Flight Safety Information July 29, 2015 - No. 148 In This Issue SpaceShipTwo Crash Was Due to Pilot Error, and a Lapse in Safety Culture FAA investigating Allegiant Air emergency landing Public works minister says trash poses air safety risks U.S. Senate To Consider Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 JAL jet mistakenly accelerated on taxiway at Singapore airport China-Tied Hackers That Hit U.S. Said to Breach United Airlines Investigators say lack of guidance from FAA was factor in collision of skydiving planes PROS 2015 TRAINING American Airlines' 787 Dreamliner Nightmare Lockheed F-35's Reliability Found Wanting in Shipboard Testing KLM and TU Delft propose long-distance aircraft featuring wings that merge with its body India's SpiceJet in talks with Boeing, Airbus for $11 billion jet deal 8/Eight senior Air India Dreamliner pilots resign, more may follow Boeing to Train Vietnam Airlines 787 Pilots Pilot Sees Bright Future For UAV's Over Midwest Opinion: Here Is A Three-Pronged Approach To Pilot Shortage ISASI 2015, Germany, August 24 - 27, 2015 USAIG Welcomes Pulsar Informatics, Inc. to its Performance Vector Safety Initiative Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) SpaceShipTwo Crash Was Due to Pilot Error, and a Lapse in Safety Culture The company running the suborbital vehicle's test program failed to pay enough attention to the possibility of human error. NTSB investigators on the scene of the SpaceShipTwo crash last November. (NTSB) In the end it came down to a simple, but fatal, mistake. Seconds into the fourth powered test of the SpaceShipTwo commercial space vehicle over the California desert last October 31, co-pilot Michael Alsbury reached for a handle to unlock the ship's novel "feathered" wing-the hinged assembly used during the re-entry phase of the flight. At this point the VSS Enterprise was still climbing; unlocking the feathered wing was just a precaution, in case something went wrong and the vehicle had to re-enter early. According to procedures he had rehearsed many times, the co-pilot was supposed to unlock the feather when the vehicle hit Mach 1.4 during its rocket-boosted climb. But for some reason Alsbury unlocked it early, when the Enterprise was still at 0.8 Mach. The feathered wing started to deflect, and the resulting aerodynamic stress tore the vehicle apart, just 13 seconds after it had released from its carrier airplane. Both Alsbury and pilot Peter Siebold were thrown from the vehicle, but only Siebold, whose parachute deployed automatically, survived. In a meeting of the National Transportation Safety Board this morning, investigators presented their initial findings as to the cause of the accident, and discussed the underlying factors that contributed to the co-pilot's fatal error. By all accounts, Alsbury was a scrupulous, trained professional test pilot. "Nobody was better at procedures than him," said board member Robert Sumwalt during today's meeting. But in those moments after separation from the carrier aircraft, he also was "experiencing high workload as a result of recalling tasks from memory while performing under time pressure and with vibration and loads that he had not recently experienced, which increased the opportunity for errors," according to a synopsis of the NTSB report. What's more, even though the board found no evidence of a design flaw in the StarShipTwo vehicle itself, the Scaled Composites team running the flight test program "did not ensure that the pilots [on this flight] and other SpaceShipTwo test pilots adequately understood the risks of unlocking the feather early." Indeed, most of the developers' attention before the October 31 crash had been on the risk of unlocking too late. No warning system was in place to guard against the pilots' unlocking too early, even though it was understood that such a mistake could also result in catastrophic failure. The NTSB investigators also found fault with the FAA's oversight of the SpaceShipTwo test program. Not only was the FAA technical staff unfamiliar with key elements of the vehicle and flight procedures, it granted a waiver for a Scaled Composites hazard analysis, even though it didn't meet a regulatory requirement to consider human factors that might lead to an accident. The Board recommends that the FAA create a database of lessons learned from commercial space mishaps. http://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/spaceshiptwo-crash-was-due-pilot-error-and- lapse-safety-culture-180956096/?no-ist Back to Top FAA investigating Allegiant Air emergency landing An Allegiant Airline jet flies over on March 16, 2015, in Las Vegas. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating why an Allegiant Air flight from Las Vegas made an emergency landing in North Dakota last week because it was short on fuel. Federal regulations require airliners to have enough fuel to reach their intended destination or a designated alternate, plus 45 minutes of flight time. But the Allegiant pilot had to declare an emergency and land at the Hector International Airport in Fargo, N.D., even though it was closed for a special event. "The pilot of Allegiant Air Flight 426 declared an emergency ... while the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels demonstration team was practicing for an air show,'' the FAA said in a statement. "Air traffic controllers instructed the Blue Angels to suspend their practice session and the Allegiant flight landed safely. The FAA is gathering information about the circumstances." Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air said only that it is "coordinating with the FAA and the airport to investigate all channels of communication regarding the flight and the circumstances leading to the declaration of emergency." Not only was the plane low on fuel when it reached Fargo, the pilots apparently knew nothing of the closure. In radio communications archived online by LiveATC, an air-traffic controller is heard telling a pilot he would have to wait 40 minutes to land or divert about 70 miles to Grand Forks. "I'm kind of surprised here," the pilot said. "We weren't told ahead of time ... There's no way they can pull them (the Blue Angels) off and let us land in there?" The pilots said Allegiant headquarters was confused, and was trying to call the airport to arrange a landing. The controller said the company and its dispatchers were told about the closure months in advance, and reminded earlier in the week. Twenty minutes passed. "We don't have enough fuel to go anywhere else," the pilot reports. "I don't have 20 minutes ... We're bingo fuel (only enough to land) here in about probably three to four minutes. Then I've got to come in and land." With that, the plane was allowed to land in Fargo. http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/faa-investigating-allegiant-air- emergency-landing Back to Top Public works minister says trash poses air safety risks BEIRUT: Public Works Minister Ghazi Zeaiter has warned that the dumping of trash near Beirut's airport poses a threat to air travel safety. "I have informed the ministries of interior, defense and environment of the seriousness of the situation. I have warned and I'm raising my voice after Sukleen and the municipalities of [Beirut's] southern suburbs and Choueifat began piling garbage near the airport's fence," Zeaiter said in remarks published Wednesday by local newspaper An-Nahar. He held the three ministries "responsible for any shortcomings that could be detrimental to aviation safety." Former Director General of Civil Aviation Hamdi Shawk also sounded the alarm about the danger of dumping trash near Rafik Hariri International Airport. "Dumping garbage in the vicinity of the airport can adversely affect the temperature of the runway," he told An-Nahar in comments published Wednesday. He said the abandoned waste could reach temperature levels higher than the runway surface, which "can change the heat around the runway." "Aircrafts are directly affected by the weather and any emissions will affect the air flow above the wings of the plane, especially during take-off or landing," he explained. He also cautioned that dumping waste near the airport could attract birds "and this is very dangerous." The trash crisis began 10 days ago when the Environment Ministry shut down the Naameh landfill, south of Beirut, without securing a substitute location. A ministerial committee tasked with managing solid waste failed to secure new locations to dump the trash Tuesday and will meet again Wednesday. The committee, comprised of ministers from various political parties, had reached an agreement Monday, according to which the mountains of garbage would be immediately removed from Beirut and Mount Lebanon by Sukleen, the company in charge of collecting trash in the area. The trash crisis has attracted wide attention across the internet and social media both domestically and abroad. The British government warned in its travel advisory for nationals traveling or residing abroad of "higher than usual levels of air pollution in Beirut" due to the buildup of trash in the city. https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/Jul-29/308778-zeaiter-raises- aviation-concerns-over-trash-crisis.ashx Back to Top U.S. Senate To Consider Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 The U.S. Senate shortly is expected to begin consideration of a Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 (PBOR 2) measure that would ease third-class medical requirements for recreational pilots and increase pilot protections. The measure, introduced by Sens. Joe Manchin (D- W.Va.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.), essentially mirrors the legislation crafted by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). Manchin and Boozman are offering the measure to the Senate version of the highway reauthorization bill, H.R.22, that has been under debate this week. General aviation groups, including AOPA and EAA, have been urging their members to lobby Congress for support. Their appeals come as the Air Line Pilots Association wrote Congress objecting to the third-class medical reform aspect, saying it cold permit "medically unfit pilots unfettered access to the national airspace." ALPA said it supported other aspects of PBOR 2 and hoped to work with Congress on a compromise. EAA Chairman Jack Pelton called the ALPA stance "most disappointing and utterly out of step with the rest of the general aviation and airline pilot community." FAA Administrator Michael Huerta last week told attendees at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., that the FAA is still working the issue but does not yet have a proposal. "I know this is frustrating to hear; it is frustrating to report," he said, adding the agency is coordinating closely with Congress. "There is a lot of interest in Congress to provide us the authority to change the medical certification requirement." While a vote looks promising on PBOR 2 in the Senate, the House and Senate remain far apart on the highway reauthorization bill. The Senate yesterday voted 64-29 to add an amendment to reauthorize the Ex-Im bank. That measure has drawn objections from House leaders, who yesterday said they will refuse to consider the Senate highway bill. This makes a short-term extension likely. Such an extension is not expected to include amendments such as Ex-Im or PBOR 2. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-07-28/us-senate- consider-pilots-bill-rights-2 Back to Top JAL jet mistakenly accelerated on taxiway at Singapore airport A Japan Airlines aircraft nearly tried to take off from a taxiway at Singapore's Changi Airport on July 12 as pilots mistakenly thought the Boeing 767 jet was on a runway, an act that could have led to a crash with other planes, JAL said Tuesday. The aircraft, JAL flight 38 bound for Tokyo's Haneda airport, gathered speed to take off for a few seconds in the early hours of the day, although the act was prohibited. The incident did not cause any injuries to the 208 passengers and crew members on board. There were no other aircraft on the taxiway at the time. The 58-year-old captain and a 50-year-old copilot of the aircraft failed to report the incident to JAL. The airline learned of it following a report from Singaporean authorities, the company said. JAL suspended the two from working aboard aircraft and is considering punishing them, the company said, adding that the pilots did not think the incident was something worth reporting. On July 12, the plane received clearance for takeoff from the airport traffic controller when it was running near the end of a taxiway, located parallel to a runway, about 25 minutes behind schedule, according to JAL. The pilots misunderstood that they were at the end of a runway, and ran for a few seconds using takeoff thrust. But since the captain realized that the plane was running on the taxiway and after receiving an order to stop from the controller, the aircraft put on the brakes, JAL said. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/29/national/jal-jet-briefly-takeoff-thrust- singapore-taxiway-controllers-acted-crew-grounded/#.Vbi5SPlVhBd Back to Top China-Tied Hackers That Hit U.S. Said to Breach United Airlines United, the world's second-largest airline, detected an incursion into its computer systems in May or early June, said several people familiar with the probe. The hackers who stole data on tens of millions of U.S. insurance holders and government employees in recent months breached another big target at around the same time -- United Airlines. United, the world's second-largest airline, detected an incursion into its computer systems in May or early June, said several people familiar with the probe. According to three of these people, investigators working with the carrier have linked the attack to a group of China-backed hackers they say are behind several other large heists -- including the theft of security-clearance records from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and medical data from health insurer Anthem Inc. The previously unreported United breach raises the possibility that the hackers now have data on the movements of millions of Americans, adding airlines to a growing list of strategic U.S. industries and institutions that have been compromised. Among the cache of data stolen from United are manifests -- which include information on flights' passengers, origins and destinations -- according to one person familiar with the carrier's investigation. It's increasingly clear, security experts say, that China's intelligence apparatus is amassing a vast database. Files stolen from the federal personnel office by this one China-based group could allow the hackers to identify Americans who work in defense and intelligence, including those on the payrolls of contractors. U.S. officials believe the group has links to the Chinese government, people familiar with the matter have said. That data could be cross-referenced with stolen medical and financial records, revealing possible avenues for blackmailing or recruiting people who have security clearances. In all, the China-backed team has hacked at least 10 companies and organizations, which include other travel providers and health insurers, says security firm FireEye Inc. Tracking Travelers The theft of airline records potentially offers another layer of information that would allow China to chart the travel patterns of specific government or military officials. United is one of the biggest contractors with the U.S. government among the airlines, making it a rich depository of data on the travel of American officials, military personnel and contractors. The hackers could match international flights by Chinese officials or industrialists with trips taken by U.S. personnel to the same cities at the same time, said James Lewis, a senior fellow in cybersecurity at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "You're suspicious of some guy; you happen to notice that he flew to Papua New Guinea on June 23 and now you can see that the Americans have flown there on June 22 or 23," Lewis said. "If you're China, you're looking for those things that will give you a better picture of what the other side is up to." Computer Glitches The timing of the United breach also raises questions about whether it's linked to computer faults that stranded thousands of the airline's passengers in two incidents over the past couple of months. Two additional people close to the probe, who like the others asked not to be identified when discussing the investigation, say the carrier has found no connection between the hack and a July 8 systems failure that halted flights for two hours. They didn't rule out a possible, tangential connection to an outage on June 2. Luke Punzenberger, a spokesman for Chicago-based United, a unit of United Continental Holdings Inc., declined to comment on the breach investigation. Zhu Haiquan, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in a statement: "The Chinese government and the personnel in its institutions never engage in any form of cyberattack. We firmly oppose and combat any forms of cyberattacks." Embedded Names United may have gotten help identifying the breach from U.S. investigators working on the OPM hack. The China-backed hackers that cybersecurity experts have linked to that attack have embedded the name of targets in web domains, phishing e-mails and other attack infrastructure, according to one of the people familiar with the investigation. In May, the OPM investigators began drawing up a list of possible victims in the private sector and provided the companies with digital signatures that would indicate their systems had been breached. United Airlines was on that list. Safety Concerns In contrast to the theft of health records or financial data, the breach of airlines raises concerns of schedule disruptions or transportation gridlock. Mistakes by hackers or defenders could bring down sensitive systems that control the movement of millions of passengers annually in the U.S. and internationally. Even if their main goal was data theft, state-sponsored hackers might seek to preserve access to airline computers for later use in more disruptive attacks, according to security experts. One of the chief tasks of the investigators in the United breach is ensuring that the hackers have no hidden backdoors that could be used to re-enter the carrier's computer systems later, one of the people familiar with the probe said. United spokesman Punzenberger said the company remains "vigilant in protecting against unauthorized access" and is focused on protecting its customers' personal information. There is evidence the hackers were in the carrier's network for months. One web domain apparently set up for the attack -- UNITED-AIRLINES.NET -- was established in April 2014. The domain was registered by a James Rhodes, who provided an address in American Samoa. James Rhodes is also the alias of the character War Machine in Marvel Comics' Iron Man. Security companies tracking the OPM hackers say they often use Marvel comic book references as a way to "sign" their attack. Targeting Pentagon This isn't the first time such an attack has been documented. Chinese military hackers have repeatedly targeted the U.S. Transportation Command, the Pentagon agency that coordinates defense logistics and travel. A report last year from the Senate Armed Services Committee documented at least 50 successful hacks of the command's contractors from June 2012 through May 2013. Hacks against the agency's contractors have led to the theft of flight plans, shipping routes and other data from organizations working with the military, according to the report. "The Chinese have been trying to get flight information from the government; now it looks as if they're trying to do the same in the commercial sector," said Tony Lawrence, a former Army sergeant and founder and chief executive officer of VOR Technology, a Columbia, Maryland-based cybersecurity firm. It's unclear whether United is considering notifying customers that data may have been compromised. Punzenberger said United "would abide by notification requirements if a situation warranted" it. The airline is still trying to determine exactly which data was removed from the network, said two of the people familiar with the probe. That assessment took months in the OPM case, which was discovered in April and made public in June. M&A Strategy Besides passenger lists and other flight-related data, the hackers may also have taken information related to United's mergers and acquisitions strategy, one of the people familiar with the investigation said. Flight manifests usually contain the names and birthdates of passengers, but even if those files were taken, experts say that would be unlikely to trigger disclosure requirements in any of the 47 states with breach-notification laws. Those disclosure laws are widely seen as outdated. The theft by hackers of corporate secrets usually goes unreported, while the stealing of customer records such as Social Security numbers and credit cards is required in most states. "In most states, this is not going to trigger a notification," said Srini Subramanian, state government leader for Deloitte cyber risk services. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-29/china-tied-hackers-that-hit-u-s- said-to-breach-united-airlines Back to Top Investigators say lack of guidance from FAA was factor in collision of skydiving planes SUPERIOR, Wis. - Aviation investigators say a lack of guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration and improper training were significant factors in the midair collision of two skydiving planes over northwestern Wisconsin about two years ago. The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded its investigation into the November 2013 collision over Superior. All nine skydivers on the two planes and one pilot jumped to safety, while the other pilot landed a damaged plane. The NTSB cited the FAA's lack of guidance on how pilots should fly formation flights with skydivers. Minnesota Public Radio News (http://bit.ly/1IrAeMb ) reports the owner of the skydiving company did not provide training for its pilots as a result. Footage from five helmet cameras shows one Cessna coming down on the back of another, shearing off the lead plane's right wing. http://www.startribune.com/investigators-cite-faa-lack-of-guidance-in-midair- collision/319355551/ Back to Top Back to Top American Airlines' 787 Dreamliner Nightmare American Airlines probably thought it was making the right move when it bought seven Boeing 787 Dreamliners. After all, as I noted in my book, You Can't Order Change, the $166 million 250 to 330 seat aircraft was known for using 20% less fuel - thus the profits from filling them up would be higher. But that was before American Airlines Flight 88 flew through a hailstorm outside of Beijing on July 27. The result was a punched-in nose that will keep the aircraft on the ground for now. American spokeswoman Andrea Huguely told USA Today on July 28 that "repair work was underway on the aircraft and that passengers from Monday's flight had been accommodated on other flights." Fixing the damaged 787 is possible - if difficult. As vice president of Teal Group, Richard Aboulafia, explained in a July 28 interview, "Field repairs for the 787 have been a concern since the program began. But carbon fiber aerostructures can be repaired, whether in the field or in a heavy maintenance hangar. This incident won't result in the aircraft being written off. At worst, the [punched in] radome itself can probably just be replaced." It is unclear who will pay for the repairs. According to Aboulafia, "Who's responsible? I don't know. Warranty terms are closely held. Probably Boeing, but I don't really know." Indeed Aboulafia's concerns about the 787 are based in part on problems with its materials. In December 2009, I noted that Boeing decided to make 50% of the 787 out of composite materials - basically layers of carbon fiber - the behavior of which under flight stresses is difficult for engineers to predict. I learned back then that the composite material led to problems where the 787s wing and fuselage meet, as well as so-called "skin wrinkling" on the fuselage. Indeed the skin wrinkling problem was so bad that in June 2009, Boeing stopped work on the 787 because of the problem at its supplier, Italy's Alenia, according to the Seattle Times. In a statement, Boeing suggested that "a simple patch" could fix the "microscopic wrinkles in the skin plies" in just two locations near a fuselage door, according to the Seattle Times. At the time, Boeing expected to deliver its first 787 in September 2009 - the actual delivery date for the first 787 was September 2011 - a whopping two years later. American currently has seven 787-8 models in its fleet. The Associated Press says the 787s "carry a list price of $224.6 million each after a recent 2.9% price hike. Airlines, however, routinely get big discounts." American has been doing phenomenally well recently. It outperformed rivals in the quarter ending June 30 with record second-quarter EPS of $2.62 - two cents a share more than consensus. Revenue of $10.8 billion met estimates and pre-tax margins for the second quarter were 17.2% "a 440 basis-points improvement from year ago levels and higher than legacy peers Delta and United Continental Holdings with pre-tax margins of 15.3% and 12.7%, respectively," according to Barron's. Barron's expects American Airlines to use jet fuel savings - totaling $4.3 billion in 2015 - to help pay for $2 billion worth of share repurchases by 2016. For the sake of passengers and investors in American Airlines and Boeing, I hope that the kind of damage that Flight 88 suffered near Beijing does not recur. http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2015/07/28/american-airlines-787-dreamliner- nightmare/2/ Back to Top Lockheed F-35's Reliability Found Wanting in Shipboard Testing An F-35B fighter jet, the U.S. Marine Corps variant of the F-35. Photographer: Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo The Marine Corps' version of Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-35 fighter demonstrated poor reliability in a 12-day exercise at sea, according to the U.S. military's top testing officer. Six F-35Bs, the most complex version of the Pentagon's costliest weapons system, were available for flights only half of the time needed, Michael Gilmore, the Defense Department's director of operational testing, said in a memo obtained by Bloomberg News. A Marine Corps spokesman said the readiness rate was more than 65 percent. While the exercise on the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp resulted in useful training for Marines and Navy personnel, Gilmore wrote in the assessment dated July 22, it also documented that "shipboard reliability" and maintenance "were likely to present significant near-term challenges." In the assessment submitted to Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, Gilmore said "Marine maintainers had rapid, ready access to spare parts from shore" and "received significant assistance" from Lockheed and subcontractor personnel. Even with these advantages, "aircraft reliability was poor enough that it was difficult for the Marines to keep more than two or three of the six embarked jets in a flyable status on any given day," he wrote. The challenges to keeping the aircraft flying "will be substantially tougher when the aircraft first deploys" on an operational mission under more trying conditions, he said. New Concerns That assessment raises new concerns as General Joseph Dunford, the Marine Corps commandant, is poised to decide as soon as this week whether to declare the plane ready for limited combat operations. The Marine version must make short takeoffs from ships and vertical landings like a helicopter. Major Paul Greenberg, a Marine Corps spokesman, offered the estimate of 65 percent reliability and said Gilmore's "review and assessment was done with our full cooperation." "Although some the report is factually accurate, the Marine Corps does not agree with all of the conclusions and opinions," Greenberg said in an e-mail. "In some instances, the report contains statements that do not provide proper context or qualifying information, possibly leading readers to form inaccurate conclusions." The declaration of "initial operational capability" is five years behind the original projected date of April 2010 that was set in 2001, when the F-35 program began. Earlier delays resulted from difficulties in reducing the plane's weight, with its propulsion system and with reliability. Foreign Buyers Defense Secretary Robert Gates placed the F-35 on probation in January 2011 over reliability concerns. That was lifted a year later as the aircraft's performance improved, but Gilmore's assessment may resurrect the earlier questions. The Marine Corps' B model is being watched as a bellwether for the F-35 program, projected to cost $391.1 billion for a planned fleet of 2,443 aircraft. The Marines plan to buy about 353 F-35Bs. The U.K. and Italy also are buying the model. A declaration by Dunford that the plane is ready for limited combat operations would provide for a 10-aircraft squadron at Yuma, Arizona, to take on some combat missions until software giving the F-35 its full capability is available by late 2017. Four of those aircraft were on the Wasp. One had "multiple maintenance issues" that kept it from flying for consecutive days from May 19 through May 23, according to Gilmore's report. The exercise also was hampered by flaws with the aircraft's fuel systems, which experienced two major component failures, he said. Readiness Rate Gilmore said a readiness rate of 80 percent would be needed to support a six-aircraft unit for combat operations. Lieutenant General Jon Davis, the head of Marine Corps aviation, told reporters on Monday that the service wants to achieve that rate eventually, but doing so depends on how much funding is provided for spare parts. The Wasp exercise demonstrated that production model aircraft could be operated and supported off an amphibious warship, he said. Ten U.S. Marine Corps pilots received F-35B aircraft carrier qualifications and flew 11 night missions in addition to flying more than 76 hours and executing 106 sorties, Greenberg said. The sorties included 100 short takeoffs and vertical landings. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-28/lockheed-f-35-s-reliability-found- wanting-in-shipboard-testing Back to Top KLM and TU Delft propose long-distance aircraft featuring wings that merge with its body Dutch airline KLM and Delft University of Technology have released concept designs for an aircraft with a "blended wing body", which could transport passengers non stop from Europe to Australia. The AHEAD aircraft, which stands for Advanced Hybrid Engine Aircraft Development, would carry 300 passengers over a range of 14,000 kilometres - approximately the distance from Amsterdam to Perth. To improve aircraft efficiency and allow for longer flights, KLM's engineering and maintenance department worked with engineers and designers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). The result is a design that features two sets of wings - a small pair by the nose and a large set at the rear - that blend into the body. These elements are formed as a single curving shape, rather than attaching the wings as appendages to either side of the plane's fuselage like in current aircraft designs. The continuous profile is designed to improve air flow over the aircraft and reduce drag, which planes currently overcome by using more engine power, and therefore more fuel. "A blended wing body is one of the very promising designs to minimise the drag and, is so doing, making aircraft much more fuel-efficient," said KLM engineer Rob Duivis on the company's blog. The team is also proposing a hybrid engine to replace conventional turbofan engines. In turbofans, large volumes of air flow through and around the engine, then some of the air is used to burn kerosene fuel in a combustion chamber. The heated air then drives the turbines that propel the vehicle forward. KLM's new engine would use two different combustion systems. The first burns either cryogenic hydrogen or liquefied natural gas (LNG), and the second burns either kerosene or biofuel. "By using two different combustor and fuel systems, the engine's total efficiency increases and emissions are reduced," said Duivis. A counter-rotating fan is another feature of the new engine. Comprising two rows of blades that rotate in opposite directions, the large fan would produce most of the engine thrust. To further reduce drag, the engines would be mounted onto the back of the aircraft beneath curved pods rather than under the wings. "The AHEAD design is a long-term study, with many aspects yet to be researched," said Duivis, who predicts that an aircraft of this type would be introduced around 2050. KLM has previously worked with Dutch designers Hella Jongerius and Marcel Wanders to create cabin interiors and tableware. Ideas for improving aviation vary greatly in scale and plausibility. Among the more practical suggestions are folding seats patented by Airbus and Priestmangoode's plans to add larger overhead compartments. More extreme proposals put forward recently by designers include using OLED screens to make aircraft cabins appear see-through, and a hybrid car and plane that can be used both on roads and in the skies. http://www.dezeen.com/2015/07/29/klm-tu-delft-ahead-future-aircraft-blended-wing- body/ Back to Top India's SpiceJet in talks with Boeing, Airbus for $11 billion jet deal NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian budget airline SpiceJet Ltd is in talks with Boeing Co and Airbus Group to acquire about 100 new narrow-body jets, its chief financial officer said on Wednesday, in a deal that would be worth about $11 billion at list prices. SpiceJet wants to buy more Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max aircraft, Kiran Koteshwar told Reuters, as it looks to rebuild its business after almost collapsing last year. Koteshwar said the company plans to place an order, which would be its biggest ever, by the end of this financial year and would look to raise fresh equity or debt to pay for the planes once it had decided how many to buy. "We have to place an order so we have a long-term business plan in place. The focus is now on sizeable growth," he said. There is no guarantee the talks will lead to a firm order. SpiceJet's expansion plans come after India's second-largest low-cost carrier almost collapsed, before being bailed out by new chairman Ajay Singh in January. SpiceJet has less than 20 Boeing narrow-body jets, while its market share has shrunk to 12 percent in June from around 20 percent a year ago after it cut capacity to stay in business. India's airlines are expanding their fleets as they compete to win a bigger slice of what is one of world's fasting growing markets for air travel but one where most players are plagued by losses as the fight for passengers pushes ticket prices below costs. Rival IndiGo, which is profitable and the largest Indian airline by market share, has kept costs low in part by placing large orders for a single type of plane through the sale and leaseback model. Koteshwar said any new order would largely be on a sale and leaseback model, and that a big order would help it to keep future costs lower. "SpiceJet has always been constrained by the lack of long-term orders. This will give us economies of scale and for our vendors and suppliers to see that we are growing," he said. SpiceJet reported a 718.5 million rupee net profit on Tuesday for the three months ending in June, against a 1.24 billion rupee loss last year, after falling oil prices and a cost-cutting drive outweighed a slump in revenues. http://www.businessinsider.com/r-indias-spicejet-in-talks-with-boeing-airbus-for-11- billion-jet-deal-2015-7#ixzz3hHKrCWHO Back to Top 8/Eight senior Air India Dreamliner pilots resign, more may follow Senior AI officials said the resignations had come as a big shock for them and were apprehensive that more could follow. In a huge setback for National carrier Air India (AI), eight senior Boeing 787 Dreamliner pilots, on whom the airline had spent about Rs 40 lakh each on training, have resigned. Six of them, sources said, are headed to budget carrier SpiceJet, whose flight operations chief, SPS Suri, was previously AI's head of operations. "Two pilots have already joined SpiceJet and are doing their command training in South Africa. The rest are serving their notice periods." "It's a big loss. We trained them abroad at a huge expense in 2012. Training a single pilot costs anywhere between Rs 30-40 lakh. And during the training period, which can extend to a few months, the services of a pilot cannot be used for flying purposes," said an AI source. NEW DELHI: Twenty-three senior most Air India commanders have sought no objection certificates from the airline to quit. They have done so over the management's continued failure to have pay parity between pilots of erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India even eight years after the two airlines were merged. A letter signed by 23 executive pilots from erstwhile IA, who fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, has been sent to the aviation ministry and AI's outgoing CMD Rohit Nandan protesting huge difference in pay with pilots who fly the same aircraft. Sources say there are about 70 pilots from IA operating the Dreamliner and most of them are in the same state of mind. An IA commander of the Dreamliner gets about Rs 3.5 lakh a month while his or her AI counterpart gets Rs 6.5 lakh for the same job. "We perform the same duties as our counterparts in AI.... Even AI first officers (co- pilots) earn more than us, which is extremely humiliating and demeaning." "We are under tremendous strain... This level of frustration and agony is not healthy and will certainly lead to a serious mishap." They have warned the management to come out with a non-discriminatory policy or grant them NOCs "We will be forced to look for greener pastures and that will be not out of choice but (due to AI's) utter disregard of looking into genuine grievances of honest and hard working employees," the letter said. Successive AI CMDs and aviation ministers have been assuring implementation of pay parity. http://www.thewiire.com/news/8eight-senior-air-india-dreamliner-pilots-resign-more- may-follow/5003/ Back to Top Boeing to Train Vietnam Airlines 787 Pilots Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner, rendering. Photo: Boeing [Avionics Today 07-28-2015] Boeing and Vietnam Airlines have struck a five-year exclusive pilot-training agreement to support the Hanoi-based airline's 787 Dreamliners. Under the agreement, Boeing Flight Services, a business unit of Boeing Commercial Aviation Services, will provide flight training for the airline's new 787 Dreamliner fleet at Boeing's Singapore training campus. The companies expect nearly 90 Vietnam Airlines pilots to undergo training this year. The 2015 Boeing Pilot & Technician Outlook, an industry forecast of aviation personnel demand closely tied to projections for new airplane deliveries around the globe, projects a requirement for 226,000 new commercial airline pilots and 238,000 new technicians in the Asia-Pacific region through 2034. The Asia region also leads the demand for new commercial airplane deliveries over the next 20 years, with the need for 14,330 new airplanes projected by 2034, according to Boeing's 2015 Current Market Outlook. http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/commercial/Boeing-to-Train-Vietnam-Airlines-787- Pilots_85655.html#.Vbi8_vlVhBc Back to Top Pilot Sees Bright Future For UAV's Over Midwest FAA Granting Permision to Qualified Drone Pilots Drones Back In The Air At age 26, Mike Klarenbeek has already been flying airplanes for almost a decade. A corporate pilot for Karl's TV and Appliance and certified flight instructor trained at the University of North Dakota he's going flying today but this time his feet won't be leaving the ground. That's because Mike is also a drone pilot. "You see how the wind takes it and I have to correct for the wind," said Karenbeek as he easily hovered the $3,000 quad copter. A gusty day in Gregory is nothing compared to the navigating he had to do through government paperwork to legally put his now registered quad copters back in the air. Like all commercial drone pilots Mike was grounded when the government slapped strict regulations on drones citing safety concerns "They don't want these things running into airplanes," he says "so they want someone with a certain level of knowledge of airspace." Just this year, the Federal Aviation Administration began loosening its grip on the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles. While others have followed, Klarenbeek says his qualifications helped him become the first in South Dakota to get a special exemption from the FAA. Since then, his company M-Kopter Aerials has seen a steady rise in business. On this day, he is taking video and photos of a hunting lodge. He files a type of flight plan called a NOTAM that lets pilots know he is in the area with UAV's. On the scene he stays below 200 feet while keeping the drone in his line of sight. A wireless camera sends high definition video and photos back to a couple of monitors and the detail is pretty impressive. Klarenbeek says it's easy to get the feeling you are flying yourself. He shared video he's captured with his drones. For instance, following a dear on the run, we get to see how easily they jump over a fence. Other examples are Gregory's fireworks show on the 4th, a unique view of the banks along the Missouri River, mountain biking in the Black Hills or a house coming down with a little push from an excavator. UAV's are giving us all a new perspective. Even in wedding photos, making it indoors for a special shot on that special day. Klarenbeek also builds drones including one with 8 rotors he sold to another operator. He says a basic drone for commercial use can be had for as little as $1,000. The model he's flying costs upwards of $3,000-$4,000. Other commercial drone pilots in South Dakota have received permission to fly including farmers who check on their crops. According to Klarenbeek, UAV's can do many jobs easier, cheaper and sometimes better than manned aircraft. There's no doubt UAV's are a part of our future, but exactly what role they'll play, that is still up in the air. "I see in the future more and more companies utilizing them maybe in a way they didn't really expect," said Klarenbeek. "People will come to me and say, hey can you do this? And I'll be like yes that's pretty feasible. I want people to kind of get thinking what they can do with it because the more people who learn about it and the more they realize how they can utilize the technology the better." http://www.kdlt.com/news/local-news/pilot-sees-bright-future-for-uavs-over- midwest/34410142 Back to Top Opinion: Here Is A Three-Pronged Approach To Pilot Shortage May 8, 2015 Alan Diehl Aviation Week & Space Technology Boeing has estimated there will be a global shortage of 533,000 pilots over the next 20 years. This situation comes as no surprise. It has resulted from the combined effects of decreased military flight training, soaring civilian instruction costs and the recently mandated increase in hours for U.S. airline first officers. This shortage will grow as many senior pilots reach their mandatory retirement age. Combined, these issues demand we consider measures to address the problem. Much has been written about this topic, including the Viewpoint by Capt. Lee Moaksuggesting there is really no shortage in the U.S. that could not be solved with higher pay, and one by William Swelbar that largely blamed the unions for allowing diminutive regional pilot salaries to subsidize their well-heeled counterparts flying for the mainline airlines. Regional carriers now operate more than half of all U.S. flights. Some believe the pilot shortage has become acute because of low starting salaries. Unions and the U.S. Government Accountability Office have noted there is theoretically an untapped pool of individuals with Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) licenses, thereby suggesting inadequate compensation is the primary cause of this shortage. However, another scientific study is needed to estimate how many of these qualified pilots would consider flying for regional carriers and what starting salaries would be required to attract them. Would an increase from the current $25,000 range to, say, $35,000 be adequate? If not, how about $45,000? And so on. Such a study is needed because many of these individuals may already have other, more lucrative careers. Thus, it is doubtful that enhancing starting salaries per se is the answer, but we need to get the data to know the real impact. While better pay should help, it is unlikely to be a panacea, so government and industry leaders should evaluate other innovative solutions. Three potential remedies come to mind: 1. Reestablish the Civilian Pilot Training Program This program, which originated in 1939 to help alleviate a critical aviator shortage just before World War II, could provide scholarships to highly qualified individuals who want airline pilot careers but cannot afford the $100,000-plus required for such training. The cost of this program might be funded by an increase in the federal passenger boarding fee. With more than 764 million enplanements per year, a $2 increase in the levy would generate more than $1.5 billion annually and could produce thousands of additional pilots. To receive such scholarships, students could be obligated to serve a specified period as U.S. commercial pilots or in the active or reserve armed forces. 2. Raise the Mandatory Retirement Age Another helpful action would be to increase the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots. Japan has already raised its maximum age to 67. In 2009, after several comprehensive studies, the FAA raised the U.S. age limit to 65 from 60. As a research psychologist in the FAA's Office of Aviation Medicine, I reviewed much of the data used to modify this regulation. There appears to have been little if any impact on airline safety since that change was implemented. Raising this age to 70, perhaps in increments, should now be considered. However, establishing a cadre of "aviation behavioral examiners" might be needed. They, along with aviation medical examiners, periodically could evaluate whether aging pilots continue to be fit to fly. These clinicians also could help monitor the mental health of aviators who are identified as having potential problems, as was obviously the case for the Germanwings Flight 9525 copilot. 3. Adopt an Enhanced Multi-Crew Pilot (MCP) License The International Civil Aviation Organization approved the MCP license concept in 2006. Thus, in many countries, airline first officers are now only required to have 240 hr., usually at highly structured ground schools and with extensive training in sophisticated simulators. Furthermore, several major international carriers have used similar ab initio training programs for decades, and the U.S. military has always allowed first officers with less than 300 hr. to fly its transports. While the MCP standards are minimal, an enhanced version of the program would better address the needs of U.S. airlines. I have proposed an Airline Transport Copilot (ATC) license. This ATC license would require that instrument-rated, commercial pilots pass the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) written and knowledge exams and obtain first-class medical certificates. These applicants should then receive a minimum of 25 additional hr. of airline-oriented flight training and at least 100 hr. of academic training in such subjects as cockpit automation, turbine engines, next-generation air traffic management, high-altitude operations and crew resource management (CRM). ATC applicants should also undergo a minimum of 25 additional hr. in Level C or D (full-motion) flight simulators. Finally, these applicants would be required to pass ATP-like check rides conducted in glass cockpit-equipped multiengine aircraft and/or simulators capable of representing modern turbine-powered airliners. The hiring carrier would then be responsible for ensuring that ATC-rated airmen, after careful screening, are type-rated in their assigned equipment. And they should only fly with experienced captains (those having a minimum of 3,000 hr.). These neophyte copilots should undergo simulator or aircraft check rides every six months until they upgrade their ATCs to ATPs. During that period, they also should be enrolled in a continuing-education program. Organizations such the Flight Safety Foundation, the Air Line Pilots Association and the FAA's own Civil Aerospace Medical Institute have developed a host of valuable training materials. The FAA could develop a list of approved courses, most or all of which could be taken online. This type of highly structured training and certification regimen would be far superior to the current system, where a typical applicant accumulates most of the required 1,500 hr. by instructing students in general-aviation aircraft. This new system would also benefit such pilots, because even though regional first-officer pay might still be low, it would be far better than spending a couple of years eking out a living as a flight instructor. Furthermore, the endless hours spent watching students drone around traffic patterns does little to prepare a pilot to assume airline first-officer duties. Lastly, some regional airlines complain they are now forced to hire pilots with more than 1,500 hr., rather than other candidates with much better qualifications. The advent of an ATC program should not negate the current FAA Restricted ATP training requirements. That program allows military aviators to become airline pilots with as little as 750 hr., or aviation majors with degrees from four-year colleges with 1,000 hr., and those from two-year programs with 1,250 hr. In fact, the ATC concept should become an element of the Restricted ATP program to comply with the congressional mandate resulting from the Colgan Air Flight 3407 accident. Ironically, both pilots in that crash had well over 1,500 hr. Their problems involved fatigue, misunderstanding cockpit automation and crew resource management. Another cogent argument for establishing the ATC license is to promote harmonization with the widely accepted training requirements of other nations. Given clarion warnings of a global pilot shortfall by the likes of Boeing, our government and industry leaders need to address this issue in a timely fashion. That may involve looking past interest groups with agendas that want to point fingers at "greedy unions" or "penny-pinching airline managers" and even some highly experienced individual pilots who complain that they have taken foreign airline jobs because of low pay in the U.S. or union-imposed seniority practices. Clearly the time has come to stop the acrimony and pull together to address this problem. The best solution is the multipronged approach involving those concepts outlined above. And my notional suggestions on various minimal hours should be evaluated by a panel of independent experts before the FAA commits to rule-making. Obviously, all these changes must be implemented without compromising the U.S.'s outstanding airline safety record. Thinking back to the most recent U.S. catastrophic accidents-such as American Airlines Flight 587, Colgan 3407 and Comair 5191-or the even more recent losses by various overseas carriers including Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, TransAsia, and, yes, even Germanwings, none of the tragic events seems to have been associated with a lack of flying skills due to pilot inexperience. The ideal airline pilot candidate is an Air Force Academy graduate with 2,000-plus hr. in C-17s, but the numbers just are not there. Our industry may want to take a page from the American medical playbook. When that industry discovered there were just not enough physicians, they developed nurse-practitioner and physician-assistant programs to fill the gap. Maybe it's time with this nation's airline industry to wake up and smell the Jet A. Diehl holds an ATP license and a certified flight instructor rating and spent more than 40 years as an aircraft designer, NTSB investigator, FAA psychologist and U.S. Air Force technical adviser. He drafted the NTSB recommendation that launched CRM training, analyzed the FAA requirements for certifying automated two-pilot airliners and trained Air Force One crews. He is the author of Air Safety Investigators: Using Science to Save Lives-One Crash at a Time. http://aviationweek.com/aviation-week-space-technology Back to Top ISASI 2015, Germany, August 24 - 27, 2015 "Independence does not mean isolation". The International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) will hold their 46th annual seminar at the Kongress am Park, Augsburg, Germany, from August 24 - 27, 2015. For all current information including the link to the registration and hotel pages please go to www.esasi.eu/isasi-2015 Note: Cut off dates for hotel reservations are June 23rd for the Dorint & July 23rd for the Ibis & the Intercity For questions regarding Sponsorship please contact Ron Schleede - ronschleede@aol.com or Steve Hull - steve.hull@rtiforensics.com Exhibitors should contact Steve Hull or Ann Schull - isasi@erols.com Back to Top USAIG Welcomes Pulsar Informatics, Inc. to its Performance Vector Safety Initiative New York, NY (July 28, 2015)... USAIG proudly welcomes Pulsar Informatics, Inc. to its Performance Vector safety initiative. Performance Vector delivers valuable, forward- looking safety support for USAIG-insured operators of turbine aircraft. Eligible policyholders can choose annually from a range of safety enhancing programs and services delivered by the industry's leading providers. Today's aviation operators have varying levels of maturation when it comes to Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS). Founded in 2001, Pulsar Informatics, Inc. provides expertise and tools to implement a customized FRMS to meet the unique needs of organizations relative to government regulations (14 CFR Parts 121, 125, 135, and 91.) Eligible USAIG policyholders can select from two new Performance Vector options. The Pulsar Fatigue Risk Management Policy and Training Package helps operators baseline their existing fatigue risk posture and delivers fatigue training through three separate webinars designed for management, operational personnel and aircraft maintenance technicians respectively. The Pulsar "Fleet Insight" Fatigue Risk Management System Package includes a year's subscription to the Fleet Insight™ web and Fatigue Meter ™ mobile apps, which enable up to 5 safety managers/schedulers to proactively evaluate fatigue across the entire operation's schedule. Pulsar will extend preferred pricing for USAIG members if more users are needed beyond the five that come with the Performance Vector subscription package. "We are delighted to connect our policyholders with Pulsar Informatics' expertise and world class fatigue risk management programs. Pulsar's approach perfectly blends attention to policy, training, and continuous risk monitoring. These programs are practical, easy to implement, and represent real advances in addressing fatigue risks in aviation" said David McKay, USAIG President and CEO. "Fatigue affects safety and adds cost to the bottom line. It is the professional responsibility of every person involved in safety sensitive operations to understand where fatigue comes from, how to measure it, and how to reduce fatigue risk. We look forward to helping USAIG policyholders in this regard," said Pulsar Informatics CEO Daniel Mollicone, Ph.D. Performance Vector programs meet aviation regulatory requirements, accreditation protocols and industry standards such as FAA, IS-BAO, NBAA's Certified Aviation Manager program, and ICAO. Eligibility for additional Performance Vector services refreshes upon each policy renewal. For additional information about the USAIG Performance Vector program, check the Safety tab at usaig.com or contact Paul S. Ratté, USAIG Director of Aviation Safety Programs at: safety@usaig.com. About USAIG United States Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG) provides a full spectrum of coverage options for owners, operators, manufacturers and maintainers of corporate, private and commercial aircraft. In 1928, our founders -World War I pilots and businessmen David Beebe and Reed Chambers - saw the need for an insurance company that truly understood aviation. We remain a world aviation insurance leader delivering innovative, custom-tailored insurance products and services, including Performance Vector safety programs and Performance Vector PLUS good experience returns. United States Aviation Underwriters, Inc. manages USAIG, maintaining the industry's largest network of underwriting and field claims offices. USAU's wholly owned subsidiary, Toronto-based Canadian Aviation Insurance Managers manages the Canadian Aircraft Insurance Group insurance pool. USAIG is a subsidiary of General Re Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway company. Follow us on Twitter @USAIG_CAIG, Facebook & LinkedIn. Please visit our website at usaig.com . About Pulsar Informatics, Inc. Founded in 2001, Pulsar Informatics, Inc. develops state-of-the-art technology for assessing behavioral alertness in research and operational settings. Their tools help individuals and organizations achieve peak performance and reduce fatigue-related risk. www.usaig.com Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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 Fundamentals of IS-BAO August 25, 2015 Denver, CO USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1737105 IS-BAO Auditing August 26, 2015 Denver, CO USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1737126 Fundamentals of IS-BAO August 30, 2015 Casablanca, Morocco https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1725994 IS-BAO Auditing August 31, 2015 Casablanca, Morocco https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1725997 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 AViCON - Aviation Insurance Conference September 10th and 11th, 2015 Stevensville, MD 21666 http://www.rtiforensics.com/news-events/avicon Regulatory Affairs Training Course September 15 & 16 Fort Worth, TX http://jdasolutions.aero/services/regulatory-affairs.php Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUPS) Training Course September 15 & 16 Fort Worth, TX http://jdasolutions.aero/ Safeskies 2015 Aviation Safety Conference 22 to 24 September 2015 Realm Hotel, Canberra www.SafeskiesAustralia.org Back to Top JOBS AVAILABLE: Head of Safety Qantas http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/job-search-current-vacancies/global/en Safety Specialist Netjets www.netjets.com/careers Business Aviation Regional Sales Manager ARGUS International, Inc. https://home2.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=18211162 Manager Airline Safety Cathay Pacific http://www.cathaypacific.com/careers Airline Safety Manager - SMS (ASM-SMS) Cathay Pacific http://www.cathaypacific.com/careers Director, ICAO Liaison International Business Aviation Council DILpost@ibac.org Curt Lewis