Flight Safety Information December 19, 2016 - No. 251 In This Issue Russian Military Plane Crashes In Siberia United Airlines plane slides off runway at O'Hare Airport Indonesian military plane crashes in Papua, killing 13 Pillsbury: Global, Top-Ranked, Non-Stop Service Police: Air traffic controller was sleeping while pilots' calls went unanswered Power Outage Near LAX Temporarily Impacts Airport FAA Chief Seeks to Serve Out Full Term With Trump Support Regional jet makers eye China market boost but obstacles loom Will Trump Shoot Down Boeing's Air Force One Contract? Etihad Airways, Citing Competition, Announces Layoffs Iran finalises 100-jet deal with Airbus, first delivery in January RESEARCH STUDY SURVEY Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship Graduate Research Survey Russian Military Plane Crashes In Siberia At least 32 people were airlifted to the hospital. MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday that one of its planes had crashed in northeast Siberia with 39 people on board as it tried to make an emergency landing near a Soviet-era military base. Russian news agencies reported that nobody had been killed in the incident, but said 32 people had been airlifted to hospital, 16 of whom were in serious condition. The Il-18 aircraft came down around 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) from an airfield near the town of Tiksi in the Sakha Republic at 4:45 a.m. local time, the TASS news agency reported. High winds may have forced the plane to make an emergency landing, Alexei Kolodeznikov, the deputy head of the regional government, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. The Defence Ministry said a team of military investigators had been flown to the crash site. The Il-18, a Soviet-era propeller plane whose design dates from the 1950s, had taken off from an air base in Kansk in western Siberia with 39 people on board, including seven crew. Tiksi, a coastal town of around 5,000 people inside the Arctic circle, hosts a Soviet-era military air base that has been renovated in recent years as part of President Vladimir Putin's drive to remilitarize the Arctic. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/military-plane-crash- siberia_us_58578afae4b03904470942cf *************** Status: Preliminary Date: Monday 19 December 2016 Time: 04:45 Type: Ilyushin 18V Operator: Russian Air Force Registration: RF-91821 C/n / msn: 185008003 First flight: 1967 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 32 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 39 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: 30 km (18.8 mls) from Tiksi ( Russia) Phase: Unknown (UNK) Nature: Military Departure airport: Kansk Air Base, Russia Destination airport: Tiksi Airport (IKS/UEST), Russia Narrative: An Ilyushin 18V operated by the Russian Air Force made an emergency landing some 30 km short of the destination Tiksi. The aircraft broke in three. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20161219-0 Back to Top United Airlines plane slides off runway at O'Hare Airport A United Airlines plane slid off a runway Sunday morning at O"Hare International Airport. | NVP News A plane slid off a runway early Sunday at O'Hare International Airport. United Airlines flight No. 441 from Orlando International Airport slid off the runway about 1:10 a.m. after landing at O'Hare, according to Chicago Police and the airline. When the plane turned to taxi on the runway, one of the tires went off the pavement, a spokeswoman for United Airlines said. No injuries were reported and passengers were bused to the terminal. Additional information was not immediately available. As of midnight, 1.7 inches of snow had fallen at O'Hare, according to the National Weather Service. Snow accumulation of 1-4 inches was expected overnight in the Chicago area. As of 3:42 a.m. Sunday, airlines had canceled 145 flights at O'Hare, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. On Saturday, nearly 500 flights were canceled at O'Hare and about 100 flights were canceled at Midway. http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/united-airlines-plane-slides-off-runway-at-ohare- airport/ Back to Top Indonesian military plane crashes in Papua, killing 13 JAKARTA, Indonesia - An Indonesian military Hercules C-130 transport plane crashed Sunday in bad weather in the easternmost province of Papua, killing all 13 people on board. The plane was carrying 12 tons of food supplies and cement from Timika to Wamena, a distance of about 200 kilometers (125 miles), when it crashed just minutes before its scheduled landing, said air force chief of staff Agus Supriatna. The plane was carrying three pilots and 10 other personnel. Bad weather and low clouds in Wamena, the capital of the mountainous district of Jayawijaya, were believed to be factors in the crash, deputy air force chief of staff Hadiyan Sumintaatmadja told a news conference. "The tower in Wamena has spotted the plane, but it was not certain that the plane saw the runway," he said. He did not rule out that the plane hit a mountain. An investigation is ongoing. He said the aircraft, purchased from Australia where it was first used in the 1980s, had more than 60 hours left until the next routine maintenance. The plane took off from Timika at 5:35 a.m. and crashed about four minutes before it was scheduled to land in Wamena. TV footage showed rescuers and locals had reached the wreckage of the plane and brought out all the victims. It was the third serious air accident in Indonesia in less than a month. On Nov. 24, a Bell 412 EP helicopter from the Indonesian army crashed in the Indonesian part of Borneo island, killing three. A week later, a police plane with 13 people aboard crashed into the sea on the way to the island of Batam, near Singapore. Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of more than 250 million people, has been plagued by transportation accidents in recent years, from plane and train crashes to ferry sinkings. The military, which suffers from low funding, has also regularly suffered airplane and helicopter crashes. In July last year, an air force Hercules crashed into a neighborhood of Medan, Indonesia's third largest city, killing more than 140 people including military personnel, family members traveling with them and people on the ground. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/12/18/indonesian-military-plane- crash-papua/95580106/ *************** Status: Preliminary Date: Sunday 18 December 2016 Time: ca 06:09 Type: Lockheed C-130H Hercules Operator: Tentara Nasional Indonesia-AU (Air Force) Registration: A-1334 C/n / msn: 4785 First flight: 1978 Crew: Fatalities: 12 / Occupants: 12 Passengers: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Total: Fatalities: 13 / Occupants: 13 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: ca 6 km SE of Wamena Airport (WMX) ( Indonesia) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Military Departure airport: Timika-Moses Kilangin (Tembagapura) Airport (TIM/WABP), Indonesia Destination airport: Wamena Airport (WMX/WAJW), Indonesia Narrative: A Lockheed C-130H Hercules was destroyed when it impacted mountainous terrain near Wamena, Papua, Indonesia. All 13 on board were killed. The aircraft left Timika at 05:35 and was expected to arrive at Wamena at 06:13 hours local time. It was approaching runway 33 at the time of the accident. The aircraft was reportedly engaged in a 5-day navigational exercise flight out of it's base at Malang-Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport. It was also said to have been carrying a cargo of cement weighing about 12 tons. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20161218-0 Back to Top Back to Top Police: Air traffic controller was sleeping while pilots' calls went unanswered New details about the incident from police report. BOISE, Idaho -- The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating why pilots trying to land at the Boise Airport were met with silence from air traffic controllers during the early hours of Nov. 19. Boise Police officers and paramedics were called out to the air traffic control tower at 2:41 a.m. for a welfare check after learning that pilots and airport officials had been unable to reach the tower operators, despite trying multiple radio frequencies, telephone and the emergency "red phone." The first officers on scene wrote in a report that after reaching a locked gate, they used a spotlight to flash the tower and turned on their sirens and air horn in order to alert the people inside, but got no response. Eventually, another air traffic control tower employee pulled into the airport and let the officers through. After the officers explained why they were there, the employee - whose name has been redacted from the reports - told officers that he had spoken to the person in the tower and he was fine. Police say once they got inside the tower, the employee told them he would meet them at the elevator, then went into the breakroom to get a mini pizza. The officers say the tower employee did not seem to think the situation was serious. "The man kept saying it was no problem and everything was ok, and this wasn't a big deal," Cpl. Mike Algate wrote in his report. Bruce Gard, the airport operations officer who had alerted police to the lack of response from the tower, told police that the employee was supposed to be the second man in the tower, and was not supposed to leave. Once inside the elevator, several of the officers noticed an odor of marijuana coming from the employee. Officer Andrew Morlock wrote in a report that his "demeanor appeared to be slow and confused as to what was going on." As officers got to the control room, the employee called out to another traffic controller, telling him the police were there. Police say the man in the tower appeared to have just woken up, and told them he had not heard any radio traffic. "The individual in the tower seemed very groggy and sluggish, what I would describe as dazed and confused," Ofc. Shane Langton wrote. The employee admitted he had fallen asleep while he was supposed to be monitoring air traffic, police say. "We spoke with [the employees] both of them appeared to be unconcerned about the situation and the severity of not being able to contact with the Air Traffic Control Tower," Officer Byron Grover wrote in his report. "Airport Operations Bruce Gard informed [employee] that there were two Life Flight helicopters requesting permission to land and could not get a response from the tower. Again [redacted] did not appear to be too concerned about the situation while we were speaking with him and stood and smiled." The tower employees told police that there was typically only one person in the control room between midnight and 3 a.m. The officers say as they were leaving the tower, they again smelled marijuana on the first floor, but did not find any drugs during a brief search of the area. Gard also told officers that the tower "was calling out wrong runways and directions" to pilots trying to and at the airport. Boise Airport spokesman Sean Briggs told KTVB on Friday that the Boise Airport has no authority over the air traffic control tower. Briggs says the men involved are not Boise Airport employees - they are Federal Aviation Administration employees. It's unclear whether the two tower employees involved in the incident remain employed. Neither has been charged with a crime, according to Boise Police. The FAA is conducting an administrative investigation. "Both controllers were drug tested and both tests were negative," an FAA spokesman told KTVB. "The FAA is continuing to investigate the incident." http://www.khou.com/news/bpd-air-traffic-controller-was-sleeping-while-pilots-calls- went-unanswered/372330066 Back to Top Power Outage Near LAX Temporarily Impacts Airport No flights were canceled due to the outage, but some flights were delayed. A power outage near Los Angeles International Airport temporarily impacted the airport but terminal operations have returned to normal, authorities said. It happened Sunday just after 7 p.m. near LAX and it impacted the airport's entire Central Terminal area, as well as some adjacent off-airport areas, LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles said. LADWP spokeswoman Terry Schneider told City News Service the outage originated among nine industrial stations -- terminal banks of transformers that serve large commercial and industrial customers. Crews on the scene did "some switching to help the clients affected." Schneider said the cause of the outage was unknown. Meanwhile, LAX is rebounding from the outage, Castles said. "Airlines at LAX are reporting almost all of their terminal operations have returned to normal following two momentary power outages," she said. "Baggage handling systems in Terminals 3, 5 and 6 and the Tom Bradley International terminal are partially operating," Castles said. "TSA passenger security screening and the customs and immigration areas all are functioning normally. All traffic lights except for one at the entrance to the airport at Century and Sepulveda boulevards are operating, as well as all parking structures. "The air traffic tower is fully functional, as well as the airfield lights and navigational aids. All flight operations are back to normal," Castles said. No flights were canceled due to the outage, but some departure flights have been delayed by 30 minutes to an hour, according to Castles, who said it took about an hour for all the airport's computers, security equipment and conveyances to be rebooted and brought back to normal. http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Power-Outage-Near-LAX-Temporarily-Impacts- Airport--407394455.html#ixzz4THWOdx77 Back to Top FAA Chief Seeks to Serve Out Full Term With Trump Support Michael Huerta also announces final version of long-awaited rules overhauling government certification of new private aircraft By ANDY PASZTOR Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta on Friday issued the strongest signal yet that he seeks Trump administration endorsement of his leadership and bent for industry-friendly regulation, aiming to stay through the end of his statutory term in 2018. Announcing the final version of long-awaited rules overhauling government certification of new private aircraft, Mr. Huerta highlighted their focus on reducing time and expense to market enhanced safety features. The FAA started drafting the changes years ago in consultation with plane and equipment manufacturers, long before the primary campaigns or November election, but the principles are in line with President-elect Donald Trump's views of more accommodating oversight of businesses by federal authorities across the board. During his remarks to reporters, Mr. Huerta also indicated he has no plans to voluntarily leave before his term is set to expire in January 2018. "I am really looking forward to the next year," Mr. Huerta said, noting that "we have a lot of things we can be proud of" in terms of FAA accomplishments. The major initiatives Mr. Huerta hopes to complete include efforts to expand commercial operations of drones, and accelerate deployment of new air-traffic control technologies intended to reduce airline delays while reducing aircraft fuel consumption and environmental impacts. Friday's announcement caps FAA efforts to streamline and simplify regulations as a way to revive private aircraft manufacturing in the U.S. The FAA chief said the rules, slated to go into effect next summer, are expected to serve as a model to reform other agency programs and safety initiatives that may be "held back by outdated and inflexible" regulations, often drafted decades ago. Calling it a fundamental shift in how the FAA promotes safer aircraft while simultaneously reducing the burden on industry, Mr. Huerta said the agency no longer wants to tell "manufacturers how to build a safe airplane." Instead, FAA officials will concentrate on evaluating whether new designs and products meet broad safety standards. Such an approach, according to FAA leaders, ensures agency expertise and resources are directed at achieving results and can be shifted as safety threats change. The latest rule, for instance, relies on compliance through consensus-based industry methods and technologies. "This is not the last of these" type of rules "you are going to see," Mr. Huerta predicted, without elaborating. Industry officials have singled out helicopters as another area where similar changes could facilitate progress, by reducing the cost, time and risk of introducing enhanced safety features. Echoing some of Mr. Trump's themes, Mr. Huerta said the small aircraft rules highlight "what we can accomplish for American competitiveness" when government and industry work closely together. He zeroed in on another Trump idea: the benefits of creating jobs in American to sell products abroad. But Mr. Huerta could face big challenges to remaining on the job. He may be saddled with a new team of politically-appointed aides, and his policy initiatives must be cleared by both the Transportation Department and the White House Office of Management and Budget. If Mr. Huerta becomes frustrated by friction with Mr. Trump's team, some associates and industry officials predict he could change his mind and exit early. Neither Mr. Trump nor his transition officials have commented on their plans for the FAA. In his remarks, Mr. Huerta suggested proposed rules allowing small commercial drones to fly over populated areas will be released soon --perhaps before the end of the year-noting they are undergoing "a lot of review." http://www.wsj.com/articles/faa-chief-seeks-to-serve-out-full-term-with-trump-support- 1481932303 Back to Top Regional jet makers eye China market boost but obstacles loom An ARJ21-700, China's first domestically produced regional jet, arrives at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport after making its first flight from Chengdu to Shanghai, China June 28, 2016. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo New rules governing Chinese airline startups are fueling hopes at Embraer SA (EMBR3.SA), Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) and other regional jet makers for a spike in orders next year, but local competition and doubts about size restrictions still loom as major obstacles. The new policy is aimed at encouraging fledgling carriers to boost domestic flights serving secondary markets in China rather than focusing exclusively on big cities. The three- month old policy has still not been published in its entirety, leaving the industry guessing on some key details. But provisions include scaling back access to major hubs and a requirement that new regional carriers operate at least 25 smaller city-hopper jets before graduating to bigger aircraft, according to three industry sources familiar with the policy. That could translate into Chinese demand for more than 250 new regional jets in the next two years, said one source familiar with a planemaker's outlook, providing a shot in the arm for a new generation of aircraft that has suffered a string of setbacks. Another source familiar with the market called the prospects more limited. China is seen as anxious to prevent carriers from using niche markets as a back door to the main airline business by grabbing licenses to set up small regional or cargo airlines and then quickly defecting to the more lucrative big-city segment, dominated by Airbus and Boeing. On paper, that should boost demand for regional jets including China's delayed ARJ21, developed by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). The support for regional aviation in China should also encourage foreign market leaders such as Bombardier and Embraer, according to Yang Yang, a director at COMAC's Shanghai Aircraft Design Research Institute. "This will potentially give them a big market to target," he said. Regional jet makers have been recovering from development hitches in recent years, only to find that demand has now slowed in their main markets in the United States and Europe as predictions of robust orders from Asia have yet to materialize. A spokesman for Canada's Bombardier said the new policy offers regional airlines "many new opportunities" and Brazil's Embraer called it an "insightful ... new policy to promote regional aviation." Russia's Sukhoi Civil Aircraft said the company started regular talks this year with potential Chinese customers for its recently introduced Superjet regional aircraft. Others, such as Japan's Mitsubishi Aircraft, are keeping a lid on expectations, wary of competition from the ARJ21, China's first homegrown passenger jet, which COMAC put into service this year. "We think in general China has a huge potential," said Yugo Fukuhara, a vice president for sales of Mitsubishi Aircraft, a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (7011.T), which is developing another newcomer to the regional jet market. "At the same time, we have competition from the ARJ21, developed by China themselves, and also some political barriers," Fukuhara said, alluding to diplomatic tensions between Japan and its neighbor across the East China Sea. UNCLEAR DEMAND, COMPETITION Analysts say the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) wants to encourage a more diffuse network after most airlines launched in the past three years focused on busier mainline routes, leaving secondary markets underdeveloped. But the regulatory changes in the country may also make it harder for new airlines, as feeder routes are often less profitable and face stiff competition from China's fast expanding high-speed rail network. China had 57 airlines at the end of 2015, only 12 of which were regional carriers, according to a report from the Shanghai Aircraft Design Research Institute. Embraer has made the most progress among foreign planemakers with those airlines, delivering 91 aircraft of 123 firm orders through September - about twice Bombardier's tally, according to the companies' latest quarterly reports. However, Chinese order books for both companies are dwarfed by the ARJ21, which has racked up more than 400 orders since the program was launched in 2002. Comac says the ARJ21 holds advantages such as its domestic service network and performance standards tailored to the country's hot and high-altitude western plateau. But it has delivered just two planes to launch customer Chengdu Airlines so far, leading analysts to question the feasibility of the Chinese regional jet. Development of the ARJ21 was delayed by nearly a decade, dogged by flawed designs for wings, wiring and computer systems, according to a 2012 Reuters investigation. The aircraft has yet to be certified by U.S. authorities. "The ARJ21 is not a functioning aircraft," said Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at aviation consultancy Teal Group, who publishes widely cited global aerospace forecasts. SIZE LIMITS Regardless of the ARJ21's prospects, labor disputes in the world's largest regional market also have regional planemakers pinning bigger hopes on new Chinese demand. U.S. pilots are resisting pressure to allow heavier aircraft to be outsourced to regional affiliates, effectively protecting jobs at the mainline operations of Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N), American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O) and United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N). The standoff could lock out Mitsubishi's MRJ90 and Embraer's next-generation E175 aircraft in coming years. Those size limits, along with low fuel prices, have also slowed new orders to replace aging U.S. aircraft this year. The size issue could haunt manufacturers in China too. Aviation regulator CAAC has been slow to make public details of the new requirements, known as Rule 96. In particular, they are keeping mum on the specific seat count and weight limits for the loosely defined regional segment. Embraer's head of commercial aviation, John Slattery, said at an industry event in October that Chinese size limits would prevent the company's 120-seat E195 and rival Bombardier's 110- to 130-seat CSeries from qualifying as regional jets. Bombardier disagrees. "We are confident that all aircraft with five-abreast seating or less qualify within the framework of CAAC Rule 96 and we are working with a number of Chinese carriers in that context," said public affairs director Bryan Tucker. CAAC did not respond to requests for comment on specific requirements for regional airlines. Privately-owned regional carrier China Express Airlines, which has been operating Bombardier CRJ900 jets since it began flying in 2006, said it was keeping an open mind. "We don't have any specific preference for domestic or foreign manufacturers," said Zhang Jian, a general manager at the airline, which has spoken with Comac about the ARJ21. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-aviation-regional-analysis-idUSKBN14803E Back to Top Will Trump Shoot Down Boeing's Air Force One Contract? Trump's tweets give the defense industry jitters. By now, you've heard the news: President-elect Donald Trump hates Boeing (NYSE:BA) -- and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), too. In a series of tweets, Trump took aim at the two biggest players in the U.S. defense industry last week. First, Trump blasted Boeing's contract to build a pair of new Air Force One jets for the White House, painting it as a $4 billion boondoggle and demanding that the Air Force "Cancel order!" The president-elect later explained, "We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money." Air Force One MAYDAY, MAYDAY, AIR FORCE ONE! YOU'VE GOT A BOGEY ON YOUR SIX! IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. A few days later, Trump unleashed a similar tweet storm against Lockheed Martin, decrying the company's trillion-dollar-plus F-35 stealth fighter program as "out of control." (Lockheed Martin investors will recall that we warned you about that one -- Trump has been criticizing the F-35 all year long.) On the plus side, Trump didn't specifically call for canceling the F-35 program, as he did for Air Force One. However, the president-elect did make the ominous observation that "billions of dollars can be saved on military (and other) purchases after Jan. 20." So, what does all of this mean for investors? How investors are reacting For their part, Boeing investors don't seem to be reacting at all. Since Trump's attack on the Air Force One program's costs, for example, Boeing shares have actually gained 1.4% in price. The reaction at Lockheed Martin, on the other hand, has been a bit more severe. Since the Dec. 6 attack on Boeing stock foreshadowed potential broader salvos fired at the defense industry in general, Lockheed Martin shares have actually sold off by 5.5%. The Lockheed-specific tweets that emerged on Monday contributed less than 1% to that sell-off, which tells us that investors had already buckled themselves in to prepare for the coming tweet storm. Are they right? Both reactions make a lot of sense. In the case of Boeing, we're talking about a $95 billion-a-year business here. Even if the Air Force One contract were to be valued at $4 billion (many experts dispute that figure), it would only represent, at most, a couple of weeks of revenue for the aerospace giant being put at risk. Lockheed Martin's F-35, though, is a warhorse of a different color. Already, Lockheed Martin depends on the F-35 fighter jet to provide 21% of its $50 billion in annual revenue. Over time, as the program matures into full-rate production and begins pumping out hundreds of aircraft a year, we believe the F-35 could grow to account for fully 50% of Lockheed Martin's business. Donald Trump's attack on the F-35 program, therefore, poses an existential threat to Lockheed Martin -- a threat much more severe than the attack on Boeing's tiny 747 production line. Reading between the lines What's more, there's a subtext to what Trump is saying here that could actually turn out to be good news for Boeing. Military experts tell us that there's as much as a 100-airplane gap between the number of airplanes the Pentagon needs to fulfill its mission and the number of airplanes it actually has on hand. That's a gap that's expected to grow as older planes retire, requiring newer planes to replace them. Currently, Lockheed Martin's F-35 is the plane expected to fill America's fighter jet gap. But if the F-35 program gets canceled -- or even curtailed in size -- that means the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps will need to buy other fighter jets to fill the gap. For Boeing, which makes F-15 fighters for the Air Force and F/A-18s for the Navy and Marines, a threat to Lockheed Martin's F-35 program could actually be good news -- promising a new lease on life for Boeing's defense business. http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/12/17/will-trump-shoot-down-boeings-air-force-one- contra.aspx Back to Top Etihad Airways, Citing Competition, Announces Layoffs Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways, citing "an increasingly competitive landscape," says it is making an unspecified number of layoffs. The Abu Dhabi-owned carrier, which is the United Arab Emirates' national airline, made the announcement Sunday night. An Etihad statement described the layoffs as "a measured reduction of headcount in some parts of the business." Etihad spokesman Updesh Kapur declined to offer any specifics, though the company's statement described the layoffs as coming "in a fair, structured and transparent way." Etihad has code-share agreements with some 50 airlines and holds stakes in Air Berlin, Air Seychelles, Jet Airways, Air Serbia, Alitalia and Virgin Australia. It has a fleet of some 120 aircraft. The UAE is also home to the Dubai-based long-haul carrier Emirates. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/etihad-airways-citing-competition- announces-layoffs-44268313 Back to Top Iran finalises 100-jet deal with Airbus, first delivery in January PARIS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Iran has finalised an agreement with Airbus to acquire 100 jetliners, the first of which is tentatively expected to be delivered in mid-January, a senior official said on Monday. The deal, split roughly equally between narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, will be signed in coming days, possibly as early as Monday or Tuesday, Deputy Roads and Urban Development Minister Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan told Reuters. Under the agreement, Airbus will supply four types of aircraft: its medium-haul A320 and A321 aircraft and the long-haul A330 and A350, he said, in remarks confirming Iran's decision to drop the A380 from a draft deal signed in January. Iran, which last week finalised a deal with Boeing for 80 jets, has so far reached agreements with foreign leasing firms to finance a total of 77 aircraft, including 42 from Airbus and 35 from Boeing, Kashan said in a telephone interview. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/iran-finalises-100-jet-deal-062427871.html Back to Top RESEARCH STUDY SURVEY Hello, I'm Dr. Tim Holt and I'm currently the Program Chair for Aeronautics and an Associate Professor with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. In this position I'm responsible for faculty, curriculum, course updates, course alignment, etc... Furthermore, I teach undergraduate courses in aeronautics, safety, unmanned systems, and airport management for the Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics program. To this day, there are no reported statistics of general aviation pilots that have survived hypoxia during normal flight operations. More often than not there are tales of pilots getting themselves into a hypoxic situation and not surviving; rarely do people hear of those that survive. This leaves the aviation community unsure of the common circumstances that these pilots find themselves that create a hypoxic state, as well as whether or not that reported the occurrence to the proper establishments. The data collected from this survey issued to general aviation pilots, will hopefully give insight as to how best to prevent these occurrences from happening, as well as promote a healthy safety culture to report these events. It is with this in mind that we decided to embark on this research study. This survey is completely anonymous and individual responses will not be recorded. It should only take 5-10 minutes to complete. The link to the survey will provide you the Informed Consent and contact information of the researchers involved in the study. Thank you in advance, it's truly appreciated. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GAHYPOXIA Back to Top Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship The Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship was established by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to shape the next generation of aviation researchers, honoring the late Najeeb Elias Halaby, an eminent aviator and administrator, for his vision and more than five decades of extraordinary contributions to aviation (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/halabyfellowship.pdf). The Fellowship The recipient of a Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship will spend three months (in 2017 or early 2018) in residence with NCAR's Aviation Weather Research Program, which Mr. Halaby was instrumental in establishing in the 1980s. As the nation's leader in addressing aviation weather research, NCAR plays a unique role in meeting user needs by transferring research results to operations through its Research Application Laboratory (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/). The Fellow will conduct research broadly aimed at improving the integration of weather into decision support tools for enhanced mitigation of weather sensitivities (e.g., weather impact avoidance) and management of air traffic. The Fellowship will provide: * a monthly stipend for three months, including temporary living expenses * round-trip travel expenses to and from Boulder, CO * travel to a conference to present results * page charges for one publication of key results Eligibility and Application The Halaby Fellowship targets graduate students (late Masters or early PhD level) enrolled in an aviation-relevant department or program of a domestic or international university. Interested candidates should have advanced research skills, far-reaching vision, and dedication to get things accomplished. Consideration for this Fellowship will be given to candidates based on the following submitted material: * Curriculum vitae * Proposal (maximum five pages) presenting the research to be conducted at NCAR, the anticipated outcome of that, and how the proposed effort ties into the candidate's ongoing graduate research project(s) * Contact information for three references (one of which should be the student's primary advisor) NCAR will accept applications for the Halaby Fellowship each year. Email Applications by February 28, 2017 to halabyfellowship@ucar.edu Back to Top Graduate Research Survey HI! My name is Amber L. Hulsey, A.B.D. and I am currently working on my dissertation for my Ph.D. entitled, "Human Trafficking: Flying Under the Radar." My dissertation examines the extent to which human trafficking occurs by air as a mode of transportation compared to land and sea. Additionally, the study examines the actions that can be taken to combat human trafficking into and within the United States. The theoretical lens to which this study uses is Human Security Theory. This survey is completely anonymous, has undergone Institutional Review Board and has been approved. If you have any questions or would like to contact me for any reason, please email me at amber.hulsey@usm.edu. The survey will be open from December 7- December 21st. Please share this on all social media accounts, with your friends, family, and with your colleagues. Upon completion of this study, I will share the findings with various government and NGO's to aid in eradicating human trafficking. Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HTinUSA Thank you so much for taking the time to complete this survey and more importantly, for helping aid in the research to combat human trafficking by air. Curt Lewis