Flight Safety Information November 9, 2015 - No. 224 In This Issue Investigators '90 Percent Sure' Bomb Downed Russian Plane Egypt Crash Committee Says Noise Heard In Flight Recording, Too Soon For Conclusions Islamic State Leaders Boasted About Russian Metrojet Crash, U.S. Officials Say Security Crackdown Looms as Bomb Blamed for Sinai Jet Crash Air chiefs 'warned pilots of terror over Sinai months before downing of Russian jet' The Latest: Russian airport inspectors dispatched to Egypt Govt notifies norms for making Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau independent (INDIA) Russian plane crash: Bomb theory supported by ISIS chatter, officials say PROS 2015 TRAINING Stop By and Visit At NBAA - Booth N812 Boeing Bags Order for 75 New 737s From India's Jet Airways Bombardier sees new CS100 jet certified by year end China Touts Stealth Fighter Jet, But So Far No Takers Rolls-Royce Flies Their Most Powerful Jet Engine Ever Made Thanks to 3D Printing Six Airbus A320 aircraft go to China Eastern Airlines 2016 Air Charter Safety Symposium Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Investigators '90 Percent Sure' Bomb Downed Russian Plane CAIRO, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Investigators of the Russian plane crash in Egypt are "90 percent sure" the noise heard in the final second of a cockpit recording was an explosion caused by a bomb, a member of the investigation team told Reuters on Sunday. The Airbus A321 crashed 23 minutes after taking off from the Sharm al-Sheikh tourist resort eight days ago, killing all 224 passengers and crew. Islamic State militants fighting Egyptian security forces in Sinai said they brought it down. "The indications and analysis so far of the sound on the black box indicate it was a bomb," said the Egyptian investigation team member, who asked not to be named due to sensitivities. "We are 90 percent sure it was a bomb." His comments reflect a much greater degree of certainty about the cause of the crash than the investigation committee has so far declared in public. Lead investigator Ayman al-Muqaddam announced on Saturday that the plane appeared to have broken up in mid-air while it was being flown on auto-pilot, and that a noise had been heard in the last second of the cockpit recording. But he said it was too soon to draw conclusions about why the plane crashed. Confirmation that militants brought down the airliner could have a devastating impact on Egypt's lucrative tourist industry, which has suffered from years of political turmoil and was hit last week when Russia, Turkey and several European countries suspended flights to Sharm al-Sheikh and other destinations. It could also mark a new strategy by the hardline Islamic State group which holds large parts of Syria and Iraq. Asked to explain the remaining 10 percent margin of doubt, the investigator declined to elaborate, but Muqaddam cited other possibilities on Saturday including a fuel explosion, metal fatigue in the plane or lithium batteries overheating. He said debris was scattered over a 13-km (8-mile) area "which is consistent with an in-flight break-up." "What happened in Sharm al-Sheikh last week, and to a lesser extent with the ... (Germanwings) aircraft, are game changers for our industry," Emirates Airlines President Tim Clark said, referring to the crash of a Germanwings airliner in the French Alps in March, believed crashed deliberately by its co-pilot. "They have to be addressed at industry level because no doubt the countries -- U.S., Europe -- I would think will make some fairly stringent, draconian demands on the way aviation works with security," he said at the Dubai Airshow. Clark said he had ordered a security review but was not suspending any flights as a result of the disaster. Emirates does not operate regular flights to Sharm al-Sheikh. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond also said the incident could lead to changes in flight security. "If this turns out to be a device planted by an ISIL operative or by somebody inspired by ISIL, then clearly we will have to look again at the level of security we expect to see in airports in areas where ISIL is active," Hammond told the BBC. Islamic State, which wants to establish a caliphate in the Middle East, is also called ISIS or ISIL. Islamic State militants fighting security forces in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula have said they brought down the aircraft as revenge for Russian air strikes against Islamist fighters in Syria. They said they would eventually tell the world how they carried out the attack. If the group was responsible, it would have carried out one of the highest profile killings since al Qaeda flew passenger planes into New York's World Trade Center in September 2001. Russia has returned 11,000 of its tourists from Egypt in the last 24 hours, RIA news agency said on Sunday, a fraction of the 80,000 Russians who were stranded by the Kremlin's decision on Friday to halt all flights to Egypt. In St Petersburg, where the flight was headed on Oct. 31, the bell of St Isaac's Cathedral rang 224 times and a service was held in memory of the victims. Russia has sent specialists to conduct a safety audit of Egypt's airports and to provide recommendations on additional measures, Arkady Dvorkovich, deputy prime minister, was quoted as saying by Russian agencies. Dvorkovich, the head of a government group created on Friday to deal with suspended flights to Egypt, added a second group was going to Egypt on Sunday and a third would be sent later. Britain, which has 3,000 nationals waiting to return home, has sent a team of 70 people, including 10 aviation specialists working at Sharm al-Sheikh airport to make sure security measures are being followed. Eight flights were expected to take British tourists back home on Sunday. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/report-investigators-90-percent-sure-bomb-downed-russian- plane_563fdf12e4b0b24aee4abbb8 Back to Top Egypt Crash Committee Says Noise Heard In Flight Recording, Too Soon For Conclusions CAIRO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Cockpit information from the Russian jet which crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula one week ago registered a noise in the last second of recording, the head of an investigation committee into the disaster said on Saturday. But the committee head, Ayman al-Muqaddam, said experts were still gathering information and it was too soon to announce conclusions. Western governments have said the crash of the Airbus A321, which killed all 224 passengers, may have been caused by a bomb and several countries have suspended flights to the Red Sea resort of Sharm al- Sheikh from where the Russian plane took off. Muqaddam said the crash occurred 23 minutes into the flight, when the auto-pilot was still engaged, and debris were scattered over a wide area extending for 13 km (8 miles) "which is consistent with an in-flight break-up." "Initial observation of the aircraft wreckage does not yet allow for identifying the origin of the in-flight break-up," he told a news conference in Cairo. The committee was analyzing the cockpit voice records, and a noise was heard in the last second of the recording, he added. "A spectral analysis will be carried out by specialized labs in order to identify the nature of this noise." Referring to media reports citing Western intelligence sources pointing to the possibility that the plane was brought down by a bomb, Muqaddam said no evidence related to those claims had been provided to his team. "The committee is considering with great attention all possible scenarios for the cause of the accident and did not reach till the moment any conclusion in this regard." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/egypt-crash-committee-says-noise-heard-in-flight-recording-too- soon-for-conclusions_563e1d01e4b0b24aee4a899c Back to Top Islamic State Leaders Boasted About Russian Metrojet Crash, U.S. Officials Say The "chatter" included a boast of taking down the plane on Saturday and how it was done. WASHINGTON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Communications between Islamic State leaders in Raqqa, Syria, and persons in the Sinai Peninsula included boasts about the downing of a Russian passenger jet over the area, NBC reported on Friday, citing unidentified U.S. officials. "They were clearly celebrating," NBC Nightly News quoted a U.S. official as saying. The "chatter" included a boast of taking down the plane on Saturday and how it was done. The U.S. intelligence community intercepted a message from a Sinai group affiliated with Islamic State that warned of "something big in the area" before jet crash. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/isis-leaders-boast-metrojet-crash_563d3c05e4b0b24aee4a7c7b Back to Top Security Crackdown Looms as Bomb Blamed for Sinai Jet Crash As tourists abandon the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, government and aviation officials warned that global airport security will need to be reviewed if suspicions are confirmed that a bomb brought down a Russian jetliner over Sinai. While officials don't have enough evidence yet to conclude the incident was the result of a blast, U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the view of the British authorities was that the disaster was "more likely than not caused by an explosive device." French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the possibility of a terror attack "is being taken very seriously." Investigators are trying to tease as much as possible from the Metrojet Airbus A321's two black boxes, recovered from the Sinai peninsula, where the plane's pieces fell to the ground Oct. 31. All 224 people aboard died in the crash. A last-second noise heard on a cockpit recording has become the focus of an Egypt-led probe. "If this turns out to be a device planted by an ISIL operative or by somebody inspired by ISIL, then clearly we will have to look again at the level of security we expect to see in airports in areas where ISIL is active," Hammond told BBC Television's Andrew Marr show on Sunday, using another acronym for the Islamic State group. People purporting to represent Islamic State claimed the downing of the jet was retaliation for Russia's bombing the extremist group in Syria. The Associated Press reported Sunday that the airport at Sharm el- Sheikh had security problems, including lax searches and a frequently malfunctioning baggage scanning device. Tighter Rules Emirates airline, ranked world No. 1 by international traffic, is already looking at its security procedures in anticipation of tighter rules, President Tim Clark told reporters in Dubai on Sunday. "As we speak, we're reviewing our procedures in terms of security and ramp handling and access to our aircraft," Clark said. "We have 22 cities in Africa, multiple cities in west Asia -- India, Pakistan, et cetera -- all of these will have to be reviewed to make sure we're as safe as we can be." Britain banned commercial flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea in the wake of the crash, leaving thousands of vacationers stranded. Other countries, including Russia, followed and travel warnings ensued with Norway, Finland and Denmark all advising against all non-essential trips. Hammond said those trying to get home on unscheduled flights face delays of two to three days at most. Egypt's benchmark EGX 30 Index of stocks slumped 2.6 percent at the close in Cairo, the most in two months. Extra Costs "What we have got to do is ensure that airport security everywhere is at the level of the best and that airport security reflects the local conditions, and where there is a higher local threat level that will mean higher levels of security are required," Hammond said. "That may mean additional costs, it may mean additional delays at airports." Hammond said the position on whether to ask Parliament to approve British attacks on Islamic State targets in Syria had not changed. The government will only propose such a motion when there is cross- party support, he said. Islamic State's decade-old Egyptian branch, a Sinai-based group known originally as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, stepped up its campaign against the government after the military-led ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Mursi in 2013. The following year, it changed its name to Sinai Province and pledged allegiance to the rapidly expanding Islamic State, acquiring more powerful weaponry and ramping up the boldness of its attacks with an assault on an Egyptian frigate this past July. A senior Israeli official said Sunday that Sinai Province would see its prestige and arms pipeline grow if it turns out it planted a bomb on the Russian plane. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak on the record, predicted Egypt would crack down harshly on the group if it embarrassed President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi with an attack. Russian Inspectors The first of three teams of inspectors Russia has sent to audit safety and prepare recommendations in key Egypt's airports has arrived, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said on state TV. Clark said he expects U.S. and European aviation authorities will eventually make some "fairly stringent" demands of the industry as a result of the crash. "These are game-changers to our industry," Clark said. "There are many airports in the world where if people wanted to do some pretty bad things they could do them." http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-08/hammond-sees-u-k-security-crackdown-if-jet- crash-caused-by-bomb Back to Top Air chiefs 'warned pilots of terror over Sinai months before downing of Russian jet' * Pilots were warned exactly a year ago that shoulder-launched ground-to-air missiles possessed by jihadi groups in Sinai could bring down an airliner * In September pilots were warned to stay above 25,000ft over northern Sinai * The area included the location where the Russian jet came down this week Pilots were warned exactly a year ago that shoulder-launched ground-to-air missiles possessed by jihadi groups in Sinai could bring down an airliner. A 'NOTAM' - Notice to Airmen - issued by the US Government's Federal Aviation Administration on November 5, 2014, warned that jihadis of the IS-affiliated Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis group, now known as Wilayat Sinai, were using 'man portable air defence systems' and had brought down an Egyptian helicopter in 2014. IS claimed responsibility for downing the Russian jet, making Wilayat Sinai the prime suspects if it was an act of terrorism. The news came as it emerged that a Thomson Airways jet with 189 passengers had to take evasive action after spotting a rocket as it approached Sharm-el-Sheik in August. Pilots were warned exactly a year ago that shoulder-launched ground-to-air missiles possessed by jihadi groups in Sinai could bring down an airliner. Above, the wreckage of the Russian aircraft A Foreign Office spokesman said it was 'likely to be connected to Egyptian military exercises taking place in the area. It was fully investigated and was not a targeted attack.' According to Thomson, a Department for Transport investigation found it was probably a flare. The 2014 US NOTAM said: 'Extremist groups have demonstrated their ability to operate outside of their northern Sinai stronghold areas and conduct activity elsewhere on the peninsula.' Although such rockets usually have an effective ceiling of no more than 15,000ft, a later FAA warning in March 2015 added: 'Some of these weapons have the capability to target aircraft at high altitudes and/or upon approach and departure... They could be used to potentially engage civil aviation.' British authorities similarly warned pilots in a NOTAM in September 2015 to stay above 25,000ft in a 14,000 square mile area of northern Sinai when approaching Sharm because of the threat from 'dedicated anti-aviation weaponry'. The area included the location where the Russian jet came down. British pilots have clearly been nervous for some time about flying over Sinai. One, writing anonymously on the Professional Pilots Rumour Network forum, said last week: 'I have to admit I've been seriously worried these past few days.' He added that his company took six weeks to circulate a NOTAM warning about St Catherine Monastery at Mount Sinai, scene of a tourist bus bombing in 2013. He said: 'My eyes are on stalks every time I go near the place... If I see anything untoward I'll be taking evasive action.' http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3308731/Air-chiefs-warned-pilots-terror-Sinai-months-downing- Russian-jet.html#ixzz3qzUZPsX2 Back to Top The Latest: Russian airport inspectors dispatched to Egypt Vnukovo airport employees unload luggage from an Emergency Ministry plane at Vnukovo airport outside Moscow, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015. The plane delivered luggage of tourists from the Egyptian resort of Sharm- El-Sheikh. Around 3 tons of luggage of tourists who departed with 5 flights before were reloaded by emergency ministry staff. (AP Photo/Denis Tyrin) MOSCOW (AP) - The latest on the crash of a Russian plane in Egypt that killed all 224 people onboard. (All times local.) 7:30 p.m. Dozens of airliners are bringing Russian tourists back home from Egypt, carrying only cabin baggage, while Russian cargo planes were hauling back the rest of their luggage. At least 26 flights from the Egyptian resort areas of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada had landed at Moscow's three airports as of Sunday evening. There was no overall figure for how many tourists had been brought home since the Friday announcement that Russia was suspending new passenger flights to Egypt because of security concerns. The Emergencies Ministry said 55 flights were planned between late Saturday and late Sunday. It said the flights would leave from 13 different airports, implying the return trips would go to the originating point. Lumbering airlifter planes such as Il-76s are bringing back heavier luggage. The planes belong to the emergencies and defense ministries and to a private cargo airline. ___ 2:30 p.m. Britain's foreign secretary says airport security in many cities will need to be overhauled if it is confirmed the Russian plane crash in the Sinai was caused by a bomb planted by the Islamic State group or someone inspired by the militants. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warned that if those suspicions are true, there needs to be a rethink of security at airports in areas where the extremist group is active. He told the BBC Sunday that "may mean additional costs, it may mean additional delays at airports as people check in." U.S. and British officials suspect the Oct. 31 flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg was brought down by a bomb on board, but Egypt warns it is too early to say what caused the crash. ___ 2:25 p.m. Mourners have packed into the landmark St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg for a memorial service for victims of the Russian plane crash. As a choir sang, the bell of the world's fourth-largest cathedral was tolling one time for each of the 224 victims. Most of the victims were from St. Petersburg or other areas of northwest Russia. The Russian airliner crashed Oct. 31, about 20 minutes after taking off from an Egyptian resort area. The British government and U.S. officials have said intelligence suggests the plane was downed by a bomb, but Egypt says there's still no confirmation of what caused the crash. ___ 2:00 p.m. Egyptian authorities are preventing camera crews from foreign media from filming inside the Sharm el- Sheikh airport, along the city's main tourist strip in Naama Bay, or other public areas. Lines for departure were normal on Sunday, with most flights scheduled for the afternoon and evening, including those for Britain and Russia. Egyptian state and private channels, allowed to film inside the airport, highlighted security checks and luggage scanning at the main queue for international departures. ___ 1:30 p.m. The Mideast's biggest airline says it is reviewing security procedures in Egypt but remains committed to flying there as suspicions grow that a bomb brought down a Russian airliner in the Sinai Peninsula. Emirates airline President Tim Clark told reporters Sunday at the start of the Dubai Airshow that Egypt is "an enormously important market" to the carrier and that it is important that it maintains its operations there. He says Dubai-based Emirates is reviewing its procedures relating to security, ground handling and access to aircraft while they are on the ground in Egypt. Emirates operates two daily roundtrip flights linking Cairo with Dubai, the Middle East's commercial hub. It does not fly to Sharm el-Sheikh, the departure airport for the doomed Russian airliner. ___ 12 p.m. A deputy Russian prime minister says the first of three teams of Russian inspectors has been dispatched to Egypt to examine security conditions at airports there. Arkady Dvorkovich's announcement Sunday follows Russia's decision Friday to suspend passenger flights to Egypt because of security concerns. A Russian airliner crashed Oct. 31, killing all 224 people aboard, about 20 minutes after taking off from an Egyptian resort area. The British government and U.S. officials have said intelligence suggests the plane was downed by a bomb, but Egypt says there's still no confirmation of what caused the crash. Dvorkovich did not give details of specific issues on which the inspectors might focus. He said that 11,000 Russians were flown home from Egypt on Saturday and an even larger number were expected to leave Sunday, according to Russian news agencies. Russians flying out of Egypt are allowed to take only cabin baggage. The Ministry of Defense said Sunday that it has sent two Il-76 cargo planes to Egypt to bring back larger luggage the Russians had to leave behind. http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-the-latest-russian-airport-inspectors-dispatched-to-egypt-2015-11 Back to Top Govt notifies norms for making Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau independent (INDIA) Ahead of International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) crucial audit of domestic aviation sector, the government has notified the regulatory framework for making the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) an independent body. The ICAO, part of the United Nations, would be carrying out its audit in the last week of November. The audit, the third in last nine years, would cover a host of aspects including aircraft investigation mechanism, aerodrome operations, air traffic control and air navigation. A senior Civil Aviation Ministry official said norms have been notified for making AAIB an independent body. As many as 21 positions, including that of Director General, have also been notified. The ministry is framing the recruitment rules for the posts, which would be permanent ones. Since it would take time to get people with required expertise, initially some posts would be filled up on deputation basis, the official added. Currently, AAIB is under aviation regulator DGCA. The official said that carving out AAIB as an independent body is also a requirement under ICAO norms and such a move would also address concerns about possible conflict of interests. Explaining the rationale, the official said that when an accident happens, there could be many reasons, including the possibility of lapses at the DGCA end. Such matters get addressed once AAIB functions as an independent entity, which is also a requirement under ICAO framework, he added. The bureau, which was made a separate division under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in 2012, has the responsibility of investigating all major aircraft accidents in the country. At present, the bureau is headed by a senior DGCA official. Meanwhile, the ICAO audit is crucial for India and a good ranking would come as a major boost for the country's aviation sector, which has growth potential. Earlier this year, US aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had also conducted a similar exercise following which India's aviation safety ranking was revoked to category 1. A specialised agency of the United Nations, ICAO has the mandate to ensure that local civil aviation operations and regulations in different countries are in conformity with global norms. ICAO was set up in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention). As many as 191 countries, including India, are part of the convention. http://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/aviation/government-notifies-norms-for-making-aircraft-accident- investigation-bureau-independent-ahead-of-international-civil-aviation-organisation- audit/story/225837.html Back to Top Russian plane crash: Bomb theory supported by ISIS chatter, officials say * Russia: More than 100 bodies have been identified through DNA testing * Officials: The specificity of ISIS chatter added to the belief that a bomb brought down the plane * Some intelligence used to assess what happened to jet came from Israel, sources say (CNN)ISIS' affiliate in Egypt says it brought down Metrojet Flight 9268. And U.S. officials are more confident that terrorists bombed the Russian plane. Yet key questions remain: If terrorists did plant a bomb, how did they do it? And what could prevent that from happening again? Here's the latest on what we know about the disaster that killed 224 people: The bomb theory Several senior U.S. intelligence, military and national security officials have told CNN about the growing confidence that the plane was bombed by terrorists. One official said it was "99.9% certain." Another said it was "likely." The plane was headed from the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, Russia, on October 31. But not long after takeoff, it disintegrated midair and crashed in the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian officials, who are leading the main crash investigation, haven't expressed as much confidence in the bomb theory. "All the scenarios" are still on the table, said Ayman al-Muqaddam, the head of the investigation. "We don't know what happened exactly," he said. The Egyptians aren't the only ones involved. Experts from Russia, France, Germany and Ireland -- countries that are connected in various ways to the Airbus A321-200 that crashed -- are also investigating. Sources: Israel provided intercepts At least some of the intelligence intercepts being used to assess what happened to the jetliner came from Israeli intelligence, according to a U.S. official briefed on the intelligence as well as a diplomatic source. The communications were captured by Israeli intelligence focused on the Sinai, and passed along to the United States and Britain, the sources said. Israeli officials would not comment on the claims. Muqaddam said Egypt had not been provided any information or evidence tied to reports suggesting that a bomb took down the flight, and urged the sources of the reports to pass along related evidence to Egyptian investigators. ISIS chatter analyzed Bedouins willing to fight ISIS in Sinai The belief that a bomb was most likely to blame centers to a large extent on British and U.S. intercepts of communications after the crash from the Islamic militant group ISIS' affiliate in Sinai to ISIS operatives in Syria, officials said. The Sinai affiliate has publicly claimed responsibility for downing the plane, but so far hasn't explained how it was done. That's prompted questions about the claim among some observers, considering ISIS' tendency to often publicize its acts for propaganda value. The ISIS messages monitored by British and American intelligence agencies are separate from the group's public claims, a U.S. official has said. The two Western countries have been analyzing the specific language in the chatter to determine to what extent the operatives were talking about the type of bomb and detonator used, and whether that language was a true representation of what happened, one official told CNN. Several officials said it's the specificity of the chatter that has contributed to the U.S. and British view that a bomb was most likely used. Mysterious noise Report: Black boxes indicate no accident Report: Black boxes indicate no accident 01:42 European investigators who analyzed the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder say the crash was not an accident, CNN affiliate France 2 reported. The investigators said the cockpit voice recorder indicates an explosion, and the flight data recorder shows the blast was not accidental, the affiliate said. But Muqaddam, the head of the investigation, did not echo those details. He confirmed a noise was heard in the final second of the cockpit recording as the aircraft was on autopilot and ascending. But he offered no description of the sound, saying a specialized analysis would be carried out to identify it. The crash might have been caused by a lithium battery or a mechanical issue, Muqaddam said. He also said the investigation has been hampered by bad weather. DHS chief seeks to reassure American fliers after downing of Russian plane More victims identified Russians remember the victims of Metrojet crash Russians remember the victims of Metrojet crash 02:30 The remains of more than 100 victims have been identified through DNA testing, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency. The vast majority of the passengers were Russian. The others were of Ukrainian, Belarusian or unconfirmed citizenship. Russian media said the disaster created many orphans, as many parents left their children with relatives as they went on vacation to Sharm el-Sheikh. http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/09/middleeast/russian-plane-crash-egypt-sinai/ Back to Top Back to Top Stop By and Visit At NBAA DATE Nov. 17 - 19, 2015 LOCATION Booth N812 Las Vegas Convention Center 3150 Paradise Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89109 Back to Top Boeing Bags Order for 75 New 737s From India's Jet Airways Order worth $8 billion at list price A Jet Airways Boeing 737 approaches to land at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, India, earlier this year. The Indian carrier has ordered 75 of Boeing's new version of the single-aisle jetliner. DUBAI- Boeing Co. on Monday signed an order for 75 single-aisle planes with India's Jet Airways, valued at around $8 billion at list price, and talked up the prospects for one of its specialist military aircraft at the Dubai Air Show. The Indian carrier, part owned by Etihad Airways, is buying Boeing's 737 Max 8 narrowbody jetliner, an upgraded version of the planemaker's best-selling aircraft. Boeing previously listed the deal as an order from an undisclosed customer. As part of the deal, Jet Airways swapped orders for 25 current versions of the 737 jet for the new "Max." The deal includes provisions for the purchase of 50 more planes. Indian domestic airline passenger numbers are set to double over the next seven to eight years, Naresh Goyal, Jet Airways Chairman said at the Dubai Air Show in announcing the deal, hence the carrier's plans for expanding its fleet. Separately, Boeing said it sees scope for selling as many as 100 more P-8 maritime patrol aircraft to countries that would join India and Australia as buyers of the submarine-hunting plane beyond the U.S. The sales could unfold over the next 10 years, Fred Smith, director of global sales for Boeing surveillance planes told reporters at the Dubai Air Show. "We are seeing an uptick in demand because people had taken a wait-and-see attitude," Mr. Smith said. With the plane now in service with the U.S. and India more customers are taking a look, he suggested. The P-8 is based on the 737 jetliner and adds a host of sensors and the ability to deploy weapons to find and attack its targets. Australia is slated to receive its first P-8 next year after placing an order for eight of the planes, with options for four more, last year. Foreign orders could help Boeing stretch production of the P-8 when the U.S. Navy's planned purchases end. The Navy, whose current plans call for acquiring 109 of the planes, is set to take delivery of the last batch around 2022, said U.S. Navy Capt. Shane Tallant, who runs the service's international maritime patrol-aircraft programs. The U.K. is currently considering buying the P-8 as part of an assessment of how to meet a gap in sub- hunting capability after an earlier defense review scrapped plans to introduce the BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4 jet which had fallen years behind schedule. Mr. Tallant said the U.S. Navy could free up some of its near-term production slots for the airplane should the U.K. want P-8s quickly. The U.S. Navy also is expanding its use of the plan overseas. At least two P-8s are scheduled to be based in Bahrain from April, with regular operations from Sigonella on the Italian island of Sicily set to start in 2018, a service official said. http://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-bags-order-for-75-new-737s-from-indias-jet-airways-1447054496 Back to Top Bombardier sees new CS100 jet certified by year end A new Bombardier CS100 passenger jet of Swiss airline stands in a hangar during a media presentation at Zurich airport near the town of Kloten June 18, 2015. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann Thomson Reuters DUBAI (Reuters) - Canadian planemaker Bombardier said on Sunday it is on track to certify its new CS100 regional jet, which is making its Middle Eastern debut at the Dubai Airshow this week, before its planned entry into service next year. Fred Cromer, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, told reporters the company's CSeries program was progressing well, and was seeing demand from an array of customers, including some in the Gulf region. He said the company had nearly completed flight testing of the CS100, whose FTK-5 test model flew to Dubai last week, and had already begun function and reliability testing aimed at simulating typical airline routes and operations. Completion of the flight test program and the plane's certification are essential for Bombardier to drum up additional orders for the new jet. Cromer told Reuters on Sunday that the company still expected to sell 300 jets before the plane enters into service in the first half of 2016. It currently has 243 firm orders for the new jet, and an overall total of 603 orders, options and letters of intent. He acknowledged Bombardier still had hard work ahead as a new entrant, and said it continued to press for a "marquis" customer or larger airline to help boost orders and confidence in the long-delayed program, which is billions of dollars over budget. Quebec's provincial government announced a $1 billion investment on Oct. 29 to keep the CSeries program afloat. The narrow-body CSeries line of jets are set to compete against Boeing Co's 737 planes and Airbus Group's A319 and A320 jets. Cromer, the former president of International Lease Finance Corp who joined Bombardier in April, said the infusion of cash had eased the company's liquidity crunch and helped reassure the market that the CSeries would survive. "If there was any question about whether or not the airplane would make it to the market, I think we've largely put those issues aside," he said. He said the total cost to develop the CSeries would be about $5.4 billion, with about $900 million still needed to complete the certification process. Cromer declined to name any potential Gulf customers for the new aircraft, but said its performance at high altitudes and in hot temperatures, as well as its wide seats and low operating cost, made it attractive to customers in the region. He said the jet's lower fuel burn rate remained a strong selling point despite falling oil prices. Executives added that Latvia-based Air Baltic would be the launch operator of its CS300 aircraft when it takes delivery in the second half of 2016. The Latvian flag carrier has 13 CS300 aircraft on firm order and options for seven more. The CS300 is expected to complete certification about six months after the CS100. http://www.businessinsider.com/r-bombardier-sees-new-cs100-jet-certified-by-year-end--2015-11 Back to Top China Touts Stealth Fighter Jet, But So Far No Takers DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - China showcased its first stealth fighter jet here on the opening day of the Dubai Air Show, but so far the fifth-generation aircraft has no customers in sight. The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is "in negotiations" with the Chinese Air Force to buy the multi-role FC-31, AVIC project manager Lin Peng told reporters on Sunday. Peng declined to say when a deal would be finalized. Top company officials briefed the media on the stealth characteristics and attack capabilities of the FC-31, but did not take questions from the audience. This is the first time the Chinese company has showcased the FC-3, also known as the J-31 internationally, although a prototype aircraft flew during the Zhuhai Air Show in China last year. Chinese fighters are designated with a "J" for fighter and "FC" for export. FC-31 would be the first aircraft of its kind available to global customers who face US export restrictions or cannot afford Lockheed Martin's F-35 joint strike fighter. The Chinese company is trying to pitch the FC-31 as a competitor to the JSF, but at this point it is unclear how successful this will be. The customer lineup appears to be Iran and Pakistan. The FC-31, which closely resembles the F-35, is a medium-sized, low-observable aircraft designed for "the demands of future battlefield environments," Peng told reporters during the briefing. Officials touted the aircraft's "outstanding situational awareness" achieved with advanced radar, high maneuvering capabilities, and multi-spectrum low-observability. The plane is equipped with twin engines made in China, officials said - not the Russian RD-93 engines previously on the aircraft. The FC-31 will carry the Small Diameter Bomb, as well as a variety of guided and unguided weapons, officials said. The test aircraft has been flying for more than two years, Peng told reporters after the briefing. AVIC is planning first flight of the production aircraft in 2019, with initial operational capability scheduled for 2022. The FC-31 will be fully operational in 2024. US officials and analysts widely believe the FC-31 design was stolen from the F-35 after reports of a major cyber breach of Lockheed's programs by Chinese hackers in April 2009. http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/show-daily/dubai-air-show/2015/11/08/china-touts-stealth- fighter-jet-but-so-far-no-takers/75409824/ Back to Top Rolls-Royce Flies Their Most Powerful Jet Engine Ever Made Thanks to 3D Printing The Trent XWB series of turbofan jet engines has widely been regarded as one of the most reliable and efficient civilian jet engines available on the market for nearly a decade. It is also the fastest-selling wide- body jet engine, having sold more than 1,500 engines to more than 40 individual customers. Currently Rolls-Royce exclusively supplies engines for the Airbus A350 XWB (extra wide body) and they have continually been pushing the limits of what the engine can do in order to keep up with new Airbus models by increasing both its power and reliability since the original Trent 1000 was released. The newest model under development is the Trent XWB-97 which is being designed to power a larger version of the Airbus A350 XWB called the A350-1000, that is expected to enter service in 2017. The XWB- 97's development program was launched two years ago, and this week's trial run flight was the first successful test of the new engine. The single prototype Trent XWB-97 replaced one of the four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines typically installed on a Airbus A350 XWB for its flight out of Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France. Not only was this an important milestone for the XWB-97, but this test flight was also the first successful test flight of the the world's largest 3D printed aeroplane engine structure. "It's a great day for the whole Trent XWB team and for Rolls-Royce, a moment that the team have been working up to since we finalised the -97 design back in 2012. The Trent XWB was always designed with a higher thrust variant in mind and during the -84 development programme we ran engines up to the -97 conditions to improve our understanding of the design at the higher thrust levels. We then took that experience to help optimise the core around the A350-1000 requirements, adding HP turbine technologies to maintain efficiency and time on wing from full temperatures margins. This means our customers get an engine with greater capability, but without any compromises," explained Chief Engineer for the Trent XWB- 97 Andy Gwynne. 3dp_rollsjetengine_3dp_airfoilsThe previous generation of the Trent XWB engines was the XWB-84, named such because it offers 84,000 lbs of thrust at takeoff, the brand new Trent XWB-97 offers a staggering 97,000 lbf thrust with very little additional power required. Part of that increase in power is thanks to several 3D printed aerofoils within the engine's front bearing housing. These airfoils are the largest 3D printed parts ever incorporated into a jet engine and were manufactured with a process that was developed by Rolls-Royce and the University of Sheffield. Rolls-Royce recently invested tens of millions of pounds in their Derby, UK manufacturing facility, making it the primary site for Trent XWB production. Their new 3D printing capabilities offer Rolls-Royce the ability to make the the development and design process of their engines faster and less expensive, but they also offer them the ability to provide more on-site experimentation and prototyping. According to Rolls-Royce, by using the 3D printed components in the Trent XWB-97 the time required to produce the airfoils was reduced by a third. http://3dprint.com/104518/rollsroyce-powerful-jet-engine/ Back to Top Six Airbus A320 aircraft go to China Eastern Airlines China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited ("CALC" or the "Group", stock code: 01848.HK), the largest independent aircraft operating lessor in China, completed the delivery of the first of six A320 aircraft to its long-term customer China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited ("China Eastern Airlines" or "CEA") at the facilities of Airbus in Toulouse, France on 5 November 2015, marking the 58th delivered aircraft of CALC's fleet. CALC and China Eastern Airlines signed agreements to lease six Airbus A320 aircraft on a 144-month lease terms in July 2015. The remaining aircraft are expected to be delivered by the first half of 2016. The newly delivered A320 aircraft has adopted CEA's latest configuration - iridium wireless communication system and a head-up display system to enhance flight safety, as well as Sharklet wingtips to reduce fuel costs. The cabin is equipped with Recaro seats and Panasonic inflight entertainment system to offer CEA passengers a more comfortable experience. CALC's long-term partnership with China Eastern Airlines began in 2013 when CALC purchased three used A300-600F aircraft from the carrier in conjunction with the placement of six new aircraft leases. For that, CALC became the first Chinese lessor completing a packaged deal covering both the disposal of old aircraft and the provision of new aircraft for its airline customer. The recent lease agreement have further broadened and deepened an already close relationship. With its professional team possessing extensive international aviation market experience, CALC has continued to optimize tailored solutions for its airline customers and has grown into a full value-chain aircraft solution provider. The group is currently establishing the most sizeable aircraft disassembly facilities in China, with an objective to develop it into a premier global disassembly base by the end of the decade. http://www.eturbonews.com/65701/six-airbus-a320-aircraft-go-china-eastern-airlines Back to Top March 8-9, 2016 | NTSB Training Center | Ashburn, VA Register now for the 2016 Air Charter Safety Foundation Safety Symposium at the NTSB Training Center in Dulles, VA. The event takes place March 8-9, 2016. Don't miss out! The event will explore Safety as A Smart Investment for a Rich Future: * Maximizing Safety Bang for the Buck--Lessons Learned from NASA Charlie Justiz, Ph.D., Managing Director, JFA Inc. * Standardization--Why Bother? Dann Runik, Executive Director, Advanced Training Programs, FlightSafety International * System Safety Curt Lewis, President, Curt Lewis & Associates * Reducing Risk Chairman Chris Hart, NTSB Board Member * Safety Metrics Troy Smith, Special Agent, U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation * And Much More Call Bryan Burns at (202) 774-1515. Onsite registration is available. Registration Includes Admittance to the ACSF Symposium both days, all scheduled group meals, breaks, and social functions, and transportation to and from hotel to symposium events. Member Fee: $625 Nonmember Fee: $795 Online registration requires immediate payment by credit card. Substitutions are permitted at any time. Visit www.acsf.aero/symposium for more information and to register online today! The ACSF Symposium is the annual gathering of the air charter industry where current and emerging safety challenges are investigated. Sponsors Executive Fliteways Gama Aviation Gulfstream Jet Aviation Jet Professionals NATACS NBAA Sheltair Signature Flight Support Wheels Up Sustaining Members CAE Flexjet Flight Options Gulfstream Landmark Aviation NATA Sentient Jet Skyjet Textron Aviation Sponsorship Opportunities A variety of sponsorship levels are available. Contact Bryan Burns at bburns@acsf.aero or call 888-723-3135. Hotel Information Courtyard Dulles Town Center 45500 Majestic Drive Dulles, VA 20166 The ACSF has secured a block of rooms at the discounted rate of $139++ for single/double occupancy at the Courtyard Dulles Town Center. Please use the link above to make your reservations. Rate good through February 8, 2016. To opt out of receiving emails from this list, please reply to this email with the subject "unsubscribe". Back to Top Upcoming Events: 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 2016 Air Charter Safety Symposium | Safety: A Small Investment for a Rich Future March 8-9, 2016 | NTSB Training Center | Ashburn, VA http://www.acsf.aero/events/acsf-symposium/ BARS Auditor Training Washington DC? Tuesday-Thursday 5-7 April http://flightsafety.org/bars/auditor-training Back to Top JOBS AVAILABLE: Flight Data Analyst Air New Zealand https://careers.airnz.co.nz/jobdetails/ajid/Q3W3g/Flight-Data-Analyst,111690 Curt Lewis