Flight Safety Information January 28, 2016 - No. 020 In This Issue PROS 2016 TRAINING American Airlines Plane Forced to Land After 6 Fall Ill Mid-Flight Military aircraft crashes in Egypt, kills crew Investment group calls on Allegiant Air to form safety committee Robinson R22 Loss of engine power (New York) Air-bound: DGCA allows airlines to have handcuffs on board to restrain unruly passengers (India) Atlanta air traffic control tower understaffed, report says Air New Zealand pulls Vanuatu flights over safety issues South Korea cracks down on budget airline safety lapses The F-35 Stumbles Again as Test Chief Find a New Weakness: Cyberattacks Jet fuel crop anticipated to expand General Dynamics Boosted by Steady Gulfstream Jet Orders Antipode Aircraft: Fly From New York To London In 11 Minutes ISASI Kapustin Memorial Scholarship Applications Due in April Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship PhD Research Request Professional Pilot EFB Usage GRADUATE THESIS SURVEY RESEARCH SURVEY American Airlines Plane Forced to Land After 6 Fall Ill Mid-Flight A Los Angeles-bound American Airlines flight carrying 188 people was forced to return to London's Heathrow Airport after several flight attendants and crew members fell ill mid-flight, the airline told ABC. One flight attendant "literally just fainted... just fell forward, put her hand out and hit the floor," passenger Kris Evans told ABC News. "It was crazy." The Boeing 777, which took off at 12:05 p.m., landed safely in London about five hours later, where it was met by ambulances, American Airlines said. Paramedics examined, then discharged, six patients who complained of feeling unwell, according to the London Ambulance Service. It was unclear what caused the patients to feel sick, but crews investigating the plane found no evidence of hazardous substances, according to the London Fire Brigade. http://abcnews.go.com/US/american-airlines-plane-forced-land-fall-ill-mid/story?id=36559566 Back to Top Military aircraft crashes in Egypt, kills crew An F-16 fighter aircraft of Egypt's military has crashed in an undisclosed location in the country during a training drill, killing its entire crew, the army said on Thursday. "These details only concern (them). Why does it interest the media or anyone else?", Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohamed Samir said in a statement. He said that all the crew were killed in the crash. The incident took place on Wednesday. However, the spokesperson did not specify the number of casualties and the place where the incident took place. Earlier, the reports said that two military pilots were killed after their aircraft crashed in Ismailia city. In a similar incident last year, the crew of a military helicopter suffered injuries after it crashed on the Cairo-Ismailia road due to a technical error. The helicopter was engaged in routine scouting when an unexpected technical error occurred. http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/military-aircraft-crashes-in-egypt/article8161407.ece ******************* Date: 27-JAN-2016 Time: Type: F-16 Owner/operator: Egyptian Air Force (EAF) Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Fayed, Ismailia - Egypt Phase: En route Nature: Military Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: The F-16 fighter jet crashed after a technical failure, during a training exercise. Both pilots died in the crash. http://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=183973 Back to Top Investment group calls on Allegiant Air to form safety committee An investment group is calling on Allegiant Air, which has had a series of emergency landings over the last several months, to form a safety committee. Here, a plane sits at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, where the discount airline accounts for 95 percent of traffic. An investment group with a stake in Allegiant Air is urging the company to form a board of director's safety committee in the wake of emergency landings and questions about the company's maintenance operations. Dieter Waizenegger, executive director of CtW Investment Group, told Allegiant a committee "that focuses exclusively on safety would appear long overdue" given the age of the airline's aircraft fleet and media reports suggesting maintenance problems at the Las Vegas airline. Waizenegger also criticized Allegiant over the lack of independence of its board, several of whose members have close ties to CEO Maurice Gallagher Jr. In the meantime, the airline reported robust fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday as it benefited from low fuel costs and a continued rapid expansion. Net profit hit $56.7 million, up considerably from $4.7 million in the year-earlier period and $44.5 million in the third quarter. The airline's fourth-quarter operating revenue was $310 million, up from $278 million in 2014's fourth quarter. Allegiant stock closed Wednesday at $158.50, down 2.2 percent, on a day when the Nasdaq, on which the company's stock trades, also fell 2.2 percent. Allegiant maintains that questions about the airline's safety are unfounded despite highly publicized operational problems in 2015. In a letter to the Tampa Bay Times late Tuesday, Gallagher attacked articles in the newspaper about a series of emergency landings and other issues as biased and insulting. He accused the newspaper of quoting supporters of the Teamsters, the union representing Allegiant pilots that has accused the company of sacrificing safety to fatten profits. Allegiant has, in turn, accused the Teamsters of drumming up concerns about safety as a ploy in contract negotiations. "Misleading the public about safety is a common tactic of the Teamsters," Gallagher wrote in a letter to the editor that is on today's op-ed page. "While we expect manipulation from them, we - along with your readers - expect more from you. We welcome scrutiny, but you should scrutinize sources and understand conflicts of interest before printing irresponsible allegations." Allegiant flies about 95 percent of the passenger traffic at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport and is responsible for the record 1.6 million passengers who used the airport in 2015. The budget airline has experienced a series of highly publicized problems in the past year, including five emergency landings on Florida flights during the last week of 2015. The Times last week reported on one Allegiant aircraft that made four emergency landings in six weeks, and previously interviewed an Allegiant mechanic who quit after two weeks because he said the airline's maintenance operation was dysfunctional. Allegiant's chief operating officer, Steve Harfst, abruptly resigned earlier this month without explanation, opening speculation the decision was related to maintenance issues. Affiliates of CtW Investment manage about $250 billion in pension funds for a variety of unions, including the Teamsters, representing 5.5 million workers. In the letter to Allegiant's board, Waizenegger urged the airline to replace board member Linda Marvin, former Allegiant chief financial officer and chair of the board's audit committee. He said Marvin had long-term ties to Gallagher and said the airline needed to replace her and expand the board with truly independent members. "Recent negative publicity over airplane safety and ongoing investigations into in-flight incidents by the Federal Aviation Administration lend urgency to Ms. Marvin's swift replacement to ensure rigorous, independent oversight of regulatory compliance by (the) Audit Committee." Allegiant did not respond to a request for comment about CtW Investment's letter. In a statement provided to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Gallagher said he was not surprised by the letter, saying CtW had close ties to the Teamsters, noting the union's president serves on CtW's leadership council. "This is yet another tactic that the Teamsters have employed to apply pressure to the company through unfounded public allegations, circumventing our mediated negotiations," Gallagher said. http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/airlines/investment-group-calls-on-allegiant-air-to-form-safety- committee/2263065 Back to Top Robinson R22 Loss of engine power (New York) Date: 27-JAN-2016 Time: 12:00 Type: Robinson R22 Beta Owner/operator: November Alpha LLC Registration: N404LE C/n / msn: 4040 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Copiague, Suffolk County, Long Island, NY - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Training Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: Following a loss of engine power (during what was reported as a 2 hour lesson), the aircraft force landed in residential area of Copiague, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. The helicopter sustained substantial damage and the two pilots onboard were not injured. http://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=183970 Back to Top Air-bound: DGCA allows airlines to have handcuffs on board to restrain unruly passengers (India) Next time you want to disrupt a flight or indulge in any sort of unruly behaviour aboard a passenger plane, think again. You might just end up in handcuffs in the plane. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed airlines to carry restrainers like plastic handcuffs to control unruly passengers and keep them seated till the flight lands safely, reports IBNLive. The DGCA guidelines state that the crew members must first attempt to defuse a critical situation until it becomes clear that there is no way to resolve through verbal communication and written notice to passenger. Applying restraining devices should be used when all conciliatory approaches have been exhausted, continues the report. This practice is not uncommon in the West, and in India as well, several airlines have measures in place to deal with unruly passengers. A Times of India report cites a SpiceJet official saying that the airline carries handcuffs on all its planes and gives martial arts training to its crew. IndiGo has also said that it has been carrying restraint devices such as nylon ropes for some time now. While the newly launched Vistara did not specify whether it carries restrainers, it said that 'adequate measures' are taken for tackling unruly behaviour. The IBNLive report quotes as IndiGo statement saying, "An unruly passenger/s might have potential for unlawful interference in flight. In the interest of safety and to avoid inconvenience to fellow passengers we, therefore, profile our passengers." Jet Airways has also said that they don't currently use restrainers but will be implementing the practice soon since DGCA has issued guidelines. "This will be done only in the rarest of rare cases and as a last resort. This will be done in the interest of safety of passengers and crew members," IBNLive quotes the airline's statement as saying. While there haven't been any reports of passengers being handcuffed as yet, it remains to be seen what impact these new guidelines will have on air travel. http://www.firstpost.com/india/air-bound-dgca-allows-airlines-to-have-restrainers-handcuffs-on-board-handle- unruly-passengers-2601684.html?utm_source=fp_hp Back to Top Atlanta air traffic control tower understaffed, report says Atlanta Tracon controls air traffic within 40 miles of the airport. Inspectors found the facility has 76 controllers when it should have between 79 and 97. PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. - A troubling federal report confirms that a major air traffic control center in metro Atlanta is one of 13 around the country that are understaffed. The inspector general's report found Atlanta Tracon, the Peachtree City center that directs thousands of flights in and out of Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport every day, has too few fully qualified controllers. "It's just confirmation of what we were saying for the last several years," said National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Mike Ryan. Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant spoke with safety experts who are worried about the impact from controller fatigue could have on air travelers. "We are hyper-critically staffed. We've been working a lot of overtime, a lot of six-day work weeks, and we've been doing that for a long time," Ryan said. Atlanta Tracon controls air traffic within 40 miles of the airport. Inspectors found the facility has 76 controllers when it should have between 79 and 97. "(My biggest worry is) that somebody makes a mistake. When somebody is tired, you're prone to mistakes, and this is a job in which mistakes can't happen," Ryan said. Air safety analyst John Nance calls the fatigue factor a big deal. "If we don't do something about it, that's when we're going to compromise safety," Nance said. "As you get fatigued as a human being, your capability to balance all those airplanes in your head, no matter how good you are, diminishes." The report also said 20 percent of controllers at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport tower are trainees. "In many instances a trainee can do the job just as well. The problem is, we don't know how far a trainee can go to fill a full slot, and this is something the FAA has been kind of playing games with for some time," Nance said. The union says should staffing levels get too low, service is slowed to maintain safety, which leads to flight delays. The FAA says it is already speeding up employee transfers from well-staffed facilities in other parts of the country to places that need more personnel. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/atlanta-air-traffic-control-tower-understaffed-rep/nqDZT/ Back to Top Air New Zealand pulls Vanuatu flights over safety issues Air New Zealand will no longer be flying to Vanuatu because of safety concerns at the nation's main airport. Air New Zealand is pulling flights from Vanuatu because of safety concerns at the nation's main airport. The airline will fly one last service this weekend but the withdrawal will be a blow to the country's tourist industry in the early stages of recovery following Cyclone Pam early last year. Air New Zealand's general manager flight operations Stephen Hunt said the condition of the runway at Port Vila had been gradually deteriorating and the airline had taken "the difficult decision" to suspend services before the situation becomes unsafe. Air New Zealand will operate one more return service between Auckland and Vanuatu on Sunday in order to repatriate customers, supported by additional safety measures. Airline technical experts are currently being deployed to Port Vila to provide additional oversight for Sunday's arrival into and departure from Port Vila International Airport. It is understood runway debris is especially dangerous for jet aircraft that could suck it into their engines. Air New Zealand flies Airbus A320s to Vanuatu. Other carriers including Air Vanuatu Virgin Australia, Fiji Airways and Air Caledonie International also fly there. Air New Zealand customer care spokeswoman Debbie McKeown said this would inconvenience customers but safety came first. "Unfortunately we will only be able to carry customers who are completing a return journey on Sunday's flights. We have put a comprehensive customer plan in place." The airline would contact passengers who have booked directly with Air New Zealand to explain their options. "Customers who've booked through a travel agent should make contact with their travel arranger. All customers will have the option of changing their booking to another Pacific or Tasman destination or receiving a full refund." Air New Zealand has been operating to Vanuatu once a week and codesharing with Air Vanuatu on its twice weekly Auckland-Vanuatu services. Today's decision affects Air New Zealand operated services and codeshare bookings made via Air New Zealand on Air Vanuatu operated services. Vanuatu was ravaged by Cyclone Pam last January but had been showing signs of recovery, according to a RNZ report. A snap election being held today was triggered last month when the president, Baldwin Lonsdale, dissolved parliament to end weeks of political instability following the conviction of 15 MPs for corruption. Simon McKearney from travel agency HelloWorld said the decision would be disruptive but it was a case of safety first. From their point of view they're going to "It's ashame because they have recovered quite well l from the cyclone but to be hit by something like this," he said. "You can't argue against it because Air New Zealand is impeccable with their safety . From a Vanuatu point of view it is a bit tragic. It makes it tough for the small economy they've got, said McKearney. Flight Centre's NZ general product manager Sean Berenson said he hoped the necessary repairs for the runaway at Port Vila International Airport were made soon so that Air New Zealand is able to resume services. "There are still alternative carriers operating flights and so we recommend anyone considering travelling to Vanuatu speak to their travel expert to explore options as soon as possible." Visiting Vanuatu by ship is also a popular means of exploring the islands and with many ships departing Auckland and Australia a cruise is also a good alternative for anyone that would like to visit. http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11578227 Back to Top South Korea cracks down on budget airline safety lapses Warns the airlines to mend ways or face closure South Korea on Thursday clamped down on lax safety protocols at low-cost airlines, warning them to mend their ways or face possible closure. The transport ministry conducted a safety review of the country's six budget carriers this month, after one aircraft was forced to make an emergency return due to an unsealed door. The Boeing 737-800 belonged to Jin Air, a budget airline operated by South Korea's top carrier Korean Air. Last month, a passenger jet belonging to another budget carrier, Jeju Air, plunged 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) due to problems with its on-board air compression system. The ministry concluded that low cost carriers were making an "inadequate" investment in safety given the exponential growth in traffic over the past decade. The six budget carriers accounted for 59% of domestic market share last year, mostly centred on the route between Seoul and the southern resort island of Jeju. "Airlines which fail to ensure passenger safety ... Will face closure through cancellation of business licences," the ministry said in a press statement. In the specific cases involving Jin Air and Jeju Air, the ministry said pilots and ground crews who appeared to have ignored basic safety procedures would be suspended for 30 days. The government also plans to suspend the operations of the two airlines for seven days or fine them 600 million won ($496,000), it added. South Korea currently has six licensed budget airlines operating in an increasingly crowded market. The latest addition -- approved at the end of last year -- is Air Seoul, the second low-cost carrier operated by Korean Air's main rival Asiana. http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/south-korea-cracks-down-on-budget-airline-safety-lapses- 116012800494_1.html Back to Top The F-35 Stumbles Again as Test Chief Find a New Weakness: Cyberattacks The software onboard the Pentagon's multi-billion dollar F-35 Joint Strike Fighter might make the next-generation aircraft so vulnerable to cyberattacks that its pilots end up wishing they were flying something a bit less sophisticated. The F-35's logistics system "continues to struggle in development with ... a complex architecture with likely (but largely untested) cyber deficiencies," according to a memo written last month by the Pentagon's top weapons tester that was obtained by IHS Jane's 360. The official also raised concerns about possible delays in the aircraft's combat software development. When completed, the fighter is supposed to run on more than eight million lines of code, according to Lockheed Martin, the plane's manufacturer. The development is a sign that despite recent positive steps by the F-35 program -- including the news that it would make its debut at two major United Kingdom air shows this summer after a two-year delay -- the world's most expensive weapon is not turbulence-free just yet. The news of software problems is likely to put even the fighter's most ardent supporters on edge. In 2009, Chinese hackers are suspected of stealing the F-35's blueprints. U.S. officials claim no classified information was taken in the breach, but concerns have lingered that the jet's software was laid bare. A spokesman for the Pentagon's F-35 joint program office told Jane's that the agency had conducted over 2,000 cyber tests on the aircraft, including 300 last year, but admitted there is a potential for the software schedule to fall behind, for up to four months. Defense officials still plan to get the plane with the most advanced software ready by summer 2017, but as of this month development flight testing has completed only half of its test, the F-35 office told Jane's. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/f-35-stumbles-again-test-111500323.html Back to Top Jet fuel crop anticipated to expand Flasher area farmer Wes Frederick holds a handful of canarita seeds harvested from a test plot on his land. The crop, used to produced jet fuel, was planted and harvest by Agrisoma, based in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. As a new crop being grown for jet fuel in North Dakota becomes more popular, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials have finalized procedures to insure it. For 2016 and succeeding crop years, carinata is only insurable under the federal crop insurance program by written agreement under canola and rapeseed crop provisions. "I think they (USDA) recognized enough producers will likely grow it this year," said Dave Archer, agricultural economist at the USDA Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan. Canadian seed producer Agrisoma Biosciences contracted about 6,000 acres to be planted with carinata in western North Dakota in 2015. The crop was insured for farmers at that time, too, but insurance agent confusion over how to insure it prompted USDA to issue a guidance for the future. Agrisoma has a goal to reach 50,000 acres of carinata planted this year, said company representative Garret Groves while farmers were harvesting last year's crop. Archer has overseen the growth of carinata at the Mandan research farm for three years as part of a U.S. Navy initiative to look for alternative sources of jet fuel. In that time, Archer said his yields were good, similar to those seen at the state-funded North Dakota State University Hettinger Research Extension Center, which also planted the crop. For two out of the three years it was planted, Archer said carinata topped the list for yield of mustard-type crops planted. Because of the yields, he thinks planting of the crop could take off. Archer said keeping seed costs low and finding additional herbicides for weed control will be important for the crop's success. "I think the big hurdle is to get cost of production low enough," said Archer, adding the Navy will be looking for the fuel that it can get at the lowest cost. Right now, wood-based fuel and fuel produced from garbage are leading interest, but Archer said feedstock needed for production for those fuels is somewhat limited. "They need something that can be produced on a wider scale," he said. And that's where oilseeds, such as carinata, come in. Archer thinks Agrisoma's efforts to get producers growing the crop will be part of what could lead to its success. Groves said 30 bushels per acre was the average yield seen early in last year's harvest. The carinata planted was expected to yield between 1,800 pounds and 1 ton per acre. That amounts to about 100 to 115 gallons of jet fuel per acre. Archer said finding high-value co-products, such as animal feed, that can be produced alongside jet fuel using carinata could also help. The research farm did not conduct any feeding trials with the carinata it grew but Archer said it was high in protein. Now that the research farm has finished with its field trials, it may continue to plant carinata as part of its field rotation research in an effort to give farmers an idea of where the crop might fit best into a crop rotation, according to Archer. Last year's crop was delivered to the Ray Farmers Union Elevator. Agrisoma was working on adding other elevators to the delivery list for this year in an effort to make the crop even more attractive, Groves said. http://bismarcktribune.com/business/local/jet-fuel-crop-anticipated-to-expand/article_0ae9085d-ac6b-5cf4-a5f0- 8d6e34517a8d.html Back to Top General Dynamics Boosted by Steady Gulfstream Jet Orders General Dynamics Corp. said Wednesday that it is securing steady sales of its high-end Gulfstream business jets, defying the tough sales environment facing rivals such as Bombardier Inc. and Dassault Aviation SA. The aerospace and defense company plans to deliver 138 Gulfstream jets this year compared with 147 in 2015, and said it isn't suffering the downward pressure on prices affecting other manufacturers of large-cabin aircraft. Chief Executive Phebe Novakovic said on an investor call that Gulfstream was taking share from rivals, with North American customers accounting for half of the buyers of jets with list prices as high as $65 million. She said Gulfstream has trimmed production of some older models, in part to match demand but also to help speed output of some newer jets that have waiting lists of more than a year. Her comments came as the company reported a forecast-beating 9% rise in fourth-quarter profits alongside 2016 financial guidance that topped analysts' expectations, in contrast to the weaker outlook provided Tuesday by Lockheed Martin Corp. General Dynamics shares were recently up 2.6% at $30.65, reversing an early 3% decline before the guidance was provided on its investor call, alongside an upbeat assessment of export opportunities. Steady Gulfstream sales helped counter pressures while it restructured parts of its larger defense business, a cost- cutting drive that has helped it win large overseas orders and a bigger slice of Pentagon business. The company's combat systems unit has secured big deals to sell armored vehicles to the U.K., Denmark and Saudi Arabia. Ms. Novakovic said the high-threat environment outweighed the budget pressures on nations exposed to falling energy prices. "So far, we have yet to see any impact from oil prices in the Middle East," she said. The big Saudi order included large cash deposits, which General Dynamics has been burning through as it started production, which Ms. Novakovic said would weigh on liquidity this year. However, the company plans to continue devoting all of its free cash to share buybacks and dividends, and is also prepared to dip into balance sheet cash to support repurchases. It has no plans for any large-scale acquisitions, despite the increased deal making triggered by the more stable Pentagon budget environment. General Dynamics forecast sales this year of $31.6 billion to $31.8 billion, narrowly ahead of 2015 and weighed by currency headwinds, with per-share earnings of $9.20 compared with $9.08 in 2015. The company reported a fourth-quarter profit of $764 million compared with $701 million a year earlier, with per- share earnings rising to $2.40 from $2.09. http://www.nasdaq.com/article/general-dynamics-boosted-by-steady-gulfstream-jet-orders--update-20160127- 00934#ixzz3yXAuUmKY Back to Top Antipode Aircraft: Fly From New York To London In 11 Minutes A new rocket powered passenger jet proposes to transport people around the world in just minutes. Charles Bombardier's new design would be able to travel between New York and London in minutes. (Photo : Imaginactive.org) Canadian Charles Bombardier's newest jet design boasts the ability to take passengers from New York to London in just minutes. As conceived, the just named 'The Antipode' would be 12 times as fast as the Concorde and can reach speeds up to mach 24, according to the Daily Mail. The plane can carry up to 10 passengers and takes less than an hour to travel over 12,000 miles. "I wanted to create an aircraft concept capable of reaching its antipode, or diametrical opposite, as fast as possible," Bombardier said. The machine would need to be built using heat and pressure-proof materials. "LPM could help reduce heat, but it would not eliminate all of it, even if it's working in perfect flight conditions," he explained. Thanks to rocket boosters on its wings the Antipode would be able to turn any airfield into a flying strip, Forbes reports. At 40,000 feet the accelerators would fall off the plane and return to base. The jet would use a magnetic field to push it along two conductive railings. The rockets would then fire, pushing it further into the air. Then, scramjet engines would propel the jet even further - 10 times the speed of sound, The Mirror explains. It would take the airplane just 32 minutes to fly from New York to Sydney, Australia and 11 minutes from New York to London. One of the drawbacks to the design, according to Bombardier, is developing a stable and reliable scramjet engine. There would also need to be a plan to deal with the g-forces passengers would experience. For now, the plane is just in the concept stage, so it will take a few years to build a prototype. http://www.hngn.com/articles/173375/20160126/bombardier-antipode-aircraft-fly-from-new-york-to-london-in-11- minutes.htm Back to Top ISASI Kapustin Memorial Scholarship Applications Due in April Applications for the 2016 ISASI Rudolph Kapustin Memorial Scholarship must be submitted on or before April 15, 2016, says ISASI Secretary Chad Balentine, who serves as Scholarship Committee Chairman. Balentine noted that this worthy program is designed to encourage and assist college-level students interested in the field of aviation safety and aircraft occurrence investigation. ISASI funds the Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship through donations and will provide an annual allocation of funds for the scholarship if funds are available. Applicants must be enrolled as full time students in an ISASI recognized education program, which includes courses in aircraft engineering and/or operations, aviation psychology, aviation safety and/or aircraft occurrence investigation, etc. Applicants must have major or minor subjects that focus on aviation safety/investigation. A student who has received the annual ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship will not be eligible to apply for it again. Students who wish to apply should go to http://www.isasi.org/Documents/Forms/ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship Form.pdf for guidelines and the application form. Please Note: The 2016 Scholarship Application Form provides updated candidate requirements. Forty students received the ISASI scholarship since its inception in 2002. Back to Top Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship The Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship was established by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to shape the next generation of researchers in aviation weather, honoring the late Najeeb Elias Halaby, an eminent aviator and administrator, for his vision and more than five decades of extraordinary contributions to aviation (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/halabyfellowship.pdf). The Fellowship The recipient of a Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship will spend three months (in 2016 or early 2017) in residence with NCAR's Aviation Weather Research Program, which Mr. Halaby was instrumental in establishing in the 1980s. As the nation's leader in addressing aviation weather research, NCAR plays a unique role in meeting user needs by transferring research results to operations through its Research Application Laboratory (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/). The Fellow will conduct research broadly aimed at improving the integration of weather into decision support tools for improved weather avoidance and air traffic management. The Fellowship will provide: * a monthly stipend for three months, including temporary living expenses * round-trip travel expenses to and from Boulder, CO * travel to a conference to present results * page charges for one publication of key results Eligibility and Application The Halaby Fellowship targets graduate students (late Masters or early PhD level) enrolled in an aviation-relevant department or program of a domestic or international university. Interested candidates should have advanced research skills, far-reaching vision, and dedication to get things accomplished. Consideration for this Fellowship will be given to candidates based on the following submitted material: * Curriculum vitae * Proposal (maximum five pages) presenting the research to be conducted at NCAR, the anticipated outcome of that, and how the proposed effort ties into the candidate's ongoing graduate research project(s) * Contact information for three references (one of which should be the student's primary advisor) NCAR will accept applications for the Halaby Fellowship each year. Email Applications by February 28, 2016 to halabyfellowship@ucar.edu Back to Top PhD Research Request Dear Fractional Jet Pilot, Fractional jet pilots have achieved an amazing safety record over the last 25 years. Research shows that your pilot group has achieved significantly better safety results when compared with similar jet pilot groups. This research investigates why are fractional jet pilots better than these other pilot groups? Is it due to training/skills, safety culture, union or company leadership? Safety culture has been studied for over a decade at the commercial airline level, and has consistently demonstrated a predictive capability. In recent years, safety culture has been concluded to predict safety performance. Safety culture is an important factor to investigate. My name is Kevin O'Leary and I am a Ph.D. candidate at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I am completing my dissertation by researching the safety culture of fractional jet pilots. This research has the potential to begin the understanding of why fractional pilots have a superior safety record. Due to the nature of this research, the survey respondents have been required to be pre-qualified to participate in this survey. Please follow the link below and fill out the pre-qualification form so that your pilot status can be verified. After verification, an untraceable survey link will be emailed to your email address. This link will be completely separate and remain separate from your pilot verification data. Your identity will never be disclosed and is not connected with the survey answers you provide. The research survey you will receive after completing the pre-qualification form will not include any identifiable data about the pilot, pilot's place of employment or the aircraft primarily flown. The research survey will take about 11 minutes. Please note that these responses will generate a donation to the Corporate Angel Network and potentially improve general aviation safety. https://www.research.net/r/Curt-Lewis-PreQual Thank you very much for your help! Principal Researcher Kevin O'Leary Ph.D. Candidate Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 617-600-6868 Olearyk1@my.erau.edu Back to Top Professional Pilot EFB Usage Survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TYWYKKJ Attention colleagues, my name is Tyler Babb and I am an assistant professor with the Middle Tennessee State University Aerospace Department. I am conducting research on the use of EFBs in the United States professional pilot industry. Active commercial pilots in the United States (except for flight instructors) are encouraged to participate, even if they do not currently use EFBs. Apologies to current MTSU students, this data is intended to be gathered by alumni. The survey is fairly short and should not take more than 15 minutes to complete. Your name will not be collected, but your company name (operator) will be collected. The company name will in no way be linked to any other data on the survey. Collection of the names of the operators is necessary to ensure a sufficient data sample from the industry. Electronic Flight Bags have become a common tool for pilots. These devices provide charts, weather data, performance data, and other pertinent flight-related information. As collegeiate aviation educators, our faculty and students could benefit from surveying the current usage of EFBs in the industry. This survey aims to collect data on the following: * the prevalence of EFBs in the professional pilot industry * trends in EFB usage * common devices and software * potential drawbacks and/or limitations With this data, aviation students around the country could see the current status of EFB usage. This research could better prepare them to enter the industry. Thank you for your participation in this survey. This information will empower students and educators alike to better prepare our future pilots for a flying career. Back to Top GRADUATE THESIS SURVEY My name is Mark Roth and I'm presently doing my Master Thesis with a Risk Management study on multi-national aircrew. A quantitative analysis will be used for a primary data collection. This is undertaken with a survey and I hope to be able to collect a minimum of 100 data sets/responds. Working alongside such international arrangements as a Training Captain on the A380, this study is intended to highlight challenges and opportunities for operators and regulators. I would be grateful, if you would kindly publish the link of this survey on your platform. I have attached my approved project proposal for your reference. A group of subject matter expert has validated it, therefore the questions stated in the proposal have been altered. Here is the link to my survey: Survey, PG Student Mark Roth THIS SURVEY IS INTENDED FOR ACTIVE AIRLINE CABIN AND COCKPIT CREW MEMBERS ONLY. Back to Top RESEARCH SURVEY My name is Tabitha Black. I am a student at Eastern Washington University conducting research on the current state of Crew Resource Management (CRM). The focus of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of the mandated curriculum outlined in FARs and pilots' opinions of the training. Obtaining data from commercial pilots is particularly difficult considering the population of pilots is limited. I invite you to participate in this completely anonymous research project. Your help is greatly appreciated. SURVEY: https://qtrial2015q4az1.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9zrGMmfd6x27rSt&Q_CHL=email&Preview=Survey Curt Lewis