Flight Safety Information March 16, 2017 - No. 055 Incident: Delta A333 at Amsterdam on Mar 14th 2017, rejected takeoff due to hydraulic failure Incident: Silkair B738 near Singapore on Mar 14th 2017, lightning strike Boeing 737 Birdstrike Su-30 Jet Crashes Into House In Rajasthan, Pilots Eject, 3 Injured (India) NTSB: Pilot circled runway, couldn't land before fatal Nome plane crash 'Sleeping' pilots worry airline regulator (India) EASA drawing up safety guidance over en route wake Why helicopters crash: fuel, pilot error and mechanical failure Safety board cites 'aerodynamic stall" in 2015 plane crash that took two lives T3 AVIATION GROUP EXPANDS AVIATION SAFETY OFFERINGS IN ASIA Drone operators outnumber any other type of Air Force pilot Engineering firm adds four drone pilots (Dayton, OH) Biofuels can cut jet engine pollution by half Position: Loss Control Consultant IATA - Flight and Safety Conference, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 24-26APR. Incident: Delta A333 at Amsterdam on Mar 14th 2017, rejected takeoff due to hydraulic failure A Delta Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N808NW performing flight DL-73 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Atlanta,GA (USA), was accelerating for takeoff from Amsterdam's runway 24 at low speed (about 70 knots over ground) due to the failure of the green hydraulic system, the aircraft vacated the runway via taxiway S2 about 1800 meters/5900 feet down the runway and stopped clear of the runway. The crew requested to be towed to the apron, however, after about 5 minutes continued taxi towards the apron. Upon entering the apron the nose gear steering failed prompting the crew to stop, the aircraft was then towed into the gate. A passenger reported the captain announced their green hydraulic system had failed causing the reject of the takeff. The aircraft vacated the runway and stopped, then commenced taxi towards the apron, but brakes were applied hard upon entering the apron and the aircraft stopped. The captain announced they had needed to apply emergency brakes as the nose gear had taken an uncommanded turn. The aircraft was subsequently towed into the gate, passengers disembarked normally. A replacement Airbus A330-300 was readily available in Amsterdam due to the winterstorm in the USA, that had caused flight cancellations. A replacement A330-300 registration N803NW departed about 3.5 hours later and reached Atlanta with a delay of 3.5 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4a6402cb&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Silkair B738 near Singapore on Mar 14th 2017, lightning strike A Silkair Boeing 737-800, registration 9V-MGM performing flight MI-749 from Phuket (Thailand) to Singapore (Singapore), was descending towards Singapore when the aircraft received a lightning strike. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Singapore's runway 20R. A passenger reported that the aircraft was descending through dense clouds when there was a sudden bang associated with a bright purple/white flash. A short time later the captain announced they had just received a lightning strike, but there was nothing to worry about, the aircraft was protected against such lightning strike. The aircraft landed safely about 15 minutes later. The aircraft was unable to continue its schedule however and is still on the ground in Singapore 43 hours after landing. Metars: WSSS 140500Z 21004KT 170V250 9999 FEW012 SCT015 26/23 Q1013 NOSIG= WSSS 140430Z 21006KT 170V250 9999 -RA FEW012 SCT015 BKN170 26/23 Q1014 NOSIG= WSSS 140400Z 22004KT 180V280 9999 -RA FEW015 BKN170 26/23 Q1014 NOSIG= WSSS 140330Z 23004KT 160V320 9999 FEW016 FEW018TCU SCT140 BKN180 26/23 Q1015 NOSIG= WSSS 140300Z 21005KT 180V280 9999 FEW018CB SCT025 BKN180 25/22 Q1015 NOSIG= WSSS 140230Z 21008KT 180V260 7000 -SHRA FEW014 FEW017TCU FEW018CB SCT025 BKN160 25/22 Q1015 RETS NOSIG= WSSS 140200Z 21005KT 180V260 4500 -TSRA FEW012 FEW016CB SCT017TCU BKN160 25/22 Q1015 TEMPO TL0300 TSRA BECMG FM0315 TL0325 6000 NSW= WSSS 140130Z 18007KT 120V230 9000 4000S -TSRA FEW012 FEW016CB SCT017TCU 26/22 Q1014 TEMPO TL0230 3000 TSRA BECMG FM0230 TL0245 NSW= WSSS 140100Z 06004KT 010V100 8000 VCSH FEW014 FEW017TCU FEW020CB SCT300 28/25 Q1013 TEMPO FM0120 TL0145 3000 TSRA= WSSS 140030Z 06004KT 8000 FEW016 FEW018TCU SCT300 27/24 Q1013 TEMPO FM0115 TL0215 3000 TSRA FEW012CB= WSSS 140000Z 09004KT 070V140 8000 FEW016 SCT040 BKN300 27/24 Q1013 TEMPO FM0100 TL0200 3000 TSRA FEW012CB= http://avherald.com/h?article=4a63fab4&opt=0 Back to Top Boeing 737 Birdstrike Date: 15-MAR-2017 Time: ca 06:48 UTC Type: Boeing 737-7K2 (WL) Owner/operator: Transavia Airlines Registration: PH-XRX C/n / msn: 33464/1299 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: near Berlin-Schönefeld Airport (SXF/EDDB) - Germany Phase: Approach Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: München-Franz Josef Strauss Airport (MUC/EDDM) Destination airport: Berlin-Schönefeld Airport (SXF/EDDB) Narrative: Transavia flight HV9513 from Munich to Berlin, Germany suffered a bird strike on approach to Berlin. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=194211 Back to Top Su-30 Jet Crashes Into House In Rajasthan, Pilots Eject, 3 Injured (India) The crater at the village in Rajasthan's Barmer where the Sukhoi 30 aircraft crashed today. JAIPUR: Three people were injured as a Sukhoi 30 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed near an air base in Rajasthan's Barmer this afternoon. Both pilots have managed to eject to safety, sources said. This was the third crash of Sukhoi - a frontal aircraft of the Air Force - in Rajasthan. The plane was on a routine sortie and was about to land at the Uttarlai Air Force Base, at a village called Devaniyon ki Dhani, when the crash took place around 2 pm. The fuselage of the aircraft landed on the hut of Narayan Ram, injuring him, his daughter-in-law Dalli and grandson Hanuman. The three, who sustained burn injuries, have been admitted in hospital. Omji Ujjawal, a police officer from the area who was the first to reach the spot, said Narayan Ram's family suffered "burn injuries due to the explosion and cuts and bruises from the debris". Altogether, half-a-dozen houses in the village and two motorcycles were destroyed. The villagers said livestock also came to harm - a buffalo was burnt alive and some goats were injured. The air force has ordered an inquiry into the crash. Last May, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said since April 1, 2014, the twin-engine Sukhois have been forced to land on a single engine on 34 occasions after facing engine problems mid-air. The operational reliability improvement programme is pursued regularly with Russian Original Equipment Manufacturer, he had told the Lok Sabha. http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sukhoi-30-fighter-jet-crashes-in-rajasthans-barmer-both-pilots-eject- safely-1669807 **************** Date: 15-MAR-2017 Time: afternoon Type: Sukhoi Su-30MKI Owner/operator: Indian Air Force (IAF) Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Shivkar village, Barmer district, Rajasthan - India Phase: En route Nature: Military Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: The fighter plane crashed after a technical malfunction. Both pilots ejected safely. Three persons on the ground were injured as a result of the crash. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=194206 Back to Top NTSB: Pilot circled runway, couldn't land before fatal Nome plane crash Alaska State Troopers say Thomas Grainger, 28, of Wasilla died in a plane crash near Nome on March 5. His Cessna 172 was found the next day. (From AST) The Wasilla pilot who died in a plane crash near Nome last week made several attempts to land on a snow- covered runway before his aircraft went down on sea ice east of the city, according to a preliminary report from federal investigators. The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report on the late-night March 5 wreck that killed 28-year-old Thomas Grainger was released Monday. Searchers found his wheel-equipped Cessna 172K the morning after the crash about 10 miles east of Nome. Investigators said he had flown nonstop from Wasilla, then tried to touch down at the Nome City Field Airport - a gravel runway about a mile from the larger Nome Airport - before turning back east, away from the city. Grainger's fiancee, who reported him overdue early March 6, told the NTSB that he had flown from Wasilla to Nome about 20 times "but usually in summer," the report said. It wasn't immediately clear Wednesday if Grainger had previously made the trip in winter. Just before Grainger took off from the Wasilla Airport at 5:10 p.m. March 5, she told investigators, she saw him pumping fuel into the plane and two fuel containers he put on board - just over 35 gallons in total, according to purchase records. "The actual fuel quantity for this flight is unknown," investigators wrote. Noreen Price, the NTSB investigator looking into the crash, said Wednesday that fuel was one of several elements under consideration as part of the pilot, mechanical and weather factors examined in every crash. There was no evidence at the scene that the fuel in the containers aboard the plane was being "jury- rigged" to feed the engine midflight, she said. "Nobody knew what his plans for those cans was," Price said, noting that some of the witnesses interviewed "believe he may have planned to use them if he needed to divert somewhere." The report also noted that Grainger was restricted from "night flying or color signal control" by his Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate. "His medical certificate said that he was restricted from night flying because he was colorblind, so he should not have been making a night flight," Price said. According to the report, Grainger planned to visit friends in Nome. He was flying using visual flight rules, but "instrument meteorological conditions" prevailed when he reached Nome. Grainger had planned to land at the less frequently maintained of Nome's two airports, based on FAA data cited by the NTSB. "Nome City Field Airport has no lighting and is not plowed in winter," investigators wrote. "About one mile to the west is Nome Airport, which does have runway and approach lighting and is fully maintained." Price said the Nome City Field runway was "covered in snow" when she visited to investigate the crash. Before Grainger tried to land, a friend texted him that the weather was "10 miles 600 over" - which Price said meant 10 miles visibility, but overcast with clouds at an altitude of 600 feet. A weather report from the Nome Airport about 20 minutes before the crash listed conditions as visibility of 10 miles and overcast clouds at 400 feet. "(Grainger) texted back 'Ok I think I can sneak in,' then he proceeded to make four visual approaches to City Field runway 21, as well as circling maneuvers in the area," investigators wrote. "He texted 'one more try' and after he couldn't land, he texted 'one more ok' before his last attempt. At (10:14 p.m.) he texted 'not happening' and departed the area." Nome Search and Rescue searchers found the Cessna nose-down on the ice, on the morning of March 6. Price said troopers were able to recover the Cessna's GPS receiver, and data from it showed that the plane had flown a total of 596 statute miles. The NTSB is still trying to determine the plane's potential range when it left Wasilla. "The range is very dependent on the power setting that the pilot used, and at this time we don't have that information," Price said. "We really don't know how much fuel he had on board or how he operated the engine." The NTSB hopes to examine the rest of the "badly damaged" instruments once the plane is recovered, Price said. The plane was still out on the ice as of Wednesday morning, according to Price. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/aviation/2017/03/15/ntsb-pilot-circled-runway-couldnt-land-before- fatal-nome-plane-crash/ Back to Top 'Sleeping' pilots worry airline regulator (India) * DGCA chief B S Bhullar has directed a review of the existing procedures. * The new ways will ensure that at least one pilot in the cockpit is fully conscious at all times and responds to calls from air traffic control (ATC). * At present, cabin crew have to go to the cockpit every half hour on long flights to check on the crew - basically to ensure that one of them is awake at all times. NEW DELHI: Alarmed at EU nations scrambling fighter jets for incommunicado Indian airlines twice in a month, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has called a meeting of Indian airlines this week to figure out how to prevent the recurrence of this phenomenon. DGCA chief B S Bhullar is learnt to have taken a very serious view of this and directed a review of the existing procedures. It will consider new ways to ensure that at least one pilot in the cockpit is fully conscious at all times and responds to calls from air traffic control (ATC). Both the scares over European skies are believed to have been caused as one of the pilots was taking controlled rest - sleeping as is allowed under rules - and the awake pilot did not respond to ATC callouts, leading to the scare. Top Comment rather than cabin crew going every half an hour practice can makes cabin vulnerable to terrorists ....rather call those idiots and wake them up. At present, cabin crew have to go to the cockpit every half hour on long flights to check on the crew - basically to ensure that one of them is awake at all times. But clearly now this requirement needs some tweaking. The DGCA had over two years ago recommended that two fully "conscious" persons should be inside the cockpit at all times, which means calling a cabin crew inside when one pilot is taking controlled rest, to make the place "more alert" and avoid any inadvertent action. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/sleeping-pilots-worry-airline- regulator/articleshow/57659413.cms Back to Top EASA drawing up safety guidance over en route wake European safety regulators are drawing up a safety bulletin centred on mitigating risks of en route wake- vortex encounters. But the measure is not directly related to a serious upset event in January involving a German business jet after a suspected - but so-far unproven - brush with wake turbulence, possibly from an Airbus A380 in cruise. The European Aviation Safety Agency initiative is being carried out in co-operation with pan-European air navigation organisation Eurocontrol. EASA tells FlightGlobal that the activity, started in the final quarter of last year, follows similar efforts to address vortex risk in the take-off and landing phases. It stresses that the scheme is "not specific" to the A380. German investigators are still looking into the 7 January loss-of-control accident in which a Bombardier Challenger 604 departed from its normal flight profile, rolling and descending, before eventually landing at Muscat having suffered substantial airframe damage. No conclusions have yet been reached on the circumstances of the event. EASA says it aims to publish a safety information bulletin in April in a bid to "raise awareness" and issue guidance and recommendations to counter the risk of en route wake. The bulletin is still being drafted and the initiative has involved analysis of previous en route wake-related incidents. EASA says the bulletin amounts to a "first mitigating measure" and will be addressed to operators, air navigation service providers, cockpit crews and air traffic controllers. "We are monitoring the risk through the Safety Risk Portfolio and will evaluate further actions as necessary," it adds. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/easa-drawing-up-safety-guidance-over-en-route-wake- 435183/ Back to Top Why helicopters crash: fuel, pilot error and mechanical failure Of three main causes of crashes, mechanical failure seems probable in Mayo tragedy Search for missing Coast Guard helicopter crew in Co Mayo: mechanical failure is the peril most feared by helicopter crews because of its severity. While a twin-engined passenger jet can fly on one engine, the failure of a key helicopter component often proves fatal. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill The three most common causes of helicopters crashing are pilot error, lack of fuel, and mechanical failure. The probability of pilot error being a factor in Tuesday morning's crash are extremely remote, given the enormous amount of training and practice routinely performed by Coast Guard crews. A fuel shortage is also unlikely given the sophistication of the engine management and warning systems on the latest Sikorsky helicopters. And if fuel was about to run out the crew would have been trained to put their machine down on the sea in a controlled landing and escape into the water. They were also drilled in the need to notify the authorities immediately they encountered any difficulties whatever. Sadly, the lack of a Mayday distress call, or even a less serious Pan-pan call to warn of a potential flight difficulty suggests a sudden and catastrophic mechanical failure occurred aboard R116 in the air off the coast of Mayo. No back up Mechanical failure is the peril most feared by helicopter crews because of its severity. While a twin-engined passenger jet can fly on one engine, the failure of a key helicopter component such as the rotor and rotor shaft, main gearbox or tail rotor often proves fatal. In no other type of flying machine is so much stress placed on single components. Backup helicopter available to Coast Guard Airliners, for example, are required to have what regulators call redundancy in vital components. This means that, as far as possible, there needs to be alternative methods of propulsion and flight control so that if one system fails, another takes over. Helicopters lack redundancy in most vital components. Although there may be two engines on a large helicopter, their power is directed to the main rotor through just one gearbox and one rotor drive shaft. An airliner can lose an engine yet continue to fly safely: there is no such safety valve in a helicopter. Giving the amount of power passing through them, and enormous stresses placed on them, gearbox failures are almost ubiquitous in the world's fleets of large helicopters and Sikorsky's experience has been no exception. It was introduced around the turn of the century with a price tag of $90 million (€85m) and proved to be a very safe machine until a 2009 tragedy en route to a Newfoundland oil platform killed 17 people. A gearbox problem was blamed. A gearbox problem was also the cause of an emergency forced landing in Australia in 2008 when all the gearbox oil was found to have leaked away due to a flawed filter. Black boxes Several S-92 helicopters operating in the North Sea were later found to have cracked gearbox mounts but the most dramatic recent mechanical problem was highlighted in an official UK air safety report published in January which described how a worn bearing almost caused a serious accident on an S-92 landing on a North Sea oil rig. All S-92s, including the aircraft which crashed on Tuesday morning, were grounded for an emergency inspection of the bearing. But the leaking gearbox oil issue uncovered in Australia in 2008 continues to cause controversy. Safety advocates say it may have also been at least partly responsible for the 2009 Newfoundland crash and they question why the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allows the S-92 to operate without proving that it can fly safely for a limited time in the event of a sudden loss of gearbox oil. When first certifying the aircraft, the FAA said that such a loss of oil is so unlikely as to be safely discounted. The Australian incident proved them wrong but the FAA has still to insist that Sikorsky modifies both the gearbox and its oil system. Meanwhile the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit will continue its search for the missing aircraft's black boxes: the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. The flight data recorder contains a digital record of the missing aircraft's last flight. It would reveal how the engine was operating and the power it produced, its height above sea level, and its speed and direction. Its digital data, fed into a flight simulator, will enable investigators to "fly" the doomed aircraft's last moments on a computer as they attempt to find out why it crashed. Answers But the flight data recorder may not hold all the answers: it will say what the aircraft was doing when it crashed but not necessarily why it fell out of the sky. The final report into the accident may take upwards of a year. Crash investigators will also need to recover as much wreckage as possible from the seabed. The condition of the gearbox and other transmission components will yield valuable information. If the gearbox is in perfect condition it will prompt investigators to search elsewhere for clues. If it is mangled they will want to know why. The cockpit voice recorder is often a surprisingly useful instrument for crash investigators. Sometimes the pilots' last words describe a flight problem which they cannot solve. A change in engine tone and unusual noises in the background often provide useful clues that have helped solve air-crash mysteries. Strange grunting noises made by one pilot before a 1994 US airline crashed were later found to have been produced as he strained to free the jammed rudder which , it was discovered, caused the accident. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/why-helicopters-crash-fuel-pilot-error-and- mechanical-failure-1.3010682 Back to Top Safety board cites 'aerodynamic stall" in 2015 plane crash that took two lives An "aerodynamic stall" and "total loss of engine power" have been identified as the probable cause of an airplane crash that took the lives of two 18-year-old Ridgefielders in September 2015. Catherine Depuy, the pilot, and Ryan Adams, the flight's only passenger, were both killed when the single- engine Cessna, rented at Hamilton Municipal Airport, crashed into a field in Morrisville, N.Y., on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015, at 12:51 p.m., about a half-hour into the flight. Both were freshmen at Colgate University in Hamilton. "The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and her exceedance of the airplane's critical angle-of-attack, which led to an aerodynamic stall, following a total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because post-accident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation," said a report issued by NTSB investigators. The board did not find any drug or alcohol use by the pilot. "The Medical Examiner's toxicology report for the pilot indicated the results were negative for volatiles, carbon monoxide, and tested drugs," the safety board said. The safety board provides the following analysis of the accident: "The private pilot rented the airplane for a local pleasure flight and departed the airport with full fuel tanks. The airplane had been flying for about 30 minutes and then began a series of turns with its altitude fluctuating between 1,900 and 2,100 ft mean sea level (about 600 to 800 ft above ground level) ... "Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any evidence of pre-impact malfunctions; however, damage to the engine and its associated components precluded a functional check of the engine. Additionally, there were no anomalies noted or reported with the fuel source that would have resulted in a loss of engine power. Although the environmental conditions were favorable for serious carburetor icing at glide power, it is likely the pilot was operating the airplane in cruise flight before the reported engine fluctuations." Amid a lengthy "history of the flight" section, the 11-page report offers further details and descriptions: "The airplane owner indicated that the pilot rented the airplane for the purpose of a pleasure flight. About 20 minutes after departure, he heard her announce on the VGC common traffic advisory frequency that she was over Colgate University, which was the last communication from her. He further indicated there was no distress call made by the pilot. ... "Witnesses who were located along or near the airplane's final flight path reported hearing an engine malfunction, that was described as 'spitting and sputtering.' Several witnesses also reported that the engine experienced a total loss of power while the airplane was climbing, then it restarted when the airplane was descending. The engine was heard to lose power again while climbing consistent with the altitude increase during the last two radar returns, but the engine did not restart during the subsequent descent. The airplane was then observed to pitch nose-down and then 'spiraled towards the ground.' One of the witnesses who was located northwest of the accident site and was on a tractor with the engine running reported he did not see any smoke trailing the airplane." The safety board reports on the pilot's previous flying experience, including in the plane that crashed: "A review of the pilot's logbook that contained entries from her first logged flight dated August 2, 2013, to her last logged flight dated September 2, 2015, revealed she logged a total time of 130.6 hours, of which 13.9 hours were as pilot-in-command (PIC). Of the 13.9 hours logged as PIC, 1.1 hours were in the accident airplane. In the last 90 and 30 days, she logged 14.1 hours and 3.4 hours, respectively, of which 2.9 hours were in the accident airplane. ... "The flights included practice departure stalls, approach to landing stalls, a power off stall from a left skidding turn, and several simulated engine failures; one of which culminated with a landing to a grass field. The airplane owner indicated that the accident pilot performed all the maneuvers 'very well.'" When the accident took place, it had been 35 years since the plane's engine had been overhauled, the safety board reported, and it had been about six months since it was last inspected: "Review of the engine logbook revealed the engine was overhauled last on June 26, 1980; the engine total time before overhaul was unknown. At the engine overhaul, new Slick magnetos were installed. The engine was installed at tachometer time 2,816, and had accrued about 2,059 hours since overhaul at the time of the accident. "According to maintenance records, the airplane's last annual inspection was signed off as being completed on April 8, 2015. ... The airplane had been operated about 55 hours since the inspection." Weather observations cited in the report came from Griffiss International Airport in Rome, N.Y., 22 nautical miles north of accident site. The report says "the visibility was 10 statute miles and few clouds at 3,800 feet. The temperature and dew point were 17 and 7 degrees Celsius respectively..." Seven degrees Celsius is about 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The safety board said "the temperature and dew point as reported at the time of the accident were favorable for 'serious icing at glide power,' " according to Federal Aeronautics Administration (FAA) standards. The safety board, however, said it was likely the plane was being operated in "cruise flight" not "glide power." The safety board didn't report problems with the fuel. "The airplane was last fueled on September 19, 2015," the report says. "According to fueler, both fuel tanks were filled with 100 low lead fuel to the top of each filler neck opening. The airplane had not been operated between the fueling and the departure of the accident flight. Fueling of planes at the airport the Cessna took off from were suspended "immediately after the accident" but the report said no problems with the fuel were identified. "Subsequent checks of airport fuel samples for specific gravity and contaminates did not reveal any anomalies. Further, there were no reports of fuel related issues from other airplanes that were fueled from the same source as the accident airplane." The report lists the lead investigator as Timothy W. Monville, and lists three additional participants in the investigation. The report was issued Jan. 31, 2017. http://www.theridgefieldpress.com/84654/safety-board-cites-aerodynamic-stall-in-2015-plane-crash-that- took-two-lives/ Back to Top T3 AVIATION GROUP EXPANDS AVIATION SAFETY OFFERINGS IN ASIA T3 ADDS ISBAO AUDITOR ACCREDITATIONS WITH MULTIPLE APPROVALS BANGKOK, THAILAND, March 9, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The T3 team has been awarded multi- discipline certifications by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), to include Fixed Wing and Rotary Wing Operations and Maintenance auditing approvals. T3 can also perform Gap Analysis and a wide range of technical consultations. These new accreditations and approvals will significantly enhance the service and support for Asian based aviation clients and operators throughout the region by having a team of Technical Experts at the ready and in the same time zones. "T3 is here to support the growth of business and commercial aviation in Asia and this is another innovative example of our ability and commitment to partner with industry stakeholders with safety as our top priority. Our team exudes a genuine passion for aviation safety and well-being." says Mark Thibault, Founder-Director of T3 Aviation Group. NOTE TO EDITORS Established in 2013, The T3 Aviation Group of companies, T3 Private Jets Asia Limited (Hong Kong), T3 Private Jets Management Limited Pte. (Singapore), and T3 Aviation Solutions Company Ltd., (Thailand) was established to become a leading aviation presence in the region, focusing on unwavering international safety standards, as well as impeccable client service that discerning international customers demand. T3 offers "Accurate Aviation Advice Always" consultancy services to include aircraft sales, appraisals and aviation audits, full aircraft management, charter services, and maintenance oversight. T3 is well positioned to provide clients all over Asia with personalized service. With decades of international aviation experience and expertise, the T3 team is passionate about aviation. http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/370142017/t3-aviation-group-expands-aviation-safety-offerings-in-asia Back to Top Drone operators outnumber any other type of Air Force pilot The military branch keeps adding to its unmanned fleet. While some might still think of joystick-wielding aviators as the stuff of science fiction, that's no longer the case. A top general told reporters last week that there are now more jobs for drone pilots in the US Air Force than there are for pilots of traditional manned aircraft. Specifically, the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones are set to have more than 1,000 pilot operators in the 2017 fiscal year -- that's more than the 889 pilots who fly the troop-transporting C-17, or the 803 flying F-16 fighter jets, according to Military.com. This isn't the first initiative intended to beef up jobs for qualified drone pilots, either. Last year, the Air Force started paying bonuses to keep pilots in the job, offering $10,000 more per year if they renewed their active duty status for five years. The military has also been increasing its use of drones like the MQ-9 Reaper for reconnaissance and missile strikes. More jobs means more reliance on these unmanned aircraft, with the Air Force moving to an all-Reaper drone fleet in the next year or two. The military branch intends to retire the older MQ-1 Predator next year, along with plans for eight potential bases to host new drone units in the near future. "I never thought I'd say that when I joined the Air Force," Lt. General Darryl Roberson said at the roundtable, referring to the high number of drone piloting jobs. "So we're really in a much better footing with RPA pilot production in addition to just getting the numbers up." https://www.engadget.com/2017/03/13/drone-operators-outnumber-any-other-type-of-air-force-pilot/ Back to Top Engineering firm adds four drone pilots (Dayton, OH) Engineering firm Woolpert has added four drone pilots to its workforce. A local engineering company is adding drone pilots to its workforce. Beavercreek's Woolpert has increased its pool of unmanned aerial vehicles pilots by four, the company said Wednesday. Kris Froiland, Ethan Schreuder, Joel Doughty and Rich Gerdeman join Woolpert's team of "Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commercial UAV certification resources," the company announced. Now the company has five UAV pilots, based at four of its 23 locations - Dayton, Chicago, Denver and Columbia, S.C., where the firm also is establishing UAV hubs. Woolpert was the first surveying and aerial mapping company to be approved to fly drones commercially in designated airspace, earning an FAA Section 333 exemption in December 2014. Aaron Lawrence, Woolpert's UAV technology manager, earned his license last August, the first day the certification was made public by the FAA, the company said. Woolpert said it is working on multiple drone projects, creating high-resolution representations of locks and dams to pipeline inspections to digitally preserving historic bridges to construction design monitoring for airport runways. That work will continue, the company said. "We are known worldwide for our mapping capabilities," Lawrence said in the firm's statement. "By increasing our fleet of UAS pilots, we can more expansively apply this expertise. It's all about what tool in the toolbox to use to meet the project specifications, and how to do it in the most cost-effective manner." Woolpert has 213 employees at its County Line Road headquarters and 609 total at its offices across the country. http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/engineering-firm-adds-four-drone- pilots/C9GpFkFP6ZHVrb0ImreA2H/ Back to Top Biofuels can cut jet engine pollution by half WASHINGTON: Using biofuels to help power jet engines cuts particle emissions in their exhaust by as much as 50 to 70 percent, says a NASA study. "We show that, compared to using conventional fuels, biofuel blending reduces particle number and mass emissions immediately behind the aircraft by 50 to 70 per cent," researchers said in the study published in the journal Nature. During flight tests in 2013 and 2014 near NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, data was collected on the effects of alternative fuels on engine performance, emissions and aircraftgenerated contrails at altitudes flown by commercial airliners. Contrails are produced by hot aircraft engine exhaust mixing with the cold air that is typical at cruise altitudes several miles above Earth's surface, and are composed primarily of water in the form of ice crystals. The tests involved flying NASA's workhorse DC8 as high as 40,000 feet while its four engines burned a 5050 blend of aviation fuel and a renewable alternative fuel of hydro processed esters and fatty acids produced from camelina oil. A trio of research aircraft took turns flying behind the DC8 at distances ranging from 300 feet to more than 20 miles to take measurements on emissions and study contrail formation as the different fuels were burned. "This was the first time we have quantified the amount of soot particles emitted by jet engines while burning a 5050 blend of biofuel in flight," said study lead author Rich Moore of NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. "Our observations quantify the impact of biofuel blending on aerosol emissions at cruise conditions and provide key microphysical parameters, which will be useful to assess the potential of biofuel use in aviation as a viable strategy to mitigate climate change," the study said. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/biofuels-can-cut-jet-engine-pollution-by- half/articleshow/57664797.cms Back to Top Grant Opportunity for Aviation Students to Attend CHC Safety & Quality Summit Dr. Peter Gardiner Grant Provides Financial Support Opportunity for Industry-Leading Safety Event Dallas, TX - March 13, 2017 - For the seventh year in a row, the CHC Safety & Quality Summit, in collaboration with Dr. Scott Shappell and Dr. Doug Wiegmann, developers of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), is providing aviation students from around the world with the opportunity to apply to attend the CHC Safety & Quality Summit at no charge. Students interested in pursuing this opportunity can submit an application along with a 500-word essay related to the theme: "Can we truly manage all the risk? What if the barriers aren't as robust as they seem?" The application and detailed information can be found by visiting the event's website at www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com. Applications are due by April 28, 2017. Dr. Gardiner was instrumental in helping shape the CHC Safety & Quality Summit through his contributions as a speaker and session leader. The grant carrying his name offers students pursuing studying for careers in aviation the opportunity to access sessions and courses led by industry experts while also building their professional network across the industry. The 2017 CHC Safety & Quality Summit will take place September 27-29 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center in Grapevine, TX, near CHC's global headquarters. For additional information on the Summit and the Peter Gardiner grant, please visit www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com. About CHC CHC Helicopter, celebrating 70 years of safety, innovation and service, is a global leader in enabling customers to go further, do more and come home safely, including oil and gas companies, government search-and-rescue agencies and organizations requiring helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul services. Learn more at www.chcheli.com. Contact Information SUMMIT Irina Sakgaev Safety & Quality Applications Specialist +1.604.232.7302 summit@chcheli.com MEDIA Cameron Meyer Communications Specialist +1.214.262.7391 Cameron.Meyer@chcheli.com Back to Top Function: Loss Control Unit: Starr Aviation Location: Can work remote Title: Loss Control Consultant Job Description: * Perform detailed Safety & Loss Control surveys at aviation, airport and manufacturing operations. Must be able to identify and evaluate work methods and conditions * Recommend corrective actions for deficiencies found during surveys * Provide methods to detect occupational health hazards and liability exposures * Assist in developing and implementing corporate, flight, aircraft maintenance and employee safety training programs * Assist in developing proper accident investigation procedures that will allow removal of casual factors and prevent recurrence Position Requirements: * Certified Safety Professional preferred * Able to speak Spanish is a plus * Safety Management systems training/experience preferred * Private Pilot's certificate desirable * In depth knowledge of FAA and OSHA requirements is a plus * Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills * Must have excellent interpersonal skills * Experience with MS Word and Excel * Ability to draft detailed reports in a timely manner * Must be highly motivated and able to work with minimum supervision * Must be willing to travel 50-60% of the time. Some International travel might be necessary. * Ability to work remotely Experience Required: * Aviation safety experience. Military experience is a plus. * Loss Control experience Education Required: * Bachelor's degree required. Aviation discipline preferred. Curt Lewis