Flight Safety Information June 2, 2015 - No. 107 In This Issue Faulty software installed to Airbus A400M plane crash First-ever NTSB video report on a plane crash NTSB urges pilots to take extra caution during busy flying season You Can Get a Pilot License in India After Just 35 Minutes in Air MH370: Australia Defends Approach To Find Jet After Criticisms, Says 'Attacks Are Unfounded And Unfair Mumbai: Close shave for 293 as three tyres of aircraft burst during landing Goma Air aircraft makes emergency landing without nose gear TSA Head Reassigned After Agency Fails 95 Percent Of Airport Security Tests Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: First Settlement Reached U.S. safety officials to testify to Congress on Amtrak crash PROS 2015 TRAINING FBI Confirms Wide-Scale Use Of Surveillance Flights Over U.S. Cities First KC-46A test aircraft resumes airworthiness flights Lotus leaf-inspired aircraft wing coating may repel bugs to ease fuel consumption NASA to test flying saucer...A Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator test vehicle Jet Airways hands over pink slips to 50 expat pilots FedEx Corp. Accelerates Aircraft Retirements Mitsubishi MU-2 Safety Culture:...Lessons for Success and Accident-Free Flying (Part 2) Embry-Riddle becomes 1st university to partner with NATO center Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Faulty software installed to Airbus A400M plane crash Airbus SAS has admitted that a software problem caused its A400M transport plane to crash in an accident that killed four people last month. Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper reports the software in question was installed incorrectly, and that caused the A400M's engines to stall shortly before the crash. However, the software itself was free from glitches. Marwan Lahoud, Airbus' chief strategy officer, said in an interview that the company believes there is no problem with the airplane itself. "The black boxes attest ... that there are no structural defects, but we have a serious quality problem in the final assembly," Lahoud said. In a statement released ahead of publication, Handelsblatt wrote that the units which control the engines of the turboprop A400M military cargo and troop transport were poorly installed during final assembly, which could have led to the engines malfunctioning and the plane crashing. But Airbus's defense and space division told AFP that it was too early to draw any conclusions. "We will need the full results of the investigation in order to have the full picture, so as long as there is no further communications from (the investigating authority) CITAAM it is too early to draw any conclusions from the accident," it said in a statement. The division added that "like all accidents, it will certainly be a combination of issues and not one single cause". It also said other A400M aircraft in service have already been subject to checks and are "100 percent protected from this failure". The May 9 accident occured shortly after aircraft MSN23 takeoff from San Pablo Airport in Seville, Spain, on its maiden flight. The plane crash landed, resulting in the deaths of four Airbus Defense and Space personnel. Two of the six people on board the plane, a mechanic and an engineer, survived the crash and were sent to a hospital in critical condition. Airbus has already told A400M operators - Germany, Britain, Turkey and France - to check the planes' Engine Control Unit. Last week, Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus, complained that Spanish authorities were witholding the black box data, which meant it couldn't fully analyze what caused the crash. Now, with the results in, Airbus officials will at least be relieved the plane's design is not at fault. Nevertheless, they will need to carry out stringent checks to ensure that future software installs don't go wrong. http://siliconangle.com/blog/2015/06/01/faulty-software-install-led-to-airbus-a400m- plane-crash/ Back to Top First-ever NTSB video report on a plane crash The wreckage of UPS flight 1354. (AP) The National Transportation Safety Board did something Monday that it never had done before, releasing an eight-minute video in which its investigators explain what went wrong in the fatal crash of a UPS cargo plane in 2013. A trio of NTSB investigators use a video recreation and other visual aids to tell why UPS flight 1354 crashed short of the runway at Alabama's Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport on Aug. 14, 2013. The pilot and co-pilot, the only people on board, were killed, and the plane filled with packages was engulfed in fire. The NTSB put out a 153-page report last September that the crash was caused by a variety of factors, including an unstabilized approach during which the crew failed to configure and verify their computer information or communicate sufficiently. The report, like most NTSB documents, is a clear factual description that makes for fairly dry reading. The movie released to accompany it Monday is an unprecedented addition that uses interviews and visual material that bring fresh life to the incident. "People consume information and absorb lessons in different ways," said NTSB Chairman Christopher A. Hart. "This video is another way to reach pilots and aviation safety professionals with the lessons we learned through our investigative work." http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2015/06/01/first-ever-ntsb- video-report-on-a-plane-crash/ Back to Top NTSB urges pilots to take extra caution during busy flying season ANCHORAGE - The National Transportation Safety Board is urging pilots to "see and be seen" as the busy summer flying season ramps up in Alaska. The safety alert from the NTSB references four mid-air collisions nationwide-- two of them happened in Alaska. This, after the most recent mid-air collision that took place Sunday evening at the Talkeetna airport. - The NTSB said it is looking into what may have caused the crash. As it investigates, it will examine the pilots involved, the environment and the planes, according to air safety investigator Shaun Williams. -The springtime is when Alaska typically sees a "rash of accidents" according to Jerry Rock, executive director of the Medallion Foundation. The organization focuses on safety training for aircraft operators and private pilots. - The two Alaska mid-air collisions referenced in the NTSB's safety alert include a January 2015 mid-air crash in Wasilla and a July 2011 crash that killed a family of four near Talkeetna. In that instance, the NTSB determined that the two pilots were operating on two different radio frequencies. It's unclear if that is an issue in Sunday's mid-air collision, said Williams. http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/ntsb-urges-pilots-to-take-extra-caution-during-busy- flying-season/33348300 Back to Top You Can Get a Pilot License in India After Just 35 Minutes in Air Pilot Reliability The spotlight on aviation safety has swung from aircraft reliability to pilot reliability in the past few years. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg Anupam Verma has a certificate that shows he has flown an aircraft for 360 hours. He says he got it after sitting in the co-pilot's seat for just 35 minutes. He's one of dozens of pilots in the country who obtained certificates showing inflated flying hours and ground training, according to court documents and interviews with pilots, regulators and industry analysts. The son of a poor farmer, Verma was given a 2.8 million-rupee ($44,000) subsidy by the Indian government to learn to fly a commercial jet. "What if I was flying and had an emergency? I wouldn't even know how or where to land," Verma, 25, said in an interview. "We'd kill not only the passengers, but we might crash in a village and kill even more people." The spotlight on aviation safety has swung from aircraft reliability to pilot reliability in the past few years after a series of disasters that were thought to be either deliberate acts of destruction, or the result of inadequate training. The latest, in March, killed 150 people when Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz appears to have locked his captain out of the cockpit and flown his jet into a mountain. Last year, a Malaysia Airlines jet with 239 on board mysteriously changed course en- route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur and headed off for thousands of kilometers into the Indian Ocean. The plane still hasn't been found and the cause of the disaster remains unknown. Concern about the quality of India's pilots has been building over the past decade as a proliferation of budget airlines created demand for hundreds of new pilots. In 2011, the government reviewed the licenses of all 4,000-plus airline pilots in the country, as police investigated at least 18 people suspected of using forged documents to win promotions or certification. The findings of the review were not made public. India Under Fire for Quality of Airline Pilots "The fudging of log books is rampant both in airlines and in flying clubs," said Mohan Ranganathan, a former commercial pilot and aviation safety consultant based in Chennai. He said the 2011 audit found violations in most flying clubs in the country. "Hours were logged with aircraft not even in airworthy condition. One aircraft had no engines but several hundred hours were logged." Asked about the continued use of fake certificates, India's Director General of Civil Aviation, M. Sathiyavathy, said on April 24 the directorate would be conducting a new audit that would require the "recertification of all the flying schools." Fake Flying Over logging has been common practice in India since the 1960s, according to a retired commander who has flown in India for over 40 years and asked not to be named because the information was confidential. With the increase in budget airlines the typical number of faked hours rose from about 20 hours to a peak of as much as 150, he said. He said airlines can soon tell if a pilot has faked certificates because they don't have basic skills, but the carrier can't fire them because they have DGCA licenses. To bring them up to scratch, airlines have to do expensive corrective training, he said. Of India's seven major airlines, Tata SIA Airlines Ltd.'s Vistara said it is aware of over logging, but tests all new pilots and provides its own training. SpiceJet Ltd. said it only hires from prestigious air schools and tests and trains all new pilots. IndiGo, Air India Ltd., Jet Airways India Ltd. and AirAsia India Ltd. didn't respond to e-mails and phone calls about the issue. Go Airlines India Pvt. Ltd. declined to comment. The rise of budget carriers not only increased demand for pilots, it also sparked a price war that wiped out the industry's profit. India's carriers have lost $10 billion in the past seven years as they offered base fares as low as 1 rupee (2 cents). That works out as a loss of about $22 for each passenger that stepped on board during the period, according to the Sydney-based CAPA Centre for Aviation. Yet, for people like Verma, the award of a government grant to learn to fly is a chance to escape poverty. His father supports his family of seven by selling vegetables grown on a plot of land half the size of a football field. Most of his siblings only work part-time to supplement the income. Yash Air Verma enrolled in December 2009 at Yash Air, a flying school in the city of Indore, halfway between Mumbai and Delhi. On his first day, he said he was taken on a 35- minute "air-experience" flight to give him a feel of what it was like to be in a plane. Moments after the aircraft landed, he was handed a certificate of flying for 360 hours, he said in an interview on June 1. He said he was told he will do the actual flying later during the course, but that he eventually flew for just 3 hours at the school. When Verma and other trainee pilots realized they weren't going to gain the necessary flying experience, they complained to the school and Verma sued for return of the money he paid. The Allahabad High Court ordered that his fees be returned, according to a court order in February this year. "Several discrepancies have been noticed with regard to over logging of flight details, flight authorization, maintenance of various log books and fuel consumption registers," according to a DGCA enquiry into the complaints about Yash Air, dated June 6, 2014, a copy of which was given to Bloomberg News. On May 19, 2010, a qualified pilot from Yash Air took a trainee pilot on a "joy ride" in a Cessna-152 and hit a power line, according to the DGCA's final report into the accident. The two-seater, single-engined trainer crashed into a dry river bed, splitting into five pieces and killing the men. They were both about 20 years old, according to the report, dated Dec. 17, 2010. The owner and chief trainer at the school, Yash Raj Tongia, was appointed as the DGCA's director of flying and training in 2011, even though his flying skills were "below standard," the June 2014 DGCA report said. Court Ruling Yash Air changed its name to Centaur Aviation Academy Pvt. Ltd. after the allegations were made in 2010, according to the Allahabad High Court. Yash Air issued certificates to its students without conducting ground classes and flying training, the court said in December 2014. Attempts to get the flying school or Tongia to comment on Verma's claims were unsuccessful. Calls to Tongia's mobile phone number listed in the court documents were unanswered. Kshemendra Shukla, one of the lawyers who represents Yash Air, said he doesn't have any contact number for Tongia. He didn't respond to questions concerning Yash Air. Telephone numbers for Yash Air and Centaur Aviation were no longer in service. The DGCA said Centaur Aviation's approval remains suspended. Even with the minimum 200 hours mandated by the Indian government, pilots would be unlikely to have experienced all of the weather and other conditions they're likely to meet flying a commercial jet, said Neil Hansford, an aviation consultant, who has worked in the industry in Asia, Europe and his home country, Australia since 1984. Airlines should hire pilots with at least 1,000 hours of flying time and preferably match the 1,500 hours mandated by Qantas Airways Ltd., he said. Pilots in countries like Australia often gain years of experience in general aviation -- delivering mail to remote areas, ferrying mine workers or in the Royal Flying Doctor Service -- before flying jetliners. That will test a pilot in a variety of conditions, so "when the chips are down, they still remember the basics of stick-and-rudder flying," Hansford said. "The wrong time to be challenged is when you have 300 people behind you." Budget Carriers For budget airlines in Asia, that's often not an option. Singapore's Tiger Airways Holding Ltd. said it hires holders of multi-crew or commercial pilot licenses with about 200 flying hours and then gives them further training. Seoul-based Asiana Airlines Inc. looks for at least 300 hours, said spokesman Daewoong Im. "Realistically, it's difficult to get a non- military person with more than 300 flying hours," he said. Carriers also use simulators and other ground training to improve pilots' experience. In India, many private Indian flying schools began as clubs that trained pilots without formal regulations. While schools in the U.S. use a Hobbs Meter, which automatically logs flight times and other data for training aircraft, Some Indian schools still enter flight times by hand, making it easier to falsify data. Indian flying academies that falsify data run cars on aviation fuel to avoid a mismatch between flight times and fuel consumption, said three people who have worked directly with flying schools in the country. India's government has made successive efforts to stamp out false documentation and improve safety in the industry. After the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration downgraded India's safety rating in 2014 on concerns over insufficient manpower, India hired more safety inspectors and carried out a fresh audit of its airlines. The FAA restored India to its top safety tier in April. Fewer Accidents Since 2000, the number of fatal aviation accidents in India has declined, data from Aviation Safety Network show. The last major airline disaster was in 2010, when an Air India Express plane overshot the runway in the city of Mangalore and burst into flames, killing 158 people. India is putting in "a lot of effort" to ensure safety of airline passengers and student pilots, civil aviation chief Sathiyavathy told reporters on April 24. The DGCA didn't respond to phone calls and text messages asking for comment on the issue of fake certificates. That hasn't stopped under-trained pilots applying for jobs with the nation's biggest airlines. One qualified pilot, who asked not to be named because it may harm his career, said he completed fewer than 120 of the 200 hours his certificates say he has done. He said he is in the process of applying to fly for IndiGo, the nation's biggest carrier. Another pilot, who said his certificates showed an inflated number of hours for solo flights, applied to Air India. Neither of the two pilots has been hired by the airlines. As for Verma, he said he passed the entrance exam to the government-owned Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi in Uttar Pradesh. He's looking forward to finally learning to fly this year. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-01/pilots-qualified-to-fly-in-india- after-just-35-minutes-in-air Back to Top MH370: Australia Defends Approach To Find Jet After Criticisms, Says 'Attacks Are Unfounded And Unfair' A relative of a passenger aboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 uses her phone at a remembrance event for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on the one year anniversary of its disappearance, in Kuala Lumpur, March 8, 2015. Reuters/Olivia Harris The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) on Tuesday defended its handling of the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. Industry experts had criticized the agency for its decision to choose Dutch company Fugro NV, whose vessels are involved in the multi- million dollar quest for the jetliner. ATSB, which is leading the search operation, refuted assertions that its officials made the wrong decision by selecting Fugro Survey Pty Ltd to conduct the underwater search. The agency also refuted claims that its search methods are ineffective and that Fugro is using the wrong technology and inexperienced personnel. "These attacks are unfounded and unfair," Martin Dolan, the chief commissioner of ATSB said, in the statement. "The search for MH370 represents thousands of hours of work by hundreds of people who are dedicated, expert and professional. They are fully committed to finding the aircraft." Last month, experts had also raised questions over the lack of data released by ATSB on the activities of the Fugro ships. Fugro, which was contracted by the Australian government to operate three ships looking for the plane across a nearly 37,000-square- mile search zone in the southern Indian Ocean, had rejected claims that it is using the wrong equipment. Dolan also defended the MH370 search tender process saying that "the opportunity to tender services for the search for MH370 was open to the international underwater search industry," adding: "I am very conscious that we must use taxpayers' money responsibly. Fugro's bid represented the best value for money and demonstrated that they could capably manage the technical aspects of this challenging search operation and deliver the necessary results." The agency also said that Fugro has been involved in several search operations since the 1980s and has the ability to detect man-made objects on the seafloor. Fugro Equator's deep-tow system, while looking for the missing passenger jet, in May discovered a shipwreck on the seafloor in the waters off western Australia that was described by authorities as a "fascinating find." "The debris in the shipwreck field was significantly smaller, and therefore harder to detect, than we expect to find with MH370," Dolan said Tuesday. "The ATSB has put in place systems of review and expert quality assurance so we can be certain that the quality of search data meets the high standards we have specified. We selected Fugro on their capacity to meet those standards." Flight MH370 went missing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The search, which has now become the costliest in aviation history, has not yielded any concrete clues as to the whereabouts of the missing plane. In May, the search plan for the Boeing 777-200 was "modified" to conduct a continuous search for the jetliner. "The challenges remain... the search zone is remote, the weather and sea conditions are difficult and the search area is vast, but I've never had any doubt about the capabilities of Fugro, their commitment to the mission or their professionalism," Dolan said, in the statement. http://www.ibtimes.com/mh370-australia-defends-approach-find-jet-after-criticisms- says-attacks-are-unfounded-1947768 Back to Top Mumbai: Close shave for 293 as three tyres of aircraft burst during landing Jun2, (Mid-day): Pilot of the Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Mumbai managed to make a jerky but safe landing Nearly 300 people aboard MH 194 (Kuala Lumpur-Mumbai) got a scare when three of the aircraft's tyres burst during touchdown on Sunday evening. The pilot of the Malaysian Airlines aircraft, however, managed to make a jerky but safe landing. The flight, which had taken off from Kuala Lumpur around 6.25 pm, landed at the Mumbai airport around 11 pm on Sunday night. There were 280 passengers and 13 crew members on board. A senior airport official said, "Three rear tyres on the right side of the aircraft burst during landing. Some damage was also sustained by the undercarriage retraction mechanism. The aircraft, which was parked in a bay near the cargo area will be taken to the Air India hangar for repairs." Officials said that, usually, the wheel is changed after tyre bursts and the flight can take off as per schedule. In this case, however, since the retraction mechanism was damaged, the aircraft will be fit to fly only after repairs are done. "Damage to the retraction assembly indicates that it was a hard landing," said an official. Till the time of going to press, Malaysia Airlines had not responded to mid-day's queries. Expert speak Aviation expert Vipul Saxena said, "Aircraft tyre bursts usually happen because of ageing of tyres, which must have gone unnoticed by the aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) clearing the aircraft during turnaround inspection. Sometimes this also happens when a high-speed landing causes excessive heat generation in the tyres." "There have been cases where rubber pieces have fallen off after take-off, following which pilots were alerted and landing was carried out with the utmost care, with emergency services being kept on standby to deal with situations like tyres catching fire due to overheating. In such situations, piloting skills of the commander play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of passengers and the aircraft. In some cases, imbalanced landings, which are usually jerky and heavy, put extra pressure on the undercarriage (landing gear)," said Saxena. "After such incidents, inspection of the undercarriage assembly is carried out by the AME to rule out any signs of fatigue or stress signs before the next flight," he added. In case of any damage to the assembly, the aircraft undergoes maintenance. If the aircraft belongs to an Indian carrier, the DGCA carries out a detailed investigation and for foreign carries a report is sent to civil aviation authorities of the country where the aircraft is registered. http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=324002 Back to Top Goma Air aircraft makes emergency landing without nose gear The aircraft that made the emergency landing seen here in a file photo. KATHMANDU, JUN 02 - An aircraft of Goma Air made a successful emergency landing at Pokhara Airport after its nose gear failed to deploy due to a malfunction. The pilot of the Czech-made Let L-410 aircraft, flying into Pokhara from Jomsom, skidded the plane along the runway after the malfunction. All 18 passengers on the plane are safe, said Pokhara Airport chief Dipak Baral. The airport has resumed services after removing the aircraft from the runway. Goma Air had acquired the plane on October 11, 2014. It has two such aircrafts on its fleet. The Let L-410 is a popular aircraft for short takeoff and landing (STOL). The carrier operates regular and charter services to airfields in remote and mountainous areas like Lukla, Surkhet, Bajura, Rara, Dolpa, Jumla and Humla with two LET L-410 and two Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft. http://www.ekantipur.com/2015/06/02/top-story/goma-air-aircraft-makes-emergency- landing-without-nose-gear/406015.html Back to Top TSA Head Reassigned After Agency Fails 95 Percent Of Airport Security Tests WASHINGTON (AP) - Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Monday reassigned the leader of the Transportation Security Administration and directed the agency to revise airport security procedures, retrain officers and retest screening equipment in airports across the country. The TSA's acting administrator, Melvin Carraway, is being reassigned to a different job in the Department of Homeland Security. Acting Deputy Director Mark Hatfield will lead the agency until a new administrator is appointed. The directives come after the agency's inspector general briefed Johnson on a report analyzing vulnerabilities in airport security - specifically, the ability to bring prohibited items through TSA checkpoints. Johnson would not describe the results of the classified report, but said he takes the findings "very seriously." ABC News first reported Monday that undercover agents were able to smuggle prohibited items, such as mock explosives or weapons, through TSA checkpoints in 67 out of 70 attempts. ABC cited anonymous officials who had been briefed on the inspector general's report. In a statement issued Monday evening, Johnson said, "The numbers in these reports never look good out of context, but they are a critical element in the continual evolution of our aviation security." Johnson said he had directed TSA to take several corrective steps, including: -Immediately revising standard operating procedures for screening. -Conducting training for all transportation security officers, and intensive training for all supervisory personnel. -Retesting and re-evaluating the screening equipment currently in use at airports across the United States. -Continuing to conduct random covert testing. Johnson said that in the longer term, he has directed TSA and DHS to "examine adopting new technologies to address the vulnerabilities identified by the Inspector General's testing." The Homeland Security chief said that over the last year, "TSA screened a record number of passengers at airports in the United States, and ... seized a record number of prohibited items." Still, he said, the agency was "constantly testing and adapting the systems we have in place." Johnson also called on the Senate to confirm President Barack Obama's choice to lead the TSA, Coast Guard Vice Adm. Pete Neffenger. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/01/tsa-security-reforms-jeh-_n_7489558.html Back to Top Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: First Settlement Reached Two Malaysian boys whose father was a passenger on the jetliner that vanished in March last year secured an out-of-court settlement KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia-Two Malaysian boys whose father was a passenger on the jetliner that vanished in March last year secured an out-of-court settlement in the tragedy's first legal case against Malaysia Airlines and the government. Lawyer Arunan Selvaraj said Tuesday the mother of the boys decided to accept compensation on their behalf so that they can "move forward with their life." Mr. Arunan declined to reveal the amount. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board when it disappeared March 8 last year. Authorities believe it crashed in a remote part of the southern Indian Ocean but no trace of the plane has been found. A search is still ongoing. Other relatives of Flight 370 passengers were waiting for the outcome of the first case. Mr. Arunan said he didn't know if there would be more law suits. Malaysia Airlines has begun the process of paying compensation after the Malaysian government declared the jet's disappearance an accident at the end of January. Mr. Arunan declined to say whether the compensation was more than the family's entitlement under the Montreal Convention, which governs liabilities from airline disasters. Government and airline lawyers declined to comment. The boys' suit was filed in October last year, accusing the airline, the civil aviation department, the directors-general of civil aviation and immigration, and the country's air force chief for alleged gross neglect and breach of duty. They sought damages for mental distress, emotional pain and the loss of support following the disappearance of their father, Jee Jing Hang. He operated an Internet business earning a monthly income of nearly 17,000 ringgit ($4,600), according to the suit. http://www.wsj.com/articles/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-first-settlement-reached- 1433237548 Back to Top U.S. safety officials to testify to Congress on Amtrak crash WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Human error remains a strong focus of the inquiry into the Philadelphia Amtrak crash, but federal investigators are still digging for answers, aides said ahead of the first hearing in the U.S. Congress on last month's deadly accident. House Republican aides told reporters on Monday that investigators might suspect human error caused Amtrak Train 188 to hit speeds of 106 miles per hour (171 km per hour) in a zone with a 50-mph (80-kph) speed limit. Transportation safety officials are set to appear on Tuesday before a congressional panel to discuss their investigation into the May 12 derailment that killed eight people and injured about 200 when the speeding train left the tracks on a sharp curve. Christopher Hart, Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, is scheduled to testify to the House of Representatives' Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The House aides noted they did not yet know if investigators had settled on any theory for the cause of the crash. But if it was mechanical problems, the aides said, regulators likely would have acted by now by ordering checks of similar locomotives. Aides said investigators were analyzing the cell phone records of 32-year-old engineer Brandon Bostian. "They are trying to figure out when exactly either texts or emails or phone calls were made and then try to line them up to where the locomotive and the train actually were," said one aide. Joining Hart at the witness table will be Amtrak President Joseph Boardman; Sarah Feinberg, acting administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration; and Dennis Pierce, who heads the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Tuesday's hearing is likely to see some political jockeying by lawmakers amid the expert testimony. The day after the crash, House Republicans approved $1.14 billion in funding for Amtrak next year, $262 million less than the current level and well below the $2.45 billion requested by Democratic President Barack Obama. House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, has rejected any suggestion that the level of Amtrak's federal subsidies, at a time of fiscal restraint, contributed to the Philadelphia train derailment. http://news.yahoo.com/u-safety-officials-testify-congress-amtrak-crash- 052737782.html Back to Top Back to Top FBI Confirms Wide-Scale Use Of Surveillance Flights Over U.S. Cities WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI is operating a small air force with scores of low-flying planes across the U.S. carrying video and, at times, cellphone surveillance technology - all hidden behind fictitious companies that are fronts for the government, The Associated Press has learned. The planes' surveillance equipment is generally used without a judge's approval, and the FBI said the flights are used for specific, ongoing investigations. In a recent 30-day period, the agency flew above more than 30 cities in 11 states across the country, an AP review found. Aerial surveillance represents a changing frontier for law enforcement, providing what the government maintains is an important tool in criminal, terrorism or intelligence probes. But the program raises questions about whether there should be updated policies protecting civil liberties as new technologies pose intrusive opportunities for government spying. The FBI confirmed for the first time the wide-scale use of the aircraft, which the AP traced to at least 13 fake companies, such as FVX Research, KQM Aviation, NBR Aviation and PXW Services. Even basic aspects of the program are withheld from the public in censored versions of official reports from the Justice Department's inspector general. "The FBI's aviation program is not secret," spokesman Christopher Allen said in a statement. "Specific aircraft and their capabilities are protected for operational security purposes." Allen added that the FBI's planes "are not equipped, designed or used for bulk collection activities or mass surveillance." But the planes can capture video of unrelated criminal activity on the ground that could be handed over for prosecutions. Some of the aircraft can also be equipped with technology that can identify thousands of people below through the cellphones they carry, even if they're not making a call or in public. Officials said that practice, which mimics cell towers into coughing up basic subscriber information, is rare. Details confirmed by the FBI track closely with published reports since at least 2003 that a government surveillance program might be behind suspicious-looking planes slowly circling neighborhoods. The AP traced at least 50 aircraft back to the FBI, and identified more than 100 flights since late April orbiting both major cities and rural areas. One of the planes, photographed in flight last week by the AP in northern Virginia, bristled with unusual antennas under its fuselage and a camera on its left side. A federal budget document from 2010 mentioned at least 115 planes, including 90 Cessna aircraft, in the FBI's surveillance fleet. The FBI said it also occasionally helps local police with aerial support, such as during the recent disturbance in Baltimore that followed the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who sustained grievous injuries while in police custody. Those types of requests are reviewed by senior FBI officials. The surveillance flights comply with agency rules, an FBI spokesman said. Those rules, which are heavily redacted in publicly available documents, limit the types of equipment the agency can use, as well as the justifications and duration of the surveillance. Details about the flights come as the Justice Department seeks to navigate privacy concerns arising from aerial surveillance by unmanned aircrafts, or drones. President Barack Obama has said he welcomes a debate on government surveillance, and has called for more transparency about spying in the wake of disclosures about classified programs. "These are not your grandparents' surveillance aircraft," said Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the American Civil Liberties Union, calling the flights significant "if the federal government is maintaining a fleet of aircraft whose purpose is to circle over American cities, especially with the technology we know can be attached to those aircraft." During the past few weeks, the AP tracked planes from the FBI's fleet on more than 100 flights over at least 11 states plus Washington, D.C., most with Cessna 182T Skylane aircraft. These included parts of Houston, Phoenix, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis and Southern California. Evolving technology can record higher-quality video from long distances, even at night, and can capture certain identifying information from cellphones using a device known as a "cell-site simulator" - or Stingray, to use one of the product's brand names. These can trick pinpointed cellphones into revealing identification numbers of subscribers, including those not suspected of a crime. Officials say cellphone surveillance is rare, although the AP found in recent weeks FBI flights orbiting large, enclosed buildings for extended periods where aerial photography would be less effective than electronic signals collection. Those included above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. After The Washington Post revealed flights by two planes circling over Baltimore in early May, the AP began analyzing detailed flight data and aircraft-ownership registrations that shared similar addresses and flight patterns. That review found some FBI missions circled above at least 40,000 residents during a single flight over Anaheim, California, in late May, according to Census data and records provided by the website FlightRadar24.com. Most flight patterns occurred in counter-clockwise orbits up to several miles wide and roughly one mile above the ground at slow speeds. A 2003 newsletter from the company FLIR Systems Inc., which makes camera technology such as seen on the planes, described flying slowly in left-handed patterns. "Aircraft surveillance has become an indispensable intelligence collection and investigative technique which serves as a force multiplier to the ground teams," the FBI said in 2009 when it asked Congress for $5.1 million for the program. Recently, independent journalists and websites have cited companies traced to a bank of Virginia post office boxes, including one shared with the Justice Department. The AP analyzed similar data since early May, while also drawing upon aircraft registration documents, business records and interviews with U.S. officials to understand the scope of the operations. The FBI asked the AP not to disclose the names of the fake companies it uncovered, saying that would saddle taxpayers with the expense of creating new cover companies to shield the government's involvement, and could endanger the planes and integrity of the surveillance missions. The AP declined the FBI's request because the companies' names - as well as common addresses linked to the Justice Department - are listed on public documents and in government databases. At least 13 front companies that AP identified being actively used by the FBI are registered to post office boxes in Bristow, Virginia, which is near a regional airport used for private and charter flights. Only one of them appears in state business records. Included on most aircraft registrations is a mysterious name, Robert Lindley. He is listed as chief executive and has at least three distinct signatures among the companies. Two documents include a signature for Robert Taylor, which is strikingly similar to one of Lindley's three handwriting patterns. The FBI would not say whether Lindley is a U.S. government employee. The AP unsuccessfully tried to reach Lindley at phone numbers registered to people of the same name in the Washington area since Monday. Law enforcement officials said Justice Department lawyers approved the decision to create fictitious companies to protect the flights' operational security and the Federal Aviation Administration was aware of the practice. One of the Lindley-headed companies shares a post office box openly used by the Justice Department. Such elusive practices have endured for decades. A 1990 report by the then-General Accounting Office noted that, in July 1988, the FBI had moved its "headquarters- operated" aircraft into a company that wasn't publicly linked to the bureau. The FBI does not generally obtain warrants to record video from its planes of people moving outside in the open, but it also said that under a new policy it has recently begun obtaining court orders to use cell-site simulators. The Obama administration had until recently been directing local authorities through secret agreements not to reveal their own use of the devices, even encouraging prosecutors to drop cases rather than disclose the technology's use in open court. A Justice Department memo last month also expressly barred its component law enforcement agencies from using unmanned drones "solely for the purpose of monitoring activities protected by the First Amendment" and said they are to be used only in connection with authorized investigations and activities. A department spokeswoman said the policy applied only to unmanned aircraft systems rather than piloted airplanes. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and assembly. ___ Associated Press writers Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; Joan Lowy and Ted Bridis in Washington; Randall Chase in Wilmington, Delaware; and news researchers Monika Mathur in Washington and Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report. ___ View documents: http://apne.ws/1HEyP0t http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/02/fbi-surveillance-flights_n_7490396.html Back to Top First KC-46A test aircraft resumes airworthiness flights An artist's impression of the KC-46A refuelling a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. First flight of a KC-46 had been scheduled for April 2015 but is now expected to occur within months. Source: Boeing Boeing's first KC-46A test aircraft has resumed airworthiness flights The company is expected to deliver four test aircraft this year and 18 operational aircraft in 2017 The first US Air Force (USAF) Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aerial refuelling tanker test aircraft on 28 May resumed flights after a nearly five-month hiatus, a company spokesman said on 1 June. The test article first flew in late December. Boeing spokesman Chick Ramey told IHS Jane's that the aircraft resumed airworthiness testing on 28 May. "A flight with the aerial refuelling boom and wing pods will also happen soon," said Ramey. "That is part of the process to certify airworthiness." Ramey added that KC-46A's first flight is expected to occur in the coming months; that event had originally been scheduled for April. Following the first flight, the next milestone is delivery of 18 operational aircraft to the USAF by August 2017. Meanwhile, Boeing will deliver four test aircraft as part of the programme's engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase. Ramey said all four EMD aircraft are scheduled to fly this year. http://www.janes.com/article/51929/first-kc-46a-test-aircraft-resumes-airworthiness- flights Back to Top Lotus leaf-inspired aircraft wing coating may repel bugs to ease fuel consumption NASA and Boeing researchers counting insect residue on the right wing of Boeing's ecoDemonstrator 757 aircraft (Credit: NASA/Paul Bagby) Splattered insects may seem like the least of your worries when you're tearing through the air at more than 500 mph (800 km/h), but for those working with Boeing's ecoDemonstrator 757 they present a pretty unique opportunity. NASA has carried out testing of a series of non-stick coatings on the aircraft's wings, finding that one inspired by lotus leaves showed good potential to shrug off blasts of bug guts to lessen drag and, by extension, ease the consumption of fuel. The latest stage of testing with Boeing's modified 757 airliner began back in March, with the aim of developing new technologies to improve aviation efficiency, cut down on noise and reduce carbon emissions. Part of this is studying how the environment can impact on natural laminar flow. Aircraft with laminar wings can save five to six percent on fuel when flying long distances, but when bugs build up on the leading edge its benefits can be diminished. The testing took place in Shreveport, Louisiana, a site chosen partially for its heavy population of bugs. As bugs don't fly as high as typical altitudes of plane flight, the tests were tailored to include extra take-offs and landings across 15 flights over a period of around two weeks. In total, engineers from NASA and Boeing examined five different non-stick coatings on the wings, all designed to minimize residue left behind by squashed bugs. Part of finding a solution to the problem was studying bug chemistry and what exactly occurs when an insect comes into contact with something at such high speeds. The team found that as the bug's body bursts, its blood actually goes through chemical changes to make it more adhesive. After looking to nature for potential answers to this, the material scientists explored lotus leaves as potential inspiration to prevent the fluid from sticking to the surface. "When you look at a lotus leaf under the microscope the reason water doesn't stick to it is because it has these rough features that are pointy," says Mia Siochi, senior materials scientist at NASA. "When liquid sits on the microscopically-rough leaf surface, the surface tension keeps it from spreading out, so it rolls off. We're trying to use that principle in combination with chemistry to prevent bugs from sticking." Throughout the testing, researchers from NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project were on hand to monitor the results of the different coatings. They reported that the lotus leaf-inspired coating brought about a roughly 40 percent reduction in bug body count, compared to a control surface placed alongside it. Source: NASA http://www.gizmag.com/nasa-aircraft-wing-bugs/37826/ Back to Top NASA to test flying saucer A Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator test vehicle rides a balloon to high altitudes above Hawaii in 2014. The saucer-shaped craft will be carried 20 miles into the sky above Hawaii by a huge balloon NASA scientists want to see how its giant supersonic parachute performs once it's freed (CNN)Keep an eye on the skies over Hawaii on Wednesday. If all goes to plan, NASA will be testing out a saucer-shaped craft that could hold the key to a future human mission to Mars. The test flight was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed because of unfavorable ocean conditions. The craft will splash down in the sea, so operators need to be able to recover it safely. If conditions are suitable Wednesday, an enormous balloon will lift the test vehicle carrying the disc-like Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator, or LDSD, to a height of 120,000 feet, or more than 20 miles (32 kilometers), above Earth. Then, mission controllers will set the LDSD free to fire its rockets and try out the centerpiece of the test: a giant supersonic parachute, measuring 100 feet (30 meters) across. For those on the ground, live video will be relayed from four cameras aboard the pioneering saucer-shaped craft. "You get to see all the same video I do, at the same time I do," Mark Adler, project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in an online news release. "This year's test is centered on how our newly designed supersonic parachute will perform. We think we have a great design ready for the challenge, but the proof is in the pudding and the pudding will be made live for everyone to see." Updating decades-old technology Last year, when the LDSD was tested for the first time -- also launched from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range facility in Kauai, Hawaii -- the deployment of the parachute was the only fly in the ointment, when it didn't inflate as expected. This time around, a new design is being tested: the Supersonic Ringsail parachute, which NASA says is the largest supersonic parachute ever tested for use on Mars. Current technology for decelerating from high speeds during reentry into the atmosphere to the final stages of landing on Mars dates back to NASA's Viking Program, which put two landers on the Martian surface in 1976. The basic Viking parachute design has been used ever since. It was successfully used again in 2012 to deliver the rover Curiosity to Mars. NASA will need new and improved landing technologies to handle the larger spaceships of tomorrow and land them on rocky surfaces, as well as at higher altitudes. Atmospheric drag NASA scientists hope this saucer-shaped craft could be the key. "As NASA plans ambitious robotic science missions to Mars, laying the groundwork for even more complex human expeditions to come, the spacecraft needed to land safely on the Red Planet's surface will become larger and heavier in order to accommodate explorers' extended stays on the Martian surface," the agency's website said. This means the supersonic parachute will have its work cut out to create sufficient atmospheric drag to slow the vehicles down so they can be landed safely. Using drag for deceleration means precious fuel can be saved for landing maneuvers. A third test flight for the LDSD is scheduled for the summer of 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/02/us/nasa-flying-saucer-test/ Back to Top Jet Airways hands over pink slips to 50 expat pilots Jet Airways has prematurely terminated the contracts of 50 of its expatriate pilots as part of cost-cutting measures as well as reducing dependency on the high-cost overseas flight crew. "We have prematurely terminated the service contracts of 50 expatriate pilots between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015," Jet Airways acting Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ravichandran Narayan said during a post-earnings analysts call. He said that as part of the contract obligations, the airlines paid retrenchment compensation to the sacked pilots. After the termination of the contracts of the 50 expat pilots, the Naresh Goyal-promoted airline now has a total of 1,120 pilots of whom 88 are foreign pilots. The country's civil aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has also given the airlines a deadline of December 2016 to phase out the expatriate pilots. Narayan, while speaking about the measures taken by airline to contain cost, said Jet Airways has taken several steps particularly in the areas like sales and distribution, engineering and maintenance in this regard. "We are continuously improving our aircraft utilisation by adding more red-eye flights and early hour departures in our schedule," he said. A red-eye flight departs late at night and arrives early next morning. Because of their very low priced tickets, these flights are quite popular abroad, especially in the US and Europe. Narayan also said the airline was in the process of restructuring its overseas hub at Abu Dhabi by rejiging some of the flights and withdrawing a few. "We are restructuring our Abu Dhabi gateway by converting Goa-Abu Dhabi-Goa flight into seasonal one and cancelling the Abu Dhabi-Kuwait and Abu Dhabi-Dammam services," he said, adding the airline has also decided to reduce the frequency from three daily flights to two on Mumbai-Bangkok route from July 15. We continue to rationalise our route network in line with the industry condition and traffic evolution, he added. - PTI http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/jet-airways-hands-over-pink-slips-to-50- expat-pilots/88124.html Back to Top FedEx Corp. Accelerates Aircraft Retirements MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jun 01, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- FedEx Corp. FDX, +1.24% announced today it has permanently retired 15 aircraft and 21 related engines as it continues to rationalize capacity and modernize its aircraft fleet to more effectively serve FedEx Express customers. The permanent retirement of aircraft and related engines includes: Seven MD11 airframes and 12 related engines; Three A300 airframes and three related engines; Four A310-300 airframes and three related engines; and One MD10-10 airframe and three related engines. The impact of retiring these aircraft, engines and related parts resulted in a non-cash impairment charge of $246 million recorded in May 2015. FedEx has also adjusted the retirement schedule of an additional 23 airframes and 57 engines. FedEx also recognized in May 2015 $30 million in cash charges associated with these actions. These combined retirement changes will not have a material impact on near-term depreciation expense. FedEx Express Aircraft Fleet Facts As of Feb. 28, 2015, FedEx Express's fleet totaled 673 aircraft, including 383 jet aircraft. For reference, see the Q3 FY15 statistical book at http://investors.fedex.com. During the four quarters ended Feb. 28, 2015, FedEx Express spent $3.15 billion on 1.14 billion gallons of jet fuel. The B767 provides similar capacity as the MD10, with improved reliability, an approximate 30% increase in fuel efficiency and a minimum of a 20% reduction in unit operating costs. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150601006722/en/ http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fedex-corp-accelerates-aircraft-retirements-2015- 06-01-17159023 Back to Top Mitsubishi MU-2 Safety Culture: Lessons for Success and Accident-Free Flying By Pat Cannon, President, Turbine Aircraft Services (Article two of a two part series) WE ARE NUMBER ONE IN SAFETY The Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprop is a winner. It has been ranked for years as one of the safest aircraft in its class and the perennial winner of the number one slot for Aviation International News' Aircraft Product Support Survey. The MU-2 receives the highest praise because of a tangible record of excellent authorized service center maintenance coupled with the mandated and uniform recurrent pilot training since the Special Federal Aviation Regulation 108 (SFAR 108) went into effect in 2008. And, the intangibles associated with an almost cult-like safety culture among the MU-2 family, including the healthy support of the MU-2 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (MAOPA), also adds-up to the outstanding safety record, which is a beacon for the general aviation industry. PROP, FLY-IN's, FUN AND SAFETY That unprecedented safety culture is reinforced during regularly scheduled and very well attended free Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc. (MHIA) supported Pilot's Review of Proficiency (PROP) seminars taking place at four regional US locations on a biennial schedule. There are also fun and informative fly-in's, a healthy owner and operator exchange of experiences and lessons on social media platforms, and the powerful positive MHIA public perception campaign, all contributing factors to the MU-2 community's pride of ownership. That pride no doubt results in a fantastic and safer flying experience for the MU-2 community, operating the approximately two-hundred-and-seventy planes still flying even though aircraft production stopped in 1986. In-between PROP years, MU-2 owners and operators fund those fly-ins that have safety operations and insurance education sessions too. By the way, MU-2 insurance rates have nose-dived while the outstanding safety record has sky-rocketed. Mike Laver, owner of Air1st Aviation Companies, Inc., is going to host the MU-2 Fly-In this year at his Aiken, SC FBO, where he brokers and maintains MU-2s as an authorized MU-2 service center. He bought his first MU-2 K model in 1986. In 2013, Mike flew one of his latest MU-2 around the world in celebration of the MU-2's 50th anniversary. "MHIA and Turbine Aircraft Services (TAS) single handedly built back the reputation of the MU-2 that we now all enjoy," says Mike and adds sales for the MU-2 are also on the upswing. "Compared to the 80s and 90s, the culture surrounding not only the safety, but the sales and marketing of the MU-2 has changed. By the mid-2000s, the emphasis in sales changed from buying the aircraft "as is" to modernizing and upgrading avionics, engines, props, paint, and interior all serving to make the MU-2 much more of a luxury plane with the performance and reliability of the newer turboprops, but at a fraction of the cost. Concurrently, the safety culture of the MU-2 changed with the push for more stringent training requirements. The emergence of SimCom, and their two MU-2 highly sophisticated flight training devices, along with the stringent requirements to become an MU-2 training instructor, brought the MU-2 Safety Culture to the high level it has now achieved." MU-2 OWNERS AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS IN THE MU-2 SAFETY CULTURE FAMILY Tom Goonen, is the senior trainer at SimCom that boasts two level 5 MU-2 "sims," and, he says, "where the MU-2 pilots are among the most enthusiastic pilots I train. The ideal ratio is for 3 days recurrent, 2 days in a sim and one day in plane. Then the pilot can really see that the sim handles the same as the plane." Tom advocates his MU-2 students fly by the book, the approved MU-2 flight manual and pilot checklist. "In the sim students can experience system malfunctions that are accurate, instead of playing make believe. Our sims can duplicate every malfunction in that flight manual." AMBASSADORS OF SAFETY Another nod to the intangibles that encourage the MU-2's tremendously successful safety culture: Earle Martin is one of the approximately two-dozen long-time MU-2 owners and associated aviators who are designated "Ambassadors." An MU-2 Ambassador is highly trained and experienced in the MU-2 and has volunteered to be a vocal advocate of the aircraft and it's safety reputation. Earle abandoned a successful legal career in 1992 to follow his dream of flying and has been operating an MU-2 for his Midcoast Air Charter, Inc. operation based near Houston, TX, ever since. Sharing experiences for the good of the community is a common indication of the good will swirling around the MU-2. Earle Martin says, "I will offer two words out of many positive words about the culture surrounding the MU-2 owners - collaborative and competitive. The MU-2 chat group started by Alan Kozarsky and brought forward by Dave Klain has made a huge impact toward including as many current and prospective owner/operators in a group that promotes safe operations and provides assistance. For us, factory support is not someone at the end of a charge-by-the-minute 800 number but it is "Pat and Rick;" (at TAS MU-2 Product Support). I use the word competitive in a very positive sense. There is friendly and supportive competition relating to who has the best-equipped MU-2, over who uses the best Service Centers for maintenance and who uses the best training providers. Whichever choices an owner/operator makes, at least equipment, maintenance and training are at the forefront. MHI's first contribution was to have designed and built an aircraft in this class that continues to be fresh and forward-looking in terms of both safety and performance; if comparable aircraft had surpassed the MU-2 then the MU-2 would not be worth the investments in improvements that today's operators are making. MHI has persevered long past what any other manufacturer has done or will do in terms of the longevity of its support and its commitment to future support; MHI has addressed each and every issue with the MU-2 (whether having to do with the aircraft or pilot) head-on with product improvements; and it has invested time and resources in the Service Center network and simulator training. All of these things both inspire and reassure owner/operators when it comes to choosing and investing in an MU-2 and the wonderful improvements available. SERVICE CENTER + MAINTENANCE = SAFETY The MU-2 safety culture is bolstered by the much-lauded quality of the MU-2 authorized service centers in the US, South America, and in Europe. It's not easy to be chosen as an authorized MU-2 service center. MHI makes sure all centers have top-notch capabilities. Today's MU-2 community also demands the best no matter where. Agnaldo Gusmao representing Brazil's Sete Taxi Ltd. MU-2 authorized service center has been working on MU-2s and an eclectic list of other aircraft for over two decades. "If you follow all the programs, especially the due date inspections, safety will follow. Preventative maintenance is very important for our kind of commercial flying mission," according to Agnaldo. Dennis Braner is president of Intercontinental Jet Service Corporation in Tulsa, OK - an MHIA owned and authorized service center. Dennis also applauds the MU-2 owner family's reinforced commitment to safety. Dennis talks about, "Several of the customers have installed updated avionics systems adding the latest technology to the cockpit that improves pilot awareness and reduces pilot work load. I believe the pilots have become more aware of current and forecasted weather conditions. Most pilots have more data and information when entering into situations where they are confronted with marginal weather conditions. This may be another byproduct coming from the annual training." A FUTURE OF SAFETY The history of the MU-2 is rich with firsts and successes for the innovative turboprop that was considered innovative when it was first displayed at the 1964 World's Fair in New York. The distinctive style with a spacious interior and profile featuring spoilers on the wings built for stability and speed, captured the attention of the aviation industry then, as well as pilots during the aircraft's twenty-years of production and the current new owners and operators of this venable airplane. Alec Baker is a ten-year pilot who just bought his 1979 Marquise model in March of 2015. The VP of Operations for a Baltimore, MD area engineering systems firm also uses his plane for business and pleasure. "There is a substantially higher emphasis placed on training, proficiency, and systems knowledge in the MU-2 community than I have seen with Beech, Cessna, or Pilatus. MU- 2 owners seem to take their planes more seriously and have a commitment to operating them safely. MHI offers phenomenal support and their commitment to PROP is amazing," says Alec. "We stand behind all of the products manufactured by MHI with pride and, by continuing support of the MU-2 airplanes that went out of production in 1986, we believe that we are demonstrating that philosophy and dedication to the public," proclaimed Kensuke "Ken" Takeuchi, General Manager of MHIA's Aircraft Product Support Division located in Addison, Texas. "Our continued support of the MU-2 should have a far-reaching positive effect for sales and support of our other products now and in the future." The entire MU-2 community of manufacturing and support, the newest MU-2 owners and the old-timers, all look toward an experience of fun and practicality for an aircraft that is now leading the way to a safer future for general aviation. Back to Top Embry-Riddle becomes 1st university to partner with NATO center Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the NATO Modeling & Simulation Centre of Excellence have signed a technical agreement that marks the beginning of a program of cooperation in research and education, making the Daytona Beach-based school the first in the U.S. to partner with the center. Through the agreement, the NATO center will establish internships, mutually beneficial research projects and other activities with Embry-Riddle students and faculty to promote its work for NATO and member nations in support of operational requirements, training and interoperability. "This is an excellent opportunity for our students and faculty to work on collaborative research that supports NATO projects," said Sue Macchiarella, director of the Office of Global Engagement at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus. "The Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence has multiple research projects that will benefit students and faculty in our computer engineering, computer science, software engineering, unmanned aircraft systems operations and communications programs." Lt. Col. John Ferrell, deputy director for the center, was instrumental in developing the agreement. He is a graduate and former professor of military science at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus and the first U.S. representative assigned to the NATO Centre of Excellence. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace. http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/morning_call/2015/05/embry-riddle-becomes-1st- university-to-partner.html Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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 Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection & Investigation Course 9-11 Sept. 2015 Hotel Ibis Nanterre La Defense (near Paris) France http://blazetech.com/resources/pro_services/FireCourse-France_2015.pdf Back to Top JOBS AVAILABLE: Deputy Director of Flight Operations & Technical Services Helicopter Association International APPLY HERE Manager Safety & Compliance Maintenance and Continued Airworthiness Air Astana APPLY HERE Curt Lewis