March 20, 2017 - No. 023 In This Issue Costly aviation tech program seeks to regain FAA OK - and students Air Evac Lifeteam earns FAA's Diamond Maintenance Award SAU-Tech chancellor: Aviation hub is 'a gem' Protectionism And U.S. MRO Contract talks drag on for American Airlines mechanics Successful first flight of Van Horn composite 206B Jet Ranger main rotor blades in Australia Vector Aerospace signs exclusive PT6A service agreement with Field Air Why Engine-Exchange Programs Can Make Sense for Airlines New safety rules for recreational drone use in Canada take immediate effect SpaceX Dragon Capsule Returns to Earth with Ocean Splashdown Costly aviation tech program seeks to regain FAA OK - and students With air travel expected to double in the next 20 years, according to industry experts, the demand for all related occupations will soar. That's what officials at Atlanta Technical College were banking on when its decades-old aviation maintenance programs were upgraded seven years ago. But in December, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration alleged the college failed to maintain strict government standards. The FAA suspended its air agency certificate, the official authorization for such training programs. To date, Atlanta Tech is still working to bring the program up to compliance. According to the FAA: * Student grade records were either not maintained or incomplete and were not signed by instructors. Several students who had not made up absences were nevertheless allowed to move on to the next block of instruction. * Atlanta Tech hasn't enrolled any students or conducted any classes in the aviation maintenance technology program since May 2014. * Although the FAA rescinded the college's approved curriculum in June 2014, it continued to administer exit examinations and issued certificates of completion to its former students when it knew it was not authorized to do so. * Additionally, Atlanta Tech did not provide the FAA with requested copies of each certificate of completion and a detailed analysis of how students received certificates in the absence of an FAA-approved curriculum. Atlanta Tech doesn't deny any of the allegations, but during a recent interview President Victoria Seals, who just came to the college last year, wanted to focus on the program moving forward instead of the apparent missteps. We're working to revamp the curriculum and meet the FAA guidelines," she said. "This program is a priority resource, we want to take our time to do it right and not rush the process." Although there were no students in the program, Atlanta Tech has spent an excess of $2 million since 2014 on supplies, equipment, salaries and benefits. Three new Piper airplanes were acquired within the past year. In addition to the three new planes, other functioning aircraft include a Piper, which was acquired about five years ago, and an Aztec airplane. There is also an experimental Piper that is used for teaching students to do airframe repairs. The multimillion-dollar investment of public funds has sat idle for more than two years. And even though the state-of-the art equipment, modernized classrooms and reconfigured work space is ready for students, the department doesn't have a program coordinator. Even though his name was on the website earlier this month, Atlanta Tech told the AJC that the former program coordinator, Ernest Delgado, resigned and they are looking for his replacement. "One challenge we face in recruiting and keeping great staff is the competition with the airline industry," said Atlanta Tech spokeswoman Lauretta Hannon. The interview process has already begun, and Seals said she hopes to have someone on board by fall. Since the revamp in 2010, there have been 1,377 students in two aviation maintenance technical certificate programs, airframe and power plant. FAA officials didn't have much to say about the situation, just that Atlanta Tech must contact them when it is ready to present the modified program materials. "The school would have to comply with Federal Aviation Regulation Part 147," which spells out the air agency certificate requirements, "before the certificate could be reinstated," spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said via email. With the world's busiest airport mere miles away, Atlanta Tech officials say they are working with business partners from Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines to bring the program up to speed. A spokeswoman for Southwest confirmed that some employees of the airline's Atlanta crew are volunteering their personal time and their industry expertise to Atlanta Tech as it re-evaluates its aviation maintenance technology program. "We're certainly working toward bringing this program on track," said Murray Williams, vice president of Academic Affairs. "We get as many as 100 to 150 inquires a month." Currently, the only aviation-related program offered is avionics bench technician. That two- semester course of study prepares students for employment in the field of avionics maintenance technology and aircraft electronics. The job of an aviation maintenance technician Aviation maintenance technicians basically keep passengers and flight crews safe. As part of that, they diagnose aircraft problems, repair and replace parts, meet performance standards and record all their work. They work in various settings and scenarios: for the government, for private employers, outdoors, indoor, in hangars, at airports and at repair stations. According to the Aeronautical Repair Station Association, about 473,000 people work in more than 4,700 repair facilities across the globe. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median pay of $58,390 per year nationally and $72,120 in Georgia in 2015. And demand for the occupation will grow by about 7 percent in the next 10 to 15 years. Students who are interested in aviation maintenance technician careers can search for FAA Part 147 schools on the FAA website: av-info.faa.gov/MaintenanceSchool.asp http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/costly-aviation-tech-program-seeks-regain-faa-and- students/jHLrqRXIkzO223NPbSZasJ/ Back to Top Air Evac Lifeteam earns FAA's Diamond Maintenance Award Air Evac Lifeteam, the nation's leading helicopter air ambulance provider, is now the largest Part 135 aviation operator to receive the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) Diamond Maintenance Award. The FAA's St. Louis Flight District Standards Office presented the award on Tuesday, March 14, at the Air Evac Lifeteam corporate headquarters in O'Fallon, Missouri. Seth Myers, president of Air Evac Lifeteam, commended the mechanics on the outstanding accomplishment. "This award demonstrates the commitment and dedication our maintenance professionals have," Myers said. "Air Evac benefits from this commitment every day." DJ Bates, assistant director of maintenance for Air Evac Lifeteam, said over the past several months, all 166 of the company's mechanics completed 100 percent of training required to achieve the Diamond Maintenance Award. "To receive the Diamond award, our mechanics first had to complete core courses," said Bates. "They went above and beyond, and completed more than 40 hours of training to achieve the Silver Award. In fact, three mechanics achieved the Gold Award." Mechanics achieving the Gold Award were: Greg Glover, Carrollton, Gerogia; Ian Jenkins, Lancaster, Ohio; and Ronald Wilkes, Scottsboro, Alabama. Willie Heredia, manager of the St. Louis Flight District Standards Office, said he is proud of the collaborative efforts between Air Evac's maintenance department and the FAA safety team. "This Diamond Award certifies that 166 maintenance professionals met a perfect 100 percent of the Aviation Maintenance Technician Award training goals," said Heredia. "This accomplishment shows Air Evac's continuous commitment to safety." https://www.verticalmag.com/press-releases/air-evac-lifeteam-earns-faas-diamond-maintenance- award/ Back to Top SAU-Tech chancellor: Aviation hub is 'a gem' The new chancellor of Southern Arkansas University-Tech toured the school's Airframe building at the Texarkana Regional Airport along with community leaders to learn more about the aviation programs. Chancellor Jason Morrison, Texarkana Mayor Ruth Penney Bell and Mayor Bob Bruggeman of Texarkana, Texas, were among those who toured with SAU-Tech Aviation Program Coordinator Bill Archer. The building has classrooms and houses several types of aircraft and engines donated to the program, which began in 2002. Archer said there aren't as many students in the program as in years past and that the program is looking for ways to increase enrollment. "We think there's a lot of people who don't have knowledge of the program," he said. SAU-Tech's program is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and offers Airframe and power plant maintenance certificates, plus an associate degree in applied science in aviation maintenance technology. Morrison, who has been chancellor for just over two months, said he considers the facility to be amazing. "It's a gem," he said. "Right now, it seems to be a hidden gem that people don't know." Currently, the program serves 55 dual-credit high school students from Texas High, Liberty-Eylau, Pleasant Grove, Arkansas High, Hope, Ashdown and Fouke. When these students graduate from high school, they will have FAA credit hours and can seamlessly transition into the college's certificate programs, which can be completed in three semesters. "I always recommend students try to go for that associate's degree to give them a leg up," Archer said. "It gives them more opportunity for advancement." Students who are under the age of 21 when they begin the program are also eligible to receive a free set of tools valued at $4,000 upon completion of the Airframe and power plant maintenance certificate. "This puts them in their hands when they're ready to work," Archer said of the tools. Bruggeman said the Airframe program is a vital part of the community, as there is a shortage of these types of mechanics in the area. He added that the job pays well, at a minimum of $60,000 per year. "We want to do everything we can do to promote this program in high schools as well as in the community," he said. "I will be in contact with school districts on the Texas side and do what I can to promote these programs internally through school districts and also externally." http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2017/mar/18/sau-tech-chancellor-aviation-hub-is-a- g/?f=news-arkansas Back to Top Protectionism And U.S. MRO North America is a net exporter of MRO services, meaning that its service providers do more MRO work for foreign operators than its airlines offshore. Oliver Wyman's latest forecastputs the projected 2017 difference at $800 million ($3.6 billion farmed out; $4.4 billion pulled in). How much of this could be at risk if the Trump Administration's idea to slap tariffs on imports comes to fruition? It's hard to say. A top executive with Haeco Americas, the U.S. arm of independent MRO provider Haeco (it is part of Swire, which also owns Cathay Pacific), tells Aviation Week that it typically aligns its customers geographically, giving the company an advantage. A recent Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) analysis noted there are more than 1,400 EASA-approved repair stations in the U.S. While the data doesn't shed light on how much revenue they generate from work supporting European-registered aircraft, it's a safe bet that it's significant, as such approvals are an investment in time and money. The positive-trade balance highlights a few common misperceptions about aviation maintenance. One: who is doing the work. While companies with massive, on-airport hangars play major roles in keeping aircraft flying, most of the work is done in smaller, off-airport shops. An Oliver Wyman analysis done for ARSA found that 85% of U.S. MRO providers are small businesses that employ 50 people or fewer. That helps underscore another big misperception: airline maintenance means turning wrenches on big airplanes. About 60% of projected $72 billion in global MRO demand this year will come from work on engines ($30 billion, or 39%) and components ($16 billion, or 21%)-hence the extensive work in smaller shops. Airframe work (including interior modifications, which are booming) generate about $18 billion, or 23%. https://airlineaftermarket.com/protectionisms-threat-to-u-s-mro-links/ Back to Top Contract talks drag on for American Airlines mechanics More than three years after American Airlines merged with US Airways, thousands of workers who fix the Fort Worth-based airline's planes still don't have a joint contract. The 10,000 employees in what's known as the maintenance and related workgroup, including mechanics, store clerks who handle parts and inspectors, are represented by the TWU-IAM Association and have been in contract talks with American management since December 2015. Although some progress has been made, the two sides have yet to discuss big issues such as pay and work rules. "I tell the mechanics when I get out in the operation, I want this as bad as you do," said David Seymour, American's senior vice president for integrated operations. "We are striving as best as we can to go get it done." While an interim agreement last fall gave mechanics substantial pay increases and a profit-sharing plan was instituted, workers are increasingly frustrated that they don't have a new contract. "I hear almost daily that the company is making record profits on our backs," said Rollie Reaves, president of TWU Local 567, which represents mechanics at the Dallas/Fort Worth overall maintenance hangar. "The company is doing better than they have ever done so they're frustrated with the pace of the negotiations." Contract talks been hampered by the complexities of working with two unions and trying to reconcile language from two different contracts. Management and union negotiators are meeting two to three times a month, passing proposals back and forth on various parts of the contract. However, TWU Local 591 President Gary Peterson said the company's proposals are often disappointing and don't match what senior executives have told mechanics about how they will benefit from the merger. "For the leadership team to come out in front of the employees and say we want to give you the best contract in the industry, all we expect is to see a proposal that is industry-leading and we're not seeing that," said Peterson, who represents 4,700 line maintenance workers at airports across the U.S. "It's time to get together and get the agreement done." What took so long Pilots, flight attendants and passenger service agents all reached new contracts with American in 2015. But the Fort Worth-based carrier's two largest work groups - the maintenance and related group and fleet service - didn't even have their first negotiating session until December 2015. Part of the delay was due to the necessity of the National Mediation Board having to certify the alliance of the Transport Workers Union and International Association of Machinists, which represented workers at the two airlines before the merger. Until the certification was completed in May 2015, American could not start talks with the union that represented the mechanics. The Association then spent the rest of the year putting together negotiating committees. Once the two sides got to the table, combining contract language from the legacy US Airways mechanics and American maintenance groups took longer than expected. Unlike a typical contract negotiation where the two sides are making changes to an existing contract, Seymour said a lot of time has been spent working on nuanced contract language such as work classifications. "There are differences, honestly, within how we handle things differently between the line [maintenance] and the base [maintenance]," Seymour said. "There are times when you're not just looking at TWU, IAM. They look at the world differently and that creates a complexity that I don't think anybody anticipated." Reaves, who joined the negotiations process in September, said he was surprised that more progress had not been made in the past fifteen months. Items such as vacations, holidays and mandatory overtime are still open and it feels as if sometimes no ground has been gained, he said. "I kind of had a preconceived notion that it would go a little smoother than it has," Reaves said. "We are hung up on issues that I didn't perceive would be an issue." Some progress To date, the two sides have tentatively agreed to over two dozen contract articles including rules covering sick leave, shift swaps and uniforms. And last August, management and the unions reached an interim agreement that gave mechanics pay raises ranging from 15 to 36 percent along with a lump sum payment. Ground workers received pay raises around 24 percent as part of the deal. "We recognized as a leadership team back in the late summer, between the mechanics and the fleet group, those are the two large groups that have not benefited financially from the merger," Seymour said. In exchange for the pay raises, the unions agreed to allow American management to implement cross-utilization. For example, American mechanics at D/FW Airport could now work on a legacy US Airways aircraft and vice versa. Prior to that, American mechanics could only work on legacy American aircraft. "There was a piece that was good for the company and a piece that was good for the membership and to me, that's how negotiations should work," said Peterson, adding that the current contract talks feel less collaborative and are getting more contentious. Talks are scheduled to resume on March 27 in Washington, D.C. Pay, benefits, work rules With most of the smaller contractual items completed, management and union negotiators are preparing to tackle pay, benefits and work rules, areas that are usually the most contentious. With American earning billions in profits, the union negotiators feel that they should be able to gain back some of the pay and benefits that were lost when American and US Airways went through bankruptcy. Some point to actions taken more than a decade ago when American's unions agreed to concessions to stay out of bankruptcy. "We're asking to untangle some of the mess we've had to deal with since 2003 when the concessionary contract started," said Dale Danker, president of TWU Local 514, representing workers at the Tulsa maintenance base. "They'll give us a higher wage as long as we don't want to argue" about other issues. The mechanics union is also concerned about the level of outsourcing American management wants to keep in the contract. Each legacy airline contract had varying degrees of line or heavy overhaul maintenance outsourced. And when American announced plans to build a maintenance hangar in Brazil, union leaders became concerned about how much work the carrier plans to perform there. On Saturday, the union filed a grievance against American, saying the work in Brazil violates its existing contract. Seymour said that American does not plan to fly aircraft to Brazil simply for maintenance work. Rather, aircraft that are already scheduled on routes to Brazil typically spend 10 to 12 hours on the ground between flights when routine maintenance is performed. "The Brazil hangar is literally to build a structure around work that is already being done down there," Seymour said in response to union concerns. "It is line maintenance work only. It's not heavy maintenance." Since American already shut down its heavy maintenance base at Alliance Airport in Fort Worth as part of bankruptcy restructuring in 2013 and outsourced that work to a third-party contractor in China, union leaders said they want to make sure the mechanics currently employed at American are protected and their jobs aren't sent overseas. "If we don't toe the line on doing landing gear, avionics ... they will simply send it out and get rid of it," Danker said. "I've got to make sure my membership will be around for another contract." Local union leaders say management has promised an industry-leading contract and they believe their members deserve to get paid more than United and Delta mechanics, who are scheduled to receive pay raises that leapfrog them above American's pay. Seymour agrees that the contract should be industry-leading, but it's difficult to negotiate each individual contract article better than the competitors. American already performs more of its own heavy maintenance work than Delta, United or Southwest Airlines. "What we're talking about is an industry-leading contract overall in terms of the overall economics," Seymour said. "We don't want any jobs lost and we are committed to that." http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/aviation/sky-talk-blog/article139252468.html Back to Top Successful first flight of Van Horn composite 206B Jet Ranger main rotor blades in Australia Representatives from Australia-based Heliwest Services and U.S-based Van Horn Aviation (VHA) recently assisted with the first flight of the Van Horn 206B composite main rotor blades in Australian skies over Melbourne. Collaboration between Heliwest (a Bell Helicopter Customer Service Facility), Bell Helicopter subsidiary Aeronautical Accessories, and VHA, assisted Melbourne- based Australasian Jet complete installation, ground tests, and flights from Essendon Airport. Heliwest sales and customer service manager Jason Ellis and VHA president Dean Rosenlof were on hand to support the Australasian Jet engineering team as they installed the new blades. "It was a big day," said Ellis, "But at the end the customer was very happy with the blades and the on-site support provided by Heliwest Services and VHA." Certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in February 2016, the VHA 206B JetRanger main rotor blade features carbon fiber skin and spars, an efficient NASA-designed laminar-flow airfoil, tapered tip, and a combination of stainless steel and nickel abrasion strips that cover the entire length of the blade for erosion and lightning strike protection. As the composite blade is more rigid than the original metal blades, the pilots' initial feedback was that "flying the machine is more responsive with reduced pilot inputs." "I'm confident that the main rotor blades will be as well received in the market as the highly successful VHA 206 tail rotor blades," said Ellis. "I certainly look forward to speaking more with customers about the blades and how they can lower their DOCs (direct operating costs). With VHA expecting FAA certification of the 206L LongRanger main rotor blades by the end of 2017 with a 20,000-hour service life (four times that of the OEM [original equipment manufacturer] metal blade), it's certainly an exciting product to engage with the market." "We are proud to support Australian helicopter operators," said Rosenlof. "We recognize that many Australian operators fly in challenging environments and situations. We're excited about bringing another product to market that will help 206 operators in Australia - and around the world - lower costs and increase performance." https://www.verticalmag.com/press-releases/successful-first-flight-van-horn-composite-206b-jet- ranger-main-rotor-blades-australia/ Back to Top Vector Aerospace signs exclusive PT6A service agreement with Field Air Vector Aerospace, a global independent provider of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, recently announced that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Australia's Field Air to provide Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) PT6A engine services. Field Air, headquartered in Ballarat, Victoria, is the primary Air Tractor dealership for Asia Pacific and one of Australia's leading aerial application businesses. Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, Vector will provide comprehensive engine MRO services in support of Field Air's fleet of five Air Tractors. In addition, Vector will provide comprehensive MRO services to Field Air for all engines provided by its customers. "We appreciate the excellent service levels, support and flexibility provided by everyone at the Vector Brisbane facility," said Peter Mackay, managing director at Field Air Group of companies. "We look forward to the continuation of this valued working relationship." "The signing of this exclusive agreement demonstrates the excellent progress our Brisbane facility is making in its support of the agricultural and firefighting aviation markets within the Australian region," said Matt Dennington, general manager of Vector's Brisbane facility. "We look forward to enhancing our relationship with Field Air in the coming years as they continue to develop and expand within the Asia Pacific region." Field Air and other operators throughout Asia Pacific also benefit from the support of Vector's Mobile Repair Team (MRT), which is composed of 150 dedicated employees specifically focused on MRT operations globally. The MRT operation is designed around a 'quick turnaround' and 'travel ready' philosophy to support customers' needs 24/7. The majority of Vector's MRT professionals are licensed airframe and powerplant technicians, who have either worked in a service center or as an MRT in their careers, and who on average benefit from 30+ years of experience in their field. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/vector-aerospace-signs-exclusive-pt6a-service- agreement-field-air/ Back to Top Why Engine-Exchange Programs Can Make Sense for Airlines Many airlines--probably the majority of them--participate in the whole-engine and module exchange programs offered by some major engine OEMs. In fact, recent attempts by this reporter to contact 11 large carriers--among them legacy network airlines, low-cost carriers and one large regional airline--in North America, Latin America, Europe and Africa to ask them their views on engine- and module-exchange programs resulted in eight saying they didn't get involved in such programs. The jury remains out on the other three, which were not immediately responsive to e-mail and telephone inquiries. However, there are plenty of airlines that do find that engine- and module-exchange programs make sense operationally and economically. So several major engine OEMs offer airline customers such programs, understanding that at certain times airlines--particularly smaller carriers that don't have substantial resources in terms of maintenance facilities or spare-engine inventory--find that it makes compelling sense for them to transact a two-way engine or module exchange. One manufacturer that offers engine and module exchanges is GE Aviation. It does so as part of its TrueChoice Transitions program, a portfolio of services run by subsidiary GE Aviation Materials for customer airlines and lessors. In addition to offering engine and module exchanges, the TrueChoice Transitions program offers a range of services that include green-time leases, material buy-back and custom workscopes. Rudy Bryce, general manager of GE Aviation Materials and head of the TrueChoice Transitions program, says the airlines that are typically interested in engine and module exchanges are carriers which either require spare-engine support or have a short-term need for spare engines. At the same time, such carriers want to ensure they make the best overall choice for their investment horizons and their operational requirements. For such airlines, it can make compelling sense to receive an engine immediately to end an aircraft- on-ground (AOG) emergency, while at the same time being able to trade what might be a damaged and no longer fully serviceable engine back to GE Aviation in a separate transaction in which the airline receives a fair market value price for the engine's remaining useable materials. Similar considerations can apply to engine modules, typically the non-core fan and low-pressure turbine modules that can be removed from an engine at an on-wing maintenance support facility without the need for the entire engine to be taken into overhaul. If an airline wishes to keep its exchange transaction costs as low as possible, GE Aviation is willing to take serviceable components from the engine that is coming off the carrier's aircraft and use those in the replacement engine. Engine and module exchanges often mean an airline can avoid the double engine change that is involved whenever the airline contracts a short-term lease of an engine it is sending out for overhaul. In some cases, however, if the airline needs a replacement engine immediately to mitigate an AOG emergency but wants for its longer-term replacement engine a specific, customized build, GE Aviation will provide the carrier immediately with a low green-time engine on a short-term lease. This gives GE Aviation the time to build a replacement engine to the carrier's specific workscope requirement for longer-term operation. This type of transaction does involve two separate engine changes. Find out more about how airlines and lessors use engine and module-exchange programs, and the programs that several OEMs offer, in the May issue of Inside MRO magazine. http://www.mro-network.com/engines-engine-systems/why-engine-exchange-programs-can-make- sense-airlines Back to Top New safety rules for recreational drone use in Canada take immediate effect Canadians expect to feel safe on the ground and in the sky. The number of incidents involving recreational drones has more than tripled since 2014, prompting Marc Garneau, Canadian Minister of Transport, to introduce a measure to prevent the reckless use of drones that is putting the safety of Canadians at risk. On March 16, at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, in the presence of airport, airline and pilot representatives, Garneau announced an immediate measure which will affect the operations of model aircraft and recreational drones of more than 250 grams and up to 35 kilograms. Garneau was joined by representatives of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Toronto Police Force. "I take very seriously the increased risk to aviation safety and to people on the ground caused by drones," said Garneau. "That is why I am proceeding with this measure which takes effect immediately-to enhance the safety of aviation and the public while we work to bring into force permanent regulations." The Calgary Airport Authority, which manages and operates YYC Calgary International Airport and Springbank Airport, fully endorses the Interim Order issued by Transport Canada. "Flying of recreational drones near airports poses an unnecessary risk to aviation, and we applaud the action announced by Transport Minister Marc Garneau regarding such drone activity near airports," said Bernie Humphries, vice president, operations for the Calgary Airport Authority. "The safety of everyone at our airports is of primary importance to The Calgary Airport Authority and today's announcement, in advance of the permanent regulations to follow, is a significant step toward reducing risks from drone activity." The key new rules are that recreational drone operators must mark their drone with their contact information, and may not fly: * Higher than 90 meters; * At night; * Within 75 meters of buildings, vehicles or people; or * Within nine kilometers of the center of any airport, heliport, aerodrome or water aerodrome where aircraft take off and land. Operators of drones for commercial, academic or research purposes are not affected by this measure. The rules that are already in place are effective and most commercial users operate their drones in a safe manner. Any recreational operator who fails to comply with the new flying restrictions and conditions could be subject to fines of up to $3,000. Call 911 or your local law enforcement agency immediately if you witness illegal drone use. Visit www.canada.ca/drone-safety to learn more about the new rules, and updates on the department's progress on drones. "The RCMP encourages recreational drone users to be responsible when operating in public places," said chief superintendent Eric Stubbs, Royal Canadian Mounted Police. "We encourage all drone operators to think about the safety of those around them, and follow the new regulations at all times." Quick Facts The new safety rules will: * Be in effect for a period of up to one year to provide greater safety for operators and the public until permanent regulations are put in place; and * Introduce a way to enforce compliance immediately. Recreational drone users are responsible for learning how to fly their drone safely and legally and to comply with the new rules. "Dangerous operations are a threat to aviation safety and to the investment and livelihood of legitimate commercial operators who are now significant users of Canadian airspace. Nonetheless, we believe that the measures announced today need further refinement," said a representative from Unmanned Systems Canada. "With over 10 years of collaboration with Transport Canada on the development of regulations for the professional use of unmanned aerial systems, we look forward to continuing that effort over the weeks ahead to develop a more thorough risk based approach with improved enforcement provisions. For example, we can improve on addressing the different risks between operating near a hospital heliport, and a major airfield to allow broader usage in areas such as Southern Ontario or the lower B.C. mainland. "Transport Canada deserves credit for having taken this initial step to curb recreational drone use, which constitutes a hazard to aviation. With further analysis, we believe that the measures can be improved to better balance aviation safety concerns while permitting Canadians to enjoy the outdoor recreational opportunities afforded by this uniquely captivating technology." Members of the Model Aeronautics Association of Canada (MAAC) in good standing who operate at MAAC sanctioned fields or events are not subject to these rules. https://www.verticalmag.com/press-releases/new-safety-rules-recreational-drone-use-take- immediate-effect/ Back to Top SpaceX Dragon Capsule Returns to Earth with Ocean Splashdown A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean Sunday (March 19), returning to Earth with more than 2 tons of science experiments and other gear from the International Space Station. The robotic Dragon cargo ship splashed down off the coast of Baja California where it could be swiftly retrieved by a recovery team. The space capsule left the station early Sunday after being released by astronauts Thomas Pesquet (of France) and Shane Kimbrough (of NASA) using a robotic arm. SpaceX representatives reported a good splashdown of Dragon at at about 10:48 a.m. EDT (1448 GMT) in a Twitter post. "Today we said goodbye to Dragon," Pesquet, a European Space Agency astronaut, wrote in a Twitter post. "She is taking part of us back to the ground with her - important scientific samples, some from the crew!" The Dragon cargo ship launched Feb.19 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It delivered 5,500 lbs. (2,500 kilograms) of science gear and supplies, and marked SpaceX's first launch from NASA's historic Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Unlike the disposable cargo ships that service the space station - like Russia's Progress vehicles, Orbital ATK's Cygnus craft and Japan's HTV-2 vehicles -SpaceX's Dragon capsules are equipped with a heat shield that allow cargo to be shipped back to Earth, a boon for scientists. On this flight, Dragon returned to Earth with about 5,400 lbs. (2,450 kilograms) of space station gear. "Everything from stem cells that could help us understand how human cancers start and spread after being exposed to near zero-gravity, to equipment that is paving the way toward servicing and refueling satellites while they're in orbit will be on board," NASA officials said in a statement. Other experiments and instruments returning on Dragon included: samples from a tissue regeneration and bone defect study, which studied how weightlessness affected the regrowth of lost bone and tissue from wounds; a prototype laser communications device for faster data transmission; a prototype for a space radiation proof computer for long space missions; and a robotic refueling technology experiment for in-space refueling and satellite servicing. This Dragon flight was SpaceX's tenth cargo delivery mission for NASA under a commercial cargo contract. SpaceX is also one of two companies (Boeing is the other) selected by NASA to fly astronauts to and from the space station. SpaceX is developing a crewed version of Dragon for those flights, while Boeing is building its own CST-100 Starliner crew capsule. http://www.space.com/36123-spacex-dragon-makes-ocean-splashdown-crs-10.html Curt Lewis