Flight Safety Information September 5, 2016 - No. 174 In This Issue Investigators Reassemble Metrojet Wreckage Tu-204 freighter's hard landing to be formally investigated Air India Operations Partially Hit As Pilots Skip Duty Homeless man sneaks onto private jet, causes $5K in damage Sending `unstable' AI commander back into cockpit risky, say pilots FAA to implement new Southern California air traffic control procedures Relatives of Flight 370 Victims to Meet Australian Searchers CORRECTION / RETRACTION - LION AIR Eva Air acquires Boeing 787 flight simulator Ethiopia: Aviation College Graduates 282 Students New American Airlines Ad Tells Fliers How to Behave, Causes Controversy Dubai airport passenger traffic hits record EasyJet to service all its aircraft in Malta Embraer Celebrates the Delivery of Its 1,000th Business Jet NASA's X-57 (Maxwell) Experimental Electric Airplane Coming Along Well NEW GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Investigators Reassemble Metrojet Wreckage Investigative Committee for the Russian Federation WASHINGTON-A group of investigators from Russia and Germany have begun working with Egyptian officials in Cairo to start "reassembling" the recovered pieces of the Metrojet AirbusA321 that disintegrated on climb-out from Sharm el-Sheikh,, Egypt, on Oct. 31, 2015. According to the Egyptian Aircraft Investigation Committee, the process -arranging the various pieces as closely as possible to the original configuration-is aimed at determining the starting point of the breakup sequence. Investigators from Ireland, France and the U.S. are expected to participate as well. The Investigative Committee for the Russian Federation (ICRF), which opened a criminal probe of the crash in parallel with the civil investigation, said the components had been made available by Egypt only after Russian officials "insisted on it." The two countries recently signed an agreement covering "the investigation of the terrorist attack," according to a new release on the ICRF's website. While the investigation continues, Russia has maintained since mid-November that terrorists exploded the aircraft with an improvised explosive device, likely in the tail section, which was found separated from the main crash site. However, the preliminary report, published by the Egyptian investigating team in mid-December, concluded that investigators had not received any information indicating "unlawful interference" with the flight. Russia sent a formal report citing "suspected criminal activity" in the crash to Egypt's investigation committee in March; the report was turned over to Egypt's attorney general. The preliminary analysis of the flight data recorders from the December report showed that all systems were functioning normally as the aircraft climbed through 30,000 ft., when the recording abruptly stopped. All 224 passengers and crew were killed. The debris field extended more than 8 nm from the main cabin-crash site. Based on International Civil Aviation Organization standards, a final report should be completed by Oct. 31, or at a minimum, an interim report detailing the progress of the investigation and any safety issues uncovered should be available. www.aviationweek.com Back to Top Tu-204 freighter's hard landing to be formally investigated Russian investigators have opened an inquiry into a hard landing by a Tupolev Tu-204 freighter after inspection determined that it met the criteria of an accident. The event occurred on 24 August at Norilsk airport in north-central Russia. Authorities initially reclassified the occurrence, which involved a Tu-204C operated by Aviastar-Tu, as a serious incident. But the Interstate Aviation Committee says that an inspection of damage to the aircraft (RA-64021) was subsequently conducted on 30-31 August. Analysis of technical details submitted after the inspection prompted federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia's safety division to rethink the classification. The Interstate Aviation Committee says the "hard landing" is being treated as an "accident without casualties". It has not detailed the nature of the damage nor the force of the impact. But it states that it has established a commission to investigate the circumstances. Four crew members were on board the 16-year old Tu-204 which had arrived at Norisk after carrying out a service from Moscow Vnukovo. http://dashboard.flightglobal.com/app/#/articles/429019?context=newsstream Back to Top Air India Operations Partially Hit As Pilots Skip Duty Some Air India pilots did not turn up for duty, affecting operations of around 10-12 flights on Sunday. NEW DELHI: Air India's flight operations were partially affected on Sunday with a section of pilots deciding not to report for duty in protest against pending issues related to salary and allowances, besides alleged denial of weekly off. Some pilots who fly narrow-body aircraft did not turn up for duty, affecting operations of around 10 to 12 flights on Sunday, airline sources said. These pilots are members of the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA), which had earlier warned the management of action unless pay anomalies between the pilots of erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India were sorted out by September 7. The pilots are also angry over the delay in payment of international crew layover allowance that they are entitled to when flying abroad. Some pilots owing allegiance to ICPA have stopped taking duty calls about their respective flight schedules following which those flying wide-body Boeing 777 and 787 have been drafted for operations, sources said. The ICPA pilots were also irked over alleged denial of weekly off to them. According to them, the roster for September 1 to 14 had no mention of their weekly off. Riled, its leaders had asked all ICPA members to decide their weekly off on their own. An ICPA circular issued by its general secretary Captain T Praveen Keerthi on Saturday said," In continuation to Circular No 05 of 2016, since Captain Arvind Kathpalia (ED ops) has failed to print planned weekly off for all ICPA pilots, DO NOT ACCEPT any revised roster from CMS and follow the roster issued before 1st September 2016 only, till further instructions from ICPA." The ICPA represents around 750 pilots who operate narrow-body planes and are from erstwhile Indian Airlines. Air India spokesperson could not be immediately contacted for comments. Specific details of which flights were affected could also not be immediately ascertained even as sources said mostly domestic services were impacted. On September 1, the ICPA had flagged continuing pay anomalies in a strongly-worded letter to Air India's Director (Finance). "Our patience has run thin. We will wait till September 7 for the anomalies in pay and allowances to be corrected and international layover allowance to be paid up to date failing which we will be forced to take any action as deemed fit to safeguard the interests of our members," ICPA had said. http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/air-india-operations-partially-hit-as-pilots-skip-duty- 1454457 Back to Top Homeless man sneaks onto private jet, causes $5K in damage VAN NUYS, Calif. - A homeless man claimed to be the owner of a Los Angeles-area airport Thursday while walking in through a vehicle entrance, and then caused $5,000 worth of damage to a private jet. The man, identified by the Los Angeles Daily News as 25-year-old Chris Tolbert, was arrested on suspicion of trespassing and vandalism. Tolbert is accused of walking in to the Van Nuys Airport around 4:25 p.m. through a security gate at a Western Jet maintenance facility, according to Los Angeles Airport police. A vehicle was headed into the facility when Tolbert allegedly made his entrance. "He walked behind the vehicle, and of course the (driver) sees him and says, 'Hey stop. Are you supposed to be here?'" police spokesman Officer Rob Pedregon told the Daily News. "The guy said, 'Yeah, I'm supposed to be here.' He said he owned the airport." Concerned, the driver called authorities. When police arrived, they found Tolbert smoking a cigarette in a Gulfstream G4 jet parked in a hangar for maintenance. He was smoking a cigarette, which he put out in a bandanna when he was confronted, MyNewsLA.com reported. The bandanna smoldered, causing an estimated $5,000 in damage. Airport police arrested the man, who was booked at the Los Angeles Police Department's Van Nuys Station. Police arrested Tolbert, who is being held on a $20,000 bond, according to Los Angeles County Jail records. The airport has seen several other intrusions in recent months, including an incident in which taggers spray painted three jets. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/crime-law/homeless-man-sneaks-private-jet- causes-5k-damage/nsRRh/ Back to Top Sending `unstable' AI commander back into cockpit risky, say pilots MUMBAI: The Air India senior executive commander who put the lives of over 200 passengers onboard a Delhi-Paris flight at risk by making a Boeing 787 aircraft climb beyond its safe limits had got into trouble in the past too with the authorities over his behaviour. The case has highlighted the need for airlines to develop an approach where such behaviour patterns among its pilots or even engineers and other employees whose jobs could have an impact on air safety are not overlooked. Dr Harish Shetty , a psychiatrist, revealed that pilots seek help from psychologists and psychiatrists who are not empaneled with their airlines. "They avoid their official doctors. Quite a few are on psychotropic medications without the knowledge of their employers," Dr Shetty said, making a case for mandatory testing. "The DGCA should make urine or blood testing mandatory for psychotropic medications and addictive drugs apart from alcohol screening. Surprise random urine tests should be carried out," he added. "Depression has increased manifold and all groups are affected, every job place is vulnerable. High-risk professionals need to be assessed periodically like those wielding arms, motormen, pilots etc," Dr Shetty said. In the AI case, despite a number of cases which proved that the commander was given to sudden bouts of anger and erratic behaviour, the airline didn't red-flag the matter till the April 28 "willful negligence" incident, when he had the Dreamliner aircraft begin a climb up to the altitude where it could stall. "Even after the co-pilot reported about the incident, the airline didn't handle it seriously ," said an airline official. The matter has once again brought to the fore the air safety issue and pilots with mental health issues. In March 2015, a suicidal co-pilot locked out the commander and flew a Germanwings A320 aircraft into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.Currently , medical tests for pilots only test them for physical problems and mental health issues go unnoticed or unreported. The committee formed to inquire into the April 28 AI incident had submitted its report a month ago, in which it recommen ded that a psychiatric assessment be carried out by the Indian Airforce doctors and after the relevant training, the commander should fly as a co- pilot for six months during which he should be under observation. Among the past cases considered by the committee was the order given by the then DGCA director, air safety , three years ago, wherein this commander was deemed unfit to become an examiner on Boeing 777 and then on the Boeing 787 because of his hot-headed, unstable nature. Then, a year ago, the AI staff at Birmingham airport refused to handle flights operated by this commander, citing his mercurial nature.The airline however constituted another committee to relook the matter, even as the said commander remained grounded. After TOI carried a report about the case on Friday , the Directorate General of Civil Aviation asked AI to hand over the documents pertaining to this case, said sources. This is not the only issue. There are other air-safety concerns too. For example air-craft collision. We are inducting more air-crafts and traffic is getting conjested. Pilots who spoke to TOI after the report appeared questioned the committee's decision to allow the commander to fly as a copilot. "He will be very disgruntled to carry out a co- pilot's job functions when a pilot who is junior to him operates as the commander. It will add unwanted stress in the cockpit," said a commander, requesting anonymity . Capt D S Mathur, former CMD and former director (operations), Air India, too had said that letting unstable pilots fly even as co-pilots would be detrimental to air safety. "Why is the airline being lenient? They are playing with the lives of passengers," Capt Mathur said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Sending-unstable-AI-commander-back- into-cockpit-risky-say-pilots/articleshow/54010888.cms Back to Top FAA to implement new Southern California air traffic control procedures Ground traffic at LAX. File photo. (Brad Graverson / Staff Photographer) An overhaul of outdated air traffic control procedures in Southern California will move forward later in the year after the FAA issued a finding Friday that the modernization plan will cause no significant environmental effects. Dubbed the Southern California Metroplex, the new satellite-based procedures will affect 41 departure routes, 37 arrivals and 21 approach procedures at six major airports and 15 satellite airfields in the region. "Some people will experience slight noise decreases, some will see no changes and some will experience small noise increases," Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said in a press release. The FAA said it studied 330,000 locations in the region to reach that conclusion. The agency held 11 public workshops, responded to more than 4,000 comments and conducted 79 briefings for community groups, local, state and federal officials and other stakeholders in the course of conducting the analysis in the past year. The FAA plans further public outreach as it phases in the procedures from November through April 2017. http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20160902/faa-to-implement-new-southern- california-air-traffic-control-procedures Back to Top Relatives of Flight 370 Victims to Meet Australian Searchers Relatives of some of the 239 passengers and crew lost in the missing Malaysia airliner will fly to Australia on Tuesday in a quest to better understand developments in the search for wreckage and to find some closure more than two years after the tragedy, the daughter of a missing passenger said Monday. Grace Nathan is among four Malaysians traveling Tuesday to Perth near the southwest coast port where the ships that scour the seabed of the southern Indian Ocean for wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 are based. Nathan said two Chinese, an Indonesian, several Australians and American wreckage hunter Blaine Gibson would join her group, which will also travel to the search headquarters in Canberra where a wing flap from the missing Boeing 777 is being examined for clues. Nathan, whose mother Anne Daisy was aboard the flight that flew far off course on its way from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing on March 8, 2014, said the group did not want the search to end in December if the entire 120,000-square-kilometer (46,000- square-mile) search area was examined and nothing was found. Less than 10,000 square kilometers (4,000 square miles) of seabed has yet to be searched. The 28-year-old Kuala Lumpur lawyer said she was interested in drifting modeling work currently underway in Australia to define a new search area in case the current search turns up nothing. "We want to try to better understand what they are trying to do and we want to know what we can do to push for the search to go on," Nathan said. Malaysia, Australia and China agreed in July that the $160 million search will be suspended once the current stretch southwest of Australia is exhausted unless new evidence emerges that would pinpoint a specific location of the aircraft. Oceanographers are analyzing the wing flap, known as a flaperon, found on Reunion Island off the African coast in July last year - 16 months after the plane went missing - in the hope of narrowing a possible next search area adjoining the current search boundary. Six replicas of the flaperon have been sent to Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization's oceanography department in the island state of Tasmania where scientists will determine whether it is the wind or the currents that affect how they drift. This will enable more accurate drift modeling than is currently available. "I really don't think there should be a huge gap between when they hope to complete the search in December and when they remobilize the search because that will take time," Nathan said. "I don't think there should even be a suspension. I think they should try and work toward defining the new search area now before the current search area ends and use the same assets," she said. In Canberra, the relatives will meet with officials at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is conducting the search on behalf of Malaysia. The bureau is also examining a wing flap found on the coast of Tanzania. The bureau said in a statement the relatives in Perth would meet with officials from Joint Agency Coordination Center, which coordinates Australian government involvement in the search and liaises with victims' families. Nathan said they will also meet in Perth with Western Australia University oceanographer Charitha Pattiaratchi, whose study of where the flaperon washed up suggests the plane crashed north of the current search area. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/relatives-flight-370-victims-meet- australian-searchers-41867936 Back to Top CORRECTION / RETRACTION - LION AIR In FSI # 171, We received a report of fuel problem with a Lion Air Flight 961 from DPS to BDO on 08/30/16. I have been informed by Capt. Jose Fernandez (CORPORATE SAFETY & QUALITY DIRECTOR LION AIR GROUP), that the flight landed with more than normal fuel reserves, was taxied to the apron. At this time, the aircraft was towed to the parking stand, which is a common tow procedure for the local airport when the available parking stand in between 2 aircraft. Back to Top Eva Air acquires Boeing 787 flight simulator Eva Air has acquired a Boeing 787 flight simulator. In a Taiwan Stock Exchange disclosure, the carrier says the simulator was acquired from L-3 Link Simulation and Training for $17.7 million. It did not disclose when the simulator will be delivered, but it is likely to be based at its Taipei headquarters. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the airline has orders for 20 Boeing 787-10s, with options for six additional models. http://dashboard.flightglobal.com/app/#/articles/429036?context=newsstream Back to Top Ethiopia: Aviation College Graduates 282 Students Ethiopia will soon replicate its established airline industry reputations in areas of aviation higher education. The National Aviation College yesterday graduated 282 students who completed training in ticketing and reservation, flight cabin crew, hotel operation and front office operation. College Dean Gezahegn Biru told The Ethiopian Herald that all the graduates meet standards set nationally and internationally. "We are partnering with internationally accredited organizations such as International Air Transport Association, Canada, and a-UK based Institute of Commercial Management and the students have met the standards of these companies," Gezeahegen added. According to the Dean, the college is equipping itself with noble visions of supping world class workforce for the ever growing aviation industry and intensifying effort in Ethiopia and beyond. "Trainees from Djibouti, Somaliland and South Sudan are also benefiting from our programmes." He also indicated that the college will launch first degree and master's programmes partnering with Kenyan Moi University next year in the fields of hospitality and aviation management. Moreover, he also unveiled that the college is planning to open programmes such as aeronautical and aerospace engineering as well as aircraft designing and manufacturing. National Airways CEO Captain Abera Lemi also expressed conviction that Ethiopia will soon replicate its established airline industry reputations in areas of aviation higher education. Cabin crew graduate and academic trophy winner Adula Abdukader said that the training had been so practical that equipped us to the level of meeting international standards. National Aviation College, a sister company of National Airways, was established in 2012 by professionals who served in the aviation industry for years to give world class training in aeronautical and aerospace engineering, and other engineering disciplines as well as business, hospitality and tourism disciplines, it was learnt. http://allafrica.com/stories/201609050909.html Back to Top New American Airlines Ad Tells Fliers How to Behave, Causes Controversy Is the airline's new "World's Greatest Flyers" campaign inspiring or irritating? This week, American Airlines released its new ad campaign, entitled "World's Greatest Flyers." In the slo-mo ad, the shadow of an American Airlines plane appears over gorgeous natural landscapes as white text on the screen spells out some of the characteristics of a great air traveler. While many of the platitudes about perfect passengers ("They like babies, but bring noise-cancelling headphones"; "They always ask before they raise and lower the window shade") seem like they're identifying the MVPs of the air, not everyone on land agrees. Many commenters online believe the ad is placing all the responsibility for making a flight go smoothly on the passengers-instead of on the airline or its crew members. "I try to be a 'good' passenger," a commenter on ABC News wrote. "Perhaps the airlines should concentrate on being 'good' providers. The shrinking of seats and legroom, making us pay for things that used to be free, the flight delays and cancellations." In the New York Times, a man in California wrote a letter to the editor about the commercial, saying, "The new ad campaign by American Airlines seems to put the blame for today's awful travel experience on misbehaving passengers. During my flights on American Airlines I've endured multiple delays due to equipment problems, flight attendants not showing up and pilots abandoning the airplane because delays exceeded their allowable hours; I've been trapped for hours on the tarmac going nowhere in the world's smallest seat; and I've been put up in a crummy missed-connection hotel. These are all management problems." While it seems like American's ad was designed to thank their best customers and acknowledge fliers who improve the experience for everyone else on board, many travelers found the message ineffective and tone-deaf. If anything's certain here, it's that spending time close to strangers in a metal tube 30,000 feet above the earth can be a fraught experience for most. One thing not mentioned in the commercial that remains a controversial debate, however: Should you clap when the plane lands? http://www.cntraveler.com/story/new-american-airlines-ad-tells-fliers-how-to-behave- causes-controversy Back to Top Dubai airport passenger traffic hits record Emirates Airlines aircrafts are seen at Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates, on May 10, 2016. (Reuters photo) DUBAI - Passenger traffic through Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, jumped 14% from a year earlier to a monthly record of 7.62 million people in July, the airport's operator said on Monday. Growing tourism and trade ties with the rest of the Middle East, Asia and other regions of the world are fuelling traffic growth at Dubai's airport. July's sharp rise was partly due to the timing of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which normally reduces business travel in the region. Most of Ramadan occurred during June this year, but it extended into July last year. During the first seven months of this year, passenger traffic rose 7% to 48.12 million. Freight handled by Dubai International shrank 1.2% in July to 203,153 tonnes, but in the first seven months of 2016 it rose 3.2% to 1.49 million tonnes. Only some of Dubai's air freight passes through Dubai International as another facility, Dubai World Central, handles pure cargo operations. http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism-and-transport/1078936/dubai-airport- passenger-traffic-hits-record Back to Top EasyJet to service all its aircraft in Malta Easyjet has signed a five-year deal with Lufthansa Technik Malta for the servicing of more than 100 of its planes in Malta. The low cost airline already has a similar agreement with SR Technics, operating in Safi, thus ensuring that all of its 233-aircraft fleet will undergo its maintenance checks in Malta. Today's agreement was signed at the Auberge de Castille in the presence of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who reiterated the government's commitment for more students to be encouraged to follow studies in aircraft maintenance. Dr Muscat said the government was committed to supporting the aviation sector and its growth. He expressed his pride in Malta-based companies beating their international competition, as evidenced in the signing of today's contract. EasyJet director Ian Davis said four of the company's planes will be based in Malta undergoing maintenance at any one time. He hailed the technical abilities of Lufthansa Technik's staff and their high safety standards. He also pointed out that Lufthansa Technik had accommodated a major repair job on an EasyJet aircraft at short notice. Lufthansa Technik Malta CEO Stephan Drewes said the company had expanded its operations markedly from when it first started operating on the island more than 13 years ago. He said that six aircraft of varying size could now be serviced at the Lufthansa Technik facility at the same time. The new contract signed with EasyJet would allow the company to expand its workforce by 50 people. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160905/local/easyjet-to-service-240- planes-at-lufthansa-technik-malta.624149 Back to Top Embraer Celebrates the Delivery of Its 1,000th Business Jet Embraer reaches the four-digit mark in business-jet deliveries If there is such a thing as an ordinary jet delivery, this certainly was not it. In April, employees of Embraer Executive Jets (embraerexecutivejets.com)-Embraer's business-jet division-gathered in a hangar at the group's headquarters in Melbourne, Fla., for the delivery of the company's 1,000th business jet. Executives, sales staff, interior designers, and line workers from the adjacent factory crowded the back of the hangar and filled the chairs that had been set out in rows in front of a stage. They listened to a celebratory speech by CEO Marco Tullio, who said the moment was "like a dream." Then, as the music swelled and the lights came up, the curtains to the side of the stage parted, revealing a buffed and gleaming Legacy 500. The employees cheered; afterward, they drank from Champagne flutes emblazoned with a 1,000th-delivery logo and toured the aircraft, posing for pictures with it. The $20 million Legacy 500 is an impressive aircraft, with a range of 3,600 miles and a top speed of 537 mph. It's the first midsize executive jet with fly-by-wire controls, and its spacious cabin has a flat floor and more than 6 feet of headroom-both of which are unusual for a jet this size. The aircraft went into service in 2014 and was the company's fourth clean-sheet design in less than a decade. Embraer, which was established in 1969 in Brazil, didn't begin delivering business jets until 2002; thanks in part to the Legacy 500, it reached the 1,000-delivery mark in just 14 years. The company entered the business-jet market with the Legacy 600 (then called the Legacy Executive), a redesigned version of the ERJ135 regional airliner that it introduced in 2000 at the Farnborough International Airshow. Embraer's venture was soon bolstered by Flight Options (flightoptions.com), which took delivery of several Legacy 600s in 2003 and added them to its fractional fleet. Flight Options was founded by Kenneth Ricci, who now heads Directional Aviation Capital, the investment firm that owns Flight Options and other private-aviation companies. Flight Options continued to invest heavily in Embraer; most notable is the $1 billion order that it placed for the Phenom 300 in 2007. Another Directional Aviation company, Flexjet (flexjet.com), was the recipient of the 1,000th Embraer business jet and took part in the ceremony. Rapid Ascent At the 1,000th-delivery ceremony in Florida, Flexjet CEO Michael Silvestro commented on the fast emergence of Embraer as a major player in the business-jet field. He noted how it has gone from having a zero market share in 2002 to a 17 percent share in 2016. Said Silvestro, "They did the right thing every step of the way." 1969: Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica (Embraer) is established as a government- owned corporation. 1994: Embraer is privatized. 2000: Embraer introduces the Legacy 600 (then called the Legacy Executive), its first business jet; deliveries begin in 2002. 2005: Embraer forms Embraer Executive Jets, the business-jets division based in Florida. 2008: Embraer Executive Jets begins deliveries of the personal-class Phenom 100, its first clean-sheet business-jet design. 2009: The first Phenom 300, a light-class jet, is delivered. 2013: The Phenom 300 becomes the world's most delivered business jet for the first of three consecutive years-and counting. 2016: The 1,000th Embraer business jet is delivered. http://robbreport.com/aviation/embraer-celebrates-delivery-its-1000th-business-jet Back to Top NASA's X-57 (Maxwell) Experimental Electric Airplane Coming Along Well, From The Looks Of It While the subject of all-electric aircraft often kicks up heated arguments amongst our readers, it is still certainly an area to keep an eye on, owing to its potential for great market disruption (and an accompanying slashing of carbon emissions). The technology clearly has some stumbling blocks to overcome, though, if it's ever going to be widely deployed (economic viability being a major one). With that in mind, it seems worth revisiting NASA's ongoing X-57 (nicknamed "Maxwell") electric aircraft project - part of the organization's 10-year-long New Aviation Horizons initiative. Things appear to be coming along pretty well, with engineers and employees from NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center and Langley Research Center recently (on July 19th) taking delivery of the modified Tecnam P2006T fuselage that will be used to create the X- 57. A recent press release from NASA (h/t Peter Sinclair) explains why this could be important: "The fuselage will be integrated with an experimental, high-aspect ratio wing being designed at NASA Langley. NASA's aeronautical innovators hope to validate the idea that distributing electric power across a number of motors (14 in the case of the X-57) integrated with an aircraft in this way will result in a 5-time reduction in the energy required for a private plane to cruise at 175 mph. Several other benefits would result as well. 'Maxwell' will be powered only by batteries, eliminating carbon emissions and demonstrating how demand would shrink for lead-based aviation fuel still in use by general aviation." Another potential benefit could be reduced inter-cabin noise. An interesting question, though, is whether or not these benefits (if truly present) could be scaled-up to benefit anyone other wealthy, private, small-aircraft owners? Current New Aviation Horizons initiative plans call for a "series of increasingly larger electric aircraft" to follow the X-57, so that's clearly the stated intent. Back to the X-57: following inspections, the fuselage is being shipped to Scaled Composites in Mojave, California, where the work will be done to create the all-electric X- 57 - first through the creation of an electric aircraft using the "stock Tecnam configuration," and then through modification and the integration of the new wing design. Continuing: "The planned final version will feature 12 small electric propellers along a high-aspect ratio wing's leading edge, and 2 larger electric cruise motors out on the wing tips. The experimental, high-aspect ratio wing is being designed at NASA Langley in Virginia, and fabricated by Xperimental LLC in San Luis Obispo, California. The wing's 12 small electric propellers will be used to generate lift during takeoff and landing only, while the 2 outboard motors will be used during cruise. The wing will be integrated onto the fuselage once the electric power validation flights are complete. The vehicle will be powered by a battery system, developed by Electric Power Systems of the City of Industry in California." The electric motors are being developed by Santa Cruz-based Joby Aviation. Flight tests for the first iteration of the X-57 are tentatively slated for spring 2018. https://cleantechnica.com/2016/09/04/nasas-x-57-maxwell-experimental-electric- airplane-coming-along-well-looks/ 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