Flight Safety Information January 24, 2017 - No. 018 In This Issue Two killed in plane crash at Tucson International Airport Cargo flight slips from runway at Durango-La Plata County Airport Emirates' Dubai-Athens-New York flight violates U.S. aviation agreement, say U.S. airlines FAA reviewing complaint on snow removal at Cleveland Hopkins Airport Drone Tests New Tech to Help FAA Track Commercial Spacecraft CRASH TEST DUMMY GETS IT IN THE HEAD IN THE NAME OF DRONE SAFETY Gold bars weighing 7 kg found inside aircraft at Dhaka airport Putin offers domestic airlines incentives to buy Russian planes Improved Artificial Intelligence will allow pilots to control drone wingmen Boom completes wind tunnel testing, paving the way for supersonic airplane construction Taiwan Begins Upgrade of 144 F-16 Fighter Jets Boeing says aircraft orders 'holding firm' in Middle East Strata to use 3D printing for Etihad aircraft parts in project with Siemens University Research Study 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 GRADUATE RESEARCH STUDY SURVEY RESEARCH STUDY SURVEY Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship Two killed in plane crash at Tucson International Airport Two people were killed Monday when a small aircraft crashed at the Tucson International Airport. John Ivanoff, chief of public safety with the Tucson Airport Authority, said it appears the plane was taking off from the airport and was headed to Mexico before it crashed, skidded and caught fire. Ivanoff said the aircraft is a Beechcraft 300. Investigators are working to figure out who owned the aircraft. The identities of the two people killed have not yet been released. Officials are still waiting to notify family members. "Despite the fact that its been a few hours old, it's still in it's infancy as far as the investigation goes," Ivanoff said. Tucson News Now was able to find the control tower audio from moments after the plane caught fire. "Maintain one-seven-thousand. Fire! Hey, Two-Alpha-Kilo, I'll call you back," said the air traffic controller. Tucson Airport fire arrived at the scene moments after it happened. "I got units coming out of Alpha 13 headed towards this area. It looks like its going to be a minimum of 5 minutes delay. We've got responders everywhere on the field. let me know if you need an alternate route," said the air traffic controller. Ivanoff said the FAA is already on scene but the National Transportation Safety Board is the lead in the investigation. They will arrive to start their investigation sometime Tuesday. The rental car garage near the crash site was closed due to the smoke and chemicals used to put out the fire. Officials said it will remain closed indefinitely since it is now a part of the investigation. Commercial flights in and out of the airport, as well as other operations, were not affected. http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/34324424/large-fire-reported-at-tucson- international-airport *************** Status: Preliminary Date: Monday 23 January 2017 Time: ca 12:35 Type: Beechcraft 300 Super King Air Operator: Unknown Registration: registration unknown C/n / msn: First flight: Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Tucson International Airport, AZ (TUS) ( United States of America) Phase: Unknown (UNK) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: ? Destination airport: ? Narrative: A Beechcraft 300 Super King Air was destroyed after impacting a concrete blast fence near the main terminal building of Tucson International Airport, Arizona, USA. Both occupants were killed. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20170123-0 Back to Top Cargo flight slips from runway at Durango-La Plata County Airport No one injured; airport likely closed until Tuesday morning A twin-engine turboprop airplane slid off the side of the runway at the Durango-La Plata County Airport shortly after 7 p.m. Monday closing the strip to arriving and departing aircraft likely until Tuesday morning. Two men were aboard the cargo flight, a contracted crew for United Parcel Service, and they were uninjured. Interim Aviation Director Tony Vicari said he did not have their names. Vicari cautioned against speculating about what caused the plane to slide off the runway. However, the airport was reporting one-eighth of an inch of snow on the runway when the incident happened, about 7:06 p.m. "It would be easy to say it was the weather, the snow, but I don't know that, and you don't know that. It is up to the FAA to determine the cause," Vicari said. The plane, a Beechcraft C99, is sitting about 50 feet off the east side of the runway, and on Monday night, airport crews were in the process of determining how best to clear the disabled craft. The Federal Aviation Administration has been contacted, and the agency gave its approval to clear the craft, Vicari said. "To my knowledge, the plane did not leave the ground," he said. The airport did not have an estimate on how long the airport would be closed, but Vicari expected the closure to extend through Monday night. "We'll be working diligently to get the airport open Tuesday." The safety area surrounding the runway extends 250 feet on either side of the center line of the runway and 1,000 feet from either end of the runway. Vicari said an airplane in the safety zone, requires closure of the runway. An American Airlines flight scheduled to arrive at 9:15 p.m. was canceled. A United Airlines flight from Denver scheduled to arrive at 8:06 was listed as delayed, but likely canceled, Vicari said. In addition, a flight slated to depart to Denver at 7:35 p.m. was listed as delayed, but again was likely to be canceled, Vicari said. The storm while not unique for Durango did present challenges, Vicari said. "It was like any storm. Their were variable periods where it would clear. Then there were periods where it was more difficult to keep up with," he said. https://durangoherald.com/articles/131166-cargo-flight-slips-from-runway-at-durango-la- plata-county-airport Back to Top Emirates' Dubai-Athens-New York flight violates U.S. aviation agreement, say U.S. airlines An Emirates plane is seen at Lisbon's airport, Portugal June 24, 2016. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante Emirates' announcement on Monday that it would start flying to the United States with a stop for passengers in Greece sparked a strong reaction from a lobby group representing U.S. competitors who accused it of competing unfairly through state subsidies. The world's largest long-haul airline said it would start daily flights to New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport via Athens on March 12. Emirates was "flagrantly violating" the air services agreement that allows it to fly to the United States, said the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies, which represents Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) and other U.S. airlines. Accusing Emirates of "throwing down the gauntlet," the group said it would discuss the matter with the new administration of President Donald Trump to "protect American jobs." The Dubai-Athens-Newark route would be Emirates' second so-called 'fifth freedom' flight to the United States in addition to an existing daily Dubai-Milan-New York service. It also operates three daily direct Dubai-New York flights. Fifth freedom rights allow an airline to fly between foreign countries as a part of services to and from its home country. Delta and other U.S. airlines have accused major Gulf carriers -- Emirates, Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways - of receiving over $50 billions in unfair subsidies. The Gulf carriers deny the allegations. The Obama administration began informal consultations with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar on the issue, but no agreement was reached before President Obama's term ended. The group, which also includes United (UAL.N) and American (AAL.O), was always likely to try and block the new service before it starts, said Will Horton, senior analyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation. However, the U.S. carriers would have a hard time arguing the flight was damaging to their interests, given that U.S. carriers do not fly to Greece all year round, Horton said in emailed comments. He also said that the fact that Emirates was an important customer for U.S. planemaker Boeing (BA.N) would also work against the group. Emirates President Tim Clark said the Greek government approached the airline "some time ago" to start a flight between Athens and New York, according to an airline statement. Emirates airline embarks on 'modest restructuring' as growth slows Emirates has previously said it could fly to the United States from European hubs and in 2016 the Hungarian government said the airline could fly fifth freedom routes from its capital, Budapest. (The story clarifies status of Obama administration, US airline lobby and Gulf states on airlines.) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-emirates-airline-fifthfreedom-idUSKBN15716K Back to Top FAA reviewing complaint on snow removal at Cleveland Hopkins Airport CLEVELAND -- The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing a complaint from a Cleveland airport employee that raises concerns about problems with the facility's snow removal operations. The complaint filed this week on behalf of an employee at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport alleges that multiple violations occurred during a snowstorm on Dec. 30. The complaint includes a Jan. 4 email from Airport Field Maintenance Manager Robert Henderson in which he asked crew members for input in solving several problems that arose during the storm. Among those problems were that radios were on the wrong channel, not working or missing altogether and that the airport had to temporarily close due to poor runway conditions. City and airport officials tell Cleveland.com the FAA assured them there is no open investigation involving the new complaint. http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/cleveland/faa-reviewing-complaint-on-snow-removal- at-cleveland-hopkins-airport/388740676 Back to Top Drone Tests New Tech to Help FAA Track Commercial Spacecraft Partner Series Drone Tests New Tech to Help FAA Track Commercial Spacecraft Near Space Corp.'s High Altitude Shuttle System (HASS), a drone that carries new technologies to high altitudes for testing, was used to simulate the return of a spacecraft through controlled airspace. Credit: Near Space Corp. A drone that drops into flight from a high-altitude balloon is helping the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to test new technologies for surveillance of commercial spacecraft in national airspace. Near Space Corporation (NSC), a private spaceflight company that operates at the Tillamook Naval Air Station in Oregon, sent its High Altitude Shuttle System (HASS) into flight using a stratospheric balloon on Oct. 3. The unmanned drone, which regularly carries new technologies for in-flight testing, brought along a payload of equipment designed to help the FAA detect and track commercial spacecraft. The stratospheric balloon lifted HASS to an altitude of 70,000 feet (21,336 meters) before releasing it for a semiautonomous glide flight that simulated how a winged spacecraft would enter Class A-controlled airspace, which includes altitudes over 18,000 feet (5,486 m) and up to 60,000 feet (18,288 m). Near Space Corp. launched this high-altitude balloon carrying a drone with a special payload of new FAA technologies from an FAA test site in Tillamook, Oregon. Near Space Corp. launched this high-altitude balloon carrying a drone with a special payload of new FAA technologies from an FAA test site in Tillamook, Oregon. Credit: Near Space Corp. It took about 30 minutes for the drone to return to its launch site. During that time, the FAA tracked the drone to test its new surveillance technology. Although the results of this flight test are still being analyzed, plans for similar experiment are underway. This flight test made NSC the first commercial suborbital space company to fly under the FAA's new Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) rules that went into effect in August. Regulations now require drone pilots to have a special Certificate of Authorization (COA) for flying at high altitudes. "It was great to get this first flight with the new COA under our belt," Near Space CEO Tim Lachenmeier said in a statement. "It took a long time, and a lot of dedicated support from the FAA to get this accomplished. NSC is very excited about the opportunities this high-altitude UAS COA provides, and the unprecedented ability to support testing of technologies for the commercial space industry." NASA funded the balloon-aided drone flight through its Flight Opportunities Program, which supports the use of commercial suborbital vehicles to test new technologies. "Flight testing and advancing technologies needed by the FAA to allow detection and surveillance of future spacecraft while entering the national airspace is crucial for the Flight Opportunities program," Paul De Leon, NASA'S Flight Opportunities campaign manager, said in the statement. "The program is continuing to grow by adding new commercial suborbital launch vehicles as they become viable, which can increase opportunities for maturing technologies much needed for future space exploration." http://www.space.com/35383-drone-tests-faa-commercial-spaceflight-tech.html Back to Top CRASH TEST DUMMY GETS IT IN THE HEAD IN THE NAME OF DRONE SAFETY WHY IT MATTERS TO YOU The research may lead to safety recommendations that could see drones fitted with bumpers, enclosed rotors, and airbags. Keen to learn more about what happens to a human head when a rogue quadcopter smashes into it at high speed, boffins at Virginia Tech have recently been conducting a number of tests. Aware that using a real human head for their experiment would likely culminate in a bloody mess requiring several wet cloths and even surgery to clean up, the researchers instead called upon the services of an old favorite for such activities - the crash test dummy. Virginia Tech - currently one of several FAA-designated drone test sites that dot the nation - hopes its research will help the aviation administration to better understand the level of injury risk when it comes to using drones in everyday settings. If the gathered data is able to demonstrate the risk as low, or the researchers can offer useful suggestions on how to build safer drones, the FAA may be persuaded to relax regulations for companies interested in delivery-by-drone services, or perhaps to be more lenient when it comes to setting rules for flying quadcopters in particular settings such as urban areas or one-off events that attract large crowds. The researchers conducted their study by fitting the dummy with an array of sensors and filming the collisions using two high-speed cameras. The aim was to discover how much force was generated when a drone crashed into the dummy's head. Virginia Tech "I see this research as having two key pieces," said Mark Blanks, director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership that runs Virginia Tech's test site. "First, what is the risk of injury: how likely are these impacts, how hard are they, and are impacts at that level dangerous? And second, what can we do, from an engineering or operational perspective, to reduce that risk?" Going by the footage in the video above, you really wouldn't want one of today's remotely controlled quadcopters hitting your noggin at any speed. And then there's all those spinning blades to consider, a matter that singer Enrique Iglesias knows all about. However, the Virginia Tech researchers suggest that features built onto drones such as "bumpers, enclosed rotors, and airbags" could all help to reduce the risk of injury, although such additions would need to be extremely lightweight in order to avoid compromising the machine's performance. While drone design can certainly play a part in reducing injury risk in the event of a collision, improvement in machine reliability and the implementation of a safe and effective air traffic control system for autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles will also be important before the FAA considers relaxing regulations for some types of commercial drone operations. The collisions shown in the video highlight the first stage of the research. Additional tests will include dropping the flying machines onto the dummy from a height to simulate a mid-flight mechanical failure, and lab tests that offer extra control over impact scenarios as well as more accurate data measurements. http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/crash-test-dummy-drone-test/ Back to Top Gold bars weighing 7 kg found inside aircraft at Dhaka airport Customs officials at the Dhaka airport have found 60 gold bars inside the toilet of a Regent Airways plane, which flew in from the Middle East. Customs Assistant Commissioner HM Ahsanul Kabir said flight RX 724 from Oman's Muscat was supposed to land in Chittagong, but dense fog at the port city forced the pilot to land in Dhaka. "The aircraft was searched on a tip-off and 60 gold bars were found abandoned inside the toilet." He said the gold bars weighed 6.96 kg and that its estimated market value was around the 35 million. http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/01/24/gold-bars-weighing-7-kg-found-inside- aircraft-at-dhaka-airport Back to Top Putin offers domestic airlines incentives to buy Russian planes Russian President Vladimir Putin disembarks the Russian-made Tupolev plane at Khrabrovo airport, Kaliningrad. © Michael Klimentyev / Sputnik President Vladimir Putin has approved the idea to grant the best routes to airlines that include Russian-built aircraft in their fleet. "As for the most profitable routes, it's a nice bonus for airlines buying aircraft of Russian production," said the President during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. "To those companies that buy Russian aircraft, we will provide the necessary benefits, including profitable routes, as well as special incentives of an economic nature, including those related to the leasing of aircraft. We are working in compliance with the plan, and I believe that in the early spring we will be ready to report the first results," Rogozin said, as quoted by TASS news agency. According to Rogozin, these are flights to Russia's Far East and countries popular with Russian tourists. The problem is most acute when it concerns the long-haul aircraft, Rogozin said. "Eighty percent of our market is occupied by Airbus and Boeing. Some liberals will say that if a plane is good, they will buy it everywhere, but it is not true. Try selling Airbus on the US market or Boeing in Europe. There are always official and unofficial protectionist measures," said Rogozin. Research by Russian business media RBC in 2015 showed that most aircraft in Russia are medium-haul Airbus 320 (A320, A319, and A321). There are about 250 such jets in the country. The media added there are only about 130 long-haul aircraft in Russia, of which 77 percent are Boeing 747s, 767s and 777s. Only 24 percent of airplanes in Russia are domestically-made, and the number of relatively modern jets like the SSJ100, An-148, Tu-204/214 is even smaller - slightly over six percent. The rest of the Russian aircraft in the country are modifications of Soviet planes like the Tu-154, Yak-42 and others. https://www.rt.com/business/374797-putin-russia-made-aircraft/ Back to Top Improved Artificial Intelligence will allow pilots to control drone wingmen F-35s, F-22s and other fighter jets will soon use improved "artificial intelligence" to control nearby drone "wingmen" able to carry weapons, test enemy air defenses or perform intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions in high risk areas, senior Air Force officials said. Air Force Chief Scientist Gregory Zacharias said that technology was progressing quickly at the Air Force Research Lab - to the point where much higher degrees of autonomy and manned-unmanned teaming is expected to emerge in the near future. An F-35 computer system, Autonomic Logistics Information System, involves early applications of artificial intelligence wherein computers make assessments, go through checklists, organize information and make some decisions by themselves - without needing human intervention. "The more autonomy and intelligence you can put on these vehicles, the more useful they will become," Zacharias said. This development could greatly enhance mission scope, flexibility and effectiveness by enabling a fighter jet to conduct a mission with more weapons, sensors, targeting technology and cargo, Zacharias explained. For instance, real-time video feeds from the electro-optical/infrared sensors on board an Air Force Predator, Reaper or Global Hawk drone could go directly into an F-35 cockpit, without needing to go to a ground control station. This could speed up targeting and tactical input from drones on reconnaisance missions in the vicinity of where a fighter pilot might want to attack. In fast-moving combat circumstances involving both air-to-air and air-to-ground threats, increased speed could make a large difference. Drones could be programmed to fly into heavily defended or high-risk areas ahead of manned-fighter jets in order to assess enemy air defenses and reduce risk to pilots. SOURCES -Scout Warrior http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/01/improved-artificial-intelligence-will.html Back to Top Boom completes wind tunnel testing, paving the way for supersonic airplane construction Supersonic airplane startup Boom has just completed a key step on the way to building a production supersonic passenger jet; the startup finished its wind tunnel testing, verifying its first two years of aerodynamic design work and setting the stage for building the airframe that will eventually become the basis of it first flight-ready aircraft. I spoke to Boom CEO and co-founder Blake Scholl about the completed wind tunnel testing, and asked why this was such a big step for the startup. Scholl explained that this was a key turning point because it meant being able to move on to building large-scale hardware for testing with human pilots, but he also explained that even just a few years ago, this kind of milestone would've involved repeated wind tunnel trials through multiple physical model iterations over a drawn-out period of time. It used to be you do all your development in wind tunnel," Scholl explained. "Every iteration would take six months, cost millions - you'd better be a big company. But today, you can do aerodynamic development in simulation, where each iteration takes 30 minutes and costs almost nothing, and so you can do it with a tiny team. And then when you think you've got it right, you go to the wind tunnel and you verify rather than develop there." The changes in the cost of the development process are part of what is helping Boom pursue its goal of creating a Concorde-like supersonic passenger jet that can operate at costs comparable on the traveler's end to business class travel on regular planes today; Concorde tickets cost much more than that, and in the end operating the jets was simply too expensive for airlines. Scholl's goal isn't just to get supersonic flight down to business class prices; he foresees a time when they can bring costs down far enough that supersonic travel will be accessible to anyone who can fly today. Boom sees itself having a parallel trajectory with SpaceX or Tesla in terms of massively changing the economies of a transportation tech that at first seems out of reach, he told me. "It's the dividing line between development and being ready to build, so you do all of your testing and simulation initially, you think you have a design that looks like it's going to go work, and then you go to the wind tunnel and you verify with real air and real flow that you're seeing the results that you predicted in simulation and at that point then you're ready to go forward and start constructing large pieces of the aircraft." Scholl said that there was a "really awesome agreement" between the results predicting in software simulation, and the results that bore out in actual wind tunnel testing, with a few areas for improvements the team will work on before heading to the manufacturing stage. Boom has already revealed with its first aircraft, the XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator, will look like, but now it can actually start the task of building one that it can begin testing, which it expects to start in about a year. The Demonstrator will be a human piloted, 1/3 scale prototype of the eventual 45-passenger jet craft it aims to use for commercial service, with Virgin Galactic as its first paying customer for planes. https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/23/boom-completes-wind-tunnel-testing-paving-the- way-for-supersonic-airplane-construction/ Back to Top Taiwan Begins Upgrade of 144 F-16 Fighter Jets The upgrade is slated to be completed by 2023. The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) has begun upgrading its fleet of 144 Lockheed Martin F-16 A/B Fighting Falcon combat aircraft to the latest F-16 configuration, dubbed V for "Viper," according to local media reports. The first four ROCAF F-16s are currently undergoing refitting at the state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), Lockheed Martin's local partner in Taiwan, based in Taichung. Some of the aircraft will also be flown to the United States for retrofitting. Total cost for the upgrade of 144 combat aircraft, known as the Phoenix Rising Project, are estimated at around $5.3 billion. According to IHS Defense Weekly, however, the second phase of the upgrade project still requires funding. "If you review the original congressional notification, the program is valued at $5.3 billion, but the [Taiwanese government] balked at funding the whole thing upfront, so there's still a second phase of funding required," U.S.-Taiwan Business Council president Rupert Hammond-Chambers told IHS Jane's in May 2016. So far, $3.47 billion has been allocated by the Taiwanese government. The first four aircraft will be retrofitted by the end of the year. Originally, the first round of upgrades was to consist of ten aircraft. However, delays in software testing in the United States reduced the number to four. Approximately 25 to 28 aircraft will undergo modernization each year until 2023 (some sources claim the middle of 2022.) In October 2015, the first ROCAF F-16 fighter jet in its V configuration took flight in Fort Worth, Texas. The F-16V configuration is the latest and most advanced F-16 currently in service with air forces across the globe. All the ROCAF F-16 aircraft will be retrofitted with advanced avionics including a new flight management system, a new active electronically scanned array fire-control radar, an enhanced electronic warfare system, and helmet-mounted display system, among other upgrades. According to the Lockheed Martin website: The core of the F-16V configuration is an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, a modern commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)-based avionics subsystem, a large- format, high-resolution display; and a high-volume, high-speed data bus. Operational capabilities are enhanced through a Link-16 Theater Data Link, Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod, advanced weapons, precision GPS navigation, and the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS). The new AESA radar will enable ROCAF F-16 fighter jets to detect and engage stealth aircraft including the People's Liberation Army Air Force's (PLAAF) Chengdu J-20, according to Taiwan's Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan. The F-16V will also carry more advanced missiles, including AIM-9X Sidewinders. According to IHS Jane's, "based on a 75 percent operational rate as well as maintenance and/or other life cycle support - the ROCAF will have some 79 F-16A/Bs operational at any given time for the duration of the upgrade." Taiwan initially wanted to procure 66 new F-16 fighter aircraft from the United States. However, the Obama White House decided against it in 2011 and offered the upgrade instead in order to avoid a major rift with China. The new Trump administration could revisit this decision. http://thediplomat.com/2017/01/taiwan-begins-upgrade-of-144-f-16-fighter-jets/ Back to Top Boeing says aircraft orders 'holding firm' in Middle East UAE is a 'very strong' market for 777 and 777X, says Bernie Dunn US aerospace company Boeing is not expecting any delays or cancellations to its orders in the Middle East, according to a senior company executive. In December 2016, the US aircraft manufacturer announced a $16.6 billion (AED61 billion) 80 aircraft deal with IranAir which includes 50 narrow-body 737 MAX aircraft and 30 long-haul 777s, split equally between the 777-300ER, and the 406-seat 777-9. Subsequently, Iran's Deputy Transport Minister Asghar Fakhrieh-Kashan said that the deal was only 50 percent of the announced figure. "Our orders are holding firm. We are very happy about that," company president for Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) Bernie Dunn told Arabian Business in an interview. UAE airlines have ordered over 600 Boeing aircraft since 1997, including purchases and leases, and have another 560 confirmed bookings. Dunn revealed that one in every five 777s currently being manufactured is delivered to the Middle East, with Dubai's Emirates airline being the largest single Boeing customer. Boeing, however, said last month it will cut production of its 777 jetliner to five a month in August 2017, from 8.3 a month in December last year. "The production cut will not affect the delivery schedule in the region. We will, of course, fulfil our backlog with our regional customers," Dunn said. Emirates, Etihad Airways, and FlyDubai are among Boeing's major regional clients, having provided the company with its largest commercial aviation order for 777X aircraft at the 2013 Dubai Airshow. "They [UAE airlines] love that airplane... they wanted it go farther, carry more people and do more things. "The UAE is a very strong market for the 777, and it is only going to get stronger as 777X comes online, around 2020," he added. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/boeing-says-aircraft-orders-holding-firm-in-middle- east-660338.html Back to Top Strata to use 3D printing for Etihad aircraft parts in project with Siemens Strata_s manufacturing facilities in Al Ain. The company is working with Siemens to develop the first 3D printing process for aircraft parts. Abu Dhabi's Strata has tied up with Siemens and Etihad Airways to develop the region's first 3D printed aircraft interior parts. In the pilot project, Strata Manufacturing, owned by Mubadala, will develop 3D printed aviation parts for Etihad cabin interiors. Siemens is providing consultation on material selection, testing and process preparation. The parts will be made at Strata's manufacturing facilities in Al Ain and will in turn be certified by the design team of Etihad Engineering. "We see great opportunities for 3D printing as a disruptive force in manufacturing and expect it to play a key role in a globally competitive, increasingly digitalised industrial landscape in the Middle East," said Assem Khalaili, Siemens Middle East's executive vice president for industry customer services. If successful, the project will be expanded into the development of a three-year joint road map between Siemens and Strata for the further industrialisation of 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, for the production of complex airline parts on demand for customers in the wider Mena region, including training opportunities for UAE citizens. "Our goal is to deploy this technology on practical applications that will allow development of local knowledge building in various aspects of this technology that will lead to future innovations that can benefit the broader aerospace industry," said Badr Al Olama, Strata's chief executive. Strata last year won orders worth US$1 billion to make inboard flaps for Airbus A350-900 wings and the horizontal tail plane for the Airbus A320. The company also won a multi- year contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to make vertical fins for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner family. The manufacturer, launched in 2010, expects to break even during next year and is targeting annual revenue of Dh1bn by 2020. http://www.thenational.ae/business/aviation/strata-to-use-3d-printing-for-etihad-aircraft- parts-in-project-with-siemens Back to Top RESEARCH STUDY Dear Participants, You are being requested to participate in a research study on the use of controlled rest in position. This study is expected to take approximately 5 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must be at least a student pilot and at least 18 years old. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you may choose to opt out of the study at any time. The study is looking for consumers, student pilots, and airline pilots complete this short questionnaire. We appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2n9UeQunUJMvYPuTegn- t9mjxmxLMGLAX0qblfZmi2apQ8w/viewform For more information, please contact: Dr. Scott Winter swinter@fit.edu We appreciate your interest and participation! Dr. Scott R. Winter, Assistant Professor, Florida Institute of Technology Dr. Stephen Rice, Associate Professor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 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