Flight Safety Information November 25, 2015 - No. 236 In This Issue Vanity Fair Aside, Airplane Maintenance Is Safe, And I Can Prove It Avian Radar Claims To Reduce Airplane Bird Strikes Passengers to FAA: Stop airlines from shrinking seats Ukraine bans Russia's airlines from crossing its airspace Great Lakes Airlines Asks For DOT Waiver FAA begins decommissioning VORs Mi-17 Accident (Afghanistan) B-737 Runway Excursion (Kyrgyzstan) PROS 2015 TRAINING Penguin Anti-Icing Tricks Hold Clue To Preventing Airplane Crashes Local aviation professor receives award Seven Embry-Riddle Students Receive NBAA Scholarships at Business Aviation Convention Airbus A320neo Receives Joint EASA and FAA Type Certification Graduate Research Survey Research Survey Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) Vanity Fair Aside, Airplane Maintenance Is Safe, And I Can Prove It By Chris Spafford, Partner Airplanes are demonstrably safe. But doubts among the public persist, as evidenced by a recent article in Vanity Fair that questioned the safety of aviation maintenance as airlines have outsourced work to shops outside the U.S. As a consultant to the aviation maintenance industry, I was pleased to see this topic raised in a prestigious publication. We entrust airlines with the safety of our most precious treasures: our lives and our families. It's critical to ask whether carriers are worthy of that trust. But I was disappointed the article failed to show that our commercial airline safety system is working. I've seen first-hand how the regulatory system operates, and I am certain that airplanes are safe. So certain, that I fly nearly every week, often with my wife and son. In 2014, there were 12 fatal accidents involving jet aircraft, with 641 fatalities worldwide, according to the International Air Transport Association. Those accidents are unacceptable and deserve scrutiny. Still, the global jet accident rate dropped to its lowest level ever last year, at one accident for every 4.4 million flights. You literally stand a better chance of getting struck by lightning (one in 960,000 according to the National Weather Service), attacked by a bear while visiting Yellowstone (one in 2.2 million according to the National Park Service), or ending up in the emergency room after a treadmill injury (24,400 incidents in 2014 according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.) In this photograph taken on November 10, 2014 SriLankan Airlines women technical staff carry out a refit of an Airbus A330 at the main international airport in Colombo. Sri Lanka has decided to build its own aircraft repair, maintenance and overall (MRO) facility targeting regional airlines after scrapping joint venture plans with a German company, officials said November 11, 2014. AFP PHOTO / LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI (Photo credit should read LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) Air travel is safe because airlines, maintenance bases, regulators, and airplane manufacturers work hard at it. The maintenance program for an airplane is designed by the manufacturer of the plane, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration. The maintenance companies that follow that program go through serious vetting processes, and the employees who carry out the work put their livelihood on the line every time they sign off on a task. Maintenance companies go through an arduous process to gain certification by the FAA, and then go through another vetting by the airlines before ever touching an aircraft. Many of these maintenance facilities are in foreign countries, where highly-trained employees work in new plants and use the latest technology. In many cases, the maintenance companies are spin-offs of air carrier maintenance operations, or airline joint ventures, and are among the most reputable in the business. Maintenance companies compete to win airline customers in large part by undergoing exhaustive quality reviews of their operations. These quality reviews are conducted by both airlines and the FAA itself. The self-reporting system is designed so everyone is responsible first and foremost for safety, and the number of incidents reported by airlines themselves dwarfs those found by FAA employees, including within the U.S. With quality control people from the airlines, as well as host country regulators, working on-site and observing the major maintenance facilities around the world, this extends the reach of FAA safety far beyond the U.S. borders. An FAA inspector may catch something on a surprise visit, but on-site airline employees will know the daily weaknesses of a facility and work collaboratively with the provider to rectify issues. Maintenance workers themselves have big incentive to do quality work. Maintenance must be done or overseen by an FAA licensed technician, who must personally sign off on the work. These technicians lose their livelihoods if they fail to follow procedures. Further, critical maintenance tasks require sign-off by two licensed technicians, meaning two people put their licenses on the line. There is also no economic incentive for a maintenance company to overlook issues. On the contrary, most maintenance companies make more money for performing more tasks. And in my experience, both airline and FAA audit history and performance analyses confirm that the quality out of third-party maintenance providers is on par with, and in many cases exceeds, an airline's internal capabilities. Airplanes are not delicate flowers. They are highly engineered machines with redundancies and fail safe characteristics, with conservative maintenance programs. Airplanes are designed to fly safely and reliably even if a part or a human fails. So, when I get on my airplane this week, I doubt I will give safety a second thought. Probably, I will have the same first-world concerns that you have: Finding a spot for my carry-on, negotiating armrest real estate with my seatmate, and selecting my personal entertainment. Let's add to the list: Thanking airline and maintenance, repair, and overhaul employees for a safe landing. Chris Spafford is a partner with Oliver Wyman's aviation practice in Dallas. Derek Costanza, a principal with Oliver Wyman, and Dave Marcontell, Greg Colgan, Jim Ballough, and Chris Doan, senior maintenance and certification experts with our CAVOK division, contributed to this article. http://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverwyman/2015/11/24/vanity-fair-aside-airplane-maintenance-is-safe- and-i-can-prove-it/2/ Back to Top Avian Radar Claims To Reduce Airplane Bird Strikes DENVER (CBS4) - Denver International Airport leads the country in the number of reported bird strikes involving aircraft. Several factors contribute to that distinction, including the size of the airport, wildlife patterns the number of flights and vigilant reporting of the strikes. That's according to Kendra Cross, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Birds at DIA (credit: CBS) Other airports are testing out bird - or avian - radar and CBS4 investigator Rick Sallinger wanted to know why DIA doesn't have it. When it comes to bird strikes, the most reknowned example was the so called, "Miracle on the Hudson." On board that frightening 2009 U.S. Airways flight were Karin and Chris Rooney of Colorado Springs. The water rose to their chests as they were rescued from the wing. Chris Rooney recently spoke of his reaction upon learning Canadian geese caused his plane to go down. "I couldn't believe it," he said. "You don't really hear about bird strikes bringing planes down obviously." CBS4 traveled to Seattle to see what may be the future in preventing bird-caused aviation catastrophes. Inside the communications center at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a goose call provides the sound of an avian radar alert. Operators demonstrated what happens when a bird issue is detected. Personnel are quickly dispatched to address the problem, sometimes with pyrotechnics to disperse the birds away from the air traffic. Evidence of the bird problem is stored in refrigeration. Wildlife Biologist Steve Osmek pulled out several large dead birds. "This is a bird strike, every one in the freezer is an aircraft struck bird," he said. CBS4's Rick Sallinger interviews Steve Osmek. (credit: CBS) The number of bird strikes has gone down since avian radar went active, according to Osmek. He says it has been beneficial in other ways. "Avian radar saved the airport over $6 million because it helped us identify a hazardous wildlife attractant but it showed us the way we mitigated a hazard was the right way to do it." He acknowledges this type of radar still has a ways to go, noting soon it will be three dimensional. Professor Ed Herricks at the University of Illinois is a leading expert on avian radar. When we asked Professor Herricks if avian radar has reduced the number of bird strikes at SeaTac, he told us, "I would say no because there has been no way to quantify that effect. There has certainly been an improved awareness of wildlife issues at SEA, due in part to the publicity the radar has received over the years." We asked Professor Herricks if avian radar would be beneficial to DIA and he told us, "any airport can benefit from a better understanding of bird movement dynamics on and around the airport." Osmek showed CBS4 a Red Tail Hawk that was captured during the visit. He explained the birds are often trapped and relocated as far as 80 miles away where they might find food more to their liking and then stay in that area. He referred to that as "the better restaurant theory." Bird Strikes Statistics The FAA statistics show Denver had 2,500 bird strikes reported since 2010. That compares to: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: 2,048 Chicago O'Hare International Airport: 1,365 LaGuardia Airport: 890 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: 635 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: 469 Kendra Cross's job is to make sure the birds and planes at DIA share the skies safely, but she has doubts about bird radar at DIA. "I think it could be useful for smaller aiports that don't have the operations numbers that Denver International has," she said. While other airports have been given the radar systems to test for free, DIA spokesperson Stacey Stegman says the airport would have to buy it. "We are not willing to pay millions of dollars and waste money for 'What if.' What we want is something proven. If it is out there and makes sense we want to talk to someone," Stegman said. This year, DIA reports it spent $1.3 million improving concrete trickle channels to improve water drainage and remove cattails near taxiways and runways. Spokesman Heath Montgomery wrote in an email to CBS4, "Since the improvements, wildlife strike incidents and activity have been reduced in those areas and wildlife activity will continue to be monitored. That's the kind of investment that makes the most sense for Denver. (Instead of) investing many millions of dollars in an unproven technology that has serious limitations for our airfield." Montgomery added, "We have a robust wildlife program that harasses tens of thousands of birds each year, we manage our property to mitigate wildlife and we have a better grasp of the persistent bird issues than radar could ever give us." http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/11/23/despite-being-no-1-for-bird-strike-reports-dia-isnt-using-bird- radar/ Back to Top Passengers to FAA: Stop airlines from shrinking seats Triple A predicts the number of people flying for Thanksgiving will climb to 3.6 million, but that's not the only reason you may discover planes feel more crowded. Over the last few years, the airlines have reduced capacity. Fewer flights mean the planes fly fuller. At the same time, many American carriers have found ways to squeeze in even more seats, reports CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave. In September, an engine that caught fire on a British Airways 777in Las Vegas caused an emergency evacuation. The FAA requires it happen in 90 seconds or less, even if half the exits are blocked. Beyond that, the agency does not set limits on how close rows of seats can be, but much of its research is done with seats 31 inches apart - the spacing used by several of the country's biggest carriers. While Jet Blue, Southwest and Virgin America offer the most space between rows, Allegiant, Frontier and Spirit offer the least, with as little as just 28 inches of space and seats that don't even recline. The amount of room you actually have to sit on has shrunk to as little as 16 inches wide on some airlines. "It you crowd more and more people together, bad things happen," said Paul Hudson, president of FlyersRights.org. In August, Hudson's group sent the FAA a petition with over 30,000 signatures supporting larger seats, asking the agency to stop carriers from making seats any smaller and to create minimum seat size standards. "It is a safety concern, particularly with evacuation that hasn't really been tested for these small spaces,." said Hudson. "It is a health concern for blood clots. It is a safety concern when people are having disagreements and fight about space." Hank Scott got frustrated with cramped flights, tiny seats and the time it took to board, so he helped invent a different kind of airline seat, currently being certified for use. He's named such seats "side-slip seats" because the middle seat is set back just enough for the aisle seat to slide it over, making more room in the aisle.The staggered layout also enables the seats to be bigger while not taking up additional space on the plane. The Trade Association representing the airlines tells "CBS This Morning" the seats are safe, and the FAA should let consumer decisions and competitions determine what is offered. It's worth pointing out those super discount carriers that have the smallest space between seats are among the most profitable in the business. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/passengers-to-faa-stop-airlines-from-shrinking-seats/ Back to Top Ukraine bans Russia's airlines from crossing its airspace Transit flights by Russian airlines through Ukrainian airspace will be banned, Ukraine's Prime Minister announced, a day after a Russian war plane was shot down by Turkey Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine on Wednesday banned all Russian airlines from crossing its airspace, the latest escalation between the two neighbours 19 months into a separatist war in the east of the former Soviet state. The announcement by Kiev's pro-Western government came only moments after Russia said it was once again halting gas shipments to energy-dependent Ukraine starting Thursday. The two measures not only underscore the acrimonious nature of the countries' relations but also highlight how difficult one of Europe's deadliest crises since the Balkans Wars of the 1990s may be to resolve. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told a televised cabinet meeting that the flight ban was justified because "Russia might use Ukrainian airspace to stage provocations". "This is an issue of our country's national security -- a response to the Russian Federation and its aggressive actions." Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Moscow of orchestrating and supporting the pro-Russian revolt in the east to avenge last year's ouster of Kiev's Kremlin-backed president and the new government's decision to align itself with the West. Kiev on October 25 barred most Russian airlines from flying into Ukraine -- a decision that prompted immediate reciprocal measures by Moscow. But President Petro Poroshenko's government had at the time allowed Russian airlines to cross Ukrainian airspace to other destinations. Yatsenyuk said the new decision came "in part as result of the escalation of the military and geopolitical situation". As Russia steps up its air campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, a shaky truce in eastern Ukraine is also being increasingly put to the test. The Ukrainian military said another soldier was killed in a new bout of clashes across the shattered war zone in the past 24 hours. Pro-Russian separatists soldiers withdraw their tanks from a position near the town of Novoazovsk in ... "Military activities have intensified," Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council said in a statement. Some analysts and politicians in Kiev accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of using the world's focus on his campaign in Syria as cover for launching a new phase in the Ukrainian war. Russia denies all involvement in a conflict that has killed more than 8,000 people, mostly civilians, and plunged Moscow's relations with the West to a post-Cold War low. Moscow has banned the import of most Western food products in response to sanctions imposed over its annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine last year. It has also restricted imports of many Ukrainian goods and is threatening a complete embargo on food imports from its neighbour to the west should Kiev joined a planned free trade alliance with the European Union on January 1. Russia's natural gas giant Gazprom has said it will stop shipping fuel supplies to Ukraine becau ... Russia's natural gas giant Gazprom had earlier Wednesday said it would stop shipping fuel supplies to Ukraine because Kiev had failed to make the required pre-payments on time. Gazprom boss Alexei Miller said Ukraine's state energy firm Naftogaz had used up all the gas it had paid for and "no new upfront payment has been made". The disruption is the second of its kind this year. Ukraine had already gone a full summer without making any purchases of Russian gas. Putin waded further into the dispute by pointing the finger of blame at the authorities in Ukraine for the ongoing power disruptions in Crimea. Nearly two million people in the strategic Black Sea peninsula have been without electricity -- almost all of it supplied by Ukraine -- since the weekend after its four main pylons were blown up. The disruption came during attempts by Crimea's ethnic minority Tatars and Ukrainian nationalists to blockade the region and prompt its forced return to the mainland. No one has claimed formal responsibility for the Crimean power outage. http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-bans-russian-airlines-airspace-112957083.html Back to Top Great Lakes Airlines Asks For DOT Waiver Great Lakes Airlines is asking the public to support an online waiver to have the Department of Transportation revise the co-pilots guidelines set by the Federal Aviation Administration after a plane crash killed 50 people. The investigation revealed pilot error caused the crash. It's been two years since Congress palled a law to cleanup the airline industry. And so far, the results for airports like North Platte's have been devastating. "Great Lakes took ten seats out of their nine seat airplane and have been flying in their nine seat configuration for the past year and a half now," said North Platte Airport Manager Mike Sharkey. The law which was enacted by Congress in 2013 requires co-pilots to hold an airline transport pilot certification that requires 1,500 hours total time as a pilot. Sharkey says the guidelines have led to a decrease in flights and revenue. "We've gone from over 10,000 enplanements and that means we would get a million dollars a year to use to improve and maintain our airport infrastructure. Since this law came out we've gone down to 4,400 enplanements. So it's been very difficult for the public to support Great Lakes and use our airport," Sharkey said. Which is why he is asking the public to give their comments to the Department of Transportation. "And you can leave public comment about what this law has done, what it has done to our air service, and make a plea to DOT to grant the waiver," Sharkey said. http://www.knopnews2.com/home/headlines/Great-Lakes-Airlines-Asks-For-DOT-Waiver-- 353297221.html Back to Top FAA begins decommissioning VORs By Elizabeth A Tennyson The FAA has received investment approval for the first phase of its plan to decommission lesser-used VORs and has announced a list of the first 35 VORs to be cut as part of a plan to create a minimum operational network (MON) that will serve as a backup to ensure aircraft can land safely in the event of a widespread satellite navigation outage. The list of VORs slated for decommissioning includes some sites that will be among 74 VORs set to be removed from service in the next five years during the first phase of the project. Others on the list won't be decommissioned until the second phase, which is set to begin in 2020 and will involve decommissioning another 234 VORs over a five-year period. AOPA has been actively engaged in the process since 2011 when the FAA first announced plans to begin taking VORs out of service. Initial proposals involved decommissioning approximately 500 VORs. But, as a member of several task force groups considering the plan, AOPA consistently argued to keep a larger network of active VORs in place and to spread the decommissioning process over a longer period of time. As a result, the number of VORs to be decommissioned was reduced to 308 and the number of "safe landing airports"-those within 100 nautical miles of an airport with a VOR or ILS instrument approach procedure that does not require GPS, radar coverage, DME, or ADF-was increased from 145 to 189. "We wanted to be sure that the process of setting up a minimum operational network could be done in a way that would ensure safety and give pilots adequate time to make the transition," said Rune Duke, AOPA director of airspace and air traffic. "We've worked closely with the FAA to make sure the real-world needs of general aviation pilots were considered and we'll continue to be engaged as the process moves forward." The FAA currently owns and operates 957 VORs in the continental United States. An additional 100 nonfederal VORs are in operation around the country, but are not part of the effort to create a minimum operational network. The minimum operational network program will leave two-thirds of the federal network in place. Included in the list of VORs to be decommissioned are 12 VORs, 155 VOR/DMEs, and 141 vortacs. The majority are located in the eastern and central regions of the United States. In the case of VOR/DMEs and vortacs, the DME and TACAN portions of the units will be left in place to facilitate RNAV requirements. The safe landing airports, also called minimum operational network airports, were selected for their geographical locations and the available instrument approaches. Together, the airports have 340 VOR and ILS approach procedures for runways as short as 4,000 feet and as long as almost 15,000 feet. The VORs that make up the minimum operational network will have a service volume of 77 nautical miles at 5,000 feet agl, but will need to be flight checked. The removal process has already begun for some VORs, with the first cancellation expected in June 2016. The FAA is also planning to place a notice in the Federal Register in early 2016 that will list all 308 VORs proposed for decommissioning and allow public comments. By the time the minimum operational network is complete, approximately 950 VOR instrument approach procedures will be canceled, and the FAA will need to make approximately 7,700 chart revisions to reflect the changes over the next 10 years. "The FAA and others will need to coordinate carefully to ensure that this process is completed safely in ways that won't have negative effects on aircraft operations," said Duke. "And though the process may be challenging, eliminating some of these conventional navaids will free up resources for the FAA to invest in performance-based navigation procedures that are not only less costly to maintain but also provide pilots with greater efficiency, accuracy, and flexibility." http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2015/November/24/FAA-begins-decommissioning-VORs Back to Top Mi-17 Accident (Afghanistan) Date: 24-NOV-2015 Time: Type: Mil Mi-17-1V Owner/operator: Valan International Cargo Charter Registration: ER-MGM C/n / msn: 96621 Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 21 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Unknown Location: N Afghanistan, Faryab province - Afghanistan Phase: Combat Nature: Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: The Moldovan registered civil Mi-17 transport helicopter based in Mazar-I-Sharif was operating a scheduled transport mission with 3 crew members and 18 Afghan personnel. At approximately 15:30 local Afghanistan time a "MAYDAY" call was received from the helicopter crew, informing that the helicopter had been hit. An emergency landed was carried out with the helicopter on fire. Media reports suggest 3 persons were killed and the remaining were captured by militants. The helicopter was owned by Valan International Cargo Charter, and flown under contract with Aircraft Charter Solutions, UAE, for the prime contractor of United States Government. The helicopter was providing civil airlift support for Afghan National Security Forces. http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=181708 Back to Top B-737 Runway Excursion (Kyrgyzstan) Status: Preliminary Date: Sunday 22 November 2015 Time: 07:58 Type: Boeing 737-3Y0 Operator: Avia Traffic Company Registration: EX-37005 C/n / msn: 24681/1929 First flight: 1990-09-25 (25 years 2 months) Engines: 2 CFMI CFM56-3B1 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 148 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 153 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Osh Airport (OSS) ( Kyrgyzstan) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Bishkek-Manas International Airport (FRU/UAFM), Kyrgyzstan Destination airport: Osh Airport (OSS/UAFO), Kyrgyzstan Flightnumber: YK768 Narrative: A Boeing 737-300 operated by Avia Traffic Company sustained substantial damage in a runway excursion accident at Osh Airport (OSS), Kyrgyzstan. Flight YK768 originated from Krasnoyarsk Airport (KJA), Russia. Poor visibility at the destination of Osh in Kyrgyzstan forced the crew to diverted to Bishkek, where it landed at 05:20 hours. After improvement of visibility at Osh, the aircraft continued to the destination. Upon landing the aircraft reportedly suffered a runway excursion. The left hand main landing gear and no.1 engine broke off. Osh has a single runway 12/30. Runway 12 offers ILS CAT I approaches. Landing distances available are 2612 m for runway 12 and 2812 m for runway 30. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20151122-0 Back to Top Back to Top Penguin Anti-Icing Tricks Hold Clue To Preventing Airplane Crashes Penguins cannot fly, but they have a remarkable ability to not get frozen by the extremely cold water which they often hop in and out of, a new study revealed. The discovery could help in preventing airplanes from crashing. Penguins are flightless birds, and yet, these animals hold the clue in helping humans fly planes more safely, a new study revealed. The ability of penguins to live and survive in environments where the temperature could drop to -135 degrees Fahrenheit might be the key in preventing airplanes from crashing, according to researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). UCLA researcher and Engineering Professor Pirouz Kavehpour said his interest in penguins was piqued while watching a nature documentary. Antarctic penguins or Gentoo penguins could habitually hop in and out of extremely cold water without freezing. These animals manage to keep ice from coating their wings and feathers, and this made Kavehpour curious. From then on, Kavehpour, along with Judy St. Leger and other experts, conducted a thorough study on Antarctic penguins. The team utilized a scanning electron microscopy to examine penguin feathers which were donated by SeaWorld San Diego. Researchers found that these penguin feathers contained tiny pores that trap air and make the surface of the feather repel water incredibly. The penguins apply oil, which is produced by a gland near the base of their tail, to their feathers. These remarkable attributes make penguins superhydrophobic. On surfaces that are superhydrophobic, water droplets bead up and sit on the surface like spheres, experts said. The principle can also be found in the leaves of the lotus plant. Kavehpour and his colleagues said that the sphere-like geometry enable ice formation to be delayed, especially because heat cannot flow out of the water droplet if the droplet itself does not make contact with the surface. "Heat flow could be compared to traffic. If you have a freeway that turns into a tiny, two-lane road, the traffic will back up," explained Kavehpour. He said that heat does not flow well from the large cross- section of the middle of the water droplet to the small cross-section where the droplet supposedly makes contact with the feather surface. The team compared the feathers of Gentoo penguins to the feathers of penguins that live in much warmer climates. They found that the latter do not have the small pores that Antarctic penguins have, and these warmer climate penguins use a different kind of oil which does not repel water. Researchers believe that Antarctic penguins' anti-icing tricks could be applied in designing airplanes. If there is ice on the wings of an airplane, rudder and flaps can change the aerodynamic properties of the plane and eventually cause it to crash. Lots of time and money is spent to put chemical de-icers to planes which fly during winter, but if scientists find a way to make the surface of planes superhydrophobic, the cost may be reduced, and the planes could become longer-lasting and more environmentally friendly, researchers said. The study, entitled "Ice Formation Delay on Penguin Feathers," was presented at the 68th annual meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics in Boston, Massachusetts. http://www.techtimes.com/articles/110047/20151125/penguin-anti-icing-tricks-hold-clue-to-preventing- airplane-crashes.htm Back to Top Local aviation professor receives award Plainfield resident Randy DeMik, a Lewis University professor of aviation and transportation, was presented the Frank E. Sorenson Award at the annual University Aviation Association Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. The national award is given to an educator who makes substantial scholarly contributions to the field of aviation research and scholarship comparable to the scope of research, scholarship and publications attained by Frank E. Sorenson. The aviation education pioneer contributed texts to the field and expanded aviation education, research and scholarship while serving as director of the University of Nebraska Aviation Education Research Group. He died in 1977. In 2011, DeMik received the John K. Lauber Award for Aviation Safety. His published research focuses on aviation safety. Most recently, the Plainfield resident coauthored an article entitled, "Cross- sectional Assessment of Safety Culture Perceptions and Safety Behavior in Collegiate Aviation Programs in the United States" in the summer edition of "International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace." http://buglenewspapers.com/local-aviation-professor-receives-award Back to Top Seven Embry-Riddle Students Receive NBAA Scholarships at Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition NBAA Scholarship Winner John Sami (fourth from left), a senior studying aeronautics at Prescott, was one of seven Embry-Riddle students who received scholarships during the 2015 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students collected seven of the 14 National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) scholarships presented on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at the NBAA's Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas. The NBAA Charities Scholarship Program distributes nearly $200,000 each year. UAA Janice K. Barden Aviation Scholarship The Barden Scholarship is named for the founder of Aviation Personnel International, who has been active in the aviation community for decades and has served as the local committee chair of NBAA's Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition. This year's recipient: * John Sami, a senior at the Prescott, Ariz., campus, is studying aeronautics with a triple minor in aviation business administration, aviation science and security/intelligence. Alan H. Conklin Business Aviation Management Scholarship This scholarship honors the memory of Al Conklin, a U.S. Air Force veteran, business aviation leader and member of NBAA's Operations Committee. This year's recipient: * Leonard Nalbone, a senior at the Worldwide Campus, is majoring in aviation business administration. He is a commercial pilot as well as an airframe and powerplant technician. Nalbone has been partner and general manager at Jamestown Aviation Company LLC in Jamestown, N.Y., since 2006. William M. Fanning Maintenance Scholarship The Fanning Scholarship recognizes individuals who are studying to enter the field of business aviation maintenance. It is named in honor of retired NBAA staff member William Fanning, who was active in maintenance issues during his nearly 20-year tenure at the association. This year's recipient: * Erica McConnell, asenior at the Daytona Beach, Fla., campus, is majoring in aviation maintenance science. She has been awarded the Embry-Riddle Women of Excellence Scholarship from 2011 to the present. Most recently she worked at Yelvington Jet Aviation in Daytona Beach as a customer service representative. Lawrence Ginocchio Aviation Scholarship The Ginocchio Scholarship was created in 2001 by NBAA Charities, along with the family and friends of the late Lawrence Ginocchio, to honor his outstanding personal contributions to business aviation. This year's recipients: * Madeline Kuhn, a junior at the Prescott Campus, is majoring in aviation business administration. She worked for the Civil Air Patrol, the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, from 2010 to 2014. Most recently she was an intern with Textron Aviation's Aftermarket Sales Operations. * Michael Mascari, a senior at the Daytona Beach Campus, is majoring in unmanned aircraft systems science. He has worked as an unmanned systems risk management intern at AIG Aerospace. * Francisco Felipe Pastrana, a junior at the Daytona Beach Campus, is majoring in aerospace engineering with a minor in flight. He is a private pilot with an instrument rating and commercial, single- engine and multi-engine certifications. Eddie Queen Business Aviation Management Scholarship Along with Signature Flight Support, NBAA Charities created this scholarship to honor the memory of Eddie Queen, a Signature Flight Support line service technician for 58 years. This year's recipient: * Anna Romer, a senior at the Worldwide Campus, is majoring in aviation maintenance management with a minor in aviation safety. She is a private pilot and airframe and powerplant technician with an inspection authorization. The NBAA Charities Scholarship Program, supported by NBAA member donors, offers nearly $100,000 annually in cash awards as tuition reimbursement for enrolled students and nearly the same amount in monetary and training awards for working professionals in business aviation, including pilots, flight and maintenance technicians, schedulers, dispatchers and flight attendants. For more information, go to www.nbaa.org/scholarships. NBAA Media Contact: Dan Hubbard, Senior Vice President of Communications; (202) 783-9360; dhubbard@nbaa.org. About the National Business Aviation Association Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, D.C., the National Business Aviation Association is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The NBAA represents more than 10,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, the world's largest civil aviation trade show. For more information, go to www.nbaa.org. http://news.erau.edu/top-news/seven-embry-riddle-students-receive-nbaa-scholarships-at-business- aviation-convention-exhibition#sthash.I45R0Lde.dpuf Back to Top Airbus A320neo Receives Joint EASA and FAA Type Certification The Airbus A320neo has received today the joint Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), clearing the path for the initial deliveries of the aircraft to its customers. Both type certifications were granted to the A320neo powered by Pure Power PW1100G-JM engines produced by Pratt & Whitney, engine division of United Technologies Corp. The A320neo with CFM engines will be certified in the coming months, the A321neo and A319neo in both engines variants will follow suit. According to the manufacturer, the three flight test aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney engines accumulated over 1,070 flight hours in some 350 flights. Interestingly, 300 flight hours were completed with the same aircraft in an airline-like environment, intended to assure operational maturity at entry into service. "This double seal of approval represents a great achievement for Airbus. It recognizes the hard work performed by all the teams at Airbus and Pratt & Whitney. It demonstrates the A320neo is meeting all requirements," said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO. "The A320neo is now cleared for its first delivery and ready to offer many airlines its winning combination of unbeatable economics and outstanding cabin comfort." The 'neo' or 'new engine option' is an upgrade of Airbus popular single aisle family which also includes other enhancements intended to improve fuel efficiency and range of the plane. According to Airbus, the A320neo should be 15% more efficient than the current engine option or 'ceo'. Airbus builds the A320 in production plants in France, Germany and China, and last September inaugurated a new Final Assembly Line in Mobile, Alabama, to serve the North American market. The airframer is readying a major production ramp up of its A320 family aircraft, intended to satisfy the growing single-aisle demand in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and China. The Airbus order book at the end of October showed a backlog of 5,466 A320 family aircraft in both ceo and neo types. Airbus has promised to deliver the first of the A320neos this year. Qatar Airways is the lead operator of the new plane. http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2015/11/24/airbus-a320neo-receives-joint-easa-and-faa-type- certification/ Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Dear Colleagues, I am a mature part time student at City University in London, in the final stages of completing my (self funded) Masters Degree in 'Air Safety Management'. As a part of my degree I have chosen to undertake a study on the constructs surrounding the current approach to 'Airworthiness and Safety orientated Expositions (AOC and Continuing Airworthiness), Repair Station Manuals, Processes, Procedures and Forms we all have to use, and show compliance with, in our day to day working lives. I appreciate that you will more than likely have been asked to take part in such surveys previously, and, as a consequence, are probably a little ambivalent to completing this one. However, my plan is to under take one-to-one' interviews with Business Leaders, consider ideas derived from the theories of and discussions with academics and, finally, my own forty plus years experience in the industry to establish if there is a case for the rationalisation and definition of a symbiotic relationship between commercial 'Business Management Systems' and 'Safety / Regulatory Governance'. Ultimately to see if there is a common Business Management System framework that can support both Safety and Commercial related needs without the need for multiple, oftentimes contradictory, documents. Something we all should find useful. If you would like to find out more about me, or have a particular interest in the subject and would like to discuss the matter further, please look for me on LinkedIn. Thanks Peter Gidlow https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PGidlow-MScSurvey1 Back to Top Research Survey Dear Aviation Colleagues, ***Survey Link https://purdue.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8nOzSNWYbDGqIsJ ***(copy directly into web browser if link does not work).*** My name is Tyler Spence. I am a PhD student at Purdue University working with Dr. Mary Johnson in the Purdue School of Aviation and Transportation Technology. In the survey that follows, we are seeking input on flight data analysis that may be derived from aircraft with flight data monitoring capabilities like the Garmin G1000, Avidyne Entegra, or Aspen Evolution 1000. We are seeking your input on how we can use metrics, methods, and prototype graphs to improve safety from GA pilots' perspectives. This effort is a part of an FAA-sponsored research project that is exploring ways to improve General Aviation safety performance using flight data. More specifically, our goal is to develop innovative techniques to analyze and present flight data in ways that are useful and meaningful to GA pilots and operators. We are seeking feedback from anyone who uses the GA system including pilots, maintenance personnel, flight instructors, pilot examiners, aircraft owners (individual or fleet), flight data analysts, and administrators. The survey comprises two main sections: 1) Opinions of flight data monitoring and the use of a national database. This part of the survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. 2) Potential flight analysis graphs and figures that could be included in the application tool. This part of the survey should take about 30 minutes to complete. You are free to not answer any questions, and stop participation in the survey at any time. No personally identifiable information will be collected. All answers reported in analysis will only be in aggregate without any connection to you on any response you may provide. Thank you very much for your participation on this survey. Your responses are greatly appreciated and will hopefully help the aviation industry improve the GA safety record. If you have any questions regarding this survey or the information contained within, please feel free to contact the researchers directly at either spence5@purdue.edu or mejohnson@purdue.edu. Back to Top Upcoming Events: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Seminar (ERAU) Dec. 8-10, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/uas Gulf Flight Safety Council(GFSC) - Safety Summit December 9-10, 2016 Dubai, UAE www.gfsc.aero 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 6th European Business Aviation Safety Conference 2016 February 23-24, 2016 Frankfurt, Germany www.ebascon.eu 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 | Back to Basics: Prioritizing Safety in a Challenging Economy 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: Position Available: Airline Safety Manager - Investigation (Engineering) Cathay Pacific https://career10.successfactors.com/career?_s.crb=Q%252ffWkAOt5SsrsXlBnG3GK%252bmGYsU%253d Auditors Needed Wyvern Consulting, Ltd James.nicoletti@wyvernltd.com Curt Lewis