Flight Safety Information October 12, 2016 - No. 201 In This Issue Poor repairs on speed brake cited in Lion Air 737 accident Airbus completes fatigue tests on A350 rigs Alaska Airlines' Safety Management System accepted by the FAA Planes Clip Wings at Newark Airport: FAA Polar AN26 at Belaya Gora on Oct 11th 2016, touched down off runway Small plane crashes while trying to land at Connecticut airport We care when an airplane crashes. And then we don't Pilot Says Earning FAA's ADS-B Rebate Has Been Expensive Flights between UK and China to double under aviation deal Shane Carmody starts as acting CASA chief executive Air Safety: Nigeria Needs 600 Air Traffic Controllers With a possible pilot shortage looming, some in Alaska are especially concerned Cessna Citation Longitude super mid-size jet completes maiden flight Vertical takeoff and landing boxwing planes capable of twice the speed of helicopters Cash injection keeps Britain's Monarch Airlines flying NASA Will Allow Private Companies to Install Modules on the ISS Boeing pushes space taxi's first ISS mission to late 2018 BOOK SIGNING:...The Crash Detectives Investigating GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY (1) GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY (1) GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY (2) Stop By and Visit At NBAA - BACE 2016 Poor repairs on speed brake cited in Lion Air 737 accident Lion Air failed to properly rectify a fault with the auto speed brake on one of its Boeing 737-400s before it was involved in a runway overrun accident at Pontianak on 2 November 2010. The aircraft, registered PK-LIQ, was operating a service to Pontianak from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International airport, and were aware of difficulties in selecting thrust reversers and speed brake deployment on the aircraft. This had been previously reported 13 times, Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee says in its final report on the accident. As the crew made their approach to Pontianak, the flight data recorder (FDR) shows that the aircraft made an unstable approach, and the crew should have initiated a go-around. Instead, the approach continued, and the aircraft touched down long of the intended touchdown point. "After the aircraft touched down, the pilot reported that the thrust reverser was hard to operate and the speed brake did not auto-deploy," the NTSC says. After sensing no deceleration, the crew manually deployed the speed brake 42 seconds after touchdown, and were also able to deploy thrust reversers. That was not sufficient to prevent a runway overrun, and the 737 eventually came to rest 70m from the end of the runway. All six crew and 169 passengers were evacuated using the emergency slides, and no injuries were reported. The NTSC found that there was "inconsistency" between the actions taken by the carrier and the aircraft's maintenance manuals for the rectifications previously performed on the thrust reversers and auto speed brakes. It also noted that the crew were unable to "accurately perceive what was going on in the flight deck and outside the airplane" during the unstable approach, and called on Lion Air to enforce crew discipline to encourage go-arounds during an unstable approach. The NTSC says that Lion did not provide any information on changes made following the accident. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top Airbus completes fatigue tests on A350 rigs Airbus has completed fatigue testing for the A350 after a regime amounting to three times the normal life cycle for the type. The fatigue testing has been conducted on a number of aerostructures representing specific sections of the aircraft. These various structures included the test nose section, on a rig designated EF1, the central section and wing box on rig EF2, and the EF3 rig for the empennage. Airbus says the EF2 rig, located in Erding, has undertaken 86,400 simulated flights. This amounts effectively to three times the design life of the A350, says the airframer, far in excess of the required threshold of twice. "This was not only to validate the design and predict maintenance requirements over the life of the aircraft and beyond, but also to gain an even deeper understanding for future development margins of the structure," it adds. EF2 testing included sourcing data from 4,000 channels. "Overall the two-and-a-half years of testing was equivalent to 72 years in service," says Airbus. It says that data has been distributed to authorities for development of maintenance programmes, while the structures themselves are being subjected to tear-down analysis. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top Alaska Airlines' Safety Management System accepted by the FAA SEATTLE, Oct. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Aviation Administration informed Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air that it has formally accepted each airline's Safety Management System (SMS), capping a five-year effort to develop and refine a comprehensive, modern SMS for each airline. A 2015 FAA rule requires all U.S. airlines to create a sophisticated SMS by January 2018. SMS is an evolution in safety and builds on the robust safety programs Alaska and Horizon have had in place for decades. Alaska and Horizon fully implemented their Safety Management Systems in 2012, while the FAA was still validating them. "Alaska and Horizon employees should feel proud to know that their airlines are leading the industry with their safety programs," said Ben Minicucci, president and COO of Alaska Airlines. "Our systematic approach involved engineering safety into our culture and every part of our business. Not only are our combined 15,600 employees trained on safety standards, they are empowered to stop the operation if they have a safety concern." A Safety Management System integrates and embeds safety throughout the culture and business processes of an airline. Rather than rely on a separate "safety manager" or "safety department" to be in charge of keeping the airline safe, an SMS empowers employees at all levels to participate in and improve the process. Additionally, as part of the program, executives at both airlines pledge that safety is their first commitment, setting the tone for the entire organization. "Our SMS helped us show how frontline employees are the bedrock of safety improvements," said David Campbell, Horizon Air president and CEO. "Our employees know that they are empowered to stop the operation any time to correct a safety concern." The FAA's formal acceptance of Alaska and Horizon's SMS programs is just one of several safety advances the airlines have made this year. In May, Alaska became the first commercial airline in the world to receive FAA certification of a full-stall model in a flight simulator, which helps pilots train to recognize and recover from stalls. The same month, each airline was served with its 15th Diamond Award of Excellence from the FAA in recognition for their dedication to maintenance training. Additionally, earlier this year, a team of Alaska maintenance technicians took first place in the annual Aerospace Maintenance Competition in Dallas. "SMS will be a big part of our future," said Tom Nunn, the airlines' vice president of safety. "It will help us sustain and build on the efforts we've made in the last five years and will allow us to continue to improve on them in the future." Alaska Airlines, together with its regional partners, flies 32 million customers a year to more than 110 cities with an average of 970 daily flights throughout the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and soon Cuba. With Alaska's global airline partners, customers can earn and redeem miles to more than 800 destinations worldwide. Onboard, customers are invited to make the most of their flight with amenities like power outlets at every seat, streaming entertainment direct to your device, Wi-Fi and an inspired food and beverage selection featured on most flights. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North American Airline Satisfaction Study for nine consecutive years from 2008 to 2016. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan also ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty Rewards Programs" in the J.D. Power Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report for the last three consecutive years. Alaska Airlines is a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK). Learn more on the airline's newsroom, blog, alaskaair.com, @AlaskaAir,facebook.com/alaskaairlines and linkedin.com/company/alaska- airlines. SOURCE Alaska Airlines http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-airlines-safety-management-system-accepted-by-the-faa- 300342894.html Back to Top Planes Clip Wings at Newark Airport: FAA Two planes clipped wings while taxiing on the runway at Newark Airport Tuesday evening, officials say. (Published Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016) A Lufthansa Airbus A340 and a United 88 Boeing B777 clipped right wing tips at the airport while landing just before 5:30 p.m., an FAA spokeswoman said. United landed safely and proceeded to its gate while the Lufthansa plane was being towed to its gate. It's not clear if anyone was on the planes at the time. No injuries were reported. The FAA is investigating. http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Planes-Clip-Wings-Newark-Airport-396723421.html Back to Top Polar AN26 at Belaya Gora on Oct 11th 2016, touched down off runway Status: Preliminary Date: Tuesday 11 October 2016 Type: Antonov 26-100 Operator: Polyarnaya Aviatsiya Registration: RA-26660 C/n / msn: 8008 First flight: 1979 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 27 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 33 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: 0,3 km (0.2 mls) from Belaya Gora Airport (BGN) ( Russia) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Yakutsk Airport (YKS/UEEE), Russia Destination airport: Belaya Gora Airport (UESG), Russia Flightnumber: 203 Narrative: An Antonov 26-100 aircraft, operated by Polyarnaya Aviatsiya (Polar Airlines) sustained substantial damage in a landing accident near Belaya Gora Airport, Russia. Flight 203 had departed Yakutsk Airport on regular service to Belaya Gora Airport. The aircraft landed hard on a river bank, about 300-400 m short of the runway. The right hand main landing gear collapsed, causing the propeller to separate after striking the ground. The fuselage and nose section also suffered substantial damage. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20161011-0 Back to Top Small plane crashes while trying to land at Connecticut airport Date: 11-OCT-2016 Time: 15:45 Type: Piper PA-34 Owner/operator: Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: East of Hartford-Brainard Airport (KHFD), Hartford, CT - United States of America Phase: Approach Nature: Training Departure airport: Hartford-Brainard (KHFD) Destination airport: Hartford-Brainard (KHFD) Narrative: The aircraft clipped powerlines and impacted roadway terrain during an apparent force landing attempt in East Hartford, Connecticut. The airplane was partially consumed by the post-impact fire and the instructor pilot onboard received serious injuries. The student pilot onboard the aircraft received fatal injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=190612 Back to Top We care when an airplane crashes. And then we don't On 19 May, EgyptAir Flight 804 crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, killing all 56 passengers and 10 crew members aboard. The Wikipedia entry documenting the disaster went up within hours, and it will likely remain online into perpetuity. Human readers, however, lost interest after about a week. A pair of new studies reveals that's common whether an aircraft crash kills 50 people or 500-a finding that reveals some surprises about our online attention spans. With the vast knowledge of humankind mere touchscreen taps away, it's fair to say websites like Wikipedia represent a kind of boundless augmented memory for humans. Yet in the face of these near-infinite data, human attention remains relatively short. Social scientists refer to this gradual loss of interest in a topic as attentional decay. "The internet offers limitless knowledge, but it doesn't solve the problem of our limited attention spans," says the study's lead author, Taha Yasseri, a computational social scientist at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Yasseri was initially drawn to look at the online behavior surrounding aircraft crashes after Germanwings Flight 9525 went down in the French Alps last year. Investigators eventually determined the pilot committed suicide, taking the lives of all 150 people on the plane. Curious, Yasseri checked out the page views-a running tally of everyone who has visited the site-for the disaster's Wikipedia entry and noticed that interest peaked in the days following the crash, then rapidly dropped off after about a week. He began looking at other crashes both big and small and noticed similar page view patterns for all of them. Yasseri and his Oxford colleagues decided to formally analyze the data and built an algorithm that parsed data on all pages on aircraft crashes in Wikipedia's two most popular language versions, English and Spanish. It then spit out a report on when each page was created, when it was edited, how many times it had been read, and when those page views happened. The researchers found that when a crash involved fewer than 50 deaths, Wikipedia readers tended to pay relatively little attention. The researchers called these "low-impact events," and found they were statistically insignificant to readership patterns. Crashes with more than 50 deaths, on the other hand, were identified as high-impact events. For these, readership jumped and scaled up according to how many people were killed and the continental region in which they occurred. Crunching all the data, the team put together a table describing how much attention readers from each language version of Wikipedia paid to various high-impact crashes. A strong regional bias emerged: English Wikipedia readers were much more likely to read about North American and European crashes, and Spanish Wikipedia readers were more likely to read about Latin American crashes. Page views on English and Spanish Wikipedia for North American and Latin American aircraft crashes, respectively, were each about 50 times greater than for African crashes. But as the researchers report today in the journal Royal Society Open Science, regardless of where the crash happened and how many people were killed, on both English and Spanish Wikipedia, page views dropped in half between 3 to 10 days after the event. This happens for two reasons, Yasseri explains. First, there's a "decay of novelty." New information is appealing, and we naturally lose interest after it stops being new. And second, humans can only pay attention to so many topics at one time. As other things happen, newer events outcompete older events for our attention. Although Yasseri says he expected to see attentional decay, he was surprised that the scale of the disaster didn't seem to influence how long it took for people to move on. The fact that it was seen in both language versions hints at a universal rule for online information consumption-big disasters don't capture our attention any longer than smaller ones. Maybe that's not such a bad thing, according to Giovanni Luca Ciampaglia, a research scientist at the Indiana University Network Science Institute in Bloomington who studies collective social phenomena on the internet. "I refrain from making a value judgment over whether this short attention span online is good or bad," he says. "But maybe it signals that we are able to just move on and pay attention to other things as they come up. In a certain sense, it's kind of necessary." http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/10/we-care-when-airplane-crashes-and-then-we-don-t Back to Top Pilot Says Earning FAA's ADS-B Rebate Has Been Expensive Arthur Rosen and his V-Tail Bonanza, into which he recently added ADS-B. Arthur Rosen decided to add ADS-B to the 62-year-old V-Tail Bonanza he's been flying the past 20 years, taking advantage of the FAA's $500 rebate program along the way. Rosen told Flying that although installation of the new Appareo Stratus ESGi equipment went pretty smoothly, certifying the equipment hasn't gone well at all. At press time, the Arizona pilot told Flying he'd already spent just over three flight hours in the Bonanza before the aircraft passed both the airborne and ground certification tests. The flight times in addition to the more than three dozen emails he's exchanged with the FAA, not to mention additional phone calls to the manufacturer and the helpful folks at AOPA's Airports Division. Rosen's still trying to figure out what happened and hoped his story might save other owners the grief he's experienced. "I thought the process seemed rather simple when I first read the guidelines at the FAA's ADS-B rebate site," he said. They mentioned the need to fly the aircraft post-installation for both a flight and ground test to certify. After installation, the testing began, but the Bonanza failed, again and again. After receiving repeated agency emails telling Rosen only that he'd failed, Rosen reached out for more detail. That's when he was told to re-read CFR 91.225 about the airspace required for certification, Class A, B or C. Rosen never realized the specific airspace requirements from his first read of the rebate site. Flying found the regulation rather vague as well. Although the FAA guidelines claim to offer a graphical look at the required airspace, clicking the displayed hyperlink returns an error message telling viewers the map was coded in an unknown file format and nothing more. Rosen of course called the Appareo folks for guidance. After a phone diagnosis, they told him the installation seemed fine. Once Rosen became aware of the need to fly in some rather busy airspace to certify, he coordinated a flight through the Phoenix Class B. This time, he passed the flight portion, but his Bonanza continued to fail the ground test. That's when the FAA began emailing rather random-sounding solutions, ideas never mentioned in any of the agency documentation. One suggested he try "taxiing no faster than 15 mph," but that didn't seem to change anything. Then the agency suggested he run the aircraft on the ground for at least two minutes to allow the ADS-B system to "sync up." He tried that, but the agency said they had no record of his flight from Scottsdale. "Then last Thursday I flew out and back to the airport again after a slow taxi and waiting a few minutes after I started up." This time, he saw a note that said he'd passed the ground test but not the flight test. "I told the FAA people I'd already passed the flight test the week before. They told me they'd link up the flight and ground test to my registration number last week, but it never happened." Arthur Rosen's hoping for a friendly email from the FAA today, one that says the coordination's complete and his ADS-B is certified. Rosen jokingly told Flying on Monday night he's having trouble remembering just why he installed ADS-B. http://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-say-earning-faas-ads-b-rebate-has-been-expensive Back to Top Flights between UK and China to double under aviation deal Number of air services permitted to rise to 200 a week and mainland destinations list to expand Airlines will have the right to operate more than twice as many weekly services as at present between the UK and mainland China under sweeping changes that the UK government said were part of building a "confident, global Britain after Brexit". The deal, agreed on Tuesday between representatives from the two governments, will increase the maximum number of weekly flights between the two countries to 200, from 80 at present. Restrictions will also be lifted on the Chinese destinations to which airlines can fly. It remains unclear how many new flights the deal will lead to, since London Heathrow, the airport most operators would prefer to serve, is full to capacity. At the moment, Chinese airlines operate 38 flights a week between the two countries, while UK airlines operate 29. The increase was made possible after the two sides agreed to modify their bilateral aviation agreement. Such deals are the mechanisms that many countries use to regulate air services. Most lay out rules about airline ownership that dictate which airlines count as national airlines for the parties to the deal. The deal had previously not only limited the number of flights each week but also dictated that any UK airline could serve a maximum of six separate destinations in China. The new deal discards those limits, giving UK airlines the right to operate to anywhere in mainland China. The new deal is part of a concerted effort to emphasise the UK's continued openness to the wider world, particularly emerging markets beyond Europe, in the wake of the Brexit vote in June to leave the EU. "The move is set to boost tourism and trade opportunities for the UK: links which will be vital as we look to build a confident, global Britain after Brexit," the Department for Transport said. Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, called the modified deal a "big moment for the UK". "Strong connections with emerging markets like China are vital for us if we are to continue competing on the global economic stage," he said. However, airlines will have to decide whether it makes sense to use the extra capacity to offer new flights to and from China. Transatlantic routes are generally the most profitable long-haul routes for global airlines. The transport department said that it was a commercial decision for airlines whether or not to operate additional flights. "It's not something that government mandates," the department said. "But we are hopeful that companies will take that decision." British Airways, the UK's biggest long-haul airline by passenger numbers, said it constantly reviewed its network but had no immediate plans to increase its number of flights to China. "To really boost links to China we would welcome the government re-examining how they can make it easier for Chinese visitors to get visas. The US has ten year visas - that should be our aim too." Any increase in flights is likely to be dependent on expansion of airport capacity in south-east England, the area that generates most travel demand on the route. The government is expected to make a long-awaited announcement on its strategy in that area as soon as next week, with current thinking appearing to lean towards allowing a third runway at Heathrow. https://www.ft.com/content/8b3d33b0-8fcc-11e6-8df8-d3778b55a923 Back to Top Shane Carmody starts as acting CASA chief executive Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester (left) and CASA acting chief executive Shane Carmody. (Minister Chester's office) Senior public servant Shane Carmody has taken his seat as acting chief executive of Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said Carmody, whose most recent position was as Deputy Secretary at the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, would be in the role for up to 12 months or until a new chief executive was appointed by the CASA board. Carmody takes over from Mark Skidmore, who announced his resignation as CASA chief executive and director of aviation safety in August, less than two and a half years into his five-year term. Chester said Carmody would continue to progress the implementation of CASA's response to the Aviation Safety Regulatory Review (ASRR). "Mr Carmody's appointment will ensure the aviation safety regulator retains strong leadership as the reforms are finalised," Minister Chester said in a statement on Wednesday. "A domestic and international search for a new CEO is currently underway." In his various roles at the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Carmody had responsibility for aviation and airports, the Office of Transport Security, the Western Sydney Unit and local government and territories. Also, Carmody worked at CASA for about three years between 2006 and 2009 as deputy chief executive for strategy and support. He also worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defence. His appointment as acting CASA chief executive was first announced on September 1. "Implementation of the important reforms will require CASA to work closely with all sectors of the aviation industry, a role where Mr Carmody's previous experience should prove invaluable," Chester said. In his final CASA Briefing column, Skidmore acknowledged there would always be "points of tension between the regulator and the regulated". However, the retired RAAF Air Vice-Marshal said this was normal and the sign of a healthy relationship. "As the safety relationship matures we all need to recognise these points of tension and work to address our differences in a positive way," Skidmore said. "Genuinely listening to each other is critical and sometimes both sides will have to accept there is no magical middle solution that satisfies everyone. "What CASA and the aviation community must strive for are the right safety outcomes, reached through proper processes, real consultation and transparent decision making. http://australianaviation.com.au/2016/10/shane-carmody-starts-as-acting-casa-chief-executive/ Back to Top Air Safety: Nigeria Needs 600 Air Traffic Controllers - Official Nigeria requires at least 600 air traffic controllers to ensure safety in its air space, an official said. The Vice President, Nigeria Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Mr Dangyang Davou, told newsmen in Jos on Sunday, that the nation, however, currently had only half of that figure. He said "currently, Nigeria has only 300 air traffic controllers, which is grossly inadequate especially in view of the magnitude of work involved in securing its vast air space." Davou also called for more training for the air traffic controllers, stressing that "air traffic control is a technical and dynamic area; the personnel must consistently be trained on modern trends if they are to cope and be efficient." He then advised experts to always come up with strategies toward safer air spaces "especially with the rising number of aircraft in the sky." He, however, cautioned the Federal Government against privatisting the services of air controllers, saying "I am sure that government will not privatise air control; that will be very dangerous for national security. "We must keep our airspace from intruders and outsiders and the only way to ensure that is to control our own airspace and never contract it out'." The NATCA boss said there were services that could be contracted in the aviation sector, and identified thermal services as one of them. He explained that "if you get to many airports, you meet power failure. The toilets are dirty and the air conditioners are not working "Such situation is largely due to the fact that the services are handled by government. So, such services could be contracted out to private hands for improved management." He announced that NATCA would hold its Annual General Meeting in Jos from October 20 to October 21, during which it would brainstrom on communication equipment, training and retraining of officers, as well as navigational aids. He said "there are many issues affecting us and our services. We shall use the AGM to tackle them all." http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2016/10/12/air-safety-nigeria-needs-600-air-traffic-controllers-official/ Back to Top With a possible pilot shortage looming, some in Alaska are especially concerned Land and Sea Aviation Alaska flight instructor Andrew Nelson and student pilot Cole Harkovitch make an approach to Runway 25 while doing touch and gos at Merrill Field on Oct. 3, 2016. (Bill Roth / Alaska Dispatch News) In a state where many people live off the road system and rely on aviation for everything from grocery deliveries to medical transportation, some in the aviation industry are concerned about how growing global demand for pilots will affect Alaska. And others say a pilot shortage has already arrived. "We're extremely concerned about pilot supply over the next one, two, three to five years," said Brad Lambert, vice president of flight operations at Horizon Air, speaking broadly of the airline's operations, and not just in Alaska. "We're just concerned there won't be enough young people entering the profession." But in Alaska, where air travel is so crucial, the effects might be particularly acute. "It's the lifeblood of Alaska, especially within rural Alaska," said Corey Hester, executive director of the Alaska Airmen Association. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development estimates that employment and job openings for airline pilots, co-pilots and flight engineers will grow nearly 12 percent between 2014 and 2024. Openings are also "very high" for aircraft mechanics and aircraft service technicians in Alaska, according to data from the Labor Department. Airlines and educational programs are trying to create new paths into such careers, or ramp up their recruiting efforts, and it's becoming harder to get people into the profession, even as longtime pilots and mechanics age out of the industry. Land and Sea Aviation Alaska flight instructor Andrew Nelson, left, and student pilot Cole Harkovitch prepare for a training flight at Merrill Field. (Bill Roth / Alaska Dispatch News) Matt Atkinson, president of the Alaska Air Carriers Association, said that group has been discussing the issue of a shortage of workers in the aviation industry for the past six to eight months, and specifically what the sector can do to increase the number of pilots and mechanics in Alaska. "It's hard enough to get people who are experienced enough to fly, and retention is difficult," he said. "The experienced pilots with these commuter airlines are going to be sucked up rapidly (by big airlines who will have a shortage)." Between now and 2035, "the aviation industry will need to supply more than two million new commercial airline pilots, maintenance technicians and cabin crew," according to a 2016 pilot and technician outlook report from airplane manufacturer Boeing. That's because airlines will take delivery of "tens of thousands of new commercial jetliners over the next 20 years" due to global economic expansion and busier flight schedules, the report said. Specifically, the industry across the globe will need 617,000 new commercial airline pilots (112,000 of those in North America alone), 679,000 new maintenance technicians and 814,000 new cabin crew over the next 20 years, the report said. Atkinson and others say a combination of forces is at least partly to blame for the problem: Older pilots are retiring, and the Federal Aviation Administration recently upped its requirements for how many hours of experience co-pilots need in order to fly passenger and cargo airplanes. Some in the industry, however, push back against the assertion of an industry-wide pilot shortage. Paul Ryder, resource coordinator for the Air Line Pilots Association union, said there isn't currently a lack of pilots in the U.S., but rather an issue with airlines offering competitive pay. "What we are seeing is a pilot pay shortage," he said. "Carriers that aren't competitive, they have a hard time attracting that talent." A 2015 study from research institute Rand Corp. found that there would "not be a civilian system-wide pilot shortage in the near-term, though the system will become strained." "Low-paying airlines will continue to have difficulties finding qualified pilots," the study continued. "All operators will experience fewer applicants for the available positions, potentially resulting in less qualified pilots system-wide." A report from the Government Accountability Office in 2014 found that the data were mixed regarding the extent of a pilot shortage. That report cited labor market data from 2000 through 2012, which showed the unemployment rate for pilots "has been much lower than for the economy as a whole, which is consistent with a shortage." "On the other hand," it continued, "wage earnings and employment were not consistent with the existence of a shortage, as data for both indicators showed decreases" during that 12-year period. That GAO report also found that fewer students are entering into and finishing collegiate pilot training programs. Ralph Gibbs, director of the University of Alaska Anchorage's aviation technology division, is on the optimistic side when it comes to people who want to become pilots in Alaska. "Now is a really good time for any Alaskan who wants to get into that industry as a profession," he said. Student pilot Cole Harkovitch fuels a Cessna 172 before going up in the air with a flight instructor from Land and Sea Aviation Alaska at Merrill Field. (Bill Roth / Alaska Dispatch News) The Alaska Air Carriers Association is hoping to get more people into the industry with a new apprenticeship program that would allow students to earn a wage during training. The association recently landed a grant from the state's Labor Department to develop and launch that program. Lambert said that at Horizon, part of Alaska Air Group, there is still demand from young pilots to be based in Anchorage. Horizon has even developed a set of short-, medium- and long-term strategies to help curb the impact of a worker shortage. Those involve improving pilot pay, developing agreements with flight schools and teaming up with universities to recruit more people into the industry. Companies both large and small are adapting their strategies to recruit and retain talent. Daniel Knesek is the director of operations at Yute Air, which serves the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region in Western Alaska with a fleet of Cessnas. He said a pilot shortage isn't something happening in the future; it's already here. Last year, he said, Yute was "losing so many pilots to regional airlines" that it had to increase the number of new- hire classes it held throughout the year. "It makes it difficult to have enough pilots for the fleet," he said. Knesek also can't afford to be as selective as he used to be in hiring, and more candidates are coming from Outside. In the five years he has been in his position, he said that the number of resumes he receives from pilots who are already located in Alaska has "died off completely." Some smaller companies like Yute are struggling as their pilots leave for positions at regional or national airlines as jobs are opening up. That's in part because bigger airlines can offer thousands of dollars in signing bonuses, Knesek said. As large airlines like Alaska, American and United start to grapple with older pilots retiring out of the workforce, those companies are looking to regional airlines to fill their ranks. In turn, those regional carriers recruit from smaller companies, including Land and Sea Aviation, a flight school that operates at Merrill Field. Brandon Avola, manager at Land and Sea Aviation, said the flight school gets pilots who want to train for a hobby or who are looking to build up their hours to work professionally. "With people scooping up pilots quickly, it's harder (to keep instructors)," he said. "As these guys retire from the major airlines, everybody is moving up. And then people at the air taxis and sightseeing places, they're all going into the regional airlines." Key Ma is the owner of Land and Sea Aviation Alaska which trains pilots at Merrill Field. Ma said he offers free ground school to high school students to help get more young people interested in flying. (Bill Roth / Alaska Dispatch News) Training to become a commercial pilot also costs thousands of dollars, and people in the industry say that in recent years it has only become more expensive. "What does concern us is, the pilot population is declining, the demographic is getting older, it's hard to compete with other recreational activities, there's a lot more regulations, and it's more expensive to get into," said Adam White, who runs government and legislative affairs for the Alaska Airmen Association. "There are a lot of different aspects of this problem." https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/aviation/2016/10/11/with-possible-pilot-shortage-looming-some-in-alaska-are- especially-concerned/ Back to Top Cessna Citation Longitude super mid-size jet completes maiden flight The Cessna Citation Longitude super midsize business jet during its maiden flight(Credit: Cessna) The business jet market has shown healthy growth in recent years and Cessna has reaffirmed its desire to join the big hitters with the maiden flight of the Citation Longitude. The super-midsize jet took to the sky on October 8 from Cessna's east campus Beech Field Airport in Kansas with experimental test pilots Ed Wenninger and Stuart Rogerson at the controls. During the two-hour flight, the flaps, landing gear, pressurization, stability, and control systems were put through their paces. The Longitude prototype's first flight comes four years after it was first announced and less than a year after Cessna released details of its design. Part of the company's family of larger business jets, it's the follow-on the canceled Citation Columbus and has essentially the same fuselage as the Cessna Citation Latitude. Cessna calls it a "clean- sheet design" aimed at providing the lowest ownership costs in its class. Being a business class jet, Cessna is keen to highlight the comfort it can provide for up to 12 passengers. The cabin pressure is claimed to be the lowest altitude in its class at the equivalent of 5,950 ft (1,813 m). The cabin has high- speed Wi-Fi as well as a stand-up, flat-floor architecture, a standard double-club configuration, and a walk-in baggage compartment that is flight-accessible. Cessna Citation Longitude - cabin The 73 ft (22 m) Longitude has the latest version of the Garmin G5000 flight deck with optional head-up display and night vision, ergonomic design, and an advanced on-board diagnostic system that can isolate faults and provide the crew with real-time answers to deal with problems. Longitude has the latest version of the Garmin G5000 flight deck with optional head-up display and... The Longitude has a 67 ft (20 m) wingspan and is powered by twin Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines pumping 7,550 lb (33.58 kN) of thrust. This allows the Longitude to achieve a maximum cruise speed of 476 kt (548 mph, 882 km/h) and a range of 3,400 nm (6,297 km). According to Cessna, the prototype Longitude will carry on as a technology test bed with an emphasis on testing flight controls and aerodynamics, while the first production model will roll off the line in weeks destined for systems testing. "I was extremely pleased with the performance of the Longitude during the first flight," says Rogerson. "The level of maturity in flight characteristics is already very high. I was particularly impressed with how intuitive the flight systems are, validating the extensive integration work done by our development teams. We accomplished everything we wanted to do during this maiden flight, setting the pace for the flight test program." Sources: Cessna, Textron http://newatlas.com/cessna-citation-longitude-maiden-flight/45848/ Back to Top Vertical takeoff and landing boxwing planes capable of twice the speed of helicopters Elytron Aerospace is designing box wing aircraft to provide the vertical take-off and landing capability of helicopters combined with the speed and efficiency advantages of fixed wing aircraft. Elytron's solution provides greater safety, speed, and simplicity of operation over any existing class of vertical take-off aircraft which makes it ideally suited for various uses, such as emergency medical services. The Elytron design combines three sets of wings: one pair of rotary wings called "proprotors", mounted on a single tilt-wing in central position, and two pairs of fixed wings. The fixed wings are split into a forward pair and an aft pair that are joined by winglets, which make use of the joined-wing concept. By splitting the wings apart, the design eliminates any interference with the thrust of the proprotors. The main wings have a high aspect ratio, are braced and can be built very light which reduces drag. Since the front and rear wings are joined together by winglets, they enclose the proprotors eliminating the risk of rotor strikes. The plane has superior glide ratios and low stall speeds because of this low wing loading design, and also displays excellent Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) capabilities. Though there have been some aggressive development projects in recent years, such as the Bell V-280, the AugustaWestland Project Zero and AW609, the only operational manned, prop-driven aircraft that manages this sort of hybrid flight is the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. Elytron Aircraft is working with NASA to test a scaled version of its highly unconventional convertiplane concept, which is designed to takeoff and land like a helicopter but cruise at fixed wing speeds. Free flight and captive wind- tunnel tests are expected to take place early in 2017 at NASA's Ames Research Center, California. The anticipated aerodynamic data will be compared with predictive models that will help Elytron refine the design of a planned five- seat, potential air taxi. http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/10/vertical-takeoff-and-landing-boxwing.html Back to Top Cash injection keeps Britain's Monarch Airlines flying * British holiday airline saved by cash injection * Funding came hours before deadline to renew ATOL licence * Major shareholder agrees $205 million equity deal (Adds CEO comments) LONDON, Oct 12 British airline Monarch secured a 165 million pound ($205 million) lifeline from majority shareholder Greybull Capital on Wednesday, enabling the low-cost carrier to renew a key operating licence and fund new aircraft. The equity investment was agreed only hours before its operating licence was due to expire, allowing the airline, which sells flights and package holidays to tourist destinations, to keep flying. The 48-year-old airline said the investment would fund the replacement of its Airbus jets with more fuel-efficient Boeing 737 MAX-8 aircraft between 2018 and 2021. Monarch warned in September that security concerns and the devaluation of the pound after Britain's vote to leave the EU in June had made market conditions difficult. Based at the southern English airport of Luton, Monarch has been hit by a decline in the popularity of destinations in Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey due to security concerns. The carrier mainly sells holidays and flights to Spain, Italy and France. Larger budget airline easyJet warned last week that annual profit had fallen by more than a quarter and hinted that trading would remain tough. Monarch Chief Executive Andrew Swaffield said he now had "real confidence" about his airline's future despite the current environment. The fall in the pound had increased fuel and leasing costs paid in dollars and navigation and ground handling costs paid in euros, Swaffield said, adding that security concerns were also a negative factor. The combined impact would cut profit this year to about 40 million pounds from more than 70 million pounds last year. "We believe the market is going to remain fairly challenging over the next few years, particularly related to terrorism and the weak pound," he said on Wednesday. Questions about Monarch's finances were raised last month, forcing the carrier to say it was operating normally. Days later, Britain's aviation regulator, the CAA, said it had until 2259 GMT on Oct. 12 to satisfy the requirements needed for a full Air Travel Organiser's Licence (ATOL). Swaffield said airline bookings had been relatively unaffected by the deadline, but there had been a "dampening" in holiday sales in recent weeks. He said sales were already returning to normal, and he was confident the weaker pound would not hit consumer demand. "People very quickly re-align to a new exchange rate," he said. "The British are resilient when it come to holidays." http://www.reuters.com/article/britain-airlines-monarch-airlines-idUSL8N1CI128 Back to Top NASA Will Allow Private Companies to Install Modules on the ISS This decision could signal the agency's desire to turn over the ISS to private management. NASA Director Charles Bolden announced today that private companies, like SpaceX and Boeing, may soon be able to install their own modules on the International Space Station. The ISS has been in orbit since 1998, and is currently made up of 15 separate but connected modules. These modules were mostly built by either the U.S. or Russia, with a few built by Europe and Japan. Many of these modules are nearing end-of-life, with both the U.S. and Russian modules only funded through 2024. To keep the ISS alive, NASA has decided to allow private companies to get in on the action. A few months ago, NASA asked a number of private space companies how they would use the ISS if they were given a chance. And according to Director Bolden, many companies expressed a "strong desire" to get their own modules in the mix. These modules could expand the functionality of the ISS for future NASA astronauts, or this could be NASA signaling that it's willing to turn over the ISS to a private company eventually. If this is the case, we could see the ISS used for commercial purposes, like a giant space hotel. NASA has been relying heavily on private space companies over the past few years. SpaceX and Orbital ATK have been launching regular missions to bring cargo to the ISS, and starting next year SpaceX, Boeing, and Sierra Nevada will be transporting astronauts there as well. In a few years, they might be staying in SpaceX, Boeing, and Sierra Nevada modules as well. http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/satellites/a23339/private-companies-install-iss-modules/ Back to Top Boeing pushes space taxi's first ISS mission to late 2018 It won't be taking astronauts to the ISS until December that year. Boeing's CS-100 Starliner won't be ferrying astronauts to the ISS until December 2018 (or maybe even later), according to Aviation Week. The aerospace corp was supposed to help end NASA's dependence on Russia's Soyuz rockets by 2017, but it announced in May this year that its space taxi won't be ready until mid-2018. Unfortunately, Boeing has no choice but to delay that historic flight even further due to a handful of manufacturing issues. Aviation Week says Boeing had to scrap one of the Starliner's major structural elements due to a design flaw. The company also experienced difficulties making the most complex components of the spacecraft. John Mulholland, Starliner's program manager, said his team already worked through these problems, but it took them a couple of months longer than expected. "When we were faced with these issues it was time for us to step back and say: 'Hey listen, we have to readdress [this] and say what's real and lay in where we are going forward'," he explained. As a result, the unmanned orbital flight test that was originally going to take place in December 2017 is now scheduled for June 2018. Starliner's first ever manned flight that was supposed to launch in February 2018 now won't take place until August that year. NASA wasn't taken by surprise, though: the agency's Office of Inspector General spotted issues with the development of both the Starliner and SpaceX's Dragon 2 capsule. The office recently published a report saying it doesn't expect both companies to be able to take astronauts to the ISS before 2018. NASA commissioned both Boeing and SpaceX to build space taxis that can take its astronauts to orbit back in 2012. The project originally aimed for a 2015 launch, but that proved to be unrealistic. Elon Musk's company has yet to reveal whether it's also pushing back the Dragon 2's first manned flight to the ISS, though. If it manages to stick to schedule, it'll be able send astronauts to the station as soon as 2017. But it's not out of the realm of possibility for SpaceX to follow Boeing's lead, considering one of its Falcon 9 rockets blew up on the launch pad in September. https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/12/boeing-space-taxi-delay/ Back to Top BOOK SIGNING: The Crash Detectives Investigating the World's Most Mysterious Air Disasters Book signing and general aviation-safety-geek mingle after the Wednesday (19OCT) presentations at the ISASI conference. This signing is at Penninn Book Store, Hallarmúli 4, 108 Reykjavíkurborg, Ísland a short 7 minute walk from the Grand Hotel. European and Asian attendees, this will be your first opportunity to get The Crash Detectives as it does not go on sale in Europe until March 2017. Christine Negroni author of The Crash Detectives Investigating the World's Most Mysterious Air Disasters Published by Penguin Books Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY (1) Dear MRO colleagues: My name is Kole Osaretin Uhuegho, and l am conducting a doctoral study on Safety Climate in MRO's in the USA at the Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne. As part of my research l have developed the Aviation Maintenance Safety Climate Survey (AMSCS) that consist of two sections followed by a set of demographic questions. It will take about 20 minutes to complete the survey. To participate in this study, you are required to be a maintenance personnel at all levels within an MRO working in the USA. Please note that all responses will be anonymous and no identifying information about the respondent will be reported The Study Link: http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/cgr/kole-s-amscs/ Thank you in advance for your kind support, if you need any additional information, you may reach me at kuhuegho2014@my.fit.edu or Professor Micheal.A Gallo at gallo@fit.edu Kind regards Kole Osaretin Uhuegho PhD Candidate Aviation Science College of Aeronautics Florida Institute of Technology Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY (2) Dear Airline colleagues, I would be very grateful if airline staff among you accept this invite to complete my short online survey on "exploring the influence of emotionally intelligent leadership on airline safety culture". https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EI-INTEL The survey is an element of my final project which explores how safety leadership who utilize or exhibit emotional intelligence leadership qualities can influence the organisations safety culture. Safety leadership in this context is taken as all management and supervisory staff who act as, or should act as safety leaders in their teams. I am researching to see if the leadership qualities of each individual safety leader can impact safety culture. Emotional intelligence markers are embedded in 10 of the survey questions. The survey contains an introduction and explanatory page, followed by 14 questions and should only take 8 to 10 minutes. If you would like to make any comments on the project, or have any questions, please contact me at Patrick.Morris.1@city.ac.uk. Thank you in advance and best regards. Pat Morris. MSc Student, City University of London. Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY (3) Dear colleague in the aircraft ground handling industry My name is Mario Pierobon and I am conducting a doctoral study on aircraft ground handling safety at Cranfield University. As part of my research I have developed a survey that requires you to consider the degree of implementation of the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) chapter 4 ramp safety provisions and various management practices in place in your organisation to ensure that safety provisions are implemented. The survey will take approximately 13 minutes to complete. In order to participate to this survey you are required to have a management role in the aircraft ground handling industry and be familiar with IGOM chapter 4 ramp safety provisions. The survey may be accessed at the following link https://cranfielduniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8c5FmAf0bLFJ39P Earlier in the summer I sent out another survey concerning the categorisation of 40 different hazards that are peculiar to the aircraft ground handling environment. If you have not filled in this survey may I kindly ask you to please do so and go to the other following link https://cranfielduniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3abRtXF0f6D7oEJ Thank you in advance for your kind support, if you need any additional information you may reach me at m.pierobon@cranfield.ac.uk. Kind regards Mario Pierobon PhD Candidate (air safety), Cranfield University Back to Top Stop By and Visit At NBAA - BACE 2016 DATE November 1-3, 2016 LOCATION Booth 1482 Orange County Convention Center Orlando Executive Airport Orlando, FL Curt Lewis