Flight Safety Information February 15, 2016 - No. 032 In This Issue PROS 2016 TRAINING 'Laser incident' forces Virgin Atlantic jetliner back to London Virgin Atlantic: pilots' union demands action after laser incident More drones registered than licensed pilots Global aviation had fewer fatal accidents in 'extraordinarily safe' 2015 - IATA Air Malta says safety rules met on use of overwing seats Airplane makes emergency landing at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport FAA Funding Collides With ATC Overhaul and Airplane Fire Threats Boeing 737 Engine Fire (Brazil) More Virgin Australia seat delays raise FAA secrecy questions Airlines make it too hard to file a complaint, lawmaker says Boeing confident huge pipeline of Asia orders to stay intact Vaccinating Aircraft Against Cyber Attacks ST Aero Unveils New Aircraft Seats At Singapore Airshow Boeing sees new aircraft demand worth $550 billion in Southeast Asia over 20 years Malaysia Airlines to keep Airbus A380s after sales bid fails Turkish Airlines' success becomes case study at Harvard Embraer to Roll Out Next-Gen E-Jet Next Week NASA Is Building A Space Launch System For A Trip To Mars ISASI Military Air Safety Workshop - Deadline extended for abstract submittal GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST The International Society of Air Safety Investigators...SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR THE JEROME F. LEDERER AWARD Back to Top 'Laser incident' forces Virgin Atlantic jetliner back to London (CNN) A "laser incident" forced a pilot to turn around a flight from London to New York, Virgin Atlantic Airlines said. Virgin Atlantic Flight 025 was en route from Heathrow Airport on Sunday when a laser was pointed at the plane, spokeswoman Jaime Fraser said. "Following this incident, the first officer reported feeling unwell. The decision was taken by both pilots to return to Heathrow rather than continue the transatlantic crossing," the airline said on its website. The aircraft landed safely at Heathrow with 252 passengers and 15 crew, Fraser said. Virgin Atlantic said it's offering affected passengers overnight accommodation and the flight is scheduled to depart London on Monday. The airline is working with authorities to confirm the source of the laser, it said. London's Metropolitan Police Service said it is investigating, but there have been no arrests. Britain's Civil Aviation Authority recorded 48 laser incidents at Heathrow Airport in the first half of 2015. Such incidents are on the rise -- especially in the United States -- as handheld lasers become more common and affordable. A laser beam has the potential to burn a pilot's cornea and cause serious injury. Direct hits have put pilots in the hospital. The beams can also temporarily disorient and blind pilots. http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/15/europe/laser-incident-heathrow-virgin- atlantic/index.html Back to Top Virgin Atlantic: pilots' union demands action after laser incident British Airline Pilots Association says lasers should be classified as offensive weapon after beam forced jet's return to Heathrow A pilots' union has called for more to be done to tackle the growing use of lasers against aircraft after a New York-bound plane had to turn back to Heathrow. The Virgin Atlantic flight returned to the west London airport as a precaution after the co- pilot reported feeling unwell following the incident on Sunday. A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said the safety of the crew and customers on board Flight VS025 was a top priority. She added: "All customers will be offered overnight accommodation and we will get them on their journey as soon as possible. We are working with the authorities to identify the source of the laser that caused the return of the aircraft to Heathrow." Police said they were trying to find the source of the beam. In 2010, a law was passed in the UK proscribing "shining a light at an aircraft in flight so as to dazzle or distract the pilot". If the distraction or dazzle is serious, a person may be found guilty of "reckless endangerment" and jailed. According to the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), a laser can result in temporary vision loss associated with flash blindness, a "visual interference that persists after the source of illumination has been removed", an after-image, an "image left in the visual field after exposure to a bright light", and glare. Balpa's general secretary, Jim McAuslan, said: "This is not an isolated incident. Aircraft are attacked with lasers at an alarming rate and with lasers with ever-increasing strength. "It is an incredibly dangerous thing to do. Shining a laser at an aircraft puts that aircraft, its crew and all the passengers on board at completely unnecessary risk. Modern lasers have the power to blind, and certainly to act as a huge distraction and to dazzle the pilots during critical phases of flight." He added: "We repeat our call to the government to classify lasers as offensive weapons which would give the police more power to arrest people for possessing them if they had no good reason to have them. This incident shows why this is becoming more and more urgent." Between 2009 and June 2015 more than 8,998 laser incidents across the country were reported to the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Heathrow topped the list for the number of laser incidents in the first six months of last year with 48, followed by Birmingham with 32, Leeds Bradford with 24 and Manchester with 23. A CAA spokesman said: "Shining a laser at an aircraft in flight could pose a serious safety risk and it is a criminal offence to do so. We strongly urge anyone who sees a laser being used at night in the vicinity of an airport to contact the police immediately." In November 2015, it was reported that the eye of a British Airways pilot was damaged by a military-strength laser that had been shone into the cockpit of his aircraft earlier in the year. It is understood that the Virgin Atlantic plane had passed over the west coast of Ireland before heading back to Heathrow. A message on the airline's website said: "Following this incident the first officer reported feeling unwell. The decision was taken by both pilots to return to Heathrow rather than continue the transatlantic crossing." It is understood that there were 252 passengers and 15 crew onboard the flight. A Metropolitan police spokesman said: "Police were contacted at approximately 9.35pm on Sunday 14 February following reports of a laser shone in the direction of a commercial flight that had taken off from Heathrow airport. "Inquiries continue to establish where the offence took place. There have been no arrests." http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/15/virgin-atlantic-pilot-union-demands- action-after-laser-incident Back to Top More drones registered than licensed pilots RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - If you or someone you know owns and flies a drone for fun and recreation, you are not alone. New numbers from FAA show there are now more drones registered than pilot licenses. While enthusiasts welcome the news, pilots see those numbers as troubling. Two drones made by Reno-based Drone America are headed to the Nevada Advanced Autonomous System Innovation Center at UNR. The machines will be used in research. Other drones on display there have different uses, like search and rescue work, surveillance, and fire suppression. They are directed by remote control and a licensed pilot on the ground. The president there says the increased number of amateurs who are flying drones does not concern him. "There is always those who cross the line and cause a problem. But you can't brand the hobbyists out there in the world that are enthusiastic about the sport as problematic for the rest of society. I think they are entitled to enjoy unmanned systems just as much as anybody else," says Mike Richards, CEO of Drone America Richards says just before Christmas 2015, the FAA started a registration program as a way to help them monitor operators. It has meant 325,000 drone registrations, compared to 320,000 licensed aircraft pilots. "The sheer numbers make me nervous," says Doug Russell, RAVEN'S chief pilot. Russell says he worries about so many drones in the air, with operators on the ground not understanding about air space and what is required to fly safely. His concerns aren't unfounded. The FAA receives about 100 reports per month from aircraft pilots who say they spotted drones flying near them. The remote-controlled aircraft can be difficult to trace, which is what the registration hopes to solve. "Ignorance is bliss. These folks don't understand they are operating in a national airspace. Whether they are 1 mile from a tower or 20 miles from a tower, there is still the opportunity for a manned aircraft to be in that space operating. And it can certainly cause some tragedy if they don't know what they are doing," says Russell. The number of 325,000 registered drone owners is actually an underestimation. The FAA says the registration covers the drone owner who typically owns 1.5 aircraft. http://www.kolotv.com/content/news/More-drones-than-licensed-pilots-368649901.html Back to Top Global aviation had fewer fatal accidents in 'extraordinarily safe' 2015 - IATA An A380 Airbus flies during the International Air and Space Fair (FIDAE) at the international airport of Santiago March 26, 2014. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/Files The number of air accidents and resulting fatalities dropped in 2015 from the previous year, and was well below the five-year average, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Monday, making 2015 "an extraordinarily safe year". Some 68 accidents occurred last year, compared with 77 in 2014 and an annual average of 90 over the last five years, according to IATA's latest annual report on aviation safety. Of 2015's accidents, four were fatal, versus 12 a year earlier. "In terms of the number of fatal accidents, it was an extraordinarily safe year," Tony Tyler, IATA's director general and chief executive officer, said in a statement released on the eve of this week's Singapore Airshow, Asia's biggest aviation trade fair. The accidents covered by the report killed 136 people, down from 641 in 2014 and a five- year average of 504, according to IATA, which represents some 260 airlines or 83 percent of the world's total air traffic. If the losses of aircraft in incidents involving planes operated by German low-cost carrier Germanwings, a unit of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, and Russia's Metrojet last year are included, the total number of deaths rose to 510, according to IATA. But the Germanwings and Metrojet incidents were excluded from IATA's accident statistics, as they were classified as deliberate acts of unlawful interference. A pilot of the Germanwings aircraft deliberately crashed that plane in the French Alps, while the Metrojet flight was suspected to have been brought down over the Sinai peninsula by a bomb smuggled on board. "While there are no easy solutions to the mental health and security issues that were exposed in these tragedies, aviation continues to work to minimise the risk that such events will happen again," said Tyler. IATA said the 2015 global jet accident rate, measured in hull losses per 1 million flights, was 0.32, compared with 0.27 in 2014 and 0.46 in the previous five years. http://www.reuters.com/article/aviation-safety-iata-accidents-idUSKCN0VO0CG Back to Top Air Malta says safety rules met on use of overwing seats Air Malta insists international safety rules were met after eyebrows were raised over what appeared to be 'contradictory' instructions on the use of passenger seats next to the overwing emergency exits. Flight personnel told this newspaper the national air carrier had recently issued written instructions to cockpit and cabin crew to leave the seats in question unattended if these were not sold at premium in line with company policy. The crew members who spoke to this newspaper said the latest decision seemed to contradict both previous instructions issued by Air Malta as well as international aviation rules. These lay down that during take-off and landing, overwing seats must be occupied by able-bodied people to open the exits in case of an emergency. Quoting a memo issued by the airline's head of safety and compliance in 2012, the personnel said cabin crew members had to make sure the seats in question were occupied because "for safety reasons it was unacceptable" to leave them vacant. "Cabin crew are expected to ensure that at least one seat in each row is occupied for take-off and landing and reseat passengers if required," the 2012 memo had said. However, in a recent memo, the chief officer flight operations told staff that, while "having passengers seated on overwing exit seats is intended as an additional measure enhancing cabin safety as well as enhancing revenue by offering these seats against a charge... it is not mandatory to have passengers seated on these seats". Cabin crew are expected to ensure that at least one seat in each row is occupied for take- off and landing Staff members said this "contradictory" memo was causing unnecessary confusion among staff. "Until a few weeks ago, it was a given that, if these extra leg-room seats are not sold, we would still put passengers in one of the seats over the wing near the emergency exit to make sure that, in case of a problem, someone is there," a steward said. "Now, for some reason, they are not letting us do this and this goes against all safety rules," he added. "Who will man the overwing exit in case of an emergency? They [the airline] did not instruct crew members to sit next to these exits instead of passengers," a female cabin crew member said. Asked about the new decision, while not giving a reason for the apparent change in policy, an Air Malta spokesman insisted that safety remained the airline's top priority. "It has never been legally mandatory for seats in emergency exit rows to be occupied. When such seats are left empty, cabin crew are permitted to offer these seats to selected passengers. However, this is not mandatory, whether according to Air Malta policies or international legal requirements," the spokesman said. Asked why crew members were not instructed to allocate passengers to empty seats to handle the overwing emergency exits if need be, the spokesman said: "The aviation industry is highly regulated and Air Malta follows all instructions and legal requirements. Additionally, all our operating procedures are regularly audited by the International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit, an internationally-recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of airlines." http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160212/local/air-malta-says-safety-rules- met-on-use-of-overwing-seats.602093 Back to Top Airplane makes emergency landing at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport Same aircraft made emergency landing less than 2 months ago in Chattanooga BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -An Allegiant airplane made an emergency landing at the Birmingham- Shuttlesworth International Airport Friday morning. Authorities said during a flight from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, there was and electrical odor in the cabin. The plane was able to land safely in Birmingham at 8:51 a.m. "We are grateful that it was a safe landing and nothing else happened. It did not interrupt any of our flight operations. We continue to operate normally, both our arrivals and our departures," said Toni Herrera-Bast, a spokesperson for the Birmingham Airport Authority. All 153 passengers were safe and provided with refreshments and $100 vouchers for future ravel. After nearly six ours of waiting, passengers took off for Omaha. Officials with Allegiant Airlines confirmed that the aircraft involved in today's emergency landing had to make an emergency landing less than two months ago in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In that incident, passengers reported hearing problems with the engine before they landed. http://www.wvtm13.com/news/allegiant-airplane-makes-emergency-landing-at- birmingham-airport/37961570 Back to Top FAA Funding Collides With ATC Overhaul and Airplane Fire Threats Christine Negroni Author: The Crash Detectives Investigating the Worlds Most Mysterious Air Disasters The public has sporadic interest in air travel news; seat size and ticket prices get attention, as do stories of badly-behaving flight attendants. But two issues being debated in Washington deserve some thought for their significance as safety issues with wide- reaching impact. On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued yet another warning about the danger of carrying lithium ion batteries on airplanes. This was ostensibly timed to coordinate with Florida Senator Bill Nelson's new proposed legislation to ban shipping lithium ion batteries in bulk as cargo on passenger flights. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have been warning for years that lithium ion batteries harbor a trifecta of threats; * they are a source of ignition, * they provide their own fire fuel * they can create explosions as well as producing toxic gases "If FAA testing has found that fires or explosions caused by lithium-ion batteries can lead to a catastrophic loss of an airplane, then why on earth would anyone want to prohibit safety regulators from banning large shipments of these batteries on passenger airliners?" the senator said in a press release accompanying his proposal. In fact, that Nelson's bill is an attempt to bust through precisely that; a legislative ban on what the FAA can do to ensure passenger flights are not brought down by lithium ion battery fires as several cargo flights have been. (It is a subject for another day why we care more about passenger flights than cargo flights that can just as easily crash into residential neighborhoods, as El Al Flight 1862 did in Amsterdam in 1992.) In 2012, U.S. lawmakers acted to prevent the FAA from taking any action more restrictive than what International Civil Aviation Organization does. Since at this point ICAO deals with lithium metal (non rechargable) but not lithium ion batteries, (the kind in all your electronic gadgets). The effect is that FAA's attempts to go farther to prevent a battery- initiated disaster have been thwarted. If it sounds incredible, that's because it is. So far airline attempts to deal with the threat have been piecemeal. Just in time for the holiday gift-giving season many airlines at the urging of the International Air Transport Association, prohibited travelers from carrying hoverboards and their large lithium ion batteries onto planes, a decision that caused the actor Russell Crowe to tweet his outrage when he and his children could not board a Virgin Australia flight six weeks ago. Still, when the federal bureaucrats get active to fix a threat and lawmakers obstruct, one can only shake one's head in bewilderment. It gives me little confidence in the outcome of the second subject being discussed in Washington, the privatization of the nation's air traffic control system. This is a hugely complex subject with long-reaching consequences I won't pretend to suggest I can foresee. Though the public debate ought to boil down to this question, "Who can better handle safely separating airplanes with the emerging 21st Century technology?" Instead all parties are talking about who will own the infrastructure and how will it affect the fees airlines and private aviators pay. Airlines 4 America, a national trade association that, not surprisingly, is a proponent of business sees switching air traffic control from the government to a not-for-profit company not yet identified, as all upside. So does the controller's union, National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Delta Air Lines and Air Line Pilots Association oppose it, as does the business aviation community. Concerns about the FAA's inability to oversee and implement new airspace technology, and a shortage of trained controllers are long standing problems. Still, I find it hard to imagine that a private company governed by a board of industry insiders is going to be any swifter off the mark to deal with these challenges. In fact, it seems distancing this essential service from the accountability of the FAA could worsen the situation. As I waffle, I am certain of one thing, rough air is ahead and we'll all need to pay attention to successfully navigate through it. Follow Christine Negroni on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cnegroni http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-negroni/faa-funding-collides- with_b_9211554.html Back to Top Boeing 737 Engine Fire (Brazil) Date: 14-FEB-2016 Time: 15:00 Type: Boeing 737-8EH (WL) Owner/operator: Gol Linhas Aereas Registration: PR-GXA C/n / msn: 39614 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 145 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Brasilia, BSB/SBBR - Brazil Phase: Pusback / towing Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Brasilia, BSB/SBBR Destination airport: São Paulo-Congonhas, CGH/SBSP Narrative: A Boeing 737-8EH operated by Gol Linhas Aereas sustained damage in a fire accident on the right engine outlet during pushback at Brasilia International Airport, Brazil. 145 people were on board, the aircraft was evacuated and the fire in the right hand engine was extinguished by fire services. The aircraft was sent to maintenance with only minor damage on the outer skin and a cracked window pane. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=184497 Back to Top More Virgin Australia seat delays raise FAA secrecy questions A second B/E Aerospace outward-facing herringbone seat installation is being delayed because of safety certification issues - and the FAA is refusing to discuss the safety issues at hand with aviation media. Australian Business Traveller, which broke the news back in October 2015, quoted a Virgin Australia spokesperson stating: "We have recently been advised by the Business Class seat manufacturer B/E Aerospace that they are still completing the certification process on the seat. Therefore we now expect the first reconfigured Boeing 777 to launch in early 2016." Virgin Australia, which had an extensive refit programme planned for before the southern hemisphere rush, will now be several months late in updating its aging business class product. RGN contacted B/E Aerospace, which did not respond - much as it did not respond to requests concerning certification issues with Super Diamond earlier this year for Virgin Australia's A330 refit. This is a troubling trend for a publicly traded company manufacturing products that have now twice failed initial safety certification. RGN contacted the FAA with an initial request for information on 2 October 2015. Specifically, RGN asked: 1) What is the nature of this delay? 2) Given that B/E Super Diamond is a previously certified seat, what is the issue? 3) Does it have to do with the Virgin Australia implementation of this seat or is it a wider issue with Super Diamond? 4) Is it related to 16G certification, flammability or the head impact criterion? 5) Is it related to increasing the angle from the centreline to 24° or greater? What is the angle from the centerline? 6) Why is the work to certify this seat at an increased angle for the Airbus A330 not able to be carried over to the 777? These are all questions answered earlier in the year by European regulator EASA in the context of B/E's Super Diamond safety certification failures on Virgin Australia's A330. On 7 October, FAA spokesperson Alison Duquette gave an on-background response stating that the agency could not find any seat certification for the airline, or indeed for any Super Diamond seats on the Boeing 777. After RGN pressed, Duquette admitted on 9 October that "we did miss something" and that there was indeed such a certification, but refused to provide any useful information, stating: "We are unable to speak specifically about the certification project status and details due to the propriety nature of that information. Schedules and details are proprietary." In response to specific RGN questions about 16G certification and the head injury criterion, Duquette stated: "The FAA issues special conditions that include several injury criteria unique to this type of seat installation (seats installed at greater than 18 degrees to the airplane centerline)." The implication - though it is only an implication - is that there are yet more problems with the increased centerline angle that B/E is introducing with the Virgin Australia implementation of Super Diamond. Kontron NOW - VIDEO Avionics_300x300_watchVideoIn response to the FAA's stonewalling, on 9 October RGN requested the agency reconsider its decision in light of the presumption of openness embodied in US legislation, given the significant public interest in seat safety, and following the extensive on-record information provided by European counterpart EASA to RGN's enquiries when the certification affected an Airbus aircraft earlier in the year. The FAA has yet to respond. EASA's cooperation with media should be noted in stark contrast to the FAA's closed- doors approach. The European regulator commented extensively, openly and on record about ongoing seat certification issues. The FAA, meanwhile, appears to operate differently, despite previous criticism. In farming out a significant portion of certification work to corporations under its ODA program, does the FAA willfully remain ignorant about these subjects? "The FAA's oversight of Boeing, Boeing's oversight of Thales, and Thales' oversight of GS Yuasa did not ensure that the cell manufacturing process was consistent with established industry practices," the NTSB said in its 787 lithium battery fire report (PDF), adopted in November 2014. "The NTSB recommends that the FAA develop or revise processes to establish more effective oversight of production approval holders and their suppliers (including subtier suppliers) to ensure that they adhere to established manufacturing industry standards." In the context of the FAA's significant failures to adequately scrutinize the Boeing 787, and the unprecedented swathe of official recommendations from the NTSB to the regulator following the Dreamliner's lithium battery fires - an almost unthinkable fifteen recommendations to the FAA, including the one above about lack of effective safety regulation oversight, compared with just two to Boeing and one to batterymaker GS Yuasa - it is worrying that the FAA is continuing to act with such secrecy in an area of such public interest. RGN has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the FAA for documentation concerning this seat installation, even at the risk of blowback from the FAA. Writing openly about these safety and oversight failings at the FAA, and the risk that they will be repeated as a result of the agency's concerning lack of transparency, is a risk for any publication. Yet even at the risk of being shut out of any future responses from the FAA, RGN will continue to raise concerns about regulator secrecy and the role of open information in ensuring passenger safety. https://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2016/02/14/more-virgin-australia-seat-delays-raise- faa-secrecy-questions/ Back to Top Airlines make it too hard to file a complaint, lawmaker says An American Airlines jet sits at the gate at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport. Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Los Angeles) wants airlines to post in a prominent place on their websites information to help unhappy passengers file a complaint. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) Air travelers may be more upset about airline service than we know. More than 56 million people flew on U.S. commercial flights in November and only 1,300 filed complaints with the federal government. That's a rate of one complaint for every 43,000 passengers. That rate may be hard to believe, given the shrinking of airline seats and the expansion of passenger fees over the last few years. Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Los Angeles) believes that the number of complaints are relatively low because airlines have made it too hard to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Under 2012 federal law, all airlines must post on their website information to help unhappy passengers file a complaint with the federal agency. A complaint can be made through a hotline (202-366-2220) or using an online complaint form. But finding such information on an airline website isn't so easy. When Hahn's staff sought the information on the website for Spirit Airlines, they found it buried on page 48 of a 51- page legal document called the "Contract of Carriage." On American Airlines' website, the complaint information is at the bottom of a page titled "Consumer Service Plan." At Delta Air Lines' website, the complaint information is near the bottom of a page titled "Travelers With Disabilities." "I searched for the hotline number myself on different airline websites and couldn't find it anywhere," Hahn said. "If I can't find it, I am assuming many other fliers can't find it either, and the data demonstrates that." To address the problem, the lawmaker filed an amendment last week to a funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration, requiring that the airlines post the complaint information on a prominent place on their websites. In response to the amendment, American Airlines said: "We comply with all current regulations and will continue to do so." http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-airlines-complaint-20160212-story.html Back to Top Boeing confident huge pipeline of Asia orders to stay intact Boeing Co. is confident its large pipeline of orders from Southeast Asian airlines will stay intact as the region's carriers are adapting to tough competition, a senior executive said Monday. Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India sales, said Boeing forecasts demand for 3,750 new airplanes in Southeast Asia, valued at $550 billion over the next 20 years. Of the forecast demand, 76 percent will be for single-aisle aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, according to Boeing. Keskar told a news conference ahead of the Singapore Airshow that the company was in a "good spot" with customers that include regional carriers such as Indonesia's Lion Air. "In this highly competitive market, airlines are adding capacity and adapting with new business models, such as the growing number of low cost carriers," he said. "There are significant, huge orders. The Boeing piece looks pretty simple and straightforward, and we have not seen any requests for deferrals." More than 1,000 companies, including Boeing and Airbus, are participating in the Singapore Airshow, which starts Tuesday and ends Feb. 21. The previous show in 2014 generated deals worth $32 billion. Tony Tyler, the chief executive of the International Air Transport Association, said over the weekend that airlines in Southeast Asia may defer orders because of challenges such as overcapacity and intense competition. "It's easy to place these orders when times are looking good. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are pushed back," he said. Earlier this month, Boeing said it will be eliminating commercial airplane jobs as part of a cost-cutting effort, but did not give details on the timing or scale. Keskar said job cuts were "one of the elements" in reducing costs that included tightening travel expenses, and that no time frame has been set. In January, Boeing said it expects adjusted 2016 earnings of between $8.15 and $8.35 per share, compared with an average forecast of $9.41 among analysts surveyed by FactSet. It also said aircraft deliveries would slip from a record 762 in 2015 to between 740 and 745 this year. http://www.kansas.com/news/business/aviation/article60425731.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top Vaccinating Aircraft Against Cyber Attacks Addressing the growing cyber risks to civil aviation, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is developing a cyber protection suite for commercial airlines and their fleets, which will be able to protect passenger aircraft from such threats. With the introduction of modern avionics, computerized onboard navigation and information, modern connectivity systems and in-flight entertainment systems, commercial airliners are becoming vulnerable to cyber attacks. Defeating those constantly evolving vulnerabilities is practically impossible, particularly in complex and highly regulated systems such as those of the aviation market. These threats have already targeted airports and airlines, as well as individual aircraft. The next steps could include demanding ransom for the release of a hijacked aircraft as a means of terror. IAI is addressing this vulnerability on all levels. This means securing ground-based enterprise information and operational systems at the infrastructure and fleet levels and employing conventional cyber security means. However, protecting individual aircraft requires specific work with the manufacturers, airlines and regulatory authorities. "We are developing solutions based on the cyber security and threat alert know-how developed for other cyber programs," an IAI official associated with the program told ShowNews. "These solutions implement processing and prediction analysis developed by Elta for radar and electronic warfare in the past 40 years. We expect our solutions to mature for operational use next year. We are already working with aircraft manufacturers that expressed great interest in our capabilities and will present the solution to civil authorities as they mature." http://aviationweek.com/singapore-airshow-2016/vaccinating-aircraft-against-cyber- attacks Back to Top ST Aero Unveils New Aircraft Seats At Singapore Airshow ST Aerospace will be unveiling its new economy-class passenger seats at this year's Singapore Airshow. These are the first seats made under ST Aero's new joint venture with Japanese seat- maker Tenryu Holdings. ST Aero Aircraft Seats, which was formed in March 2015 and is 90% owned by ST Aero and 10% by Tenryu, is headed by general manager Kham Joon Wui. ST Aero moved into this market because it was a natural extension for its cabin interior configuration business, says Kham, adding that the company has positioned itself as a "one-stop shop" for any airline wanting to do an aircraft interior reconfiguration. "We do the program management, design and certification; we build the interior and we install it. We offer a complete offering," she says. Kham says there are many players making commercial airline passenger seats, most of which are based either in Europe or North America, but these players don't offer the full suite of services that ST Aero offers. ST Aero's aircraft seats are made of a lightweight aluminum alloy structure and are offered with a choice of fabric or leather seat covers. "There are new materials being introduced into the seat market such as plastics, composites and titanium, but for our first product we have gone with mature technology and used traditional materials, because the feedback we received from airlines was that they were a little bit hesitant about taking on some of those new materials." She says the seats, which were designed in Singapore, are "pretty light weight and can be classed as slim-line, but can't be too slim-line because they are designed for long-haul operators and have to be very comfortable." The seats on display at the show feature the Thales new-generation fit monitor, says Kham. Kham says ST Aero has completed engineering tests on the seats and is now working with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to get them certified. She anticipates that Singapore certification will be achieved in mid-2016, after which they will work to get the FAA and EASA to validate the Singapore certification, so the seats then be installed on commercial aircraft. http://aviationweek.com/singapore-airshow-2016/st-aero-unveils-new-aircraft-seats- singapore-airshow Back to Top Boeing sees new aircraft demand worth $550 billion in Southeast Asia over 20 years The Boeing logo is seen at their headquarters in Chicago SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Southeast Asia requires 3,750 new aircraft worth $550 billion in 20 years from 2015, a senior Boeing executive told a press conference ahead of the Singapore Airshow that starts on Tuesday. Of this, 76 percent will be for single-aisle aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice-president for Asia Pacific and India sales at Boeing. This will be largely driven by low-cost carriers, and the growth of markets such as Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam, he added. Southeast Asian passenger traffic has grown by more than 9 percent since 2010, with intra-Southeast Asian traffic projected to increase by 7.7 percent over the next 20 years, said Keskar. "The total pie and the number of people traveling is still very low," he added. The Asia Pacific region as a whole will absorb 14,550 aircraft, more than a third of the 39,050 aircraft that are required globally, according to Boeing's forecast. IATA director general Tony Tyler said on Sunday that record plane orders placed by ambitious Southeast Asian airlines could be at risk in an environment of intense competition, low profitability and turmoil in financial markets. Fast growing low-cost carriers such as Indonesia's Lion Air, Malaysia's AirAsia and India's IndiGo have ordered hundreds of Airbus and Boeing jets over the last decade in a bid to secure market share. Lion is the only Boeing customer of those three, and Keskar said that the airline had been taking all of its ordered 737s. Boeing, he added, was in a "good spot" and had not had requests for deferrals from any of its other customers. "Most of our customers have been ordering 25, 30, 40 aircraft at a time and then replacing them every three to four years," said Keskar, who added that the steady growth plans help these airlines. http://www.businessinsider.com/r-boeing-sees-new-aircraft-demand-worth-550-billion-in- southeast-asia-over-20-years-2016-2 Back to Top Malaysia Airlines to keep Airbus A380s after sales bid fails Malaysia Airlines (Mas) has delayed plans to sell some of its Airbus A380 jumbo jets, and will now keep all six of them, at least until 2018, after retiring its fleet of Boeing 777s, its chief executive said. The Kuala Lumpur-based carrier has tried without success to find a buyer for the planes for the past year. The sales bid was part of a restructuring plan to cut costs, which also involved Mas withdrawing from several long-haul European routes. After accelerating the retirement of its much older Boeing 777-200 fleet, the airline has decided to keep the A380s in service until it gets the first of its new Airbus A350 wide- body jets, Christoph Mueller said ahead of the Singapore Airshow. "We need them for the long-haul market," said Mr Mueller of the A380s, which the airline flies only to London. "We are still evaluating what we want to do with the A380. We have six and we will keep them at least until 2018, when we get the first A350." Mas is also evaluating if it needs two more A350s to add to the four that it will get from leasing companies, Mr Mueller said, adding that these planes would serve medium-haul, intra-Asia Pacific routes that the airline would focus on as part of its post-restructuring strategy. Mr Mueller, an experienced industry executive, was hired to push through the reshaping of Mas in May last year after the Malaysian national investment firm Khazanah took it private. Mas suffered a massive blow to its brand after flight MH370, which was carrying 239 passengers and crew, disappeared in March 2014. In July 2014, another flight, MH17, was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people aboard. Mr Mueller said the airline still aimed to return to profit by 2018. "We are not profitable yet but we are getting there," he said. "The markets are soft now, and that's not just China. All segments are affected. But we can overcome that." As part of its restructuring, the airline has suspended non-stop services to Amsterdam, Paris and Dubai, and is using a new codeshare partnership with Emirates to connect its passengers to destinations in Europe, Africa and the US. Mr Mueller said Mas hoped to extend this codeshare to "all points" on the airlines' combined networks to "give us many points in, for example Africa and Europe, that we can't fly to but where there is demand". One challenge to the restructuring programme has been the depreciation of the ringgit against the US dollar, with many costs such as fuel prices and aircraft lease pegged to the greenback, Mr Mueller said. In a bid to increase revenue to offset higher costs, the airline is looking at ways to attract more passengers and upgrade its in-flight offerings, such as introducing a new business class product this year and possibly adding in-flight mobile and internet connectivity. http://www.thenational.ae/business/aviation/malaysia-airlines-to-keep-airbus-a380s- after-sales-bid-fails Back to Top Turkish Airlines' success becomes case study at Harvard World renowned Harvard Business School makes a case study out of Turkish Airlines' rapid success Europe's leading carrier Turkish Airlines' success has become a case study at one of the world's most prestigious collegial institutions -- Harvard Business School (HBS) on Tuesday. The case study called "Turkish Airlines: Widen Your World" explored the company's transformation from a regional actor to a global powerhouse in the international aviation industry, and discussed its fast and profitable growth in the sector. "Forecasts for the sector predict approximately 7 percent passenger and capacity growth in 2016. Turkish Airlines plans to achieve 21 percent capacity and 18 percent passenger growth in 2016," said the case study authored by HBS faculty member Prof. Juan Alcacer and HBS Istanbul Research Center's Executive Director Esel Cekin. "Anticipated passenger traffic passing through Istanbul from Europe to the Middle East and Asia and from North America to the Middle East will triple in the next 20 years. Given this potential, Turkish Airlines expects to continue to grow over that period," it added. Turkish Airlines Deputy Chair and CEO Dr. Temel Kotil visited HBS in Boston to speak to a class of second year MBA students on Tuesday. "Ten years ago, Turkish Airlines was considered a regional airline. Today, we are one of the industry's largest carriers serving 287 worldwide destinations to business and leisure travelers. We offer the largest number of countries and international destination choices to our passengers," he said, according to a HBS statement. Kotil, who was awarded the best CEO in Turkey by Harvard Business Review Turkey, continued "We went from being a national carrier to a global airline serving 113 countries in a short period of time, and I'm truly honored to have had the opportunity to share our success story, our journey with these brilliant, young minds at Harvard today." - Europe's best airline for five consecutive years - After his speech in HBS, Kotil told Anadolu Agency that 2004 and 2006 were crucial years for the company's inception of success. In 2004, Turkish Airlines, which was a public enterprise back then, began flights to 24 new destinations in the Middle East. Since Turkey is geographically well positioned between Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the company used Istanbul as a natural hub for transit passengers. "Those 24 lines changed our destiny. The number of our transit passengers increased from one to 14 million since 2004," Kotil said, and added "Everything for us changed completely after Turkish Airlines was privatized in 2006." Noting that such a case study by HBS is a first for a Turkish company, the CEO said Harvard's MBA students were astonished by Turkish Airlines' rapid success. "They knew that Istanbul is in a key position between Europe, Asia and Africa. And they were aware that the new airport in Istanbul will solidify this position. What they liked the most was the way a small regional airline company grew six fold to become Europe's best airline for five years in a row. Some of the reasons I pointed out for that were our hard work, the growth in the Turkish economy, and Turkish foreign policy's initiatives towards Africa," he explained. - Next stop: Growth in Americas and Asia - Kotil highlighted that Turkish Airlines ranked 13th among all airline companies in the world in 2014 and 11th in 2015. He projected that for this year it will finish in eighth place. "Our target is to raise the number of flights in the Americas and Asia. Just like we increased our flight destinations in Africa from four to 48, we intend to do the same for the Americas. Latin America will become our new Africa," he said. Noting the increased significance of the Latin America market for Turkey following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's diplomatic visits to South American countries, Kotil said "Officials and businessmen are to follow." Once having only four flights to New York a week, Kotil said Turkish Airlines now has three flights to New York every day, and added that the number of flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Houston, Boston and Chicago are also set to increase. New flight destinations for the company include, Atlanta, Bogata, Panama, Havana, Caracas and Mexico City. Increases in flights are planned from the current two flights to Kuala Lumpur as well as those to Taipei, Kotil explained. "We can now make our long destination flights as easy as we can our short destination ones," Kotil emphasized, adding: "You will see many other moves from Turkish Airlines in the U.S. and China." - 'You need to dream every day' - One of these most recent moves came last Sunday. In the U.S.' most watched televised event; the championship game of the American football league, Turkish Airlines became the sponsor of a pregame show of the CBS-hosted Super Bowl 50. Moreover, the company also became the sponsor of the much-awaited Warner Bros.' Batman v Superman movie, and had Hollywood actor Ben Affleck star in its commercials, which ran before and after the Super Bowl 50 on Sunday. "You need to have a new dream every day in Turkish Airlines," Kotil said, indicating the importance of creating a brand in the U.S. and Asian markets. He noted that Turkish Airlines now has the most valuable brand among all other airlines in the world after the UAE's Emirates. http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/169454/turkish-airlines-success-becomes-case-study- at-harvard Back to Top Embraer to Roll Out Next-Gen E-Jet Next Week The second-generation E-Jet E2 family brackets the 70 to 130-seat segment. The first E-Jet E2 to be presented to the public will be the up-to-106-passenger E190-E2, which has its first flight scheduled for the second half of 2016 and entry into service in 2018. The other two aircraft of the second generation, the E195-E2 and E175-E2, are scheduled to enter service in 2019 and 2020, respectively. "It will be gratifying to see the first E190-E2 leave the hangar towards the tests that will lead to the inaugural flight," says Paulo Cesar Silva, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation. "The second generation of E-Jets will allow current and future operators to incorporate aircraft that are even more modern, with significant reduction in operating cost and unmatched passenger comfort." With an investment of USD 1.7 billion, the E-Jets E2 program was launched in June, 2013. Since then, the E2s have achieved a backlog of 267 firm orders, in addition to 373 options and purchase rights, having airlines and leasing companies among its customers. Currently, the family of E-Jets is in operation with some 70 customers in 50 countries. The E2 program reaffirms Embraer's commitment to maintain its leadership position in the 70 to 132-seat aircraft segment, the company says. The aircraft will have state-of-the-art Pratt & Whitney PurePower Geared Turbofan high bypass ratio engines (PW1700G on the E175-E2, PW1900G on the E190-E2 and E195-E2) Combined with new aerodynamically advanced wings, full fly-by-wire flight controls, and improvements to other systems, the E2s will deliver significant reductions in fuel burn, maintenance costs, emissions, and external noise. Meanwhile, Embraer cut the first metal for the E195-E2 in mid-January, with goals of first flight in 2017, and first deliveries during the first half of 2019. http://aviationweek.com/singapore-airshow-2016/embraer-roll-out-next-gen-e-jet-next- week Back to Top NASA Is Building A Space Launch System For A Trip To Mars Space Launch System The SLS will take satellites on its 2018 expedition. There is a new plan by NASA to build a huge rocket that can launch people to Mars, according to the Daily Mail. This is the Space Launch System, or SLS, which will be the strongest launch system with the capabilities to drive into deep space. With a weight of 5.5 million pounds, the rocket will have 8.4 million pounds of lift-off thrust. At 322 feet, it will be among the longest space ships too. The SLS will send probes and satellites on its first mission. While the scientists are working on the simulation core stage, there is a plan to make it more than 200 ft. tall and store cryogenic liquid hydrogen as well as liquid oxygen, says a NASA press release. "This hardware is an excellent proving ground for the core stage - from manufacturing and assembly to the launch site," said lead engineer for the core Shane Carpenter. "We don't want the first time we transport the core stage to be with flight hardware. That's why having a pathfinder is critical to the program." http://www.counselheal.com/articles/21578/20160215/nasa-building-space-launch- system-trip-mars.htm Back to Top Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST I am originally from South Africa where I worked as a Multimedia Designer and Lecturer for over a decade. I moved to Dubai, UAE in 2013 and am currently pursuing a career in Aviation Safety. My father is in aviation, my wife is in aviation along with all our friends. I finally got the hint. I will be completing a MSc. in Aviation Safety with this final research project. The scope of the research is: 'Evaluating the perception of stress among air traffic controllers in the United Arab Emirates as a safety risk to operational performance'. I am interested in the views of ATC operators from around the world to help establish a baseline for the research and gain further insight into the ramifications of stress in this sector on a global scale. The link to the survey is as follows: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/InternationalATCStress I look forward to the feedback. Kind Regards, Gary Peck MSc Aviation Safety Emirates Aviation University Back to Top The International Society of Air Safety Investigators SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR THE JEROME F. LEDERER AWARD CHAIRMAN'S COMMENTS. No nominations for the award were received this past year. Usually we get one to three nominations per year. Surely there are some deserving investigators among us. Therefore, I urge ISASI members to nominate a person or persons who you believe deserves consideration for this award. The ISASI Awards Committee is seeking nominations for the 2016 Jerome F. Lederer Award. To be considered this year, your nomination letter must be received by May 31, 2016 The purpose of the Jerome F. Lederer Award is to recognize outstanding contributions to technical excellence in accident investigation. The Award is presented each year during our annual seminar to a recipient who is recognized for positive advancements in the art and science of air safety investigation. The nomination process is quite simple. Any member of ISASI may submit a nomination. The nominee may be an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization. The nominee is not required to be an ISASI member. The nomination may be for a single event, a series of events or a lifetime of achievement. The ISASI Awards Committee considers such traits as duration and persistence, standing among peers, manner and techniques of operating, and of course achievements. Once nominated, a nominee is considered for the next three years and then dropped. After an intervening year, the candidate may be nominated for another three-year period. The nomination letter for the Lederer Award should be limited to a single page. This award is one of the most significant honors an accident investigator can receive; therefore, considerable care is given in determining the recipient. Each ISASI member should thoughtfully review his or her association with fellow investigators, and submit a nomination when they identify someone who has been outstanding in increasing the technical quality of accident investigation. Additional information regarding the award can be found on the ISASI website. Nominations should be mailed, or e-mailed to the ISASI office or directly to the Awards Committee Chairman, Gale Braden, 13805 Edmond Gardens Drive Edmond, OK 73013 USA, email address, galebraden@cox.net www.isasi.org Curt Lewis