Flight Safety Information August 9, 2016 - No. 155 In This Issue British Airways jet attacked with laser pen as pilot prepares to land at Heathrow Airport Action against pilots in 28 cases this year, says Govt (India) Ethiopia: Authority Set to to Improve Nation's Aviation Safety, Air Navigation Service Air Safety: The Fate of EgyptAir Flight MS804 Fighter jet crashes into barrier at Homestead air base; no one injured Boca widow sues over Ohio jet crash that killed nine Will Kuwait Purchase Pakistan's New Fighter Jet? New Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner could be direct London-Perth flight Cardiff Aviation to deliver Air Djibouti 737-400 GAO: Fuel Fraud Law Costs Aviation Trust Fund Billions NASA charges toward greener aviation with novel concepts NASA's new camera makes rocket engines look like Hollywood CGI ISASI 2016, Reykjavik, Iceland...17 to 20 October, 2016 (ISASI) DFW Regional Chapter (DFRC) Summer Meeting, September 8, 2016 British Airways jet attacked with laser pen as pilot prepares to land at Heathrow Airport Flight BA759 from Bergen in Norway was targeted by the green laser on at 9.20pm on Monday evening - raising fresh safety fears A laser was shone into the cockpit of the BA flight (file picture) A British Airways flight fell victim to a laser pen attack while making its final approach to Heathrow airport tonight. Flight BA759 from Bergen was targeted by the green laser on at 9.20pm on Monday evening. The attack raises fresh concerns over the potentially fatal consequences of laser pen attacks on passenger jets as they take off and land at UK airports. A former US Navy pilot warned earlier this year that an increasing number of such incidents could lead to a "terrible tragedy." Dr Steve Schallhorn, who is Chief Medical Director at Optical Express and a former US Navy pilot, said there needed to be more education about the irreversible eye injuries that can be caused by laser pens. Pilots at Birmingham Airport are facing more than one potentially-deadly laser pen attack every week - the worst outside of London. The BA flight was approaching Heathrow Airport when it was attacked A pilots' union called last month for the lasers to be classified as "offensive weapons" after a New York-bound plane had to turn back to Heathrow Airport after being targeted by yobs. The West London airport is the only site in the UK where pilots suffer more attacks than Birmingham, the Birmingham Mail reports . The latest available figures show that pilots flying out of Heathrow were targeted 48 times in the first six months of 2015, whilst there were 32 attacks at Birmingham. "Laser attacks on pilots are exploding and could lead to a terrible tragedy if people continue to target aircraft," Dr Schallhorn, one of the world's top ophthalmologists, said. "The problem is that I'm not sure that people who misuse powerful laser pens actually understand the harmful effect they can have on vision. "Sudden exposure to a laser beam during a critical phase of flight such as take-off or landing could seriously distract or disorient a pilot, causing a disruption in concentration or instrument scanning. "And when viewed directly, powerful lasers can cause irreversible eye injury by burning the retina. "The severity of injury depends on the amount of radiation that enters the eye and the length of exposure, but you only need to look at a laser beam for a few seconds to suffer devastating damage. "Other possible side-effects include glare, which can cause reduced vision, and flash blindness, which obliterates a portion or all of a pilot's visual field and cause the occurrence of after images. "Flash blindness is similar to but much more intense than the reaction to a strobe flash from a camera or the reflection of bright sunlight from a window, windshield or mirror - and it lasts much longer." ApexLaser PenLaser: Authorities have warned that the pens can be potentially dangerous According to the Civil Aviation Authority , almost 9,000 laser incidents were reported across the UK between January 2009 and June 2015. It is illegal to shine a light at an aircraft in flight so as to dazzle or distract the pilot. Dr Schallhorn, who trained fighter pilots while he was in the US Navy, also urged caution over the purchase and use of laser pens. He added: "Laser pens should be bought from reputable retailers and those who already own laser pens to ensure they follow the safety instructions. "As these devices are increasingly powerful, I would urge anyone who thinks they have looked at a laser to consult an optometrist. "Those who have suffered laser exposure should also refrain from rubbing their eye and possibly inducing further injury." http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/british-airways-jet-attacked-laser-8591477 Back to Top Action against pilots in 28 cases this year, says Govt (India) In calendar year 2015, there were 43 cases of violations by pilots and all were related to alcohol positive cases. Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, informed Rajya Sabha that 26 cases of pilots being tested positive for alcohol during pre-medical tests were detected till July 31. (Source: Express file photo) Action was initiated against pilots in 28 cases this year till July for violation of flying rules, including testing alcohol positive during pre-flight tests, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, informed Rajya Sabha that 26 cases of pilots being tested positive for alcohol during pre-medical tests were detected till July 31. There was one case of violation of "cockpit/cabin discipline" and another on operating flight beyond validity of pilot proficiency check, says the written reply. In calendar year 2015, there were 43 cases of violations by pilots and all were related to alcohol positive cases. A total of 98 instances of violations by pilots were recorded in 2014, including three cases of allowing unauthorised entry into the cockpit. "The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued warnings to three pilots of IndiGo Airlines who had taken selfies when the aircraft was on ground," Sinha said. Last month, some pilots of IndiGo came under the scanner of regulator DGCA for allegedly taking pictures in the cockpit with family members. In a separate written reply, Sinha said the Ministry would focus on core areas including revival of 50 unserved/ under-served airports in tier II and tier III towns/cities, as part of the regional connectivity scheme in a phased manner from 2016-17 to 2019-20. The proposed infrastructure spending in airports owned by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in the next three years is Rs 9,770 crore, he noted. Out of this, Rs 5,000 crore will be spent on new projects and upgradation and expansion of 10 airports. Besides, Rs 2,700 crore would be spent on upgradation work, currently in progress at 19 airports. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/action-against-pilots-in-28-cases- this-year-says-govt-aviation-jayant-sinha-2963825/ Back to Top Ethiopia: Authority Set to to Improve Nation's Aviation Safety, Air Navigation Service The Authority is in the best position among African countries which have good civil aviation standards. The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority announced plan to engage in human power capacity building, fulfilling global aviation safety and air navigation standards and also building aviation infrastructure this budget year. At an appraisal meeting yesterday, Authority Director General Colonel Wosenyeleh Hunegnaw said that his authority is striving to improve nation's aviation safety and air navigation service. Col. Wosenyeleh said the authority is working as per international standards and is playing its due role in generating revenue to the economy. Besides, the Authority has become backbone to the Ethiopian Airlines excellent service delivery. As it is equipped with modern communication and radar system, last fiscal year air navigation and safety duties performance were successful, he added. " Globally , our safety capacity is more than international average. But, we are in the best position among African countries, which have good civil aviation standards. In addition to local demand, we offer training to other sister countries in air navigation system. Most African countries do not fulfill global safety standards." He said the Authority is providing reliable, safety control and air navigation service. Transport and Planning Director Endeshaw Yigezu also said the authority has planned to expand its local and international destinations during GTP II. In aviation safety, Ethiopia has become exemplary to most African countries, he added. http://allafrica.com/stories/201608081074.html Back to Top Air Safety: The Fate of EgyptAir Flight MS804 Alan B. Hoffman EgyptAir Flight MS804, an Airbus A320, left Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at 21:09 UMT (Universal Mean Time, 11:09 p.m. Paris time)[1] on May 18, 2016, bound for Cairo with 56 passengers, seven crew members and three security personnel on board. At 23:24 UMT, the plane entered Greek airspace. Air traffic controllers last spoke to the pilot at 23:48 UMT. He was in good spirits and reported no problems at that time. According to data sent back to the airline via the aircraft's onboard Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) satellite reporting system, thirty eight minutes later, at 00:26 UMT, smoke was detected in a lavatory. One minute later, smoke was also reported in the avionics bay which contains the aircraft's electronics and computers below the cockpit. Controllers tried to make contact with the plane, but the aircraft did not respond. Radar returns then showed it making a 90 degree left turn, followed, by a full circle to the right, while dropping from 37,000 to 10,000 feet. Radar contact was lost at 00:30 UMT, when the aircraft was 174 miles from the Egyptian coast. Debris and body parts were soon found on the ocean surface near the plane's last known location. Immediately after the event, Egypt's civil aviation minister stated that the possibility of a terrorist attack bringing down the aircraft was stronger than technical failure. The media and political figures were quick to treat it as a terrorist act. But two months later, what is known about the fate of MS804? Although the aircraft went down in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean, less than a month later a specialized deep ocean search vessel located the wreckage on the sea floor at a depth of 9,800 feet and recovered the "black boxes" (flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder). Badly damaged, they were flown to France for repair and restoration, and were then returned to Egypt, where the accident investigation is being conducted. A deep ocean search vessel operating under contract to the Egyptian government has recovered human remains at the crash site and delivered them to forensic doctors and prosecutors. The ship will return to the crash site to continue searching for undiscovered remains. Egyptian officials now say that evidence found in the wreckage and data retrieved from the flight data recorder contains information consistent with the ACARS messages showing smoke in one of the lavatories and the avionics bay located under the cabin floor and behind the cockpit, where key electronics are housed. Egyptian crash investigators have also said that recovered wreckage shows signs of high temperature damage and soot. And the investigators have stated that the cockpit voice recording shows that the pilots tried to extinguish an onboard fire. The flight data recorder data, the cockpit voice recording, the ACARS satellite based reporting system data, and the physical wreckage showing heat damage are all consistent with fire and smoke in a lavatory and the avionics area. All of the forensic evidence developed and released to date points to an on-board fire of unknown origin. In France, the Paris prosecutor's office has opened a manslaughter investigation into the crash. The prosecutor says it is not looking into terrorism as a possible cause of the crash at this stage, and no group has claimed responsibility for it. The investigation into the loss of EgyptAir flight 804 is far from over. Extraordinary search, recovery and investigative efforts have already yielded much relevant physical evidence and data, and there is good reason to believe that the probable cause of the accident will ultimately be determined. The investigation results underscore the importance of avoiding the speculative rush to judgment that is all too common in the immediate aftermath of air disasters, and of relying on the results of careful scientific analysis of the evidence to determine the true facts of these tragic events. http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=e4caf809-08f8-4e9a-8908-a1fabf83d5e4 Back to Top Fighter jet crashes into barrier at Homestead air base; no one injured An F-16 pilot with the 495th Fighter Group, Detachment 93, takes off at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., July 10, 2013. An F-16 fighter jet, similar to the one pictured, crashed into a barrier at the Homestead Air Reserve Base Monday morning, Aug. 8, 2016. An F-16 Fighting Falcon jet crashed into a safety barrier at the Homestead Air Reserve Base Monday morning during takeoff, according to Air Force officials. The jet, which is assigned to the 482nd Fighter Wing, hit the safety barrier "due to an aborted takeoff," the Air Force said in a news release. No one was injured in the crash. The pilot was heading out on a routine training mission at about 9:30 a.m. when the accident happened. Investigators are now looking into what cause the pilot to hit the barrier. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami- dade/homestead/article94476092.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top Boca widow sues over Ohio jet crash that killed nine WEST PALM BEACH - The widow of one of seven employees of a Boca Raton firm killed when their corporate jet crashed in Ohio last year is suing the estates of the dead pilots and the Fort Lauderdale-based companies that owned, leased or chartered the ill-fated aircraft. In a lawsuit filed last week in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, the widow of Gary Shapiro claims negligence caused the British Aerospace 125-700 jet to crash into an apartment building as it was attempting to land at Akron Fulton International Airport in Ohio. All seven employees of PEBB Enterprises, a commercial real estate company, and the two pilots were killed in the November crash. Corey Shapiro is seeking an unspecified amount in damages for herself and the couple's two young daughters. Gary Shapiro, 35, and his co-workers were on a business trip to scout property when the jet descended too quickly, clipping trees and power lines before crashing into the apartment building and bursting into flames, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. It is still investigating the crash. According to a cockpit recording released by the NTSB, flight officer Renato Marchese, 50, was flying the jet with the help of pilot Oscar Chavez. Marchese had been fired from a previous job because he wasn't learning fast enough and didn't pay attention to details, investigators said in a report. The recording that was recovered from the burned wreckage captures Chavez's alarm before the crash. "You can't keep decreasing your speed," he says to Marchese. "If you keep decreasing your speed ... we gonna stall." About two minutes later, Chavez warns Marchese again. "You're diving. You're diving. Don't dive. Two thousand feet per minute, buddy," Chavez says. That's twice the rate an aircraft should descend for a landing. In the lawsuit, lawyer Christian Searcy claims the two pilots "operated the aircraft at a dangerously low altitude with no safe landing site available." They made other mistakes that cost them and the seven PEBB employees their lives, he claims. He also faults jet owner Rais Group International NC LLC and Execuflight Inc., which leased the jet, for not properly maintaining the aircraft. Air Charter Service Inc., which arranged the flight for PEBB, is also being sued for failing to properly vet the aircraft owners and charter service. None responded to requests for comment. http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/news/crime-law/boca-widow-sues-over-ohio- jet-crash-that-killed-ni/nsCLq/ Back to Top Will Kuwait Purchase Pakistan's New Fighter Jet? Pakistan has offered the JF-17 fighter jet and Super Mushshak trainer aircraft to the Kuwait Air Force. The chief of air staff of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Air Chief Marshall Sohail Aman, offered the possible sale of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 Thunder fighter jets and PAC Super Mushshak trainer aircraft to his Kuwaiti counterpart, Major General Abdullah Yaqoob Al-Fodri, during a four day visit to Kuwait last week. Up until now, Pakistan has failed to secure a large export contract for its first domestically developed and produced combat aircraft. Despite good military-to-military relations between Pakistan and Kuwait-among other things, Kuwaiti pilots train in Pakistan- prospects for a sale are slim given that Kuwait recently ordered 28 Eurofighter Typhoons fighter jets for an estimated $9 billion. Pakistan, however, could still succeed in pitching the JF-17B two-seat trainer variant to Kuwait for lead-in-fighter training. As I reported previously (See: "Two-Seat Variant of China-Pakistan JF-17 Fighter Jet to Fly in 2016"), Islamabad is expecting the maiden flight of the two-seat JF-17B variant to take place by the end of this year. The PAF plans to officially induct the first JF-17B lead-in-fighter trainer (LIFT) aircraft in April 2017. Pakistan produced a total number of 16 JF-17 Thunder aircraft in 2015 and intends to increase production to 24 fighter aircraft in 2016. Pakistan produces 58 percent of the airframe and China 42 percent. The JF-17 is intended to replace the PAF's fleet of Dassault Mirage III/5 fighter jets by 2o20. Overall, there are 65 JF-17 aircraft currently in service with the PAF. "The JF-17 is a lightweight, single-engine, multirole combat aircraft, powered by a Russian-designed but Chinese-built Klimov RD-93 (RD-33 derivative) turbofan, capable of reaching a top speed of Mach 1.6. The fighter purportedly has an operational range of around 1,200 kilometers (745 miles)," I noted previously. According to IHS Jane's Defense Weekly, the JF-17 has "seven underwing/fuselage hardpoints, and is equipped with an internal GSh-23-2 twin-barrel cannon. Weapon options include up to four PL-5, -7, -8 or -9 short-range air-to-air missiles (AAMs) or four PL-12/SD-10B medium-range AAMs; two C-802A anti-ship missiles; two anti-radiation missiles; five 500 kg bombs; twin launchers for up to eight 250 kg, MK-20, GBU-12 or anti-runway bombs; single 1,000 kg bomb or GBU-10; or up to three mission pods." In comparison to the JF-17, Pakistan has had more success in exporting its MFI-17 Super Mushshak military training aircraft, a PAC licence-built variant of the Saab MFI-17 Supporter aircraft, and is close to scoring a major export order, according to IHS Jane's Defense Weekly. Islamabad appears to be in the final stages of concluding a deal to export 52 Super Mushshak trainer aircraft to Turkey. Previous customers of the MFI-17 have included Iran, Iraq, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. http://thediplomat.com/2016/08/will-kuwait-purchase-pakistans-new-fighter-jet/ Back to Top New Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner could be direct London-Perth flight Boeing 787 Dreamliner Final assembly of the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner takes place at the company's Everett, Washington plant May 21, 2007. Reuters/Robert Sorbo The aviation industry would be more competitive which is why a German bank foresees lower full-year profit for Australian flag carrier Qantas. However, the flying roo is expecting a new jet in 2017 which could open new routes for the company and make it soar above rivals. The Telegraph reports that Qantas is scheduled to receive its first Boeing 787 in 2017. It opens the possibility for the air carrier to announce new routes by late 2016, including a likely direct flights between London and Perth. If Qantas gets regulatory approval for the long-haul route, it would compete with the world's longest commercial flight, Emirates' Dubai-Auckland route, covering 8,819 miles and 17 hours and 15 minutes to fly. Qantas's longest long-haul flight is the Dallas-Sydney leg which covers 8,578 miles. In preparation for the arrival of a new Dreamliner, Qantas purchased a $23-million Boeing 787-9 simulator installed at the company's Mascot headquarters, supplementing an existing simulator at the Jetstar facility in Melbourne. By having a simulator, Qantas would have the ability to replace older and less efficient jets and deliver potential new routes, says Alan Joyce, Qantas Group CEO. The air carrier's flight training centre runs 24/7, overseen by a team of trainers and check captains to ensure Qantas pilots are among the best in the world, Joyce says, reports Tenplay. The B787 simulator would certify a new generation of Qantas aviators to fly the next-generation plane. As Qantas moves toward the newer aircraft, it cancelled its eight orders for A380 with Airbus. Although the A380 is well-liked by air travelers, airline demand for the four-engine jet failed to meet expectations. Instead, many airlines shift to the smaller but more fuel- efficient twin-engine planes like the 787 amid changing oil prices. VIDEO: The Beauty of Boeing's 787-9 Dreamliner on Display Source: Boeing http://www.ibtimes.com.au/new-qantas-boeing-787-dreamliner-could-be-direct-london- perth-flight-1524798 Back to Top Cardiff Aviation to deliver Air Djibouti 737-400 Air Djibouti should launch revenue services on 15 August using a Boeing 737-400, with operations set to be expanded around the end of this year with a 767-200ER which is ready to undergo preparation in the UK. Being provided by Cardiff Aviation company VVB Aviation Malta, the 737-400 is scheduled to leave St Athan airport in Wales on 9 August. After collecting additional air and cabin crew in Malta, the narrowbody will arrive in the African nation two days later. Cardiff Aviation chairman Bruce Dickinson - who will be among the crew flying the 737 to Djibouti - describes the type as a "perfect, and very robust aircraft" for the nation's aviation requirements. After testing of infrastructure including ticketing and baggage handling in-country, initial services will include transporting pilgrims to the annual Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Other likely near-term destinations are Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, plus Kenya; and scheduled services to Dubai should commence "in fairly short order", says Dickinson. Following the lead aircraft's introduction, he says, Air Djibouti could wet-lease a BAe 146 or Avro RJ regional jet to build local services before its 767-200ER becomes available. The widebody is already at Cardiff Aviation's St Athan facility, where it is to undergo a heavy C-check and also receive a new interior. After its arrival, the aircraft - a former Silverjet asset now owned by the Djibouti government - will begin operations to London Gatwick airport. Dickinson says the launch of operations for Air Djibouti should prove Cardiff Aviation's "airline in a box" concept, which includes the provision of aircraft, crews, maintenance and insurance, plus personnel training, adhering to European Aviation Safety Agency standards. The activity also should prove profitable for the nation "very quickly", he adds. Noting that the same operating model "would work equally well" for other African and Southeast Asian nations, Dickinson says Cardiff Aviation is eyeing "two or three" other opportunities at the moment, although these have yet to develop into letters of intent. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/cardiff-aviation-to-deliver-air-djibouti-737- 400-428331/ Back to Top GAO: Fuel Fraud Law Costs Aviation Trust Fund Billions The aviation trust fund has lost between $1 billion and $2 billion "or more" in tax revenues as a result of the decade-old fuel fraud law, a U.S. government watchdog has found. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on August 8, finding that less than half of noncommercial jet fuel tax receipts are getting deposited into the aviation trust fund and aviation fuel vendors have overpaid by as much as $230 million in fuel taxes as a result of the fuel fraud law. Enacted as part of the 2005 highway bill, the fuel fraud law was designed to discourage truck drivers from purchasing aviation jet fuel to avoid paying the 2.5-cent-per-gallon higher tax levy on highway diesel fuel. The law requires noncommercial jet fuel to be treated as highway diesel fuel-taxed at the same rate and deposited into the highway trust fund until approved aviation vendors demonstrate that the fuel was used for aviation purposes and seek refunds. Congress directed the GAO study after industry leaders raised concerns about the losses in aviation revenues, harm to small businesses and cumbersome requirements. The GAO's report traced the history of the fuel fraud measure, noting fears that truck drivers were using various means to avoid billions in highway diesel fuel taxes and pointing to activity where six individuals pled guilty to illegally blending jet fuel with diesel fuel. But GAO questioned the extent of the problem, noting that "reported instances of jet fuel diversion for non-aviation purposes are rare, and economic and technological disincentives may further discourage such activity." The IRS has cited some instances of jet fuel tax diversion, but had no documentation of instances that occurred before the enactment of the fuel fraud law. Further, over the past decade, the average price of jet fuel was $2 per gallon more than the cost of highway diesel fuel, the GAO said, providing economic disincentive for such diversion. The watchdog agency also reported that new emission standards have evolved diesel engines to the point that the higher-sulfur-content jet fuel could damage the emission-reducing technologies. Aside from the underlying justification of the rule, GAO found that many vendors that are authorized to seek the tax refunds aren't filing for them. While the GAO does not have an exact accounting of the total number of approved fuel vendors ("ultimate" vendors), the agency's analysis indicates that only about a quarter of those vendors filed a claim for a refund in Fiscal Year 2015. Filing for refunds is voluntary. Industry stakeholders pointed to numerous reasons for the dearth of refund claims, including the challenging process for vendors to register for authorization. Also, for many vendors the refund on 2.5 cents per gallon is not enough to go through the hassle of seeking a refund. Stakeholders also noted that documentation required to prove fuel was used for aviation purposes may be difficult to obtain. The net result is the funds are remaining in the highway trust fund. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), who spearheaded the congressional directive for the GAO study, reacted to its results by saying Congress must fix the problem it created by the fuel fraud measure. "This GAO report not only confirms that the fuel fraud provision is deeply flawed and misguided; it demonstrates that the impact on general aviation is far worse than we originally thought," he said. "This policy serves no practical purpose in the real world and has accomplished nothing short of robbing the aviation industry of billions of dollars over the past decade." "The report quantifies the dramatic impact of this revenue diversion that is undermining the viability of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund," agreed Andrew Priester, chairman of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), which has long urged Congress to overturn the 2005 fuel fraud law. Priester added that the amounts lost to the trust fund are "simply staggering" and said, "Consider how many new runways, instrument approaches or additional air traffic control towers could have been built had this money been available for its intended purpose." NATA officials also noted that the report questions the rationale behind the tax law and whether it serves any purpose in the future. "The GAO report lays bare the fact there was never much utility to the provision," said NATA senior v-p William Deere. "In 2005, the policy change was justified by a belief the 2.5-cent per gallon difference between the highway diesel and jet fuel tax rates somehow incented truckers to use jet fuel. This ignores the fact that in 2005 the average price of highway diesel was $1.30 less than jet fuel. Today, the disparity between those prices is even greater." Deere added that the FAA "presciently predicted" that the measure would create a burden and harm the trust fund. The FAA wrote the Internal Revenue Service in late 2005 that "the solution to [the highway diesel fuel tax] problem should not harm legitimate aviation users in a fragile industry or create significant administrative burden." The FAA had asked the IRS to set aside the rule until the affected industries could hammer out a workable rule, but that request was unheeded. The report provides industry advocates with the necessary background to seek the overturn of the fuel fraud law. However, they still face an uphill battle in convincing lawmakers to make a change since the law is creating a windfall for the highway trust fund. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2016-08-08/gao-fuel-fraud- law-costs-aviation-trust-fund-billions Back to Top NASA charges toward greener aviation with novel concepts NASA research teams have gotten the go-ahead to explore five big ideas that could transform aviation in the coming years. Credit: NASA NASA has selected five green technology concepts that have the potential to transform the aviation industry in the next decade by reducing aircraft fuel use and emissions. The concepts were selected under NASA's Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program for a two-year study. The topics, including three specifically targeted at electrically- propelled aircraft are: * alternative fuel cells; * using 3-D printing to increase electric motor output; * the use of lithium-air batteries for energy storage; * new mechanisms for changing the shape of an aircraft wing in flight; and * the use of a lightweight material called aerogel in the design and development of aircraft antenna. These five concepts, in addition to three of the six selected in 2015, address NASA's green aviation initiatives to cut fuel use by half, lower harmful emissions by 75 percent, and significantly reduce aircraft noise. "There definitely was an emphasis in our selections on bringing forward activities that addressed a NASA aeronautics goal to reduce the carbon footprint of aviation during the 21st century," said program manager Doug Rohn. Though there can be no guarantee the studies will result in deployable technologies, given the novelty of the concepts, researchers are confident much critical data and information will be gleaned from the studies that will inform future green aviation concepts and research efforts. "Is failure an option? It depends on your definition of failure. We're going to ask the questions and see if these ideas are feasible or not. A successful feasibility assessment may determine the concept won't work," Rohn said. More information: For more information about the selections, visit go.nasa.gov/2aWongE Provided by: NASA http://phys.org/news/2016-08-nasa-greener-aviation-concepts.html#jCp Back to Top NASA's new camera makes rocket engines look like Hollywood CGI HDR video of a seriously powerful booster NASA has created a camera that can film slow motion footage of booming rocket engines with higher dynamic range than ever before. It's called the High Dynamic Range Stereo X camera, or HiDyRS-X, and late last week the agency released some of its footage to the public for the first time. The three-minute clip shows the most recent test of one of the boosters for NASA's upcoming Space Launch System rocket in unprecedented detail. SLS will use two of these 17-story tall solid rocket boosters, each of which is capable of burning 5.5 tons of propellant per second to create 3.6 million pounds of thrust. The problem when it comes to filming tests like these (and eventually, launches) is that the plumes of fire they produce are extremely bright. This usually leaves camera operators with two choices. They can either expose the footage for the bright plume, which will leave everything else in the shot looking dark and underexposed. Or they can expose for everything else in the shot, which leaves the plume looking bright white and void of detail. The HiDyRS-X camera solves this problem because the camera can capture all of this detail in one shot, and it does this in a fairly clever way. Where regular high-speed cameras usually only captures video one exposure at a time, HiDyRS-X can capture multiple exposures at a time. Those exposures are then combined into one HDR video that looks like it came straight from a Hollywood VFX house. As beautiful as the footage is, the test actually highlighted a few failures with the current system, according to NASA. First, the camera's automatic timer failed to go off, and so the team missed the rocket igniting. One of the operators was quick enough to flip the manual override switch, but shortly after that, the pressure being generated from the booster knocked the camera's power source loose. Howard Conyers, a structural dynamist at NASA who works on the project, said in a statement that he was "bummed" about the failures. But Conyers added that the footage is proof that HiDyRS-X works, and the failures gives them things to work on as NASA moves towards the first SLS test flight in 2018. "Failure during testing of the camera is the opportunity to get smarter," Conyers said. "Without failure, technology and innovation is not possible." http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/8/12404970/nasa-hdr-camera-rocket-boosters-test- watch?yptr=yahoo 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 Curt Lewis