Flight Safety Information February 24, 2015 - No. 036 In This Issue French Authorities Hunt Pilots as Drones Seen Over Paris Landmarks American Airlines jet slides off icy taxiway. NY-bound jet makes emergency landing with cracked windscreen No Fatalities in SC Military Plane Crash in Georgia FAA says American Airlines may have violated federal rules PROS 2015 TRAINING GE Aviation invests millions in new jet engine ICAEA - Istanbul April 2015 Cooking oil's use in aviation set to 'grow and become bigger Announcing the EAAP Courses in Human Factors for 2015 French Authorities Hunt Pilots as Drones Seen Over Paris Landmarks Flying drones over urban areas is banned in France A drone Interceptor MP200, top, prepares to catch a drone DJI Phantom 2 with a net during a demonstration flight in La Queue-en-Brie, east of Paris, France. Paris police say they spotted at least five drones flying over the French capital overnight Monday into Tuesday. PARIS-French authorities Tuesday were trying to hunt down the pilots of drones that were spotted flying over Paris landmarks and high-security buildings including the U.S. embassy. The small, remotely-controlled flying objects were seen overnight Monday to Tuesday over the U.S. embassy and nearby Interior Ministry, as well as over the Eiffel tower nearly 2 miles to the west and Place de la Bastille over 2.5 miles to the east. The Paris prosecutor has asked French police to open an investigation as flying drones over urban areas is banned in France, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor said. It isn't the first time France has been rattled by suspicious drone flights. In October last year, highly- secured nuclear power stations operated by power utility Electricité de France SA were also buzzed by mysterious drones. Last month, a drone was spotted flying briefly over the Élysée Palace, President François Hollande 's official residence. While the investigation in Paris isn't related to antiterrorism, the flights come as the capital remains on high alert after terror attacks in January. Soldiers and armed police have maintained a heavy presence in front of state buildings and embassies around the capital. Remote-controlled drones-small, unmanned aerial vehicles-are available commercially and are popular in France. The array of drone flights spotted in the country in recent months has raised concerns that they are being used for surveillance purposes. An official at the U.S. embassy declined to comment on the drone flights. Police have no evidence to explain the purpose of the flights over Paris, a police officer said. The authorities don't know how many drones were involved or whether there was any coordination between the flights, he said. http://www.wsj.com/articles/authorities-hunt-pilots-as-drones-seen-over-paris-landmarks-1424776456 Back to Top American Airlines jet slides off icy taxiway American Airlines Flight 286 passenger Danelle Canales American Airlines Flight 286 passenger Danelle Canales A photo tweeted from DFW Airport Monday night shows American Airlines Flight 286 passenger Danelle Canales American Airlines Flight 286 passenger Danelle Canales American Airlines Flight 286 passenger Danelle Canales DALLAS - An American Airlines jet slipped off a taxiway after landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Monday night. The airline said the plane's nosewheel left the pavement and got stuck in mud as the MD-80 aircraft was taxiing at a slow speed, and it was unable to continue to Terminal A. "There wasn't a jolt; we came down smooth ... we touched the ground smooth," a passenger told WFAA- TV. "We kind of just glided off the runway to the left a little bit. We still had at least one wheel on the ground; we were slightly tilted to the left." A photo tweeted from the scene showed some of the 63 passengers aboard Flight 286 from San Antonio being evacuated using the jet's built-in aft stairway. Buses were used to shuttle the passengers to the terminal. No injuries were reported, and the airline was making arrangements to reunite passengers with their luggage. Almost a thousand arrivals and departures at D/FW were canceled Monday because of icy weather conditions. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/02/23/american-jet-slides-off-icy-taxiway/23919275/ Back to Top NY-bound jet makes emergency landing with cracked windscreen A New York-bound American Airlines jet made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport in London on Monday after the windscreen cracked. About 45 minutes after taking off from Zurich in Switzerland, the crew of Flight AA65 declared the emergency. "The plane landed safely at Heathrow Airport around 11:30 a.m.," an airline spokesman said. Mechanics were expected to replace the windscreen of the Boeing 767-300, but it was possible the passengers would be placed on other flights to resume their trip to New York City. "We don't know exactly how many passengers were on board, but it was a fairly light load at what is a quiet time of the year," the spokesman told the Daily Mail. http://nypost.com/2015/02/23/ny-bound-jet-makes-emergency-landing-with-cracked-windscreen/ Back to Top NetJets and FAA Sign NextGen Implementation MoU NetJets and the FAA signed a five-year memorandum of understanding today "to implement NextGen projects that will lead to safer, more efficient air transportation." Under the agreement, Ohio State researchers working with NetJets will analyze FAA data on operations in the National Airspace System and help airports where NetJets flies to implement NextGen technologies. NetJets and the FAA signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) today "to implement NextGen projects that will lead to safer, more efficient air transportation," according to the Columbus, Ohio-based fractional-share operator. It worked with the FAA in 2008 on testing upcoming NextGen technologies, and under the new agreement NetJets, in partnership with the Ohio State University Center for Aviation Studies, will take the next step. "Now we begin to optimize the prior work and begin the implementation stage of these new technologies," said Bill Noe, NetJets Global COO and NetJets Aviation president. NetJets head of government affairs Bob Tanner added, "We approached the FAA and said we have a unique capability and expertise that can help drive implementation [of NextGen]. We're all sort of frustrated and done with testing. It's time to get down to business and get the implementation under way." The MoU's primary work involves Ohio State researchers working with NetJets to analyze the huge amount of FAA data on operations in the National Airspace System and helping airports where NetJets flies to implement NextGen technologies. "The FAA is collecting data about performance of all aircraft throughout the system," said Seth Young, director of aviation studies at Ohio State. "We want to take a look at that through data analytics strategies and techniques and figure out additional efficiencies in the ATC system." http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-02-20/netjets-and-faa-sign-nextgen- implementation-mou Back to Top FAA says American Airlines may have violated federal rules American Airlines responds to TWU allegations, calls lawsuit 'meritless' American Airlines Inc. may have violated federal regulations in its maintenance practices, the Federal Aviation Administration has told a union local. In response, American released a letter saying that the FAA hasn't told it of any "significant violations or findings." Transport Workers Union Local 591 released a Jan. 29 letter from an FAA official whose office has been looking into safety complaints raised by American mechanics. "As a result of our investigation, we have determined that a violation of the Code of Federal Regulations may have occurred," wrote C.J. DiCesare, manager of the FAA certificate maintenance office that oversees American. "This office will continue to investigate this possible violation and will take the necessary corrective action." DiCesare's letter indicated the potential violations involved revisions to American's general procedures manual over the involvement of quality control employees and inspectors during maintenance inspections. Local 591 sued American on Jan. 23 over maintenance practices, alleging that managers were pressuring mechanics to send out airplanes that needed repairs and were unsafe. In a Thursday letter to members, Local 591 president Gary Peterson cited the FAA letter, management's decision to back off limits put on lightning-strike inspections and another FAA inquiry involving an airplane's steering system as evidence that managers had tried to compromise safety to avoid flight delays. In a separate letter to American chairman and chief executive Doug Parker, Peterson said that the FAA has assigned six investigators to look into safety complaints lodged by mechanics at the airline's Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago facilities. He urged Parker to sit down with union officials to discuss their complaints. American released a letter to Peterson from David Seymour, the airline's senior vice president for technical operations. Seymour defended the airline's safety record, called the lawsuit "meritless" and gave him two executives to whom he could bring his concerns. Seymour also wrote that the union should not consider letters of inquiry to be the same as the finding of violations, saying it was "routine for the FAA to independently and objectively evaluate concerns such as those that you have raised." http://www.dallasnews.com/business/airline-industry/20150220-faa-says-american-airlines-may-have- violated-federal-rules.ece Back to Top Back to Top GE Aviation invests millions in new jet engine WEST CHESTER TWP. - GE Aviation is less than a year away from launching its next all-new commercial jet engine to airline customers, and the debut of the LEAP engine is already having a ripple effect on southwest Ohio's economy. The jet engine manufacturer pledged to spend $300 million on its Ohio buildings and equipment from 2013 until the end of this year. Investments include a new test engine facility to handle higher production volumes in Peebles, the Electrical Power Integrated Systems Research and Development Center opened at University of Dayton, and a consolidated Additive Development Center opening in West Chester Twp. to study new materials. Additionally, GE is the state's largest manufacturing employer of more than 15,000 people and anchors an aerospace parts manufacturing industry that employs thousands more in the region. "Virtually all the GE suppliers that we know anything about in the region are going full-tilt," said Gary Conley, president of nonprofit manufacturing industry consultant TechSolve. "The long-term outlook for any of the companies participating in the GE supply chain looks very positive." The LEAP engine is a product of GE's joint venture with French company Snecma (a division of Safran) called CFM International. The stakes riding on LEAP's success are high. Evendale-based GE Aviation and West Chester Twp.-based CFM are having an unprecedented ramp-up for jet engine production to keep pace with sales. The backlog of orders for engines made by GE and its joint ventures - including existing engines already on the market and those still in development like LEAP - have swelled to more than 15,000, said GE spokesman Rick Kennedy. The number of engines delivered to customers grew from 3,296 in 2012 to approximately 3,740 last year and is expected to grow again this year. And then grow again next year. "They've never had backlogs this big," Kennedy said. Not only does GE Aviation have to keep up with growing volume moving through its production lines, GE and CFM will be making engine parts using materials and processes the companies have never manufactured on a large scale before. CFM's LEAP will be the first commercial jet engine to contain an additively manufactured part in a critical area as well as materials made from ceramic matrix composites, said CFM spokeswoman Jamie Jewell. The new technologies mean the engine will be lighter than traditional materials and able to withstand hotter temperatures, which will improve fuel efficiency 15 percent over CFM's existing engine. GE claims its existing CFM56 engine is the world's best-selling commercial jet engine in flight and orders are still coming in. While LEAP will transition to eventually replace CFM56, the LEAP is already sold out for delivery in 2016 and 2017, Jewell said. The commercial aviation industry and the demand for jet engines is increasing due to the growth of airlines in emerging markets such as Asia and Africa, as well as an aging fleet of planes in the air, GE officials say. Airlines are seeking new aircraft carrying more efficient engines to help cut fuel costs, one of the largest chunks of their budgets. "If (GE) can pull it off, it sets the business for the next 10, 15, 20 years," Kennedy said of the new engine launches. Decades in the making Now, the company is conducting tests on versions of the LEAP engine for performance and federal certification. "We are in the development cycle. So we build engines to blow them up, to test them, to make sure that they withstand all the conditions they'll see in flight," said Dan Waugh, manager of development assembly for GE Aviation in Evendale where test engines are built by hand. "Before they actually launch into production, we have about a two-year phase where we're doing nothing but building test engines," Waugh said. LEAP will contain shrouds in the turbine made using ceramic matrix composites, a material with microscopic fibers woven together. Its fuel nozzles will be made using the 3-D manufacturing process which layers material upon material into the shape of the product. GE has researched both technologies in local and national laboratories to develop parts but also to prove results. Even after manufacturing a working prototype, the company had to figure out how to manufacture thousands of the same part before it can be declared engine and market ready. "We've been working on this for more than a decade and that's why we have the confidence that we do," Jewell said. Meanwhile, seven new facilities have been announced since 2007 for production. Sites include the first manufacturing plant for mass production of ceramic matrix composites near Asheville, N.C.; also the first additive manufacturing plant in Auburn, Ala.; a Dayton research center for studying electrical power systems; and a plant under construction in West Lafayette, Ind., for final LEAP assembly. Other new sites are in Batesville and Ellisville, Miss.; and Greenville, S.C. At GE Aviation's headquarters campus in Evendale in suburban Cincinnati, it established in 2013 the GE Aviation Research Center in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati Research Institute, according to the company. GE Aviation has a second commercial engine in development that is planned to enter the market by the end of the decade and will have parts built at some of the same factories. The GE9X, as it's called, will expand composites to more of the engine, including the combustor, Kennedy says. Altogether, GE has previously announced that it expects total capital investments from 2013 to 2017 to reach $3.5 billion worldwide. Manufacturing readiness GE Aviation's suppliers have to be as good as GE is, Jewell of CFM says. Rhinestahl Corp. makes tools used to assemble, disassemble and conduct maintenance on jet engines for GE and its customers across the globe. In 2009, the supplier took over GE's customer tooling solutions business and moved its headquarters and manufacturing operations from Blue Ash to Mason as part of the expansion, said Chief Executive Officer Dieter Moeller. Five years ago, Rhinestahl had 60 employees. Its since grown to 150 workers, Moeller said. "In addition to our own manufacturing, we've got a supply base of over 100 companies we work with, most of them in the Midwest," Moeller said. "The one message we're constantly working with our supply base is continued capacity growth," he said. "The growth that is expected with these new engines coming online is growth that's expected to last for decades." While Waugh's team will test versions of the LEAP engine for conditions in the air, CFM will also be testing its suppliers to fix any problems caught on the factory floor, said Cristina Seda-Hoelle, LEAP manufacturing programs manager. The company has invested in dual sourcing, which means multiple locations will be manufacturing and assembling the same parts as back up. And the same is true for its suppliers as GE/CFM will have dual and sometimes triple contracts for the supply of the same component to prevent any holdups possible due to natural disasters, production, or other reasons, Seda-Hoelle said. "For assembly, both GE and Snecma will have dual locations where they can do assembly obviously for risk mitigation but to support the capacity needed," she said. "We're doing that more with this program than ever before and we're doing it earlier than ever before." This year, CFM will also conduct stress tests on its manufacturing operations. Its internal and external shops will experiment with running at full production rates to identify what could go wrong with manpower, training, tooling or equipment issues, Seda-Hoelle said. Those problems will be fixed. Then they'll do the stress tests again, she said. "We're going to test the system now so that we can be prepared in the event we need surge capacity to support our customers," she said. GE Aviation including CFM employs more than 9,000 people in southwest Ohio. Worldwide, the company employs approximately 44,000 people at more than 80 locations. THREE WAYS THIS MATTERS TO YOU 1. LOCAL IMPACT: The rollout of the LEAP engine and another new engine program after that this decade, the GE9X, means GE Aviation and its joint venture CFM International are upping investments in facilities, jobs and spend with regional suppliers. GE expects capital investments between 2013 and 2017 in anticipation of the new engine launches to reach $300 million in Ohio and $3.5 billion worldwide. 2. INNOVATION: While the new engines won't all be assembled in Ohio, the test engines and final assemblies all pass through Peebles, Ohio, for testing. Major GE engineering and research operations are kept close to home in greater Cincinnati. GE established in 2013 the GE Aviation Research Center in partnership with University of Cincinnati on its Evendale campus to study composite matrix materials, low-emission combustion, and energy and thermal management. Plans are to consolidate additive manufacturing research activities currently spread across multiple locations into a single site in West Chester Twp. 3. TOP EMPLOYER: GE Aviation is headquartered in Evendale. Its parent company General Electric Co. is Ohio's largest manufacturing employer of more than 15,000 people when including the GE Lighting division in the Cleveland area, GE Capital, as well as the approximately 9,000 people employed in aviation in southwest Ohio. CFM International, a joint venture between GE and Snecma, is headquartered in West Chester Twp. http://www.journal-news.com/news/news/ge-aviation-invests-millions-in-new-jet-engine/nkD6s/ Back to Top ICAEA - Istanbul April 2015 ICAEA forum - Istanbul, 2015 Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. ICAEA Istanbul 2015 Human Factors, Communications and Safety The International Civil Aviation English Association announces the 17th international forum, hosted by 27-28 April 2015 ** Programme now available ** CLICK HERE TO REGISTER VENUE: Radisson Blu Conference & Airport Hotel, Istanbul Key note speakers, panellists and workshop facilitators will discuss: * The role of English in communication and human factors * Language proficiency and culture in human factors * Training strategies to mitigate safety issues in cross-cultural communications * English as a common link for CRM among international crews * Training for optimum on-board communications * Human factors in air to ground communication - culture, language and the communication interference * The role of English communication in human factors on the flight deck, with ATC and between cabin crew * Communication in the cabin among crew and with passengers For more information and registration details visit ICAEA For more information please contact: info@icaea.aero Copyright © ICAEA 2015, all rights reserved unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences*|IFNOT:ARCHIVview email in browser Cooking oil's use in aviation set to 'grow and become bigger' Cooking oil turned biofuel is a sustainable alternative to conventional fuel. [Jesse Means/Flickr] Used cooking oil is one of the latest biofuel alternatives used by aviation companies to reduce carbon emissions. But even if it is already used in planes, production will remain insufficient to make a difference on a larger scale. Aviation is one of the fastest-growing transport sectors, with an annual growth rate of 5%. As a result, fuel consumption and carbon emissions also increase, putting the industry under pressure from regulators to find alternative ways to cut its carbon footprint. Aviation giants like Boeing have invested heavily in researching a wide variety of sources to produce biofuels. A test project in China to turn recycled cooking oil into jet fuel is one of them. "The aim of the project is to demonstrate technical feasibility and analyse the cost of producing higher volumes of aviation biofuels from different types of waste cooking oil," said Annalisa Monaco, EU and NATO Director at Boeing. "In the long-run, we believe production of cooking oil could grow and become bigger," Monaco told EurActiv. Boeing's China facility is estimated to produce up to 1.8 billion litres of biofuels annually. If the project proves successful, new plants could be opened later in Europe, Monaco said. "We started the production test in September and the normal production will continue from November on," she said. Biofuels have been used in 1,500 commercial flights since 2011, said Monaco, a tiny proportion compared to the 100,000 flights taking off each day across the globe. "By 2016, our goal is to have sustainable aviation biofuels in 1% of global jet fuel demand, which is about 600 million gallons [2.3 billion litres]," said Monaco. Scale and price The aviation industry sees sustainable biofuels production - including cooking oil - as an alternative to fossil fuels. If commercial aviation were to get 6% of its fuel supply from biofuel by 2020, this would reduce its overall carbon footprint by 5%, according to the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), an air transport industry association. Environmental organisations, however, disagree, as biofuels compete with food crops, causing deforestation and other harmful land use. "While used cooking oil can be a good alternative to conventional fossil fuels from a climate perspective, there is a real question of scale and price," said Nusa Urbancic, Programme Manager Energy at Transport & Environment, an NGO. "Used cooking oil is three times more expensive than conventional jet fuel, and with no serious climate charges for the aviation sector, it is hard to imagine a long-term viability of this alternative." Boeing's Monaco remained evasive when asked about the potential to scale up the use of cooking oil as a jet fuel. Urbancic, however, thinks the potential is limited. "People will have to eat a lot of greasy food to fuel even one trans-continental flight," she said. Efficiency and pricing should come first Under the EU's emissions-trading schemeEuropean airlines are requested to pay for carbon emissions on internal flights. Initially included in the scheme, foreign flights, were exempted from the law following a backlash from the US and China. Using biofuels for the intra-EU routes offers major benefits to carriers, as biofuels will not count as emissions in aviation, and biofuel producers either receive tax incentives or subsidies. Boeing recognises the importance of biofuels "to support the growth of the sector in a sustainable way". But the sector would need "a serious carbon price to make biofuels viable for aviation", Urbancic said. "Efficiency and pricing should come first, biofuels being the last option," Urbanic added. According to Boeing, concentrating on biofuels alone will not be enough to cut down emissions in aviation. Aircraft need to improve their environmental performance, and the EU should put in place a modernised air traffic management system to help the industry achieve its environmental goals. http://www.euractiv.com/sections/transport/cooking-oils-use-aviation-set-grow-and-become-bigger- 312261 Back to Top Announcing the EAAP Courses in Human Factors for 2015 The European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP) recognised training courses in "Human Factors in Flight Safety: Safety Management Systems (SMS), Risk Management and Safety Investigation" will be conducted in Dubai and Barcelona in May 2015. Registrations are now open for these popular and internationally respected courses, to be held from: 10 - 14 May 2015, in Dubai, hosted by Emirates. 18 - 22 May 2015, in Barcelona, hosted by Vueling. Full details of the courses are included in the Registration Brochures for both the Dubai and Barcelona courses, which are now available for download from the EAAP website at: http://www.eaap.net/courses.html The experienced team of Dr Rob Lee, Kristina Pollack and Brent Hayward will again be conducting the 2015 courses on behalf of EAAP. The first of these courses was conducted at Ispra, Italy in 1999. Since then, the course has been continually updated in accordance with ongoing changes in the aviation industry, and held regularly in locations including Luxembourg, Stockholm, Madrid, Lisbon, Interlaken, Dublin and Dubai. A total of almost 400 participants from civil and military aviation have completed these EAAP courses, as well as personnel from other high technology industries. The courses are recognised by EAAP as contributing towards certification requirements for those wishing to become an EAAP-certified Aviation Psychologist or Human Factors Specialist. As detailed in the Registration Brochures, EAAP members are offered reduced registration fees for the courses, and there is also a significant additional "Early Bird" discount for those who register by mid-April. Course participant numbers are limited, so those wishing to attend are encouraged to register as soon as possible to secure a place. New Advanced Course In 2015, an additional Advanced Course will be introduced, titled 'Human Factors in Aviation Safety: an Integrated Approach to Safety Management'.Details are: 26-30 May 2015, in Barcelona (Advanced Course), hosted by Vueling. Back to Top 2015 Southeast Regional Chapter of ISASI's annual meeting Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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