Flight Safety Information November 11, 2015 - No. 226 In This Issue At least 9 reported dead after charter jet crashes in Akron Egypt: U.S. can join investigation of Russian plane crash Manitoba airline grounded over safety concerns Aircraft crashes near Malakal in South Sudan; no deaths reported DIA: 50 flight cancellations ahead of storm FAA to improve helicopter safety, prevent deadly fires DMV for Drones? Inside the FAA's Clumsy Push to Regulate Flying Computers FAA fines company $68K for Hazardous Materials Regulations violation Ukrainian engineer invents rescue capsule for civil aircraft crew and passengers Emirates' new Flight Training Academy to target more female pilots Emirates Airline Selects Cirrus Aircraft SR22 for Flight Training Academy Fleet Federal standards keep young pilots from manning drones PROS 2015 TRAINING Stop By and Visit At NBAA - Booth N812 The 5 Airports You Should Avoid At All Costs This Thanksgiving Mitsubishi Aims for the Sky After Jet Takes Off Impact Of The Slowdown In Wide-Body Jet Segment On Boeing Aviation maintenence program opens...Cape Cod Community College The Future of Truly High-Speed In-Flight Wi-Fi CHC Safety & Quality Summit Press Releases and Save the Date 2016 Air Charter Safety Symposium Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) At least 9 reported dead after charter jet crashes in Akron A firefighter walks up a driveway as an apartment building burns in Akron, Ohio, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015, where authorities say a small business jet crashed. The plane burst into flames and disintegrated after impact. (Scott Ferrell via AP) A private charter jet that crashed into an apartment building in Akron, Ohio, had nine people on board, all presumed dead, according to published reports. There were no reports of deaths or injuries on the ground. Augusto Lewkowicz, the owner and operator of the plane, told the Akron Beacon Journal that there were seven passengers and two crew members on board. He would not release the names pending notification of families. The Hawker H125 business jet, which seats 10, was approaching Akron's Fulton Airport, about four miles away, when it clipped power lines and plunged into the building, setting it ablaze. According to the Beacon Journal, the flight was chartered by Execuflight and was on the sixth leg of a journey that originated Monday in Fort Lauderdale, with stops in St. Paul, Moline, Ill, St. Louis and Cincinnati that day and the non-commercial Dayton-Wright Brothers airport in Miamisburg, Ohio and Akron on Tuesday. The crash occurred about 2:13 pm, according to Dayton International Airport spokeswoman Linda Hughes. A charred car and aircraft debris smolder where authorities say a small business jet crashed into an apartment building in Akron, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015. (Ed Suba Jr./Akron Beacon Journal via AP) https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/11/11/auto-draft-3/ ********************* Status: Preliminary Date: Tuesday 10 November 2015 Time: ca 14:51 Type: British Aerospace BAe-125-700A Operator: Hawker LLC Registration: N880RG? * C/n / msn: 257107/NA252 First flight: 1980 Engines: 2 Garrett TFE731 Crew: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 Total: Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: 3,2 km (2 mls) NE of Akron-Fulton International Airport, OH (AKR) ( United States of America) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport, OH (MGY/KMGY), United States of America Destination airport: Akron/Canton-Fulton International Airport, OH (AKR/KAKR), United States of America Flightnumber: EFT1526 Narrative: A BAe-125-700A corporate jet was destroyed when it impacted an apartment building and an embankment while on final approach to runway 25 at Akron Fulton International Airport, Ohio. The building, located at 3041 Mogadore Road, about 3200 m short of the runway threshold, burst into flames. All nine occupants of the aircraft were killed. No one was injured inside the building. Flight tracking website Flightaware.com shows the airplane, flight EFT1526, on approach to Akron Airport runway 25 at the time of the accident. Flight EFT1526 departed Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport, Ohio at 14:13 hours local time. Last contact point registered by Flightaware was at 14:51:34 hours at 2800 feet and 127 kts, 3800 m before the accident location. About 600 m further the aircraft clipped electrical and telephone wires on Mogadore Road before hitting a small apartment building at 3041 Mogadore Road and slamming into an embankment. * Registration number unconfirmed ! WDTN reported that the airplane was registered to Hawker LLC and operated by Execuflight. N880RG is the only aircraft registered to Hawker LLC in the FAA register. Ohio.com suggests N237WR was involved, without stating a source. METAR Weather report: 19:31 UTC / 14:31 local time: KAKR 101931Z AUTO 25008KT 1 1/2SM BR OVC005 11/09 A2995 RMK AO2 CIG 003V009 T01110094 19:54 UTC / 14:54 local time: KAKR 101954Z AUTO 24007KT 1 1/2SM BR BKN004 OVC009 11/09 A2995 RMK AO2 SLP142 T01060094 Wind: 240° at 7 knots; Visibility: 1,5 miles in mist; Broken clouds at 400 feet AGL, overcast cloud deck at 900 feet AGL; Temperature: 11°C; Dewpoint: 9°C; pressure 1014.3 mb 20:05 UTC / 15:05 local time: KAKR 102005Z AUTO 24011KT 1 1/4SM -RA BR OVC006 11/09 A2995 RMK AO2 RAB05 CIG 003V009 P0000 T01060094 http://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20151110-1 Back to Top Egypt: U.S. can join investigation of Russian plane crash FBI offers to aid Russian plane crash investigation Egypt's foreign minister says an application for American investigators to join was approved U.S. analysts have been using communication intercepts and data to build a plausible explanation of the plot The most likely scenario, they believe, is that jihadists planted a bomb with a timer on the plane Washington (CNN)U.S. investigators could soon get a chance to look at physical evidence from the crash of Metrojet Flight 9268 for the first time, officials said Tuesday. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has received word that Egypt accepted its offer to assist in the Metrojet crash investigation, a U.S. source with knowledge of the investigation said. The NTSB is waiting for more specific information on when and where the plane's engines will be brought to be examined before it dispatches a team, the source said. In an interview with CNN's "The Situation Room" Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said his country had approved an application for American investigators to participate. "Egypt has already accepted the application of American investigators that are associated with the manufacturers of the engine to become part of the investigative team, and they are free to incorporate any advisers they deem as necessary for them to undertake the responsibility," Shoukry said. The plane's engines were built by American manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. Getting access to the wreckage could mark a significant development in the investigation, allowing U.S. officials -- who've so far relied on intelligence to assess what happened to the plane -- to see the physical evidence needed to provide definitive proof. It's unclear whether other U.S. investigators would join the NTSB team. Asked whether FBI agents could be involved, Shoukry said international investigation regulations allow Americans to tap advisers for their team. "The FBI has offered forensic assistance and other services to our partners in Egypt and Russia, and stands ready to assist," the agency said in a statement. Communications intercepts provide clues U.S., British and other authorities believe that the Russian Metrojet that crashed in Egypt was likely downed by a bomb planted on the plane, even though Russian and Egyptian investigators haven't shared any of the physical evidence up to now. U.S. officials have been trying to connect the dots with the data points they have so that they can learn from what happened and better safeguard American flights. "Given the ongoing investigation, we are particularly focused on what happened, understanding what happened, and what more we could do in that region," Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said on Saturday. American government analysts have been using communication intercepts and data to build a plausible explanation of how a potential plot could have transpired, multiple U.S. officials told CNN. But the officials, who shared details of U.S. national security discussions regarding the downed plane, stressed that they are no closer to a true understanding of what occurred. They expressed great caution about making an assessment given the lack of evidence, noting that terrorists were initially thought to have brought down TWA Flight 800 when a technical error was later shown to be responsible. The preliminary view comes from analysts looking at, among other sources, the infrared reading of a heat flash captured by a U.S. military satellite while the plane was in flight, video and photos from the crash site and expertise on the effect of various explosives. In addition, the U.S. is examining messages from communication intercepts after the attack from ISIS in Sinai to ISIS leadership back in Syria detailing elements of the incident. British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond echoed that view on Tuesday when he told reporters in Washington that the U.K. is not aware of any explosive device having been found by Russian or Egyptian investigators, though he acknowledged that the U.K. has no access to the progress of the investigation. For now, the U.S. does not see evidence that a plot was ordered by ISIS leadership in Raqqa but rather was most likely planned and carried out by militants who operate in Sinai. So far "there is no indication" that ISIS leadership ordered the attack, multiple official said. U.S. officials believe social media accounts connected to ISIS in Syria and Iraq have been relatively quiet for several days now because they know they may be targeted for retribution. Officials said it is also possible that the perpetrators could be local militants who have self- radicalized and affiliated themselves with ISIS. But all the officials emphasized that without direct access to the technical data, the plane's wreckage and the bodies, the U.S. is not reaching any final conclusions. How could bomb have been planted? For now, the most likely scenario is that jihadists planted a bomb with a timer on the plane by someone who had access rather than a passenger sneaking it through the security system, three U.S. officials familiar with the latest intelligence analysis told CNN. The timer would have been set for enough time to initiate the explosion only after the plane had taken off, according to the officials. Hammond noted that "you don't need" a sophisticated capability and that a small bomb with a straightforward timer is sufficient to bring down an aircraft, though he said he was not speaking directly to what the British government thinks the potential device was. "You only need a couple of pounds of explosives and a timer and you are there. We are not talking about rocket science, we are talking about schoolboy physics," Hammond observed. Egypt on jet crash: Don't jump to conclusions 03:01 A bomb of this type would likely be made in part by an easily attainable military-grade explosive like C4, according to two of the American officials. The feeling, U.S. officials explained, is that only explosives of that strength could have caused the disaster. Explosives like C4 have been used in other attacks by ISIS in Sinai, according to Zack Gold, an expert on ISIS in Sinai. Gold said just this year that the Egyptian military intercepted shipments of explosive materials that included C4. Mohannad Sabry, an expert on the region, says there are thousands of kilos of explosives available in the Sinai. Sabry said militants in Sinai have also proven capable of making their own explosive material. U.S. analysts are looking at what is known about the strength of the heat flash registered by a U.S. satellite at the time of the explosion, as well as what the U.S. believes is the intensity of the sound on the plane's cockpit voice recorder. The officials stressed, however, that unless the Russians and Egyptians share the information they have, the U.S. may never definitively know what happened. "The lack of transparency demonstrated by Russia over time, in our minds means we may never be fully informed about the cause," said one of the officials. Another senior intelligence official cautioned that much of the evidence so far amounts to "hearsay" with no access to debris, bodies or the cockpit voice recorder that normally would be a key part of a crash investigation at this point. http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/10/politics/russian-plane-crash-metrojet-bomb/index.html Back to Top Manitoba airline grounded over safety concerns A Keystone Air Service eight-seat Piper PA-31 Navajo sits at St.Andrews Airport, just north of Winnipeg, Tuesday, January 10, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Trevor Hagan WINNIPEG -- Transport Canada grounded a small charter airline based just outside Winnipeg because it posed a clear safety threat, the federal department said Tuesday. Keystone Air Service, based in St. Andrews, Man., came under review following a crash in Thompson, Man., in September that sent eight people to hospital. Transport Canada "identified deficiencies in Keystone Air Services" operational control and quality assurance systems. These deficiencies posed an immediate and significant threat to aviation safety," spokesman Sean Best said in a written statement. He would not specify what those deficiencies were. The decision means Keystone -- one of the biggest regional charter companies used by governments, businesses and others to travel to remote areas -- cannot resume commercial air service until it demonstrates that it can meet all safety regulations. The September crash involved a twin-engine piston aircraft that was mistakenly refilled with jet- engine fuel. The plane was carrying Manitoba government employees, and Premier Greg Selinger said Tuesday the workers are continuing to recover. "Most of them have gone through some very serious trauma. They've received support for that. Some of them have had physical injuries, some of them had post-traumatic stress disorder," Selinger said. Selinger said he supports Transport Canada's decision, and hopes that Keystone can satisfy the agency's safety requirements and start flying again. "The federal authority that has taken that measure is simply ensuring public safety and we support that." Keystone officials did not reply to requests for comment. Keystone was also involved in a 2012 crash near Dryden, Ont., that killed four people, including the pilot, and was blamed partly on pilot inexperience. The Transportation Safety Board said the pilot tried to land in severe icing conditions instead of flying to another destination. Ten years before that, a small Keystone plane crashed at a busy intersection in Winnipeg after running out of fuel. One of six passengers died weeks later in hospital. The pilot in that case was convicted of five counts of criminal negligence and one count of dangerous operation of an aircraft. The criminal negligence charges were later overturned on appeal. http://www.torontosun.com/2015/11/10/manitoba-airline-grounded-over-safety-concerns-2 Back to Top Aircraft crashes near Malakal in South Sudan; no deaths reported MALAKAL/JUBA (10 Nov.) - A cargo aircraft crashed near Malakal in South Sudan shortly after take-off today but nobody is reported to have died in the crash and a crew of four people were rescued. According to a South Sudanese eyewitness working for an international organization, the aircraft crashed about 2 km from the runway into the Nile River. The witness who helped respond to the air crash said he saw the aircraft burning in the river and that four crew were rescued from the water by SPLA soldiers. Stephen Warikozi, director of the Civil Aviation Authority, told Radio Tamazuj that he had no information about the incident yet. The Upper Nile State Information Minister Daniel Yor Akec said that he heard about the incident but was not yet able to provide details. But he added that the four crew members were rescued and taken to the UNMISS clinic in Malakal for medical checks. He said it was a Russian-made aircraft. This was contradicted by a UN official, however, who said the aircraft was British-made. Challiss McDonough, WFP's Senior Regional Spokeswoman, confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that the aircraft that crashed had been charted by WFP. She said it crashed shortly after takeoff and only four people were on boad, all crew members, and all of them survived. "We believe none of the crew members was seriously injured, although they have all been taken to UNMISS hospital for medical checks," said McDonough. "It is too soon to know what happened, but we are working urgently with the aircraft operator, South Sudanese aviation authorities and the UNMISS peacekeepers to determine what caused the incident." She pointed out that the aircraft was chartered by WFP for the Logistics Cluster, which transports relief goods on behalf of the entire humanitarian community. She further identified the aircraft as a British-manufactured Hawker Siddeley 780 Andover cargo plane, operated by West Wind Aviation of Kenya. This incident comes less than a week after a fatal air crash in South Sudan's capital Juba. https://radiotamazuj.org/en/article/aircraft-crashes-near-malakal-south-sudan-no-deaths- reported ****************** Date: Tuesday 10 November 2015 Type: Hawker Siddeley HS-780 Andover C.1 Operating for: United Nations World Food Programme Leased from: Westwind Aviation Registration: TL-AEW C/n / msn: Set 13 First flight: 1966-10-05 (49 years 2 months) Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Malakal Airport (MAK) ( South Sudan) Phase: Initial climb (ICL) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Malakal Airport (MAK/HSSM), South Sudan Destination airport: ? Narrative: An HS-780 Andover cargo plane impacted a field and burned, shortly after takeoff from Malakal Airport (MAK), South Sudan. All four crew members survived the accident. The airplane was consumed by fire. http://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20151110-0 Back to Top DIA: 50 flight cancellations ahead of storm KUSA - Denver International Airport says airlines have reported 50 flight cancellations ahead of the storm that's expected to dump up to 5 inches of snow overnight and bring gusty winds and possibly blizzard-like conditions. Flight delays are also possible, DIA said in a news release. The airport will have snow-removal crews on-hand overnight, operating more than 250 pieces of airside snow removal equipment and 110 pieces of equipment for parking lots and roads. FULL FORECAST: Check the local weather forecast here Passengers are asked to be at the airport two hours before their flight is scheduled to depart. The storm is forecasted to arrive in western Colorado Tuesday evening, with snow sweeping over the Front Range from midnight to 8 a.m. Wednesday. Two to 5 inches of snow is possible for the Front Range, with 4 to 8 inches forecasted in the foothills. To check your flight status, head to www.flydenver.com. http://www.9news.com/story/weather/2015/11/10/denver-colorado-storm-flight-delays- conditions/75546284/ Back to Top FAA to improve helicopter safety, prevent deadly fires The Federal Aviation Administration plans to take a major step toward preventing people from being burned to death in helicopter crashes and will require newly manufactured helicopters to have systems that avoid fuel leaks, which have caused hundreds of fires that led to scores of deaths and serious injuries. In announcing the new requirement, the FAA tacitly acknowledged that it has failed for decades to protect helicopter occupants from fires that sometimes ignite after rollovers, hard landings and mild crashes whose impact the occupants had survived. Post-crash helicopter fires have been a known problem since the 1960s, and USA TODAY reported in 2014 that at least 79 people had died in the previous 20 years from burns or smoke inhalation after mild helicopter crashes. "This is a monumental first step in advancing helicopter safety in the U.S.," said Gary Robb, a Kansas City aviation-injury attorney. The National Transportation Safety Board in July urged the FAA to require all newly manufactured helicopters to have rugged fuel tanks and fuel lines that resist rupture and leaks. The board cited an October 2014 medical-helicopter crash in Texas in which a flight nurse and a paramedic were burned to death after surviving the impact of the crash. The overwhelming number of helicopters in the U.S. have brittle fuel systems that cannot withstand a hard landing or mild crash, the NTSB said in its letter to the FAA. The new FAA requirement, disclosed in the Federal Register on Nov. 5, will not affect the roughly 10,000 helicopters currently flown in the U.S. and will likely take years or longer to make a difference because it will apply only to brand new helicopters. "It's going to take a good 20 years until it has a measurable effect," said Chicago aviation attorney Kevin Durkin, noting that helicopters are typically flown for 25 to 30 years. The FAA tried in 1994 to reduce post-crash helicopter fires but that effort fell short because it required crash-resistant fuel systems only on newly designed helicopters. Most helicopters -- even brand-new models - are manufactured based on old designs that are exempt from the 1994 requirement. The FAA noted in its Nov. 5 announcement that by the end of 2014, only 16% of the nation's helicopter fleet complied with the 1994 regulation for crash-resistant fuel systems. Durkin said that outcome was predictable because aircraft manufacturers avoid new safety regulations by making helicopters and airplanes under old designs that are exempt from new requirements. "The FAA knew their regulation would have no effect when they did this 20 years ago. They know how aviation works," Durkin said. The FAA still has to develop a detailed proposal for requiring crash-resistant fuel systems on new helicopters and allow public comment on the proposal -- a process that could take several years before a new regulation takes effect. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/11/10/faa-helicopter-aviation-safety/75513576/ Back to Top A DMV for Drones? Inside the FAA's Clumsy Push to Regulate Flying Computers A series of poor proposals from the Federal Aviation Administration threatens to ground much of the commercial drone industry before it even takes flight. At long last, commercial drone technology has developed to the point where businesses and consumers alike can take them to the skies for fun and profit. The benefits of mass drone flight are projected to be enormous, with applications ranging from instant package delivery to manufacturing to lifestyle video-blogging. But a series of poor proposals from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) threatens to ground major parts of this hot industry just as it starts to take flight. Drones, or "unmanned aerial vehicles" (UAVs) as the acronymically-inclined like to call them, are merely computers with wings. They range in size from charming toys weighing under a few pounds to crafts that are almost large enough for human passengers. They can be controlled by a human operator on the ground, like a model aircraft, or they can be pre-programmed to autonomously zip across the skyline on their own, aided by a series of gyroscopes, aerodynamic blades, transmitters, sensors, and cameras that allow these winged robots to quickly detect and avoid objects in their flight path. Drones can act as synthetic extensions of ourselves, allowing us to explore and interact with environments far beyond our normal reach. As mobile computers, they help us to better extract useful data from the world around us to improve how we get things done. And as platforms for engagement with a new airspace frontier, they are a critical check on government power and a possible tool for resistance to those in oppressive situations. They're really, really cool, and they're poised to contribute much to both our economy and general standard of living. But before mass drone use can be cleared for take-off, there's one major hurdle left to overcome: Safe integration within the airspace commons. Commercial drones should not be able to whiz about willy-nilly, wreaking havoc as they may. What we need is a clear set of rules, tools, and communication protocols that will allow drone users to responsibly share the air with manned aircraft and avoid causing harm to others down below, just as we have for cars on the road and boats on the water. Entrepreneurs and technologists are optimistic about this challenge. Even Congress has been surprisingly forward-looking on this issue, directing the FAA in 2012 to begin developing institutional reforms for safely integrating drones into U.S. airspace through the FAA Modernization and Reform Act (FMRA). UAVs weighing less than 55 pounds were to be integrated by August 2014, while larger commercial crafts would be operationalized by no later than September 30, 2015. Many proposed integration solutions would not require much in the way of new government bureaucracy; rather, we could build on existing air traffic control procedures. For example, manned aircraft pilots are already required by the FAA to register and clear their flight paths before takeoff. Commercial drone operators could check to make sure manned flights don't intervene with their intended routes and modify if necessary before launching. All aircraft could be informed of others' positions through wireless communication, and drones could be programmed to avoid other crafts should bad weather or unexpected obstacles cause them to deviate from their route. And, in the worst case scenario, an appropriate liability regime could facilitate proper compensation for any potential harms that do arise. With a bit of foresight and focus, the FAA could have been a champion for the drone industry, ushering in a new era of aerospace innovation. The FMRA afforded the agency ample time to investigate, tweak, and begin promulgating such innovation-friendly institutional reforms. If the FAA met its legislative deadlines, we could have already been enjoying the considerable economic benefits of commercial drone use by now. Unfortunately, the FAA has instead become one of the biggest barriers to the future of drone flight. First, the FAA failed to meet the FMRA deadlines for drone integration. The agency was unable to complete these tasks on time even after a concerned Congress issued an extra $3 million in appropriations in 2014 to help the struggling aviation regulators get their acts together. A June 2014 report by the agency's Inspector General found that the FAA had not even started to develop the necessary data analysis or safety reporting processes several years into the project. Meanwhile, American entrepreneurs and drone enthusiasts had little guidance about how to proceed-or whether their audacity to innovate could be ultimately determined to be criminal. For a while, the FAA acted as if commercial drone flights were outright banned until further notice. Bowing to understandable pressure from the drone industry and the pesky arm of the law, the agency eventually decided to get clever with its exemption authority to bridge the gap. Section 233 of the FMRA outlines a process for drone operators to petition to fly registered crafts in U.S. airspace before the final rules are issued. Over 2,000 Section 333 exemptions have been issued since the FAA began extending them in late 2014, with recipients using them to perform activities such as university research, video journalism, and delivery testing. Allowing commercial drone testing was a long-overdue step in the right direction, but the current ad hoc exemption-application process is inefficient and unbecoming. It would have been nice if the FAA made good use of its healthy time extensions to put out some solid regulations, but this was apparently too much to ask. In February of this year, the FAA finally released its small drone regulations for public comment. The best that can be said about the proposed rules is that they at least clarify that small commercial drone operations will indeed be legal. But the hackneyed requirements the rules would impose in the name of "safety" border on the absurd. For one, operators would be limited to flying one drone at a time during certain hours, even over areas without any humans below. What's more, autonomous drones may be out of the question if the FAA holds fast to its odd insistence that operators maintain "line of sight" procedures during the entire flight. Industry, academic, and legal professionals submitted over 4,500 comments on this proposed rule, but it's unknown when the FAA will respond or issue final regulations. Given their track record, low expectations seem appropriate. Then there's the new recreational drone-registry scheme that the FAA randomly announced in October. The agency might have missed its September 30 deadline to issue large commercial drone rules, but it summoned a new optimism that the agency can develop and instate a nationwide database for hobbyist UAV sales in time for the hectic Christmas season. There are a lot of problems with this proposal, mostly revolving around the dubious feasibility and legality of the plan. First of all, running a national registry is difficult, expensive, and rarely worth the headache, as previous experiments with gun registries in New York and Canada can attest. Hundreds of thousands of drones have been sold already, raising the tricky question of how to compel current drone owners to submit to the registration process. Will there be penalties for non- compliance? When should people be required to register? Are registrations transferrable? How should the registry treat do-it-yourself drones that are not purchased at a store? And exactly what qualifies as a "drone," anyway? The FAA has assembled a short-term task force to issue recommendations about these and other questions, but their decision is unlikely to be a crowd-pleaser. Recreational model aircraft pilots in particular worry that their special exemptions may be chipped away by this new initiative. Then there's the question of whether this ad hoc process is even strictly legal under the FMRA and normal Administrative Procedure Act (APA) notice and comment rules. A court may very well end up overturning this half-baked registry scheme in short order. The government failure on drone policy is not strictly limited to rule-making. The FAA's not-so- subtle doom-and-gloom fearmongering campaign against private drone use has not exactly helped the cultural climate, either. FAA officials are quick to publicize any reported incident involving a drone misdeed, and the FAA's website even maintains a running count of "close calls" between commercial airliners and private drones. But an independent analysis of this dataset by the Academy of Model Aeronautics finds that only around 3.5 percent of the 764 FAA records are true "close calls" of concern. If this is a risk level that the FAA truly finds intolerable, then they should instead turn their attention to the real menace of the skies: birds! The agency's own report finds that the number of snowy owls that crashed into civilian aircraft last winter alone far exceeds the number of mere misses with drones. Yet for some reason, the concerned aviation regulators would rather harass techies than fluttering birdbrains. Exaggerating risks and painting pictures of destruction may buy this sluggish agency more time to get around to doing its job, but it doesn't help an already-anxious public gain a realistic understanding of the true benefits and costs of private drone technology. If you didn't know any better, you might get the impression that the FAA was intentionally trying to stymie the drone industry through its dizzying campaign of confusion and antagonism. The reality is more benign: unprepared regulators attempted to apply precautionary-principle practices to a world that is becoming more accustomed to permissionless innovation by default. It would be nice if technocrats could embrace dynamism for its own sake, but failing that, we can at least hope that this episode with the FAA provides the commissars with another reason to get with the times: avoiding embarrassment. https://reason.com/archives/2015/11/10/faa-versus-drones Back to Top FAA fines company $68K for Hazardous Materials Regulations violation WASHINGTON, DC - The US Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes a $68,000 civil penalty against Unical Aviation Inc of the City of Industry, CA, for allegedly violating Hazardous Materials Regulations. The FAA alleges that on July 21, 2015, Unical knowingly offered undeclared hazardous material shipments to FedEx for transport by air to Lenexa, Kan. The shipment contained three Protective Breathing Equipment Units, each of which contained an oxygen generator chemical. The chemical is an oxidizer, which can cause or enhance the combustion of other materials. The FAA alleges that the shipment was not accompanied by shipping papers describing the type or quantity of the hazardous materials, was not properly packaged, marked or labeled as containing hazardous materials. The agency also alleges that Unical failed to provide emergency response information with it. Unical has requested to meet with the FAA to discuss the case. http://www.eturbonews.com/65771/faa-fines-company-68k-hazardous-materials-regulations- violation Back to Top Ukrainian engineer invents rescue capsule for civil aircraft crew and passengers A life-saving capsule that can help thousands to survive in aviation accidents (video screenshot) Interest to the new revolutionary safety system has grown in wake of Russian airliner crash in Egypt "Surviving in a plane crash is possible," claims Ukrainian aviation engineer Vladimir Tatarenko who devoted much of his life to inventing a life-saving capsule that can help thousands to survive in aviation accidents. While working at the Antonov serial production plant, the aircraft manufacturing company in Kyiv, Tatarenko was often a member of special commissions, working on the scenes of accidents. "Looking at these horrible scenes and knowing the statistics of crashes I came to certain conclusions. People are wrong about air disasters, because some 80% of them happen due to human error," the inventor told in an interview to the Ukrainian e-zine AIN.UA "While aircraft engineers all over the world are trying to make planes safer, they can do nothing about the human factor," Tatarenko added, explaining how he came up with the idea of a rescue container. After five-decade research Tatarenko has received a patent on the invention of the escape capsule system designed to rescue crew and passengers of a civil aircraft in case of emergency. The idea of an ejecting capsule in the commercial aircrafts is not new, Russian inventor Gamil Halidov has also come up with the similar concept of a passenger compartment with a huge parachute. "For years the research community was unable to bring it to life, because engineers could not find a suitable material. But we have used carbon-fiber - a very strong and lightweight material, which proved to be suitable," Tatarenko said. The system envisages that the capsule with seats for passengers and crew is installed inside the aircraft's fuselage. It could escape through the rear hatch of the aircraft within two to three seconds in case of almost all emergencies - engine failure, fire on board, technical problems triggered by bad weather conditions and other troubles. After ejection, a high-altitude capsule, powered by two gunpowder engines designed to slow down its speed, is parachuting to the ground (video screenshot) However, it could not save lives if the plane explodes inside or comes under a rocket attack, he added. Though the concept seems to be a major breakthrough in aviation safety, Tatarenko doubts that the mass production of the escape capsule can come soon - operational tests and standardization of the system will take at least four years and need massive investments. According to him, the approximate cost of the project to make an emergency escape capsule suitable for the commercial exploitation would be about USD 1 million. Airlines have so far also shown little interest to the invention, because it would reduce a number of seats and increase fuel consumption rate. http://uatoday.tv/techandscience/ukrainian-engineer-invents-rescue-capsule-for-civil-aircraft- crew-and-passengers-531294.html Back to Top Emirates' new Flight Training Academy to target more female pilots Major Mariam Al Mansouri from Abu Dhabi made headlines in 2014 as the first female pilot to lead strikes against Daesh in Syria. (File photo)Major Mariam Al Mansouri from Abu Dhabi made headlines in 2014 as the first female pilot to lead strikes against Daesh in Syria. (File photo) Emirates will use the new Flight Training Academy it is building in Dubai World Central (DWC) to increase the number of female Emirati pilots employed by the airline. Emirates is building its own pilot training centre next to its future hub at Al Maktoum International, which it hopes will lessen its reliance or hiring pilots from other airlines or foreign training schools. "This academy will really fulfil our future demands," Adel Al Redha, Emirates' Executive Vice- President and Chief Operations Officer, told Gulf News in an interview on Monday at the Dubai Airshow. It is also being developed so that Emirates will "have control over the quality and type of training" that is provided to its pilots, he said. The training centre will see through between 300 to 400 cadets a year. Cadet places at the academy will at first only be offered to Emiratis, who will be provided with a full scholarship by Emirates that includes a salary and accommodation. But Al Redha said it has been challenging in hiring female Emirati pilots, a position that is globally dominated by men. Al Redha said the airline does hire "some female Emirati and some female non-Emirati" pilots but that in conservative Gulf the job previously been seen as for men. More pilots needed He said this is changing, and expects that the training academy and offer to work for Emirates will increase the number of female and male Emiratis at the airline. "We're seeing more interest from female [Emiratis] compared to previous years," he said. A spokesperson ahead of Monday's interview declined to say what the gender breakdown was but did say it has 4,121 pilots from 97 different countries. But Emirates will need a lot more. The airline has 241 all wide-body aircraft in its fleet today and a further 267 on order. The training academy will start teaching classes in the third quarter next year when part of the site opens, Al Redha said, with an initial batch of 100 cadets. The cadets will start flying in the second half of 2017 and graduate by the end of 2019. Al Redha said there are plans to turn the training academy into a commercial business by offering the programme to other airlines and companies. Last week, Emirates announced it is buying 22 single-piston engine Cirrus SR22's and 5 twin-jet Embraer Phenom 100E aircraft for the academy, valued at $39 million at list prices. Al Redha said the airline could purchase an Airbus A320 or Boeing 737, both single-aisle aircraft and neither of which are operated by Emirates, for the academy but ruled out buying any wide- body aircraft like the Boeing 777. http://www.albawaba.com/business/emirates-new-flight-training-academy-target-more-female- pilots-766788 Back to Top Emirates Airline Selects Cirrus Aircraft SR22 for Flight Training Academy Fleet The Cirrus SR22, chosen by the Emirates Flight Training Academy, shown with Emirates airline livery. DULUTH, Minn., Nov. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cirrus Aircraft today announced Emirates Flight Training Academy, the flight training program operated by Emirates airline, selected the technologically advanced SR22 for its primary training aircraft. A fleet of twenty-two (22) Cirrus SR22 aircraft will lead pilot training at Al Maktoum International-Dubai World Central Airport in support of the Emirates' National Cadet Pilot Programme. Emirates airline is the world's largest international carrier with a strong record of service excellence and profitability. The partnership marks the latest milestone where Cirrus Aircraft has been chosen by a premier global pilot training program to provide advanced, easy-to-fly modern aircraft to prepare students to fly tomorrow's commercial airliners. "Our partnership with Emirates represents a real step forward for the worldwide flight training and airline industry," stated Todd Simmons, Cirrus Aircraft's President of Customer Experience. "Emirates, just as it has done successfully for the past 30 years, is looking to the future by building a turnkey program that will lead the industry for many years to come. The innovative training solution - of which SR22's are the airplane component - is focused on providing cadets with the most technologically advanced training possible, and that is why Emirates chose Cirrus Aircraft. It is an honor for Cirrus to be such an integral part of this vision by an airline as prominent and forward-leaning as Emirates." The Cirrus fleet of SR22s selected by Emirates offers a broad range of industry leading capabilities that will prepare cadets to fly Emirates' commercial airliners on global routes. With Cirrus Perspective™ by Garmin®, cadets will view a flight deck with two large 12 inch flight displays, a Flight Management System (FMS) keypad controller, plus integrated engine indication and crew alerting systems. The flight deck includes an automatic flight control system (AFCS) and flight director as well as ADS-B NextGen capabilities. Each aircraft is also equipped with a state-of-the- art electronic stability system similar to the envelope protection systems Emirates has on its air transport fleet. These advanced capabilities, along with the wide array of other innovations and standard features on the SR22, allow pilots to train on systems similar to what they will be operating in their future careers. Cirrus standard safety equipment, such as the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System® (CAPS®) and composite structures, will also allow these future Emirates pilots to train day in and day out with the best safety innovations available today. "The Cirrus SR22 is the ideal training platform for the Emirates Flight Training Academy," noted David Moser, Cirrus Aircraft's Vice President of Fleet and Special Mission Aircraft. "Emirates is creating a dedicated flight training center that showcases the industry's most advanced approach to pilot training in a fully integrated facility. Cirrus speaks to the demands of this program through the innovation, advanced technology and avionics that are found in the SR22." In 1985, Emirates flew its first routes out of Dubai with just two aircraft. Now, it has evolved into one of the fastest growing, most innovative airlines in the world with a fleet of more than 240 aircraft that fly to over 140 destinations in more than 80 countries. As a company who has globally influenced travel and tourism, Emirates is known for the highest standards of quality in every facet of business. Emirates has a fleet that is regarded as one of the most modern and advanced in the world. Named the Aviation Company of the Year in 2014, they have received more than 400 awards for excellence worldwide. "Industry forecasts show growth in the need for pilots particularly over the next few years. The Middle East and the Gulf region will have the highest demand for pilots to support its expansion and introduction of new aircraft. The Emirates Flight Training Academy is our investment and response to this pressing need," said Adel Al Redha, Emirates Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "The academy will offer training programmes using the latest available technology and advanced aircraft. Our decision to purchase the Cirrus SR22 fleet for training underscores our commitment to equip the Academy, as well as the aviation industry, with the infrastructure needed to produce a highly-skilled pilot workforce. While the biggest beneficiary of this programme is Emirates, it is our plan to offer the programme to external candidates around the world." The first SR22 in the Emirates airlines livery debuted to the world during an announcement at the renowned Dubai Airshow, 8-12 November, 2015. Emirates will begin taking delivery of their Cirrus fleet in 2017, with all aircraft expected to be delivered by the end of 2018. The National Cadet Pilot Programme will have the capacity to train up to 400 students at a time and will bring together important elements of pilot training such as ground school classrooms, ab initio flight training, ground based simulators and modern accommodation with recreational facilities. For more information about Cirrus Aircraft Fleet, Flight Training and Special Mission aircraft, visit cirrusaircraft.com/fleet. About Cirrus Aircraft Cirrus Aircraft is a recognized leader in general aviation. Its all-composite line of personal aircraft - the SR20, SR22 and the turbocharged SR22T - incorporate innovative and advanced performance, electronic and safety technologies, including Cirrus Perspective™ by Garmin® avionics and the unique Cirrus Airframe Parachute System® (CAPS®). To date, total time on the worldwide Cirrus Aircraft SR-series fleet surpassed seven million flight hours with 112 people returned to their families as a direct result of CAPS being a standard safety feature on all Cirrus aircraft. The Cirrus Vision SF50®, with over 550 production positions reserved, will provide a new personal and regional business transportation solution: the personal jet. The Vision Center in Knoxville, TN will be the flagship location for all Cirrus Aircraft Customer Experience activities including sales, delivery, training, maintenance, support, personalization, fixed base operations and more. All Cirrus aircraft are made in the U.S. with a direct sales force in North America and authorized sales centers covering export markets in 60 countries around the world. Cirrus Aircraft is wholly owned by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., Ltd (CAIGA). For additional information on Cirrus and its products please visit cirrusaircraft.com. SOURCE Cirrus Aircraft http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/emirates-airline-selects-cirrus-aircraft-sr22-for-flight- training-academy-fleet-300175673.html Back to Top Federal standards keep young pilots from manning drones In this Sept. 29, 2015 photo, University of North Dakota student Megan Halek stands in the lobby of the Grand Forks school's aviation department in Grand Forks, N.D. (AP Photo/Dave Kolpack) GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) - Megan Halek could be the best unmanned aircraft pilot coming out of the University of North Dakota's highly regarded aviation program this year: She's aced a training program and has enough air experience to fly private jets worldwide. That won't be enough to land her dream job, flying the Predator drone for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Though she would enthusiastically take on a job that currently falls to federal pilots who'd mostly rather be up in the air, she's more than 1,300 hours short of the federal agency's required actual flight time and doesn't have the proper flying certificate. "The CBP has their standards, and rightly so. They're looking for qualified people," said UND aviation professor John Bridewell, who is Halek's faculty adviser. "But at some point you have to question if there's a tradeoff between someone who simply has hours and this particular certificate versus someone who has capabilities and wants to be there." Officials said they are looking at changing their hiring practices - especially since the majority of its pilot workforce is made up of baby-boomer federal agents that must retire at 57- but could not discuss specifics. Other agencies that fly drones, like some branches of the military, have less strict guidelines. Loosening the rules also could give students a stable, well-paying job out of college, rather than flying with regional airlines. Updating hiring practices is a debate worth having, given the many job openings on the horizon among its 1,200-strong staff, according to Max Raterman, who directs the CBP's Air and Marine Operations in Grand Forks. "I would say the agency is aware of the concerns of not being able to hire enough pilots," he said. "It's what to do about it." Steve Bodin, a civilian pilot who had about 3,500 flying hours when he was hired with CBP in 2009, said he'd rather be flying a plane than operating a drone. "You're going out and getting somewhere," the 32-year-old said. "The unmanned is cutting-edge stuff and we're at the front line of it so this is interesting. But it's not flying." The Predator drone - a $13 million piece of equipment - is the most difficult plane, manned or unmanned, that Bodin said he has to land. It's harder to feel connected to a drone, he said. "When you are flying a real airplane you can feel that kinetic sense, you have a peripheral view. You can sense the ground coming up, stuff like that," he said. "With the unmanned, there's no sound, there's no feeling, there's no rumbling or anything in there. "It's all what you perceive out of a video monitor. It's a 2D plane and it's all pretty much reactive." Halek decided from the first day of college that she wanted to major in unmanned aircraft. "I am a pilot. I love being in the sky," said the 22-year-old who's set to graduate next month. "But this is something new and a platform I had my eye on since day one. I want to be in a program that is up and coming." Raterman acknowledged that many college pilots have the technological savvy and the interest in flying unmanned aircraft. "I think that will be helpful, but is that enough?" he asked. "As an emerging technology and platform, I do think it's going to sort itself out. I think we're all going to look back one day and say we were there back in the day when we were deciding this (hiring) model." http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/federal-standards-keep-young-pilots-from-manning- drones/ 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 The 5 Airports You Should Avoid At All Costs This Thanksgiving Travel if you dare. Along with too much turducken, Thanksgiving week brings us -- no surprise here! -- the busiest travel day of the entire year. If you're crazy brave enough to make the trip, then you'd better avoid these airports, if you can. The experts at Orbitz ranked the worst airports to pass through this Thanksgiving, based on all site flight bookings from Thanksgiving through Dec. 1. The top 5 airports to avoid are sadly well- traveled: Los Angeles International Chicago O'Hare International San Francisco International Denver International Boston Logan International If you must face one of these locations (and we know this is highly likely), it's best to arrive early to allow for plenty of time getting through security. It might also save your sanity to know the likelihood of delays at your airport of choice, stock up on flight tracker apps and make backup plans in case you get stuck. Happy travels! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/busiest-airports-to-avoid- thanksgiving_564254b4e4b04255fc38032d Back to Top Mitsubishi Aims for the Sky After Jet Takes Off The Japanese regional plane will compete against the likes of Brazil's Embraer and Canada's Bombardier in the market for short-haul-flights Japan's first commercial jetliner, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, on Wednesday completed its maiden test flight after repeated delays. It is an important milestone for an ambitious effort by Japan to develop its aerospace industry. NAGOYA, Japan-After a successful first flight of its regional jet on Wednesday, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. is hoping to step up sales against competition from established aircraft makers and upstarts. The gull-nosed Mitsubishi Regional Jet, the most prominent aircraft to carry the Mitsubishi name since the Zero fighter of World War II, flew over Japan and the Pacific coast for nearly an hour and a half. Escorted by Japanese military planes, it reached speeds of up to 280 kilometers an hour (174 miles an hour) and altitudes of up to 15,000 feet. ''Today was very windy," but the plane remained mostly stable, chief test pilot Yoshiyuki Yasumura said later at a news conference. "During the approach it swayed a bit, but we were able to address this.'' The jet being developed by a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy is designed for short-haul flights, a market in which it will compete against Embraer SA of Brazil and Bombardier Inc. of Canada. Ascend Flightglobal, a consulting firm, estimates that carriers will order 4,360 regional jets through 2034 valued at around $135 billion. It predicts that Mitsubishi will capture 27% of that market in unit and value terms. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet taking off for a test flight at Nagoya Airport on Nov. 11. PHOTO: KYODO/REUTERS Now that Mitsubishi has demonstrated that the plane can fly, airlines "that have taken a wait-and- see approach can negotiate acquisition of the aircraft with increased confidence," said Rob Morris, head of consultancy at Ascend Flightglobal in London. Mitsubishi has touted the aircraft as offering greater fuel efficiency and comfort than existing regional jets. It has plenty of company in seeking airlines' business. Embraer and Bombardier are upgrading their airliners. Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. of Russia makes a regional jet and Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China is developing one. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet will come in versions seating roughly 70 and 90 passengers, with a list price of $46.3 million and $47.3 million, respectively. Mitsubishi said demand will be driven by airlines moving up from 50-seat planes or scaling back from larger ones. Hiromichi Morimoto, president of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., the unit that is developing the aircraft, said Wednesday the company is considering a third version that would seat 100 passengers- pushing it closer in size to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, which seat over 100 passengers. Bombardier has been focusing on developing larger aircraft to compete against the 737 and A320 series. At Wednesday's maiden flight of the Mitsubishi jet, hundreds of reporters, business leaders and air-travel enthusiasts gathered at Nagoya Airport, reflecting the jet's status as a project of national interest for Japan. Minority investors include Toyota Motor Corp., and a range of Japanese companies are supplying parts. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga called it "the dawn of a new era for Japan's aviation industry,'' saying the government would help promote the jet. The aircraft was originally supposed to have its first test flight more than five years ago, but the program suffered a series of delays. Mitsubishi said it would deliver the first aircraft in 2017 to All Nippon Airways Co. The carrier has ordered 15 of the planes and taken options for 10 more. Other customers include Trans States Holdings, Sky West Inc., Eastern Air Lines Group Inc., Air Mandalay Ltd. and Japan Airlines Co. In all, Mitsubishi said it has firm orders for 223 planes and options or purchase rights for 184 more. The aircraft still needs to go through thousands of hours of flight testing and regulatory certification steps in Japan and the U.S. The Mitsubishi jet, powered by Pratt & Whitney engines, is the first commercial airliner built in Japan since the propeller-driven YS-11, which was made by a consortium of Japanese companies in the 1960s and 70s. Mitsubishi Heavy makes aircraft for Japan's military and it has been a major subcontractor on commercial airplanes like the Boeing 787. "The Japanese aviation industry has been dependent on government demand, mainly the defense ministry, but now it has entered the phase of doing business with the private sector,'' said aerospace analyst Yoshitomo Aoki. http://www.wsj.com/articles/mitsubishi-regional-jet-makes-maiden-test-flight-1447205534 Back to Top Impact Of The Slowdown In Wide-Body Jet Segment On Boeing GREAT SPECULATIONS Boeing's wide-body jets that coming off leases are expected to create a glut in the aircraft market. The excess supply of wide-body jets is creating a bubble in the industry. While the wide-body aircraft accounts for 25% of the deliveries worldwide, they constitute around 43% of the revenues. Despite decreasing demand and deliveries of wide-body jets, they still generate a major portion of the aircraft manufacturers' revenues. Additionally, Boeing BA +0.00% wide-body 777 is priced at $320 million, which is in the range of 3.7x - 6.2x the list price of Boeing 737 narrow- body jet. Boeing's wide-body aircraft comprised 33% of its total aircraft delivered in 2014, while it accounted for around 78% of revenues. This means a 10% slowdown in Boeing's wide-body jet deliveries would mean a loss of $2.1 billion in revenues as compared to our current forecast, implying a slight 3% downside to the share price. Recently, Singapore Airlines retired some of its Boeing 777s coming off lease. Similarly, Delta Airline's CEO Richard Anderson recently mentioned that the carrier will cancel its agreement worth $4.0 billion with Boeing for 737-900ER aircraft and used Embraer E190 aircraft following its pilots' rejection of a tentative agreement. Around the same time, Aeroflot PJSC, Russia's largest carrier reportedly scrapped an order for 22 Boeing 787 jets worth $4.8 billion. With aircraft coming off lease and cancellation of contracts, the market may be approaching saturation, resulting in excess supply over time. In the future, this glut might spread to the narrow-body jet segment as well. The two aircraft majors are going all out to seize a greater share in the slumping wide-body jet market. Delta has recently been approached by both Airbus and Boeing to sell or lease its used wide-body jets coming off lease. Delta is now looking to replace its current fleet and weighing its options between Boeing and Airbus. See our complete analysis of Boeing here The Wide-Body Jets Backlog Is Growing Boeing has been increasingly adding to its already significant backlog. The current aircraft backlog is the highest in the company's history and is expected to trend further upward with the continuous adding of contracts. In FY 2014, Boeing reported a record high contractual backlog of $487,092, growing at a CAGR of 13% between 2010 and 2014. During the same period, the company's total revenue only increased by 9%. Boeing's total contractual backlog is growing four percentage points faster than the revenue growth, suggesting that orders may well be outpacing future need. If so, future cancellations may well rise. Shift To Narrow-Body Jets Is Fueling The Supply Glut In Wide Body Segment Over the next two decades, the narrow-body, single aisle type aircraft are expected to form 70% of new deliveries. Twin aisle or wide-body jets will represent only about a quarter of all new deliveries. Through 2015-2034, the aircraft manufacturing market is predicted to see around 32,600 new aircraft deliveries, of which Asia-pacific, Europe and North America is expected to be the largest consumers. Nearly 14,000 passenger aircraft are expected to retire or convert to freighter, to be replaced with new, fuel efficient, next generation aircraft. In response to Delta's CEO's speculation, Boeing has released a statement announcing the intent of EVA Airways, a Taiwanese international airline, to purchase up to 26 Boeing 787-10 newly launched Dreamliner (wide-body) aircraft. This purchase has been valued at an approximate $8.0 billion going by current list price. The deal is yet to be finalized. So it remains to be seen whether this deal or launch helps change market dynamics by balancing the industry demand-supply situation. http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/11/10/impact-of-the-slowdown-in-wide- body-jet-segment-on-boeing/ Back to Top Aviation maintenence program opens Cape Cod Community College has opened enrollment into its first Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) Program classes that will prepare students for certification as Airframe and Power plant Technicians (A & P), highly sought after skilled personnel in the aviation industry today. New classes will begin Jan. 25. The program is being designed to meet the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) requirements for 1900 hours of general, airframe, and power plant training which is required for certification (FAR Part 147). This program has been on a fast track since the shortage of trained technicians was noted to President John Cox by regional aviation leaders, who encouraged the College to develop the program. "We are extremely excited to see the hangars in Plymouth being transformed, and our curriculum being put into place. We will provide state-of-the-art education and training in an accelerated manner, preparing individuals for great careers," Cox said. "We are equally pleased to see Massachusetts investing in this program, providing $1.95 million to support workforce development and economic growth in this region. I can't thank our legislative delegation enough for their aggressive support of this budget item over the last two years and the Governor's inclusion of the funds in the supplemental budget signed into law on Nov. 2. Their efforts will mean a great deal to the success of students, and to the success of this program," he concluded. More information about the program is available at: www.capecod.edu/aviation, and by speaking with Miles Tranchina, Student Retention Specialist with the program. 774-330-4780 or through email at mtranchina@capecod.edu. The college's program will be one of only five accelerated training curriculums in the country in which students, going full-time, can earn both certifications and land entry-level opportunities that routinely pay between $35,000 and $55,000 a year. While commercial airlines often come to mind first as potential employers, the field is much broader including vast numbers of companies serving fixed-wing business and corporate aviation, manufacturers, helicopters, general private aviation, and even unmanned aerial vehicles. Specialized teaching and learning spaces, some of which will include state-of-the-art "virtual" simulators, are now under renovation in large hangar spaces at the Plymouth Municipal Airport, South Meadow Road, in Plymouth. Classes begin Jan. 25. Today, the demand for highly skilled aviation maintenance personnel far outstrips the supply of certified workers, and the shortage is expected to continue for many years, as large numbers of workers retire, and aviation itself continues to expand. National, regional, and local airlines are partnering with the College to launch and support this program, including Jet Blue and Cape Air. Bombardier, a leading manufacturer of business and commercial aircraft, just hosted CCCC students at its state-of-the-art maintenance facility in Windsor Locks, CT. Students will be able to complete this program and the FAA license exams for just over $20,000, with the student earning both the airframe and powerplant technician certificates. Financial Aid is available to students who qualify, and there is significant scholarship support available as well. The College encourages anyone interested in the program to talk with Miles Tranchina at 774-330- 4780. The AMT Certification Course is just the first step for those interested in more advanced careers in the aviation maintenance field. It lays the foundation for an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Aviation Maintenance, and then transfer into a variety of Bachelor's degree programs that further specialize in the aviation field. At the same time, because of the highly specialized nature of the knowledge base and training that is part of this curriculum, there are numerous non-aviation career pathways available. Industries will be waiting to employ graduates, including: alternative energy, transportation, amusement parks that now have very sophisticated thrill rides/roller coasters, heavy equipment manufacturers such as fork lift/power lift companies, elevator companies, among others. It is important to note, that the Aviation Maintenance Technology program at the College is 63% funded by two federal awards: a $2,471,478 grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, Grant # TC-26463-14-60-A-25 and a $897,935 grant awarded by National Science Foundation, Grant # 1501594. http://yarmouth.wickedlocal.com/article/20151109/NEWS/151106330/?Start=2 Back to Top The Future of Truly High-Speed In-Flight Wi-Fi Dan Peltier, Skift - Nov 11, 2015 6:00 am From embedded seat back in-flight entertainment screens to our own devices, airlines and airports will want to keep us entertained with creative brand collaborations. GEE Conversations with founders and CEOs on building the travel company of the future. We're still skeptical that large file downloads, Netflix-watching and seeing Grandma's face at 35,000 feet is a near-term reality, but speeds will undoubtedly get gradually faster as more satellites are launched for passengers' delight. - Dan Peltier In-flight Wi-Fi has been, to put it frankly, stuck at the boarding gate during the past five years and even when it was cleared to board, it often felt like it never made it to the aircraft cabin. Telling investors and analysts during the company's third quarter earnings call on Friday, Global Eagle Entertainment CEO Dave Davis said "more than 200 megabits per second is easily [achievable for our in-flight Wi-Fi]," referring to the company's agreement with Hughes to utilize the Jupiter HT Aero Modem on its Airconnect antenna system. "Ku-band systems offer worldwide coverage, satellite redundancy and have the ability to cover 99% plus of all flight routes in the world," said Davis. "It's difficult to say that the addition of the modem will take the speed from X to Y, because there are many other variables." "We expect the new modems to be available in the months ahead, this isn't something that's a year away. And it's completely plug and play retrofittable with our current modem i.e. same socket and it just plugs in. And we would look to retrofit existing [carriers] based on discussions with those [carriers] and whether they're interested in doing it or not." Global Eagle is one of the world's largest airline content providers, servicing 150 global airlines and on-boarding 20 new carriers this year, including Copa, Avianca, and Turkish Airlines. It's also a content provider for all airlines in the Etihad Group, and recently signed advertising and sponsorship agreements with two major U.S. airlines, including in-flight advertising with American Airlines. "We're adding resources to our ad sales efforts internationally with a particular focus on European and Middle Eastern carriers, where Etihad and Flydubai are both major advertising sales customers of ours," said Davis during the call. "And we're likely not done with [merger and acquisitions] going forward and we still have strong interest in adjacencies, which maritime is one of them. So the acquisitions we made or definitely have right down the alley was what we've been planning and acquisitions that broaden us horizontally are of interest to us as well." Skift recently sat down with Davis and Elias Zaccack, SVP and Head of Mobility for SES, to talk about how both companies are expanding their partnership with a multi-year, multi-transponder agreement, doubling Global Eagle's SES satellite capacity for in-flight Wi-Fi. We discussed what satellites mean for the future of in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi, content distribution trends they're noticing with carriers and their thoughts on best practices for monetizing in-flight offerings. Skift: Where do you see a lot of demand coming from and how does this partnership help with that? Davis: I really think it's growing everywhere. In North America, it's growing from a per-user basis. Users want to do more and more things while they're in-flight. The growth is really internationally focused as well. As more and more aircraft get installed around the world, and more and more folks want to use the internet around the world, really the demand is global. We have an agreement with Flydubai to begin offering services there. We have a big customer in Europe. Then, we have a number of yet-to-be-announced partnerships that we think will be coming down the line in different parts of the world. It's really just global growth. Latin American and Asian carriers definitely are actively looking at in-flight connectivity. What we've seen, the trend, is when one or two airlines in a region become connected, then it becomes a competitive disadvantage if you're not connected in that region. Then, the S-curve really starts to take off. You saw that in the U.S. over the last four or five years and I think we're going to start to see that in Europe now. We have an A320 trial that's going to commence at Air France soon. Lufthansa has made some announcements. We have a significant major customer in Norwegian. I think you're going to start to see that acceleration take off in Europe. I would say, in Asia, adoption has been slow for a variety of reasons. One, it's just more of a geographical spread. We're not quite as far up that curve yet, but when one or two or three airlines begin to make some significant commitments to roll out in-flight connectivity, I think you are going to see that take-off and really accelerate quickly, too. Zaccack: If you look at independent studies already done, you will see that in the U.S., roughly 50% of the aircraft is already connected. In the rest of the world, only 7% are connected. Even in the U.S., those connected aircraft, they started off with relatively low throughput for user- experience levels. Those are now all upgrading. [SES has] 55 satellites in orbit and three next-generation high throughput satellites under construction. All three of them will launch in 2017 with Global Eagle. Our intent was to make sure we enabled service providers to be able to provide a user experience in the air that is no different than what you get at home. We wanted it to be a very simple, robust experience, no different than you turning on a light switch at home and getting that connectivity. Skift: What does that mean for the future of in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi? Davis: What we're talking about here over the next, let's say, 24 months is the transition to high throughput satellites. You'll see orders-of-magnitude increases in bandwidth available to customers that are going to allow them to do pretty much anything they want to do on the aircraft that they do at home today. As new applications come online and the demand for bandwidth grows in the air just like it does on the ground, we would expect new satellite capabilities to be rolled out in the 2020-plus time frame to provide huge amounts of data to customers to do with whatever they need to do with in the 2020 to 2030 time frame. We made a couple acquisitions recently, and we are developing the capability to stream aircraft operating information over our connectivity system. Not only is the availability of a lot of bandwidth important for passenger entertainment, but some of these operational data streaming and other things will also be big users of data in the future. Zaccack: It's not just people connecting to send an [instant] message or chat or download an email. But now that they're connected, they're browsing. They're doing onboard shopping. They're doing video streaming. It's enabling applications, so the flight attendant on board can process orders much faster. That flight attendant can even do some operational data. There's talk about 'Why does the voice recorder have to be in a black box?' You go looking for it if anything happens. Why can't you just stream the voice and the video straight off the airplane? You only go look for the voice recorder or the data recorder for the last 10 seconds, or so, of the flight, if something happens, but you know exactly what happened throughout the entire flight. Imagine, for example, pilots using that huge bandwidth to track real-time flight-path weather data, for example. There's a lot of stuff that could be used that could be implemented using this additional bandwidth that will improve passenger experience, airline operational experience and safety. Skift: You just mentioned pilots, and we're talking about what all this means for passengers. But what about the flight crew and pilots, what are some other ways these satellites and improvements to in-flight connectivity will help them? What about in-flight advertising? Davis: That is a great point. Crew-related applications are important as well. It's not only things like having electronic manuals and that kind of stuff but things like being able to report ahead on catering supplies, any damage on board, anything like that that has to be done and being able to have a tool in the flight attendants' or the flight crews' hands to be able to report to the ground what's going on in-flight or what needs to be attended to once the aircraft lands. It's interesting you should [bring-up in-flight advertising]. We have a pretty active group here that sells in-flight advertising. You obviously have a captive audience on board the aircraft, and you have the ability to be able to target advertising to select individuals and select portions of the aircraft, or even in select seats. We think the opportunity's huge. There needs to be some improvements in data capture and data collection to better understand what ads are shown in-flight. How does that convert into sales on the ground? That data infrastructure is something we're working on building to make in-flight advertising even more appealing to advertisers. Definitely, things like sponsorships, where a given sponsor will sponsor live television or sponsor texting or things like that, are definite opportunities and things we've taken advantage of to date. You have a relatively affluent audience that you're targeting for fliers, so it's attractive to advertisers really around the world. Zaccack: In certain countries, we're seeing duty-free shopping being done now online as well. You're sitting in an airplane, you're entitled, you're authorized to do duty-free shopping. The airline no longer has to carry a cart with 500 pounds worth of goodies on it. You could just order it all and have it delivered to your home online. You don't have to carry liquids from one airport to another and have it thrown in the trash can on the way as you change airports. We're seeing some airlines actually pushing the limit right now, in terms of what you can do once you have that online connectivity. Skift: Virtual reality is gradually becoming the new darling of destination and hotel marketers. How are airlines responding and what kind of potential do you see there? Davis: Yeah. I think the opportunity's there. We've actually had inquiries from some international carriers about that. It's hard to say how far away it is, but I would think probably in the next two to four years you'll see some carriers around the world begin to introduce certain aspects of virtual reality into their in-flight entertainment product. I would say that we have gotten some interest from domestic carriers, but those who have expressed the most interest so far have been some of the big Middle Eastern airlines. Our biggest business today is offering content. It's not just content delivered via Wi-Fi, but it's content delivered manually, stored onboard, shown in seat-back systems and so forth. We really envision a world going forward where we can deliver new pieces of content, libraries of content, to airlines, to maritime customers, cruise ships, and so forth, electronically, across a global satellite network. Let's say whatever the latest movies and TV shows, or whatever, are, being able to upload that across the global satellite network and then down to our airline and maritime customers around the world. We see SES playing a key part in that in helping us construct and put together the satellite infrastructure and network to be able to do that. Skift: Cruises have experimented with O3b satellites because they help bring Wi-Fi to a moving ship in very remote waters. What's the conversation been like with airlines and O3b? Zaccack: There are applications where O3b makes sense, and there are applications where high throughput satellites make sense. If you're looking at delivering 500, 600 megabit, for example, to a ship and follow the ship around the world, like a cruise liner, an O3b beam dedicated to that, or an O3b beam dedicated to an aircraft carrier for the government, for example, is more appropriate. O3b is able to deliver 500 megabit, one gigabit per spot beam. Not all applications require that kind of bandwidth. Davis: Maybe one way to think about this from a layman's perspective is with the O3b, and I'm straying into Elias's turf, so I'll try to be careful. The O3b satellites operate at a medium-earth orbit, so they actually move, whereas the high throughput satellites are geostationary satellites that stay in one fixed place. When an airplane is traveling, what happens is our antenna on the top of the airplane keeps itself pointed at that fixed spot in the sky where the satellite is. If you have an airplane moving and the satellite moving, it's a more complicated pointing problem to be able to keep the thing pointed at the satellite. The O3b applications today, as Elias said, are more fixed-terrestrial or things like cruise ships that aren't flying at 550 miles an hour. I think in the future (2020 plus), the high-bandwidth speeds that you're getting from O3b, we would hope to be able to take advantage of in an aero environment as well, as antenna technology evolves and other things change. Skift: What do these new satellites mean for long-haul routes between the U.S. and Europe or Asia, for example, and how does this compare with your competitors? Zaccack: If you take a route like the one you mentioned between Western Europe and the U.S., we have a lot of capacity on that route. The route, for example, between South Africa and South America would have less capacity because there's less traffic going there. The global network that we have built is designed to accommodate the light-traffic routes as well as the hide-dense routes globally. We don't see that route becoming as dense as Western Europe to North America, but there'll be enough bandwidth to support that route. Davis: From [Global Eagle's] standpoint, we think having as a partner someone with a global satellite network and the latest generation of high-throughput satellites about to be launched and being built with launch slots set puts us on par or ahead of any other competitors out there. Not only can we offer the fastest service available, but we can offer services globally. We think we're at an advantage relative to the competitors that are out there. Skift: What do you think airlines are doing right to cover the costs of in-flight Wi-Fi, be it asking passengers to cover part of the costs or clever monetization partnerships-like what JetBlue and Virgin America have done? Why haven't many low-cost carriers adopted in-flight offerings? Davis: Different carriers have different philosophies about how they want to utilize in-flight Wi-Fi. Some carriers charge for it. Some carriers make it available for free. It's really an airline-by-airline choice. If you look domestically, [Global Eagle's] biggest customer is Southwest, and we think they've done a great job at a combination of a paid service but also a sponsored product. If you look at free live television on board Southwest aircraft, that's a sponsor product. The combination of us and them have worked together to find sponsors for that product. I think they've done an exceptional job at getting the mix right between a paid service and a sponsor service. I think what we are trying to do and what we are building here is a model that is robust enough to work under a variety of different models. Really, what's right is completely up to the carrier and how they position themselves in the market. You have an airline like Norwegian, which is a rapidly growing European carrier that's a customer of ours that offers it for free, and they make it a part of their product, free Wi-Fi. That's right for them. Others offer a paid service, which is right for them. We're just trying to position ourselves to service any model that an individual airline chooses to offer. Zaccack: I'm not convinced Ryanair and EasyJet have not provided in-flight entertainment or connectivity because they're budget airlines. Europe, in general, has been behind the rest of the world. As I mentioned earlier, only 7% of aircraft in Europe, on average, in fact, some numbers have put it at much less than that, have made any kind of decisions in terms of providing this connectivity and entertainment. Once Europe breaks out, and it will, I think the dynamics will change and airlines will have to compete and will have to provide services. I don't think it's limited to Ryanair and EasyJet. I think it's more Europe in general has not broken out yet. http://skift.com/2015/11/11/interview-the-future-of-truly-high-speed-in-flight-wi-fi/ Back to Top 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/ CHC Safety & Quality Summit Press Releases and Save the Date April 4-6, 2016 Vancouver, BC www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com 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