Flight Safety Information February 17, 2017 - No. 036 Incident: Aerolineas A343 at Buenos Aires on Feb 15th 2017, rejected takeoff due to bird strike Boeing urges Congress to streamline aircraft certification process FAA Doesn't Do Most Aircraft Certification Work Russian, Egyptian airlines need to enter into flight operating safety agreements DIA-Bound Frontier, Southwest Planes Clip Wings Pilot who buzzed De Beque Canyon in fighter jet, snapping power lines, gets sued in federal court Small jet makes emergency landing at RDU after pilot smells smoke Virgin Atlantic experiment has pilots conserving fuel Researchers find that it's surprisingly easy Who's Brave Enough to Be a Test Pilot for Flying Cars? GE Invests $4.3 Billion To Build Next-Gen Jet Engines Taiwan Confirms Indigenous Jet Trainer Development Airline Brings Back Free Meals For Economy Class On Long Flights China's Juneyao Airlines finalizes $1.32 billion order for five Boeing 787s Watch over 100 satellites deploy at the same time for India's space mission Incident: Aerolineas A343 at Buenos Aires on Feb 15th 2017, rejected takeoff due to bird strike An Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A340-300, registration LV-CSF performing flight AR-1360 from Buenos Aires Ezeiza,BA (Argentina) to Bogota (Colombia), was accelerating for takeoff from Ezeiza's runway 11 when the right hand engine (CFM56) ingested a bird prompting the crew to reject takeoff at high speed (about 110 KIAS). The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron. A replacement A340-300 registration LV-FPV reached Bogota with a delay of 4 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground 34 hours after the rejected takeoff. http://avherald.com/h?article=4a500bca&opt=0 Back to Top Boeing urges Congress to streamline aircraft certification process A leading aircraft manufacturer is calling on Congress to streamline the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) certification process when lawmakers assemble an FAA reauthorization package this year. The FAA's certification process is meant to ensure that American-made aircraft and related products conform with U.S. safety regulations and meet the design standards of foreign civil aviation bodies. But the aircraft manufacturing industry, which contributes billions to the economy and supports millions of jobs, has long lamented that delays in the process can lead to massive profit losses and undercut their ability to be globally competitive. John Hamilton, vice president of engineering for Boeing's commercial airplanes, told lawmakers on Wednesday that getting FAA-certified airplanes validated with foreign aviation authorities should "be quick and efficient" but can sometimes take as long as 14 months. Boeing continues to be the country's largest exporter, exporting $56.8 billion worth of products and services in 2015. "This process is not meant to be a re-certification." Hamilton said during a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing. "A validation should be just that - validating that the FAA conducted the type certificate work to the standards of the foreign regulatory authority in question." The hearing comes days before Boeing is scheduled to debut of its first 787-10 aircraft, the latest and biggest model of its Dreamliner family. President Trump, who has been critical of the high cost of Boeing's Air Force One contract, will reportedly be on hand in North Charleston, S.C., to attend the rollout. Hamilton pointed to the company's other new product offering, the 737 MAX, which has been ordered by 83 different customers in 43 different countries. The FAA and Boeing, however, must seek approval from each of those foreign governments in order to deliver the aircraft. "This is a time consuming task and requires FAA resources and, more importantly, a strong working relationship between the FAA and foreign regulators," he said. "The aircraft certification service at the FAA can't efficiently complete these critical validation activities without support from Congress and a commitment by FAA senior leadership to make this work a priority." "Type certificate validation by other governments cannot be viewed as a secondary or lower priority function of the FAA," Hamilton added. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seemed to agree. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), ranking member on the aviation subcommittee, said that these "are not back burner issues," while committee Chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) said that the "the certification process has its problems." "As manufacturers design and build to meet these standards, they can experience needless and harmful bureaucratic delays, both internationally and domestically," said LoBiondo, whose district is home to the FAA tech center where certification research is performed. "These delays can be very detrimental to U.S. manufacturers trying to compete globally where every day of delay can mean real losses in both profits and jobs." Congress already took steps to help improve the aircraft certification process in 2012. Aviation legislation directed the FAA to assess the approval process; develop recommendations to streamline and increase its efficiency; identify the causes of inconsistent regulatory interpretations; and come up with ideas to improve consistency. Peggy Gilligan, associate administrator for aviation safety at the FAA, pointed out during Wednesday's hearing that the agency has also sought to resolve disputes that slow down certification by developing a communication board and creating a joint agency scorecard. But lawmakers have signaled that they want to go further: Last year's proposal to reauthorize the FAA included bipartisan reforms to the certification system. The language would have created a resolution process to automatically elevate any missed major milestones to upper management. It also would have required FAA to establish performance objectives and track certain metrics developed by the committee. That long-term reauthorization bill, however, stalled amid opposition to other parts of the measure and Congress ended up passing a short-term extension. But lawmakers will have another bite at the apple this year, as the FAA's legal authority expires in September. "Not to engage in the debate over the privatization of air traffic, but that is what caused these provisions to stall last year," said Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), ranking member on the full panel. "I would observe that certification, when the industry is polled broadly, is the number one issue." http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/319723-boeing-urges-congress-to-streamline- aircraft-certification-process Back to Top FAA Doesn't Do Most Aircraft Certification Work More than 90% percent of certification work on new aircraft and aircraft parts is outsourced by the FAA to the manufacturers themselves, according to a GAO report. Similar to the FAA delegation of airman certification authority to Designated Pilot Examiners, the FAA has been authorizing most certification work to be performed by employees of the manufacturers themselves through the Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program. Industry representatives approve and asked for more. "We have seen more delegation, and we thank [the FAA] for that," John Hamilton, VP Engineering for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told the House Subcommittee on Aviation on Wednesday. Michael Thacker, Senior Vice President for Certification of Textron Aviation, went further in asking the FAA for more delegation: "Overall, the goal of [Aircraft Certification Service] transformation must be to ensure that FAA lowers unnecessary barriers to incorporating safety technologies by fully delegating and utilizing ODAs." In some cases, the FAA delegates a certification test, but requests to observe the testing as it is performed by the manufacturer. Boeing's Hamilton told Congress that the FAA's observation of this certification work creates delays in the certification process. Boeing was fined $12 million through late 2015 to settle FAA investigations arising from the falsification of certification and repair paperwork, the Seattle Times reported earlier this week. In one case, a mechanic told FAA investigators that the mechanic did not use required inspection tools and had been entering false data into aircraft inspection records for at least seven years, the Seattle Times article reports. Concerns have been raised for years about the FAA's level of involvement and technical capacity to be involved in the certification of new aircraft. Following a series of fires that started in the Boeing 787's lithium batteries, an NTSB report said that the FAA provided insufficient guidance for manufacturers and FAA certification engineers on how to certify these batteries. According to the NTSB, FAA certification staff "did not recognize that cascading thermal runaway of the battery could occur as a result of a cell internal short circuit, [and] as a result, FAA certification engineers did not require a thermal runaway test as part of the compliance demonstration." The certification plan for the aircraft, including required compliance demonstrations, was written by Boeing and approved by the FAA. http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/FAA-Doesnt-Do-Most-Aircraft-Certification- Work-228501-1.html Back to Top Russian, Egyptian airlines need to enter into flight operating safety agreements On February 17, the Russian government approved the aviation safety protocol between Russia and Egypt MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/.Russian and Egyptian airlines will be able to perform flights between the two countries only provided that they complete an agreement on flight operating safety with a separate Russian legal entity. That is according to the draft protocol between the governments of the Russian Federation and the Arab Republic of Egypt on cooperation in the area of civil aviation safety, published on the website of the Russian government. Russian government approves Egypt-Russia aviation security protocol "Russian and Egyptian airlines will only be permitted to perform regular and non- scheduled flights from international airports of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the territory of the Russian Federation provided that those airlines have completed an agreement stipulating services on control over the aviation safety procedures being accomplished, with the Russian legal entity," the protocol said. According to the document, the Russian side may set up a separate legal entity that will accept the responsibility to exert control over aviation safety. The employees of this legal entity will be employed by Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, or Rosaviatsia. The legal entity will be able to exert control over the procedures of ensuring aviation safety regarding aircraft, passengers, cargoes, luggage, mail, flight catering and board supplies bound for the Russian Federation. Earlier on Friday the Russian government approved the aviation safety protocol between Russia and Egypt prepared by Russia's Transport Ministry. http://tass.com/economy/931525 Back to Top DIA-Bound Frontier, Southwest Planes Clip Wings DENVER (CBS4)- A Frontier Airlines plane bound for Denver from Phoenix never took off on Thursday night because it clipped wings with another aircraft. There are inconsistencies as to what actually happened because each airline is blaming the other for the incident. Frontier Flight 765, an Airbus 320, was set to take off from Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix en route to Denver International Airport when a Southwest Airlines plane, also bound for DIA, made contact with the plane, according to Frontier. There were 163 passengers on board and a crew of six. No one was injured but both planes were evacuated because of a fuel leak as a result of the collision. Frontier said it was assisting passengers to accommodate them on other flights and they would arrive in Denver about 50 minutes late. According to Southwest Airlines, the Frontier plane was pushing back when it made contact with Southwest Flight 4182 as it was taxiing. The NTSB and the FAA are investigating the incident. http://denver.cbslocal.com/2017/02/16/flight-bound-for-denver-clips-wing-of-another- plane/ Back to Top Pilot who buzzed De Beque Canyon in fighter jet, snapping power lines, gets sued in federal court Aspen man says he hurt his hands gripping his car's steering wheel so hard from fear Damage to the nose of a military-style fighter jet that buzzed along De Beque Canyon and snapped a number of power lines in May 2015.Photo courtesy of National Transportation Safety BoardDamage to the nose of a military-style fighter jet that buzzed along De Beque Canyon and snapped a number of power lines in May 2015. The pilot and passenger of a military-style fighter jet that buzzed along De Beque Canyon and snapped a number of power lines in May 2015 are being sued by the driver of one of several cars struck by the whipping cables. Stephen Centofanti, 47, says in a federal lawsuit that the "deafening and unexpected noise" of the cables slamming into his car - and the roar of the aging Aero Vodochody L- 39C jet as it climbed out of the canyon - caused a constant ringing in his ears. Additionally, the Aspen resident says he's lost dexterity in both hands after "gripping the steering wheel in a panic fearing for his life and the lives of his passengers" while driving westbound on Interstate 70. Centofanti said the jet appeared to be coming straight at him. Police did not report any serious injuries from the May 28, 2015, accident. Centofanti, a pedorthist who owns Bio-Performance Orthotics, sued pilot Brian Evans, his passenger Raymond Davoudi, and various businesses associated with the jet. Evans is a former pilot with the U.S. Marine Corps who specialized in "expeditionary warfare training" and owns Tactical Advantage Inc., which was shuttling the fighter- training jet to Alabama from Grand Junction, according to the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Denver. Damage on the Vertical Stabilizer of a military-style fighter jet that buzzed along De Beque Canyon and snapped a number of power lines in May 2015. "His hands hurt all the time," Centofanti's attorney, Alan Feldman, said of his client. "He can't even open a jar without pain." Neither Evans nor Davoudi could be reached for comment. Evans flew the jet into De Beque Canyon, venturing as low as 100 feet above the Colorado River at speeds topping 345 mph, according to a report he filed with the National Transportation Safety Board about two weeks after the incident. Evans said he was surprised by the power lines, in part, because he had been "completely outside," pilot-talk for being fixated on the scenery around an aircraft. "Evans and Davoudi decided to go for a 300-mph joy ride in a two-seater experimental classified jet fighter about 100 feet off the ground over the Colorado River ... barreling towards the Grand Valley Diversion Dam," the lawsuit says. The towers holding the power lines, however, stand 70-feet tall, according to the lawsuit. The jet lost its right aileron in the impact, the right wingtip fuel tank was sheared off and the nose cone was banged up, according to the NTSB report and photos filed with it. Evans put the jet into a steep climb out of the canyon and eventually landed back in Grand Junction. MAY 28, 2015 Plane clips power line near I-70 east of Grand Junction leaving vehicles damaged The cables whipsawed across I-70 and hit several cars, including Centofanti's. Evan's NTSB report gave no indication why he was flying low in the canyon on the sunny day. Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit flying lower than 500 feet in uninhabited areas except for takeoffs and landings. Rules for flying in the area of De Beque Canyon say aircraft cannot fly faster than about 285 mph when below 10,000 feet, the lawsuit says. The NTSB eventually found Evans had not done adequate preflight planning to know where the wires were located. The lawsuit also names two Tennessee corporations that own the aircraft and a Pennsylvania company that allegedly hired Evans to fly the 30-year-old jet. The case was originally filed in Mesa County before it was moved to federal court. http://www.denverpost.com/2017/02/16/de-beque-canyon-fighter-jet-pilot-sued/ Back to Top Small jet makes emergency landing at RDU after pilot smells smoke A small Learjet medevac plane made an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Wednesday night after the pilot smelled smoke in the cockpit. MORRISVILLE, N.C. - A small Learjet medevac plane made an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Wednesday night after the pilot smelled smoke in the cockpit. RDU officials said the pilot landed the plane safely around 11:30 p.m. at the Triangle airport to be checked out by a mechanic. Five people were on board the flight from Montreal to Ft. Lauderdale. A mechanic checked the plane, and no smoke was found on board. Police were at the airport when the plane landed for customs purposes because it was an international flight. None of the five people on board the flight were injured. http://www.wral.com/small-jet-makes-emergency-landing-at-rdu-after-pilot-smells- smoke/16532667/ Back to Top Virgin Atlantic experiment has pilots conserving fuel Researchers find that it's surprisingly easy to motivate pilots to meet fuel-saving targets. Airplanes image graphic Air travel has soared in recent years, and all those flights create global warming pollution. By saving fuel, pilots can help reduce emissions ... and research shows they're easily motivated to do so. To reduce fuel without compromising safety, pilots can avoid over-fueling, adjust speed and altitude, and shut down extra engines while taxiing. Grosnell: "So we approached Virgin Atlantic with an idea that could improve environmental efficiency and also maximize airlines' profits." That's Greer Grosnell of the London School of Economics. She says that Virgin Atlantic pilots were divided into four groups. A control group received information about the study, but no other support. Other pilots got data about their fuel use. Some were given goals and encouragement. And the last group had an incentive: money would go to charity if they met their fuel-saving targets. The pilots who received goals saved the most fuel. And those also given a charitable incentive reported better job satisfaction. But all the groups cut back on fuel ... even the control. Knowing their efficiency was being monitored led to drastic improvements in fuel efficiency. CLICK TO Grosnell: "Simply knowing their efficiency was being monitored led to drastic improvements in fuel efficiency." That, she hopes, is a lesson other airlines can learn from. http://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2017/02/virgin-atlantic-experiment-has-pilots- conserving-fuel/ Back to Top Who's Brave Enough to Be a Test Pilot for Flying Cars? They're still years off, but airborne automobiles are inching toward reality-and the companies building them are looking for pilots. AeroMobil's flying car, actually flying. Before anything goes on offer to the public, it needs to be thoroughly tested. Trouble is, when you're building a flying car, you might struggle to find people brave enough. While the idea of airborne automobiles has hovered around for decades, there's currently a very distinct buzz about the prospect. Last year, for instance, Uber seemed to lay out serious plans to build out an on-demand urban aviation system within the next five to 10 years. That sounds ambitious, but Uber is not alone in liking the idea of personal aerial transit. This week, Dubai's Roads and Transportation Agency announced that it plans to roll out single-passenger autonomous drones to ferry people around the city as soon as this July. It's not a flying car, sure-but it's nudging in that direction. There are a number of companies trying hard to build the real thing. Take your pick from Joby Aviation, eHang, Zee.Aero, and Kitty Hawk, among others. The final two on that list boast Google's Larry Page as an investor. Even larger aerospace companies like Airbus claim to be committed to building the things. While companies such as AeroMobil and Terrafugia have demonstrated that they can build airplanes that can drive, a flying car is a rather more subtle and, well, car-like thing. And there are clearly numerous obstacles to building such a vehicle-not least creating a compact airframe fit for the road that can also accommodate the means of creating respectable lift and power in the air. And yet, however preposterous they may seem, these vehicles are-very slowly-edging closer to reality. That much is made clear by a series of new job ads: both Kitty Hawk and Zee.Aero are currently looking to recruit flight test engineers. In the case of Kitty Hawk, a private pilot's license is listed as desirable for the role. It also explains that the company likes to "design/build/test/fly in rapid iteration," so the ideal candidate will "be energetic, adaptable and a fast learner who can make sound judgments in safety-critical situations." Which sounds ominous at best. Speaking to the BBC about Dubai's drones, Steve Wright, an avionics researcher at the University of the West of England, explained that "the tricky bit is making systems that are resilient to failure, adding that he "would like to see the drone flying for at least 1,000 hours before I saw a human in it." Still, you know what they say: to make a flying car, first you must break some in testing. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603679/whos-brave-enough-to-be-a-test-pilot-for- flying-cars/ Back to Top GE Invests $4.3 Billion To Build Next-Gen Jet Engines, Open New Factories In The US The GE9X jet engine that GE Aviation is developing for Boeing's next-generation wide- body passenger jet, the 777X, is wider than the body of a Boeing 737 and more powerful than America's first manned space rocket. It's also a big deal for the company's business. Although the world's largest engine isn't scheduled to enter service until around 2020, the company already has recorded some 700 orders and commitments valued at $28 billion at list price. For the first time, the engine will include a variety of 3D-printed parts and the latest composite materials, including the light and heat-resistant space-age materials called ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs). Another new jet engine called LEAP, which was developed by CFM International, a joint venture between GE and France's Safran Aircraft Engines, has already started flying. It also holds components from CMCs and 3D-printed fuel nozzles. CFM has received orders for 12,200 engines valued at $170 billion at list price. To keep up with all this new business, GE Aviation needs the facilities to accommodate it. The company just revealed it invested $4.3 billion in the U.S. and another $1.1 billion abroad to meet production goals. A worker is cleaning a 3D-printed turbine blade at GE Aviation's Additive Development Center in Cincinnati. (Image credit: GE Aviation) The U.S. investments include $214 million to build five new high-tech plants, adding about 2 million square feet of new manufacturing floor space. The locations for the plants, some of which are already open, are Ellisville, Mississippi; Auburn, Alabama; Asheville, North Carolina; Lafayette, Indiana; and Huntsville, Alabama. GE Aviation also has upgraded its current plants in West Jefferson, North Carolina, and Hooksett, New Hampshire. Additionally, it created centers for additive manufacturing and other emerging technologies such as digital engine monitoring and CMC development. The LEAP was the first jet engine developed for passenger aircraft with parts from CMCs. To meet demand, the GE Aviation factory in Huntsville will make the raw materials for the composites and send them to Asheville for production. The plants will draw on expertise from CMC research labs in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Newark, Delaware. The company says this is "America's first fully-integrated supply chain to mass produce components from this advanced material." GE Aviation also opened an Additive Development Center in Cincinnati and a component production operation in Auburn, where more than 40 additive machines are mass producing commercial and military engine components. Although the bulk of the engine production will take place in the U.S. - GE Aviation employs 25,000 of its nearly 45,000 employees in the country - most of the engines will be exported to customers in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and elsewhere. The company says that two-thirds of its more than $25 billion in annual revenues comes from international sales. "GE Aviation is a global company with significant technology capability around the world," said Colleen Athans, vice president and general manager of the GE Aviation Supply Chain. "At the same time, we are introducing several highly proprietary technologies that are upping our manufacturing capabilities in the United States." http://www.manufacturing.net/news/2017/02/ge-invests-43-billion-build-next-gen-jet- engines-open-new-factories-us Back to Top Taiwan Confirms Indigenous Jet Trainer Development XAT-5 model on display At the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition in August 2015, AIDC displayed this model of what was then designated the 'XAT-5' advanced jet trainer (Photo: TADTE) Taiwan has finally committed to building its own advanced jet trainer, based on the Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF), instead of buying an off-the-shelf design. The long- awaited move was confirmed last week when Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) commander Gen. Shen Yi-Ming signed a contract worth approximately $2.1 billion with the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCIST), the government's own defense research and production agency. NCIST will in turn subcontract the airframe from the semi-privatized Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), which designed and built the IDF from 1980 to 1999 with U.S. assistance. NCIST will retain responsibility for the overall system, including ground-based training. The ROCAF will receive 66 of the new jets, designated the XT-5 and named the "Blue Magpie." They will replace a previous jet trainer produced by AIDC designated the AT-3, which entered service in the 1980s, and Northrop F-5E/F fighters. Both types are nearing the end of their service lives. The first flight of the Blue Magpie is scheduled for 2019, with deliveries running from 2020 to 2028. The decision is controversial. The ROCAF evaluated jet trainers produced by Korea Aerospace Industries (the T-50) and Leonardo (the M346). In 2014 AIDC signed an MoU with what was then Finmeccanica to buy 66 M346s for approximately $2.1 billion. Most of them would have been built by AIDC in its Taichung facility. But following the victory of Taiwan's pro-independence party in last year's general election, new President Tsai Ing- Wen pledged to boost the island's own defense industry. Leonardo reportedly reduced the price of its M346 offer by about 25percent, but to no avail. Early last year, a former director of AIDC who was known in Taiwan as "the father of the IDF" publicly criticized the plan to develop the XT-5, which will be derived from the existing two-seat operational conversion version of the IDF. Retired ROCAF General Mike Hua Hsi Chun said that it would be better to adopt an alternative proposal from AIDC, to produce a new version of the AT-3. Another prominent retired ROCAF general told AIN last week that he also opposed the XT-5 development, on cost and timescale grounds. He said that Taiwan should have waited for the outcome of the U.S. T-X competition, and then negotiated for licensed production with the winning American contractor. The additional cost to Taiwan of developing the XT-5 is likely to be about $1.5 billion. (General Hua died just days before the go-ahead for the XT-5 was given. He was honored in an elaborate funeral service last week that included flypasts by formations of the IDF and the AT-3. In addition to his stewardship of AIDC, Hua was noted for being one of the ROCAF's first cadre of U-2 pilots. In a joint operation with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency , Hua and other ROCAF pilots flew the spyplane over mainland China in the early 1960s.) https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2017-02-16/taiwan-confirms- indigenous-jet-trainer-development Back to Top Airline Brings Back Free Meals For Economy Class On Long Flights ATLANTA (CBSMiami/AP) - After dropping them years ago as a cost-cutting measure, Delta Airlines is bringing back free meals for economy class on some long domestic flights. Delta said Thursday it will start serving meals to all passengers on 12 long-haul routes over the next several weeks. Airlines took away free sandwiches and similar fare after two industry downturns in the decade of the 2000s. Delta was among the first to drop meals in economy, in 2001, and all the other big U.S. carriers did the same by 2010. Since then, the carriers have returned to profitability and gone on a spree of buying new jets and hiring more employees. But free meals in economy have remained scarce except on international flights and ones to Hawaii - American gives passengers a sandwich box on some flights to the islands, and Delta began offering free meals on Honolulu flights last August. On nearly all other domestic flights, passengers sitting in the main cabin have to schlep their own meals from the airport concourse, pay for one on board, or make do with airline pretzels and peanuts. Delta tested free meals on routes between New York and California last year. Lisa Bauer, the airline's vice president of on-board services, said customer-satisfaction scores were much higher on flights with meals. "People appreciate not being nickel-and-dimed on these long flights," she said in an interview. "We believe this will be a competitive advantage." Representatives for both American Airlines and United Airlines said their carriers were studying the possibility of adding complimentary meals in the main cabin. Seth Kaplan, managing partner of industry newsletter Airline Weekly, predicted that American and United will copy Delta's latest move because they don't want to give Delta any more selling points. "Most people won't shop primarily based on which airline includes a meal, and many won't pay more to fly one that does," Kaplan said. But for corporate and small-business travelers - many of whom fly in economy, not pricier business-class - "this stuff matters," he said. Atlanta-based Delta declined to say how much it will cost the airline to offer the meal service. Delta Air Lines Inc. can afford a few sandwiches and cheese plates. It had pretax income of $13.8 billion in 2015 and 2016, compared with $8.9 billion for American Airlines Group Inc. and $8.0 billion for United Continental Holdings Inc. over those two years. Delta said even passengers paying the cheapest "basic economy" fare will get free meals. Options include a honey-maple breakfast sandwich, a turkey combo and a veggie wrap. The airline said the service will start March 1st on flights between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and both Los Angeles and San Francisco. It will expand on April 24the to 10 more cross-country routes: JFK to Seattle, San Diego and Phoenix; between Boston and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle; Reagan Washington National Airport-Los Angeles; and between Seattle and Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. http://miami.cbslocal.com/2017/02/17/airline-brings-back-free-meals-for-economy-class- on-long-flights/ Back to Top China's Juneyao Airlines finalizes $1.32 billion order for five Boeing 787s China's Juneyao Airlines (603885.SS) has finalised a $1.32 billion order for five Boeing (BA.N) 787-9 dreamliners, part of a plan for new routes to North America, Europe and Australia over the next four years. The order represents the airline's first Boeing order and its first for widebody aircraft, the companies said in a statement issued late on Thursday. Juneyao said last month was planning on five firm dreamliner orders with an option for five more. The Shanghai-based privately owned company, which first flew in 2006, is one of several Chinese carriers aiming to expand internationally as growth in the country's outbound tourism market outpaces domestic tourism. Juneyao currently operates domestic routes or short-haul international flights to neighboring countries such as Japan, South Korea and Thailand. It agreed to join global airline alliance group Star Alliance as a "connecting partner" last October. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-juneyao-airlines-orders-idUSKBN15W04F Back to Top Watch over 100 satellites deploy at the same time for India's space mission India now holds the record for deploying the most satellites at the same time. India's space agency now holds the record for launching 104 satellites into orbit at the same time, while using only one rocket. As businesses continue to experiment with the Internet of Things, interesting use cases are emerging. Here are some of the most common ways IoT is deployed in the enterprise. Read More As reported by the Guardian, on Wednesday, February 15, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) used a single rocket to propel a 714kg satellite for Earth observation and 103 additional nano-satellites weighing less than 10kg each into space. The majority of the smaller satellites, called "Doves" by the owners Planet Labs, weighed only 10 pounds each. After reaching a height of over 500km, the satellites separated from the launcher at different times, angles, and speeds to avoid crashing into each other. A satellite was deployed once every few seconds at speeds reaching 17,000 miles an hour. The last record holder was Russia, which managed to deploy 37 satellites at the same time. However, India's feat has eclipsed this record -- and was achieved for only $73 million due to partnerships and low labor costs. India partnered with six other countries for the launch. The majority of the satellites were US-owned, although the publication notes three were sourced from India and others came from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Kazakhstan. You can watch the rocket in action below: Narendra Modi, India's Prime Minister, said on Twitter that the launch "is yet another proud moment for our space scientific community and the nation. India salutes our scientists." The PM also said that "Our space program is our pride." According to the chair of the space agency, Kiran Kumar, the feat was not aimed at breaking world records, but rather the team behind the deployment were "just trying to maximise our capability with each launch and trying to utilise that launch for the ability it has got, and get the maximum in return." The Indian space agency, with an annual budget of roughly $1.1 billion -- only 10 percent of NASA's -- is also eyeing planetary missions. It may take a few years to develop suitable rockets and equipment, but ISRO is planning to take a journey to both Venus and Jupiter. http://www.zdnet.com/article/watch-over-100-satellites-deploy-at-the-same-time-for- indias-space-mission/ Curt Lewis