Flight Safety Information January 17, 2017 - No. 013 In This Issue Search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 ends Jet skids off runway; wings separate, catch fire Turkish Cargo Plane Crashes Into Village in Kyrgyzstan, Killing Dozens Etihad, Lufthansa in talks to merge airlines United Airlines flight from San Diego to Denver swept by FBI, TSA after 'threat' Minister urges aviation group to introduce Garuda flights to US market FAA LEAVES GLIDER EXEMPTION INTACT EMB-145 Runway Excursion ( Amarillo, TX) Animal Activists Clash With Port Authority Over Coyotes At LaGuardia Airport Guess how many pilots does it take to fly 32 aircraft in PIA? Brazilian aeronautical company Embraer delivers 225 aircraft in 2016 Drone companies prepare to train pilots, expand opportunities Congressman renews push that could kill Iran jet deals Learn About New FAA Regulations for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems with Free Online Course Call for Abstracts of Technical Papers...ISASI 2017, San Diego CA ESASI SEMINAR 2017 - LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA GRADUATE RESEARCH STUDY SURVEY RESEARCH STUDY SURVEY Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship Search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 ends FILE - In this March 6, 2016, file photo, well wishes are written on a wall of hope during a remembrance event for the ill fated Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (AP) SYDNEY - After nearly three years, the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 ended in futility and frustration Tuesday, as crews completed their deep-sea search of a desolate stretch of the Indian Ocean without finding a trace of the plane. The Joint Agency Coordination Center in Australia, which has helped lead the $160 million hunt for the Boeing 777 in remote waters west of Australia, said the search had officially been suspended after crews finished their fruitless sweep of the 46,000-square mile search zone. "Despite every effort using the best science available, cutting-edge technology, as well as modelling and advice from highly skilled professionals who are the best in their field, unfortunately, the search has not been able to locate the aircraft," the agency said in a statement, which was a joint communique between the transport ministers of Malaysia, Australia and China. "Accordingly, the underwater search for MH370 has been suspended. The decision to suspend the underwater search has not been taken lightly nor without sadness." Officials investigating the plane's disappearance have recommended search crews head north to a new area identified in a recent analysis as a possible crash site. But the Australian government has already nixed that idea. Last year, Australia, Malaysia and China - which have each helped fund the search - agreed that the hunt would be suspended once the search zone was exhausted unless new evidence emerges that pinpoints the plane's specific location. Since no technology currently exists that can tell investigators exactly where the plane is, that effectively means the most expensive, complex search in aviation history is over. There is the possibility that a private donor could offer to bankroll a new search, or that Malaysia will kick in fresh funds. But no one has stepped up yet, raising the bleak possibility that the world's greatest aviation mystery may never be solved. For the families of the 239 people on the doomed aircraft, that's a particularly bitter prospect given the recent acknowledgment by officials that they had been looking for the plane in the wrong place all along. In December, the transport bureau announced that a review of the data used to estimate where the plane crashed, coupled with new information on ocean currents, strongly suggested the plane hit the water in an area directly north of the search zone. But Australia's government rejected a recommendation from the bureau that crews be allowed to search the new area to the north, saying the results of the experts' analysis weren't precise enough to justify continuing the hunt. The three countries' transport ministers reiterated that view in their statement Tuesday, noting: "Whilst combined scientific studies have continued to refine areas of probability, to date no new information has been discovered to determine the specific location of the aircraft." Investigators have been stymied again and again in their efforts to find the aircraft since it vanished during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Along the way, hopes were repeatedly raised and smashed by false leads: Underwater signals wrongly thought to be emanating from the plane's black boxes. Possible debris fields that turned out to be sea trash. Oil slicks that contained no jet fuel. A large object detected on the seafloor that was just an old shipwreck. In the absence of solid leads, investigators relied largely on an analysis of transmissions between the plane and a satellite to narrow down where in the world the jet ended up - a technique never previously used to find an aircraft. Based on the transmissions, they narrowed down the possible crash zone to a vast arc of ocean slicing across the southern hemisphere. Even then, the search zone was enormous and located in one of the most remote patches of water on earth - 1,100 miles off Australia's west coast. Much of the seabed had never even been mapped. For years, search crews painstakingly combed the search area in several ships, largely pinning their hopes on towfish, small vessels equipped with sonar that sent information back to the boats in real-time. The ships slowly dragged the towfish through the ocean just above the seabed, hoping the equipment would detect some trace of the plane. Unmanned submarines were used to examine areas of rougher terrain and objects of interest picked up by sonar that required a closer look. The search zone shifted multiple times as investigators refined their analysis, all to no avail. Some began to question whether the plane had gone down in the southern hemisphere at all. Then, in July, 2015, came the first proof that the plane was indeed in the Indian Ocean: A wing flap from the aircraft was found on Reunion Island, east of Madagascar. Since then, more than 20 objects either confirmed or believed to be from the plane have washed ashore on beaches throughout the Indian Ocean. But while the debris proved the plane went down in the Indian Ocean, the location of the main underwater wreckage - and its crucial black box data recorders - remains stubbornly elusive. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/17/search-for-missing-malaysia-airlines-flight-370.html Back to Top Jet skids off runway; wings separate, catch fire A commuter jet skidded off the runway of Spencer J Hardy Airport in Howell Township Monday, swerving before losing its wings, which "exploded," a witness said. The pilot, identified by police as a 60-year-old Batavia, New York, man, was taken by Livingston County EMS paramedics to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor for non-life threatening injuries. "I'm so grateful he wasn't hurt more," witness Paige Engerer said about the pilot. Engerer was traveling east on M-59 shortly before noon when she noticed what she thought was "the outline of a plane." She slowed and watched as the Textron 525C commuter jet attempted to land at the airport. Sheriff Michael Murphy said the pilot "lost control" and the jet "continued through the airport fence, across Tooley Road" where it struck some small trees. Murphy said that, after striking the trees, the wings separated from the fuselage and caught fire while the fuselage continued a short distance before overturning and coming to rest. Engerer said the jet was "swerving" as it moved across Tooley Road. "One of the wings came off and ended up exploding," Engerer said. "I didn't know where it would end up, so I started to stop and get over. It barrel rolled and slid up into the bushes." A 60-year-old Batavia, New York, man escaped serious injury after his Textron 525C commuter jet skidded off the runway at the Spencer J Hardy Airport in Howell Township on Monday. (Photo: Paige Engerer) Engerer said she and other witnesses were concerned the second engine would also explode, and men carrying fire extinguishers slowly approached the aircraft. One man kept shouting, "Is anybody in there?" Witnesses continued to inch closer, and one of the men then noticed the pilot waving his hands, Engerer said. The men opened the door while asking the pilot if he was OK and had any injuries. When the pilot indicated that he had no broken bones, three men helped extricate the pilot, who told his rescuers that he was in from New York and "had no warning of ice this way," Engerer said. "He was landing and slid right off the runway. That was super crazy. He walked away," she said. The Howell Area Fire Department also assisted at the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. http://www.livingstondaily.com/story/news/local/2017/01/16/plane-crashes-catches-fire-howell- airport/96636390/ **************** Status: Preliminary Date: Monday 16 January 2017 Time: 11:56 Type: Cessna 525C Citation CJ4 Operator: Zeliff Aviation LLC Registration: N525PZ C/n / msn: 525C-0196 First flight: 2015 Engines: 2 Williams International FJ44-4A Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Airplane damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: Howell-Livingston County Spencer J. Hardy Airport, MI ( United States of America) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Batavia-Genesee County Airport, NY (KGVQ), United States of America Destination airport: Howell-Livingston County Spencer J. Hardy Airport, MI (KOZW), United States of America Narrative: A Cessna 525C Citation CJ4 corporate jet suffered an apparent runway excursion on landing at Howell- Livingston County Airport, Michigan, USA. The pilot survived the accident. The airplane departed Batavia-Genesee County Airport, New York, at 10:57 hours local time. The flight landed on runway 13 at 11:56 hours. An eyewitness reported that the aircraft travelled pas the end of the runway over about 390 m of airport terrain before it crossed Tooley Road. The wings were torn off and the fuselage came to rest inverted. Runway 13 is a 5002 ft (1525 m) long runway. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20170116-1 Back to Top Turkish Cargo Plane Crashes Into Village in Kyrgyzstan, Killing Dozens Emergency crews near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday after a cargo jet crashed on approach to the airport, killing dozens of people. Credit Igor Kovalenko/European Pressphoto Agency HONG KONG - A Turkish cargo plane approaching the airport in Kyrgyzstan's capital crashed early Monday, killing at least 37 people, most of them on the ground, according to the Kyrgyz government. The Boeing 747, with a crew of four, was owned by ACT Airlines, and it was on its way to Istanbul from Hong Kong with a stopover in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, according to airport officials in the Central Asian city. A Boeing 747 cargo jet owned by a Turkish airline and en route to Istanbul from Hong Kong crashed into a village near the capital, Bishkek, killing at least 30. By CAMILLA SCHICK on Publish Date January 16, 2017. Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters. Watch in Times Video » The plane was approaching Manas International Airport in Bishkek when it crashed into a village adjoining the airport. Kyrgyz officials said that 23 of the village's 43 houses were destroyed, and some buildings burst into flames. There was fog at the time, but it was not clear if the weather played a role in the crash. The Kyrgyz Emergencies Ministry said that at least 12 people had been taken to the hospital. An image on the website of the television station owned by Kyrgyzstan's government showed a large section of the nose of the aircraft, including the cockpit windows, on the ground after the plane apparently crashed through a building. Wreckage was strewed across a wide area. Kyrgyz officials said they would create a government commission to investigate why the plane came down. The plane, built in 2003, was owned by ACT Airlines, a Turkish company that is 49 percent owned by the Chinese conglomerate HNA Group, which has aviation, tourism and logistics units. ACT operates under the name MyCargo Airlines. The airline said on Monday that the crash was not the result of "technical reasons or loading related factors" on the plane. It said all four crew members - two pilots, a freight specialist and a flight technician - were killed. The Manas airport was the site of a United States military base that was used mainly to support operations in Afghanistan until 2014, when the base was handed over to the Kyrgyz military. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/world/asia/kyrgyzstan-bishkek-plane-crash.html?_r=0 Back to Top Etihad, Lufthansa in talks to merge airlines A Lufthansa logo is pictured during a pilots strike of the German airline at Frankfurt airport, Germany, November 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) and Etihad Airways are in talks to possibly merge the two airlines, Italian daily Il Messaggero said in an unsourced report on Tuesday. According to the paper, managers from both companies have for weeks been examining the possibility of Etihad taking a 30-40 percent stake in Lufthansa via a capital increase reserved for the Abu Dhabi state- owned airline. In a second step, the two airlines would look at a full-blown merger to create a carrier with 97 million passengers a year, the paper said. It added the parties would meet shortly to speed up the talks. A spokeswoman for Lufthansa declined to comment on "speculation". Etihad had no immediate comment. Any combination between the two would likely have an impact on loss-making Alitalia [CAITLA.UL], which is 49 percent-owned by Etihad and is in the midst of a major restructuring that will likely include job cuts and grounding of planes. Lufthansa shares were up 3.9 percent on Tuesday morning, topping the DAX .GDAXI index of largest German companies. Lufthansa managers have repeatedly said in recent weeks in response to questions about consolidation that the group currently has its hands full integrating 38 crewed planes being leased from Air Berlin (AB1.DE), which is part-owned by Etihad, plus taking over Brussels Airlines. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-lufthansa-etihad-idUSKBN151100 Back to Top United Airlines flight from San Diego to Denver swept by FBI, TSA after 'threat'; nothing found DENVER - A United Airlines flight to Denver from San Diego was checked out by Denver police and FBI agents after the pilot reported a possible security threat mid-flight Monday night, but the airline said nothing was found. United flight 231 landed safely at Denver International Airport around 9:20 p.m. and was swept by FBI and TSA agents, as well as Denver police officers. The airline said around 10:45 p.m. that the plane sweep had been finished and that nothing was found. It said the threat was "non-credible" and that passengers were being taxied to the gate. The airplane was parked on the east side of the airfield on the airport's taxiway. It is unclear what the alleged threat was that was reported by the pilot. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/united-airlines-flight-from-san-diego-to-denver- swept-by-fbi-tsa-after-mid-flight-security-threat Back to Top Minister urges aviation group to introduce Garuda flights to US market Transportation Minister Budi Karya Samadi granted awards to Garuda Indonesia flight attendants Vera (left, light blue uniform) and Ninik Septinawati (right, dark blue uniform). (Budi Karya Sumadi's Twitter/File) Garuda-Indonesia united-states aviation Aviation-competition Narita-Airport Shinzo-Abe Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has urged an Indonesia-United States joint aviation working group to help national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia to materialize its plan to serve the world's most lucrative travel market. "I strongly suggest the members of US-Indonesia aviation working group to keep finding the best way to facilitate Garuda Indonesia and US airlines to materialize Garuda flights to the US and the US airlines' flights to Indonesia," he said in an official opening speech on Tuesday. He referred to Garuda Indonesia's plan to fly to Los Angeles with a transit stop in Narita International Airport in Japan. It saw a potential yearly market of 400,000 passengers, especially from possible Los Angeles and New York routes. During Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Indonesia recently, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had also addressed the topic. Garuda Indonesia has recently been able to serve direct routes as the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) upgraded the safety status of Indonesian airlines to category one in August. (ags) http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/01/17/minister-urges-aviation-group-to-introduce-garuda- flights-to-us-market.html Back to Top FAA LEAVES GLIDER EXEMPTION INTACT The FAA has withdrawn an advance notice of proposed rulemaking that could have led to a requirement for gliders to carry transponders, a costly upgrade that would have driven many glider pilots out of the sky. AOPA opposed the change soon after the FAA issued the advance notice of proposed rulemaking in 2015, citing limited benefit and high cost. The FAA, after reviewing comments prompted by a 2015 advance notice of proposed rulemaking, has opted not to require gliders to carry transponders. AOPA file photo. The FAA published its withdrawal notice in the Federal Register Dec. 23, stating exactly that argument as the rationale: "The FAA is withdrawing that action because the limited safety benefit gained does not justify the high cost of equipage." AOPA FREE 6-MONTH MEMBERSHIP FOR STUDENT PILOTS No Risk-No Catch As AOPA noted in its 2015 comments, only three glider accidents between 2001 and 2005 (2.1 percent of all glider accidents) involved a midair collision, and only one of those involved an aircraft not participating in glider operations. AOPA reviewed NTSB data for the preceding decade and found no fatal midair accidents involving a glider and non-participating aircraft, and overall glider accident rates had been stable for many years, a trend that has continued. "There is no increase to point to that should result in a change to regulatory requirements for this niche of aviation, especially one that could have a large financial impact on a largely volunteer/club based operation, or is based on the false perception of an increased collision threat," wrote AOPA Vice President of Government Affairs Melissa Rudinger, in the association's 2015 comments. "AOPA believes the proposal for glider aircraft to be required to have transponders is an overreaction to an isolated 2006 event that does not point to a pattern or a systemic issue." That 2006 accident, a midair collision with no fatalities, involved a Hawker 800XP business jet and a Schleicher glider. The two aircraft collided at 16,000 feet about 42 miles from Reno-Tahoe International Airport, and the NTSB subsequently recommended removing the exemption that allows gliders to fly without a transponder. That NTSB recommendation led to the FAA publishing the advance notice of proposed rulemaking to solicit comment on the potential change. "Based on the information gathered from the ANPRM and a review of the current operating environment, the FAA finds that it does not have sufficient basis to move forward with rulemaking at this time," the agency wrote in its withdrawal notice. AOPA and the FAA noted the safety benefits of cost-effective anti-collision solutions, such as the Traffic Awareness Beacon System (TABS), and encouraged glider operators to equip. AOPA participates in several safety committees that are focused on avoiding collisions through education. The FAA Air Traffic Organization has made reducing VFR-IFR encounters one of its top five priorities for 2017. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/december/22/faa-leaves-glider-exemption-intact Back to Top EMB-145 Runway Excursion ( Amarillo, TX) Date: 16-JAN-2017 Time: 23:10 Type: Embraer EMB-145LR Owner/operator: ExpressJet (UAL) Registration: N14904 C/n / msn: 145477 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: None Location: Amarillo International Airport (KAMA), Amarillo, TX - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Houston Bush Int-ctl (KIAH) Destination airport: Amarillo Int'l (KAMA) Narrative: An Embraer EMB-145LR operating as ExpressJet Flight 4276 from Houston experienced a runway excursion during turn to taxi after landing at Amarillo International Airport (KAMA) in Amarillo, Texas. There was no airplane damage and there were no injuries to the passengers and crew onboard. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=192900 Back to Top Animal Activists Clash With Port Authority Over Coyotes At LaGuardia Airport NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - There's a controversy brewing over coyotes at LaGuardia Airport, pitting animal rights activists against the Port Authority. Every night since June, animal activist Frank Vincenti has waited hours into the night outside the airport employee parking lot on Berrian Boulevard trying to save a family of coyotes. "I would just conveniently chase them to those points and have them go through the fence and go into the woods so they were out of public view," he told CBS2's Tracee Carrasco. It started as a pack of eleven coyotes, but now it's down to just three pups. Cell phone video shows some of the survivors playing near the parking lot. Vincenti says the others have been caught and euthanized by the US Department of Agriculture. "I don't know how much longer they got," he said. "The people are pretty determined to kill them." In a statement sent to CBS2, a Port Authority spokesperson said "public safety comes first." "There have been multiple reports this week of coyotes threatening airport and Port Authority workers at an airport parking lot," the statement continued. Rose Ortega is an airport employee shuttle driver. She says the Port Authority's claims simply aren't true. "The animals are roaming around like any other animal would," she said. "They don't even acknowledge you, they'll pass by you, they don't even acknowledge you." The Port Authority says they're working closely with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. "If there is an appropriate sanctuary, we would work with DEC officials to relocate the coyotes," they said. Both Vincenti and Ortega say the coyotes are simply being killed. "To me that's cruelty," Ortega said. "I understand they're wildlife, they're wild, whatever. But it's not the way to handle things. They should have been re-located." Vincenti says he's found a coyote sanctuary that will take the animals, but the Port Authority has yet to take him up on that offer. A coyote expert tells CBS2 the pack most likely came from the Bronx. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/01/16/animal-activists-clash-with-port-authority-over-coyotes-at- laguardia-airport/ Back to Top Guess how many pilots does it take to fly 32 aircraft in PIA? Pakistan International Airlines has 522 pilots for its 32 airplanes ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Senate was told on Tuesday that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has a total number of 32 airplanes of which only 27 are operational, reported Dunya News. For these aircraft, PIA has employed 458 regular pilots and 20 cadet pilots, while 28 pilots are on contracts. Having said that, 17 senior pilots are positioned at executive duties in the airline company. In this way, PIA has a total number of 522 pilots on duty to fly just 32 airplanes. Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab revealed in Senate that instead of buying new planes, PIA has issued a tender notice in order to buy four wide-body aircraft and four narrow-body aircraft. Meanwhile, chairman Senate Raza Rabbani has personally summoned Aviation Secretary for spreading misinformation about suspension of salaries of aviation employees. http://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/370832-Guess-how-many-pilots-does-it-take-to-fly-32-aircr Back to Top Brazilian aeronautical company Embraer delivers 225 aircraft in 2016 Brazilian aeronautical company Embraer in 2016 delivered 225 aircraft to its customers, which accounted for the largest number of annual deliveries in the last six years, the company said in a statement released on Friday. The company delivered 108 aircraft for the commercial aviation segment, of which 90 were of the E175 model, 11 E190s and seven E195s and 117 aircraft to the Executive Aviation segment, of which 73 were light and 44 were large. In the fourth quarter of 2016, Embraer delivered 32 aircraft to the commercial segment and 43 to the executive aviation segment. The main highlights of the company in the last quarter of 2016 were delivering the 1300th E-Jet to Tianjin Airlines, China, the beginning of E170 operations in Russia with S7 Airlines, which has signed a leasing contract with GE capital Aviation Services for 17 used E170 jets and signing a contract with United Airlines to sell 24 E175 aircraft. In the executive aviation segment, the company highlighted the delivery to the Canada's AirSprint of the first two Legacy 450 jet aircraft of an order of up to 12 aircraft of the same model announced in July. Embraer is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial jets with up to 130 seats, with a hundred customers worldwide. (macauhub) http://www.macauhub.com.mo/en/2017/01/16/brazilian-aeronautical-company-embraer-delivers-225- aircraft-in-2016/ Back to Top Drone companies prepare to train pilots, expand opportunities Western commercial drone companies say they're preparing for growth, following a Federal Aviation Administration decision to relax remote-pilot standards. Brad Ward, president of Idaho-based Empire Unmanned, launches a drone to scout a farm field in April 2016. Ward and his company's co-founder will be teaching classes to build the pool of remote pilots at Idaho community colleges. Brad Ward, president of Idaho-based Empire Unmanned, launches a drone to scout a farm field in April 2016. Ward and his company's co-founder will be teaching classes to build the pool of remote pilots at Idaho community colleges. HAYDEN, Idaho - Officials with locally based Empire Unmanned will start offering classes soon through two Idaho community colleges to build a pool of pilots for the growing commercial drone industry. Western businesses using drones to provide an array of services, including imaging for precision- agriculture, say they are poised for significant expansion this season, thanks in part to the recent easing of regulations governing their pilots. Late last summer, the Federal Aviation Administration eliminated a requirement that drone operators also be licensed to pilot manned aircraft. The new rules allow those without a pilot's license to take a 16-hour course and pass a test in order to get a remote pilot's license. Empire Unmanned President Brad Ward will teach the first class at North Idaho College Feb. 11-12. The company's co-founder, Steve Edgar, will teach another course, with a date yet to be set, at Treasure Valley Community College. Ward anticipates offering courses every other month, depending on demand. "We'll be able to expand into other areas that were harder to find pilots to do the flying now," Ward said. His company has already added two employees who obtained a remote pilot certificate but previously didn't have a pilot's license. "There are lots of military vets who have spent hundreds of hours flying drones but aren't a pilot," Ward said. "We can hire them now." Ward said his company focused on precision agriculture prior to last year, when it tripled sales by moving into other sectors such as mining, engineering and structure inspections. "We're hoping to double or triple our sales this year based on last year's growth," Ward said, adding he anticipates growth this year in surrounding states such as Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Colorado and Utah. Ward said his company should better serve its clients this year thanks to an Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission grant to partner with the Boise company zData, Inc., on an improved data-management system. Data will be collected more quickly, and the software will make sure it transfers properly and any corrupt files are re-sent. Kirk Ellern, co-founder of the Reno, Nev.-based drone service Above NV, also plans to serve a broader area, covering 11 western states, thanks to the pilot-certification change. Ellern is optimistic his business will post a five-fold increase in business this year compared with last year, led by the mining sector. He said low commodity prices have slowed demand to use drones to monitor lower-value crops, such as alfalfa and wheat. "The first thing we're going to look at is to start hiring people," Ellern said. Ellern's company has developed software to evaluate rangeland using multiple cameras mounted on drones, quantifying the ratio of sage brush and other native plants to invasive plants such as cheat grass. His company intends to work with the Bureau of Land Management and University of Nevada, Reno researchers this spring to prove the concept, before attempting broader pilot projects. http://www.capitalpress.com/Idaho/20170116/drone-companies-prepare-to-train-pilots-expand- opportunities Back to Top Congressman renews push that could kill Iran jet deals Iran's plan to rebuild its airline industry A bill has been introduced in Congress that could curtail the jetliner deals between Airbus and Boeing and Iran, offering an early test for the incoming administration and the future of the Iran nuclear deal. Iran Air took delivery last week of the first of 100 jets it has ordered from Airbus (EADSF). The first of 80 aircraft from Boeing (BA) are scheduled to arrive in 2018. The badly needed jets will reconstitute Iran's decrepit commercial aircraft fleet, which has been languishing under decades of Western sanctions. Peter Roskam, a Republican member of the House, introduced a bill on Friday to initiate an investigation by the Trump administration's Director of National Intelligence into Iran Air and the nation's other airlines. If Iran Air or any other airline were to be found to support the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps or foreign terrorist organizations, the airline would be added to the U.S. sanctions list and be prevented from receiving new aircraft or U.S.-made parts. That would effectively freeze the sale of jets from Boeing to Iran. The legislation would exert little control over the Airbus aircraft that are already delivered, but the airline would not be able to receive spare parts for those planes, or receive any maintenance outside of Iran. If Iran Air received maintenance or parts outside of Iran, that provider would be barred from doing business with the U.S. market. Mahan Air, Iran's second biggest carrier, is still on the sanctions list for aiding Iran's military and is barred from buying Western planes and parts. A new Airbus delivered to Iran Air. Iran drops plan to buy A380 superjumbo Iran Air was removed from the U.S. sanctions list in January 2016 as part of an agreement to convince Iran to restrain its nuclear program. It opened the path for multi-billion dollar sales by Boeing and Airbus. That prompted an outcry from some lawmakers like Roskam, who said the Obama administration offered no proof that Iran Air had stopped its support of the Iranian military or designated terrorist organizations. Roskam and other critics of the sales say Iran Air was removed from the sanctions list for political reasons to complete the six-nation diplomatic agreement The Treasury Department, in a November 23 letter to Roskam, defended the nuclear deal and said Iran Air was cleared from sanctions after a review "of its activity to ensure" sales would be "consistent with our national security and foreign policy goals." Boeing's Iran deal won't prevent production cut The new bill restarts an earlier effort by Roskam. He introduced a bill with a similar aim last year -- the House passed it, but the Senate didn't act. Now Republicans have control of Congress and President-elect Trump has been sharply critical of the nuclear agreement. Boeing, which has said it has proceeded cautiously into a deal with Iran Air, has said repeatedly that it will continue to take its cues from the U.S. government. The company declined to comment on the Roskam bill. http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/16/news/ Back to Top Learn About New FAA Regulations for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems with Free Online Course from Embry-Riddle Register for Massive Open Online Course for sUAS Operators, which begins Feb. 6 DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - If you received a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS), or drone, as a gift this holiday season, or if you want to stay updated on the latest FAA regulations for these aircraft, Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University is providing a free, two-week online course-Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) - Key Concepts for New Users. Registration for the course is now open. The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) runs Feb. 6 to 19 and introduces novice sUAS users and seasoned aeronauts to numerous aspects of unmanned systems, as well as current and future applications. The MOOC also offers guidance on responsibly piloting aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS). This course is taught by a team of UAS experts, led by Dr. Scott Burgess, Associate Professor at Embry- Riddle Worldwide's College of Aeronautics. Dr. Burgess has over 30 years of aviation expertise in both military and civilian aircraft, including helicopters and unmanned aircraft systems. "This post-FAA Part 107 course will focus participants toward regulations, safety of flight and flight planning considerations," said Burgess. "We have an outstanding team of faculty with private, commercial and government sector experts teaching on topics such as UAS integration, regulation, international operations, safety and systems. We will also harness the power of social media so participants can interface directly with each other and faculty." Students will learn the basic elements of safety, and airspace definitions and regulations so those individuals using the NAS understand and use best practices for reducing the risk of collisions between aircraft when operating a sUAS. This popular course, previously offered in 2016, has been updated to include the FAA's new 2016 regulations (FAA Part 107) for sUAS operators. For more information and to register go to Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) - Key Concepts for New Users. You may also download Embry-Riddle's free sUAS Consumer Guide, designed to assists a wide variety of users, especially novices, to evaluate options for purchase, appropriate to their skill and experience levels, while introducing key metrics for future consumer sUAS comparison. For additional information on this and other specialized industry training online courses, please contact Gary Burke, Worldwide Director of the Office of Professional Education, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114.Email: training@erau.edu; Phone (386) 226-7232. About UAS at Embry-Riddle Embry-Riddle was one of the first schools in the nation to offer a degree in UAS and today has the nation's largest UAS degree program. The University offers: a Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Science at the Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona Campuses; a Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Systems Applications through the Worldwide Campus; a Master of Science in Unmanned & Autonomous Systems Engineering at the Daytona Beach Campus; and a fully online Master of Science in Unmanned Systems through its Worldwide Campus. Embry-Riddle is also a co-founder of the ASSURE Coalition (Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence), a Federal Aviation Administration Center of Excellence in Unmanned Aircraft Systems. MEDIA CONTACT: James Roddey, Director of Communications, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.; (386) 226-6198; james.roddey@erau.edu. ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 80 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering and Security & Intelligence. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus with more than 125 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and through online programs. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv. Back to Top Call for Abstracts of Technical Papers ISASI 2017, San Diego CA August 22 - 24. 2017 The International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) will hold their 48th annual seminar at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina from August 22 - 24, 2017. This year's theme is: "Investigations - Do They Really Make a Difference?" Abstracts of Technical papers are invited to address the theme in conjunction with other contemporary matters on aviation safety investigation, including recent case studies, new investigation methods and aviation safety trends or developments. For those interested in presenting a paper, submissions of abstracts are due by March 15, 2017. Abstracts should include a title and up to 300-word summary of the main points of the proposed paper. Please also include your name(s), affiliation, position, and a brief resume. Submissions, or any inquiries regarding submissions, are to be sent to: isasi2017abstracts@gmail.com The panel reviewing the submitted abstracts will consider criteria such as the quality of the paper for relevance to the seminar theme and air safety investigation. They will also endeavour to ensure that a broad range of topics are covered during the seminar. Decisions on the selected abstracts will be made by the April 15, 2017 and details on the required format of the final presentations will be issued at that time. Presenters will be required to submit their papers by July 15, 2017. Up to date information on ISASI 2017 can be found at www.isasi.org Back to Top ESASI SEMINAR 2017 - LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA The European Society of Air Safety Investigators (ESASI) will hold their annual seminar in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on the 19 and 20 April 2017. Further details, and previous seminar programmes, can be found at www.esasi.eu . ESASI would welcome proposals for presentations to be given during the 2017 seminar, which should last a maximum of 25 minutes with a further 5 minutes for questions. Presentations should address issues relating to air safety investigations; particular areas of interest are: * challenges faced by air safety investigators, * the environment, and culture, that air safety investigators operate in, * practical experience of applying investigation techniques, * new techniques to aid the investigation, * topical case studies. Details of proposed presentations should be sent to Brian McDermid, by 31 January 2017, at presentations@esasi.eu. The ESASI committee will select the presentations in early February 2017. Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH STUDY SURVEY My name is Ian Fyfe-Green and I am undertaking a Doctorate of Business Administration with the University of Portsmouth Business School. The aim of my research is to assess the impact of regulatory change on aviation risk management, with a specific objective to understand how best to manage this change without inducing error. As part of this research I have developed a survey that will help to answer my research questions, and I hope that around 1000 people across the aviation industry will complete these questions about their experiences. The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete, and consists of a number of questions on aviation, with a final question about the individual for context. Participation in this study is completely voluntary, and I neither need a name or any identifying details; all reasonable steps will be taken to ensure confidentiality. At no point will anyone be able to identify an individual from the responses to the multiple choice questions. If there are any questions about the survey, please contact me at my university email address of ian.fyfe-green@myport.ac.uk Thank you in advance for your valuable insights, I am extremely grateful for any assistance you can provide in facilitating the widest distribution, and in answering the questions themselves. The survey is hosted by QuestionPro, an independent research firm, to field your confidential survey responses. Please click on this link to complete the survey: Start Survey Best Regards Ian Fyfe-Green 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 Curt Lewis