Flight Safety Information February 22, 2016 - No. 037 In This Issue PROS 2016 TRAINING Engine trouble forces ANA Dreamliner back to Kuala Lumpur Passenger Jet Veers Off Runway In Birmingham (U.K.) Similar call signs ring alarm bells for flight safety, DGCA forms panel (India) Plane Lands Safely At Van Nuys Airport Without Nose Gear NASA wants to bring back X-planes to test new aviation technologies Fourth Gulfstream G500 Test Aircraft Completes First Flight Sky pioneers: A light aircraft revolution is taking off Michigan Tech prof developing drone to catch other drones With Bombardier data, total 2015 business jet deliveries dip The Air Force of the Future: Lasers on Fighter Jets, Planes That Think The 'great engine game' behind new Boeing jet project New Merlin LSA takes flight Paris Forum dedicated to "Aviation and Space Weather" - 17 March 2016 SMS Industry Forum - 2016 Call for papers for ISASI 2016, Iceland, 17 to 20 October 2016 Eric 'Winkle' Brown: Celebrated British pilot dies, aged 97 MU-2 Pilot's Review of Proficiency (PROP) Training RESEARCH SURVEY...MENTAL HEALTH & FLYING SURVEY Engine trouble forces ANA Dreamliner back to Kuala Lumpur An All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was forced to return to Kuala Lumpur Monday due to engine trouble, the Japanese airline said, the latest incident for the aircraft which has been plagued by setbacks. The plane carrying 203 passengers and 11 crew members left Kuala Lumpur airport at 8:09 am local time (0009 GMT) but landed back there safely at 9:27 am as the right engine exhaust temperature jumped, according to ANA spokesman Shoichiro Horii. Horii said the airline was investigating the cause of the overheating problem. The plane was scheduled to arrive at Narita airport at 3:15 pm local time. The Dreamliner, built largely with lightweight composite materials that reduce fuel use, has been hit by a series of problems during development and production as well as since its first commercial flight in late 2011. ANA has been a leader in introducing the plane, becoming the first airline to take delivery as well as to begin commercial flights. In May, the US aviation regulator ordered repairs to correct a software bug that could cause the aircraft to suddenly lose all power. In 2013, the Dreamliner was grounded globally over a separate electrical problem. Early that year several planes experienced problems with batteries overheating that caused a fire on one aircraft. Changes were made to prevent recurrence. https://www.yahoo.com/news/engine-trouble-forces-ana-dreamliner-back-kuala-lumpur-040514770-- finance.html Back to Top Passenger Jet Veers Off Runway In Birmingham (U.K.) The plane, which had just landed, was making its way to the terminal at Birmingham Airport when it "manoeuvred" off the tarmac. Plane leaves runway at Birmingham Airport The aircraft ended up on the grass verge at Birmingham Airport An aircraft with 98 passengers on board ended up on a grass verge after it went off the runway following its landing. The plane was making its way to the terminal at Birmingham Airport when it "manoeuvred" off the tarmac, said officials. Once it stopped, all passengers were safely taken off the Airbus A320 and transferred to the terminal. No-one is thought to have been injured. The fire service and other emergency teams were at the scene but the single runway was fully operational throughout the drama. The plane, operated by Small Planet Airlines, had arrived from Paderborn in Germany when the incident in Bickenhill, Solihull took place. It was towed out of the grass about two hours later, and back on to the taxiway. In a statement, the airport said: "An A320 aircraft belonging to charter company, Small Planet, has manoeuvred off the taxiway into grass after landing from Paderborn. "Passengers have safely disembarked and have been bussed to the terminal. There are no reports of injuries." http://news.sky.com/story/1646006/passenger-jet-veers-off-runway-in-birmingham ******************* Date: 21-FEB-2016 Time: 13:11 Type: Airbus A320-233 Owner/operator: Small Planet Airlines Registration: SP-HAI C/n / msn: 1007 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 98 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: None Location: Birmingham International Airport (BHX/EGBB) - United Kingdom Phase: Taxi Nature: Passenger Departure airport: Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport (PAD/EDLP) Destination airport: Birmingham International Airport (BHX/EGBB) Narrative: Small Planet Airlines flight S5 3260 from Paderborn (Germany) to Birmingham (United Kingdom), operated by Airbus A320 (registration SP-HAI) ran off the taxiway after landing in Birmingham Airport and stopped on the grass. All 98 passengers safely disembarked the aircraft and no injuries for passengers and the crew. The aircraft had landed on runway 33 and was taxiing to the apron at the time of the incident. Weather about the time of the incident (13:11 Z): EGBB 211320Z 25012G22KT 210V290 9999 BKN018 14/11 Q1005 EGBB 211250Z 25014KT 220V280 9999 BKN018 14/11 Q1006 https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=184693 Back to Top Similar call signs ring alarm bells for flight safety, DGCA forms panel (India) DGCA has formed a committee to review instances of aircraft coming dangerously close to each other (called airprox) due to "confusing/similar call signs". NEW DELHI: Similar call signs of commercial flights have set alarm bells ringing in the Indian aviation safety regulatory agency. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has found instances where air traffic control (ATC) gave instructions to one flight and the pilots of some other similar call sign assuming it to be for him. Similar call signs can lead to confusion trouble, for example, when AB 103 and CD 103 or GH 343 and GH 433 are flying around the same time at the same place and instructions for one can be misunderstood to be for the other by their pilots. Given its serious safety implication, DGCA chief M Sathiyavathy has formed a committee to review instances of aircraft coming dangerously close to each other (called airprox) due to "confusing/similar call signs" under the chairmanship of joint DGCA Lalit Gupta. While this panel has to submit its report by March 18, the regulator has already decided that flight numbers will not end in 0 or 5. "The altitude that a plane is to fly at is conveyed by ATC in figures ending in zero, for example 320 which means it should be at an altitude of 32,000 fleet. A flight with that call sign, say XY 320, may mistake that the ATC has asked it to change altitude," said a senior DGCA official. Similarly, the heading or direction in which a plane should go is given in figures ending in five. Hence, flight numbers will not end with five also. "We analyzed the airprox data of some years and found similar call signs being responsible in many cases. Some regions have been found to be vulnerable to this problem where the ATCs that a plane is flying through belong to different agencies like Airports Authority of India, defence and foreign countries," said the official. These vulnerable regions are: Northeast when planes change ATC from AAI, Indian Air Force and Bangladesh; south India where ATC shifts from AAI to Sri Lanka and there are numerous overflying aircraft and finally Jammu and Kashmir where ATC shifts between AAI and IAF. These areas have witnesses problems like an airline's flight 273 beginning to descend when that airline's flight 237 was asked to do so. The Lalit Gupta panel is studying how Eurozone and Gulf deals with this issue as those regions also face the same problem. The DGCA has taken some interim decisions like not allowing similar sounding call signs or signs with same digits in their numeric part -- every call sign has the airline code followed by the flight number like AI 101 which denotes flights 101 of Air India -- to be flying within a space of upto two hours in the same region. Similarly, flights numbers like XY 222 or BC 333 will not be allowed. The ATC had alerted DGCA about the confusion caused by this reason in November 2014. The ATC top brass had formally asked the regulator to end this confusion by ensuring that no two flights meant to operate at an airport around the same time get similar call signs. According to a minutes of a meeting held on this issue in November 2014, ATC officials had said: "airlines using four-digit call signs for smaller aircraft and three-digit call signs for Airbus A-320/Boeing 737 (is) causing confusion between pilots and air traffic controllers as the last three digits of a flight number are similar and operating within the same hour. (ATC) requested DGCA/airport operators to look into this issue and allocate flight numbers which are not similar to avoid confusion.... conflicting call sign issue needs to be resolved by airline before the approval of schedules otherwise their slots will be kept in abeyance." The ATC brass had then submitted a list of confusing call sign flights operating almost at the same time at the same place across busy Indian airports. Call of confusion: XY*2460: Reaches Mumbai at 1.40pm from Hyderabad XY*460: Reaches Mumbai at 1.45pm from Chennai XY*647: Mumbai-Jamnagar at 11am YZ*447: Mumbai-Srinagar at 11am XY*244: Arrives in Mumbai at 10.45am from Ahmedabad YZ*234: Arrives in Mumbai at 10.45am from Bengaluru XY*306: Delhi-Mumbai at 10.25am XY*603: Delhi-Srinagar at 10.50am XY*107: Delhi-Bengaluru at 7.30pm YZ*107: Delhi-Mumbai at 8.30pm YZ*181: Delhi to Mumbai at 9.30am http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Similar-call-signs-ring-alarm-bells-for-flight-safety-DGCA-forms- panel/articleshow/51058077.cms Back to Top Plane Lands Safely At Van Nuys Airport Without Nose Gear VAN NUYS (CBSLA.com) - A small airplane landed safely at Van Nuys airport on Saturday night without the use of its frontmost landing gear. The LA Airport Police Department said that at about 11 p.m., the 6-passenger Beechcraft airplane (a Beech Duke) touched down at the airport without the use of its "nose gear," or the landing gear that is deployed from underneath the nose of the plane. Photos show the aircraft tilting forward on grass next to the runway. No injuries were reported. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016/02/21/plane-lands-safely-at-van-nuys-airport-without-nose-gear/ Back to Top NASA wants to bring back X-planes to test new aviation technologies NASA wants to revive the X-plane program to test new technologies The American X-planes were part of the romance of the heyday of post-war aviation with test pilots like Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in the X-1 and a rival corps of astronauts flew into space in the X-15. As part of a 10-year plan proposed by the Obama administration, NASA Aeronautics' New Aviation Horizons program wants to revive the X-planes for the 21st century as demonstrators for emerging, greener flight technologies. Part of President Obama's federal budget request for the next fiscal year, New Aviation Horizons is aimed at creating new technologies that will make aircraft more environmentally friendly, more fuel efficient and lower airline operating costs. The key to this is a new tranche of "X-plane" experimental technology demonstrator airplanes, similar to the ones that made so many American aviation breakthroughs from the 1940s onward. If funding is approved, the first flights of these X-planes could take off sometime around 2020. The aircraft would be manned and typically scaled to about half the size of production aircraft. According to NASA, the purpose of the planes will be to test such things as lightweight composites, quieter, more advanced engines, quieter landing gear and flap mechanisms, shape-changing wing flaps, and bug-resistant coatings. The agency says that these have the potential to save the air industry US$225 billion dollars over a 25-year period. Beyond individual technologies, the X-planes will include novel designs, such as a truss-braced wing for subsonic flight, an aircraft propelled by a battery of small electric motors, and an aircraft featuring a blended-wing design with top-mounted engines that can fly at the same speed as a commercial transport. Other design features under study include a double-wide fuselage, very long and narrow wings, and engines installed inside the aircraft instead of mounted on pylons. NASA says that the X-planes will also include a civilian supersonic aircraft. This business-sized jet would not only fly faster than the speed of sound, but would do so using bio-fuels and have a wing and fuselage design that would reduce sonic booms to an unnoticeable level on the ground. This truss-braced wing concept could be another subsonic X-plane design In addition, the new NASA plan would include a new effort to improve air traffic flow both in the air and on the ground as a way to not only save fuel, but also to decrease the noise associated with takeoff and landings. "We're at the right place, at the right time, with the right technologies," says Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. "The full potential of these technologies can't be realized in the tube-and-wing shape of today's aircraft. We need the X-planes to prove, in an undeniable way, how that tech can make aviation more Earth friendly, reduce delays and maintain safety for the flying public, and support an industry that's critical to our nation's economic vitality." The federal budget request is for the fiscal year starting on October 1, 2016, with NASA's 10-year plan to kick off next year if the request is approved. Source: NASA http://www.gizmag.com/nasa-x-planes-return/41937/ Back to Top Fourth Gulfstream G500 Test Aircraft Completes First Flight Fifth Test Aircraft Now In Completions For Outfitting Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today announced that the fourth Gulfstream G500 test aircraft, T4, has completed its first flight and officially joined the G500 flight-test program. SAVANNAH, Ga., Feb. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today announced that the fourth Gulfstream G500 test aircraft, T4, has completed its first flight and officially joined the G500 flight- test program. The G500 took off from the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport at 9:47 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, with Flight Test pilots Eric Holmberg and Brian Dickerson at the controls. Flight Test engineers Dominic Pompeo and Mark Mondt provided on-board test and data analysis. The aircraft climbed to a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet/15,545 meters and reached a maximum airspeed of 340 KCAS/Mach 0.925. During the 3-hour and 17-minute flight, the crew exercised all primary flight control systems, performed functional checks of air data and cabin pressurization systems and completed a series of engine performance measures. The aircraft landed back in Savannah at 1:04 p.m. local time. "The first flight of T4 speaks to the growing maturity of the G500 flight-test program and the significant development we completed before we even launched flight test in May 2015," said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. "To have four first flights and more than 580 flight hours in just nine months is quite an accomplishment." T4's first flight represents a milestone in the aircraft's development program. For the first time, Gulfstream has integrated a team of Product Support maintenance technicians with the Flight Test team to follow the aircraft through manufacturing and flight testing. "The collaboration between Product Support and Flight Test throughout the G500 certification process will ultimately enhance the support available to operators when the aircraft enters service," Burns said. "This dedicated service team reflects Gulfstream's commitment to continuous improvement and ensures we deliver on our promises to customers." The integrated team performed all the modifications and testing required to prepare the aircraft for first flight and will continue to lead it through testing in support of Federal Aviation Administration type certification in 2017. One of five G500 aircraft involved in the flight-test program, T4 will be used to test avionics, flammable fluid drainage, water ingestion and select systems (water/waste, lighting, fire protection). It will also perform flight standardization and operations evaluations. T1 is focused on envelope expansion; T2, on flight loads validation as well as aircraft performance and systems testing; and T3, on the all-new Symmetry Flight DeckTM. The fifth aircraft, P1, has been delivered to the Savannah Completions Center, where it will become a fully outfitted production aircraft that will be used to test the interior elements as well as the integration of aircraft systems with the passenger experience. Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world's most technologically advanced business-jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 2,500 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the Gulfstream G150TM, the Gulfstream G280TM, the Gulfstream G450TM, the Gulfstream G550TM, the Gulfstream G500TM, the Gulfstream G600TM, the Gulfstream G650TM and the Gulfstream G650ERTM. Gulfstream also offers aircraft ownership services via Gulfstream Pre-Owned Aircraft SalesTM. We invite you to visit our website for more information and photos at www.gulfstreamnews.com. More information about General Dynamics is available at www.generaldynamics.com. SOURCE Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fourth-gulfstream-g500-test-aircraft-completes-first-flight- 300223398.html Back to Top Sky pioneers: A light aircraft revolution is taking off (CNN) Inside a hangar in the San Francisco Bay Area, a young French entrepreneur is busy readying a small, odd-looking, bubble-shaped aircraft. Not far away, on the way to Sacramento, less than 100 miles away, another start-up is rolling out the first serially produced units of a new concept of amphibious foldable aircraft so compact they can be kept in a standard car garage. Further north, in the mountains of Idaho, inventor and aviation legend Burt Rutan is preparing to fly to distant lands on the latest of his creations, a weird-looking seaplane with retractable skis, powered by a single roof-mounted propeller. These planes are all part of a new generation of groundbreaking light (or small) aircraft models aiming to disrupt an industry that hasn't changed much in decades. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration defines "small" (also called "light") aircraft as "an aircraft of 12,500 pounds or less maximum certificated takeoff weight." (Depending on the category, according to the FAA, small airplanes can reach up to 19,000 pounds maximum takeoff weight.) The Cobalt Valkyrie-X Cobalt Valkyrie-X: Available for pre-order. The Cobalt Valkyrie-X is a futuristic-looking but piston-engined aircraft that French-born California-based entrepreneur David Loury is about to launch. The Valkyrie is designed to impress at first sight: sleek and beautiful, you could compare it to a high end sports car. Or, maybe, an Apple product. As Cobalt's founder and CEO, Loury explains that his idea of a design-centric aircraft is rooted in the realization that, in the iPhone era, making beautiful products is no longer a choice but a mandate. The light aircraft industry is ripe for upheaval, he says. It's time for new concepts. Piston-engine technology The Valkyrie-X isn't a toy. Its main purpose isn't recreation, but moving people around over relatively long distances. For example, the aircraft makes it possible to reach most of Western Europe from London without refueling. It's being marketed as an affordable way to travel in style. Its piston-engine technology keeps costs low, Loury says. An operational cost of $150 per hour is an affordable proposition for many in the growing amateur pilot community, even more so when you factor in that the Valkyrie-X can carry up to five people. The price starts at $699,000 -- more if the client wants to customize it with extras. Cobalt is currently rolling out its first test aircraft and aims to produce about 50 a year. Loury says strong pre-launch interest means he's ready to double production if necessary. Icon A5 foldable seaplane "Awesome comes standard," proclaims the Icon A5's website. Another newly launched design-led aircraft is the two-seat Icon A5 foldable seaplane, from California- based Icon Aircraft. The first production units were delivered in July 2015. Unlike the Valkyrie, the Icon A5 is primarily a recreational aircraft. It can be flown by anyone holding a sport pilot license -- which takes about half the time to get as a standard license. In addition to a sleek, compact design and intuitive high-visibility cockpit, one of the Icon A5's selling points is its foldability. Back from the dead: The legendary Junkers F13 flies again The return of the Junkers F13 It also fits in most car garages and can be towed behind a vehicle for overland transport. Icon Aircraft claims to have already received more than 1,800 orders for the Icon A5. That amounts to about a $400 million order book, which is likely to make investors happy -- an illustrious roster that includes Ross Perot Jr. and Google's Eric Schmidt. The base price of the aircraft is $197,000, rising to $247,000 with additional features. Burt Rutan's SkiGull Yep, those are skis. Burt Rutan, of SpaceShipOne fame, has also joined the fray with the SkiGull, his own light aircraft concept. Like the Icon A5, the SkiGull is a small amphibious aircraft that fits in a single-car garage, after having folded its wings. But it's the planes's unusual configuration -- a single engine located directly above the cockpit that is itself suspended from the wings in a gondola-like cabin -- that's drawing instant interest across the industry. Then there's the SkiGull's retractable, flexible ski system. The skis provide five times the shock absorption deflection of a typical land plane, making it possible for the SkiGull to operate in considerably rougher environments than most other seaplanes. This includes the ability to perform water landings on beach waves and ocean crests. Small wheels protrude from the bottom of the skis, making it possible to land on surfaces such as snow or grass. Unconventional structure According to Rutan, the SkiGull's all-composite structure means he can avoid conventional structural design and fabrication methods. No specific details have been made available yet, although he does give an intriguing hint: "For now all I can say is that its structure is more like nature than conventional." The SkiGull might well be the last of Burt Rutan's creations. "It will be the last time I design and build an airplane, since I want to enjoy this one for myself," says the 72-year-old Rutan. He's already planning to fly the SkiGull from Idaho to Hawaii. It's a trip that comes with its own planned moments of bliss. "To avoid flying in darkness on the Hawaii trip, we will fly during a low sea-state. (We'll) land and sleep on the ocean in two hammocks stretched from the two wing-fold fittings to the tail." http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/21/aviation/light-aircraft-land-sea-air/ Back to Top Michigan Tech prof developing drone to catch other drones HOUGHTON, MICH. - Interest in drones is soaring and experts predict their use will only skyrocket. But what happens when the unmanned aerial vehicles go rogue or enter restricted airspace? A Michigan Technological University professor is working on a way for agencies to safely take down runaway flying machines should they threaten air traffic, military bases, government buildings or sporting events. "I envision this technology being used by law enforcement to provide security and counter rouge drones," said Mohammad Rastgaar-Aagah, an associate professor with Michigan Tech's Mechanical Engineering Department in Houghton. "The system we're developing will quickly capture a drone and remove it from an area so it's no longer a threat to anyone's safety." Rastgaar's system involves a drone that can shoot a net at other unmanned aircraft and haul them in, The Detroit News (http://detne.ws/1TmEUaY ) reported. He likens using the unmanned aircraft to catch other drones to falconry, the sport where falcons or other birds of prey are trained to hunt. "If law enforcement officers see a drone where there shouldn't be one, they turn the system on and send it toward a rogue drone to catch it, take it somewhere safe and land with it," he said. He said he got the idea for his drone catcher while watching a 2014 World Cup soccer match. A commentator mentioned there were snipers in the Brazilian stadium to deal with threats, he said. Rastgaar wondered how they would handle a drone carrying something dangerous flying over the field. He discussed it with some of his students, and his idea for a drone catcher was born and a patent filed. UAVs are remote-controlled, pilotless aircraft. They can look like airplanes, jets and missiles or resemble spiders with several helicopter-like rotor blades. They can be small enough to fit in the palm of your hand or as long as a 43-foot yacht. The machines can cost from as little as $30 for toys to as much as hundreds of thousands for professional-grade versions. Most people use the flying devices for fun and to snap pictures or record video with a bird's-eye view. The Federal Aviation Administration estimates Americans bought 1.6 million small unmanned aircraft in 2015, half during the last three months of the year. In the near future, they may be used to deliver purchases made online, dust crops for farmers or help firefighters rescue people. --- The FAA recently announced it will require unmanned aircraft to be registered to make it easier to identify owners and educate novice pilots. The move was spurred by numerous reports of drones flying near jets and airports. Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw said unmanned aircraft have yet to become a problem for authorities working at the scenes of accidents or crimes. "Most of the time, (pilots) have to be in the line of sight, and it's not like we're not going to be able to find out who's using one and tell him to knock it off," Shaw said. Last year, the Michigan State Police became the country's first police agency with statewide authorization to deploy UAVs to photograph car accident scenes or survey other emergency situations. The agency has two. Steve Chait, a pilot and attorney who specializes in aviation law, said a number of legal issues have risen because of the proliferation of unmanned aircraft. "It's such a new technology that's developed faster than law or the FAA's ability to regulate them has," said Chait, who chairs the Michigan Bar Association's Aviation Law Unit. "We're all pioneers watching and trying to figure out where it's going to go." But some UAV owners and users say while Rastgaar's system is interesting, it isn't necessary. "I feel model aircraft, in particular the multi-rotors most of the public refers to as drones, have been unfairly portrayed as a menace," said Jonathan Hair, 28, of Royal Oak, who is a recreational unmanned aircraft flier. "Can technology be used inappropriately? Of course. But there's been some very limited cases of people using them inappropriately." Hair has flown model aircraft for more than 15 years and got into multi-rotor UAVs a couple of years ago. "Despite the hype, model aviation has almost a century of safe use, and it's disappointing the hobby is being viewed in a criminal light," he said. --- Harry Arnold said he foresees the arrival of technology that will deal with rouge drones without a drone. "I think in the future you'll see a backup control channel that law enforcement agencies will be able to use to take control of a drone at the push of a button," said Arnold, who owns Detroit Drone, a 7-year-old aerial photography and video company. "It'll be technology that will be built into drones." But Rastgaar and a group of colleagues and students have developed a proof of concept, a working model to demonstrate the system's feasibility. He said the group is still working on the drone and one of its objectives is making its unmanned aircraft autonomous. "You can't expect all law enforcement officers to be pilots and be able to do crazy maneuvers with drones," Rastgaar said. "It has to be intelligent enough to predict when and where to shoot its net." The timetable for completing work on his aerial vehicle depends on whether he can get funding for it, he said. http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article60817086.html Back to Top With Bombardier data, total 2015 business jet deliveries dip Initial General Aviation Manufacturers Report didn't include Bombardier A Learjet 75 at Bombardier's Wichita plant in 2012. The addition of Bombardier's fourth quarter 2015 airplane deliveries this week brought down the total number of business jets delivered globally in 2015. The addition of Bombardier's fourth-quarter 2015 business jet deliveries this week brought down the total number of business jets delivered worldwide last year. That's according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association's updated shipment report for 2015. The report now shows that total business jet deliveries fell slightly - by four planes, from 722 to 718 - between 2014 and 2015. That amounts to a decline of less than 1 percent. GAMA released its 2015 report on Feb. 10, a week before Bombardier released its fourth-quarter and full- year 2015 earnings. To compensate for Bombardier's late earnings announcement, GAMA officials said Feb. 10 that in their initial shipment report they omitted Bombardier delivery numbers in the fourth quarter of 2014 to provide an equal year-over-year comparison. The absence of Bombardier numbers for the final quarters of 2014 and 2015 showed an overall increase by four aircraft of global business jet shipments. So what initially was the only category of general aviation fixed-wing aircraft to show a gain - piston and turboprop shipments decreased between 2014 and 2015 - is now a decline, according to the updated report. The updated report showed Bombardier delivered five fewer business jets between 2014 and 2015: from 204 to 199. Bombardier saw two fewer shipments of Wichita-made Learjets in the period, for a total of 32 in 2015, the updated GAMA report said. On Wednesday, Bombardier officials said in a conference call with financial analysts that they expect to see 2016 business jet deliveries decline to 150, a 25 percent drop from 2015. http://www.kansas.com/news/business/aviation/article61294427.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top The Air Force of the Future: Lasers on Fighter Jets, Planes That Think WASHINGTON - Fighter jets that shoot high-powered lasers. Robots that mine hours of intelligence data in milliseconds. A tactical aircraft that can think for itself. These are just a few of the cutting-edge technology breakthroughs the Air Force hopes will change the game in the future battle space. This year, the Air Force is reinvesting in science and technology, requesting $2.5 billion for S&T in its fiscal 2017 budget submission. The ask is a welcome change from FY16, when sequestration cuts forced the Air Force to reduce S&T funding, a cut reflected in the service's deferral of critical capabilities like Global Hawk and B-2 bomber upgrades. But as Russia and China race to catch up with US technological advances like stealth and precision weapons, the US can't afford to fall behind, Air Force Chief Scientist Greg Zacharias stressed. "I think we need to do a leapfrog and push the technology even farther, and not sit on our laurels," Zacharias said. Lasers on Fighter Jets In just five years, the Air Force will fire a high-powered laser from a fighter jet, the culmination of years of development of "Star Wars" technology. The Air Force has not yet settled on a platform to host the laser, although the team is considering the legacy F-15, Bagnell said. AFRL will also look at the F-22 and F-16 as possible host platforms, and even the F-35 joint strike fighter, he said. The Air Force Research Laboratory's "Shield" effort, sponsored by Air Combat Command, aims to demonstrate a high-energy laser on a tactical aircraft in 2021, according to Shield's program manager, Richard Bagnell. The team has been working since February 2015 to take advantage of the latest developments in solid- state laser technology, Bagnell said. Engineers combine many smaller lasers, similar to ones found in a Blue Ray machine, into an effective high-power beam with over 10 kilowatts of power, he said. "The idea here is to take power that's in those beams, which travel at the speed of light, and be able to protect the aircraft in a threat environment," Bagnell said, emphasizing that self-defense is the primary mission. If contractors can package lasers into a small enough size to fit on a fighter, the Air Force could have a significant advantage in efficiency and speed of engagement, Bagnell said. The laser is generated by electrical power in the jet's engines, so operators can protect their asset without needing to carry additional kinetic weapons. The Air Force will compete the program in several stages, Bagnell said. One contractor will develop the laser while another builds the overall laser weapons system, which involves packaging all the power, cooling and computers for system control and battle management into a flyable configuration. A third contractor will develop a beam-control system that allows the operator to direct the laser target, and a fourth will integrate the entire system. The Air Force expects to award a beam control system in March, and the integration contract in September, Bagnell said. The contract for the laser itself has been delayed to 2017, in order to allow contractors sufficient time to develop the best possible system, he said. But before Star Wars can become a reality, the Shield team has to overcome several significant obstacles. The Air Force has made strides toward developing a laser weapon system that can be mounted on a special forces AC-130 gunship by the end of the decade. But installing a laser on a smaller, faster fighter jet is much more difficult, Bagnell said. DEFENSE NEWS AFSOC Leveraging Lessons from Navy for AC-130J Laser First, it is much harder to accurately aim a laser at higher speeds due to increased vibration. The other challenge is miniaturizing the system enough to fit on a fighter jet, while maintaining sufficient energy output to generate an effective laser weapon. To attack these obstacles, the Air Force is leveraging work by the other services on similar programs, Bagnell said. For example, the Army's High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD) uses a 10 kilowatt laser installed on an Oshkosh tactical military vehicle; meanwhile, the Marine Corps is working to fit a laser on a Humvee. Robots That Think AFRL is also working on developing autonomous technology, in the form of not only robotic vehicles and aircraft, but also decision aids and data analyzers. One of AFRL's current projects is developing an intelligent system that can fuse intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) information coming from deployed assets and rapidly sort the relevant data, according to AFRL's Kristen Kearns. Currently, airmen must watch hours of full motion video, painstakingly pick out events that might be of interest, and report red flags up the chain of command to inform leadership decisions. An autonomous system could comb through that data rapidly, freeing up airmen for other missions, Kearns stressed. "Instead of the airmen sitting there looking at hours and hours of data, a machine can comb through that and help at least filter out what's the most important," said Kearns. "It lessens workload but it also has our airmen doing the work that we want them to do as opposed to essentially watching the grass grow." Kearns emphasized that AFRL's work on autonomy is not about taking the airman out of the decision loop; rather it is about providing the airman an intelligent teammate to help complete the mission more effectively. The team is also working on developing an unmanned vehicle that can team with the Air Force's manned fighter aircraft, Kearns said. AFRL, working with the Air Force's test pilot school, has already demonstrated that this concept of teaming a manned with an unmanned aircraft is possible in a controlled environment. The team recently flew a manned F-16 in formation with a "surrogate" F-16 UAV - in other words, the surrogate has a pilot sitting in the cockpit to take over if something goes wrong, but the algorithms fly the plane. During this exercise, the manned and surrogate F-16s flew in formation together until the pilot in the manned plane directed the surrogate to execute a separate mission. The surrogate F-16 completed the mission and then rejoined the formation, Kearns said. But Kearns wants to go beyond an automated fighter jet. AFRL is planning an exercise in 2022 that will demonstrate the technology is not just automated, but autonomous - that it can navigate, adapt to unexpected weather and easily change its flight path without direction from an operator. "What we'd like to show is that the system can fly around, navigate, it can adapt to things in the environment. If weather pops up it knows how to adapt its flight path for weather," Kearns said. "We might [see these] as trivial kind of responses, but they are still critical for a platform to be able to do on its own and show that it can do them well." http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/2016/02/20/air-force-future-lasers-fighter-jets- planes-think/80515698/ Back to Top The 'great engine game' behind new Boeing jet project A Boeing 737 MAX sits outside the hangar during a media tour of the Boeing 737 MAX at the Boeing plant in Renton, Wash. Dec. 8, 2015. REUTERS/Matt Mills McKnight SINGAPORE * Aircraft engine makers are placing bets that could reshape their industry for decades as Boeing weighs a novel design for an airplane with 240-250 seats - a neglected area of the jet market. The plane is designed to fill a slender gap between narrow-body jets, which typically have 150-200 seats, and intercontinental planes with 250 or more. Competition to get onboard would usually be a skirmish for the big engine makers. But technological bets and partnerships on that plane could reshape the engine industry for the next two decades and influence who has the upper hand when Airbus and Boeing come to renew the main part of their fleets in 15 years. "This could well determine what happens in the next round of the great engine restructuring game," said aerospace consultant Richard Aboulafia. Boeing aims to broadly replace its 757 model, a top-end narrow-body jet with a single aisle. The new model would try to rewrite airplane economics by being wide enough for two aisles to seat seven people in each row, but able to produce the skintight margins of a smaller single-aisle, six-abreast plane such as the workhorse Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. Airbus calls the project a bluff and says it reflects Boeing's frustration at losing market share to its A321. One of the designs on Boeing's drawing board is an unusually oval-shaped cross-section, rather than a rounder shape typical of most designs. It strips away unneeded cargo space and would potentially be made of weight-saving carbon-composite, industry sources say. It would also need a new engine that could cost $5 billion to $6 billion to develop. That comes at a time when engine makers are split over the latest engine technology and marking time in the shifting alliances between General Electric, Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney. Pratt & Whitney, elbowed out of the commercial market by Rolls and GE in the 1990s, is on the rise again with a geared turbofan design that went into service last month. Its engines power half of Airbus' newest small jets, but it has been years since it was selected by Boeing. The new president of Pratt & Whitney, Robert Leduc, believes the mid-market idea is attractive. "It is for me, because I want to get back on a Boeing airplane," he told Reuters at the Singapore Airshow. Britain's Rolls-Royce is also studying the plane. It recently abandoned a venture with Pratt in small jets to focus on wide-body aircraft. Industry sources say it is regretting the decision, because the narrow-body market is growing at record speed. Pratt is meanwhile hungry to return to the market for larger jets. SORRY, IT'S OVER With both companies facing pressures, Boeing's design offers an opportunity to break out of the current box - Rolls in big engines, Pratt in small ones - without shouldering all risk. That has triggered speculation that something like their former venture, International Aero Engines, could be revived. But Pratt is reluctant to rush back into the arms of Rolls-Royce, with whom it occasionally clashed inside IAE. This week, the U.S. company that powered Amelia Earhart sketched out a more independent strategy. Asked whether Pratt could revive co-operation with Rolls on Boeing's study, Leduc told Reuters: "There is no room left. ... They made their decision and we had to move forward." Asked if the U.K. manufacturer could buy its way back onboard, his message was firmer: "They could always be a financial investor, but there would be nothing for them to make." To press the point that Pratt now sees itself as a standalone force, Leduc pronounced as dead a separate alliance with GE on the A380 superjumbo. "I'd say pretty much yes; I'd say the A380 is ... done," he told Reuters, asked if the venture had run its course. The remarks reflect Pratt's conviction that it has invested in technology and earned an independent place at the top table. Advertisement (1 of 1): 0:26 But it also has an interest in seizing the opportunity presented by Boeing quickly to maximize its advantage. "It is a negotiating position," an airshow delegate said. In reality, analysts say, Pratt's options depend on how its geared turbofan performs. The technology aims to increase efficiency but critics say it adds complexity. Early signs are mixed. Qatar Airways threatened this week to cancel an order due to technical glitches. WAIT AND SEE Rolls-Royce has not ruled out working with Pratt on the new jet, a testbed for technology that could reopen the door to the narrow-body market in time for the next new designs in 2030. "We are not closing any door, but we are not active on any door. We are kind of neutral, and it is more 'wait and see' on where this market is going," Eric Schulz, president of civil aerospace, told Reuters. Sitting back with the least interest in upsetting the status quo is GE, the world's largest engine manufacturer, which is strong in both small and large markets. Industry analysts nonetheless speculate GE is working on the new geared engines, but GE is not showing its hand. GE has a "road map of technologies, including advanced materials and designs, to position us for new engine opportunities," a spokeswoman said. Boeing's idea is not without risks. Building a new engine could cannibalize existing sales. GE has the biggest share of all, Pratt is doing well out of the A321 and Rolls-Royce could see some wide-body business affected. But after busting budgets on ambitious designs in the past decade, planemakers have little fresh on their drawing boards, and few suppliers can afford to stay out of the next round. "It is better to cannibalize your own market than have someone do it for you," Abouafia said. http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/the-great-engine-game-behind-new-boeing-jet- project/article_12953453-f397-5423-90f6-3a765889daab.html Back to Top New Merlin LSA takes flight Merlin PSA photo courtesy of Aeromarine LSA. If it's all about the flying, and you want to keep all the fun to yourself while getting airborne at a comparatively low cost, Chip W. Erwin, the founder of Aeromarine LSA, has an airplane to sell you. Erwin is the creator of the Merlin PSA (personal sport aircraft, which is not an official FAA designation but is legal as a light sport aircraft) that will carry you skyward at a faster clip than many LSAs. The single- seat, amateur-built design took flight Feb. 12 in Lakeland, Florida, home of the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo, and Erwin reported Merlin's fun quotient was high. "The acceleration and climb rate are exhilarating," Erwin said of his design in a news release Feb. 15. The aircraft is powered by a Rotax 582 two-cylinder engine producing 65 horsepower. At the gross weight of 715 pounds listed on the Aeromarine LSA website, Merlin's power-to-weight ratio is 20 percent higher than a 1,320-pound aircraft with a 100-hp engine. Additional engine options, including the Pegasus O-100 and an electric alternative, are in the works. Merlin PSA photo courtesy of Aeromarine LSA. Where Merlin really dusts the competition, albeit with only one seat, is price: A kit complete with engine, basic instruments, and a builder assist program that requires spending "a couple of weeks" at South Lakeland Airport, where the company is located, costs $34,900. Available options include a matched set of Aeromarine amphibious floats with retractable wheels that can be raised or lowered with a mobile device using Bluetooth. The airplane also can be fitted with tundra tires for those who prefer a taildragger configuration. A well-equipped model with glass panel displays, autopilot, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out, a BRS parachute, and other options costs about $50,000. The aluminum airframe was created on 3-D computer-aided design and manufacturing equipment, which resulted in assemblies with matched holes that require no fixtures, so "build time is measured in days rather than months," the press release noted. Erwin rolled his latest creation out at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, in January, and the demonstration airplane's first flight followed soon after. "Flight conditions were less than ideal, with gusty winds and choppy turbulence but the Merlin handles these conditions perfectly," Erwin said in the press release. "The pilot sits right on the longitudinal axis and the wing loading is higher than the average LSA, so it is quite comfortable flying all day long. I was seeing cruise speeds over 100 mph and climb rates of 1,400 FPM." http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2016/February/17/New-LSA-takes-flight Back to Top Paris Forum dedicated to "Aviation and Space Weather" - 17 March 2016 Si ce message ne s'affiche pas correctement, cliquez ici SMS Industry Forum - 2016 Greetings everyone! With the release and implementation of 14 CFR Part 5, American Airlines Corporate SMS team will be hosting the Safety Management System (SMS) Industry Forum. This event will include speakers from the FAA and industry partners and provide interactive SMS learning workshops, tips and tools. The SMS Industry Forum is scheduled for May 10-11, 2016, (travel days May 9 and May 12), in Fort Worth, Texas. The meeting will begin on Tuesday, May 10th at 8:00 a.m. Meeting location and lodging information is listed below. There is no official room block for this event. Attached is a registration form. If you plan to attend, please fill out the form and return it to safety.assurance@aa.com at your earliest convenience. If you have additional folks coming, please have them fill out the registration form as well. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. We look forward to seeing you in May! Thank you, Shelley Corzo Corporate SMS, American Airlines 817-967-1010 **************** 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 Eric 'Winkle' Brown: Celebrated British pilot dies, aged 97 Eric "Winkle" Brown was given the nickname "periwinkle" because of his diminutive height The Royal Navy's most decorated pilot, Capt Eric "Winkle" Brown, has died at the age of 97. Capt Brown also held the world record for flying the greatest number of different types of aircraft - 487. During World War Two, Capt Brown, who was born in Leith in 1919, flew fighter aircraft and witnessed the liberation of Bergen Belsen concentration camp. The pilot, who had been appointed MBE, OBE and CBE, died at East Surrey Hospital after a short illness. A statement released by his family said: "It is with deep regret that the passing of Captain Eric Melrose Brown CBE DSC AFC is announced. "Eric was the most decorated pilot of the Fleet Air Arm in which service he was universally known as 'Winkle' on account of his diminutive stature. "He also held three absolute Guinness World Records, including for the number of aircraft carrier deck landings and types of aeroplane flown." Capt Brown flew 2,407 aircraft carrier landings Capt Brown was educated at Edinburgh's Royal High School, before studying at the University of Edinburgh, where he learned to fly. He had caught the bug for flying at the age of eight when his father, a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War One, took him up in a bi-plane. "There was no second seat, but I sat on his lap and he let me handle the stick," he told the BBC in 2014. "It was exhilarating. You saw the earth from a completely different standpoint." He retired from the Royal Navy in 1970 but became the director general of the British Helicopter Advisory Board and later the president of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1982. Landmark life Flew 487 different types of aircraft, a world record that is unlikely ever to be matched Piloted 2,407 aircraft carrier landings Appointed MBE, OBE and CBE Survived 11 plane crashes and the sinking of HMS Audacity in 1941 Met Churchill and King George VI numerous times Was at the liberation of Bergen Belsen Interrogated some of the leading Nazis after the war, including Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Goering and Belsen's chief guards Josef Kramer and Irma Grese Capt Brown wrote numerous books of his own and forewords for other authors on the theme of aviation, before and after his retirement. In March 2015 a bronze bust of him was unveiled at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Somerset. At his 97th birthday celebration in London on 27 January he was joined by more than 100 pilots, including the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas. In 2014 , the war veteran was picked as the subject for the 3,000th edition of Desert Island Discs, during which he was described by presenter Kirsty Young as a "real life hero" and a "remarkable, dare-devil". "When you read through his life story, it makes James Bond seem like a bit of a slacker," she said. Brown_ second right_ with colleagues on a Spitfire in 1944 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-35626854 Back to Top MU-2 Pilot's Review of Proficiency (PROP) Training April 1-2, 2016 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