Flight Safety Information March 18, 2015 - No. 051 In This Issue Aviation safety debate rages in wake of Flight MH370 mystery FAA investigating drone flying near news helicopters Indonesia To Call Off Search For AirAsia Flight #8501 Crash Victims; 56 People Still Missing United flight turns back after passenger tackles man headed for cockpit American Airlines jet lands safely at JFK after striking geese Civil Aviation Authorities in Africa at odds PROS 2015 TRAINING Mexico's Private Jet Sales Outpace Brazil's Amid Economic Growth Honda Aero Receives FAA Production Certificate For HF120 Turbofan Jet Engine in North Carolina U.S. and Gulf airlines clash at aviation summit Boeing Charleston Delivers First 787-9 Aircraft Graduate Research Study/Survey Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Aviation safety debate rages in wake of Flight MH370 mystery Flight MH370's unexplained loss over the South China Sea a year ago has spurred a major safety initiative that will have a profound impact on the aviation industry. The commitment to increased monitoring of aircraft came after soul searching among governments, airlines and regulators under pressure to act on safety. It is the first set of measures rolled out after the UN's global aviation summit last month - only the second safety conference in its 70-year history. Trials are now underway between Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia on a flight tracking system that makes contact with air traffic controllers every 15 minutes, down from the hourly monitoring at present. The decisions embody a difficult legacy from the tragedy of MH370, in which 239 passengers were lost and presumed dead, and are an attempt to ensure a similar disappearance does not happen again. However, enhanced tracking was "not a silver bullet," warned Airservices Australia chairman Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, who led Australia's search efforts for MH370. Plenty more safety measures are pending agreement. Action has yet to be taken on shortcomings in emergency locater transmitters, on recommending longer battery life for the pingers in black boxes, on extending the duration of the cockpit voice recorders and on discussions about deployable and detectable black boxes that can stream data. According to representatives at the UN meeting, the wish list of changes yet to be agreed are a result of robust discussions which saw stakeholders differ in their opinions. Airlines are already balking at installing new monitoring technology, due to cost concerns and a lack of agreement over the kind of tracking needed. Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Aviation Safety Agency, said the decisions made at the conference last month "go in the right direction." He said it was critical for regulators to act faster to address recommendations for safety improvements. An accident aviation board chaired by Malaysia last month officially declared the March 8, 2014 Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight disappearance an accident, triggering insurance and compensation proceedings for families. Andrew Herdman, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines director general, said he was concerned that a 12-month timeframe agreed by the industry had not kicked in yet because no agreement on when it should start had been reached. "It's not clear whether it's feasible, so discussion about the timetable starts when ... there's still an open question about some of those details. "There was a general agreement we should get started, but you have got to apply these things practically." Herdman said MH370's loss had triggered a lot of discussion about improving air tracking in future as well as when to initiate and how to target search and rescue efforts. Referring to AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed in Indonesia on December 28 killing 162 people on board, he said: "Even in the case of QZ8501, it was clear where the contact was lost and that was the starting point for the search but it still took the best part of a week to the find the wreckage. "[Aircraft tracking] is really the idea of tracking aircraft that get into abnormal situations or distress, or are lost catastrophically," he said, underlining that better aircraft tracking technology would only be a small improvement without further changes. http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1731376/aviation-safety-debate-rages-wake-flight-mh370-mystery Back to Top FAA investigating drone flying near news helicopters A drone was flying above news helicopters Monday night, and now the FAA is investigating to see the drone that appeared to be flying above the legal height limit. Monday evening, as Chopper 7 covered a fire in a Spanaway salvage yard, KIRO-TV Chief Photographer Scott Crueger turned the camera toward another helicopter taking video for KOMO-TV and KING-TV. A drone was flying above it. "We got a drone out here somewhere," Crueger alerted colleagues in the newsroom. He guessed the drone was flying at about 1,500 feet. It isn't easy following something so small with a helicopter camera, but Crueger kept on it. He followed the drone as it descended, and spotted a man on the ground operating it. "I was thinking, 'How could you be that stupid?'" Crueger said later. If helicopters strike anything, like birds, they can easily fall out of the sky. Moments before the drone buzzed the KOMO/KING helicopter, Chopper 7's pilot saw it about 50 feet above his own blades, a dangerous scenario because the vortex from the blades can cause objects above to be sucked into the helicopter. "He went from near our helicopter to very near the other helicopter," said Crueger, who operates the camera in the helicopter's back seat. "Either helicopter contacting this toy would have been catastrophic." The close encounter happened two days before the anniversary of a KOMO helicopter crash that occurred during a takeoff near the Space Needle. The pilot and photographer were killed. "We take any threat to our safety very seriously," Crueger said. So Crueger followed the operator from the air as he collected his drone and then walked into a nearby house. Chopper 7's pilot contacted the FAA, which is investigating. Flying a drone at 1,500 feet is far higher than the 400 feet allowed by law. Federal rules also require a hobbyist to keep a drone within sight, and drones must always avoid manned aircraft. Operators could be fined, although an FAA spokesman said the precise amount depended on the nature of the violation. On Tuesday, a KIRO 7 crew went to the Spanaway house the drone operator had entered. The woman who answered the door said police had been by, but denied anyone who lived there had a drone. http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/faa-investigating-drone-flying-near-news-helicopte/nkYk7/ Back to Top Indonesia To Call Off Search For AirAsia Flight #8501 Crash Victims; 56 People Still Missing JAKARTA, March 18 (Reuters) - Indonesia will on Sunday end a search for the bodies of 56 people missing from an AirAsia jet that crashed in the Java Sea in December, a national rescue agency official said. AirAsia flight QZ8501 lost contact with air traffic control during bad weather less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore on Dec. 28. All 162 people on board the Airbus A320 were killed. "Some of our ships and personnel have been pulled back already and some remain on standby, but officially the operation will be finished on Sunday," Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for the search and rescue agency, told Reuters. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders - known as "black boxes" - were recovered two weeks after the crash. Large pieces of the fuselage were also found on the sea floor. A multi-national rescue effort, led by the Indonesian military and often hampered by bad weather and strong currents, recovered 106 bodies, with 56 unaccounted for. Few details of the analysis of the flight recorders have been made public. The National Transportation Safety Committee has revealed that the French first officer was at the controls of the jet just before the accident. Sources told Reuters the captain of was out of his seat conducting an unusual procedure when his co-pilot apparently lost control, but Indonesian authorities said there was no evidence of that. The AirAsia crash was the latest in a string of accidents to hit Indonesia's aviation industry, which is among the fastest-growing in the region, and has stepped up pressure on the government and airlines to improve safety. The final result of the investigation is due in about six months, an investigator said. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/18/airasia-search-ending_n_6891158.html Back to Top United flight turns back after passenger tackles man headed for cockpit Man removed from United Airlines flight after disturbance Dulles, Virginia (CNN)Two quick-thinking passengers in the third row of a United flight to Denver tackled and subdued a man who was heading toward the cockpit, other travelers on the plane told CNN on Tuesday. The incident started shortly after United Flight 1074 took off around 10:15 p.m. Monday from Dulles International Airport in suburban Washington. The Boeing 737 jet was supposed to take its 33 passengers and six crew members to Denver, but turned back because the unnamed passenger "failed to comply with crew instructions," United Airlines spokesman Luke Punzenberger said. Joshua Lindstrom told "Anderson Cooper 360?" Tuesday night that a man was acting strangely as he moved up the aisle. "The flight attendant gave some sort of command to stand back, and he turned and started heading toward the cockpit. And the guy in 3E was a lightning bolt and just jumped out of his seat and took the guy down to the ground." The hero's seatmate piled on and grabbed the out-of-control passenger's legs, Lindstrom said. Passenger Donna Tellam told CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" the men reacted so quickly she thought they were air marshals. She said the unruly man had come down the aisle, screaming about the plane going too slow and flailing his arms. A flight attendant used plastic ties to bind the man's wrists as the plane headed back, she said. Earlier, a government official with direct knowledge of the incident told CNN that the detained passenger had run toward the cockpit screaming "jihad, jihad." Lindstrom told Cooper he didn't hear those words but after the flight was back on the ground the man who tackled the unruly passenger mentioned it. "He said, 'Did you hear it? Like he said 'jihad' a couple times (while he was being restrained)," Lindstrom said. "... In the end it was more surreal than it was scary. It was wild." Lindstrom said two other people helped keep the man on the floor for the 20 minutes or so that it took the flight crew to return to Dulles. During that time, the subdued man's mood would change. The man was rattling on about someone trying to bring the plane down, then become despondent and cry, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." A cell phone video shows the man, bruised on his face, being held down. At one point, he pleads, "Please stop, please stop, they said call it off." At another, the man seems to cry as he says, "I'm so sorry." "Don't move," one passenger says, apparently trying to calm the man. "You're OK. We're going to get you off this plane, buddy." The plane returned to Dulles around 10:40 p.m., said Kimberly Gibbs, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which runs the northern Virginia airport. Airport police took the unruly passenger off the plane, and airport firefighter-EMTs transported him to a nearby hospital, according to Gibbs. As of late Tuesday evening, the passenger had not been arrested or charged with a crime, officials said. There is nothing, so far, in the tackled man's background to suggest he has a connection to terrorists, the government source said. No weapons were found after he was subdued. By then, the other passengers -- none of whom was injured -- had been rebooked on new Denver-bound flights. Some opted to take the first flight to Colorado on Tuesday, while others chose to leave later, according to Punzenberger, the United spokesman. http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/17/travel/united-airlines-flight-unruly-passenger/ Back to Top American Airlines jet lands safely at JFK after striking geese (Reuters) - An American Airlines jetliner with 126 passengers and 7 crew members on board made an emergency landing at a New York airport on Tuesday morning after striking "several geese," transportation officials said. No one was reported injured on Flight 1320, which returned to John F. Kennedy International Airport about 10 minutes after takeoff, when a pilot radioed the airport about a bird strike, a spokeswoman with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said. The passengers, bound for St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, will board another flight scheduled to depart at 2 p.m. local time, a spokeswoman with American Airlines said. The Boeing 757 will be inspected for damage. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/17/us-usa-new-york-airlines-idUSKBN0MD1ZE20150317 Back to Top Civil Aviation Authorities in Africa at odds Coinciding with the start of bilateral talks over a range of issues related to tourism relations between Tanzania and Kenya yesterday, news emerged from Dar es Salaam that the patience of the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) has finally run out. Having designated Fastjet for the route to Nairobi more than 9 months ago, Kenya's Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), a fellow East African Community country, has dragged its feet and obstructed the application. Fastjet, a Tanzanian-registered airline meeting all the nationality requirement global aviation agreements stipulate to get traffic rights from their home country to another country, expressed their frustration repeatedly to their national regulators, and it seems that the long-awaited response finally came down hard. The matter was discussed at the sidelines of the last ICAO Air Services Negotiation Event (ICAN) meeting in Bali, where the Kenyan delegation reportedly treated their Tanzanian counterparts with contempt if not worse. A similar pattern also emerged over RwandAir being granted fifth freedom rights from Uganda to fly on the Entebbe Nairobi route, which KCAA also initially obstructed, then delayed, and finally only granted with a capacity cap in absolute contradiction of the spirit of not just the East African Community (EAC) but more so of the "Coalition of the Willing" (COW) cooperation, aka Northern Corridor Integration Projects. This unique cooperation saw Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya fast-track a number of projects, including a common tourist visa and visa-free travel for expatriates. It, however, took the intervention of the Heads of State to push the aviation accord through, and still the KCAA tried to confuse matters. "I am surprised it took TCAA that long to react. After all you had written about looming consequences already by the end of 2014. I think TCAA gave their colleagues at the KCAA all the time they needed to do the right thing and when it did not happen, the roof finally came down. Fastjet is our airline. They fly to Johannesburg, Lusaka, Harare, and Entebbe, and apart from South Africa had no problems getting landing rights approved. In the case of Johannesburg we all know that SAA [South African Airways] used influence to delay the start of the flights, but they sucked the blood from Tanzanians with overpriced fares and things had to change. Maybe now the Kenyan regulators [will] take notice that TCAA [is] not owing them allegiance [n]or are their pawns. Once the Fastjet issue is resolved, I am sure all will go back to normal very quickly," wrote a Dar es Salaam-based aviation source when breaking the news late last evening. A Nairobi-based aviation source, on condition of anonymity, then added this: "When you are a member of a trade bloc with an aviation accord, when you are a member of the Northern Corridor countries, you got to play by the rules. Our boys at KCAA did not play by the rules. The may have thought they do our airlines a favor, who knows, some airlines, and I do not put it beyond them, might have influence peddled them even to stop competition, but the result now is devastating. It is also, like the spat over access to Jomo Kenyatta by Tanzanian cars, completely unnecessary. Also remember, you wrote about the Qatar Airways chief talking to you about Mombasa flights. Those were also blocked by KCAA. The way tourism is going, it is time to take a leap and open our airports for foreign airlines. If anyone wants to fly from abroad to Mombasa, let them. If our own airlines think that for their convenience passengers must first land in Nairobi, let the market decide who travels with whom. I agree with you, this must be laid at the door of our own regulators, and they have failed us again miserably. Fastjet should also use this opportunity to finally get their own air service license for Kenya so that this business of advertising very low fares and when you travel you pay twice as much comes to an end." The Kenyan delegation now in Arusha for the bilateral tourism talks were taken by surprise when the news broke about the aviation industry now also being embroiled in a tit-for-tat spat, and it can only be hoped that cooler heads prevail and not seek escalation but cooperation from which both countries can benefit. United we stand and divided we fall is all too real and with competitions for the region's beaches from other international countries, and for safaris from other African countries is it increasingly paramount that East Africa moves closer together instead of further apart. Tanzania is clearly challenged to catch up with the fast-tracking, to join the common tourist visa and allow expatriates from the region visa-free travel while Kenyan aviation regulators have to give up their obstinate attitude in blocking partner state airlines from accessing routes into and across Kenya. http://www.eturbonews.com/56649/civil-aviation-authorities-africa-odds Back to Top Back to Top Mexico's Private Jet Sales Outpace Brazil's Amid Economic Growth Mexico is cementing its lead as the world's second-biggest market for private jets, snapping them up at a faster clip than bigger Latin American rival Brazil as it benefits from stronger economic growth. While Mexico has long had a larger standing fleet, it had lagged behind Brazil in annual sales growth. That changed last year, according to planemaker Embraer SA. The direction is likely to continue in 2015 as Mexico's economy is projected to grow while Brazil's is forecast to shrink. "It's a matter of following the money," said Brian Foley, a Sparta, New Jersey-based aerospace consultant, in an e-mail Monday. "It's Mexico's turn for now." Mexico had 873 registered business jets at the end of 2014; Brazil had 854, according to JetNet's annual iQ report, which compiles aircraft data. Even with almost half the population of Brazil, Mexico, with about half the population of Brazil, saw its fleet grew by 4.8 percent last year, compared with Brazil's 3.6 percent increase, according to Embraer, the Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil-based maker of business and commercial jets. "We're so motivated by the Mexican market that we decided to open a sales office in the country," Breno Correa, sales and marketing director for Embraer executive jets in Latin America, said in a telephone interview March 12. "We already have one operations maintenance center in Monterrey and we're looking at installing a second one in or around Mexico City." Mexico's standing as No. 2 in fleet size is due in part to its close proximity to the U.S., which boasts the world's largest private aviation infrastructure, said Rolland Vincent, president of Rolland Vincent Associates in Plano, Texas, an aircraft consultant. Economic Divergence Read MoreWorld Cup Didn't Help Brazil's Economy and the Olympics Won't Either Strong U.S. economic growth also buoys Mexico as it boosts exports that account for about a third of gross domestic product. Mexico's economy expanded at the fastest pace in two years in the fourth quarter and is projected to expand 3.2 percent this year, the fastest pace in three years. That pace "bodes well" for business jet sales, Foley said. Meanwhile in Brazil, the economy contracted for the second month in January and is forecast to shrink 0.3 percent this year. Brazilians are feeling the economic pinch as inflation erodes purchasing power and the unemployment rate surges. Riding a commodities boom earlier this decade, Brazil was on course to surpass Mexico on private jet fleet size, Vincent said. "We were forecasting even a couple of years ago that it was going to overtake Mexico, but things have changed," said Vincent, whose firm provides aviation research reports to JetNets. "Brazil has stalled really and Mexico continues to just chug along." Growth Opportunity For Embraer, Mexico represents a growth opportunity. It expects to expand its 2 percent market share there to 16 percent in the coming years, Correa said, about equivalent to Embraer's global executive jet market share. The sales surge in Mexico can partly be attributed to fleet renewals, according to Embraer. Mexican jets tend to be older than Brazilian ones, with about 80 percent more than 10 years old, compared with 45 percent in Brazil. That presents a big replacement opportunity, Correa said. Aging jets are seen as a safety risk following the 2012 crash of a 43-year-old Learjet that killed Mexican singer Jenni Rivera. "Early on, preowned business jets would go into Mexico after they had served in the U.S.," Vincent said. "That now has transitioned. It's almost completely new purchase activity." Security concerns are another driver of the Mexican private aviation market, Vincent said. Safe, Secure "There is no safer, more secure way to fly than privately and that's really a strong element there," Vincent said. "It's a shame, but that is a reality in that part of the world." While Mexico is a more interesting market this year, Embraer's 10-year study of the industry shows that Brazil will surpass it in the long run, adding as many as 560 jets valued at $9.4 billion, compared with Mexico's 140 jets totaling $3.2 billion. This year, Embraer forecasts global sales of 90 light jets and 40 medium and large jets totaling $1.85 billion, or 28 percent of the company's total revenue. It doesn't break out numbers by country. Embraer has 850 executive jets in the world, 200 of which are based in Latin America. Embraer's best seller is its Phenom, a light jet, the kind that is popular in Mexico because the distances flown tend to be shorter, within the region and to the U.S. In Latin America, light and very light jets make up 54 percent of the fleet compared with 35 percent in Europe, according to a JetNet iQ Report, Vincent said. http://skift.com/2015/03/18/mexicos-private-jet-sales-outpace-brazils-amid-economic-growth/ Back to Top Honda Aero Receives FAA Production Certificate For HF120 Turbofan Jet Engine in North Carolina - First time in 23 years FAA issues Production Certificate to a new company making jet engines in America BURLINGTON, N.C., March 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Honda Aero, Inc. (HAI) announced today that it has been issued a PART 21 Production Certificate from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). HAI is responsible for the production of the GE Honda Aero Engines (GHAE) HF120 turbofan engine that powers the HondaJet and other GHAE customers' aircraft. "This is a great achievement for our team of Honda Aero associates and an important milestone in our effort to meet the needs of customers for the HF120 engine," said HAI President Masahiko Izumi. "Much work has gone into preparing for this certification, and we will continue working to support GE Honda Aero Engines as they prepare for entry into service with the HF120 engine." Initial production of the HF120 engines took place at GE's Lynn facility in Massachusetts. At the end of 2014, HAI started assembly of the HF120 under GHAE's Type Certification (TC) and with FAA oversight. With this program milestone, HAI's Burlington facility can now produce engines under the HAI Production Certificate. HAI is the first company to be awarded a FAA Production Certificate for jet engines in the last 23 years of aviation history. In addition to production of the HF120, HAI Burlington was chosen as the official maintenance, repair, and overhaul site for the engine. This provides the flexibility to better respond to customer demands. About Honda Aero, Inc.Honda Aero, Inc. (HAI) conducts parts procurement, assembly and testing of jet engines at its 82,000-square-foot facility, located adjacent to the Burlington-Alamance County regional airport in Burlington, North Carolina. HAI will also provide engine maintenance and overhaul services for its customers at its Burlington facility. About GE Honda Aero EnginesGE and Honda formed a 50/50 joint venture in 2004, called GE Honda Aero Engines, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The joint company integrates the resources of GE Aviation and Honda Aero, Inc., a Honda subsidiary established to manage its aviation engine business. About the HF120 Turbofan Engine Rated at 2,095 pounds of thrust, the HF120 engine sets new standards of performance in fuel efficiency, durability, and low noise and emissions. HF120 technologies include: A wide-chord, compound, swept front fan blisk, along with composite outlet guide vanes. A high-temperature titanium impeller in the compressor for maximum engine pressure ratio and stall-free performance. A compact reverse-flow configuration combustor and single-stage air-blast fuel nozzles. Advanced materials in the high-pressure (HP) turbine as well as a two-stage low-pressure (LP) turbine and a counter rotating HP and LP spool shaft system. For additional information about GE Honda, please visit our website at http://www.gehonda.com About HondaHonda HMC, -0.13% is the world's largest engine manufacturer, annually producing more than 27 million engines for a wide range of products, including: aircraft, motorcycles, ATVs, generators, marine engines, lawn and garden equipment, and Honda and Acura automobiles. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/honda-aero-receives-faa-production-certificate-for-hf120-turbofan-jet-engine-in-north-carolina-2015-03-17 Back to Top U.S. and Gulf airlines clash at aviation summit Lufthansa Group CEO warns of 'oligarchy' of Gulf carriers (Reuters) - Top executives of U.S. airlines and their Middle East competitors clashed in Washington on Tuesday over whether "open skies" deals are fair, and each side ramped up efforts to sway U.S. regulators at a high-profile forum. U.S. carriers charge the Gulf airlines are benefiting unfairly from government subsidies. A coalition of Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N), United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N), American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O) and their labor unions accused Gulf rivals of receiving more than $40 billion in government subsidies. U.S. carriers say the Gulf airlines benefit unfairly from more than $40 billion in government subsidies that have allowed them to drive down prices and begin pushing U.S. airlines out of key markets. Executives are expected to air their concerns at a conference sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Emirates Airline [EMIRA.UL], Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways have denied receiving improper subsidies, saying U.S. airlines have lost market share in part because of inferior service. Delta, United, and American have called on the Obama administration to address whether to renegotiate open skies agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates The Obama administration has said it takes competition concerns of the U.S. airlines seriously, but remains "committed to the open skies policy" which it says has helped travelers, the U.S. aviation industry and the U.S. economy. On Tuesday, U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster told reporters the panel has asked the administration to look into the subsidy allegations, which he said appear valid. "They're state-owned companies, and they're getting what we believe are infusions of cash, which is not fair," Shuster said. According to prepared remarks reviewed by reporters, American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker plans to tell the conference that subsidies for the Gulf airlines "distort the competitive marketplace," and unless something is done, U.S. airlines, the U.S. economy, and U.S. jobs will pay a very expensive price." Etihad CEO James Hogan delivered a spirited defense of his company, saying the government of Abu Dhabi did provide startup capital and loans, but did so as a rational shareholder, and is expecting and getting returns on its investments. "I don't apologize for anything," Hogan told attendees at a conference sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "Shareholder loans and equity? That's business." U.S. airlines complain that the Gulf airlines are taking away passengers and putting U.S. jobs at risk. Hogan said his airline has helped the United States by buying 787 Dreamliners from Chicago-based Boeing Co., delivering 180,000 passengers a year to the three U.S. airlines that have lodged complaints with the U.S. government and supporting travel to six U.S. cities. As for whether the Gulf airlines are violating the open skies agreements, "that's an issue for the two governments to discuss," Hogan said. Captain Rick Dominguez of the Air Line Pilots Association, which backs the U.S. carriers' complaint, disputed Hogan's contention that government aid to his company was a loan rather than a subsidy. "When you have a loan that has no repayment schedule, and later years is actually forgiven, was it ever a loan?" Dominguez asked. Last week, the European Commission said it will address French and German complaints about alleged subsidies later this year when it proposes a commercial aviation agreement with the Gulf region. Lufthansa Group Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr said at the Chamber event that bilateral agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates "must be reviewed and must be renegotiated." http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/17/us-airlines-summit-open-idUSKBN0MD1JW20150317 Back to Top Boeing Charleston Delivers First 787-9 Aircraft NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft assembled at the company's South Carolina plant has been delivered. The company said Tuesday that the stretch version of the standard Dreamliner has been delivered to United Airlines after assembly was completed in January. Test flights were conducted last month. The aircraft is 20 feet longer and carries more passengers than the standard 787 Dreamliner. It's also the 250th Dreamliner delivered by the company. Two years ago, workers at Boeing's plant in North Charleston began fabrication and assembly work on the rear and mid-fuselage sections for the first Boeing 787-9. Those parts were delivered to the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington, for final assembly. Work on assembling the first 787-9 in South Carolina began last November. http://www.wltx.com/story/news/2015/03/17/boeing-charleston-delivers-first-787-9-aircraft/24897583/ Back to Top Graduate Research Study/Survey You are receiving this message as a courtesy to Ms. Ulreen Jones, a PhD candidate at Florida Institute of Technology's doctoral program in Aviation Sciences in the College of Aeronautics. She is investigating the possible causal factors associated with runway incursions, specifically pilot deviations, and is seeking your assistance to complete an online questionnaire. Ms. Jones endeavors to understand why pilot deviations occur and how airfield design, marking, lighting, and signage may contribute to runway incursions. Please note that this organization does not necessarily support Ms. Jones' study and your participation is strictly voluntary. If you wish to participate, you may access the online survey via the following link: http://pdris.questionpro.com Back to Top Upcoming Events: Fundamentals of IS-BAH March 31, 2015 Houston, TX USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657518 IS-BAH Auditing April 1, 2015 Houston, TX USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657519 Fundamentals of IS-BAH June 15, 2015 St. Hubert, Quebec Canada https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659069 IS-BAH Auditing June 16, 2015 St. Hubert, Quebec Canada https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659079 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 Fundamentals of IS-BAO April 23, 2015 PCAT Safety Smackdown, San Antonio TX USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657525 IS-BAO Auditing April 24, 2015 PCAT Safety Smackdown, San Antonio TX USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1657526 Safety Smackdown Partnership for Corporate Aviation Training San Antonio, TX April 20-22, 2015 http://www.p4cat.org/ WATS 2015 21-23 April Orlando, Florida, USA www.halldale.com/wats ERAU Aircraft Accident Investigation Seminar Daytona Beach, FL Apr. 27-May 1, 2015 www.erau.edu/cmas GWBAA Safety Standdown April 30th NTSB Academy www.gwbaa.com 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 Back to Top JOBS AVAILABLE: AOD Safety Specialist Fedex Express https://www.appone.com/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=1013504 Safety Management System (SMS) Analyst Piedmont Airlines WWW.PIEDMONT-AIRLINES.COM/CAREERS Vice President Aviation Aerosafe Risk Management recruitment@aerosafe.com.au MID-LEVEL AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR/MISHAP INVESTIGATOR General Atomics Aeronautical Systems https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGWEbHost/jobdetails.aspx?partnerid=25539&siteid=5313&AReq=4926BR&Codes=ICLC EXPERIENCED AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR/MISHAP INVESTIGATOR General Atomics Aeronautical Systems https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGWEbHost/jobdetails.aspx?partnerid=25539&siteid=5313&AReq=4927BR&Codes=ICLC Manager Airport Operations Safety in Portland Oregon Alaska Airlines https://tam.alaskaair.com/psc/asjobs/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_JOB_DTL&Action=A&JobOpeningId=25161&SiteId=10&PostingSeq=1 ? Safety Risk Manager Air Astana http://www.aviationjobsearch.com/job/safety-risk-manager/3104396 Curt Lewis