Flight Safety Information May 3, 2016 - No. 086 In This Issue Kosovo airport closes after Turkish Airlines jet skids off runway Helicopter Operators Idle Airbus Chopper After CHC Crash Airlines report record profits even as customer complaints soar Accident: Sun Express B738 at Antalya on May 1st 2016, nose gear retracted at gate Accident: China Eastern A319 at Kangding on May 1st 2016, struck approach lights on final approach Call for Nominations For 2016 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award Industry calls on FAA to issue final Part 23 rule General Aviation Community Praises FAA Part 23 Rulemaking and Urges Rule Completion in 2016 Saudi aviation represents 60% of regional market Auburn aviation programs may move from College of Business to University College PhD Research Request Kosovo airport closes after Turkish Airlines jet skids off runway A Turkish Airlines jet carrying 143 passengers and eight crew from Istanbul skidded off the runway on Monday when landing at Kosovo's sole airport, officials said. "Turkish Airlines flight TK1018 from Istanbul has had a minor incident and fortunately no one was injured," airport spokeswoman Valentina Gara said. "The airport will remain closed for few hours until some initial technical investigations are finished." A flight from Brussels was diverted to Tirana, Albania. Local media showed images of the Turkish Airlines jet standing in a grassy area next to the runway. "Thanks God we (were) saved from a tragedy," one passenger wrote in a facebook posting with photos of the aircraft. Authorities are investigating what caused the incident. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kosovo-airplane-idUSKCN0XT1TQ ******************** Date: 02-MAY-2016 Time: 19:33 Type: Boeing 737-8F2 (WL) Owner/operator: Turkish Airlines Registration: TC-JFY C/n / msn: 29783/497 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Unknown Location: Pristina-Adem Jashari International Airport (PRN/BKPR) - Kosovo Phase: Landing Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Istanbul-Atatürk International Airport (IST/LTBA) Destination airport: Pristina-Adem Jashari International Airport (PRN/BKPR) Narrative: Turkish Airlines flight TK1009 suffered a runway excursion on landing at Pristina. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, landed on runway 35 but failed to stop on the runway. It overran into the grass. All passengers deplaned through the forward right hand door. Weather about the time of the incident (19:33 LT / 17:30 Z): BKPR 021900Z 13008KT 9999 -RA SCT015 BKN040 10/08 Q1007 NOSIG BKPR 021830Z 12011KT 6000 -RA BKN012 OVC025 10/08 Q1006 RERA TEMPO 3500 RA BKPR 021800Z 13009KT 5000 RA BKN012 OVC025 11/08 Q1006 NOSIG BKPR 021730Z 08009KT 4000 RA BKN010 OVC025 12/09 Q1006 NOSIG BKPR 021700Z 02009KT 8000 -RA SCT010 BKN025 11/09 Q1006 NOSIG https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=186912 Back to Top Helicopter Operators Idle Airbus Chopper After CHC Crash Norwegian accident investigators said 'good quality' data was extracted from black boxes An image released by Norway's Accident Investigation Board Sunday shows the memory unit retrieved from the flight data and cockpit voice recorder of the EC225 helicopter that crashed off the Norwegian coast last week. The fallout from Friday's deadly crash of an Airbus Group SE helicopter spread on Monday with operators and customers idling services absent information on what caused the accident, even as the chopper's manufacturer called the model safe to fly. Accident investigators, meanwhile, said they would start analyzing data from the Airbus EC225, also called the Super Puma, to determine what caused one of the deadliest accidents involving the model. Helicopter operator Bristow Group Inc. said on Monday that it was suspending flights of six EC225 helicopters in Australia, but that three others used for search-and-rescue operations would continue to be used. The move comes after Norway and the U.K., where Bristow has some helicopters registered, barred passenger flights with the model. In those countries, the EC225 is still available for emergency operations. On Friday, an EC225 flown by CHC Helicopter Services crashed en route to Norway's Bergen Airport from Statoil ASA's Gullfaks B oil field, killing all 13 people onboard. The cause of the accident is still unknown. Norway's air accident investigators said Monday that data from the combined flight data and cockpit voice recorder had been extracted. "The data is of good quality and is sent back to Norway for analysis," the Accident Investigation Board Norway said. The information was extracted by the U.K.'s Air Accidents Investigation Branch. The rotor appears to have separated from the helicopter, an unusual occurrence. Airbus said it saw no need to suspend flights with the helicopter model, adding that its experts have conducted on-site inspections of the wreckage, leading them to conclude there was no safety-of-flight risk for the fleet. Airbus wouldn't detail the nature of the findings, but said the examination of one specific component, the chopper's vertical shaft, allowed it to rule out a link to past incidents involving the model. The EC225, which has had previous safety problems with its main gearbox that drives the rotor, is the backbone of North Sea oil and gas helicopter operations. Unions in Norway criticized Airbus for saying there were no grounds for idling the fleets, and they said a thorough investigation was required to restore oil workers' trust in the helicopter. Henrik Solvorn Fjeldsbo, a representative of Norway's Industri Energi union, said the crash investigation hasn't ended, and Airbus has failed to explain the rationale for its judgment about the EC225's operational viability. CHC said there appears to have been no distress call from the pilot before the crash. Royal Dutch Shell PLC said it would temporarily suspend all its CHC-provided passenger flights in Norway, adding it was working on alternative arrangements. It said it would work with CHC to ensure all operational standards were being met, and said it continues to use the helicopter service provider in other locations. Helicopter operators including CHC and Babcock MCS Offshore have said they were going to bring in other helicopter types to service oil and gas customers in a bid to limit the impact of the grounding. Bristow, in a notice to the stock market, said it would look for other choppers to fill capacity gaps. "It is too early to determine whether the accident will have a material impact on the company," it said. The recent downturn in the oil and gas industry amid a slump in crude prices could lessen the impact of the grounding. "The size of industry's workforce has contracted considerably and as such has resulted in a corresponding reduction in the number of helicopter flights," said Les Linklater, executive director of helicopter safety advocacy group Step Change in Safety. Though some devices may be disrupted, he said the lower overall demand for services means the lack of EC225 availability could be accommodated more easily. http://www.wsj.com/articles/bristow-grounds-airbus-ec225-helicopters-after-norway- crash-1462201212 Back to Top Airlines report record profits even as customer complaints soar WASHINGTON - Cheap fuel prices juiced record profits for U.S. airlines last year even as customer complaints soared over cramped flights and mounting fees. The 25 U.S. passenger airlines logged a record $25.6 billion in profits in 2015, more than three times the industry's after-tax earnings of $7.5 billion reported in 2014, the Transportation Department said Monday. Fuel prices averaged 35% lower in 2015 than the previous year. The average fare of $377 in 2015 is down 3.8% from 2014 and down 19.2% from the inflation-adjusted average of $467 in 2000, Transportation Department records show. But baggage fees added $3.8 billion to the bottom line, and fees from reservation changes chalked up another $3 billion, the department said. Airlines do not report other fees to the department. While airlines' financial books look robust, passengers grumble about lost bags, deceptive ticket prices, poor customer service and shrinking seats and legroom. Travelers filed 20,170 formal complaints last year, up from 15,539 in 2014, according to the department's Air Travel Consumer Report. Airlines have invested $1.4 billion a month in new aircraft and equipment while paying down $8 billion in debt last year and returning $10.5 billion to shareholders last year, according to Melanie Hinton, spokeswoman for Airlines for America, an industry group representing most of the largest carriers. "In short, this industry is working as well as it ever has before - to the benefit of the 2.2. million passengers who fly on U.S. airlines every day," Hinton said. The investments haven't helped consumers, said Charles Leocha, a founder of the consumer-advocacy group Travelers United. The new planes have more seats and less legroom to eke out more money from each flight, he said. "Everybody keeps telling us that we're seeing all these improvements, but nobody's seeing them," Leocha said. "New airplanes don't help us when the planes are bigger with more seats on board and they're squeezing more people into them." Trey Bohn, executive director of the group Travelers' Voice, said the $7 billion in baggage and reservation fees draw the most ire from travelers. "Depending too much on revenue from these fees is not only an operating weakness, it also suggests to travelers that the nickel and the dime are more important than improving their product," Bohn said. Passengers with their knees pressed into the seat in front of them won't get any help from Congress this year. A House committee and the full Senate each rejected proposals to force Federal Aviation Administration to set minimum standards for the distance between seats. The sixth consecutive year of profits came after a decade of economic struggles for airlines following the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, and the economic downturn in 2007. The industry lost $28.7 billion in 2005 and $24.5 billion in 2008. The earnings last year were the highest at least since Congress deregulated the industry in 1978. The industry's previous peak earnings came in 2006 at $16.5 billion. The earnings came on a combined $168.9 billion in revenue. The combined expenses totaled $140.9 billion, which included $45.4 billion for labor and $27 billion for fuel, the department said. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/05/02/dot-airlines-report-record-profits- 2015/83825304/ Back to Top Accident: Sun Express B738 at Antalya on May 1st 2016, nose gear retracted at gate By Simon Hradecky, created Tuesday, May 3rd 2016 09:31Z, last updated Tuesday, May 3rd 2016 09:31Z A Sun Express Boeing 737-800, registration TC-SNP performing flight XQ-366 from Antalya (Turkey) to Paderborn (Germany), was preparing for departure at the gate, passengers had not yet boarded, technicians were working to replace one of the nose gear tyres when the nose gear retracted. A technician received minor head, two cabin crew members minor injuries, all were taken to a hospital. The airline reported Flight XQ-366 to Paderborn was being prepared for departure, technicians were replacing a nose gear tyre and were in the final checks when the nose gear collapsed and the aircraft settled on its nose. One technician and two cabin crew received minor injuries and were taken to a hospital, but were discharged soon after. A replacement aircraft took the passengers to Paderborn. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration TC-SEO reached Paderborn with a delay of 100 minutes. http://avherald.com/h?article=497c423b&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: China Eastern A319 at Kangding on May 1st 2016, struck approach lights on final approach May 1st 2016 18:08Z, last updated Monday, May 2nd 2016 15:14Z A China Eastern Airbus A319-100, registration B-6430 performing flight MU-5443 from Chengdu to Kangding (China), was on final approach to Kangding's runway 15 when the aircraft struck approach lights causing parts of the approach lights to penetrate the aircraft's right hand horizontal stabilizer resulting in an additional hydraulic leak from the green hydraulic system. The aircraft went around and returned to Chengdu for a landing on runway 02R without further incident. A post accident runway inspection found 6 approach lights damaged at Kangding. The aircraft received substantial damage to the right hand stabilizer, green hydraulic system and tyres. China's Accident Investigation Board have opened an investigation into the occurrence stating that the Minimum Descent Altitude had been 305 meters. Kangding Airport is located about 115nm west of Chengdu at an elevation of 4235 meters/13890 feet. The airport features a runway 15/33 of 4000 meters/13120 feet length, runway 15 is equipped with an ILS Category 1 and SALS approach lights. Metars Chengu: ZUUU 010200Z VRB01MPS 3500 BR FEW026 24/18 Q1008 NOSIG ZUUU 010100Z 00000MPS 3000 BR NSC 22/17 Q1008 NOSIG ZUUU 010000Z 00000MPS 2500 BR NSC 19/18 Q1007 BECMG TL0100 3000 ZUUU 302300Z VRB01MPS 2500 R02L/2000U R02R/1200U BR NSC 18/18 Q1007 BECMG TL0030 3000 ZUUU 302200Z 00000MPS 4000 BR NSC 17/17 Q1007 BECMG TL2300 2300 BR ZUUU 302100Z 00000MPS 4000 BR NSC 18/17 Q1006 NOSIG ZUUU 302000Z 20002MPS 170V240 4500 BR NSC 19/18 Q1007 NOSIG Metars Kangding (received from China on May 2nd 2016): ZUKD 010000Z 25003MPS 3800 BR FEW008 BKN026 M00/M01 Q1029 NOSIG= ZUKD 302331Z VRB01MPS 5000 BR FEW011 BKN026 M00/M01 Q1028 NOSIG= ZUKD 302300Z VRB01MPS 3000 BR FEW010 SCT020 OVC026 M01/M01 Q1028 NOSIG= ZUKD 302200Z VRB01MPS 8000 PRFG FEW010 SCT020 M00/M01 Q1028 NOSIG= ZUKD 302100Z 15001MPS 9999 PRFG FEW010 SCT020 M00/M01 Q1028 NOSIG= ZUKD 302000Z 00000MPS 9999 FEW010 SCT020 BKN033 M00/M01 Q1028 NOSIG= ZUKD 301900Z 31002MPS 280V340 5000 BR FEW008 SCT020 BKN033 M00/M01 Q1028 NOSIG= http://avherald.com/h?article=497b06be&opt=0 Back to Top Call for Nominations For 2016 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation and Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) are now accepting nominations for the 2016 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award, honoring a leader in aviation safety. The award will be presented during the 69th Annual International Air Safety Summit, taking place Nov. 14-16 in Dubai, UAE. Presented since 1956, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award recognizes notable achievement in the field of civil or military aviation safety in method, design, invention, study or other improvement. The award's recipient is selected for a "significant individual or group effort contributing to improving aviation safety, with emphasis on original contributions," and a "significant individual or group effort performed above and beyond normal responsibilities." Mechanics, engineers and others outside of top administrative or research positions should be especially considered. The contribution need not be recent, especially if the nominee has not received adequate recognition. Nominations that were not selected as past winners of the Award can be submitted one additional time for consideration. Please note that self-nominations will not be considered. The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award's story dates back 70 years. On April 14, 1945, after visiting family in Pittsburgh, Laura Taber Barbour was aboard a Pennsylvania Central Airlines DC-3 when it crashed into the rugged terrain of Cheat Mountain near Morgantown, West Virginia. All passengers and crew were killed. In the years following, her husband, Dr. Clifford E. Barbour and son, Clifford E. Barbour, Jr., established the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award in her honor. The Award Board, composed of leaders in the field of aviation, meets in June of each year to conduct a final review of nominees and selection of the current year's recipient. Please help us honor this year's most deserving recipient. Nominations, including a 1-2- page narrative, can be submitted via the Laura Taber Barbour Foundation website at http://ltbaward.org/the-award/nomination-form/ or the Flight Safety Foundation website at http://flightsafety.org/aviation-awards/laura-taber-barbour-air-safety-award. Nominations will be accepted until June 1, 2016. For more information, including a complete history of Award recipients, see www.ltbaward.com. ABOUT THE LAURA TABER BARBOUR AIR SAFETY AWARD: The Award was established in 1956 through early association with the Flight Safety Foundation and from its founding has enjoyed a rich history of Award Board members, nominees and Award recipients. In 2013, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation was formed from members of the Award Board, the aviation community and the Barbour family. As the foundation plans to broaden the scope of its intent, with great purpose, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award will continue to spotlight those champions who pioneer breakthroughs in flight safety. Back to Top Industry calls on FAA to issue final Part 23 rule AOPA and eight other industry groups sent a letter urging the FAA to "work swiftly to implement" Part 23 reform and issue a final rule by the end of 2016. The letter comes on the eve of a two-day FAA public hearing on Part 23 changes in College Park, Georgia. AOPA President Mark Baker called the hearing "an important step in a process that we hope will ultimately increase safety and lower costs for pilots and aircraft manufacturers alike." Part 23 regulatory reform comes from the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 and the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013, which called on the FAA to develop small aircraft certification rules based on performance- and risk-based standards rather than the current prescriptive design requirements. The FAA has acknowledged prescriptive design requirements "are costly to the FAA and industry, act as barriers to certification, and discourage innovation." The regulatory changes should "hasten the adoption of safety enhancing technology in type-certificated products while reducing regulatory time and cost burdens for the aviation industry and FAA," according to the agency. AOPA has long advocated for the FAA to move toward performance-based standards to promote technological innovation in aviation and reduce the unnecessarily high costs of aircraft and safety-enhancing equipment. The Small Airplane Revitalization Act gave the FAA a December 2015 rulemaking deadline, but in July of 2014 the FAA told the House Aviation Subcommittee it could not meet the deadline. AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Jim Coon called the delay "inexcusable." The industry letter said "business as usual will not be sufficient" for the FAA to issue a final rule by the end of the year. In addition to AOPA, the letter was signed by representatives from the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA), the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Helicopter Association International (HAI), the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS), the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). AOPA representatives will participate in the public hearing and submit formal comments, and AOPA served on the FAA's Certification Process Study; the Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee, which developed the recommendations for reforms; and the ASTM F44 Committee, which is developing industry consensus standards for the Part 23 rulemaking effort. http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2016/May/02/Industry-calls-on-FAA-to- issue-final-Part-23-rule Back to Top General Aviation Community Praises FAA Part 23 Rulemaking and Urges Rule Completion in 2016 Washington, DC, May 2, 2016 - On the eve of an FAA public hearing in College Park, Georgia on the Part 23 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), a coalition of general aviation leaders today applauded the FAA's efforts to improve safety and make it easier to bring new products to market for the light general aviation sector, while strongly encouraging the agency to finish its work on the issue by the end of 2016. The groups included the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA), the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the Helicopter Association International (HAI), the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS), the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). The NPRM is a result of the Small Airplane Revitalization Act (SARA) that was signed into law on November 27, 2013. In March of this year, the FAA issued the proposed rule, which removes current overly prescriptive design requirements and replaces them with performance-based airworthiness standards. The NPRM also recognizes the use of consensus-based standards to establish acceptable methods of compliance for specific designs and technologies. This will facilitate the installation and retrofit of safety-enhancing technologies, bolster the light end of the general aviation market, remove barriers to certification for emerging technologies such as electric and hybrid propulsion, and foster greater harmonization between the FAA and other regulatory authorities worldwide. "The shift to proportional and objective-based rules within the Part 23 framework will provide general aviation with the ability to more effectively design, certify, produce, operate, and maintain the airplanes of today, and it will assure the future of general aviation will only be limited by human imagination," the associations noted in their written comments submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation. This proposed rule takes into account the needs of the entire general aviation community and assures safety improvements will no longer be held captive to outdated and inflexible regulations that don't keep pace with technological change. The groups recognized the FAA for its leadership, calling the Part 23 effort "a poster child for good rulemaking." They added, "We applaud these efforts to fully understand the range of issues involved when making changes of this magnitude." The groups also praised Congress for its leadership in passing SARA unanimously in November of 2013. The proposed rule is the result of nearly a decade of work, which included the Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee and the parallel European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS-23 rulemaking effort. The changes will allow for the "safe adoption of current and future technologies in an extremely efficient manner" and are a lifeline to assuring that today's general aviation community can deploy rapidly evolving new technologies, which is today stymied by the nature of current regulations. "Given the overwhelming support for this proposed rule, and the tremendous benefits it would offer to all facets of the general aviation community for years to come, we hope the current administration will put this well-crafted rule in place as soon as possible to allow our industry to innovate freely without being shackled by outdated restrictions," GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said. "The increased harmonization between the FAA and other agencies worldwide will ensure the success of this effort and allow our industry to grow in ways we can't even think of yet. It's time for the FAA to finish this rule." "The Aircraft Electronics Association urges the FAA to complete its work on the Part 23 rulemaking effort by the end of this year," said AEA President Paula Derks. "General aviation safety can be improved by modernizing and revamping the regulations to clear the path for technology adoption and cost-effective means to retrofit the existing fleet with new safety technologies. The AEA has been actively involved in the effort to streamline burdensome regulations for several years, and we look forward to final rule completion by the FAA in the near future." "Part 23 reform is a critical issue to AOPA and our members, and we've taken an active role in every step of the process," AOPA President Mark Baker remarked. "We'll continue to work with FAA and other aviation organizations to move away from prescriptive design requirements and toward performance based standards. This is an important step in a process that we hope will ultimately increase safety and lower costs for pilots and aircraft manufacturers alike." "Completion of the Part 23 rule would be a tremendous step forward in opening the door for innovation in general aviation and continuing the legacy of American leadership in the world of flight," noted Jack J. Pelton, CEO/Chairman of EAA. "This rule would not only bring new products to the market for today's aircraft, it would help preserve thousands of vintage aircraft that are now part of the general aviation community." "HAI fully supports the FAA's Part 23 reform initiative, which will enhance safety, move us toward performance-based standards, provide incentive for innovative applications, and enhance economic performance," said HAI President and CEO Matt Zuccaro. "I look forward to continuing this collaborative stakeholder effort with regards to the reformation of FAR Parts 27 and 29 as they relate to helicopter certification." "Safety is priority one without question," ICAS President John Cudahy said. "Part 23's framework will enable our members to effectively keep their equipment in safe, up-to- date working order with fewer hurdles to compliance. That's a win for safety, for our industry, and for general aviation." NASAO President Greg Principato added, "Our members across the country see this as a much-needed way to improve safety, promote general aviation, and increase jobs in the states by tapping into new technologies and ideas." "The FAA's proposed rule recognizes that we live in an era of extraordinary innovation; its emphasis on performance-based standards will accelerate the availability of exciting new safety enhancing products to the aviation community," stated NATA President and CEO Thomas L. Hendricks. "Just as important, performance-based standards will enhance regulatory clarity, assisting in efforts to increase regulatory consistency across the agency's regions and offices." "We have long understood that streamlining the certification process for general aviation manufacturers, while preserving important safety requirements, will lead to swifter adoption of new aircraft designs and vital safety equipment, benefiting everyone from pilots and their passengers to manufacturers," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "We thank the FAA for holding this important hearing, and we will continue working with the agency on these long-sought reforms." # # # NATA, the voice of aviation business for 75 years, is the public policy group representing the interests of aviation businesses before Congress and the federal agencies. For more information about NATA, please visit www.nata.aero, www.twitter.com/nataaero or www.facebook.com/nataaero Back to Top Saudi aviation represents 60% of regional market Saudi Arabian Airlines booth JEDDAH - With 500 private aviation aircraft, Saudi Arabia's private aviation sector is considered the GCC's largest general aviation market and represents 60% share of the region, said Ali Alnaqbi, Founding Chairman of MEBAA at the opening ceremony of the 3rd Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) held here in Jeddah. Under the patronage of the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) MEBAA 2016 began its session on Monday at Jeddah Hilton, featuring a line up of industry leading speakers, the conference program addressed a range of topics affecting business aviation in the Middle East and North Africa region. Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Alnaqbi said "from the limitations of market growth due to the grey market, to over-regulation and serious restrictions on sustainable and self-funding growth, there are a multitude of factors unique to business aviation that must be addressed. MEBAA Conferences seek to continue addressing the challenges facing the industry until they have been successfully resolved." He added "The MEBAA Conference brings together experts from across the Middle East and North Africa to address issues related to specific areas of business. We are pleased that so many key industry professionals are already committed to speaking and chairing panels, and we look forward to the conference providing significant value to the attendees." Meanwhile, Faisal Al Saddik, executive chief commercial affairs at Saudi Private Aviation, said "we are proud to host this important conference here in Jeddah for the third year in a row which proves the position of Saudi Arabia in the aviation business." He noted that there are now almost 500 private jet aircraft owned in the Kingdom and the number is expected to increase to 1000 aircrafts in the upcoming 5 years. "In the near future, we will also look into having more advanced aircrafts, because I think the market is growing very fast, about 20% a year. This year, we have gone beyond our set target, because of our excellent teamwork, our sales team, and our excellent management," said Saddik. He also pointed out that MEBAA Conference provides an ideal forum to enhance their business and look to the future of the industry. Among the panels during the event, the conference aimed to cope with Increasing demand and dealing with the grey market and attendees took part in interactive discussions with detailed analyses of how to understand the market with stakeholder consultation, embarking on consumer awareness campaigns and preventing unexpected competition between the nations of the region. http://saudigazette.com.sa/business/saudi-aviation-represents-60-regional-market/ Back to Top Auburn aviation programs may move from College of Business to University College Three years after Auburn University's aviation program was slated for potential cancellation, moves are now being made to fortify the course of study to make it stronger than ever. Earlier this week, Auburn University announced an ongoing exploratory initiative that could move Auburn's aviation degree programs from the Harbert College of Business to the University College, a move that could provide more opportunities for students that appeal to diverse interests and facilitate the path to obtaining a degree. According to Dr. Bill Hutto, Director of the Auburn University Regional Airport and Aviation Center, the potential move is not being proposed in opposition to the College of Business, but rather, was spurred by FAA and aviation regulation changes in the past few years requiring that a person obtain 1,500 flight hours before he or she can become a commercial pilot. "There was not a limit before that," Hutto said. "Before that, they were hiring, you know, the industry from time to time will ebb and flow, but they were hiring sometimes pilots at 3 and 400 hours. But as a result of that, Congress passed a law and said you have to have 1,500 hours." Along with the 1,500 flight hours, legislation now also states that if a student has 30 hours of FAA-approved coursework, the number can be reduced to 1,250 hours for university students as opposed to 1,500. If a student has completed 60 hours of coursework, it can go down to 1,000 required hours. "Now the challenge that we have in our current structure in the College of Business, and again, it's not a criticism, but in addition to the university 42-hour core curriculum, they have a core curriculum as well that's 33 hours for all College of Business students have to take," Hutto explained. "Well, from an aviation standpoint, that's kind of a chokepoint, because we can't get the students enough aviation courses to get to the 60 hours." Rather than requiring the 33 hours of core curriculum for the College of Business, Hutto said the University College would allow for a broader base of aviation class offerings and allow for more flexibility to pursue various minor degrees. "So we'll have a university core of 42 hours, an aviation core classes of 45 hours, and then the professional flight students will then focus on their flight ratings-their classes that are on the books," Hutto said. "And the aviation management students can choose, for example, you can get a business minor or public admin minor or marketing minor or journalism or whatever the case is and tailor their degree to what their interests are. "Like in aviation, in the airport world that I'm familiar with, knowing something about government's kind of important, so somebody interested in working for the FAA or the state government or the airports in the public sector in some way can take public admin as a minor, so it just, the move creates many opportunities for students to be able to chose a path that suits their personal preferences while giving them a strong base of aviation knowledge," he continued. Conversely, if a student still wants to obtain a business degree and minor in an aviation- related field, that option will still be available. "And the other thing I think moving to the University College will give us the ability to do is change as we need to change more easily," Hutto said. "Like if the FAA comes in with another rule, where the unmanned aircraft systems or whether it's a manned flight or whatever, we can tweak the curriculum a little bit easier." Jason Mohrman, Auburn aviation alumnus and captain for United Airlines in Newark, N.J., expressed that he and other program alumni are thrilled at the prospect of moving aviation degree programs to the University College. "We're very, very enthusiastic about the tremendous opportunities here with the moving the program underneath the provosts office just has exponential potential really," Mohrman said. "We really feel they'll have the proper leadership, resources and support that we've really longed for to have that kind of direct relationship under the provost's office." Auburn's aviation programs moved from the aerospace engineering umbrella to the College of Business in 1999. "We've just kind of struggled in engineering and business in just trying to find the right fit," Mohrman said. "Here, I just think there are so many opportunities to expand the program and enlarge it and offer even more programs with that direct leadership, so that's really, really positive." Mohrman and fellow Auburn aviation alumnus Lee Mills co-led an alumni-driven effort to rally support for the program three years ago when there was talk of discontinuing it or moving it elsewhere. "It took an extraordinary effort of about 4,000 alumni and industry leaders and students from all over and government officials, state, federal and local to really rally support and get things redirected, and that was obviously very successful," Mohrman said. "And then it was kind of a matter of OK, where can the program go, where can it grow and where will it fit in." Now, the consensus among those individuals is that the University College will be the right home for the program. "Everything (will be) under one house so to speak," Mohrman said. "So you'll have the aviation academic side and the professional side of flight instruction and flight training all together. That just makes it very helpful for recruiting and corporate partnerships and everything." Also last week, Auburn University announced that it would be partnering with the Alabama Community College System on its aviation degree programs to benefit both students and the state economy. Both Hutto and Mohrman said the proposed move to the University College will facilitate community college students transferring to Auburn University's aviation program. "The College of Business core was a challenge for some of the two-year students that get here, then they have to do that core before they get into aviation," Hutto said. "The university core, a lot of that they can take care of in the two-year system, and then when they get to Auburn they can jump right into the aviation." Funding has also been approved for a new aviation education center to be built at the Auburn University Regional Airport. "You think about where it's gone from getting rid of (the program) to getting saved to where is it going to go, to the aviation center, now this and the two-year plan-we couldn't be happier," Mohrman said. Hutto said that the earliest the move would be implemented would be fall of 2017, considering it is approved by the Board of Trustees in the fall. http://www.oanow.com/news/auburn-aviation-programs-may-move-from-college-of- business-to/article_1017831a-1016-11e6-b2eb-abf00719a5dd.html Back to Top PhD Research Request Helicopter Pilots, 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 any type of small civil helicopter organization (5 aircraft and under) 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 Curt Lewis