Flight Safety Information June 23, 2015 - No. 122 In This Issue Flights resume in NZ after radar fault grounds all aircraft Engine sparks force jet at Newark airport back to gate Air Canada flight diverted to Buffalo due to weather ICAO 'red-flags' Thailand for aviation safety concerns TSB Disappointed by Aviation Recommendation Responses (Canada) ALL AIRLINES HAVE THE SECURITY HOLE THAT GROUNDED POLISH PLANES Airlines for America Applauds Confirmation of Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger as TSA Administrator As Navy Missions Pile Up, So Does Jet Maintenance GE USES SAND FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO TEST ITS JET ENGINES As Stress Drives Off Drone Operators, Air Force Must Cut Flights PROS 2015 TRAINING Airline Web Services Near a Big Upgrade George Luck, accomplished pilot, instructor, dies in crash at 80 Flight UA971: Airline faces £350k bill for diverting jet when passenger 'made threats over nuts FAA, EU Extend ATM Pact NTSB Accident Report Not Subject to Judicial Review Sunrise Aviation to Teach Flight Training The Righter Stuff: Test Pilots Give Way to New NASA Culture Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Flights resume in NZ after radar fault grounds all aircraft Flights have resumed in New Zealand after an air traffic control system fault grounded all aircraft, the country's air navigation service says. Airways New Zealand, a government authority that manages air traffic control, said the issue had been resolved. "Operations have been resumed, and expect to resume full service by 4:30pm (local time). We apologise for the inconvenience caused," it tweeted. A spokesman earlier told AFP the radar failure occurred at 2:48pm and had grounded all aircraft. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-23/nz-aircraft-grounded-by-radar-fault/6567166 Back to Top Engine sparks force jet at Newark airport back to gate At Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday night, an ExpressJet aircraft headed for Savannah, GA, had to be towed back to the gate and its 41 passengers deplaned after a faulty ignition sent sparks flying out of one of its engines, said a spokesman for the regional carrier, which flies to Savannah for United Airlines. NEWARK -- No one was hurt, but a regional jet bound from Newark to Savannah, Ga., Sunday night had to be towed back the gate when engine trouble sent sparks flying before takeoff, officials said. United Airlines Flight 5796 was on the tarmac before takeoff at about 10:30 p.m., when it had a so-called "hot start," in which an engine overheats after ignition, said Jarek Beem, a spokesman for ExpressJet, the regional carrier that flies to Savannah from Newark Liberty International Airport for United. Beem said the aircraft, a Brazilian-made Embraer ERJ-145, was towed back to the terminal and the 41 passengers deplaned. Of those, 40 boarded a replacement jet at about midnight for the two-hour flight, which arrived in Savannah without incident. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/engine_sparks_force_jet_at_newark_airport_back_to_gate.html Back to Top Air Canada flight diverted to Buffalo due to weather BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) - A line of thunderstorms diverted an Air Canada flight to Buffalo Niagara International Airport overnight Tuesday. Air Canada Flight 120 was inbound to Toronto Pearson International when a line of thunderstorms over southern Ontario forced the pilot to divert the plane to Buffalo around 1:00 a.m. The Airbus A320 originated from Calgary International according to flight data from Flightaware.com. Air Canada has not responded to our request for comment. http://www.wkbw.com/news/air-canada-flight-diverted-to-buffalo-due-to-we Back to Top ICAO 'red-flags' Thailand for aviation safety concerns, CNN reports BANGKOK, June 23 - The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has "red flagged" Thailand over significant safety concerns within the country's aviation sector, CNN reported. The satellite news channel said the ICAO issued Thailand a warning in March after an audit raised questions about its ability to oversee airlines under its jurisdiction. It asked Thailand to address its concerns in 90 days. On Thursday, the ICAO amended its online Safety Audit Information, issuing Thailand a red flag for failing to adequately deal with the situation within that timeframe, CNN added. It is understood that only 12 other nations are red flagged by the ICAO: Angola, Botswana, Djibouti, Eritrea, Georgia, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malawi, Nepal, Sierra Leone and Uruguay. In response to the red flag, president of Thai Airways Charamporn Jotikasthira issued a statement to CNN, saying that the carrier operates with the highest safety standards. He said, "A significant safety concern does not necessarily indicate a particular safety deficiency in the air navigation service providers, airlines (air operators), aircraft or aerodrome; but, rather, indicates that the State is not providing sufficient safety oversight to ensure the effective implementation of applicable ICAO Standards." CNN also said the Thailand Transport Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. http://www.themalaymailonline.com/travel/article/icao-red-flags-thailand-for-aviation-safety-concerns-cnn- reports#sthash.N25RTjZI.dpuf Back to Top TSB Disappointed by Aviation Recommendation Responses (Canada) After reassessing responses to 29 aviation recommendations issued since 1990, Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) faulted Transport Canada for its slow response on many of the recommendations. "We continue to see the same causes and contributing factors year after year," the TSB said. "Causes and contributing factors that directly relate to outstanding TSB recommendations." Of the 29 recommendations, the status of only three has changed to "fully satisfactory." Four have remained "unsatisfactory," while another eight were downgraded to "unsatisfactory" due to the "slow pace of action on the part of TC and inadequate information received from TC," the TSB said. One remains "unable to assess" since the board received no new information from TC; eight are "satisfactory intent" and five recommendations are judged as "satisfactory in part." Another 40 older recommendations remain outstanding and will be reassessed once updated information is received from TC. "The delay in reducing risk in the aviation industry is a troubling recurring theme, and the Board continues to press hard for improvement in the uptake of its recommendations," the TSB said. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-06-22/tsb-disappointed-aviation- recommendation-responses Back to Top ALL AIRLINES HAVE THE SECURITY HOLE THAT GROUNDED POLISH PLANES MORE THAN 10 airplanes were grounded on Sunday after hackers apparently got into computer systems responsible for issuing flight plans to pilots of Poland's state-owned LOT airline. The apparent weak link? The flight plan-delivery protocol used by every airline. In fact, though this may be the first confirmed hack of its kind, it's very similar to a mysterious grounding of United Airlines planes that happened last month. Yesterday, hackers breached the network at Warsaw's Chopin airport, causing some flights to be cancelled and others to be delayed. Approximately 1,400 passengers on flights headed to Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Copenhagen, and cities in Poland were affected by the grounding. The problem was reportedly fixed after about five hours. "We're using state-of-the-art computer systems, so this could potentially be a threat to others in the industry," LOT spokesman Adrian Kubicki told the BBC. It's possible that potentiality is already a reality. Last month, all United flights in the US were grounded for nearly an hour after the airline apparently experienced problems with flight plans dispatched to its pilots. United provided few clues about what occurred at the time-saying only through a spokesman that flights were delayed "to ensure aircraft departed with proper dispatching information." But passengers onboard several delayed aircraft tweeted that they'd been told bogus flight plans were the problem. Passenger Edward Benson, founder and CTO of the tech firm Cloudstitch, tweeted that his pilot had told passengers they were being grounded due to a possible hack of United's computer network, which resulted in bogus flight plans popping up in the system. After the problem was resolved he later tweeted, "Pilot said flight plan system had been spitting out 'random plans over and over.'" Another passenger named Christ Habets tweeted, "Andy from @UnitedAirlines is telling us that flight plans from planes in the AIR dropped flight plans." AIR likely refers to the ACARS datalink system, or Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, that is used to distribute flight plans and other data to pilots before and during a flight. The Problem Is Systemic Although Polish authorities haven't provided details about what occurred with the flight plans in that case, the problem with both the LOT planes and United may very well be the protocol for delivering flight plans: It doesn't require authentication, according to Peter Lemme, an independent consultant who chairs the SAE- sponsored Ku/Ka band satcom subcommittee, which is developing a proposed standard for end-end secure networking using broadband radios installed on airplanes. Lemme says the issue would allow a hacker to send bogus flight plans to pilots, irrespective of which branded flight-plan system an airline used. Here's how the protocol works: Ground computers calculate the appropriate flight plan for planes, and generally someone on ground also approves the plan before distributing it to pilots. Pilots receive plans before taking off, as well as en route if a change occurs during a flight. Plans can be uploaded to planes via a datalink. Any flight plan sent to a plane has to conform to the protocol standard for that particular plane's software- which would be different for 757s than it would for 767s, Lemme notes. But once a hacker figures out those protocols, it would be possible to issue a bogus flight plan. "There's more we could do in this area as far as authenticating that the flight plan is coming from a legitimate source," he says. "Right now, [the system] is relatively trusting-if it comes in and it's properly formatted, the system will accept it." This doesn't mean, however, that a pilot would blindly follow it. It's important to note that while this loophole could cause confusion resulting in planes being grounded before takeoff, Lemme says it wouldn't be a safety concern since there are checks in place to ensure that pilots don't follow incorrect flight paths that take them into the course of another plane. These checks apparently worked as they were intended in Poland when flights were grounded. "[The flight plan] doesn't just go into the system and take over the airplane," Lemme says. "The pilot has to accept it or has to manually transcribe it into the flight avionics system." If the flight plan is odd, that will stand out. "The pilot will see a presentation of the flight routing, like with a car GPS, and he'll say, 'What the hell, it has me going out to Alabama when I'm going to California. That's not right'." The flight crew will then contact the airline, and "that's where everything will grind to a halt," Lemme says. "There's not a single situation where you can issue a command to the airplane and have it go into an active memory without the pilot first accepting it and taking action to load it into the system. And ultimately you've got two pilots at every single flight who are going to look at that and they're going to have a conversation over it" if a flight plan doesn't make sense. Security expert Peter Lemme says the problem of bogus flight plans is not a safety issue. Lemme says the problem of bogus flight plans is not a safety issue. "It's more confusing than anything else. It would leave the airplanes flying inefficiently and not going in the correct route," he says. Even if the changes in a flight plan were so subtle that they wouldn't cause a pilot to be alarmed, Lemme says passengers shouldn't worry about pilots flying their planes into one another. If a pilot were to receive a flight plan via data link en route that indicated he or she should change route, the pilot would negotiate this with air traffic through voice communication first. "And air traffic would have something to say if [a change] would put them in the path of another airplane.... Air traffic is constantly looking at the path of every airplane and determining whether it might intersect with another airplane and will raise an alarm," he says. Planes are also equipped with sensors that will alert pilots if they're in the vicinity of other aircraft. But Lemme says the system currently operates under the assumption that the data sent to pilots is legitimate, and it really should be designed in such a way that it rejects bogus flight plans before they reach the pilot. "We're working on that right now." http://www.wired.com/2015/06/airlines-security-hole-grounded-polish-planes/ Back to Top Airlines for America Applauds Confirmation of Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger as TSA Administrator WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today applauded the Senate's confirmation of Coast Guard Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger to serve as the next Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). "Vice Admiral Neffenger shares our commitment to the multi-layered approach to aviation security that has helped make air travel is the safest form of intercity transportation in the United States" "Vice Admiral Neffenger shares our commitment to the multi-layered approach to aviation security that has helped make air travel is the safest form of intercity transportation in the United States," said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "A4A congratulates Vice Admiral Neffenger on his confirmation, and we remain committed to working collaboratively with TSA under his leadership to advocate for risk-based solutions that further bolster security, while making travel more convenient for the customers we serve." ABOUT A4A Annually, commercial aviation helps drive nearly $1.5 trillion in U.S. economic activity and more than 11 million U.S. jobs. Airlines for America (A4A) vigorously advocates on behalf of the American airline industry as a model of safety, customer service and environmental responsibility and as the indispensable network that drives our nation's economy and global competitiveness. Our member carriers and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. America needs a cohesive National Airline Policy that will support the integral role the nation's airlines play in connecting people and goods globally, spur the nation's economic growth and create more high-paying jobs. A4A works collaboratively with the airlines, labor groups, Congress and the Administration to improve air travel for everyone. For more information about the airline industry, visit our website airlines.org and our blog, A Better Flight Plan, at airlines.org/blog Follow us on Twitter: @airlinesdotorg. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/AirlinesforAmerica. Join us on Instagram: instagram.com/AirlinesforAmerica. To learn how you can support a National Airline Policy, a better flight plan for everyone, visit www.nationalairlinepolicy.com. Contacts Airlines for America Melanie Hinton Managing Director, Airline Industry Public Relations and Communications 202-626-4034 mhinton@airlines.org or Vaughn Jennings Managing Director, Government and Regulatory Communications 202-626-4209 vjennings@airlines.org or Jean Medina Senior Vice President, Communications 202-626-4033 jmedina@airlines.org http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150622006471/en/Airlines-America-Applauds-Confirmation- Vice-Admiral-Peter#.VYk1e_lVhBc Back to Top As Navy Missions Pile Up, So Does Jet Maintenance Super Hornets U.S. Navy F-18E Super Hornets leave after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker over northern Iraq, on Sept. 23, 2014. VIRGINIA BEACH -- The Navy's fighter jet fleet has been flown hard during nearly 15 years of conflict in the Middle East. And with the next-generation fighter years from being operational, the service's F/A-18 Super Hornets and legacy Hornets must continue flying far longer than originally planned. The result: Too many jets are down for service-extending upgrades, and not enough are ready to fly. For now, Navy leaders say they can manage the shortfall by ramping up maintenance and putting extra flight hours on airplanes that aren't down for repairs. Residents around Oceana Naval Air Station likely haven't noticed a difference: With multiple air wings preparing for deployments, there's been no reduction of window-rattling practice flights. But without additional funding to build a few dozen new Super Hornets over the next couple of years, top brass warn they eventually won't have enough jets to keep pilots proficient and respond to conflicts. "Bottom line: Our readiness consumption has exceeded our readiness production," said Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander of Naval Air Forces. "Now we're trying to rebalance that." The Navy has been tracking its strained fighter jet inventory for several years, Shoemaker said. The problem came to a head last fall when the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush was preparing to return to Norfolk Naval Station. After months of combat flights over Iraq, more than half of the carrier's legacy Hornets were at or near 8,000 flight hours -- more than 2,000 hours beyond their intended service lives -- and would soon need to enter long-term maintenance. As a result, the Navy had to tap another squadron to be on call in case the Bush and its air wing had to respond to a crisis. "That was eye-opening," Shoemaker said. Since then, the Navy's estimated fighter shortfall has grown from 65 jets -- a manageable number, Shoemaker said -- to more than 100. Of the 560 Hornets that remain in service, half are down for long-term maintenance. Of the 523 Super Hornets -- a newer variant of the 1980s-era jet -- about one in five is down for repairs. So far, the shortage hasn't had a significant impact on flight operations at Oceana, said Capt. Randy Stearns, commodore of Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic, which is responsible for manning, training and equipping the Navy's East Coast-based fighter squadrons. "Half our Hornets are out of reporting, and we're mitigating that by flying the other half more," Stearns said. "Essentially, we're spreading that peanut butter thinner. And that works for now, but long term, we're wearing out the force." Related Video: A few factors have exacerbated the problem: - The Navy originally expected the F-35 to be fully operational in 2012. That won't happen until at least 2018 now. - Three years ago, when sequestration required across-the-board defense cuts and a civilian hiring freeze, the Navy lost hundreds of workers at its long-term aircraft maintenance centers. - Once maintenance workers opened up the Hornets that had reached 8,000 flight hours, they found corrosion in places they hadn't expected. That required a lot of extra work. "We're flying legacy jets that shouldn't be flying right now," Stearns said. "We've extended these past the time we thought we'd be flying them, and we've learned some lessons through that process." Stearns emphasized the shortfall would have no effect on safety. "We're not going to be launching unsafe jets," he said. Thursday, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets priorities for military spending. It included funding for 12 new Super Hornets as well as ramping up production of F-35s. The $612 billion bill, which authorizes an array of funding for defense and foreign policy issues, now goes to conference with the House. If the additional Super Hornets make it through the appropriations process, it will mitigate the problem, Stearns said, but ultimately the Navy needs about 36 new F/A-18s to close the gap. Short of that, the Navy has taken other measures to squeeze more life out of its aging fleet. In a hangar outside Stearns' office at Oceana, teams of civilian maintenance workers turned wrenches on a couple dozen Hornets and Super Hornets. The workers have received additional training in recent months on how to find and repair corrosion sooner. That way, it won't take as long to get the jets through long-term maintenance, Stearns said. In addition, the Navy has hired hundreds of civilian workers, returning its maintenance workforce back to pre-sequestration levels for the first time this year. But to clear the backlog, the Navy estimates it will need to hire another 600 civilian maintenance workers. http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/06/22/as-navy-missions-pile-up-so-does-jet-maintenance.html Back to Top GE USES SAND FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO TEST ITS JET ENGINES GE MAKES A lot of commercial jet engines, and puts a lot of time and work into testing them. Part of that effort means collecting sand from all over the world and bringing it to Peebles, Ohio, for the express purpose of firing it out of a hose and into its engines. Commercial aviation is among the most tightly regulated industries on the planet, so it's no surprise that the near-endless hours of testing that go into every aircraft include mercilessly beating the engines that power them. GE does much of that work at its testing facility in Peebles, an hour east of Cincinnati. The company is one of the industry's leading engine suppliers, so the Peebles crew keeps busy. Engine tests fall into two categories: development and production. The latter includes a series of FAA- required tests for every engine destined to power a commercial jet. Site lead Brian DeBruin's crew regularly tests roughly a dozen engine types, which power everything from the new Honda Jets to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. Development is where the fun stuff happens: This is the testing done on new engines types and designs, like the LEAP units GE has designed for use on jets from Boeing, Airbus, and China's Comac. Mostly, it's about throwing different things into running engines, to recreate terrible things that can happen in the real world. Dead chickens. Hundreds of gallons of water a minute. Ice balls. And buckets of sand. That last one is part of what GE calls "hot and harsh testing." Sand ingestion is a relatively common: Planes landing in Phoenix or Dubai-really anywhere near a desert-can kick dust, dirt, and sand. Once in the engine, all that gunk can corrode blades and block cooling holes, and the engines have got to be able to handle it. Sand and dirt are not uniform. Traits like texture, grain size, and molecular composition vary widely and have different effects on engines. The have various reactions with coatings. They flow through the engine differently, and so cause damage in different ways. So GE gathers the stuff from all over the world. Arizona dust and Mississippi River mud, sand from the Middle East and the Gobi Desert, a dozen varieties in all. Getting the dust into the engine is easy, DeBruin says-that's why this whole thing is a problem to begin with. The rig pumps roughly five gallons of sand out of what look like small hoses, into the air just in front of a running engine, which sucks them in. Once the test engine's taken a trip to the beach, the Peebles crew disassembles the engine for what it calls a diagnostic teardown. They take photos, swab parts for chemical analysis, and pull out chunks for metallurgical analysis under a microscope. Thanks to computer simulations, the engineers have a good idea of what to look for going in, but real-life testing provides more believable data. Based on the results, the crew will tweak engine designs and change up the metal coatings they use, until they find the right fit. Before allowing a new kind of engine into service, GE will run hundreds of thousands of test cycles on the development prototype. Hot and harsh testing is just one element of that an aging process that redlines the engine for 150 hours, to simulate five to seven years of wear and spot things that will become problems far in advance. Once that's done, says DeBruin, "we've abused that engine beyond anything it's going to see in flight." The best part of the work GE does in Peebles is that the failure rate of commercial aircraft engines has plummeted from 40 per 100,000 engine flight hours in the 1960s to just one today, according to Airbus. Put another way, engines used to fail once a year. Now, they fail once every 30 years. Though the gun that fires chickens at hundreds of miles per hour is also a contender. http://www.wired.com/2015/06/ge-uses-sand-around-world-test-jet-engines/ Back to Top As Stress Drives Off Drone Operators, Air Force Must Cut Flights CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. - After a decade of waging long-distance war through their video screens, America's drone operators are burning out, and the Air Force is being forced to cut back on the flights even as military and intelligence officials are demanding more of them over intensifying combat zones in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The Air Force plans to trim the flights by the armed surveillance drones to 60 a day by October from a recent peak of 65 as it deals with the first serious exodus of the crew members who helped usher in the era of war by remote control. Air Force officials said that this year they would lose more drone pilots, who are worn down by the unique stresses of their work, than they can train. "We're at an inflection point right now," said Col. James Cluff, the commander of the Air Force's 432nd Wing, which runs the drone operations from this desert outpost about 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The cut in flights is an abrupt shift for the Air Force. Drone missions increased tenfold in the past decade, relentlessly pushing the operators in an effort to meet the insatiable demand for streaming video of insurgent activities in Iraq, Afghanistan and other war zones, including Somalia, Libya and now Syria. The reduction could also create problems for the C.I.A., which has used Air Force pilots to conduct drone missile attacks on terrorism suspects in Pakistan and Yemen, government officials said. And the slowdown comes just as military advances by the Islamic State have placed a new premium on aerial surveillance and counterattacks. Some top Pentagon officials had hoped to continue increasing the number of daily drone flights to more than 70. But Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter recently signed off on the cuts after it became apparent that the system was at the breaking point, Air Force officials said. The biggest problem is that a significant number of the 1,200 pilots are completing their obligation to the Air Force and are opting to leave. In a recent interview, Colonel Cluff said that many feel "undermanned and overworked," sapped by alternating day and night shifts with little chance for academic breaks or promotion. At the same time, a training program is producing only about half of the new pilots that the service needs because the Air Force had to reassign instructors to the flight line to expand the number of flights over the past few years. Colonel Cluff said top Pentagon officials thought last year that the Air Force could safely reduce the number of daily flights as military operations in Afghanistan wound down. But, he said, "the world situation changed," with the rapid emergence of the Islamic State, and the demand for the drones shot up again. Officials say that since August, Predator and Reaper drones have conducted 3,300 sorties and 875 missile and bomb strikes in Iraq against the Islamic State. What had seemed to be a benefit of the job, the novel way that the crews could fly Predator and Reaper drones via satellite links while living safely in the United States with their families, has created new types of stresses as they constantly shift back and forth between war and family activities and become, in effect, perpetually deployed. "Having our folks make that mental shift every day, driving into the gate and thinking, 'All right, I've got my war face on, and I'm going to the fight,' and then driving out of the gate and stopping at Walmart to pick up a carton of milk or going to the soccer game on the way home - and the fact that you can't talk about most of what you do at home - all those stressors together are what is putting pressure on the family, putting pressure on the airman," Colonel Cluff said. While most of the pilots and camera operators feel comfortable killing insurgents who are threatening American troops, interviews with about 100 pilots and sensor operators for an internal study that has not yet been released, he added, found that the fear of occasionally causing civilian casualties was another major cause of stress, even more than seeing the gory aftermath of the missile strikes in general. A Defense Department study in 2013, the first of its kind, found that drone pilots had experienced mental health problems like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder at the same rate as pilots of manned aircraft who were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Trevor Tasin, a pilot who retired as a major in 2014 after flying Predator drones and training new pilots, called the work "brutal, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year." The exodus from the drone program might be caused in part by the lure of the private sector, Mr. Tasin said, noting that military drone operators can earn four times their salary working for private defense contractors. In January, in an attempt to retain drone operators, the Air Force doubled incentive pay to $18,000 per year. Another former pilot, Bruce Black, was part of a team that watched Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the founder of Al Qaeda in Iraq, for 600 hours before he was killed by a bomb from a manned aircraft. "After something like that, you come home and have to make all the little choices about the kids' clothes or if I parked in the right place," said Mr. Black, who retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2013. "And after making life and death decisions all day, it doesn't matter. It's hard to care." Colonel Cluff said the idea behind the reduction in flights was "to come back a little bit off of 65 to allow some breathing room" to replenish the pool of instructors and recruits. The Air Force also has tried to ease the stress by creating a human performance team, led by a psychologist and including doctors and chaplains who have been granted top-secret clearances so they can meet with pilots and camera operators anywhere in the facility if they are troubled. Colonel Cluff invited a number of reporters to the Creech base on Tuesday to discuss some of these issues. It was the first time in several years that the Air Force had allowed reporters onto the base, which has been considered the heart of the drone operations since 2005. The colonel said the stress on the operators belied a complaint by some critics that flying drones was like playing a video game or that pressing the missile fire button 7,000 miles from the battlefield made it psychologically easier for them to kill. He also said that the retention difficulties underscore that while the planes themselves are unmanned, they need hundreds of pilots, sensor operators, intelligence analysts and launch and recovery specialists in foreign countries to operate. Some of the crews still fly their missions in air-conditioned trailers here, while other cockpit setups have been created in new mission center buildings. Anti-drone protesters are periodically arrested as they try to block pilots from entering the base, where signs using the drone wing's nickname say, "Home of the Hunters." http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/as-stress-drives-off-drone-operators-air-force-must-cut- flights.html?_r=0 Back to Top Back to Top Airline Web Services Near a Big Upgrade Innovations, such as tracking passenger preferences and broadcasting sports, are waiting in the wings Sensors in engines, cockpits and cabins could change the aviation industry and improve the flying experience. Rory Jones reports from the Paris Air Show. By ANDY PASZTOR and RORY JONES LE BOURGET, France-Airborne Internet services are poised to make the hours that passengers spend in an aircraft cabin a dramatically different experience. After years of considering in-flight Wi-Fi connections as just another revenue source, such as baggage fees, airlines and their suppliers are focusing on new services and applications, ranging from tracking passenger preferences to broadcasting live sports events 5 miles above the ground. The carriers also could use the same broadband satellite links to send new types of weather and safety data to cockpits, while providing their ground crews with more detailed maintenance and engine data. Passengers have been unexpectedly slow to embrace onboard Internet, but aerospace executives at the Paris international air show that ended here Sunday painted a futuristic picture of planes entirely connected to the Web from nose to tail. For the past few years, proponents of the so-called connected airline have said the industry was on the cusp of a breakthrough. Now, for various technical and economic reasons, experts say those predictions are beginning to be borne out. Faster broadband links via satellites are spurring software and hardware companies to devise products to enhance air passenger satisfaction. "It's taken a while to get some traction," said David Bruner, vice president of global communications services for Panasonic Avionics Corp., the Southern California unit of Japanese electronics giant Panasonic Corp., and the industry leader in the number of planes equipped with Wi-Fi networks. "There is a need for broad, comprehensive services to get things moving forward." "It's gone from what's possible to what's doable," said Kent Statler, head of commercial systems at Rockwell Collins Inc., in an interview. The result is "a near-home type experience" for passengers surfing the Web. In the same way cars and houses are becoming more connected via computers, faster broadband links via satellites are spurring software and hardware companies to devise products that can potentially enhance passenger satisfaction, lower maintenance and operational costs and save fuel. Within 10 years, Panasonic expects to have some 14,000 aircraft-or nearly five times its current industry tally-on its Wi-Fi networks. Among other things, that could enable flight attendants to better tailor meal service or other amenities to passenger tastes. "We're investing a lot in reliability, performance and consistency of the system," said Dominique Giannoni, chief executive of Thales SA's Inflyt Experience unit. As the technology matures, he said, so are an array of business cases. Many carriers "say connectivity is great because it is another touch point" with passengers, said Mr. Giannoni, placing the emphasis on a carrier's brand and portal. Airline officials "ask if they can monetize [connectivity] through advertising and dedicated marketing campaigns," he said. So far, low data transmission speeds have meant that only about 5% of airline passengers log on to Wi-Fi if they have to pay for the service, according to Ian Dawkins, the chief executive of SITA Onair, which provides connectivity to roughly 300 customers around the globe. Other industry estimates of airborne Wi-Fi penetration are just as low. But with improved satellite connectivity, passengers will soon be streaming live videos as they do on the ground, Mr. Dawkins said in an interview. Airlines will be able to build applications that can communicate with entertainment apps, such as video and music streaming services, enabling seat-back entertainment systems to make recommendations as soon passengers sit down, he said. "We really are at the tip of the iceberg," he said. Last week at the show, the aerospace unit of hardware provider Honeywell International Inc. and Inmarsat PLC tested the satellite operator's Global Xpress Aviation network, streaming live YouTube videos and digital radio on a demonstration flight. Global Xpress network offers airlines transmission speeds of 50 megabits per second, compared with less than 500 kilobits per second on Inmarsat's legacy satellites. Inmarsat has launched two satellites for its latest network, though a third one securing truly global coverage likely is delayed several months due to technical problems with the Russian rocket slated to blast it into orbit. At least one other satellite constellation intended to enhance airborne navigation and boost connectivity also is delayed. Honeywell also builds radars that sit on the tip of the plane and determine the weather for a radius of roughly 300 nautical miles. But if an entire fleet of jets were connected via satellites, those radars could create a real-time picture of the weather across thousands of miles, said Carl Esposito, vice president of marketing and product management for Honeywell Aerospace. The upshot, experts agree, would be smoother trips and fewer flight diversions for travelers. Just like consumer electronics, "as we get more bandwidth, more innovative things happen," said Mr. Esposito. Airlines also could reap savings from better predicting maintenance needs for parts and aircraft. Christopher O'Connor, general manager for Internet of things at International Business Machines Corp., is focusing on the millions of parts installed on modern Airbus Group SE and Boeing Co. jets from roughly 3,000 suppliers. Using sensors on many of these parts to more regularly communicate performance could save up to 10% on maintenance costs, Mr. O'Connor said. Such connectivity doesn't come cheap, however. According to Mr. O'Connor, retrofitting a regional-size airline with sensors and hardware costs roughly $2 million. In the future, when Web access is universal among airlines, marketing efforts will be distinguishing factors, said Panasonic's Mr. Bruner. Once everybody has access to broadband connections, he said, the main question will be "who is able to use that eventually to give better service" to passengers and provide sponsorship opportunities for advertisers. http://www.wsj.com/articles/airline-web-services-near-a-big-upgrade-1434929815 Back to Top George Luck, accomplished pilot, instructor, dies in crash at 80 George Luck, near an A-1 Skyraider in 1969 in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand The victim of a fatal plane crash near Paine Field in Everett last Wednesday, George Luck, was an accomplished pilot and a renowned flying instructor. Section Sponsor George Luck, who was killed last week in a plane crash in Everett, was an accomplished pilot and a renowned flying instructor. Mr. Luck, 80, served 25 years in the Air Force before working for Boeing and eventually retiring to become a flight instructor. In 2011, he was given a Wright Brothers "Master Pilot" award from the Federal Aviation Administration for 50 years of "outstanding contributions that further the cause of aviation safety." He was also named pilot of the year by the Washington Pilot's Association in 1996. "George was one of the legends in our community, and perhaps one of the legends in the aviation community at large," said Steve Dame, a pilot who knew Mr. Luck from the Washington Pilots Association. Mr. Luck, of Everett, was killed June 10 when a Beechcraft Bonanza crashed during a flying lesson after taking off from Paine Field. According to a preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the plane's engine lost power during takeoff and crashed in a wooded area south of the runway. Mr. Luck was declared dead at the scene from head and chest injuries. The other occupant of the plane, Carl Gilmore, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was in satisfactory condition Wednesday, according to hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg. The NTSB has not yet determined which man was piloting the plane, which could be flown from either seat, according to investigator Josh Cawthra. Born in Dublin, Ga., Mr. Luck decided to become a pilot after an uncle took him flying at a young age, his son, Mike Luck, says. He followed that passion to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1953, but he stayed only one year because his "Georgia accent didn't go over very well in French class," Mike Luck says.Afterward, he finished two years at the Georgia Institute of Technology, studying aeronautical engineering before enrolling in the Air Force Academy's second ever incoming class. Andi Biancur, the class president, says Mr. Luck was a mentor for his younger cadets."He was very quiet, but when he spoke he spoke in a nice voice and he tended to listen," Biancur said. "He had your attention." After graduation in 1960, Mr. Luck enrolled in the prestigious Air Force Test Pilot School. His job was to test new planes and new designs - pushing them to their limits, landing them safely and recording the results, Mike Luck said. In 1969, Mr. Luck was deployed to a Special Operations unit in Thailand, where he flew during the Vietnam War. His wife, Carolyn, followed him to Thailand and did missionary work while he was deployed. During the remainder of his Air Force career Luck trained pilots and served at the Pentagon twice - once with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1985, Mr. Luck started a 15-year career with Boeing, first in Wichita, Kan., and later in Everett. Among his responsibilities was working on the design of the cockpit and safety systems for the 777. Afterward, he continued to fly as a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Air Division and as a master certified flying instructor. He recently joined the Washington chapter of the United Flying Octogenarians, a club for pilots 80 and older. Friends who knew Mr. Luck as a pilot in the Pacific Northwest say that he was humble about his experiences and accomplishments. The telling sign: his attention to detail. For example, Mr. Luck never left the airport without first donning an uninflated life-vest - just in case he was forced to ditch in the water. "Despite being fairly senior, (Mr. Luck) had a sound mind and judgment and flying skills," Dame said. "He was just one of those guys that had the right stuff." Richard Jones, a friend who flew with Mr. Luck as recently as two weeks ago, says his attentiveness didn't end in the cockpit. Recently, Jones tried to beat Mr. Luck to the airport for a lesson in instrument training. He showed up 10 minutes early - to find Luck already there. "He was one of the straightest shooters you've ever met," Jones said. "Completely trustworthy in everything that he ever did." Mr. Luck also had a passion for helping young people, his son says. He regularly volunteered with the Boy Scouts and would act as a mentor and sponsor for youth hoping to fly with the armed forces. Since his father's passing last week, Mike says that his family has received phone calls from as far away as Switzerland and Thailand. "One man said training with him saved his life on a number of occasions," Mike said. "It's meant a lot to us." In addition to his son, Mr. Luck is survived by his wife of 49 years, Carolyn. http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/obituaries/george-luck-accomplished-pilot-instructor-dies-in- crash-at-80/ Back to Top Flight UA971: Airline faces £350k bill for diverting jet when passenger 'made threats over nuts and crackers' Jeremiah Mathis Thede, 42, is alleged to have forced the pilot of the Rome to Chicago service to land at Belfast when he stood up and demanded the snacks GettyA United Airlines plane sits on the tarmac at San FranciscoDiversion: A United Airlines jet, similar to this one, was forced to land at Belfast. An airline faces a bill of up to £350,000 (approx. $553,000) after diverting a jet because of alleged threats by a passenger over nuts and crackers, a court heard. Jeremiah Mathis Thede, 42, stood up 15 minutes into the United Airlines flight from Rome to Chicago, while seatbelt lights were still on, and demanded the snacks. When refused seconds he allegedly told staff: "I can have as much nuts and crackers as I f****** want." The captain decided to land at Belfast International, which meant dumping fuel and a 24-hour wait. A constable at the airport told Coleraine magistrates the cost would be "upwards of £300,000 to £350,000". Thede, from Berkeley, California, is accused of common assault. He was remanded in custody to appear before Antrim magistrates next Tuesday. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/flight-ua971-airline-faces-350k-5930975 Back to Top FAA, EU Extend ATM Pact FAA and EU officials signed a letter of intent to extend an air traffic modernization agreement designed to ensure a smooth transition for aircraft flying between the U.S. and Europe. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and the EC's director general for mobility and transport, Joao Aguiar Machado, held a signing ceremony June 18 during the Paris Air Show. "Today's signing validates the collaborative work that began three years ago and confirms our commitment to enhance our relationship even further," Huerta said. The FAA added that the letter builds on the U.S. and EU commitment to harmonize air traffic technologies and procedures. Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc noted the EU and U.S. share common objectives in modernizing air traffic and are having success with the cooperation on Sesar and NextGen. "Now that we are both heading toward deploying new systems, I fully support the idea that we should explore the possibility to extend this excellent cooperation to all phases of ATM modernization," Bulc said. "That's the change in culture that will take global ATM systems into the future." The FAA and EU originally signed a memorandum of cooperation in 2011 and have been collaborating on the interoperability of avionics, communications protocols and procedures and operational methods under NextGen and Sesar. The latest agreement would cover collaboration on the deployment and implementation of NextGen and Sesar activities. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-06-19/faa-eu-extend-atm-pact Back to Top NTSB Accident Report Not Subject to Judicial Review Agency actions may cause people pain and distress but there is not always a judicial remedy. In a decision issued on June 19, the D.C. Circuit rejected the request of a pilot's father to reopen an accident investigation into the plane crash that killed his daughter and her four passengers. Because the accident report cannot be considered a final order with legal consequences, it is not subject to judicial review. See Joshi v. NTSB. In April 2006, five Indiana University students were killed in a small airplane crash. A subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration concluded that the error of the student who was piloting the airplane was the probable cause of the crash. The pilot's father, who was also the owner of the airplane, undertook his own investigation, including retaining an engineering firm to reconstruct the accident. The father's investigation concluded that another plane most likely interfered with the flight path, requiring the pilot to take evasive action that caused the crash. The father petitioned the NTSB to reopen its investigation. When the NTSB declined to change its report, the father went to court. The D.C. Circuit wrote that its jurisdiction under the Federal Aviation Act is limited to review of "final orders" of the NTSB. An accident-investigation report is not such a final order. First, accident investigations are conducted to help determine measures to avoid similar accidents. They are fact-finding proceedings, not adversarial proceedings. Second, no legal consequences flow from the accident reports. The accident investigation's results are not admissible in court, and they do not lead to fines or other consequences. The father argued that there were real harmful consequences flowing from the NTSB report and the refusal to revise it, including reputational harm and emotional harm. But the Court held that while "[t]he consequences Joshi alleges are surely realities he has faced following the release of the Reports...unless the NTSB's actions result in a legal consequence, we lack the power to review them." http://www.hklaw.com/RegLitBlog/NTSB-Accident-Report-Not-Subject-to-Judicial-Review-06-19- 2015/?utm_source=Mondaq&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=View- Original#sthash.gGwc3w90.dpuf Back to Top Annual Oshkosh air show not just for airplane fanatics This 2014 photo shows the camping area at last year's EAA AirVenture Oshkosh event at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The annual mega airshow put on by the Experimental Aircraft Association calls itself the world's largest aviation fly-in and annual convention. This year it takes place July 20-26. (Experimental Aircraft Association via AP) OSHKOSH, Wis. -- You don't have to be nuts about planes to make it worth your time to swing by Wisconsin this summer and check out the annual mega air show that is much more than an air show. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the world's largest aviation fly-in and annual convention, runs from July 20-26. Every summer, hundreds of thousands of people converge on Oshkosh, population 66,000, for a weeklong celebration of all things aviation that attracts everyone from hard-core flight enthusiasts to people just curious about things with wings. Surrounded by more than 2,600 show planes of all types -- ultralights, homebuilts, vintage planes, warbirds, aerobatic craft, hot air balloons, etc. -- and with daily air shows, concerts, movies, forums and more, my husband, children and I quickly caught the fervor during a two-day visit. We helped build a plane. OK, we each pulled one rivet as part of the "One Week Wonder" project. But by the end of the week, there was a small plane flying around with our rivets in the left wing, which we'd autographed with a black Sharpie. An AirVenture volunteer took photos of each riveter, and emailed the pictures to participants -- free of charge. This year, volunteers will be able to help build aircraft wings that will be shipped to Experimental Aircraft Association chapters around the country, where planes will be assembled. On a visit to "Warbird Alley," we clambered through one of the last B-17s built for World War II. Nearby, a living history encampment featured vintage tents, equipment and vehicles. Eager to get up in the air, my kids took a spin over the convention grounds in a vintage Bell 47G helicopter ($49 each). In the KidVenture hangar, kids can try flight simulators, and volunteers lead young people through hands-on lessons in assembling engines, building wings and more. Even my teenager got into it. For hours every afternoon, there is an air show that by itself would be worth a visit. There are also two nighttime air shows during the week, with fireworks. In 2014, the Air Force Thunderbirds were the biggest attraction. This year, the big draws will include the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, the first time the latter fighter jet has been at a civilian airshow. Also on the schedule: nightly outdoor concerts and aviation-themed movies. This year's entertainment includes concerts by Dierks Bentley (an avid pilot) on opening night, and by Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band as the finale to the July 24 salute to veterans. Both concerts are free with admission to the airshow. http://www.twincities.com/travel/ci_28361117/annual-oshkosh-air-show-not-just-airplane-fanatics Back to Top Embry-Riddle to build research center Surrounded by aviation leaders from around the world, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University announced plans Tuesday for an advanced aerodynamics laboratory, a 50,000 square-foot building which will be located in the heart of its research park on Clyde Morris Boulevard. It's unclear which global aerospace companies may eventually set up shop and occupy the facility in Daytona Beach when it opens in 2017, but school and economic development officials touted the newest development during the International Paris Air Show in an effort to generate interest. Construction is expected to begin in January. "We are demonstrating our growing research capabilities, highlighting the construction of the advanced aerodynamics laboratory, which is taking shape," Bill Hampton, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Embry-Riddle, said in an email. The lab is designed to accommodate a range of research - from robotics and radar to smart materials and thermal energy - in aviation, space, engineering and other fields. The research park on 90 acres of land near the school's campus has been in the works for years, and hype surrounding the facility and what it could mean to economic development in Volusia County has been growing ever since, even before the first building begins to rise. A research park at Purdue University has had a $1.3 billion impact in Indiana and created more than 4,000 high-quality jobs paying an average annual salary of $63,000, according to a report done there in 2011. Closer to home, the Florida Institute of Technology opened a research park on Melbourne International Airport property three years ago. Today, it has 70 tenants, but the economic impact on Brevard County has yet to be determined. Winston Scott, the park's senior vice president of external relations and economic development, knows it's making a difference. "We know research parks have an impact. Not only do they recruit new companies, but they generate jobs. Those jobs generate income for the housing markets, the restaurants, and so on." In the past three years, at least three aerospace companies received incentives from state and local governments to add roughly 1,100 jobs in the aerospace industry in Brevard County, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Volusia County does not have the same presence of aerospace and aviation businesses as Brevard -not yet, at least - and while industry leaders are familiar with the work Embry-Riddle does, Volusia might not be on their radar, said Keith Norden, CEO of Team Volusia. That's why he is at the Paris Air Show, which features more than 2,000 aviation/aerospace-related exhibitors from 47 countries and draws an estimated 176,000 visitors. "Within an hour's drive we have the premiere aerospace and aviation location," he said. "Volusia County is not as visible as other areas as Florida, and that's why it's very important for us to be visible and for us to show that we are very interested in their business." The research park will support the endeavors of future partners and tenants. It will be available for long- term and short-term lease with customization to fit tenants' needs. The 90-acre park will include offices, labs, hangar space with direct taxiway access to Daytona Beach International Airport. It's also a good marketing tool and it's something Norden is touting in France. He said at least three companies he's met with in the first three days of the Air Show have expressed interest and plan to visit Volusia County soon, though he didn't say which ones. Embry-Riddle officials have yet to say which companies might wind up using the research park, due to non- disclosure agreements, but they are confident great partnerships are in the works. "We continue to be excited about the research park and we are excited about the ability to attract high- paying jobs," said Rodney Cruise, vice president for administration and planning. The excitement has spread beyond Daytona Beach. Nick Conte with the DeLand Chamber of Commerce, expects the research park to have a "transformational" impact countywide. http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20150617/NEWS/150619591/1040?p=3&tc=pg Back to Top Sunrise Aviation to Teach Flight Training (Florida) WINTER HAVEN | Polk State College's burgeoning aerospace program is switching companies that provide flight training services to student-pilots. The college has chosen Sunrise Aviation of Ormond Beach. Sunrise replaces Heart of Virginia Aviation, or HOVA, a company that Polk State contracted with for the past three years. The price for how much students will pay for Sunrise will vary per student, said Eric Crump, the college's aerospace program director. The college still needs to hammer out contract details including how much space Sunrise will take and how many airplanes students will have access to for training. Crump didn't have exact numbers for Sunrise, but said students shouldn't see much of a change in the price they paid HOVA. Crump said the college had no problems with HOVA, but felt Sunrise could help the program grow even larger than what it has become. When considering a new provider, Crump said, the college looked at price, staffing, safety record and curriculum. Crump said he liked that Sunrise had a fleet of Cessna 172 planes for students to work on, but "the biggest thing for me was safety culture and how they viewed safety." And Crump said it was nice that Sunrise "already understands collegiate aviation" because the company does similar work for Florida State College at Jacksonville. Mark Barker, Sunrise's student affairs director, said his company is excited to add Polk State to its client list. He said the curriculum has worked well at FSCJ and most of that material will be duplicated at Polk State. He said his company plans to set up at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. http://www.theledger.com/article/20150622/NEWSCHIEF/150629865/1134?Title=Sunrise-Aviation-to- Teach-Flight-Training- Back to Top The Righter Stuff: Test Pilots Give Way to New NASA Culture NASA astronaut Michael Lóopez-Alegria snaps a photo during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station during a months-long mission to the International Space Station in February 2007. NEW YORK - Steely-nerved test pilots were the first men in space, but that isn't what you always want on a longer trip. During the World Science Festival, held last month in New York City, astronauts and doctors met at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum to talk to CNN's Bill Weir about all things space, including how astronaut culture has changed over the years, and what it is like to be in space for long periods of time. On the panel were Michael López-Alegria, a former astronaut who is the current NASA record holder for the single longest spaceflight mission, and has logged more hours performing extravehicular activities (spacewalks) than any other American; Jennifer Fogarty, physiologist for NASA's Space and Clinical Operations Division, who literally wrote the book on adaptations to space; and Jack Stuster, an anthropologist, who spent decades studying people in extreme environments such as Antarctic expeditions. Stuster has also helped NASA train astronauts for longer-term missions. López-Alegria said test pilots were good for the short missions that characterized the early space program. But the panelists noted that longer stays in space require a somewhat different mindset, less akin to the military and more collaborative. He noted that the culture change shows up in the way shuttle missions are run. In the early days of crewed spaceflight, conversations with ground control were terse. "You didn't key the mic unless you knew what you were going to say," he said. "NASA was used to scheduling things pretty tightly." Today, things are rather different. Often, complex problems need to be solved, and the stereotypical military structure won't work, López-Alegria said. "It's more of a conversation," he said. "It's no longer military people saying, 'Go charge up that hill.'" NASA astronaut Michael Lóopez-Alegria smiles for a photo while preparing for a spacewalk outside the International Space Station in November 2002 during the STS-113 mission. People also need days off, and that's become clearer as missions have stretched out into months aboard the International Space Station. Some of that cultural change has come about because the kind of work people do in space has diversified a lot, the panelists said. "The original astronauts were single-seat pilots," Stuster said. "Now, astronauts are physicians, scientists or even managers." López-Alegria agreed. "Flying is inconsequential sometimes," he said. Fogarty added that the culture at NASA is much more egalitarian, as well, especially as women have joined the program. "[Astronauts] used to come from primarily military backgrounds," she said. "Now we look for flexibility and adaptability." Social dynamics will be important for longer trips, especially if NASA is serious about sending humans to Mars. Stuster noted that some earlier expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic might offer some useful lessons. Variety in diet and activity, as well as a shared goal, all go a long way, he said. "A sense of common purpose helps overcome the cultural differences. [...] It's also important to select compatible personnel." Another aspect of personnel that should be considered, he said, is that people who are good at shuttle missions might not be the best for a years-long Mars trip. "I've had people come to me and say they love the shuttle but wouldn't want to spend six months on the ISS," Stuster said. The panel noted that morale on a long mission will be affected by the time lag of communication signals. López-Alegria noted that aboard the ISS or space shuttle, it was possible to essentially make a phone call to any number on Earth. That won't be possible on a Mars mission, since after a certain point, radio signals will take several minutes to reach Earth. Psychology aside, other important issues on a long mission will be food and health. Food has a social aspect to it, López-Alegria said. And there are changes in the way food tastes in space. He recounted how, when training for a space station mission, he developed a taste for a certain Russian dish of lamb and vegetables. Once in space, though, it got to the point where the smell made him nauseous. Then it became bearable, and even enjoyable again. NASA, by the way, has a no-alcohol policy. "I really missed a glass of wine with dinner," López-Alegria said. Fogarty said for a Mars mission, while vegetable crops could provide a lot of vitamins and nutrients, one big challenge will be providing astronauts with enough protein. Another concnern is astronaut bone density, and NASA funds research into drugs that could help prevent the loss of bone mass that occurs in microgravity. Exposure to cosmic radiation (most of which is blocked by Earth's atmosphere) is also a concern. A trip to Mars would mean higher levels of exposure, for longer periods of time, than astronauts have ever experience before. Getting to Mars will probably require some kind of economy in low-Earth orbit, such as assembling spacecraft and even tourism, López-Alegria said. Private tourism could benefit space agencies that want to better determine what makes someone "fit" to go on space missions, Fogarty said. Companies like Virgin Galactic plan to sell short hops to the edge of space for a relatively low price compared to the millions of dollars that NASA must spend training its astronauts. If those companies collect health data on those passengers, the data could show that a wider range of people can be "fit" for orbit than are currently allowed on missions, Fogarty said. But what about getting support for a Mars mission, or even a return to the moon? The panelists agreed it might depend on developing a sense of mission that doesn't change from year to year. "How can we all get behind something when that something keeps changing?" Fogarty said. http://www.space.com/29718-astronaut-challenges-space-travel-today.html Back to Top Upcoming Events: Fundamentals of IS-BAO July 7, 2015 Alexandria, VA USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659131 IS-BAO Auditing July 8, 2015 Alexandria, VA USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659136 EAA AirVenture Schedule July 19-26, 2015 Oshkosh, WI http://www.eaa.org/en/airventure/eaa-airventure-schedule-of-events Fundamentals of IS-BAO July 21, 2015 Orlando, FL USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659145 IS-BAO Auditing July 22, 2015 Orlando, FL USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659149 Fundamentals of IS-BAO August 19, 2015 Madrid, Spain https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659089 IS-BAO Auditing August 20, 2015 Madrid, Spain https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1659096 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: NTSB Human Performance Investigator https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/404707900 Head of Quality & Safety AJA (Al Jaber Aviation) Send your CV with a covering letter to aja.hr@ajaprivatejets.com Curt Lewis