Flight Safety Information April 15, 2016 - No. 074 In This Issue Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Bird Strike 5 arrested in Birmingham, Gatwick Airport on suspicion of terror activity Airlines fined up to $550K for disabilities complaints ATR tow-tractor driver tried to avert Jakarta 737 collision Families Of Deliberately-Crashed Airplane Victims Sue Arizona Flight Training Center AAIB panel to probe Jet Airways aircraft gear collapse in Mumbai Angry Plane Passenger Douses Attendants After They Spill Drink NTSB: Canadian pilot who died in Nashville crash was drunk Flying tired: airline pilots on tough rosters battle fatigue JetBlue Considers A321LR's Transatlantic Flight Potential 7 jaw-dropping aircraft designs that reveal the future of air travel Bombardier nearing sale for up to 125 CSeries aircraft to Delta Air Lines: report Five jet biofuels now approved, FAA says Air traffic control officers charged over deadly Taiwan crash Oman Air to Open Talks Pitting Airbus A350 Against Boeing 787 Here's the simple reason planes have winglets Video shows 24 hours of flight traffic in 1 minute INFLIGHT EMERGENCY RESPONSE - 2016 PhD Research Request Graduate Research Request 1st Risk Culture Survey Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Bird Strike A Delta flight bound for Nashville from New York was diverted to Charleston, West Virginia, on April 14, 2016, due to a cracked windshield from a bird strike. A Delta flight from New York to Nashville, Tennessee, made an emergency landing Thursday afternoon in West Virginia because of a bird strike. In a statement issued by Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia, Delta CRJ9 Flight 4071 from New York's LaGuardia Airport was en route to Nashville when the plane experienced a bird strike that cracked the windshield. As a result, the plane was diverted to Yeager Airport, the airport said. The plane carried 57 people. No injuries were reported, according to the airport. http://abcnews.go.com/US/plane-makes-emergency-landing-due-bird-strike/story?id=38417522 Back to Top 5 arrested in Birmingham, Gatwick Airport on suspicion of terror activity Five people have been arrested in Birmingham and at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of being involved in terror activities, the West Midlands Police said on Friday. Three men -- aged 26, 40 and 59 -- and a 29- year-old woman were detained in Birmingham Thursday night, while a 26-year-old man was arrested at Gatwick, a major London airport, early Friday. "There was no risk to the public at any time, and there is no information to suggest an attack in the U.K. was being planned," said Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale in a statement. The detentions came after cooperation with international partners, including Belgium and France. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-arrested-in-birmingham-gatwick-airport-on-suspicion-of-terror- activity-2016-04-15-691299 Back to Top Airlines fined up to $550K for disabilities complaints WASHINGTON - Three European airlines - Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa - were penalized up to a combined $550,000 for dealing improperly with complaints from disabled travelers, the U.S. Transportation Department announced Thursday. An Air France plane arrives at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco on April 8, 2016. (Photo: Jeff Chiu, AP) The cases involved the airlines not following U.S. rules for responding to numerous complaints received from 2012 to 2015. The airlines were supposed to either admit or deny that they violated rules for dealing with disabled travelers. Then the airlines were supposed to advise travelers how to ask the Transportation Department to investigate. But Air France and British Airways each failed to summarize the facts of the complaints, explicitly admit or deny violations, or advise travelers to pursue enforcement with the department. Lufthansa also didn't tell their passengers about the option for a department investigation, and instead referred them to an attachment called "Travel Tips" with department contact information. "When air travelers file complaints with airlines, they deserve prompt and complete responses that appropriately answer their specific concerns," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. Airlines improve punctuality, but complaints persist Each of the airlines responded that they take their responsibilities seriously to comply with U.S. policies for travelers with disabilities. The airlines each agreed to penalties, although they will be paid in different ways. Air France agreed to pay the government $140,000 in installments, to receive a credit of $55,000 for vouchers and frequent-flier miles for travelers who filed complaints in 2013, and to spend $5,000 for survey asking customers how they rate the airline for disabilities service. British Airways agreed to pay the government $75,000 within a month, and another $75,000 if it doesn't handle complaints properly during the next year. Lufthansa agreed to pay $100,000 within a month, and another $100,000 if it doesn't handle complaints properly during the next year. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/04/14/airlines-fined-up-550k- disabilities-complaints/83048236/ Back to Top ATR tow-tractor driver tried to avert Jakarta 737 collision Preliminary analysis of the take-off collision at Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma airport indicates that the tractor driver moving an ATR 42-600 attempted to avert an impact. The driver saw the approaching Batik Air Boeing 737-800 as it was rolling for take-off on runway 24, according to French investigation authority BEA, citing initial information from Indonesian counterparts. BEA says that the driver had requested clearance to tow the TransNusa Air Services ATR from the north apron to the south apron, which required crossing runway 06/24. Air traffic control instructed the tow to proceed via taxiway C, across the runway, and onto taxiway G to the south apron. The crew of the 737 had requested taxi clearance to runway 24 via taxiway C at 19:50 local time. BEA says the 737 was told to taxi first, ahead of the towed ATR. It states that, after entering the runway, the tractor driver saw the 737 conducting its take-off roll, and adds: "The [driver] tried to swerve the [vehicle] direction to the right to [the] runway shoulder." But the avoiding manoeuvre could not prevent the collision and the 737's left wing-tip struck the vertical fin of the ATR as well as its left wing. The 737 crew aborted the take-off and came to a halt on the runway about 400m (1,300ft) from the point of impact. Both aircraft were badly damaged during the 4 April accident, although none of those on board was injured. BEA has not specified the radio frequencies used by the tow tractor driver and the crew of the 737 during their communications with air traffic control. Neither has it detailed the specific clearance instructions given to the 737, although Batik Air has previously claimed that the jet had been "released" for take-off, nor whether the towing clearance contained any proviso regarding entering the runway. http://flightglobal.com/ Back to Top Families Of Deliberately-Crashed Airplane Victims Sue Arizona Flight Training Center The families of victims killed when a pilot deliberately crashed a plane on a mountain in the French Alps last year are suing the airline's Arizona training center. The lawsuit alleges the Airline Training Center of Arizona, where Germanwings pilot Andreas Lubitz was trained, failed to properly screen his medical background. Lufthansa owns Germanwings and the center in Goodyear. When Lubitz was trained in Europe, he was suspended to treat depression. When he returned with a doctor's letter saying he was no longer depressed, he was sent to Arizona for flight training. German officials withheld his pilot medical certificate twice because of his history, before giving him a restricted medical certificate. According to the suit, if the training center had screened Lubitz, officials would have found his history of severe depression. In an email response, a Lufthansa spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit. http://kjzz.org/content/291714/families-deliberately-crashed-airplane-victims-sue-arizona-flight-training- center Back to Top AAIB panel to probe Jet Airways aircraft gear collapse in Mumbai New Delhi: A four-member committee under the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) would probe the landing gear collapse of a Jet Airways Boeing 737 plane at the Mumbai airport last month. As many as 127 passengers on board Jet Airways B737-900 aircraft from Delhi had a narrow escape when its main landing gear collapsed while taxiing after it landed at the Chhtrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai on 3 March. A Jet Airways aircraft. PTIA Jet Airways aircraft. PTI The committee, headed by AAIB's director of Aircraft Engineering Department Amit Gupta, has been asked to submit its report within six months, a government notification said. "In the exercise of the powers conferred by the Rules 11(1) of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2012, the Central Government hereby directs that a formal inquiry in the accident be made," the notification said. AAIB is a dedicated entity under the civil aviation ministry to investigate serious air accidents and incidents. The bureau was carved out of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in 2012. The committee has been mandated to investigate and determine the causes and contributory factors leading to the accident and make recommendations to avoid recurrence of such accident in future, it said. "The Committee will complete its inquiry and submit its report to the Central Government preferably within six months," the notification said. http://www.firstpost.com/india/aaib-panel-to-probe-jet-airways-aircraft-gear-collapse-in-mumbai- 2730222.html Back to Top Angry Plane Passenger Douses Attendants After They Spill Drink Soaked. The two attendants after the water attack (CEN) An angry Chinese plane passenger who threw water over two flight attendants has been jailed. The aggressor, known only by his surname "Shen", raged after one of the attendants spilt juice on him. He asked for a written apology from staff before throwing the water. Pictures of the soaked plane attendants have been posted online. One of the attendants after the attack (CEN) The incident happened on board China Southern Airlines flight CZ323, which took off from the capital Beijing. The attendants, according to reports, were pushing a food trolley down the narrow aisle and serving drinks when one accidentally spilt juice onto Shen. They immediately apologised and offered him serviettes to help dry up. But a fuming Shen then demanded a written apology and claimed to know bosses at the airline. When he received no apology, Shen picked up several cups of water and threw the water. The flight was heading from Beijing to Guangzhou (CEN) Other members of the crew then subdued Shen and he was reported to police and arrested upon landing at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou. After an investigation, Shen was punished with three days in administrative detention. https://www.yahoo.com/news/angry-plane-passenger-douses-attendants-after-they-145948825.html Back to Top NTSB: Canadian pilot who died in Nashville crash was drunk NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A Canadian pilot who died when he tried to land a small plane at the Nashville International Airport during dense fog he was not qualified to fly in was legally drunk and obsessed with a Nashville celebrity. That's according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the Oct. 29, 2013, crash. The report does not name the celebrity, but 45-year-old Michael Callan's flying club membership lists Taylor Swift as his emergency contact. The investigation also notes Callan had repeated criminal convictions in Canada, although NTSB investigators have declined to specify what crimes Callan committed. "The pilot's prior criminal actions and impulsive behavior are consistent with anti-social personality disorder, which likely led to his impetuous decision to fly to Nashville," the report states. It goes on to say Callan likely was unaware until he arrived at the Nashville airport that it was under a dense fog, and his attempt to land in that fog without proper training was the principal cause of the accident. "He was unable to safely land the airplane with no visual contact with the runway," the report states. Contributing factors were Callan's mental state, his alcohol consumption and his decision to fly to Nashville without the plane owner's permission or proper flight clearances. The investigation, which was first reported by investigative reporter Walter F. Roche Jr. on his blog, found no mechanical malfunctions. According to the investigation, Callan's single-engine Cessna 172F was registered to the Windsor Flying Club in Ontario, Canada. Callan filed a flight plan on Oct. 28, 2013, that listed his destination airport as Pelee Island, also in Ontario. Transportation Canada reported Callan closed his flight plan at about 8:30 p.m., an action that would normally indicate a pilot had arrived at his or her destination. He did not file any additional flight plans and was not in touch with air traffic control in the United States. Investigators reviewing the Nashville airport's radar saw a plane arrive within the 20 nautical mile ring of the airport's airspace at about 1:42 a.m. Radar shows Callan circling the airport for about two hours before attempting to land. He last appears on the radar at about 3:50 a.m. The crash went unnoticed, despite the plane catching fire. The wreckage was not discovered until 8:45 a.m., when another pilot saw it while taxiing for departure. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ntsb-canadian-pilot-who-died-in-nashville-crash-was-drunk/ Back to Top Flying tired: airline pilots on tough rosters battle fatigue Pilot fatigue is an unresolved issue but different airlines have very different rules. Tired pilots struggle through Australia's fatiguing flights "Sometimes you look over and the other guy is asleep". How tired your pilot is depends on the flight - and the airline. For passengers, the 5am flight from Brisbane to Sydney during daylight saving time in NSW is hardly a pleasant experience. But spare a thought for the two pilots who have probably woken up about 2:30am to make the 4am sign-on and may then have to make four flights over an 11 to 12-hour period. "Back-to-back of these is very, very fatiguing," says a Qantas 737 pilot. Everything is legal of course. But we are not machines. Former Emirates 777 captain Or consider the late evening flight from Sydney to Perth. In some situations, pilots are allowed to nap on the flight deck to alleviate fatigue. The passengers arrive in Perth after midnight local time, but at Jetstar and Tigerair Australia, the two pilots on board will head straight back to Sydney, arriving just in time to battle peak-hour traffic before they can make it home to rest. "It is pretty hard to make the case that you are on your A-game at the top of descent [into Sydney] on the return leg," a Jetstar A320 pilot says. "There are duties you do at Jetstar that wouldn't be entertained at Qantas. A low-cost carrier is more intense in terms of the rostering requirements." Australian and International Pilots Association president Nathan Safe. Many industries fatigued Pilots are hardly the only workers in Australia with exhausting shifts. Truck drivers, miners, doctors, nurses and others also work long shifts with hours that can disrupt the biological clock. "By and large, pilots are at the low end of the fatigue scale in terms of other industries," says Professor Drew Dawson, a sleep and fatigue specialist at CQUniversity Australia. "At the other end, they are at the high end of the consequence scale." The crash of a Flydubai 737 at Rostov-on-Don, Russia, last month that killed all 62 passengers and crew on board has reignited discussion of fatigue management within aviation circles at a time when Australia is close to introducing new fatigue regulations. The accident is still being investigated and whether fatigue was definitely a factor is unknown. But the crash occurred in tough circumstances at 3:50am local time (4:50am Dubai time), after two hours of circling due to bad weather and two aborted landing attempts. Scientific studies show mental alertness can be at its poorest during the "window of circadian low" between 2am and 5am. Emirates' tiring schedule The airline, like fellow Dubai-based carrier Emirates, is known among pilots for having rosters that are within the United Arab Emirates legal limits but nonetheless very tiring. In the UAE, the maximum flying time is 100 hours per 28 days versus 100 hours per 30 days in Australia. On an annual basis, UAE pilots can fly 1000 hours a year versus 900 a year here. "The point about regulation is you can have flight-duty time limitations in which you can produce two compliant rosters but one can be extremely friendly and low fatigue risk and one can be extremely high fatigue risk," says CQUniversity associate professor and sleep expert Matthew Thomas. He says as a rough guide, research shows if a pilot has less than five hours sleep in the 24 hours before flying, twice as many errors may occur. Pilot fatigue has been cited as a factor in at least 12 accidents and 64 near misses globally over the past 10 years, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. But more than half of all accidents are caused by pilot errors and it is possible fatigue is understated as a factor in official reporting. 'We are not machines' The ATSB report on one of Australia's worst-ever accidents, the Emirates flight 407 runway overrun and tail strike at Melbourne Airport in 2009, said fatigue was unlikely to have been a factor, but the flight's captain told media he was sleep-deprived. The error that caused the EK407 incident was the input of the aircraft's weight as 100 tonnes lighter than it actually was. A former Emirates 777 captain said he had once made a similar mistake when flying for the Dubai-based carrier as a result of fatigue, but luckily it had been caught by another pilot before take-off. "Everything is legal of course," he said of the Emirates rosters. "But we are not machines." Pilots at many airlines are allowed what is called "controlled rest on the flight deck", which means they can put their head back and nap in their chair for short periods, typically under 40 minutes, as long as the other pilot is retaining a close watch over the flight during the cruise period. Both asleep However, the former Emirates captain said pilots were often so tired that one would allow the other to sleep for two to three hours at a time. On occasion, the pilot supposed to be watching the controls would accidentally fall asleep for a few minutes, meaning if a sudden incident occurred mid-air, the reaction times of both would be slowed. "I have flown with guys that have woken up mid-flight and the other pilot has been asleep mid-flight between Dubai and London," says a Qantas A380 pilot. "This should not happen as the cabin crew are supposed to call up every 30 minutes but some crews may call them and say do not call as one of the pilots is having a controlled rest." For airlines, adding more pilots on sectors or changing rosters could come at a financial cost. The carriers naturally want to maximise their profitability by having their highly paid pilots fly as many hours as possible within the rules. But they are also interested in safety, as serious incidents and crashes cause brand damage and lawsuits they want to avoid. Another potential problem is that pilot fatigue is probably underreported by the pilots themselves, albeit more so at some carriers than others depending on the company culture. Reporting fatigue requires the pilot to fill out a form with an explanation and takes longer than ringing in sick. Open culture call "What we want is an open reporting culture," says Australian Federation of Air Pilots executive director Simon Lutton. "They shouldn't be doing a flight if they are not in a fit state to do it." Pilots at major Australian carriers said there was no punishment for reporting fatigue and in some cases it led the airline to take steps to fix the situation, if it was due to a factor such as a noisy lay-over hotel. Airlines have also changed some rosters over time as a result of pilots reporting fatigue. When Virgin changed the timing of its Sydney-Los Angeles flight by nearly four hours, it first assessed potential fatigue hazards for pilots. Qantas is reviewing the possibility of rostering on a third pilot on the QF2 flight from London to Dubai as a result of feedback. "My experience with Qantas has been very positive," a 737 pilot said. "If you need time off and you ask for it, then the company has always been able to arrange that." The situation differs in other parts of the world, where there are no unions or Western-style seniority system. "There are all sorts of ways you can put pressure on pilots," a Virgin 737 pilot says of situation in the Middle East. "If you don't like it, all you can really do is leave." Fatigue 'taken seriously' A current Emirates pilot said reporting fatigue often led to sleep apnoea testing and at least a temporary grounding. The former Emirates captain said his high use of sick days, mostly when fatigued, was noticed by management and delayed his promotion from first officer to captain for months. An Emirates spokeswoman would not say whether taking reporting illness or fatigue could affect promotion, but said the airline maintained "the highest standards" when considering a promotion to captain. "Flight fatigue is an issue we take seriously," she says. "If pilots feel that Emirates has not addressed their concerns, they also have recourse of addressing this with the regulator, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)." The president of GCAA, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, is also the chairman and chief executive of Emirates and the chairman of Flydubai. Australia's new rules Locally, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority in 2013 introduced new rules for pilot fatigue management. They were initially supposed to take effect this month, but the deadline was moved to May 2017 to give airlines more time to develop new systems. The old fatigue rules defined flight and duty time limitations in a rigid way with no regard to the science behind fatigue, including whether pilots are acclimatised to the time zone. The new rules provide more flexibility for individual airlines, but each fatigue risk management system will require CASA's approval. Australian and International Pilots Association president Nathan Safe, whose union represents Qantas pilots, says the new science-based approach to flight-time limitations based on factors including circadian lows was welcome, but the real test will be in how it is implemented and operated. For the major commercial airlines, the new system could result in less flying rather than more flying in many cases. Regional Express last year claimed the new rules could cost it more than $4 million a year and might make some routes unviable. CASA will be taking a much firmer approach to extensions of duty, with airlines required to monitor weather and airspace patterns statistically before calculating duty periods. "Operators need to be more realistic about the possible delays in the system and ensure that if there are foreseeable delays, they can be incorporated into the maximum allowable duty period and don't result in an extension," a CASA spokesman said. A Qantas 737 pilot says the change is welcome. "It will mean that Qantas will no longer be able to schedule near 12-hour day patterns," he says. Since 2007, Virgin has operated a data-driven fatigue risk management. Qantas, Jetstar and Tigerair are still developing their systems ahead of next May's deadline. It is unclear whether Jetstar and Tigerair will end the tiring Sydney-Perth-Sydney night shifts under the new system. Qantas and Virgin say the reason these shifts aren't done at the main carriers is because they are prohibited in the unionised employment agreements, rather than because of fatigue concerns. Qantas Group medical director said they have robust systems in place to manage fatigue, including a fatigue management committee which includes pilots, safety specialists and crew planners. "We closely monitor fatigue risk on all shifts, particularly longer and late night shifts," he says. For example, Qantas recently changed its rostering after the Tokyo-Brisbane route, which lands at 6:45am in Brisbane after 10 hours of duty. The pilots now start their duties the following day at a later time with a reduced workload of one to two short domestic sectors. Dr Dawson, the fatigue specialist, says pilots must also bear some responsibility, and try to limit distractions at home and partying on the road to ensure they are rested before flights. And after more than a decade of studying fatigue in the aviation industry, he says the issue doesn't particularly worry him when he takes a flight. "The number of flights that crash is less than one in a million," Dr Dawson says. "I've got more chance being killed on the way to the airport than in an airplane." http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/flying-tired-airline-pilots-on-tough-rosters-battle-fatigue- 20160413-go5fmo.html#ixzz45tYhKath Back to Top JetBlue Considers A321LR's Transatlantic Flight Potential BOSTON-JetBlue Airways won't be tying the knot with Virgin America anytime soon, but the carrier may eventually expand its brand in another way: across the Atlantic. JetBlue is interested in the possibility of using the extended range of Airbus's in-development A321LR to fly to Europe, Marty St. George, the carrier's executive vice president-commercial and planning, told Aviation Daily during a late March event here to celebrate the arrival of the Mint premium cabin. Although JetBlue is considering transatlantic service and looking into the new aircraft type, the airline currently has "no specific plans" related to the A321LR, spokesman Doug McGraw said this week. In a June 2015 interview with Reuters, St. George spoke about the A321LR's potential for expanding JetBlue's Latin American network, and mentioned Western Europe as a market where the aircraft could work. Now, it appears that the carrier is focusing more on the A321LR's potential for serving Europe. "Based on what we have heard about the aircraft, it appears that it will be better equipped to serve European destinations versus South American destinations," McGraw said on April 11. "We look forward to learning more about its capabilities as Airbus moves forward with the program, and we will continue to consider how the aircraft might fit into our network growth strategy." JetBlue's mainline A320s and A321s do not have the range to reach Europe from its main East Coast markets when filled with passengers, and it would be at least a few years before the airline could do so if using the A321LR. The first delivery of this new aircraft to launch customer Air Lease Corp. is scheduled for 2019 (Aviation Daily, Jan 26). The A321LR, which Airbus is marketing as a Boeing 757 replacement, is expected to have a range of 4,000 nm-or about 500 nm more than for the current A321 (AW&ST, Jan. 15, 2015). Several other carriers-including Aer Lingus, TAP and Philippine Airlines-have expressed interest in the A321LR since Airbus officially proposed it in January 2015. In the meantime, JetBlue is working to roll out its Mint-equipped aircraft in new cities. The A321s, fitted with a premium cabin and the latest economy-class furnishings, will be available on certain flights to Las Vegas, San Diego and Seattle, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, starting in 2017 or 2018. The airline launched Mint on transcontinental flights between New York and Los Angeles and San Francisco, and in March started offering Mint flights between Boston and San Francisco. It also introduced year-round Mint flights to Barbados from New York, and offers the new cabin on a growing list of seasonal Caribbean routes from Boston and New York. http://awin.aviationweek.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/ArticlesStory.aspx?id=34406673-ad91-426e- 8da2-a781c15c51bb Back to Top 7 jaw-dropping aircraft designs that reveal the future of air travel Flight has changed the world, from the way war is waged to the way we go from coast to coast. Innovations like the Boeing 747 "Jumbo Jet" and the Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde changed the way we thought of air travel: the former pushed the envelope for capacity while the latter paved the way for supersonic commercial travel. The seven aircraft in this Komando.com Flash Tip have captured that spirit of innovation. These could very well be the next big air travel advances of the 21st Century. So, what can you expect to see? The Boeing SUGAR is being designed as a gas-electric hybrid, with the fuel source being liquified natural gas. The Aerion AS2 is a supersonic private jet expected to enter service in 2020. The NASA QueSST is the first attempt at dampening the boom that follows breaking the sound barrier. It's believed this might revive supersonic commercial flight, and allow supersonic flight over land. The Airbus Concept aircraft combines all of Airbus's concept designs to create the ideal airliner. The Lapcat is still decades away, but researchers are figuring out ways to make it travel five to eight times faster than the speed of sound. The German Aerospace Center SpaceLiner would use rocket technology to reach Mach 25. At that speed passengers could be whisked from London to Sydney in an hour and a half. The Skreemr would be launched from a magnetic rail gun in order to reach Mach 4, or four times the speed of sound. http://www.komando.com/tips/354225/amazing-jetliner-concepts Back to Top Bombardier nearing sale for up to 125 CSeries aircraft to Delta Air Lines: report A Bombardier worker walks past a CS300 aircraft in the hangar prior to a test flight in Mirabel, Quebec on February 27, 2015. * Air Baltic expands CSeries order to 20 jets, Bombardier says * Swiss Air to put 1st CSeries jet into commercial operation by 3rd quarter * Federal help for Bombardier pitched by premiers Couillard and Wynne * Delta Air Lines is reportedly on the cusp of ordering up to 125 CSeries commercial jets from Bombardier. The Wall Street Journal, quoting three people is says are familiar with the negotiations, says a deal on firm orders for 75 planes and options on 50 others is expected to be finalized by the end of April when the Atlanta-based airline holds a board meeting. Earlier on Thursday during a quarterly earnings conference call with analysts, Delta executives said they had no definitive plans to announce yet about the renewal of the company's fleet. Delta's incoming CEO, Ed Bastian, says the airline plans to provide more information about its fleet renewal plans at an investor day May 16. Bombardier declined to comment on the report. Delta is seeking to replace its aging fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets. If confirmed, the order would be an important boost to the struggling Montreal-based aircraft manufacturer. It has booked orders and commitments for 678 CSeries aircraft, which includes firm orders for 250. The delayed and overbudget aircraft is slated to enter into service with CS100 deliveries to Swiss Airlines by the end of June, with the larger CS300 with up to 160 seats following by year-end. http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/delta-bombardier-cseries-1.3536509 Back to Top Five jet biofuels now approved, FAA says Five bio-based jet fuels have been authorized for use for air travel, now that the FAA has announced approval of a new fuel created from an alcohol that is derived from renewable feed stocks. The newest fuel is known as Alcohol to Jet Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (ATJ-SPK). It is created from an alcohol called isobutanol, produced from renewable feed stocks such as sugar, corn, or forest wastes, the agency said in an April 14 news release. "In contrast to traditional petroleum-based fuels, these new alternative fuels can reduce air quality emissions and are renewable," the FAA said. The agency collaborates with the aviation industry to approve alternative aviation fuels through the standards-setting organization ASTM International. The FAA-industry Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) partnership was crucial in completing the necessary steps to support ASTM International's approval of the new fuel, which "could reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a life-cycle basis by up to 85 percent," the FAA said. The FAA emphasized that as more alternative jet fuels emerge from development, they have increased potential "for cost-competitive production and broad use." Another priority is that the new fuels be suitable for use directly in existing aircraft without modification to engines or other equipment, while maintaining "an equivalent level of safety and performance to petroleum jet fuels." Other alternative fuels that have been approved include synthesized iso-parafins (SIP) that "converts sugars into jet fuel"; hydro-processed esters and fatty acids synthetic paraffinic kerosene (HEFA-SPK), "which uses fats, oils and greases"; Fischer-Tropsch Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (FT-SPK), and Fischer- Tropsch Synthetic Kerosene with Aromatics (FT-SKA), both of which use "various sources of renewable biomass such as municipal solid waste, agricultural wastes and forest wastes, wood and energy crops." The new fuels are being used primarily by airlines, but could eventually enter use in the light-jet sector. http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2016/April/14/Five-jet-bio-fuels-now-approved-says-FAA Back to Top Air traffic control officers charged over deadly Taiwan crash Rescue workers and firefighters search through the wreckage of TransAsia Airways flight GE222 after it crashed near the airport at Magong on the Penghu island chain on July 24, 2014 Taiwan has charged two air traffic control officers with causing a TransAsia plane crash that killed 49 people in 2014, the first prosecutions in the country's worst air disaster for a decade. The plane's two pilots, who died in the crash, were also blamed for flying Flight GE222 into a residential area as the aircraft attempted to land at Magong city airport in the Penghu islands. "The four people are found to have been negligent in their duties over this crash," the Penghu prosecutors said in a statement Thursday, referring to the two air traffic control officers and the pair of pilots. The pilots will not be prosecuted, but ground staff in charge of air traffic that day are being sued for criminal negligence, which carries a jail term of up to five years. Taiwan's aviation body in January said the pilots had caused the crash on July 23, 2014, by flying too low as they tried to land during a typhoon. The probe also blamed other factors for the disaster, including poor communication of weather information to the flight crew and coordination issues at Magong airport. Prosecutors said Thursday a senior duty officer at Magong surnamed Ching, and another member of staff surnamed Li, contributed to the crash by not allowing the plane to land. The pair spoke for 12 minutes after receiving the plane's request to land but Ching did not give the necessary approval considering the bad weather conditions. TransAsia has seen several accidents in recent years that have raised concern about the airline's safety standards. Seven months after Flight GE222 crashed, 43 people were killed when another TransAsia plane clipped a bridge and plunged into a river in Taipei. https://www.yahoo.com/news/air-traffic-control-officers-charged-over-deadly-taiwan- 061050081.html?nhp=1 Back to Top Oman Air to Open Talks Pitting Airbus A350 Against Boeing 787 Gulf carrier aims to place wide-body order by 2018, CEO says Company seeking to be profitable by the end of next year Oman Air said it's poised to begin talks with Boeing Co. and Airbus Group SE over an order for the latest generation of wide-body jets to replace 12 older A330 planes. The Persian Gulf carrier will open negotiations in coming weeks, with the focus on Airbus's A350-900 model and the 787-9 or -10 from its U.S. rival, Chief Executive Officer Paul Gregorowitsch said at a briefing in London. While standardizing around the Boeing Dreamliner, of which Oman Air is already set to have 13 in its fleet from an earlier deal, would appear to make sense, the A350 might have the edge on the longest routes to destinations such as South Africa, Gregorowitsch said Wednesday. The re-engined Neo version of the A330 is out of the running, with all-new aircraft preferable to a "face-lift plane," unless Airbus presents a particularly compelling case for the legacy model, he said. Oman Air has already sourced two 787-8s from Kenya Airways on three-year lease terms as part of deal to purchase landing slots at London Heathrow airport from the African carrier and Air France, adding to the two Dreamliners already in its fleet. Earnings Goal Gregorowitsch, who spoke after the start of a second daily Heathrow service using the new slots, said that Oman Air is aiming to make a profit at an operating level by the end of 2017, with its state owner's funding contribution due to drop to 34 million Omani rials ($88 million) this year from 64 million rials in 2015. The company is currently negotiating with two carriers in Europe and one in Asia as it seeks a joint venture partner with which to operate flights as an alternative to joining a global airline alliance, the CEO said. Talks are also under way on a possible code-share pact with Deutsche Lufthansa AG, adding to arrangements it already has with carriers including Turkish Airlines. Plans to add a first Chinese route this summer are on hold as Oman Air seeks optimum flight slots, though it should start next winter, Gregorowitsch said. Under a plan developed by consultants Seabury, Oman aims to build a fleet of 70 planes, 25 of them wide- bodies plus 45 Boeing 737 single-aisle jets. The strategy specifies new long-haul routes including Madrid, Brussels, Rome and Moscow in Europe plus cities in Asia and Africa, the CEO said, adding that the carrier won't directly serve the U.S. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-13/oman-air-to-open-talks-pitting-airbus-a350- against-boeing-787 Back to Top Here's the simple reason planes have winglets A Boeing 737. Ever look out the window of a plane or watch as it pulls up to the gate? Have you ever wondered why some planes have pointy bits at the ends of the wings? What you see are "winglets," and they have essentially become standard equipment on all new airliners. Why are they there? "Winglets help reduce the drag associated with the creation of lift," Robert Gregg, Boeing's chief aerodynamicist, told Business Insider. That's the technical answer. Gregg said the practical reason behind winglets is easier to comprehend. Winglets allow the wings to be more efficient at creating lift, which means planes require less power from the engines. That results in greater fuel economy, lower CO2 emissions, and lower costs for airlines. Boeing claims that winglets installed on its 757 and 767 airliners can improve fuel burn by 5% and cut CO2 emissions by up to 5%. An airline that installs winglets on its fleet of 58 Boeing 767 jets is expected to save 500,000 gallons of fuel annually. Winglets help mitigate the effects of "induced drag." When an aircraft is in flight, the air pressure on top of the wing is lower than the air pressure under the wing. Near the wing tips, the high-pressure air under the wing rushes to the lower-pressure areas on top, which results in the creation of vortices. The vortices flow in a three-dimensional manner over the wings. They not only pull air up and over the wing, but they also pull air back. That third component is induced drag. With the advent of winglets, the aircraft is able to weaken the strength of wingtip vortices and, more important, cut down on induced drag along the whole wing. Induced drag can be overcome by making the wing longer. In fact, the general rule is, the longer the wingspan, the lower the induced drag, Gregg said. But in many instances, airplane makers simply don't have the option of making the wings longer. For example, narrow-body airliners such as the Boeing 737 and 757 often operate from gates at airports designed for short- to medium-range domestic flights. Since these flights usually require smaller aircraft, they have less room apportioned to them. As a result, wingspan is effectively limited by the size of the parking space the plane is allotted at the gate. So instead of the adding wingspan by making the wings longer, Boeing adds wingspan by going vertical with winglets. In some instances winglets aren't necessary, because there are no constraints on space. For example, Boeing's hot-selling 777 wide-body airliner does not have winglets. According to Gregg, that's because the 777 operates from international terminals designed for larger jumbo jets. As a result, Boeing found the performance it was seeking without the need for vertical extensions. A Boeing 777. No winglets here. Since they were first developed by Richard Whitcomb at NASA's Langley Research Center in 1976, airplane makers have steadily worked to improve the design and effectiveness of winglets. According to Gregg, the first-generation winglets fitted to aircraft such as the Boeing 747-400 and the McDonnell Douglas MD11 offered up to 2.5% to 3% improvement in fuel burn compared with aircraft not equipped with the option. Second-generation winglets, such as those found on Boeing's workhorse 737, 757, and 767 aircraft are much larger than the first-gen models, with greater curvature. Second-generation winglets offer a 4% to 6% improvement in fuel burn. Boeing's new 737 Max airliners are equipped with third-generation winglets that offer a 1% to 2% improvement over the second-gen models. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/heres-simple-reason-planes-winglets-200237569.html Back to Top Video shows 24 hours of flight traffic in 1 minute At any given moment, some 5,000 airplanes are crisscrossing the skies over the United States, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Now, thanks to Flighttradar24, a flight-tracking service that offers real-time updates on air traffic worldwide, you can see what that looks like in an animation compressed down to one quick minute. On April 1, the company tracked 164,209 flights around the world, including tens of thousands that flew over the U.S. The yellow, animated airplane symbols that represent each flight look like a swarm of bees buzzing around the North American continent. Check out the video below: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/video-shows-24-hours-of-flights-over-the-u-s-in-1-minute/ Back to Top Back to Top PhD Research Request Fellow Helicopter Crewmember, This is a request for you to participate in a research study for my doctoral degree. The purpose is to study the relationship between safety management systems, incidents and accidents, and company performance for small helicopter companies with less than 5 aircraft and in the last 10 years. This research is in conjunction with safety efforts by the US Helicopter Safety Team and the Helicopter Association International. There are series of questions regarding safety management systems, incidents and accidents, and company performance. To participate, you must be between age 21 to 60, had some aircrew experience with a small civil helicopter organization (less than 5 aircraft) and in the United States in last 10 years. Current helicopter student pilots can participate. Please follow the link below and fill but if you start, please finish the survey. It will only take about 12 minutes to complete. The survey does not include any identifiable data about the crewmember, places of employment, or OEM. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5VPCZZ5 Thank you very much for your participation! Principal Investigator Scott Burgess Doctoral student at Northcentral University S.Burgess4793@email.ncu.edu Back to Top Graduate Research Request Research Survey Invitation Are you or have you been a pilot, UAS-pilot or air traffic controller? Do you have an interest in how UAS are integrated into the National Airspace? If so, please consider taking my survey which forms part of a masters research project to see if there are differences in the attitudes of pilots, UAS-pilots, and air traffic controllers when it comes to the integration of UAS into national airspace. The survey will take around 20 minutes to complete and can be saved at any stage. Responses are anonymous. SURVEY LINK: https://coventry.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/unmanned-air-systems-integration Back to Top 1st Risk Culture Survey "1st Risk Culture Survey in Commercial Air Transport Industry was launched on the 1st of April. More information about the concept and the link complete a short questionnaire can be found @ www.riskculture.org The study is part of an academic research and it aims to explore what and how operational risk decisions are made by frontline operators such as pilots, engineers/technicians and their managers. It does not apportion blame to anyone and it aims to identify factors encouraging professionals to accept certain risks. Also there is an opportunity to go into a £1500 bursary draw to attend a course at Cranfield University in United Kingdom. This first survey of its kind will remain open until the end of June 2016 and it will be repeated every year to study emerging risks in the industry." Curt Lewis