Flight Safety Information May 11, 2015 - No. 091 In This Issue Small plane crashes on Atlanta-area interstate, killing 4 Pilots say poll shows public want strict curbs on flying drones in cities (UK) Airbus crash prompts suspension of A400M jet flights Etihad Airways Jet Diverted for 'Security Reasons' Engine exploded aboard jet refueling tanker Flying Car Crashes During Test Flight The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award PROS 2015 TRAINING Thailand Breaks Air Safety Agreement with Japan Iran Buys 15 Civilian Aircraft To Boost Aging Fleet Qatar Airways conducts aircraft recovery drill Opinion: Here Is A Three-Pronged Approach To Pilot Shortage China reports 12 cases this year of opening airplane emergency doors without authorization The Ugly American: 8 Guaranteed Ways to Get Kicked Off an Airplane Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Position) Aircraft Charter Wanted:. Small plane crashes on Atlanta-area interstate, killing 4 Four people die in plane crash on I-285 just north of Atlanta Plane clipped tractor-trailer, driver says; no motorists injured, officials say Atlanta (CNN)Truck driver Gerald Smith glanced to his right and saw a small plane flying low and toward him as he motored along a busy Atlanta-area highway Friday morning. Smith hit the brakes, an action he thinks saved his life. The plane's occupants couldn't save their own. The single-engine Piper PA-32 passed in front of Smith's decelerating tractor-trailer and crashed on Interstate 285 just north of Atlanta, killing all four people aboard and severely snarling traffic on the bypass that encircles the city, officials said. No one on the ground was injured, DeKalb County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Eric Jackson said, even though the plane hit the highway shortly after rush hour, at about 10 a.m. "Whoever was in that plane, my heart goes out to their family," Smith told CNN Atlanta affiliate WSB. "Just a normal workday for me (is now) a day I'll never forget, because somebody's life was taken." Grady Gideon Byrd told CNN that his son, 53-year-old Greg Byrd, and two grandsons, Christopher, 27, and Phillip, 25, were on the plane. Christopher's fiancee, Jackie Kulzer, also was on board, according to the elder Byrd. The four on board were headed to the University of Mississippi for graduation ceremonies Saturday for Greg Byrd's younger son, Robert, according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Greg Byrd, the pilot, was a small-business owner there. Before that, he served in the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office. "He loved life, he was adventurous. He really did a great job at the sheriff's office," Sheriff Van Duncan told the newspaper. http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/08/us/atlanta-highway-plane-crash/ Back to Top Pilots say poll shows public want strict curbs on flying drones in cities (UK) British Airline Pilots Association says half of those surveyed back training for drone operators and prison sentences for endangering aircraft A 'quadcopter' drone. A man has recently become the first to be prosecuted in Britain over allegations that he flew a drone over football grounds and parliament. Most people think there should be stricter rules on the qualifications for flying a drone in urban areas, according to a new report. A survey of more than 2,000 adults by the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) also showed that half think there should be prison sentences for those flying drones in a way that endangers an aircraft. The study, which will be presented on Monday at a drone safety summit organised by UK pilots, revealed that about a third of those polled think no one should be able to fly drones over urban areas. Jim McAuslan, Balpa general secretary, said: "Drone technology is taking off and we want to make sure the country can benefit from the business and leisure opportunities that it could offer without putting flight safety at risk. Pilots and the public want the UK to be a 'safe drone zone' and these polling results show that the public backs stricter laws on training for drone pilots and punishment for endangering aircraft. "The UK can lead the way on safely introducing small drones and set the standard for the passenger aircraft of the future," he said. "Pilots are also calling for the British public to be informed, involved and consulted before companies fly large, remotely piloted aircraft over their homes and alongside their passenger planes." A man was charged in March for allegedly flying a drone over landmarks including the Houses of Parliament and several football stadiums. Under the Air Navigation Order 2009, people must get permission from the Civil Aviation Authority to fly drones - also known as unmanned aerial vehicles - within 150 metres of any congested area, any large open-air assembly or within 50 metres of any vessel, vehicle or structure not under the control of the person operating the drone. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/11/pilots-say-poll-shows-public-want-strict-curbs-on- flying-drones-in-cities Back to Top Airbus crash prompts suspension of A400M jet flights Visitors watch as an Airbus A400M military transporter lands after a demonstration flight at the ILA Berlin Air Show on June 9, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The A-400M is a joint product between several European nations. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Air forces across Europe suspended flights of the Airbus Group NV A400M after one of the military transport aircraft crashed near Seville, Spain, killing four people. Britain's Royal Air Force and Germany's Luftwaffe both said they'd pause operations of the plane until the reasons for the crash become clear. The aircraft that went down on Saturday was several minutes into a first test flight before being delivered to Turkey. Germany has just one unit so far. France will only permit "priority flights in operations already underway," Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a meeting of European defense ministers in Lorient, western France. Among the six people on the plane, all Spanish employees of Airbus, four were killed and two seriously injured, Airbus said. The accident occurred about 1 p.m. local time Saturday, about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) north of Seville's San Pablo Airport. Airbus said it's investigating the circumstances of the disaster and has dispatched a special team. Airbus A400M crash prompts suspension of flights The incident is the first crash of an A400M. Television news coverage showed the aircraft, which carried the manufacturing serial number 23, completely destroyed and a large plume of black smoke rising over the scene. Photos supplied by the local government indicate the plane went down in a field, with wreckage strewn across a wide area and fire services on site to extinguish the blaze. "It's a human tragedy, but an accident like this does not indicate a design flaw that would jeopardize the program" said Richard Aboulafia, vice president of Teal Group, an aviation advisory firm based in Fairfax, Virginia. Germany's only A400M so far was delivered in December and is still undergoing tests. The country has ordered 53 in total, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry said. Britain has two of the aircraft, according to a Ministry of Defense spokeswoman. France already has six A400Ms that Airbus started delivering since Sept. 2013 and is expecting to get 3 more this year. The four-engine turboprop transporter is assembled in Seville, in southern Spain, and the aircraft has started service with armed forces in France, Germany, Turkey and the U.K. The aircraft that crashed was to have been Turkey's third such purchase and delivered in June. The A400M is Europe's most costly defense program, aimed at improving the region's military-transport capabilities by replacing models already several decades old. Airbus has spent years haggling with governments over order numbers and follow-up financing as costs escalated and the A400M had to overcome technical and software issues. Airbus typically performs two or three test flights on a production plane before it's handed over to the customer. Saturday's flight was the first for MSN023. The A400M competes with Lockheed Martin Corp.'s smaller Hercules and Boeing Co.'s C-17. Airbus has said the plane handles short, poorly prepared runways better than the C-17 and can carry bulkier cargo than Lockheed's model. The A400M program is more than 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) over budget at 25 billion euros. Customers including Germany and the U.K. have cut the number of A400Ms they're taking, and further cancellations are possible. At one point, cost overruns became so overwhelming that Airbus Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders threatened to scrap the plane. The program was sapping money and engineers on a scale that put the entire company at risk, he said at the time. Even now, after the plane has moved into serial production, the program remains dogged by delays. Airbus said last month that it would deliver just two A400s to Germany instead of five this year. Airbus, which relies chiefly on sales of its civilian airliners, appointed Fernando Alonso, head of flight test operations at the company, to lead the military aircraft unit amid repeated delays and quality shortfalls. http://www.seattletimes.com/business/airbus-a400m-crash-prompts-suspension-of-flights/ ***************** Status: Preliminary Date: Saturday 9 May 2015 Time: 12:57 Type: Airbus A400M Atlas Operator: Airbus Industrie Registration: EC-403 C/n / msn: 023 First flight: 2015-05-09 () Engines: 4 Europrop TP400-D6 Crew: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 6 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 6 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: ca 4 km NE of Sevilla Airport (SVQ) ( Spain) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Test Departure airport: Sevilla Airport (SVQ/LEZL), Spain Destination airport: Sevilla Airport (SVQ/LEZL), Spain Narrative: An Airbus A400M Atlas military transport plane was destroyed when it crashed near Sevilla Airport (SVQ), Spain during a test flight. Two of the six crew members survived the accident. The aircraft took off from runway 09 at 12:54 hours local time. The pilot, co-pilot, a mechanic and three engineers were conducting a test flight from Sevilla Airport (SVQ). The aircraft was built at the Airbus plant at Sevilla and was intended for the Turkish Air Force. According to El Pais, the crew radioed that they were returning due to 'problems'. The aircraft struck powerlines at 12:57 hours and impacted a field and burned. www.aviation-safety.net Back to Top Etihad Airways Jet Diverted for 'Security Reasons' After threatening tweets by Islamic State supporters specifically named the flight, an Etihad Airways jet making a flight from Cairo to United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi was diverted to a Dubai military base Sunday, according to the Associated Press. Etihad Flight 650 deviated from its normal route for "security reasons," the airlines told AP. After landing at al-Minhad air base, the 128 passengers and seven crew, along with their luggage, were subjected to additional security screenings. The Airbus A321 was also searched. Nothing suspicious was found. Etihad did not provide any details of the threat to the AP, but apparently recent tweets by Islamic State sympathizers were threatening to airplanes, and Flight 650 was mentioned specifically. It was the second recent scare for a UAE carrier. Monday saw an Air Arabia jet flying from Kuwait to Sharjah, UAE diverted to al-Minhad after a passenger declared the plane would explode. According to the AP, the UAE is an important ally to the West, and member of the U.S.-led coalition making airstrikes against the Islamic State group, which has taken over about a third of Iraq and Syria. These threats hit the country right in one of its most important industries. The UAE is home to Emirates, the biggest airline in the Middle East, and Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest international airport. http://www.travelpulse.com/news/impacting-travel/etihad-airways-jet-diverted-for-security-reasons.html Back to Top Engine exploded aboard jet refueling tanker An aerial refueling tanker landed safely last month in Victorville after an explosion in one of its four jet engines, federal crash investigators say. The emergency affected the civilian Boeing 707's left outboard engine soon after takeoff April 10 from Point Mugu Naval Air Station in Ventura County on a planned flight to Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville. "After departure from Pt. Mugu..., a heavy vibration was felt in engine No. 1 as the airplane was climbing through 17,000 feet," according to the preliminary report of the National Transportation Safety Board. "The engine was shut down at (21,000 feet). The pilots reported that parts could be seen exiting the turbine section of the engine." The landing in Victorville was uneventful. But an examination of the engine uncovered damaged turbine blades, holes in the turbine exhaust case, a hole in the engine cowl, and a small puncture in a trim tab on the left outboard aileron. None of the five persons aboad the plane were hurt. The specially modified plane was built in 1968 as a civilian jetliner and is owned by Omega Air Inc., which contracts with the military to provide in-flight refueling for military aircraft. http://www.pe.com/articles/engine-766933-victorville-turbine.html Back to Top Flying Car Crashes During Test Flight A flying car crashed during a test flight in Slovakia on Friday. The Aeromobil car was piloted by Stefan Klein, a co-founder of the company. Klein was able to deploy a parachute for the vehicle, which is said to have helped ease the severity of the impact. Witnesses near the Nitra Janíkovce airport described seeing the flying car go into a tailspin before the parachute was deployed. Klein was taken to the hospital and released without any serious injuries. However, the flying car wasn't so lucky. Judging by the photos taken at the scene, the vehicle sustained fairly serious damage. If the Aeromobil name sounds familiar, that's because it has been the Great Flight Hope of flying car nerds recently. The vehicle has been featured prominently in magazines and newspapers around the world, with promises that the flying car is now just around the corner. The company has even claimed that they could release the vehicle by 2017. For what it's worth, the company is putting on a brave public face, saying that crashes are all part of the struggles to get experimental vehicles operational. "The detailed data and overall experience from this test flight will be thoroughly analyzed and the results will be used in the ongoing R&D and improvements of the prototype," Aeromobil said in a statement released yesterday. "Testing of the current prototype 3.0 and further product development will continue after the replacement of the damaged parts." It's unclear if this will impact the company's planned public release of the vehicle within the next two years. But honestly, we weren't holding our breath, even before this weekend's crash. Below, a photo of what the Aeromobil flying car looks like when it's not all munted. http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/flying-car-crashes-during-test-flight-1703473218 Back to Top The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award It's time to honor individuals or groups that have made significant contributions to aviation safety-either in the past year or over a longer period of time. Nominations for the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award are being accepted through June 1, 2015. The release contains detailed instructions, but the basics are simple. The award's recipient is selected for a "significant individual or group effort contributing to improving aviation safety, with emphasis on original contributions," and a "significant individual or group effort performed above and beyond normal responsibilities." To nominate someone or a group, fill out the form available at the following links and provide a 1-2-page narrative. Submit nominations at the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award website via http://ltbaward.org/the-award/nomination-form/ ...or the Flight Safety Foundation website at http://flightsafety.org/aviation-awards/laura-taber-barbour-air-safety-award Remember--this year's nominations are due on or before June 1. Thank you in advance for your nomination! Sincerely, The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award Board www.ltbaward.org Back to Top Back to Top Thailand Breaks Air Safety Agreement with Japan A Thai Airways Airbus A330-300 lands at Chang Mai International Airport in Thailand. (Photo: Gabriele Stoia) Thailand's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has come under fire over failing to update Japanese authorities about safety issues raised in a January audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Under a memorandum of understanding signed last month, the DCA agreed to submit regular updates to the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), outlining its progress in rectifying security concerns raised by the UN agency. In return the JCAB lifted a charter-flight ban on six Thai-registered carriers, including Thai Airways, NokScoot, Asian Air, Jet Asia, Asia Atlantic Airlines and Air Asia X. The agreement allows the airlines to operate charter flights to Japan from April 11 to May 31. Thailand's Transport Minister Air Marshal Prajin Juntong said that Japanese authorities had recently contacted the DCA's director-general Somchai Phiphuttawat over breaking the agreement. In response, Prajin said that a committee is pending to improve communications between the two countries. In the wake of January's audit, Thailand's aviation sector faces a massive shakeup to improve regulatory oversight. While countries in Southeast Asia do not impose flight bans on airlines for failing to uphold ICAO standards, Asian countries, including Japan and South Korea, restrict airlines that fail ICAO audits. In early April, both countries banned several Thai-registered airlines but have since eased restrictions. The Thai DCA has begun drafting a detailed corrective action plan, which it expects to finalize by May 6. It plans to present the plan to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on May 10 before forwarding it to ICAO and the JCAB. ICAO expects to release the results of its audit of the action plan on its website on June 18. As part of the new plan, the DCA promises to tighten laws and draft new regulations regarding the issuing of air operating licenses and air operator certificates, as well the transportation of hazardous materials. In February, Thai authorities suspended the licenses of seven cargo airlines for failing to follow aviation safety protocol. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will come to Thailand in mid-July to launch its own inspections of aviation licensing and airport security. Several Thai airports have recently come under scrutiny for failing to properly screen travelers and goods, including six main airports under the public company, Airports of Thailand, and several operated by the DCA. Plans call for a new airport authority to replace the DCA while preparations get under way for a new, separate aviation regulator. ICAO will conduct a more comprehensive audit of Thailand's aviation sector in 2016 under the Universal Security Audit Program Continuous Monitoring Approach. Prajin has pledged to address issues in all 41 airlines operating in the county by June and will meet with ICAO delegates to address next year's audit. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2015-05-06/thailand-breaks-air-safety-agreement- japan Back to Top Iran Buys 15 Civilian Aircraft To Boost Aging Fleet Iran says it has bought 15 second-hand civilian aircraft in the last three months in a move to modernize an aging fleet hit by U.S. sanctions that restrict trade of aircraft and parts. ISNA news agency on May 10 quoted Transport Minister Abbas Akhoondi as saying nine of the planes had been obtained in the past week, without specifying who had sold them or how they had been bought. The report did not identify the type of aircraft purchased. "With the arrival of these new aircraft, the average age of the active planes in Iran has fallen from 20 years to 19 years," Akhoondi was quoted as saying. A ban on the sale of spare parts was eased under an interim nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in late 2013. However, the U.S. sanctions regime still restricts sales of aircraft. Iranian airlines have suffered several deadly crashes in recent years due to mechanical failures. http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-buys-civilian-aircraft-aging-fleet/27009601.html Back to Top Qatar Airways conducts aircraft recovery drill Participants in the exercise pose with officials. Qatar Airways recently conducted its sixth annual aircraft recovery equipment exercise, Qatar Airways Disabled Aircraft Recovery (QDAR), providing training and safety preparation scenarios for professionals from across the aviation industry in Qatar and the Middle East. The QDAR annual exercise was held on the premises of Doha International Airport and focused on how to use the airline's comprehensive recovery kit to retrieve a disabled aircraft, according to a statement. Qatar Airways was the first airline globally to invest in an aircraft recovery kit, for recovering wide and narrow-body aircraft from across the Middle East and any other part of the world. The A380 equipment is one of four kits available in the world and consists of tools to recover any wide- body aircraft, including the Airbus A380, A350 and Boeing B787. The recent training exercise involved demonstrating how the different equipment in the kit works, with the apparatus including spreader bars, multi slings, cranes, low pressure bags and tethering kits for salvaging both narrow and wide-body aircraft. Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker said: "Qatar Airways is enhancing global aviation safety with our commitment to investing in the highest standards of recovery equipment and comprehensive training for industry professionals."This recovery kit is an asset not only for Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport but for the entire airline industry." There are 12 complete recovery kits worldwide, including that of Qatar Airways, with the full equipment for the A380 owned by Qatar Airways being the first-of-its-kind anywhere in the world, the statement added. Qatar Airways senior vice-president (Group Safety and Security) Ashish Jain said: "We have successfully completed our sixth annual aircraft recovery exercise, ensuring that the airline's rigorous safety and training measures are met. "Safety is of the highest priority for Qatar Airways and we are committed to providing a thorough training programme for Qatar Airways employees and all QDAR members, ensuring that the equipment is ready for any crisis." The Qatar Airways aircraft recovery kit is fully mobilised. As Qatar Airways is a member of the International Airline Technical Pool, it can provide disabled aircraft recovery services anywhere in the world. http://www.gulf-times.com/qatar/178/details/438699/qatar-airways-conducts-aircraft-recovery-drill Back to Top Opinion: Here Is A Three-Pronged Approach To Pilot Shortage May 8, 2015 Alan Diehl | Aviation Week & Space Technology Boeing has estimated there will be a global shortage of 533,000 pilots over the next 20 years. This situation comes as no surprise. It has resulted from the combined effects of decreased military flight training, soaring civilian instruction costs and the recently mandated increase in hours for U.S. airline first officers. This shortage will grow as many senior pilots reach their mandatory retirement age. Combined, these issues demand we consider measures to address the problem. Much has been written about this topic, including the Viewpoint by Capt. Lee Moak suggesting there is really no shortage in the U.S. that could not be solved with higher pay, and one by William Swelbar that largely blamed the unions for allowing diminutive regional pilot salaries to subsidize their well-heeled counterparts flying for the mainline airlines. Regional carriers now operate more than half of all U.S. flights. Some believe the pilot shortage has become acute because of low starting salaries. Unions and the U.S. Government Accountability Office have noted there is theoretically an untapped pool of individuals with Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) licenses, thereby suggesting inadequate compensation is the primary cause of this shortage. However, another scientific study is needed to estimate how many of these qualified pilots would consider flying for regional carriers and what starting salaries would be required to attract them. Would an increase from the current $25,000 range to, say, $35,000 be adequate? If not, how about $45,000? And so on. Such a study is needed because many of these individuals may already have other, more lucrative careers. Thus, it is doubtful that enhancing starting salaries per se is the answer, but we need to get the data to know the real impact. While better pay should help, it is unlikely to be a panacea, so government and industry leaders should evaluate other innovative solutions. Three potential remedies come to mind: 1. Reestablish the Civilian Pilot Training Program This program, which originated in 1939 to help alleviate a critical aviator shortage just before World War II, could provide scholarships to highly qualified individuals who want airline pilot careers but cannot afford the $100,000-plus required for such training. The cost of this program might be funded by an increase in the federal passenger boarding fee. With more than 764 million enplanements per year, a $2 increase in the levy would generate more than $1.5 billion annually and could produce thousands of additional pilots. To receive such scholarships, students could be obligated to serve a specified period as U.S. commercial pilots or in the active or reserve armed forces. 2. Raise the Mandatory Retirement Age Another helpful action would be to increase the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots. Japan has already raised its maximum age to 67. In 2009, after several comprehensive studies, the FAA raised the U.S. age limit to 65 from 60. As a research psychologist in the FAA's Office of Aviation Medicine, I reviewed much of the data used to modify this regulation. There appears to have been little if any impact on airline safety since that change was implemented. Raising this age to 70, perhaps in increments, should now be considered. However, establishing a cadre of "aviation behavioral examiners" might be needed. They, along with aviation medical examiners, periodically could evaluate whether aging pilots continue to be fit to fly. These clinicians also could help monitor the mental health of aviators who are identified as having potential problems, as was obviously the case for the Germanwings Flight 9525 copilot. 3. Adopt an Enhanced Multi-Crew Pilot (MCP) License The International Civil Aviation Organization approved the MCP license concept in 2006. Thus, in many countries, airline first officers are now only required to have 240 hr., usually at highly structured ground schools and with extensive training in sophisticated simulators. Furthermore, several major international carriers have used similar ab initio training programs for decades, and the U.S. military has always allowed first officers with less than 300 hr. to fly its transports. While the MCP standards are minimal, an enhanced version of the program would better address the needs of U.S. airlines. I have proposed an Airline Transport Copilot (ATC) license. This ATC license would require that instrument-rated, commercial pilots pass the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) written and knowledge exams and obtain first-class medical certificates. These applicants should then receive a minimum of 25 additional hr. of airline-oriented flight training and at least 100 hr. of academic training in such subjects as cockpit automation, turbine engines, next-generation air traffic management, high-altitude operations and crew resource management (CRM). ATC applicants should also undergo a minimum of 25 additional hr. in Level C or D (full-motion) flight simulators. Finally, these applicants would be required to pass ATP-like check rides conducted in glass cockpit-equipped multiengine aircraft and/or simulators capable of representing modern turbine-powered airliners. The hiring carrier would then be responsible for ensuring that ATC-rated airmen, after careful screening, are type-rated in their assigned equipment. And they should only fly with experienced captains (those having a minimum of 3,000 hr.). These neophyte copilots should undergo simulator or aircraft check rides every six months until they upgrade their ATCs to ATPs. During that period, they also should be enrolled in a continuing-education program. Organizations such the Flight Safety Foundation, the Air Line Pilots Association and the FAA's own Civil Aerospace Medical Institute have developed a host of valuable training materials. The FAA could develop a list of approved courses, most or all of which could be taken online. This type of highly structured training and certification regimen would be far superior to the current system, where a typical applicant accumulates most of the required 1,500 hr. by instructing students in general-aviation aircraft. This new system would also benefit such pilots, because even though regional first-officer pay might still be low, it would be far better than spending a couple of years eking out a living as a flight instructor. Furthermore, the endless hours spent watching students drone around traffic patterns does little to prepare a pilot to assume airline first-officer duties. Lastly, some regional airlines complain they are now forced to hire pilots with more than 1,500 hr., rather than other candidates with much better qualifications. The advent of an ATC program should not negate the current FAA Restricted ATP training requirements. That program allows military aviators to become airline pilots with as little as 750 hr., or aviation majors with degrees from four-year colleges with 1,000 hr., and those from two-year programs with 1,250 hr. In fact, the ATC concept should become an element of the Restricted ATP program to comply with the congressional mandate resulting from the Colgan Air Flight 3407 accident. Ironically, both pilots in that crash had well over 1,500 hr. Their problems involved fatigue, misunderstanding cockpit automation and crew resource management. Another cogent argument for establishing the ATC license is to promote harmonization with the widely accepted training requirements of other nations. Given clarion warnings of a global pilot shortfall by the likes of Boeing, our government and industry leaders need to address this issue in a timely fashion. That may involve looking past interest groups with agendas that want to point fingers at "greedy unions" or "penny-pinching airline managers" and even some highly experienced individual pilots who complain that they have taken foreign airline jobs because of low pay in the U.S. or union-imposed seniority practices. Clearly the time has come to stop the acrimony and pull together to address this problem. The best solution is the multipronged approach involving those concepts outlined above. And my notional suggestions on various minimal hours should be evaluated by a panel of independent experts before the FAA commits to rule-making. Obviously, all these changes must be implemented without compromising the U.S.'s outstanding airline safety record. Thinking back to the most recent U.S. catastrophic accidents-such as American Airlines Flight 587, Colgan 3407 and Comair 5191-or the even more recent losses by various overseas carriers including Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, TransAsia, and, yes, even Germanwings, none of the tragic events seems to have been associated with a lack of flying skills due to pilot inexperience. The ideal airline pilot candidate is an Air Force Academy graduate with 2,000-plus hr. in C-17s, but the numbers just are not there. Our industry may want to take a page from the American medical playbook. When that industry discovered there were just not enough physicians, they developed nurse-practitioner and physician-assistant programs to fill the gap. Maybe it's time with this nation's airline industry to wake up and smell the Jet A. Diehl holds an ATP license and a certified flight instructor rating and spent more than 40 years as an aircraft designer, NTSB investigator, FAA psychologist and U.S. Air Force technical adviser. He drafted the NTSB recommendation that launched CRM training, analyzed the FAA requirements for certifying automated two-pilot airliners and trained Air Force One crews. He is the author of Air Safety Investigators: Using Science to Save Lives-One Crash at a Time. http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/opinion-here-three-pronged-approach-pilot-shortage Back to Top China reports 12 cases this year of opening airplane emergency doors without authorization BEIJING - Authorities say passengers in China have opened airplane emergency doors without authorization 12 times this year during taxiing or while at a standstill, and one of the passengers has been put on trial in the country's first such legal case. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said Monday that the man, identified only by his family name of Piao, is standing trial on a charge of endangering public safety. The agency says he opened an emergency door on an Asiana Airlines flight without authorization on Feb. 12 when the plane was taxiing, prompting the flight crew to take emergency measures to halt the flight. With its growing middle class, China is seeing record numbers of air travelers, many of them flying for the first time. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/05/11/china-reports-12-cases-this-year-opening-airplane- emergency-doors-without/ Back to Top The Ugly American: 8 Guaranteed Ways to Get Kicked Off an Airplane By Hollis Gillespie The Ugly American: 8 Guaranteed Ways to Get Kicked Off an Airplane 1. Drink Too Much Flight attendants harbor huge resentment for partying passengers, probably because they don't want to trapped in a flying metal tube hostage to a bunch of bloviating drunks for hours on end. And if you really want to piss off the cabin crew, belt a few back at the airport bar and be drunk before you even board the plane. They'll block you at the door and make you dry out in a curled-up wad on the floor of the food court before they let you back onboard. 2. Insult the Flight Attendants Verbally abusive passengers used to be gamely tolerated on airplanes, but now flight attendants are given broad liberty in their interpretation of the term "security risk." An insult-spewing passenger is a risk to the safety of the other passengers because he is deflecting the attention of the cabin crew from their safety- related duties. See? 3. Joke About Bombs Say anything, no matter how vague, that has a fraction of a chance of being loosely construed as a joke about a bomb. People are touchy. It's not even that they're afraid you really have a bomb-they're afraid you're insane for saying anything that would cause the cabin crew to bring up the question, and nobody wants to be stuck on a plane with an insane person. 4. Try to Open the Door Midflight You can't open an aircraft door midflight, because the cabin pressure seals it shut, but still it freaks the other passengers out if you're acting insane-because attempting to open an aircraft door at 30,000 feet is insane-and again nobody wants to be stuck on a plane with an insane person. 5. Smoke Smoking was once allowed on airplanes. In fact, airplanes used to be nothing but flying capsules of heavy carcinogenic fog, but then the day came when officials figured out that having a hundred individual little fires onboard an aircraft inflight was bad for business, seeing as how killing your customers causes a big decline in return patronage and all. So now if you light up a cigarette you can expect to be tackled, hogtied and tossed out onto the tarmac. 6. Refuse to Sit Down There is absolutely, 100 percent, without a doubt, nothing a flight attendant hates worse, probably, than a passenger who won't sit down during taxi and takeoff. If you are so hell bent on stretching your legs at this time, then be prepared to walk to your destination, because the plane is going back to the gate and your ass is getting kicked off. 7. Get in a Fight It's best to avoid brawling on airplanes, because brawls tend to escalate, spread to other aisles and then the people who aren't fighting try to run away from the people who are, which causes a sudden shift in weight of the aircraft, which causes the wings to pitch and everybody to die. So if a flight attendant so much as senses the anger molecules emanating from your pores as you board the plane, she'll probably have you tossed off just to bypass the probability of a fight. 8. Cry Like a Baby A new trend in aircraft-cabin intolerance involves crying babies and the prompt removal of them, along with their parents, from the flight. Whether this is a good or a bad thing depends on which side of the diaper you're on. Hollis Gillespie writes a weekly travel column for Paste. She is a writing instructor, travel expert and author of We Will be Crashing Shortly, coming out in June. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/05/8-guaranteed-ways-to-get-kicked-off-an-airplane.html Back To The Top Upcoming Events: ERAU Aviation SMS Seminar Daytona Beach, FL May 12-14, 2015 www.erau.edu/sms Aircraft Accident Investigation - Fire and Material Failures New course offered by BlazeTech Corp. Woburn MA USA 19-21 May 2015 www.blazetech.com 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 6th Pan American Aviation Safety Summit June 22-26th Medellin, Colombia http://www.alta.aero/safety/2015/home.php Safety Management Systems Training & Workshop Course offered by ATC Vantage Inc. Tampa, FL August 6-7, 2015 www.atcvantage.com/training Back to Top JOBS AVAILABLE: Operations Director www.helioffshore.org contact: info@helioffshore.org Managing Director, Safety Airlines for America http://airlines.org/careers/ Curt Lewis