Flight Safety Information August 18, 2015 - No. 163 In This Issue Indonesian rescuers find no survivors in wreckage of crashed plane Indonesia search team finds black box of Trigana aircraft in Papua Investigators to Study Planes' Positions Before Collision Federal Officials Probe American Jet That Touched Down Short of Charlotte Runway Pilots penalized for not calling 'mayday' when low on fuel Indonesia airline safety hurt by inadequate staff: sources FAA reviewing whether Allegiant Air filed safety reports on time Southwest Airlines hit with $325,000 FAA fine over aircraft repair Singapore Airlines makes emergency landing in Istanbul over stork damage Software upgrade grounds hundreds of flights over US east coast PROS 2015 TRAINING GAO offers insight into FAA UAV progress Shenzhen opens school for drone pilots Lufthansa pilots receive new 777-300ER simulator GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST Digital Human Modeling Survey GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY ISASI 2015, Germany, August 24 - 27, 2015 Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Indonesian rescuers find no survivors in wreckage of crashed plane All 54 people on board a Trigana Air aircraft were killed in a crash two days ago in Indonesia's Papua province, the latest in a string of aviation disasters in the Southeast Asian archipelago, officials said on Tuesday. Major-General Heronimus Guru, operations director at Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, told a news conference in the capital the passengers' remains were being put into body bags but poor weather had hampered efforts to recover them by air. Officials have declined to comment on the cause of Sunday's crash until the results of an investigation by the national transport safety committee are known, but Guru said the terrain in Indonesia's easternmost province may have been a factor. "There's a possibility the aircraft hit a peak and then fell into a ravine because the place that it was found in is steep," he said. The treacherous terrain of forest-covered ridges hampered rescuers' efforts to reach the site where the Trigana Air Service ATR 42-300 plane came down. The aircraft's black box flight recorder, which should provide investigators with some answers, was found in the early afternoon. The device will be taken to Oksibil town tomorrow, depending on the weather, Guru said. Television broadcast footage of rescuers in camouflage fatigues and surgical masks hacking through foliage and sifting through debris at the crash site as a helicopter hovered overhead. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/18/us-indonesia-airplane-found- idUSKCN0QN08J20150818 Back to Top Indonesia search team finds black box of Trigana aircraft in Papua JAKARTA: Search and rescue workers have found the black box of a Trigana Air passenger aircraft that crashed in the remote mountainous interior of the country's eastern most province, a transportation ministry official said on Tuesday. "At 1:40 local time the Trigana Air black box was found," Transportation Ministry Julius Arivada Barata told Reuters by text message. Earlier, the National Search and Rescue Agency said the twin turboprop ATR-42-300 probably hit a peak on Sunday before crashing into a ravine in the Bintang Mountains district, about 7 nautical miles from Oksibil. ATR is a joint venture between Airbus and Alenia Aermacchi, a subsidiary of Italian aerospace firm Finmeccanica. --Reuters http://www.nst.com.my/node/96685 Back to Top Investigators to Study Planes' Positions Before Collision The position of a faster jet in relation to a slower plane as they neared a Southern California airport will be a focus for federal investigators as they study debris from their deadly midair collision, officials said. The crash Sunday morning as the planes approached a small San Diego County airport killed all five people aboard the two aircraft, including three employees of military contractor BAE systems. The twin-engine Sabreliner can travel nearly twice as fast as the Cessna 172, which could have posed a challenge to the pilots and air traffic controllers if it was behind the smaller aircraft, air safety experts told The Associated Press Monday. The crash occurred about 2 miles northeast of the airport, which has two runways, including a longer one typically assigned to larger aircraft. A number of accidents have occurred from jets overtaking smaller aircraft, air safety experts said. In 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 collided with a private Cessna 172 light aircraft over San Diego, killing 144 people in one of the deadliest aircraft disasters in California history. "While we don't know the crash geometry, we certainly have seen faster jets run over smaller aircraft," said Alan Diehl, a former National Transportation Safety Board investigator. Pilots from both planes communicated with the control tower at Brown Municipal Airport shortly before the midair crash that killed the pilot of the Cessna 172 and four people aboard the Sabreliner, NTSB Andrew Swick said. The Cessna pilot was a local man who was practicing "touch-and-go," Swick said. That's when a plane briefly touches down, and then immediately increases power to take off again. Once in the air, the pilot turns the plane right to land again. The pilot's name and other details were not released. The investigation, which could take up to a year to complete, will look at a number of things, including the positions of the two planes, traffic patterns, radar data and the control-tower recordings, Swick said. Marks showed the right wings on both planes touched at one point, Swick said. The crash debris was being taken to Arizona, where the wreckage will be reconstructed. The BAE workers were returning from working with the Navy, Swick said. BAE on Monday identified three of the victims as its employees - Carlos Palos, John Kovach and Jeff Percy - and said they lived in California's Mojave area. The company said a contract worker also was on board, but it did not release the name nor additional details about the employees. "BAE Systems employees send their thoughts and prayers to the family members and co-workers of those killed," the company said in a statement. "We are committed to supporting investigators as they work to understand how this collision occurred." Both planes caught fire when they hit the ground and broke apart, said Nick Schuler, a division chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "It appears it was a very violent crash, as you can tell by both aircraft being in multiple pieces," Schuler said. Crews extinguished several brush fires where the planes came down. One firefighter was taken to the hospital after he suffered a heat-related injury, Schuler said. Brown Field, a former Naval auxiliary air station, is in the Otay Mesa area about 15 miles southeast of downtown San Diego, near the border with Mexico. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/investigators-study-planes-positions-collision- 33149671 Back to Top Federal Officials Probe American Jet That Touched Down Short of Charlotte Runway An Airbus A321 operated by US Airways, similar to the aircraft shown above in Philadelphia in December 2013, had the underside of its tail damaged during a landing attempt at the Charlotte, N.C., airport over the weekend. PHOTO: REUTERS By ANDY PASZTOR Federal air-safety officials are looking into an American Airlines jet that damaged the underside of its tail while trying to land at the Charlotte, N.C., international airport over the weekend, in a highly unusual incident the pilots attributed to wind shear. The Airbus A321 en route from Atlanta with 159 people aboard smashed into several approach and runway lights Saturday night, climbed away from the strip and then landed safely on a second attempt, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. There were no injuries, but the event has prompted scrutiny from government and industry safety experts. Over the weekend, an agency spokesman said the FAA was investigating, adding that the cockpit crew reported that shortly before touchdown the twin-engine, single-aisle aircraft experienced a wind shear-sometimes referred to as a microburst-which can cause a sudden and violent shift in wind direction relatively close to the ground. The airport temporarily closed the runway after workers found debris on the strip, according to the FAA. The plane touched down short of the runway, according to one person familiar with the details, and the plane's black box recorders, containing flight data and cockpit conversations, are in government custody. On Monday, American Airlines Group confirmed that after landing, the captain of Flight 1851, operated by US Airways, "discovered damage to the belly of the aircraft" and the plane was taken out of service. American said it reported the incident to both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. A spokeswoman for the carrier declined to provide additional details, citing the safety board's involvement. An NTSB spokesman had no immediate comment. Airliner mishaps during landing or takeoff attributed to wind shear are almost unheard of in the U.S. these days as a result of enhanced radar systems and training for pilots on how to avoid and safely escape such dangerous weather phenomena. Crews also must comply with safety rules at individual airlines, mandating landing pilots to execute a go-around if their planes aren't stabilized during the final phases of the approach with the proper speed, altitude and orientation relative to the ground. The last major wind-shear accident in this country involving a commercial jet occurred at the same airport more than 21 years ago, when a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, operated by what was then called USAir, plowed into a field near the airport after it was caught in a violent downdraft spawned by a thunderstorm. For American, the latest mishap is the second time in about a year that a cockpit crew's airmanship has prompted heightened scrutiny from government and industry safety experts. In August of last year, an American Boeing 757, cruising at 35,000 feet over Venezuela, lost some 7,500 feet of altitude in about one minute. There were no injuries and the flight continued on to Brazil, but the incident was unusual enough to be noticed and analyzed by safety experts for months afterward. Some outside experts described the incident as a high-altitude stall. Airline officials subsequently said the cockpit crew failed to maintain speed and engine thrust appropriate to the flight conditions, but declined to provide further details. The Charlotte event will be classified as an incident or more serious accident once the Airbus jet is inspected and repairs commence, depending on what engineers determine is the extent of damage to the aircraft's structure. http://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-officials-probe-american-jet-that-touched-down- short-of-charlotte-runway-1439864693 Back to Top Pilots penalized for not calling 'mayday' when low on fuel Taipei, Aug. 18 (CNA) The pilots of a Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT) flight in May that was forced to return to Taipei Songshan Airport after encountering bad weather in Kinmen have been disciplined for not calling "mayday" before the landing despite being low on fuel. According to FAT, the pilots in fact made the right decision to return back to Songshan Airport but the sudden change of the wind direction led the plane to a 15-minute deviation and extra waste of fuel. FAT gives the pilots a demerit on record and will boost the training of fuel using to its pilots. The company added that the pilots did not issue a call for help because their plane had been given priority to land and was in fact preparing to make a landing. The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) will hold a meeting to determine how to discipline the pilots, who were grounded after the incident pending action by the aviation regulator. "There aren't many pilots who are so gutsy. It was really a mistake that should not be made," Lin Jiunn-liang, director of the CAA's Flight Standards Division, said on Tuesday. Lin said it was extremely rare for pilots not to call "mayday" when running so low on fuel. Far Eastern Air flight FE061 took off from the Taipei airport on May 30 at 9:54 a.m. for Kinmen, located just off China's southeastern coast. On the way, it circled over the Penghu Islands for nearly 30 minutes at the instruction of air traffic controllers at Kinmen Airport because of bad weather there, and then had to abort an attempted landing in Kinmen because of poor visibility. The pilots decided to return to Songshan Airport and landed there without incident. But the aircraft was checked afterwards, and Far Eastern's ground crew found only 2,000 pounds of fuel left, far less than the 3,700-pound safety reserve required. The amount of fuel left in the aircraft's tank was enough for only another 20 minutes of flight and would not have been enough to allow it to pull out of the landing at Songshan Airport, the CAA said. http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201508180020.aspx Back to Top Indonesia airline safety hurt by inadequate staff: sources People look at a passenger and baggage manifest of the crashed Trigana Air Service flight at the airport ... MONTREAL/TORONTO (Reuters) - Indonesia scored poorly on a 2014 safety audit by the U.N. aviation agency largely because its Ministry of Transportation is understaffed, said two sources familiar with the matter, as the country struggles to cope with the expansion of air travel. Indonesia's patchy aviation safety record worsened on Sunday when a passenger plane crashed in eastern Papua province killing all 54 people aboard, the third major plane crash this year in the Southeast Asian archipelago. The U.N.'s Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) sets safety standards for international flights. Its audits evaluate countries' ability to oversee their airlines, including how well they conform to those standards. Indonesia has struggled to hire and train staff quickly enough to oversee its fast-growing aviation market, which the International Air Transport Association expects to triple in size by 2034. "Until they resolve this they cannot do the same level of supervision and certifications as a country with a robust system in place," one of the sources said. Since the 2014 audit, Indonesia has come up with a plan to address problems, the source said. "They have been very active in developing their plan," the source said. "They are making progress." But ICAO's auditors would not return to check on progress or run a fresh assessment until the majority of problems found in a previous audit have been fixed. The ICAO did not immediately comment. In January, an AirAsia flight went down in the sea off Indonesia, killing all 162 aboard. In June, more than 100 people died in the crash of a military transport plane, prompting the president to promise a review of the aging air force fleet. "Earlier, I asked the transportation minister by telephone to continue to improve the safety systems and quality of service of our flights," President Joko Widodo told domestic media on Monday, although it was not clear if he was responding to the ICAO concerns. The ICAO publishes audit scores online, but typically does not disclose the specific problems behind the scores. In the audit carried out in May 2014, Indonesia scored below the average in all of eight categories. Most countries score above average in at least some categories. Indonesia' lowest score was for "organization", at 20 percent, where the average was 64 percent. "Accident investigation" was 31 percent, compared with an average of 55 percent. Its best score was for "airworthiness", at 61 percent, compared with an average of 74 percent. But the audit did not flag any specific "significant safety concerns", the most serious problems. Thailand's most recent audit, for example, uncovered significant safety concerns, prompting several nearby countries to stop its airlines from adding new routes. http://news.yahoo.com/indonesia-airline-safety-hurt-inadequate-staff-sources- 000716168--sector.html Back to Top FAA reviewing whether Allegiant Air filed safety reports on time The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it is reviewing whether Allegiant Air failed to timely file safety reports detailing mechanical difficulties causing two emergency landings at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport this summer. The airline filed the "Service Difficulty Reports" about the June 17 and July 3 emergency landings Tuesday. That came after the Tampa Bay Times repeatedly asked the FAA and Allegiant to either provide the reports or explain why they were missing. Federal regulations require the filing of such reports with the FAA generally within four days. Allegiant declined to discuss the reports for those two flights. An SDR for a June 8 emergency landing at the airport was filed in a timely manner. The FAA requires airlines to quickly file safety reports on serious mechanical problems on their planes so the agency can identify potentially dangerous flaws in aircraft systems. "The FAA is looking into the timeliness of Service Difficulty Reports that Allegiant Air filed in connection with emergency landings on June 17 and July 3," FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said. "The FAA is working with the carrier to improve its SDR reporting process." Allegiant has declined to provide much detail on the three emergency landings, so the reports provide the first glimpse of the mechanical issues that may have contributed to them. On the afternoon of June 8, Allegiant Flight 864 departed St. Pete-Clearwater for Maryland with 141 passengers aboard. Shortly after takeoff, a flight attendant reported "smoke/fumes" like burning rubber, according to the SDR. The plane made an emergency landing, deploying evacuation slides. Four passengers and a flight attendant suffered minor injuries. Mechanics combed the aircraft to identify a malfunction. But the FAA report filed by the airline said they were unable to find any problem. The June 8 incident was similar to the flight of a different Allegiant aircraft a week earlier that never made the news, according to reports reviewed by the Times. That aircraft was descending into St. Pete-Clearwater when three out of four flight attendants "claim they felt dizzy & became nauseous" due to "smells like gunpowder & a mechanic shop" in the sixth row of passenger seats, an SDR filed for the flight said. Passengers, it noted, smelled nothing. The pilot landed safely without declaring an emergency. Allegiant mechanics, the report said, could find nothing amiss with the aircraft. In a statement, Allegiant declined to discuss that flight in detail. "We cannot speculate on the source of an odor for which we found no evidence of the source," the airline said. On June 17, Allegiant Flight 866 departed the Pinellas airport with 154 passengers, headed to Pittsburgh, before returning for an emergency landing. Allegiant told the FAA that air-conditioning equipment failed, resulting in the aircraft being unable to maintain pressurization. The report said the pilot was forced to descend at the "maximum rate" of 3,000 feet per minute. An inoperative control valve was later found by mechanics. On July 3, Allegiant Flight 977 left Asheville, N.C., bound for Punta Gorda, but was forced to divert to St. Pete-Clearwater. An Allegiant spokesperson had previously said an indicator light in the cockpit pointed to a potential problem with the alignment of the aircraft's spoilers, which rise from the wings to reduce lift during descent. An SDR filed on the flight confirmed that and noted the problem was simply a broken sensor, which first malfunctioned at 2,000 feet. http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/airlines/faa-reviewing-if-allegiant-air-didnt- file-safety-reports-on-time/2241426 Back to Top Southwest Airlines hit with $325,000 FAA fine over aircraft repair The FAA civil penalty involves a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 airplane like this one. (Terry Maxon/DMN) The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it is proposing a $325,000 fine against Southwest Airlines for flying an airplane too long after it had received temporary repairs. Monday's penalty brings to $12,653,550 the total in proposed penalties that the FAA has levied against the Dallas airport over the past 20½ months, including a $12 million fine from 2014 that Southwest contested. Here's the gist of the FAA's allegation in Monday's case: On July 9, 2014, an FAA inspector performed an aging aircraft inspection on the Boeing 737 while it was at a maintenance facility in San Salvador, El Salvador. The inspector discovered that Southwest improperly recorded a temporary repair to an approximately nine-inch crease in the aluminum skin of the jetliner's rear cargo door as a permanent repair. The inspector discovered that this fuselage damage had first been reported in Southwest Airlines' maintenance records on May 2, 2002, which is when the airline made the temporary repair. The airline was required to inspect the temporary repair every 4,000 flights and complete a permanent repair within 24,000 flights. However, the FAA alleges the airline operated the aircraft on 24,831 flights without performing the periodic inspections required for the temporary repair. The agency further alleges the airline operated the plane on 4,831 flights beyond the flight threshold by which it was required to have performed the permanent repair. The final repair was completed on July 24, 2014. The airplane is an 18-year-old Boeing 737-300 jet. Spokesman Brad Hawkins of Southwest Airlines had this statement: Southwest was notified of the proposed penalty via a letter from the FAA dated July 9, 2015. The proposed penalty pertains to an allegation that Southwest Airlines failed to track a condition involving a single aircraft dating back to 2002. Southwest discovered the potential deficiency during a maintenance inspection performed in July 2014, and all issues were promptly addressed to the satisfaction of the FAA before the aircraft was returned to revenue service. There is no impact to any other aircraft in our fleet. Safety is the highest priority at Southwest, and we strive always toward full compliance with established and approved maintenance processes and procedures. Southwest has requested a meeting with the FAA to discuss the proposed penalty. The FAA and Southwest are fighting in court over the $12 million fine. The FAA sued Southwest Nov. 3, 2014, in U.S. District Court in Seattle after the airline challenged the penalty and did not pay. The case is set to go to jury trial in March 2016. http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2015/08/southwest-airlines-hit-with-325000-faa- fine-over-aircraft-repair.html/ Back to Top Singapore Airlines makes emergency landing in Istanbul over stork damage A Boeing 777-200 airliner belonging to Singapore Airlines had to make an emergency landing at Istanbul's Atatürk Airport after it crashed into a flock of storks as it was taking off from the Istanbul airport. Singapore Airlines makes emergency landing in Istanbul over stork damage Singapore Airlines flight SQ391 crashed into a flock of storks Monday afternoon right after taking off from Istanbul's Atatürk International Airport with its 255 passengers and 14 crew. The birds caused severe damage to the composite lid known as the radome, or radar dome, on the nose cone, as well as significant damage to both right and left engines. Other sections of the plane were also damaged. The pilots decided to return to Atatürk Airport and landed at 2:40 pm local time (11:40 am GMT), exactly one hour and ten minutes after takeoff. The passengers were taken to the airport hotel and Singapore Airlines has announced that a new plane is being sent to Istanbul. Technical crews from Turkish Airlines have begun repairs on the damaged plane. http://national.bgnnews.com/singapore-airlines-makes-emergency-landing-in-istanbul- over-stork-damage-haberi/8626 Back to Top Software upgrade grounds hundreds of flights over US east coast FAA says 'technical issues' with an air traffic control computer undergoing a software update caused 492 flight delays and 476 cancellations over weekend Thousands of passengers were stuck at airports with delayed or cancelled flights after technical issues with an air traffic control system. Photograph: Liu Shuai/Xinhua Press/Corbis Hundreds of flights across the east coast of the US were delayed or cancelled at the weekend due to a software upgrade, the US Federal Aviation Administration has said. "Technical issues" with a Virginia air traffic control centre caused 492 flight delays and 476 cancellations, the FAA said. Saturday air traffic at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport was reduced by 30%, by 28% at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and 12% at Dulles International Airport. Part of the backlog was the result of a decision to reduce arrival and departure rates in the Washington area between 11am and 4pm on Saturday for safety reasons, affecting flights from New Jersey and New York that flew over the Washington area. By mid-afternoon, 50% of inbound flights and 42% of outbound flights had been canceled at Reagan National and delays were averaging about three hours, according to data from FlightRadar24. In Baltimore, 58% of inbound flights and 36% of outbound flights had been canceled, and delays were averaging more than an hour. The FAA said the upgrade was designed to provide more tools for controllers, but that the new features have been disabled while the systems contractor completes an assessment of the malfunction. The technical issues were resolved at approximately 4pm. The FAA suggested the problem was with the En Route Automation Modernisation computer system, known as Eram, at the Leesburg Center on Saturday. On Sunday, the agency confirmed that the software upgrade causing the issues was performed on the Eram computer system, but that there was "no indication that the problem is related to any inherent problems with the En Route Automation Modernisation system, which has had a greater than 99.99 availability rate since it was completed nationwide earlier this year". http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/17/air-traffic-control-software- upgrade-grounds-hundreds-of-flights-us-east-coast Back to Top Back to Top GAO offers insight into FAA UAV progress Agency is making strides, but chances are final rules aren't in the works until late 2016. The wheels of government turn slowly, at least from the perspective of a lot of businesses, but they do turn and in the case of the Federal Aviation Administration and new rules for unmanned aerial vehicles, they seem to be fast enough. The U.S. Government Accountability Office has issued a report noting that the FAA has progressed toward its goal of "seamlessly integrating unmanned aerial system flights into the national airspace." However, the work continues on final rules. In the meantime, FAA has been working to approve business-case uses of UAV machines on a case-by-case basis; and many of those have been for agriculture. Work continues on final rules for use and FAA is working with MITRE to develop a foundation for an implementation plan. Those FAA approvals have increased every year since 2010, including commercial use of unmanned aerial systems for the first time. FAA continues to work on final rules, which may come by the end of 2016. Yes, 2016, but the agency is approving UAV uses on a case-by-case basis. Those six designated test sites are up and running but GAO reports that the sites have "had to address various challenges during the process." The sites became operational in 2014, and as of March 2015, more than 195 test flights had taken place. According to GAO "these flights provide operations and safety data to FAA in support of UAS integration." In addition, FAA has provided all test sites with a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization allowing small UAS operations below 200 feet anywhere in the United States. One challenge the test sites ran into was direction. The site directors sought added guidance regarding the type of research they should conduct and FAA notes it cannot direct the test sites. However, FAA did provide a list of potential research areas for the sites. The agency has also named an FAA UAS Center of Excellence at Mississippi State University. The Centers of Excellence will be a partnership between academia, industry and government concerning future research. Unlike FAA's agreements with test sites, arrangements exist with the Center to share data. The report looked at other countries where UAS operations are expanding and how the tools are being used. The report notes that Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom "have well-established UAS regulations." GAO notes that while U.S. rules are not finalized they are similar to those in the established countries the agency examined. "However, FAA may not issue a final rule for UASs until late 2016 or early 2017, and rules in some of these countries continue to evolve," the agency reports. GAO notes that other countries, like the U.S., are experiencing difficulties with UAS machines in avoiding aircraft and obstacles. Check out the full GAO report. Source: Government Accountability Office http://farmfutures.com/story-gao-offers-insight-faa-uav-progress-0-131105-spx_1 Back to Top Shenzhen opens school for drone pilots A model shows off a small camera drone in Beijing, Aug. 5. (Photo/Xinhua) The market for consumer drones in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen - the country's leading production base for unmanned aerial vehicles - has been growing at an explosive rate over the past two years and with it a new profession has emerged: instructor for the operation of UAVs, the Guangzhou Daily reports. Since drone pilots are required to obtain a private or commercial license, a school offering flight classes to private drone pilots opened in the city earlier this year, the report said. Six of the schools's 15 trainees have passed their tests and obtained licenses, becoming the first group of licensed civilian UAV pilots in Shenzhen, according to the report. The 15 ranged in age from 16 to 60, with two being teachers from Tsinghua University's Shenzhen graduate institute who wanted to learn more about the industry for research purposes, the report said. Most of the trainees, however, want to work as professional drone pilots in the future. The drone school is offering classes to aspiring tutors and pilots, engineers and young private pilots. The cheapest tuition fees for tutors and pilots was at 130,000 yuan (US$30,300) for 120 hours of training. In 2014, the Civil Aeronautics Administration introduced regulations that gave the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) responsibility for the management of civilian drone pilot training and qualification. The regulations also stipulate that anyone who wishes to operate a UAV heavier than seven kilograms or fly it higher than 120 meters off the ground must obtain a license, said Liu Yueping, a senior executive at the training school. According to AOPA statistics, as of June there were only 31 drone schools across China offering flight instruction, and fewer than 700 people had obtained private drone pilot's licenses. http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass- cnt.aspx?id=20150818000037&cid=1103 Back to Top Lufthansa pilots receive new 777-300ER simulator SASSENHEIM, Netherlands - Lufthansa pilots can now train on a new B777-300ER simulator, provided by Lockheed Martin Commercial Flight Training (LMCFT) under a contract with Lufthansa Flight Training. The Level D-certified full flight simulator was qualified by the German Luftfahrt- Bundesamt to European Aviation Safety Agency or EASA standards on August 14 and is now ready for training. "We are very proud of the outcome of this project and the successful cooperation with the LMCFT team," said Ulrich Lindner, Vice President / Head of Simulator Training Division for Lufthansa Flight Training. "We are especially pleased that starting today Lufthansa Cargo as our main customer on the new 777 simulator can now train their pilots at their own home base." The newest LMCFT product on the market, this B777 simulator features a newly developed, state-of-art instructor operating system; high fidelity aircraft system and avionics simulation; and a complete suite of scenarios to accommodate initial and recurrent training. "The delivery of this new simulator is the product of exceptional partnership from the joint LMCFT and Lufthansa Flight Training team," said Sandy Samuel, vice president of LMCFT. "We thank Lufthansa Flight Training for their confidence in our team and our ability to develop this new B777-300ER full flight simulator, and look forward to receiving positive feedback from pilots as they begin training on this device." LMCFT offers a complete suite of commercial aviation training products and services including Airbus A320 and A330/340 and Boeing 737, 767, 777 and 787 full flight simulators. The company also provides training services through its international commercial aviation training centers based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Incheon, Korea. http://www.eturbonews.com/62689/lufthansa-pilots-receive-new-777-300er-simulator Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY To whom it may concern, My name is Brady Patzer, and I am a graduate student in the Human Factors PhD program at Wichita State University. I am part of a research team that is interested in examining the causes of failures to follow procedure in aircraft maintenance in order to identify potential strategies to mitigate their impact and occurrence. We would like to survey a large sample (n=60+) of mechanics, supervisors, and inspectors that currently work with part 121 aircraft, who have either failed to follow procedure in the past, or have seen other personnel fail to follow procedure for any reason. The survey will be administered online using a survey tool called Qualtrics (http://www.qualtrics.com/). I believe that this survey will be an opportunity to provide anonymous input on actionable methods for handling failures to follow procedure in the future. All survey data will remain anonymous unless the participant wishes to be contacted in the future. Survey topics will include: * Biographical information o Education level o Company o Job title o Sex o FAA certification o Specialty areas o Duration of experience * Familiarity with maintenance manual formats (e.g., aircraft maintenance manuals, component maintenance manuals, service bulletins, etc.) * Perceived frequency of errors found in maintenance manual documents * Attitudes on failure to follow procedure * Experiences with failures to follow procedure One consideration is that we are planning to interview several mechanics, inspectors, and supervisors in the next few weeks before we finalize the survey questions. Then, we would like to post the survey online for approximately 4 weeks to collect data before we begin our analyses. Would your organization be willing to post a short informational section about the study and a link to the survey in your newsletter? If so, what information would you need from us in order to promote the study? Thank you for your time and expertise. Best Regards, Brady Patzer bpatzer1@gmail.com Graduate Research Assistant T.R.A.C.E Laboratory Training Research and Applied Cognitive Engineering Wichita State University Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST Aircraft Maintenance Technician Decision-Making Purpose of Project My name is Robert Norcross. I am a doctoral student at Northcentral University in Arizona. I am conducting a research study about aircraft maintenance technician decision-making processes when aircraft repair information is not in the aircraft maintenance repair manuals. Focus group sessions will be held to gain your valuable experience, views, and opinions on nine questions pertaining to the research topic. Your views on the questions are important to me and I invite you to participate. The focus group sessions should last between 30 and 60 minutes and held at a date and time convenient for you. The focus group sessions will use www.gotomeeting.com and a conference call phone number. You are eligible to participate in this research if you: 1. 1. Are older than 18 years of age. 2. 2. Hold a Federal Aviation Administration issued Airframe and Power Plant certificate. 3. 3. Issued the Airframe and Power Plant certificate on or before 1 January 2010. 4. 4. A resident of the United States. Risks: There are minimal risks in this study. Some possible risks include: discomfort sharing views about the proposed research questions, other participants knowing your identity. To decrease the impact of these risks: you can refuse to answer any question, stop participating at any time, or request to answer the questions with a phone call to the researcher. Benefits: If you decide to participate, there is no direct benefits/compensation to you. The potential benefits to others are improved efficiency and less time and money spent reworking aircraft discrepancies. If you are interested in participating please contact me, Robert Norcross at R.Norcross4749@email.ncu.edu or 757-281-9289. Back to Top SIZE NORTH AMERICA .com Digital Human Modeling Survey We are looking for participant companies nationwide. Survey of Human Body Dimensions, Measurements with associated demographic data. First standardized 3D body scanning representative of the United States population. Ideal, current data for statistical, market analysis in Aerospace, Aviation, Automotive, Fashion industries. For more info: diego@ddurrelltech.com Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Aviation Colleague, Despite efforts to prevent aircraft accidents, they tragically continue to happen. While one may think "What is there left to improve?" research continues to be the foundation of finding areas to be perfected. For the purpose of my Masters project in Air Safety Management at City University London, UK, I am studying what underlying factors may influence decision- making/communication in the cockpit. I have kindly requested a friend/colleague of yours to assist me by forwarding this E-Mail to you. Your professional experience shared through this short online survey will greatly assist me. May I invite you to participate in this 5-10 minute survey? I would very much appreciate your contribution and thank you in advance for investing your valuable time in this questionnaire, which consists of 19 questions. Protecting your identity is important to me. This web-based survey is for study purposes only. It is anonymous and your answers consist of de-identified data strings. No personal details are asked and no computer IP-address is stored that may identify you. Upon completing the survey, all data will be removed from the server. By clicking on the link and participating in the survey you are voluntarily giving your informed consent for the extracted data to be used in my research. May I ask that you complete this survey before 25.08.2015 (25AUG2015), at which time the survey will be closed. Click the following link to start the survey (or copy/paste it directly into your internet browser window if the hyperlink does not work): http://maq-online.de/evaluation/users/www.php?l=maq&u=IXJP8B3dgd&p=FBy6Ncj3 For questions about this survey or if want to share your knowledge with me you may contact me using the following e-mail address: cockpitdecisionmaking@pobox.com Thank you for your participation! Wolfgang Baumruck 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 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 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 (En Español) August 25, 2015 Monterrey, Mexico https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1736215 IS-BAO Auditing (En Español) August 26, 2015 Monterrey, Mexico https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1736218 Fundamentals of IS-BAO September 15, 2015 St. Louis, Missouri USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1660854 IS-BAO Auditing September 16, 2015 St. Louis, Missouri USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1660878 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 2015 International Air Safety Summit (IASS) Flight Safety Foundation November 2-4, 2015 Miami Beach, Florida http://flightsafety.org/meeting/iass-2015 OSHA & Aviation Ground Safety Training Course (ERAU) Oct. 19-23, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/cmas Aviation Safety Program Management Training Course (ERAU) Oct. 26-30, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/cmas Aircraft Accident Investigation Training Course (ERAU) Nov. 2-6, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/cmas Aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS) Seminar (ERAU) Nov. 17-19, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/sms Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Seminar (ERAU) Dec. 8-10, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/uas 'DTI QA & SMS Workshops are Back in Town!' (Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Melbourne FL, and YOUR town just contact us) www.dtitraining.com Back to Top JOBS AVAILABLE: Operations Integrity Risk Specialist Air New Zealand https://careers.airnz.co.nz/jobdetails?jobmc=111020RE Assistant Director, Flight Standards NetJets http://www.netjets.com/careers , requisition #843 Maintenance Program Developer NetJets http://www.netjets.com/careers requisition #926 Director, Aviation Safety NetJets www.netjets.com/careers Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) Program Advisor Virgin Australia http://careers.virginaustralia.com/cw/en/job/496246/fatigue-risk-management-systems- frms-program-advisor 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 Curt Lewis