Flight Safety Information September 12, 2016 - No. 179 In This Issue Airlines Now Verbally Warning Passengers Not to Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on the Plane CAAT issues Galaxy Note safety rules (Thailand) AOPA RESPONDS TO CRASH REPORT...NBC STORY LACKS CONTEXT, CLARITY FAA ISSUES SAFETY ALERT ON SLOW FLIGHT REQUIREMENTS Beechcraft King Air 200 Impact with Trees (Florida) NAC aircraft makes emergency landing in Delhi airport ENAC in surprise safety audit of Air Italy, Meridiana fly No selfies when in air: DGCA to pilots (India) Known rudder issue may be linked to 2015 Delta crash Woman allegedly puts loaded firearm through Logan Airport security Senator Tries to Relax Medical Rules for Private Pilots TSA boasts dramatic decline in airport wait times NMSU Offers Unmanned Aircraft Systems Workshop NASA using aircraft to measure mid-Atlantic greenhouse gases Special Report: Why THAI's new aircraft acquisitions are so important Brazil's largest aircraft maker reportedly paid bribes to make surveillance jets for India Aircraft to explore jet streams Kiwi government criticises Air New Zealand's wacky safety videos Malaysia Airlines scouts for Asian buyers for A380s Lawsuit seeks to block Alaska Airlines' $4 billion acquisition of Virgin Facing Pilot Shortfall, Air Force Challenged to Train Foreign Aviators Business jet makers deepen discounts to fly out of turbulence Boeing testing blended wing plane for potential new super-efficient subsonic plane Second SpaceShipTwo completes first test flight Airlines Now Verbally Warning Passengers Not to Use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on the Plane Samsung Galaxy Note 7 after sustaining fire damage from its battery (Twitter) Airlines and airports are beginning to crack down on explosive Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones. This morning, New York Times reporter Mike Isaac tweeted that his airline verbally warned passengers to power off and stow the recalled device. In a direct message, Isaac clarified that he was flying American Airlines. Several others have said they've had the same experience on both American Airlines and Lufthansa. For the past two weeks, consumers have been reporting that their Note 7s are exploding. Earlier today, the Post reported that one exploded in a six-year-old boy's hands. Samsung has stopped selling the phone and initiated a "product exchange program," that would allow customers to return their potential phone bombs. After being criticized for not issuing an official recall, Samsung now says that it is working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The latest statement from the company puts things more clearly: "We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note7s and exchange them now." On Friday, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an official statement urging people not to use the Note 7. The FAA has issued a warning to passengers in which it strongly advised them to not turn on or charge the phone during a flight. The United Arab Emirate's General Civil Aviation Authority has banned the use of the device on the plane, as have Scandinavian Airlines, Virgin Australia, Singapore Airlines and more. Pakistan International Airline "strongly advised" passengers not to take the phone onboard, "not even in their check-in luggage, as it may compromise aircraft and passenger safety." Experts say that it would be difficult to enforce such a ban. Airline consultant, Mike Boyd told CNN, "The reality is, if we know it catches fire, we shouldn't have it on airplanes. Period." http://gizmodo.com/airlines-now-verbally-warning-passengers-not-to-use-sam- 1786502634 Back to Top CAAT issues Galaxy Note safety rules (Thailand) In this Sept. 8, 2016 photo, a Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 7 smartphone is displayed at the headquarters of South Korean mobile carrier KT in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung Electronics recommended South Korean customers to stop using the new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, which the company is recalling worldwide after several dozen of them caught fire. (AP photo) The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has issued a safety guideline for airlines and aviation safety officials handling passengers who carry the Galaxy Note 7 during flights, following a global recall of the malfunctioning device. Following advice given by US and the European air safety regulators for passengers to avoid using and charging Galaxy Note 7s on planes and not to stow the device in any checked luggage, the CAAT has now issued a similar announcement. Samsung Electronics is urging consumers worldwide to stop using Galaxy Note 7 smartphones immediately and exchange them as soon as possible, as more reports of the phones catching fire have emerged even after the company's global recall. The company recalled 2.5 million phones last week, and says it has confirmed 35 cases of the Galaxy Note 7 catching fire as of Sept 1, most of them while the battery was being charged. Dated Sept 10 and signed by Chula Sukmanop, directorgeneral of Department of Airports and acting CAAT director, the announcement says air passengers are prohibited from keeping the Galaxy Note 7 in any checked luggage. Passengers are allowed to bring the Galaxy Note 7 on board a plane but are required to switch it off and not charge the device while on the plane, says the announcement. The announcement also indicates passengers are responsible for promptly reporting any incidents to airport authorities. Passengers should warn authorities if they detect overheating in the device or smoke coming from it. They should also warn authorities if they lose the device or accidentally drop it on the floor. Airlines and airport officials are required to inform all passengers of the announcement. Thai Airways International and its budget subsidiary Thai Smile Airways have joined other carriers in banning the Galaxy Note 7 from checked baggage and banned passengers using them on board. Bangkok Airways, Nok Air and AirAsia are now following suit by adopting similar safety precautions. Nok Air went the furthest by banning the charging of all mobile phones and other battery- powered devices while on board its planes. Nok air passengers are allowed to use smartphones in flight mode while in midair as usual, except Galaxy Note 7s. They also are prohibited from leaving any mobile phones or batterypowered electronic devices in checked luggage. Samsung's mobile business chief Koh DongJin has said the faulty rate was about 24 units per each million sold and that it would take a couple of weeks. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1083816/caat-issues-galaxy-note-safety- rules Back to Top AOPA RESPONDS TO CRASH REPORT NBC STORY LACKS CONTEXT, CLARITY A tragic midair collision over Georgia prompted a quick response from NBC, which had a story on the air within hours of the fatal accident at West Georgia Regional Airport. The NBC Nightly News report cast a critical eye on general aviation safety. AOPA responded quickly to the news organization, noting missed opportunities for clarity, missing context, and mistaken notions that the 90-second report could create in the minds of viewers. U.S. general aviation accident rates per 100,000 flight hours, 1990-2015 AOPA President Mark Baker spoke to the network Sept. 8 to express the association's concerns. Three people were killed Sept. 7 in a collision between two single-engine airplanes, and a witness statement reported to various media outlets by local authorities suggested both aircraft were attempting to land simultaneously. Little is known with certainty in the first hours after any accident. The NTSB investigation had most likely barely begun, if investigators had even arrived on the scene, by the time NBC hit the airwaves with a litany of fragmented facts and grim statistics. The airport has no control tower, and the crash was the "latest in a string of fatal crashes," the network reported, citing other incidents in recent months in various locations. The report went on to quote selected data including the number of lives lost in GA accidents over the past eight years, and the fact that GA safety remains on the NTSB's list of "Most Wanted" transportation improvements. (The NTSB has chosen a particular aspect of GA safety for its "Most Wanted" list for several years running.) Omitted from the NBC report was context including the steady decline in GA accidents, and the decline in GA accident rates, recorded in recent years. The AOPA Air Safety Institute published the twenty-fifth edition of the Joseph T. Nall Report in August, noting unprecedented success in accident rate reduction. 2008-2014 transportation fatalitiesThe Air Safety Institute is not alone noting the gains and improvements: The Wall Street Journal wrote in April about a decline in GA accidents; Bloomberg reported in August on indications that technology has helped improve GA safety; Newsday noted in May that despite a local increase in GA crashes, the overall rate of fatal accidents is down. The government's experts also have concurred in recent years with the basic assessment that GA safety continues to improve. FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker spoke of progress during a GA safety summit in March, when he highlighted ongoing efforts to further reduce accidents through implementation of new technology. The NTSB noted in 2014 that GA accidents had decreased "in all measures," based on 2013 accident data. AOPA is well aware that such context is often lost, or tossed aside, when tragedy strikes in dramatic fashion. Association staff work routinely to educate reporters and news organizations about the successes as well as the challenges of aviation safety, and the imperative to allow experts and investigators to do their work before drawing conclusions about any particular incident. At the same time, the Air Safety Institute draws on lessons that are learned with the completion of thorough accident investigations to keep pilots aware of trends, technology, and practices that are expected to continue improving aviation safety in years to come. U.S. general aviation accidents, 1985-2015 Jim Moore Jim Moore Online Associate Editor AOPA Online Associate Editor Jim Moore joined AOPA in 2011 and is an instrument-rated private pilot who enjoys competition aerobatics. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/september/08/aopa-responds-to- crash-report Back to Top FAA ISSUES SAFETY ALERT ON SLOW FLIGHT REQUIREMENTS The FAA has published a new safety alert on maneuvering during slow flight. The Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) is a reminder to the flight training community that the certification standard for performing and demonstrating slow flight in an airplane has changed and spells out how to set up slow flight maneuvers for training and testing. The Federal Aviation Administration is one of the many government agencies that have influence over general aviation. Photo by David Tulis. In the SAFO dated Aug. 30, the FAA notes that loss of control is the leading cause of fatal general aviation accidents in the United States and that preventing loss of control is a pilot's fundamental responsibility. Because slow flight is a condition that increases the risk of loss of control, pilots should understand how an airplane performs and be proficient at controlling the airplane during slow flight. In the past, certification standards required private pilot applicants to establish and maintain "an airspeed at which any further increase in angle of attack, increase in load factor, or reduction in power would result in an immediate stall." This required most slow flight maneuvers to be conducted while the stall warning was activated, a condition that "is neither desirable nor intended," according to the SAFO. New airman certification standards (ACS) that took effect June 15 require the pilot to maintain a speed referenced to the 1G stall speed. And the SAFO recommends one way to set up the maneuver to eliminate the stall warning while still demonstrating an understanding of airplane performance and needed control inputs to safely maintain slow flight. "We're encouraging flight instructors, designated examiners, and others in the training community to read the SAFO and familiarize themselves with its recommendations," said Justin Barkowski, AOPA director of regulatory affairs. "Many will need to adjust their training and testing procedures to align with the new standards." In the SAFO, the FAA emphasized that it "still expects a pilot to know and understand the aerodynamics behind how the airplane performs from the time the stall warning is activated to reaching a full stall." The SAFO also notes that the FAA has completed a significant rewrite of Chapter 4 of the Airplane Flying Handbook to remove inconsistencies in the guidance on conducting and evaluating slow flight. The FAA anticipates the revision will be available in October. Elizabeth Tennyson Elizabeth A Tennyson Senior Director of Communications AOPA Senior Director of Communications Elizabeth Tennyson is an instrument-rated private pilot who first joined AOPA in 1998. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/september/07/faa-issues-safety- alert-on-slow-flight-requirements Back to Top Beechcraft King Air 200 Impact with Trees (Florida) Status: Preliminary Date: Saturday 10 September 2016 Time: 15:35 Type: Beechcraft 200 Super King Air Operator: Hurricane Joaquin LLC Registration: N369CD C/n / msn: BB-110 First flight: 1976 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Airplane damage: Substantial Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Orlando Apopka Airport, FL ( United States of America) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Marathon-Florida Keys Airport, FL (MTH/KMTH), United States of America Destination airport: Orlando Apopka Airport, FL, United States of America Narrative: The aircraft experienced a loss of directional control during an aborted landing attempt at Orlando Apopka Airport, Florida. The airplane sustained substantial damage upon impact with a tree and the post-impact fire. The sole pilot onboard the aircraft received minor injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20160910-0 Back to Top NAC aircraft makes emergency landing in Delhi airport Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC)'s plane in Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu KATHMANDU: Nepal Airlines Corporation's aircraft 9N AKW made an emergency landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi at 8:20 pm on Sunday, 25 minutes after taking off for Kathmandu. The Airbus 320 was flown back to the IGIA after the crew noticed that its flaps were locked and there was glitch on auto-pilot system. There were 152 passengers and eight crew on board the Nepali national flag bearer aircraft, piloted by Captain Subarna Awale, according to NAC sources. All of them are safe. The aircraft has been grounded. NAC tehnicians are leaving for the Indian capital Delhi at 11 am in another NAC flight to examine the grounded Airbus, according to officials at NAC flight operations department. NAC officials said that they were rescheduling international flights after an Airbus 320 was grounded in Delhi. https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/nac-aircraft-makes-emergency-landing-delhi- airport/ Back to Top ENAC in surprise safety audit of Air Italy, Meridiana fly Meridiana Airbus A320-200© Tis Meyer (PlanePics.org) Meridiana Airbus A320-200 The Italian civil aviation authority (Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile - ENAC) says it has opened an investigation into Meridiana fly (IG, Olbia) and sister carrier Air Italy (I9, Milan Malpensa) following a series of incidents which have affected both operators' aircraft in recent weeks. The most serious of the incidents occurred last month when first, a Meridiana fly MD-82, I-SMER (msn 49901), suffered an hydraulic failure in its landing gear during approach into Olbia on August 7. Then, on August 27, a B737-800 operated by Air Italy for Meridiana, suffered such a hard-landing at Verona airport that two passengers and four cabin crew needed medical attention. The aircraft, EI-FNW (msn 28642), underwent structural inspections although no damage was found, ENAC said. Pending the findings of the audit, which is already underway, ENAC says it will continue to monitor and supervise the operations of both carriers. http://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/49186-enac-in-surprise-safety-audit-of-air-italy- meridiana-fly Back to Top No selfies when in air: DGCA to pilots (India) The DGCA has issued an air safety circular against clicking of selfies in air. Now if pilots are found doing so, the regulator can take 'suitable' action against them. The regulatory action comes close on heels of several instances of pilots found to be clicking selfies. (Representative image)The regulatory action comes close on heels of several instances of pilots found to be clicking selfies. (Representative image) NEW DELHI: Pilots will no longer be able to click selfies in cockpit while airborne. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an air safety circular against clicking of selfies in air as the regulator feels this is a distraction from the serious job of flying which could affect safety. "The new rule has been issued and it will soon be put online," DGCA chief B S Bhullar said. Now if pilots are found doing so, the regulator can take 'suitable' action against them. The regulatory action comes close on heels of several instances of pilots found to be clicking selfies and then proudly putting them on social networking sites. DGCA had last month grounded some pilots for a week for doing so and let several others off with a warning. Several countries have already banned pilots from using PEDs for personal use while flying. The American air safety regulator has banned commercial airline crew from using PEDs for personal workin cockpit. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-selfies-when-in-air-DGCA-to- pilots/articleshow/54272126.cms Back to Top Known rudder issue may be linked to 2015 Delta crash A rudder issue thought to have contributed to several Boeing MD-80 accidents may have played a role in the March 2015 crash of Delta Air Lines flight 1086 at New York LaGuardia airport, documents released by the National Transportation Safety Board suggest. The documents, available on the NTSB's website, call attention to the ineffectiveness of the MD-80's rudder during landing when the aircraft's engines are operating under significant reverse thrust. That ineffectiveness, which the NTSB has addressed in several recommendations, is particularly pronounced during poor weather, documents show. The documents do not reach any conclusions. The safety investigatory agency expects to release its final report about the accident on 13 September. The Delta aircraft, an MD-88 operating a flight from Atlanta, crashed at LaGuardia while attempting to land during a snowstorm. The aircraft touched down on the centreline of snow-covered runway 13, after which the captain set the aircraft's Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 engines to reverse thrust, according to the NTSB. The aircraft then veered left as it slowed, exited the runway, struck a perimeter fence and stopped with its nose extending over an embankment that runs along the shore of Flushing Bay. The NTSB has said 23 of 127 passengers suffered minor injuries. The NTSB's "operational factors" report says aircraft's reverse thrust set levels that have long been known to make the rudder essentially useless -- a condition suspected of contributing to several accidents. The Delta aircraft's left engine reached a peak engine pressure ratio (EPR) in reverse thrust of 2.07, while the right engine peaked at 1.91 EPR, the NTSB says. However, Delta, Boeing and the NTSB have repeatedly warned about EPR settings higher than 1.3 affecting the rudder. The EPR is a measure of the airflow pressure at exhaust divided by the airflow pressure at the inlet. An EPR of 1.3, for example, means the pressure is 1.3 times higher at the exhaust than at the inlet. In a February 1996 letter to operators, Boeing "stated reverse thrust levels above 1.3 EPR decrease rudder and stabiliser effectiveness until reaching 1.6 EPR, at which point the rudder and stabiliser provide little or no directional control", says the NTSB's report. Likewise, Delta's MD-88 operations manual says, "CAUTION: Reverse thrust above 1.3 EPR may blank the rudder and degrade directional control effectiveness," according to the NTSB. The crew of flight 1086 may also have know about the issue. During the landing, one pilot said, twice, "Come out of reverse", according to an NTSB transcript of the cockpit voice recorder. HISTORY OF ISSUES The NTSB has known about the MD-80's rudder-reverse thrust issue at least since a DC- 9-80 test aircraft slide of the runway at Yuma, Arizona in 1980. The NTSB's investigation found the aircraft's rudder had only 25% effectiveness at 1.3 EPR reverse thrust, and "minimal" effectiveness at 1.6 EPR. "The exhaust gases from the engines are deflected by the thrust reverser buckets in such a manner that the free stream airflow over the vertical stabiliser and rudder is blocked, reducing the effectiveness of these surfaces," the NTSB said in recommendations following that crash. Then came the deadly 1999 crash at Little Rock, Arkansas of an American Airlines MD-82, which departed the runway on landing, killing the captain and 10 passengers. The NTSB blamed the accident on crew failures, but also cited the "use of reverse thrust greater than 1.3 engine pressure ratio". The agency's report also cites two MD-80 runway excursions -- in St Louis and Cancun -- that involved use of high reverse thrust EPR. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top Woman allegedly puts loaded firearm through Logan Airport security A Maine woman faces a court summons after Transportation Security Administration workers at Logan Airport found a loaded handgun in her purse Sunday, State Police said. The incident, which happened on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, appears to have been inadvertent, according to State Police spokesman Matthew Guarino. He said the woman will face a charge of carrying a handgun with ammunition. The 59-year-old Harmony, Maine, woman was not identified. It appeared that the woman had forgotten that the gun was in her purse, because it did not seem intentionally concealed, Guarino said. Officials found the gun when the woman put her purse through security in Terminal B about 5:25 a.m, he said State Police confiscated the weapon, and the woman was allowed to board her American Airlines flight without the gun. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/09/11/woman-puts-firearm-through-logan- airport-security/Ir7damqnsLVmJkwxLvQS9N/story.html Back to Top Senator Tries to Relax Medical Rules for Private Pilots By JOAN LOWY, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2015 file photo, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. is surrounded by reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Inhofe is trying to relax the medical requirements for private pilots who fly small planes, drawing complaints from Democrats who say is he is going back on a compromise that became law only two months ago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) A Republican senator is trying to relax the medical requirements for private pilots who fly small planes, drawing complaints from Democrats who say is he is going back on a compromise that became law only two months ago. Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, an avid, 81-year-old pilot who has had a quadruple heart bypass, is trying to eliminate a requirement that pilots have a statement from their doctor saying that they don't have a medical condition that would interfere with their ability to safely operate a plane. Inhofe, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has proposed the change as part of House and Senate negotiations on a major defense bill, according to congressional aides familiar with the discussions. The aides spoke on condition they not be named because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. The defense bill already includes a "pilots' bill of rights" sponsored by Inhofe - a series of provisions aimed at simplifying the medical approval process and helping pilots who contest enforcement actions by the Federal Aviation Administration. But a compromise was reached earlier this year on the medical provisions, which were ultimately added to a bill extending the FAA's policies and programs that was passed by Congress and signed into law in July. That compromise means nearly 200,000 pilots who fly planes weighing less than 6,000 pounds and with up to six seats no longer have to be certified every two years as medically fit to fly by an FAA-approved medical examiner. Under the compromise system, which the FAA is still implementing, pilots can get a physical from any doctor - not just an FAA-approved medical examiner - and the doctor can simply attest that no prohibitive medical concerns were found. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and other groups whose members include recreational pilots had sought the changes, saying the previous system was overly bureaucratic and expensive, and discouraged pilots from flying. The U.S. recreational flying industry has shrunk significantly. The number of general aviation pilots declined from 827,000 1984 to 593,000 in 2014. Industry officials say they are trying to encourage interest in flying. But eliminating even the "moderate safety precaution" of having the doctor sign a statement that the pilot is fit to fly "would leave pilots with the exclusive responsibility for coming to a medical judgment about their own fitness to fly, which we believe would represent an unacceptable risk to the safety of our airspace," Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said in a letter this week to defense bill negotiators. The letter urges them to reject the proposal. "Changes to civil aviation policy have no place in a military policy bill, recently negotiated compromises should not be re-litigated mere weeks after passage into law, and the safety of our airspace is too important to put at risk," the senators wrote. Donelle Harder, a spokeswoman for Inhofe, declined to comment on the specifics of the pilot medical changes the senator is seeking. "Things change by the hour, and Inhofe has a strong record of trying to find a middle ground that benefits all stakeholders," she said. Jim Coon, the pilots association's top lobbyist, said his group isn't aware of what proposals have been discussed but supports the medical provisions already in the law. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/senator-relax-medical-rules-private-pilots- 41982185 Back to Top TSA boasts dramatic decline in airport wait times WASHINGTON - Hiring more Transportation Security Administration officers. Shifting airport and airline workers for non-security work at checkpoints such as moving bins. Improving technology at the checkpoints. These were among the strategies that TSA officials say reduced summer lines at airport checkpoints, after hours-long waits frustrated travelers and airlines alike this spring. About 98% of fliers waited 30 minutes or less for screening between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and about 92% waited less than 15 minutes, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said. "We reduced wait times this summer without compromising security," Johnson told a news conference Wednesday at Reagan National Airport. The seven busiest airports in the USA clocked average wait times of less than 10 minutes, he added. "I've seen lines drop considerably," said Jon Petz, a public speaker from Powell, Ohio, who is a member of USA TODAY's Road Warriors panel of frequent travelers. "Majors with the most issues I've seen recently were San Francisco and Orlando," which he described as "always crazy there, but they manage well." Just months before, a combination of tighter security, more travelers and a smaller TSA staff sparked unwieldy lines, including hours-long waits at airports such as Chicago O'Hare, Atlanta and Seattle. American Airlines said 70,000 passengers missed flights during the first five months of year because of the lengthy queues. Airport officials in New York and Atlanta discussed hiring private screeners. Johnson largely credited the shorter wait times to more signups for Precheck and a congressional funding shift that allowed the expedited hiring of hundreds of new TSA officers. The number of Precheck enrollees more than doubled from a year earlier, to 3.5 million, thanks to TSA's promotion of the expedited program that allows quicker movement through checkpoint lines for travelers who provide extra information and undergo a security interview. Nearly 97% of Precheck members, who pay an $85 fee for five years, wait 5 minutes or less at security lines, Johnson said. Chicago O'Hare International Airport had waits averaging 104 minutes during peak travel times in early May, according to an airport report based on TSA figures. But after airport and Illinois representatives met with TSA officials to demand changes, the average waits during peak times dropped to 6 minutes by late August. The number of screeners at O'Hare grew 20% to 1,646, according to the airport. The number of bomb-sniffing dog teams, whose scrutiny turns a standard line into a Precheck line, tripled from four to 12. "With Precheck, it's never taken me longer than 15 minutes to pass a checkpoint - out of about 20 trips this summer," said Rob Lipman, a Road Warrior from Austin, Texas, who works in management services. In bracing for the summer travel season, TSA also asked Congress to shift a combined $62 million to put more screeners on the job. The funds allowed TSA to expedite the hiring of 1,368 new officers and move 1,865 officers from part-time to full-time positions, Johnson said. TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger said the results couldn't have happened without the partnership with airlines and airports. For example, airlines and airports contributed 600 workers at checkpoints throughout the country. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which has 10% more travelers this year than last, took a number of steps to streamline the waits. The airport fielded 90 customer-service workers to allow TSA officers to open more checkpoint lanes. Teams of volunteers, with help from 30 high-school and college interns, helped travelers navigate the airport. And the airport changed the passenger- identification stations and lines to improve traffic flow. The average wait during the peak travel time from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. in August was 11 minutes, well below the goal of 20 minutes, according to spokesman Brian DeRoy. "We upped our game and intend to keep it that way as Sea-Tac projects serving several million more passengers this year compared with 2015," said Lance Lyttle, the airport's managing director. The adoption of automated lanes, which began with two installed in Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, also helped ease congested lines. Conveyor belts move carry-on bins in the lanes, resulting in travelers speeding through an estimated 30% faster, according to TSA. Neffenger hopes 60 automated lanes will be available nationwide by the end of the year and 100 within one year. "The lines have gotten much better over the course of summer," said Robert Schukai, a USA TODAY Road Warrior who is head of innovation for a communications company from Marietta, Ga. "I fly through Atlanta on a very regular basis and the wait times now - at their worst - tend to be no more than 15 to 30 minutes to get through." Atlanta pioneered the first two automated lanes with Delta Air Lines and plans to expand to at least 20 lanes before the summer rush of 2017, according to spokesman Reese McCranie. The airport will spend about $9 million on the new lanes, he said. "In July, we had the best wait times we've had in seven years," he said, with 96% of travelers spending less than 20 minutes in line. "We're pleased with the progress that's been made. Our focus is to ensure that we have a safe environment and get passengers through the screening process smoothly and efficiently." The shorter wait times came as TSA is on a record pace for catching guns in carry-on bags at checkpoints. Neffenger said officers found 2,200 so far this year, compared with a record 2,653 last year. "This is hardly mission accomplished," Johnson said. "There is much more to do." http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2016/09/11/tsa-airport-security-lines-wait- times/90113290/ Back to Top NMSU Offers Unmanned Aircraft Systems Workshop With the increasing popularity of unmanned aircraft systems or drones, New Mexico State University's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Test Center will offer a three-day workshop to teach government, civil and business officials about the new technology and regulations. The workshop will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 13-15, at the Physical Science Laboratory at Anderson Hall. The cost is $300 per person with a working lunch included. Registration is available online. The workshop will focus on helping officials understand the technology, determine the right sensor and UAS for a particular application, prepare for the changes in this fast- moving field, become aware of the administrative and FAA regulations, and learn how to develop a plan and achieve each organization's goals. NMSU's UAS experts will guide participants through the requirements process addressing the many nuances to optimize budgets and perform the mission. "The workshop was developed and is being offered in answer to the many phone calls and questions we receive from state, county and city employees and even businesses. UAS is a new tool and it is easy to go the wrong direction when you purchase one because of lack of education. The problem is, the cost for the wrong decision can be substantial and can set your timeline back months or even years," said Dennis Zaklan, deputy director of the NMSU UAS Flight Test Center and UAS Flight Operations Team. For more information contact Zaklan at dzaklan@psl.nmsu.edu or 575-646-9417. http://elpasoheraldpost.com/nmsu-offers-unmanned-aircraft-systems-workshop/ Back to Top NASA using aircraft to measure mid-Atlantic greenhouse gases NASA is conducting low-level aircraft flights measuring greenhouse gases over the mid- Atlantic region through September. The flights are for the CARbon Airborne Flux Experiment or CARAFE, which will measure the exchange of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane between the Earth and the atmosphere in the region. In addition, water vapor, temperature, and vertical wind measurements will be taken. Randy Kawa, experiment principal investigator from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said, "The direct measurements of the atmospheric interchange of these greenhouse gases will allow us to demonstrate the capability of the new instrument system being flown." "It also will allow us to better understand the exchange processes in this area and compare and apply the data to existing atmospheric and ecosystem models," he said. The NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, also are supporting the mission. During the flights, a NASA C-23 Sherpa aircraft from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia will fly trajectories at various altitudes with the lowest being 500 feet above the vegetation or water. The flights will be conducted over the Pocomoke Forest area on the Eastern Shore of Maryland; agricultural areas and tidal marshlands from the Eastern Shore of Virginia to southern Delaware; southern Maryland; the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean; the New Jersey Pine Barrens in the southern portion of the state; and the Alligator River and the Great Dismal Swamp in eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. http://phys.org/news/2016-09-nasa-aircraft-mid-atlantic-greenhouse-gases.html Back to Top Special Report: Why THAI's new aircraft acquisitions are so important SPECIAL REPORT - Many local carriers are regaining momentum, as they experience surging demand. Recent fleet re-alignments and route adjustments are being converted into financial improvement. This is leading to renewed optimism about fleet and network growth, both for major carrier Thai Airways and smaller players such as Thai AirAsia and Nok Airlines. THAI is using greater reliance on leasing for new aircraft acquisitions. Photo: AJ Wood BANGKOK: Back in January there were talks of the possibility of Thailand's national carrier Thai Airways International (THAI) going bankrupt, however more recently there is renewed optimism and it looks as though the national carrier may have turned the corner. I recently travelled BKK-LON-BKK on THAI's new A380. I travelled business class at my own expense, it was a family trip and I spent the summer at home in the UK. From a comfort and service point of view it was very evident that THAI is back and they well deserves their recent Skytrax Award 2016 as the World's Most Improved Airline. The aircraft, service and facilities were world class. I was proud again of Thailand's national airline. It is so important to have a modern fleet, no-one knows that better than other Asian airlines and the Middle Eastern carriers who have been chipping away at THAI's market share for years. The long loss-making airline, under a restructuring programme and helped by lower fuel prices and an increase in tourism, this year aims at achieving an operating profit of B12 billion (about US$344 million) and a net profit of B2bn (about US$57mn). The airline's revenue is projected to surge to B194bn (US$5.58bn), up 7 per cent from 2015. This would be a big leap for Thai Airways chief Charamporn Jotikasthira, former head of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, who was tasked to initiate and oversee the carrier's turnaround by the Thai government in 2014. He started changing the airline's management structure, reduced its workforce - particularly its overstaffed administration - and expenses, cut non-performing routes and partially sold assets including unnecessary aircraft. He also improved the airline's sales strategy. In detail, Thai Airways trimmed its fleet to 95 aircraft from 102 and cut 1,277 jobs, or 5% of its staff, under an early-retirement programme. The company also sold its headquarters building in Bangkok and cut down on generous, costly perks such as lifetime free first-class travel for directors and their families, including more than 100 former executives and board members. SEVERE TURBULENCE In 2014, Thai Airways posted net losses of B15.6bn, the worst financial performance of any Asean state carrier in that year. This was followed by losses of B14bn in 2015 and there was pressure for Mr Charamporn to step down. However, in the fourth quarter of last year THAI made its first net profit (about B4bn) in four years, indicating that the restructuring has become effective. In the first quarter of 2016, revenue of the carrier was B48.8bn, missing its target by just 1%, whereas spending was cut by 13%, or about B1bn, it was announced on April 20. To bring it on par with its main rival carriers, THAI is also seeking to raise its seat- occupancy rate to 80% from 75% in 2015 and 69% in 2014. In addition, it plans to raise the ratio of air tickets sold online from 16% to an industry average of between 30% and 40%. Some of these initiatives are not new. Back in 2009, the then-THAI President Piyasvasti Amranand, who was appointed in June of that year, initiated closer co-operation with Star Alliance carriers and THAI's low-cost carrier Nok Air. He also transferred more of its Boeing 737-400s aircraft and domestic routes to Nok. In order to reduce the carrier's B160bn debt, Mr Piyasvasti leased more aircraft - rather than relying on aircraft purchases - and introduced a new fleet plan to be implemented in 2010. And also in 2010, he secured B23bn of funding from four banks: the Government Savings Bank, Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank and Siam Commercial Bank. This year, the current Thai military government, has set tough restructuring targets not just for THAI, but a number of other state enterprises. And it appears to be working. Mr Charamporn reported in the first quarter of 2016, THAI's seat occupancy was already at 77.9%. Also 21.2 million passengers used the airline in 2015, up 11% from 2014. Fuel surcharges, however, continue to rankle customers, even though oil prices have fallen sharply. In 2015, average jet-fuel prices were down by US$66 per barrel from the 2014 level. However, few premium airlines were able to cut airfares, due to high fuel- hedging ratios. According to Thailand's The Nation newspaper, between April and September 2015, Singapore Airlines hedged 57% of its fuel requirements, at a weighted average of US$106 per barrel. When jet-fuel prices during the period dropped by 41.1% from a year earlier. It should have locked in over 1 billion Singapore dollars (B25.5bn) in cost savings. In reality, hedging eroded those savings by nearly half. The situation could be better this year. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a grouping of over 200 airlines, the average price of jet fuel is expected to fall further to US$41.20 per barrel in 2016, offering a chance for airlines to save US$104.6bn in fuel expenditure. There is no information on the hedging ratio at THAI, but it is believed to be high. Hedging became a norm when oil prices hit new highs after the global financial crisis. But most airlines are under pressure to cut airfares and other costs anyway to stay competitive. FLEET AFOOT THAI President Charamporn also recently announced that the company has ordered 12 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft (Extra Wide Body), which will greatly modernise the fleet and maintain the airline's quality standards and provide passengers with more convenience. The first two aircraft, each with a price list of US$355.7m (more than B12,4bn), after an initial period flying on regional services between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the aircraft will be deployed on long-haul flights, starting in September 2016. Currently, THAI has 23 Airbus aircraft in its fleet. The new Airbus A350 is among 14 planes purchased by THAI amid plans to offer new routes to Russia, China and several countries in Europe. Of the 14 aircraft, 12 are Airbus A350 XWBs and two are Boeing 787s. Melbourne will be the first city to welcome Thai Airways International's brand-new Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and Sydney next year. Thai Airways will operate a daily Melbourne-Bangkok service aboard the Airbus A350 XWB, replacing one of the Boeing 777-200s the airline currently flies on the route. This is the precursor to a twice-daily A350 XWB Melbourne-Bangkok service when the airline takes delivery of its second A350 later in September. All 12 brand-new A350s will be in service within 2 years. The A350 XWB is branded the world's most advanced twin-aisle aircraft, Airbus' response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Along with the A380, they are a vital piece of the jigsaw in the future to bring back THAI to the pinnacle it once enjoyed for so many years. THAI's strategies to bring passengers back include an upgraded first and business class service, new routes such as a direct Frankfurt-Phuket service, a resumption of the service to Moscow and the revival of flights to Tehran. SAFETY Another issue that THAI must address is air safety. In March last year, Thai airlines were placed under "special measures" by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) prompting Japan and South Korea to block new flights from Thai-registered airlines. This forced airlines, including budget carriers Thai AirAsia X, NokScoot and Asia Atlantic Airline, to cancel extra flights that they had been planning. THAI was also affected. The audit revealed some safety concerns, primarily relating to air operator certification procedures. Thailand provided the ICAO with the details of its corrective actions and mitigation measures and the ICAO is working with Thai authorities. A spokesman for the European Aviation Safety Agency said, "We inspected in October last year THAI and those airlines in Thailand which applied for a Third Country Operators (TCO) authorisation - authorisation that any non-European Union airline willing to fly in and out of the EU must get, and they were okay." ANDREW J WOOD A professional hotelier, Skalleague, travel writer and director of WDA Co Ltd (Tours/Travel/MICE), Andrew has over 35 years of hospitality and travel experience. He is a graduate of Napier University, Edinburgh (Hospitality Studies). A UK national, Andrew was born in Yorkshire and prior to moving to Thailand Andrew gained valuable post graduate experience with Thistle Hotels (UK); Hilton Intl (Paris) and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts (London). He started his hotel career in Thailand with Shangri-La Hotels, Royal Garden Hotels and Resorts and the Landmark Group of Hotels (Thailand and UK) and later became General Manager of some of the country's leading hotels including the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Pattaya. Andrew is a former board member and Director of Skal International (SI), National President SI Thailand and President of SI Bangkok. He is a regular guest lecturer at various Universities in Thailand including Assumption University's Hospitality School. http://www.thephuketnews.com/special-report-why-thai-new-aircraft-acquisitions-are-so- important-59064.php#h2eQvwQvYrCkxDIa.99 Back to Top Brazil's largest aircraft maker reportedly paid bribes to make surveillance jets for India Embraer, the world's third-largest aircraft maker, is in the midst of a graft storm in India. The Sao Paulo-based company is reportedly being probed by the US justice department for allegedly paying bribes to middlemen to secure an Indian government defence contract. The firm had inked a $208-million, three-aircraft deal with India's Defence Research and Development Organisation in 2008. The planes were to be equipped with indigenously-built airborne early warning and control system (AEW&C) radars. The first of the three was delivered in 2011 and the remaining in 2013. "I am not going to give a knee-jerk reaction and just make a statement based on rumours," India's defence minister Manohar Parrikar said about the alleged payoffs. "I have asked for a report which will be submitted on Monday, and if the issues are of a criminal nature, then we can forward this case to the CBI for a criminal investigation and if there are just procedural issues then we can do an internal investigation." Embraer has been under investigation by the United States justice department since 2010 for alleged violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The probe began when a contract between the Brazilian firm and the Dominican Republic raised suspicion. The investigation was later expanded to business dealings with eight other countries. The Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo first reported that the US government had launched a probe into bribes allegedly paid by Embraer to middlemen for "deals concluded in Saudi Arabia and India." India does not allow the use of middlemen in defence deals. The higher echelons of India's defence establishment have frequently been mired in corruption scandals. In 2013, the government launched a probe into allegations of kickbacks paid to middlemen in a Rs3,600-crore ($542 million) helicopter deal with AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of the Italian government-owned Finmeccanica SpA. In 2010, the Indian government and AgustaWestland had signed a Rs3,546-crore deal to buy 12 AW-101 helicopters for the Indian Air Force to replace the Soviet-era MI-8s. These choppers were to be used to transport the president, prime minister, and the vice- president, among others. Last year, an Italian court even named Sonia Gandhi, the leader of India's Congress party, as the "driving force" behind the chopper deal. http://qz.com/778845/embraer-brazils-largest-aircraft-maker-reportedly-paid-bribes-to- make-surveillance-jets-for-india/ Back to Top Aircraft to explore jet streams A scientific aircraft is set to soar over the Atlantic in a mission to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts. The FAAM (Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements) aircraft will set off from Cranfield, Bedfordshire, next month on a trip that will see it explore jet streams to measure factors such as wind speeds and humidity. Scientists hope this information may help give a clearer picture of weather coming into the UK from countries in the west, such as Iceland and North America. The project will work closely with teams in Germany and France. Professor Geraint Vaughan, who will be conducting the research on board the BAe 146- 301 aircraft, said: "We are working towards solving the long-term problem of our inaccurate weather forecasting. "When we get it wrong, it can usually be traced back to something happening in the jet stream that we didn't pick up, something coming towards us from upstream. It's to our embarrassment as a community that our forecasts are not capturing this properly." He hopes that flying into the jet stream at a high level to capture information on factors such as temperatures will pave the way to developing a more accurate model for forecasting the weather. Professor Rowan Sutton, director of climate research at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) who will be flying the FAAM, said: "It's very much a new venture. We will be bringing together a whole range of capabilities and technologies in a way that has never been done before." http://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/aircraft-to-explore-jet-streams/news- story/a81321725879965aa6f0f822999c8b91 Back to Top Kiwi government criticises Air New Zealand's wacky safety videos AIR New Zealand's notoriously funny safety videos are so popular, they've clocked up more than 83 million views online - but it turns out the Kiwi government isn't laughing. In an email obtained under freedom of information laws, the Civil Aviation Authority has criticised a surfing-themed video that came out last May, because it was too distracting. "The video diverges materially from the 'safety message' at times, and whilst I appreciate the need to engage the viewers, the extraneous material detracts from the scope and direction of the safety message," a spokesman said in a statement to One News Now. The clip in question runs for four minutes and forty seconds, and is set at the beach. It features some of the world's top surfers, including Aussie Mick Fanning and Sports Illustrated model Anastasia Ashley, as airline stuff run through the airline's safety procedure. Who would have thought sexy surfers could be distracting? Attention-grabbing video was criticised by the government. It's not the first time the airline's videos have made headlines. The elaborately-produced clips are often star studded - for example, a survival-themed film starring Bear Grylls, an old-school safety video with Betty White, and a Hollywood-themed clip starring Anna Faris and Flight of the Conchords star Rhys Darby. Some - like "The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made" - attract filmmakers of the calibre of Sir Peter Jackson, who directed the Lord of the Rings series. In a statement to the media, Air New Zealand said its safety videos are designed to grab viewers' attention, and are always rigorously tested on audiences to make sure they're effective. "We took what was an instructional help video and turned it on its head and created really entertaining content that demonstrated the safety messages, and we saw more customers watching them as a result of it," said Head of Global Brand Jodi Williams. Legendary director Sir Peter Jackson helped create this clip. But marketing expert Mike Lee, from the University of Auckland, told One News Now that Air New Zealand walks a fine line. "They have to strike a balance between capturing people's attention and engaging the audience ... And on the other hand, if you're too far out of the context you'll get the regulatory body coming in and saying it's a little too removed, people might not understand what you're trying to say." The airline has been making the hilarious videos since 2009, and was named AirlineRatings.com's Airline of the Year for the third consecutive time in December. The great romance features actress Anna Faris and comedian Rhys Darby. http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/flights/kiwi-government-criticises-air-new- zealands-wacky-safety-videos/news-story/ef99c5f1f91f4959c18f9f16d83b7059 Back to Top Malaysia Airlines scouts for Asian buyers for A380s Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380-800© Airbus Industrie Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380-800 Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur Int'l) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Bellew says the carrier is in talks with unspecified carriers in China and the ASEAN bloc over the possible sale of its unwanted A380-800 fleet. Speaking to Bloomberg, Bellew said talks were also underway with Airbus Industrie (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) to add ninety more seats to the 494-seater aircraft. The move, if successful, will allow the A380 to continue to operate in a two- or three-class configuration while increasing its appeal to the second-hand/charter market. Malaysia Airlines' fleet of six A380s is currently used exclusively on its flagship Kuala Lumpur Int'l-London Heathrow route. Between November 10, 2016 and July 6, 2017, they will be deployed on a total of fifty-three charter flights from Malaysia to Madinah and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Contracts with two local travel agencies, Andalusia Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd and Rayhar Travels Sdn Bhd, were signed earlier this year. Under previous CEO Christoph Mueller, Malaysia Airlines had intended to retain the double-decker quadjets until the middle of 2018 when its first A350-900s arrive. The carrier is in the midst of a restructuring plan which will see it shy away from longhaul services in favour of a greater presence in the regional Asian market. http://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/49190-malaysia-airlines-scouts-for-asian- buyers-for-a380s Back to Top Lawsuit seeks to block Alaska Airlines' $4 billion acquisition of Virgin ANCHORAGE (KTUU) - On behalf of a group of more than 40 consumers, a San Francisco law firm is trying to stop a $4 billion merger between Alaska Airlines and Virgin America. The plaintiffs argue the deal would weaken competition in the industry, causing job loss and higher fare prices. Alaska Airlines announced on Aug. 4 that it would acquire Virgin America to create the West Coast's "premier carrier." If completed, the merger would make the Seattle-based company the fifth largest airline in the United States, with a fleet of more than 280 aircraft and annual revenue exceeding $7 billion, according to information released by the company earlier this year. "The combination expands Alaska Airlines' existing footprint in California, bolsters its platform for growth and strengthens the company as a competitor to the four largest U.S. airlines," the company wrote in an April press release. But San Francisco attorney Joseph Alioto says the merger would have detrimental effects to both airlines and the commercial aviation industry in the US as a whole. On Thursday, his law firm filed an injunction seeking to prohibit the transaction. The complaint names more than 40 plaintiffs, some of whom are frequent fliers and travel agents who feel their businesses will be harmed as a direct result of the airliner's plans. "Alaska Airlines has a very good presence in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. For it to compete for more business in California would be a good thing, not only for Alaska, but for people, passengers, and customers," Alioto told Channel 2. "They're two very good airlines and we want to make sure they can continue to compete." According to Aliotto, the loss of competition brought on by the merger would remove incentives for the company to lower prices, resulting in an increase to the already high air fares to which Alaskans are accustomed. But in addition to the increased prices, the merger could be a potential source of job loss if the company removes employees that are no longer needed. The Seattle Times reported last week that Alaska Air Group plans to layoff 225 Virgin America Employees between October and June 2018 once it completes the acquisition. "They're letting these people go because they don't need them anymore if they don't have competition," Alioto told Channel 2. Moreover, the complaint argues that Alaska Airlines' position as the fifth largest airliner in America would force the airline to play into what has become an increasingly closed market, where recent mega-mergers have given four major airliners control over 84 percent of all passenger airline service in the United States. "The vital and critical importance of the enthusiastic and innovative competition of Virgin America and its presence in the airline markets can be measured against the near total lack of competition among the other major airlines," the complaint reads. "Virgin is the most important bulwark to block this almost unstoppable trend toward complete concentration and monopoly in the airline industry." With Alioto's injunction filed, Alaska Airlines now has a deadline to provide the courts with information proving that the merger should be allowed to proceed, something that the company fully expects to achieve. Alaska Airline's spokeswoman Ann Zaninovich issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit: "We're making good progress toward fulfilling the DOJ's (Department of Justice's) second request for information and are working under our existing timing agreement, which states that we will close sometime in early Q4 and not before Sept. 30. We fully expected various litigation following our April 4th announcement and are not surprised by this particular firm, who has a history of making these types of filings," Zaninovich said. If the merger goes forward as planned, Alaska Airline's hopes to close the deal by Jan. 1 2017 and have both airliners flying under a single operating license by the first quarter in 2018. http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/California-law-firm-files-lawsuit-against-Alaska- Airlines-merger-with-Virgin-392926971.html Back to Top Facing Pilot Shortfall, Air Force Challenged to Train Foreign Aviators Already facing a shortfall of several hundred fighter pilots, the U.S. Air Force is challenged to train a rising number of foreign aviators, the service's top civilian said. "We have only limited training slots with which to train our pilots, and we're trying to pick that up a notch, so that we train more pilots for ourselves," Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said on Wednesday during a briefing with reporters at the Pentagon. "Trying to fit in [an] ever-increasing number of pilots from overseas locations is a tough proposition," she said. "We're doing the best we ... can do." The Air Force, for example, maintains Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program in Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, where some 7,200 allied pilots have completed training over the last 35 years, according to the base. Earlier Wednesday, Heidi Grant, the service's deputy undersecretary for international affairs, said she frequently raises the issue of expanding air-to-air training capacity with her overseas counterparts. "One of our biggest requirements out there is international pilot training," Grant said during a speech at the ComDef conference in Washington, D.C. "It's one area where we're working with industry and coalition partners to find ways to make that available." What's more, the demand for pilots in both the U.S. and abroad is increasing. The need for more pilots will be particularly acute in Turkey, where aviators were among the dozens of military officials recently purged from the ranks in the wake of the failed military coup against President Tayyip Erdo?an in July. Many of those Turkish pilots flying the F-16s "are no longer part of the air force so we see a big capability gap there," Grant said. "So we have that on top of the U.S. Air Force [having] the highest shortage of pilots that we've had in our history." One "win-win" option, she said, might be to send American pilots to fly international aircraft as part of an effort to train foreign pilots while simultaneously keeping up with their own flight capacity. The U.S. maintains with Turkey the second-largest International Military Education and Training program, according to the State Department. James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein in July penned in a public plea to Congress for more funding to address a current shortfall of as many as 700 pilots. They argued the service will need stronger cash bonuses to attract new aviators and to sustain the force. One proposal calls for nearly doubling aviation retention pay for pilots who stay in the service from $25,000 a year to $48,000. Without the extra money, the leaders say, the shortage could increase to 1,000 pilots by 2022, due in part to competition from the private sector. "Aside from an airline hiring surge, there are other reasons for the Air Force's pilot shortfall, from dramatically reduced flying hours for the high-end fight as a result of Pentagon budget cuts to a perceived falloff in quality of life when they return from deployments overseas," James and Goldfein said in an Op-Ed in DefenseOne. "Make no mistake," they said, "this is a quiet crisis that will almost certainly get worse before it gets better." http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/09/07/pilot-shortfall-air-force-callenged-train- foreign-aviators.html Back to Top Business jet makers deepen discounts to fly out of turbulence Bombardier's C Series aircrafts are assembled in their plant in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada April 29, 2016. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi/File Photo Business-jet makers such as Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) and Textron Inc (TXT.N) are offering more discounts and incentives to prevent buyers from canceling orders or delaying purchases amid sluggish global growth, analysts and dealers said. Higher discounts on older models that are bloating inventories, as well as on some newer models, are expected to keep prices depressed and weigh on margins through the rest of the year and possibly in 2017 as well. Planemakers have little choice. Billionaires in key markets like China, Brazil and Russia have tightened their purse strings in response to weakening economies. Oil tycoons have retrenched in the face of low oil prices, while companies have slashed budgets. "Business conditions in the executive jets industry have proven to be more difficult than expected thus far in 2016, with continued pressure on new jet sales coming from high levels of pre-owned jet inventories and a highly competitive environment," Marco Pellegrini, CEO of Embraer Executive Jets, told Reuters. Business jet deliveries are expected to drop 11 percent in 2016, according to Jefferies analyst Howard Rubel. That would be the steepest percentage decline since 2009. Prices are being further pressured with many aircraft owners putting planes on sale, partly to avoid high maintenance costs - typically $1 million-$4 million annually - adding to the glut in the market. These jets have long shelf lives and planes that are 5-10 years old are considered as good as new. This has driven planemakers to cut prices by at least 5-15 percent on the list prices of mostly midsize and large business jet models, the most severe in the past four years, according to analysts and dealers. Discounts of about 5 percent on average were the norm a couple of years ago. "If you are not discounting today, you are not in business," said Dennis Rousseau, president of Aircraft Post, which provides market data on business jets. Sometimes the discounts are much higher. Some of Bombardier Inc's (BBDb.TO) mid-sized Learjet 75s from the 2015 inventory, which had a list price of about $13.8 million, are now being sold for about $9 million, according to sources who have run inventory checks. Jet companies are also offering an increased number of pilot training packages, parts- service credits and trade-in options to attract customers. But these efforts are unlikely to bear fruit anytime soon and things could get worse, analysts said, citing fewer-than-needed production cuts as the biggest reason. A spokesman for Bombardier did not have anything to add beyond information already available publicly. BRIGHT SPOTS At least five General Dynamics Corp (GD.N) large-cabin Gulfstream G650 jets from 2015 and 2016, listed at $64.5 million, were sitting in hangars as of June end, said a McLean, Virginia-based dealer who did not want to be named. "Most of them are owned by Chinese companies, contracted for these three-four years ago. Now it's time to deliver and they can't afford to take delivery," the dealer said, adding that the jets could have been sold by now but that he could not confirm the sales. General Dynamics declined to comment on the story. It is difficult to predict how many planes these companies have in their inventories because they don't disclose inventory numbers. The North American business jet market - the biggest in the world - has proven resilient despite the oil price slump. "The North America economy differs from emerging markets by having a record-setting stock market level and high corporate profits," said Brian Foley, business aviation market analyst at Brian Foley Associates. "There is also some level of pent-up demand as North American buyers had delayed purchase decisions until there was more confidence in the economy." Production cuts are slowly happening as well, though weak demand has forced most major aircraft makers to either lower sales or delivery forecasts for business jets for the year, or warn that demand will stay weak. Bombardier, which analysts and executives said has been the most aggressive in cutting prices, said last week it would halt completion work for its Global 5000 and 6000 business jets during certain periods in 2017. The Canadian company had the largest share of worldwide business jet shipments last year. General Dynamics said earlier this year that it had trimmed production rates of its Gulfstream G450 and G550 aircraft partly to match demand and partly to ease transition to newer models. France's Dassault Aviation SA (AVMD.PA), maker of Falcon business jets, said in July it was getting ready for low production levels. Dassault and Brazil's Embraer, which makes the Phenom 300 and Legacy 650 aircraft, both cut their 2016 delivery forecast for business jets. Dassault said it did not want to comment beyond what it had said on its earnings call in July and Textron declined to comment. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-aerospace-business-jets-idUSKCN11F2GP Back to Top Boeing testing blended wing plane for potential new super-efficient subsonic plane within 10 years Boeing is back in the wind tunnel testing one of its most innovative and potentially game- changing advanced concepts: the Blended Wing Body. Testing is underway through the end of September at the NASA Langley Research Center 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel in Virginia. Boeing and NASA researchers are using a 6 percent scale, 13-foot-wingspan Blended Wing Body (BWB) model to validate testing methodology, as well as map airflow over the airplane using lasers and smoke with a technique known as particle imagery velocimetry (PIV). Time permitting, testing will be conducted to measure the effectiveness of various control surfaces. That data will be compared with and supplement the set of data collected over the last two years on the same model at NASA Langley and the much larger 40- by 80- foot subsonic tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center in California. "Testing the same model in two very different tunnels gives us data to make our test methods better," said Dan Vicroy, principal investigator at NASA Langley. "Plus these tests will let us do PIV - something we didn't do before." "Our tests are a continuation of more than two decades of successful research and development of this concept, which is unparalleled in industry," said John Bonet, Boeing's test director for the BWB. "What we learn from this round of testing will be used to complete the definition of our aerodynamic, stability and control low-speed databases - a major milestone in the technology development of the concept." The BWB concept is unique in that it forgoes the conventional tube and wing shape of today's airplanes, in favor of a triangular tailless aircraft that effectively merges the vehicle's wing and body. It may not be just a concept for too much longer, according to company leaders. Boeing sees potential for a BWB-type aircraft to be developed in the next 10 years as a subsonic transport, possibly beginning with military transport variants for airlift and aerial refueling, said John Dorris III, Mobility senior manager, Phantom Works Fixed Wing Assembly for Boeing. "By transferring technology and features from current Boeing programs -like the C-17 and KC-46 - we're able to address the U.S. Air Force's vision for 2030 and beyond," he said. "Boeing's Blended Wing Body concept can be scaled, with variants that will allow us to meet our customer's mission requirements and fleet demands." Backed by decades of successful structural, wind tunnel and flight testing of two different X-48 aircraft configurations, Boeing is readying the BWB for the next step in maturing this technology: a manned demonstrator. NASA's Aeronautics budget proposes the return of X-planes. Boeing has completed an extensive study of BWB X-plane options for NASA and is supportive of NASA's desire to create a series of manned demonstrators as part of its mission to advance the science of aviation for public benefit, said Naveed Hussain, vice president, Aeromechanics Technology, at Boeing. "We believe our body of work, both in design, test and engineering, is technically superior when compared to other designs in the marketplace," Hussain said. "The BWB is showing great potential to offer structural, aerodynamic and operating efficiencies as well as the capability to be more fuel efficient and quieter over more traditional aircraft designs." Much of the current testing is a collaboration with NASA Aeronautics and is a follow-on to tests that NASA and Boeing completed in 2014 and 2015 under NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation program. The goal of that program was to develop technologies that improve fuel efficiencies, lower noise levels and reduce emissions. With the exception of Boeing proprietary technology, NASA knowledge gained from this NASA/Boeing collaborative research will be documented and publicly available to benefit the aviation industry. The BWB remains one of many promising concepts for a future NASA X-plane. SOURCE - Boeing http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/09/boeing-testing-blended-wing-plane-for.html Back to Top Second SpaceShipTwo completes first test flight SpaceShipTwo test flight VSS Unity, the second SpaceShipTwo vehicle, is carried aloft by its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft Sept. 8. Credit: Virgin Galactic WASHINGTON - Virgin Galactic's second SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane made its first flight Sept. 8 as the company takes another step to recover from a fatal 2014 crash. During the "captive carry" test flight, which took off from and landed back at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, SpaceShipTwo remained attached to its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft. The flight, lasting 3 hours and 43 minutes, tested the airflow around the vehicle and its overall performance at the low temperatures found at altitudes of about 15,000 meters, where SpaceShipTwo would be released on a typical flight. The flight was the first time this SpaceShipTwo, known as VSS Unity, left the ground. Virgin Galactic rolled out the spaceplane in a February ceremony at its Mojave facility, after which the company spent several months carrying out ground tests. While the company called the flight an "exciting milestone" for the company, it disclosed few details about the test flight itself. "With this flight in the books, our team will now analyze a mountain of flight data, learning what worked well and what could be improved for our next flight test," the company said in a Sept. 8 statement. The statement added that Virgin Galactic may perform additional captive carry tests depending on the outcome of the data analysis, as well as vehicle inspections and other planned work, before moving on to the next phase of the flight test program, where SpaceShipTwo is released from WhiteKnightTwo and glides to a runway landing. The company will later conduct powered test flights, where SpaceShipTwo ignites its hybrid rocket motor in a series of tests of increasing duration. The first SpaceShipTwo, called the VSS Enterprise, was in that phase of powered test flights in October 2014 when the vehicle broke apart, killing co-pilot Mike Alsbury and injuring pilot Peter Siebold. An investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that Alsbury prematurely unlocked the vehicle's feather system, designed to raise the tail for a stable reentry. The aerodynamic forces on the vehicle at that phase of flight caused SpaceShipTwo to break apart. The NTSB investigation also criticized Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites, the company that built the original SpaceShipTwo, for not doing more to prevent human error. Virgin Galactic, which took over the construction of the second SpaceShipTwo, said it took steps to both prevent premature unlocking of the feather well as address other human factors issues. "Our first flight test was an emotional and fulfilling moment for our hardworking team, even as we recognize how much work we have yet to do," Virgin Galactic said in its statement about the test flight. http://spacenews.com/second-spaceshiptwo-completes-first-test- flight/#sthash.2G9E0tLR.dpuf Curt Lewis