Flight Safety Information September 21, 2015 - No. 187 In This Issue Qatar Airways Jet Strikes Runway Lights at Takeoff, Sustains 'Substantial' Damage Heathrow-Bound Jet Grounded As Wing Hits Fence Technical Failures Plague Airlines, Travelers Should Expect More Of The Same 1,407 FAA exemptions for UAS Allegedly drunk bachelorette party removed from flight American: 'Smoky cabin' reported on DFW-bound flight U.S. Navy Beechcraft T-6 Texan II Accident UAE Investigation Report: Airbus A340-600 unreliable airspeed indication Widows of Navy Pilots File Lawsuit over 2013 Fatal Incident at Sea Lawmakers: Air Force grounds pilots for 'misunderstood' texts PROS 2015 TRAINING Aviation industry needs 1 million recruits in 20 years Air India To Fly The World's Longest Non-Stop Flight Ever - 14,000 Kms Vulcan Bomber makes one last flight Airlines may be allowed to handle ground operations under new civil aviation policy (India) China may have conducted test flight of world's fastest aircraft Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom join forces for aircraft broadband Potential pilot shortage means opportunity for students Concorde Fans Want the Jet Back In The Skies Man On Mars? NASA Says It's Happening -- And Soon ERAU AVIATION SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS seminar Graduate Research Request iSMS - Safety Management System Training North Texas Business Aviation Association (NTBAA) Safety Show-Down 23-24 Sep. Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Qatar Airways Jet Strikes Runway Lights at Takeoff, Sustains 'Substantial' Damage A computer miscalculation may be the reason a Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300 struck runway lights last week while taking off from Miami, Doha News reported. With the pilots potentially unaware of the impact, the 13.5-hour flight to Doha, Qatar proceeded routinely, despite what the initial Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) report called "substantial" damage to the underbelly of the aircraft. The FAA stated Flight QTR778 impacted "approach lighting system runway lights," Described by Doha News as a "series of masts" around 20 feet high, located about 200 feet beyond the edge of the runway. Doha News pointed out that normally, flights pass over these lights at an altitude of several hundred feet, but QTR778 was low enough for impact. A notice to airmen (NOTAM) published by Miami International Airport states that the approach lighting system on that runway is currently out of service and won't be up and running for a month. This suggests, "that it is seriously damaged," Doha News said. Pilots calculate a minimum runway length required for takeoff on all flights, taking into account environmental conditions and the airplane's weight. The Qatar Airways flight entered the runway at an intersection that subtracted close to a mile of takeoff length after consulting the "electronic flight bag system," which generates this data automatically, according to Doha News. The Qatar news outlet stated it is "unclear why this system failed," but the result was Flight QTR 778 "did become airborne substantially later than would have been expected under normal circumstances." Aviation Herald reports communication between Miami air traffic control and the flight crew was "routine" and Doha News said it isn't yet known whether the pilots knew the 777 had hit the lights or sustained damage. Despite the safe trip, the "substantial" underside damage has compelled the FAA to label this an "accident." According to airliner tracking app Flightradar, this particular aircraft has not flown since Wednesday, which "suggests that the aircraft has been out of service," Doha News said. http://www.travelpulse.com/news/impacting-travel/qatar-airways-jet-strikes-runway- lights-at-takeoff-sustains-substantial-damage.html Back to Top Heathrow-Bound Jet Grounded As Wing Hits Fence Virgin Atlantic issues an apology after a Heathrow-bound aircraft is grounded when its wing struck a blast fence at JFK airport. Virgin plane's wing hit fence at New York's Kennedy Airport The jet was due to take off from JFK airport A Virgin Atlantic plane has been grounded at New York's John F Kennedy airport after its wing struck a fence before take-off. The Heathrow-bound aircraft was being pushed by a vehicle from a departure gate when its wing hit a blast fence around 8.30am local time. None of the 277 passengers and 14 crew aboard the plane were injured. A passenger who tweeted a picture of the incident wrote: "noooooo!! They crashed our plane into the blast fence!! I just want to go home!!" A spokeswoman for Virgin Atlantic told Sky News all the passengers were being booked on to other flights to Heathrow. She said there had been "minor damage" to a wing tip and the aircraft is due to fly back to London later. However it will be a "positioning flight" and no passengers will be on board. She told Sky: "The VS26 departing from JFK to London Heathrow today returned to the gate after a miscalculation by the tug caused minor damage to one of its wing tips. "All customers disembarked the aircraft and our teams have made arrangement to get our customers on their way home tonight. "Safety is our number one priority and we would like to apologise for the delay and any inconvenience." http://news.sky.com/story/1555634/heathrow-bound-jet-grounded-as-wing-hits-fence Back to Top Technical Failures Plague Airlines, Travelers Should Expect More Of The Same From American Airline's technical glitch that delayed over 200 flights this week to United Airlines' router issues that delayed over 1,0000 flights in July, domestic travel this summer was plagued by computer-related delays. While the root causes of these delays were different, experts say that as airline processes are increasingly automated, computer issues will have a larger effect on the industry. This summer was heavy on airline delays. Photographer: Mark Elias/Bloomberg "What no large scale network can withstand is a single point failure," says Bob Mann, an airline industry consultant who maintains that the spate of computer problems this summer was "purely coincidence and possibly coincidental." Compounding this is the series of airline mergers in the past few years that have forced carriers to combine reservation and booking systems. According to the Los Angeles Times, nearly 80 percent of domestic flights are under the umbrella of four carriers: Southwest, American, Delta and United. This means two things: an outage on one carrier can have a huge impact and, as airlines transfer to single operating systems, technical glitches can occur. While American's issues this year - an iPad malfunction in April grounded over 50 flights - were not attributed to its operating system, United's have been. "I would expect that airlines are going to need to make some major IT investments - much of the IT at legacy airlines is built on systems that were built on systems that date back 50 years," says Gary Leff, aviation expert behind The View from the Wing, who says that so, far Delta has been operating glitch-free. OppenheimerVoice: How To Get Cues On Unemployment, Fed Policy And Wage Inflation Leff does attribute United's issues to the United-Continental merger, when United moved its system over to the, "cheaper Continental system. That was a huge mistake given what it has cost them in lost operational performance and lost sales." When asked about a potential increase in computer-related delays, a United Airlines spokesperson said, "We continue to invest in our infrastructure to prevent future disruption and deliver better service to our customers." On the other hand, computer glitches, have "not been common" for American, according to Leff. "We fly 2.4 million flights a year, those are all the flights in the American network. Yesterday's issues we had 291 delays and 6 cancellations. So it did inconvenience customers, but we are also able to do a fix in an hour and a half," said American Airlines spokesperson, who believes that across the board, automating parts of the system leads to more efficiencies and gives customers "a better travel experience." Although a miniscule number of flights were cancelled on Thursday, experts say that this comes at an awkward time for American, as the airline is preparing to switch completely over to US Airways operating systems by October 17, after a 90-day gradual switch-over period. American claims that Thursday's issues were not related. Alexandra Talty is a journalist living in Southampton, New York. The founding Editor-in- Chief of StepFeed, her work has appeared in Techonomy, Publisher's Weekly and The Southampton Press, among others. She is also on Twitter. http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandratalty/2015/09/20/technical-failures-plague-airlines-travelers-should-expect-more-of-the-same/2/ Back to Top 1,407 FAA exemptions for UAS Quadrocopter drone In May 2014, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began accepting petitions for exemptions to operate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) commercially in civilian airspace. As of 1 September 2015, 1,407 of 2,650 petitions have been approved. Congress mandated an August 2014 deadline for the integration of small UAS into the National Airspace System, and a September 2015 deadline for the integration of all UAS - timeframes the FAA will miss with no clear indication as to when they will meet those obligations. The flood of commercial exemption requests shows that a mature UAS commercial market is waiting to be unleashed; 84% of the approved companies are small businesses and California, Florida and Texas (in that order) had the most approvals, indicating that most of the big companies are waiting for the FAA. An analysis of the stated purpose of all the petitions showed them grouped as follows with the top item having the most approvals: * Real estate * General aerial surveying * Agriculture * Construction * Film and TV * Utility inspection * Environmental uses * Search and rescue * Emergency management * Insurance The data shown above, and analyzed in detail in the AUVSI report from which it came, indicates that these initial waivers favor simple, low-risk operations that pose no real threat to the National Airspace. The data also shows, by omission, that beyond line-of- sight and night-time operations, such as those proposed by Amazon, DHL and others, are critical to achieving the full economic benefit of UAS use, but must await more collision-avoidance technology and a technological regulation framework from the FAA. http://robohub.org/1407-faa-exemptions-for-uas/ Back to Top Allegedly drunk bachelorette party removed from flight (USA TODAY) -- It's not the best of times for British airlines. Drunken flying incidents are on the rise to the point that airlines begun doling out lifetime bans to troublemaking passengers and is attempting to make a national database of disruptive fliers. The latest incident took place Thursday night on an easyJet flight scheduled to go from London Gatwick Airport to Barcelona. A rowdy bachelorette party got so out of control they delayed the flight for more than two hours as the pilot refused to take off with the six inebriated women on board. Police eventually arrived and escorted them off the plane, but needless to say other passengers were seething: This isn't the first time a boozed up flier has botched an Easyjet flight out of Gatwick lately. Last month, an allegedly intoxicated woman slugged a flight attendant en route to Ibiza, causing an emergency landing in Barcelona. The woman was banned for life from flying with the airline. There's no word yet on whether this group faces a similar fate. http://www.wtsp.com/story/travel/2015/09/20/allegedly-drunk-bachelorette-party- removed-flight/72515940/ Back to Top American: 'Smoky cabin' reported on DFW-bound flight An American Airlines plane made a safe landing despite reporting a smoky cabin during its approach to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Sunday. According to a spokesperson for the airline, American flight 5775 from Des Moines to DFW "landed and deplaned safely on the taxiway." Information on Flightaware shows the plane landed at 12:39 p.m. No injuries were reported. Seventy-six passengers and four crew members were taken to the terminal by bus. The aircraft, a CRJ 900, "was taken out of service and it is being evaluated by maintenance," the spokesperson said in an email. A cause for the smoke in the cabin was not immediately known. http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/2015/09/20/american-smoky-cabin-reported- dfw-bound-flight/72533110/ Back to Top U.S. Navy Beechcraft T-6 Texan II Accident Date: 19-SEP-2015 Time: 10:00 Type: Beechcraft T-6 Texan II Owner/operator: United States Navy Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Near Las Cruces International Airport (KLRU), Las Cruces, NM - United States of America Phase: Approach Nature: Training Departure airport: Las Cruces Intl (KLRU) Destination airport: Las Cruces Intl (KLRU) Narrative: The aircraft experienced a landing gear problem. A commanded ejection was made by the two man crew west of Las Cruces International Airport (KLRU), Las Cruces, New Mexico. The airplane was destroyed by the subsequent impact with terrain and the two pilots received minor injuries. http://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=179690 Back to Top UAE Investigation Report: Airbus A340-600 unreliable airspeed indication due to intermittent pitot obstruction According to a GCAA investigation report, an Etihad Airbus A340-600 diverted to Singapore when the aircraft suffered an intermittent obstruction of the aircraft left side pitot probes while en route over the Indian Ocean. On February 2, 2013, an Airbus A340-600 aircraft, registration A6-EHF, operating a scheduled passenger flight to Melbourne International Airport, Australia, departed Abu Dhabi International Airport at approximately 19:35 UTC. There were a total of 295 persons onboard: 17 crew members and 278 passengers. The captain was the pilot flying and the first officer was the pilot monitoring. While cruising at FL350, just leaving the Colombo FIR and entering the Melbourne FIR, the aircraft encountered moderate to heavy turbulence, and experienced significant airspeed oscillations on both the captain's and the standby airspeed indicators. The autopilot, autothrust, and flight directors disconnected automatically. The flight control law changed from "Normal" to "Alternate" Law, leading to the loss of some flight mode and flight envelope protections. Changes from Normal to Alternate Law occurred twice; thereafter the aircraft remained in Alternate Law until the end of the flight. The autothrust system and the flight directors were successfully re-engaged, however, neither autopilot (autopilots 1 or 2) could be re-engaged, thus the aircraft was flown manually until landing. In addition to the system anomalies, the aircraft experienced high N1 vibration on the No. 2 engine. As the aircraft had lost capability to maintain Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) the flight crew decided to divert to Singapore-Changi International Airport. The diversion required the flight crew to dump fuel in order to land the aircraft below its maximum landing weight. The landing was uneventful and none of persons onboard were injured. Causes 1. The cause of the Unreliable Airspeed Indication Serious Incident was the intermittent obstruction of the Aircraft left side pitot probes due to, most probably, accumulations of ice crystals. 2. The cause of the No. 2 engine N1 high vibration was the ingress of water through a gap created after the Omega Seal disbanded. The water froze to ice, which entered and passed through the spinner fairing and accreted under the annulus fillers. Contributing Factors to the Incident 1. An incorrect weather radar tilt setting was selected. Accordingly, there was no predictive detection of the cumulonimbus cloud that may have enabled the crew to take avoidance maneuvers. 2. The ambient temperature and the Aircraft altitude were outside the icing envelope parameters of the JAR specification and the manufacturer's design requirements for pitot probes. More information: GCAA Report (PDF) http://news.aviation-safety.net/2015/09/16/report-airbus-a340-600-unreliable- airspeed-indication-due-to-intermittent-pitot-obstruction/ Back to Top Widows of Navy Pilots File Lawsuit over 2013 Fatal Incident at Sea USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) steams alongside USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in during an underway replenishment on Aug. 19, 2015, in the Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Jonathan Jiang)USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) steams alongside USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in during an underway replenishment on Aug. 19, 2015, in the Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Jonathan Jiang) The families of two Navy pilots killed in a September 2013 incident at sea are suing the Navy, the Veterans Affairs Department, the ship captain and a list of companies. The case was filed in federal U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, on Friday. It asks the court to require the Navy to prevent conditions like those that killed Lt. Cmdr. Landon Jones and Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Gibson, who were lost when a wall of ocean water hit the destroyer William P. Lawrence in the Red Sea. Jones and Gibson had just landed their MH-60 helicopter on the San Diego destroyer when the water broke the chains attaching it to the flight deck. The aircraft and its pilots were washed overboard. The two men's bodies were never recovered. The lawsuit also names three ship companies for product liability. It accuses Bath Iron Works and Gibbs & Cox of designing a ship that was unsafe because the stern sits too low in the water, something called "low freeboard." Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls is called out for manufacturing the destroyer, which is a 2009 Flight IIA variant of the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers. A Navy investigation found that while ship captain Cmdr. Jana Vavasseur, followed guidelines for ship handling, she deserved partial blame for not using better judgment in rough sea conditions. But it also acknowledged that the Navy needed to address the long-standing issue of the ship's design and water intrusion. Since the fatal incident, the Navy has retrained ship crews on handling helicopter landings at sea. While the so-called Feres doctrine protects the U.S. military against lawsuits brought on behalf of fallen service members, lawyers for the families argued this should be a new exception to that rule. "The Navy's own failure to correct a well-known, dangerous condition and its collective lack of accountability unreasonably exposed aircrew operating on the flight decks of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to this dangerous condition for dozens of years, and Landon Jones and Jonathan Gibson paid the ultimate price for this hubris," the lawsuit argues. "How many more brave men and women must needlessly die before this situation is corrected? Hopefully none." Reached late Friday, a Navy spokesman declined to comment as Navy officials were just seeing the lawsuit. A spokeswoman for Huntington Ingalls said the Virginia-based company doesn't comment on pending litigation. Widows Theresa Jones and Christina Gibson filed the suit on behalf of themselves and their young children, Anthony and Hunter Jones and Makaylin and Alexander Gibson. Jones is also calling out the VA and Prudential Insurance, which administer the Servicemembers Group Life Insurance program. Landon Jones declined an insurance policy that would have paid $400,000, but lawsuit argues that the VA and the insurance company failed to notify his beneficiaries as required. http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/09/20/widows-of-navy-pilots-file-lawsuit- over-2013-fatal-incident-at-s.html Back to Top Lawmakers: Air Force grounds pilots for 'misunderstood' texts Two lawmakers have asked Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh why the Air Force has punished three pilots accused of using drugs even though records indicate the service had no evidence to support the allegations of drug use. Four instructor pilots at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, were accused of using drugs based on text messages discovered by investigators, Air Force Times has learned. After one of the accused airmen was exonerated at an Article 15 hearing, the Air Force issued the other three pilots letters of reprimand, leaving them with no legal recourse. Based on the text messages, the Air Force stripped the three of their wings for "failing to maintain professional standards," not using drugs. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., wrote that they feel the punishment for the three instructor pilots is "excessive," the Sept. 15 letter says. "In fact, at no point did investigators obtain any evidence beyond the initial text messages to support an allegation of illicit drug use; there were no witness statements, no drugs or drug paraphernalia were discovered, and all of the drug tests - that were submitted to voluntarily -returned negative results," Hunter and Kinzinger wrote. During a separate investigation into whether a fifth pilot was having an inappropriate relationship with a student, investigators came across text messages that indicated the four pilots had taken drugs, according to the letter, which does not include any of the pilots' names. However, many of the texts contained "song lyrics, movie lines, and other obvious cultural references that seem to have been painfully misunderstood by investigators," the two lawmakers wrote. The Daily Beast reported on Friday that the pilots' texts included quotes from the rap song "Pop Another Pill" by JellyRoll as well as songs by Warren G., Miley Cyrus and the 2005 film "Wedding Crashers," with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Kinzinger and Hunter have asked the Air Force to provide them with more information about the case, such as whether investigators found any evidence of drug use besides the text messages, does the Air Force believe the evidence supports the charges against the pilots and what precedent exists for the actions taken by the Air Force. "Once again, the punishment was derived from an investigation that produced less-than- sufficient evidence, and failed to find any association between banter-filled text messages and actual drug use," they wrote in the letter to Welsh. "The Air Force many not like showboating of any kind, even among its pilots, but to think that could be considered criminal, especially in the absence of evidence that a crime occurred, severely undermines the integrity of the Air Force's investigations process." A spokeswoman for Air Education and Training Command said the administrative actions taken against each officer came after "an extensive investigation and were individually tailored" to the pilots and their alleged offenses. "Some of the evidence considered prior to the command taking action in these cases included text messages recovered from the member's cell phones," Maj. Toni Whaley said in an email Friday to Air Force Times. "Letters of reprimand are used to both administratively document misconduct and achieve rehabilitative effects for offenses that are not pursued in a criminal context. "Unlike non-judicial punishment, which is a distinct process provided for under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), a member receiving a letter of reprimand cannot demand or request to be criminally tried by court-martial." The case was first reported by retired Air Force Lt. Col. Tony Carr, who writes the military blog John Q. Public. Carr told Air Force Times that he first heard about the issue earlier this year. "Since late August, I've been writing articles covering this situation," Carr said. "I've also reached out privately to several legislators to call it to their attention, and made several unsuccessful attempts to get official comment from the Air Force." http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2015/09/18/lawmakers-air-force-grounds- pilots-misunderstood-texts/72404954/ Back to Top Back to Top Aviation industry needs 1 million recruits in 20 years Between now and 2034 around 560,000 pilots and 610,000 technicians will be needed worldwide in the aviation sector, according to industry projections form aircraft manufacturer Boeing. The Asia Pacific region will see the biggest increase in demand over the coming 20 years, both in terms of pilots as maintenance workers - more than a third of the demand worldwide. In a recent research report by Cavok, the aviation consultant arm of Oliver Wyman, a forecast finds that over the coming ten years the worldwide aircraft fleet will grow by an average 3.7% annually. The fleet will thereby grow from nearly 24,000 planes in 2015 to a total of around 34,400 plans in 2025. According to the consultants, particularly the Asian fleet is expected to see rapid growth over the coming decade - with an expected growth rate of 6.1%, thereby accounting for an addition of 5,200 planes. Number of pilots needed in aviation industry New recruits Because the fleet of planes is set to increase worldwide, the jobs required to support them are also expected to grow across the industry. In Boeing's forecast the aircraft manufacturer makes a prediction about the number of people the airline industry will need to fly and maintain the growing fleet. The growth partly is the result of the picking up global economy and partly due to the growing middle classes in large economies such as Brazil, China and India. Globally by 2034, airlines will, according to Boeing, need more than a million new pilots and technicians. Between now and 2034, 558,000 new pilots will be needed to keep the fleet in the air. The biggest share of pilot positions are expected to open up in the Asia-Pacific region - around 226,000, more than 40% of the total. In Europe and North America an expected 95,000 pilot positions for each region will be created over the same period. The slowest region for pilot growth is expected to be the African region and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - a loose band of former Soviet Union states - adding 18.000 and 17.000 new pilots respectively. Number of technicians needed in aviation industry For the increase in technical positions Asia is expected to be the main driver. The coming 20 years approximately 238,000 new maintenance positions will be created in the region - again nearly 40% of the world's total additional need. The demand for new technical skilled workers is expected to grow twice as fast in Asia as in Europe and America - where respectively 101,000 and 113,000 new technical positions will be created. Growth in technical positions will remain subdued in the former Soviet Union and Africa, according to the report. http://www.consultancy.uk/news/2630/aviation-industry-needs-1-million-recruits-in-20- years Back to Top Air India To Fly The World's Longest Non-Stop Flight Ever - 14,000 Kms Air India could soon be operating the world's longest nonstop commercial flight. The airline is planning to link the IT hotspots of India and US - Bengaluru and San Francisco (SFO) - which are almost 14,000 km apart. At present the longest nonstop commercial flight is operated by Australian airliner Qantas between Dallas Fort Worth in the US and Sydney which is a 13,730 km journey. Next year, UAE's mega carrier Emirates will link Dubai with Panama City, a distance of 13,760 km. Avoiding the war zones of Iraq and Syria will lead to diversions that will increase the length of the journey. "We are planning to have a nonstop from either Delhi or Bengaluru to San Francisco on our Boeing 777-200 long range aircraft. And in addition we are planning a direct service between Ahmedabad and London due to the huge demand for travel between these two cities," said a senior AI official. If it opts for Bengaluru-San Francisco connection, the flying time will be almost 17 to 18 hours for the longest nonstop commercial in the world. These ambitious flights will be among the first key decisions to be taken by AI's new chairman Ashwani Lohani. The announcement for the nonstop India-SFO flight could be made when Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Silicon Valley later this week. SFO has no direct flight to India despite a significant Indian population in Silicon Valley and the travel requirement of techies between the two cyber hubs. Linking these two cities was the dream of now-grounded Kingfisher's promoter Vijay Mallya who had planned to acquire an Airbus A-340 for this service. But his Bengaluru- based airline ran out of cash up and got buried in debt before it could reach US. Naresh Goyal's Jet Airways had a one-stop flight from Mumbai to San Francisco that flew through China but this flight was stopped about five years back. "All those plans were made when oil was prohibitively expensive. Now oil is a multi-year low and AI has the equipment to operate ultra-long haul flights using its mostly unused B-777 200 LRs. AI had acquired eight of these aircraft and five of them were sold to Abu Dhabi's Etihad on which it is operating nonstop to Los Angeles. Now AI will also do the same," said a source. Termed "fuel guzzlers", AI found it more economical to simply keep these planes grounded when oil prices defied gravity. Now, low oil prices have changed the airline's thinking. http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/air-india-may-soon-hold-the-record-for-the- longest-nonstop-commercial-flight-ever-245404.html Back to Top Vulcan Bomber makes one last flight The Vulcan Bomber flanked by the Red Arrows The last airworthy Vulcan Bomber has taken to the skies to fly one last time before it retires. The Cold War plane has made its last show, after fears were raised over safety issues. It was joined by the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force's acrobatic team, to perform a flypast at the Southport Air Show on Saturday. The Vulcan Bomber's career began with carrying Britain's first nuclear bombs and it was built as part of efforts to deter Russia from launching an attack. http://www.itv.com/news/2015-09-21/cold-war-plane-vulcan-bomber-makes-one-last- flight/ Back to Top Airlines may be allowed to handle ground operations under new civil aviation policy (India) The change will be part of the new civil aviation policy, which will be put up in the public domain for discussions by the end of this month. NEW DELHI: The government is likely to allow airlines to handle ground operations on their own in the country's airports, a key change of stance that will meet the demand of carriers and end a court case on the matter. The change will be part of the new civil aviation policy, which will be put up in the public domain for discussions by the end of this month. The government had proposed in 2007 that airlines should outsource ground handling services to one of three agents, including an Air India subsidiary, at the airports of New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The airlines opposed the move and went to court, seeking continuation of the existing system. "The policy will allow airlines to continue doing ground handling themselves. The case in courts will immediately end as the government agrees to their demand," said a senior civil aviation ministry official, who did not want to be identified. Airlines may be allowed to handle ground operations under new civil aviation policy According to the civil aviation ministry's ground-handling policy, only three external ground handlers would be allowed to handle domestic flights at metro airports: the airport operator, a subsidiary of Air India and one company selected by the operator. The airlines had opposed the policy, saying it would make operations more expensive and take away their unique selling proposition of providing special or extra services to passengers. Analysts have said the government needs liberal rules on ground handling operations. "Outsourcing of ground handling has cash implications in terms of service tax payouts, profit margin of GHAs and airport royalty charges, which doesn't happen in case of self- handling. On the flip side, managing GH equipment like ferry buses, tractor trollies etc., and ground handling staff has its own challenges," said Amber Dubey, partner and India head of aerospace and defence, KPMG. Dubey added: "Reforms should also focus on setting standards for operational performance, which may include indicators like maximum waiting time for passengers' check-ins and baggage claims." Ground-handling services include check-in, baggage and cargo handling, aircraft cleaning, loading food on aircraft, providing electricity back-up to planes at airports, supplying water to the carrier, ferrying passengers to and from planes and maintaining on-board toilets. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/airlines- may-be-allowed-to-handle-ground-operations-under-new-civil-aviation- policy/articleshow/49038993.cms Back to Top China may have conducted test flight of world's fastest aircraft Descriptions of China's reported hypersonic aircraft appear similar to the US SR-71 Blackbird strategic reconnaissance aircraft, pictured. (Internet photo) China may have recently conducted a successful test of the fastest hypersonic aircraft in the world, reports Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao. According to a report released Friday on the official website of state-owned aerospace and defense giant Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), one of its test flight centers has completed an initial test flight on an unspecified high-altitude, super-fast aircraft with a "unique flying style." Though the report was deleted shortly after, military analysts believe it is likely that China is developing a new hypersonic aircraft that can travel at five times the speed of sound. The Shanghai-based Guancha Syndicate said that while the AVIC report did not divulge the model of the plane or what missions it can carry out, it is clear from reading between the lines that the aircraft is a hypersonic demonstrator that can travel at record speeds. This means an aircraft that can travel faster than Mach 5, or 6,125 kilometers per hour. From the descriptions, it does not appear to be a WU-14 hypersonic glide vehicle but rather a new large-sized reconnaissance jet that can that can reach hypersonic speeds on its own, Guancha added. Hong Kong's Phoenix Television also said that the AVIC report referred to "test pilots," but since the term can also be used to describe drone pilots, it is impossible to confirm at this stage whether the aircraft is manned or unmanned. Experts added that if the next-generation aircraft is manned, then it would be faster than the SR-71 Blackbird, a long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft operated by the US Air Force. If unmanned, it would be comparable to the SR-72, a conceptualized hypersonic drone envisioned to travel as fast as Mach 6. Ta Kung Pao stated that while there must still be many technical issues to overcome before a stable hypersonic aircraft can be developed, the AVIC report, if true, would still mark a major step forward in China's strategic deterrence capabilities. http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass- cnt.aspx?id=20150921000033&cid=1101 Back to Top Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom join forces for aircraft broadband New system will be trialled on Lufthansa aircraft Fast 4G internet connections are coming to airline passengers in Europe and beyond, delivering a blow to those who still relish being cocooned in an aircraft largely incommunicado. Inmarsat, the FTSE 100 satellite company, and Deutsche Telekom on Monday announced a partnership they say will allow millions of European airline passengers to use their smartphones and other devices in the air as they do on the ground. FirstFT is our new essential daily email briefing of the best stories from across the web Inmarsat said that market pressure had pushed the industry to solve the "hideously complicated" technical and regulatory problems of providing faster and more robust connections aboard aircraft. "The goal is to carry the broadband experience people have become accustomed to on the ground to the aircraft," said Leo Mondale, Inmarsat's head of aviation, adding that Deutsche Telekom would also take on part of the capital investment. The partnership will pool Inmarsat's European satellite and Deutsche Telekom's network to provide coverage throughout the EU's 28 member states. This way it would be able to provide access via satellite at high altitudes and, drawing on Deutsche Telekom's network, at areas near airports where demand is typically peak. Inmarsat is also in the final stages of putting in place a separate three satellite system to provide global high speed coverage, the final satellite of which it launched last month. The system will be initially trialled next year by Lufthansa - which will later also test the European network - ahead of a broader rollout envisioned for 2017. Mr Mondale said that while Inmarsat did not "intend to engage in a speed war", it would provide "4G style speeds" to passengers with data transferring to aircraft as a whole in "tens of megabits per second", although passengers' individual experiences would depend on how much demand there was. The satellite group says the speeds offered by its partnership with Deutsche Telekom will be far faster than those provided by Gogo, a company that uses a cellular network across the US to provide services to more than 2,400 commercial and 6,800 business aircraft. 500 aircraft next year expected to have Gogo's second generation satellite connectivity system that will provide peak speeds of more than 70 megabits per second But Gogo last month received final approval from the US's Federal Aviation Administration to begin in-flight testing of its own second generation satellite connectivity system and expects to begin commercial service this year. Gogo says it has signed up seven commercial airlines to the system, which it expects to provide peak speeds of more than 70 megabits per second to the aircraft, and plans to begin installing the system to some 500 aircraft next year. For some passengers, airborne broadband has already arrived. Panasonic offers what it labels "the only global, broadband in-flight connectivity service available in the world today", which allows users to access the internet and watch video on a seat-back screen or their own devices. But Inmarsat depicts its own planned global service as more seamless, based on a single network of satellites rather than a patchwork and providing more reliable speeds as a result. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/2b64e272-602e-11e5-a28b- 50226830d644.html#axzz3mN1UHer7 Back to Top Potential pilot shortage means opportunity for students Utah Valley University instructor Cameron Nelson chains down the plane with student Joseph Bishop after flying at the Provo Municipal Airport Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015. Mandatory retirement at major airlines, talent poaching by major carriers from regional airlines and low starting wages with high flight training costs are all depleting the airline pilot talent pipeline. SALT LAKE CITY - Some economic indicators have aviation industry experts nervous that a pilot shortage is on the way. But representatives of major airlines like Delta say they still see a strong flow of applicants despite fears from some regional affiliates concerned about the future of filling pilot seats. According to a report issued last year by the Regional Airline Association, the major airlines will need to replace 18,000 pilots within the next seven years who reach the mandatory retirement age of 65. The report also says there is a diminishing of new air transport pilot licenses, the highest certification given by the Federal Aviation Administration, which certifies pilots to fly commercial freight and passenger planes. The major airlines get the benefit of ex-military pilots as well as pilots with seniority at regional airlines to fill empty cockpit seats. But regional lines rely on new pilot school graduates to fill in voids from departing pilots. With relatively low starting pay, an increase in hours required for certifications, and the cost of college and flight school, the numbers of students completing programs is low and drawing concern, according to the Government Accountability Office. The average cost of a four-year degree and flight training is $50,000 per year. But average starting wages for new pilots with the regional airlines has remained stagnant in the mid-$20,000s. "It takes a certain stamina to hang in there. The ones that do are going to be great," said Jim Green, retired airline pilot and associate professor with Utah Valley University's School of Aviation Science. Green said the school attrition rate assures that the quality of the students moving on is high with good job prospects. Utah Valley University is unique because total estimated cost for the university tuition and flight training expenses totals about $18,700 per year, making it one of the least expensive in the nation. Still, the cost tops Utah's average annual tuition for public universities, $12,354, according to The College Board's Annual Survey of Colleges. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the oldest and largest aeronautics college in the country, with campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona, costs more than that average. Annual costs are about $32,000 per year for tuition and fees, in addition to $33,000 for the first two years and about $10,000 for the last two years of flight training. But neither program has exemplary graduation rates. UVU's Aviation Science Department only graduates 7 percent of the average 300-350 students entering the program within four or five years of their start date. That jumps to 13.4 percent completing the program within 7 years. From 2004 to 2013, Embry-Riddle's graduation rate was 2.3 percent of aeronautical science majors in the advertised three years. About 21 percent graduated after four years and 30 percent finished the program after six years. Boeing projects that the global industry will need 558,000 new pilots in the next 20 years to meet demand, 95,000 new pilots in the U.S. alone. Not meeting the demand could mean diminished service from regional airliners, higher fare prices and a weakened national infrastructure, Green said But that also means there is an opportunity for young people entering the program, if they stick it out. "The supply-demand curve is shifting in their favor," Green said. "There has never been a better opportunity and there is no better job than being an airline pilot." Roger Cohen, former president of the Regional Airline Association, said earlier this year that American Airlines will lose 61 percent of its pilots. Delta, with a hub in Salt Lake City, will lose 47 percent, with Southwest Airlines losing 40 percent. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865637227/Potential-pilot-shortage-means- opportunity-for-students.html Back to Top Concorde Fans Want the Jet Back In The Skies Club Concorde wants the supersonic plane airborne again by 2019. For almost 30 years, Concorde traversed the globe at twice the speed of sound. Born out of a partnership between France and Britain in the early 1960s, the famous jets were a technological masterpiece, taking less than three and a half hours to fly from Europe to New York, meaning nobody on board had to watch more than seven subtitled reruns of Frasier. But Concorde was grounded for good in 2003 after a tragic Air France crash claimed the lives of 113 people. As recently as 2013, British Airways told the BBC there was "no chance" of Concorde ever flying again, as the "technical and safety challenges of returning a Concorde to the skies are absolutely prohibitive." Club Concorde wants to change that. Made up of former captains, charterers, and "aviation fans," the club told the BBC this weekend that it's raised £120 million to put Concorde back in action. The club's president, Paul James, shared that he and his Concorde-craving cohorts are hoping to purchase or lease two aircraft from France, restore them, then use them at airshows, for special events, and for private charter. No agreements have been made yet, but James is decidedly optimistic, hoping he might kick off flights in 2019 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Concorde's first trip to the skies. "We have been overwhelmed by the amount of enthusiasm and people wanting to invest," he said. "The support shows how much people still admire Concorde and want to see it flying again." James and his pals are also looking to install Concorde-which James calls a "global icon"- on London's South Bank as a tourist attraction by 2017, then open a similar attraction in Paris. "All the authorities have been very keen on our idea to bring Concorde to the river as a tourist attraction and London Eye have agreed we could share their landing stage," said James. All of the authorities were not available for comment. British Airways-which still owns eight Concordes, all of which are on display in museums all around the world-reaffirmed that it had "no plans to return Concorde to the sky," but is humoring James all the same. As a spokesperson put it, "While we would be willing to speak to Club Concorde about their plans, the fact remains that our fleet of Concordes are currently displayed at sites around the globe and we have no plans to change these contracts at this time." http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/09/concorde-fans-want-the-jet-back-in-the-skies Back to Top Man On Mars? NASA Says It's Happening -- And Soon "We are farther down the path to sending humans to Mars than at any point in NASA's history." We're going to Mars -- and we're going in the not-too-distant future. NASA says preparations for a manned mission to the Red Planet are proceeding as planned, with humans expected to set foot on Mars in the 2030s. "We are farther down the path to sending humans to Mars than at any point in NASA's history," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said at an event last week, according to Space.com. "We have a lot of work to do to get humans to Mars, but we'll get there." That work includes completing the development of the rockets and spacecraft that will get humans there and back again, including the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, which are still being tested. The next Mars rover, planned for a 2020 launch, will carry the Mars Oxygen ISRU experiment. MOXIE, as its known, will take carbon dioxide out of the thin Martian atmosphere and produce oxygen, the space agency said. If it can do so successfully, humans will have oxygen to breathe and rockets will be able to use that oxygen to help power the return trip home. "We're going to make oxygen on another planet -- the first time ever to make oxygen on another planet," said NASA deputy administrator Dava Newman, according to The Space Reporter. "These experiments -- they're real, they're here." Andy Weir, author of "The Martian" which has been made into a film starring Matt Damon, was at the NASA event. He recently said the main barrier is funding -- and that given enough money, a manned Mars mission could happen in the 2030s as planned. "But I don't have faith in Congress to give them enough money to make that happen, so I'm being a little more conservative," the novelist told Space.com last month, guessing that humans would set foot on the Red Planet by 2050. "The Martian" goes into wide release on Oct. 2, but the film was given an early screening over the weekend in a very unique location: the International Space Station. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nasa-manned-mars- mission_55ffb59fe4b00310edf79c6d Back to Top AVIATION SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS SEMINAR Aviation SMS: Application and Implementation This three-day Embry-Riddle course provides participants with an expanded background in intermediate and advanced Safety Management Systems (SMS) concepts, and supports both implementation and continuous improvement of an active SMS within their organization. Through a focus on practical strategies for maturing safety management practices, attendees will come to develop tools to implement the theory and principles of SMS as well as an understanding of current FAA guidance and requirements for operators and organizations. Participants will receive a copy of Implementing Safety Management Systems in Aviation, authored in part by Dr. A. Stolzer, Department Chair at ERAU. Key Topics: * SMS Structure and Components * Safety Policy and Objectives * Safety Risk Management â€" Moving to Proactive and Predictive Methods * SMS Common Issues and Road-Blocks * Safety Assurance, Promotion, and Culture * Human Factors in SMS * Safety Performance Indicators and Targets * Safety Performance Monitoring and Operational Data * SMS Implementation Guidance NOVEMBER 17-19, 2015 REGISTER TODAY Embry-Riddle Increases Its Commitment to Continuing Education " Embry-Riddle is a premier university for aviation training and education; join us for your professional development needs. " Aviation SMS: Application and Implementation Course Dates: November 17-19, 2015 Course Location: Daytona Beach Campus, FL Course Fee: Early Bird Fee: $1,300 (Prior to Sept. 16, 2015) Standard Fee: $1,400 (includes all learning materials, textbook and copies of presentations) ERAU Point of Contact: Director: Sarah Ochs Email: case@erau.edu Phone: (386) 226-6928 www.erau.edu/sms Back to Top Graduate Research Request Greetings, my name is Ken Spears and I'm working on a research project for my Master's degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The research topic is the use of RFID technology in the aviation supply chain and the utility for preventing unapproved parts entering the aviation supply chain. If you have any experience with, knowledge of, or opinions about RFID usage in the supply chain or other applications of RFID in the aviation industry I would like to talk with you. My contact information is spearb50@erau.edu or by telephone 757-753-3142. Thank you, Regards, Ken Spears Back to Top iSMS - Safety Management System Training Back to Top North Texas Business Aviation Association (NTBAA) Safety Show-Down 23-24 Sep 3RD ANNUAL SAFETY SHOW-DOWN AND GOLF OUTING SEPTEMBER 23 & 24, 2015 NBAA CAM Approved! ***Early Bird Registration Now Open*** Dr. Mark Maier, Ph.D. - Keynote Speaker "Leading with Integrity...Creating a Climate for Open Communication." Additional breakout sessions from industry leading presenters covering... "Maintaining Your Composure When You Want to Strangle Someone" "Renegade Cowboys or Important Skills for Professional Pilots" "Strategic Alignment: Balancing Service and Risk Management" "Maintaining Your Professionalism with the FAA" "Decision Making Under High Stress" "Leadership for Professional Aviators" "NTSB Most Wanted List" Sponsorshipsavailable! Static Display Featuring the Falcon 2000LX, Embraer Legacy 450, Gulfstream G150 and G280 Show-Down 2015 Details!! On behalf of the flight operations personnel represented on the North Texas Business Aviation Association Board of Directors, we want to personally invite you and your department to the 3rd Annual NTBAA Safety Show-Down and Golf Outing on September 23-24, 2015. "You can learn about dealing with the FAA...keeping your temper and your certificate." -Kent Jackson, Aviation Attorney and 2015 NTBAA Show-Down Session Presenter The NTBAA Safety Show-Down is an information packed, safety focused event that brings some of the best subject matter experts presenting on topics exclusively for pilots, flight attendants, schedulers, maintenance technicians, and flight operations personnel. This NBAA CAM Certified event will be located at the Addison Texas Conference Centre (across the street from Addison Airport) on September 23rd and will feature 8 different breakout sessions to choose from throughout the day, including a keynote presentation by internationally renowned writer and producer, Mark Maier, Ph.D. His presentation, "A Major Malfunction..." The Story Behind the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster, has been adopted by over 800 institutions in 23 countries, including many of the nation's leading aerospace firms and Fortune 500 companies. "All of us have the responsibility to lead and make a difference whenever and wherever you can." -Mark Maier, Ph.D. Chapman University and 2015 NTBAA Show-Down Session Presenter In addition to the educational sessions, the Safety Show-Down will also include an aircraft static display, a fire simulator/trainer, and numerous vendor booths. Many flight departments from North Texas and surrounding areas will be in attendance, making this a great opportunity for networking and connecting with others in the aviation community. Various giveaways will occur throughout the day and breakfast, lunch, and snacks are all included! "Do you know how aware you are of your thoughts and behaviors, and of the intentions and actions of others during those times of stress or fatigue?" -Dr. Shari Frisinger, Behavior Analyst and 2015 NTBAA Show-Down Session Presenter Lastly, don't miss out on the NTBAA Golf Outing held at the Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine TX on September 24th. The Cowboys Golf Club is the premier resort-style golf course in Texas. As the world's first NFL themed golf course, this is the ultimate NTBAA Golf Outing to unwind after the Safety Show-Down. Special "Early Bird" registration discounts and package deals are available for the Safety Show-Down and Golf Outing, visit: www.ntbaaonline.com to register. Back to Top Upcoming Events: Safeskies 2015 Aviation Safety Conference 22 to 24 September 2015 Realm Hotel, Canberra www.SafeskiesAustralia.org Fundamentals of IS-BAO October 1, 2015 Farnborough, UK https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1661564 IS-BAO Auditing October 2, 2015 Farnborough, UK https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1661567 Fundamentals of IS-BAO November 2, 2015 Hong Kong, China https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1724162 IS-BAO Auditing November 3, 2015 Hong Kong, China https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1724176 BARS Auditor Training October 6-8, 2015 Dubai, United Arab Emirates http://flightsafety.org/bars/auditor-training 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 New HFACS workshop Las Vegas December 15 & 16 www.hfacs.com '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: Manager Group Safety Management Systems Virgin Australia Location: Brisbane, Australia http://careers.virginaustralia.com/cw/en/job/496413/manager-group-safety- management-systems Business Aviation Regional Sales Manager ARGUS International, Inc. https://home2.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=18211162 Vice President Flight Operations FEDEX Express https://www.appone.com/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=1120042 Curt Lewis