, the company's labor costs on the long-haul operation also play an important factor in those fares; it isn't clear that Norwegian's low-fare model could work if its 787 crews were compensated the same as employees at rivals such as SAS Scandinavian, Air France-KLM, and Lufthansa. "You can't jeopardize your business model," Norwegian Chief Executive Bjørn Kjos told Bloomberg Businessweek last year. "You have to take a stand." Norwegian Air spokesman Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen says that pilot salaries are set by the global market: "It doesn't matter where you are based." The company has gone to Singapore and other major urban centers to hire crews because of the large population centers in that region, he says, with Nordic countries unable to supply enough workers. Norwegian Air tends to see criticism of its business model as part of a campaign to keep current fares high on trans-Atlantic routes. "The only thing they're afraid of is competition," Sandaker-Nielsen says of rival airlines and the unions. But these employment changes are slowly beginning to generate discussion outside of organized labor, too. Norwegian government officials are studying the airline's long-haul business model, and the U.S. Department of Transportation heard from fierce opponents to the airline's request for permission to fly to the U.S. (Norwegian Air International's current flights to California, Florida, and New York City are covered by the Norwegian Air Shuttle operating rights.) The Ghent University study on "atypical" employment arrangements is being presented in Paris this week at a conference of the European Cockpit Association, which represents 38,000 pilots in 37 EU member states. For months, the group has been working to call public attention to what it calls "market-distorting business practices" in aviation, specifically calling out Norwegian Air and Ryanair. In December, meanwhile, the pilots group called for tighter regulation from the European Union to prevent "fake self-employment and social dumping practices" by carriers seeking to lower their operating costs. "They are importing working conditions from Southeast Asia to Europe and the U.S.," says Lindgren of the Swedish Airline Pilots Association. "The salaries are lower, the work hours are longer, the pilots' rights to unionize are infringed, and they lack the same social security as pilots in other European and U.S. airlines." The use of contract pilots is far more widespread in Europe than in the U.S., where large airlines have traditionally hired the lowest-bidding regional carrier to fly their shorter routes. Allegiant Travel, an ultralow-cost carrier based in Las Vegas, considered whether it could use contract pilots as part of its business model but concluded that the hurdles posed by organized labor and regulatory rules would be too high, according to Andrew Levy, a former Allegiant president. "It's just one of these things that pilots go ballistic about," he says. "In their view, you're outsourcing your flying and over time you're outsourcing all of your flying." The creative approaches to hiring pilots come as some rapidly expanding airlines in China and the Middle East are paying enormous salaries to attract qualified expats to fly for them. Beijing Capital Airlines is paying more than $24,000 per month to captains who can fly Airbus narrowbody planes and are willing to move to China, Aviation Week reported this week. Bill McGee, the author of Attention All Passengers, a 2012 book that explored cost- cutting by U.S. airlines, believes some carriers have begun to "comparison shop for nations with favorable oversight rules" as part of their low-cost business models. That shopping makes it fair to ask whether "a race to the bottom," on labor costs, as McGee puts it, will ultimately benefit passengers, even if the business model innovations yield cheap fares. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-12/budget-airlines-shop-the-world- for-cheaper-pilots Back to Top Air Safety Institute debuts seaplane, helicopter FIRC electives Piper Cub on floatsAOPA's popular electronic flight instructor refresher course (eFIRC) provides a customized way for flight instructors to fulfill their currency requirement by offering 13 pilot-selectable electives-including new seaplane and helicopter elements. Developed by AOPA's award-winning Air Safety Institute, the eFIRC syllabus offers instructors a variety of electives to fit their interests. In addition to the seaplane and helicopter elective added for 2015, the course also offers electives that have been built on existing Air Safety Institute courses, such as Teaching VFR into IMC avoidance, Aging Aircraft, Mountain Flying, Cockpit Weather, and Public Benefit Flying. Click Here If an instructor has completed any of those courses within his or her two-year renewal window, the instructor will receive instant credit in the eFIRC-so instructors may already have some of their refresher course complete before even enrolling in the course. "EFIRC is a great, innovative way to stay current as an instructor, and we're really excited about offering the seaplane and helicopter electives for the first time," said Kristine Hartzell, the Air Safety Institute's chief flight instructor. "We've built on the basic course to allow CFIs to expand into the kind of flying that most interests them, and that best serves the needs of their students." The Air Safety Institute's eFIRC is the only course that allows certificated flight instructors to begin their refresher program a full two years before their renewal date. That means CFIs can do the coursework when it fits their schedule, and they can take the eFIRC along with them on a laptop or mobile device. The renewal is also completely online so there's no need to visit the notary or mail in paperwork at the end of the course. Since 1950, AOPA's Air Safety Institute has served all pilots-not just AOPA members-by providing free safety education programs, analyzing safety data, and conducting safety research. The institute offers award-winning online courses, nearly 200 live seminars annually throughout the United States, flight instructor refresher courses, webinars, accident case studies, and other materials to help pilots be safer and better informed. http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2015/February/11/Air-Safety-Institute- debuts-seaplane-helicopter-FIRC-electives Back to Top New MTSU degree to focus on unmanned aircraft systems MURFREESBORO - Unmanned aircraft systems or UAS are creating thousands of new jobs in many industries and proving to be a major fixture in the future of aviation worldwide. That's why MTSU students who earn a bachelor's degree in the Department of Aerospace's new UAS Operations concentration will be a part of a rising business sector expected to bring 70,000 new jobs, starting salaries of $50,000 or higher and contribute $13.6 billion to the U.S. economy in the next three to five years., according to a news release. Doug Campbell, operations manager for MTSU aerospace department's Unmanned Aircraft Systems, uses remote control to make the 3D Robotics X-8 aircraft take off while performing research at the Argentina agricultural institute near Mendoz during winter break. Following TBR approval, UAS Operations now is available as a bachelor's degree, the release said.. UAS Operations will prepare students to fly unmanned aircraft (also called drones), program the aircraft and build and modify aircraft to their unique needs. This will allow graduating students to set their own course in multitude of industries and other disciplines, said Campbell. The UAS Operations concentration, which is fully available this semester, will prepare students to find one of those jobs in desired industries from agriculture, public safety, photography, media, disaster response/management, power industry, defense department positions and an endless list of others, Campbell said. "We are elated to add another concentration to our curriculum," aerospace Chairman Ron Ferrara said in the release. "Unmanned aircraft are a major part of the future of aviation. We strive to stay on the cutting edge of technology and safety in our programs. This significant shift in the aviation industry will have profound positive effects and we are paving the way for students to enter this lucrative career field." The concentration received Tennessee Board of Regents approval late last year. Students must talk to their adviser before adding UAS Operations as their major concentration online, Campbell said. The UAS degree is one of only a handful in the U.S. It includes hands-on courses on building and flying unmanned aircraft systems, manned pilot training (earning a private pilot license), core aerospace courses and participation with industry partners. Unmanned aircraft courses, originally offered as electives while the complete concentration was being built last year, have been taught since spring 2014, Campbell said. They are offered every semester. "As the national airspace system is reshaped through unmanned aircraft and new technologies, MTSU students will be able to lead the way and find lucrative positions in the workforce," Ferrara said in the release. "This is a chance for our graduates to work in multiple industries and bring the advances and benefits of aviation (and unmanned aircraft) to those previously not reached." Students will also take an interdisciplinary, technical path through manned and unmanned courses, electricity principles, computer science, geographic information systems or GIS, agriculture, business and other programs. The UAS Operations concentration went through multiple levels of approval at the college, university and with TBR. The work to create the degree program spanned more than a year, including participation from many faculty and staff in departments around campus, the release said. "Students will garner from the expertise of faculty members around the university, such as computer science and engineering technology, and the input from many departments was crucial to create a strong degree program," Campbell said in the release. After a thorough review and determination of the degree's ability to create new operators, consultants, managers and leaders who will thrive in the UAS industry, the final signature was made and degree entered into the aerospace department's offerings in December. UAS joins concentrations in aerospace administration and technology, flight dispatch, maintenance management and professional pilot, along with the air traffic control program. For questions about the new UAS Operations concentration, call Campbell at 615-898- 5832, email Douglas.Campbell@mtsu.edu or visit him in his office in Room S212 in the Business and Aerospace Building. http://www.dnj.com/story/news/education/2015/02/12/new-mtsu-degree-focus- unmanned-aircraft-systems/23305709/ Back to Top Ethiopian capital expands airport, plans new hub to meet growth ADDIS ABABA Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:00am EST (Reuters) - Ethiopia will complete expansion work on the capital's airport in 2018 to triple the number of passengers it handles from 7 million a year now and will soon pick a site for a new hub to deal with 10 times the number in future, a senior official said. Bole International Airport, on the edge of Addis Ababa, is home to Ethiopian Airlines [ETHU.UL], the state-owned national carrier that is ranked the largest by revenue in Africa. Less than a decade ago, the airport handled 1 million passengers a year but that rose to 7 million in 2014. Officials expect it to climb by 18 percent a year in the next few years. "We did not expect this growth to happen in eight years. That is why we are undertaking an expansion of the airport that will serve us for the next 15 years, with a capacity about 20 million passengers a year," Hailu Gebremariam, Ethiopian Airports Enterprise project manager for Bole, told Reuters. Expansion work began in September at the airport, where passengers can face long queues at peak travel and transit times. China Communication Construction Company is carrying out the work at a cost of $300 million, set for completion by 2018. Ethiopia, with one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, was now looking at sites for a new international airport to serve up to 70 million a year, Hailu said. By comparison, Dubai International Airport handled 70.5 million passengers in 2014, the world's biggest for passenger traffic, ahead of London's Heathrow with 68.1 million. "We have whittled down potential sites from eight to three, all of which are within 60 to 70 km (37 to 44 miles) from Addis Ababa," Hailu said, adding the site would be picked within six months although construction might take eight years after that as designs, financing and related issues were finalised. "Once approved, the construction is only a question of four or five years," he said. An official said the cost of such an airport could be $2.5 billion to $3 billion. Ethiopian Airlines has been rapidly expanding its fleet. It now has 77 aircraft, with 44 more on order. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), an industry body, ranks the airline Africa's biggest by revenue and profit. As well as capturing transit passengers, the airline aims to draw more visitors to see Ethiopia's mountain scenery and ancient churches, castles and other monuments. Back to Top RESEARCH QUESTION: Is anyone aware of research or a safety study that has bee conducted on the topic of "In-Flight Medical Emergencies or Medical Diversions" ? Please respond to: curt@curt-lewis.com Back to Top Upcoming Events: Fundamentals of IS-BAO February 10, 2015 Long Beach, CA USA https://www.regonline.com/eventInfo.asp?eventID=1651572 Fundamentals of IS-BAH February 10, 2015 Long Beach, CA USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1651575 IS-BAH Auditing February 11, 2015 Long Beach, CA USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1651581 Fundamentals of IS-BAO March 5, 2015 HAI Heli-Expo - Orlando, FL USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1628315 IS-BAO Auditing March 6, 2015 HAI Heli-Expo - Orlando, FL USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1628316 Fundamentals of IS-BAO March 31, 2015 Houston, TX USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657515 IS-BAO Auditing April 1, 2015 Houston, TX USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657517 Fundamentals of IS-BAO April 15, 2015 Toluca, Mexico https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657510 IS-BAO Auditing April 16, 2015 Toluca, Mexico https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657512 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 ERAU OSHA & Aviation Ground Safety Seminar Daytona Beach, FL Apr.13-17, 2015 www.erau.edu/cmas ERAU Aviation Safety Program Management Seminar Daytona Beach, FL Apr.20-24, 2015 www.erau.edu/cmas ERAU Aircraft Accident Investigation Seminar Daytona Beach, FL Apr. 27-May 1, 2015 www.erau.edu/cmas ERAU Advanced Aircraft Accident Investigation Seminar Prescott Campus, AZ May 4-8, 2015 www.erau.edu/cmas ERAU Aviation SMS Seminar Daytona Beach, FL May 12-14, 2015 www.erau.edu/sms Curt Lewis