Flight Safety Information September 27, 2016 - No. 190 In This Issue Cebu Pacific's aircraft catches fire on Mactan runway Qatar Airways first to adopt GlobalBeacon flight-tracking product Call for North Sea helicopter safety measures to be speeded up Experts call for urgent action to boost aviation safety (Africa) Pilot of hot-air balloon that crashed in Dubai 'had a personal problem', inquiry finds Bombardier Safety Standdown Celebrates 20 Years UPS, FedEx and Amazon gather flight data to prove drone safety Iceland Says Russian Bombers Taking 'Risks' Near Passenger Jets Samsung brass meets DGCA officials as their phones spark air safety fears Yet Another F-35 Jet Caught on Fire While Starting Its Engine Decades of flight research at Edwards on NASA television SiriusXM Aviation Weather Added To ForeFlight Tanzania: Aviation College Plans New Campus MRJ test aircraft finally enroute to Moses Lake Air India pilots told to leave aircraft only after passengers get off Local pilot school aims to combat pending pilot shortages (California) Air Berlin, in Financial Peril, May Send 40 Aircraft to a Competitor New Dean at Embry-Riddle's College of Aviation - Dr. Alan J. Stolzer ERAU Crisis Communication & Media Cebu Pacific's aircraft catches fire on Mactan runway ONE PASSENGER SLIGHTLY HURT CEBU CITY - One of Cebu Pacific's (CEB) propeller-type planes caught fire after aborting take-off at 6:10 p.m. Monday. Lawyer JR Mantaring, CEB vice president for corporate affairs, said in an advisory that Flight DG6577 from Cebu to Tacloban aborted its take-off due to a fluctuating oil indication in one of its engines. "While taxiing after aborting take off, the aircraft encountered a wheel fire and the crew initiated an immediate evacuation of the passengers," he said. Volunteers of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) fire and rescue department and the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF) based in Lapu-Lapu City responded to the fire. Fire trucks arrived on site at 7:36 p.m. and had the fire under control by 7:54 p.m. Mantaring said all 67 passengers and crew were safely evacuated with one reported minor injury. The flight was scheduled to leave for Tacloban at 6:10 PM. Airport, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and CEB on-ground personnel provided all assistance to the affected passengers. CAAP aircraft accident inspectors are now investigating the cause of the fire. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/819237/cebu-pacifics-aircraft-catches-fire-on-mactan- runway#ixzz4LSJAoDsI Back to Top Qatar Airways first to adopt GlobalBeacon flight-tracking product Qatar Airways will be the first airline to adopt the new GlobalBeacon product that tracks planes around the world. Qatar Airways will be the first airline to adopt the new GlobalBeacon product that tracks planes around the world. Qatar Airways will be the first airline to adopt the GlobalBeacon plane-tracking system launched by Houston-based FlightAware and Virginia-based Aireon, the companies said Monday. FlightAware and Aireon announced last week that they will use 66 low-orbit satellites to track planes in real time around the globe. The system is designed to prevent planes from losing contact with controllers, such as Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared in March 2014. "I am proud of Qatar Airways' leadership position in this vital area of aviation safety and awareness," Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker said in a news release. "We will be the first airline in the world to have the capability to use worldwide satellite air surveillance to support our airline operations and to achieve the highest of flight-tracking standards." http://www.chron.com/business/bizfeed/article/Qatar-Airways-first-to-adopt-flight- tracking-9284674.php Back to Top Call for North Sea helicopter safety measures to be speeded up Safety measures for offshore helicopters could be implemented more quickly if operators volunteered to make changes, a report has said. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) made a series of safety recommendations in February 2014 following five accidents involving offshore helicopters. Its latest progress report said most of the recommendations had been met and there was a commitment to change. But it said work towards introducing six safety measures had stalled. These included the fitting of flotation devices to the side of helicopters, self-righting lifejackets and the standardisation of push-out window emergency exits. 'Voluntary activity' The measures were all aimed at boosting survival chances in the event of a crash at sea. The progress report said it had confirmed with one UK operator that it was feasible for all of these recommendations to be retrofitted to helicopters within two or three years, with the possible exception of the side-floating helicopter scheme. It added: "However, we are currently unaware of any voluntary activity in this area apart from work on handholds and revised push-out window pull-tabs performed by Airbus Helicopters for their helicopter types." The report said all six of the safety measures were included in proposals published by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in March, which would only be mandatory for new helicopter designs. And it said work was ongoing to produce further regulations to cover the retrofit of measures "considered to be practical and proportionate for the existing helicopter fleet". Safety benefits This may eventually lead to the introduction of some of the recommended improvements, but voluntary adoption would deliver the safety benefits much sooner, it added. The 2014 recommendations included a ban on helicopters being allowed to fly offshore in severe sea conditions. The CAA also called for passengers to be seated next to emergency exits, and a size limit for those on board. That measure was aimed at making it easier for those on board to get out of a helicopter in an emergency. The restriction would apply unless helicopters were fitted with extra flotation devices or if passengers were provided with better emergency breathing systems. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-37467299 Back to Top Experts call for urgent action to boost aviation safety (Africa) Some of RwandAir planes at Kigali International Airport. Regional governments have been urged to expedite efforts to establish a satellite air navigation based system to boost aviation safety and efficiency on the continent. Experts say the states should increase support to the EGNOS-Africa Joint project, a pan- African entity and part of the Africa-European Union (EU) long-term strategic partnership to enhance safety in air transport. According to aviation experts, the project is expected to benefit regional airports by enabling safer landings, increased efficiency, reliable services for passengers and better access to remote regions with less well equipped airports. The experts are currently meeting in Rwanda to deliberate on how to expedite the project and make the continent's aviation more safe and competitive. Ladislaus Matinda, the Director for EGNOS in Africa, said there is need for more political support for the EU based system to be able extend it to the whole of Africa. "It has become a global initiative to move away from the grand based aviation to amore digitized satellite technology to enhance safety and efficiency of the airline business," Matinda said adding that the three-year project is funded by the European Union and financed from the 10th EDF Intra ACP envelope worth 3.7 million euros. Building a satellite based augmentation services in Eastern Africa will enhance navigation safety, efficiency, airspace capacity and environmental sustainability, he added. The project seeks to bring more than twelve States under the East Africa module including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo into the system. The objective is to create more awareness among member states to support and adopt internal decisions to participate in the creation of the satellite based technology. This technology already exists in Nigeria but does not cover the whole of Africa, he said. Dr. Alexis Nzahabwanimana, Rwanda's State Minister for Transport, said the implementation of the Africa and EU cooperation on satellite navigation has been going on since the adoption of the Second Action Plan (2011-2013) of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy by Heads of State and Governments of Africa and Europe in 2010. "The AU Space Policy and Strategy also recognises, in a particular way, satellite navigation systems and their applications to a wide range of economic sectors, especially in the field of transport," Nzahabwanimana said adding that It is evident the current capacity and efficiency of the air navigation system in Africa can be considered as one of the bottlenecks in the implementation of these policies and strategic decisions. Africa's current air navigation system's capacity and efficiency needs to be re-visited if Africa is to benefit from the agreed establishment of a single African air transport market, he advised. Aviation growth outlook for the next five years Africa's aviation is expected to post positive growth in the next 5 years with passenger numbers projected to increase by 4.8 per cent. The number of freights will also grow by 3.5 per cent in the next five years according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) statistics. Equally, the number of airline passengers in Africa is expected to increase by 4.2 per cent and the number of freights by 4.4 per cent. The growth in the number of freights will be far better than that of Europe, which will grow by 3 per cent, while passengers will inch up 2.6 per cent. The highest growth in passenger numbers will be in the Asia Pacific region at 6.3 per cent, and 3.8 per cent increase in the number of freights. http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2016-09-07/203303/ Back to Top Pilot of hot-air balloon that crashed in Dubai 'had a personal problem', inquiry finds DUBAI // The pilot of a hot-air balloon that crashed in the desert had a personal problem that contributed to the accident, an inquiry has found. Thirteen passengers sustained minor injuries in the crash and one had to be treated in hospital for a serious ankle injury. The balloon, operated by Sinbad Gulf Balloon, had been on a sightseeing flight in Margham, Dubai, on February 15 with a pilot and 20 passengers aboard. It was nearing the end of its flight when it touched down once, then climbed to about 16 metres before "descending uncontrollably" into a hard landing, the report by the General Civil Aviation Authority said. The report said the contributing factors included a personal problem of the pilot who, a day before the flight, had requested leave to deal with the matter. It said the pilot was probably distracted by his problems and lost "situational awareness, especially in the landing phase". The pilot also did not abort the landing when the balloon began to climb after the initial touchdown. Many of the passengers did not sit properly for landing, which contributed to their injuries, the report found. It said the balloon was airworthy, certified and properly equipped and maintained. The authority encouraged pilots to report any problems that could affect their work. It also recommended installing video cameras on balloons and standardising safety manual instructions. Sinbad Gulf Balloon was also asked to ensure there were enough certified pilots for its fleet. http://www.thenational.ae/uae/pilot-of-hot-air-balloon-that-crashed-in-dubai-had-a- personal-problem-inquiry-finds Back to Top Bombardier Safety Standdown Celebrates 20 Years Convergent Performance's Tony Kern is one of the speakers returning to Bombardier's Safety Standdown this year. Bombardier's popular Safety Standdown will celebrate its 20th year when the doors open Tuesday in Wichita, Kansas. The three-day conference will, as in past years, continue tackling the risks posed to aviation safety by everyday distractions. Safety Standdown often presents new perspectives on topics such as professionalism, crew resource management, aviation security, preventing collisions with drones, the impact of people and perceptions on work, and many other heady topics, but in a style that's become unique to this event. The 350 or so men and women who attend the Standdown each year arrive expecting the event speakers will cut to the chase about some unique safety issue early on and soon realize any of the speakers could well be just another pilot from the audience - and they often are, except for the unique perspective they bring to their specialized topic. The Standdown offers attendees an opportunity to meet with any of the speakers one-on-one before and after the sessions. Retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. and pilot Al Gorthy, a speaker at previous Standdowns and slated again this year, explained the intent of Standdown best when he said, "The world is filled with knowledge, but very little understanding." That means the speakers will dig deep for insights from the audience on seemingly simple topics. Operating accident-free, year after year, for instance, doesn't mean a pilot or a flight department is operating safely, only perhaps that it's been lucky. Other speakers this year include the NTSB's Robert Sumwalt; Pat Daily and Tony Kern from Convergent Performance; Tony Cortes from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Dr. Quay Snyder from Aviation Medicine Advisory Service; Shawn Scott from Scott International Procedures; and BJ Ransbury from Aviation Performance Solutions. Again this year, one deserving professional will be honored with the annual Bombardier Safety Standdown Award. His or her peers nominate the award winner, a man or woman known to set the highest standards for safety in aviation. The Safety Standdown's general sessions and many of the shorter workshops will be webcast for pilots and safety aficionados unable to attend. General sessions begin daily at 8 a.m. An archive of all sessions is expected to be posted on the standdown website within 24 hours of the closing session on September 29. Webcast login details will be available on the Safety Standdown website later this week. http://www.flyingmag.com/bombardier-safety-standdown-celebrates-20-years Back to Top UPS, FedEx and Amazon gather flight data to prove drone safety A drone, made by CyPhy Works, stands over the UPS package it carried to Children's Island off the coast of Beverly, Massachusetts. (Reuters) - United Parcel Service's launch this week of drone test flights simulating emergency medical-supply deliveries highlights a race for data to prove such deliveries can be performed safely. UPS's medical emergency at the Children's Island summer camp off the Massachusetts coast was fictional. But gathering data about the drone's flight and others like it is a vital part of a new effort to convince U.S. regulators to loosen the reins on using robotic aircraft for deliveries. UPS's test flight was handled by drone maker CyPhy Works, in which it owns a stake. "The technology for drones is there and it's moving extremely fast," said CyPhy founder Helen Greiner. "But it's also true that we need to prove we can operate them safely and reliably." The UPS-CyPhy test comes amid a burst of U.S. drone activity, including companies focusing on package delivery. Amazon.com Inc is focusing on tests abroad, but UPS and others want to win over the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, whose primary concern is safety. The Obama administration estimates the commercial drone industry could generate more than $82 billion for the U.S. economy and support up to 100,000 new jobs by 2025. The FAA's rules published on Aug. 29 dictate conditions for commercial drones. The aircraft must weigh under 55 pounds (25 kg), may not fly over people not involved in operations and must remain within the operator's line of sight. Drone makers, retailers and package delivery companies are now angling for waivers, largely to operate out of the line of sight, using small tests to collect data on everything from air speed to operating in bad weather and the frequency of accidents. To obtain an FAA waiver exempting them from certain rules, companies must spell out a business case and use data to prove their drones are safe. Some drone proponents have chafed at how slowly the FAA has moved to regulate drones, said Logan Campbell, CEO of drone consulting firm Aerotas. "The only way things could move more quickly is if everyone were to share their data," he said. "But ... no one wants to lose their competitive edge so that's not going to happen." An FAA spokeswoman said the agency grants waivers "if we find the proposed operation can be safely conducted using risk mitigation strategies." Ben Marcus, CEO of drone software provider AirMap, said the "big burden is being shifted from regulators ... to actual operators and developers" to demonstrate their technology can function safely. Step by step The FAA's cautious approach has encouraged some companies to test package delivery drones overseas. Amazon is testing deliveries in the United Kingdom, where it can fly drones out of the line of sight. Since the FAA's most recent guidance, more is happening in the U.S. market. PrecisionHawk is developing a system enabling drones to detect objects in the air and on the ground to avoid collisions - technology that could help deliver packages. Vice President Tyler Collins said PrecisionHawk received an FAA waiver last month to operate out of the line of sight, based on years of data from crop inspections, as doing so would save farmers time and money. Package delivery vehicles maker Workhorse Group has developed the HorseFly drone which launches from a vehicle's roof. In current testing, the driver must stand and watch the drone. CEO Steve Burns said Workhorse has applied for an FAA waiver in a few rural ZIP codes to allow the driver to continue his route while the drone is in the air. Once Workhorse proves its case, it will seek a waiver for more ZIP codes. Burns said the HorseFly costs only 2 cents per mile to operate versus package delivery vehicles, some of which get 5 miles to the gallon - making traditional vehicles far more expensive to run. "What we're doing is of interest to people who deliver things - we have their attention," Burns said. UPS is using drones to manage inventory in warehouses, as is Walmart Mart Stores Inc, which can also gather data. Adam Shaw, CEO of drone seller Maverick Drone Systems, has seen an uptick in company requests for drones to scan barcodes in warehouses. Fred Smith, CEO of FedEx Corp, UPS's main rival, said this week FedEx has robotics programs under way including drones, but declined to provide details. http://venturebeat.com/2016/09/24/ups-fedex-and-amazon-gather-flight-data-to-prove- drone-safety/ Back to Top Iceland Says Russian Bombers Taking 'Risks' Near Passenger Jets A Russian Tupolev long-range bomber Russian military aircraft recently flew under an Icelandic passenger jet without being detected by radar, raising alarms about their risky behavior, Icelandic officials have said. The Icelandic Foreign Ministry said three Tupolev bombers flew between 1,800-2,700 meters below a commercial airliner flying from Reykjavik to Stockholm on September 22. The bombers' transponders were turned off, which meant they could not be detected by civilian radar. The passenger jet's captain said he spotted the planes from the cockpit and thought their behavior was risky. The ministry told AFP it "has repeatedly objected to unidentified Russian military flights, due to the danger this may pose to passenger flights," and would be doing so again. Similar encounters between the Russian military and civilian planes have been reported in the Baltic region this year. A Russian diplomat in Reykjavik, Aleksei Shadsky, said the bombers complied with international rules. He suggested Icelandic officials were trying to "revive fear" of Russia in an effort to reopen the Keflavik air base that the United States closed in 2006. During World War II and the Cold War, Keflavik was an important U.S. base but its usefulness to the alliance dwindled after that. http://www.rferl.org/a/iceland-says-russian-bombers-taking-risks-near-passengers- jets/28015577.html Back to Top Samsung brass meets DGCA officials as their phones spark air safety fears DGCA had sought details from Samsung about the overheating and exploding batteries. (File AFP image) NEW DELHI: In a bid to allay fears over its Galaxy Note 7 phone batteries catching fire and being barred from being used or charged on aircraft, Korean electronic major Samsung on Monday told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that only the updated versions of this phone manufactured after September 15 will be sold in India. The Indian air safety regulator has sought technical details about the Galaxy Note series phones after it has banned the carriage of Note 7 and Note 2 phones in check-in bags and allowed them to be carried in switched off mode, without being charged, on aircraft. Samsung did not comment on the Monday meeting with the DGCA. However, Indian airlines are worried after a Note 2 phone caught fire on an IndiGo Singapore-Chennai flight last week. "Samsung may not have started the sale of its Note 7 series in India and it may be saying that only the versions in which the battery malfunction issue has been taken care of will be sold here, but we have a lot of people travelling on Indian flights with phones from abroad. We have passengers who have bought latest models from abroad and then travel with them in India. The DGCA must keep that in mind," said a senior airline official. The air safety regulator sought details from Samsung about the overheating and exploding batteries and will examine the issue further before considering lifting of the restrictions on the Note 7 and 2 series. The Note 7 series, whose use has been banned by several foreign airlines and foreign aviation regulators, is yet to be launched in India. Samsung says it will launch the phone in India shortly and the models coming here would be manufactured after September 15 and would have taken care of the safety issue. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Samsung-brass-meets-DGCA-officials-as-their- phones-spark-air-safety-fears/articleshow/54528913.cms Back to Top Yet Another F-35 Jet Caught on Fire While Starting Its Engine A single high-tech F-35A Joint Strike Fighter costs nearly $150 million to buy, and all together should comprise the bulk of the US Air Force's combat power for decades. But one very serious and now recurring problem is the plane's propensity to burst into flames. One F-35A did just that on Sept. 23 while starting its engine at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, according to Defense News. The pilot escaped the plane and no one was seriously injured, according to the paper. It's unclear what caused the fire or whether the jet was damaged. "The pilot had to egress the aircraft during engine start due to a fire from the aft section of the aircraft," Air Force spokesman Capt. Mark Graff told Defense News. "The fire was extinguished quickly." The F-35A pilot from the 61st Fighter Squadron and seven other airmen were moved to Mountain Home's medical center after the fire "for standard evaluation," Graff added in an email to the newspaper. Seven of the twin-tail, single-engine F-35As from the squadron-normally based in Arizona-have been at Mountain Home with American and Australian pilots since September 10. The purpose is to develop training procedures on "finding and killing surface-to-air threats," Lt. Col. Michael Gette of the 61st Fighter Squadron told an Air Force news broadcast. The fire occurred nearly eight weeks after the Air Force declared the F-35A ready for combat. While the source of the accident is unknown, we do know that the jet's Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan engine has caught on fire before. In June 2014, an F-35A at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida caught on fire during takeoff. Specifically, one of the engine's rotating fan blades failed after repeatedly rubbing against a rubber-like polyimide seal inside the rotor assembly. The rubbing is normal, except the blade rubbed too hard, generating lots of heat and leading the blade to break off and slash through fuel lines and the fuel tank, starting the blaze. The F-35A after the June 2014 fire. Photo: USAF The pilot jumped out and firefighting crews raced to the scene. The blaze was out within minutes but the damage was done-two-thirds of the jet had been barbecued at a cost of $50 million in repairs. The Pentagon grounded all of its F-35s-in three version for the Air Force, Navy and Marines-for several weeks. Engineers had warned of the fire hazard as far back as 2007, according to 2015 Air Force Accident Investigation Board. In 2013, tests proved the danger existed. "Engine live fire tests in FY13 and prior live fire test data and analyses demonstrated vulnerability to engine fire, either caused by cascading effects or direct damage to engine fuel lines," the report stated. This month, the Air Force grounded 15 F-35As after it discovered that insulation surrounding the jets' coolant lines were deteriorating. Over time, the insulation could mix with the fuel, eventually leading to "structural damage to the fuel tanks," according to an Air Force statement. This isn't a design flaw with the plane, but a specific problem with materials in the insulation provided by a subcontractor, according to the Air Force. The 15 grounded F- 35As are a minority of the total operational Joint Strike Fighters in the Air Force's inventory. Forty-two others with the issue are on the production line. It's not clear if the F-35A which caught on fire at Mountain Home had this problem, either. http://motherboard.vice.com/read/another-f-35-jet-caught-on-fire-while-starting-its- engine Back to Top Decades of flight research at Edwards on NASA television EDWARDS, Calif. - NASA television has started showing a video showcasing 70 years of research at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards. NASA said Armstrong, the agency's lead center for atmospheric flight research operations, began its storied history in the high desert in September 1946. Initially focused on experimental aircraft called X-planes, flight research with the X-15 rocket plane offered the opportunity to assist with the space mission of NASA. The following decades saw Armstrong's mission expanded to include roles in the space shuttle program, aviation safety, airborne science and technology advancement. In addition, a NASA 747SP aircraft based at the center carries the world's largest airborne infrared telescope named SOFIA, Stratospheric Observatory to Infrared Astronomy. Armstrong is returning to the age of X-planes with NASA's first electric propulsion aircraft, named the X-57. That aircraft could lead to advances in fuel efficiency and reductions in noise and emissions. In addition, Seventy years after coming to this desert outpost to test the first X-plane to reach flight supersonically, the center is pursuing research that could lead to another fast but quieter X-plane. If successful, that aircraft could substantially decrease the noise made when an aircraft pierces the speed of sound that could end the prohibition on supersonic flight over land. NASA TV schedules are available at: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv You Tube: www.youtube.com/armstrongtv For more about Armstrong Flight Research Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong http://www.kerngoldenempire.com/news/decades-of-flight-research-at-edwards-on-nasa- television Back to Top SiriusXM Aviation Weather Added To ForeFlight SIRIUSXM Aviation Weather is now available on the latest version of FOREFLIGHT Mobile, the aviation app for iOS and the SXAR1 portable SIRIUSXM receiver. Pilots using the receiver and app, connected via Bluetooth, will be able to access the Aviation Weather service, including satellite-delivered graphical weather and aviation information like NEXRAD storm cell attributes, lightning strike locations, high-resolution composite radar and high-resolution base reflectivity radar. "We are pleased to add SIRIUSXM Aviation Weather service to our FOREFLIGHT Connect platform," said FOREFLIGHT CEO TYSON WEIHS. "Our customers are eager for a SIRIUSXM weather option. This integration delivers a high-quality, affordable, and portable SIRIUSXM weather solution with a subscription package tailored exclusively for ForeFlight." "Pilots have been asking us to enable our weather service in FOREFLIGHT's market- leading app. We're excited to let them know it's now available!" said SIRIUSXM VP of Aviation and Marine Services DAVE WASBY. "With no line-of-sight restrictions, no altitude limitations, and complete coast-to-coast high-resolution coverage, pilots can benefit from important weather and related information starting before taxi all the way through landing." http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/158018/siriusxm-aviation-weather- added-to-foreflight#sthash.irHugSF5.dpuf Back to Top Tanzania: Aviation College Plans New Campus Arusha - The Regional Aviation College, a local outfit based in Dar es Salaam, intends to set up a new campus in Arusha to train business management to the aviation personnel. "We want to bring the business principles in running the aviation companies such as how to win the market", said the managing director of the college Mr Phillemon Kisamo in an interview. The college has already spent Sh20 million to acquire and equip the proposed training centre at Meru Plaza building along the Dodoma road and is currently awaiting authorization from the National Council for Technical Education (Nacte). Should all the registration process be finalized, the training will commence in January next year with the initial enrolment of 50 students later rising to 100, he explained. Mr Kisamo, the former commercial pilot who at one time was the chief pilot and managing director of PrecisionAir, said although the aviation sector in Tanzania was growing, it was short of personnel to manage it profitably. http://allafrica.com/stories/201609260885.html Back to Top MRJ test aircraft finally enroute to Moses Lake The first flight-test Mitsubishi Aircraft MRJ90 regional jet is enroute to Moses Lake to continue its flight testing in the US. Mitsubishi tells FlightGlobal that FTA-1 took off from Nagoya at 13:28 local time on 26 September, landing around 1.5 hours later at Sapporo Shin Chitose airport. One day later, it took off from Shin Chitose at 9:23 local time, arriving at Yelizovo, Russia around 2.5 hours later. Mitsubishi says that the ferry flight is expected to take around one week, or potentially as short as four days. Further details on the ferry flight will be released once FTA-1 the aircraft arrives at Moses Lake, the manufacturer adds. Mitsubishi had planned to ferry the aircraft to the US in August, but was forced to abandon the ferry twice due to anomalies with a sensor in the aircraft's air monitoring system. That effectively grounded the jet until 9 September, when FTA-1 undertook a validation test flight from Nagoya. The airframer will base four of its five test aircraft at its Moses Lake flight test centre near Seattle. It hopes to certify the aircraft in early 2018, and deliver the first unit to launch customer All Nippon Airways in the middle of the year. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/mrj-test-aircraft-finally-enroute-to-moses- lake-429780/ Back to Top Air India pilots told to leave aircraft only after passengers get off Air India pilots are facing the heat for being in a hurry to get off an aircraft soon after touchdown. A circular sent out by the airline management last week stated that some pilots were found leaving the plane even before passengers. The note issued by captain Arvind Kathpalia, executive director, operations, warned such pilots to stay put until passengers had left. "It had been noticed time and again that after landing even before passengers get off the plane, the pilot immediately disembark. All pilots are hereby informed that they must not leave the cockpit till passengers deplane. The same is for strict compliance," read the circular. While the practice is not new, the warning has come now after Europe's aviation safety regulator rapped the airline, said sources. The issue came to light in the wake of random inspections by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Most proactive regulators across the globe conduct these checks known as Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) on airlines belonging to other countries. Flight crew is supposed to leave the aircraft after passengers as a preventive safety measure, said officials. This time when EASA inspectors turned up on board some AI flights plying to European cities, they were shocked to find no pilots on board. These inspectors come with a checklist of queries which the pilots are supposed to answer. "Such checks are common. We have even had FAA (US aviation regulator) inspectors travel as inquisitive passengers who keeping asking cabin crew about how certain safety devices work," said a retired AI cabin crew personnel requesting anonymity. DGCA chief BS Bhullar and the AI chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani was not available for a comment. This was not a stray case of callous behavior by AI pilots. In June, the AI management banned rostering of pilots with spouses, siblings and children but lifted it under pressure from unions. The airline had also warned pilots for refusing flights where they were not paired with favourite colleagues. http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/air-india-pilots-told-to-leave-aircraft-only- after-passengers-get-off/story-MlZTPFHAZSQjjeVawjVmJJ.html Back to Top Local pilot school aims to combat pending pilot shortages (California) BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - For people like Keaton Hutchins, operating an airplane has always been his dream. "I've always loved flying since I was a little kid," Hutchins said. However, the airline industry is struggling to find people like Hutchins, and according to a study by the aviation department at University of North Dakota , there could be a pilot shortage in the next few years. The study shows a possible deficit of 14,439 pilots in the next decade, according to the pilot supply forecast. "The challenge in aviation is educating people that one, It's safe. Two, there's a prosperous career opportunity. Three, that it's got options for people to pursue as far as the career tracks they want to find themselves in," California Aeronautical University president Matthew Johnston said. California Aeronautical University (CAU) in Bakersfield, California is looking to increase the number of pilots ready to enter the workforce in order to help offset the shortage. "California Aeronautical University was established to address the pilot shortage and the need for aviation professions in general," president of CAU Matthew Johnston said. The university was established about a year ago in 2015 and the first student will graduate in 2017. Hutchins has been a student at CAU for nine months. "Everyone here loves aviation," he said. "Aviation is challenged with education the public on what we do. One of the major components to CAU is to education the youth," Johnston said. "It starts there. We've got a lot of retiring pilots in today's market. As those pilots retire they need to be replaced." CAU's program starts every 10 weeks. Students work toward a bachelor's degree and a pilot certificate. Boeing projects over the next 25 years the airline industry will need 4,500 pilots per year, Director of Flight Operations Peter Van Dyke said. The 2015 median pay for airline and commercial pilots was $102,520 per year. "If all the universities and flight schools combined were to graduate all their capacities today it wouldn't fill the need for the pilot shortage that's looming in the coming years," Johnston said. http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/local-pilot-school-aims-to-combat-pending- pilot-shortages Back to Top Air Berlin, in Financial Peril, May Send 40 Aircraft to a Competitor Eurowings, owned by Lufthansa, may absorb up to 40 aircraft now belonging to Air Berlin, another German low cost carrier. Eurowings Etihad, which owns 29 percent of Air Berlin, may have finally decided it no longer wants to subsidize mounting losses. If this deal happens, Air Berlin will still be around, but at a more manageable size. - Brian Sumers Deutsche Lufthansa AG is nearing an agreement to operate airplanes now flying under the Air Berlin Plc banner, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, letting Lufthansa bolster its discount flights as Air Berlin cuts back its routes. Lufthansa's supervisory board on Wednesday will review a plan to let its Eurowings low- cost arm use about 40 of Air Berlin's aircraft and their crews, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. A deal may pave the way for Air Berlin to cut about 1,000 of its 8,600 staff in coming months, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Sunday. The agreement is set to be unveiled at a press conference hosted by Lufthansa, Eurowings and Air Berlin in Frankfurt later this week, one of the people said. Representatives at Lufthansa, Germany's largest carrier, and Air Berlin, the country's second-biggest, declined to comment. Using Air Berlin aircraft would help Lufthansa expand its Eurowings unit, which is trying to compete with much larger rivals Ryanair Holdings Plc. and EasyJet Plc, which are growing aggressively in Germany. A deal would also ease pressure on ailing Air Berlin, which racked up 1.17 billion euros ($1.32 billion) in losses over the past three years, prompting several bailouts by dominant shareholder Etihad Airways. Focusing Air Berlin's remaining fleet on the Berlin and Dusseldorf hubs would allow Abu Dhabi-based Etihad to keep its access to vital links and continue transporting passengers from Asia and the Middle East to Europe on its own networks. It would also shrink Air Berlin's route network to a more viable size. An Etihad spokeswoman declined to comment. Air Berlin shares surged as much as 10 percent to 76.6 euro cents and were up 7.2 percent at 5:11 p.m. in Frankfurt. The stock has dropped 27 percent over the past 12 months, valuing the company at 87 million euros. Lufthansa shares fell 0.9 percent. JOB CUTS This deal may be followed by a separate agreement to combine Air Berlin's Austrian Niki subsidiary, which operates 19 aircraft, with 14 Boeing Co. 737-model planes that Air Berlin currently leases with staff from TUIfly, the German airline of tour operator TUI AG, Sueddeutsche Zeitung said. That means Air Berlin's fleet, currently at 144 aircraft, would be effectively cut in half. Henrik Homann, who runs TUI's airline operations, told employees on Friday in a memo that the company must be "prepared to safeguard its economic interest" if the situation at Air Berlin continues to deteriorate. Recent media reports have speculated that TUI may seek to sell its German airline unit, which the company has denied. Lufthansa Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr made Eurowings a critical part of his strategy, and pledged to expand the airline into Europe's third-largest low-cost carrier. Growth may come from using other carriers' aircraft and staff, buying a stake in a partner or giving up full control through a merger, he has said. https://skift.com/2016/09/26/air-berlin-in-financial-peril-may-send-40-aircraft-to-a- competitor/ Back to Top New Dean at Embry-Riddle's College of Aviation is Accomplished Pilot, Educator and Safety Expert Dr. Alan J. Stolzer has been named Dean of the College of Aviation by Dr. Tim Brady, Chancellor of Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus. Stolzer is an experienced pilot and aviation safety expert. He joined the Embry-Riddle faculty in 2008 and most recently served as the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Doctoral Studies. His distinguished career as a professor, author, administrator, mentor and aviation authority spans 28 years. "It is an honor and privilege to be selected to lead the largest and most well-respected college of aviation in the world," said Stolzer. "The passion and focus of Embry-Riddle students has continued to impress me since I became a part of the Embry-Riddle family. I look forward to working with the best faculty and staff in aviation education to foster personal and professional development and knowledge discovery for our students." Stolzer has accumulated over 8,000 hours of flight time in more than 40 makes and models of fixed-wing aircraft. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, a Certified Flight Instructor Certificate and an A&P mechanic's certificate, plus a number of professional certifications from the American Society for Quality, a Project Manager Certificate from the Project Management Institute, and he serves on the Board of Trustees of the Aviation Accreditation Board International. His teaching and research interests include Safety Management Systems, and aviation safety programs such as Flight Operations Quality Assurance and project management. He is the author of numerous publications, including two books on Safety Management Systems. Stolzer's many awards and recognitions include his election as Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2014. He has received the Meritorious Award from College of the Ozarks for Distinguished Achievement, the Federal Aviation Administration Air Transportation Centers of Excellence Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award, and the Paul A. Whelan Award and the President's Award from the Aviation Accreditation Board International. Stolzer holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Quality Systems from Indiana State University, a Master of Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle and a Bachelor's degree from College of the Ozarks. http://news.erau.edu/news-briefs/new-dean-at-embry-riddles-college-of-aviation-is- accomplished-pilot-educator-and-safety-expert/#sthash.JHRpqbO9.dpuf Curt Lewis