Flight Safety Information February 27, 2015 - No. 039 In This Issue Arinc, SITA Roll Out New Tracking Options For Airlines Float plane crashed, killing three Gold Bars Worth Rs 85 Lakh Seized from Aircraft Toilet (India) Pilot lashes out at air-safety watchdogs' crash report (Australia) New medical insurance policy targets career risk for pilots Russia's Inquiry Into Oil Exec's Deadly Jet Crash Handed Over to France PROS 2015 TRAINING Confident Airbus juggles jet output and pays record dividend ICAEA - Istanbul April 2015 Bell Helicopter Adds Second Jet Ranger X to Test Fleet...Bell 505 FTV2 Graduate Research Survey Research Study 2015 AMERCA Flight Standards Meeting...April 7-8, 2015 Upcoming Events Arinc, SITA Roll Out New Tracking Options For Airlines Airlines address missing links as global tracking goes mainstream The drive for cost-effective near-term flight-tracking solutions ahead of forthcoming international standards and rules has the airline industry's two main cockpit data services providers reinventing and evolving legacy products and services to suit. Rockwell Collins Arinc and SITA have both developed new packages that will allow airlines in many cases to cost-effectively transition from what had been passive, infrequent flight following to active tracking. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and industry continue to debate the final form and concept of operations for required tracking, but the initial move calls for airlines to obtain position data every 15 min. for aircraft in the near term and, eventually, increased rates and other requirements when certain problems are encountered. For the U.S., Canada, China and several other countries where dispatchers are jointly responsible for a flight and are already required to actively track their assets, the change could merely mean an update in frequency of the reports airlines already receive in oceanic and remote areas. For other parts of the world where operational oversight is much less stringent, the upgrades will require a paradigm shift in operations. In either case, airlines are keen to maximize the use of existing avionics and data streams while minimizing the costs of any new measures. "What we have seen since the disappearance of Air France Flight 447 in 2009 is that there is always a desire to find a single 'silver bullet' solution," says Tim Ryan, director of Programs and Services Management for Information Management Services at Rockwell Collins. "And if we've learned anything over those years, we've learned that a single solution, while it can be fashioned, doesn't meet the equally important facet of cost- effectiveness." A subset of data from a one-day snapshot of Arinc customers shows geographical distribution of the most common position data sources for tracking. Credit: Rockwell Collins While surveillance in populated areas may be provided by the air navigation service providers using radar or other technologies that result in position updates multiple times per minute, the same is not true in oceanic and remote regions where aircraft-provided position reports can be 1 hr. or more apart. For those zones, both Arinc and SITA can provide higher-frequency surveillance data from equipped aircraft to air traffic control or an airline's operations center (AOC) using automatic dependent surveillance contract (ADS-C), part of the Future Air Navigation System (FANS) suite of avionics, or the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS). Approximately 80% of the widebody fleet already have FANS, which gives the aircraft the ability to send ADS-C position updates to air traffic control (ATC) at certain intervals, typically 10-15 min., in return for lower separation standards and more efficient routes with less fuel burned. The data are generally sent from the aircraft to the ground via Inmarsat and Iridium satellite constellations or through Arinc's ground-based high-frequency data link (HFDL) network. Separate from ATC, airlines generally communicate with an aircraft over the same data pipes using the onboard ACARS to send and receive operational data, fuel status and position reports, a process that can be redundant and costly when the same position reports are already being sent to ATC using ADS-C. Airlines historically have not attempted to access ADS-C data because it requires decoding. However, with the impending new tracking standards and the potential rulemaking that could follow, airlines are revisiting processes and procedures to proactively seek out the most cost-effective solutions from the avionics and data streams already available. Arinc has been working with as many as five non-U.S. airlines on a new tracking service that will be part of its "GlobaLink" family of services. To be officially unveiled in March, the Flight Tracking Solutions will include working with individual airlines to map gaps in route structures where more frequent position reports will be needed to meet ICAO's proposed standards, expected later this year, and determine how to achieve the most cost-efficient mix of data transmission methods. Along with data feeds from the FAA for U.S. and U.K. domestic airspace and decoded ADS-C position reports from ATC, the flight tracker will also include Arinc-vetted position reports provided by FlightAware's network of crowd-sourced automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) receivers as "situational awareness" input, as well as a new "back channel" position service derived from Arinc's HFDL network. The flight-tracker upgrade can be installed as a software upgrade to the 130 airline customer using either the OpCenter or Hermes dispatch tools. Future third-party data sources, which could include position data from Aireon's space- based ADS-B data or possibly inflight entertainment syst7ems, would be considered in the cost-benefit analysis. Aireon, a joint venture between Iridium, Nav Canada and the air navigation service providers of Ireland, Italy and Denmark, plans to have its space- based ADS-B network in place in late 2017 for ATC uses, particularly in the North Atlantic where update rates will allow for reduced separation. Aireon also is designing a free "alert" aircraft tracking service whereby vetted users can obtain tracking information on any aircraft transmitting ADS-B signals anywhere on the globe. For Arinc, perhaps most intriguing is the new offer of "no additional cost" position data from HFDL, which is collected as part of a continuously operating diagnostic check of the system. While voice communications over HF, used as a backup to VHF and satellite communications, are associated with high noise levels, the same network is less noisy for data transmissions, which are a lower-cost-per-data packet than satellite services. Peter Grogan, Arinc's senior director of GlobaLink data services, says the system today transmits position reports as often as every 10-20 min., but rates can be increased regionally if needed. "We believe there is some untapped connectivity solution around HFDL that has embedded position information, but a lot will depend on equipage," says Jeff Standerski, senior vice president for Rockwell Collins's Information Management Services. "It would be great if every aircraft had HFDL radios, but every aircraft does not have HFDL." All of Rockwell Collins's customer airlines do have HFDL, however, and retrofit installations can be accomplished overnight at a "fraction of the cost" of a satellite communications system, according to Ryan. He says a gap study may show it is cheaper to install HFDL on a fleet of long-haul aircraft rather than using position data solutions coming across the satellite links. Ryan says the airlines Arinc has been working with have not tested the tracking solution directly in their operations. "We want to provide them with a user interface that they can use to exercise the data and provide some feedback as to how this might work within their operations," he says. Competitor SITA has called out a beta version of a flight tracker with Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, both of which will receive the first operational version via software upgrade in March, says Philip Clinch, vice president for Aircom Services for SITA. Called Aircom Server Flight Tracker, the system takes maximum advantage of existing surveillance data onboard, as well as the means to decode ADS-C position reports already being received by ATC, to avoid costly upgrades to the aircraft. "We offer [airlines] the ability to comply with the requirements for a tracking system that is proactive and doesn't simply wait for position reports to come in or extrapolate where it thinks the aircraft might be," says Clinch. "It actively goes out and seeks the information in order to identify when the aircraft isn't sending it anymore, which is something that does not seem to have been done by most airlines up to now." Data feeds include Inmarsat, Iridium, HFDL for airlines that have contracted for the service through Arinc, and ADS-B information from Flight-Aware. The Flight Tracker software can either reside within the Aircom Server, in place at the dispatch centers for approximately half of SITA's 160 ACARS customers, or can be accessed by others via a cloud-hosted system. SITA has traditionally been the provider of ACARS services to airlines outside North America, but does have airline customers within the U.S. and Canada, including Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Virgin America and WestJet. "They wouldn't have to change anything in their dispatch centers immediately," he says of the cloud- based-version customers. "They might have a separate standalone system for the flight tracking to begin with and see how that develops." Like Arinc, SITA is providing its customers with the means to decode ADS-C messages from ATC to lower the cost of obtaining tracking data already being provided. Clinch points out that in regions where air navigation service providers have not yet implemented ADS-C capability, the software allows an airline to request the surveillance data directly from the aircraft. "But we do differentiate between the different areas where ATC is already requesting the position, and we do not request it additionally-we send a copy to the airlines," he says. The system goes beyond merely following flights by making the airline an active partner in the progress of the flight. Clinch says the software can "watch out for position reports and has a timer that-if it hasn't received a position report within a certain time, which is selectable by the airline-can request its own information." He notes the initial trials looked at only "basic tracking" features that did not include higher rates of transmission when certain triggers are exceeded. By mid-2015, Clinch says, two new capabilities "that go beyond" basic tracking will be added: Decoding of pilot-controller data link communications to determine ATC instructions to a pilot to determine if movements are planned or unplanned, and monitoring FANS handovers between adjacent providers to identify when an aircraft does not connect to the correct system. "One of the things that is going to be the most challenging in identifying when an aircraft is in a situation it shouldn't be in is identifying when ATC told the aircraft to change course or not," says Clinch. "Traditionally when ATC has been using voice radio, it is practically impossible to know that without asking the pilot." http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/arinc-sita-roll-out-new-tracking-options- airlines Back to Top Float plane crashed, killing three, because pilot unfamiliar with modified airplane: TSB Float plane crashed, killing three, because pilot unfamiliar with modified airplane: TSB Wreckage and tree strike damage. The pilot of a commercial Air Cab float plane that crashed on West Cracroft Island was new to the company and unaware of how multiple modifications affected the airplane's performance and handling, the federal transportation safety board has determined. Photograph by: Vancouver Sun , Transportation Safety Board The pilot of a commercial Air Cab float plane that crashed on West Cracroft Island was new to the company and unaware of how multiple modifications affected the airplane's performance and handling, the federal transportation safety board has determined. Pilot Kevin Williams and passengers Norm Slavik of Surrey and Fred Wiley of Merville died after the 1970 Cessna C-185E stalled shortly before landing and crashed onto a small island on Potts Lagoon east of Port McNeill at 11:40 a.m. on Oct. 24, 2013. In a report released Wednesday, the board said the pilot had accumulated about 3,137 hours total flight time, 1,682 hours of those in seaplane operations. The pilot had started working for the company 10 days before the accident. The accident occurred on the pilot's first day of unsupervised flying for Air Cab. The pilot had not flown to the Potts Lagoon area and had not flown the accident aircraft before the day of the crash. The airplane had received multiple approved modifications over the years, and the pilot would not have known how all these would have changed the performance of the airplane. "The aircraft's high bank angle, steep descent, short wreckage trail, and low airspeed were consistent with the occurrence of an accelerated aerodynamic stall at an altitude from which recovery was not possible," the board found. The aircraft had been involved in three prior accidents, most recently in September 2012, when it was significantly damaged after it stalled in a low-level left turn and crashed into water. At the time of repair, the aircraft received a wing-extension modification, which followed earlier installations of two takeoff-and-landing kits. The plane had also been fitted with larger floats. Because the modifications resulted in performance and handling characteristics unique to the aircraft, the actual stall speed of the aircraft "remained unknown and could only be estimated" and may have compromised the ability of the stall warning system to indicate an impending stall. An advanced stall warning system may have made a difference. The board concluded that the "installation of multiple modifications without adequate guidance on how to evaluate and document the effects on aircraft handling" may result in pilots losing control due to unknown aircraft performance. http://www.vancouversun.com/ Back to Top Gold Bars Worth Rs 85 Lakh Seized from Aircraft Toilet (India) CHENNAI: Gold bars weighing 2.5 kg, worth Rs. 85 lakh were seized by customs officials from the toilet of a Jet Airways flight which landed from Singapore tonight. Customs officials said the gold was found by staff who were cleaning the aircraft. A passenger is suspected to have put the bars there and customs officials are on a lookout for him, they said. The aircraft had landed at around 7.30 PM. http://www.ndtv.com/tamil-nadu-news/gold-bars-worth-rs-85-lakh-seized-from-aircraft- toilet-742756 Back to Top Pilot lashes out at air-safety watchdogs' crash report (Australia) THE two government agencies responsible for policing aviation "publicly lied" about the full circumstances of a 2009 Pel-Air crash off Norfolk Island, the plane's pilot has claimed. Dominic James, who had his pilot's licence temporarily suspended following the incident, said the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau had - "significantly altered the findings" of an accident report. "Once this misconduct was disclosed, the (agencies) then lied quite publicly about what they knew and defended this unsound report," Mr James told The Australian. Two people involved in the crash of the medevac flight, nurse Karen Casey and doctor David Helm, have sued Pel-Air - an arm of Regional Express, or Rex - with the case being heard in the NSW Supreme Court this week. After the accident it was revealed an ATSB investigation had failed to mention 57 breaches or "serious deficiencies" at Pel-Air which had been identified by CASA. Those revelations sparked a parliamentary inquiry that reported in December, leading the federal government to call on the ATSB to launch a new probe. An external investigation was also undertaken by the Canadian Transport Bureau, which also found major problems with the existing report. Questions are being asked over Rex's government relationships after the small listed company donated almost $400,000 to the federal ALP and LNP between July and November 2012, while the ATSB and CASA investigations were ongoing. Rex has repeatedly declined to comment when asked by The Australian why it made those political donations with shareholder funds. The company has not made any donations since then and the only other political donations the company had ever made was $3486 to the ALP in the year to June 2004. There were six people aboard the Pel-Air flight when it ditched into the ocean near Norfolk Island after running out of fuel, but no lives were lost. Lawyers for Ms Casey, who was seriously injured in the crash, told judge Monika Schmidt she has suffered from severe physical and mental problems following the crash and will never be able to work again. Ms Casey and Dr Helm are seeking damages, while Rex is arguing it has no obligation to make any payments. The case continues. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/pilot-lashes-out-at-air-safety- watchdogs-crash-report/story-e6frg95x-1227206983414 Back to Top New medical insurance policy targets career risk for pilots AOPA offers new insurance for pilots AOPA has crafted a new insurance policy that takes the risk of losing your medical certificate out of a flying career. AOPA Insurance Services is preparing to bring to market an innovative new kind of policy that takes the risk out of maintaining a full-time flying career. Pilot Loss of Medical Certificate Disability Insurance offers financial protection to pilots whose livelihood depends on a valid medical certificate. This financial safety net covers your loss of income due to injury or illness, whether it occurs on or off the job, and is unique as it defines disability as the loss or suspension of your FAA medical certificate. AOPA has been working hard in recent years to build and maintain the pilot population, since a robust general aviation community benefits industry, pilots, and owners alike. Professional pilots account for a large share of the membership, and many (if not most) also fly for fun. Loss of a first class or second class medical grounds a professional aviator, and the potential lost wages and other consequences of a certificate denial discourage many from even entering the profession. Too often, those pilots are lost to GA as well. "One in 20 pilots are on Long Term Disability every year based on Harvey Watt's experience managing plans for all of the major airlines. AOPA is pleased that we can now help protect the ways of life for our members who fly for their full-time careers," said Teri Miller, AOPA director of insurance services. Medical certificate disability policies are now available to the broader aviation public, and are priced to be affordable and portable. They also can be used to fill in gaps left by policies already on the market. The new product covers loss of salary due to injury or illness that leads to the loss or temporary revocation of a medical certificate. The policy can be "stacked," in industry parlance, with other coverage an employer might provide. This allows the pilot to receive combined coverage up to 100 percent of their income if needed. The new policy is portable, meaning it is purchased independent of the employer and a job change does not affect the coverage. In other words, the coverage applies to the pilot, not the position. The policy also precludes rate changes based on individual claims, so no customer will be singled out for a rate increase or nonrenewal based on claims made. In fact, renewal is guaranteed. Disability that leaves the pilot unable to fly will trigger coverage even if the pilot is still able to perform other nonflying duties. Benefits from the policy you purchase are typically tax-free*, another distinction from most employer-provided coverage. "AOPA has chosen to partner with Harvey Watt, the leading professional pilot insurer in the United States. Their unique disability product is exactly what professional pilots need to maintain their financial security in the case of a suspended or revoked medical certificate," Miller said. Since each pilot will have individual needs, members are encouraged to call 800/241- 6103 to discuss the variety of plans offered, how they can work with employer-offered coverage, or even how their employer may pay for part of the premium with a direct billing program. Visit AOPA's website to learn more. http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2015/February/26/New-medical- insurance-policy-targets-career-risk-for-pilots Back to Top Russia's Inquiry Into Oil Exec's Deadly Jet Crash Handed Over to France Vladimir Martynenko, the plow's driver Russia has handed over to France the results of a preliminary investigation into the cause of a jet crash that killed a French oil executive in October, and the findings indicate that two of the key suspects may have been intoxicated at the time. The jet slammed into a snowplow in the middle of a runway at Vnukovo Airport, killing four people including Christophe de Margerie, CEO of the world's fourth-largest oil company, Total. The plow's driver, Vladimir Martynenko, and his supervisor, Vladimir Ledenev, both tested positive for alcohol in their blood two hours after the crash, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday. Investigators have established that Martynenko was behaving awkwardly and had gotten lost on the runway just before the incident, the news report said. Ledenev also failed to report to air-traffic controllers that the whereabouts of the vehicle had been unknown for 15 minutes prior to the jet's ill-fated takeoff attempt. The driver, his supervisor and three air-traffic controllers each face seven years in prison for transportation violations resulting in the deaths of two or more people, according to the Kommersant newspaper. Blood Alcohol Levels Martynenko had a blood alcohol level of 0.06, and Ledenev - who wasn't driving - had a level of 0.02, Kommersant reported. Martynenko's level is permissible for civilian motorists in the U.S. or U.K., but Russia has a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol consumption prior to driving a vehicle. Whether either man was intoxicated at the time of the incident remains to be determined, but alcohol impairment is being considered as factor that may have influenced the workers' behavior. Martynenko's lawyer Alexander Karabanov has insisted that his client wasn't drunk during the incident because he abstains from alcohol due to a chronic heart condition. The lawyer said Thursday that his client is willing to take a lie-detector test. "Martynenko didn't drink. He is sure of this and ready to confirm it with a lie detector," Karabanov told the Interfax news agency. If the test results come back clean, he said, his client should be removed from state custody and placed under house arrest. Handing Case Over to Paris Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika handed over case materials to France during a meeting with French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, Interfax reported Thursday. The officials also signed a two-year deal to cooperate on any investigations that concern both countries' interests, the news report said. France's Total oil company has worked in Russia for the past two decades, and the deceased executive de Margerie had close ties with the government. A month after de Margerie's death, President Vladimir Putin awarded him an Order of Honor for his "major contribution to Russian-French economic and cultural relations," Reuters quoted the Kremlin as saying. Putin's spokesman was cited as saying the president and de Margerie had a close working relationship. De Margerie was a vocal opponent of Western economic sanctions on Russia. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russia-s-inquiry-into-oil-exec-s-deadly- jet-crash-handed-over-to-france/516628.html Back to Top Back to Top Confident Airbus juggles jet output and pays record dividend MUNICH, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Airbus Group defied warnings of a slowdown in the jetliner market with a steep production boost for its top-selling A320 and announced its biggest ever dividend. The firm's confidence about demand and a switch to the new A320 model lifted its shares and came despite a fresh charge of 551 million euros due to delays to the A400M military transporter. The world's second-largest aerospace group after Boeing said it would increase production of the A320 jet family to a record 50 a month in early 2017. Both the scale and accelerated timing for the move, confirmed details reported by Reuters earlier this week.. The confidence shown by the production boost overrode concerns about a simultaneous "temporary" drop in production of the wide-body A330 jet, which is enduring slow sales ahead of its own revamp in 2017. Both models are seen as cash cows for the company. The A330 production rate was cut to six a month from the first quarter of 2016, having already been cut to nine a month from the fourth quarter of this year. "Airbus has bitten the bullet on the A330," said Edison Investment Research analyst Sash Tusa, adding that the move was widely expected. The hike from 42 A320s a month to 50 by the first quarter of 2017, closely chasing Boeing's plans for its 737, "could to an extent offset the A330 effect in that year," he said in a note. Airbus Group Chief Executive Tom Enders dismissed recent market concerns that the commercial aerospace cycle has peaked. "We have heard that last year and the year before," he told a news conference. "We don't see it as long as the world doesn't come tumbling down. The demand is clearly there." VOLATILE SHARES Shares in Airbus have had a rocky ride of late. Five billion euros was wiped off the value of the company when A330 output first showed signs of wobbling in December, though shares had recovered ahead of the 2014 results. The strong fourth quarter results and 60 percent hike in the dividend, as well as solid cashflow, added 2.5 billion euros or six superjumbos' worth of value to its shares on Friday. At mid-session they were up 7 percent at 55.29 euros. Core operating earnings before one-off items rose 21 percent to a stronger-than- expected 1.476 billion euros in the fourth quarter on revenues up 9 percent, amid strong jet deliveries. Airbus raised its dividend to a record 1.20 euros per share after a 59 percent leap in annual net profit buoyed by disposals. For 2015 it forecast higher revenue and a slight increase in core profit. Enders said Airbus would not feel the full benefit of a recent drop in the euro until 2017 due to prolific hedging. Airbus has taken hits of 4.75 billion euros due to delays so far to Europe's largest defence project the A400M. "The A400M charge is at the upper end (of expectations) and seems not to exclude more," said Agency Partners analyst Nick Cunningham, but Airbus said it would turn the corner for good. ($1 = 0.8917 euros) http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/27/airbus-group-results- idUSL5N0W10J420150227 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 Bell Helicopter Adds Second Jet Ranger X to Test Fleet Bell 505 FTV2 The second Bell 505 Jet Ranger X flight-test vehicle (FTV) achieved its first flight on Monday at Bell Helicopter's Mirabel, Québec manufacturing facility, some three months after the first 505 FTV made its maiden flight there. "This puts us one step closer to certification and production," said Bell 505 Jet Ranger X program director David Smith. "The aircraft performed incredibly well, successfully demonstrating a low-speed traffic pattern at 60 knots." Since flight testing began in November, the helicopter program has progressed quickly, with the aircraft performing additional tests and numerous practice autorotations, according to Bell. "We continue to make excellent progress with the flight-test program and are working to assess key operational scenarios customers might be faced with," Smith noted. Powered by a Turbomeca Arrius 2R Fadec turboshaft, the Jet Ranger X features a high- visibility cockpit equipped with Garmin G1000H avionics. Safety features include a high- inertia rotor system that delivers "superior autorotation capabilities." The 505, which is slated to be certified by year-end, is one of three new aircraft currently under development at Bell Helicopter. It is also developing the fly-by-wire 525 Relentless medium twin and V-280 Valor tiltrotor. The Bell 505 was designed based on extensive input provided by a customer advisory council. Bell Helicopter unveiled the Jet Ranger X at Heli-Expo 2014 last February and has already received letters of intent for more than 300 copies of the new helicopter. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-02-26/bell-helicopter- adds-second-jet-ranger-x-test-fleet Back to Top Graduate Research Survey The survey is being conducted as part of a Master's thesis in Human Factors Engineering at Tufts University. It explores differences in opinions and perceived use of voluntary reporting practices at several major airlines that utilize a similar system. The end goal is to recommend best practices for the successful implementation and continued use of such systems to maximize the benefit to an organization and its employees. This survey is voluntary and can be stopped at any time without consequence. Participants only need to answer questions that they feel comfortable answering and Katherine (the creator of the survey), GE Aviation, and Tufts University will have no knowledge of the name or identity of any person who submits a response to this survey. It is completely anonymous. Additionally, airline names will never be disclosed. The survey should take less than 5 minutes. Please contact her if you have any questions: katherine.darveau@ge.com W: 781-594-7799 C: 781-439-7431 Mechanic/Technician survey link: https://tufts.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6x6T69RkMwDJvA9 Manager survey link: https://tufts.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5i5oyQqRSqruyy1 Back to Top Research Study The Human in Complex Systems (HCOM) Lab at the University of Waterloo is conducting an online study that looks at the effect of information asynchrony, or time delays in the transmission of surveillance information, on pilot-ATC communication. We are currently seeking subject-matter experts including active or retired professional pilots (commercial or higher rating) and air traffic controllers (terminal / enroute) as our participants to the study. This is an online experiment that can be conducted from your personal computer. We recognize that the approximate 2.5 hour commitment is significant; while we cannot provide compensation for your time, in appreciation of the time you have given to this study, you can enter your name into a draw for 1 of 10 prizes. The prizes include a $100 amazon.com gift card. Your odds of winning one of the prizes is approximately 1 in 4. The study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Committee. However, the final decision about participation is yours. For clarity, this experiment is not an official FAA / NASA funded/sponsored/endorsed research activity but is part of Samuel Lien's graduate degree research project at the University of Waterloo. To find out more about the study and to register if you wish to participate, please visit the study website: http://rbhagat.uwaterloo.ca/IDEA/ or please contact Samuel Lien slien@uwaterloo.ca or Dr. Jonathan Histon jhiston@uwaterloo.ca Back to Top 2015 AMERCA Flight Standards Meeting April 7-8, 2015 Sheraton Tysons Hotel Tysons, Virginia The FAA Flight Standards Service is hosting a meeting with the States from the Africa/Middle East/Russia/Central Asia Region. The meeting will take place at the Sheraton Tysons Hotel on April 7-8, with meeting material pickup and check-in beginning the afternoon of April 6. This meeting provides a unique opportunity to share information on FAA best practices in the safety oversight of operations and continuing airworthiness with civil aviation authorities in the region. Continuing a tradition of other FAA international outreach activities, this meeting offers a forum for aviation safety leaders to delve more deeply into the FAA Flight Standards Service activities, as well as receive information on safety oversight topics key to the Region. The two-day meeting will be open to civil aviation authorities and industry. Industry attendance will also bring focus on topics related to air carrier operations and continuing airworthiness activities involved between the United States and the regions. Who Should Attend * Government aviation standards, certification, operations, and maintenance personnel * Industry representatives from the United States and the regions Registration Registration is now open! To complete your registration, please use the "Register Now" button located on the top-right-hand side of this page. The registration fee is $200.00, which covers the cost of your attendance as well as refreshments and lunch service for both days of the conference. All registrations must be completed by March 27. http://www.regonline.com/FAAflightstandards-AMERCA Questions about registration? Contact us at DOT.FAAeventsupport@sidemgroup.com Hotel Accommodation Please note that you are responsible for securing your own sleeping accommodations. Should you require a hotel room, The Sheraton Tysons Hotel has a special rate of $199.00 per night (exclusive of taxes and fees) for participants. This rate will only be available until March 7, 2015. Important Deadlines * Hotel Reservations: Discounted sleeping room rates must be booked by Saturday, March 7, 2015. * Meeting Registration: All registrations must be completed by Friday, March 27, 2015. No late registrations will be accepted. 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 Safety Smackdown Partnership for Corporate Aviation Training San Antonio, TX April 20-22, 2015 http://www.p4cat.org/ 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