Flight Safety Information October 2, 2015 - No. 196 In This Issue NTSB Releases Agenda, Call for Questions, for General Aviation Safety Forum American Transport Plane Crash In Afghanistan Kills 11 AAIB Centenary Conference...'100 Years of Accident Investigation - What's Next?' FAA: We're Moving on Fuel-System Safety NTSB to Brief Summit on Fuel Tanks, Recorders, Public Safety Helos Passengers evacuate Southwest flight after reports of smoke in aircraft Skydive Dubai propeller aircraft runs off runway; unclear if there are any injuries Drone Popularity Draws Concern From Pilots, Federal Officials Exclusive: F-35 Ejection Seat Fears Ground Lightweight Pilots Jet Airways employee suspected of smuggling gold bars on flight from Dubai to Mumbai WITH MODIFIED JET FUEL, PLANES CAN'T EXPLODE 5 Hurt on Bumpy American Airlines Flight to Miami 'Virtual tower' could bring more flights to airport AI flight makes emergency landing in Delhi PROS 2015 TRAINING Jet-Engine Maker Pratt Shores Up Weak Link in Supply Chain 7,500 SkyWest pilots to receive Microsoft's Surface 3 Auburn aviation programs show strength after years of turbulence ERAU Certificate of Management in Aviation Safety iSMS - Safety Management System Training Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) NTSB Releases Agenda, Call for Questions, for General Aviation Safety Forum WASHINGTON-The National Transportation Board has released the final agenda, including the participants' names and affiliations, for its forum, Humans and Hardware: Preventing General Aviation Inflight Loss of Control. The event, which was announced earlier this month, will be held on October 14 in Washington, D.C. In addition, the NTSB is inviting pilots and others in the aviation safety community to send their questions related to inflight loss of control issues to LOCForum@ntsb.gov. To be considered for inclusion, questions must be submitted via email not later than 3:00 pm ET on October 13. "Understanding questions that pilots have will be critical to the forum's success," said NTSB Member Earl Weener, who will chair the event. The forum will include panels on four broad areas of discussion: - Industry and Government Perspectives and Actions; - Human Performance and Medical Issues; - Pilot Training Solutions; and - Equipment and Technology Solutions. An end-of-day roundtable beginning at 4:05 p.m. will bring back panelists from throughout the day to discuss crosscutting issues and the day's takeaways. This year's forum offers participants a new level of digital accessibility. The forum webpage includes links to add individual panel sessions or the entire forum to calendars on computers and mobile devices. Pilots can also share the forum page with other pilots or student trainees through email or social media. "We've added the new digital functionality to make it easy to share the event with other pilots," said Weener. "Those with compatible calendar software can also save the date and time directly to their device." The forum, which will be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center in Washington (429 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington D.C.) will run from 9:00 am ET to 5:00 pm ET. The agenda, including names of panelists and NTSB forum staff, is available at http://go.usa.gov/3tfse. More information about the forum can be found at http://www.ntsb.gov/LOCforum. The forum is free and open to the public. There is no registration for this event. Directions to the forum site are available at http://go.usa.gov/3tfBB. The event will also be webcast live. An archive of the webcast will be available on the NTSB website after the event. A link to the webcast is available at http://www.capitolconnection.net/capcon/ntsb/ntsb.htm. RELATED MATERIAL General Aviation Inflight Loss of Control on NTSB Most Wanted List: http://go.usa.gov/3tfZJ PRESS RELEASE (9/8/15): NTSB to Hold Forum Addressing Inflight Loss of Control in Fixed-Wing General Aviation Aircraft: http://go.usa.gov/3tfZ9 ************ Contact Information Office of Public Affairs 490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Washington, DC 20594 Peter Knudson peter.knudson@ntsb.gov (202) 314-6100 Back to Top American Transport Plane Crash In Afghanistan Kills 11 In this Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015 photo, Afghan National Army soldiers line up to get into a C-130 Hercules, at Kandahar Air Base, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. A series of airports, built by NATO to fight the Taliban, are being handed over to the Afghan government in a civil aviation upgrade that optimists hope will fuel not only regional trade but even tourism. The eight airfields, worth an estimated $2 billion, are scattered around a landlocked and mountainous land whose lack of rail transport or decent roads makes almost every intercity journey a perilous adventure -- even without factoring in attacks from Taliban militants. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. military transport plane crashed at an airfield in Afghanistan shortly after midnight on Friday (1930 GMT on Thursday), killing all 11 people on board, the U.S. military said, adding there were no reports of enemy fire at the time. The cause of the crash at Jalalabad airfield was under investigation, a spokesman said, refusing to rule out the possibility that there may be dead or wounded on the ground. First responders were on the scene, he said. Six U.S. military service members and five civilian contractors who were employed by the U.S.-led international force in Afghanistan were killed in the crash. A statement from the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield described it as "an accident," without offering details. The crash came hours after Afghan troops recaptured the center of the strategic northern city of Kunduz on Thursday amid fierce clashes with Taliban militants, three days after losing the provincial capital. The Taliban have been fighting to regain power since being toppled by a U.S.-led intervention in 2001. The number of U.S. deaths in Afghanistan has fallen sharply after the United States wrapped up its formal combat mission last year, although U.S. special forces and U.S. airstrikes were involved in this week's counter-offensive in Kunduz. In 2011, Taliban militants shot down a U.S. military Chinook helicopter, killing all 38 people on board. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/american-transport-plane-crashes-in- afghanistan_560db53be4b076812701714d ************** Date: 02-OCT-2015 Time: 00:19 Type: Lockheed C-130J Hercules Owner/operator: US Air Force - USAF Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Jalalabad Airfield - Afghanistan Phase: Nature: Military Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: Six U.S. service members and five civilians were killed when a C-130J crashed shortly after midnight Friday local time at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan, according to ta 455th Air Expeditionary Wing news release. The plane was assigned to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, part of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, the news release says. First responders are still on the scene and the cause of the crash is under investigation. http://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=180071 Back to Top AAIB Centenary Conference '100 Years of Accident Investigation - What's Next?' Royal Aeronautical Society, London - 14 October 2015 To mark the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) centenary year and to celebrate 100 years of safety investigation in the UK, the AAIB is holding a one-day conference on 14 October 2015, entitled '100 Years of Accident Investigation - What's Next?'.The conference will take place at the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) at 4 Hamilton Place, London. The programme includes speakers from government investigation agencies, regulators, aircraft and engine manufacturers, operators, the media, academia and the legal profession. Places are limited. To find out more about the programme or to register click: http://aerosociety.com/Events/Event-List/1994/100-Years-of-Accident- Investigation-Whats-Next Back to Top FAA: We're Moving on Fuel-System Safety The FAA has started work to apply crash-resistant fuel system standards to all helicopters, its chief has told the National Transportation Safety Board. In a Sept. 28 letter, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart that he has tasked the agency's Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee with acting on the safety board's call for broader application of those standards. (Any changes would be subject to normal rulemaking and public-comment procedures, which can take years.) The NTSB on July 23 recommended that the FAA require all newly manufactured rotorcraft to comply with tougher fuel-system standards adopted in 1994. Those standards (contained in Federal Aviation Regulations 27.952 for Normal category rotorcraft and 29.952 for Transport category ones) only applied to aircraft type certificated before October 1994. Of more than 5,600 helicopters registered in the U.S. today, the safety board said, only about 15% comply with the 1994 standards. NTSB head of Aviation Safety, John DeLisi, will brief the Rotorcraft Certification Summit Oct. 27 on the investigation that led to that recommendation. The investigation was of an Air Evac Lifeteam Bell Helicopter 206L1+ crash in which the pilot survived but a flight nurse and paramedic died of injuries that included burns from a post-crash fire. http://www.aviationtoday.com/categories/rotocraft/FAA-New-Helos-May-Require-Crash- Resistant-Tanks_86177.html#.Vg5a4flViko Back to Top NTSB to Brief Summit on Fuel Tanks, Recorders, Public Safety Helos A top NTSB official will open Oct. 27's Rotorcraft Certification Summit with a briefing on the safety board's call for the FAA to require all newly built helicopters to have crash- resistant fuel systems regardless of when their type certificate was issued. The director of the NTSB's Office of Aviation Safety, John DeLisi, will give the morning keynote presentation from 8:10 to 9 a.m. to kick off the one-day executive summit at the Sheraton Hotel DFW Airport in Irving, Texas. The FAA in 1994 adopted new standards for crash-resistant fuel systems (Federal Aviation Regulations 27.952 and 29.952), but only made them applicable to helicopters type certificated after Oct. 1994. In a recent investigation, the NTSB found that more than 5,600 helicopters built after 1994 are registered in the U.S., but only about 15% comply with the crash-resistant fuel system standards. "The NTSB is concerned that, 20 years after needed safety improvement in the design of helicopters was mandated, such a small percentage of U.S.-registered helicopters currently flying meet the requirement for these systems," the safety board said while calling on the FAA to make the change. At the Rotorcraft Certification Summit, DeLisi also will discuss the benefits of image recorders to recent accident investigations, including last October's crash of the SpaceShipTwo space-transport prototype and the March 2013 crash of an Alaska Department of Public Safety Eurocopter AS350. The NTSB finished its SpaceShipTwo probe in less than nine months-nearly record time. "One big reason," DeLisi said, "was the availability of definitive evidence from an onboard cockpit image recorder." In addition, DeLisi will provide an update on the NTSB's 2015 Most Wanted List item of enhancing public helicopter safety. You can learn more about the Rotorcraft Certification Summit and register for the event at www.rotorcraftsummit.com. http://www.aviationtoday.com/the-checklist/NTSB-to-Brief-Summit-on-Fuel-Tanks- Records-Public-Safety-Helos_86154.html#.Vg5bxPlViko Back to Top Passengers evacuate Southwest flight after reports of smoke in aircraft In this Feb. 9, 2012 file photo, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 waits to take off at Chicago's Midway Airport as another lands. A spokesman for Southwest Airlines says all departing flights have been grounded due to a system-wide computer problem, Saturday, June 22, 2013. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo) Southwest Airlines (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo) LAS VEGAS (KSNV News3LV) -- A fully loaded Southwest Airlines 737 was evacuated during the boarding process at McCarran International Airport Thursday afternoon when there were reports of smoke in the aircraft. Southwest flight 1292 had a scheduled 2:50 p.m. departure to Tucson, Ariz., when somebody reported smoke in the cabin. "There were 143 passengers and five crew members on board and all deplaned without incident," said Christine Crews, spokeswoman for McCarran said at 3 p.m. "The Clark County Fire Department is checking the plane, but has not found any smoke." http://www.news3lv.com/content/news/story/Passengers-evacuate-Southwest-flight- after/OSbxFbvCyEqnsSNXJttIeQ.cspx Back to Top Skydive Dubai propeller aircraft runs off runway; unclear if there are any injuries DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - An aircraft belonging to a Dubai skydiving company has run off a runway, but it's unclear if there are any injuries in the crash. An Associated Press reporter saw the Skydive Dubai propeller aircraft at the end of its runway in the Dubai Marina where it crashed on Friday, its nose tipping down over the breakers running along the water. Two guards at Skydive Dubai blocked the AP from the crash site and declined to take a request for comment. Telephone numbers for the business rang unanswered. Skydive Dubai operates a prominent drop zone near the Dubai Marina and the Gulf city's famous man-made Palm Jumeirah island. In July, one of its planes carrying 15 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff over a technical problem. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/10/02/skydive-dubai-propeller-aircraft-runs-off- runway-unclear-if-there-are-any/ Back to Top Drone Popularity Draws Concern From Pilots, Federal Officials Roughly 700,000 drones are expected to be sold in the United States this year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. The figure marks a 63 percent increase over last year's total, but comes with added concerns about safety. The popularity of drones worries both pilots and government officials. "All aviators are worried about hitting anything in the air. That's basically what we always worry about," said Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. The Federal Aviation Administration plans to meet with Walmart, which has 19 different kinds of drones for sale on its website, to teach salespeople about what it should tell its customers about safe drone operation. Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pilots report seeing drones in airspace reserved for aircraft several times each day. The Consumer Electronics Association projects the U.S. drone market to climb above $100 million in revenue this year, an increase of more than 50 percent from last year's total. The organization predicts there will be more than 1 million drone flights every day by 2025. https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/drone-popularity-draws-concern-pilots-federal-officials- 115838068--abc-news-topstories.html Back to Top Exclusive: F-35 Ejection Seat Fears Ground Lightweight Pilots Martin-Baker F-35 Ejection Seat test (Photo: Martin-Baker) WASHINGTON - Concerns about increased risk of injury to F-35 pilots during low-speed ejections have prompted the US military services to temporarily restrict pilots who weigh less than 136 pounds from flying the aircraft, Defense News has learned. During August tests of the ejection seat, built by Martin-Baker, testers discovered an increased risk of neck injury when a lightweight pilot is flying at slower speeds. Until the problem is fixed, the services decided to restrict pilots weighing under 136 pounds from operating the plane, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, F-35 integration office director, told Defense News in a Tuesday interview. "The bottom line is, they have to get into the realm where the seat allows that weight of a pilot less than 136 pounds [to] safely eject out of the airplane," Harrigian said. "They found some areas that particularly at slower speeds they were concerned about, so that drove the restriction that we have right now." At least one F-35 pilot is affected by the weight restriction, according to Joint Program Office spokesman Joe DellaVedova, who added that the rule was announced Aug. 27. The issue does not affect the first and only female F-35 pilot, Lt. Col. Christina Mau, 33rd Operations Group deputy commander, he noted. The ejection seat issue is not related to the new Generation 3 helmet, built by Rockwell Collins and delivered to the JPO in August, DellaVedova said. In August, testers discovered that when a lighter pilot is flying the aircraft, the ejection seat slightly over-rotates, Col. Todd Canterbury, who was commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing until June, told Defense News on Wednesday. The team is concerned that when the parachute opens, a lightweight pilot may not be in the optimal body position to eject out of the plane, he said. "It's that light pilot and the center of gravity of the seat," said Canterbury, who flew F-35 software versions 1B, 2A, 3i and 2B. "It all has to do with getting that center of gravity kind of located within the window, we call it, for safe seat-man separation." Canterbury stressed that the weight restriction is an interim fix, and the JPO is working closely with aircraft builder Lockheed Martin and Martin-Baker on a permanent solution. Pilot safety is the services' top priority, officials stressed. "Safety is our No. 1 concern and we want to make sure that we give the warfighter the safest ejection seat capable out there," Canterbury, now the chief of the F-35 Integration Office Operations Division, said on Tuesday. "As we discover things, we can weigh the risk of what's acceptable and what's not, and right now, until we fully understand the implication of the seat, safety is our No. 1 priority." The JPO, Martin-Baker and Lockheed Martin are working "seven days a week, 24 hours a day" to lift the restriction, DellaVedova said. Like most modern fighter jets, the F-35's ejection seat is meant to accommodate pilots who weigh 103 pounds to 245 pounds. "That's our plan, that's the requirement, and that's what were working with the program office on," Harrigian said. http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/air-force/2015/10/01/exclusive-f- 35-ejection-seat-fears-ground-lightweight-pilots/73102528/ Back to Top Jet Airways employee suspected of smuggling gold bars on flight from Dubai to Mumbai DUBAI // A Jet Airways employee is under police investigation for allegedly smuggling gold bars on a flight from Dubai to Mumbai, the airline has said. Customs officials in Mumbai said they detained a Jet Airways crew member last Thursday after investigations showed he had attempted to get rid of the gold bars worth Rs2.7 million (Dh150,700) before a search. A Mumbai customs official said a random search was conducted on crew who arrived on the early flight 9W-543 from Dubai last Thursday. "It was a surprise search and he was actually let go, then one of our staffers found the gold bars stuffed into a sofa on which the crew were sitting and we called them back for questioning," the official said. Surveillance footage showed the 24-year-old flight attendant hiding a brown packet before he was searched. "The matter of September 24 is under investigation and Jet Airways is fully cooperating with the investigating agencies," a Jet Airways spokesman said. "Jet Airways has zero tolerance towards any action of its employees that contravenes local or international laws prevalent in the countries of our operations. Jet Airways has already terminated the employment of those involved in the other cases." In March a Jet Airways flight attendant was arrested for smuggling gold and diamonds on a flight from Dubai, Indian media reported Two employees were arrested in February on arrival in the southern Indian city of Kochi for smuggling gold from Doha. http://www.thenational.ae/uae/jet-airways-employee-suspected-of-smuggling-gold- bars-on-flight-from-dubai-to-mumbai Back to Top WITH MODIFIED JET FUEL, PLANES CAN'T EXPLODE COMING SOON TO YOUR LOCAL AIRPORT Caltech At the top is untreated jet fuel, at the bottom, jet fuel treated with a small amount of Caltech's new polymer. The four planes chosen by the September 11 terrorists were chosen for a reason. All four flights were traveling across the continent loaded down with huge quantities of jet fuel, the ignition source for the horrible tragedies that took place that day at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and at the crash site of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. In 2002, after the attacks, Caltech scientist, Julia Kornfield and colleagues began working on a polymer that could prevent jet fuel from being used as an explosive weapon. Their results are published in this week's issue of Science. Kornfield's team, including Ming-Hsin "Jeremy" Wei, one of the first authors of the paper, created a polymer, a large molecule, called a megasupramolecule that can link together with other megasupramolecules to form massive chains. The megasupramolecules act a little bit like chains with tiny bits of velcro at the end of each one. They can break apart, and then automatically link back together. Watch Kornfield's explanation of how megasupramolecules work: When mixed in with jet fuel, the megasupramolecules help the fuel flow more easily through the engine, and, in crash situations, prevent the fuel from "misting", or turning into tiny droplets. Misting is fine during normal engine operation, but in a crash the sudden dispersal of fuel over a wide area can make it explosive when it meets a heat source. "Above all," Kornfield said in a press release, "We hope these new polymers will save lives and minimize burns that result from post-impact fuel fires." So far, it has only been tested in a lab, but initial results are promising. In addition to inhibiting explosions, fuel with the additive functions act just like normal fuel in an engine, meaning airlines wouldn't have to make additional technical changes to their aircraft. And unlike many scientific ventures, this one might not take long to go from the laboratory to the real world. "Looking to the future, if you want to use this additive in thousands of gallons of jet fuel, diesel, or oil, you need a process to mass-produce it," Wei said in a press release. "That is why my goal is to develop a reactor that will continuously produce the polymer-and I plan to achieve it less than a year from now." See the test in action here: http://www.popsci.com/polymer-with-velcro-like-properties-makes-jet-fuel-less- explosive Back to Top 5 Hurt on Bumpy American Airlines Flight to Miami American Airlines officials say five passengers were injured on a flight from Grenada to Miami after the plane encountered some unexpected turbulence. American's Flight 982 landed at Miami International Airport shortly before noon Thursday without incident. Five passengers were taken to a hospital for minor injuries. The airline said in a statement that the seatbelt sign was on at the time and that pilots had no indication of severe turbulence in the area. The Miami Herald (http://tinyurl.com/o8dgfl8) reports the plane carried 74 passengers and a five-member crew. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/american-airlines-hurt-bumpy-flight-miami- 34189515 Back to Top 'Virtual tower' could bring more flights to airport The Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport, which lost Allegiant Air in 2012 in part because it didn't have a control tower, will pilot a virtual tower beginning next year. The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday the airport has been selected as a test facility for new Virtual Air Traffic Control Tower technology. Airport Director Jason Licon said Thursday the virtual tower, developed by the FAA and Colorado Department of Transportation, uses cameras and sensors that are monitored remotely. The $5.9 million cost for the test phase is being paid by the Colorado Aviation Fund and was unanimously approved by the Colorado Aeronautical Board. The high-tech array provides an enhanced level of safety at a cost dramatically lower than a traditional manned air traffic control tower. It is the first FAA-sanctioned virtual tower to be piloted in the U.S., Licon said. A similar, privately developed system is being tested in Leesburg, Virginia, he said. The blended airspace project is the third phase of a system that monitors air traffic in Colorado mountain areas where providing air traffic control is challenging. The program has been an economic boon to communities like Aspen which can now land more aircraft more frequently, "which it desperately needed," Licon said. Loveland Mayor Cecil Gutierrez said in a press release the new technology "greatly enhances aviation safety at the airport. With that, opportunities for commercial air service and economic development both on and off the airport will open up. "It is a major step forward for our regional authority," he said. Fort Collins-Loveland was chosen as the initial test facility because of its close proximity to the FAA Approach and Air Route Traffic Control Centers in Denver and Longmont. The lack of control tower was the "official" reason cited by Allegiant when it pulled out of Fort Collins-Loveland in 2012, but that rationale came as a surprise to airport officials. Allegiant officials had previously said they were satisfied that airport traffic was monitored by Denver International Airport. Elite Airlines recently began flying between Fort Collins to Rockford, Illinois, and plans to expand its service to Mesa, Arizona, as soon as December. The airport has been working for a couple years on the blended airspace traffic management system, which would make a control tower unnecessary. The FAA and CDOT are developing the technology and will install it and test it at Fort Collins-Loveland. Hopes are high that a virtual tower will be "another tool in our toolbox" to attract increased air service and provide an additional level of safety. "Community air service is very important, especially general aviation," said David May, president and CEO of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce. "Commercial is tougher due to proximity to DIA, but there are probably some regional carrier opportunities. Having an actual or virtual tower helps because some airlines and their pilots are reluctant to fly into uncontrolled air space." http://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2015/10/01/virtual-tower-northern-colorado- airport/73173244/ Back to Top AI flight makes emergency landing in Delhi The flight landed safely at 8.10 pm on the runway 29 of the airport and none of the passengers or cabin crew were injured in the incident. Air India's trouble with its fleet of nearly 25-year-old Airbus A320 aircraft does not seem to end. Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport witnessed tense moments on Thursday evening when Air India's Varanasi to Delhi flight (AI 433) with 133 passengers on board had to make an emergency landing reportedly due to a snag in one engine. On September 7, another Airbus A320 aircraft on the same Varanasi-Delhi sector (AI 405) had to make an emergency landing at Delhi airport following a hydraulic leak. The passengers of the aircraft had to be evacuated through emergency chutes after smoke was detected in the rear tyres and a few passengers got injured in the process. On Thursday, the pilot of the flight (Registration number VTEPJ) detected a warning for engine failure and informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC), requesting a priority landing. The Delhi ATC declared full emergency at 7.50 pm and all precautionary measures were taken at the airport. Fire tenders, medical aid and security personnel were deployed near the tarmac as precaution. The flight landed safely at 8.10 pm on the runway 29 of the airport and none of the passengers or cabin crew were injured in the incident. The engineering department of the national carrier is investigating the incident. "The pilot asked for a priority landing because there was an indication in the cockpit about problem in the engine. No snag was however detected after the aircraft landed but we are looking in to what caused the cockpit alarm to be set off," said an Air India official who didn't wish to be named. "It is definitely not a case of a bird hit because the flight landed after 8 pm. The aircraft was found airworthy and is back to flying," he said. A section of Air India pilots had written to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in March this year, requesting the aviation regulator to stop the national carrier from flying these snag-prone aircraft, keeping in mind the safety of passengers. http://www.thehindu.com/news/ai-flight-makes-emergency-landing-in- delhi/article7715507.ece Back to Top Students Advance Mars Airplane Concept When you're designing an airplane that could one day be the first to fly on Mars, the answer cannot be found in the back of the book. That's one of many conclusions groups of students in two NASA-funded programs at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in California realized last summer. They worked on the Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars, or Prandtl-m aircraft. If the project is ultimately successful, it could collect and transmit valuable information about future landing sites for human exploration. Their task was to use the skills learned in school and apply those to a research challenge. The two programs included the NASA Flight Scholars, which focuses on giving community college students an early opportunity to perform research and the Education Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Center of Excellence, which provides college students an opportunity to work on NASA UAS projects. Both are funded mostly under the Minority University Research and Education Program that highlights minority-serving institutions. The students started with a boomerang-shaped aircraft constructed of carbon fiber and conducted researched by flying it down the halls, in a conference room and then in an aircraft hangar. Flights progressed when students agreed on a launch system to obtain consistent results. Those flights allowed a look at the aircraft's aerodynamics before moving on to more complex tests and higher altitudes. Tests didn't always turn out as expected, but setbacks didn't dampen the students' enthusiasm. "There is a sense of independence here," said Joseph Piotrowski, a California State University at Long Beach mechanical engineering student. "You have mentors, but they allow you the free will to work on the challenge." Michael Kloesel, a California State University at San Bernardino chemistry student, was excited. "We are going to contribute to what may be the first aircraft on Mars," Kloesel said. "This is the best thing ever!" Raziq Noorali, who studies physics at College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California, said the internship showed him that different skills and viewpoints are needed to solve aspects of the Prandtl-m work. Sipanah Arutyunyan, who studies aerospace engineering at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, expanded on that idea. "In school we learn theory and equations on paper," Arutyunyan said. "Here we have to apply that to hardware and software in ways we don't usually get to do." Students also worked on teams to build a case for convincing others their solution is the best. "The presentations have to be good and you have to have skills in speaking and presenting ideas and be convincing to go through with a plan," said Eduardo Uribe- Saldana, a biomedical engineering student at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California. Hussein Nasr, an aerospace engineering student at California State Polytechnic University, said the road to success is long. "Nothing ever works the way you want it to the first time," Nasr said. "You have to figure out what went wrong. When we reviewed why one of our tests didn't work, we found errors everywhere. In research, you have to ask questions." For example, Arutyunyan explained one of the first boomerang-shaped Prandtl-m aircraft developed a crack. During a test, it crashed and the fatigue of multiple flight tests caused it to fail. The team was frustrated. "It means we have to go back to the drawing board," Uribe-Saldana added. That's exactly what the students did. A series of flight tests led them and their mentors to the conclusion that the aircraft's chord, the distance between the leading edge and trailing edge of the wing, needed enhancement to gain more lift and stability. The changes led to a more delta-wing shape with a twist, explained Joshua Tanon, who is studying aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The basic aerodynamic principles were sound, but a new shape and materials it was made of balsa wood sandwiched between two pieces of fiberglass needed a new launch method. It was determined a radio-controlled aircraft would take the research ship to the required altitude and release it. "You learn more from failure than from success," said Will Morris, an aerospace engineering student from California Polytechnic University. "Experience is the best teacher because we can see what went wrong and refine our test project design." The results the aircraft crashed. Investigation of the incident showed a failed servo to be the cause. The students had to wait for another day to see if their aircraft would fly and it did. After launch it was controllable in flight. In a few months, a new design is expected to take flight based on the past test flights. David Berger, a key driver of creating the experience for students, said it was a success. "I saw the students excited about a topic and they went above and beyond what we asked of them," Berger said. "They became experts and ran with what they learned and owned the responsibility. They didn't see it as a task, but as a challenge to be solved." Berger said the pilot program was intended to give college professors a research project to work through with their students and then travel to NASA Armstrong for the research flights to see the results. Khalid Rubayi, an electronics instructor at Victor Valley College in Victorville, California, said his task is to put the students on a path, guide them and nudge them back on the path if they digress. "I showed them how to approach a problem, analyze it and use critical thinking," Rubayi said. "These students are talented and have exceptional skills. It was a valuable experience that cut across disciplines." The project had an approach, project documentation, deadlines, readiness reviews, safety plan approvals and a manual of procedures. "They also learned teamwork, communication and how to integrate areas," Rubayi said. There were other lessons too. "They gained an understanding that you can't have all of the answers and resources," Berger added. There's a lot of work to do before a Prandtl-m might be scheduled for a flight on Mars, but students developed the foundation other groups of students can use to move the idea along. Maybe one day the student research will lead to the first aircraft on Mars. http://spaceref.com/nasa-hack-space/students-advance-mars-airplane-concept.html Back to Top Jet-Engine Maker Pratt Shores Up Weak Link in Supply Chain Problems at UPS logistics center this summer stalled United Technologies unit's production for nearly a month Pratt & Whitney has a backlog of over 7,000 orders for its new more fuel-efficient jet engines. Jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney had a problem this summer, one familiar to anyone who has assembled a do-it-yourself bookcase: Not all the parts were in the box. Production on the company's engines-including a new generation spawned by a $10 billion investment-ground almost to a halt for nearly a month in August as problems with the launch of a custom-built UPS facility for engine parts cascaded into a crisis. Pratt, a unit of United Technologies Corp., had contracted with United Parcel Service Inc. in an effort to streamline its supply chain as it prepared to ramp up manufacturing. Pratt has a backlog of more than 7,000 orders for the more fuel-efficient commercial engines, and plans to increase annual output to more than 500 by 2018 from dozens this year. UPS said last year it would set up a logistics center in Londonderry, N.H., to take in parts from Pratt's suppliers, package them into kits holding about 8,000 parts, and ship them to Pratt factories for assembly by company's machinists. But the 130-person logistics facility was beset by problems after it opened in July, said people familiar with the operation, slowing assembly to a crawl. Some engine kits arrived at Pratt's engine centers in Middletown, Conn., and West Palm Beach, Fla., without all the required parts. The union for the machinists that assemble Pratt's engines said some parts arrived dirty and damaged. That forced workers to scrounge together parts for a single engine from multiple kits, ultimately slowing down assembly for weeks this summer. "Kits are coming in with wrong parts, and some of the parts don't even fit in the allocated slot! It's almost like trying to put a square peg into a round hole!," a union representative wrote in a newsletter to members last month. After the August disruption, Pratt says parts are now flowing as intended through the logistics center, and that engine output is back to normal. "UPS personnel have worked closely with the team at Pratt & Whitney to resolve initial implementation issues, and material is now flowing to assembly sites at scheduled production volume," a UPS spokesman said. Danny DiPerna, Pratt's senior vice president for engineering and operations, acknowledged "a temporary interruption of material flow to our factories" this summer, but said the company chalks the problems up to growing pains. After the problems emerged, high-ranking Pratt executives spent weeks on the ground in Londonderry, training UPS workers who were unfamiliar with jet-engine parts and working out kinks in the companies' inventory software. The incident highlights the pressure Pratt, which accounts for 22% of United Technologies's $65 billion in annual sales, is under to keep its operations running smoothly as it begins its engine ramp-up-and how efforts to streamline a supply chain can backfire. "People always ask, 'What's the one thing that keeps you up at night?' " United Technologies Chief Executive Greg Hayes said last month. "It's the ramp. The technology, I'm very confident we've got that right. But you're only as good as your worst supplier. When you've got 8,000 parts in an engine, one of those parts aren't there, you're not building an engine." By turning over its logistics to UPS, Pratt had hoped that it would eliminate low-value work for its labor force, and avoid holding extensive inventory on its own books, Mr. Hayes said. The company will use the new logistics system for all of its engine models, including for the new F-35 fighter for the U.S. Air Force. With its older engines in decline and the new design requiring a huge increase in manufacturing, Pratt handed off management of parts and inventory to a highly automated UPS warehouse that it believes will better cope with a much higher rate of production, Pratt's Mr. DiPerna said. "In the grand scheme of things, this took a few more weeks that we had planned," he said, but the facility will support Pratt's production for decades. According to a person familiar with the matter, the companies regard the union's complaints as sour grapes from labor leaders whose members had been usurped by UPS's nonunion workforce. Union officials didn't respond to requests for comment. The New Hampshire missteps are a stumble for UPS, which has been building out its supply-chain service business in recent years as it copes with pressures in its traditional delivery business. While supply chain is still a small part of UPS's overall business, making up only about 15% of revenues when combined with the company's freight division, it is one that executives have touted as a road to growth and part of the delivery giant's core business. http://www.wsj.com/articles/jet-engine-maker-pratt-shores-up-weak-link-in-supply- chain-1443743464 Back to Top 7,500 SkyWest pilots to receive Microsoft's Surface 3 Microsoft has been proactively expanding the reach of its Surface products and today we learn that 7,500 SkyWest, Inc. pilots will get Surface tablets of their own. Microsoft has already made deals with several other airlines and businesses. Some more notable partnerships include Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and even Emirates, as well as the NFL that uses the Surface Pro 3 to help coaches and players on the field during games. Now, Microsoft has landed a deal with SkyWest, Inc., and the airline will start using Microsoft's Surface 3 immediately. Today we are excited to share two airlines have joined the Surface family. SkyWest, Inc. is currently deploying Surface 3 running Windows 10 Professional to 7,500 pilots at its ExpressJet Airlines and SkyWest Airlines subsidiaries." SkyWest is currently transitioning away from using analog media (paper) to supplying its employees with digital versions of their navigational charts, reference manuals, and other flight kit materials. This will allow pilots to travel with a single, light-weight device fully secured through Microsoft and Windows 10. Windows 10 on Surface 3 provides the security and management we need in a highly regulated environment. We made the decision early to use Windows 10 and deploy it immediately. Today, it is the most secure platform from Microsoft, and we didn't see a need to wait." It appears Microsoft's Surface products are becoming the tablets of choice with many major airlines. It will be interesting to see what other companies adopt members of the Surface family. http://www.winbeta.org/news/7500-skywest-pilots-receive-microsofts-surface-3 Back to Top Auburn aviation programs show strength after years of turbulence Auburn's Professional Flight Management and Aviation Management programs have faced serious trouble over the last decade. The programs were on the verge of closing just two years ago. On Thursday, Oct. 1 Captain Brad Sheehan visited aviation students. Sheehan is an Auburn alumnus and senior vice president of operations for ExpressJet Airlines. More than 4,000 aviation program alumni rallied together at the federal, state, and local level to lobby for funding, according to Jason Mohrman, an Auburn alumnus and United Airlines captain. The program came close to losing its accreditation in 2013 due to a lack of professors. Mohrman and other alumni got in motion to change that and were successful. Sheehan's visit comes at a time of growth for the aviation programs. After a serious overhaul, a new flight education center at Auburn University Regional Airport is in the works and the program is on an up spin. Sheehan said the program is important to him not only because he is an alumnus, but because of the quality of the program, the success of its students and its rich tradition. "I find Auburn graduates to be the most passionate, and, in my opinion, the most capable," Sheehan said. "We back that capability up with results. It's culture and it's quality. It's a reputable university with a very capable program." ExpressJet partners with Auburn University for the AP3, Airline Pilot Pathway Program, program which connects Auburn aviation students with ExpressJet as a possible future employer. ExpressJet and Auburn also parter for a gateway program with jetBlue. Four-year aviation programs are extremely rare and Auburn is home to Alabama's only four-year aviation degree. The uniqueness of the program attracts students. "I chose Auburn because of the aviation program," said Hanna Fowler, junior in aviation management. "It's close to home, but it's still real college. You still get the football games and the big SEC school feel." Most other aviation schools focus more centrally on flight. Auburn's program is unique in that it provides training in the business sector of aviation. "I chose aviation because I love to fly," Fowler said. "I think everyone wants a career that they love." http://www.theplainsman.com/article/2015/10/auburn-aviation-shows-strength Back to Top CERTIFICATE OF MANAGEMENT IN AVIATION SAFETY Professional education seminars for aviation practitioners Embry-Riddle will host a variety of aviation safety focused executive education courses at its Daytona Beach Campus; all courses are offered in a face-to-face traditional classroom setting taught by subject matter experts from the aviation industry. Who Should Attend: These courses are tailored for industry professionals involved in the operations, management, and supervision of aviation organizations. What You Will Learn:The certificate is designed for participants interested in obtaining a strong safety foundation; the objective is to produce aviation industry professionals who are skilled in providing expertise in safety management and technical guidance on FAA, OSHA, DOT and EPA Compliance Issues. The certificate requires completion of three 5-day courses in Occupational Safety and Health & Aviation Ground Safety, Aviation Safety Program Management & Aircraft Accident Investigation and Management. REGISTER TODAY ONLINE ERAU FALL 2015 CERTIFICATE OF MANAGEMENT IN AVIATION SAFETY SERIES: OCT. 19-23, 2015: OSHA & Aviation Ground Safety Oct. 26-30, 2015: Aviation Safety Program Management Nov. 2-6, 2015: Aircraft Accident Investigation LOCATION: DAYTONA BEACH CAMPUS, FLORIDA CONTACT INFORMATION: Ms. Sarah Ochs, Director of Professional Programs Email: case@erau.edu Phone: (386) 226-6928 www.erau.edu/cmas iSMS - Safety Management System Training Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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 2016 DTI SMS/QA Symposium January 3, 4, & 5 2016 Disney World, FL 1-866-870-5490 www.dtiatlanta.com Back to Top JOBS AVAILABLE: *IOSA FLT Auditors *Experienced Trainers in the area of Safety Management Systems *Quality Control Specialist *Manager Quality Assurance and Quality Control Aviation Quality Services GmbH www.aviation-quality-services.com Flight Training Human Factors Specialist Emirates www.emirates.com/careers Manager Group Safety Management Systems Virgin Australia Location: Brisbane, Australia http://careers.virginaustralia.com/cw/en/job/496413/manager-group-safety- management-systems Curt Lewis