Flight Safety Information August 3, 2016 - No. 151 In This Issue Emirates Jet Burns on Runway After Dubai Airport 'Accident' Navy F-18 Fighter Jet Crashes in Nevada During Training Upward flight path Two Indigo aircraft narrowly escape mid-air collision over Guwahati (India) Flight MH370 Update: 'We Need To Find The Airplane,' Qantas flight to Dubai turns back to Sydney FAA Charters Safety Team To Prevent UAS Accidents The FAA is Hiring Air Traffic Controllers Tajikistan aviation is crumbling Method to reinforce carbon nanotubes could make airplane frames lighter, more damage-resistant The Air Force Just Cleared the F-35 Fighter Jet for Combat 3 Indonesian volcanoes erupt, disrupting some flights Hawaiian Airlines develops apprenticeship program to train aviation mechanics PolyU announces new programmes to give Hong Kong youngsters careers in aviation ISASI 2016, Reykjavik, Iceland...17 to 20 October, 2016 (ISASI) DFW Regional Chapter (DFRC) Summer Meeting, September 8, 2016 Graduate Research Survey Request Emirates Jet Burns on Runway After Dubai Airport 'Accident' An Emirates jet carrying 275 people burned on the runway at Dubai International Airport on Wednesday after what the airline described as an "accident." "The fire began to spread rapidly and by the time the fire engines got there the entire top half of the plane was on fire," NBC News Digital chief technology officer Krishna Bhagavathula said while in a terminal overlooking the runway. He added that flames "seemed to be coming from the rear or back of the plane." Bhagavathula said the blaze was "under control within 15 to 20 minutes." He saw at least three fire engines at the scene. Officials said that no injuries were immediately reported. The moment #EK521 came to a halt at DXB after landing from India. Appears to show one engine parted with aircraft? Emirates confirmed that Flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram, India, to Dubai has been "involved in an accident" at the airport at around 12:45 p.m. local time (4:45 a.m. ET). It said that 275 passengers and crew were aboard. The airline added: "Our main priority is now the safety and well-being of all involved." Tracking websites identified the aircraft as a Boeing 777-300 that was delivered to the airline in 2003. Authorities said that passengers had been able to disembark from the burning jet. http://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/emirates-jet-burns-runway-after-dubai-airport- incident-n622046 ************** Status: Preliminary Date: Wednesday 3 August 2016 Time: 12:44 Type: Boeing 777-31H Operator: Emirates Airlines Registration: A6-EMW C/n / msn: 32700/434 First flight: 2003-03-07 (13 years 5 months) Engines: 2 Rolls-Royce Trent 892 Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: / Occupants: 275 Airplane damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: Dubai Airport (DXB) ( United Arab Emirates) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV/VOTV), India Destination airport: Dubai Airport (DXB/OMDB), United Arab Emirates Flightnumber: EK521 Narrative: Emirates Airlines flight EK521 suffered a landing accident at Dubai Airport (DXB), United Arab Emirates. The aircraft, a Boeing 777-31H, departed Thiruvananthapuram, India at 05:06 hours UTC with 275 persons on board. At 08:44 hours UTC the aircraft suffered an accident while landing on runway 12L. A video circulating online shows the aircraft sliding to a stop. A fire broke out after the aircraft came to rest. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20160803-0 Back to Top Navy F-18 Fighter Jet Crashes in Nevada During Training PHOTO: An F/A-18C Hornet attached to the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada is pictured on July 6, 2016.Joseph R. Vincent/U.S. Navy An F/A-18C Hornet attached to the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada is pictured on July 6, 2016. An F-18 fighter jet crashed 10 miles southeast of the Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada at around 10:25 a.m. today, Navy officials said. The pilot managed to eject and was transported to Banner Churchill Regional Medical Center. Officials did not release any further information on the pilot's condition. The single-seater F/A-18C Hornet was on a routine training mission when it crashed, the Navy said in a statement, also noting that the cause is under investigation. The jet, attached to the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center at Naval Air Station Fallon, was returning to base when the crash occurred, according to the Navy. A similar incident occurred just four days ago when another F/A-18C Hornet crashed near Twentynine Palms, California, during a night training mission, killing the pilot, according to military officials. And a pilot with the elite Navy Blue Angels flight team died on June 2 after his F/A-18A crashed outside Nashville, Tennessee, during takeoff. That crash occurred as the Blue Angels were practicing before the Great Tennessee Air Show in nearby Smyrna. Hours earlier on that same day, an F-16 belonging to the Air Force's Thunderbirds demonstration team crashed just outside Petersen Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The pilot was able to eject safely in that case. The Thunderbirds had just participated in a flyover of the Air Force Academy's graduation ceremony, attended by President Obama. F/A-18 Hornets were first introduced in the late 1970's for use in the Navy and Marine Corps. The "C" model wasn't introduced until 1987 and cost roughly $30 million per unit. Since 1995, the Navy has employed an upgraded F/A-18 Super Hornet at around $60 million per jet. http://abcnews.go.com/News/navy-18-fighter-jet-crashes-nevada- training/story?id=41078572 Back to Top Upward flight path Indonesian airlines showing steady improvement with two more licensed to fly European skies, but regulation overall still needs improvement. Although it had the worst score for flight delays during the end of the recent Ramadan holiday season in an Indonesian Transportation Ministry survey, the lowcost carrier Lion Air has had a lot to celebrate lately. In addition to being removed from a European Union blacklist, the fastgrowing airline has been moving up in the influential Skytrax World Airline Awards, based on surveys of millions of passengers worldwide. It ranked seventh on the list of best lowcost premium cabins and 10th for premium seats. The EU on June 16 removed Lion Air, its subsidiary Batik Air and the Indonesian carrier Citilink from its Air Safety List of airlines that do not meet international safety standards and are therefore subject to bans or restrictions on flying in the EU. Edward Sirait, presidentdirector of Lion Air Group, said the EU decision showed that the management of Lion and Batik were committed to aviation safety and had met international standards for airline safety and procedures. Albert Burhan, the president and CEO of Citilink Indonesia, said he expected the vote of confidence from the EU could help the budget airline speed up its international expansion, although flying to Europe is still a distant prospect. Its focus for now remains on serving domestic and regional routes in light of Asean economic integration. Citilink recently reported its first fullyear profit, earning US$4.9 million in 2015, on revenue of $470 million, an increase of 16.5% from the year before. Passenger numbers increased 26.7% to 9.5 million and its average load factor improved to 80.2% from 79.6%. The decision to remove the three Indonesian carriers from the blacklist was based on the unanimous opinion of safety experts on the EU Air Safety Committee, said Vincent Guerend, the EU ambassador to Indonesia. "The EU noted that Indonesia's civil aviation authority has made improvements," he added. Hadinoto Soedigno, operational director for Citilink Indonesia, said the airline underwent a rigorous safety audit by the EU team over a period lasting almost five months. Alvin Lie, an aviation analyst who is also Indonesia's Ombudsman, said he appreciated the EU decision. "But I am concerned that Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian country on the list. That implies Indonesia's air safety is below the standard of our 8/3/2016 Upward flight path | Bangkok Post: business http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourismandtransport/1049581/upwardflightpath 3/12 neighbours and we are on par with those minor African countries," Lie told Asia Focus, referring to carriers from Zambia and Madagascar that were also removed from the blacklist. The EU assesses air safety based on international safety standards and those outlined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), including its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP). An audit conducted in 2007 by the ICAO led to the blacklisting in Europe. Indonesia scored poorly on a 2014 audit by the ICAO, below the global average in all eight categories, largely because the Transportation Ministry was seen as understaffed and struggling to deal with the rapid growth of the aviation industry. Authorities have since made some improvements and the country's score improved to 51.4% this year but was still below the global average. Direct comparisons are not always possible because some countries have not been audited in recent years. For example, China had a score of 86.4% based on an audit in 2007, and Malaysia scored 81.1% in 2005. India, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam scored higher than Indonesia, ranging from 66.8% to 56.7%, in various years as far back as 2011. Thailand remains the worst performer in Southeast Asia with a 33.6% compliance score based on a 2015 audit, which compelled the government to undertake sweeping reforms of the country's underfunded and undermanned aviation regulation system. Cambodia also scored poorly at 40.3% in an ICAO audit in 2014. However, the assessments conducted by the ICAO and the EU differ in several respects, and Indonesian authorities have suggested there is a disconnect between the two bodies. When asked to comment on EU assessments of other countries' air safety, ICAO spokesman Anthony Philbin said the UN agency did not audit individual airlines, airports, manufacturers, maintenance companies or other industry entities and did not comment on the activities of other organisations or states that do. He said the focus of the ICAO's safetyrelated monitoring was on the resources, legislation and procedures that state governments set out in order to fulfill their responsibilities under the Chicago Convention to oversee aviation safety in their territories. "In general, whether in Asia Pacific or other world regions, the ICAO helps states to cooperate and coordinates assistance and capacitybuilding to help them improve the effective level of implementation of all global standards and recommended practices for civil aviation," Philbin said in an email to Asia Focus. The EU sent a technical team to Indonesia in April to conduct onsite evaluations and field observations, after which civil aviation authorities and representatives from the three airlines on the EU list were invited to brief officials in Brussels about their progress. Chappy Hakim, a former Indonesian Air Force officer and transport safety expert, said it seemed unfair that EU regulators could ban Indonesian airlines from European skies, while allowing airlines from Europe to fly to a country such as Indonesia where the ICAO deems safety oversight deficient. "And how come they now allow airlines overseen by a regulator that they deemed non- compliant by their standards, to fly to Europe?" he asked rhetorically. He suggested there could be a relationship between Lion Air's exclusion from the blacklist and its record order of 234 Airbus jetliners in 2013 at a time when the airline was still on the list because of its spotty safety record. But Guerend denied any link to the $24billion order made with the European plane maker. 8/3/2016 Upward flight path | Bangkok Post: business http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourismandtransport/1049581/upward- flightpath 4/12 "Obviously the only thing that matters here is safety for EU passengers and ultimately, the safety of Indonesian passengers. This is the only requirement and the only concern," he said. There are still 52 Indonesianregistered airlines among 216 airlines from 19 countries, mainly in African, banned from EU skies. The flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, the parent of Citilink, was removed from the EU blacklist in 2009 and now has regular scheduled flights to London and Amsterdam. Other airlines excluded from the ban in 2009 were Airfast Indonesia and Ekspres Transportasi Antarbenua or Premiair, followed by AirAsia Indonesia in 2010. http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism-and-transport/1049581/upward-flight- path Back to Top Two Indigo aircraft narrowly escape mid-air collision over Guwahati (India) Two Indigo aircraft miraculously escaped colliding with one another over Guwahati, leaving some passengers and crew members shaken and needing medical aid, officials said on Wednesday. At least four passengers and two cabin crew could feel the aircraft shake, a spokesman for Indigo Airlines said. The passengers complained of giddiness while the cabin crew needed first aid. The incident took place on Tuesday evening when an Indigo flight from Mumbai to Guwahati was about to land at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. "Indigo flight 6E 813 from Guwahati to Mumbai experienced turbulence due to monsoon, this caused the aircraft to climb 250-300 feet. At same time, aircraft 6E 136 was crossing the flight path of aircraft 6E 813. Following the protocol, the pilot took advisory action to maintain relevant separation," said the statement issued by Indigo Airlines. The airline spokesman said the flight finally made a normal landing. The four passengers and two cabin crew were given medical assistance. http://www.firstpost.com/india/two-indigo-aircraft-narrowly-escape-mid-air-collision- over-guwahati-2932394.html Back to Top Flight MH370 Update: 'We Need To Find The Airplane,' Prominent Pilot Says In Advocating For Extending Search The head of a union representing 4,500 Australian pilots urged officials this week to continue searching for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. David Booth, the president of the Australian Federation of Air Pilots, told the Australian Monday that evidence suggesting the plane was being piloted until it crashed into the Indian Ocean justifies extending the scan for the Boeing 777. "The idea that they are not going to search for the airplane to finality is a serious precedent in all aviation," Booth said. "This is critical to me as an aviator ... the airplane's missing, we need to find the airplane." MH370 vanished in March 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. Representatives from Australia, which is leading the 120,000-square-kilometer sweep for the plane, met with ministers from Malaysia and China last month and issued a statement confirming their plans to suspend the search without new evidence, Reuters reported. The decision immediately inspired backlash from the victims' families, even though Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai told reporters he wasn't "giving up" on looking for debris from the plane. Booth's newly announced opinion that the hunt should continue "will add pressure on the government to reconsider [its] decision," the Australian wrote. Discussions about ending the search have coincided with a New York Magazine report that MH370's pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, flew a similar route on his flight simulator just before the incident. In a statement, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau debunked the rumors, writing that "the simulator information shows only the possibility of planning" and not "what happened." Booth came out after Canadian aviation expert Larry Vance told Australia's "60 Minutes" he thought the condition of the wing flaperon found last year indicated that "somebody was flying the plane at the end of its flight." This assertion is difficult for the Australian government to swallow because it could mean investigators haven't been looking in the right places for evidence of the crash, according to the Australian. http://www.ibtimes.com/flight-mh370-update-we-need-find-airplane-prominent-pilot- says-advocating-extending-2397052 Back to Top Qantas flight to Dubai turns back to Sydney Qantas flight QF1 to Dubai has turned back to Sydney, just an hour into its journey. The Airbus A380 was reportedly flying at 9,800 feet instead of the normal 25,000 when it turned around west of Parkes in New South Wales. "The captain of today's QF1 from Sydney to Dubai decided to return to Sydney about an hour into the flight after a cockpit indicator light reported a fault with part of the system that helps regulate the cabin temperature," a Qantas spokesman said. "This system carries hot air from the engines which is used to help heat the cabin." The plane took off from Sydney at about 4.10pm. The crew elected to return to Sydney rather than fly on to Darwin or Singapore, turning around over the town of Condobolin. "Because the flight was only an hour out of Sydney, it was more practical to return to Sydney where we do a lot of our A380 maintenance to have the fault inspected," the spokesman said. "Our engineers are on standby for the aircraft's arrival and we hope to have the fault fixed and customers on their way as soon as possible." The Qantas spokesman said the flight would need to dump fuel before landing at Sydney. It is not yet known when the plane will be able to land. https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/32227584/qantas-flight-to-dubai-turns-back-to- sydney/#page1 Back to Top FAA Charters Safety Team To Prevent UAS Accidents Association For Unmanned Vehicle Systems Intl. WASHINGTON-Building on the success of the government-industry Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) in reducing airline accident rates, the FAA is chartering an Unmanned Aircraft Safety Team (UAST) to address issues raised by growing unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operations. Announcing the move Aug. 2 at a White House workshop organized by the Office of Science and Technology (OSTP), FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the team will bring together a wide variety of stakeholders from the drone (small, commercial UAS) and aviation industries. Modeled on the CAST, the UAST will analyze safety data to identify emerging threats that drones might pose to aircraft, people and property, and develop consensus-based, nonregulatory interventions to mitigate potential causes of accidents involving UAS. The FAA previously announced it is chartering another stakeholder group, the Drone Advisory Committee, to help the agency prioritize regulatory actions that will follow release of the FAA's Part 107 small-UAS rule, which will take effect Aug. 29. Huerta said the next rulemaking action will be the proposed rule for operations of small UAS, which is scheduled to be published for public comment by the end of this year. This will provide the framework for use of drones near crowds for newsgathering. Under its Pathfinder program, the FAA is already working with CNN to establish rules for operating UAS in urban areas; with PrecisionHawk for extended-visual-line-of-sight (EVLOS) operations 2--3 nm from the UAS operator; and with BNSF Railway for longer- range beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations. Several government and industry actions to expand the use of UAS were announced to coincide with the OSTP workshop. Among them are plans for operational testing of the Project Wing delivery service being developed by X, the advanced research arm of Google partner Alphabet. Flights at one of the six FAA-designated UAS test sites will enable Project Wing "to gain full operational experience of its delivery service in a safe testing environment," OSTP stated. Testing will include operations with external loads and build toward BVLOS operations. "Data gathered will be shared with government partners to help regulators answer critical safety and human factors questions for UAS cargo delivery operations," OSTP said. Project Wing will also begin to develop and deploy an open-interface airspace-management system for safe low-altitude operations. Startup Zipline International demonstrates the viability of UAS for disseminating critical care supplies to isolated communities in the U.S., with FAA-approved flights to deliver blood and medicines to remote locations in Maryland, Nevada and Washington state, including Native American reservations. On the government side, NASA and the FAA are launching a data-exchange working group to recommend by fiscal 2017 a format for information to be shared across the parties involved in UAS traffic management (UTM), including operators, service providers and the FAA. NASA is developing the technologies to enable low-altitude UTM in a series of increasingly capable spirals, with the second of four planned technical capability levels to be demonstrated in October at the Nevada UAS test site. NASA plans to turn over its UTM research to the FAA in 2019 for further testing. The Interior Department is to train first responders to rapidly deploy small UAS for search and rescue, with a training program to be in place by October 2018. By December 2017, payloads now carried by manned aircraft will be adapted to UAS to augment the fleet and to reduce cost. A process for rapid prototyping of new UAS payload is to be in place by January 2018. By July 2017, the department will share near-realtime fire-location information with the public in an effort to prevent unauthorized drone incursions halting manned-aircraft operations over wildfires. The department is working on its first drone service contracts for wildland fire monitoring. In 2017, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is to use an optional piloted aircraft to show whether gravity measurements required for floodplain mapping can be gathered as precisely, but less expensively, by UAS as by manned aircraft. NOAA also plans to investigate the use of shipboard UAS to extend the observational radius of its ships. Finally, the U.S. Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General is to release the results of a study into the public's "rapidly evolving" opinion of drone delivery, the OSTP says. This includes how the public would view drone delivery if it was offered by the U.S. Postal Service. www.aviationweek.com Back to Top The FAA is Hiring Air Traffic Controllers In preparation for the future workforce, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that it will be accepting applications from entry-level candidates for air traffic controller positions from Aug. 8-15. "We provide the safest, most efficient airspace system in the world and we need exceptional people to support our mission," said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. The FAA regulates the aviation industry to ensure that every person who travels through America's skies arrives safely at their destination. The FAA employs more than 14,000 air traffic controllers who are largely responsible for carrying out this mission. The job vacancy announcement for the position of Air Traffic Control Specialist-Trainee will be available on USAJobs.gov, the federal government's official job site. If you're interested in applying, you can establish an online account today. This is a highly competitive position. The agency expects more than 25,000 applications for approximately 1,400 positions during the seven-day job opening. All applicants will need to meet basic qualifications and answer specific questions for this position once the job is announced. Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCS) are responsible for the safe, orderly, and expeditious movement of air traffic through the nation's airspace. Developmental controllers receive a wide range of training in controlling and separating live air traffic within designated airspace at and around an air traffic control tower or radar approach control facility, or air route traffic control center. As a new ATCS, you will spend your first several months of employment in an intensive training program at the FAA Academy located in Oklahoma City, OK. The FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 affected the ATCS hiring process. As a result of this legislation, candidates who graduated from a Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) program are required to submit proof of graduation and an appropriate recommendation from the CTI institution. Eligible veteran candidates are required to provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty within 120 days of the announcement closing. The FAA strongly encourages potential applicants to take the necessary measures to obtain this information as soon as possible to receive consideration for ATCS positons. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12239650/the-faa-is-hiring-air-traffic- controllers Back to Top Tajikistan aviation is crumbling ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The Civil Aviation industry of Tajikistan is crumbling as its national carrier, "Tajik Air," has only two operational aircrafts, while private company Somon Air has nine operational aircrafts to connect this landlocked country with the rest of the world. Tajik Air operates only with two aircrafts while Lahore-Dushanbe flight operations closed down. Tajikistan has closed down its flight operations to Lahore, Pakistan, those which were started on May 6, 2016. This route was projected as a diplomatic breakthrough between Islamabad and Dushanbe, and Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Nawaz Sharif, during his visit to Dushanbe in May mentioned air linkage between Lahore-Dushanbe as a great diplomatic development. However, travel experts believed in May that the inception of Lahore-Dushanbe flight operations was just a political decision and feared closure of the flights in the coming months. Now, fears of travel experts have been justified by the decision of private firm Somon Air to drop Lahore as its destination from its booking system. According to information provided by Tajik Transport Minister Sherali Ganjalzoda during a press conference that was held on August 1, Tajikistan has sought financial investments for its civil aviation industry. Meanwhile, travel and tourism experts believe that the civil aviation industry is crumbling in Tajikistan, and currently flights are being operated to only 12 destinations and a total number of flights of 21 per week. Travel experts claim that Tajikistan has not invested in its civil aviation industry since its independence from the former Soviet Union despite being a landlocked country. Its runways were constructed during the Soviet era, and even its biggest and most important airport of Dushanbe was last reconstructed back in 2005. According to travel experts, the civil aviation industry of Tajikistan needs large financial investments for purchasing modern aircraft and reconstruction of landing strips and airport buildings, but international companies are not showing their interest to invest in Tajikistan for several reasons, including complicated laws and rules for international investments. According to official data, Somon Air now has nine operational aircraft, while Tajik Air has only two operational aircraft and another one is under repair. Tajik Air is the State Unitary Aviation Enterprise known as Tajikistan Airlines and is the national airline of Tajikistan, established in 1923 as a division of Aeroflot in Tajikistan. http://www.eturbonews.com/73401/tajikistan-aviation-crumbling Back to Top Method to reinforce carbon nanotubes could make airplane frames lighter, more damage-resistant MIT aerospace engineers have found a way to bond composite layers, producing a material that is substantially stronger and more resistant to damage than other advanced composites. The improvement may lead to stronger, lighter airplane parts. Credit: Christine Daniloff/MIT The newest Airbus and Boeing passenger jets flying today are made primarily from advanced composite materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic-extremely light, durable materials that reduce the overall weight of the plane by as much as 20 percent compared to aluminum-bodied planes. Such lightweight airframes translate directly to fuel savings, which is a major point in advanced composites' favor. But composite materials are also surprisingly vulnerable: While aluminum can withstand relatively large impacts before cracking, the many layers in composites can break apart due to relatively small impacts-a drawback that is considered the material's Achilles' heel. Now MIT aerospace engineers have found a way to bond composite layers in such a way that the resulting material is substantially stronger and more resistant to damage than other advanced composites. Their results are published this week in the journal Composites Science and Technology. The researchers fastened the layers of composite materials together using carbon nanotubes-atom-thin rolls of carbon that, despite their microscopic stature, are incredibly strong. They embedded tiny "forests" of carbon nanotubes within a glue-like polymer matrix, then pressed the matrix between layers of carbon fiber composites. The nanotubes, resembling tiny, vertically-aligned stitches, worked themselves within the crevices of each composite layer, serving as a scaffold to hold the layers together. In experiments to test the material's strength, the team found that, compared with existing composite materials, the stitched composites were 30 percent stronger, withstanding greater forces before breaking apart. Roberto Guzman, who led the work as an MIT postdoc in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro), says the improvement may lead to stronger, lighter airplane parts-particularly those that require nails or bolts, which can crack conventional composites. "More work needs to be done, but we are really positive that this will lead to stronger, lighter planes," says Guzman, who is now a researcher at the IMDEA Materials Institute, in Spain. "That means a lot of fuel saved, which is great for the environment and for our pockets." The study's co-authors include AeroAstro professor Brian Wardle and researchers from the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB. "Size matters" Today's composite materials are composed of layers, or plies, of horizontal carbon fibers, held together by a polymer glue, which Wardle describes as "a very, very weak, problematic area." Attempts to strengthen this glue region include Z-pinning and 3-D weaving-methods that involve pinning or weaving bundles of carbon fibers through composite layers, similar to pushing nails through plywood, or thread through fabric. Method to reinforce carbon nanotubes could make airplane frames lighter, more damage- resistant The researchers' technique integrates a scaffold of carbon nanotubes within a polymer glue. They first grew a forest of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes and transferred it onto a sticky, uncured composite layer. "A stitch or nail is thousands of times bigger than carbon fibers," Wardle says. "So when you drive them through the composite, you break thousands of carbon fibers and damage the composite." Carbon nanotubes, by contrast, are about 10 nanometers in diameter-nearly a million times smaller than the carbon fibers. "Size matters, because we're able to put these nanotubes in without disturbing the larger carbon fibers, and that's what maintains the composite's strength," Wardle says. "What helps us enhance strength is that carbon nanotubes have 1,000 times more surface area than carbon fibers, which lets them bond better with the polymer matrix." Stacking up the competition Guzman and Wardle came up with a technique to integrate a scaffold of carbon nanotubes within the polymer glue. They first grew a forest of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes, following a procedure that Wardle's group previously developed. They then transferred the forest onto a sticky, uncured composite layer and repeated the process to generate a stack of 16 composite plies-a typical composite laminate makeup-with carbon nanotubes glued between each layer. To test the material's strength, the team performed a tension-bearing test-a standard test used to size aerospace parts-where the researchers put a bolt through a hole in the composite, then ripped it out. While existing composites typically break under such tension, the team found the stitched composites were stronger, able to withstand 30 percent more force before cracking. The researchers also performed an open-hole compression test, applying force to squeeze the bolt hole shut. In that case, the stitched composite withstood 14 percent more force before breaking, compared to existing composites. "The strength enhancements suggest this material will be more resistant to any type of damaging events or features," Wardle says. "And since the majority of the newest planes are more than 50 percent composite by weight, improving these state-of-the art composites has very positive implications for aircraft structural performance." Stephen Tsai, emeritus professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University, says advanced composites are unmatched in their ability to reduce fuel costs, and therefore, airplane emissions. "With their intrinsically light weight, there is nothing on the horizon that can compete with composite materials to reduce pollution for commercial and military aircraft," says Tsai, who did not contribute to the study. But he says the aerospace industry has refrained from wider use of these materials, primarily because of a "lack of confidence in [the materials'] damage tolerance. The work by Professor Wardle addresses directly how damage tolerance can be improved, and thus how higher utilization of the intrinsically unmatched performance of composite materials can be realized." http://phys.org/news/2016-08-method-carbon-nanotubes-airplane-lighter.html Back to Top The Air Force Just Cleared the F-35 Fighter Jet for Combat After a stunning 15 years of development and countless delays, the US Air Force just declared the first squadron of F-35A fighter jets ready for combat. The 34th Fighter Squadron at Utah's Hill Air Force Base can now go fight bad guys anywhere in the world. This marks a major victory for the Air Force and represents the second branch to clear the very expensive jet for battle. The military can finally prove that the trillion or so dollars the Pentagon has committed to the project wasn't a waste of taxpayer dollars. After all, what could go wrong that hasn't already gone wrong? http://gizmodo.com/the-air-force-just-cleared-the-f-35-fighter-jet-for-com-1784711788 Back to Top 3 Indonesian volcanoes erupt, disrupting some flights JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Eruptions at three volcanoes in Indonesia have darkened skies in parts of the archipelago and disrupted some flights. Mount Rinjani on Lombok Island near Bali, the Sinabung volcano on Sumatra Island and Mount Gamalama in the Moluccas chain of islands have all erupted in the past couple of days. No one has been injured, but flights at two airports have been disrupted. Sultan Babullah airport in Ternate, the capital of North Maluku province, was closed Wednesday and Lombok's international airport was closed for several hours on Tuesday. The three mountains are among about 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The archipelago of 250 million people is prone to earthquakes and volcanoes because it sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a string of faults that lines the Pacific Ocean. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman for Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency, said that Gamalama and Sinabung erupted again late Tuesday, blasting debris high into the air. Hot ash tumbled down the Sinabung slopes as far as 2,000 meters (yards) southward into a river. Nugroho said that farms and trees around the three volcanoes were covered in gray ash, but nearby towns and villages were not in danger. More than 13,000 people have been evacuated due to volcanic eruptions since last year, mostly from around the slopes of Sinabung. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/9dfccf8445f7428a98bdf98365c2d978/3-indonesian- volcanoes-erupt-disrupting-some-flights Back to Top Hawaiian Airlines develops apprenticeship program to train aviation mechanics Hawaiian Airlines said Monday that it has teamed up with Honolulu Community College and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers trade union to launch a new apprenticeship program in Hawaii for recruiting and training local candidates interested in a career as aviation mechanics. The airline's Aircraft Mechanic Apprenticeship Program, in partnership with the college's aeronautics maintenance technology study program, will provide on-the-job experience for up to eight candidates as they work toward obtaining their airframe and powerplant license, which is a Federal Aviation Administration certification. Hawaiian Airlines has teamed up with Honolulu Community College and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers trade union to launch a new apprenticeship program for aviation mechanics. Hawaiian Airlines has teamed up with Honolulu Community College and the International... more To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in an accredited A&P FAA school such as Honolulu Community College for at least six months, or have previous military or aviation experience and be in the process of obtaining their A&P license. Participants who earn an A&P license and "demonstrate strong performance" will be guaranteed a position with Hawaiian Airlines, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: HA), as a full-time aircraft mechanic, the airline said in a statement. Successful applicants will start the program on Sept. 12 under the supervision of a lead mechanic. They will be paid as a mechanic and perform hands-on repair and preventive maintenance work on Hawaiian Airlines aircraft for up to 18 months and a maximum of 20 hours per week. Apply for the apprenticeship program here. http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2016/08/01/hawaiian-airlines-develops- apprenticeship-program.html Back to Top PolyU announces new programmes to give Hong Kong youngsters careers in aviation A shortage of education pathways has prompted the university and the government to develop new courses and a Civil Aviation Academy to encourage graduates in the field Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) will be the first local university to offer a government-funded bachelor's degree in aviation management from next year, helping to fill in an educational void in Hong Kong. PolyU has been approved to offer a Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) in Aviation Management and Logistics commencing September 2017. The programme will launch as a non-Jupas, two-year top-up programme for higher diploma and associate degree holders, and may evolve into a four-year degree for secondary school leavers in the future. Despite Hong Kong's status as an international air transport hub, no local universities currently offer undergraduate degrees in aviation management. Aviation engineering degrees are currently only available at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and PolyU. Achim Czerny, associate professor at PolyU's Department of Maritime and Logistics, will head the newly-announced aviation management programme. "When people think of aviation education, they may not be thinking about Hong Kong at first. I do believe more should be done and more can be done," he said. "All the people we talked to in the industry said there is a strong need for more aviation managers ... and we have already received a lot of interest for more aviation courses from students. We believe we will have no difficulties filling the 40 places in the first batch." PolyU's announcement is expected to be welcome news for the city's aspiring aviation professionals with some Hong Kong youngsters resorting to expensive alternatives in Australia, Canada or the UK. Jason Middleton, head of the School of Aviation at the University of New South Wales in Australia, told the Post that Hong Kong has been the biggest source of foreign students for the school. The fees for international students at the Australian school are as high as AUD$39,360 (HK$231,490) per year, in addition to a one-time AUD$138,000 (HK$811,628) fee for those in the flying stream. Middleton said however, that mainland student enrolment increased in recent years. PolyU's announcement comes after the Hong Kong government announced in January that the Airport Authority is working to establish a Civil Aviation Academy. The aviation academy will be aimed at strengthening local and regional aviation management talent and hopes to "develop Hong Kong into a centre for aerospace financing". The Airport Authority told the Post that the format and scope of the academy is still being considered with details and timelines yet to be made public. In a statement made in January, the Airport Authority said it would develop the training scope, curriculum and operational details of the proposed academy by the end of the year. Sources said the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Academy is expected to offer short-term vocational training to people already in the industry and would not function as an educational institution those in mainland China, such as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics or Shenyang Aerospace University. Law Cheung-kwok, Director of Policy at the Aviation Policy and Research Centre at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said there is limited access to aviation-related careers for young people in the city. "Young people in Hong Kong have few educational pathways into the aviation industry. More aviation degrees at local universities are urgently needed," he said. He said Hong Kong's proposed Civil Aviation Academy does not have to do the job of universities, but it should conduct in-depth research into the city's future aviation labour demands and come up with solutions. http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1998238/polyu- announces-new-programmes-give-hong-kong 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 RSVP by contacting Erin Carroll, DFRC President by September 1 Email: erin.carroll@wnco.com or Telephone: (214) 792-5089 Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Request I am Mohsen Berajeh, MSc student within an aircraft maintenance at the university of South Wales. I am conducting a research about outsourcing strategy in aircraft maintenance as a technique to improve safety, cost control and increase aircraft availability. However, part of my study contains a short survey questionnaire, this survey is just 10 questions and will not take more than 10 min. My study would look at the role of outsourcing in aircraft maintenance industry, where the maintenance market is heavily influencing the operating costs Therefore, the airlines implement the outsourcing as a successful approach for continuous improvement to face the world growing competition. Moreover, optimizing aircraft maintenance as a manner of strengthening their market share and confronting challenges in terms of a survival strategy. All operators, maintenance organisations, manufacturers, and owners are most welcome to participate in this questionnaire. Please click the link below to go to the survey. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CRNQGDZ Your participation in a questionnaire will be highly appreciated. Thank you for your time. Mohsen Berajeh 15002519@students.southwales.ac.uk Curt Lewis