Flight Safety Information November 10, 2016 - No. 224 In This Issue Marine jets collide off Southern California coast Plane makes rough landing at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport Will a Large-Aircraft Parachute Recovery System Catch On? Air Safety: Nigeria Needs 600 Air Traffic Controllers Lufthansa early adopters of Inmarsat's GX for Aviation Thai Asia Aviation to expand fleet, fly new routes in fourth-quarter Amerijet Airlines approves Starcom Systems GPS Tracking Devices American Airlines upgrading 500 jets to faster satellite WiFi Airlines to Trump: Block Rivals and Privatize Air Traffic Control Trump impact: New regime spells uncertainty on airplane deals, trade, tech workers iOS 10: Airplane Mode Doesn't Turn Off All Radios (GPS, NFC) Bell 525 Will Certify with Four Test Aircraft Air Force starts selecting second round of enlisted RPA pilots Scorpion jet may have a shot in possible Air Force contest ARGUS Launches Audit Standard and Ratings Program for Unmanned Operations Marine jets collide off Southern California coast The F/A-18 Hornet, shown during a flight in October 2015 at the Miramar Air Show, is the backbone fighter jet for the Navy and Marine Corps. (Chadd Cady / Union-Tribune) Two Marine pilots survived a midair collision Wednesday morning off the coast of Southern California. One of the pilots ejected safely into the water following the 11:43 a.m. accident and the other made an emergency landing at the nearby North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado, Marine officials said. Coast Guard and Navy search-and-rescue teams received a mayday call at 12:11 p.m. Sailors from the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson scrambled to retrieve the Marine pilot 30 minutes later, according to a Marine Corps statement. Both pilots were reported as being in stable condition as of Wednesday afternoon, and the cause of the crash is under investigation. Their single-seat F/A-18 Hornets belonged to the "Black Knights" of Fighter Attack Squadron 314 stationed at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. The Wednesday accident follows a string of recent mishaps involving F-18 fighters. On Oct. 25, an F-18C Hornet crashed and burned at the end of a routine training flight at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. The pilot ejected safely. A Blue Angels F/A-18C jet crashed near Smyrna, Tennessee on June 2, killing its aviator, Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss. And two F/A-18F Super Hornets collided off the Atlantic Coast on May 26 near Naval Air Station Oceana. Four aviators were rescued. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/military/sd-me-fighters-collide-20161109-story.html *************** Date: 09-NOV-2016 Time: 12:00 p.m. Type: F/A-18 Super Hornet Owner/operator: US Navy Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: off the coast of San Diego, California - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Military Departure airport: MCAS Miramar Destination airport: MCAS Miramar Narrative: Two F/A-18 Super Hornet jets collided during a training flight off the coast of San Diego, California. One jet crashed into the ocean. The other one landed safely at the airbase. Both pilots survived the crash. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=191256 Back to Top Plane makes rough landing at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport 3 people on board when landing gear collapses after landing on runway FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A small plane made what was described as a hard landing Wednesday afternoon at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Three people were on board, but no injuries were reported. Airport spokesman Greg May said the runway would remain closed until the plane could be towed to a hangar. http://www.local10.com/news/plane-makes-rough-landing-at-fort-lauderdale-executive-airport ******************* Date: 09-NOV-2016 Time: Type: Piper PA-34 Owner/operator: Private Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Private Departure airport: Destination airport: Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport Narrative: Upon landing the plane sustained a possible landing gear collapse. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=191257 Back to Top Will a Large-Aircraft Parachute Recovery System Catch On? Research and development is being conducted on the Cessna Caravan by a New Jersey company. Cessna Caravan Cessna Research and development for the TriChute is being done on the Cessna Caravan Aircraft recovery parachute maker BRS says more than 300 lives have been saved after pilots deployed the company's system, one that gently returns an aircraft in distress back to earth. Cirrus reports more than 60 BRS deployments, many on the 3,600-pound SR22. Cirrus is also bringing a BRS parachute to the 6,000-pound SF50 Vision Jet. But would an aircraft owner/operator of a much larger aircraft, someone already aware of the benefits of a BRS-like system, be willing to retrofit a new pilot-controlled technology to save its airplane, passengers and cargo? A recent survey conducted by Florham Park, New Jersey-based Aviation Safety Resources (ASR) makes the firm believe the answer is yes. The company is already creating the TriChute Safe Landing system, capable of rescuing an 8,000-pound aircraft such as a Cessna Caravan. The TriChute system differs significantly from that of BRS. The ASR TriChute functions by separating in flight the fuselage from the wings of the aircraft. Bob LaFrance, ASR's chief technical adviser, said the key is to separate the fuselage with its important cargo from the less important and often heavy (as in full of fuel) wings. LaFrance said the danger of an inflight fire when separating the wings, an objection he often hears, is a myth. "Using our system, there are no products for combustion when the wings separate." To ASR, wing separation isn't simply a way to split the cargo off from the fuel source, however. ASR wants to parachute the fuselage and wings back to earth in shape to later be rejoined, making the aircraft airworthy again. Insurance companies may well support the TriChute idea when installation costs are measured against paying for a full hull loss. LaFrance told Flying the weight penalty for installation of a TriChute system would be slightly less than 300 pounds per aircraft. Stinson Voyager TriChute ASR The original idea for ASR's TriChute was successfully tested in 1967 on this Stinson Voyager. ASR's idea for bringing airplanes back in an emergency isn't actually new but is based on a decades-old patent originally filed by Dario Manfredi back in 1967 and successfully tested using a Stinson Voyager. ASR and an updated version of that original patent are the technology behind the TriChute system. ASR is co- owned by Manfredi's son and daughter, Dario and Savia Giarraffa. Company spokesman Lynette Viviani said ASR's recent survey to a number of commercial and private operators and the positive feedback the company received could well be spurred on by the large number of heavier airframes lost over the past few decades. ASR is looking for the right partner to help bring the TriChute system to market, an effort Dario Manfredi said requires about $4 million. Manfredi believes ASR TriChute can be market-ready 36 months after the investment deal is in place. http://www.flyingmag.com/will-large-aircraft-parachute-recovery-system-catch-on 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 Lufthansa early adopters of Inmarsat's GX for Aviation Unlike road vehicles, aircraft are normally in service for decades. This means there are currently thousands of commercial planes flying with narrowband satellite connectivity, most of which have many years in the air ahead of them. To enjoy the benefits of broadband, these planes will need to have their existing satellite communications systems replaced with high-speed systems. This means that, over the next few years, as airlines adopt next generation broadband, there is going to be a huge wave of retrofit installations. Lufthansa has already embarked on such a programme. In the video above, we can see the retro-fitting process where Lufthansa planes have their current systems upgraded at Lufthansa Tecknik's MRO (maintenance, repairs and overhaul) bases. Lufthansa retrofitted its first plane in June 2016 and has now rolled out the programme to aircraft such as the A319 and A320. "This is the kickoff for a huge, huge campaign for connectivity within the European market," says Lufthansa Technik's director of aircraft modification Michael Zeisig, talking to Runwaygirlnetwork, "It starts with the Lufthansa fleet, and we are talking about up to 300 aircraft to be equipped in the next two-and-a- half to three years. So this is really a huge campaign." Essential equipment The hardware which enables GX for Aviation is Honeywell's JetWave, which comprises multi-channel satellite terminals, a controller, modem and router hardware, and a fuselage or tail mounted antennae. JetWave is the only aircraft terminal to include dual receivers, which enable seamless "make before break" handoffs between satellite beams. Unlike other hardware solutions, with JetWave, there are no outages when a terminal switches from using one beam to another, which means fewer service interruptions and less downtime for users. Moreover, Inmarsat Aviation itself is also the only inflight broadband provider with a proprietary network of satellites designed specifically for aviation. GX for Aviation powered by the Global Xpress satellite network delivers greater service reliability. JetWave is lightweight so it minimises fuel burn and robust, so it maximises the intervals between services. Like Inmarsat's Global Xpress network, Honeywell's hardware is continually being updated and benefits from an on-going innovation pipeline designed to deliver regular improvements. It has been designed to meet all FAA, CAA and EASA requirements and should be 'future proof' for years, if not decades, to come. Installations of Jetwave can be carried out by airlines' own maintenance crews, third parties or arranged by Inmarsat Aviation. In all cases, Inmarsat Aviation can supply experts to help with new fit of each type and configuration. This includes surveying the airframe, design, design reviews, engineering design, working with the airline to install, type certification and supplemental type certification (STC). It means the time the aircraft is out of service is kept to a minimum. The retro-fit is available worldwide. The equipment itself has also been designed to keep installation time down to a minimum. Lufthansa Technik says that as they establish the installation protocols for each type of aircraft, they should have the installation time down to four or five days and possibly less. Working on multiple aircraft in parallel should also result in faster turnaround times and greater efficiencies. Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) already exist for over thirty aircraft from all leading manufacturers, with additional certificates achieved by 2017, including: Airbus: A319, A320, A340, A350 Boeing: B737, B747, B747-8I, B757, B767, B787 Gulfstream: GIV, G450, G500, G550, G600, G650 Bombardier: Global 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, Challenger 604, 605, 650 Dassault: F7X, F900 http://atwonline.com/cabin-interiors-connectivity/lufthansa-early-adopters-inmarsat-s-gx-aviation Back to Top Thai Asia Aviation to expand fleet, fly new routes in fourth-quarter A man walks past the logo of AirAsia at Don Muang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom Thailand's Asia Aviation Pcl (AAV.BK), a major shareholder in budget carrier Thai AirAsia, said on Thursday the airline would take delivery of two new Airbus A320 NEOs in the fourth quarter, raising its fleet to 51 planes at the end of this year. Thai AirAsia, the country's largest budget airline, also plans to operate new routes in Indochina and Indian markets such as Phuket to Siem Reap in Cambodia and Bangkok to Kolkata in India in the last quarter, it said in a statement. The two new planes will push up the capacity up to 186 seats from the previous model of 180 seats and save fuel burn up to 15 percent, the company said. The budget carrier also plans to add the frequency on well-performed routes such as Bangkok to tourist island Phuket, southern province of Surat Thani and northeastern province of Udon Thani. With the fleet expansion, Thai AirAsia expects to attract more customers and secure market share to maintain its leading position in the low-fare airline segment in Thailand. Asia Aviation reported a net profit of 397 million baht ($11.32 million) for July-September, up 333 percent from a year earlier, due to strong passenger growth and lower fuel costs. Thai AirAsia posted a third-quarter net profit of 729 million baht, up 318 percent from a year earlier, with revenue rising 12 percent to 8.15 billion baht. Asia Aviation owns 55 percent in Thai AirAsia, while Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd (AIRA.KL) has an indirect 45 percent stake. http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-asia-aviation-outlook-idUKKBN1350CP Back to Top Amerijet Airlines approves Starcom Systems GPS Tracking Devices Amerijet International, Inc. is a full-service multi-modal transportation and logistics provider, offering international, scheduled all-cargo transport via land, sea, and air. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Amerijet International, Inc. announced today that it has approved Starcom Systems Kylos Air GPS Tracking Device for Air Cargo use aboard its Aircraft. Amerijet, with offices in 78 countries and moving more than 300 million pounds per year has identified the need for the latest in tracking technology to better serve its shipping clientele. Starcom Systems Americas, LLC, a fully owned subsidiary of Starcom PLC (STAR:L) designs and manufactures a variety of GPS based tracking devices that are battery operated or direct wire applications for vehicles. "Being able to know exactly where cargo is, and being able to track or monitor it on your smartphone, desktop or via your own tracking platform is critical to the next generation of services we intend to provide," said Pamela Rollins, Senior V.P. Business Development. "Starcom Systems latest development with the Kylos Air allows for close monitoring of high value air cargo, temperature sensitive products and equipment. The units go into "Airplane Mode" while in the air, but communicate the moment they exit the aircraft, helping minimize the ramp time of sensitive cargo," stated Rollins. Amerijet B767 Freighter Amerijet B767 Freighter Starcom Systems indicated that the Kylos Air is only the latest of developed products, which include the Tetis line of products for Ocean Containers, the Watchlock and Watchlock Pro GPS Tracking padlocks and a variety of combinations of units for specific industrial applications. Doron Kedem, COO of Starcom Systems LTD said, "Amerijet's approval sets the stage for our Americas subsidiary to participate in industries such as Pharmaceutical, High Value and Electronics, which require constant monitoring." About Amerijet Amerijet operates Boeing 767 and Boeing 727 aircraft from its primary hub at the Miami International Airport and regional hub in Port of Spain, Trinidad serving the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America with direct all-cargo flights. Amerijet's worldwide partner network provides seamless transportation solutions for customers throughout Europe, Asia, South Africa and the Middle East. The company's Miami 210,000-square-foot export and 100,000-square-foot imports air cargo handling facilities include a custom-built 10,300 square-foot (227,419 cu. ft.) perishable handling center providing refrigerated, frozen and chilled storage to maintain the cold chain integrity of pharmaceuticals and perishables during the transportation process. Advanced monitoring procedures provide real-time shipment visibility, alerts and cargo tracking. To learn more, visit our website: www.amerijet.com About Starcom Starcom Systems is a global leader in the development of sophisticated, cost-effective and highly competitive telematics solutions for remote tracking and management of vehicles, containers, assets and people. Starcom Systems has a global presence with over 100 distributors in more than 50 countries. The company has more than 50 logistics partners. Starcom Systems is an established company - with over 15 years of experience. The company is publicly traded at the AIM market in the London Stock Exchange (STAR), conforming to the highest and most strict regulations in the market, proving its stability and reliability. To learn more, visit our website: www.starcomsystems.com http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/amerijet-airlines-approves-starcom-systems-gps-tracking- devices-300359999.html Back to Top American Airlines upgrading 500 jets to faster satellite WiFi The carrier is dumping GoGo for ViaSat on many of its domestic routes. If you want faster WiFi when you fly and don't mind paying for it, American Airlines is upgrading its WiFi systems on over 500 domestic aircraft, according to Bloomberg. To get those speeds the carrier is dumping GoGo's terrestrial Ku-band internet service in favor of ViaSat. That company's satellite technology allows for faster surfing and streaming of services like Netflix and YouTube, something that's currently verboten with GoGo. The upgrades will start in 2017 and take up to two years to complete. The move isn't a huge surprise, as American recently sued GoGo over its slow speeds. It later dropped the claim, however, and the company still plans to equip 130 aircraft with GoGo's much faster 2Ku satellite service. GoGo called the report "old news," saying it already warned investors that it would be dropped from up to 550 domestic flights in favor of ViaSat. American, meanwhile, told Bloomberg that "Gogo remains a valued partner," but said earlier that it reserves the right to drop it if the 2Ku service isn't up to snuff. American is equipping another 100 new domestic aircraft with ViaSat, and also uses Panasonic's system on 60 international routes. Engadget judged ViaSat's 12Mbps service to be the best you can currently get in the air, even though it can drop out from time to time. Inflight WiFi is clearly becoming a tidy profit center for airlines. While Amazon Prime members can stream ViaSat for free on JetBlue, American charges $16 a day on domestic flights, and $19 on an international flights. https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/10/american-airlines-upgrading-500-jets-to-faster-satellite-wifi/ Back to Top Airlines to Trump: Block Rivals and Privatize Air Traffic Control Will the Republican administration be friendlier than Obama? Here's the industry wish list. SEATTLE, WA - NOVEMBER 09: Thousands of protesters rally on November 9, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. Demostrations in multiple cities around the country were held the day following Donald Trump's upset win in last night's U.S. presidential election. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images) Donald Trump, a hotelier and former airline executive, has said plenty about immigrants, borders, and free trade. But he hasn't said much about the multibillion-dollar aviation industry. This huge segment of the American economy has some priorities and complaints that have gone essentially nowhere during the Obama administration, due in part to political gridlock. With Republicans running both houses of Congress and the White House next year, airlines are now ready to push their case on several issues they hold dear. Most aviation experts say it's hard to gauge how Trump's administration might respond, given that it doesn't owe the industry any favors. "This is probably not the kind of pro-business Republican administration you might expect," said Seth Kaplan, managing partner at Airline Weekly, an industry journal, as Trump isn't tied firmly to a particular ideology and "doesn't really have any core beliefs. He's said certain things in the campaign that he had to, to bring himself in line with the Republican Party a little bit, but it's not like there's a history with anything." It's also not clear that the Trump administration would see regulating aviation as a priority, said Bob Rivkin, a Chicago attorney who formerly worked for Delta Air Lines Inc. and at the U.S. Department of Transportation. "It becomes a question of priorities and capacity to push through Congress laws invalidating regulations when you've got a whole lot of other things going on," Rivkin said. "In transportation, there are number of things that could be affected, but I think they're going to be down the list of priorities." Also, there's the populist sentiment that may not mix well with favors to industry. "The people who voted for him seem to feel that they've gotten the raw end of the deal with big business," Kaplan said. Nevertheless, here are some of the legislative issues facing airlines: Air Traffic Control U.S. carriers, with the notable exception of Delta, are pressing for Congress to transfer air traffic control from the Federal Aviation Administration to a new not-for-profit entity similar to the model used in Canada to control airspace. Large carriers such as American Airlines Group Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. argue that the FAA's structure and funding are unable to complete a long-delayed airspace modernization program and that the new organization would be more efficient and financially stable. Congress has declined to pursue the issue. But there could be a new movement from the House, especially since the airlines' leading champion in Congress, Representative Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), won reelection. Shuster is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and has close personal ties to Airlines for America, the industry's trade group. International Rivals The industry-including its labor unions-is seeking to curb further expansion in North America by a trio of Middle Eastern carriers, Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways Ltd. The U.S. industry has been pressing the current administration for two years to open talks with those airlines' governments over what they allege are tens of billions of dollars in unfair subsidies to the three airlines. Trump, 70, has vehemently attacked U.S. trade deals he says disadvantage Americans, and airlines are saying the same regarding these competitors. "We look forward to briefing President-elect Donald Trump and his new administration on the massive, unfair subsidies that the UAE and Qatar give to their state-owned Gulf carriers," said Jill Zuckman, chief spokesperson for the airline lobby group, Partnership for Open & Fair Skies, in a statement Wednesday. "Trump would be inclined to not allow subsidized state-owned foreign airlines to compete unfairly against market-driven public companies from the U.S.," Rivkin said. For now, the Obama administration has been at a "sort of impasse" over the Middle East controversy, said Brian Havel, director of the International Aviation Law Institute at DePaul University in Chicago. The same coalition of airlines and unions is also battling efforts by Norwegian Air Shuttle AS to expand internationally with more U.S. service. The airline has been seeking a permit for its Irish subsidiary to serve U.S. destinations. Norwegian's request to the Department of Transportation has been pending for almost three years. Cuba Airlines have begun flying there, but it's a tiny business and not one likely to be profitable in the near future. And while Trump may not reverse the Obama policy on more open relations with the Castro government, he could slow any further diplomatic relations, said Charlie Leocha, president of Travelers United, which lobbies on consumer travel issues. Efforts in Congress to quash the 54-year-old U.S. embargo of the island-and tourism ban-may falter. "We remain hopeful that Mr. Trump, who has previously supported engagement with Cuba as a businessman and a politician, will continue to normalize relations that will benefit both the American and Cuban people," Engage Cuba, a group of U.S. companies working to end the embargo, said in a statement. But the issue is also complicated because Trump has potential business interests in the island nation, with executives from his company traveling there in 2012 or 2013 to scout golf opportunities, Bloomberg Businessweek reported in July. Lighter regulation from a billionaire businessman in the White House could mean a Transportation Department that is friendlier to airlines, with fewer rules and fees the carriers had criticized under Obama. Trump is also a former airline executive, having operated the Trump Shuttle (Eastern's former shuttle service) with flights from New York to Boston and Washington, D.C., for about two years before it shut down in 1992. One reason: Trump opted for a relatively lavish service on short flights, at a time of high fuel prices, and couldn't recover his costs. Whether his experience then will affect how carriers do business in the next four years is unclear. "I don't think aviation policy is going to soar to the top of his inbox," Havel said. "I think we'll see a sort of default continuity into what we've had with the Obama administration." http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-09/airlines-to-trump-block-rivals-and-privatize-air- traffic-control Back to Top Trump impact: New regime spells uncertainty on airplane deals, trade, tech workers Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief Ray Conner tour the Everett assembly line in 2015. (JASON REDMOND/REUTERS) Donald Trump's surprise victory leaves companies across the economic spectrum, from Amazon and Boeing to Microsoft and Starbucks, assessing what to expect from four years under the unorthodox businessman and his unpredictable policy pronouncements. Donald Trump's surprise victory leaves companies across the economic spectrum, from Amazon and Boeing to Microsoft and Starbucks, assessing what to expect from four years under the unorthodox businessman and his shifting policy pronouncements. The U.S. aerospace industry awoke Wednesday to find the business prospects of the defense and commercial-airplane sectors scrambledby a President-elect Trump. On the defense side, industry analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute declared in a piece for Forbes, "Trump's win means happy days are here again." Trump's broad plans to spend more on weapons systems, slash the corporate income-tax rate and bolster U.S. manufacturing all bode well for defense contractors, including Boeing, he wrote. In contrast, the commercial-airplane side of Boeing's business depends critically on overseas sales and on an international order geared toward free trade. Trump's anti-trade and protectionist rhetoric during the election campaign has raised concern that the new administration's policies might stall the expansion of the global airline industry. Trump specifically railed during the campaign against the Obama administration's deal with Iran, which opened the way for a major widebody-jet order expected by Boeing, and against the Export-Import Bank, which supports the financing of many overseas commercial-airplane sales. And Trump reserved much of his fiercest criticism for trade with China, which buys one-third of all the single-aisle 737s Boeing builds in Renton, in addition to a growing number of widebody jets. He even warned in darkly hyperbolic terms that unless he were elected, Boeing would be making all its planes in China within five years. The morning after the election, though, aerospace- industry leaders strove hard to be positive about the risk to future trade. "We'll try to work with (Trump's) team to convince him that having trade opportunities is an essential for our American industries, like the commercial-aircraft industry," said Dave Melcher, chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association lobbying group, which represents the biggest U.S. aerospace manufacturers and defense companies, as well as their suppliers. "And if we are going to craft trade deals, fine, try and make them as competitive as you can for the benefit of U.S. industries and jobs," he said. "But don't denounce them, because we are relying on them to give us access to the markets where we want to sell." "First and foremost, Donald Trump is a businessman," Melcher added. "If he's got a businessman's mindset about this, he's going to look for ways to help U.S. industry be successful." Boeing itself simply congratulated the president-elect, saying it would work with him "to ensure that U.S. companies can compete, win and grow our economy to provide good jobs to U.S. workers, as well as preserve American leadership in national security." Melcher said that in a June meeting with other industry groups at Trump Tower, the aerospace contingent had the floor for about 40 minutes. He found Trump to be "an interested, smart businessman who asked good questions," he said. Melcher said he specifically argued that to support U.S. manufacturing, Trump needed to back the Ex-Im Bank, which currently is not authorized by Congress to do any deals worth more than $10 million. Trump had earlier described the Ex-Im Bank as "sort of a feather bedding" for a few companies that can do perfectly well without government financing, adding, "I think it's unnecessary. ... It's really not free enterprise." Melcher said his group will continue to work to win the votes in Congress to fully authorize Ex-Im and that Trump "is going to have to work with Congress." More generally, although he's concerned about all the anti-trade rhetoric - "a lot of that was campaigning" - he believes the industry will be able to work with Trump. "I really don't see him as blasting and rebuilding a system that works," said Melcher. Many of Trump's statements portend a more confrontational foreign policy, which could have impacts on the commercial-airline industry. For example, Trump has attacked the Obama administration's "normalization" of U.S. ties to Cuba and threatened to reverse it. Alaska Airlines is among the carriers slated to begin flights to Havana. Are those flights starting in January now effectively dead? Alaska and the other airlines must wait and see. Commercial-airline trade groups Wednesday avoided talking about the risk of trade protectionism, and instead looked to potential positives in likely domestic-policy shifts. Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, welcomed Trump's "$1 trillion plan to improve infrastructure." A4A Chief Executive Nicholas Calio emphasized the need to spend some of that on strengthening the nation's overburdened air traffic control system. "We look forward to working with the Transition Team on strengthening our infrastructure in the sky," Calio said in a statement. Amazon Donald Trump seems to have no love for Amazon.com's CEO Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, a newspaper that aggressively investigated the candidate during the no-holds-barred campaign. Trump also declared that Amazon, which dominates U.S. e-commerce, has a "huge antitrust problem," because the company "is controlling so much of what they're doing." So what are the prospects for America's fifth-largest company by market value under an administration led by the Republican firebrand? Bezos built an empire based, in part, on internet sales of goods made by the overseas factories Trump has said have stolen American jobs. Free trade is crucial to its worldwide network of warehouses, transportation systems and profitable data centers that are turning Amazon into a truly global store. At the end of 2015, more than a third of its physical footprint was in countries other than the U.S., and about 32 percent of its retail sales occurred overseas. Investors seemed to sniff some danger: Amazon shares fell $15.87, or 2 percent, to $771.88 Wednesday, even as the wider stock market shrugged off initial fears about a Trump presidency. Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Baird, said it's unlikely a U.S. administration could build an antitrust case against Amazon, which remains small in terms of global retail. "They're not a majority player," he said. As for the potential impacts of higher tariffs, "that would affect a lot of companies," including major competitors that offer less selection than Amazon, and are therefore more vulnerable, Sebastian said. As the dust settles over the idea of a Trump victory, other retailers are certainly looking at the oncoming administration's stance on trade. J. Craig Shearman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation, a trade group for big retailers, expressed concern in a blog post Wednesday about the president-elect's threats to "tear up" the North American Free Trade Agreement and impose "huge" tariffs on Chinese imports, noting that "retailers rely heavily on imported merchandise." Suresh Kotha, a professor of management at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business, says modifying those trade pacts could take years. "It's easy to make a threat; it's very hard to govern," Kotha said. Many Republicans have long seen free trade as a core tenet, he said. And with the growth of middle-class consumers in the populous nations of Asia, "We need those markets more than they need us." Microsoft Trump's hard line on immigration is at odds with the position of Microsoft and many of the company's technology peers. Brad Smith, Microsoft's president and the leader of the company's legal and lobbying organization, has campaigned for an increase in the number of skilled workers Microsoft can bring in to the country. Like many tech firms, Microsoft has come to rely on guest workers who come to the U.S. under the H-1B visa program. During his campaign, Trump said he opposed the program, though his statements on the matter have also been contradictory. He, at times, indicated support for the visas, suggesting raising wages for visa holders and smoothing their path to receiving permanent residency. The generally protectionist tone of Trump's outlook on trade could also concern Microsoft, whose employees and products span the globe. At an event in September in Vancouver, B.C., Microsoft co-founder and board member Bill Gates said the company was structured on the assumption that people, products and ideas could compete in an open global marketplace. Though he didn't mention Trump by name, Gates said the rebuke to a more interconnected world dealt by the Brexit vote and "some other things" was worrying. "Microsoft and my foundation are really predicated on a huge amount of cooperation between all the different countries in the world," Gates said. Microsoft, which has structured its global operations to avoid U.S. taxes, at the end of June had more than $124 billion in income, untaxed in the U.S., held overseas. The company's tax bill at the current rate were it to repatriate that sum would be $39 billion, the company says. Other tech giants such as Apple, Google, and Oracle also have large sums sitting overseas not subject to U.S. taxes. Starbucks Starbucks has huge ambitions in China, where the coffee giant plans to double the number of its stores to 5,000 by 2021. Trump has proposed high tariffs for imports from China, as well on U.S. companies that shift manufacturing to foreign countries. If his administration moves forward on those plans, and a trade war with China results, it could have far- reaching consequences for Starbucks and many other companies. Starbucks declined to comment on that Wednesday, but it did issue a letter to U.S. employees from Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz, who said he was "stunned" by the result of the election. Schultz publicly endorsed Clinton in September. "We cannot know what the precise impact will be on our country and the rest of the world," Schultz wrote. " I am hopeful that we will overcome the vitriol and division of this unprecedented election season. Debra Glassman, senior lecturer at the UW Foster School of Business, said that given President-elect Trump's campaign statements, there may be a return "to an era of greater protectionism." "Countries will look out for their own interests. This will result in a patchwork of trade barriers, and that's difficult for businesses. For every market they sell into, there will be different rules," she said. Though Glassman is not predicting any specific effects on Washington state, "the thing about trade is that any change in trade has winners and losers. You might protect a certain set of manufacturing jobs but you'd lose jobs in transportation and logistics." "There's going to be a reallocation of jobs across industries if we move back to a more protectionist international system," she said. One immediate impact of Trump's election may be a hesitation by companies and investors to make big decisions until it's clear what policies he will implement, said Michael Schutzler, CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association. "There's so much uncertainty that's injected into the economy, it's going to put a brake on investments," he said. "You're very likely going to have a recessionary force." http://www.seattletimes.com/business/trump-impact-new-regime-spells-uncertainty-on-airplane-deals- trade-tech-workers/ Back to Top iOS 10: Airplane Mode Doesn't Turn Off All Radios (GPS, NFC) With iOS 8.2 and earlier, Airplane mode in iOS would turn off all four radios in an iPhone: Bluetooth, Cellular, GPS and Wi-Fi. Starting in iOS 8.3, that changed with GPS. Plus, starting with iPhone 6, NFC is not disabled either. Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite (rendering). iPhones prior to the iPhone 6 had four radio subsystems. Bluetooth (send & receive) Cellular (send & receive) GPS (receive only) Wi-Fi (send & receive) Starting with the iPhone 6 in 2014 (with iOS 8.1) and the introduction of Apple Pay, the Near Field Communication (NFC) radio system was added. With iOS 8.2 and earlier, (and phones without NFC) the Airplane mode in iOS would turn off all existing radio systems. Starting in iOS 8.3, that changed. GPS remains on. GPS on iPhone Today Apple has a nice tech note, # HT204234, that explains the use of Airplane mode on iOS and watchOS devices. You may be wondering why it only references three of the four (or five) radio systems in, say, an iPhone. First, in iOS 8.2 and earlier, Airplane mode also disabled GPS, and an earlier version of Apple's tech note, dated Oct 26, 2015 stated such. Apple's GPS Tech note From Apple's 2015 tech note HT204234 However, the latest version of that tech note, dated Sep 13, 2016, omits that clarification. Likely, this is because that information related to iOS 8.2 is outdated. Plus, that version of iOS is no longer installable because it's no longer signed by Apple. Apple's list of the three remaining radios must be taken as definitive. Even so, some people have been puzzled by the ability of an app in recent versions of iOS to track them with their iPhone in Airplane mode. GPS & Location Services Here's how that happens: Airplane mode in iOS 8.3 and later does not turn off the receive-only GPS system. That's helpful in recent times because so many apps depend on Location Services. For example, if Airplane mode is on to preserve power in an outdoor situation (wilderness hiking), the camera wouldn't be able to geotag your photos. Why the change in iOS 8.3? There are several reasons why this change may have happened. I'm theorizing now. First, any circuit that oscillates for reception can emit a very small residual amount of radiation at the same frequency. Perhaps it was determined that this tiny residual radiation would not harm any other device close by. More likely, as mentioned, so many apps now depend on iOS Location Services that a simple-minded approach to Airplane mode no longer sufficed. Safety aspects may also come into play. Upshot The thing to know about this is that even in Airplane mode, the GPS radio receiver remains on, and the iPhone knows its whereabouts. Some apps, like GPS Plan can still access GPS data, and users have reported that their map location still gets updated as they walk about. Airplane mode doesn't turn off the NFC system either. Because its range is only about 10 centimeters, it's unlikely that it could interfere with other systems, especially aircraft navigation. Plus, it would be a bad user experience for an iPhone placed in Airplane mode for some good reason to mysteriously fail with Apple Pay if the user forgets. So there you have it. With modern iPhones, Airplane Mode disables only three of the five radios. And for seemingly good technical reasons. https://www.macobserver.com/analysis/ios-airplane-mode-gps-nfc/ Back to Top Bell 525 Will Certify with Four Test Aircraft Bell 525 FTV2 Bell 525 flight-test vehicle two (FTV2) will be one of four ships used for FAA certification. Before FTV1 crashed in July, the original plan called for five helicopters. Bell is working with the FAA and NTSB to get the 525 test fleet back in the air following the crash. (Photo: Bell Helicopter) Bell will certify the 525 Relentless using four test aircraft, and a senior Bell executive maintains the company retains confidence in the super-medium twin's original design. The program has stood down flying since the fatal crash of the first prototype, FTV1, registered as N525TA, on July 6. The NTSB is continuing its investigation as to why the main rotor blades struck both the tailboom and the nose during the in-flight break-up sequence that destroyed the helicopter and killed both test pilots. FTV1 was one of three 525 prototypes in the flight-test program, which at the time was budgeted for five aircraft. FTV1 is believed to have been conducting tests at or near Vne speeds when main rotor rpms dropped off and the main rotors significantly "departed their normal plane of rotation," according to an NTSB spokesman. Bell is continuing assembly of the next two flight-test aircraft and beginning the build of the first several customer aircraft, according to Larry Thimmesch, vice president of Bell 525 sales. Thimmesch said FTV4 is heavily kitted with search-and-rescue equipment and more flight-test instrumentation than originally planned. It should be ready to fly early next year. FTV5 will have a lot of the oil and gas kits on it. Between those two aircraft, approximately 50 kits will be certified as part of the initial flight-test program. Aircraft six through nine are in structural subassembly. "We are moving forward. We understand our production configuration," Thimmesch said. Thimmesch said Bell has been spending the downtime modifying the test aircraft to the latest production configuration and continuing non-flight testing, including drive, system and structural testing, as well as making continued progress with certification authorities in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. Bell is using its Fort Worth Systems Integration Lab to continue to work software updates into the aircraft's Garmin G5000H avionics and fly-by-wire control system. "We have more than 40 software packages on this aircraft and [the 525 Relentless Advanced Systems Integration Lab] is a great platform to mature those and validate the latest software drops and to integrate some of those improvements in the system," Thimmesch said. "The fly-by-wire system was very mature at first flight. The inner control loops were perfect. The only thing we had to change were some of the outer loops because of some of the contour changes we made on some of the overhead cowlings" to improve airflow. He called the 525's FBW system "rock solid." Bell also is continuing design work on add-on kits that will be part of future configurations, Thimmesch said. "Really, the only thing on the program that has not moved forward is actually flying the aircraft. And [before the accident] we really had flown the envelope of the aircraft and we really understood the aircraft." Thimmesch said Bell and the NTSB are working together "very aggressively" to get the 525 back in the air. "We have a return-to-flight team working with the FAA hand-in-hand. That has been very productive," he said. "The confidence in the aircraft within Bell is as strong as it has ever been," Thimmesch said, adding that when the NTSB concludes its investigation Bell will have "very clear messaging to the industry about the helicopter." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2016-11-04/bell-525-will-certify-four-test- aircraft Back to Top Air Force starts selecting second round of enlisted RPA pilots The Air Force will choose its next class of enlisted airmen seeking to fly remotely piloted aircraft in 2017. In a Wednesday release, the Air Force Personnel Center announced that 305 active-duty enlisted airmen are in the running for the second phase of the enlisted RPA pilot program. Those airmen, who made it past the initial qualifying phase, must now submit their application packages - including a medical screening and commander's recommendation - to AFPC by Dec. 16, and medical waivers by Jan. 27, according to the release. The selection board will meet from Feb. 6 to Feb. 9, and announce its results by the end of the month. In an email, AFPC spokeswoman Paige Hughes said that 37 of those airmen could be chosen to become pilots -- though that number could change -- and they could begin training as early as May 2017. The first four enlisted airmen began training to fly RQ-4 Global Hawks Oct. 12 as part of the Enlisted Pilot Initial Class, or EPIC. Eight more - or 12 in all - will follow in two more classes over the next few months. Wednesday's release did not say how many of the 305 enlisted will be chosen for the second phase of RPA training. But AFPC said there is a great deal of interest in flying RPAs among enlisted airmen. Undergraduate flying training typically draws applications from about 200 candidates, but AFPC said it received more than 800 this time. The applicants answered a call for nominations in July, and passed the Air Force Enlisted or Officer Pilot Qualifying Test and the Test of Basic Aviation Skills, which were then combined with their flying hours to create their pilot candidate selection method, or PCSM, score. PCSM scores that were high enough were combined with assignment limitation and availability codes, retainability and other factors, which then were used to decide which airmen would move on to the next step. After a lengthy review, the Air Force officials last December announced they had decided to open the door to enlisted airmen to fly the RQ-4, an unarmed drone that conducts intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. "We have an incredibly talented pool of enlisted airmen, and we're confident that this rigorous selection process will yield excellent enlisted aircrew who will continue to provide combatant commanders with the ISR they need to win today's fight," Senior Master Sgt. Rebecca Guthrie, AFPC's career enlisted aviator assignments manager, said in the release. https://www.airforcetimes.com/articles/305-enlisted-rpa-candidates Back to Top Scorpion jet may have a shot in possible Air Force contest Textron's Wichita-built Scorpion jet has been identified as a candidate in a possible Air Force test of light- attack aircraft to augment its fleet of larger and older A-10 Warthogs. A new opportunity may be opening up for Textron AirLand's Scorpion jet. The Air Force Times reported this week that a newly created Air Force office could be soon testing the Wichita-built Scorpion alongside three other in-production aircraft to augment its aging fleet of A-10 Warthogs. The other aircraft include another Textron and Wichita product, the Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine, as well as the A-29 Super Tucano and a variant of the Alenia Aermacchi M-346. The Times did not give a date for when the testing would occur but quoted an official of the new Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation office who said the testing would last about 135 days. An Air Force spokeswoman said Wednesday that the "light attack experimentation ... is still at the something-we're-considering-doing stage so we don't have any detailed plans we can release." Textron said in a statement Wednesday that the Air Force has not issued a final set of requirements for possible testing, but "once that is done, Beechcraft Defense and Textron AirLand will assess those requirements to determine whether the company's platforms will be a good fit." But any plans by the U.S. to consider an "off-the-shelf" aircraft could be a boon for the multi-role Scorpion, which last month successfully completed a series of weapons tests at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. "It shows the capability and credibility of this platform and our ability to deliver a strong showing with respect to armaments," Textron Aviation chief executive Scott Ernest said last month. The company is marketing the jet for missions including maritime and border security, surveillance and reconnaissance, and flight training. Textron AirLand flew its first prototype Scorpion in December 2013. The airplane has accumulated more than 700 flight hours, and the first production Scorpion is expected to make its first flight soon. The company has not taken any orders for the jet, which it has been marketing worldwide since 2013. Textron officials have said the jet is designed to be a low-cost, low-maintenance solution to bigger, faster and more expensive military jets. They think they have a jet that is affordable for smaller countries that don't have the financial ability to purchase a military jet that costs tens of millions of dollars. The company thinks the Scorpion has a market potential for at least 1,000 orders, Ernest said in last month's interview. Any kind of order from the Air Force, no matter how small, could help accelerate sales of the jet to foreign governments. "I think it does to some degree," Wayne Plucker, senior aerospace and defense industry analyst for Frost & Sullivan, said Wednesday. Plucker said the Scorpion and even the AT-6 could fit the kind of mission that the Air Force is looking for to provide close air support and supplement its A-10s, the first one of which was delivered in 1975. "Some ability to deliver a lot of rounds very precisely and with some loiter capability - the ability to hang around and wait for a moving target," he said. "It's just got to be a good platform for gunning and right now we don't have anything other than an A-10." Plucker also said that the Pentagon has increasingly been interested in protecting the U.S. industrial base. And with Textron having a new aircraft that seems to meet the overall requirements, "the Textron bird works into the discussion early." http://www.kansas.com/news/business/aviation/article113776853.html#storylink=cpy Curt Lewis