Flight Safety Information November 30, 2015 - No. 239 In This Issue FAA to Propose Safety Fixes for Certain Boeing and Embraer Jets Boeing - 777 Engine Failure (Japan) FAA rules may hover over drone hobbyists Plane diverted as emergency declared onboard after taking off from Turkey Why do so many people hate US airports? Arabic graffiti found on easyJet aircraft in Paris Toy Drones Are Serious Risk to Aircraft: Aerospace Firm Windshield shatters on American Airlines jet to JFK forces emergency landing China's 'Flying Phoenix' Jet Set to Take Off, but Turbulent Path Lies Ahead PROS 2015 TRAINING Last Boeing C-17 built in Long Beach takes flight Glider pilots aim for the stratosphere Google, Facebook in race to build high-altitude aircraft Vistara inducts ninth aircraft in fleet easyJet now lets you track your plane 3 hours before your flight New Co-chairs for Flight Safety Foundation Business Advisory Committee Embry-Riddle Prescott Campus' Robertson Safety Institute Partners with Flight Research Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) FAA to Propose Safety Fixes for Certain Boeing and Embraer Jets U.S. agency's proposal affects Boeing 737, Embraer 170 and 190 On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration will propose mandatory inspections of certain 737s and Embraer SA 170 and 190 regional jets. By ANDY PASZTOR U.S. aviation regulators on Monday will propose mandatory inspections and, if necessary, replacement of suspect parts on nearly 1,600 jetliners to prevent potentially catastrophic failures. The pair of proposed Federal Aviation Administration safety directives, related to certain Boeing Co. and Embraer SA jets and slated to be formally published Monday in the Federal Register, are unusual because they are each intended to counter a single defect that can result in such a serious problem. Most essential systems on commercial jets have backups, so a single-point failure or malfunction can't cause a crash. In both of the documents, however, the FAA says a single defective type of component has the potential to immediately end safe flight. The agency isn't ordering immediate fixes, however, which means officials have determined the hazards aren't imminent and don't require emergency action. The FAA is moving to require U.S. operators of certain versions of the popular Boeing 737 model to check for possible corrosion of attachments for the horizontal stabilizer, part of the tail section. According to the agency, because of a manufacturing mistake that left some parts without the necessary protective finish to guard against corrosion, certain bushings can crack. That can result in structural failure and possibly "departure of the horizontal stabilizer from the airplane," according to the FAA, "which can lead to loss of continued safe flight." The proposed directive covers some 1,400 of the 737 models, beginning with the 737-600 version and a number of later variants. The FAA document indicates the problem was discovered after production of the affected stabilizers and the agency wants airlines to detect and correct possible structural cracks. A separate proposed mandate, applying to airliners manufactured by Brazil's Embraer, the world's third- largest plane maker behind Boeing and Airbus Group SE, covers a total of 197 twin-engine Embraer 170 and 190 regional jet models. The FAA has determined that certain defective valves, prone to cracking, could "result in dual engine in- flight shutdown" on the affected aircraft. The agency envisions giving U.S. carriers three months to comply with some of the mandates. Both manufacturers raised the safety issues previously in separate safety bulletins. Last year Brazilian air- safety regulators mandated some of the fixes, but didn't include certain 170 models in their order. Pending public comment, the FAA now wants to make all of the previous voluntary fixes mandatory for U.S. operators while expanding beyond Brazil's directive. Foreign airlines and regulators typically follow the FAA's lead. The agency's proposals don't mention any accidents or incidents stemming from the manufacturing defects. http://www.wsj.com/articles/faa-to-propose-safety-fixes-for-certain-boeing-and-embraer-jets- 1448754141 Back to Top Boeing - 777 Engine Failure (Japan) Date: 29-NOV-2015 Time: 17:25 JST Type: Boeing 777-281 Owner/operator: All Nippon Airways ANA Registration: JA712A C/n / msn: 33407/495 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 387 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: near Fukuoka Airport (FUK/RJFF) - Japan Phase: Initial climb Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Fukuoka Airport (FUK/RJFF) Destination airport: Tokyo/Haneda International Airport (HND/RJTT) Narrative: All Nippon Airways' Boeing 777-281, operated as ANA/NH264 from Fukuoka to Tokyo/Haneda returend to Fukuoka due to No.1 engine failure. NH264 took off from the runway 16 of Fukuoka at 17:22. At the altitude of 9000 ft in the initial climb at 17:25, the EGT of the left engine was increased. The pilots shut down that engine, and a safe landing on the runway 16 of Fukuoka was carried out at 17:45. The runway was closed for 6 minutes until 17:51, and 20 other commercial flights were affected in their schedule. Nobody was hurt. Passengers reported a loud bang and fire from the engine in trouble. http://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=181808 Back to Top FAA rules may hover over drone hobbyists An estimated 400,000 gift-given drones are expected to soar - some of them only briefly, no doubt - into the skies this holiday season. Bracing for the potential onslaught of unmanned aircraft controlled by legions of drone-operating newbies, the Federal Aviation Administration is scrambling to enact guidelines before those packages are unwrapped and their contents sent aloft. An FAA task force released a list of recommendations this past Monday to better monitor recreational use of drones. If the recommendations are adopted, drone owners flying aircraft between about a half-pound and 55 pounds would have to register for inclusion in a national database. The FAA already has a registration system in place for drones used for commercial purposes. "This is a crucial time for public policy concerning drones," said Douglas Johnson, vice president of technology policy at the Consumer Technology Association, the group that issued the 400,000-drone estimate. Drone operator Mike Cairns of Powell puts it this way: "It's kind of been like the wild, wild West." * * * Aficionados of radio-controlled aircraft acknowledge that if implemented intelligently, regulations could help safeguard the public without infringing upon their hobby. But new owners, they said, must realize that many drones are not harmless toys and must be piloted responsibly. "If you're over (Interstate) 270 or something and it decides to fall out of the sky, that's an issue," said Stu Gray, co-owner of Cyclone Hobbies on the North Side. Strip away the term "drone" and in most cases, you're talking about something that hobbyists have known as a radio-controlled quadcopter - a helicopter with four rotors. Hobbyists have been building and flying quadcopters for years, Gray said. Traditionally, pilots of radio- controlled aircraft have been passionate about the hobby, tend to self-police, and know the risks both to planes and people on the ground. Technological advances, including GPS navigation, have opened drones up to a much larger, often uninformed audience. "They've gotten to the point where there's little or no skill required" to get them airborne, Gray said. There is some skill needed to keep them there, though. "They take off, and then they don't know what to do," he said. New operators might skip essential steps such as calibrating the drone before flying it. Failure to do that can mean the drone misinterprets "home" and simply flies out of sight and goes down whenever and wherever the battery dies. The FAA has received hundreds of complaints in the past two years about drones endangering planes, interfering with wildland firefighters, and entering secure airspace. In Ohio, a drone was used to drop drugs into a state prison yard. Another crashed into a Cincinnati skyscraper, and the Columbus police helicopter unit reported a drone flying over the throngs of people Downtown to celebrate Red, White and Boom in July. Lt. Greg Estep, who oversees the helicopter unit, said that incident fortunately has remained an aberration. His pilots rarely spot drones, but he is among those who see the need for some control of them, primarily a ban on flying high enough to encounter planes and helicopters. "In other cities, they've had problems with drones off of runways," Estep said. "People should have the ability to fly them. They're fun to fly. We just need to limit the ceiling" and implement no-fly zones. * * * Drones have been used commercially for years, and the government already has guidelines for such uses. Amazon's proposal to deliver packages with drones might have grabbed the most attention, but there are myriad commercial applications. Roofers use them to check shingles. Real estate agents provide aerial video of properties for sale. Companies fly drones to check power lines, bridges and cellular towers. Other uses are less weighty. In a promotion for its turkey sliders held earlier this month, White Castle allowed select customers to drop the burgers at earthbound targets from a drone named the Crave Copter in a bid to win prizes. The drone was owned by Cairns' Powell-based business, Infinite Impact. "There are so many things that can be done" with drones, he said. "In terms of commercial applications, I think we very much are on the leading edge of a growing industry," said Michael Braasch, an Ohio University electrical engineering professor and aviation researcher. "The proliferation that they're talking about this holiday season is certainly of the hobbyist variety." A gift-given drone likely will be on the cheaper side and "isn't going to do much more than be a temporary amusement to whoever is flying it," Braasch said. "You've got to have a bit of higher-end unit in order to do anything that's, shall we say, practical." A common thread running through many commercial uses is the ability to take pictures and shoot stable video footage. Drones capable of that tend to run about $1,000 or more. At Cyclone Hobbies, Gray first asks what a buyer plans to do with a drone. If they are interested primarily in having fun, drones the size of a drink coaster can be bought for as low as $50 and are an affordable way to learn the skills needed to fly much larger, pricier aircraft, he said. * * * The regulations proposed by the FAA task force would require owners of drones weighing between about a half-pound and 55 pounds to register. They would need to either place their registration number on each drone they fly, or provide the FAA with the serial number for each craft. Registration would be free, but anyone who fails to do so would face possible fines. Critics said the low end of the weight limit is too strict. "Unfortunately, the task force recommendations ultimately might prove untenable by requiring the registration of smaller devices that are essentially toys and do not represent safety concerns," said Dave Mathewson, executive director of the Academy of Model Aeronautics, the world's largest model aviation association. The FAA is expected to act upon the recommendations next month. The task force report did not address whether any current drone owners might be grandfathered in. Drones also have caught the eye of the Ohio legislature. A bill sponsored by Rep. John Barnes Jr., D- Cleveland, seeks to regulate their use near airports and require certain records to be kept by drone retailers. Barnes said he has safety and security concerns about drones. "We really need to look at it and come up with some practical, non-restrictive-on-the-sport-type requirements to protect the public interest," he said. Braasch suspects the fear that drones will be put to a host of nefarious uses is overblown. "If bad people had wanted to do bad things with remotely operated vehicles, they would have done it by now," he said. He is surprised that privacy concerns aren't being talked about more. Somebody should not be allowed to hang a drone 10 feet above your house and then say, Hey, it's federal airspace, I can fly here, he said. "That issue really has not been addressed yet. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/11/30/faa-rules-may-hover-over-drone- hobbyists.html Back to Top Plane diverted as emergency declared onboard after taking off from Turkey A TURKISH Airlines flight has been diverted across Germany today after an emergency reportedly unfolded on board. A Turkish Airlines flight has been diverted due to an 'emergency' Flight TK1617 from Istanbul to Frankfurt was diverted to the German airport of Nuremberg. The website stated that the Boeing 737-800 airliner had reported an "emergency". It is not yet known what the nature of the problem is. Photographs posted on social media showed emergency services lining up on the tarmac at Nuremberg airport ahead of the plane's landing. Several police cars and fire engines can be seen in the pictures with their emergency lights on. http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/623058/Turkish-airlines-Istanbul-Frankfurt-Nuremberg-emergency Back to Top Why do so many people hate US airports? Travellers in a long check-in line at LaGuardia Airport in 2015 Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel periods in the US, with millions criss-crossing the country, often by air, to get home for their family dinner - and back again a couple of days later. But air travellers in the US often find the experience frustrating enough to voice bitter complaints. What went wrong? The Wright Brothers may have given birth to modern aviation on a beach at Kitty Hawk, but US airports these days are far from world-beating. They are consistently outshone by their Asian rivals in world rankings. Singapore's Changi Airport, one of the world's busiest, boasts butterfly, orchid and cactus gardens where travellers can while away the time before their flight - for the past three years it has taken the top spot in a survey of 13 million passengers conducted by the Skytrax consultancy group. South Korea's Incheon, which has an ice-skating rink and a golf-driving range, Hong Kong airport and Tokyo's Haneda also feature in the top five this year. Munich is the only European entry. The highest-ranked American airport - Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky - is number 30. San Francisco and Atlanta are the only other US airports in the top 50. Changi was opened in 1981 - its butterfly garden has a waterfall and about 1,000 butterflies The site of LaGuardia Airport has been used as an airfield since 1929 Exasperated Americans have dedicated entire blogs to a whole array of airport gripes, cataloguing everything from crowded terminals and immigration halls to inefficient transport links and endless security checks. Brett Snyder, author of the Cranky Flier, says the lack of space at US airports "drives [him] nuts... they were designed for a different era". Patrick Smith of Ask the Pilot blog, says that with scattered exceptions major airports in the US are "incredibly noisy, dirty, and just generally user-unfriendly". He goes on: "Our security protocols are needlessly tedious, and the connection process for passengers arriving from overseas is horrendously time-consuming. All passengers arriving from other countries are required to clear immigration, re-check their bags, and undergo the Transport Security Administration rigmarole, even if they're merely in transit to a third country." Sixty-seven percent of people who fly out of America arrive at a better airport, hthe Economist estimated last year, after delving into data on more than a million flights. Bloomberg meanwhile last year launched an annual Airport Frustration Index to record the "most irritating place to catch a plane" in the US and Canada. New York's frequently-lambasted LaGuardia Airport, which Vice President Joe Biden said "feels like it's in some Third World country", currently holds the top spot. It was first used as an airfield in 1929 and is to be completely overhauled by 2021. The city's other two main airports - Newark and JFK - also appear in the Frustration Index's top five. Newark gets a mention in Gizmodo's list of the worst airports in 2014 too. It's "dirty, smells bad, has the worst food options, the pay-only wi-fi is actually still horrifically slow", says a contributor called Syngine. Roughly one in four flights at a NYC airport is delayed, according to Global Gateway Alliance, which is working to improve the region's transport links. Not that other major airports get off lightly. "The worst six hours of my life was spent at LAX trying to get to a different terminal," says another Gizmodo contributor, Casoska, referring to Los Angeles International Airport. Atlanta, the busiest airport in the world, is "huge, confusing and often jam-packed with people", according to Moe Khalel who contributed to a Freakonomics article. And Miami is "complete hell", says Ken in the same report - "lines are long (and slow), it is very crowded, immigration is slow, and it has a faint smell of mold everywhere." Travel consultant Ben Schlappig, who flies about 400,000 miles a year - more than 1,000 miles per day - agrees that JFK is "horrendous" and that LaGuardia's main terminal is "a mess" but also draws attention to Washington Dulles airport, which comes third in Bloomberg's Frustration Index. It was "built as a temporary facility 40 years ago" he says. "It's essentially trailers and you get ancient moon buggies to immigration." Passengers are transported between terminals in 'buggies' at Washington Dulles Kevin Burke, the North American President of the Airports Council International (ACI) accepts that US airports have an image problem. "We are the leaders in aviation and have some of the safest airports in the world, but we've also got some of the oldest, which are expensive to maintain. The average US airport is 40 years old, and when our youngest hub airport, Denver, has just turned 20, you know infrastructure needs to be better," he says. But Burke says it isn't always easy to give airports a makeover. Development is predominately managed by cities, regions and local government, and there is a "whole slew of restrictions on how projects can be financed", he says. One way to improve airports, he argues, would be to raise the federally mandated Passenger Facility Charge which airlines add to fares. This has been capped at $4.50 (£3) since 2001 - but the domestic airline industry is against an increase. Flight departure displays indicate delayed or cancelled fights at Philadelphia International Airport during winter storm in 2014 Aviation consultant Mike Boyd also argues some of the criticism of US airports is unfair. "Most of these Asian terminals are only 15 years old - of course ours are going to look a bit dowdy," he says. "They might not wow people with artwork, but they were built before security became a big issue, when only 40 people waited at a gate and airlines had their own terminals, and the fact is, they are still able to process people in and out very quickly and do a good job." It also irritates him that LaGuardia is frequently seen as synonymous with the entire US. "Yes LaGuardia has its problems. It would be great to build a high speed rail [into New York] but it's prohibitively expensive. But New York is not the centre of the universe. We are making investments in US airports. Airports like those in Detroit and Flint, Michigan match any in the world," he says. San Francisco International Airport was been named the best airport in North America for customer service by Skytrax San Francisco was named the best US airport for customer service by Skytrax in 2015 Ben Schlappig recognises that some steps have been taken to make the US travelling experience less painful in recent years. The Transport Security Administration's Pre-Check programme allows pre- approved passengers to pass through security without taking off their shoes and remove liquids from their bags, while the Global Entry enables pre-approved passengers to pass more quickly through immigration. He's also unmoved by the fancy architecture and glitzy shopping facilities in some European or Asian airports. "My priority is to get to my destination as quickly and painlessly as possible," he says. "With beautiful airports like Madrid - they might be impressive but it doesn't matter if you have to walk miles to get to immigration." Geography is one of the factors holding back US airports, Schlappig argues. Places like Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Frankfurt were always likely to become international hubs simply because of their location, and this brings in income, and provides an incentive to invest. But traffic will rise in the US. The International Air Transport Association projects that 1.4 billion passengers will travel through US airports in 2034 - up from 850 million in 2014. So the voices of discontent may well get even louder. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34704775 Back to Top Arabic graffiti found on easyJet aircraft in Paris Arabic graffiti has been found spray-painted on four easyJet aircraft and one from Vueling at two French airports. Three defaced aircraft were found in Lyon and two at Charles de Gaulle, the AFP news agency reported. 'Allahu Akbar' - arabic for 'God is great' - was scrawled on a fuel-tank hatch of one easyJet aircraft in Paris. The discovery came as it was reported that the security passes of 86,000 workers at Charles de Gaulle airport will be reviewed after it was found that 57 employees with access to aircraft were on a terror watch list. Security badges were taken away from dozens of workers at the airport after the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks in Paris in January - but others continued working, the Sunday Times reported. Police official Philippe Riffault told the newspaper that the review of airport passes will begin with 5,000 security personnel. EasyJet said: "EasyJet assessed this issue, each time working in full consultation with the authorities, and is entirely satisfied it is nothing more than graffiti. "EasyJet takes very seriously any security-related issue and would not operate a flight unless we are entirely satisfied it is completely safe to do so. "Our security team is experienced at assessing any potential threats and following this assessment this is not considered to be a security issue by both us and the authorities who share our assessment that it poses no risk whatsoever. "The crew would not start boarding the aircraft unless they were completely satisfied that it was safe to do so and the crew can take whatever time they deem necessary to carry out security assessments. We do not compromise on safety. "EasyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in full compliance with all regulations. The safety and security of its passengers and crews is always easyJet's highest priority." http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/Details/58516 Back to Top Toy Drones Are Serious Risk to Aircraft: Aerospace Firm Troy drones can be dangerous and costly to the aerospace industry and consumers, according to a new report from a Texas aerospace and defense firm. The study by Aero Kinetics, a Texas-based aerospace and defense company, examined what might happen when a collision occurs between a toy drone and a manned aircraft, including the potential for damage and death. The study then compared a toy drone strike with historical data on bird strikes, which the report says are proven to cause significant damage to manned aircraft and loss of human life. Citing figures that bird strikes cost $951,000,000 per year in the U.S. alone, the study concludes that the impact of a toy drone - made of plastic, metal, and engineered materials- with a manned aircraft in a collision would be even more catastrophic. Between 1990 and 2013, there were more than 70,000 bird strikes with planes during take-off or landing, according to FAA statistics cited by Aero Kinetics. The report, entitled "The Real Consequences of Flying Toy Drones in the National Airspace System," concludes that toy drones "pose a significant threat to manned rotorcraft in all phases of flight, including cruise, based upon their typical operating altitudes." "Most people don't understand how threatening a toy drone can be. Toy drones are not unmanned aircraft," said W. Hulsey Smith, chief executive officer of Aero Kinetics. "Make no mistake lives are at stake." The report was released as the FAA is considering requiring most drone operators to register in an online database. The agency received recommendations from a task force earlier this week that would require registration for unmanned aircraft of all sizes, even small, toy drones. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), a member of the task force, called the recommendations for the registry a good start. "The real goal is to create a culture of accountability and safety-and that means giving operators the information they need to fly safely while making it as easy as possible for them to participate in the system," said Jim Coon, AOPA senior vice president of government affairs, who represented the association on the task force panel. "This is a good start, but the drone industry is relatively new, and we need to be prepared to make adjustments as we learn more." However, another task force member, Academy of Model Aeronautics, which represents unmanned aircraft hobbyists, has criticized the registry idea as creating too much of a burden on the toy industry and those who operate toy drones. Dave Mathewson, executive director of the group, claimed that the registration process is "an unnecessary and unjustified burden to our 185,000 members, who have operated harmoniously within the aviation community for decades." He said his group had "cautioned against unnecessarily encumbering the toy industry" by including small drones in the requirement. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2015/11/25/389990.htm Back to Top Windshield shatters on American Airlines jet to JFK forces emergency landing The view from AA jet's shattered windshield of Heathrow Airport where flight was diverted What else can happen in flight? In the past few months there have been too many problems on airlines from suspicious behavior by passengers to bomb threats and worse (crashes) and the latest happened today Nov. 28 to an American Airlines jet from Milan that was heading to New York's JFK when the windshield shattered. According to eturbonews and other sources, " Pilots of AA flight 199-a Boeing 767- 3000-- were forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport, where a cabin crew member captured the extent of the damage to the Boeing 767-300 and uploaded a photograph to Twitter." A spokesperson for American confirmed that a maintenance issue caused the diversion after take-off from Milan but say the aircraft is being investigated to determine the cause. The flight, which was carrying 183- passengers, left Milan-Malpensa Airport at 10 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive in John F. Kennedy International Airport at 1.20 p.m. local time before being diverted to Heathrow where it landed at 11:28 in the morning. There have been no reports of injury to passengers or crew other than a few jangled nerves. American Airlines issued the perfunctory apology, "'We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience. We are accommodating the passengers on other flights from London to New York." Last August, according to eturbonews, a similar incident happened to Delta Airlines flight 1889 which also was forced to perform an emergency landing, which was pretty tricky and scary since the pilots weren't able to see out of the windshield after baseball-sized hailstones wrecked the front of the plane and destroyed the GPWS navigation system in the front of the plane which was heading from Boston to Salt Lake City but diverted to Denver. It really is getting intense in the air for white knuckle flyers and even some travelers who always felt cavalier about getting on a plane. A major cause of the new found fear of flying is obviously the pervasive threat of terrorism, but windshields breaking and engines falling off are right up there. "I've flown all over the world and never really thought about crashing or anything," said George a retired former airline executive from Los Angeles, "But I must say some of the recent events have been unnerving, but I'm still heading to India next month." http://www.examiner.com/article/windshield-shatters-on-american-airlines-jet-to-jfk-forces-emergency- landing Back to Top China's 'Flying Phoenix' Jet Set to Take Off, but Turbulent Path Lies Ahead The first ARJ21 jet has been delivered to Chengdu Airlines, but the plane won't be sailing international skies soon After a ten-year delay, China's first homemade commercial aircraft ARJ21 was finally delivered to one of its buyers on Sunday, and is expected to officially take off early next year. BEIJING-China's first homemade jetliner is poised to make its commercial debut nearly a decade behind schedule, as a local airline took delivery of a regional aircraft that illustrates Beijing's woes in getting its aerospace sector airborne. Regional carrier Chengdu Airlines on Sunday received the first of the 30 new ARJ21 jets it ordered from state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China, or Comac. The ARJ21, dubbed the "Flying Phoenix," will enter service after three months of trial operations, Comac said in a statement. The ARJ21, or Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st century, can carry between 78 and 90 passengers for more than 2,200 kilometers, according to Comac, which described the delivery as a "major breakthrough" for China's aviation industry. Chinese officials originally set a 2006 deadline for the ARJ21's commercial rollout but pushed back its debut several times due to repeated production setbacks. Similar troubles have plagued Comac's push to develop a larger jetliner, the C919. A prototype of that 158-to-174 seater was completed in early November after years of delays. The delays underscore how China's commercial-plane makers have struggled to close the gap with western aerospace giants Airbus Group SE and Boeing Co., despite strong state backing for what Beijing considers a project of national prestige. "ARJ21 has been a waste of money," said Keith Crane, an economist at Rand Corp. who has studied China's aviation sector. "It has provided Comac, which inherited the project, with experience working with Western suppliers and with trying to get an aircraft certified, but those pluses are completely outweighed by the costs of the project." Industry analysts estimate the ARJ21 racked up billions of dollars in development costs. Comac didn't respond to a request for comment on the ARJ21's development and sales. In its Sunday statement, the firm said the ARJ21 project helped boost technological and developmental know-how in China's aviation industry, groomed a new crop of aerospace professionals and "created advantageous conditions" for the more ambitious C919 project. Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China unveiled its first large passenger plane in Shanghai. Take a first look at the 158-to-174 seat C919. Photo: Associated Press Chinese aerospace officials have previously given the ARJ21's list price as $30.5 million, cheaper compared with its many rivals, though analysts say buyers were likely given significant discounts. The current list price wasn't immediately clear. Industry experts said the ARJ21 has little hope of breaking out of its home market amid stiff competition in a regional-jet market dominated by Canada's Bombardier Inc. and Brazil's Embraer SA. Russia's Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. also makes a regional jet, while Japan's Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. will pose a challenge with its 70-to-90 seater that made its maiden flight this month. The ARJ21 currently lacks U.S. and European certification, which means it can't be exported or flown to major Western markets. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration this year ended a shadow evaluation of the Chinese civil-aviation regulator's ability to assess airworthiness-a bilateral process industry insiders said was fraught with discord over bureaucratic and technical matters. Comac is developing an ARJ21 variant with design changes that will bring the plane in line with U.S. standards, according to the FAA, which said it would work with Chinese regulators to "develop a path to work towards certification of the derivative model of the ARJ21 and, possibly, the C919." Still, Comac can be assured of sales to Chinese airlines, whose aircraft purchases are controlled by the government. Sunday's delivery was the first on more than 300 orders for the ARJ21, the majority placed by Chinese airlines and leasing firms. Booming growth in domestic air travel would also help: Boeing projects China's commercial airplane fleet to nearly triple to more than 7,200 aircraft by 2034, including demand for some 4,630 single-aisle planes. "Internationalizing the ARJ21 and the C919 isn't realistic at this point," said Gao Yuanyang, an associate professor at Beihang University who studies China's aviation industry. "Comac must first focus on the domestic market and gain acceptance from airlines and passengers, in terms of performance, maintenance and comfort." 'ARJ21 has been a waste of money.' -Keith Crane, an economist at Rand Corp. The ARJ21 marks China's first attempt to build a commercial jetliner since Beijing scrapped the Y-10 project in the early 1980s. Since then a Chinese state-owned firm has developed the twin-turboprop MA60 passenger plane based on an old Soviet design, though the aircraft has accumulated tepid sales and a checkered service record marred by a number of accidents at home and abroad. China Unveils First Domestically Built Jetliner The twin engine, 158-seat C919 won't be delivered to airlines for at least another three years. The plane can be configured for 158 to 174 seats, but a widebody successor is being planned that would seat more than 300. The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac) debuted the C919 at a news conference at the company's factory in Shanghai on Monday. The plane rolled out under a banner that read "dreams take flight" at the company's hangar near the Pudong International Airport. China announced plans to develop the C919 as part of its effort to create an aerospace sector capable of challenging companies such as Airbus and Boeing. Retired Chinese Olympic hurdler Liu Xiang exits the C919. The company said it had already received 517 orders for the aircraft, mainly from domestic firms. Comac executives say the plane is likely to make its commercial debut in 2018 or 2019. The plane can be configured for 158 to 174 seats, but a widebody successor is being planned that would seat more than 300. The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac) debuted the C919 at a news conference at the company's factory in Shanghai on Monday. Though touted as a homegrown Chinese product, the ARJ21 is influenced by the McDonnell Douglas MD-90 and relies heavily on foreign technology, including avionics from Rockwell Collins Inc., engines from General Electric Co. and a wing designed by Ukraine's Antonov State Co. A consortium led by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corp. of China started developing the ARJ21 in 2002, as part of Beijing's decadeslong effort to build an advanced aerospace sector capable of breaking the Airbus and Boeing duopoly. Shanghai-based Comac, created in 2008, took over the project and oversaw the ARJ21's first flight later that year, some three years behind schedule. Further delays ensued before China's civil-aviation regulator certified the jet late last year, allowing it to operate domestically and in certain developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America that recognize the Chinese certification. Chengdu Airlines, which currently operates narrow-body Airbus A320s, plans to operate the ARJ21 on domestic routes linking its headquarters in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu to destinations like Shanghai and Qingdao. http://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-flying-phoenix-jet-set-to-take-off-but-turbulent-path-ahead- 1448785041 Back to Top Back to Top Last Boeing C-17 built in Long Beach takes flight A crowd watches as the final Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane built at the company's Long Beach plant taxis at the Long Beach Airport before departure on Sunday. The last Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane built at the company's Long Beach plant departed from the facility Sunday, ending production - at least for now - of the last military or civilian aircraft to be built in California. In an event attended by hundreds of Boeing employees, the aerospace giant officially ended production of the C-17 with a rollout of the final transport and a flyover near the company's assembly plant at Long Beach Airport. To cheers and shouts of "Here she comes!," the dark gray C-17 with Qatar Air Force insignia taxied onto the airfield about 12:15 p.m. and paused in front of the crowd that lined Globemaster Way bordering the airport. It took off 15 minutes later, circled back in a banking turn and passed low over the runway complex. As people clapped, the four-engine plane then climbed steeply and faded into the sky as it headed to San Antonio, where the Qatar government will pick it up early next year. "It's a pretty amazing day but a somber one," said Mark Adams of Stanton, who was employed by Boeing for 38 years before retiring in January. "I loved working for the C-17 program. I'm proud of it. It gave me opportunities to grow as an employee." The 25-acre factory that produced 279 C-17s also is being shut down, representing a setback for the local economy and the loss of almost 400 high-paying manufacturing jobs. "This is truly the end of an era. It's a sad day, but one that all of the Boeing employees and suppliers who have worked over the years on this great plane can be proud of," said Nan Bouchard, a Boeing vice president and C-17 program manager. Boeing officials say they will continue to provide support, maintenance and upgrades for the worldwide fleet of C-17s at its Long Beach facility. The plant was built in the late 1980s by Douglas Aircraft Co., which won the U.S. Air Force contract to produce the C-17 Globemaster III. Douglas later became McDonnell Douglas Corp. In 1996, Boeing bought its longtime rival and assumed production of the C-17, one of the most sophisticated cargo planes in the world. The Long Beach plant was once part of an enormous aircraft manufacturing complex that dated to World War II. Tens of thousands of people worked in the facility's hangars and assembly lines turning out MD-80 jetliners, Boeing 717s and B-17 bombers. Boeing has closed or sold off most of those production facilities over the years. In 2012, for example, the Sares-Regis Group of Irvine, a commercial real estate developer, bought much of the company's Long Beach holdings. During the C-17's production run, the Air Force bought 223 planes, the last one delivered in 2013. Dozens of other C-17s have been sold to foreign militaries. Bouchard said the plane is well known for its use in providing humanitarian aid around the world and has "changed the way the U.S. Air Force and our international partners mobilize for operations and aeromedical support." The wide-bodied transport can carry more than 80 tons of troops, supplies and vehicles, including the U.S. Army's M-1 Abrams tank. It can operate in remote regions that lack modern runways. But as orders dwindled, Boeing announced in September 2013 that it would close its last assembly plant in Long Beach. Boeing announced that it expects to lay off 739 workers in the state this year, all in Southern California: 397 in Long Beach, 189 in El Segundo and 153 in Huntington Beach. "It's a sad day," said Randy Sossaman, who worked 25 years for the C-17 program and is an official for UAW Local 148, which represents Boeing workers. "We thought we could work here as long as we wanted without being forced out." Boeing still has a military aircraft project in California, producing the center and rear fuselage sections and parts of the tail assembly for the F/A-18 Super Hornet. The parts are being made by Boeing subcontractor Northrop Grumman in El Segundo. Boeing officials say that the plane is assembled outside California. In the coming decades, the U.S. Air Force is planning to replace its fleet of strategic bombers, which could result in contracts to aerospace companies in Palmdale, potentially creating thousands of jobs. At one time, Boeing was Southern California's largest private employer, but it has reduced its workforce in the state every year since 2001. Boeing now estimates that is has more than 16,000 workers in California, less than half of the 35,000 who were employed 10 years earlier. The company has been moving operations to states with lower taxes and labor costs, such as South Carolina, Alabama and Oklahoma. The C-17 "has been a great program with great people. But times change," said James Dawson of Rancho Cucamonga, a veteran Boeing employee who attended the flyover with his 8-year-old grandson, C.J. Perez. "I was here when the first C-17 left, and I am here for the last C-17." http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-last-boeing-c-17-takes-flight-as-california-aerospace-era- ends-20151129-story.html Back to Top Glider pilots aim for the stratosphere Backed by Airbus, a team will try to break a world altitude record for gliders. Perlan founder Einar Enevoldson, a former NASA test pilot, is eager for the test flight: "It will show that I'm not some crackpot." Talk about serendipity. Einar Enevoldson was strolling past a scientist's office in 1991 when he noticed a freshly printed image tacked to the wall. He was thunderstruck; it showed faint particles in the sky that proved something he had long believed: The winds that rise off mountains travel far, far higher into the atmosphere than most people imagined, representing something of an "elevator" to the heavens. It was an "a-ha!" moment for Enevoldson, a renowned test pilot and engineer. He soon began sketching out plans for a manned glider that could ride those winds toward the edge of space. His 24-year quest inched closer to reality earlier this month when Enevoldson's glider - Perlan 2 - underwent stress testing at ATA Engineering in San Diego. The company is helping to evaluate whether the sailplane, which is lighter than a Honda Fit, could climb to 90,000 feet. That would obliterate the current altitude record for gliders, which was set in 2006 when Enevoldson and fellow pilot Steve Fossett rose to 50,727 feet during a lazy climb through the skies above Argentina. After Fossett died in a 2007 plane crash, the project limped along until Airbus, the European airplane consortium, began providing support in 2014. Enevoldson, who spent decades as an Air Force fighter pilot and NASA test pilot, oversees a team that will try to break the record next year. Once again, the attempt will be made in Argentina, only this time Enevoldson won't be in the cockpit. He's 83 now, and has health problems. "It'll prove that I'm right; you can really ride these mountain waves to great heights," Enevoldson said, standing next to an aircraft. http://www.startribune.com/glider-pilots-aim-for-the-stratosphere/355145641/ Back to Top Google, Facebook in race to build high-altitude aircraft A Solara 50 solar-powered drone by Titan Aerospace (Titan Aerospace photo) MOUNTAIN VIEW -- Its visionary founder is in prison. Its most heralded invention crash-landed in the New Mexico desert this spring. Titan Aerospace, bought by Google last year, is experiencing some turbulence on its way to the stratosphere. In its quest to build a solar-powered drone that can beam the Internet down to Earth from 12 miles above, Titan is racing to beat a sleek rival, Facebook's boomerang-shaped Aquila plane, which is complete and awaiting testing over the United States. Facebook's Aquila drone, a high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft with the wingspan of a 737 (Facebook) Tech giants Google and Facebook are dabbling in experimental aviation for the same reason they have invested in undersea cables and communications satellites: They hope to connect a larger portion of the world's people to the wonders -- and advertising -- of the Internet. But of all the risky "moonshot" experiments Silicon Valley is throwing money at this year, few seem as odd and starry-eyed as the race to dominate the cold, lonely reaches between the highest commercial jets and disintegrating meteors. "There's not a whole lot up there," said Brian Wynne, president of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. "It's really cold, so the operational environment is pretty harsh. The idea is you can get -- particularly using solar -- real endurance out there and fly for months on end." Alphabet, Google's newly formed parent company, has dual plans for the atmosphere near 65,000 feet, more than twice the height of the world's tallest mountain. One is Project Loon, which resembles a weather balloon but operates as an airborne Wi-Fi provider and will launch as a trial next year over Sri Lanka, Indonesia and possibly India. The other is a fleet of Titan's lightweight aircraft blanketed with solar panels on its carbon-fiber frame. The esoteric world of the HALE -- high-altitude, long-endurance, unmanned aircraft -- has so few players outside the military that Google and Facebook bought the two most ambitious startups in a bidding war last year. Only time, and gravity, will determine which company wins the battle to connect the world's most remote and unconnected regions with Internet from the skies. But judging by their public pronouncements, aerospace engineer Ray Morgan is unimpressed. Morgan should know. He was one of the pioneers of so-called "atmosats," or atmospheric satellites, working for Simi Valley-based AeroVironment and in partnership with NASA to build solar-powered unmanned aircraft such as Helios, a prototype that flew for 40 minutes at nearly 100,000 feet above sea level in 2001. Transforming such a flight into a commercially viable communications platform is a herculean task. "The problem is very, very difficult," said Morgan, who has worked in the field since 1980. "It's more difficult than it seems when you first start testing it." An atmosat needs to be strong enough to climb through the troposphere, where weather happens, but light enough to cruise in the thinner air of the stratosphere. Aquila, no heavier than a car, will be lifted by balloon before setting free at 70,000 feet, soaring higher in the day and lower at night, and using lasers and radio technology to connect to other drones and the ground. Facebook's Aquila drone, a high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft with the wingspan of a 737 (Facebook) The biggest challenges are battery life and the efficiency of the solar array, Morgan said. The planes are also hard to operate outside the tropics, where their solar cells benefit from sustained sunlight near the equator. That might be good enough for Facebook and Google, both of which have been eyeing tropical regions as they fight to expand their market and find new Internet users in South Asia, Africa and Latin America. As they compete to build the better aircraft, the two Silicon Valley giants are also collaborating to make sure they have enough space, and radiofrequency spectrum, to beam Internet service down from above the clouds. High-altitude communications platforms "such as Aquila and Titan Aerospace show tremendous promise," Richard Whitt, director of Google's strategic initiatives, and Yael Maguire, head of Facebook's Connectivity Lab, wrote in a joint blog post. Their intended audience was the World Radiocommunication Conference that met this month in Switzerland, where the tech companies are up against the fixed satellite industry in pushing to smooth the rules to allow their solar planes to operate with little hindrance. "Over 30 percent of the world lives beyond the range of mobile broadband. In rural areas, in which approximately half the world lives, that number is over 70 percent," Whitt and Maguire wrote. "Recent improvements in composite materials, low-power computing, battery technology and solar panels have made (platforms such as Titan and Aquila) a new way to spur the growth of rural wireless networks." But the details and viability of these projects remain shrouded in secrecy as the two companies seek to perfect their designs. Facebook's Aquila prototype, built in southwestern England and unveiled in a video announcement in July, appears overly heavy but could work for a few months at a time over the tropics if it has a lightweight energy-storage system and highly efficient solar cells, Morgan said. Titan, however, has aircraft designs and boasts of carrying a heavy payload that "seem irrational," Morgan said. Its Solara 50 prototype crashed shortly after takeoff in May. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and expects to release a report next year. An airworthiness certificate granted to Titan by the Federal Aviation Administration expired last month and hasn't been renewed. Google has several more models, including two registered with the FAA this fall, and said in a statement that it remains "optimistic about the potential of high-altitude, solar-powered planes." Facebook nearly bought Titan last year but instead scooped up British firm Ascenta, creator of the Aquila drone, for $20 million. Its leader, Andy Cox, is a defense industry veteran who helped create the Zephyr drone that stayed aloft for 14 days -- a world record. Titan's founder, Maximus Yaney, was more of an unknown when Google bought his firm around the same time for an undisclosed amount. After establishing his drone startup in Manhattan, Yaney recruited young engineers from around the country, many of whom had worked on solar car competitions in college. Yaney favored bright young minds over experienced industry veterans who might have been intimidated by the hurdles, said former Titan intern Frank Sebastianelli, one of the company's first 10 employees. "He's just got an eclectic mind," Sebastianelli said. "He liked to push the limits." Yaney, now in a federal prison in New York, did not respond to a letter and requests through his lawyer for comment. Federal prosecutors indicted him on real-estate fraud charges less than a month after Google bought his company. Sources close to the deal say neither Google nor Titan's upper ranks knew about the legal problems or FBI investigation involving another of his companies, formerly known as Titan Student Communities, which owned rental properties in college towns. Yaney hid from lenders that he owned the Titan real estate company and another company that both bought and sold an Illinois apartment building, and also created fake leases and rent rolls and staged empty units to appear occupied, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud in May, paid $7.75 million in restitution and is scheduled to be released next fall. Leaders of the search giant's Google X research lab helped with "due diligence" before acquiring Titan's engineering team and its technology, said Astro Teller, X's top executive, who describes himself as "Captain of Moonshots." Asked for further comment, he declined. Google closed down Titan's New Mexico office this year, moved its engineers to the Bay Area and last week paid back nearly $1 million to New Mexico to cover incentives that helped draw Titan there from New York. But the team continues hiring, with one recent posting seeking a test pilot who can operate a craft remotely. With no information revealed about its plane in more than a year, Morgan said it is possible that Titan is further along than what public records show. If they achieve their mission, either Titan or Aquila could provide a great service to people the Internet has not yet reached. Once able to fly, "the operational costs are trivial," Morgan said. "The problem is being able to do it so the investment costs don't break the bank." Those costs were too much for NASA to sustain. But for cash-rich Google and Facebook, Morgan acknowledged, anything is possible. "Money solves a lot of problems in aircraft design and maintenance," he said. Contact Matt O'Brien at 408-920-5011. Follow him at Twitter.com/mattoyeah. Silicon Valley aviation projects Experimental aviation, once the realm of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, is now also the province of consumer Web companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Google's parent company, Alphabet. Here are some of their projects:High-altitude (above 60,000 feet): Project Loon Company: Alphabet (X division) The gist: Swarm of balloons that follow wind patterns and act as cell towers in the sky How it emerged: Homegrown project of Google X engineers Goal: Providing Internet to remote areas Status: Tests began in 2013 over Southern Hemisphere; circled Antarctica in 2014; large-scale trials begin in 2016 in Sri Lanka and Indonesia in partnership with local wireless carriers. Titan Company: Alphabet (Access & Energy division) The gist: Solar-powered, lightweight, long-endurance drones Description: Wingspan of 164 to 197 feet (longer than jumbo jet wings); heavy as an upright piano; covered with solar panels, some positioned to capture low angles of sun; lightweight carbon-fiber frame; aims to stay aloft for five years How it emerged: Acquisition of New Mexico-based Titan Aerospace in 2014 Goal: Providing Internet to remote areas; disaster relief Status: Unknown. Solara 50 prototype crashed in May 2015; two other aircraft registered with FAA but don't yet have permission to fly in U.S. airspace. Aquila Company: Facebook The gist: Solar-powered, lightweight, long-endurance drones Description: Wingspan of 137 feet (longer than jumbo jet wings); heavy as a bulky motorcycle; covered with solar panels; lightweight carbon-fiber frame; aims to stay aloft for three months How it emerged: acquisition of U.K.-based Ascenta in 2014 Goal: Providing Internet to remote areas Status: Facebook said in July that a prototype was complete and ready for test flights; Aquila 1A and two other aircraft are registered with FAA but don't yet have permission to fly in U.S. airspace Other aviation/aerospace projects: Low-altitude package delivery drones: Alphabet's Project Wing and rival Amazon's Prime Air Wind kites: Alphabet's Alameda-based Makani project to harvest wind energy using airborne turbines tethered to offshore buoys Satellites: Facebook and Alphabet's Skybox both plan to launch satellites into space next year, for imaging as well as Internet coverage. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_29177300/google-facebook-race-build-high-altitude-aircraft Back to Top Vistara inducts ninth aircraft in fleet NEW DELHI: Launched this January, the Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines JV full service carrier Vistara on Monday inducted its ninth aircraft in the fleet. Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh said, "We are delighted to announce the arrival of our ninth aircraft. The new aircraft will allow us to further enhance our capacity on our key routes and allow many more customers to fly a new feeling with Vistara. With this addition, our fleet induction for the year is complete." Vistara currently flies to 12 destinations and has 297 weekly frequencies. The Airbus A-320s in its fleet have 148 seats - 16 in business; 36 in premium economy and 96 in economy. The new aircraft has advanced technologies including weight-saving composites and the 'sharklets' that reduce fuel consumption by 4% and increases payload-range performance by 100nm corresponding to an annual reduction in carbon-di-oxide emissions by around 900 tonnes per aircraft. Vistara is a joint venture between Tata Sons Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA) with Tata Sons holding the majority stake of 51% in the company and SIA holding the remaining 49%. It commenced commercial operations on January 9, 2015. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Vistara-inducts-ninth-aircraft-in- fleet/articleshow/49981558.cms Back to Top easyJet now lets you track your plane 3 hours before your flight British low-cost airline easyJet has made it possible to track the aircraft of your future flight in advance. Through a partnership with FlightRadar24, users of easyJet's iOS app can now trace the plane three hours ahead of their scheduled flight. For long haul flights, the aeroplane might be in the airport 3 hours in advance of takeoff, but for short hop flights your plane could be coming from anywhere. It's a novelty feature that will surely give some nervous travellers peace of mind, as well as being interesting for aviation fans. In a practical sense, it would certainly help in times of long delays, which often happen in the winter due to severe weather. You'd be able to spot the plane on the app and know how far off it is from getting to your airport. Additionally, easyJet has updated its iOS app to support 3D Touch. You can now book a flight, access your boarding passes and use the flight tracker with 3D Touch. http://thenextweb.com/apps/2015/11/30/936361/ Back to Top New Co-chairs for Flight Safety Foundation Business Advisory Committee ALEXANDRIA, Virginia - Flight Safety Foundation today announced that it has named Lisa Sasse, director, corporate strategies, VisionSafe Corp., and Jim Kelly, aviation safety manager and pilot, Pfizer, as the new co-chairs of the Foundation's Business Advisory Committee (BAC). The BAC comprises 25 business aviation professionals and is responsible for developing projects in support of business aviation safety. It also has a leading role in the development of the agenda for Foundation's annual Business Aviation Safety Summit (BASS). BASS 2016 is scheduled for May 5-6 in Austin, Texas. "Both Lisa and Jim are longtime members of the BAC and have and been involved in numerous projects and initiatives. Working together, I think they will continue the tradition of strong leadership, both on this vital committee and within the international business aviation community," said Jon Beatty, president and CEO of the Foundation. Sasse has been a strong supporter of the work of the Foundation and of the BAC for many years. Through her work at VisionSafe, she has made significant contributions to the reduction and mitigation of in-flight smoke and fire risks. Sasse also has been a driving force in efforts to improve the quality and timeliness of weather information available to flight crews. Kelly, who currently flies the Gulfstream G550 and G650, is a dual rated airline transport pilot (ATP), airplane and rotorcraft, and has a graduate degree in human factors from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. He has been an active member of the BAC since 2004, as well as a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Safety Committee. Kelly has been a pioneer in corporate flight operational quality assurance (C-FOQA) and was chair of the C-FOQA centerline steering committee. Sasse and Kelly succeed Peter Stein, director of flight operations for Johnson Controls, who recently was elected to the Foundation Board of Governors. ### Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, non-profit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and publishing to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to be the leading voice of safety for the global aerospace community. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12139668/new-co-chairs-for-flight-safety-foundation- business-advisory-committee Back to Top Embry-Riddle Prescott Campus' Robertson Safety Institute Partners with Flight Research to Offer In-Demand Certification for Corporate Flight Safety Banner-RSIEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott Campus' Robertson Safety Institute (RSI) and Flight Research Inc. solidified their ongoing relationship to provide education, certification and advanced aviation training at a signing Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas. The agreement, signed by Embry-Riddle Prescott Chancellor Dr. Frank Ayers and Flight Research Chairman and CEO Bill Korner at a private reception at the annual aviation event, offers joint professional certification programs in Corporate Flight Safety. This recommits the extensive aviation knowledge of the world's largest aerospace university with the hands-on approach to loss-of-control recovery experience provided by the Mojave, Calif.-based Flight Research Inc. "The Robertson Safety Institute is excited to support this joint certificate through ongoing workshops and programs that use our unique on-campus laboratories and resources," said Dr. Erin Bowen, Director of RSI and chair of the Prescott Campus' Behavioral and Safety Science Department. "Partnering with Flight Research enables us to build upon that expertise in a unique, innovative way and provide aviation professionals with outstanding hands-on development geared toward making them safer pilots, flight operations managers and aviation leaders." Moving forward, Embry-Riddle and Flight Research will collaborate, evaluate and offer recommendations on training curricula. Flight portions of courses will generally take place at the Mojave facility, while ground-based courses will be held at both Flight Research Inc. and Embry-Riddle's Prescott Campus. Future projects include joint professional workshops that would be open to the public. "We at Flight Research are honored to have been selected by the prestigious Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to develop training and curriculum programs from basic to highly advanced ground and upset flight training to be offered to the Embry-Riddle community and the general public," Korner said. "This effort represents another step in our excellent relationship and is geared toward improving piloting skills and aviation safety." About Flight Research Inc. Located in Mojave, Calif., Flight Research Inc. has been providing upset recognition and recovery training in jet and turboprop aircraft since 1981. Customers include general and business aviation pilots and crews, as well as commercial airlines and freight carriers. Flight Research uses MB-326 Impalas and Rockwell Sabreliner 60s as primary training aircraft for both its two- and three-day courses. The Impala's recovery performance closely parallels those of the world's most popular business jets, and the Sabreliner shares size and aerodynamic characteristics with business jets, as well as the world's primary airline population. In addition, Flight Research's testing division provides high-performance flight platforms and comprehensive testing and development facilities for manufacturers of aircraft, avionics and weapons systems. The company's support division provides aircraft, personnel and facilities to assist customers in maintaining the highest levels of mission readiness in their aviation operations worldwide. For more information, go to flightresearch.com. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 80 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering and Security & Intelligence. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus with more than 125 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and through online programs. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. For more information, visit http://www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv. http://news.erau.edu/top-news/embry-riddle-prescott-campus-robertson-safety-institute-partners-with- flight-research-to-offer-in-demand-certification-for-corporate-flight-safety#sthash.vqK6cucC.dpuf 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: Deputy Director of Flight Operations & Technical Services Helicopter Association International https://www.rotor.org/AboutHAI/Employment.aspx 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