Flight Safety Information June 6, 2016 - No. 110 In This Issue Malaysia Airlines confirms turbulence incident, aircraft landed safely Air China jet makes emergency landing in Winnipeg Cessna 208B Runway Overrun Cessna 208B Collapsed Nose Gear BGA: Pilot fatigue, error raised in 'overrun' on O'Hare runway Air Safety Institute head calls for more modern equipment Five Air Pegasus pilots suspended over safety violations (India) Missing flight data contributed to accident that made AC-130J unusable Flyer arrested for smoking under aircraft's wings (India) Union: No Room for Old Technology in New Airport Towers Economy in brief: US, RI, ink aviation safety cooperation Drone-Zapping System Eyed by FAA US Aviation looking to bring military flight training to NTRA (Sherman-Denison, Texas) Lockheed Air Force Training Jet Makes First Flight Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics lands Lear Jet Sikorsky tests helicopter flight controlled only by tablet Air crash investigator to head new health safety body 2016 FAA Asia-Pacific Flight Standards Meeting July 19-21 PhD Research Request Malaysia Airlines confirms turbulence incident, aircraft landed safely KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) passenger aircraft encountered severe turbulence today, which left several passengers and crew members injured. Flight MH1, an Airbus A380 aircraft en route to Kuala Lumpur from London, experienced clear-air turbulence over the Bay of Bengal. The aircraft was carrying 378 people. In a statement, Malaysia Airlines confirmed the incident. The airline said the incident occurred over the Bay of Bengal, and the passenger seatbelt light was switched on due to air turbulence. "Due to a brief moment of severe turbulence, some passengers suffered minor injuries," said the statement. It said medical crew and Malaysia Airlines senior management met the aircraft on arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). "A small number of affected passengers and crew have been treated by medical officers. "Malaysia Airlines has assisted the 378 passengers and crew onboard MH1 and sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused by this weather event which was entirely beyond our control." Meanwhile, images being shared on social media show a Malaysia Airlines aircraft galley in disarray with heavy food carts strewn across the floor, presumably as a result of the heavy turbulence. Other images also show damage to some passenger overhead units, which appear to be cracked. The passenger cabin is also seen to be in chaos, with debris strewn across the aisle. http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/06/149911/updated-malaysia-airlines-confirms- turbulence-incident-aircraft-landed-safely Back to Top Air China jet makes emergency landing in Winnipeg Air China planes sit on the tarmac at Beijing Airport in Beijing, China in this photo taken Aug. 20, 2009. (AP / Greg Baker) WINNIPEG -- Close to 300 people on a flight from Washington, D.C. to Beijing had an unexpected stop in Winnipeg when their plane suffered a mechanical problem. Scott Marohn with the Winnipeg Airports Authority says the Air China Boeing 777-300 developed some type of problem with one of its two engines on Saturday evening and wished to land in the city. Marohn says it was an emergency landing, but the plane landed safely and the passengers and crew stayed in Winnipeg overnight while Air China flew in another aircraft. The passengers were scheduled to leave Winnipeg for Beijing on Sunday afternoon. Marohn says Air China, as well as its partner in Winnipeg, Air Canada, are investigating the cause of the malfunction. http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/air-china-jet-makes-emergency-landing-in-winnipeg- 1.2932209 Back to Top Cessna 208B Runway Overrun Status: Preliminary Date: Saturday 4 June 2016 Time: 11:43 Type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX Operator: Pegasus Air Services Registration: PK-ICC C/n / msn: First flight: Engines: 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Ilaga Airport (ILA) ( Indonesia) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Timika-Moses Kilangin (Tembagapura) Airport (TIM/WABP), Indonesia Destination airport: Ilaga Airport (ILA/WABL), Indonesia Narrative: A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registration PK-ICC, sustained substantial damage in a runway excursion accident at Ilaga Airport, Indonesia. The aircraft was transporting six fuel drums from Timika. Upon landing on runway 25 the aircraft overran the airstrip and went down sloping terrain at the end of the runway, colliding with a fence. The left wing tip was bent and the aircraft sustained damage to the nose. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20160604-0 Back to Top Cessna 208B Collapsed Nose Gear Status: Date: Friday 3 June 2016 Type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Operator: Lady Lori (Kenya) Ltd Registration: 5Y-JLL C/n / msn: 208B-2158 First flight: 2009 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Akobo Airport ( South Sudan) Phase: Unknown (UNK) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Akobo Airport (HSAK), South Sudan Destination airport: Boma Airstrip, South Sudan Narrative: A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registration 5Y-JLL, was involved in an accident according to Kenyan aviation sources. Photos from the accident scene show a collapsed nose landing gear and substantial damage to the nose, right hand wing leading edge and left hand wing tip. Unconfirmed information suggest the accident happened at or near Akobo Airport in South Sudan. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20160603-0 Back to Top BGA: Pilot fatigue, error raised in 'overrun' on O'Hare runway A United Airlines Boeing 737 after it went off a runway at O'Hare Airport on Dec. 30. Chicago Department of Aviation photo The pilots of a United Airlines plane that slid off the end of an O'Hare Airport runway last December had been awake for 23 hours or more and had spoken of feeling "fatigued" even before departing Seattle for Chicago with more than 160 passengers on board, newly obtained Federal Aviation Administration records show. The pilots of the Boeing 737 also thought they were landing on a different, longer runway at O'Hare and might have made a series of braking errors while trying to bring the jetliner to a stop on a landing strip "obscured by snow," according to a two-page FAA document. The paperwork - released by the federal agency in response to a public records request - doesn't cite a cause for the runway "overrun," which United says could be the result of a number of factors, including "runway conditions." "It is a very small piece of a larger investigation," FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory says, describing the document as "non-decisional." The FAA says the incident, which didn't result in any injuries or major damage to the plane, remains under investigation. The incident was one of three similar overruns at O'Hare on the same runway last winter. There have been at least nine "excursions" from O'Hare runways and taxiways since 2010, city records show. It was a snowy morning, with temperatures in the 20s, when United Flight 1977 touched down on Runway 9 Left/27 Right a little after 7:30 a.m. Dec. 30. The runway, which stretches 7,500 feet, opened in 2008 as part of O'Hare's ongoing expansion and reconfiguration. An FAA air-traffic controller had cleared the United jetliner for landing and said "braking action" was reported as "good" - meaning not too slippery, according to a copy of radio transmissions. But soon one of the pilots reported, "Be advised, braking action was nil" - meaning the jet's tires weren't catching on the pavement very well. The aircraft slid off the end of the runway, according to records from Mayor Rahm Emanuel's city Department of Aviation, which operates O'Hare and Midway airports. City crews had been standing by to conduct a "friction" test and, if necessary, clear snow and ice. The FAA record says the captain of Flight 1977 was awake for 25 hours "at the time of the incident," and the first officer - the second pilot - had been awake for 23 hours. "Crew discussed being fatigued at length prior to departure from [Seattle] but felt compelled to complete the mission," the document says. "Crew discussed napping as a fatigue-mitigation strategy en route." Also, according to the FAA document: * The pilots "thought they were landing on the longer of the parallels [runways] but in fact were landing on the shorter." * The pilots might have "inadvertently selected" a less-powerful brake setting and did not account for the runway being "obscured by snow." * "Despite being fatigued, [the] Captain decided to hand fly" the plane from 10,000 feet to arrival, rather than rely on the autopilot. Crews work after a United Airlines Boeing 737 went off a runway at O'Hare Airport on Dec. 30. Federal Aviation Administration photo The FAA requires pilots to have a "10-hour minimum rest period prior to the flight duty period," with "an opportunity for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep within the 10-hour rest period." "Rest" doesn't have to mean "sleep," though, aviation experts say, and an "opportunity" for sleep also doesn't necessarily mean actual snoozing. Bill Waldock. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University FAA rules put great responsibility on pilots to not fly if they're overly tired, according to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Bill Waldock, a pilot who created the university's aviation safety programs and teaches accident investigation. Before takeoff, pilots "have to positively affirm that they are fit for duty," Waldock says. The FAA document doesn't say what rest the United pilots got. But it does say that one or both of the United pilots "will receive" training in, among other things, "cold-weather ops" and "fatigue risk management." United spokesman Charles Hobart declined to discuss that. He would say only that the airline is still conducting its own "internal review" and that "there may be other contributing factors involved," including "possible runway conditions," the weather and air-traffic control. Chicago Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans wouldn't comment. http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/pilot-fatigue-error-raised-in-ohare-airport-runway- overrun-united-airlines-flight-1977/ Back to Top Air Safety Institute head calls for more modern equipment George Perry, head of the Air Safety Institute of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, stands in front of an F-14 like the one the one he flew in the Navy. The plane is at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, where Perry gave a talk on aircraft safety Friday night, June 3, 2016. Photo Credit: William Murphy The federal government needs to do more to remove regulatory barriers that make it difficult to install modern safety equipment on small planes like those involved in a cluster of accidents on Long Island earlier this year, a safety expert said Friday evening. "The fact that the engine of a modern, brand-new [plane] looks exactly like the engine that rolled out of the factory 25, 30 years ago is almost a crime," said George Perry, head of the Air Safety Institute of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. "The FAA realizes that and they're trying to work with manufacturers, with the associations, to come up with ways that we can bring modern, safety-enhancing equipment into the cockpits of general aviation airplanes," Perry told an audience of about 50 people, most of them pilots, at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. Perry said after his talk that his appearance was planned in early May when his group identified the cluster of accidents and incidents, about three weeks before a Newsday story on May 23 highlighted them. The Newsday report noted that the seven crashes or accidents to date were the most seen on Long Island since 2012 and were on a pace to be the most in a single year in more than a decade. Perry, a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot, said his group regularly gives informational talks at trade shows and other venues and makes special outreach, like his visit to Long Island. "From time to time there are mishaps and accidents that happen in clusters, and I think human nature wants to derive some meaning from that," Perry told the audience. "It's hard to say that cluster has any real meaning beyond the fact these are random events that are unassociated with one another, and based on what we know so far, that is certainly the case here on Long Island," he said. He said FAA rules governing private planes require certification before a piece of equipment can be installed, making it more expensive for manufacturers to change and for owners to retrofit older planes. "Experimental aircraft are not covered by those rules, and they can install any piece of equipment from any manufacturer, and they have autopilot and primary flight displays and other features," he said. Nation Aviation accidents nationwide "And so it's a little bit frustrating that in a day and age where you all have iPhones and we walk around with supercomputers in our pockets that we still have 1960s gyroscopes and vacuum pumps that power systems in airplanes," he said. He added that his group was working with the FAA, and that the agency was cooperative. But he urged people in the audience to write to the FAA and their local elected officials to push to speed the process. http://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/george-perry-air-safety-expert-calls- for-more-modern-equipment-1.11876512 Back to Top Five Air Pegasus pilots suspended over safety violations (India) The move comes at a time when the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is taking stringent action against airlines for any kind of violations that could put the safety of passengers in jeopardy DGCA, Air Pegasus, airline safety norms, airline safety norms violation, Air Pegasus pilots, pilots suspended, Air Pegasus pilots suspended, aviation, India Aviation, India news A safety audit of the Bengaluru-based Air Pegasus, conducted in late April, showed serious safety violations by some of its flights, a senior DGCA official said. (Representational image) DGCA has suspended five pilots of Air Pegasus for serious safety violations and has warned that the regional airline would be barred from flying new routes unless the lapses are addressed at the earliest. The airline's safety head has also been removed by the regulator. When contacted, a senior Air Pegasus official said that it has already addressed the issues raised by the regulator and also submitted a report in this regard. "We have already taken corrective measures and submitted an action taken report to the DGCA," Air Pegasus Managing Director Shyson Thomas, said. The move comes at a time when the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is taking stringent action against airlines for any kind of violations that could put the safety of passengers in jeopardy. A safety audit of the Bengaluru-based Air Pegasus, conducted in late April, showed serious safety violations by some of its flights, a senior DGCA official said on Friday. It was noticed that some of its pilots violated norms as flights operated by them descended at a "higher rate" than prescribed under the Standard Operating Procedure, he added. According to the official, five pilots of Air Pegasus have been suspended for a time period varying from a week to few months and its safety chief has been removed from the post. However, he did not disclose the number of flights where violations were noticed. Taking note of the flagrant violations, DGCA has sent a warning letter to the top management of Air Pegasus. In recent times, many domestic airlines have come under the scanner of DGCA for various safety violations. These include instances of aircraft flying with less fuel than the prescribed limit, a plane almost landing on the road mistaking it for the runway and pilots allowing cabin crew inside the cockpit during the flight. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/air-pegasus-pilots-suspended- safety-violations-dgca-2832920/ Back to Top Missing flight data contributed to accident that made AC-130J unusable New AC-130J completes first test flight A lack of flight test data was a contributing factor in an April 2015 accident that led to an AC-130J nosediving 5,000 feet in an inverted position before the pilots could recover, according to an Air Force Accident Investigation Board. The flight datacould have helped the pilots better understand the limits of the aircraft's handling while performing tight maneuvers. But defense contractor Lockheed Martin declined to provide the proprietary information without a contract, and the Air Force decided not to purchase it, according to the report. The AC-130J was being tested by the 413th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The crew was performing various maneuvers to collect data on the flight envelope of the aircraft, the report said. The pilot performed a "sideslip" maneuver by lowering one wing of the aircraft and applying opposite rudder. The action is usually used to aid aircraft landing in a strong crosswind. The cause of the accident, the investigation board said, was that the pilot pushed the rudder too far while performing the sideslip, and then didn't apply enough pressure to the rudder to stop the plane from rotating once it started to go out of control. However, the report noted, performing the sideslip and pushing the aircraft to its limits was the point of the test flight, and the pilot had been given special permission to carry out the maneuver. With the flight data, however, the pilot might have had a better idea of when control of the plane would be lost. The pilot, "reflecting on the events in hindsight, thought perhaps they should not have proceeded beyond the second alert without predictions," the report said. The basic information provided by Lockheed Martin was also inaccurate, the report said. It noted that warning alarms would sound when the aircraft reached a 16-degree angle of sideslip. But instead the alarms sounded at 14.5 degrees. "The error amounted to a reasonable expectation that the edge of the envelope was 16 degrees [angle of sideslip] when in fact it was only 14.5 degrees," the report said. "Had the correct limits been used, a safety monitor may have called 'terminate' earlier, possibly preventing [the accident] ... admittedly, this is speculation." Even so, investigators said they don't believe it contributed to the accident because the pilot only used the information as a guideline and still relied on his own judgment. "It was more up to me to use the cues and the [heads-up display] to determine what rudder position would be required for me to get those alerts," the test pilot said. When the pilot was unable to regain control of the aircraft, the AC-130J inverted and started diving toward the Gulf of Mexico, plummeting for almost a mile before the crew was able to recover, the report said. The pilot and co-pilot were able to safely land the plane and no one was injured. But the high forces the airframe was subjected to - estimated at more than 3 Gs - rendered the plane a total loss. The Air Force says the damage was estimated at $115.6 million dollars. When the military develops an aircraft in conjunction with a private contractor, access to flight data is often written into the contract. But the C-130 airframe was developed commercially by Lockheed Martin. The company performed and paid for the engineering and tests to develop data on the flight envelop of the aircraft and its acceptable safety limits. So the information is proprietary and is only made available to the U.S. military if it's willing to pay for it. "When the Air Force started procuring C-130Js and associated variants, they did not procure these proprietary data rights," said Lt. Cmdr. Matt Allen, a spokesman for U.S. Special Operations Command. "In the end, the government decided not to procure the engineer and test data models, and instead decided to rely on the new flying and handling qualities test program to obtain the data." The test pilots were, in fact, doing just that, and trying to determine the exact flying characteristics of an AC-130J loaded with new upgrades and equipment, and how it differed from a basic C-130J frame. Lockheed did provide some basic data predicting how the aircraft would fly, and Allen said that 23 successful test flights were carried out before the accident. But the accident investigation report said a contributing factor to the accident was "the fact the test team was provided inadequate procedural guidance or publications." Not having that information meant the pilots were guessing how far they could push the craft past the sounding of alarm bells. And it meant they didn't know "how much rudder force would be required to achieve" a successful sideslip, the report said. "With a lack of predictive data, members of the team admitted they did not understand how much stability margin existed at the second special alert, but admitted it could potentially be very little," the accident investigation report said. After the accident, the Air Force decided to purchase the data from Lockheed Martin. But because the information is proprietary, no one has disclosed how much it cost. "The U.S. government has already put Lockheed on contract to provide predictive flight test data to support safe and effective flight test execution," Allen said. "Additionally, the government has contracted with Lockheed to support the Integrated Flight Test Team and help with planning, execution, analysis and reporting of future flight test efforts." A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin said the company is directing questions about the incident to the Air Force. More flight tests are being planned after the AC-130J is upgraded with a 105mm gun later this year, Allen said. No modifications to the aircraft are being planned as a result of the accident, he added. The AC-130J airframe is considered stable, and the accident report indicates the accident occurred in part because the test pilots were pushing the plane to its limits. http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2016/06/04/missing-flight-data-contributed- accident-made-ac-130j-unusable/85316098/ Back to Top Flyer arrested for smoking under aircraft's wings (India) A month after Vistara Airline offloaded a flyer after he was found to have smoked in the aircraft washroom aboard a Mumbai-Delhi-Varanasi flight, a 26-year-old man from Ahmedabad was arrested at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday for allegedly lighting a cigarette below the wings of an Indigo flight that was about to take off. The incident occurred around 6 pm, when the accused, Hardik Patel, got off the airport coach and instead of boarding the flight (6E 243) to Ahmedabad, lit a cigarette while standing under the aircraft wing, which houses the vent, apart from outer and inner fuel tanks. Sources at the Mumbai airport said that airline's ground staff panicked, as Patel's action could have led to a major accident, but he refused to stub out the cigarette, forcing the staff to summon the CISF personnel. "The flyer was detained and handed over to the domestic airport police. He was produced in a court on Thursday afternoon and released on bail," a CISF official said. Section 25A of Aircraft Rules framed by aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) state that smoking or use of an appliance emitting flame or producing a spark is not be permitted within 30 mts of the aircraft or fuelling equipment. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Flyer-arrested-for-smoking-under- aircrafts-wings/articleshow/52615097.cms Back to Top Union: No Room for Old Technology in New Airport Towers By JOAN LOWY, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - Jun 6, 2016, 4:32 AM ET Two state-of-the-art airport towers due to go into operation this fall in San Francisco and Las Vegas will first need extensive remodeling to make room for technology that dates backs to the early days of air traffic control, according to union officials. The new rooms on top of the towers where controllers watch aircraft operations were designed for equipment that helps controllers track planes electronically. But the prototype electronic strip system the Federal Aviation Administration plans to use is too unstable and "crashes" too often to be relied upon, said Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. This means that controllers need to quickly turn to the historic system of passing paper strips from one controller to another to hand off responsibility for a plane and carefully line up multiple strips to keep tabs on the status of flights. Here's the problem: the tower "cabs" have been designed without the tables, printers and places to hang strips that are necessary for controllers to use the old system while still keeping an eye on planes, he said. This is an example of the larger problem that the FAA's remodel of these towers relied on the assumption that the new technology would work. The FAA's continued use of paper strips to track planes when air traffic control systems in many countries have long since moved to electronic methods is frequently cited by lawmakers and industry officials as an example of the agency's often painfully slow adoption of new technology. The paper strips are more time-consuming, which slows the handling of planes. Remodeling the cab at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas may not be too difficult because it's fairly roomy, but remodeling the one at San Francisco International Airport will be tough because there is no extra space, Rinaldi said. The FAA's head of air traffic operations said she was unaware of this problem until Rinaldi raised it during a recent aviation symposium. If the electronic strips can't be relied upon, "we'll figure out what we need to do," said Terri Bristol. Rinaldi raised the issue during a discussion of legislation sponsored by Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, to remove air traffic control operations from the FAA and spin them off into a private, nonprofit corporation controlled primarily by major airlines and other segments of the aviation industry. The union supports the bill as a means to break FAA's cycle of failed or delayed technology acquisition programs, and to eliminate chronic understaffing at air traffic facilities, Rinaldi said. The roughly 15,000 controllers employed by the agency is the lowest number in nearly three decades, and many controllers in New York, Atlanta and other busy facilities routinely work 6-day weeks and 10-hour days, union officials said. The prototype electronic system developed by the FAA has been in use in the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport tower for several years, but has been plagued with problems that frequently require controllers to revert to using paper strips, Rinaldi said. The most recent crash of the system's server was on May 16, said Doug Church, a union spokesman. "The most frustrating thing is that there are systems out there that would work off the shelf," said Rinaldi, citing electronic flight strip systems made by Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Thales and Canada's air traffic control agency. "Why are we recreating the wheel?" The FAA recently solicited bids from manufacturers to create an electronic strip system for the agency to replace the internally developed prototype system. However, even after a contractor is selected, there are likely to be many years of development, testing and installation, Rinaldi said. Construction of the San Francisco tower cost the FAA $77 million, while the airport is spending an additional $50 million to remove the old tower and construct several unrelated facilities, said airport spokesman Doug Yakel. The FAA estimated the cost of the Las Vegas tower at about $100 million at the time ground was broken in 2011. The agency announced last week that it has broken ground on construction of a third new airport tower at Charlotte, North Carolina, that is also designed to use the prototype electronic tracking system. The design of the Charlotte cab appears to allow enough room to add equipment for the use of paper strips as a fallback, said Church. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/union-room-technology-airport-towers- 39634280 Back to Top Economy in brief: US, RI, ink aviation safety cooperation JAKARTA: Approaching the US Federal Aviation Administration's ( FAA ) announcement on Indonesia's safety and security status, the world's biggest economy has chosen to help Indonesia improve aviation safety and navigation in the country's eastern part. The US Trade and Development Agency ( USTDA ) inked an agreement with Indonesia's Transportation Ministry on Thursday over a US$700,000 grant to be used to develop aviation safety systems in Papua and Maluku in a sign of deepening cooperation between the two countries in aviation. The agreement was signed during a seminar held by the Indonesian-US aviation working group ( AWG ), which was established based on memoranda of understanding ( MoU ) signed last year. US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert Blake said at least 40 US companies were involved in the group at the moment, aside from Indonesian private companies and government officials. "The purpose of the working group is to support efforts by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan to ensure the Indonesian aviation sector experiences very rapid growth and is able to do so in a safe and secure and efficient manner," he said. The ministry aims to upgrade its safety status to FAA Category 1 from its current Category 2 status. Category 2 suggests that the country lacks the regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards. - JP http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/06/economy-brief-us-ri-ink-aviation- safety-cooperation.html Back to Top Drone-Zapping System Eyed by FAA A state-of-the-art electronic device that can disable drones will be tested at airports throughout the United States. The Anti-UAV Defense System (AUDS), developed by a group of British tech firms, uses drone-jamming signals to stop the devices which have caused collisions and near misses at airports, London's Telegraph reports. The Federal Aviation Authority, which has ordered the tests, has reportedly had 600 drone sightings from August 2015 to January 2016, in which unmanned flyers get perilously close to an airport or jet, the Telegraph said. The AUDS system can find a drone up to six miles away. It tracks it with infrared cameras and blocks the radio signal it uses to fly. "The system can also assist airport authorities to track down the UAV pilots for prosecution by providing video or radar evidence," said AUDS team expert Mark Radford told the Telegraph. http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/british-drone-system- FAA/2016/06/03/id/732158/#ixzz4Anc0Ggfq Back to Top US Aviation looking to bring military flight training to NTRA (Sherman-Denison, Texas) The US Aviation Academy, which operates out of North Texas Regional Airport- Perrin Field, is currently in the bidding process for a $250 million contract for initial flight training of U.S. Air Force pilots. (Chris Jennings / Herald Democrat) It has been more than 40 years since Perrin Air Force Base was decommissioned, bringing an end to an era for Texoma. While the days of military training are a distant memory for man, local officials are looking to bring back part of that past by performing military flight training to North Texas Regional Airport - Perrin Field. Officials with US Aviation Academy, a flight school which operates a campus at NTRA, are currently looking to acquire a 10-year contract to hold U.S. Air Force initial flight training at the airfield. Officials said they plan to submit a proposal to the U.S. Department of Defense for the contract by June 30. "This is a very niche market and very specific training," US Aviation Vice President Mark Taylor said Wednesday. "With our previous training we realized we are going to be very competitive when this contract comes up for rebid." The contract is currently held by Doss Aviation, operating out of Pueblo, Colorado. Taylor said this contract would cover the first of four stages of flight training for potential Air Force pilots over the course of 30 to 60 days. Taylor valued the contract at $250 million- $290 million over the course of 10 years, depending on the number of students. In one year, the school could see between 1,500 and 1,950 students, with an average class size of about 130 to 210, he said. Previously, US Aviation acquired a similar contract through the U.S. Department of Defense to train military pilots from allied countries at its facility in Denton, including Nigeria and Poland, Taylor said. Currently, the company provides training for commercial pilots from across the world, with about 120 students, primarily from Asia, taking classes now. "The three things (the Department of Defense) looks at are past performance, management performance and cost effectiveness," Taylor said, highlighting previous training experience and cost effectiveness as US Aviation's strengths over Doss Aviation. Under the new contract, Taylor said the training of foreign pilots and remote drone operators will be included in the scope of training. If US Aviation is awarded the contract, Taylor said it will represent a large investment by the company in the airfield, with 120 new full-time jobs created to cover the new operations. In addition to a $25 million investment for new aircraft from the program, US Aviation will need to complete work on the airport's north alert hangar and construct a 200-unit facility to house the pilot trainees. "That means jobs for construction and redevelopment of Perrin Field," he said. Taylor said the contract would not interfere with its current flight school operations and both would still be able to take place at NTRA. "That is the beauty of NTRA - its size allow us to do both of these operations uninterrupted," he said. In describing the economic impact of this contract, Denison Development Alliance Vice President William Myers said it isn't like many other developments. Compared to other businesses, it represents few jobs, with most carrying an above-average salary. Instead of bringing its income from the community itself, Myers compared it instead to Texoma Medical Center in that much of its funding would come from outside sources, bringing fresh money to the economy. Myers also noted that the pilots will be living, shopping and spending money in the community while they train for two months. "I think this is unique in the fact that it will redevelop the airport," Grayson County Judge Bill Magers said. "There is nothing similar to it in Grayson County." Officials with the county, DDA and Sherman Economic Development Corporation said they support the project but feel it is too early in the process to offer incentives for the operations. However, officials said there could be talks in the future of how these organizations can help in the effort. Beyond the direct economic impact of the contract, Taylor said the increased operations would bring an additional 40,000 flight hours for pilots operating out of NTRA. This could help the airport in its ongoing efforts to enter into the Federal Aviation Administration's contract tower program, he said. Through this program, the FAA would provide $500,000 in funding for the airport's control tower, resulting in more personnel and overlap hours for the facility. It would also save the county $275,000 in funding for the facility. http://heralddemocrat.com/news/local/us-aviation-looking-bring-military-flight-training- ntra#sthash.pAwok2gQ.dpuf Back to Top Lockheed Air Force Training Jet Makes First Flight Just four months after announcing that it had scrapped the idea of developing a clean sheet design for a new training jet for the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) and its partner, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), have successfully completed the first test flight of a modified KAI T-50 training jet. KAI has sold more than 100 of its T-50 training jets to South Korea, Indonesia, Iraq, the Philippines and Thailand, and the proposed version for the United States includes a fifth- generation cockpit and other upgrades. The Air Force plans to use the so-called T-X to replace the decades-old T-38 training fleet with 350 new training jets to train pilots to fly the F-35. In late March, the Air Force announced that its planned request for bids to build the new training jet would be delayed by three months, pushing the expected release of the request for proposals (RFPs) out to late December 2016. That delay will end up adding two years to the time it will take the new plane to reach full operational capability. Initial operational capability remains on the schedule for 2024, but full capability has been pushed out from 2032 to 2034. A contract award is expected in 2017 or early 2018. Raytheon Corp. (NYSE: RTN) and partners Leonardo-Finmeccanica and CAE are also expected to enter the bidding with a modified version of Finmeccanica's T-100 training jet, while a team of Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) and Saab, and another comprised of Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE: NOC), BAE Systems and L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LLL), are expected to propose clean-sheet designs. Lockheed claims that the modified T-50 meets all the Air Force requirements for the training jet contract and can deliver those requirements on time with the least risk. The company said that it studied clean-sheet designs, but "determined they pose prohibitive risk to [Advanced Pilot Training] cost and schedule requirements." Lockheed should know. Its F-35 program may be the poster child for the risks of clean- sheet designs. Lockheed Martin Air Force Training Jet Makes First Flight (NYSE: LMT) - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/aerospace-defense/2016/06/03/lockheed-air-force-training-jet- makes-first-flight/#ixzz4AnI7aLv2 http://247wallst.com/aerospace-defense/2016/06/03/lockheed-air-force-training-jet- makes-first-flight/ Back to Top Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics lands Lear Jet June 04--A military-surplus C-21 Lear Jet recently landed at Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, giving students the chance to practice their trade on an aircraft commonly used in a variety of industries. Such twin turbofan-engine aircraft remain a popular vehicle for charter flights, emergency medical transportation and the military. Aviation maintenance and electronics students this month are expected to start hands-on work learning about the jet's operation and maintenance as soon as the end of this month, institute President John Graham said. "It is very nice in that students can work on something that is so current like this," he said. The Lear Jet arrived at the institute's West Mifflin location May 24 after 2 1/2 years spent working with maintenance technicians and the Federal Aviation Administration to make sure the former military aircraft met federal regulations for civilian planes, Graham said. The Air Force used the jet to transport high-ranking military officials before releasing it in 2013 and selling it to the institute as a surplus aircraft in 2014. Graham said the jet is valued at about $800,000, but the nonprofit institute received it at "nearly no cost," paying $5,000. He added the institute has acquired much of its "substantial equipment" through either government-surplus programs or donations. "We are very happy to have access to these types of government-surplus aircraft and equipment," Graham said. http://www.aviationpros.com/news/12216687/pittsburgh-institute-of-aeronautics-lands- lear-jet Back to Top Sikorsky tests helicopter flight controlled only by tablet Stratford-based Sikorsky has successfully tested an autonomous helicopter flight controlled by a tablet computer, according to tech site Gizmag. The technology is significant because it could allow for "optionally piloted" - in other words, unmanned or drone flights - in helicopters that weren't originally designed or built to be unmanned. Using technology developed under an $8 million contract with the U.S. military's DARPA research program, the company was able to fly one of its S-76 commercial helicopters a distance of 30 miles from its headquarters in Stratford to Robertson Airport in Plainville. According to Gizmag, it was "planned, monitored, and executived by an operator using only a tablet device." Sikorsky parent company Lockheed Martin in a statement wrote that "... the objective of DARPA's ALIAS program is to develop and insert new levels of automation into existing military and commercial aircraft to enable those aircraft to operate with reduced onboard crew. ALIAS seeks to leverage advances in autonomy that reduce pilot workload, augment mission performance, and improve aircraft safety and reliability." A second phase of funding from DARPA, a $9.8 million contract, will fund more test flights and fine-tuning of the technology. "The current environment limits the creation of new, optionally piloted platforms. What Sikorsky and DARPA are demonstrating is the successful and affordable integration of advanced technology onto existing legacy aircraft to not only set the stage for autonomous operations down the road, but also to immediately improve aircraft performance, reduce maintenance costs, and increase crew and passenger safety," said Chris Van Buiten, vice president of Sikorsky Innovations, a technology research division within the company. http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Sikorsky-tests-helicopter-flight-controlled-only- 7965211.php Back to Top Air crash investigator to head new health safety body The UK's chief inspector of air accidents is the leading contender to run a new organisation which aims to make the NHS in England safer. Keith Conradi's appointment as head of the new Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch is due to be confirmed at a parliamentary hearing next week. Leading doctors have said for many years that healthcare has a lot to learn from systems which promote safety in the airline industry. Mr Conradi was a professional pilot. He took up his current role in as chief inspector of air accidents in 2010. Scandals at Mid Staffs and Southern Health Trusts have highlighted failings in how the NHS in England responds to patients' complaints and deaths. The new healthcare investigation body (HSIB) will begin work soon, with an initial budget of £3.5m. It will carry out about 30 reviews a year. http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36447297 Back to Top The deadline is fast approaching to reserve your hotel room for the 2016 FAA Asia-Pacific Flight Standards Meeting July 19-21 at the Westin City Center Hotel in Washington, DC. A special discounted rate of $174/night (exclusive of taxes) has been reserved for conference participants. This rate includes daily breakfast for one person. Click here to reserve your room now! To receive this special rate, you must reserve your room by June 18(subject to availability). Still haven't registered to attend the conference? Please visit the conference website to get the latest information and to register: www.regonline.com/2016- AsiaPacificFlightStandardsMeeting. The deadline to register for the conference is Wednesday, June 29. Questions? Email us at ConferenceSupport@sidemgroup.com. 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