Flight Safety Information August 15, 2016 - No. 159 In This Issue Flap May Help Unravel Flight 370's Final Moments Japan to investigate ANA 787-8 engine failure NAS-Kingsville jet crashes in Jim Well County (Texas) Piper Navajo Accident (Alabama) Hawaiian Airlines flight from Maui to L.A. delayed for more than 12 hours 6 hospitalized after Spirit Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Orlando Improving Aviation Safety in Africa: The key is integration Society of Aviation and Flight Educators Supports Move to Technically Advanced Aircraft AIRBUS PLANS AUTONOMOUS CARGO AIRCRAFT Another Flight Cancellation Nightmare: Are Airlines Skimping on IT? 'The Travel Detective' Explains How Airlines Became A 'Mafia' 270 airline crew violated safety norms this year: DGCA data (India) Nepal to strengthen inspections for pilots to ensure air safety Indonesian Airlines Can Fly to the U.S. Again RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) pilots set to receive $35,000 annual bonus Air Force chief of staff: Pilots getting half the training they need Maiden flight of giant helium-filled airship postponed JFK airport: All-clear given after report of shots fired NASA Is Testing the Engine For its Quiet-Boom Supersonic Jet Battles in the sky for aircraft broadband The FAA Announces A New Center of Excellence At 60, LeTourneau aviation school known as one of best SpaceX Sticks Another Landing Watch..."The Crash Detectives Book Trailer"...on YouTube ISASI 2016, Reykjavik, Iceland...17 to 20 October, 2016 (ISASI) DFW Regional Chapter (DFRC) Summer Meeting, September 8, 2016 Flap May Help Unravel Flight 370's Final Moments Boeing 777 piece found in June offers best new clue to whether missing Malaysia Airlines jet was still under pilot control CANBERRA, Australia-Investigators believe debris found off Tanzania in June offers the best new clue to the final moments of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, including whether it was under pilot control. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which has spent weeks studying the piece-a main flap from a Boeing 777, which experts say is "highly likely" to be from Flight 370-aims to complete its analysis in around two weeks. Its conclusions will be part of a broader report to be reviewed by experts, including from Boeing Co., before being released to the public. Investigators continue to seek answers to one of the world's biggest aviation mysteries even as governments prepare to suspend the search after months spent scouring the floor of the southern Indian Ocean failed to find any trace of the plane. Flight 370 vanished from radar en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board. Authorities have long believed the plane wasn't under human control at the time of its apparent crash, based on communications between the aircraft and an Inmarsat PLC satellite. That communications data-central to fixing on a 120,000 square-kilometer search area, more than 90% of which has now been covered-suggest Flight 370 was plummeting at a rate of at least 12,000 feet a minute when it entered the water. Peter Foley, program director for the Operational Search for Flight 370 at the ATSB, said the main flap is particularly significant because damage analysis may determine how it broke off the plane. Unlike other parts recovered so far, such as the flaperon found on Réunion Island and being examined in France, the main flap is deployed manually. "It has to be deployed by a human, from the cockpit," Mr. Foley said in an interview. "And you have to have hydraulic power to do so." The flap, its honeycomb interior clearly visible, now sits on an office desk in a room at the ATSB's Canberra headquarters that resembles an ordinary garage more than a sterile laboratory. Among the clues being sought by investigators: impact marks where hydraulic actuator arms were situated-which Mr. Foley said would help determine whether they were in a normal housed position or deployed at impact-and damage to the material within the flap, which could indicate the speed and angle of the aircraft as it hit the water. "The good thing about engineering is that it's generally pretty conclusive, it's either one way or it's not that way," Mr. Foley said. "The evidence points you in a direction." The Fugro Equator on the hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean, a search hampered at times by rough weather and heavy seas. A recent analysis by Australian defense scientists of burst frequency signals from Flight 370 to satellites indicated the aircraft had been descending fast, likely in an automated series of swooping dives called fugoids. The high speed points away from a gliding descent under pilot control, Mr. Foley said. "So in a sense, quite recently, it put a line under our thinking in terms of alternate scenarios," he said. While analysis of the main flap may provide a strong indicator about what happened when the plane entered the water, it offers fewer clues about Flight 370's whereabouts. Australian ocean current modeling has showed some debris could have drifted thousands of miles west toward Africa from the search area. Mr. Foley said the flap analysis would be passed to the governments of Australia, Malaysia and China to decide whether it justifies extending the search, which the three countries said on July 22 would be suspended if the current area doesn't yield results. 'We are pushing the boundaries of aviation research and analysis.' -Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester "Governments are at the point where they need us to present them with some fairly compelling evidence of where that aircraft is before they are going to extend the search," said Mr. Foley. "We're working harder to find that crucial piece of evidence. We need something that is going to give us something pretty conclusive about what happened at the end of the flight, where that aircraft impacted the sea." Authorities haven't drawn firm conclusions around why the flight veered sharply off its intended flight path, turning hard to the west and then flying steadily south toward a remote corner of the Indian Ocean. "Unfortunately, this is not an exact science," Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester said in an interview. "We are pushing the boundaries of aviation research and analysis, and in many ways we are pushing the boundaries of human endeavor to search one of the most inhospitable places on the planet, in water six kilometers deep." "The fact that we are doing additional drift modeling and continuing to analyze satellite modeling, and revisit all the evidence and data, is an indication that we are not giving up on this search," he said. http://www.wsj.com/articles/flap-may-help-unravel-flight-370s-final-moments- 1470979725 Back to Top Japan to investigate ANA 787-8 engine failure An All Nippon Airways (ANA) Boeing 787-8 aircraft suffered an "engine failure" at Tokyo Narita International airport on 14 August. In response to queries made by FlightGlobal, ANA says that the aircraft, registered JA840A, was about to "perform the takeoff roll when the engine failed." It was operating as flight NH959 from Tokyo Narita to Shanghai Pudong at 13.55 local time when the incident happened. Japanese reports indicate that the incident took place at Narita's runway 34L, and that a rejected takeoff was performed. While ANA could not comment on damage suffered by the aircraft, online images suggest flames emerging from the 787's left engine. Although parts were later found on the runway, ANA was unable to say if these fragments came from the aircraft's Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-67 C engine. All 240 passengers and crews were safe, says the airline. The aircraft has since been grounded, pending investigations by the airline and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau, adds ANA. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the 787-8 was delivered to ANA in July 2015, where it operates and manages the aircraft. It is owned by an entity named Diamond Mint since October 2015. www.flightglobal.com **************** Incident: ANA B788 at Tokyo on Aug 14th 2016, rejected takeoff due to engine failure An ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-800, registration JA840A performing flight NH-959 from Tokyo Narita (Japan) to Shanghai (China) with 240 people on board, was accelerating the engines for takeoff from Narita's runway 34L when the left hand engine (Trent 1000) failed with a loud bang prompting the crew to reject takeoff at low speed (about 20 knots). The aircraft returned to the apron, metal debris reportedly blades from the engine needed to be removed from the runway. http://avherald.com/h?article=49c93f39 Back to Top NAS-Kingsville jet crashes in Jim Well County (Texas) A jet plane from NAS-Kingsville crashed Sunday night during a routine training exercise. The crash happened around 9 p.m. on County Road 432, just north of Premont and 17 miles southwest from NAS-Kingsville. According to a NAS-Kingsville official, the T45A Goshawk Jet was being flown by two pilots, a pilot student, and an instructor. They were conducting an exercise when something caused the plane to go down. The two were able to eject safely from the plane and were reported to have minor injuries. They were transported to a local hospital by ambulance. There have been no reports of any ground damage done due to the crash. The cause of the crash will be investigated by the Department of the Navy. http://www.kristv.com/story/32757492/plane-crashes-in-jim-wells-county ************** T-45A GOSHAWK TRAINING AIRCRAFT Description The T-45A Goshawk is a tandem-seat, carrier capable, jet trainer whose mission is to train Navy and Marine Corps pilots. Features The T-45A aircraft, the Navy version of the British Aerospace Hawk aircraft, is used for intermediate and advanced portions of the Navy/Marine Corps pilot training program for jet carrier aviation and tactical strike missions. The T-45A has replaced the T-2 Buckeye trainer and the TA-4 trainer with an integrated training system that includes the T-45A Goshawk aircraft, operations and instrument fighter simulators, academics, and training integration system. There are two versions of T-45 aircraft currently in operational use at this time, the T-45A and T-45C derivatives. The T-45A, which became operational in 1991, contains an analog design cockpit while the new T-45C (began delivery in December 1997) is built around a new digital "glass cockpit" design. General Characteristics Primary Function: Training platform for Navy/Marine Corps pilots. Contractor: Boeing Company. Date Deployed: First flight, April 1988; Operational, 1991. Unit Cost: $17.2 million. Propulsion: Rolls Royce F405-RR-401 turbofan engine with 5,527 pounds thrust. Length: 39 feet 4 inches (11.98 meters). Height: 13 feet 6 inches (4.11 meters). Wingspan: 30 feet 10 inches (9.39 meters). Weight: Take-off maximum gross, 13,500 pounds (6,075 kg); empty 9,394 pounds (4,261 kg). Airspeed: 645 miles per hour (1038 km per hour). Ceiling: 42,500 feet. Range: 700 nautical miles (805 statute miles, 1288 km). Crew: Two (instructor pilot, student pilot). Armament: None. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&tid=2000&ct=1 Back to Top Piper Navajo Accident (Alabama) Date: 14-AUG-2016 Time: 11:20LT Type: Piper PA-31-325 Navajo C/R Owner/operator: Oxford University Aircraft Charters LLC Registration: N447SA C/n / msn: 318312016 Fatalities: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: E of Tuscaloosa Regional Airport, AL - United States of America Phase: Approach Nature: Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Kissimmee Gateway (KISM) Destination airport: Tuscaloosa Rgnl (KTCL) Narrative: Following a pilot reported loss of engine power, the aircraft impacted trees and terrain east of the approach end of Runway 30 at Tuscaloosa Regional Airport, Alabama. The aircraft was destroyed and the six occupants onboard received fatal injuries. Firefighters made it to the site within three minutes of the crash but were unable to save any of the six people on board. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=189278 Back to Top Hawaiian Airlines flight from Maui to L.A. delayed for more than 12 hours A spokesperson for Hawaiian Airlines said that a flight from Maui to Los Angeles was delayed for close for more than 12 hours. We got news of the delayed flight from a couple of passengers who expressed their frustration to our Report It feature on our website. HA 56 was scheduled to depart at 8:45 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, but instead left Maui for LAX at 10:41 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 14. The flight was initially delayed while an auxiliary power unit was being serviced. The part is not required to fly the plane, but is required to be operational on all West Coast flights. The flight was then further delayed because "the crew timed out and required rest." With restaurants closed and hotels booked for the night, passengers were given snacks, pillows and blankets for their overnight stay at the Maui airport. The spokesperson also said flight passengers were provided vouchers for breakfast, as well as travel vouchers because of the extended delay. The number of passengers affected by the delay was not know, but the spokesperson said "We accommodated passengers where possible on other flights. ... The travel credit was $500." The airline offered its apologies to the inconvenienced passengers. http://khon2.com/2016/08/14/hawaiian-airlines-flight-from-maui-to-l-a-delayed-for- more-than-12-hours/ Back to Top 6 hospitalized after Spirit Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Orlando Six people were taken to the hospital after a Spirit Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Orlando International Airport Friday. The plane was forced to land after smoke was reported in the cockpit, said airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell. Fennell said the flight took off about 4 p.m. with 179 passengers and was heading to Latrobe, Pa. The plane returned to Orlando shortly after 5 p.m. The plane landed safely, but seven people requested medical attention and six of those were taken to the hospital, Fennell said. The six hospitalized were crew members who complained of nausea and trouble breathing. It's unclear what led to the smoke. No flames were seen, authorities said. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-injuries-emergency-landing- orlando-international-20160812-story.html Back to Top Improving Aviation Safety in Africa: The key is integration On 16 June 2016, the European Commission seven-year-ban on all Zambian registered carriers into European Union (EU) airspace was lifted. This ban was imposed following several findings, and a significant safety concern in the air operator certification process, revealed through an ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) audit on the Zambian civil aviation sector. The European Commission, under Regulation (EC) No. 2111/2005, has powers to ban operators registered in particular states, that fail to meet international safety and regulatory oversight standards, from entering the airspace of all EU member states. Non EU members like Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland would not grant landing permission either, because they are committed to EU aviation safety standards, and further, inbound flights into their territories have to transit through airspace controlled by other EU member states. Zambia was finally cleared after taking corrective action over a seven year period, which addressed the findings and significant safety concern. Why should Zambia- with more than half of its population living below the poverty line- invest in aviation safety and regulatory oversight, to match the standards of a developed EU member state like Germany? According to the July 2016 World Bank development indicators database, the total nominal GDP of Zambia is 22 billion U.S dollars, while that of Germany is 3.3 trillion U.S dollars. Article 37 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation mandates all contracting states to ensure uniformity in regulations, standards, procedures and organization in relation to aircraft, personnel, airways and auxiliary services. This implies that standards should be the same in all contracting states, regardless of level of economic development. Zambia, being a contracting state, is bound by the provisions of article 37. Regulators, service providers, and airport operators have to comply with the same international minimum requirements regardless of flight frequency, cargo or passenger statistics. Countries with a small aviation industry and ultimately, less resources, always find difficulty complying with the requirements of Article 37. Regional integration is the best option for contracting states without adequate resources to satisfy the requirements of Article 37 above. Under Article 77, states may come together, pool resources and form regional integration projects or joint operating organizations. This can be achieved by setting up common infrastructure like: * Training academies; like Euro Control, which provides air traffic control and air traffic management training for EU member states. Before breakup of the East African Community in 1977, EACAA (East African Civil Aviation Academy) provided training for pilots, instructors, maintenance engineers and flight operations officers for all East African states. * Airlines; like Scandinavian Airlines, which is owned by Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Air Afrique was partly owned by Air France and Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. East African Airlines was owned by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. * Regional safety oversight organizations; like ACSA (Central American Agency for Aviation Safety), EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency), EAC CASSOA (East African Community Civil Aviation Safety, Security and Oversight Agency) established in 2007 under the revived East African Community. * Air Navigation Service Providers; like Euro Control which provides air navigation services to Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands and North West Germany through its Maastricht upper area control center. Common infrastructure provides an excellent framework for pooling of technical expertise and cost sharing on regional projects like aviation safety oversight organizations. For example, EAC CASSOA hosts the East African civil aviation personnel licensing examination databank. This ensures uniformity in the region as all personnel (pilots, air traffic controllers, instructors, flight operations officers, cabin crew and maintenance technicians) are examined at the same standard prior to licensing. All East Africa Community states have adopted aviation regulations, technical guidance materials, forms and checklists drafted by EAC CASSOA. Enforcement is left to the national civil aviation authorities. CASSOA periodically dispatches technical teams to inspect facilities in EAC states, to advise on how the same can be improved and bring them in line with ICAO standards and recommended practices. Burundi, the smallest East African state is a recent beneficiary. In March 2016, Burundi requested, and CASSOA sent a team of experts to evaluate and advise on rehabilitation of aerodrome movement areas, and erection of a modern control tower at Bujumbura international airport. CASSOA undertook to assist Burundi by supervising the project up to completion, train technical staff at Bujumbura airport and equip them with the necessary skills for future construction projects at the airport. Burundi could not have achieved this on its own due to lack of resources and expertise. In Europe, EASA sets standards for EU members, and also for airlines of non EU members that fly into the EU. Common infrastructure ensures harmonization of regulations, policies, technical procedures and standards for the benefit and safety of all countries in the regional integration project. The updated EU list as of 16 June 2016 is dominated by African states namely; Angola, Benin, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Republic of Gabon, Liberia, Libya, Republic of Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, and Republic of the Sudan. The EU has totally banned or imposed operational restrictions on airlines registered in these states. The irony is that most of them are located in regions, or share borders with states, which meet international safety and regulatory oversight standards, and whose carriers fly into the EU. Possible assistance for the listed states, is a border crossing away. Aviation is a small industry in Africa, is expensive and ICAO standards will always haunt many African states. Regional integration is the best way to ensure compliance with the requirements of article 37. None of the East African states is on the EU list, thanks in part, to the EAC CASSOA. http://www.eturbonews.com/73719/improving-aviation-safety-africa-key-integration Back to Top Society of Aviation and Flight Educators Supports Move to Technically Advanced Aircraft Change would offer welcome relief to flight training providers. Technically Advanced Aircraft Using TAAs could solve the problem of being unable to locate enough traditional complex aircraft to meet training and check ride demands. Nearly three-quarters of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) members who answered the organization's survey at AirVenture 2016, voted in favor of allowing technically advanced aircraft (TAAs) to be substituted for the complex aircraft currently required to complete the practical portion of a commercial pilot or certified flight instructor check ride. Traditional complex aircraft include retractable landing gear, a constant speed propeller and flaps, but a TAA includes at least an IFR-certified GPS navigation system, a moving map display and an integrated autopilot. Most TAAs also include an electronic primary flight display (PFD). Flight training organizations in the U.S. currently face significant difficulty locating enough traditional complex aircraft to meet training and check ride demands, a problem the TAAs could solve. Along with their scarcity, the few traditional complex aircraft that can be located are quickly becoming cost prohibitive. In many areas, the only solution has been to conduct these practical exams in multi-engine aircraft, an even more expensive option. The FAA believes both problems are making the pursuit of these certificates less and less attractive to candidates, just as the demand for qualified pilots is on the rise. In the same AirVenture survey, SAFE members were less enthusiastic about another of the NPRM's proposals that would no longer require the presence of a CFI when a pilot is using a full flight simulator, flight training device or aviation training device for IFR currency. Specifically, only 42.8 percent of SAFE attendees agreed or strongly agreed with that proposal. The results of the SAFE survey were sent to the FAA prior to the August 10 closing date for comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, NPRM-2016-6142-001, which calls for flight training industry regulatory relief. http://www.flyingmag.com/society-aviation-and-flight-educators-supports-move-to- technically-advanced-aircraft Back to Top AIRBUS PLANS AUTONOMOUS CARGO AIRCRAFT Aircraft developer Airbus has announced plans to develop an autonomous flying vehicle platform for cargo transport. Research is underway via Airbus's innovation center in Silicon Valley, which aims to examine the potential for autonomous air transport of breakbulk cargo as well as passengers. "In as little as 10 years, we could have products on the market that revolutionize urban travel for millions of people," said Rodin Lyasoff, A3 project executive at Airbus. The project, dubbed Vahana, is still in its early stages, but is expected to draw on Airbus's global supply chain expertise and the project's team of internal and external developers. Partners have already agreed on a vehicle design to begin building and testing vehicle subsystems. http://www.breakbulk.com/airbus-plans-autonomous-cargo-aircraft/ Back to Top Another Flight Cancellation Nightmare: Are Airlines Skimping on IT? Both Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines have been forced to cancel thousands of flights in the past month due to major IT outages. For the second time in less than a month, one of the largest U.S. airlines has canceled thousands of flights due to a critical IT failure. Last month, Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) was the victim. This past week, it was Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL). Both system outages caused huge headaches for customers. Meanwhile, both Southwest and Delta have incurred significant costs related to their IT meltdowns. Is this a sign that airlines aren't investing enough money in their IT infrastructure? Chaos at Southwest Airlines On July 20, Southwest Airlines experienced a router failure, which caused a massive nationwide technology outage. Southwest's backup and recovery systems didn't work as planned, and it ultimately took 12 hours to get everything up and running again. Airline Southwest Airlines Plane Luv Boeing SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CANCELED 2,300 FLIGHTS IN THE SPAN OF FOUR DAYS IN JULY. IMAGE SOURCE: THE MOTLEY FOOL. In addition to taking down the company's website, the technology outage caused Southwest to cancel about 2,300 flights over the span of four days. (In addition to flight cancellations on the day of the outage, Southwest was forced to cancel additional flights in the next few days, largely due to planes and flight crews being out of position.) These cancellations will have a significant negative impact on Southwest Airlines' Q3 financial performance. Southwest recently estimated that the outage will have a 0.5 percentage point negative impact on Q3 unit revenue. It also expects an incremental increase of 1 to 2 percentage points in its Q3 unit costs, excluding fuel, profit sharing, and special items. This probably puts the total cost of the outage at $40 million-$50 million after tax. That doesn't include any potential reputational damage that might hurt Southwest's future revenue. Delta Air Lines melts down, too In the past week, Delta Air Lines has faced a similar nightmare. On Monday morning, a power control module failed at Delta's Technology Command Center. As was the case at Southwest, some systems successfully switched over to backups as they should have, but others did not. The result was a similar multiday spiral of delays and cancellations. Delta canceled roughly 1,000 flights on Monday and another 775 on Tuesday as it worked to get its systems fully operational again. It also canceled more than 300 flights on Wednesday and a handful on Thursday. DELTA'S RECENT IT OUTAGE ALSO CAUSED MORE THAN 2,000 FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS. IMAGE SOURCE: THE MOTLEY FOOL. It's too early to get a sense of how much this technology snafu will cost Delta, but it's likely to be substantial. Aside from the lost revenue from flights that were canceled and the additional costs created by all the disruption, Delta has offered $200 vouchers to every customer who suffered a flight cancellation or a delay of more than three hours between Monday and Wednesday. Another series of payouts could be triggered if Delta falls behind the other legacy carriers in terms of delays and flight cancellations for the full year. As part of its corporate contracts, Delta offers travel credits ranging from $1,000 to $250,000 for any year where it falls behind both American Airlines and United Continental on those metrics. Fortunately, Delta probably won't have to pay up on that on-time guarantee. That's because it is usually far more reliable than either of its rivals. As CEO Ed Bastian noted earlier this week, Delta canceled more than three times as many mainline flights on Monday as it had canceled in all of 2016 up until that point. More redundancy needed? With two big technology outages in the span of three weeks at major airlines, it's not surprising to see lots of people playing the blame game. Most of Southwest's big unions blamed CEO Gary Kelly and COO Mike Van de Ven, alleging that they are too busy spending money on stock buybacks to invest in better technology. Meanwhile, the head of the Airline Passenger Experience Association blamed the problems on an overreliance on automation. In both cases, the blame seems misplaced. Just a month before its IT outage, Southwest had described for investors a multiyear IT overhaul that is in the early stages of deployment. Southwest expects to spend about $500 million over three years on these upgrades, so it's hardly fair to say that the company is skimping. Furthermore, while in theory airlines could maintain the capability to seamlessly switch to fully manual operations, it would be extremely wasteful. To do everything by hand without delaying or canceling flights, airlines would need to carry far more staff than are ever needed for normal operations. That would drive up costs -- and by extension, ticket prices. If anything, the incidents at Southwest and Delta over the past month demonstrate just how complex airline technology systems are. Since they are needed on a 24/7 basis, 365 days a year, it's hard to fully test every potential scenario that could cause problems. As a result, it may be impossible to fully eliminate large-scale IT outages across the airline industry. Nevertheless, airlines should consider investing more capital to build even more redundancy into their systems. Two major IT failures and two backup system failures in the span of a month would suggest that the current precautions aren't sufficient. http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/08/14/another-flight-cancellation-nightmare-are- airlines.aspx Back to Top 'The Travel Detective' Explains How Airlines Became A 'Mafia' A couple checks flight schedules. Here's a quick tip from a veteran traveler for the next time you're taking a flight: When you get to the airport, disavow the departure time you see on the board. Instead, take the gate number and see what time the next flight is arriving there. "Departure boards haven't told the truth since 1947. All the departure board is really telling you is what time the plane is supposed to leave," says Peter Greenberg, "The Travel Detective," who is an author and travel editor for CBS News. "If nothing's arriving at that gate until next Tuesday, why would you ever go to that gate? You're not going." The key to traveling, he says, is to get information before everyone else and adjust your plans first. If you're counting on the airlines to send you alerts, it's already too late. Any tiny advantage is good in the world of airline travel - with small seats, diminishing free food options, more baggage charges, and large-scale computer problems causing cancellations. You would think that fees for things that used to be free would indicate an industry struggling to raise profits. But the airline industry is set to take in record profits of $39.4 billion in 2016, according to the International Air Transport Association, an industry trade group. Why The Airline Industry Could Keep Suffering System Failures Like Delta's To explain this discrepancy, Greenberg talked with NPR's Scott Simon about how the industry works and how it's changed over the past 20 years. On how the airline industry has changed in the past 20 years If the airlines are telling the truth, they've gone from being in the travel business to being in the human transportation business. It's all a numbers game. In order to understand what they've done, you need to go back about 20 years. Because 20 years ago, you had about 10 airlines competing for 88 percent of the market share. Today, because of mergers, consolidations - and in some cases, outright failures - you've got four airlines that own 88 percent of the market share. So the need to compete has sort of evaporated. Because imagine four mafia families, in the days of The Godfather. You know, somebody does numbers, somebody does drugs, somebody does prostitution - and nobody goes into anybody else's territory and everybody wins. It's true. And if you actually add to that, the airlines finally got disciplined when it came to capacity. They started reducing capacity when they no longer had the need to go fly to everywhere. There was a time when airlines felt they had to fly everywhere. Now, they only fly not for market share, but they fly for yield - how much they can get for any individual seat. So that explains in a way why almost every plane I've been on in the last three years is full; why many people find themselves sitting in the center seat next to the two sumo wrestlers. And, as a result ... we define a successful trip by how much we minimize the abuse. On the what it means to have a "terrible trip" I get phone calls all the time and emails all the time from people who are just outraged about the worst trip they've ever taken in their life, how it was horrendous, and it was worse than fighting in a war. And I always ask them two questions. Question number one: At any time during the flight, did you hit a mountain? No, you didn't. And question number two is: When you landed, did the wings cartwheel and explode into flames? You didn't have a terrible trip, you had the best trip ever, because you're alive. Why do we really go to travel anyway? To go from point A to point B and not die. I mean, I'm always reminded - and I travel over 400,000 miles a year, those are real miles. I'm reminded every time I get in this aluminum cylinder how amazing this experience is. On families being able to sit together Recently Congress agreed on something. I know that sounds amazing, but they did, and they passed the FAA reauthorization bill, which the president is signing. Tacked onto that bill ... is a requirement now that airlines must seat families together without charging them additional money. On "winning" against the airlines Good news at the end of the day is how people can put things in perspective and realize that the real key to flying these days is how to beat the airlines at their own game, playing by their rules - not my rules, not your rules - their rules. And it's capable of being done; it's possible to do it. I do it every day. http://www.npr.org/2016/08/13/489810932/the-travel-detective-explains-how-airlines- became-a-mafia Back to Top 270 airline crew violated safety norms this year: DGCA data (India) Violation of safety requirements such as being drunk while operating a flight can also attract imprisonment New Delhi: As many as 270 airline crew members, mostly pilots, were found violating safety norms this year by regulator DGCA which suspended over 150 of them, raising serious concerns about aviation safety. The number paints an alarming picture as there was a total of 275 "enforcement actions" by DGCA last year, compared 270 such actions being initiated in less than eight months this year. "Instances of safety violations are increasing. To curb such incidents, the regulator has stepped up surveillance activities," a senior DGCA official said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier this week suspended flying licences of two pilots of Air India and Jet Airways for four years as they were found to be drunk soon after operating international flights. It had also directed the airlines to register FIRs against them. Violation of safety requirements such as being drunk while operating a flight can also attract imprisonment. One cabin crew member each from the two carriers have also been suspended for the same violation for one year. As per latest data available with DGCA, there were safety violations involving around 270 airline crew members this year till 12 August and the number stood at 169 at the end of June. Most of them were pilots, flight commanders and first officers. Taking serious note of the lapse, a significant chunk were suspended by DGCA-an action which also indicated several instances of repeat violations. Generally, first-time violators are given warnings. The next time they are caught, the DGCA directs airlines to de-roster them from flying duty for a specific time period while repeat offenders are suspended. The enforcement action depends on the severity of violations. The break-up available till June-end show that DGCA took action against 169 airline crew members, of whom 110 were suspended, 28 "off-rostered" and 31 let off with warnings. The official said the count of violators has seen a spurt since then and from July till 12 August, 101 airline crew members were found violating various safety rules. According to DGCA data, 44 crew members, including pilots of Jet Airways faced enforcement actions this year till June-end, followed by IndiGo (25), Air India (22), SpiceJet (15), GoAir (8), Vistara (4) and AirAsia (2). On 11 August, minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha told informed Parliament that DGCA acted against 63 pilots of SpiceJet for operating flights beyond their stipulated duty hours. In 2014, there were 391 enforcement actions by the DGCA. http://www.livemint.com/Politics/C3Bbeq5ZDlCzslWPv33NCM/270-airline-crew-violated- safety-norms-this-year-DGCA-data.html Back to Top Nepal to strengthen inspections for pilots to ensure air safety KATHMANDU, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- As human errors have been pointed out as a major reason for increasing air accidents in Nepal, the Nepalese authorities have said that they would strengthen inspections for "health and behavior" of crew members. The Himalayan country witnessed six air accidents in the last one year, killing 36 passengers and crew members. Speaking at Committee for Good Governance and Monitoring of Nepalese Parliament on Friday, Sanjeev Gautam, director general of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), said that the CAAN has now decided to focus on addressing human behavior issue of the crew members. "We don't understand why the pilots are repeatedly entering clouds as it is a violation of the standard operating procedure," he said. Gautam told the lawmakers that the CAAN has issued a circular to airline operators telling them that if any pilots were found entering into cloud during the monsoon season, their licenses would be withdrawn immediately. Secretary of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Kumar Rai also said that the government would implement the policy of regular health check for pilots before they start a flight. Nepalese lawmakers said that if the current safety issues are not corrected immediately, anyone could be a victim. They said that repeated air accidents have spread the bad image of Nepal as a risky country for travel. The Himalayan country is under the significant safety concern list of International Civil Aviation Organization and the European Commission has banned Nepalese airlines to fly over the sky of European Union showing deficiency in Nepal's air safety. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/13/c_135593389.htm Back to Top Indonesian Airlines Can Fly to the U.S. Again A Garuda Indonesia plane takes off at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. The Southeast nation's transport ministry said it received a letter from the U.S. embassy saying Indonesia got elevated to Category 1, meaning local carriers including Garuda can fly to the U.S. and enter code-share agreements with U.S. airlines. Photographer: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg * Federal Aviation Administration raises rating to Category 1 * Move seen to aid flag carrier Garuda's expansion plans Indonesia, an aviation market with one of the world's worst safety records, had its air- safety rating upgraded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, a move that may add momentum to flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia's expansion plans. The Southeast nation's transport ministry said it received a letter from the U.S. embassy saying Indonesia got elevated to Category 1, meaning local carriers including Garuda can fly to the U.S. and enter code-share agreements with U.S. airlines. In 2007, the FAA had cut the rating to Category 2, citing serious concerns about the local civil-aviation regulator's safety oversight and operational control systems. "This is an achievement we've been waiting for since 2007," Suprasetyo, Director General for Air Transport at the ministry, told reporters in Jakarta. "There are several airlines that are ready to fly to the U.S." The higher rating holds better prospects for Garuda, which returned to profit last year, as it is allowed to add lucrative routes to North America. The upgrade came after the European Union scrapped a flight ban on Garuda in 2009 and in June this year abolished restrictions on three other Indonesian operators -- PT Lion Mentari Airlines, Batik Air and Garuda's low-cost unit Citilink. Among the four, only Garuda has scheduled flights to Europe. Easing Congestion Among efforts to improve its rating, Indonesia opened a new terminal at its main airport in Jakarta this month to ease congestion and has also added structures and equipment to bolster airport safety. "The efforts of the DGCA over the past year have demonstrated the commitment of the DGCA, the Ministry of Transportation and the Government of Indonesia to establishing a system of effective aviation safety oversight," the U.S. embassy said in its letter, referring to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the local regulator. A Category 1 rating means a nation's civil aviation authority complies with international standards. Category 2 means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee its airlines in line with minimum international standards, or its civil aviation authority is deficient in one or more areas. Several aviation accidents in recent years have left Indonesia with a fatal air-crash rate of more than three times the global average even amid the government's efforts to improve transportation safety. A shortage of skilled pilots, ground crew and air-traffic controllers as well as outdated equipment and planes have all contributed to the deadly accidents, including an AirAsia Bhd. Flight 8501 crash in December 2014 that killed all 162 people on board. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-15/indonesia-wins-air-safety- upgrade-from-u-s-in-gain-for-garuda Back to Top RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) pilots set to receive $35,000 annual bonus Maj. Bishane, a 432nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron MQ-9 Reaper pilot, controls an aircraft from Creech Air Force Base, Nev. Remotely piloted aircraft pilots work closely with intelligence officers, sensor operators and maintainers to complete mission objectives. RPA personnel deal with the stressors of deployed service members while maintaining the normalcy of their day-to-day lives through programs designed to enhance communication skills, family and spiritual growth. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.) WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James announced an increase to the service's remotely piloted aircraft pilot bonus Aug. 10 in a multi-pronged approach to increase RPA manning and incentivize RPA pilots within a community that has operated at surge capacity for more than 10 years. As part of the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force's RPA "Get Well" plan, RPA pilots who have completed their initial active-duty service commitment from training starting in fiscal year 2016 will be eligible to receive a bonus of $35,000 per year, $10,000 more than the current bonus, in exchange for an additional active-duty service commitment. RPA pilots who previously accepted a bonus will also be eligible for the increase in exchange for an additional year on their service commitment. Specific contract details will be forthcoming over the next few weeks. "The Air Force recognizes the important contribution RPA pilots make every day, and retaining these valued aviators to execute our current operations and shape the future is critical," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David. L. Goldfein. "While we applaud this effort, we recognize we have similar challenges across our entire pilot force, and we'd like the opportunity to offer higher retention bonuses for all our pilots." Currently, the Air Force is seeking legislation to fund an increase in aviation retention pay above the current limit of $25,000 per year for all pilots. This pay has not changed since 1999. "Money is important, but it isn't everything -- it isn't the be-all and end-all" James said. "As you've heard me say repeatedly, quality of life, quality of the work environment; these are also important factors. To that end, we will soon announce ways we will reduce assigned additional duties to give Airmen some of their precious time back. We are also working with Congress to ensure basic allowance for housing, which is a key factor for total compensation for military members, remains robust and does not change substantially for our Airmen." The Air Force's focus on improving retention and quality of life across the service has been a key priority for Air Force leadership with the expansion of selective reenlistment bonuses from 44 to 117 Air Force specialty codes, high year of tenure extensions for 122 specialties, and strong support of Defense Secretary Ash Carter's Force of the Future initiative, which included the extension of maternity leave. http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/911383/rpa-pilots-set-to- receive-35000-annual-bonus.aspx Back to Top Air Force chief of staff: Pilots getting half the training they need Air Force pilots today are receiving about half the home-station training that new Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said he received when he was a captain flying F-16s. "On average I would go to three flag exercises a year, plus I would do a rotation with the National Training Center, with the Army, and that would be a normal battle rhythm," Goldfein said Wednesday during his 'State of the Air Force' briefing at the Pentagon with Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James. "Today's pilot, based on the size of the force, the age of the force, and continuing op tempo demand in Central Command, is getting about half of that," he said. "We're able to maintain a higher state of readiness forward, where the combat commanders need it, but the bill payer is home station." Goldfein, who's been in the top job for a month, said one of his first priorities is reducing the strain placed on airmen and allowing them more time to spend at home for both training and family. In a public letter to airmen published on the Air Force website Tuesday, Goldfein wrote that "squadrons have been asked to bear the brunt of an incredible deployment tempo and manpower shortages which have had a direct impact on readiness in our warfighting missions." "The resultant effect of these challenges is we have degraded the core fighting unit of our Air Force - the place where Airmen live, breathe and grow, where we generate combat capability, and where our culture resides: the squadron." At the Pentagon Wednesday, Goldfein pointed to his own experience fighting in Desert Storm as a reason the training is so critical. "That all played out for me personally on the first night of the first day of Desert Storm when I, along with all the rest of my fellow fighter pilots, got into combat for the first time," he said. "Our leader at the time was a combat veteran from Vietnam, and he was the only one in the formation who had ever flown in combat. The rest of us were green and so we were a little uncertain about how we were going to perform," Goldfein said. "I remember him calling out, like it was a walk in the park, 'Oh there's Triple A, anti-aircraft fire,' and we all stared at it. He says, 'There's a surface-to-air missile,' and we all just stared at it." Goldfein's unit even watched an enemy MiG-29 get shot down that night. "I saw an aircraft hit the dirt, and I thought, 'Well, I have not seen that before,' " he said. "But here's what I had seen," Goldfein added, stressing the importance of training. "Every radio call, every visual in the formation, everything I saw, I realized I'd seen it all before at Nellis [Air Force Base, Nevada]. This is just like Red Flag. At that moment, I can tell you the confidence that came over my cockpit and so many others, that says, 'Okay, we can do this. We know how to do this,' And we went in, and we destroyed the target." The Air Force is working along several avenues to reduce the strain on airmen, particularly pilots and their support squadrons, and to get them more time at home station. These include boosting the the overall size of the force, eliminating burdensome extra duties, and boosting training squadrons. "In my experience, readiness and morale are inextricably linked," Goldfein wrote in his letter to airmen. In the weeks leading up to the Air Force Association's September convention, Goldfein wrote, he is looking forward to a "robust discussion" about how to revitalize squadrons. http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2016/08/14/air-force-chief-staff-pilots- getting-half-training-they-need/88532884/ Back to Top Maiden flight of giant helium-filled airship postponed The Airlander 10, part plane, part airship, goes through pre-flight checks at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire, England, Sunday Aug. 14, 2016. The makers of a blimp-shaped, helium-filled airship billed as the world's biggest aircraft postponed its maiden flight at the last minute on Sunday. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP) The makers of a blimp-shaped, helium-filled airship billed as the world's biggest aircraft postponed its maiden flight at the last minute on Sunday. The 302-foot- (92-meter-) long Airlander 10 was due to take off from an airfield 45 miles (73 kilometers) north of London on the first in a series of test flights. Stephen McGlennan, chief executive of Hybrid Air Vehicles, said the airship had "a slight technical issue" and there's not time to fix it before darkness fell. He didn't say when the flight might be rescheduled. Nicknamed the "flying bum" because of its bulbous front end, the Airlander is a hybrid air vehicle-part lighter-than-air blimp, part plane. It's designed to use less fuel than a plane, but carry heavier loads than conventional airships. Its developers say it can travel at up to 90 mph (148 kph) and stay aloft for up to two weeks. The aircraft was initially developed for the U.S. military, which planned to use it for surveillance in Afghanistan. The U.S. blimp program was scrapped in 2013, and since then the airship's developer has sought funding from government agencies and individual donors. The vast aircraft is based at Cardington airfield, where the first British airships were built during and after World War I. The program was abandoned after a 1930 crash that killed almost 50 people, including Britain's air minister. The Airlander 10, part plane, part airship, goes through pre-flight checks at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire, England, Sunday Aug. 14, 2016. The makers of a blimp-shaped, helium-filled airship billed as the world's biggest aircraft postponed its maiden flight at the last minute on Sunday. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP) That and other accidents including the fiery 1937 crash in New Jersey of the Hindenburg, which killed 35, dashed the dream of the airship as a mode of transportation for decades. Unlike hydrogen, the gas used in the Hindenburg, helium is not flammable. Speaking Sunday before the technical hitch, McGlennan said he was confident airships have a strong future, despite their public image as a failed 20th-century aviation experiment. "It's a disruptive capability," he said, likening it to the electric car-a technology finally making a long-elusive breakthrough into mass use thanks to Elon Musk's Tesla. "Something that disruptive, it's always long, and it's always a winding road," McGlennan said. http://phys.org/news/2016-08-maiden-flight-giant-helium-filled-airship.html Back to Top JFK airport: All-clear given after report of shots fired Passengers at immigration control were told to get down while police looked for an active shooter. Officials say hoax 911 calls and word of mouth likely led to panic Port Authority police evacuated the terminal to be cautious (CNN)Police have given the all-clear at JFK Airport after there were reports of shots fired inside Terminal 8 Sunday night, a New York law enforcement official tells CNN. Two people had told police they heard what they thought were shots fired, law enforcement sources said. Police went floor-to-floor to clear the airport and ensure there was nothing to be found, a source said. Surveillance video from inside the terminal did not show any shooting. Port Authority police evacuated the terminal to be cautious, spokesman Joe Pentangelo said. There were no injuries or arrests. Passengers evacuated from JFK Terminal 8 after incident Hundreds of bags and suitcases were left behind as passengers ran out of the airport. Law enforcement officials say it's possible that hoax 911 calls and word of mouth led to the panic. Officials are working to figure out exactly what happened, a law enforcement official said. In addition to the Port Authority Police, the NYPD had its Hercules Strike teams, Critical Response Command, Strategic Response Group, Emergency Service Unit, and patrol cops on scene, according to the New York law enforcement officials. At one point, a ground stop was issued due to "security," according to the FAA command system website. http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/14/us/jfk-terminal-evacuated/ Back to Top NASA Is Testing the Engine For its Quiet-Boom Supersonic Jet The sonic boom needs to be quieter, and so do the engines if the plane is going to fly out of any commercial airports. NASA and Lockheed Martin are designing an experimental X-plane called the Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) demonstrator aircraft that they hope to fly for the first time in 2019. The program is intended to solve one of the biggest problems with commercial supersonic flight: noise, and specifically the noise a plane makes when it breaks the sound barrier. Even if a company developed a reliable supersonic passenger aircraft, regulations would allow that plane to break the sound barrier only over the ocean, preventing the JFK to LAX flight of your dreams. Lockheed's design of the QueSST, the LM1044, is intended to prevent the air pressure waves that build up on the airframe from coalescing into one large shockwave. Such a design has the potential to break the sound barrier with a low rumble of small sonic booms rather than the dramatic clap of a large one. But the sonic boom isn't the only noise problem on a supersonic jet. The engines themselves are incredibly loud-too loud for a commercial airport, especially as traditional airliners get quieter and the industry lowers noise limits. The Concorde itself was much louder than the subsonic jets of the late 1970s, and the aviation industry isn't willing to accept that kind of racket anymore. A sensor mounted close to the experimental engine nozzle to measure exhaust noise. NASA So NASA is conducting ground tests at its Glenn Research Center on an engine nozzle that would reduce the exhaust noise level to below industry limits, according to Aviation Week. Noise limits for aircraft differ depending on maximum takeoff mass (MTOM), but generally speaking the cutoff is somewhere between 250 and 300 EPNdB, or Effective Perceived Noise decibels. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) plans to reduce those limits even further in 2017, though the noise levels that NASA is shooting for would still be quiet enough. James Bridges, technical lead for acoustics within NASA's Commercial Supersonics Technology project, told Aviation Week: Our technical challenge is to demonstrate the ability to design a commercial aircraft for supersonic cruise flight and make it meet the same noise standards as everything that is currently flying and will fly for some time. That is a big challenge because traditionally airport noise has been one of the main stumbling blocks for supersonic commercial aircraft. The ideal engine for the QueSST is a variable-cycle engine, or three-stream turbofan. Variable-cycle engines divert air entering the engine into three pathways rather than two: the core and the bypass duct that you find on traditional turbofans plus an additional outer flowpath. The advantage to the three-stream design is that you can manipulate when the airstreams combine with the exhaust. For example, a high bypass ratio can be used during takeoff to reduce noise, but the pilot could change the ratio once in flight for maximum cruise efficiency. The engine nozzle being tested at Glenn is an inverted velocity profile (IVP) nozzle developed by GE. The design mixes the two primary airflows from the core and main fan internally before releasing them as exhaust. The third airflow from the tip fan, traveling at a lower velocity, is released within the primary exhaust jet rather than outside it, as is the case with conventional engine nozzles. With ground testing underway for the engine nozzle to reduce airport noise, and wind- tunnel testing with a model of the aircraft planned for the end of the year, we might just see the QueSST's first flight before the decade is out. http://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a22279/nasa-quiet-boom-supersonic-jet- engine/ Back to Top Battles in the sky for aircraft broadband There are many competent suppliers of In Flight Entertainment systems for airlines. It is also clear that travellers love the broadband connectivity increasingly on offer from the likes of Gogo, Global Eagle Entertainment or Panasonic Avionics. There's also US-based ViaSat and its Exede airline connectivity service. ViaSat/Exede, as of June 30th, had 509 aircraft equipped with its technology, and CEO Mark Dankberg, speaking to analysts on August 9th stressed that it isn't enough for his competitors to promise they can 'stream Netflix' to passengers. "The real issue is: What happens when you have hundreds or thousands of airplanes in a small number of beams? People are still a little bit confused and so that's our current campaign." ViaSat is currently using its Ka-band satellite capacity, and a second satellite (ViaSat-2) and with double the bandwidth is due for launch early next year. ViaSat is also in advanced talks with Eutelsat about a joint-venture for European Ka-band coverage. It has also just ordered ViaSat-3 with Boeing, for launch in 2020-2021, and has options for a further two satellites. "Each of the other systems has only about five or six beams in total available to serve the entire US market, and each of these five or six beams has a total throughput of between 50 and a few hundred megabits per second when delivered to an aeronautical mobile terminal," Dankberg said, adding that ViaSat can today deliver 100 Mb/s even in high- demand regions and at each point in the flight. As for the upcoming ViaSat-2 satellite Dankberg says they will be offering the same high- level of connectivity even if 2000 or more aircraft are using bandwidth simultaneously. Indeed, he urged aircraft operators to do their own maths, and calculate themselves how much bandwidth per beam could be available for each of its competitors, and multiply that by the number of beams the service plans to supply in any given market. That way, he said, you will arrive at a "total illuminated gigahertz" available. Then, he said, divide the result by the number of aircraft using that capacity over highly-populated regions such as East Coast of the US. He suggested that some operators would suffer bottlenecks. http://advanced-television.com/2016/08/15/battles-in-the-sky-for-aircraft-broadband/ Back to Top The FAA Announces A New Center of Excellence The COE will conduct research and development on technical training for air traffic controllers, aviation safety inspectors, engineers, pilots and technicians. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta today announced that the agency has selected the University of Oklahoma and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University teams to lead the new Air Transportation Center of Excellence for Technical Training and Human Performance (COE TTHP). The COE will conduct research and development on technical training for air traffic controllers, aviation safety inspectors, engineers, pilots and technicians. Micro UAS Michael Huerta, FAA Administrator "This world-class, public-private partnership will help us focus on the challenges and opportunities of this cutting-edge field of research," Administrator Huerta said. "We expect this team will help us educate and train aviation professionals well into the future." The academic team members all have nationally-recognized collegiate aviation-related education programs and core members also own and operate their own aircraft and airports. A partnership of principal investigators from the different universities will perform the research projects. The universities will engage senior faculty as well as graduate-level and undergraduate students in their research activities. The FAA expects the COE will be fully operational and engaged in a robust research agenda within the next few months. The FAA will take advantage of advancements in teaching, such as part-task training, modeling, immersive human-in-the-loop simulation, and adaptive learning technologies that are standard in other technical workforces. The COE will examine human factors issues such as changes in learner expectations and academic best practices for training a new generation of learners. The center also will research innovative training methods for this new generation. This includes new technologies such as mobile learning as well as new ways of collecting and managing training data. The FAA's Center of Excellence program is a long-term, cost-sharing partnership between academia, industry and government. Congress authorized Air Transportation Centers of Excellence under the Federal Aviation Administration Research, Engineering and Development Authorization Act of 1990. This legislation enables the FAA to work with center members and affiliates to conduct research in airspace and airport planning and design, environment and aviation safety, as well as to engage in other activities to assure a safe and efficient air transportation system. The FAA has established 12 Centers of Excellence in critical topic areas focusing on: unmanned aircraft systems, alternative jet fuels and environment, general aviation safety, commercial space transportation, airliner cabin environment, aircraft noise and aviation emissions mitigation, advanced materials, general aviation research, airworthiness assurance, operations research, airport pavement and technology, and computational modeling of aircraft structures. FAAFor more information about the FAA Centers of Excellence program, visit the COE web page at http://www.faa.gov/go/coe. https://americansecuritytoday.com/faa-announces-new-center-excellence/ Back to Top At 60, LeTourneau aviation school known as one of best Above: Lauren Bitikofer, department chairman of Flight Science at LeTourneau University, has been with the university's College of Aviation for 40 years. Below: Jonathan Morris works recently to install a new engine in a 1968 Cessna that is being restored at LeTourneau University's College of Aviation and Aeronautical Science. Lauren Bitikofer has a few rules for his students that wouldn't normally make sense - unless you're an aviation student. "I won't let a student drive my car, but I'll let them solo fly a $300,000 airplane," said Bitikofer, department chairman of Flight Science at LeTourneau University. Bitkofer has been with the LeTourneau College of Aviation for 40 years. He first attended the university in 1971 and returned to teach aviation and technology in 1977, after working in Kansas. In fact, seven of 13 instructors on staff are graduates of LeTourneau's aviation program. "People always asked how our students changed, and in all respects the students haven't changed at all," Bitikofer said. He said his relationships with students is important, to the extent he's even had some live with him and his wife when the students were in need. He said most LeTourneau professors work to help students professionally and personally. But Bitikofer is only part of the LeTourneau College of Aviation's 60-year history. Program of firsts The university's aviation program is unique. It's the first college program in the state of Texas to have air traffic control simulation, and LeTourneau is the only four-year university in the state that offers a comprehensive aviation program. Students see the benefits. "Right now, I'm flying while working here over the summer," said Jesse Tart, a LeTourneau junior. Alumni have gone on to run airlines and work for the military and every major airline. Previous students include Executive Vice President Aaron Lorson of Dynamic Aviation and former Air Force Two pilot Tom Degrot. "A lot of times, our alums will come back and talk to our aviation students," university spokeswoman Janet Ragland said. But students get plenty of experienced aviators to learn from who are always on campus. Byron Lichtenberg, a former space shuttle astronaut, Vietnam war veteran and president of Zero Gravity Foundation, teaches in the program. And Bob Parrot, a retired Methodist pastor to early astronauts, donated religious artifacts the astronauts took to the moon to the aviation program. He shows up to sit in the room with his contributions and speak with students. "We teach our students how to fly and the theory behind it," said Fred Ritchey, dean of the College of Aeronautical Science. He has been with LeTourneau for 31 years and has seen the program grow. By the numbers LeTourneau owns 15 airplanes, has 12 certificates, more than 200 college students enrolled and more than 60 high school students taking dual-credit aviation courses at the college. Since 1991, aviation has been the fastest-growing program on campus. But it wasn't always that way. "Our founder owned an aviation business here at the airport, and in 1956, they started maintaining airplanes and modifying airplanes," Ritchey said. When the program started, the only certificate offered was for a two-year program in aircraft maintenance training. Ernie Hansen, a former LeTourneau missionary pilot and mechanic, taught the early courses in airframe and engine repair. Within two years the airplane and engine maintenance courses gained certification. The school also hired its first official aviation professors: Dale Crane and Glen Ellis. In 1961, LeTourneau Technical Institute became LeTourneau College, and regular college courses became available to aviation students. At the same time, Crane and Ellis persuaded the college to open a ground and flight school. The aviation department built most of its equipment during that time, because buying equipment was expensive. Parking lot flights Classes were taught in wooden barracks behind the campus during the morning, and in the afternoon, the class moved to the airport. Pilots at LeTourneau would taxi their planes on Mobberly Avenue and High Street and fly them from the parking lot beside the LeTourneau Inc. manufacturing plant. Nine years later, the aviation program offered a combined degree in which students could pursue a degree in Bible, missions, business administration, mechanical engineering or electrical engineering with an emphasis in aviation. Floyd Bishop became the first official aviation department chair in fall of 1975, which is when Ritchey entered the program. LeTourneau College had expanded in the 1980s and was renamed LeTourneau University in 1989. During the 1980s, LeTourneau introduced its Aviation Technology Bachelor of Science degree, the program's first four-year aviation degree. Ritchey became the school's first dean in 2000. In 2006, LeTourneau University bought four Cessna 172 Skyhawk airplanes for the aviation department. 2009 was a busy year for the LeTourneau Aviation and Aeronautical science program. The LeTourneau University flight team won the Loening Trophy for having the most outstanding all-around collegiate aviation program in the nation. Also the Paul and Betty Abbott Aviation Center opened its doors. The center at East Texas Regional Airport is one of LeTourneau University's largest facilities. It's named after Paul Abbott and his wife. He attended LeTourneau from 1968- 71 and now owns Covington Aircraft Engines. Award winners From 2010-13, LeTourneau aviation students were named regional champions in the National Intercollegiate Flying Competition. In fall 2015, LeTourneau began a new drone program and opened a new facility in McKinney. The next January, LeTourneau University students at the McKinney facility held their first solo flights. This spring, LeTourneau University aviation students placed first in the Southwest Region of the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association competition and are ranked seventh in the nation at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association competition. James Galan, a senior focusing on mission aviation and aviation maintenance, was part of both teams. "It was really eye-opening. We wouldn't consider us the top students at LeTourneau, but our normal students are ahead of the curve," Galan said. The aviation program also landed LeTourneau on a list of four universities selected to take part in Cessna Aircraft's Top Hawk program. As a recipient, the school has been loaned a Cessna Skyhawk 172 airplane worth $400,000. https://www.news-journal.com/news/2016/aug/14/at-60-letourneau-aviation-school- known-as-one-of-b/ Back to Top SpaceX Sticks Another Landing SpaceX A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a U.S.-built Japanese communications satellite early Aug. 14, and used three of its nine engines to return its first stage to a picture-perfect tail-down landing on a robotic barge downrange from the Cape Canaveral launch site. "First stage landing confirmed on the droneship," Elon Musk, the company's founder, tweeted after the touchdown in the Atlantic. "Second stage [and] JCSAT-16 continuing to orbit." The mission continued SpaceX's march toward reusable space launch, as it perfects its first-stage landing techniques before using a stage that already has flown to launch a second payload. That historic mission could come before the end of the year. Liftoff of the Space Systems/Loral satellite from the company's pad came at 1:26 a.m. EDT, and the stage touched down about 9 min. later. The JCSAT-16 spacecraft, a video and data-relay bird owned by Japan's SKY Perfect JSAT Corp., will be positioned at 162 deg. E. long. for service to the Asia/Pacific region. www.aviationweek.com Back to Top Watch "The Crash Detectives Book Trailer" on YouTube http://christinenegroni.com/books/the-crash-detectives/ Back to Top The International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) will hold their 47th annual seminar at the Grand Hotel Reykjavik, Iceland, from October 17- 20, 2016 Up to date program details, links to the registration program and the hotel can be found at www.esasi.eu/isasi-2016 or www.isasi.org Dates to Remember Cut off date for the seminar rate at the hotel is September 10, 2016. Reservations made after that date will not be guaranteed the seminar rate. Cut off date for the early registration fee is September 25, 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