Flight Safety Information February 18, 2016 - No. 035 In This Issue PROS 2016 TRAINING Flight MH370 Update: Rogue Pilot Theory Might Be Considered Florida Bill Would Allow Guns In Airport Terminals Despite Objections From Aviation Officials Cargo plane lands safely at Miami International Airport after tire blows out SINGAPORE: VietJet picks GTF engines for A320neo family aircraft Zambian airline takes on world-class air safety standards Swiss pilots object to 'two in the cockpit' rule Revision develops eyewear to protect pilots from lasers Airbus, Boeing announce $3B in airplane deals at Singapore Airshow Call for papers for ISASI 2016, Iceland, 17 to 20 October 2016 FAA Open to Discussing Turning Over Air Traffic Safety to Nonprofit Subject: Additional Training Courses Available at 2016 CHC Safety & Quality Summit Flight Safety Foundation Schedules Safety Seminars in Asia Bombardier Now Needs Foreign Jet Orders With Air Canada Tailwind MU-2 Pilot's Review of Proficiency (PROP) Training RESEARCH SURVEY...MENTAL HEALTH & FLYING SURVEY Flight MH370 Update: Rogue Pilot Theory Might Be Considered If Search For Plane Ends With No Concrete Clues Australian authorities are likely to revive the theory that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was deliberately crashed if the search for the plane ends with no concrete evidence about its disappearance, the head of the organization leading the hunt told The Times. The report comes as the search for the missing Boeing 777-200 enters its final phase before efforts are called off in June. Martin Dolan, head of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, told The Times authorities are preparing to change their theory of what happened to the jet before it went missing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. So far, authorities reportedly believe that the plane was flying on autopilot as its pilots were either incapacitated or dead at the time of the crash. The plane may have later crashed into the southern Indian Ocean, where the current search operations are underway, after it ran out of fuel. However, in a scenario that no wreckage from the missing Flight MH370 is found, authorities might have to consider that someone was in control of the plane. "We're not at the point yet, but sooner or later we will be - and we will have to explain to governments what the alternative is," Dolan told The Times. "And the alternative is, frankly, that despite all the evidence as we currently have the possibility that someone was at the controls of that aircraft on the flight and gliding it becomes a more significant possibility, if we eliminate all of the current search area. "In a few months' time, if we haven't found it (the plane), then we'll have to be contemplating that one of the much less likely scenarios ends up being more prominent. Which is that there were control inputs into that aircraft at the end of its flight," Dolan reportedly added. The rogue pilot theory, which was reportedly the first that was considered by authorities just after the plane went missing, also includes the possibility that a third individual took control of the plane. According to The Times, even though authorities consider the rogue pilot theory, it would not change the final track of the aircraft that was supported by satellite and radar data. However, it would alter the calculations for how far the plane may have travelled before it ran out of fuel. Dolan's latest comments on Flight MH370 come just days after he raised doubts over the outcome of the current search in the southern Indian Ocean. He said earlier this week that there is a possibility that the search for the plane might "not succeed." He also added that search vessels scouring 46,330 square miles of the ocean flood may have missed locating the plane. So far, the first and only piece of physical evidence to be recovered from the plane is a flaperon that washed ashore on France's Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean - about 2,300 miles away from the current search area - in July 2015. The multimillion-dollar search for the plane has yielded no concrete clues so far. Last week, rumors surfaced that the Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the veteran pilot of Flight MH370, was alive and recovering in a Taiwan hospital. However, Malaysia's Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai responded to the rumors saying that the report was not true. "The ministry will provide updates on MH370 from time to time. Any information regarding MH370 must be referred to us," Liow said, according to local report Bernama. "Do not speculate." Malaysia is reportedly expected to release a report on the second anniversary of the plane's disappearance on March 8. http://www.ibtimes.com/flight-mh370-update-rogue-pilot-theory-might-be-considered-if-search-plane- ends-no-2312308 Back to Top Florida Bill Would Allow Guns In Airport Terminals Despite Objections From Aviation Officials A proposal to let people bring guns into Florida airport terminals is gaining traction in the state's Senate, despite objections from aviation officials and Democrats, the Florida Times-Union reported Tuesday. The bill would allow those with a concealed weapons permit to carry firearms in the parts of airports that come before passengers go through security screening. The bill is the latest in a series of gun measures under consideration by the Republican-controlled legislature in Florida. Airports are currently among the 15 areas listed in Florida state law where people cannot carry concealed weapons, the Bradenton Herald reported, but state Sen. Wilton Simpson said this means airport terminals "could become more of a target" for terrorists and criminals. "When you see that there are lots of terroristic threats around airports and security around airports, and it seems to me that when you have 100 million visitors come through the state of Florida at some level, this is one of those areas we need to address," Simpson, who is sponsoring the bill, said, according to the Times-Union. The Florida Senate Criminal Justice Committee approved the measure Tuesday, voting 3-2 on party lines. However, it is unlikely to move forward in the near future because the state House version has not yet been heard by any committees. Simpson told the Bradenton Herald his bill aims to make sure "law-abiding citizens" can protect themselves when dropping off or picking up family members outside security checkpoints. About 1.5 million people in Florida have concealed-weapons permits. Democrats like state Sen. Jeff Clemens and Sen. Audrey Gibson have questioned the bill, saying it could make it easier for those going into airports to access weapons. "They need to be carrying their concealed weapons to walk their person to the gate because of terrorists?" Gibson said. But it's not just a partisan issue. Aviation officials in Florida are also opposed to the idea of introducing more weapons to airports. The Florida Airports Council, which represents 19 commercial airports and more than 75 other airports, is opposed to the proposal. "If there's incidents, law enforcement officers would have concerns about who's carrying weapons and who's not," council representative Michael Stewart said, the Bradenton Herald reported. The proposal says that people hoping to travel with their weapons would still need to unload their guns, pack them into baggage and declare the firearms when checking in. The Transportation Security Administration reported last month that 2015 saw a spike nationally in the number of people trying to carry firearms onto planes. A total of 2,653 firearms were found at airport security checkpoints last year, up from 2,212 the previous year. The next step for the Florida bill is the state Senate's Judiciary Committee, which is also waiting to hear bills that would allow some gun owners to carry openly in most places and to carry concealed weapons on public college and university campuses. Back to Top Cargo plane lands safely at Miami International Airport after tire blows out 6 Atlas Air crew members on flight MIAMI - A cargo plane that departed from Miami International Airport landed safely Wednesday morning after one of its tires blew out shortly after takeoff. The Atlas Air flight was bound for Buenos Aires, Argentina, when a tire blew out, airport spokesman Greg Chin told Local 10 News. Sky 10 was overhead as the plane landed about 8:50 a.m. on a runway where several Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trucks were waiting. Smoke could be seen coming from the tires as they touched the tarmac. Six crew members were on board at the time, but nobody was injured. Miami-Dade police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said police closed the streets surrounding the airport as a precaution. The plane was expected to remain at the airport for maintenance. Another plane is expected to depart for Buenos Aires about 3 p.m. http://www.local10.com/news/cargo-plane-tires-blow-out Back to Top SINGAPORE: VietJet picks GTF engines for A320neo family aircraft VietJet Air has chosen Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM geared turbofan engines to power the 63 Airbus A320/A321neos it has on order. Delivery of the aircraft is expected to commence in 2017, says P&W. "We are very pleased to choose the PurePower geared turbofan engine for our Airbus A320neo and A321neo family fleets. With its advanced design of less fuel costs and CO2 emissions, the new engines are expected to boost the carrier's efficiency and protect environment as well as enable Vietjet to offer passengers more affordable air fares," adds the low-cost operator's president and chief executive Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao. Flightglobal Fleets Analyzer shows that VietJet Air now operates 31 Airbus A320 family aircraft. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/singapore-vietjet-picks-gtf-engines-for-a320neo-fam-422101/ Back to Top Zambian airline takes on world-class air safety standards LUSAKA, Zambia - Proflight Zambia has completed the third of three workshops under the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Implementation Training Initiative (ITI) in the airline's latest step towards the top safety accreditation standard in the global aviation industry. IOSA is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. It is based on industry proven quality audit principles and designed to ensure that each audit is conducted in a standardised manner in order to achieve consistent results. "Safety is the number one priority for all of us at Proflight, and Proflight's successful completion of this IOSA training phase which forms an important preparatory step towards undergoing an IOSA audit and subsequently achieving IOSA certification confirms that. Our team has worked hard and I am pleased to say that all participants passed their final examinations," said Proflight Zambia Director of Safety Quality and Security, Kenneth Silavwe. IATA members carry 83 percent of the world's air traffic and include the world's leading passenger and cargo airlines. The IOSA audit is a universally accepted benchmark of the standard of safety audit in the world. Attaining IATA accreditation will elevate Proflight's safety credibility so that the airline can more easily agree code-share agreements with international airlines, and possibly make a case for exemption from the EU ban list on Zambia. Proflight has in place a functional IOSA a task force and a steering committee to ensure that it attains IOSA accreditation. The benefits of IOSA certification are many: it reduces insurance premiums, allows for quicker processing of new code share agreements, increased code share opportunities, controlled system to share audit results, IATA quality assurance and brings improvement in management system and operational efficiency. There has never been any airline in Zambia that has been IOSA accredited under the IOSA safety oversight program, Proflight is in the final phase of being the first. http://www.eturbonews.com/68282/zambian-airline-takes-world-class-air-safety-standards Back to Top Swiss pilots object to 'two in the cockpit' rule Pilots can no longer be left alone in the cockpit A new regulation forcing passenger aircraft to always have at least two personnel in the cabin could create a security risk, the Swiss Pilots' Association has warned. The rule came into force after a Germanwings plane was crashed by its pilot last year, killing 149 people. In March 2015, the co-pilot of the Germanwings flight, who suffered from depression, deliberately crashed the Airbus 320 into the French Alps. He had waited until his colleague left the cockpit and then locked the door from the inside. Having doors that can only be locked, or unlocked, from the inside was introduced to reduce the risk of the cockpit being entered by terrorists or hijackers. But Swiss pilots fear that the new rule of always having more than one person in the cockpit could now work in favour of terrorists. It could result in the cockpit door being open for longer periods as cabin staff have to replace a pilot on a toilet break, for example. "Because of this we are of the same opinion as the European Cockpit Association that this rule should be abolished," Thomas Steffan, spokesman for the Swiss Pilots' Association Aeropers, told Swiss public television SRF. But the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) has little time for the Aeropers complaint. It told SRF that Swiss pilots must also observe recommendations from the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) that at least two personnel must remain in the cockpit at all times. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/air-safety_swiss-pilots-object-to--two-in-the-cockpit--rule/41965894 Back to Top Revision develops eyewear to protect pilots from lasers Revision Eyewear in Essex Junction has a solution for the growing problem of pranksters aiming blinding lasers at pilots during critical phases of flight ESSEX JUNCTION - On Sunday night, a blinding flash of green laser light filled the cockpit of Virgin Atlantic Flight 25 as it climbed out of London, bound for New York, causing a "medical issue" with one of the pilots, and turning the airplane back to Heathrow Airport, the BBC reported. The previous Friday, Pope Francis' plane was lasered as it landed in Mexico City. The jet's captain, Massimiliano Marselli, reported the incident to the control tower, which alerted local authorities, Alitalia airlines said. Lasers, highly concentrated, powerful beams of light, can cause permanent eye damage, and one of the pilots was reported by the BBC to have been "shot in the eye" during takeoff. The incident marked the first time a laser attack - thought to be carried out by pranksters, rather than terrorists, with easily available laser "pens" - altered the course of a flight. But lasering jets for sport is hardly rare. The Federal Aviation Administration reports more than 7,000 such incidents at U.S. airports for 2015, through Dec. 11. That's double the number of incidents just three years earlier in 2012, according to FAA Spokeswoman Laura Brown, when there were about 3,500 reports from pilots of being lasered in the United States. The problem is worldwide, with incidents at airports from Mumbai to Tel Aviv. "The pilots report the laser just completely being like a blinding light when you're in an aircraft cockpit," Brown said. She said most of the attacks come at night, comparing it to being "suddenly hit with a bright light in a movie theater." "These lasers even though small are quite powerful," Brown said. Laser blocking lenses In Essex Junction, Revision Military Technologies, a research division of Montreal-based Revision Eyewear, has developed and patented a laser dye for a lens that blocks 99.9 percent of green laser energy, the most common, and most dangerous laser used in the airliner attacks. The lens also blocks 99 percent of the most powerful near-infrared light that is sometimes a component of the light emitted by green lasers. Former Vermont National Guard Adjutant General Mike Dubie, now president of Revision Military Technologies, and a commercial pilot for 20 years, believes every pilot should have a pair of Revision's LazrBloc GF-8 lenses at hand. "I think Virgin Atlantic 25 changed everything," Dubie said. "What happened on Sunday to that Heathrow to JFK flight is worldwide news. Luckily no one was killed." Revision rolled out its new laser-blocking glasses at a trade show in Las Vegas in January, and has been meeting with law enforcement officials around the country. Laser attacks are a problem for cops as well, and particularly for the pilots of low-flying police helicopters. "The closer you are to the laser the less power it has to have to cause injury," said Jim Hester, Revision's vice president of optics. "You could be 10 feet away. We want to give officers that level of protection and reduce the risk of eye damage." Revision has set up a dramatic demonstration of the LazrBloc GF-8 glasses at the company's manufacturing facility on Corporate Drive in Essex Junction. The demonstration consists of a viewing box mounted with a $16 green laser shining onto a black background inside the box. The dazzling light is difficult to view for any length of time with the naked eye, but slipping on the glasses it goes almost completely dark, with just .1 percent of the light remaining in the form of tiny pinpricks. The demonstration also shows that the greens, reds, yellows, oranges, blues and violets of a color wheel on the front of the box are still visible through the laser-blocking lens. That's important because the instrumentation in the cockpits of modern aircraft are mostly "glass," meaning screens, with myriad colors pilots must be able to see, even when wearing their LazrBloc lenses. Colored lights are also critical on the ground at airports. "All of those colors except purple are used in aviation," Laura Brown said. "We use blue lights coming in to land and all kinds of red and green lights." Dye beats coating Revision developed a dye for the resin used to make the lenses rather than a coating because coatings can be scratched, and even a small scratch would let enough light through from a green laser to dazzle a pilot, Jim Hester said. "Other people are using coatings, our dye-based solution is patented, multi-wavelength protection," Dubie said. "We're the only people doing it quite like this. It's because of our advanced mathematical modeling of the threat and then the proprietary dyes we developed as a solution." As it developed its dye, Revision made a series of prototypes and tested them with a spectrophotometer to determine precisely how much light a lens was blocking, to make sure they struck the balance of blocking enough, but not too much, light. "Think of a welder's mask, that's the trade off," Dubie said. "You could block everything but then you can't see anything. We need to block enough to protect pilots and police officers, but not impede their ability to see and fly." There's another reason to let a tiny fraction of the green light through the lens, Jim Hester said, and that's to allow police officers, pilots - and soldiers - to identify the source of a laser strike. "There's a balancing act," Hester said. "We can block all the green energy but it's important to still see the source of that laser threat so you can direct people to stop that threat." Prison time The perpetrators of attacks on commercial airliners are rarely caught, given the number of incidents, but when they are caught, they face stiff penalties and jail time. The FAA began imposing civil penalties, with fines up to $11,000, in June 2011. Then, in February 2012 President Barack Obama signed a law making it a federal crime to point a laser at an aircraft. Last year, 26-year-old Sergio Rodriguez of Clovis, California, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for pointing a laser at a Fresno police helicopter. Brian Dubie gave two of the first LazrBloc glasses to his brother and brother-in-law, both of whom are pilots. "To put this in perspective, there's 593,000 FAA certified pilots in the United States," Dubie said. "Extrapolate around the world, there's a lot of pilots. Will every pilot need these (lenses)? No. But I'm an FAA-certified pilot, and I'll be carrying these." This story was first published on Feb. 18, 2015. Contributing: USA Today. Contact Dan D'Ambrosio at 660- 1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DanDambrosioVT. http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/money/2016/02/17/revision-develops-eyewear-protect-pilots- lasers/80472322/ Back to Top Airbus, Boeing announce $3B in airplane deals at Singapore Airshow SINGAPORE (AP) - Airbus and Boeing announced modest aircraft orders at the Singapore Airshow on Wednesday that indicated a lull in demand for the big manufacturers after the 2014 show hauled in more than $30 billion of deals. Airbus announced an order for six A350-900s, valued at $1.8 billion at list prices from Philippine Airlines. Boeing announced a deal for 12 of its 737 jets with a privately-owned Chinese carrier Okay Airways, valued at $1.3 billion. Boeing and Airbus executives at the show have voiced confidence that air travel in Asia will continue to grow strongly. They said no Asian airlines had deferred orders already placed. But some industry experts say the slump in oil prices over the past several months means airlines will keep their older less-fuel efficient aircraft for longer and buy fewer new jets. "One of the reasons why the order books are full is because the fuel price was high, so there was an incentive to buy the more fuel-efficient planes and get rid of the old ones," said David Stewart, an aviation and aerospace adviser at ICF International. "But now the fuel price is low, so some airlines will keep their older planes longer, and therefore not need the new. It's a quiet time for all of us." Airlines are also deterred by the filled order books of both Airbus and Boeing, that could mean a long wait for the delivery of airplanes, Stewart said. Okay Airways Wang Shusheng said his company's order for 737s is not part of a deal Boeing signed with China last year to supply 300 aircraft worth $38 billion. He said the order will "further modernize our fleet and ensure we operate the most efficient fleet well into the future". Both jet manufacturers made their announcements on the second day of the Singapore Airshow, which ends Feb. 21. More than 1,000 companies are taking part. The previous show in 2014 generated deals worth $32 billion, and organizers will release this year's total after the event's trade period ends on Friday. Boeing said Monday that it had no deferrals in Asia and forecasts demand for 3,750 new airplanes in Southeast Asia valued at $550 billion over the next 20 years. Of the forecast demand, 76% will be for single-aisle aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier brushed off fears of a downturn in orders at a press conference Tuesday. The company forecasts demand for 12,810 new airplanes in the Asia-Pacific area, valued at $2 trillion over the next 20 years. That represents 40% of forecast global demand for about 32,600 airplanes over the same period. Passenger numbers in Asia are expected by Airbus to grow by 5.6% annually, with China forecast to post double digit growth. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/02/17/airbus-boeing-announce-3b- airplane-deals-singapore-airshow/80519676/ Back to Top Call for papers for ISASI 2016, Iceland, 17 to 20 October 2016 The International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) will hold their 47th annual seminar at the Grand Hotel Reykjavik, Iceland, from the 17 to 20 October 2016. The seminar theme is: "Every link is important" Papers are invited to address this theme in conjunction with other contemporary matters on aviation safety investigation, including recent case studies, new investigation methods and aviation safety trends or developments. For those interested in presenting a paper, submissions of abstracts are due by 15 April 2016. Abstracts should include a title and up to 300-word summary of the main points of the proposed paper. Please also include your name(s), affiliation, position, and a brief resume. Submissions, or any inquiries regarding submissions, are to be sent to: papers-ISASI2016@ESASI.EU. The panel reviewing the submitted abstracts will consider criteria such as the quality of the paper and the relevance to the seminar theme and air safety investigation. The panel will also endeavour to ensure that a broad range of topics are covered during the seminar. Decisions on the selected abstracts will be made by the 1 June 2016 and details on the required format of the papers and presentations will be issued at that time. Presenters will be required to submit their papers by 1 August 2016. Further information on ISASI16 is available at www.esasi.eu/isasi-2016. Back to Top Singapore, US ink agreement to strengthen aviation safety Both sides will accept each other's safety regulatory requirements and mutually recognise procedures for the approval and monitoring of aircraft maintenance organisations. SINGAPORE: Authorities from Singapore and the United States have inked a milestone aviation maintenance agreement, which is set to strengthen aviation safety, while reducing the cost of inspections for aircraft repair work. It is the first such agreement for the US in the Asia Pacific. The document was signed on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday (Feb 16) by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). With the agreement, both sides will accept each other's safety regulatory requirements and mutually recognise procedures for the approval and monitoring of aircraft maintenance organisations. This is expected to reap significant cost and time savings, as well as eliminate the duplication of inspections and audits in both countries. This is the second agreement concluded under the US-Singapore Bilateral Safety Agreement, which was signed in 2004. The first agreement provided for the mutual recognition of airworthiness for civil aeronautical products. "The United States looks forward to our continued collaboration with ASEAN Member States," said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. "The latest agreement between CAAS and the FAA reflects the strength of our bilateral relationship that dates back more than two decades," added Director-General of CAAS, Kevin Shum. Mr Shum also said Singapore and the US share a common goal in finding solutions to tackle complex challenges in the aviation landscape. These include those in aviation safety and security, air traffic management and human capital development. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-us-ink/2520324.html Back to Top Subject: Additional Training Courses Available at 2016 CHC Safety & Quality Summit People planning to attend the 2016 CHC Safety & Quality Summit now have the opportunity to receive additional training and certification by registering for pre- and post-summit training courses which begin April 01. This year's pre- and post-summit training courses include: Pre-Summit: * Accident Investigation Analysis (April 01-03) * Human Factors Analysis Classification System (HFACS, April 02-03) Post-Summit: * BSI ISO 9001: 2015 Internal Quality Systems Auditor (April 07-09) * BSI ISO 9001: 2015 Lead Auditor Add-on (April 10) * Root Cause Analysis (April 07-09) * Bowtie in Aviation Training (April 07-08) Registration and course details are available online at www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com. Registration for the summit and courses can be done at the same time by selecting "Delegate" at the registration page. To attend only the pre- or post-summit courses, choose "Pre/Post Summit Course" when registering. This annual, not for profit event is hosted by CHC Helicopter, the operating company of CHC Group Ltd. (OTCQX: HELIF). Platinum sponsors include Heli-One, AgustaWestland, Sikorsky, AIG, Chaucer, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Talbot Underwriting Ltd. and Willis. About CHC CHC Helicopter is a leader in enabling customers to go further, do more and come home safely, including oil and gas companies, government search-and-rescue agencies and organizations requiring helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul services through the Heli-One segment. The company has a fleet of more than 220 aircraft and operates on six continents. Contact Information: SUMMIT Irina Sakgaev Safety & Quality Applications Specialist CHC Helicopter +1.604.232.7302 summit@chc.ca MEDIA Liam Fitzgerald Communications Advisor +1.778.999.2923 Liam.Fitzgerald@chc.ca INVESTORS Laura Campbell Director, Investor Relations +1.604.232.7316 Laura.Campbell@chc.ca Back to Top Flight Safety Foundation Schedules Safety Seminars in Asia Next month, the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) is kicking off a series of 12 seminars with an event to be held at the Singapore Aviation Academy as part of its Global Safety Information Project (GSIP). The Safety Management Information and Sharing Seminars are part of the U.S.-based independent group's two-year study of safety data collection and processing systems. Here in Singapore, the complimentary event is being co-hosted by Singapore Aviation Safety Seminars (SASS) and will be held on March 16. Running alongside it will be a two-day Maintenance and Engineering Safety Seminar on March 14-15 and a Flight Operations Safety Seminar on March 17-18. Between March and July, other seminars will be held around the Asia Pacific and Latin American regions at locations including Sydney, Santiago, Chile, Tokyo, Hong Kong, São Paulo, Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia, Jakarta, Indonesia, Panama City, Lima, Peru and New Delhi. FSF vice president Mark Millam, who is in charge of GSIP, said that the group is considering scheduling further workshops in the Philippines, China, Costa Rica and the Caribbean. Acccording to FSF, the GSIP workshops are intended to investigate the most effective ways to gather safety data and conduct risk assessments both with individual organizations and through wider partnerships in the aviation industry. To prevent future accidents, the industry is transitioning from the knowledge gained from aircraft accidents to the knowledge gained from hazards that are discovered during regular operations. "The next step is to begin to develop tool kits that may be useful as roadmaps for [safety data collection and processing systems] that are so crucial to safety management systems and state safety programs," commented Millam. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2016-02-15/flight-safety-foundation- schedules-safety-seminars-asia Back to Top Bombardier Now Needs Foreign Jet Orders With Air Canada Tailwind Bombardier Inc.'s new willingness to offer discounts on its struggling C Series aircraft paid off with its first commitment from Air Canada. Now it needs to score a major customer abroad to build momentum for its biggest jet program. Air Canada on Wednesday became the first mainline North American carrier to commit to the C Series by signing a letter of intent to buy 45 CS300 aircraft. The deal has a list value of about $3.8 billion, rising to as much as $6.4 billion when options for 30 additional jets are factored in. "It is a turning point," Bombardier Chief Executive Officer Alain Bellemare said Wednesday. "We do have an order. This is not the end of the road, it's just another big milestone in our journey to make this program a huge success." Bombardier has been hemorrhaging cash after repeated development delays for its largest-ever aircraft, which is more than two years late, $2 billion over budget and required a $1 billion infusion from the Quebec government for a 49.5 percent stake. There's "a good chance" United Airlines will be next to commit to the C Series by ordering CS100 aircraft, the smaller of two variants of the family, Ernie Arvai, founding partner of the AirInsight consulting firm, said in an interview. United said last month it was looking at the C Series, among other jets. Discounts on the aircraft for Air Canada likely approach or even exceed 50 percent, he said. "It's safe to say anyone gets a big discount these days," Arvai said. "It's a buyer's market." Bombardier signaled in December it would be more aggressive on pricing for its C Series in a bid to end an orders drought and to compete with rivals including Airbus Group SE. 'Right Deal' Bellemare and Calin Rovinescu, the Air Canada CEO, both declined to discuss pricing at a Montreal press conference Wednesday, saying terms are confidential. "Obviously, we had to get the right deal that made sense for Air Canada, which we did," Ben Smith, president of Air Canada's passenger airline unit, said on a conference call. The Air Canada order doesn't carry as much weight as a deal with United or Delta Air Lines because Air Canada "is the hometown airline," Arvai said. "One would have expected them to order the plane at some point." One more order from a "marquee" carrier will be required to give the program the momentum it deserves, he said. Bombardier has been stuck on 243 firm C Series orders since September 2014. That sales drought, combined with growing concern over the company's liquidity position, dragged Bombardier's Class B stock below C$1 for 13 consecutive trading sessions through Tuesday. Stock Surges The shares soared 21 percent to C$1.09 on Wednesday after the deal, which came with the disclosure of 7,000 job cuts, a fourth-quarter profit that missed analysts estimates and a plan to carry out a reverse stock split. The job cuts include 2,830 in Canada, with most in Quebec. Passenger seating and windows sit inside the new Bombardier CS100 C Series aircraft. Economics were a key factor in the decision to buy the CS300, according to Air Canada's Smith. Bombardier has said the C Series, which features the new geared turbofan engine from United Technologies Corp.'s Pratt & Whitney unit, will cost about 15 percent less to operate, cut fuel burn by about 20 percent and produce less noise. "We absolutely love this airplane," Smith told reporters. "The level of efficiency that it provides is going to translate into a competitive position for us that will be unmatched in North America." Ease Rules Air Canada may have had another enticement to sign on. The Canadian government announced that it would ease rules that constrain the airline's ability to compete on the same day it agreed to buy the jets. Transport Minister Marc Garneau told reporters in Ottawa the government will seek to clarify rules that, among other things, may allow Air Canada to do maintenance at cheaper locales than Canada. Rovinescu said on a conference call the airline faced no government pressure to become a C Series customer. As a result of the order however, the country's largest carrier was able to settle its ongoing lawsuit with the Quebec government over its obligation to keep some of its heavy maintenance work in the province, he said. Air Canada and Bombardier will need "a few weeks" to turn the accord into a firm order, Rovinescu said. The companies still need to agree on certain "standard conditions" such as performance guarantees before closing the deal, the CEO said. Andrew Pyle, a fund manager at ScotiaMcLeod Inc. in Peterborough, Ontario said Bombardier is still facing an uphill battle to win over investors. Even with the rally Wednesday, the stock is down 57 percent over the past 12 months. Air Canada alone isn't going to be Bombardier's savior, he said. Negotiations Continue "It's not like this plane hasn't been marketed to airlines around the world," Pyle said in a phone interview Wednesday. "The big issues for airlines is they really haven't been impressed by the delays getting this plane into the sky, and when you have other options out there you go with the other options." Bombardier is still negotiating additional aid from the federal government. Quebec's investment in the C Series has given customers tangible proof that the program will be around for the long term, Bellemare said. Canada's participation will provide a "strong endorsement"" of the program while giving the company additional financial firepower, he said. Asked about the size of Canada's potential involvement, the CEO said he's hoping it will "come very close" to the Quebec investment. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-18/bombardier-now-needs-foreign-jet-orders-with-air- canada-tailwind Back to Top MU-2 Pilot's Review of Proficiency (PROP) Training April 1-2, 2015 Dallas, TX April 15 - 16, 2016 Tucson, AZ April 29 - 30, 2016 Covington, KY Click Here To Register! www.turbineair.com Back to Top RESEARCH SURVEY MENTAL HEALTH & FLYING SURVEY Hi, my name is Daniel Danczyk. I am soliciting participation in my survey on mental health and flying. If you are involved in seeing pilots with mental health or substance abuse issues, or are involved in their cases, please complete my anonymous survey (link below). On average, completion takes no more than 5- 7 minutes. You do not need to be a clinician to participate; I am looking for anyone that is involved in the medical treatment or certification of pilots, whether they are doctors, airline employees assisting with monitoring, private consultants, HIMS participants, government, or other experts. Below the survey link is a more detailed description of my study including consent and contact information. Thank you so much for your time! Daniel Danczyk, MD Fellow in Aerospace Medicine AME/Flight Surgeon/Pilot/Psychiatrist Mental Health and Flying Survey https://src.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0xLGAkp4CAtv36d STUDY/CONSENT INFORMATION IRB #: 15-008911 Mayo Clinic: Office for Human Research Protection Protocol Title: Airline transport pilots and mental health: A Comparison of the medical certification process between the U.S. and various European countries. Principal Investigator: Lawrence Steinkraus, MD You are being asked to participate in a research study about pilots and their mental health. The purpose of this research is to study how mental health medical certification is processed for pilots in their respective country. You are being invited to participate because you are involved in some aspect of their aeromedical- mental health certification. If you agree to participate you will be asked to complete an online anonymous survey questionnaire. This will take no more than 10-15 minutes of your time. No information will be recorded about you other than your country of origin. Confidentiality will be maintained by NOT being able to trace back your responses to you. In other words, your survey response will be assigned a random number for tracking/statistical purposes but cannot be traced back to you. You will receive no payment for your participation. There are no known risks to you from taking part in this research study. You may refuse to answer any question(s) that you do not wish to answer. The benefits which may reasonably be expected to result from this research study are to improve the process for mental health medical certification of pilots in your country. Please understand your participation is voluntary and you have the right to withdraw your consent or discontinue participation at any time without penalty. Your submission of the survey questionnaire signifies your consent to participate. Moreover, your current or future medical care at the Mayo Clinic will not be jeopardized if you choose not to participate. If you have any questions about this research study you can contact my co-investigator, Dr. Daniel Danczyk, at danczyk.daniel@mayo.edu. If you have any concerns, complaints, or general questions about research or your rights as a participant, please contact the Mayo Institutional Review Board (IRB) to speak to someone independent of the research team at 507-266-4000 or toll free at 866-273-4681. Curt Lewis