Flight Safety Information November 4, 2016 - No. 219 In This Issue Position Available:...Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) ATSB looking into unlisted container found on A320 Allegiant Air changes course after Times investigation, admits too many planes failed PILOTS UNAWARE BEFORE MIDAIR FAA Safety Briefing - November/December 2016 Governor Bevin attend Meggitt Braking Systems in job creation and multi-million dollar economic growth Dubai deploys a 'drone hunter' to keep its airport open Unapproved Airplane Parts Creating Safety Risk in Aviation NASA's shape-changing wing could cut aircraft fuel use Aircraft makers plot course to exploit demand in China Cobham and Inmarsat solutions enable in-air Electronic Flight Bag connectivity Jet Aviation at St. Louis Certified by Brazil as Authorized Maintenance Organization The intrigue-laden tale of U.S. efforts to seize jet engines bound for Iran Lockheed Gets a $6.1 Billion Award for F-35s. It's Not Happy Air France just escalated the arms race with the Middle East's 3 best airlines Position Available: Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Utah Valley University (UVU) is seeking a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to assist in the development of a Certificate of Proficiency in UAS, an 18 credit hour proposed university program. This is a contract UAS SME position in which part of the requirements may be performed from any location in the United States. Flight operations development will require location and development in Utah. SME develops and reviews course material along with the Instructional Designer to ensure an effective and compliant course design; SME provides UVU input to a development team to ensure courses are meeting educational specific objectives and outcomes; and prepares students for employment. Course topics requiring development include Survey of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Aeronautical Knowledge for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Systems and Technology of Unmanned Aircraft, Small Unmanned Aircraft Operations, Safety and Crew Resource Management for UAS, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ethics and Professionalism, and Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight. For information, details and application, please go to: https://www.uvu.jobs/postings/24518 Back to Top ATSB looking into unlisted container found on A320 The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating an incident in which a baggage container was found aboard an Airbus A320 aircraft, although it had not been listed on the manifest. The container was discovered by ground crew unloading baggage at Sydney, says the ATSB in a statement. The aircraft involved is registered VH-VQC, and is operated by Jetstar. A report is due by February. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top Allegiant Air changes course after Times investigation, admits too many planes failed LAS VEGAS - Allegiant Air leaders who once battled any suggestion the carrier's rate of emergency landings and other aircraft mishaps were unusually high are now taking a sharply different tack. They're offering something of a mea culpa. The airline offered no push back last week when presented with a Tampa Bay Times' analysis showing the carrier in 2015 was four-times as likely to suffer unscheduled landings due to mechanical problems as other major U.S. carriers. "I can look at what we did (in 2015) and it wasn't acceptable," Allegiant CEO Maurice Gallagher Jr. said in an Oct. 26 interview at the company's Las Vegas headquarters. "I don't disagree with the thrust of your numbers. ... We want to be well known as being reliable and on time, and obviously safe, and that's an important part of our brand. And we're going to make sure we do those things. But if you stub your toe, step up and own it and move on." More openness by Allegiant may be particularly striking given the industry's general abhorrence to discuss maintenance practices and emergencies. "Well, you have to appreciate, you're breaking pretty new ground here with this stuff," Gallagher told the Times. "This industry historically has not talked about safety. There's no upside to going out and talking about it." Throughout 2015, Allegiant was quick to blame its pilots union and the media for overhyping its rate of emergency landings, arguing that Allegiant had been unfairly scrutinized for routine events. Gallagher, for example, told the Times in January that its stories about the budget airline were filled with "baseless assumptions and accusations." One story, he said, "repeats the faulty premise that something is wrong with Allegiant. Let me be clear: There is not." But in interviews with the Times last week, Gallagher and other Allegiant leaders went further than ever before in acknowledging the airline's planes have suffered too many in- flight breakdowns. That shift in tone includes Gallagher's acknowledgment that one of the fastest-growing airlines in the nation will be slowing some of its expansion. "We just need to be more conservative," Gallagher said. In recent months, Allegiant has noted it needs to replace its fleet of aging MD-80 aircraft, which it said has proven far less reliable than it anticipated. To that end, the carrier is buying 12 new Airbus aircraft in the next two years, a departure from Allegiant's business model of buying used aircraft at bargain prices. Consider Allegiant's stance in June and July 2015, when a series of emergency landings at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport first attracted notice. At that time, an Allegiant spokeswoman indicated nothing was amiss at the airline. "Neither ourselves nor the FAA have found any trends that show us there is any cause for concern," Allegiant spokeswoman Jessica Wheeler told the Times in June 2015. At the time, Allegiant officials even indicated the age of its MD-80 aircraft was a red herring for anyone trying to link the planes to emergency landings. "Maintenance events are not tied to any specific location or to the age of an aircraft," the airline said in a written statement to the Times. "Most maintenance events are related not to the age of the aircraft, but rather to the number of takeoffs and landings (cycles) performed by an individual plane." Today, Gallagher said Allegiant has made important strides in improving its performance. And to be sure, Allegiant is careful not to equate a lack of reliability with its aircraft to a lack of safety. Allegiant first began discussing its operational problems more openly earlier this year. In April, Gallagher addressed a room full of state and local government officials at the St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater hotel and acknowledged the airline had experienced a "bad summer" in 2015. "When you put people and machines together, there are going to be problems," Gallagher said at the time. "The issues you've read about in the paper are directly related to our own growth. We've since changed our management here (in Pinellas County). You won't see that experience again." At about the same time, Allegiant chief operating officer Jude Bricker told Bloomberg News that the airline's efforts to improve aircraft reliability have led to a lower rate of service interruptions such as aborted takeoffs and emergency landings, from 2.81 per 1,000 flights in April 2015 to 1.37 last month. "We're investing in everything we know to invest in," Bricker said. "Most of the indicators we watch are positive. Everything is moving in the right direction." Certainly one lingering problem for Allegiant was fixed this summer when the airline's pilots union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, agreed to a work contract. Allegiant had bluntly accused the union throughout 2015 and early 2016 of feeding media hype about aircraft maintenance problems. "The Teamsters are trying everything they can do to make us look bad," Allegiant's then COO, Steve Harfst, told the Times in September 2015. But Gallagher's latest comments indicate the carrier recognizes it bears some of the responsibility for that bruising publicity itself. http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/airlines/allegiant-air-changes-course-by- admitting-it-had-too-many-aircraft-mishaps/2301031 Back to Top PILOTS UNAWARE BEFORE MIDAIR NTSB: ABSENT TECHNOLOGY A FACTOR The F-16 pilot flying alone over South Carolina was told 40 seconds before the collision that traffic was straight ahead, two miles away. The Air Force officer had never heard an initial traffic alert so close, he later told investigators. He scanned the sky "aggressively" but did not spot the Cessna 150 over Moncks Corner until it was too late to prevent the collision that claimed two lives. Technology that could have given each pilot ample warning was absent from both aircraft. Simulated views from within the Cessna 150 and F-16 a second before collision. Composite image by AOPA staff. Images courtesy of NTSB. The NTSB released a trove of documents Oct. 31, hundreds of pages that detail the July 7, 2015, collision down to the final seconds, as well as a subsequent investigation that exposed the limits of human ability to see and avoid another aircraft, even at close range. Both the pilot and passenger in the Cessna were killed, while the fighter pilot, Air Force Maj. Aaron Johnson, ejected from his badly damaged aircraft and lived to describe to investigators the ill-fated flight from his perspective. Joseph Johnson, 30, a private pilot working on advanced ratings who was praised as conscientious and competent in the cockpit by his CFI, died while taking his father, Michael Johnson, 68, on what had become a routine excursion. They were squawking 1200 and not in contact with air traffic control. They did not have access to traffic information from the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system, which could have called attention to the approaching jet. It is possible, even likely based on the evidence and data available, that neither occupant of the Cessna saw the fast-approaching fighter jet before the collision. Johnson told investigators that he was scanning his radar and allowed the autopilot to fly the evasive turn called for by air traffic control so he could focus more attention on trying to spot the Cessna. He did not see the Cessna until it was about 500 feet away, too late to evade, though he did try. At least one witness on the ground with a clear view of the collision saw the F-16 attempt to avoid the Cessna. Even before the investigation began, AOPA was working with the FAA to make life-saving technology more available, and affordable. Giving pilots access to modern traffic awareness tools took on fresh urgency after the midair over Moncks Corner. "See and avoid is an imperfect system for collision avoidance," said AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Vice President George Perry, a former Navy fighter pilot and instructor. "This incident spurred an effort to help fix this problem. In August 2015, AOPA asked the FAA to make ADS-B based traffic information available to all general aviation pilots. Currently, the ADS-B system only provides partial and incomplete traffic information to most general aviation aircraft that lack a certified ADS-B system. We are getting close to a decision by the FAA to make this change, and are hopeful that soon pilots with low-cost, portable receivers will have a more complete picture of the traffic around them. Once this change is implemented it will save lives and help pilots prevent this type of accident from happening in the future." Within the public docket, a 100-page report details a painstaking study and digital recreation of what each pilot could have seen as the aircraft closed the distance between them in the final minute before the collision. A reconstruction built from available information including radar records and data recorded by the F-16 illustrates how easily a wing strut or instrument panel can hide another aircraft from sight, even at close range. The study, written by John O'Callaghan of the NTSB Office of Research and Engineering, revealed a limitation that is important for all pilots to know: Small shifts in head position can obscure or reveal an aircraft that occupies a tiny fraction of the visual field. A visual scan without any head movement can leave close-range traffic obscured for a critical fraction of a second. From the Cessna pilot's perspective, the F-16 may have been obscured from view by the wing strut in the critical final seconds. "While the visibility of a target airplane in the viewer pilot's field of view is sensitive to movements of the pilot's head, the variations in eye position examined ... changed the timing of the obscurations of the target aircraft by less than +/-1.5 seconds at any given point," O'Callaghan wrote. "Nonetheless, the results indicate that looking for traffic can be more effective if the pilot moves his head as well as redirecting his eyes, since head movements may bring otherwise obscured aircraft into view." The NTSB also created, based on data from both radar and the ADS-B system, exactly what a cockpit traffic display and alerting system would have shown each pilot. Such a system, investigators wrote in the report, "could have alerted each pilot to the presence of the other airplane, and presented precise bearing, range, and altitude information about each target, up to two minutes and 50 seconds prior to the collision. Such timely and information-rich traffic presentations would likely have enabled each pilot to avoid the other airplane using only slight course and/or altitude adjustments, and without the need for aggressive maneuvering." The NTSB will meet Nov. 15 to vote on the probable cause of the crash. Radar tracking of Cessna 150 and F-16 minutes before collision. Images courtesy of NTSB. Composite image by AOPA staff. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/november/02/pilots-unaware- before-midair Back to Top Back to Top Governor Bevin attend Meggitt Braking Systems in job creation and multi-million dollar economic growth event Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems in Danville, Ky., held a ribbon cutting to celebrate significant growth in its operations. Attended by Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and other dignitaries, the event marked a 66-job, $9.3-million expansion of its manufacturing and distribution campus. A maintenance and repair operations facility was relocated from Akron, Oh., to Danville. And carbon brake manufacturing capacity was expanded with three new production furnaces and related support machines. http://www.meggitt-mabs.com/ Back to Top Dubai deploys a 'drone hunter' to keep its airport open To fight wayward drones, Dubai's deploying a drone hunter Dubai airport has a drone problem and it's deploying a 'hunter' to fix it. The airport, the third busiest in the world, has already been forced to shut three times this year because of unauthorized drone activity, creating a headache for airlines and their passengers. During the most recent closure, which lasted for 90 minutes on Oct. 29, 22 flights had to be diverted to other airports. Each shutdown costs the airport about $1 million a minute. Dubai's Civil Aviation Authority has responded by testing a 'drone hunter' -- a remote- controlled aircraft that uses thermal and infrared imaging to detect drones that are in danger of straying into the airport's space. If the trial deployments prove successful, if could be in use routinely by the end of the year. "It's a few people that engage in this kind of activity. People want to explore how far their drone can go without realizing they are violating the airspace," said Salim Al Mansouri, senior aerodrome inspector at the civil aviation authority. "It's a safety issue and people are losing money because of one person's irresponsible behavior," he said. Related: Forget your old alarm system. This drone will protect your house Here's how the 'drone hunter' works: Once it has locked onto a rogue drone, the aircraft follows it back to its owner and sends the coordinates to Dubai police, who then take over. dubai drone hunter 1 In the Netherlands, authorities have taken a lower-tech approach to tracking drones. Bald eagles have been trained to swoop in and neatly dispose of any electronic interlopers. Opinion: Tragic drone strike with plane 'inevitable' As more and more drones take to the skies, they are causing ever greater concern for airline safety. In April, a suspected drone slammed into a plane as it approached London's Heathrow airport. The Airbus A320 landed safely but authorities worry that careless drone use will eventually lead to a catastrophe. Related: Meet the man who spent $9 million on a license plate The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration says reports of near misses with drones and airplanes have increased dramatically since 2014. In the five months ending January 31, there were 583 such incidents.. They have since introduced new rules for drone users to bring that number down. http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/04/technology/dubai-airport-drone-hunter/ Back to Top Unapproved Airplane Parts Creating Safety Risk in Aviation Dozens of cases of unapproved and potentially dangerous airplane parts have been documented aboard airplanes of all sizes in last five years An NBC Bay Area investigation uncovers widespread use of unapproved airplane parts, some of which lead to fatal crashes. These parts are so ubiquitous in the industry and so easily available that The Unit was able to buy them over the Internet, no questions asked. Senior Investigative Reporter Stephen Stock reports in a story that originally aired on Nov. 3, 2016. (Published Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016) According to NTSB data compiled and analyzed by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit, unapproved aviation parts played a role in nearly two dozen crashes that killed seven and injured 18 others since 2010. The Federal Aviation Administration logged at least 135 different instances of unapproved parts found in airplanes, including commercial passenger jets, in the last five years. The fatal crash statistics do not include the fatal crash of San Francisco Dr. Ken Gottlieb back in August 2009. National Transportation Safety Board investigators officially ruled that pilot confusion caused the accident in a Napa vineyard shortly after takeoff from Napa County Airport. Nine months after Gottlieb's Cessna 182 crashed, NTSB investigators officially ruled that "loss of situational awareness" caused the accident. The NTSB report also showed "no evidence of a pre-mishap mechanical malfunction or failure." UNANSWERED QUESTIONS But Gottlieb's widow and the rest of his family didn't believe the evidence added up to pilot error. They knew the 67-year-old was an experienced cross country pilot with more than 1,000 hours of flying. Gottlieb also completed training in situational awareness issues shortly before the crash. "He loved the flying," Gottlieb's wife Gale Gottlieb told NBC Bay Area. "The feeling of being up there, the adventure of the sky and just moving through space. But also the tremendous knowledge about the technology of the plane and the backup systems, that things would work." That's why the family hired aviation safety attorney Mike Danko, of Redwood Shores, to dig further. Danko's forensic research uncovered that it wasn't pilot error that caused the crash but rather an unsafe, unapproved airplane part. Danko found the seat track release for the pilot's seat was recently installed by a local mechanic. However, the part had no accompanying FAA documentation or certification. Danko suspects the faulty seat track release failed, causing the pilot seat to move out of control. "In an airplane, what happens is when you take off, the nose points up. So if that seat slips back you've got a big problem because you can't reach the controls," Danko said. In February 2015, a San Mateo civil jury agreed with Danko's findings, ruling that the mechanic who installed the unapproved seat part should pay Gottlieb's family $13.36 million. Click here to read the civil complaint, defense answer and jury verdict UNAPPROVED PARTS IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY In the aviation industry, every piece of an aircraft is critical. That's why the FAA heavily regulates aircraft parts to ensure they can withstand the stressful conditions while flying thousands of feet above ground. But the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit learned, bogus parts can still slip through the cracks, creating a serious safety risk for the flying public. FAA records obtained by NBC Bay Area through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request show 135 cases of unapproved parts since 2011 in both general aviation and commercial aircrafts. The records come from FAA's National Tracking and Reporting System. The FAA says very few of its unapproved parts investigations result in an unsafe condition. Retired FAA inspector Ken Gardner knows the seriousness of unapproved parts as well as anyone in the industry. Gardner helped run the FAA's suspected unapproved parts (SUP) program beginning in the 1990s and continues to serve as a consultant on criminal investigations involving unapproved parts. He's an expert on SUP, working for JDA Aviation Technology Solutions, based in Bethesda, Maryland. Simply put, Gardner says unapproved parts are cheaper. That's why Gardner believes there's a financial incentive for some repair shops and aviation mechanics to purchase cheap parts and manufacturers to create unapproved counterfeit parts. Certified and approved parts must go through rigorous testing and inspection to make sure they don't fail, which can drive up costs. "Unapproved parts don't go through that. You have no idea when they're going to fail," Gardner said. "If they fail, it could be critical." PARTS PIPELINE So how do dangerous or unapproved parts find their way onboard planes? NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit purchased airplane parts for sale over the internet from online parts dealers. The team bought everything from O rings to an engine piston to an electronic decoder panel that previously failed in a commercial DC-10 aircraft, according to a yellow tag ticket that was provided with the part. History records for the part also show another person subsequently signed off on the part, saying he couldn't find a problem, and it could be put back into a DC-10. Gardner disputes that. "I would not put that in my aircraft," he said. "I would not put that thing out there for sale. Somebody's life could depend on that." Some of the parts we purchased claimed to be FAA approved and provided an FAA form 8130-3 documenting the part is safe and airworthy. While other parts, including an engine piston, did not provide any documentation at all. In a statement, FAA officials told NBC Bay Area, "The absence of an FAA Form 8130-3 does not necessarily indicate a part is unapproved. FAA Form 8130-3 is not required by U.S. regulations for domestic use." Gardner says he would be concerned putting these parts in any plane without verification they are safe. "It could fail while you're flying over the Atlantic," Gardner said. Gardner estimated that the electronic decoder panel can sell new for more than a $1,000. We purchased it online for $60. "That really needs to be investigated," Gardner said. FAA AND AVIATION SAFETY Gale Gottlieb says she is now speaking out about this issue to make sure everyone knows what can happen when an unapproved part, even a seemingly insignificant one, is put into an airplane. "How can I make sure this doesn't happen again is the main thing that constantly goes through your mind. And when I look at his pictures, all I can think about is this didn't have to happen," she said. The airplane mechanic who worked on Ken Gottlieb's pilot seat still works in the area and still has his license. He could not be reached via email, through a website or by telephone for comment. In its statement, the FAA acknowledged unapproved parts create a safety problem but says these parts only represent a tiny fraction of the hundreds of millions of aviation products. A spokesman said they will charge someone criminally if they can prove they intentionally put an unapproved part in an airplane. Mechanics or companies caught putting an unapproved part in an airplane can also face a fine of up to $32,140 per violation. Unapproved Airplane Parts Creating Safety Risk in Aviation | NBC Bay Area http://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/Unapproved-Airplane-Parts-Creating-Safety- Risk-in-Aviation-399944641.html#ixzz4P2NnIDL0 Back to Top NASA's shape-changing wing could cut aircraft fuel use NASA is building an ultra-light wing that actively changes shape to help reduce fuel use and improve flight efficiency NASA, NASA shape shifting wing, ames research center, aviation, fuel economy, aircraft, efficient aircrafts, aerodynamic efficiency, new wing design, aerodynamics, science, science news NASA's ultra-light wing that actively changes shape could be an important part of the future of green aviation A team of NASA researchers and students is using emerging composite material manufacturing methods to build an ultra-light wing that actively changes shape to help reduce fuel use and improve flight efficiency. Increased efficiency means less fuel is needed, which means less weight on the aircraft, which also increases efficiency. This "holy grail" of more efficient flight is always in the minds of the Mission Adaptive Digital Composite Aerostructure Technologies, or MADCAT, team at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, NASA said in a statement on Thursday. The ultra-light wing that actively changes shape could be an important part of the future of green aviation, said Kenneth Cheung, co-lead on the MADCAT project. This type of wing could improve aerodynamic efficiency in future flight vehicles by reducing the amount of drag caused by rigid control surfaces like flaps, rudders and ailerons. Earlier studies of aerodynamics showed that the shape of a wing has enormous effects on flight - but there is not just one "best" wing shape. The best shape in any moment depends on many factors: how much the aircraft weighs, the speed it is flying, and whether the pilot wants to climb higher or descend, for instance. This means that a rigid wing with a limited number of moveable surfaces - also rigid - is only a compromise and cannot be the most efficient shape for the whole of any given flight. The researchers explained that the shape-changing wing is constructed from building block units made of advanced carbon fibre composite materials. These building blocks are assembled into a lattice, or arrangement of repeating structures - the way that they are arranged determines how they flex. The wing also features actuators and computers that make it morph and twist to achieve the desired wing shape during flight, the researchers said. http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/nasas-shape-changing-wing-could- cut-aircraft-fuel-use-3737033/ Back to Top Aircraft makers plot course to exploit demand in China Competition from fledgling local industry far off, say executives at Zhuhai air show An Airbus SE A350 XWB passenger jet at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, China © Bloomberg The Hawk jets of Britain's Red Arrows display team fly 600 miles on one tank so the RAF pilots had to make 22 stops on their way to promote UK industry at China's Zhuhai air show. Aircraft manufacturers from Boeing and Airbus to Bombardier and Embraer are also going to great lengths to impress China, whether by promoting new models such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, offering big discounts or promising to help the development of China's aviation industry. While Beijing's mission to build its own airliners has gathered pace, western executives at the biennial show in the southern province of Guangdong do not expect a local competitor soon. "China is our biggest market in terms of aeroplane deliveries and future orders for the next 20 years," says Darren Hulst, Boeing's managing director for marketing in north-east Asia. "The Zhuhai air show is about meeting customers, interacting with the government, with financiers, lessors and banks and recognising the industry that Chinese aviation has become." Although economic growth is slowing in China, aviation executives are betting that demand for air travel will remain strong as Beijing shifts its focus from developing capital- intensive industries to promoting domestic consumption and the services sector. Boeing predicts China will spend $1tn on 6,800 passenger aircraft during the next 20 years as air travel in the world's most populous nation grows by an average of 6.4 per cent per year, outpacing the global average of 4.8 per cent. China's first domestically produced passenger jet, the 80-100 seat ARJ21, entered service this year. State-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, which makes the ARJ21, is also working on the bigger C919, designed to compete directly with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A319/A320 families that are the mainstay of short-haul aviation globally. Industry executives in Zhuhai stressed the difficulty of going from small production runs and prototypes to making successful families of passenger aircraft. "This is an industry that requires a lot of time, a lot of experience and a lot of funds," says Colin Bole of Bombardier, the Canadian manufacturer that has launched its C-series airliners after years of delays and cost overruns. "I've no doubt that funds are available in China but it takes mistakes and going wrong on earlier projects to be truly successful." Another foreign industry executive put it more directly, questioning whether impressive Chinese designs will ever be marketable. "Their prototypes have gone from being paper tigers to iPad tigers," he says, inspecting a tablet showing details of a wide-body jet at Comac's stall in Zhuhai. Boeing and Airbus, along with other foreign manufacturers, are under pressure to share know-how in exchange for access to the market. Both source a significant number of components in the country, where Airbus started to build a second production facility this year, with Aviation Industry Corporation of China, its state-owned joint venture partner. Boeing has revealed its intention to establish its first manufacturing facility in China, working alongside Comac to put the finishing touches to 737s. François Caudron, senior vice-president of marketing at Airbus, says selling aircraft in any big market requires "give and take", highlighting the company's decision to open a final assembly line in the US last year. While his company has built industrial facilities in China "the know-how remains with Airbus". "Do we build our own competitor? We don't think so," he says. "There is competition coming but by the time they get a real family [of aircraft] proven and established, I think we still have good days ahead of us." https://www.ft.com/content/244ebd80-a0c6-11e6-86d5-4e36b35c3550 Back to Top Cobham and Inmarsat solutions enable in-air Electronic Flight Bag connectivity for the first time with Hawaiian Airlines Cobham SATCOM (COB.L), the leading manufacturer of satellite communications solutions, and Inmarsat (ISAT.L), the world's leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, announced that Cobham's AVIATOR 300D and Inmarsat's SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) have enabled in-air connected Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) for the first time. The live EFB capability was achieved as part of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supervised technology evaluation with Hawaiian Airlines (HAL) to monitor the transmission of communications data over SB-S on the first-ever commercial flights to utilise Inmarsat's next generation, IP-based broadband service on the flight deck. Rockwell Collins' ARINC aviation communications network establishes the links and provides the managed service, enabling seamless, secure connectivity anywhere in the world without interruption. The secure broadband capabilities of SB-S enhance airline safety and operations through more powerful and flexible communications and the availability of real-time, in-air information for pilots, crew and air traffic management. HAL has equipped its fleet of Boeing 767-300 aircraft with the current generation of Cobham AVIATOR avionics and Inmarsat SB-S service. With data already being successfully collected during the on-going evaluation using the Cobham Compact Satellite Data Unit (CSDU) interface, the latest advancement confirms the AVIATOR/SB-S system can also be used to channel ACARS data via the Aircraft Data Management (ADM) technology, or Aircraft Interface Device (AID), to another interface as well: the pilot's EFB. This further supports the ultimate objective to use broadband technology and avionics for data transmission in support of Hawaiian's new eFLIE EFB program. Thanks to digital technology, conventional flight bags that weighed more than 40 pounds (18 kilos) have been replaced with tablet computers, virtually eliminating bulky paper documents and increasing overall convenience and flight crew productivity. The technology breakthrough being announced today takes the EFB to a new level by allowing pilots to obtain real-time information while in flight, rather than waiting for downloads while on the ground. Applications include graphical weather, telemedicine, passenger data, aircraft documentation, and more. These enhanced features will become the centrepiece of Cobham's AVIATOR S product family which is designed specifically to leverage Inmarsat's new SB-S service and will ensure a system configuration that can meet the requirements of all aircraft types. Andy Beers, Global Sales Director for Cobham SATCOM said: "As a result of our program with Hawaiian Airlines and Inmarsat, the connected EFB is now a reality. EFB connectivity will have huge implications for the industry, allowing for a host of applications to transmit time-critical data quickly and effectively while in flight. "This is a big step forward, both for Cobham and Inmarsat, in the FAA's evaluation process of SwiftBroadband-Safety and in the development of our next generation SATCOM product family, AVIATOR S. We are proud to be playing a major role in transforming the flight deck into a fully connected work environment through our innovative line of SwiftBroadband- powered SATCOM systems. We are confident that the world's airlines will embrace the concept of a fully connected flight deck as it will provide them with a new level of improved operations which will translate into an improved financial bottom line." "Enabling broadband flight deck connectivity opens up vast opportunities for airlines like Hawaiian to enhance their operations through new applications that deliver real-time value," said Michael DiGeorge, vice president Commercial Aviation & Networks for Rockwell Collins. "Our vision is to enable airlines to use connectivity to drive operational benefits by leveraging our ARINC global network to secure this process at the level necessary for flight deck operations." "This represents a true paradigm shift," says Inmarsat Aviation's VP of Safety and Operational Services, Captain Mary McMillan. "The SwiftBroadband-Safety platform, delivered via AVIATOR S avionics, increases the level of information and knowledge that pilots use every day on the flight deck by orders of magnitude. Having information like networked graphical weather in flight is a real game changer. It will boost the efficiency of flights, improve safety, and make flights more punctual." Cobham SATCOM's upcoming AVIATOR S product line will offer smaller, lighter, and more powerful SATCOM solutions to the airline industry and addresses the growing demand from airlines for continuous secure data exchange between their ground operations and their aircraft. SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) is Inmarsat's next generation platform offering global, high-speed, secure IP connectivity for the flight deck. Through its breakthrough "always on, always secure" applications such as flight data streaming ("Black Box in the Cloud") and real-time Electronic Flight Bag applications, SB-S enables everything from safer operations and better communications to improved fuel efficiency and optimised fleet performance. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=49801 Back to Top Jet Aviation at St. Louis Certified by Brazil as Authorized Maintenance Organization ST. LOUIS / November 03, 2016 - Jet Aviation at St. Louis has earned certification from the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) as an Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) for aircraft registered in Brazil. "This means we can immediately begin performing maintenance, modifications and repairs on aircraft registered in Brazil, which has been one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world," said Stan Wierciszewski, senior manager, Quality, at Jet Aviation at St. Louis. "We're pleased to offer customers from Brazil our facility as one of the more convenient and experienced locations in the world for them to get all of their aviation services." The AMO certification by Brazil this month followed an on-site audit earlier this year by ANAC officials. Wierciszewski noted that Brazil joins a number of other countries in certifying Jet Aviation at St. Louis as an AMO, including Europe (EASA), Canada, Mexico, Aruba, Australia, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Isle of Man, and Switzerland. Jet Aviation St. Louis is a full-service aircraft maintenance, modifications and completions provider certified to AS9110B, ISO 140001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 standards. The company employs more than 600 people at its St. Louis Downtown Airport location. Jet Aviation at St. Louis has in-house design and engineering departments, along with on-site cabinetry, upholstery, composite, avionics, sheet metal, and paint shops. Jet Aviation at St. Louis is an Embraer and Gulfstream authorized service center and a Dassault Falcon and Hawker center of expertise. It also is an authorized service center for GE, Rolls-Royce and Honeywell engines. The location also offers FBO services. For more information, visit www.jetaviation.com/stlouis. Jet Aviation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), was founded in Basel, Switzerland, in 1967 and is one of the leading business aviation services companies in the world. Close to 4,500 employees cater to client needs from more than 25 airport facilities throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North America and the Caribbean. The company provides maintenance, completions and refurbishment, engineering, FBO and fuel services, along with aircraft management, charter and staffing services. Jet Aviation's European and U.S. aircraft management and charter divisions jointly operate a fleet of close to 300 aircraft. Please visit www.jetaviation.com and follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/jetaviation. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.generaldynamics.com. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12276214/jet-aviation-at-st-louis-certified- by-brazil-as-authorized-maintenance-organization Back to Top The intrigue-laden tale of U.S. efforts to seize jet engines bound for Iran WASHINGTON - A British Virgin Islands-based company allegedly controlled by Russians now faces a $15,000-a-day fine until it retrieves a pair of General Electric jet engines thought to be bound for Iran. And no, a federal judge says, a comparable pair of jet engines located in Miami won't suffice as an alternative. In a case that combines asset forfeiture with a hint of international intrigue, U.S. District of Columbia District Court Judge Gladys Kessler imposed the fine this week on Evans Meridians Ltd, after rejecting the company's offer to turn over instead what Kessler called "the Miami engines." The stakes could be more than financial, even as the United States begins lifting certain economic sanctions on Iran. The Justice Department contends, Kessler noted, that the two jet engines being sought were "destined for Iran, and more specifically, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps- Qods Force, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization." "If correct, each day that the defendant engines remain outside the United States increases the risk that they will arrive at their intended destination, and thereby benefit a hostile organization," Kessler reasoned. Kessler held the BVI-based Evans Meridians to be in civil contempt over its failure to either get back the two G.E. aircraft engines, or, as an alternative, post a $6 million bond. The company's proposal to substitute an unrelated set of engines found in Miami never got off the ground. "By Evans' owns admission, it lacks physical possession of the Miami Engines, and the thi~rd party that does have possession of them has some sort of monetary claim against Evans which clouds Evans' title to them," Kessler noted. For its part, the company "denies the existence of a scheme" to evade U.S. export controls, the firm's original attorneys stated in a 2015 court filing. The case of the missing jet engines already is trickier than the standard asset forfeiture effort, of which there are many each year. More than $1.6 billion was deposited in the federal asset forfeiture fund in Fiscal 2015, including $95 million from Florida. Many of the seized assets are mundane: cash, cars or real estate, for instance. The two G.E. airplane engines, with serial numbers 695244 and 705112, are more exotic. According to the initial asset forfeiture complaint, an "Iranian airline company used a Russian intermediary and at least three shell companies in different countries" to manage the jet engine sale in 2013 that violated U.S. restrictions on trade with Iran. At the time, U.S. law prohibited the sale, directly or indirectly, of any goods, technology or services to Iran. Following the Iran nuclear deal last year, such sales became legal, with exporters allowed to apply for a license to sell Iran "spare parts and components for commercial passenger aircraft," according to Treasury Department guidance. But in 2014, before the export restrictions were lifted, the Commerce Department had concluded that Evans Meridians had joined several other companies in an alleged scheme to skirt restrictions. "Evans is believed to be owned, managed, affiliated or controlled by persons or entities in Russia," the Justice Department stated in its Dec. 30, 2014, court filing, which characterized Evans as a "shell company." Despite the U.S. government's claims on the engines, the company's president, Jonathan Betito, rep~orted in an affidavit last year that they were moved from Turkey to a "proper storage facility" in Shanghai, China, where they could receive "proper servicing." An attorney representing Evans Meridians - who Kessler noted was "from Russia" - told the judge at an Oct. 24 hearing that the company already has asked the Chinese firm that "allegedly possesses" the jet engines to return them. Failing that, the attorney futilely offered up the two other engines in Miami. If the company pays $15,000 a day for a year, it would roughly cover the value of the engines, although the Russian attorney, Kessler observed, "stated that he did not have any information regarding Evans' assets." http://www.courier-tribune.com/news/20161103/intrigue-laden-tale-of-us-efforts-to- seize-jet-engines-bound-for-iran Back to Top Lockheed Gets a $6.1 Billion Award for F-35s. It's Not Happy F-35 Fighter Jets Put to the Test Off North Carolina The shares fall after the Pentagon imposes contract terms The company says it's disappointed by the 'unilateral' action Lockheed Martin Corp. was awarded a $6.1 billion Pentagon contract for 57 of its F-35 fighter planes, but the world's largest defense contractor was less than pleased to hear the news. It was "not a mutually agreed-upon" contract, Lockheed spokesman Michael Rein said in an e-mail soon after the Defense Department announced late Wednesday that it had awarded the ninth F-35 production contract, the biggest to date. "We are disappointed with the decision by the government to issue a unilateral contract action." Lockheed shares fell 2.7 percent to $238.40 at 2:48 p.m. in New York, the largest intraday decline since Aug. 16. Through Wednesday, the stock had gained 13 percent this year. The public display of displeasure was a rare departure from the mutual praise that the Pentagon and its top contractors usually lavish on each other, even when they have differences. This time, defense officials decided to break off talks after 18 months of inconclusive negotiations over the ninth contract for low-rate initial production of the F- 35. Talks continue over a 10th contract that once was expected to be issued simultaneously with the one announced Wednesday. The Defense Department's surprise move "raises obvious questions about whether future profitability on the program will meet expectations, in our view," Seth Seifman, a defense analyst with JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, said in a note to clients. "We do not, however, view this development as the final word on F-35 profitability, even for batch 9." Squeezing Margins Lockheed can appeal the award to the Armed Forces Board of Contract Appeals and beyond that potentially in federal court, Seifman said. The Bethesda, Maryland-based company may have an incentive to do so because the contract will become the basis for future production lots. The fighters would be purchased for 3.7 percent less than the previous lot, potentially squeezing margins for Lockheed's largest source of profit, Howard Rubel, a defense analyst with Jefferies Inc., said in a report to clients late Wednesday. The F-35 accounted for 23 percent of the defense contractor's revenue through September, and that total should reach 25 percent next year, he said. A one-percentage-point change in annual margins for the F-35 has a $125 million effect on Lockheed's pre-tax earnings, Rubel estimated. "A more difficult pricing environment could postpone or reshape the profit curve," he said. Bruce Tanner, Lockheed's chief financial officer, said on an Oct. 25 earnings call that the company's differences with the Defense Department concerned the cost to perform the contract, terms and conditions and "the profit level for the contractor." 'Eat the Difference' "The government wants to push that cost down as far as possible, whereas Lockheed is concerned about committing to produce the jets for an unrealistically low cost and then having to eat the difference," Seifman said in a report Thursday. The F-35 is the costliest U.S. weapons system, projected at $379 billion for a fleet of 2,443 U.S. planes, with others to be sold to partners such as the U.K., Australia, Japan and Italy. While Pentagon officials have said the F-35's soaring cost has stabilized and its persistent performance problems are lessening, they said Wednesday that they will need as much as $530 million extra to finish the plane's development phase, already projected to cost $55 billion. The Pentagon's chief weapons buyer has called the decision made years ago to build the F-35 even as it's still being developed "acquisition malpractice." Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that the breakdown in negotiations between the Defense Department and Lockheed is "yet another symptom of our flawed defense acquisition system in general and the structure of the F-35 program in particular." Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, director of the F-35 program office, said in a statement announcing the contract that it was a "fair and reasonable deal" for the U.S., international partners and industry. "We will continue to negotiate in good faith with industry to keep the F-35 affordable and provide the best possible value for our customers," Bogdan said. Rein said the Pentagon action "obligates us to perform under standard terms and conditions, and previously agreed-to items" and "we will continue to execute on the F-35 program." But he also added, without elaboration: "We will evaluate our options and path forward." Lockheed said in a regulatory filing on Oct. 27 that it had "incurred costs in excess of funds obligated" during the negotiations "in an effort to meet the customer's desired aircraft delivery dates" and has about $950 million of potential cash exposure and $2.3 billion in termination liability exposure related to the two contracts. With longer-term F-35 costs and profit in question, "they won't be able to drive margins up as quickly as they like towards F-16 or C-130 type profitability," said George Ferguson, defense analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-03/lockheed-gets-a-6-1-billion- contract-for-f-35s-it-s-not-happy Back to Top Air France just escalated the arms race with the Middle East's 3 best airlines (L-R) Frank Terner, Air France CEO, Jean-Marc Janaillac, Chairman and CEO of Air France- KLM and Pieter Elbers, President and CEO of KLM. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier On Thursday, Air France-KLM announced its intention to create a new long-haul international airline to compete against growing competition from the Middle East. "This new company will constitute the Group's response to the Gulf State airlines which are developing at low production costs on key markets where Air France-KLM is pursuing its growth ambition," Air France-KLM said in a statement. Currently, the proposed airline is known simply as "Boost". According to the company, Boost will not simply be a new low-cost, long-haul operation. Instead, Air France-KLM characterizes the new venture as a laboratory for innovative service, technology, operations, and labor practices that will allow it to function with lower overhead than the company's mainline brands. Air France-KLM intends to use Boost and its lower operating costs to tackle ultra- competitive routes as well as those that were traditionally seen as unprofitable. Air France Airbus A380 Air France Airbus A380. Flickr/Christopher Griner The new airline is expected to have 10 aircraft in operation by 2020 and will be operated by Air France pilots who volunteer to worked under to the new more "competitive" scheme that will likely see Boost's aircraft in use more hours per day than Air France's mainline operation. Boost is one part of Air France-KLM's new initiative called called "Trust Together" which is aimed to help the company become more competitive in terms of costs, efficiency, and customer service. Air France-KLM was formed following the 2004 merger of the French and Dutch national airlines. Over the past few years, Air France, KLM, and other major European legacy airlines have been besieged by competition from a trio of critically acclaimed Persian Gulf-based airlines in the form of Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways. The European airlines and its US partners contend that the triumvirate's success have been fueled by as much as $42 billion in unfair government subsidies. http://www.businessinsider.com/air-france-klm-brand-new-airline-emirates-etihad-qatar- 2016-11 Curt Lewis