Flight Safety Information May 15, 2015 - No. 095 In This Issue Wreckage of missing U.S. helicopter found in Nepal; no survivors NTSB: Pilot error led to Whitefield helicopter crash A Navy Pilot's Death Reflects the Everyday Hazards of the Job Pilot detained for flying small drone near White House NTSB: Pilot disorientation probable cause of fatal 2012 air crash Looming US probe into air safety could hurt Thailand tourism revival FSF, NBAA Host Business Aviation Safety Summit The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award PROS 2015 TRAINING UAF Gets a Federal Boost for Unmanned Aircraft Canadian Aircraft Maker Bombardier to Cut 1,750 Jobs How exclusive 'laser shock peening' technology is improving aircraft reliability and lifetime And this year's best airline is ... Global Training and Development Study Aviation Master of Science at City University London Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Wreckage of missing U.S. helicopter found in Nepal; no survivors KATHMANDU - The wreckage of a U.S. military helicopter lost on an earthquake relief mission was found on Friday, high on a mountainside in Nepal, with three bodies recovered and the other five people on board feared dead. A U.S. search team identified the wreckage as that of the missing Marines UH-1Y Huey helicopter deployed after the Himalayan state was hit by a massive earthquake last month that killed more than 8,000 people. Crash debris was found just 8 miles (13 km) north of the town of Charikot, said Army Major Dave Eastburn, spokesman for the U.S. military's regional Pacific Command. "The assessment of the site is ongoing and a thorough investigation will be conducted," he added in a statement. The U.S. statement made no mention of the fate of the six Marines and two Nepali soldiers on board the Huey that went missing on Tuesday, the day a strong aftershock hit Nepal and killed more than 100 people. Nepal says none of the eight on board could have survived. The Huey, an iconic helicopter dating back to the Vietnam War era, was completely destroyed, Nepal's top defense ministry official said, adding that three charred bodies were found in the wreckage. "The search for others is continuing. As the helicopter has broken into pieces and totally crashed there is no chance of any survivors," said Defence Secretary Ishwori Prasad Paudyal. After a three-day search the Huey was spotted near the village of Ghorthali at an altitude of 11,200 ft (3,400 m), an army general told Reuters earlier, as helicopters and Nepali ground troops converged on the crash site. "It was found on a steep slope," Major General Binoj Basnet said. U.S. and Nepali teams were investigating the site and were expected to announce their findings at news conferences later on Friday, he said. The area's tallest peak soars to more than 7,000 meters (23,000 ft). Hillsides are cloaked with lush forest that made it hard to find the chopper even though it came down just a few miles from Charikot, the capital of Dolakha district that lies half a day's drive to the east of Kathmandu. An army base in the town has been serving as a hub for operations to airlift and treat those injured in the two earthquakes, and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala flew in on Thursday for an on-the-spot briefing. The first quake, which struck on April 25 with a magnitude of 7.8, has killed 8,199 people. The death toll from a 7.3 aftershock on Tuesday has reached 117, with many victims in Dolakha. The combined toll is approaching the number of just over 8,500 who died in an earthquake in 1934, the worst ever natural disaster to hit the poor Himalayan nation. Some 76,000 more have been hurt while hundreds of thousands of buildings - including ancient temples and monuments - have been damaged or destroyed. Nearly three weeks after the first quake, aftershocks continue to rattle the country. Nepal mobilized 600 soldiers to search for the Huey, which had six Marines and two Nepali soldiers on board when it went missing after the crew was heard over the radio saying that the aircraft was experiencing a fuel problem. Two more U.S. Hueys, two MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor planes and Nepali and Indian choppers had been involved in the search for the helicopter, which was part of a joint task force sent in by the United States to provide assistance at Nepal's request. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/15/us-quake-nepal-helicopter- idUSKBN0O00JX20150515 Back to Top NTSB: Pilot error led to Whitefield helicopter crash WHITEFIELD, Maine (AP) - Federal investigators have determined that a helicopter crash in Whitefield last year was caused when the pilot failed to respond to low fuel warnings. The National Transportation Safety Board report released Wednesday says pilot Michael Conley failed to respond appropriately to a signal warning him of a lack of fuel. As a result, Conley was forced to crash land in the trees last May. The NTSB says the caution light was on the dim setting, making it difficult to see in daylight. Conley, who was flying for Whitefield-based Maine Helicopters, suffered a minor head injury. No one else was on board. Company owner Greg Farris tells the Morning Sentinel the report contains "zero surprises" and calls the pilot's decision a "silly mistake." Farris says Conley no longer works for the company. http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/NTSB-Pilot-error-led-to-Whitefield-helicopter- 6265393.php Back to Top A Navy Pilot's Death Reflects the Everyday Hazards of the Job A crew directing jet fighters on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in the northern Persian Gulf last year. Credit Tyler Hicks/The New York Times WASHINGTON - All the Navy recovered after Lt. Nathan Poloski's fighter jet collided in midair with another Navy jet on a training mission in the western Pacific in September were his flight helmet and a few bits of debris. The 26-year-old pilot, who was deployed aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, died one month before the ship steamed into the Persian Gulf and began launching combat missions against the Islamic State. Lieutenant Poloski's body and his F/A-18C Hornet were never found in waters nearly three miles deep. The other Hornet pilot was rescued after ejecting from his burning jet. Navy officials concluded that the crash shortly after takeoff was a tragic accident and assigned no blame. document Navy F/A-18 Fighter Jet Crashes in Persian GulfMAY 12, 2015 Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the United States has focused largely on the thousands of American casualties suffered in the grinding ground combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. But while tiny in comparison, the number of fatal aviation accidents - in combat and in training - illustrates the everyday hazards facing American military pilots and aircrews around the globe. Document: Navy Report on the Death of Lt. Nathan Poloski The Navy's investigation into Lieutenant Poloski's fatal crash - a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times through a Freedom of Information Act request after it was completed last month - reveals new details about the collision as well as larger insights into the dangerous business of carrier operations, even when a ship and its aerial armada are not at war. What remains a mystery, though, is exactly what caused the accident. It was a clear afternoon with good visibility. Both pilots were healthy, properly rested and under no unusual stress. Investigators found no mechanical problems. The Navy's top aviator concluded in his review of the eight-page accident report that the two pilots, and several others in the vicinity, should have exercised more of what the military calls situational awareness, or S.A. - in this case, relying not only on an instrument-packed cockpit but also on looking outside to spot a looming catastrophe. "While there is no definitive evidence to suggest either pilot's S.A. or lack thereof directly contributed to this incident, greater S.A. by all parties may have prevented the collision," Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, the senior aviator and an F/A-18C pilot, wrote on April 20 in closing the inquiry. The admiral broadened the inquiry's original conclusion that admonished only Lieutenant Poloski for lacking situational awareness. Lieutenant Poloski, a Naval Academy graduate from Lake Arrowhead, Calif., who was on his first deployment, became one of four naval aviators to die in accidents in 2014 - a roughly average figure for the Navy in the past several years. Two airmen have died so far in the 10-month campaign against the Islamic State: an Air Force pilot whose F-16 crashed in Jordan in November and a Marine who died in October after bailing out of an Osprey aircraft over the Persian Gulf near Kuwait. In some cases, military aviation accidents have been spectacles in full public view. In 1996, Lt. Cmdr. John Stacy Bates's F-14A fighter plunged into a Nashville suburb, killing him and four other people. Some accidents have drawn greater scrutiny than others. In October 1994, one of the Navy's first female fighter pilots, Lt. Kara S. Hultgreen, died in a training accident off Southern California, rekindling tensions within the military then over the decision to expand some combat roles for women. The Navy spent about $100,000 to recover Lieutenant Hultgreen's aircraft, which was found in water about 4,000 feet deep. Investigators concluded that the accident had resulted from a combination of pilot error and mechanical failure. The collision that killed Lieutenant Poloski did not seize any headlines, but it cast a spotlight on the elite Top Gun fighter pilot fraternity - roughly 560 carrier-based pilots - and their operations. Born in San Diego, Lieutenant Poloski grew up near the Miramar naval air station. His mother started taking him to Blue Angels air shows before he could walk, inspiring his lifelong enthusiasm for planes. Growing up, he could not decide whether to become a fighter pilot or a doctor, his mother, Miriam Kendrick, said in a telephone interview. He considered attending medical school after some years in the cockpit, she said. Like a lot of fighter pilots, Lieutenant Poloski loved fast cars and expensive motorcycles. A garrulous Southern Californian, he ran marathons, surfed and snowboarded. But flying was his passion. "He loved the speed, the thrill, the fact very few people do it," Mrs. Kendrick said. "He loved everything about it." In April 2014, Lieutenant Poloski became a member of Strike Fighter Squadron 94, the Mighty Shrikes, based in Lemoore, Calif. Soon after leaving its home port in San Diego last spring, the crew of the Carl Vinson learned that it would join the fight against the Islamic State in the fall. Lieutenant Poloski was Jewish and a student of the Holocaust, and reports of the militants beheading hostages, including Americans, and slaughtering Shiite Muslims because of their faith stirred something inside the young aviator, his mother said. "He told me, 'I'm going to take out those bastards,' " she said. He never got the chance. At 5:37 p.m. on Sept. 12, Lieutenant Poloski's jet roared off the Vinson's flight deck on a practice bombing mission more than 100 miles out at sea. A junior pilot, he had just over 221 flight hours in the Hornet. One minute earlier, an F/A-18C piloted by a Navy commander from another squadron with more than 2,100 hours in the jet had flown off the same deck to test repairs that had been made on the plane. According to the accident report, Lieutenant Poloski accelerated to more than 350 miles per hour, climbing to an altitude of 7,000 feet. About 10 miles from the carrier, he turned west and slowed to about 300 miles per hour. He was apparently unaware that the commander, whose name was redacted from the final report for privacy reasons, had flown a similar route. Around 5:40 p.m., the two planes collided. The commander told investigators he was unaware of the collision, feeling only a "thump" on his left engine. Within seconds, his plane was aflame and spinning wildly out of control. He bailed out and was later plucked from the sea. Witnesses aboard the Vinson said they saw two fiery objects falling from the sky. Both planes immediately sank into the sea. Two oil slicks quickly formed on the surface; each plane was carrying more than 2,000 gallons of jet fuel. The search for Lieutenant Poloski over the next 36 hours covered more than 3,000 square miles and involved several ships and aircraft as well as satellite imagery. His recovered helmet "was damaged, including a crack that extended from the bottom right side to the crown with one hole halfway up the crack," the report said. Investigators determined that Lieutenant Poloski's plane "came underneath the bottom left rear" of the other fighter jet. Based on that and the helmet, investigators surmised that he had died of "massive head trauma." There were no onboard devices to warn the pilots of the impending collision. Controllers on the carrier were focusing on other jets that were landing. Investigators addressed the lack of situational awareness. "An overreliance on technology can be a disadvantage," the report said. Investigators also calculated the cost of the lieutenant's lost plane: $77,343,287.80. Six days after the crash, sailors and pilots gathered at the Vinson's hangar deck for a memorial. Pilots flew a missing man formation - with one jet absent - over the carrier at the end of the ceremony. The Blue Angels, who also fly F/A-18Cs, the Corvette of the skies, later dedicated one of their shows to Lieutenant Poloski. "He persistently displayed his contagious enthusiasm for our unique profession," Cmdr. Michael Langbehn, Lieutenant Poloski's squadron commander, said in an email. "He was determined to do what he must to be the best among us." http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/12/us/lt-nathan-poloski-navy-death.html?_r=0 Back to Top Pilot detained for flying small drone near White House The Secret Service detained a person flying a small remote-controlled helicopter in a park across the street from the White House on Thursday afternoon. The small red and black drone, about the length of an iPad, was flying about 100 feet in the air in Lafayette Park before officers intervened and instructed the individual to land it at around 1:09 p.m., the Secret Service said in a statement. The Metropolitan Police Department swept the drone and deemed it benign, and the National Park police took custody of the alleged pilot. The White House was locked down and nearby streets were closed for about an hour after the incident, according to local media reports. President Barack Obama was away from the White House at the time, meeting with Persian Gulf leaders at Camp David in Maryland. The Secret Service did not provide details about the detained individual, but CNN, which first reported the incident, aired photos of officers pinning a man to the ground in Lafayette Park. It's the second time this year that an apparently harmless drone has been directed toward the White House. In January, a "quad copter" landed on White House grounds in the middle of the night - apparently the result of some drunken remote-controlling from a nearby residence; the pilot later said he didn't even realize where it had landed. Harmless or not, federal officials are adopting a zero-tolerance policy toward drones in the District. On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration launched its "No Drone Zone" campaign, which applies to a 15-mile radius around Reagan National Airport. "The agency wants to ensure residents and tourists all understand that flying an unmanned aircraft in this area for any purpose is against the law," the agency said in a release. "Bring your family, your cameras and plenty of sunscreen. Just don't bring your drone." http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/report-man-drone-white-house- 117961.html#ixzz3aD21U0mR Back to Top NTSB: Pilot disorientation probable cause of fatal 2012 air crash The probable cause of a December 2012 airplane crash that killed Wailuku pastry chef Jose Krall has been determined as pilot disorientation, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report issued Wednesday. "It is likely that the pilot became spatially disoriented after flying over the ocean during dark night conditions with reduced visibility and subsequently failed to maintain airplane control," the NTSB report says. Krall, the 51-year-old owner of Maui Bake Shop & Deli in Wailuku, was the sole occupant of a four-seat, Cessna 172S that took off from Kahului Airport at 6:54 p.m. on Dec. 1, 2012, the report says. Six minutes later, it crashed into the ocean about 5 miles from Kahului. The Coast Guard reported finding a debris field, including a plane wheel, landing gear, a life jacket and aircraft antenna in waters about 2 miles north of Maui. Krall is presumed to have died. Krall had intended to fly to Molokai, and, according to air traffic control information, shortly after the airplane took off, an air traffic controller saw "an erratic flight pattern" and observed that the airplane's radar track was not heading toward the pilot's intended destination. The controller asked Krall if he still intended to land at Molokai, and he said that he did. Krall did not file a flight plan. Krall asked the controller for verification that the radio frequency was 1161.1, but the controller replied that the correct frequency was 116.1. "The pilot then reported that he was going to perform a 360-degree turn to track toward his intended destination," the report says. "However, the airplane's radar track showed that the airplane then made a descending left turn." "The controller reported that the pilot sounded clear and calm with no stress apparent during the radio transmissions," the NTSB report says. http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/598074/NTSB--Pilot-disorientation- probable-cause-of-fatal-2012-air-crash.html?nav=5161 Back to Top Looming US probe into air safety could hurt Thailand tourism revival NokScoot, a joint venture between Singapore Airlines' low-cost subsidiary Scoot and Thailand's Nok Air, has postponed this week's planned launch into Nanjing, China. Photo: SCMP Pictures A looming US investigation into Thai air safety could lead to more aviation authorities imposing sanctions on the country's aviation sector and dent a revival of its hospitality industry this year that has been led by a surge in Chinese tourists. In the latest episode stoking fear in Thai air safety, five small Thai airlines were found to have problems with flight documents, aircraft maintenance and staff in an audit by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the National News Bureau of Thailand said, citing Thailand's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). Among the five named by the report, low-cost start-up NokScoot, a joint venture between Singapore Airlines' low-cost subsidiary Scoot and Thailand's Nok Air, was originally planning on launching this week by starting scheduled flights into Nanjing, China. NokScoot denied the report, saying that its CAAC audit was scheduled for tomorrow. But it confirmed its operation into China had to be postponed and that its launch flight would now be Bangkok-Singapore next week. The CAAC was not available for comment. Brendan Sobie, the chief analyst at the Centre for Aviation, said that given the timing of its market entry, NokScoot was the airline most affected by the sanctions imposed on Thai carriers by key Asian aviation authorities after the United Nations' aviation body ICAO published findings at the end of March that Thailand's DCA was not in compliance with international safety standards. Japan and South Korea, known for being quick to block airlines from countries that fail ICAO audits, slapped bans on Thai charter flights and froze new flight applications from Thai carriers, while mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore have taken a case-by-case approach. An audit by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in July is now the most imminent test for the Thai DCA. An FAA downgrade could also deal a blow to the Thai tourism industry. Citi analyst Michael Beer said in a report that visits from China, Thailand's largest source of tourists, had doubled to two million in the first quarter of this year compared to last, while total visits had risen 23.5 per cent. http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1797443/looming-us-probe-air-safety- could-hurt-thailand-tourism-revival Back to Top FSF, NBAA Host Business Aviation Safety Summit The Flight Safety Foundation's (FSF) and NBAA's business aviation safety summit (BASS), which opened yesterday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is focusing on the importance of data sharing and analysis, human factors, disaster recovery and company preparedness. During a session yesterday, G550 pilot Steve Charbonneau said the voluntary aviation safety and information analysis sharing program (ASIAS) has now recruited 12 corporate flight department members and is looking for more input as the group works to bring to general aviation the same data analysis strategies that have helped to reduce the airline accident rate. One of the day's highlights was a presentation from John Cox of Washington, D.C.-based aviation consultancy Safety Operating Systems, who offered a sobering view of the rissing risks of lithium ion battery meltdown on board an aircraft and just how difficult it is to extinguish the resulting fire. He also emphasized the hazards of anyone trying to extinguish such a fire without the proper safety gear. Cox reviewed the latest actions from the FAA and other regulators that can help to mitigate this risk. Meawhile, Boeing Executive Flight Operation chief of safety Alan Dean was this year's winner of the FSF's meritorious service award, which recognizes an individual or company for exceptional ability to improve the safety of business aviation. FSF president Jon Beatty said, "Alan's leadership has cultivated a safety management system that is truly industry leading." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-05-14/fsf-nbaa-host- business-aviation-safety-summit 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 UAF Gets a Federal Boost for Unmanned Aircraft The FAA last week named University of Alaska Fairbanks a "Center of Excellence" for research on unmanned aircraft. Actually, UAF is part of a group of universities, led by Mississippi State, that make up the Center of Excellence. They're charged with helping the FAA figure out how to integrate the unmanned machines in the national airspace. It's still not clear if much federal money will follow. Marty Rogers, director of UAF's unmanned aircraft program, says the coalition of universities has more unmanned aircraft than the U.S. Air Force. Rogers says UAF alone owns at least 120. "We have a very active unmanned aircraft program. This is our 14th year of operations. We fly over 150 days a year," he said. "Much of it's in Alaska. Some of it is out of Alaska." In 2013, UAF was chosen to run one of the national drone test ranges. Rogers says this is different. "The award now of the center of excellence is sort of a different animal in that - unlike the test sites, which were not funded by the federal government - this is actually a funded activity, so it's on a one-to-one match." UAF has commercial clients, and is already bringing in the kind of non-federal revenues that can serve as the match. Rogers said he couldn't name names, but among their customers are companies that want to use drones to sniff pipelines for methane leaks. "Our real focus areas are typically the Arctic, with an emphasis on low-altitude safety, beyond line-of-sight operations, and against that long-range Arctic work we do for science and research," he said. In the Lower 48, privacy is a huge concern with drones. (And, by the way, the people interested in expanding drone use in America dislike the word "drone," which has military connotations. These days, they prefer UAS, for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.) Some worry the aircraft will become Big Brother in the sky. Rogers says in Alaska they stick to unpopulated areas. "Our big thing is actually when we're flying marine mammal missions, is not disturbing the wildlife," he said. Most of their unmanned aircraft weigh just a few pounds and have electric motors, so Rogers says they're not too bothersome. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, at a press conference to announce the "center of excellence" designation, talked up the state's wide open spaces as a selling point. "You want to talk about your ability to engage in low-altitude flying? The landscape there on the North Slope and moving out onto the ocean there is about as flat as this floor," she said. "There's no bumps. There's no hills. There's no nothing in the way. So you have a lot of room to test." How generous Congress will be with this Center of Excellence is up in the air. "Well, the bad news is we're out of money," says Senate Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran, R-Mississippi. He says it's a worthy cause but he couldn't commit to any dollar amount of future funding. So far, the Center of Excellence has $5 million, which doesn't go far if it's split among all six universities in the group. http://www.alaskapublic.org/2015/05/14/uaf-gets-a-federal-boost-for-unmanned- aircraft/ Back to Top Canadian Aircraft Maker Bombardier to Cut 1,750 Jobs Industry demand and passenger aircraft program delays are blamed for this round of layoffs, the second for Bombardier this year. MONTREAL - Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier announced Thursday it is cutting 1,750 jobs as it reduces its production rate of two types of business jet. "Current economic conditions and geopolitical issues in some market regions, such as Latin America, China and Russia, have impacted order intake levels industry-wide," Bombardier said. The company is reducing its production rate for Global 5000 and Global 6000 business jets. About 1,000 jobs will be cut in the Montreal region, up to 480 in Toronto and up to 280 in Belfast in Northern Ireland. "We have seen an industry-wide softness in demand recently in certain international markets and are taking steps to adjust our production accordingly," Bombardier Business Aircraft president Eric Martel said in a statement. Bombardier posted a loss of $1.2 billion last year, blamed on delays to its CSeries passenger aircraft program, restructuring plans and the suspension of its Learjet 85 business aircraft. Repeated delays to the CSeries, a new type of aircraft designed to compete with smaller planes built by Boeing and Airbus, have already seen 1,700 job cuts announced in December 2013. The cost of the program has increased by $2 billion to $5.4 billion. The company announced an additional 1,800 job cuts last July as it struggles to restructure its aerospace division. In January, Bombardier suspended its Learjet 85 business jet program due to "weak market demand," laying off 1,000 employees in Mexico and the United States. http://www.industryweek.com/recruiting-retention/canadian-aircraft-maker-bombardier- cut-1750-jobs Back to Top How exclusive 'laser shock peening' technology is improving aircraft reliability and lifetime Scientists have long sought to improve human life through lasers-otherwise known as "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation"-since Albert Einstein first established the theoretical foundation for them in 1917. For years, lasers were the stuff of legend and imagination; just look at "Austin Powers," "Honey , I Shrunk the Kids," "Diamonds Are Forever" and the grandfather of them all, "Star Wars." The technology has certainly come a long way since Einstein dreamed it. Laser printers, laser cancer treatment, laser pointers ... now ubiquitous with everyday life, the laser is one of the most important and revolutionary inventions of the 20th century. But just because lasers have become commonplace doesn't mean the innovation has ended. At the University of Cincinnati, in fact, the power of lasers is being harnessed to change the way we fly the friendly skies. Researchers S.R. "Manny" Mannava and Vijay K. Vasudevan, both professors in the department of mechanical and materials engineering in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, have joined in a unique partnership with Airbus to make airplanes more resilient, longer lasting and more efficient. In a nutshell, their research uses a laser to alter the physical, mechanical and environmental properties of a metal; making it stronger, more durable, and less sensitive to corrosion, while increasing its longevity. The process is known as "laser shock peening," or LSP. In layman's terms, that means a sophisticated laser system consisting of several lasers working in tandem to shoot beams of infrared light at portions of a metal, typically aluminum, titanium or nickel-based superalloys that are used in aircraft structures and components. The laser deeply compresses and changes the structure of the metal, fortifying it. When the metal is processed; a ridged, geometric grid patterns its surface... that's the portion of the sample that is enhanced for fatigue and corrosion resistance. Each sample goes through a rigorous series of manipulations and stress, heat and environmental tests, to name a few-and its structural and chemical properties are assessed right down to its nanostructure. While the process may sound relatively simple, rest assured: it's not. It's not commonplace, either; UC is the only university in the U.S. to offer LSP for use in research and development and prototyping efforts through the Ohio Center for Laser Shock Processing for Advanced Materials and Devices, which was recently established with a $3 million grant from the State of Ohio Third Frontier Program. General Electric (GE), which developed and patented the process, gifted its original equipment and know-how to the university in 2005. "Critical aircraft components are made of high-strength materials that are susceptible in service to high stresses, fatigue and corrosion. Should these critical components fail, the reliability of the aircraft would be compromised. We hypothesize that-when we use the LSP processes to impart deep, compressive, residual stresses to these components-we strengthen the metal in a very deliberate way, which makes it less likely to fail. This process can also contain any failures, should they occur," Mannava explains. "When we have confirmed the metal itself won't fail due to fatigue, cracking or corrosion, we will fortify huge pieces of metal for use in prototypes and, eventually, mass production," says Vasudevan. "We will also conduct basic research to understand the effects of the process on how the material behaves in order to optimize the process for specific, future applications." The LSP project with Airbus is the latest manifestation of the university's vision to commercialize research and serve as an incubator for innovation. Just over one year ago, UC established the University of Cincinnati Research Institute (UCRI) to connect industry to the resources, labs, faculty and research taking place at UC. UCRI has gone to great lengths to strengthen the university's offerings to industry. "Working with a university can sometimes be daunting and overwhelming; there are many colleges, faculty, and facilities to leverage. Not to mention the various levels of student experience, from undergraduate through graduate and post doctorate resources," said David Linger, UCRI's CEO. "We eliminate the hassle and make it easier to connect industry to UC smarts. And that's speeding the path to new products, processes and innovations." The LSP project with Airbus is the latest manifestation of the university's vision to commercialize research and serve as an incubator for innovation. Just over one year ago, UC established the University of Cincinnati Research Institute (UCRI) to connect industry to the resources, labs, faculty and research taking place at UC. UCRI has gone to great lengths to strengthen the university's offerings to industry. "Working with a university can sometimes be daunting and overwhelming; there are many colleges, faculty, and facilities to leverage. Not to mention the various levels of student experience, from undergraduate through graduate and post doctorate resources," said David Linger, UCRI's CEO. "We eliminate the hassle and make it easier to connect industry to UC smarts. And that's speeding the path to new products, processes and innovations." Director of research and technology at Airbus Americas, David Hills, is quite happy with the results to date. "If we can improve the properties of our aluminum components and reduce their degradation with time, we can extend both the reliability and life of the aircraft," he says. "It makes good sense on both a human and a business level." Turning research into real-time industry change is what UC does best. And if the project underway with Airbus is any indication, the path to innovation is moving at quick clip. So far, hundreds of samples have been fortified and tested by Mannava, Vasudevan and many of their graduate students. The technology is currently being tested for use in passenger aircraft, though the team indicates the technology may eventually make its way to many other high technology product applications. Even deeper research could open up a whole new world for metal- based manufacturers everywhere. "Medical devices, automobiles, power generation, nuclear imaging components and chemical processing-all of these applications depend on the strength and corrosion resistance of alloys to survive," said Linger. "The possibilities for leveraging LSP across a spectrum of industries are truly endless, proving once again that the collaboration of academia and industry change lives." http://phys.org/news/2015-05-exclusive-laser-peening-technology-aircraft.html#jCp Back to Top And this year's best airline is ... (CNN)Did you have a nice experience on your last flight? A new survey says the odds are that you did. Despite a seemingly endless barrage of complaints, some travelers say they are actually enjoying their air travel experiences, according to the J.D Power and Associates 2015 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, released Wednesday. Satisfaction with North American airlines rose for a third straight year, according to the J.D Power study. Satisfaction measured at a record high 717 points on a scale of 1,000. That's a five-point increase from 2014 and a 22-point increase since 2013. The study measured passenger satisfaction with North American airlines based on seven criteria, ranked in order of importance: costs and fees; in-flight services; boarding, deplaning and baggage; flight crew; aircraft; check-in; and reservations. Alaska Airlines continued to dominate the rankings of North American legacy carriers for the eighth consecutive year, earning 719 points, followed by Delta Air Lines in second place (709 points) and American Airlines in third place (700 points). The average rating for the legacy carriers increased eight points to 691 points out of a possible 1,000. Air Canada came in fourth with 683 points, followed by American Airlines- owned US Airways (668 points) and United Airlines (665 points). JetBlue Airways continued to win over travelers in the low-cost category, ranking first for the 11th consecutive year, with 801 points out of a possible 1,000 points. Southwest Airlines came in second place (781 points), followed by WestJet in third place (715 points). The average rating for the low-cost carriers increased 75 points to 766 points out of a possible 1,000. A day in the life of the world's busiest airport The key drivers of the increase were satisfaction with flight crew, in-flight services and costs/fees, J.D. Power says. "While passengers often choose airlines based on price, convenient scheduling, or loyalty program membership, about one in five choose airlines based on specific things they like about the brand such as customer service, in-flight entertainment, or more comfortable seating," said Rick Garlick, J.D. Power's global travel and hospitality practice lead. "Not surprisingly, when airlines focus on the hospitality or service aspects of their business, as opposed to simply providing transportation to get people from point A to point B, they create a much more committed, loyal customer base who will go out of their way to fly with that particular carrier." Alaska Airlines also ranked first in J.D. Power's second annual Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report, with its Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan earning 759 points on a 1,000-point scale. JetBlue Airlines' TrueBlue program came in second place, earning 758 points and pushing Southwest Airlines' Rapid Rewards program (743 points) from second to third place. American's program came in fourth with 700 points, followed by United (697 points), Delta (675 points) and US Airways (670 points). (American, which owns US Airways, recently combined the two rewards programs.) Member satisfaction is primarily driven by online reviews of an airline's loyalty and rewards program and the program's reputation, according to the report. "A few frequent flier programs stand out from the rest," Garlick said. "These programs share the common quality of engaging passengers who may not spend as much money as the road warrior business traveler. Everyone wants to feel that rewards are obtainable, and these programs are structured to make even a leisure traveler feel the incentive for frequent travel is within reach." Consumer Reports' best airline rewards rankings The rewards report measures customer satisfaction with airline loyalty and rewards programs based on six factors (in order of importance): ease of redeeming points/miles; reward program terms; account maintenance/management; ease of earning points/miles; variety of benefits available; and customer service. Satisfaction is measured on a 1,000- point scale. The 2015 North America Airline Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 11,354 passengers who flew on a major North American airline between March 2014 and March 2015. The 2015 Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report is based on responses from more than 3,073 airline loyalty and rewards program members and was fielded in March 2015. http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/13/travel/feat-jd-power-north-american-airline-survey- 2015/ 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