Flight Safety Information June 2, 2016 - No. 108 In This Issue Crew Families Sue Malaysia Airlines Over Downing of Jet Norway helicopter crash investigators issue safety warning Bristow, CHC Suspend All Airbus EC225 Helicopter Flights After Norway Crash SIA aircraft damaged after hitting another plane The FAA Revoked an Airplane Pilot's License for Flying a Drone Allegiant flight declares emergency at St. Pete-Clearwater airport Airlines Seek Standard for Black-Box Alternatives GE Aviation lands big business deal with South Korea Hainan Airlines Owner Acquires Stake in Virgin Australia AirAsia X welcomes two new Airbus A330-300 aircraft An Air Force Without Pilots? Critics Call for an Unmanned B-21 Bomber PhD Research Request Crew Families Sue Malaysia Airlines Over Downing of Jet The families of six crew members on a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet shot down over Ukraine nearly two years ago filed lawsuits against the airline on Thursday, accusing it of negligence and breach of contract. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was hit by a surface-to-air missile on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board at the height of fighting in the Ukraine conflict. Thomas Philip, the lawyer for the families, said the airline failed to conduct an adequate risk assessment and charted a course through a known conflict zone, posing an unreasonable risk to those on board. He said the airline also was guilty of breach of contract for failing to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the flight crew. "They failed to fulfill these duties, resulting in catastrophic loss of life," he said. The families are seeking general damages for loss of support and services, damages for pain, suffering and stress, among others, Philip said. One of the relatives, Chong Seng See, said his sister, flight stewardess Chong Yee Pheng, worked for the airline for more than 18 years. "The families of all the victims of MH17 deserve to be treated with humanity, compassion and respect. I hope (the airline) will do right by them," he said in a statement. A Dutch investigation determined last year that the aircraft was shot down by a Russian-made missile fired from pro-Russia rebel territory, but did not say who fired it. Families of seven passengers from Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia sued Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, last month over their alleged involvement in the incident. They filed the lawsuits in the European Court of Human Rights seeking damages of $10 million per passenger. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/crew-families-sue-malaysia-airlines-downing-jet- 39548834 Back to Top Norway helicopter crash investigators issue safety warning Bergen, 20160429: A helicopter has crashed west of the Norwegian city of Bergen with 13 people on board. NTB Scanpix/Torstein Boe/via Norwegian investigators looking into the cause of a fatal North Sea helicopter crash have sent a recommendation to European air safety authorities about a possible safety issue with the model's gearbox, they said on Wednesday. An Airbus H225 Super Puma helicopter ferrying passengers from a Norwegian oil platform operated by Statoil went down on April 29, killing all 13 people on board as the main rotor blades separated from the aircraft. The Super Puma, a workhorse of the oil industry, has since been grounded for commercial flights in Norway and Britain. Investigators have ruled out human error, saying the crash was caused by a technical fault. Results of the investigation have potential implications for the Super Puma program following earlier accidents. On Wednesday, the Accident Investigation Board Norway said it had found metallurgical evidence "strongly consistent with fatigue" in a part of the gearbox. It urged the European Aviation Safety Agency, or EASA, to take immediate action to ensure the safety of the helicopter's main gearbox. Early on Thursday, EASA issued an emergency bulletin, however, focusing on a different problem. It said checks on the rest of the Super Puma fleet had revealed problems with struts that fix the rotors, including bolts tightened incorrectly or washers in the wrong position. It ordered all attachments replaced before the next flight. It was not immediately clear whether EASA also planned another bulletin responding to Norway's gearbox findings. Investigators have been focusing simultaneously on several different scenarios for the crash. "We are still investigating and keeping options open," AIBN General Director William Bertheussen told Reuters. Previous Super Puma incidents linked to gearbox problems included a 2009 crash off Peterhead, Scotland, in which the rotor also flew off and 16 people died. Airbus Helicopters told operators in a bulletin this week that there were "significant elements" differing from the 2009 crash, according to a copy seen by Reuters. It placed most emphasis on a possible failure of one of the struts holding the rotors to the aircraft, saying that could have been caused by either faulty bolts or missing safety pins. A company spokesman said that did not rule out any of three areas for investigation cited by AIBN, including the struts or suspension bars and two parts linked to the gearbox - the "epicyclic module" and the main gearbox housing. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-crash-airbus-group-idUSKCN0YN5M9 Back to Top Bristow, CHC Suspend All Airbus EC225 Helicopter Flights After Norway Crash Companies say suspension is temporary pending updates from air-safety authorities Data from the black box showed that a catastrophic failure caused the rotor to detach as the helicopter was flying off the west coast of Norway in April. Here, rotor blades are loaded onto a truck after the crash. By ROBERT WALL The world's two largest helicopter operators on Wednesday suspended all flights using an Airbus Group SE- made model involved in a fatal crash in April. The moves came hours after Norwegian investigators probing the crash of an Airbus EC225 helicopter off the west coast of Norway said they had found a potentially difficult-to-detect problem with the model and were urging Europe's air-safety regulator to act. Bristow Group Inc. of Houston grounded most of its 20-strong EC225 fleet after the crash but kept flying those involved in search-and-rescue operations and training flights. CHC Group Ltd, the Vancouver operator of the flight that crashed, also said it had stopped all flying with the model. Spokeswomen for both companies said late Wednesday that they had decided to temporarily suspend all flights pending updates from air-safety authorities. While the energy downturn has led to an excess supply of helicopters, the potential grounding of the entire global EC225 fleet, if other companies follow Bristow and CHC, could cause problems. Helicopters tend to be set up for specific uses such as passenger flights, and it could take time to convert other aircraft for emergency response purposes. Metallurgical assessment of some recovered wreckage from the CHC helicopter's critical main gearbox suggested a component failed because of fatigue, the Accident Investigation Board Norway said Wednesday. That could signal a safety issue that could affect other main gearboxes of the same type, the investigators said. They said it appears as if "current means to detect a failure in advance are not effective." The component that appears to have failed belongs to the so-called epicyclic module part of the gearbox. It is one area investigators identified last week as a possible reason the Airbus EC225, also called the Super Puma, may have crashed. The Norwegian investigators didn't say the gear component caused the crash. The Cologne, Germany-based European Aviation Safety Agency, or EASA, should act immediately to ensure the safety of the Super Puma main gearbox, the investigation board said. EASA said it would issue a safety bulletin on the investigation board's finding Thursday. EASA issued a safety bulletin Wednesday about the EC225, calling for inspections and potential fixes to main gearbox suspension bars, a different component from the one the investigation board is concerned about. The EASA finding is based on inspections of other EC225 helicopters performed by users since the crash. The determination by accident investigators that the main gearbox may be at fault clashes with recent statements by the helicopter maker. Airbus said Friday that only the failure of the suspension bar seemed a probable scenario given current evidence, though the helicopter maker added that it was still unknown what might have caused such failure. "We have seen the investigation board's report and are reviewing it," said a Airbus spokesman. The chopper 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 on board. Data from the helicopter's black box showed that everything was normal during the flight until a catastrophic failure occurred within one to two seconds, causing the rotor to detach. The French air-accident office, the BEA, which is aiding the probe, was able to extract additional data from another memory unit, the investigation board said, and that data is being analyzed. Norwegian and British air-safety regulators imposed a ban on EC225 passenger flights, though Airbus said it saw no reason to ground the model. Airbus and the EASA have since called for emergency inspections of EC225 helicopters. Airbus EC225s have been involved in previous incidents linked to problems with the main gearbox. However, Airbus said early evidence suggests April's accident had a different cause, based on its investigators' findings. CHC Group, which was financially struggling before the crash, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 5. http://www.wsj.com/articles/probe-finds-possible-broad-safety-issue-in-norway-helicopter-crash- 1464809259 Back to Top SIA aircraft damaged after hitting another plane The tail cone of a Singapore Airlines (SIA) aircraft was damaged after it hit another plane that was being towed at Changi Airport on Monday evening. The incident was first reported by the Airline Hub Buzz website yesterday, and SIA later confirmed it. An SIA spokesman said there were no passengers on board the planes during the accident. No one on the ground was injured. "Damage to the aircraft is being assessed and investigations will be carried out to determine how the incident occurred," he added. Last October, the nose gear of an SIA plane retracted while it was undergoing a landing gear system check at Changi Airport, causing the plane to tilt forward. There were no passengers or crew on board at the time of the incident, but an engineer was on the aircraft. He was not hurt. http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/sia-aircraft-damaged-after-hitting-another-plane Back to Top The FAA Revoked an Airplane Pilot's License for Flying a Drone On the Fourth of July last year, pilot David Quinones flew a camera drone in Coney Island, Brooklyn while the famous Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest was going on. His drone caught the attention of the New York Police Department, which tossed him in jail for five hours. Three months later, he became the first and so far only person to have his manned aircraft license suspended by the Federal Aviation Administration for flying a drone. "I was right there on the beach over private property-at the same time, they had their hot dog thing going on a block or two away," Quinones, a cofounder of the New York City-based aerial photography company SkyCamUSA, told me. "I did not fly over their hot dog thing or anywhere near it. But because it was the Fourth of July and a whole hierarchy of the NYPD was there, they overreacted and over responded. They put me in handcuffs, took me away, took my drone." Quinones was never charged and New York City eventually threw out a ticket they gave him for the incident. In October 2015, Quinones got a letter from the FAA informing him that the agency was suspending his license to fly manned aircraft commercially for three months because of the incident, which is notable, because the punishment has never happened before or since. "If you fail to surrender your [pilot's] certificate to FAA counsel as required by this order," the letter Quinones got reads. "You will also be subject to further legal enforcement action, including a civil penalty of up to $1,100 a day for each day you fail to surrender your certificate." "A suspension can have significant impact on someone's livelihood, continuing repercussions. It's on your record forever." The FAA's legal actions against drone operators has been all over the map, according to documents obtained by Motherboard using the Freedom of Information Act. Hobbyists have been fined thousands of dollars for flying drones over sporting events or crashing them into public buildings, while some commercial pilots have been fined for "careless or reckless" flying, but not for the mere act of flying their drones commercially without FAA authorization. Quinones's case is very different from the other 23 cases I analyzed. The suspension of a pilot's license is, in the view of many experts, much worse than a fine. "Pilots rely on their licenses to work," Loretta Alkalay, who worked as a lawyer in the FAA's regional offices for 30 years and now teaches drone law at Vaughn College of Aeronautics, told me. "A suspension can have significant impact on someone's livelihood, continuing repercussions. It's on your record forever." Why does it matter that the FAA is suspending commercial pilot licenses for drone operations that it deems are illegal? Well, people who operate drone businesses have been waiting for the FAA to enact regulations that would allow them to fly with FAA permission. In the meantime, the laws are vague. To add some legitimacy to the situation, the FAA has started granting what are known as "Section 333 exemptions" that allow businesses to operate now without regulations. The catch? In order to fly a drone under this exemption, you are technically supposed to have a license to fly manned aircraft. With the Quinones case, the FAA is saying that if you don't comply with its confusing and often arbitrary distinction of what is a "legal" drone flight, it can strip you of your license. When I contacted the FAA, it declined to comment specifically on the case, citing privacy concerns. However, I was pointed to a 336- page document that notes that the FAA reserves the right to revoke manned pilot licenses for drone violations. "For a deliberate, egregious violation by a certificate holder, regardless of whether the certificate holder is exercising the privileges of the certificate in connection with the violations associated with a UAS operation, certificate action, may be appropriate," a document dated October 10, 2014 reads. "The FAA has been abusing their powers. They've been finding people where fines aren't due, changing things left and right." As drone lawyer Jonathan Rupprecht pointed out in a blog post earlier this year, this threat is likely to make drone operations in general much less safe, because some of the country's safest pilots are likely to stay away from the industry altogether. "The most highly experienced and knowledgeable group of people who can operate safely in the national airspace are on the sidelines in fear of losing their licenses or in the worst case, their livelihood," he wrote. "This creates a 'vacuum' of knowledge and also a vacuum in the culture of drone operators." Quinones says he didn't fight the case because he didn't understand the implications of what it would mean. He's been flying drones almost exclusively for international clients since his license was revoked. "I chose not to pursue it because I didn't know what could happen if I fought it. I don't have the money for a lawyer or time for this nonsense," he said. "The FAA has been abusing their powers. They've been finding people where fines aren't due, changing things left and right. They're like a bully on the block pushing their agenda." David Quinones Suspension http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-faa-revoked-an-airplane-pilots-license-for-flying-a-drone Back to Top Allegiant flight declares emergency at St. Pete-Clearwater airport A mechanical problem reportedly caused an Allegiant Air flight to make an emergency landing St. Pete- Clearwater International Airport Wednesday. [Times files] An Allegiant Air flight made an emergency landing at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport Wednesday after suffering a mechanical problem, according to WFLA-Ch. 8. An Allegiant spokesperson confirmed for the station that Flight 871 from Moline, Ill., made the emergency landing at the Pinellas County airport, its scheduled destination, at 12:19 p.m. The airline apparently did not identify the nature of the mechanical issue that caused the emergency nor say how many passengers and crew were aboard. The airline told WFLA that the plane landed safety and that it is investigating the mechanical problem. Allegiant officials did not respond to requests for comment. The Las Vegas headquartered airline has encountered a series of emergency landings and other maintenance issues during the last year and has been accused by its pilots' union of skimping on safety. The airline denies doing so and says Allegiant is one of the safest airlines in the nation. The airline carries about 95 percent of the passenger traffic at the St. Pete-Clearwater airport, which reported a record 1.6 million passengers in 2015. http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/airlines/allegiant-flight-declares-emergency-at-st-pete- clearwater-airport/2279881 Back to Top Airlines Seek Standard for Black-Box Alternatives Options under considerations as investigators continue to search for EgyptAir Flight 804 black boxes A patrol aircraft searching the area in the Mediterranean Sea where the EgyptAir Flight 804 en route from Paris to Cairo went missing on May 19. By ROBERT WALL DUBLIN-The airline industry wants to spell out in the coming months its preference on how to make it easier for aircraft accident investigators to more quickly recover vital data from crashes. The options under consideration, which include the streaming of plane data midflight, could lead to some of the biggest changes to crash probes in decades, and follow several accidents in which crash investigators have struggled to locate a downed plane's so-called black boxes. The International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations' air-safety arm, in March called for data on flights under distress to be tracked remotely in real time at intervals of at least one minute and for flight-data recorders, one of the plane's black boxes, to be more quickly recoverable. The standard would apply to aircraft delivered from 2021. "We expect to have a position on this by the end of this year," said Gilberto Lopez Meyer, head of safety at the airline trade group. The industry wants to set a standard that allows approaches to change as new technologies are developed. Technical solutions to stream data could become cheaper in time, Mr. Meyer said. Investigators probing the May 19 crash of EgyptAir Flight 804 bound for Cairo from Paris still haven't recovered the recording devices from the Airbus Group SE A320. Egyptian and French authorities Wednesday said they had detected a locator signal from the black boxes, which should help the recovery operation. The need for alternatives to black boxes was reinforced by the March 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The main wreckage of the Boeing Co. 777, which had 239 people on board, and its black boxes still haven't been found. Airbus on Tuesday said the EgyptAir search reinforced the need to take action. "This reinforces our overall approach to find solutions to get data out of accidents as soon as possible," said Charles Champion, executive vice president for engineering at Airbus Group SE's plane-making unit. Airbus is working on is a system to allow investigators to monitor data during a flight. The plane would automatically transmit information once certain triggers are hit, such as flight parameters being exceeded. The alternative would be so-called deployable black boxes that would separate from the plane and float when it hits water, an idea that has met resistance. Boeing, which has extensive experience using similar devices on military planes, has opposed expanding the concept to commercial aircraft partly on reliability grounds. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has resisted calls for mandating deployable recorders, particularly if they would supplement rather than replace conventional versions. Airbus said objections to the technology, which could involve installing pyrotechnics on a plane to eject the devices and the risk of mistaken deployment, are overblown. Mr. Meyer said the industry is reviewing its options. "This is a decision that once taken is going to be here for decades. We want to make the right decision at the right moment," Mr. Meyer said. ICAO also has mandated that cockpit voice recorders, which currently store the last two hours of conversations among crew, be upgraded to record the last 25 hours. The new standard also takes effect in 2021. Those moves come on top of an ICAO decision last year to track aircraft during routine operations at least every 15 minutes from Nov. 8, 2018. Mr. Meyer insisted that despite several high-profile crashes, aviation remained safe. The global jetliner crash rate last year was 0.32 airplanes destroyed per 1 million flights, IATA said. The accident rate was higher than a year earlier, when it hit a record low of 0.27 crashes per 1 million flights. IATA said it didn't have a crash rate for this year to date. In addition to the loss of the EgyptAir plane, a FlyDubai Boeing 737 plane crashed on a second landing attempt at Rostov-on-Don on March 19, killing all 62 people. Russian crash investigators, who have yet to issue a final report, have urged extra training for pilots on how to fly aborted landings. http://www.wsj.com/articles/airlines-seek-standard-for-black-box-alternatives-1464855972 Back to Top GE Aviation lands big business deal with South Korea GE Aviation landed a business deal with South Korea to supply engines for some of the country's fighter aircraft. South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) selected the Evendale-based company as the preferred bidder to supply F414 engines for the KF-X, the country's next-generation indigenous fighter aircraft. The KF-X - powered by GE's F414 engines - will deliver a greater mission capability, extended combat radius and longer lifespan, according to DAPA. "Securing this advanced aircraft application feeds into the F414's already-vast experience powering United States and international militaries," said Jean Lydon-Rodgers, vice president and general manager of GE Aviation's Military Systems Operation. The KF-X aircraft will be designed and built by Korea Aerospace Industries - partnering with Lockheed Martin Corp. - and is estimated to be a $7.4 billion project. Six prototype fighters are scheduled for production by 2021. The F414 engine also powers the United States Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft. GE Aviation is a world-leading provider of jet, turboshaft and turbopop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation, according to the company. GE Aviation is an operation unit of General Electric Co., Ohio's largest manufacturing employer of more than 15,000 people, according to state records. In Southwest Ohio, where its aviation unit is headquartered, GE anchors an aerospace parts manufacturing industry that employs thousands in the region, including two locations in Dayton. http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/business/ge-aviation-lands-big-business-deal-with-south- kor/nrYBQ/ Back to Top Hainan Airlines Owner Acquires Stake in Virgin Australia HNA Group will join Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways, and Singapore Airlines as stakeholders in Virgin Australia. - Andrew Sheivachman Billionaire Chen Feng's HNA Group agreed to purchase a stake in Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd. as the Chinese conglomerate adds to its more than $91 billion of assets worldwide. The owner of Hainan Airlines Co. will buy 13 percent of Virgin Australia for A$159 million ($114 million) and plans to raise that stake to about 20 percent over time, the Australian carrier said Tuesday. Brisbane- based Virgin Australia already counts Air New Zealand Ltd., Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Etihad Airways PJSC as major shareholders. Virgin Australia, with net debt of A$2.1 billion, has been reviewing its capital requirements and shares in the airline jumped in Sydney as it announced the fresh funds from HNA. The Chinese group's toehold in Virgin Australia continues a multi-billion dollar spree that has scooped up everything from airlines to hotels and supermarkets. In an alliance with HNA, Virgin Australia plans to start direct flights to and from China next year and fly some of those visitors on its network at home. Qantas Airways Ltd. currently dominates that market. Last year, more than 1 million Chinese travelers visited Australia and by 2020, the number will climb to 1.5 million, Virgin said. Changing Dynamics "We carry almost no traffic from China on our domestic network," CEO John Borghetti said on a call with reporters Tuesday. "This will change the dynamics. The way that China is growing, direct services in and out of China are very important." Virgin Australia stock rose as much as 7.1 percent to 30 Australian cents, matching HNA's purchase price for its new shares. That's still 46 percent lower than the price in April last year. Two decades ago, HNA founder Chen walked the aisle of his startup Hainan Airlines's single airplane serving refreshments. Last month, his conglomerate agreed to buy Swiss airline-catering company Gategroup Holding AG for about $1.4 billion. And yesterday, Air France said it's in talks to sell half of its catering unit Servair to HNA. HNA said in a statement Tuesday it will appoint one person to Virgin Australia's board. The group will support the outcomes of Virgin Australia's capital review, the Australian airline said in its statement. Not Enough Money That assessment won't be completed "for a little while," Borghetti said. Morgan Stanley previously estimated Virgin Australia needs a further A$700 million in financing, while Citigroup Inc. has said the requirement might be as high as A$853 million. "It's hard to say whether this is a big enough capital injection to change their fortunes," said Daniel Mueller, an analyst at Forager Funds Management Pty in Sydney. The deal with HNA, which needs Australian competition and Chinese regulatory approvals, also complicates a potential shakeup among Virgin Australia's largest investors after Air New Zealand in March said it may sell its 26 percent stake. In the Dark That stoked speculation that Singapore Air would snap up the stake. Billionaire Richard Branson, whose Virgin Group owns around 10 percent of Virgin Australia, said last week that Air New Zealand's holding had attracted several potential buyers. Singapore Air supported the HNA deal, while Air New Zealand wasn't consulted because it no longer has a seat on Virgin Australia's board, Borghetti said in the interview. Representatives for Air New Zealand and Singapore Air declined to comment on the deal. Major shareholders will see their shareholdings diluted. Air New Zealand's stake will fall to 22.5 percent from 25.9 percent; Singapore Air's will decline to 20.1 percent from 23.1 percent; and Etihad's will decrease to 21.8 percent from 25.1 percent, a Virgin spokeswoman said. Virgin Group goes to 8.7 percent from 10 percent. https://skift.com/2016/06/01/hainan-airlines-owner-acquires-stake-in-virgin-australia/ Back to Top AirAsia X welcomes two new Airbus A330-300 aircraft SEPANG: AirAsia X Bhd has recently welcomed two brand new Airbus A330-300 aircraft into its fleet in Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2), bringing its total fleet to 31 aircraft. Both aircraft with the registration numbers 9M-XBA and 9M-XBB were delivered from the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France to Kuala Lumpur on May 14 and 28 respectively. The new aircraft will begin operating commercial flights for the airline almost immediately. "These aircraft are the final two we will receive until our next delivery of the Airbus A330-900neo in 2018. We are very happy to have these two aircraft as part of the AirAsia X family as it gives us the right capacity to introduce more frequencies and connectivity into our route network," CEO Benyamin Ismail said in a statement. The AirAsia X group operates a 100% Airbus A330-300 fleet with an average fleet age of less than five years. http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2016/06/02/airasia-x-welcomes-two-new-airbus- a330-300-aircraft/ Back to Top An Air Force Without Pilots? Critics Call for an Unmanned B-21 Bomber The future of the Air Force's bomber and fighter fleet may not involve human pilots. A pair of experts argue in Defense One that the new B-21 bomber, also known as the Long Range-Strike Bomber, should be designed with an unmanned option that can be used as soon as the plane is operational. Related: The F-35's Billion-Dollar Brain Fails an IQ Test The next-generation aircraft is supposed to enter service, with a crew, sometime in the mid-2020s. The Pentagon has indicated it could fly without pilots on board one day, but doesn't seem to be in hurry to make that option a reality, a delay the experts call a "grave mistake." Designing an unmanned version of the plane, which is currently estimated to cost more than $100 billion over its lifetime, "would increase the U.S. military's operational flexibility, providing much-needed endurance and persistence at only a marginal increase in cost," the analysts from the Center for a New American Security write. They contend that a pilotless plane might fare better against new air defenses being developed by China, Russia and Iran. "An uninhabited B-21 could have much greater refueled endurance and persistence than it could with people onboard, enabling it to conduct ultra-long missions - for example, loitering in or near enemy territory until a target presents itself," they wrote. "Untethered from pilot endurance limits, a B-21 could stay aloft for days with aerial refueling, and could marshal many more sorties in an extended campaign," they added. Related: How the Air Force Is Stopping Hackers and Lawmakers from Leaking B-21 Secrets The B-21 isn't the only next-generation aircraft that could be unmanned. Many experts, including Senate Armed Services Committee chair John McCain (R-AZ), believe that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the last hurrah for manned attack jets. "We think that the Navy should be looking at drones to replace manned aircraft. I believe that the F-35 is the last manned fighter aircraft," McCain told National Journal last year. "The F-35 should be, and almost certainly will be, the last manned strike-fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a 2015 speech. Of course, a big concern with developing unmanned aircraft is that it could get very expensive. Take the F-35. Years of delays have driven the program's price tag to nearly $400 billion. Now imagine if the Pentagon had also tried to develop an unmanned option, too; costs would have likely risen even higher, perhaps substantially so. On the other hand, the CNAS experts argue that many existing "human-inhabited aircraft already have sophisticated autopilot features, which are steadily expanding to a broader range of functions." Related: How the Air Force's New Planes Could Bankrupt the Pentagon Even so, defense contractors are still trying to come up with autonomous technology that is mature and reliable. There's another issue as well: The Air Force is run by a bunch of people used to flying planes, and the move to unmanned aircraft could create a culture clash between fighter jocks and tech geeks. "To their credit, service officials have acknowledged the eventual need for an uninhabited option. But their lack of urgency is consistent with a general lethargy about such systems outside of reconnaissance and counterterrorism-strike missions," the experts note. "For the good of the joint force, the Air Force must move beyond this reluctance." http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/06/01/Air-Force-Without-Pilots-Critics-Call-Unmanned-B-21-Bomber 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 of which 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. To participate, you must be between age 21 to 60 (federal/university requirement), had some type of 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 for your participation! Principal Investigator Scott Burgess Doctoral student at Northcentral University S.Burgess4793@email.ncu.edu Curt Lewis