Flight Safety Information May 14, 2015 - No. 094 In This Issue Tech Issues Slow Retrieval Of A400M Crash Data SD houses SADC Aviation Safety Organisation FAA chief: We won't extend deadline to change aircraft tracking equipment Fatal crash plane 'was overweight', says air accident report (Scotland) Cape Air's Pilot Shortage and Future Aircraft Order Spirit flight delayed when all TSA agents go home UNDER THE WEATHER: WHAT'S WRONG WITH METEOROLOGY TRAINING The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award PROS 2015 TRAINING Private Jet Company Cuts Production Due to Rough Times for Russian Oligarchs Shrinking Russia Jet Fleet Threatens Airbus-Boeing Order Backlog United Airlines to lease up to 25 used aircraft from AerCap Holdings European space agencies inaugurate altered-gravity aircraft Global Training and Development Study Aviation Master of Science at City University London Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Tech Issues Slow Retrieval Of A400M Crash Data PARIS - The French air accident investigation authority is assisting Spain in probing the crash of an A400M airlifter May 9 near Seville, though engineers are having trouble extracting data from the military aircraft's flight recorders, according to the French Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Accidents Defense (BEAD). "There are technical issues in reading the system, and it is a question of compatibility between systems, so we are still trying to extract data," French Gen. Bruno Caïtucoli, head of BEAD, told Aviation Week in a May 13 interview. "We offered our help and the Spanish accepted it." He added that Spanish investigators had traveled here with the so-called black boxes, which are currently at a military test facility in Saclay. "They came to us in France," he said. Caïtucoli said Spanish authorities initiated the crash investigation over the weekend, after a test flight of the Airbus A400M MSN23 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing four crewmembers and leaving two in the hospital in serious condition. Spain's CITAAM - the Spanish body responsible for investigating military aircraft accidents - is now leading the investigation, with assistance from BEAD and the civil Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses (BEA). French defense procurement agency DGA, whose propulsion testing facility in Saclay provides air accident investigation support for incidents involving aero engines and data mining of flight recorders, also is supporting the effort. "Our investigation is designated a 'safety investigation' and will identify causes of the accident, offer an explanation and provide recommendations so that such an accident does not happen again," he said, adding that the probe had initially been designated a technical inquiry. However, since the flight recorders' arrival in Saclay, Caïtucoli said engineers have encountered technical issues that have slowed the data mining process. "The extracting system we are using belongs to the DGA," Caïtucoli said, noting that the problem appeared to be a compatibility issue between the recorders and the DGA's data reading system, rather than an issue with the condition of the recorders themselves. Caïtucoli said the French agencies have not set a timeline for completing their role in the investigation. "Our engineers are working on it," he said. In the meantime, the Spanish defense ministry has temporarily revoked the flight-test permit for production A400M aircraft that are being prepared for delivery in the wake of the crash. The six-member Airbus crew was conducting the first flight of MSN23, an aircraft destined for Turkey, when it experienced difficulties shortly after takeoff from Seville's San Pablo airport. As the crew maneuvered the aircraft to return to the airfield, it struck power lines and came down on agricultural land near an airport industrial estate 1.5 km northeast of the airport. Airbus Defense and Space is continuing development testing of the airlifter, and completed a scheduled test flight of A400M MSN4 on May 12. The aircraft, which flew from Toulouse to Seville, is the first A400M flight since the crash. Airbus has delivered 12 A400Ms to five nations since 2013: six to France, two to Britain, two to Turkey, one to Germany and one to Malaysia, the airlifter's first and only export customer. http://aviationweek.com/defense/tech-issues-slow-retrieval-a400m-crash-data Back to Top SD houses SADC Aviation Safety Organisation SWAZILAND will now have the privilege of being home to a Southern African aviation safety organisation. The organisation, known as the SADC Aviation Safety Organisation (SASO), is responsible for overseeing that all safety precautions in the aviation industry are strictly adhered to. The organisation does that in all the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states and has been previously based in Botswana. Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority (SWACAA) Director General Solomon Dube said this comes as a result of an audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on Swaziland. He said the audit was conducted in 2007. "Swaziland was conducted over eight critical areas of safety in the aviation industry," said Dube. Dube said one of the critical areas that were looked at was to see if the civil aviation authority in this country did have independence in executing its duties. "The critical area requires that any civil aviation authority in a country must speedily take decisions and not seek consultations elsewhere before doing such," he said. Dube said the second critical area was to see if the regulations implementing the aviation act were according to the set standards. He said the third one focused on the civil aviation organisation itself. "It makes sure that the organisational structure does cover all the annexes to the ICAO convention," he said. Dube said the fourth critical area focused on the qualification of staff of the authority. He said it made sure that all the staff members of the authority were recently continuously qualified to work for the authority. The DG went on to mention that the fifth critical area focused on the availability of documents that were to be used by a technical staff of the authority to check if an airplane was worthy for human consumption. "These documents are to be used as a guideline for the staff to do this work without being biased," he said. He said the sixth critical element looked at the licensing of the airlines that would be working in the industry. "When licensing the airlines in the industry, it is critical that you make sure all the five above- mentioned critical elements are observed," he said. Dube said the seventh element obliged states to make sure that there was continuous surveillance to make sure that safety precautions were always observed in the aviation industry. The eighth element, according to the DG, made sure that there was severe punishment on any person or organisation that violated the safety standards in the aviation industry. "For example, the 1968 Aviation Act, which was replaced by the 2009 Civil Aviation Authority Act, stipulated that a pilot who was found with no license was given a fine of E2 000," he said. He then highlighted now that a fine of up to E200 000 could be demanded from anyone who violated the regulation of the 2009 Act. Dube said when the ICAO audited Swaziland against the eight critical elements, it was found that the country was only 16 percent compliant to the ICAO safety standards. "ICAO then advised us to meet all the eight critical elements if we want airplanes to fly to Swaziland," he said. He said the first thing they did was to come up with the 2009 Act which set up SWACAA in 2010 adding that the regulations that implemented the 2009 act were then passed in parliament in 2011. "We also took our staff for training as part of meeting the ICAO standards. In the past there was only one director and only one inspector. ICAO did not want only one inspector. So we had to train more inspectors to thoroughly inspect all airplanes to work in the industry," he said. He said that was when they, as a country, decided to suggest that SASO should come and be headquartered here in Swaziland. "SASO was based in Botswana, so we thought it would be good for them to come and have offices in Swaziland. They said as part of the requirement for having them here, we must provide office space and furniture, which we have now here. We have been talking to them now to come and use the offices because we had been renting them for a year now," he said. He said part of the reason why Swaziland was hosting this year's meeting of SASO was for the organisation to familiarise themselves with the office space. "We expect them to work here before the end of the year if it all goes well," he said. http://www.observer.org.sz/business/72730-sd-houses-sadc-aviation-safety-organisation.html Back to Top FAA chief: We won't extend deadline to change aircraft tracking equipment Michael Huerta, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration Aircraft owners have until Jan. 1, 2020, to update their aircraft to be compliant with new satellite-based aircraft tracking technology, and it's a deadline the Federal Aviation Administration's top officer told stakeholders in Wichita this week that won't be changed. The technology, known as ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast), will be the cornerstone of the FAA's Next Generation Air Transportation System, dubbed NexGen. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told the Wichita Aero Club on Tuesday that the requirement for operators to have 100-equipage by the deadline is set in stone. FAA chief stresses importance of partnerships to aviation's future But, he added, the FAA is working with industry partners to ensure a smooth transition. Throughout his speech to the Aero Club, Huerta repeatedly referred to the importance of innovation in aviation, and the move to the NextGen system will be a series of innovations that will influence the nation's airspace, aircraft owners, manufacturers and pilots for decades to come. Aircraft will be required to be equipped with ADS-B Out technology by the deadline, which transmits information about airspeed, location and altitude collected through GPS. That information is transmitted to ground stations and other equipped aircraft in the area. Air traffic controllers can use the data for more precise traffic management. ADS-B, though not part of the mandate, allows equipped aircraft to receive traffic and weather information. According to information from the Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association, the cost of upgrading to be compliant with the mandate - $5,000 to $6,000 - has been a hindrance. The FAA estimated that only 10 percent of the general aviation fleet had been upgraded at the end of fiscal year 2014. http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/blog/2015/05/faa-chief-we-won-t-extend-deadline-to-change.html Back to Top Fatal crash plane 'was overweight', says air accident report (Scotland) The aircraft was almost completely destroyed in the crash A plane that was involved in a fatal crash on Bute had been fitted with unrecorded modifications which meant it was likely to have been over its maximum weight, a report has found. The accident happened shortly after the home-built SportCruiser took off from Bute air strip in August of last year. Thomas McGowan, 63, died in hospital after suffering 80% burns in the crash. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said the modifications meant the plane did not comply with its Permit to Fly. Investigators were told by the pilot, who survived after suffering 40% burns, that the aircraft lost power and could no longer climb as it took off on a return flight to Strathaven, in South Lanarkshire. Burst into flames He attempted to return to the runway, but instead flew into the ground. The plane came to a rest upside down, with witnesses saying it burst into flames almost immediately. An aviation pathologist said there was no evidence of significant impact injuries, but evidence suggested the temperature in the cockpit had reached between 650C (1,202F) and 1,200C (2,192F). The pilot managed to escape before pulling out Mr McGowan, from Stonehouse in South Lanarkshire, who died after being airlifted to hospital. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said the plane, with the registration G-EWZZ, had been fitted with a Woodcomp SR 3000/3 variable pitch propeller. G-EWZZ The aircraft had unregistered modifications which meant it did not comply with its Permit to Fly But the propeller had not been recorded in the aircraft's documents, and the 53-year-old pilot did not appear to have been trained in its use. The AAIB said the single-engine aircraft had also been fitted with an autopilot, which again had not been recorded. With these two modifications, it was likely that the plane had been over its maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 1,323lb (600kg), the report stated. The report said: "G-EWZZ was a home-built aircraft that had been fitted with unrecorded modifications, which meant that it was not in compliance with its Permit to Fly. "Calculations show that with these modifications the aircraft was likely to have been over its approved MTOW of 600kg when it departed Bute. "The pilot reported that the aircraft flew satisfactorily on the outbound flight to Bute and that it was during the climb from the airstrip on the return flight to Strathaven that he experienced the symptoms that caused him to believe that he had a partial loss of engine power. "The lack of performance could have been due to a combination of factors including a technical fault, handling and aircraft weight." Video evidence However, investigators said although the aircraft was probably overweight, it is unlikely that this alone affected its performance to an extent that it could not have sustained a positive rate of climb. They also said they did not believe the presence of the autopilot system would have caused the crash. Video evidence showed that the engine was still running at the end of the flight, and the ground marks and damage to two of the propeller blades were evidence that it was still producing power. But the damage to the engine and aircraft fuel system meant that it was not possible to establish if the engine had sustained a partial loss of power. The AAIB also noted that the single-engine plane was fitted with a Ballistic Parachute Recovery System (BPRS) which was not activated during the flight. It issued seven safety recommendations relating to the system, which deploys a parachute by use of a rocket. Emergency responders should be made aware of the risks associated with the device, and how to spot and disable it following an accident, investigators said. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-32732607 Back to Top Cape Air's Pilot Shortage and Future Aircraft Order CLEVELAND, OH - Linda Markham, Cape Air's President, spoke to the media at the Regional Airline Association Convention Wednesday morning. The airline is doing pretty well overall; Markham explained that the airline has seen its largest growth in about 20-25 years. Last year, the airline flew about 750,000 passengers in the five different regions, and the airline recently added two Cessna Caravan Amphibious aircraft to its fleet for a start-up operation between a resort in Bimini, Bahamas and Miami's Watson Island seaplane base near downtown. Plus, the airline continues to be profitable. The airline plans to upgrade its fleet to replace the 84 Cessna 402s in its fleet, but Markham explained that the airline is taking the decision very seriously as it will have a big impact. Last year, Markham said it would be about 24 months until a decision will be made, but now, she declined to give any sort of timeline. Although, it was noted that the airline plans to have 10-15% fewer aircraft when its new fleet is fully integrated into its operation, but the airline plans for there to be some growth with the new aircraft. Not a lot of growth is expected in the near future, although. Markham went on to explain that the pilot shortage is causing some issues for the airline. Two of its cities, Anguilla and Nevis, will become seasonal, due to the pilot shortage. She said that this is difficult for the company as well as the communities it serves. Right now, Cape Air is down 20-25 pilots. Now, the airline is hiring pilots and many are coming through the Gateway Program; the JetBlue University Gateway Program has a partnership at six universities in the United States which students apply to to then complete an internship at Cape Air, ExpressJet, or JetBlue, flight instruct for a year at their educational institution, and then transition to flying at Cape Air or ExpressJet. After gaining 2-3 years of experience and accruing approximately 3500 flight hours, the Gateway Program aviator can then transition to JetBlue in a First Officer position. This talent pipeline was one of the first of its kind and has proved to be a great way to flow pilots from their respective AABI- accredited universities all the way to JetBlue. Markham said that this has proved to work well with the airline with 22 of the participants already sitting in the left seat at JetBlue, and Cape Air sees this as a big recovery tool with the pilot shortage. Though, the airline continues to look at expanding with other universities and companies to help establish more opportunities for pilots at Cape Air for when they are able and ready to move on. http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2015/05/13/cape-airs-pilot-shortage-and-future-aircraft-order/ Back to Top Spirit flight delayed when all TSA agents go home Spirit Airlines - which held the distinction of the airline with the most complaints to the US Department of Transportation until Frontier recently stole that honor - had its passengers furious again, but this time it was the fault of a perhaps more reviled entity - the TSA. Pilots aiming to board their Atlantic City to Boston flight found themselves in the unusual predicament of having zero Transportation Security Administration agents on duty to process them through security. The flight, which was slated to depart at 5 p.m., didn't begin boarding until 8 p.m. due to weather delays elsewhere in the country. That's when Spirit announced the surprise reason for the further delay. Passenger Mike D'Angelo told NBC 10 News: "The gate agent who came onto the plane with an update said the pilots are on their way but they can't get to the plane because there's nobody at TSA to process them. The TSA folks had gone home...so they were waiting for somebody to come back to the airport from TSA. How can Atlantic City airport be without a TSA presence when there's still people there? It's not like this is 3 o'clock in the morning." Spirit explained in a statement that its pilot and first officer were delayed by inclement weather on a prior flight. The airline said: "TSA had closed operations but reopened at Spirit's request and the crew was able to make the flight." In a statement to Road Warrior Voices, a spokesman for the TSA offered up a more specific chain of events: "1. A scheduled 5 p.m. flight to BOS didn't depart ACY until sometime after 9 p.m. 2. The TSA checkpoint typically closes at 7 p.m. on Sunday. 3. Spirit Airlines requested that TSA hold over its officers an extra hour, so TSA's checkpoint stayed open until 8 p.m. to accommodate that request. This was done at the expense of TSA. 4. There was no request to stay open beyond 8 p.m. 5. All of the passengers passed through the checkpoint before it closed. 6. TSA was asked by the airline to reopen the checkpoint because the flight crew did not make it to the airport by 8 p.m. To do so, TSA contacted two officers at home to ask them to return to the airport. This was done at the expense of TSA. 7. The checkpoint reopened at 8:50 p.m. to screen two members of the flight crew. However there were supposed to be three flight crew members. 8. The third flight crew member arrived at the airport at 9:15 p.m. (25 minutes after the checkpoint reopened) and passed through the checkpoint at that time." Road Warrior Voices contacted Spirit for further clarification, and will update if we hear back. Passengers were able to get off the plane during the delay. The TSA has been coping with its share of bad press lately, like the agent who allegedly faked cancer for 5 years to get time off work, and this bright duo who decided it would be a good idea to rig the scanner machines so they couldgrope male passengers. This case of absentee employees is not likely to help matters. http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/2015/05/13/spirit-flight-delayed-when-all-tsa-agents-go- home/27279315/ Back to Top UNDER THE WEATHER: WHAT'S WRONG WITH METEOROLOGY TRAINING By Roger Rapoport DAYTONA BEACH - Three of 2014's five commercial aviation crashes around the world were weather related. These tragic accidents took the lives of 326 passengers and crew on different aircraft flown by different air carriers in Taiwan, Mali and the Java Sea. Is something going wrong at aviation schools, flight academies and airline training programs? For Professor Debbie Schaum, now in her 20th year teaching meteorology at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University here the answer is obvious: "Most pilots, many dispatchers and air traffic controllers are not taking meteorology classes taught by meteorologists." As she works with students from around the world, Schaum, who also was an Air Force meteorologist for 17 years, believes a majority of pilots around the world are not getting the training they need in weather science: "If you take a weather class that is not taught by a meteorologist you do not get the depth of understanding you need to be a good pilot." As planes take off and land at the adjacent Daytona Beach airport, Schaum sounds a bit like a missionary straining for her voice to be heard. Is it possible that events like Air France 447 in 2009 and last year's Air Asia 8501 crash in the Java Sea could have been avoided entirely if the copilots in command had a deeper understanding of high altitude icing conditions which can shut down a plane's automation in seconds? Are there other problems such as an inability to correctly read onboard weather radar and mistakes being made by controllers? Schaum notes that foreign pilots who come to American schools like Embry Riddle on scholarships "lack the depth of understanding needed because training requirements in their countries are not as stringent as ours. It's also clear that training for dispatchers and air traffic controllers is not as in depth as it must be. " The tragic consequences were made clear by the still under investigation Air Asia 8501 crash off the coast of Borneo in December. The copilot on this Indonesia to Singapore flight was caught in a thunderstorm and asked for permission to climb above the storm from his assigned altitude of 32,000 feet. "Clearly," says Schaum who has studied this event that took the lives of 162 passengers and crew, "this pilot with 2,391 hours, was flying well beyond his understanding of the weather." How, despite radar coverage in the area, did he and his far more experienced captain manage to enter this crisis situation? Schaum theorizes that the pilot had accidentally strayed into the heart of the storm, an area painting red on the weather radar, "because either ice on the raydome housing the radar equipment or very heavy rainfall absorbed enough energy to attenuate the radar return. What appeared to be a gap where he could fly around the worst of the storm was actually a radar shadow that blocked the flight crew's view of a second storm cell looming right behind the first cell . The point is they shouldn't have been flying in this zone in the first place. "Other planes in the area made it through the weather just fine. This Air Asia crew made the mistake of misreading their weather radar and jogging right into the very worst of the storm. The plane shouldn't have been there. "If the pilot knew his meteorology he could have successfully navigated around this terrible weather area. Also he could have looked at readily available soundings and quickly realized that his proposed solution, climbing to an altitude of 38,000 feet was unthinkable.. When his request to climb was turned down by air traffic control there was another big mistake." The controller's reason for turning down the route deviation, conflicting traffic, underscores his own misunderstanding of the emerging crisis. First and foremost any pilot in an emergency situation takes priority over other traffic. In this case there was no time to wait for the controller to act. It was the pilot's job to react to the crisis before him and the controller's job to reroute conflicting traffic as needed. Second, any controller should have realized that climbing at this point was out of the question due to the terrible storm and icing conditions above. Professor Schaum explains why: "At the time of the crisis cloud top heights were up to 52,000 feet. By ascending the crew ran the risk of climbing into a region where, due to relatively low temperatures, there was potential icing as high as 40,000 feet. They couldn't fly over it." The failure of either the pilots or the controllers to understand the icing risk may have been compounded by a second risk factor. "At the time of the event," says Schaum, "surface winds from the west at 20 to 40 knots were colliding with winds from the upper level winds from the east at 20 to 30 knots. This wind shear would have sustained the updraft longer. That could potentially explain the flight's sudden jump up from 32,000 feet at the rate of 6,000 feet per minute. This could have potentially triggered an aerodynamic stall. The big updraft combined with the potential of rime ice, supercooled water hitting the plane and freezing instantly, could also have contributed to a stall. While the full story of the accident awaits a final report from crash investigators, it's clear that the pilots and controllers handling flight 8501 failed to fully understand the weather over the Java Sea on the morning of December 27, 2014. "You can blame as many people as you want to," says Professor Schaum as a student enters her campus office to discuss a paper. "But it's obvious that meteorology training in many parts of the world is falling behind the needs of today's pilots and their airlines." ***** Mr. Rapoport is the producer of the feature film Pilot Error which has its east coast premiere May 18 and 19 at Cinema Arts in Fairfax, Virginia. 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 Private Jet Company Cuts Production Due to Rough Times for Russian Oligarchs Bombardier Global 6000 Jet Bombardier Inc. is moving closer to paring output of its Global 5000 and 6000 business jets, the company's biggest current models. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg Bombardier Inc. is moving closer to paring output of its Global 5000 and 6000 business jets, the company's biggest current models, to cope with depressed demand in emerging markets such as China and Russia. Cutbacks will be announced "very soon," Eric Martel, president of Bombardier Business Aircraft, said Wednesday in a telephone interview from Montreal. About 4,500 people work on the Global 5000 and 6000 programs at Bombardier facilities in Toronto, Montreal and Belfast, Northern Ireland. Martel's comments signaled that Chief Executive Officer Alain Bellemare isn't waiting long to take action after saying last week that work on the Globals would be reduced. Russia was among the markets cited by Bellemare, who became CEO in February to help return Bombardier to profit after its first annual loss since 2005. "Clearly, oil limits their purchasing power," Martel said of Russian jet buyers. "A lot of the oligarchs made their money with oil, and right now oil prices are being challenged. Also, taking money out of the country right now is challenging. All of this put together results in the slowdown we can see now." Like Bellemare, Martel wouldn't give any estimates how output would be curtailed or how many workers may be affected. Large-cabin business jets, whose price usually restricts customers to corporate users and billionaires, recovered faster than small and medium-sized planes after the 2008 financial crisis. The Global 5000 lists for $50.4 million and the 6000 for $62.3 million. Each can seat 12 people, and the 6000's range is 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 kilometers). Russia Sanctions Business-jet sales had boomed in Russia until oil prices started falling last year, Martel said. Sanctions imposed by Canada, the U.S. and the European Union -- aimed at forcing Russia to drop support for separatists in Ukraine -- only compounded the slump. The U.S. dollar's 21 percent climb against the euro over the past year also has crimped demand in Western Europe. Bombardier sells its jets in U.S. dollars. "These two factors -- China and Russia being slow, and the strong dollar in the euro zone -- make the international market quite soft right now," Martel said. Bombardier is still benefiting from "good" demand in the U.S., he said. Development is continuing on the roomier Global 7000 and 8000 models. Bombardier is now assembling the first prototype of the 7000, which will be able to fly non-stop from London to Singapore and carry a list price of $72.8 million. "We have a huge backlog right now and demand is very strong" for the 7000 and 8000, said Martel. "Clearly, people are waiting for the aircraft." Bombardier won't commit to a date for the jets' commercial debut because it's still working to ensure they perform as advertised, Martel said. As recently as last year, Bombardier had pledged the 7000 would enter service in 2016, followed by the 8000 a year later. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-13/bombardier-nears-cut-in-luxury-jet-output-as- oligarchs-squeezed Back to Top Shrinking Russia Jet Fleet Threatens Airbus-Boeing Order Backlog Russia's fleet of Airbus Group NV and Boeing Co. jets is shrinking for the first time in 15 years as carriers hand back leased aircraft -- raising the specter of a wave of order cancellations if the economy continues to stutter. The number of Boeing and Airbus planes deployed by Russian airlines declined by a net 11 jets between August and April 1, according to Russian Federal Aviation Authority spokesman Sergey Izvolskiy. That's after the combined fleet of foreign models had climbed more than 10-fold in two decades. Russian airlines are curbing capacity after a slump in the worth of oil exports and sanctions over the Ukraine crisis reduced the value of the ruble almost 50 percent last year, making flying too costly for many. Passenger numbers fell 2.3 percent to 17 million in the first quarter, the first decline since 2009, according to the Federal Air Transportation Service. "I would expect to see Russian airlines returning older aircraft that roll off lease," said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst George Ferguson. Boeing and Airbus will be "pulling out the stops" to hang on to outstanding orders, while Russian carriers could seek sale-leaseback deals on jetliners due for delivery to boost cash flow while still getting the planes. Fabrice Bregier, chief executive officer of Airbus's plane-making unit, said in a briefing on April 17 that the Toulouse-based company is already in discussions with carriers seeking to defer taking aircraft they've previously ordered. Lease Returns The Russian aviation industry is taking a double hit from an economic contraction forecast to reach 2.8 percent this year together with high borrowing costs after the Bank of Russia raised its key interest rate to slow the ruble's slide. For Boeing's Russian fleet, that's led to a net decline of 10 to 332, while the number of Airbus jetliners has declined by one to 281, Izvolskiy said. The declines reflect the return of leased jets, according to Alexey Sinitsky, editor-in-chief of Aviatransportnoye Obozreniye magazine, which specializes in statistical coverage of the Russian aviation industry. Leased aircraft tend to be older and less fuel efficient and are also easier to get rid of when a quick capacity adjustment is required. Other airlines have begun talks on restructuring leasing payments, Sinitsky said. Regional Blow Including smaller regional aircraft such as those made by Bombardier Inc. and Avions de Transport Regional, or ATR, Russian airlines have already cut their foreign fleets by about 100 planes, according to Oleg Panteleyev at website Aviaport.ru. Returns have been led by OAO UTAir Aviation, the country's third-largest carrier and a major ATR operator, where the fleet is down to 71 planes from 115, spokeswoman Maria Razumova said. Russia's two biggest airlines, OAO Aeroflot and OAO Transaero, haven't yet reviewed plans to buy new aircraft, according to spokesmen Maxim Fetisov and Sergei Bykhal. At Transaero, that backlog includes Boeing's 747-8 and the Airbus A380 superjumbo, the world's two biggest passenger planes. Demand for such long-range aircraft is likely to suffer most in Russia as discretionary spending on vacations and other non-essential travel dries up, Aviaport's Panteleyev said. BI analysts Ferguson and Ian McFarlane said in a May 6 report that Russia's economic woes have "yet to affect the delivery of new aircraft" -- two-thirds of which are narrow-bodies -- though orders could be "harder to come by." Deferral Talks Airlines often stick with deliveries even when demand is ebbing since the new jets are more fuel efficient and can't generally be refused without incurring penalties. Still, Airbus's Bregier said "a number of airline customers" are seeking deferrals, in which orders remain on manufacturers' books while slipping back months or years. "It's a situation that I hope is temporary," he said at the briefing in Paris. "We're not in the game of insisting on maintaining every last clause in the contract -- we want to help them find solutions and remain their partners of choice." Boeing, which last June forecast that Russia and former Soviet states would need 1,330 jets worth $150 billion in the next two decades, is working as usual there, Moscow-based spokeswoman Elena Alexandrova said by e-mail. Maria Shlyakhtova, a local spokeswoman for Airbus, confirmed a decline in leased planes, mostly linked to UTAir. The carrier has also delayed taking eight planes until 2017. "Experience shows us that the market will rebound, regardless of the reason for the decline," Shlaykhtova said. "We're sure the Russian aviation market has growth potential." Airlines Slash Routes to Moscow in Latest Sign of Russia's Growing Isolation Boeing, Airbus Face Russian Rivals for Narrow-Body Dominance http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-13/shrinking-russia-jet-fleet-threatens-airbus-boeing- order-backlog Back to Top United Airlines to lease up to 25 used aircraft from AerCap Holdings Customers of United wait in line to check in at Newark International airport in New Jersey, November 15, 2012. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N) on Wednesday announced plans to lease up to 25 used aircraft from AerCap Holdings NV, one of the world's largest aircraft lessors (AER.N), to reduce its dependence on smaller, 50-seat jets. The Chicago-based airline said it expects delivery of 11 used Airbus Group NV (AIR.PA) A319 aircraft over the next two years, with the right to add up to 14 more of the single-isle planes over the next five years, subject to certain conditions. The additions are part of a broader fleet reorganization United unveiled last month that aims to match bigger planes with markets of growing demand, without increasing its spending or capacity forecasts. Integral to the plan is removing 50-seat jets flown by United's regional contractors, which can waste more fuel per passenger than larger planes. The carrier said it will take 130 of these aircraft off its schedule by the end of 2015, with more cuts to come later. As an example, United said it now might fly two A319s, which have more than 120 seats, on a route that currently operates with three 70-seat jets. It then could use those 70-seaters on routes in which it currently uses the 50-seat planes. "Our flexible fleet plan allows us to opportunistically add used aircraft when the economics are attractive," United's Fleet Vice President Ron Baur said in a statement. Cheap fuel prices, down more than 40 percent since June, have made it increasingly affordable to fly old, less fuel-efficient jets. China Southern Airlines Co Ltd (600029.SS) currently operates the A319s that United will lease, with first deliveries starting in early 2016. United said it will add new seats, overhead-bin extensions and Wi-Fi to the planes, and it will perform checks so they align with its maintenance program. United said last month that the lease of 10 to 20 used narrowbody aircraft would not alter its forecast for yearly capital expenditures of $2.7 billion to $2.9 billion over the next three to four years. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/13/us-ual-aercap-hldg-lease-idUSKBN0NY2OS20150513 Back to Top European space agencies inaugurate altered-gravity aircraft Paris (ESA) May 14, 2015 The refitted Airbus A310 aircraft after take-off for a test-flight for weightless research. Although the aircraft can weigh up to 157 tonnes, skilled pilots angle its nose 50 upwards to create brief periods of weightlessness. At the top of each curve, the forces on the passengers and objects inside cancel each other out, causing everything to float in weightlessness. During the climb and pulling out of the descent, the occupants endure almost twice normal gravity. A person weighing 80 kg on Earth will feel as if they weighed 160 kg for around 20 seconds. Conducting hands-on experiments in weightlessness and hypergravity is enticing for researchers in fields as varied as biology, physics, medicine and applied sciences. French company Novespace has conducted these 'parabolic flights' for more than 25 years. This aircraft was acquired in 2014 to replace their trusty Airbus A300. Most seats were removed to provide as much space as possible inside, while padded walls provide a soft landing for the researchers - the changes in 'gravity' can be hard to handle. Extra monitoring stations were installed for a technician to monitor the aircraft system's as it is pushed to its limits - this is no transatlantic cruise. ESA, France's space agency CNES and the German aerospace centre DLR inaugurated the Airbus A310 ZERO-G refitted for altered gravity by running 12 scientific experiments this week. Repeatedly putting the aircraft on an up-and-down trajectory angled at up to 50 creates brief periods of weightlessness. During the climb and pulling out of the descent, the occupants endure almost twice normal gravity. A person weighing 80 kg on Earth will feel as if they weighed 160 kg for around 20 seconds. At the top of each curve, the forces on the passengers and objects inside cancel each other out, causing everything to freefall in weightlessness. Conducting hands-on experiments in weightlessness and hypergravity is enticing for researchers in fields as varied as astronomy, biology, physics, medicine and applied sciences, as well as for testing equipment before using it in space. Altered gravity The aircraft offers more than just weightlessness, by changing the thrust and angle of attack, the team of pilots flying the plane can recreate other gravity levels such as those found on the Moon or Mars. As the experiments invariably pass through hypergravity and normal gravity during each flight, researchers can incorporate each phase into their experiment as controls or to compare sets with different gravity levels. Researchers join each flight to monitor and change experiment parameters immediately or adjust equipment as necessary. Parabolic flights are the only platform that allow onboard researchers and technicians direct interaction with their experiments. ESA, CNES and DLR typically each organise several campaigns every year, but for this inauguration they joined forces. The parabolic flights complement ESA's portfolio of gravity-science platforms, from hypergravity centrifuges to short-term zero-gravity droptowers and sounding rockets as well as long-duration experiments that run on the International Space Station. For science Flying from Bordeaux, France, French company Novespace has been running parabolic flights for more than 25 years. Last year they acquired their new aircraft to replace their trusty Airbus A300 - maintenance costs were growing due to its age. The A310 was first used by an East German airline before the German air force started using it as a VIP transport aircraft for state visits of the German Chancellor and ministers between 1993 and 2011. To turn it into a parabolic science aircraft most seats were removed to provide as much space as possible inside, while padded walls provide a soft landing for the passengers - the changes in 'gravity' can be hard to handle. Extra monitoring stations have been installed for a technician to oversee the aircraft's systems while it is pushed to its limits - this is no transatlantic cruise. This campaign's experiments include understanding how humans sense objects under different gravity levels, investigating how the human heart and aorta cope, looking at how plants grow, testing new equipment for the International Space Station, trying out new techniques for launching nanosatellites, investigating whether pharmaceutical drugs will work without 'gravity', understanding Solar System dust clouds and planet formation, as well as investigating potential propulsion for martian aircraft. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/ Back to Top Global Training and Development Study Be a part of a doctoral study about the experiences of multicultural learners in a corporate classroom setting. The purpose of the study is to explore the student's opinion of learning in a corporate training course using English instruction. This research is intended to understand if different teaching methods are needed to help increase the multicultural learner's understanding of course content. A focus group discussion will be held with study participants to ask their opinions. Who may be eligible? * Identify as Hispanic * Speak Spanish and English * Attended a formal training class at your employer within the past 6 months * Live in the Dallas, Texas area What you will be asked to do? * Participate in a group discussion with several other people * Discuss your personal classroom experience * Commit to about 1 hour of time for the group interview * Agree to be contacted after the group interview, if necessary Compensation You will receive a $10 gift card for your participation. If you have any question or are interested in participating, please contact: April Toussaint, study researcher and doctoral candidate (Northcentral University) Email: A.Toussaint9415@email.ncu.edu / Phone: 972-827-7450 Dr. Timothy Delicath, dissertation committee chair (Northcentral University) Email: tdelicath@ncu.edu The study is for research only and does not involve treatment of any kind. Back to Top Aviation Master of Science at City University London For many Executives, the aviation management career begins with a master's degree from City Over the last 15 years, City University London's Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering has educated over a thousand students to attain one of its three distinctive and highly sought-after Master of Science (MSc) degrees in Air Transport Management, Air Safety Management and Aircraft Maintenance Management. There are a wide variety of elective modules from which all students on either of the three programmes can freely choose from. The MSc programmes are very popular because they can be fitted around a full time work schedule which can be interrupted by career moves such as a First Officer being promoted to Captain. City's MSc modules are offered at the London City Campus, at the DIFC Dubai facility, in Bahrain and in Frankfurt, Germany. Prospective students can apply online at any time of the year. These Master courses are specifically designed for Aviation professionals, who hold a professional aviation license, have a minimum of 2 years industry experience and are currently employed in the aviation industry. Fluency in written and spoken English and two references are also required, but no prior Bachelor degree. Beginning with the new academic year 2015/16, entry into one of the three MSc programmes will be enhanced by a new induction workshop in which all students of one calendar quarter take part in a three- day workshop acquainting them with higher education skills, the essentials of academic study and guidance for successfully obtaining a City MSc degree. Students will also be introduced to administrative support officials, industry experts and alumni. The new group of students will be expected to elect a class spokesperson who will articulate the coherent interests and values of that class. The first third quarter induction workshop will be held at City University London in September and the fourth quarter induction workshop will take place at City's DIFC facility in Dubai in November. The induction workshop will conclude with a paper in which each new student is expected to write about what his or her industry will be like in the future. After undergoing the induction, the student can then proceed to select one of the three MSc degree programmes and its three core modules. Every student must also select five elective modules of his/her choice. A module consists of a pre-reading/studying phase at home, a three-day presence phase in one of the campuses (London, Dubai, Bahrain or Frankfurt), followed by assessment tests (written on the third day) and coursework (written at home within six weeks after the presence phase). The induction workshop and the eight modules should take the student approximately two years to complete. This will of course be dependent on the amount of time he or she can devote to their degree programme alongside their professional work commitments. Finally, each student is required to select a topic for an academic research project and write a dissertation about it, supervised by a Senior Lecturer or Professor. City students have over the years addressed many interesting topics in aviation through their dissertations and several have earned distinctions which allow their research to be used by other academics worldwide and become public research documents. The project phase takes between six and nine months; it draws on all of the topics studied in the modules but also comprises a 15,000-word statement proving that each student would have achieved an outstanding postgraduate degree. The culmination is the graduation ceremony at London's prestigious Barbican Centre (graduations are also conducted in Dubai), where both graduands and their professors join in celebration of the academic achievement. All alumni are permitted to retain their City email addresses - the alumni network guarantees an indissoluble bond of connection with the University and fellow/sister graduates. City graduates can be found in the executive ranks of all major airlines, air force corps, aircraft maintenance teams, air traffic control facilities, aviation organisations and regulatory bodies. 473 students are currently enrolled in the Aviation Master Programmes, based in 67 countries around the world, a true global entity for exchanging cultural views on aviation and management. A City aviation master's degree is an inspiring way to acquire an academic qualification alongside a professional aviation license/apprenticeship training, and gives the graduate an excellent toolkit for his/her future career in aviation management. Consider joining us for an elite MSc Degree in Aviation Management (Air Transport/Air Safety/Aircraft Maintenance) http://www.city.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/air-transport-management http://www.city.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/air-safety-management http://www.city.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/aircraft-maintenance-management Back to Top Upcoming Events: Aircraft Accident Investigation - Fire and Material Failures New course offered by BlazeTech Corp. Woburn MA USA 19-21 May 2015 www.blazetech.com IS-BAO Auditing June 10, 2015 Toluca, Mexico https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1710550 Fundamentals of IS-BAO June 15, 2015 CBAA 2015: St. Hubert, Quebec Canada https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659064 IS-BAO Auditing June 16, 2015 CBAA 2015: St. Hubert, Quebec Canada https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659075 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