Flight Safety Information April 25, 2016 - No. 080 In This Issue Anchorage-Bound Cargo Jet Lands Safely After Bird Strike Damages Wing Accident: Southwest B737 near Buffalo on Apr 21st 2016, turbulence injures two flight attendants Incident: Polar Air Cargo B748 over Pacific on Apr 22nd 2016, captain incapacitated Aircraft fire shuts down runway at San Antonio International Airport AMERICAN AIRLINES JET DIVERTED TO RDU BECAUSE OF A BROKEN WINDSHIELD CAE: 'All' Airlines Considering Tailored Training Programs An ASEAN airlines association is needed to ensure safety: Air Asia Germany Trails European Peers in Enforcing Air-Safety Rules, Report Says Pilot lands solar-powered plane after risky flight across Pacific Ocean "Drone" that hit British Airways jet was likely a plastic bag FAA: 'Urgent' repairs needed for Boeing 787 jet engines Norwegian F16 jet mistakenly shoots up control tower with officers inside 1 More Headache Coming for U.S. Legacy Airlines Nasa Gears Up for Next-Generation X-Planes Australian Society of Air Safety Investigators -...2016 ANZSASI SEMINAR PhD Research Request Graduate Research:...Pilot Laser Study Anchorage-Bound Cargo Jet Lands Safely After Bird Strike Damages Wing Nippon Cargo Airlines 747 touching down April 23--A jet headed for Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport was damaged in a bird strike this week, and a biologist is calling the incident a teaching moment for Southcentral Alaska pilots as migration season begins. Spencer Nelsen, an airport biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said the Nippon Cargo Airlines jet was about 3,000 feet above Point MacKenzie, on the opposite side of Cook Inlet from Anchorage, at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday when at least one bird hit its wing. Airline representatives could not immediately be reached for comment. The four-engine Boeing 747-8 freighter was descending toward the airport but not yet on approach. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the initial report was that three quails and two other birds had struck the jet, but Nelsen said different birds may have been involved. "The pilot reported something maybe quail-sized," Nelsen said. "Based on where he was and the time of the year, we think it was maybe a duck or a goose." The aircraft didn't display any flight problems and landed safely at the airport. Kenitzer said no injuries were reported, but Nelsen said the jet was grounded for repairs. "It was just a small crack, but you wouldn't want to fly with it," Nelsen said. "It was the right wing, between the (inboard) engine and the fuselage." DNA from the bird remains is being examined to determine the species. Nelsen said the strike -- which happened more than 5 miles from the airport -- isn't being considered a wildlife management issue associated with the airport itself. Going forward, Nelsen said, pilots in the region should "keep their eyes out right now" for birds, even at relatively high altitudes. "Especially right now with the spring migration, it's an issue for everybody," Nelsen said. "This happened at 3,000 feet -- you don't have to be near the ground for it to happen." http://www.aviationpros.com/news/12198464/anchorage-bound-cargo-jet-lands-safely-after-bird-strike- damages-wing Back to Top Accident: Southwest B737 near Buffalo on Apr 21st 2016, turbulence injures two flight attendants A Southwest Boeing 737-700, registration N552WN performing flight WN-2386 from Chicago Midway,IL to Boston,MA (USA), was enroute at FL390 about 40nm southsoutheast of Buffalo,NY (USA) when the aircraft experienced turbulence causing injuries to two cabin crew. The flight crew decided to divert the aircraft to Buffalo for a safe landing on runway 23 about 20 minutes later. The FAA reported the severity of injuries to both cabin crew (in the textual narrative reported as flight crew) is not yet known. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N785SW reached Boston with a delay of 4 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Buffalo for about 12 hours, then resumed service. Infrared Satellite GOES-E Image Apr 22nd 02:45Z, about 1:45 hour past occurrence (Graphics: AVH/NASA): http://avherald.com/h?article=4974119b&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Polar Air Cargo B748 over Pacific on Apr 22nd 2016, captain incapacitated A Polar Air Cargo Boeing 747-800, registration N857GT performing freight flight PO-214 from Nagoya (Japan) to Cincinnati,KY (USA), was enroute at FL330 over the Pacific Ocean about 400nm west of Seattle,WA (USA) when the first officer declared medical emergency reporting the captain was incapacitated and diverted the aircraft to Seattle for a safe landing on runway 16C about one hour later. The captain was taken to a hospital. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 5 hours then continued to Cincinnati's Northern Kentucky Airport arriving there with a delay of 5 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4975ac63&opt=0 Back to Top Aircraft fire shuts down runway at San Antonio International Airport, all flights on hold Crews work to remove a jet from the runway, whose wheels caught on fire, this morning at San Antonio International Airport, Saturday April 23, 2016. A fire on a small commercial aircraft at San Antonio International Airport has left the status of all inbound and outbound flights up in the air as both runways for large jets at the airport have been temporarily shut down. No one was injured when the aircraft reported its wheels caught fire at about 7:40 a.m. on Saturday, Evelynn Bailey, an airport spokeswoman said. Emergency crews responded and the fire was extinguished. The runway was the lone working runway for commercial aircraft at the airport because a second runway had been shut down for routine maintenance. A third runway for smaller aircraft remained open. The runaway is expected to reopen about 1 p.m. as the integrity of the runway must be checked and secure before flights can continue, Bailey said. Though at 1:04 the airport reported over social media that crews were still working the scene. People are being told to check with their airlines for status updates on their flights. The spokeswoman said there was no available numbers on how many people are affected by the shut down at this time. http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Aircraft-fire-shuts-down-runway-at-San-Antonio- 7305417.php Back to Top AMERICAN AIRLINES JET DIVERTED TO RDU BECAUSE OF A BROKEN WINDSHIELD The plane will stay overnight at RDU. RALEIGH (WTVD) -- An American Airlines jet diverted to RDU because of a broken cockpit windshield will call the Triangle home for a night. Late Friday night, American Airlines said it had a new plane and crew coming from New York to pick up 166 passengers. The Boeing 757 originated in Miami and was traveling to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York when the pilot radioed that the windshield was cracked. To be safe, he said, the plane should land as soon as possible. American Airlines said they diverted Flight 1048 out of an "abundance of caution." The plane landed safely at RDU, the closest airport. There were 166 passengers and six crew members on board. No injuries were reported. Airport officials said the plane will stay at RDU on Friday night. Initially, there was talk of repairing the windshield and continuing on to New York. But the airline said it didn't have the proper sealant handy. American even tried borrowing sealant from another airline, but that didn't work either. Originally, passengers were going to be rebooked on different flights, but now Flight 1048's passengers are waiting for their new plane to arrive. http://abc11.com/news/jetliner-makes-emergency-landing-at-rdu;-spends-night/1304957/ Back to Top CAE: 'All' Airlines Considering Tailored Training Programs CAE Inc., the largest provider of ab initio pilot programs for the commercial airline industry, said an imbalance in supply and demand for pilots is causing U.S. carriers to consider dedicated pilot pipelines. "All airlines are thinking about [ab initio] as a potential avenue," said Nick Leontidis, CAE's group president for civil aviation training solutions. "All of them are looking and saying this may be another way to create pilots." Training a pilot ab initio (from zero-time) to first officer specifically for a customer airline has been popular in Europe and Asia for decades, but not in the U.S., where the pilot supply for major carriers historically has come from regional airlines and the military. But fewer military aviators, combined with a wave of pilot retirements and continued delivery of new aircraft, is creating a supply-and-demand mismatch for the major airlines. This is likely to cause a pilot shortage in the near future. The issue is already problematic at regional airlines, in part due to a relatively recent FAA-mandated boost in the flight hours required to become a first officer. JetBlue, which is hiring about 200 pilots per year, recently launched a trial ab initio program with CAE. Twenty-four self-funded cadets are expected to finish the program in 3.5 years, and then to transition directly to Embraer E190 flight training. The Gateway Select program is one of seven pathways through which JetBlue hires pilots. Leontidis said JetBlue's ab initio program is the first that CAE has built for a U.S. airline. The difference between JetBlue's program and that of foreign carriers is that, due to FAA rules, JetBlue cadets must become flight instructors first to build 1,500 hr. of flight time before moving on to E190 training. Foreign pilots finish the program with approximately 300 hr., the threshold that, until August 2013, also applied to U.S. pilots. In all, CAE produces approximately 1,200 pilots per year. Leontidis said ab initio programs mostly are paid for in two ways: by airlines, which supply a constant pipeline of pilots to a carrier; and by self-sponsored programs like JetBlue's, in which cadets pay $125,000. CAE operates ab initio programs for 15 airlines. Five carriers, including Lufthansa and Easyjet, use Multi- Crew Pilot License (MPL) programs. MPL is an ab initio program where pilots are taught to operate as a crew, following airline-specific standard operating procedures, crew resource management, and threat and error management. Leontidis said the current number of MPL programs is relatively static, but noted the concept is still fairly new. "I think we'll see the number of MPL programs increase, but more gradually than folks anticipated in the past," he said. FAA regulations do not specifically allow for MPL certificates in the U.S., but Leontidis said there is a mechanism "that people could use as an alternate compliance path" to get such a program approved. www.aviationweek.com Back to Top An ASEAN airlines association is needed to ensure safety: Air Asia Passengers arrive at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, on April 4. During a seminar to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of The Jakarta Post on April 25, Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandes called on airline companies within ASEAN to establish a regional association to protect and ensure the safety aspects of the industry ahead of the ASEAN open sky policy. ASEAN airline companies should establish a regional association to protect and ensure the safety aspects of the industry ahead of ASEAN open sky policy, Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandes has said. Tony called for an integrated institution in ASEAN to ensure the cross-border aviation safety regulation, formed either by government or ASEAN airline companies. "I think there should be one integrated institution on aviation safety," he said during the 33rd anniversary of The Jakarta Post on Monday in Jakarta. The multilateral agreement is aimed at uniting ASEAN skies into a single aviation market and should liberalize the rules regarding customs and cargo to increase the flow of goods and people in the region. Indonesia has already confirmed that they will join the pact by issuing a presidential regulation last week. "The scariest part is the non-tariff barrier as it will make competition increasingly tough. Regulators have to ensure the safety of the passengers and, at the same time, protect the players," Tony said. Currently there is no association of ASEAN airlines except for flag carrier airlines such as Garuda Indonesia and Malaysia Airlines. The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines ( AAPA ), headquartered in Kuala Lumpur with 16 members, does not include low cost carriers such as Air Asia. "I have talked with Tony during the discussion. The creation of an ASEAN airlines association is a good idea. It is not a cartel but a way to protect the common interests among the countries and its airlines," Garuda Indonesia President Director Arif Wibowo told thejakartapost.com. ( ags ) http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/04/25/an-asean-airlines-association-is-needed-to-ensure- safety-air-asia.html Back to Top Germany Trails European Peers in Enforcing Air-Safety Rules, Report Says Only Greece has more unresolved safety lapses, according to confidential report by EU aviation watchdog An aerial photo of Germany's Cologne-Bonn Airport, which failed an audit by European security inspectors earlier this year. Germany is one of Europe's worst enforcers of air safety rules, trailing only Greece in failing to comply with basic requirements to protect passengers, according to a confidential report by Europe's top aviation watchdog. German regulators failed to uphold or enforce European Union air safety rules in more than 15 sensitive areas, according to the report, dated March 7 and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The country- Europe's biggest economy and home to some of the continent's most-traveled air hubs, including Frankfurt Airport-had 18 unresolved safety lapses, more than smaller and far less wealthy countries including Bosnia, Slovakia and Albania. Recent audits of Germany's Luftfahrtbundesamt, or LBA, the country's equivalent of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, found the agency faced "a chronic shortage of staff" to monitor aviation activities. The audits were conducted by the EU's European Aviation Safety Agency, or EASA, based in Cologne, Germany, and compiled into an annual report. EU officials have criticized German aviation oversight a number of times over the past decade. But the EASA report makes clear that many findings of German shortcomings have remained unresolved through successive audits in recent years. The audits are tallied into a confidential annual report mainly focused on categories of air-safety concerns across Europe, and only two tables in the 108-page document for 2015 break out national performance. But in both, Germany stands out, particularly among affluent Western European countries with large aviation industries, for having so many unresolved safety issues. The report gives no explanation of Greece's 21 unresolved safety lapses, but the cash-strapped country has faced an economic crisis for almost a decade. One EASA audit of Germany's LBA last year, which became part of the annual report, found four shortcomings critical to safety. These included the LBA's failure to spot airline deficiencies meeting crew- training requirements and to detect cases when aircrews had exceeded their duty-time limits. Crew fatigue is a major concern in aviation safety. EASA's audits rated government aviation agencies, not airlines. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, which includes the discount carrier Germanwings and is Germany's largest airline, has a strong safety record comparable to other leading Western carriers, with training and maintenance programs widely considered to be in the industry's top tier. EU authorities have repeatedly clashed with German aviation-oversight bodies. These covered both safety issues, related to avoiding accidents, and security problems, linked to preventing terrorism. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, in 2011 took the highly unusual step of putting Germany on its list of aviation-safety alerts, known as the airline blacklist. The commission last year sued Germany in an EU court over airport-security failures. In November 2014, EASA warned that chronic staffing shortfalls could undermine German regulators' ability to run checks of carriers and crew, including medical checks. Four months later, Andreas Lubitz, a Germanwings co-pilot who suffered from depression, crashed a plane into the French Alps, killing all 150 people onboard. The EASA annual report makes no mention of the Germanwings disaster. An accident report prepared by French authorities said a series of doctors, including from the German government, saw Mr. Lubitz for mental health problems ahead of the crash but didn't notify authorities. None of the medical practitioners agreed to speak to crash investigators. According to the confidential March report, EASA had gone back to Germany authorities in at least 26 cases to notify them of deficient action plans. In 10 cases, the concerns relate to high-priority items the report didn't spell out. Germany has recently suffered a spate of aviation security and safety lapses. German police and airport officials this month called for a review of how security checks were handled after Cologne-Bonn Airport this year failed an audit by EU security inspectors. Germany's police union called for the government to retake control of airline-passenger screening. Much of the service has been outsourced to private security firms. Frankfurt Airport, one of Europe's busiest hubs, last year also flunked an inspection, according to an aviation security official. In that case, security personnel working on behalf of the German police failed to spot weapons. Officials for the Cologne-Bonn Airport, which handles more than 10 million passengers annually, last week said it had mistakenly made elements of an emergency response plan publicly accessible on the Internet. The airport said the document didn't contain sensitive information but quickly withdrew it. The policing lapses come amid an increasing focus on tightening airport security following a series of terrorist attacks on commercial aviation, including last month's bombing of Brussels Airport, in which at least 16 people died. Belgian transport minister Jacqueline Galant resigned this month amid allegations that she ignored warnings over shortcomings in security monitoring at the country's airports. The EU executive had repeatedly warned that the country's civil aviation authority wasn't conducting sufficient checks at Belgian airports. Airport security concerns have increased after the downing of a Russian passenger plane that killed all 224 people onboard. Officials believe a bomb was smuggled onto the plane at an Egyptian airport. Earlier this year, a bomb was brought onboard a Daallo Airlines plane departing Somalia's Mogadishu Airport. German shortfalls partly reflect long-running understaffing at the Luftfahrtbundesamt, industry official said. Posts have frequently been filled by staff from other ministries facing downsizing, putting inexperienced personnel in charge of aviation oversight. Sebastian Dreyer, head of security at the German Aviation Association, a trade group, said the LBA had remedied staffing shortfalls and was providing effective oversight. "The security controls conducted in Germany at airports and by the airlines easily meet European standards," he said. Germany has moved to address legislative shortcomings that underpin the EU complaints. A new aviation law to address EU concerns was passed by parliament this month and, an industry official said, a new law on aviation security could be passed by year-end. The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, last year filed a case against Germany with the EU Court of Justice "for failing to regularly monitor all aviation security measures at some German airports, as required by EU legislation." The commission brought the case after Germany failed to address its concerns despite earlier warnings. The case remains open. In 2011, EASA officials warned that Germany, Italy, Greece and some other countries weren't complying with EASA-mandated oversight requirements. http://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-trails-european-peers-in-enforcing-air-safety-rules-report-says- 1461532124 Back to Top Pilot lands solar-powered plane after risky flight across Pacific Ocean The solar-powered plane flew from Hawaii to San Francisco in one of the most dangerous parts of its journey. Two pilots landed a sun-powered airplane in California Saturday night, finishing the Pacific leg of their attempt to navigate around-the-world in an aircraft without using any fuel. Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard and fellow pilot Andre Borschberg resumed their journey Thursday for the latest leg of their low-speed journey on Solar Impulse 2, nine months after they were grounded because of a fried battery and lack of sunlight during the winter. They made it to California in less than three days, on schedule, despite having nearly run out of fuel, according to a tweet from the pair. "It's a new era. It's not science fiction. It's today," Piccard told CNN after landing. "It exists and clean technologies can do the impossible." Solar Impulse is scheduled to continue on to one or two locations in the Midwest and later land in New York City in early June, where they will prepare for two final flights over the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea before attempting to complete their mission of navigating around the world and landing Solar Impulse back in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The team began its journey last year in Abu Dhabi. Borschberg flew 13 hours and landed in Muscat, Oman. They continued their trip across Asia before Borschberg completed the longest nonstop solo flight in the world in four days, 21 hours and 52 minutes when they traveled from Japan to Hawaii. But in breaking the flight record, they damaged the plane's battery. The pilots suspended their trip - and their original goal to complete the journey within a year - to repair the plane and avoid flying in the winter, which brought less sunlight. This leg across the Pacific was their riskiest yet, because of the lack of emergency landing sites.The pilots had to avoid clouds during their flights because the plane needs clear skies to recharge its batteries. Avoiding turbulence and strong winds was also key for the keeping the crew safe in the lightweight aircraft. Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google, one of the project's sponsors, was among the crowd that came out for Piccard and Borschberg's late-night landing in Northern California. "It was a beautiful landing," Brin told the pilots soon after they landed at Moffett Airfield in Mountain View. The pilots were in the air 62 hours from the time they left Hawaii for the latest leg, but Piccard joked with flight controllers that he was up for continuing his journey. "I could continue all the way to New York!" Piccard said. Despite the obstacles the Solar Impulse 2 team has already faced, Piccard said he remained confident. "You know there was a moment in the night, I was watching the reflection of the moon on the ocean and I was thinking, 'I'm completely alone in this tiny cockpit and I feel completely confident,'" Piccard told reporters after the landing. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/04/24/pilot-lands-solar-powered-plane-after-risky- flight-across-pacific-ocean/83462522/ Back to Top "Drone" that hit British Airways jet was likely a plastic bag British transport minister says fear of drone was "overreaction." Plastic bag flying through the air Recent reports of an unidentified flying object striking a British Airways flight at London's Heathrow Airport spurred a wave of fear over drones interfering with commercial aircraft. But now it appears the object may have only been a floating plastic bag, according to British transport minister Robert Goodwill. The Telegraph reports that Goodwill could not confirm the identity of the object that struck the British Airways Airbus A320 as it prepared to land last Sunday. The incident happened at an altitude of about 1,700 feet over southwest London, well above the regulatory ceiling for drone operations of 400 feet. "The reported drone strike on Sunday has not been confirmed it was actually a drone," Goodwill said. "It was the local police force that tweeted that they had a report of a drone striking an aircraft." That social media message may have been prompted by fear of drones in response to recent British government reports of near-misses with drones by aircraft around London. However, there was no physical damage to the Airbus of any kind, Goodwill noted. "There's indeed some speculation that it may have even been a plastic bag or something," the transport minister said in a statement. "I've not actually landed a 747 at Heathrow, but I've landed the simulator and the pilot has a lot of other things to concentrate on. We're not quite sure what they saw, so I think we should maybe not overreact too much." http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/04/drone-that-hit-british-airways-jet-was-likely-a- plastic-bag/ Back to Top FAA: 'Urgent' repairs needed for Boeing 787 jet engines A Boeing 787 Dreamliner taxis at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on May 20, 2013. The Federal Aviation Administration has mandated "urgent" fixes on 787 engines over icing issues. WASHINGTON, April 23 (UPI) -- The Federal Aviation Administration issued an "urgent" safety mandate aimed at at least 150 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and their General Electric engines. In an Airworthiness Directive issued Friday, the FAA noted the engines were susceptible to sudden shutdowns during flights due to ice build-up. Airlines flying the high-tech 787 Dreamliner have been ordered, via the Federal Register, to repair or replace at least one GEnx-1B PIP2 engine with older models on each plane immediately. The companies have 150 days to comply. Pilots will also be briefed on new instructions on how to prevent engine icing at high altitudes. The "urgent safety issue" stems from an incident in January when a Dreamliner sustained an in-flight non- restartable power loss at 20,000 feet due to icing, according to CNN. There have been no major accidents associated to the problem. "The urgency of this issue stems from the safety concern over continued safe flight and landing for airplanes that are powered by two GEnx-1B PIP2 engines operating in a similar environment to the event airplane," the FAA said. "In this case both GEnx-1B PIP2 engines may be similarly damaged and unable to be restarted in flight. The potential for common cause failure of both engines in flights is an urgent safety issue." Icing of engine blades can cause them to rub as ice breaks off, prompting unwanted vibration and damage. This isn't the first time Boeing 787 Dreamliners have faced issues. In May 2015, Boeing discovered a software glitch during routine testing that had the potential to cause power outages at 35,000 feet. In 2013, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board opened a safety inquiry after multiple reports of a fuel leak and one report involving electrical wiring. That same month, the FAA officially grounded all 787 airliners due to a potential fire hazard with its battery system -- the first time the agency removed any aircraft model from flight since 1979. Flights resumed in April 2013 after Boeing redesigned the battery system and in March 2014, after a long review of the aircraft, the FAA announced the 787 Dreamliner safe. However, that same month Boeing discovered manufacturing defects in the wings of 43 jetliners. http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2016/04/23/FAA-Urgent-repairs-needed-for-Boeing-787-jet- engines/7431461429600/ Back to Top Norwegian F16 jet mistakenly shoots up control tower with officers inside The Norwegian Air Force has been left feeling awkward after one of its F-16 jets on a drill mistakenly opened fire on a control tower with three officers who were inside at the time of the mock attack. An investigation has been started into the grave error, which took place on Tarva, off Norway's west coast, AFP was told by military spokesman Captain Brynjar Stordal. Astonishingly, no one was injured in the incident. On April 12-13, two F-16s were performing a mock attack on an enemy station on the uninhabited island, when one of them mistakenly opened fire on the control tower with its M61 Vulcan cannon, capable of making Swiss cheese out of metal and concrete at 100 rounds per second. According to Norwegian paper VG, three officers were inside the structure at the time. They said everything happened so fast there was barely time to understand what was going on. Air Force communications manager Stian Roen said it was a very close call, adding that both the control tower crew and pilot are currently undergoing tests. Remarkably, the very same control tower on Tarva was shot up in 2009, also by mistake. Back then at least one round penetrated the building. https://www.rt.com/news/340801-norwegian-f16-shoots-control-tower/ Back to Top 1 More Headache Coming for U.S. Legacy Airlines U.S. airlines' efforts to halt the expansion of European budget carrier Norwegian appear to have failed. Since early 2015, unit revenue has declined steadily at the three biggest U.S. airlines: American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL), Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL), and United Continental (NYSE:UAL). Unit revenue trends have been particularly weak on international routes, due to factors like the strong dollar and persistent overcapacity. Now the three legacy carriers have one more headache to look forward to in the key transatlantic market. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transportation tentatively approved Norwegian Air Shuttle's plan to operate long-haul flights to the U.S. using an Irish subsidiary. This paves the way for further expansion by this disruptive budget carrier. Norwegian shakes up transatlantic flying Norwegian began flying to the U.S. in 2013 on a new long-haul fleet made up of Boeing (NYSE:BA) 787 Dreamliners. Since then, it has made waves by offering extremely cheap fares on routes that hadn't had much competition previously. For example, Norwegian was offering one-way fares from New York to London for as little as $255 even before fuel prices plummeted. That was less than half the price of the cheapest one-way ticket offered by any of its competitors. Today, Norwegian operates 10 Dreamliners, so its market share for transatlantic flights remains quite low. However, it is contributing to overcapacity in that market, which has been noted by both Delta Air Lines and United Continental during their earnings calls this month. Incumbents protest Norwegian's strategy To help expand its presence in the U.S., Norwegian has wanted to use a long-haul subsidiary set up in Ireland. This proposal has elicited strong objections from Delta, American, and United, as well as their labor unions. The legacy carriers and their unions allege that Norwegian Air Shuttle only wants to incorporate in Ireland in order to skirt U.S. and Norwegian labor laws. They have pointed to Norwegian's use of contractors hired through a Singapore employment agency rather than full-time employees and its plans to base flight crews in Thailand. (Norwegian has since promised to base its flight crews in Europe.) Norwegian does pay less than the U.S. legacy carriers. However, the goal of its Irish subsidiary wasn't so much to outsource labor to a low-cost country as to avoid being stuck in a high-cost country. (Norway's per-capita GDP has been nearly double that of the U.S. in recent years, though the sharp drop in oil prices since 2014 has narrowed the gap.) Norwegian's cost advantage is mainly driven by high utilization of its Boeing 787 fleet, fitting more passengers onto each plane, and the superior fuel efficiency of the Dreamliner. Labor costs are a much smaller part of the equation. Airline United Continental Ual Boeing Bad news for U.S. airlines, but great news for Boeing In any case, the U.S. government didn't find any legal justification for blocking Norwegian from using its Irish subsidiary. As a result, American, Delta, and United are going to have to find a way to compete with Norwegian's cheap fares. Indeed, there's a lot more competition coming. Norwegian Air ordered 19 787-9s from Boeing last October. It has also agreed to Dreamliner deals with various aircraft leasing firms. In total, it currently plans to quadruple its long-haul fleet to 40 Dreamliners by 2020. After the DOT announced its tentative approval for Norwegian's Irish long-haul subsidiary, Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos stated that the company may exercise options for another 10 787-9s. These planes won't all be deployed on routes to the U.S. -- Norwegian is also looking at flying to places like Canada, South America, and South Africa. But the massive fleet expansion will inevitably put steady upward pressure on transatlantic capacity, forcing the legacy carriers to either fight back with lower fares or cut their own capacity. Norwegian's expansion isn't all bad news for U.S. business, though. Norweigan is quickly becoming one of the biggest fans of Boeing's Dreamliner. Many analysts have been worried about demand for Boeing's widebody planes like the 787. If Norwegian keeps growing rapidly beyond 2020, there could be a lot more orders coming for Boeing. http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/23/1-more-headache-coming-for-us-legacy-airlines.aspx Back to Top Nasa Gears Up for Next-Generation X-Planes The US space agency is preparing to put in the sky an array of new experimental aircraft known as X- planes and intended to carry on the legacy of demonstrating advanced technologies that will push back the frontiers of aviation. Called "New Aviation Horizons",Nasa's renewed emphasis on X-planes was announced as part of the US budget for the fiscal year that begins from October 1 this year. The plan is to design, build and fly the series of X-planes during the next 10 years as a means to accelerate the adoption of advanced green aviation technologies by industry, the space agency said in a statement. "They [X-palnes] certainly are all interesting in their own way. Each one of them has a unique place in aviation that helps them make their mark in history," said Bill Barry, Nasa's chief historian. Although it may not wind up being the first of the New Aviation Horizons X-planes to actually fly as part of the three-legged stool of research, design work already has begun on "QueSST" (Quiet Supersonic Technology). A preliminary design contract was awarded in February to a team led by Lockheed Martin. This new supersonic X-plane could fly in the 2020 timeframe. QueSST aims to fix something the X-1 first introduced to the flying world nearly 70 years ago the publicly annoying loud sonic boom. "We know the concept is going to work, but now the best way to continue our research is to demonstrate the capability to the public with an X-plane," said Peter Coen, Nasa's supersonic project manager. The goals include showcasing how airliners can burn half the fuel and generate 75 percent less pollution during each flight as compared to now, while also being much quieter than today's jets perhaps even when flying supersonic. "If we can build some of these X-planes and demonstrate some of these technologies, we expect that will make it much easier and faster for US industry to pick them up and roll them out into the marketplace," added Ed Waggoner, Nasa's Integrated Aviation Systems Programme director. The very first X-plane called the "X-1" was built by Bell Aircraft. The "X-1" was the first plane to fly faster than the speed of sound, thus breaking the "sound barrier". It was October 14, 1947, when Air Force captain Chuck Yeager climbed into the bright orange Glamorous Glennis and flew the "X-1" into its moment in history. The "X-1" also marked the first in what became a long line of experimental aircraft programmes managed by the Nasa, the air force, the navy, and other government agencies. Perhaps of all the X-planes Nasa has been associated with, none was more cutting edge and became more famous rivaling even the X-1 than the "X-15" rocket plane. "The X-1 was certainly the most historic for being the first and for what it did for supersonic flight. But the X-15 was probably the most productive model of an X-plane," Barry said. Flown 199 times between 1959 and 1968, the winged X-15 reached beyond the edge of space at hypersonic speeds, trailblazing design concepts and operational procedures that directly contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo-piloted spaceflight programmes as well as the space shuttle. http://gadgets.ndtv.com/science/news/nasa-gears-up-for-next-generation-x-planes-829821 Back to Top Australian Society of Air Safety Investigators - 2016 ANZSASI SEMINAR ANZSASI 2016 - NOVOTEL BRISBANE 3 - 5 JUN NOTE: EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION CLOSES AT THE END OF THIS MONTH The cut-off date for the discounted 'early-bird' registration is FAST approaching so complete your Seminar registration and book in your travel and accommodation requirements for ANZSASI 2016 NOW! OVERVIEW We believe that the annual ANZSASI Seminar is without doubt the best value for money Aviation safety Seminar held in Australia. * This year the Seminar will be held in Brisbane at the Novotel Hotel, Creek Street, from Friday to Sunday June 3-5 (2016). The Novotel Brisbane, in Creek Street, is ideally suited being centrally located, and adjacent to public transport. It is a short walk from Central Station allowing easy access from the airport and the Brisbane rail network. The registration fee includes a welcome cocktail reception on the Friday evening and delegate's dinner on the Saturday night. The Seminar also includes two full days of presentations on Saturday and Sunday. * On the Saturday morning Mr Martin Dolan (ATSB Chief Commissioner) will open the Seminar as our Keynote speaker. Our program also includes presentations from Prof Geoff Dell (CQU), Prof Graham Braithwaite (Cranfield University, UK), and representatives from the ATSB, TAIC (NZ), DSTA, Safety Wise Solutions, UNSW and a number of other key speakers from industry. A wide range of subjects will be covered at the Seminar including: * Human Factors, UAV, Rotary wing, Underwater recovery, Aircraft tracking, Cabin air quality, Noise cancelling systems, Safety auditing, Airline training, Weather, Investigative challenges, Runway excursions, Runway misalignment and, Investigating parachute accidents. SEMINAR REGISTRATION AND HOTEL RESERVATIONS The draft Seminar program will be available shortly. Information on the Seminar, Seminar registration and accommodation at the Novotel Brisbane are available on the ASASI website, just follow the following link: www.asasi.org * Note: Once you open the link, you will see the internal links to the Seminar on the right hand side of the ASASI home page. Click on the separate links for the registration details and the hotel bookings. * You can register now for the Seminar with 'early bird' rates running up to 01 May. So if you register now you can receive a significant discount. * The Novotel is also offering discounted accommodation rates to Seminar attendees. (Be sure to include the applicable discount code when making bookings). ANZSASI 2016 WILL PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LEARN FROM EXPERTS AND LEADERS IN THE FIELD OF AVIATION SAFETY AND SAFETY INVESTIGATION 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: Pilot Laser Study Over the last few years, laser strikes occurring in commercial aviation have significantly increased. As little research has been done in this area, we are interested in conducting research on the impact this is having on pilots. According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the number of reported incidents have increased ten-fold in the past decade. This trend looks like it could continue as handheld lasers are rapidly increasing in power and decreasing in price. Pilots who have experienced a laser strike while operating an aircraft have raised concerns ranging from distraction, to not being able to fly the aircraft due to blindness. The reporting requirements currently for laser strikes vary from country to country and data is limited. The objective of this study is to determine what occurred during the incidents and how pilots have been affected by a laser strike(s). The data will be analysed and then shared with airline industry officials, regulatory bodies and various stakeholders. The objective is to provide research that can help us avoid or prepare for these types of incidents. The survey is completely confidential and no personal information will be shared. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes and your participation can make a big difference in an area of growing concern. Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this important survey. https://city.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/pilot-laser-study Balbir.chopra@city.ac.uk Curt Lewis