Flight Safety Information July 19, 2016 - No. 140 In This Issue Suspected MH370 wing flap reaches Australian investigators Lufthansa Joins Runway Safety System Thai Govt: ICAO praises progress in regulating Thai aviation Boeing 737 Landing Gear Damage on Landing (Kenya) Eva B744 at Manila on Jul 18th 2016, runway asphalt punctures flaps during landing Bombardier Safety Standdown Opens Registration A380 procedures changed to mitigate hot-air leak risk GE venture to produce FADEC for 777X engine Airbus Perlan Mission II Sets Sail for Argentina to Begin Glider Flights Aimed at Edge of Space FAA reauthorization signed into law Airbus uses drones to speed up aircraft inspections Metro Aviation boosts industry safety FAA Rescinds Ban on U.S. Aircraft, Pilots in Turkey Snakes (nearly) on a plane! Air Force leaders plan incentives to fix fighter pilot shortage Two pilots hauled from cockpit of passenger jet and arrested at Glasgow Airport on suspicion of being drunk! Royal Thai Air Force takes delivery of Sukhoi jets Heathrow Airport investors say ready to fund new runway ISASI 2016, Reykjavik, Iceland...17 to 20 October, 2016 Graduate Research Request Suspected MH370 wing flap reaches Australian investigators Investigators in Australia on Monday were examining a wing flap found last month on an East African island that is suspected to be from the missing Malaysian airliner, officials said. FILE - In this March 31, 2014 file photo, HMAS Success, as seen from a Royal New Zealand Air Force P3 Orion, patrols the Indian Ocean searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 off the coast of Western Australia. Investigators in Australia on Monday, July 18, 2016, were examining a wing flap found in June on an East African island that is suspected to be from the missing Malaysian airliner, officials said. The "large piece of aircraft debris" arrived at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau headquarters in the capital, Canberra, for examination as part of the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, said a joint statement by Australian and Malaysian government authorities. Investigators in Australia on Monday were examining a wing flap found last month on an East African island that is suspected to be from the missing Malaysian airliner, officials said. The "large piece of aircraft debris" arrived at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau headquarters in the capital, Canberra, for examination as part of the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, said a joint statement by Australian and Malaysian government authorities. "The large piece of what is likely to be a wing flap" was found June 23 by locals on Pemba Island, off the coast of Tanzania, the statement said. Australian technical specialists were working with Malaysian investigators to determine whether the debris was from the Boeing 777 that vanished with 239 people on board after flying far off course during a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing on March 8, 2014. The Transport Safety Bureau has so far examined four pieces of debris and found that they were almost certainly from Flight 370, which is thought to have crashed in the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia. Another piece of wing found a year ago on La Reunion Island, off the African coast, was positively identified by French officials. The bureau is overseeing a sonar search of 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) of seabed in the hunt for Flight 370's crash site. Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester said fewer than 10,000 square kilometers (3,900 square miles) had yet to be searched. The underwater search has not yielded a single clue so far. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article90232837.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top Lufthansa Joins Runway Safety System German carrier will help Airbus, Honeywell test technology to prevent runway landing accidents Lufthansa Group will help with engineering development, and it will also make planes available for testing of proposed runway safeguards. By ANDY PASZTOR The parent company of German carrier Deutsche Lufthansa AG has agreed to help test technology Airbus Group SE and Honeywell International Corp. have proposed to jointly develop to prevent airliners from careening off the ends of runways during landings. A memorandum of understanding among the three companies was signed last week during the Farnborough Airshow outside London, according to people familiar with the details. The Airbus-Honeywell effort was previously reported but not Lufthansa's role in the project. Under the agreement, Lufthansa Group will help with engineering development, and it will also make planes available for testing of proposed runway safeguards combining various elements of proprietary safety systems already marketed separately by Airbus and Honeywell. Such an offering would meet impending European safety rules to combat what are called runway excursions, these people said, while possibly circumventing opposition by Boeing Co. and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to any joint U.S.-European standards or mandatory regulations in this arena. For Airbus, the agreement is part of a broader companywide push to grow the digital services and satellite-connectivity parts of its business for both commercial and military customers. The Airbus system, called ROPS, is focused on determining the energy and inertia of the plane right before and after touchdown. It aims to alert cockpit crews if they won't be able to stop safely on a runway, based among other things on weather and tarmac conditions. At the same time, Honeywell has been marketing what it calls SmartLanding, a system designed to warn pilots when their approach trajectory indicates they are too high, too fast or will land too far down a runway. By combining both systems into a new offering, Airbus hopes to encourage more airlines world-wide to focus on combating such runway hazards, which by most measures are the first or second most common type of commercial-air accident. Over the years, Airbus experts have pegged runway overruns as roughly one-third of all airliner accidents world-wide. Boeing's statistics put the category somewhat lower in terms of percentage of overall accidents, but the Chicago plane maker still estimates overruns are responsible for roughly one out of five commercial-plane crashes that end with substantial aircraft damage. Since the end of 2015, the FAA has resisted several pointed requests from Margaret Jenny, who runs the agency's outside technical advisory organization, to join in European studies already under way about drafting potential common runway-overrun standards for both sides of the Atlantic. At a public meeting in March, Lou Volchansky, an FAA technical manager, told Ms. Jenny "we're still trying to figure out if this is a rule we will pursue." Last month, he said the FAA isn't likely to follow Europe's lead because "this is something that's not on a safety critical path." But Mr. Volchansky also said that the FAA did "recognize the need for" runway-excursion protections, and that U.S. carriers could embrace the Airbus solution as long as they get approvals from aviation regulators in the U.S. and Europe. FAA managers, however, feel runway excursions are a serious enough problem to warrant issuing a safety advisory, scheduled to become final later this year, requiring airports to be more specific when reporting runway conditions to incoming planes. Airport operators will have to start using a six-point scale to grade the braking qualities of strips, instead of giving pilots more-subjective descriptions of that condition such as "fair" or "good." http://www.wsj.com/articles/lufthansa-joins-runway-safety-system-1468888070 Back to Top Thai Govt: ICAO praises progress in regulating Thai aviation Govt: ICAO praises progress in regulating Thai aviation BANGKOK, 19 July 2016 (NNT) - The government has revealed that the United Nations' aviation regulator has praised the country's progress in addressing problems found in the Thai civil aviation industry. Government Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd reports that Thailand has undertaking to address all issues raised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) through an action plan devised by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). The spokesperson said the government had recruited qualified personnel for the DCA and contracted outside organizations and experts to help inspect and assess the issuance of civil aviation licenses. According to Maj. Gen. Sansern, a review of the licensing of 28 aviation-related businesses is in progress, as well as preparations for the next ICAO assessment in December this year and March next year. The spokesperson went on to say that the ICAO has already expressed its appreciation of Thailand's serious intent and its determination to address all problems in its civil aviation industry, with the assistance of various agencies. http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/thai-govt-icao-praises-progress-in-regulating-thai- aviation/148986/ Back to Top Boeing 737 Landing Gear Damage on Landing (Kenya) Date: 19-JUL-2016 Time: 11:23 Type: Boeing 737-8HX (WL) Owner/operator: Kenya Airways Registration: 5Y-CYD C/n / msn: 40553/5372 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO/HKJK) - Kenya Phase: Landing Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Mumbai-Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM) Destination airport: Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO/HKJK) Narrative: Kenya Airways flight KQ205 sustained damage to two main landing gear tyres upon landing at Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, landed on runway 06 at 11:23 local time. Both inner tyres of the left and right main landing gears suffered a (partial) loss of tread, according to photos from the scene. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=188750 Back to Top Eva B744 at Manila on Jul 18th 2016, runway asphalt punctures flaps during landing An Eva Air Boeing 747-400, registration B-16410 performing fölight BR-271 from Taipei (Taiwan) to Manila (Philippines), landed on Manila's runway 24 and slowed safely. Upon vacating the runway via a high speed exit R3 the taxiway's asphalt surface broke up and asphalt debris punctured the right hand flaps of the aircraft. The aircraft taxied to the apron where the damage to the right hand wing was discovered. The taxiway and runway was closed, the Philippines Civil Aviation Authority instructed immediate emergency repairs. Following the repairs high speed turn off R3 was limited to Category C or less aircraft. Preliminary investigation results suggest that a poor asphalt mix had been used by the contractor resulting in degraded load capacity, thus not able to support heavy aircraft like A330s or B744s. When the Eva Air B744 rolled over that asphalt a section 1 meter wide, 9 meters long and 12cm deep separated and were blown against the flaps by the engine exhaust. http://avherald.com/h?article=49b59d6b&opt=0 Back to Top Bombardier Safety Standdown Opens Registration Bombardier Aerospace will celebrate 20 years of Safety Standdown Sept. 27-29 in Wichita. Registration is now open. The seminar, focused on increasing aviation safety, is free to aviation professionals. General sessions will take place in the mornings, with workshops in the afternoons. This year the workshops are shortened, so attendees may attend two workshops per day. Sessions cover a wide range of topics such as the impact of communication in aviation safety, worldwide airspace changes, runway incursion and excursion avoidance, medical certification tips, dealing with the National Transportation Safety Board, drones, advanced weather-radar concepts, flight path monitoring and leadership in aviation maintenance. For more information, go to http://www.safetystanddown.com/aviation-safety- seminars/united-states-2016 www.aviationweek.com Back to Top A380 procedures changed to mitigate hot-air leak risk Airbus has amended the flight manual for the A380 to include a procedure intended to address the risk of a potentially damaging rupture of pneumatic ducting. The amendment is the subject of an emergency airworthiness directive from the European Aviation Safety Agency, pertaining to the entire A380 fleet. EASA's order follows inspection of damage to an A380 wing fairing, which had exposed the honeycomb core, and the discovery of damage to panels in the vicinity of the affected engine pylon. During take-off, the regulator says, a "double and dependent failure" of the high-pressure valve and pressure-regulating valve had resulted in closure, by design, of an over- pressure valve. "This event consequently led to an uncontrolled over-pressure in the pneumatic system and a rupture of the bleed duct bellow of the engine pylon," it adds. EASA says that the circumstances could lead to rupture of pneumatic ducting with leaks of hot air, and heat stress, at critical points on the wing. Airbus's interim remedy centres on procedures relating to take-off and climb with the cross-bleed selector open - as well as separate operational checks of the selector itself. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top GE venture to produce FADEC for 777X engine General Electric's joint venture, FADEC Alliance, is to supply the full-authority digital engine control for the GE9X powerplant for the Boeing 777X. FADEC Alliance is a partnership between the US manufacturer and FADEC International - itself a 50:50 venture between divisions of BAE Systems Controls and Safran. The venture will be the exclusive supplier of the system - handling fuel-flow, and various other controls - for the GE9X. It will be responsible for design, manufacture and aftermarket support. FADEC Alliance says its various collaborations have produced an installed base of over 25,000 engines. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top Airbus Perlan Mission II Sets Sail for Argentina to Begin Glider Flights Aimed at Edge of Space HERNDON, VA--(Marketwired - Jul 18, 2016) - The Perlan 2 stratospheric glider has gone to sea, departing the United States aboard a container ship on the first leg of a journey that will end in El Calafate, Argentina, by mid-August. The journey marks a transition from a successful six-month flight test program in Minden, Nevada, to mission flights in Argentina's Patagonia region, where wind conditions will allow the team to begin high- altitude aerospace and climate research. "The project has achieved its test flight objectives in the U.S. and now we're ready to head to Argentina, where we will attain critical knowledge about our atmosphere. During our research flights we hope to set a new world altitude record for gliders," said Ed Warnock, CEO of the Perlan Project. "We're incredibly thankful for all the volunteers, sponsors, friends, plus product and service providers who have helped us reach this important milestone." The Perlan 2 glider is a pressurized sailplane designed to ride updrafts called "mountain waves" that, in certain regions near the north and south poles, can reach into the stratosphere. For a brief period in August and September every year, the weather in the Andes Mountains near El Calafate is often just right to generate these elusive stratospheric mountain waves. Perlan 2 is designed to ride these waves up to 90,000 feet without requiring the two- person crew to wear pressure suits. Although this summer's research program will likely focus on lower altitudes, project pilots may still break the world gliding altitude record of 50,671 feet, set in 2006 by Steve Fossett and Perlan Project founder Einar Enevoldson in the unpressurized Perlan 1 glider. "The extraordinary vision of the Perlan Project is to soar at heights where even powered aircraft can't maintain level flight, and it's been our privilege to help them get from a vision to a flying aircraft capable of reaching that goal," said Allan McArtor, CEO of Airbus Group, Inc. "We're all very proud this week to see this unique sailplane begin this next important part of its amazing journey." Lacking an engine that would contaminate air samples, the Perlan 2 glider is uniquely able to collect data on upper-level weather patterns and the condition of the atmosphere, yielding new insights into climate change. The aircraft will carry experiments from earth scientists around the globe, as well as from school and university classrooms. Its flights in the upper atmosphere will also provide Airbus valuable data on high-altitude flight. Interested observers can track Perlan 2 on its journey to El Calafate and follow the progress of Airbus Perlan Mission II flights via Twitter @PerlanProject and #PerlanPostcards. Images & Video/B-roll available: http://bit.ly/perlanpresskit Additional information available at: www.airbusgroup.com/Perlan. About Airbus Group Airbus Group is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2015, the Group -- comprising Airbus, Airbus Defence and Space and Airbus Helicopters -- generated revenues of EUR 64.5 billion and employed a workforce of around 136,600. About Airbus Perlan Mission II Airbus Perlan Mission II is an initiative to fly an engineless glider to the edge of space, higher than any other winged aircraft has operated in level, controlled flight, to open up a world of new discoveries related to high-altitude flight, climate change and space exploration. This historic endeavor is the culmination of decades of research and engineering innovation, and the work of a tireless international team of aviators and scientists who volunteer their time and expertise for the non-profit Perlan Project. The project is supported by Airbus Group and a group of other sponsors that includes Weather Extreme Ltd., United Technologies and BRS Aerospace. For more information go to www.perlanproject.org; for press kit and visuals go to www.airbusgroup.com/Perlan. Perlan's other sponsors: United Technologies Weather Extreme Ltd. BRS Aerospace Equipment, service and institutional donors: Automated Metal Products Bonehead Composites Cobra Trailer Community Foundation of Western Nevada DeLorme inReach Epic Aircraft Garmin Iridium Communications Inc. Miller Nash Graham & Dunn Sandia Aerospace Silicon Valley Community Foundation SIMCOM SoaringNV Soaring Society of America Trig Avionics Whelen Engineering http://www.power-eng.com/marketwired/2016/07/18/airbus-perlan-mission-ii-sets-sail- for-argentina-to-begin-glider-flights-aimed-at-edge-of-space.html Back to Top FAA reauthorization signed into law President Obama on Friday signed the reauthorization package that funds the FAA through September 2017. The signing came on the day that the most recent short-term extension of FAA funding was set to expire. The House and Senate had hurriedly passed the reauthorization package early last week. Among other measures, the bill expands the TSA Precheck program, tightens vetting standards for airport employees and expands canine deployment in airports. In addition, it redeploys TSA personnel to optimize checkpoints and mandates security assessments of all foreign airports that serve the U.S. New consumer protections in the bill include a requirement that airlines refund baggage fees for items that are either lost or arrive after an unreasonable delay. Also, airlines are required to seat children 13 and under next to an accompanying older family member "to the maximum extent practicable and at no additional cost." http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Government/FAA-reauthorization-signed-into- law Back to Top Airbus uses drones to speed up aircraft inspections Drones help aircraft inspectors do a two-hour job in just ten minutes. Aircraft inspections are one of the best things operators can do to ensure safety in flight, but ironically, the chore can be a little unsafe for inspectors themselves. To properly review an aircraft's condition, workers often need to utilize cranes and lifts to closely examine an plane's structure and components. It's mildly risky, slow and laborious process -- but soon, it may not be. Airbus has started testing drone inspections that may speed up the process by over an hour. Airbus demonstrated its new inspection process at the Farnborough Airshow, where a drone equipped with an Intel RealSense camera autonomously circled an A330 while rapidly snapping photos. The images were then applied to a 3D model of the aircraft that allowed inspectors to get a close, detailed look at the subject. It still takes awhile to inspect the digital model, but in all, it's much faster. Gathering the inspection data by hand takes about two hours. Using a drone takes only 10 to 15 minutes. The company expects to finish initial testing the program by the end of the year, and hopes to include a wider range of aircraft in the program soon afterwards. https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/18/airbus-uses-drones-to-speed-up-aircraft- inspections/ Back to Top Metro Aviation boosts industry safety Metro Aviation partnered with Complete Flight to build and customize an OCC module that would fit the needs of an active OCC and exceed existing requirements. Metro Aviation Photo Metro Aviation operates more than 120 air medical aircraft across the country. With an average of 230 flight requests each day, the company's Operational Control Center (OCC) is a constant hub of activity. The air medical operator originally contracted with Complete Flight in 2015 to transition into digital record keeping using the Complete Flight IOS app for iPads, and recently expanded its capabilities with the company's web-based interface to comply with the new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Helicopter Air Ambulance rule regarding OCC changes. The FAA rule, which went into effect April 22, requires certificate holders with 10 or more helicopter air ambulances to have an OCC. The rule requires an OCC to provide two-way communication with pilots and participate in the preflight risk analysis, ensuring pilots have not only completed all requirements on the preflight risk analysis worksheet, but also confirm and verify those entries, assist the pilot in mitigating risks prior to takeoff and providing written acknowledgement that the worksheet was completed and the flight can be conducted safely. "Air medical operations are time sensitive and we need flights to get off the ground as soon as possible, but also as safely as possible," said Metro director of operations Jim Arthur. "The new rule places a lot of responsibility on the OCC and demands a significant amount of work to be completed in a short amount of time. With an organized dashboard providing a more accurate monitoring of pending flight requests, active flights, and visibility to pilot currency and aircraft status, we are able to conduct a safer operation and meet the FAA requirements without any significant change in launch times." "It was important to Metro that we didn't design a system that only focused on the pilot's risk analysis worksheet. The Complete Flight OCC module allows us to export the requested route of flight to weather analysis software, ensuring the flight can be conducted as safely as possible," said Arthur. Metro Aviation partnered with Complete Flight to build and customize an OCC module that would fit the needs of an active OCC and exceed existing requirements. "We had a real advantage working with Metro to design our new OCC functionality," said Complete Flight president Bernie Berg. "We were able to work with them in designing a system that met the needs of a large fleet, while getting real-time feedback from an incredibly busy OCC." The Complete Flight module allows the OCC to quickly and easily countersign risk forms, as well as retrieve weather information, publish routes to a third party, monitor pilot currency and aircraft maintenance status, monitor open flights, enter and log routes and utilize enhanced communications between the communications center, OCC and the pilot. "We designed the new OCC module with functionality that goes beyond the FAA requirements. We saw an opportunity to develop a robust dashboard that helps operators monitor and organize their OCCs," said Berg. A system is only as good as those using it, so Metro deployed trainers to its 34 operations customers around the country to train communication specialists on the new module and have all programs up and running in advance of the FAA effective date. "Without a doubt, we are a safer operation because of the workflow and module we developed in partnership with Complete Flight," said Arthur. The Complete Flight OCC Module is not proprietary and available to all operators. "Our mission is to help simplify Part 135 management, and that includes creating new functionality to meet new and evolving FAA requirements," said Berg. http://www.verticalmag.com/press-releases/metro-aviation-boosts-industry-safety- development-integration-complete-flight-occ-module/#sthash.WTKGZ8nz.dpuf Back to Top FAA Rescinds Ban on U.S. Aircraft, Pilots in Turkey The FAA today rescinded a Notam it issued on Saturday prohibiting all U.S. airlines, commercial operators and pilots from flying into Turkey until September 1, following a failed military coup in Turkey on Friday. The FAA said it would review its position by August 15, and it did so today after the situation in Turkey quickly restabilized following the failed coup. According to flight planning firm Flight Service Bureau, the ban had applied to all airports within the Istanbul flight information region (FIR) and the Ankara FIR, which together cover the entire country. It did not prohibit entry into the FIRs or overflying Turkey. In addition, the FAA had banned direct flights between Turkey and any U.S. airport. These direct flights are once again permitted, following the agency's cancellation of the Notam today. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aerospace/2016-07-18/faa-rescinds-ban-us- aircraft-pilots-turkey Back to Top Snakes (nearly) on a plane! Passenger stopped from boarding aircraft after security X-ray showed he had hidden TEN PYTHONS down his trousers * Man stopped at airport security at Jakarta International Airport, Indonesia * Officials discovered he had ten live pythons down trousers and in socks * He has been arrested, with snakes posing a threat to flight safety A passenger was stopped from boarding a plane after he was found with ten live snakes in his trousers. The reptiles were discovered as the man passed through security at Jakarta International Airport in Indonesia. He was attempting to board a Garuda Indonesia flight bound for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. These photos were released by Jakarta Airport Police, and show Mr Zaki removing the snakes from his socks The airline's vice president, Benny Sigar Butarbutar told Kompas: 'The suspect had wrapped the snakes that he wanted to take to Jeddah around both of his legs.' He added that the ten snakes were from the python family. The passenger has been named as Koufiah Jihad Zaki, with Indonesian news website Astro Awani alleging he was transporting them to sell in Saudi Arabia. The man was supposed to board a Garuda Indonesia flight to Jeddah The passenger places the snakes in small black cloth bags, and right, he was set to fly with Garuda Indonesia. He was arrested and is believed to be still in police custody, with officials taking the matter seriously as it endangered flight safety. Photos released by the airport police show Mr Zaki sat down on a chair in the security area, with his jeans rolled up and removing the snakes. The live snakes were wrapped in black cloth bags. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3697191/Snakes-nearly-plane- Passenger-stopped-boarding-aircraft-security-X-ray-showed-hidden-TEN-PYTHONS- trousers.html#ixzz4ErEJzhdr Back to Top Air Force leaders plan incentives to fix fighter pilot shortage The Air Force is staring down a major shortfall in fighter pilots, and top brass has just laid out their strategy to fix the problem. In a July 14 op-ed posted on Defense One, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and new Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said the shortage of fighter pilots is expected to grow from 500 to 700 by the end of fiscal 2016. This will leave the Air Force with "a 21 percent gap between what we have and what we need to meet the requirements of our commanders around the world," they said. The shortage is especially worrying, they wrote, given that the Air Force is trying to balance historically low manning levels with increasing responsibilities such as the fight against the Islamic State, the war in Afghanistan, and bolstering allies in Eastern Europe and Asia. Airlines increase pilot hiring, threaten AF retention "Make no mistake, this is a quiet crisis that will almost certainly get worse before it gets better," James and Goldfein said. "We have less margin for error when it comes to filling our cockpits and addressing personnel shortages." James and Goldfein said the Air Force is giving a hard look at increasing the compensation of fighter pilots as part of their plan to shore up their ranks. Some pilots now can receive Aviation Retention Pay bonuses of up to $25,000 per year - or as much as $225,000 for pilots who sign up for the maximum nine additional years. Maintainers well-qualified for airline work But that bonus needs to increase, James and Goldfein wrote. The $25,000 annual bonus has not changed since 1999, they said, meaning that inflation has eaten away at the value of that bonus. Allowing the Air Force to hike its retention bonus, where needed, would help the service hold onto experienced pilots who are now being lured by the commercial airline industry. Airlines are seeing increasing numbers of Vietnam-era pilots retire, and they need to be replaced with pilots who have at least 1,500 flight hours. They often turn to the military, and offer pilots large paychecks to change out of their uniforms and come fly for them. Air Force hopes to head off the poaching of its pilots "We know from past experience that money isn't everything, but in those military career fields lured by private sector offers, targeted bonuses can make the difference between staying and going," they wrote. "Right now, too few of our pilots are taking the bonus money and the 'take rate' is especially low for those men and women who fly fighter aircraft. We'd like the authority to raise the current bonus where it makes sense." James and Goldfein also said the Air Force is increasing the production of new pilots, and trying to free up fighter pilots that are now occupied doing administrative tasks for their squadrons so they can get back in the air. http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2016/07/18/air-force-leaders-plan- incentives-fix-fighter-pilot-shortage/87245740/ Back to Top Two pilots hauled from cockpit of passenger jet and arrested at Glasgow Airport on suspicion of being drunk THE pilots were arrested yesterday after staff raised concerns over their behaviour before the Air Transat A310, carrying up to 250 passengers, was due to depart for Toronto. Glasgow Airport Glasgow Airport POLICE lifted two airline pilots at Scotland's biggest airport - after they allegedly turned up drunk. Passengers and airport workers were shocked as officers hauled the pair from the cockpit of the Air Transat jet at Glasgow airport. The scheduled passenger service had been due to set off at 1pm yesterday on a seven- hour flight to Toronto, Canada. Police later confirmed the men, aged 37 and 39, had been arrested and are due to appear at Paisley Sheriff Court today. A source said: "It's believed the pilots and other cabin crew were on the plane and had started to do their checks and prepare for boarding. "It's claimed other members of staff noticed their behaviour was odd and reported them to the police because they thought they'd been drinking. "Obviously you can never take any chances with that kind of thing and the cops soon arrived on the aircraft to investigate." Passengers were put up in nearby hotels for the night and given vouchers for food. They will be put on an alternative flight today. Last night the airline confirmed that a probe had been launched. A spokesman said: "Police Scotland are investigating two Air Transat pilots. Until the outcome is clear no further statements will be made. "The delayed flight TS725 will operate tomorrow and all passengers have been accommodated." A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: "Two men aged 39 and 37 have been arrested in relation to being allegedly impaired through alcohol, under the Railway and Transport Safety Act 2003." It's believed they are being held in Govan police station in Glasgow. Last night a Glasgow Airport spokesman said: "We are aware of two individuals being arrested. This is now a police matter." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/two-pilots-hauled-cockpit-passenger- 8446089#YzI1GB5JxjpmM3yV.97 Back to Top Royal Thai Air Force takes delivery of Sukhoi jets Sukhoi Business Jet aircraft will provide VIP transportation for top officials and government leaders. The Royal Thai Air Force has taken delivery of two Sukhoi Business Jet aircraft, the first Sukhoi jets acquired by an overseas customer, the Russian company announced Friday. Photo by SuperJet International/Flickr. BANGKOK, July 18 (UPI) -- The Royal Thai Air Force has taken delivery of two Sukhoi Business Jet aircraft, the first Sukhoi jets acquired by an overseas customer, the Russian company announced Friday. The aircraft will provide VIP transport for top officials and government leaders, as well as the high command, Sukhoi said in a statement. The Sukhoi Business Jet designed for the Thai air force has three different passenger sections: a 4-seat VIP area, a 6-seat business class area and a passenger compartment or 50 people. The jet's flight range is about 2,800 miles and was all assembled in Russia, Sukhoi said. In-service maintenance support for the jets will be provided in Thailand. The aircraft were delivered as part of a contract awarded to Sukhoi in 2014. Sukhoi Business Jet offers more space than many other business jets in its class and tailor-made interiors, a spec sheet by SuperJet International states. SuperJet International is a joint venture of Sukhoi and the Italian Leonardo Company. http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2016/07/18/Royal-Thai-Air-Force- takes-delivery-of-Sukhoi-jets/2191468859058/ Back to Top Heathrow Airport investors say ready to fund new runway LONDON (Reuters) - Shareholders in London's Heathrow Airport are ready to invest 16 billion pounds if the government chooses it as the site for airport expansion, one of the investors said in a letter to new Prime Minister Theresa May. Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, has been campaigning for years to build an extra runway but a decision has been delayed by successive governments worried about pollution and local opposition. Other airports say they should expand instead. Appointed last week, Transport Minister Chris Grayling said in a BBC radio interview on Sunday he wanted to "move rapidly" with making a decision about where to build a new runway, and would be looking at the matter in the coming weeks. Britain-based Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), which owns a 10 percent stake in Heathrow, said in a letter to May on Tuesday that the airport's shareholders were prepared to put up the money to pay for a new runway - the first time the investors have publicly confirmed their readiness to fund it. "Alongside our investment partners from Canada, China, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, and the USA, we stand ready to invest 16 billion pounds of private money into expanding Heathrow," USS CEO Bill Galvin said in the letter. USS owns Heathrow alongside Spanish infrastructure company Ferrovial, which has 25 percent, Qatar Holding with 20 percent, plus other investors Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, Alinda Capital Partners and China Investment Corporation. Some media reported the government's decision over whether to expand Heathrow or London rival Gatwick, Britain's No. 2 airport, could come as soon as September. Grayling on Sunday declined to comment on which option he preferred. May has in the past raised concerns about expanding Heathrow. Heathrow puts the cost of building a new runway at 16 billion pounds, slightly lower than the 18 billion pounds estimated by the government-appointed Airports Commission, which recommended expanding Heathrow. A different Heathrow expansion option to extend an existing runway is forecast to cost 14 billion pounds, while a second runway for Gatwick would cost an estimated 7 billion. Gatwick's Chairman Roy McNulty wrote to May on July 13 to tell her its shareholders, led by Global Infrastructure Partners and also including the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the California Public Employees Retirement System amongst others, were committed to financing its expansion project. http://www.euronews.com/business-newswires/3222491-heathrow-airport-investors-say- ready-to-fund-new-runway/ Back to Top ISASI 2016, Reykjavik, Iceland 17 to 20 October, 2016 The International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) will hold their 47th annual seminar at the Grand Hotel Reykjavik, Iceland, from the 17 to 20 October 2016. The seminar theme is: "Every link is important" Papers will address this theme in conjunction with other contemporary matters on aviation safety investigation, including recent case studies, new investigation methods and aviation safety trends or developments. Registration and details of the main seminar, tutorial and companion programmes are available at www.esasi.eu/isasi-2016. We look forward to seeing you in Iceland Back to Top Graduate Research Request You are being invited to consider taking part in a research survey on the influence of the psychological contract (the unwritten expectations between an employee and their employer) on a pilot's safety behaviours. I am seeking to understand if this part of the employment relationship has an influence on the safety behaviours of pilots. My focus is primarily on the European aviation environment. This survey is being undertaken as part of my Master of Science (MSc) in Air Safety Management at City University, London. I am undertaking this research in a purely independent capacity for my own personally funded studies. The results of this survey will only be used to support my dissertation. All data will be kept anonymous. No personally identifiable information will be collected. All answers reported in the analysis of the survey will be made without any connection to you. If you have experience working as a pilot, preferably for a European commercial air transport operator, and wish to take part please click on the link below. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/pilotspsycon Thank you for your support Kathryn Jones Curt Lewis