Flight Safety Information September 2, 2016 - No. 173 In This Issue Advisory Panel Would Relax Rules for Co-Pilot Experience Japan asks European aviation agency to ensure safety of Rolls-Royce 787 engines European Aviation Certifies Honeywell's SmartRunway and SmartLanding Technology Allegiant Air, with ultra-low fares, draws FAA's attention over safety concerns Delta Pilots Are Using a New App to Help Them Spot and Avoid Turbulence Air New Zealand...Making airline safety sexy 112 Buildings Near Mumbai Airports Violate Norms: Directorate General of Civil Aviation British Airways B763 near Varna on Sep 1st 2016, unreliable airspeed American A321 at Boston on Aug 31st 2016, both pilots injured by laser beam ATSB investigating JetGo lights off take-off (Australia) New Method Of Reinforcing Composites Developed By MIT FAA Names Members of High-Level Drone Advisory Committee MEPs shocked by 'secretive' ICAO plan to cut aviation emissions Asia Is a Growth Market for Military Aircraft Boeing (BA) Stock Higher, U.S. Set to Approve $7 Billion Fighter Jet Sale SpaceX Rocket Explodes at Launchpad in Cape Canaveral NEW GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Advisory Panel Would Relax Rules for Co-Pilot Experience A proposal is likely to rekindle long-running safety debate about mandatory flying hours An American Airlines fleet training manager at the controls of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner over New York. A Federal Aviation Administration advisory panel is moving toward recommending the U.S. relax minimum- flight-time requirements for new pilots. By ANDY PASZTOR U.S. airlines would be able to hire new pilots with far less cockpit experience than Certain military pilots with as little as 500 hours of flying experience would be allowed to become commercial co-pilots, according to people familiar with the details, compared with the mandatory at least 750 hours required today. That is already down sharply from the minimum of 1,500 hours set for typical non-military pilots in 2013. The proposal comes from a joint industry-labor group created by the Federal Aviation Administration to help it draft new regulations amid worries by the airline industry that there aren't enough pilots to keep up with demand. None of the recommendations have been released, and further details are expected to remain confidential until top FAA officials decide how to proceed. Co-pilots, who are sometimes called first officers, without a military background or an academic degree related to aviation would still need at least 1,500 hours of total flight time to be eligible to be hired by carriers, said the people familiar with the panel's proposals. The committee, which includes representatives of pilots, airlines and passengers, didn't recommend any changes for requirements to fly as a captain. Captains need 1,500 hours among other requirements, but airlines usually require more flight time for them than federal minimums. The proposals reflect escalating pressures many commuter carriers face in attracting and keeping enough pilots under existing regulations. Despite increased salaries and the introduction of signing and retention bonuses at some carriers, commuter airlines remain particularly vulnerable to pilot staffing shortfalls. Some commuter operations worry they aren't attracting the overall quality of applicants they would like, while others fret about the impact of larger carriers hiring away commuter pilots with incentives that include higher pay and more-secure career advancement prospects. Larger U.S. airlines, meanwhile, confront their own staffing issues with the impending retirements of tens of thousands of senior pilots over the next decade. Industry initiatives so far "haven't fixed the basic problem, just mitigated and probably delayed the worst consequences of the pilot shortage," said Roger Cohen, former president of the Regional Airline Association, the leading trade association representing commuter operators. The group, which has been battling to change existing standards for years, declined to comment on the new recommendations. An FAA spokeswoman said only that officials were reviewing the proposals. 'We have found no evidence that high time [experience] makes better pilots.' -Paul Kolisch, airline training official The panel's report follows earlier safety enhancements imposed by Congress and the FAA in the wake of the high-profile crash of a Colgan Air turboprop in 2009 near Buffalo, N.Y. Investigators determined that the captain had a spotty training record and responded incorrectly to automated cockpit warnings. Confronting pressure from lawmakers, outside safety critics and families of the more than four dozen victims who died in the crash, FAA officials in 2013 announced regulations raising experience and training requirements. Instead of what had been the mandatory minimum of 250 hours flight time for first officers, the agency adopted a sliding scale from 750 to 1,500 hours, depending on military and educational background. Since then, commuter carriers in particular have chafed under the requirements, arguing that attaining the 1,500-hour or even 750-hour threshold poses often insurmountable financial and other obstacles for many prospective applicants. So the FAA convened the panel to explore possible alternative paths with lower entry barriers. Some agency critics contend the number of hours spent behind the controls of an aircraft, by itself, doesn't guarantee quality training. Other safety advocates, including pilot-union leaders, stress that routine mentoring of new hires by veteran captains is essential to safety. "We have found no evidence that high time [experience] makes better pilots" when they are first hired, Paul Kolisch, a senior training official at Delta Air Lines Inc.'s Endeavor Air commuter arm, said during a safety conference last year. The FAA asked the latest panel to study potential adjustments within the framework of previous congressional mandates. The group of experts, for example, didn't look at changing current requirements that all co-pilots must be trained and tested on the specific aircraft model they fly. Write to Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com http://www.wsj.com/articles/advisory-panel-would-relax-rules-for-co-pilot-experience-1472808602 Back to Top Japan asks European aviation agency to ensure safety of Rolls-Royce 787 engines Employees of All Nippon Airways (ANA) queue in front of the company's Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane after its test flight at Haneda airport in Tokyo April 28, 2013. REUTERS/Yuya Shino/File Photo Japan has asked the European Aviation Safety Agency to ensure a problem with Rolls-Royce (RR.L) engines powering Boeing (BA.N) 787 Dreamliners does not repeat to cause flight disruptions or affect safety. Japan's Ministry of Land Infrastructure Transport and Tourism said on Friday it issued the request after ANA Holdings (9202.T), Japan's biggest carrier, canceled 18 flights last month to repair corroded turbine blades in the Rolls-Royce engines on some its Dreamliner fleet. Officials at the EASA were not immediately available for comment. Since February, three ANA flights have experienced engine trouble, once on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo, a second time in March on a jet traveling to Vietnam and most recently on a domestic route in August. The biggest operator of the carbon composite jet on Tuesday said it would replace the faulty turbine blades in all 100 engines on its 50 aircraft, an operation that could take as long as three years to complete. Of around 450 Dreamliners in operation worldwide, two fifths use the Rolls-Royce engines. Carriers can choose either the Rolls-Royce engines or General Electric Co's (GE.N) GEnx engines for their Dreamliners. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ana-rolls-royce-hldg-safety-idUSKCN1180S3 Back to Top European Aviation Certifies Honeywell's SmartRunway and SmartLanding Technology SmartRunway and SmartLanding Technology SmartRunway and SmartLanding Technology Honeywell's SmartRunway and SmartLanding system has received industry approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency for use on the Boeing 737 Next Generation airliner. The Boeing's airliner is first aircraft approved to operate this technology in Europe. A key benefit to airlines who use the SmartRunway and SmartLanding system is its ease of install via flight-deck modifications and an Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System upgrade. This upgrade is now eligible for funding from Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR), which enables operators to receive grants toward the cost of implementing the system on their fleets, the company announced last week. "Reducing the occurrence of runway-related incidents and accidents is the industry's greatest safety challenge today," said Mike Beazley, vice president, Global Sales, Honeywell Aerospace. "Our SmartRunway and SmartLanding system addresses global safety concerns on runways by offering customers greater protection against multiple runway incursion and excursion risks during taxiing, takeoff and landing." Beazley added. Runway excursions are the most frequent types of accidents in the aviation industry, with an average of one airline incident per day. In addition, runway safety is the No. 1 priority for global aviation safety experts, according to the International Air Transport Association. Pilots look to cockpit technologies such as Honeywell's SmartRunway and SmartLanding system to improve situational awareness and identify potential safety risks during takeoff and landing. The system advises and warns flight crews of potentially unsafe conditions, so they can mitigate accidents such as runway overturns, veer-offs or use of incorrect runways. http://www.defenseworld.net/news/16971/ Back to Top Allegiant Air, with ultra-low fares, draws FAA's attention over safety concerns Allegiant Air, a budget carrier that advertises fares as low as $29, has found a profitable niche in serving airports in small-to-midsize cities. Its safety and maintenance practices have come under scrutiny after a series of operational incidents. (DAVID BECKER/AP) Just over a year ago, Allegiant Air pilot Jason Kinzer was sitting in the cockpit of a 24-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft bound for Hagerstown, Md., having just taken off from St. Petersburg, Fla. As the plane climbed through 2,500 feet, a cabin attendant alerted Kinzer to a strong burning smell. Alarmed, Kinzer turned Allegiant Air Flight 864 back toward the airport. Fire and rescue crews met the plane on the runway as smoke wafted from an engine. Kinzer told the 144 passengers to disembark. He then helped a flight attendant carry a paraplegic passenger to the exit. It seemed to be model behavior. But Allegiant Air did not praise Kinzer. It fired him. In a dismissal letter, the airline called the evacuation of the plane "unwarranted" and faulted Kinzer as not "striving to preserve the Company's assets, aircraft, ground equipment, fuel and the personal time of our employees and customers." Later, the company's attorneys would call Kinzer's account an "inaccurate and self-serving recitation of events." Kinzer's saga, now the subject of a court case in Nevada, involves one of dozens of incidents that have prompted scrutiny of the safety and maintenance practices at Allegiant Air, a low-cost carrier that has found a profitable niche in serving airports in small-to-midsize cities. In an industry that has habitually struggled to make money, Allegiant's soaring earnings stand out. Last year, its profits jumped 154 percent, to $220.4 million, as the carrier - relying heavily on cheaper, previously used planes - flew more than 300 routes. In June, Allegiant announced a dozen new routes and three new cities, for the first time competing with major carriers at airports in Newark and Denver. [Flights are about to become cheaper] But observers with various interests and viewpoints are asking whether Allegiant has pursued fast growth and financial success at the expense of other considerations. Unwanted attention has come from federal regulators worried about safety, investors betting against the stock, a pilots union concerned about maintenance, and corporate governance experts who fault the airline's cozy board of directors as not doing more to head off problems. About 300 pages of Federal Aviation Administration records for Allegiant show a pattern of safety problems that triggered a relatively large number of aborted takeoffs, emergency descents and emergency landings from Jan. 1, 2015, through this March. The Allegiant records were obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Robert MacArthur, owner of Alternative Research Services, a consultancy that caters to short sellers - investors who benefit when company share prices drop. Allegiant had about nine times as many serious incidents over that period as Delta Air Lines had with similar types of planes of similar vintage - even though Delta was flying about three times as many such planes, according to a Washington Post analysis of FAA documents relating to both companies. "I don't think there's a safety problem," Allegiant's chief operating officer, Jude Bricker, said in an interview. "Our unscheduled landings in particular are a result primarily of an abundance of caution, and our pilots are entitled to put their planes into landing anytime they feel unsafe." But leading experts said Allegiant needs to pay closer attention to its aging aircraft. "They just have a lot of problems with leaks, doors not closing properly, things not working properly," said Mary F. Schiavo, an aviation lawyer who served as inspector general for the Department of Transportation from 1990 to 1996. "They have electrical smells every day, which means they've got old wiring. It's just kind of a poorly maintained fleet." Allegiant said that its "safety protocols emphasize putting the safety of passengers foremost." And in July, the company said it had agreed to depart from customary practice and buy 12 new Airbus A320s for delivery by 2018. The fortunes of chief executive Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. are tied to Allegiant Air's performance. Higher maintenance spending could cut into profits - and hurt the company's stock price. Gallagher, who does not take a base salary, owns about 20 percent of the company and received more than $4 million in dividends last year. On March 9, he sold shares of Allegiant worth $47.8 million. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News) A swift ascent The chief executive of Allegiant Air is Maurice "Maury" J. Gallagher Jr., who ran ValuJet until one of its planes plunged into the Florida Everglades in 1996, killing all 110 people aboard. In 1999, after ValuJet was merged into AirTran, Gallagher started building a new carrier, Allegiant Air, which now has about 80 planes serving about 113 airports. The Las Vegas-based company became the darling of Wall Street. It was the subject of a glowing article in Fast Company. It made Fortune's list of fastest-growing companies. Aviation Week in 2013 named it the top-performing small carrier in the world. Although the stock has lost nearly half its value since its peak of $234 a share last year, it has increased more than fivefold in the past decade. Analysts hailed Gallagher's strategy of buying older MD-80s, often for a tenth of the $40 million to $50 million its competitors were paying for new aircraft. The average age of Allegiant's MD-80 fleet is 26.49 years; recently added Airbus planes also are used, with an average age of 14.2 years. But Allegiant Air has run into trouble. Allegiant aircraft this year made unscheduled landings on Feb. 28; on March 2, 3 and 14; and twice on March 13, according to FAA documents. On March 5, a crew aborted a takeoff after a loud bang, warning signs from the right engine and smoke in the cabin. One flight attendant was treated by emergency medical technicians for smoke inhalation. All airlines must file reports about safety and maintenance incidents with the FAA. After Allegiant's spate of midair incidents, the agency moved up a periodic evaluation of the airline that had been scheduled for 2018. "The purpose of these reviews is to verify a company is complying with the applicable regulations; determine whether it is operating at the highest possible degree of safety; and identify and address any operational/safety issues," the FAA said, although it would not comment on Allegiant. Later, in a July 18 letter to Allegiant, the FAA said it had "identified several element design and element performance deficiencies" - such as software that did not meet FAA specifications and a failure to notice fractures in a right-engine pylon - and ordered the airline to come up with a "mitigation plan" by Sept. 30. The FAA said two findings "revealed possible regulatory issues" but did not describe them. Schiavo - author of "Flying Blind, Flying Safe," a book critical of the FAA - said the agency needs to take a tougher stance. "I think that the FAA bears some responsibility for this horrible track record," said Schiavo, who works at the law firm Motley Rice, which specializes in class-action lawsuits but has not been involved in any cases involving Allegiant. "The FAA sees its job as promoting the airlines and keeping them flying. They really try to keep just about any hunk of junk" flying. The FAA documents suggest that the agency had expressed concerns before. When Allegiant Air sought FAA approval of a new safety chief, the agency in a Feb. 1, 2016, report described qualifications for the position - "the education" and "vast experience" needed to "help lead the airline in providing the public with the safest means of commercial travel" - and then said it approved the appointment "with concern and trepidation." An Allegiant spokesman, Hilarie Grey, referred The Post to the FAA for comment. The FAA did not elaborate. Gallagher said the findings of this year's FAA inspection were "minor or less than minor." "So when you send 30 people around for 90 days in any organization, they're going to find stuff, as well they should. And we'll respond and adjust it," Gallagher said in a July 29 conference call with securities analysts. But he said "there's nothing that operationally we're going to do substantially different." The FAA said it "will closely monitor" the carrier's efforts. Allegiant told the FAA that for the 15 months ending in March, its 50 McDonnell Douglas planes - including DC-9s and MD-80s - had 50 unscheduled landings, five emergency descents and eight aborted takeoffs. (Michael Fiala/Reuters) Operational incidents The FAA's Service Difficulty Reports cover issues ranging from a burned-out light bulb on a cabin exit sign to an engine failure. The Post examined FAA reports from Allegiant for 15 months ending in March and focused on the three types of operational incidents that aviation experts deem most significant: emergency descents, unscheduled landings and aborted takeoffs. The Post then compared Allegiant's record with Delta's by obtaining and reviewing reports filed by Delta for the same aircraft models for the same period. Delta flies more than twice as many MD-80s and MD-88s and more than four times as many of the Airbus models, but Allegiant had many more serious incidents. Allegiant told the FAA that its 50 McDonnell Douglas planes - including DC-9s and MD-80s - had 50 unscheduled landings, five emergency descents and eight aborted takeoffs. From Jan. 1, 2015, through the end of March 2016, Delta reported that its 117 MD-88 aircraft had six unscheduled landings, one emergency descent and no aborted takeoffs. For its 30 Airbus jetliners, Allegiant reported five unscheduled landings, two aborted takeoffs and one emergency descent. Delta reported that its 126 Airbus planes had one unscheduled landing, no aborted takeoffs and no emergency descents. Allegiant's Bricker said that "the reporting criteria [to the FAA] is open to interpretation and therefore is vastly different from fleet to fleet." In less than a year, a single Allegiant MD-88 had almost as many incidents as the entire Delta fleet of MD- 88s, FAA records show. In August 2015, that plane took off from Memphis and was at 16,000 feet, climbing to cruising altitude, when one of its two engines shut down. The crew declared an emergency and landed the plane. In November, the same plane made an unscheduled landing after flight attendants said the air in the cabin had grown hazy and they smelled something burning. Three weeks later, the plane's pilot made another unscheduled landing after a gray haze filled the cabin. During a flight 12 days after that, the plane had reached cruising altitude when the cockpit crew noticed the "odor of evaporating oil," which led to the replacement of the left engine before the plane was flown again. Repeated problems with other Allegiant MD-88s were common. One aircraft made three unscheduled landings. Another was met by firetrucks this year after an engine failed in flight. Six months earlier, the same plane made an emergency descent and an unscheduled landing after its instrument panel started to smoke. That incident occurred 10 days after the same plane made an unscheduled landing when the tail compartment next to the plane's engines overheated. "I just don't like the look, feel or smell of their track record," Schiavo said. ['I have people's blood on my feet': Severe turbulence on Allegiant Air flight lands passengers in hospital] A caller to the FAA's hotline said that an Allegiant DC-9-83 suffered engine failures twice, on July 31 and Aug. 3, 2015, both times en route to Richmond from St. Petersburg. On one of those flights, the crew reported the smell of burning rubber and a grinding noise followed by the failure of an engine. A maintenance crew later found a compressor "severely damaged," and the engine was replaced, the FAA said. Bricker said that Allegiant takes "older airplanes to isolated areas, where we don't have our own mechanics" and therefore they are more likely to turn back if there's trouble. Allegiant says it will spend more on maintenance this year. (Michael Fiala/Reuters) Clashes with union Allegiant says the controversy about its safety record is due in large part to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The airline's pilots voted to join the Teamsters in 2012 and, after prolonged negotiations, reached an agreement with the company on June 21. A company spokesman said the union had made a "significant effort" to create "negative media coverage" of Allegiant. The company said that "one of those tactics" was to issue safety reports about the fleet. "There's never been any denial or doubt or rebuttal by the company to refute the number of engine failures, aborted takeoffs or near crashes," said Daniel C. Wells, president of Teamsters Local 1224. "No one ever said those were false reports." The union has issued safety reports on Allegiant for the past three years that are based on what its members have reported. Wells said the contract would "not lessen our concern about getting the safety issues fixed with Allegiant, first for our members and, of course, the flying public." The company said in a statement: "Allegiant is a very safe airline. We have robust internal and external auditing programs and are investing heavily in new training programs and technologies that are industry leading." Allegiant says it will spend more on maintenance this year. According to the MIT Airline Data Project, Allegiant's maintenance spending hit $72.7 million in 2011, then fell to $33.6 million and $38.7 million the next two years, less than in any other year since 2008, when it was a much smaller company. Maintenance spending climbed again, to $62.3 million, in 2014. Allegiant spokeswoman Wheeler said the fluctuations were "largely driven by scheduled maintenance events." She said that in 2011, the airline "underwent a large-scale engine overhaul project." The company said that it is in regular contact with the FAA and that its maintenance programs are "in accordance with all standards of the airline industry." On Aug. 5, it cut the ribbon on a new training center in Florida for pilots, flight attendants and mechanics. Higher maintenance spending could cut into profits - and the company's stock price. The fortunes of chief executive Gallagher are tied to that performance. Although he does not take a base salary, he owns about 20 percent of the company and received more than $4 million in dividends last year. On March 9, he sold shares of Allegiant worth $47.8 million. Despite the string of safety incidents in 2015, the company's board also gave him a nearly $3 million bonus, putting his total compensation for that year at the same level as his counterpart's at low-cost rival JetBlue, which is about four times larger. Kinzer isn't flying these days. Broke and unable to get a job in aviation, he is trying to start a photography business and is waiting for the court case to begin. Bricker and Wheeler declined to comment on the litigation. Allegiant's attorneys in Nevada moved in federal court to have the case dismissed. A judge rejected the motion and sent the case back to state court. On July 18, Kinzer's attorneys filed depositions, including one by Capt. Cameron Graff, a witness for Allegiant, who in reply to a question said: "It's my opinion that Capt. Kinzer was terminated to quell the pilot group, to silence the pilot group, to in a way 'take one out' to keep the pilots from reporting safety events, emergencies, those types of events." https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/allegiant-air-with-ultra-low-fares-draws-faas- attention-over-safety-concerns/2016/09/01/08c0f202-28f5-11e6-ae4a-3cdd5fe74204_story.html Back to Top Delta Pilots Are Using a New App to Help Them Spot and Avoid Turbulence Delta's new app is helping pilots avoid turbulence. It's also helping the airline to save on fuel costs. Delta has made a big step forward in improving its technology with a new turbulence tracker that is helping to reduce its carbon footprint and give customers a smoother ride. In a blog post, Delta Air Lines revealed the success of its new rough air finder. Launched in April, Delta's Flight Weather Viewer app gives pilots real-time radar readings of air flow patterns and can predict where turbulence will hit-right on the flight deck. Pilots enter their flight plan data and the app gives them a color-coded map showing where turbulence can be expected-and can help them make more informed decisions on how to avoid it. Typically a pilot only has four options: ascend, descend, slow down, or change the route. According to Delta, the data is "customized by aircraft type, since turbulence affects a 737 narrow body differently than a much larger A330. It is also available in real time, thanks to fast and secure connectivity via Gogo's in-flight Wi-Fi network, instead of through the traditional ACARS digital datalink system that's been in place since the late 1970s." The app was created for Delta by Basic Commerce and Industries, a defense contractor that has developed technology for the FAA as well as missile defense systems and aircraft carriers. It is also currently working on adding features to the app that will allow pilots to detect lightning, hail, and volcanic ash. The new technology being used to create live turbulence reports and forecasts has been patented and is recognized by the FAA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Delta Weather App Courtesy of Delta Delta also posted an infographic called Delta Talks Turbulence on its website that explains the causes of turbulence. According to NASA's Weather Accident Prevention Project, turbulence costs airlines a combined $100 million every year in extra fuel costs. It's also one of the leading causes of airsickness and in-flight injuries. Earlier this month, severe turbulence injured 22 passengers and two crew members aboard a JetBlue flight that was forced to have an emergency landing in Rapid City, South Dakota. http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/airlines-airports/delta-turbulence-app Back to Top Air New Zealand Making airline safety sexy Gulliver wrote recently about the transformation of safety videos over the past decade from informational snoozers that few flyers bothered watching to eye-catching sensations that are impossible to ignore. Virgin America led the way with a cartoon feature. But it was Air New Zealand that really ran with the concept when it made a video in 2009 with flight attendants and pilots in the buff, covered in body paint that closely resembled their uniforms. Two years later, it produced a flamboyant Richard Simmons-led effort. Its grandest production came in a Hobbit-themed feature in 2014, starring Elijah Wood and Peter Jackson. The airline's latest video, "Surfing Safari", is comparatively modest. In place of the psychedelic displays and flying griffins of previous tapes, surfing champions from around the planet narrate this video. But the focus is so much on the surf-and, more to the point, on the bodies of the folks riding it-that New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority has warned the airline that the safety message is being buried. The video does contain all the usual safety messages, but they are easy to miss, interspersed as they are with dramatic surfing footage (and nearly drowned out by Peter Bjorn and John's euphoric anthem, "Young Folks.") The emergency exits are displayed on the bottom of a surfboard held by New Zealand's top female surfer. She then says, "Your nearest exit could be behind you," and turns back to look at her fellow surfers, who are igniting paper lanterns on the beach-behaviour that Air New Zealand probably does not want to encourage on board. Most passengers have sat through safety videos dozens of times, so the added entertainment value might be welcome. But the real audience is the few flyers who aren't familiar with safety procedures, and for them it can be disorienting to try to figure out how these beach scenes correspond to equipment on the plane. (On the plus side, the scenery actually allows for a more useful demonstration of the life vests, since they are inflated in the water rather than by a smiling flight attendant in the aisle.) The reception the videos have received also suggests a different motive for making them: they are a cheap and highly effective form of advertising for the airline. The Hobbit-themed clip became the most- watched YouTube video ever from New Zealand. The airline told the Guardian that its safety videos have collectively been watched online more than 83m times. The New York Times reported in 2009 that the body-paint video took a day to shoot and cost just 15% of what the airline would have had to spend on a standard commercial ad. Despite its admonition, the Civil Aviation Authority did clear the surfing video for use. Perhaps the most important thing is drawing eyeballs to the safety clips, regardless of their content. But that is less clear in the latest video, where passengers may learn more about surfing techniques than emergency procedures. http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2016/09/air-new-zealand Back to Top 112 Buildings Near Mumbai Airports Violate Norms: Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA said that height of the buildings along the periphery of airports cannot be more than 56.9 metres. MUMBAI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday informed the Bombay High Court that 112 buildings within the radius of four km of the domestic and international airports in Mumbai have come up in violation of the aviation safety rules. This was found in a survey carried out by the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), DGCA told the HC during the hearing of a public interest litigation which has alleged threat to the passenger safety due to illegal structures around the two airports. DGCA said that the height of the buildings along the periphery of airports cannot be more than 56.9 metres. A division bench headed by Justice V M Kanade then asked DGCA and MIAL to serve notices to these 112 buildings within three months, and take further action. Earlier, the HC had asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to take action against Sunita Society at Santa Cruz which has allegedly breached the aviation safety rules. But on Thursday the court was informed that no action had been taken. The judges asked BMC to take action and produce photographic evidence at the next hearing after four weeks. The court also said that the height of a building should be measured from the mean sea level, and the civic authorities should obtain necessary equipment for this from MIAL or even outsource the job, if needed. The PIL filed by Yeshwant Shenoy has said, "In the interest of passenger safety, it is important that the Airport Authority of India should not allow high-rise buildings in the vicinity of the airports." http://www.ndtv.com/mumbai-news/112-buildings-near-mumbai-airports-violate-norms-directorate- general-of-civil-aviation-1453499 Back to Top British Airways B763 near Varna on Sep 1st 2016, unreliable airspeed A British Airways Boeing 767-300, registration G-BNWA performing flight BA-677 from Istanbul (Turkey) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was cleared to climb to FL360 about 40nm southeast of Varna (Bulgaria) already in contact with Sofia Center (Bulgaria), when ATC queried the aircraft to confirm they were climbing to FL360 after the aircraft climbed above cleared flight level having reached FL363 already. The crew advised they were maintaining FL360, they had a problem with the aircraft and requested ATC to keep everybody below clear of them. ATC began to turn other aircraft in opposite direction to turn out of the airway and advised aircraft on the airway in same direction of the ongoing emergency stating the emergency aircraft was flying very slow, requiring the other aircraft to deviate 10nm left/right of the airway center line, too. The crew subsequently declared Mayday and reported they had unreliable speed indications and needed to descend, the aircraft would be diverting but it was not yet known where they would go to, they had a lot of work to do and were about one hour from landing. The crew advised they probably needed to descend to FL200, but while descending requested to maintain FL300, which was approved, the aircraft maintained FL300 and continued along the planned flight track, then diverted to Vienna (Austria) for a safe landing on runway 34 about 90 minutes after Bulgarian ATC queried the aircraft for busting the assigned flight level. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Vienna about 17 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=49d6de2f&opt=0 Back to Top American A321 at Boston on Aug 31st 2016, both pilots injured by laser beam An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N509AY performing flight AA-1806 from Charlotte,NC to Boston,MA (USA), was on final approach to runway 22L descending through about 2000 feet MSL when a laser beam through the windshield struck both pilots causing eye injuries to both of them. The crew managed to land the aircraft safely about 3 minutes later. The FAA reported two flight crew received unknown eye injuries when the aircraft was struck by a laser. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL1806/history/20160831/2150Z/KCLT/KBOS http://avherald.com/h?article=49d669a9&opt=0 Back to Top ATSB investigating JetGo lights off take-off (Australia) The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) will interview the crew of a JetGo Australia Embraer ERJ- 135 that took off at night from Tamworth with the runway lights turned off on 28 August. The Bureau says on its investigations and reports website that as the aircraft, registered VH-JTG, was taxiing for departure, the runway lights extinguished, however the crew continued the take-off. A report will be released after the investigation, which is expected to conclude in December. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top New Method Of Reinforcing Composites Developed By MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have developed a way of reinforcing composites using tiny carbon nanotubes (CNT) that testing has shown can increase strength by 30%. With high strength and low weight, carbon-fiber composites have substantially improved aircraft performance. But the materials are laminates and vulnerable to impact damage of the resin that bonds the layers together. This vulnerability to undetected delamination prevents designers from using carbon fiber's full strength potential. Through-laminate reinforcement by Z-pinning or stitching increases delamination resistance, but these techniques can damage the carbon fibers. "A stitch or nail is thousands of times bigger than carbon fibers. So when you drive them through the composite, you break thousands of fibers," says Brian Wardle, MIT professor and director of the industry- supported Nano-Engineered Composite Aerospace Structures (NECST) laboratory. Carbon nanotubes are nearly a million times smaller than carbon fibers. "We're able to put these nanotubes in without disturbing the larger carbon fibers. What helps us enhance [the composite's] strength is that carbon nanotubes have 1,000 times more surface area than carbon fibers, which lets them bond better with the polymer matrix," he says. In the MIT technique, forests of vertically aligned CNTs are grown in a furnace by chemical vapor deposit and then transferred to the tacky surface of the composite prepreg plies. When the layers are pressed together, the nanotubes work themselves into the crevices and serve as a scaffolding to hold the plies together. For the strength tests, researchers produced a stack of 16 plies, representing a typical composite laminate lay-up. They then conducted a standard tension-bearing test in which a bolt is put through a hole in the composite and then pulled it out. Compared with conventional composites, the CNT-reinforced material withstood 30% more force before cracking. In an open-hole test, in which force is applied to squeeze the bolt hole shut, the CNT-stitched composite withstood 14% more force before breaking. The increased strength observed in tests suggests "it may be possible to remove the longstanding Achilles' heel of weak interfaces in laminated composites," the researchers say. Research was supported by several aerospace manufacturers through the NECST consortium as well as the U.S. Army, and Wardle says work on the technology is continuing with funding from NECST, the U.S. Defense Department and a collaboration with Portugal, as well as other projects. www.aviationweek.com Back to Top FAA Names Members of High-Level Drone Advisory Committee Intel CEO Brian Krzanich CEO Brian Krzanich displays the Aero Ready to Fly drone at Intel Developer Forum on August 16. (Photo: Intel Corporation) The FAA has named 35 business, association, municipal and academic leaders to serve on a new Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) to advise it on introducing unmanned aircraft into the national airspace system. RTCA, a not-for-profit organization that functions as a federal advisory body to the FAA, announced the membership on August 31. The committee's first public meeting is scheduled for September 16 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta revealed the agency's plan to establish a drone committee representing industry at the Xponential 2016 conference in New Orleans in May. He said he had asked Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, who is a pilot, to serve as its chairman. The DAC is modeled on the high-level NextGen Advisory Committee the FAA formed in 2010-also under RTCA's auspices-to advise it on ATC modernization. Innovation in unmanned aircraft systems "is moving at the speed of Silicon Valley. So it only makes sense that we asked a Silicon Valley leader to help us with this important step," Huerta said in May. The DAC "is intended to be a long-lasting group that will essentially serve the same purpose as the FAA's NextGen Advisory Committee," he added. "The NAC has helped the FAA hone in on improvements that mean the most to the industry and has helped build broad support for our overall direction. And we envision the drone advisory panel playing the same role on UAS integration, including helping us prioritize our work." RTCA announced the following members of the committee: Greg Agvent, CNN; Deborah Ale Flint, Los Angeles World Airports; Juan Alonso, Stanford University; Mark Baker, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; Jaz Banga, Airspace Technologies; Linden Blue, General Atomics; Robert Boyd, Riley County, Kan.; Tim Canoll, Air Line Pilots Association; Nancy Egan, 3D Robotics; Trish Gilbert, National Air Traffic Controllers Association; Martin Gomez-Vesclir, Facebook; Todd Graetz, BNSF Railway; David Green, Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics; Ryan Hartman, Insitu; Robert Isom, American Airlines; and Gur Kimchi, Amazon Prime Air. Also named were: Ed Lee, mayor of San Francisco; Nancy Leveson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dave Mathewson, Academy of Model Aeronautics; Nan Mattai, Rockwell Collins; Houston Mills, UPS; Marily Mora, Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority; Christopher Penrose, AT&T; Steven Rush, Professional Helicopter Pilots Association; Lillian Ryals, MITRE Corporation; Robie Samanta Roy, Lockheed Martin; Paola Santana, Matternet; Ed Sayadian, Harris Corporation; Brendan Schulman, DJI Technology; Phil Straub, Garmin International; Dave Vos, Google X; Brian Wynne, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International; Robert Young, PrecisionHawk; Matthew Zuccaro, Helicopter Association International. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2016-08-31/faa-names-members-high-level- drone-advisory-committee Back to Top MEPs shocked by 'secretive' ICAO plan to cut aviation emissions A six-year delay, exemptions for poor nations, and a gradual phase-in system for participating countries are all being considered as part of talks to curb aviation pollution at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), MEPs discovered at a hearing in Parliament today (1 September). Henrik Hololei, an official who headed the European Commission's delegation to an ICAO high-level meeting in Canada earlier this year, appeared for a hearing in front of the European Parliament's Committee on Environment. Deputies said they were "shocked" to learn how many concessions the EU was prepared to make at the Montreal meeting, which took place in May behind closed doors. The Montreal talks centred on the Global Market-Based Measure (GMBM) scheme which has been up for discussion since 2012 when the EU decided to "stop-the-clock" on its own aviation emissions trading system. The EU initially intended to apply its aviation ETS to all flights landing or departing from EU territory but froze the scheme for international flights until 31 December this year in order to give ICAO a chance to conclude a global deal. But MEPs were dismayed to hear the significant concessions Hololei said the EU was now considering in order to preserve chances of reaching an international agreement at the next ICAO general assembly opening on 27 September. Any change to EU law following an ICAO deal would require approval by the EU assembly. Six-year delay According to plans currently under consideration, the global market-based system would be fully up and running in 2027 only, six years later than the initial 2021 deadline originally foreseen by the EU. "On timing, the verification and monitoring requirements would start applying in 2019," with the GMBM kicking-in "progressively as of 2021," Hololei told MEPs at the hearing. "Inclusion in the scheme would become mandatory from 2027 through 2035". "On scope, the draft decision as it stands now would have an opt-in phase before all countries come on board in 2027, except those which are exempted," Hololei continued, referring to small aviation players such as least developed countries and small island states for whom participation will remain voluntary only. Finally, "a special review in 2032 will determine whether the mechanism will be continued," taking into account progress made as part of a related "basked of measures" which includes "CO2 standards for aircraft", technological improvements, air traffic management and alternative fuels. "So that is what is currently being envisaged but I must stress that this is still very much a moving target," Hololei said, adding, "the main issues relate to timing and scope". AVIATION INDUSTRY PREPARING FOR 'ELEVENTH HOUR' DEAL ON EMISSION TRADING An agreement on curbing emissions from international flights will be reached at the ICAO general assembly this autumn, according to industry sources, while biofuels continue to struggle to emerge as a long-term solution for greening the sector. In a rare show of unity, Parliament representatives from across the political spectrum urged the EU to be more aggressive in the negotiation. Bas Eickhout, a Dutch MEP who follows aviation issues for the Greens/EFA group, said he was "shocked" by the Commission's apparent readiness to make concessions. "We always said 2021 should be the starting date. What we're discussing now is a voluntary scheme until 2027 and then still options for exemptions. That is a huge deviation from where we came from!" he exclaimed. "Have you been brainwashed in Montreal? This sounds like the EU is giving away everything we stood for. Maybe a phase in for some countries can be accepted as of 2021," but not more, Eickhout said. "This is really unacceptable," he added. "Secrecy and lack of transparency" Global leaders who met for UN talks in Paris last year agreed to aim for carbon-neutral growth in the aviation sector as of 2020, part of a landmark international agreement to contain global warming below 2°C. But other countries in the ICAO "are much less committed than the EU" to reaching that goal, Hololei pointed out, reminding MEPs that the Commission had only observer status in the negotiations, which are taking place between ICAO member countries behind closed doors. For Julie Girling, a British MEP from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), it is the "secrecy and lack of transparency" in the ICAO process which is reason for concern. No statement or meeting minutes were distributed after the May talks, Girling pointed out, "almost as if nothing had happened". Hololei later replied that those would be published in the coming days. Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, a Dutch MEP from the Liberal group ALDE, defended "regional schemes" such as the EU's aviation ETS as part of any ICAO deal. IATA, the global aviation industry lobby group, had spoken about "marginal costs for airlines" from the ETS, which shows the issue "is much more political". "If the costs are marginal, then why are politicians making a fuss about it?," Gerbrandy asked. "This is the first big test: are we willing to do what we promised in Paris?" Peter Liese, a German MEP from the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), agreed and pointed to "shortcomings" in the ICAO process. "I'm worried to hear about a pilot phase. What's happening in ICAO is not ambitious at all," he warned, saying climate policy had moved beyond pilot phases. "I find this idea of a pilot phase sobering and scary." Speaking earlier, Girling concurred on that point, saying there was a "disconnect" between how Parliament and ICAO see the agreement taking shape. "We see aviation as having been given an almost inexplicable exemption [from emissions regulations] whereas ICAO sees it as a pat on the back because they've been doing so well." 2021 start date "not the most likely outcome" Responding to the barrage of criticism, Hololei said the EU had wanted a mechanism to start as of 2021. "But in the international context, this is also a negotiation and there are other partners. And of course, we need to take that into account." Hololei, however, assured MEPs that the EU was "negotiating for the best possible outcome", including on securing a regional scheme for Europe. "The EU position has always been a mandatory scheme from 2021. We haven't changed in any way our ambitions on that," Hololei said. But "that is not the most likely outcome." BACKGROUND The airline sector, like the maritime sector, has its own UN agency, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which is responsible for organising the reduction of its CO2 emissions. ICAO was tasked by the Kyoto Protocol with addressing emissions from the sector. It has been difficult to reach global agreement. In 2012, with no deal having been made, the EU included aviation emissions in its Emissions Trading Scheme. The decision sparked a backlash from the industry and foreign countries, like China and India who refused to comply with the scheme and threatened the EU with commercial retaliation measures. The EU's temporary halt to the ETS was intended to allow time for the ICAO to devise a global alternative. But in the meantime, international airlines which bitterly attacked the cap and trade scheme at every turn will be exempted from it, while intra-European airlines, which had supported it, will not. As a whole, the aviation industry continues to fiercely resist market-based measures as anything more than a stopgap, advocating instead a formula of technological and operational improvements - plus the wider use of biofuels - to reduce emissions. Airlines make up 2% of worldwide CO2 emissions. But the doubling of passengers every 15 years has made it a growing source of greenhouse gases. Due to the strong link between the sector and fossil fuels, reducing its CO2 emission is a challenge. The problem of electricity storage rules out its use in the air, which thus leaves airline manufacturers, which have promised to stabilise their CO2 emissions by 2020, with few options. https://www.euractiv.com/section/transport/news/meps-shocked-by-secretive-icao-plan-to-cut-aviation- emissions/ Back to Top Asia Is a Growth Market for Military Aircraft Tensions with China stoke purchases in the region. An F-16 fighter jet. Photograph: Damien Simonart/AFP via Getty Images Since it first rolled out of a Fort Worth factory in the 1970s, the F-16 has been a symbol of U.S. military power. If its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, manages to win a big overseas contract, though, the F-16 might become the latest U.S. product to get offshored. Lockheed is vying for a contract to sell fighter jets to India, part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's $150 billion plan to modernize the country's armed forces. To sweeten the deal, Lockheed is willing to shift F-16 production to the country. "What we are doing is putting India as the center of the supply base," says Randall Howard, director for aeronautics business development at Lockheed. Rivals Boeing and Saab have made similar offers to move production to India. Such proposals show the lengths U.S. military suppliers are willing to go to win customers worldwide. With Pentagon spending hurt by sequestration, the across-the-board budget cuts that took effect in 2013, the biggest U.S. contractors are hunting for new markets. Foreign buyers accounted for 24 percent of sales for the five biggest U.S. contractors last year, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, up from 16 percent in 2009. Last year contractors' sales to foreign customers jumped 10 percent, while U.S. revenue declined 2.4 percent. Raytheon expects international sales to account for 35 percent of revenue in 2016, up from 31 percent last year. "Our global growth strategy continues to pay off," says Chief Financial Officer Toby O'Brien. "The bookings were really strong." Asia is buying fighter aircraft, as countries such as Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam respond to moves by China to assert territorial claims in the East and South China seas. India, which has its own border disputes with China and Pakistan, is concerned about Chinese attempts to expand Beijing's influence in South Asia. And all countries in the region worry about unpredictable North Korea. Kim Jong Un's military on Aug. 24 fired a ballistic missile that flew about 300 miles and landed inside Japan's air defense perimeter, the first time a North Korean missile has reached Japanese waters. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the launch "impermissible and outrageous." On Aug. 31, Abe unveiled his latest defense budget, proposing to raise spending by 2.3 percent-the fifth consecutive annual increase for the Self-Defense Forces. Japan was the biggest customer for U.S. military contractors in 2013 and 2014, according to Bloomberg Government, spending a combined $36.5 billion on aircraft, missiles, military electronics, and other equipment. Lockheed has orders to supply Japan with 42 of its F-35 fighters, with most assembly taking place in Nagoya. The $379 billion F-35 program is the Pentagon's costliest, and Lockheed is depending on Japan, Australia, and other U.S. allies to account for at least 20 percent of orders. India is the world's largest arms importer, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, and depends on imports for 60 percent of its defense requirements. During the Cold War, India was a reliable customer for Russian-made gear but is now more open to buying from the U.S. Lockheed already builds cabins for the company's S-92 helicopter as well as tail sections for its C-130J transport aircraft in India. There should be more opportunities for U.S. contractors as Modi tries to modernize the military. "Quite a number of legacy systems are reaching their desperate sell-by date," says Bernard Loo, a professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Aug. 29 met with his Indian counterpart, Manohar Parrikar, and talked of the two countries working together on jet engines, aircraft carriers, and other military projects. "That collaboration will surely bring further cooperation, co-development, and co-production," Carter said at a news conference. South Korean defense spending last year accounted for 2.6 percent of gross domestic product-more than Japan or China-and President Park Geun Hye plans on spending even more. Last October she announced a budget that increased military expenditures 4 percent, outpacing overall growth in government spending. In a move that's angered China, South Korea is deploying Lockheed's Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense missiles. Beijing says the system's radar can reach into China and threatens its security. In May, President Obama announced the U.S. would end its embargo on arms sales to Vietnam. Given the high price tag of much U.S.-made equipment, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries "are going to have trouble affording some of these platforms," says Kyle Springer, program associate at the Perth USAsia Centre at the University of Western Australia. But with U.S. business flat or down, America's defense contractors must go to Asia. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-01/asia-is-a-growth-market-for-military-aircraft Back to Top Boeing (BA) Stock Higher, U.S. Set to Approve $7 Billion Fighter Jet Sale The U.S. reportedly plans to approve the sale of $7 billion worth of Boeing (BA) fighter jets to Qatar and Kuwait after the deals stalled for several years. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Boeing (BA) were increasing in mid-afternoon trading on Thursday as the U.S. is poised to approve the sale of $7 billion worth of the aerospace company's fighter jets to Qatar and Kuwait, Reuters reports. The deal surrounds a potential sale of 36 Boeing F-15 fighter jets to Qatar valued at about $4 billion and 28 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, plus options for 12 more, to Kuwait in a transaction worth approximately $3 billion. The sales have been pending for more than two years as the U.S. ally Israel had concerns the arms might be used against it. Additionally, U.S. officials have criticized Qatar for alleged connections to armed Islamist groups, Reuters noted. The markets may be unpredictable, but Jim Cramer can show you how to navigate it like a pro. Follow his blue-chip portfolio of stocks at Action Alerts PLUS. Join today and try it for 14 days-FREE! The delays have frustrated some U.S. defense officials and industry executives who said the stalling could cost them billions of dollars and result in the buyers taking their business elsewhere. A Kuwait spokesperson told Reuters that the deal was "imminent" and that a decision is expected next week. One of the last steps is for the White House to give approval, which it's expected to do soon, sources told Reuters. Once the White House gives approval, U.S. officials will notify U.S. lawmakers. Separately, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation: The team rates Boeing as a Hold with a ratings score of C+. The primary factors that have impacted the rating are mixed - some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, notable return on equity and increase in stock price during the past year. However, as a counter to these strengths, the team also finds weaknesses including deteriorating net income, generally higher debt management risk and weak operating cash flow. https://www.thestreet.com/story/13692449/2/boeing-ba-stock-higher-u-s-set-to-approve-7-billion- fighter-jet-sale.html Back to Top SpaceX Rocket Explodes at Launchpad in Cape Canaveral SpaceX Rocket Destroyed on Launchpad An explosion was seen from the site of a SpaceX rocket at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Thursday morning. A spectacular explosion of a SpaceX rocket on Thursday destroyed a $200 million communications satellite that would have extended Facebook's reach across Africa, dealing a serious setback to Elon Musk, the billionaire who runs the rocket company. The blast is likely to disrupt NASA's cargo deliveries to the International Space Station, exposing the risks of the agency's growing reliance on private companies like SpaceX to carry materials and, soon, astronauts. The explosion, at Cape Canaveral, Fla., intensified questions about whether Mr. Musk is moving too quickly in his headlong investment in some of the biggest and most complex industries, not just space travel but carmakers and electric utilities. This is not the first problem Mr. Musk has suffered as he tries to create space travel that is cheap and commonplace. Each of his companies, including Tesla and SolarCity, has hit major stumbling blocks recently. The owner of a Tesla car died in May in a crash using the company's autopilot software, and SolarCity faces major financial challenges. "SpaceX is running a punishing schedule," said Scott Pace, the director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University and a former NASA official. "There is probably some human factor involved here. To what extent was human error part of this? And if so, why? Are you running your people too hard? What are your safety requirements?" Dr. Pace, said an internal investigation would have to look at the company's operations as it tried to ramp up the pace of launches. SpaceX Rocket Sticks Landing on the 5th Try APRIL 8, 2016 SpaceX Successfully Lands Rocket After Launch of Satellites Into Orbit DEC. 21, 2015 The company's president, Gwynne Shotwell, said in a statement, "Our No. 1 priority is to safely and reliably return to flight for our customers, and we will carefully investigate and address this issue." The Falcon 9 rocket burst into flames in a violent series of blasts starting at 9:07 a.m., spewing plumes of dark smoke around the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and sending vibrations felt by residents nearby. The rocket had been set to launch on Saturday, carrying a satellite for Spacecom, an Israeli company. The explosion was particularly painful news for Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, who is touring Kenya, promoting a program reliant on the satellite, known as Amos-6, with entrepreneurs in the country. He had promised them connectivity. Just hours after the news of the explosion broke, Mr. Zuckerberg expressed disappointment on his Facebook page "that SpaceX's launch failure destroyed our satellite," a swipe at Mr. Musk and his team, who were still trying to figure out what went wrong. Mr. Musk did not respond publicly to Mr. Zuckerberg. But he posted a brief explanation on Twitter: "Loss of Falcon vehicle today during propellant fill operation. Originated around upper stage oxygen tank. Cause still unknown. More soon." The Falcon 9, developed by SpaceX with NASA financing, has had previous problems. In June 2015, a rocket carrying NASA cargo to the International Space Station fell apart in-flight when a strut holding a helium bottle snapped, setting off a chain of events that destroyed the rocket moments later. This latest episode is likely to push back the timetable NASA had after hiring SpaceX and Boeing to carry astronauts to the space station by the end of next year. NASA said it was too soon to say how the explosion would affect its space station operations, asserting that it remained "confident" in its commercial partners. "Today's incident - while it was not a NASA launch - is a reminder that spaceflight is an incredible challenge, but our partners learn from each success and setback," the agency said. SpaceX's next cargo mission to the space station is scheduled for November. Coincidentally on Thursday, a report released by NASA's inspector general, Paul K. Martin, said SpaceX and Boeing were likely to face additional delays in their launch schedules anyway. Launches with crews will probably not lift off before the second half of 2018, three years later than planned, the inspector general said. Changes that SpaceX is making to the design of the capsule, to allow landing in water instead of on land, are causing the latest delays, Mr. Martin said. In addition, NASA has been slow in examining safety reviews submitted by the companies, and as a result, late and costly redesigns might be needed, Mr. Martin said. SpaceX lists about 40 launches of satellites and other cargo on its manifest for commercial companies, NASA and the Air Force. Space industry experts say that Mr. Musk faces risks in balancing SpaceX's backlog of contracts - spanning the next few years - without cutting corners to stay on the company's busy schedule. "Whenever you have a failure along these lines, you of course face delays, which inevitably sets back some of your commercial and government satellite contracts," said Marco Cáceres, senior space analyst and director of space studies at The Teal Group, an aerospace research firm. "They have to fight the temptation to keep to a schedule, even if that means setting back their launches into next year." SpaceX had hoped for 18 rocket launches this year; so far, eight have occurred. Over all, SpaceX has had 27 successful launches of Falcon 9 rockets. An episode like Thursday's is rare. Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., who tracks rocket history, said the last time such an explosion happened on a Cape Canaveral launchpad, before the ignition of engines for liftoff, was in 1959. SpaceX is rebuilding a separate launchpad, one of the two formerly used for NASA's space shuttle missions, for the astronaut launches. That launchpad is scheduled to be ready by the end of the year. Business analysts were mixed on the effects of the explosion on Mr. Musk's other investments at a time when he is under considerable financial pressure with the planned merger of Tesla and SolarCity. Mr. Musk draws vocal admirers and detractors, some of whom are "short" investors betting that Tesla cannot execute on its business plan. Trip Chowdry, a senior analyst at Global Equities Research who studies Tesla's performance, described Mr. Musk's situation as a "double-edged sword." "When things work out well, people believe Musk to be a superstar," Mr. Chowdry said. But when things go wrong like an explosion at a separate company, Tesla investors tend to make more general inferences, too. "When all is said and done, does it have any impact on Tesla stock? No," he said. "But events at SpaceX do create headline risk for Tesla stockholders." The demise of the satellite, called Amos-6, puts a significant damper on Facebook's Internet.org initiative, a grand plan spearheaded by Mr. Zuckerberg to provide wireless connectivity to nations across the world that do not otherwise have easy internet access. In a partnership with Eutelsat, a French satellite provider, Facebook planned to use Amos-6 to offer internet coverage to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Along with satellite coverage, Facebook is teaming with local internet providers to offer access, and is also building its own drones - the first of which is named Aquila - to beam internet connectivity down to cities. Its Internet.org initiative had already sustained a setback when the company's aggressive overtures were rejected by local regulators in India earlier this year. On Thursday, Mr. Zuckerberg struck an upbeat tone in his post about the rocket failure, noting that the company has other strategies in the works to expand internet connectivity across the world. Aquila, the Facebook-built drone, he noted, recently undertook its first successful flight in the desert. Still, the setback will delay Facebook's ambitious plans and even more ambitious timetable. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/02/science/spacex-rocket-explosion.html?_r=0 Back to Top NEW GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear colleague in the aircraft ground handling industry My name is Mario Pierobon and I am conducting a doctoral study on aircraft ground handling safety at Cranfield University. As part of my research I have developed a survey that requires you to consider 40 different hazards that are peculiar to the aircraft ground handling environment and for each of them perform two exercises. The first exercise is about assessing the level of control an aircraft ground handling company has over a given hazard. The second exercise concerns establishing a relationship between the hazard (a situation or a condition that can lead to an accident) and a predetermined series of accident outcomes in terms of which accident outcomes a given hazard is likely to be associated with. In order to participate to this survey you are requested to have a management role in the aircraft ground handling industry. The survey may be accessed at the following link https://cranfielduniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3abRtXF0f6D7oEJ Thank you in advance for your kind support, if you need any additional information you may reach me at m.pierobon@cranfield.ac.uk. Kind regards Mario Pierobon PhD Candidate (air safety), Cranfield University Curt Lewis