Flight Safety Information February 13, 2017 - No. 032 U.S. Helicopter Accidents Decrease for the Third Consecutive Year Passengers jailed five days in China for phone use on plane Cabinet approves draft law imposing death penalty, fine for disrupting civil aviation (Bangladesh) Aviation takes baby steps toward sustainable fuels Falsified papers, sloppy work led FAA to fine Boeing Decreasing the mass of aircraft with polymer composites Spare Parts Shortage Grounds Many Marine Corps Aircraft FM to ask EU to lift ban on Nepali airlines Maltese register includes 220 aircrafts and 30 operators holders of a Maltese AOC Plane 'narrowly avoided' drone at 6,000 feet just north of London United Airlines Pilot Removed from Flight After Giving Bizarre Rant U.S. Helicopter Accidents Decrease for the Third Consecutive Year WASHINGTON DC - The U.S. helicopter accident rate and the fatal helicopter accident rate have fallen for the third consecutive year, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. The overall accident rate fell to 3.19 accidents per 100,000 flight hours in 2016 compared with 3.67 accidents in 2015. The fatal accident rate fell slightly to 0.51 accidents per 100,000 flight hours in 2016 compared with a 0.52 rate in 2015. However, the rate is down from 0.65 in 2014 and 1.02 in 2013. In raw numbers, there were 106 helicopter accidents in 2016, including 17 fatal accidents. That is a 12 percent decrease compared to the previous year and a 27 percent decrease compared to 2013. Total Total Fatal Fatal Accidents Accident Rate Accidents Accident Rate 2016 106 3.19 17 0.51 2015 121 3.67 17 0.52 2014 138 4.26 21 0.65 2013 146 4.95 30 1.02 "The FAA and the helicopter industry have worked together to educate the civil helicopter community about safe practices, to drive these improved results," said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. "The FAA and the industry also are taking an active role in advancing safety through new technology, collaborative policy changes and proactive outreach." The FAA and the helicopter industry have worked together through groups such as the International Helicopter Safety Team and the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team to prevent accidents. The effort is achieving success through a series of proactive measures: Creating a culture of safety - The FAA has encouraged helicopter companies and individual pilots to promote safety in the workplace. Efforts include establishing a system where anyone can report an unsafe condition without fear of reprisal, making every employee a champion of safety, and establishing safety training programs for mechanics, pilots and other employees. Cutting the red tape - The FAA issued the Non-Required Safety Enhancing Equipment policy in 2013 after consultations with industry. The policy allows operators and manufacturers to install safety equipment through a streamlined and less expensive approval process. The policy seeks to strike a balance between risk and safety through a "common-sense" approach. New technology - Both the FAA and industry are using technological advances to promote safer helicopter flights. For example, the FAA mandated that the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast system (ADS-B) be installed in U.S. helicopters by Jan. 1, 2020 if they intend to operate in busy airspace. ADS-B's satellite-based technology can provide three-dimensional information (latitude, longitude, altitude) about a helicopter's position, along with information about its direction and size, without the geographic drawbacks posed by radar. Collaborative rule-making - The FAA is working with industry representatives to ensure that newly- manufactured helicopters can help prevent injuries, post-crash fires and catastrophic damage from bird- strikes. Some manufacturers and operators are already voluntarily stepping up and installing the life- saving equipment. In addition, the FAA required in 2014 that certain (Part 135) commercial helicopter operators, including air ambulances and air taxis, have stricter flight rules and procedures, improved communications, training, and additional on-board safety equipment. FAA International Rotorcraft Safety conference - For the past two years, with industry's support, the FAA has hosted a three-day gathering focused on a variety of safety topics. The conference includes presentations about decision-making, fatigue, safe autorotations, protective equipment, a culture of safety, and first-person experiences. FAA News Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC 20591 Contact: Tony Molinaro Phone: 847-294-7427 Back to Top Passengers jailed five days in China for phone use on plane Commentary: In China, airplane mode isn't acceptable during flights. As more than one passenger recently discovered. This doesn't go down well on a Chinese plane. The science of whether cell phones affect airplane navigation systems seems muddy at best. Most people, though, have become used to setting their phones to airplane mode. In China, though, things are a little different. As China.org reports, three different passengers on flights between January 5 and February 6 were arrested for using their phones on planes. A woman named Zhang allegedly refused to turn off her phone during take-off and actually made calls during a flight. She was held in jail for five days. A second passenger named Niu was also detained for a cell phone offense but got only three days. The final passenger, whose last name is Wang, was perhaps the most unfortunate. This passenger -- whose sex wasn't revealed -- allegedly listened to music during take-off and landing. Wang also got five days, the maximum for a cell phone offense. Fines can also be imposed up to 50,000 yuan (around $7,265). Chinese authorities insist that all phones must be switched off during flights. They aren't convinced that airplane mode blocks all signals. Oddly, though, tablets don't fall under the same strictures as phones. There had been some official word that the phone rules might be relaxed last year. Instead, nothing appears to have happened. https://www.cnet.com/news/china-passengers-jailed-for-five-days-phone-use-on-airplane-mode/ Back to Top Cabinet approves draft law imposing death penalty, fine for disrupting civil aviation (Bangladesh) Cabinet has approved a draft law imposing death penalty and a fine of Tk 50 million for disrupting civil aviation. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved the 'Civil Aviation Movement Act 2017' at a cabinet meetingon Monday. The draft was approved on principle on Feb 29 last year. The penalties for different crimes related to aviation have been increased in the draft which will now come up for final approval. The draft is an updated version of the 1960's 'The Civil Aviation Ordinance', Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told reporters after the meeting. "Any action disrupting smooth operation of air crafts and jeopardising people's lives will be considered a crime," he said. The penalty for such action is death and a fine of Tk 50 million, said Alam . He clarified that the death sentence was added lately. Anyone breaching the 'Air Navigation Order' (license for operating aircraft) will be awarded five-year jail term or Tk 10 million fine or both. The secretary said, for misusing the light signals, which is a serious crime, the penalty is life sentence or fine of Tk 50 million or both. For carrying dangerous items in flights, the penalty is jail for seven years and a fine of Tk 5 million. The law defines 'dangerous items' as any object that is hazardous to health, property and environment. The items flagged by the International Civil Aviation as 'dangerous' fall in this category. The proposed law imposes seven-year prison term and Tk 5 million fine for entering Bangladesh's airspace illegally, said the secretary. Some directives of the International Civil Aviation have been incorporated in the draft, he said. http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/02/13/cabinetapproves-draft-law-imposing-death-penalty-fine- for-disrupting-civil-aviation Back to Top Aviation takes baby steps toward sustainable fuels An Airbus A321 aircraft using Biojet A-1 Total/Amyris, a biofuel produced from an innovative sugar- processing technology The air transportation sector is turning slowly toward sustainable fuels as part of the global fight against climate change. But adoption has been delayed due to a lack of incentives and low oil prices. "It's very urgent to develop these alternative fuels," said Michel Wachenheim of the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations (ICCAIA). "There is no reason to be satisfied with the situation." Despite an expected increase in airline traffic, the aviation industry is the first commercial sector to commit itself to limiting carbon emissions within 20 years, through a binding mechanism. But to achieve that goal, the industry must look at a variety of options. Even partially replacing jet fuel with sustainable biofuels can make an impact. That is one of the four options favored by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which convened a panel of experts on Wednesday and Thursday in Montreal to address the dilemma. Lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft, optimized flight plans, or turning off jet engines while on the tarmac also would help to cut emissions. But meeting the 20-year commitment will require widespread adoption of alternative fuels that produce less carbon emissions over their life cycle than jet fuel produced from petroleum. The ultimate goal is to make a fuel-equivalent to jet fuel, but those processes still are under development or at an early stage of industrial production. Hydro-treated oils, a process of converting gases into hydrocarbons, or fermentation processes such as the one being done by biotech Amyris with French oil firm Total, produce sustainable biofuels, according to the experts gathered at the ICAO. Starches and sugars These fuels are made from biomass such as starches, sugars, oils and lignocellulose-in other words, plants. The use of seaweed is still in the research stage. Nate Brown, in charge of the US Federal Aviation Administration's alternative jet fuel initiative, said more work needs to be done before reaching large-scale production. In addition to coming up with alternative fuels with "equivalent safety-performance," the costs must be comparable to that of conventional fuel, he said. A reliable supply is crucial for airlines, and proven environmental benefits also are key, he said. With prices for conventional fuel remaining low over the past three years, due to low crude oil prices, energy companies do not have an incentive to invest billions of dollars in new technologies. But even so, this year 25 airlines will operate more than 5,000 flights using jet fuel mixed with sustainable alternative fuels-up to 50 percent in the case of hydro-treated oils-on a trial basis. Industry officials say there also will to be a need for stronger political will world wide to encourage the use of alternative fuels. Gerard Ostheimer a scientist with Sustainable Energy For All (Se4all), launched by the United Nations, a higher price per tonne of carbon could be one of the levers that would push development of these biofuels. In addition, "We must put in place policies that reward (using) fuels with reduced carbon intensity." At their last triennial assembly, the 191 ICAO member states adopted a global mechanism for offsetting emissions from international aviation and the objective by 2035 of, at worst, maintaining emissions at 2019 or 2020 levels. https://phys.org/news/2017-02-aviation-baby-sustainable-fuels.html#jCp Back to Top Falsified papers, sloppy work led FAA to fine Boeing Boeing 777s, above, in Everett. Capt. John Cox, a veteran pilot, said he generally has a high regard for Boeing's safety commitment and was surprised to hear of errors. "This is not the Boeing way of doing business I've been familiar with." (MIke Siegel/The Seattle Times) Documents released to The Seattle Times by the FAA concerning a 2015 settlement with Boeing reveal a pattern of quality issues in aircraft production. Though Boeing paid $12 million in late 2015 to settle more than a dozen Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigations, details of the problems found by the safety agency were not disclosed at the time. Documents obtained this month by The Seattle Times through a Freedom of Information Act request show the cases revealed a disquieting pattern of falsified paperwork and ignored procedures that created quality issues on the production lines of Boeing and its suppliers. The FAA found that Boeing repeatedly failed to follow protocols designed to guard against production errors that put safety at risk. Some tasks were signed off as completed and checked when they were not. Other work was done without authorization. The result was multiple errors in manufacturing, some of which passed right through the system to airplanes in service. Boeing also failed to take corrective action in a timely way after issues were discovered, the FAA found. In one case, Air Canada ground crews in January 2015 discovered a 3-foot-wide puddle of fuel that had leaked from an engine pylon of the airline's first 787 Dreamliner after it landed at an unnamed airport. Leaking fuel around a hot engine is a fire hazard. An FAA investigation revealed that Boeing had noted the leak nine months earlier, before it delivered the plane, and had supposedly reworked the pylon at the Everett plant to fix the problem. A mechanic and a quality- control inspector signed off on the rework as completed. But as the FAA noted, this "did not represent work performed." In other words, the repair work hadn't been done. Even after this instance of leaking fuel discovered on a jet carrying passengers, Boeing's actions to prevent such an error from re-occuring were "unsatisfactory," the FAA found. The FAA investigations also reached down into Boeing's supply chain, where a more egregious violation was noted. In January 2015, a mechanic rigging a large 777 cargo door at a Boeing supplier was questioned about his work by an FAA investigator. The mechanic acknowledged that "he does not use the inspection tools required and enters false inspection data on the work order." "He admitted to falsely entering the data for approximately 7-8 years," the FAA letter of investigation states. Capt. John Cox, a veteran pilot and founder of Washington, D.C.-based aviation safety consultancy Safety Operating Systems, said this startling admission worried him far more than any of the inadvertent mistakes listed in the FAA investigation. "When you have a deliberate act, and a culture that condones such a deliberate act, that is of much greater concern from a safety standpoint," Cox said. "If the culture is, 'We've got to get it out the door,' and we start creating workarounds and normalized deviations from required procedures, that's a culture that it is far more likely to experience serious safety issues." Corrective action In addition to the relatively light fine in 2015, Boeing committed as part of the settlement to improve its internal quality oversight and management procedures. The FAA also put Boeing on probation for five years, subject to $24 million in additional penalties if it fails to carry through on those improvements. However, this is not the first time the FAA has found Boeing's manufacturing controls wanting. An intensive FAA audit in 2000 found "systemic" failures in the jetmaker's quality control processes - chiefly inadequate inspection and deviance from required manufacturing procedures. That earlier investigation shook up the company's relations with the FAA and prompted Boeing to add hundreds of full-time quality inspectors. Seventeen years after that audit, the 2015 FAA settlement represents a new shake-up as some of the same issues resurface. Responding to Seattle Times questions, Boeing defended its broad commitment to quality and safety, and offered specific responses to some of the incidents detailed in the reports. Boeing spokesman Doug Alder said, "None of these matters involved immediate safety of flight." He added that the settlement "reflects the FAA's recognition that (Boeing) has made a number of substantial improvements to its quality and compliance systems" following the investigations. "Boeing has worked with the FAA and invested significant resources to implement these improvements ... including enhancing management oversight and accountability," Alder said. As for the fuel-leak incident on the Air Canada 787, Alder said a subsequent audit determined that "this was an isolated event," and the company took "immediate corrective action" against both the Boeing mechanic and the Boeing inspector involved. Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said the incident was one of "the typical types of issues that arise when introducing a new aircraft type." Regarding the falsified supplier data in the rigging of 777 cargo doors, Alder said that after this incident, all 777 large cargo doors manufactured by that supplier were re-checked and met specifications. He added that Boeing's standard tests would in any case have detected any non-conformance in the doors before delivery. Nevertheless, he said the supplier's senior leadership had to present to Boeing a detailed plan to make sure it wouldn't happen again, and the mechanic who had been falsifying data was retrained. Fuel leaks, missing tools, crossed wires Other failures in quality workmanship cited by the FAA included: * After an FAA audit of 787 production processes found loose nuts incorrectly installed without a locking safety wire, Boeing's corrective action was found "insufficient to prevent further occurrences." Subsequently, airlines found heavy fuel leaks on 787s in passenger service, due to lock wire being either missing or installed backward. The FAA issued an Airworthiness Directive warning airlines the situation was "unsafe" and ordering immediate inspection of the same fuel connections on all 787s to prevent possible fuel fires. Following that directive, airlines found five more 787s with the faulty fuel couplings. Boeing says it has revised work instructions and employee training "to prevent this from happening again." * The wrong tool was used to rig a 777 passenger door, and was then discovered left inside the door after a flight. And another tool was found post-flight left inside the leading edge of a 777 wing. Boeing says it has changed procedures so that employees are required to check out and check in tools, and some are decorated with bright paint or with streamers "to increase tool visibility." * Wiring bundles "on numerous aircraft at numerous station locations within the aircraft" had wires that were excessively taut, or bent too acutely, or riding over one another with crossovers unprotected, or installed without sufficient clearance. Poorly installed wiring can lead to electrical shorts. * Composites were cooked at too high a temperature at Boeing's advanced composites center on Marginal Way. * Tubing was not installed per the engineering drawing in 777s. * Decompression panels in the cargo bay of a 787 were improperly installed. A constant thread throughout the catalog of concerns in the investigation documents is that Boeing production workers and quality inspectors signed off on work that had not been done. Rules were also violated through lack of a required paper trail. Every step in the building of an airplane is supposed to be copiously documented, checked and rechecked. Yet the FAA found that parts and assemblies were removed and reworked, then reinstalled "without documentation or quality authorization," the investigations showed. A culture of safety The FAA now has fewer on-site quality inspectors than it did 17 years ago and relies on Boeing to follow precise procedural checks to assure airplane safety. The safety agency's main role is to check that Boeing sticks to the required quality assurance processes. Under the settlement, Boeing must provide the names and addresses of individual employees found to have falsely stamped any work, so the FAA could potentially initiate criminal prosecutions of such employees - though that has never actually happened at Boeing. The settlement also addresses weaknesses in Boeing's supply chain. Boeing agreed to audit by last month a minimum percentage of its parts suppliers - the percentage was redacted in the documents the FAA provided - to determine if any are "accepting work that is not complete." As part of the settlement, the FAA said it agreed to limit the fine to $12 million only because of Boeing's "current and planned remedial efforts." Capt. Cox said he generally has a high regard for Boeing's commitment to safety and its system of repeated independent checks and so was surprised to hear of crucial details overlooked and failures passing through unnoticed. "First the worker and then a quality-assurance inspector both failing to address an issue such as a proper lockwire installation, this is not the Boeing way of doing business I've been familiar with - which is a culture of safety, a culture of procedural compliance," he said. Given the millions of individual tasks that go into building each of the roughly 10,0000 Boeing aircraft now safely flying around the world, Cox said "it's pretty self-evident that they have good solid procedures." Still, he added, "they are not perfect." "This audit found weaknesses and gives them the opportunity to improve. It sounds like the FAA did their job." http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/falsified-papers-sloppy-work-led-faa-to-fine- boeing/ Back to Top Decreasing the mass of aircraft with polymer composites How to decrease the mass of aircrafts An engine fan with carbon-fiber cover. Credit: Aleksander Babkin Members of the Department of Chemistry of Lomonosov Moscow State University have created unique polymer matrices for polymer composites based on novel phthalonitrile monomers. The materials are stronger than metals, which helps to decrease the mass of aircraft parts that operate at high temperatures. Scientists have published the project results in the Journal of Applied Polymer Science. A team of scientists from Lomonosov Moscow State University led by Alexey V. Kepman, a leading researcher, is developing structural polymer composite materials for production of vehicle components and structural elements for the aerospace industry, where material requirements are much higher, requiring high-performance polymer composites. These are made of a polymer matrix and a reinforcement material (filling agent) that remain separate and distinct within the finished structure. For example, in carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP), carbon fabrics are used as a reinforcing agent while polyester or epoxy resins, bismaleimides, polyimides, and many other polymers comprise the matrix. A modern airplane-e.g. the Boeing 787 Dreamliner-consists of 50 percent polymer composites; a fighter aircraft like the Eurofighter consists of 70 percent polymer composites. Development of high-temperature polymer composites will replace existing metal engine parts (for instance, low-pressure jet compressor blades) or supersonic aircraft body elements. Chemists have applied a new approach to molecular design of bis-phthalonitrile monomers that are used as starting materials for polymer matrices. They have also developed materials with improved processing requirements suitable for cost-effective injection methods for CFRP manufacturing which is uncommon for most phthalonitriles known to date. Such methods produce high-integrity CFRP parts of complex shape with minimal junction of elements. One kilogram of titanium or aluminum alloy is currently much cheaper than the same amount of polymer composite. However, according to researcher Boris Bulgakov, production and maintenance of large complex shape parts made of polymer composites is vastly cheaper. Cost effectiveness is derived from a significant decrease of labor requirements for the assembly process and a high level of integrity of the resulting carbon fiber structures. Boris Bulgakov explains, "For instance, a wing made of polymer composites is assembled by the junction of 10 elements and a metal wing made of 100 elements. This means that construction of a metal wing costs more. Moreover, strength of CFRP is six to eight times higher than that of aluminum, and at the same time, CFRP density is 1.5 times lower." Polymer composites are widely used for production of premium automobiles, Formula-1 racing bolides, airplanes and spacecraft. Weight decrease in airplanes results in increased fuel economy and aircraft useful load. Thus, the production cost of polymer composites is compensated by a reduction of fuel consumption and an increase in cargo capacity. Additionally, polymer composites are less expensive to maintain since they are not susceptible to corrosion. https://phys.org/news/2017-02-decreasing-mass-aircraft-polymer-composites.html#jCp Back to Top Spare Parts Shortage Grounds Many Marine Corps Aircraft At the end of 2016, the Marine Corps had 1,065 aircraft on flight lines around the world, ranging from small attack helicopters to C-130 transport planes. Of those, only 439 are considered ready to fly as is. The remaining aircraft, nearly 60 percent of the total, are considered temporarily non-mission capable, either awaiting maintenance, in-service repair or supply, meaning they are lacking the parts they need to be operational. And as the Corps works to claw back readiness and increase pilot flight hours from postwar lows in 2014, it's the spare parts issue that has the service's top aviator most concerned. Speaking to reporters this week, Lt. Gen. Jon "Dog" Davis, deputy commandant for aviation, said aircraft maintainers are still sometimes resorting to cannibalization, or borrowing parts from working aircraft to make other planes operational. He made his concern clear in a wish list to Congress that each service recently submitted in anticipation of a forthcoming supplemental defense budget for this year. "On my unfunded priority list, one of the biggest things we've been banging the drum about is the need to refill our coffers on our supply parts," he said. "It's a big problem both for the new airplanes and the old ones." Among the Marine Corps' most used fighters, rotorcraft and transports, the problem is universal. Of aircraft that are in-reporting but can't fly, the percentage of those down for parts is as follows, Davis said: 61 percent of AV-8B Harriers 50 percent of MV-22 Ospreys 56 percent of CH-53E Super Stallions 64 percent of C-130 Hercules ~55 percent of F/A-18 Hornets For the Hornet, which has been particularly troubled by readiness issues, 29 percent of all 171 aircraft in reporting are down for supply, Davis said. "The one thing that is holding the man down on every platform is not-mission-capable supply," Davis said. "By every type/model/series, it's a contributor to why that airplane might not be available for flying." The Corps is still about 150 aircraft shy of the number of ready basic aircraft it needs to allow all aviators to meet their flight hour goals, a key requirement for both proficiency and safety. The Marine Corps Hornet community, which sustained seven crashes in the last fifteen months with three pilot fatalities, is about 20 aircraft shy of what it needs to make flight hour goals, with 72 ready basic aircraft out of the 171 in reporting, Davis said. While the aircraft readiness crisis has had minimal impact on deployments and forward operations up until now, the Corps did recently pull half its MV-22 Ospreys back from its forward-deployed crisis response task force for Africa, reducing the presence in theater from 12 aircraft to six. "We couldn't sustain them," Assistant Commandant Gen. Glenn Walters told lawmakers in a hearing this week. "The requirement was still there, but we couldn't sustain it." Davis said the Marine Corps is on track to make pilot flight hour goals by 2019. It will be the first time the service has hit that marker since 2012. "If I'm a businessman, I'm underwater right now, because I don't have enough power tools to make my flight hour goal," he said. http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/02/10/spare-parts-shortage-grounds-most-marine-corps- aircraft.html Back to Top FM to ask EU to lift ban on Nepali airlines KATHMANDU, Feb 13: Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat has said that he would ask the European Union (EU) leaders to remove a ban on Nepali airlines in the EU skies. Addressing a news conference at his office before heading for Brussels on Sunday, Minister Mahat said he would take up the issue during his meetings with senior European Commission (EC) officials in Brussels as Nepal is already close to meeting the basic minimum air safety standards as stipulated by the by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The global aviation safety standard of ICAO requires 60 percent score in implemantation of its eight critical indicators and the score required for the Asia-Pacific region is 59 percent. Minister Mahat said Nepal scores 58.4 percent and he would ask EU officials to consider removing the ban on Nepali airlines. Although Nepal has lately introduced a slew of measures to improve its air safety stadard, the EU ban on Nepali airlines continues to remain in place. Tourism entrepreneurs have maintained that the EU ban on Nepali airlines has negatively affected Nepal's already ailing tourism industry. The EU ban, if not lifted, will affect the plan of Nepal Airlines to start direct flight to EU capitals including London in the near future. Minister Mahat left for Brussels Sunday at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Belgium Didier Reynders to participate in the International High Level Conference on Mediation: Possibilities and Limits of Recent Experience in the Pursuit of Peace scheduled for Tuesday. Foreign Minister Dr Mahat is scheduled to hold meeting with EC President Jean-Cloude Juncker and EC High Representative on Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in Brussels on Wednesday. "I will hold discussion on further strengthening our bilateral relations and expand our relations in various sectors including in trade, tourism and investment. I will take this opportunity to further clarify about Nepal's constitution. Minister Mahat is also scheduled to visit Luxembourg and hold meetings with Prime Minister Xavier Bettle, Foreign Minister Jean Asselbron and Development Assistance Minister Romain Schneider. The meetings will focus on various issues of bilateral concerns including the expansion of trade between the two countries, investment promotion and tourism development. Mahat will also participate in a function organized by Non-resident Nepalis in Belgium and Luxembourg and hold interactions with the Nepali nationals living there. He is also scheduled to address an interaction -- Inclusive Democracy and Economic Transformation in Nepal: Prospects and Challenges -- to be organized jointly by Embassy of Nepal in Brussels and The European Institute for Asian Institute before his return home on Friday. http://www.myrepublica.com/news/14785 Back to Top Maltese register includes 220 aircrafts and 30 operators holders of a Maltese AOC Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Joe Mizzi said that the aviation sector is fast becoming a major contributor to the country's ever-growing economy. "A robust and modern legislative framework and straightforward registration procedure mean that Malta is now a recognized address for the registration of both corporate and private jets, with over 220 aircraft on its register and close to 30 operators being holders of a Maltese AOC (Air Operator's Certificate). This has all been facilitated through the very attentive and efficient service provided by the Civil Aviation Directorate of Transport Malta, which is the regulatory authority for all transport modes in Malta," Minister Mizzi said. During the opening speech of the 22nd European Aviation Authorities' Chief Medical Officers' (CMO) Forum, Minister Mizzi remarked that is indeed an honour for Malta to host such an event, not only because this is the first CMO meeting to be held in our country, but because it also coincides with Malta's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which in itself makes it even more memorable. Minister Mizzi said that during a relatively short span of time, the island had managed to build a cluster of highly respected and well-recognized companies which have chosen to set up or alternatively base their operations in Malta. He added that the maintenance and repair sectors within the industry are also growing at a comparably fast rate. Today, Malta is also becoming a leader in a broad range of supporting aviation services, as it hosts firms catering for engineering services, crew training, communications, finance and legal services. With the worldwide aviation industry growing at a remarkably fast rate, Malta looks forward to continue expanding its already impressive aviation cluster by attracting more aircraft companies to set up their business in Malta as well as related ancillary services. "Moreover", the Minister added, "the Maltese government is committed to continue developing the aviation industry's research and development sector in order to permit the country to retain a competitive lead on a global scale." "Needless to say that new opportunities bring new challenges. The global growth of the aviation industry has meant increased dependence on air transport as the preferred form of transportation across the world. Furthermore, never before today has the aviation industry been faced with a bombardment of outside threats predominantly those involving safety and security issues. This in turn inevitably entails increased pressures and standards to ensure that the industry's human resources, particularly flight crew, not only attain the highest level of training and qualifications possible, but are mentally and physically fit to be able to carry out their work," he said. Minister Mizzi concluded by saying that the CMO Forum is the ideal body where the delegates' experience and expertise in the medical field can best be made use of in formulating submissions to regulatory bodies and hence making it possible for people who previously did not meet the required standard to start or continuing flying without jeopardizing safety. Information about the meeting: Two meetings are held in a year at six monthly intervals. The scope of the meetings is to give the opinion of the CMOs to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regarding health regulations, governing pilots and Air Traffic Controllers. This includes medical conditions and latest advancements in treatments. The ultimate aim is to further enhance safety in air travel. http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2017-02-13/local-news/Maltese-register-includes-220-aircrafts- and-30-operators-holders-of-a-Maltese-AOC-6736170310 Back to Top Plane 'narrowly avoided' drone at 6,000 feet just north of London, air safety report reveals During the incident, which happened over Potters Bar, the jet pilot said he saw the drone 'flash past' The drone was operated operated at an altitude that was beyond direct unaided line-of-sight (Photo: Getty) A drone "narrowly avoided" colliding with an airbus at 6,000 feet, an air safety report revealed today. The pilot of the A320 aircraft saw the white quadcopter drone "flash past", reporting to air traffic control that "something had just gone over the top of him". Another aircraft had just crossed above but the pilot said the object was red and white in colour, had red and blue stripes on two of the rotor arms and was under a metre in size. However, the report by a UK Airprox Board found no avoiding action was possible due to the lack of available time. The incident happened just north of Potters Bar, Herts., on August 15 last year. All drone operators are required to observe Air Navigation Order (ANO) 2016 articles which require a person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft to only fly the aircraft if reasonably satisfied the flight can safely be made, and not to recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. The pilot said he saw the drone 'flash by' (Photo: Getty) They must also maintain "direct, unaided visual contact" with the aircraft that is sufficient to monitor its flight path in relation to other aircraft. Airprox board members agreed the drone had been operated at an altitude that was beyond direct unaided line-of-sight, which was not permitted under current regulations without explicit Civil Aviation Authority permission, and that it had therefore been flown into conflict with the A320. The drone operator could not be traced. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/plane-narrowly-avoided-drone-6000-9805251 Back to Top United Airlines Pilot Removed from Flight After Giving Bizarre Rant About Her Divorce Over Intercom A United Airlines pilot was reportedly removed from a flight after giving a bizarre rant about her divorce and politics over the intercom, causing passengers to feel unsafe and exit the airplane. The pilot, who showed up late to the flight from Austin to San Francisco, first caused alarm by boarding the plane in her street clothes, according to passenger Randy Reiss. "I'm shaking right now. I just left my @united flight 455 'cos the captain demonstrated that she was not mentally in a safe space," he wrote on Twitter. "She got on in street clothes and asked if we were ok with her flying like that. We all said okay. Cute, right?" The strange behavior continued when the pilot began speaking over the aircraft's intercom, sharing that she was going through a divorce and turning the talk to politics. "Then she's like 'I don't care if you voted for Trump or Clinton. They're both a-holes,' " wrote Reiss. At that point, he was caught on video by another passenger gathering his belongings and leaving the plane. Reiss said "half the flight" followed suit. https://www.yahoo.com/news/united-airlines-pilot-removed-flight-183448946.html Curt Lewis