Flight Safety Information March 23, 2017 - No. 060 London-Paris electric flight 'in decade' After Brexit, U.K. Airlines Will Have To Relocate Or Lose European Routes Alaska Airlines is killing off the Virgin America brand Log in to airport Wi-Fi all over the world, thanks to this handy map Volunteers needed to help with Austin airplane emergency drill BOC Aviation Orders 13 New Boeing 737 MAX 8 Aircraft DGCA deregisters 2 aircraft of grounded carrier Air Costa (India) Airline pilots to continue fight for safety zone on extended airport runway Rex airline flight to Sydney turned back after engine malfunction Air safety violations by cabin crew triple (India) More airline pilots testing positive for drug use Boom Technology picks up $33 million in new funding to build supersonic jet CHC Safety & Quality Summit - Dallas, TX - Opportunities for Sponsorship Research Survey London-Paris electric flight 'in decade' Wright One plane A mock-up of the Wright One, Wright Electric's plan for short-haul, electric-powered flight A new start-up says it intends to offer an electric-powered commercial flight from London to Paris in 10 years. Its plane, yet to go into development, would carry 150 people on journeys of less than 300 miles. Wright Electric said by removing the need for jet fuel, the price of travel could drop dramatically. British low-cost airline Easyjet has expressed its interest in the technology. "Easyjet has had discussions with Wright Electric and is actively providing an airline operator's perspective on the development of this exciting technology," the airline told the BBC. However, significant hurdles need to be overcome if Wright Electric is to make the Wright One, pictured above, a reality. The company is relying heavily on innovation in battery technology continuing to improve at its current rate. If not, the firm will not be able to build in enough power to give the plane the range it needs. The company is yet to produce a plane of its own and is instead working alongside American inventor Chip Yates, whose own electric aircraft, the Long-ESA, holds the world record for fastest electric aircraft. Wright Electric's competitors include aviation giant Airbus, which has been developing its electric two- seater plane E-Fan since 2014, and has stated plans to create its own short-haul electric aeroplane seating 70 to 90 passengers. 'Less loud' Wright Electric is backed by Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's most highly-regarded start-up incubator programme. Alumni of the scheme include companies such as AirBnB, file storage company Dropbox and HR management software firm Zenefits. Wright Electric's goal, detailed in a presentation given to potential investors on Tuesday, is to make all short-haul flights electric-powered within the next 20 years, which would be about 30% of all flights made globally. The company said that as well as lower fuel costs for the airlines, the technology could have a major added benefit for the public. "Depending on how it's designed, you can have an electric plane that's substantially less loud than a fuel plane," said Jeff Engler, Wright Electric's co-founder. Batteries would be charged separately, he said, meaning planes would not have to sit on the tarmac while power is replenished. "The way we've designed our plane is to have modular battery packs for quick swap using the same cargo container that's in a regular airplane," Mr Engler said. "We want it to be as fast as possible, so airlines can keep their planes in the air as long as possible and cover their costs." Other technology start-ups are seeking to innovate within the aviation industry. Boom, a company backed by Sir Richard Branson, is developing a Concorde-like supersonic jet. It hopes to achieve London to New York in three-and-a-half hours, a journey which currently takes more than eight hours. It is expected to run test flights later this year. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39350054 Back to Top After Brexit, U.K. Airlines Will Have To Relocate Or Lose European Routes U.K.-based airlines including easyJet (EJTTF) and Ireland-based Ryanair (RYAOF) have been told that they must relocate their headquarters or sell shares to European nationals if they wish to continue flying routes within Europe after the U.K. leaves the European Union. According to the Guardian, officials have told executives at major U.K. carriers that they need to have a significant base in the EU and that a majority of their capital shares must be EU-owned in order to continue operating routes criss-crossing the continent. The economic consequences of failing to make the move could prove serious for the budget airlines, whose business models are predicated on serving intra-Europe routes. The U.K. is the largest aviation industry in Europe, and Britain could push back by barring EU carriers from operating domestic U.K. routes. Although Ryanair is headquartered in Dublin, only 40% of its capital shares will be held by EU nationals after citizens of the U.K. are no longer included. In addition to easyJet and Ryanair, British Airways owner IAG and the Tui Group also received the notice. https://fortune.com/2017/03/23/ryanair-easyjet-europe-brexit-iag/ Back to Top Alaska Airlines is killing off the Virgin America brand Alaska Airlines announced Wednesday that all Virgin America flights will fly under one brand, likely sometime in 2019 It was all but inevitable that the Virgin America brand wouldn't survive its merger with Alaska Airlines. Sure enough, the parent company announced Wednesday that all Virgin America flights will fly under one brand with Alaska Airlines, likely sometime in 2019. But don't despair, Virgin America devotees: Alaska promised that it will keep much of the "flair" that accompanied Virgin flights, including all that free in-flight entertainment, mood lighting and boarding music. Seattle-based Alaska bought Virgin last year in an effort to bust into the California market in a major way and expand well beyond its roots in the Pacific Northwest. The $2.6 billion merger resulted in a combined airline with nearly 1,200 daily flights and 286 aircraft, making it the United States' fifth largest airline. Its new strategy is coming with a major expansion, adding 25 new daily flights out of San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Jose last year. The newly merged airline is pushing ahead with a combined brand that will see significant changes for passengers over the coming years. Its Boeing jets will get all new cabins starting in 2018 with new first and economy class seating. New first class seating will be expanded by 50% on Virgin's Airbus jets (from 8 seats to 12) and is coming in the fourth quarter of 2018. Alaska said it isn't making any changes to the economy seats on Virgin's fleet, which today features in-flight entertainment screens. High speed satellite wi-fi is also being added to the fleet starting with its Boeing 737s starting in fall 2018 with the full fleet outfitted by the end of 2019. It's also making permanent free movies and TV episodes available on streaming to passenger's devices and starting in August seat-back screens will have the same free content. As the integration advances, many of Virgin's signature attributes will fade away. Gone will be Virgin's frequent flyer plan. The airline's signature pink and purple club-like mood lighting will also be a thing of the past, in favor of a new blue hue. And all its front line staff are all getting new uniforms designed by fashion designer Luly Yang, which will roll out in mid-2019 Alaska and Virgin flyers are among the most loyal in U.S. air travel and a final decision on the fate of the acquired carrier was eagerly awaited. But Virgin wasn't likely to stick around forever: Alaska Airlines didn't want to pay license fees on the Virgin brand indefinitely. "While the Virgin America name is beloved to many, we concluded that to be successful on the West Coast we had to do so under one name - for consistency and efficiency, and to allow us to continue to deliver low fares," said Sangita Woerner, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing, in a statement. One major decision is still outstanding: The future of Virgin's Airbus fleet. Alaska is a long time Boeing stalwart and an airline spokeswoman said they are still pushing ahead with adding ten new A321neo jets from Airbus in 2017 and 2018. A decision on whether to remain all-Boeing on its Alaska Airlines brand "or move forward with a duel [sic] fleet strategy for future" will come later this year. "Either way, the company will fly a mixed fleet for at least the next 6 years," the spokeswoman said. Painting of Virgin's jets begins in 2018. http://www.wmur.com/article/alaska-airlines-is-killing-off-the-virgin-america-brand/9172023 Back to Top Log in to airport Wi-Fi all over the world, thanks to this handy map Anil Polat, a computer security engineer and travel blogger, frequents a lot of airports. And, being in the business of needing to get online while he's on the go, Polat often finds himself logging into airport Wi-Fi. However, logging into wireless internet at the airport isn't always as easy as it sounds - some have paywalls or are password protected, and others only offer Wi-Fi in certain parts of the airport. Here's where Polat's wisdom benefits you and other travelers: he created a simple, super useful interactive airport wi-fi password map. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Login-to-airport-wi-fi-all-over-the-world-thanks-11021154.php Back to Top Volunteers needed to help with Austin airplane emergency drill AUSTIN (KXAN) - The city of Austin is looking for dozens of volunteers to play various roles in an airplane emergency drill. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old. The exercise takes place on April 4 from 8 a.m. to noon at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. One hundred and fifty people will be chosen to act in various roles in order to train emergency responders how to realistically respond to and mitigate an aircraft incident. Some volunteers may be selected to receive fake injuries applied via latex or makeup from trained personnel. If you're interested in volunteering, you can apply here. You must apply before March 31, 2017. The airport is required to conduct a full-scale exercise of its Airport Emergency Plan every three years. http://kxan.com/2017/03/21/volunteers-needed-to-help-with-austin-airplane-emergency-drill/ Back to Top BOC Aviation Orders 13 New Boeing 737 MAX 8 Aircraft Commercial aircraft leasing company BOC Aviation has ordered 13 new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The order is worth $1.43 billion at list prices. "Airlines are attracted by the 737 MAX 8's lower operating costs and fuel efficiency, and we are delighted to announce the inclusion of these additional aircraft as we build our future delivery pipeline," said Robert Martin, managing director and chief executive officer of BOC Aviation. "BOC Aviation's purchase for an additional 13 737 MAX 8s is a testament to the superior value, performance and economics the 737 MAX will bring to airlines around the world," said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president, Asia Pacific & India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. BOC Aviation recently celebrated the delivery of its 200th Boeing aircraft. Following this latest purchase agreement, BOC Aviation's cumulative outstanding orders, purchases and deliveries to date for Boeing aircraft total 331 aircraft, including 209 aircraft from the Boeing Next-Generation 737 family and 74 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. BOC Aviation is a global aircraft operating leasing company with a fleet of 483 aircraft owned, managed and on order. Its owned and managed fleet was leased to 68 airlines worldwide in 32 countries as of December 31, 2016. http://www.monitordaily.com/news-posts/boc-aviation-orders-13-new-boeing-737-max-8-aircraft/ Back to Top DGCA deregisters 2 aircraft of grounded carrier Air Costa (India) The aviation regulator DGCA has deregistered two aircraft left with the grounded airline Air Costa. According to sources, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) wrote to the airline that its two Embraer aircraft have been removed from the Civil Aircraft Register. The Vijaywada-based airline has not flown since February and had cancelled bookings till May because of cash crunch and financial issues with the aircraft lessors. The latest action by the DGCA will effectively allow lessors to take back the aircraft from Air Costa, the sources said. The airline has also not paid salary to its 450 employees since January resulting in an exodus of employees, including 40 pilots. The employees are also planning a protest at the airline's headquarters in Vijaywada demanding payment of their salary. The airline's monthly wage bill stands at around Rs. 4 crore, the sources said. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/logistics/dgca-deregisters-2-aircraft-of-grounded-carrier- air-costa/article9597825.ece Back to Top Airline pilots to continue fight for safety zone on extended airport runway The New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association (NZALPA) board today announced it will fund and fight to maintain the recent Court of Appeal decision for the Director of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to reconsider his review of the 90-metre safety area for an extended Wellington Airport runway. Earlier this week, Wellington International Airport Limited (WIAL) announced that it would appeal the decision and seek leave to take the matter to the Supreme Court. NZALPA president Tim Robinson said the Board was unanimous in its commitment to continue and expressed its disappointment that yet more Wellington ratepayers' money was going to be spent appealing a clear and sound judgement by the Court of Appeal. In the Court of Appeal decision the Director of the CAA and WIAL were also ordered to pay NZALPA's costs. "The sheer amount of public money WIAL is spending on litigation could instead go towards providing the mechanism that is needed to ensure the safety of passengers and flight crew," Robinson said. "This also includes helping to maintain the reputation of Wellington as a premium and safe tourist destination, as well as a ensuring the guests of government and other visitors arrive safely every day in and out of the Capital." "We simply can't understand WIAL's motivation for this appeal. As commercial pilots and air traffic controllers, our members have much to gain from an increase in flights landing and leaving from Wellington Airport, but not at any cost," Robinson said. Meanwhile, NZALPA has been advised that the Environment Court hearing of WIAL's application for resource consents associated with the runway extension has been adjourned indefinitely. http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=98015 Back to Top Rex airline flight to Sydney turned back after engine malfunction REX'S nightmare run has just got worse, with one of the regional airline's Sydney-bound planes forced to turn back to Dubbo due to a malfunctioning engine. The aircraft, carrying 23 passengers, made a safe emergency landing at 10am after crew were forced to shut down the engine of the Regional Express Saab 340 due to a high-temperature reading. The incident comes after a Rex flight bound for Griffith was forced to return to Sydney Airport on Tuesday afternoon due to cabin pressure problems. A propeller fell from another Rex aircraft during an Albury to Sydney flight last week. The right-side propeller was found in bushland in Revesby this week. Picture: Grahame Hutchison Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) spokesman Peter Gibson said today's incident was a right-hand engine issue and was "totally unrelated" to the plane's propeller assembly. The crew "had an indication of high engine temperature on the right-hand engine so it was shut down and they returned to Dubbo," Mr Gibson said. A spokeswoman for Rex said engineers were inspecting the aircraft and will provide a report to CASA. "It is not possible to tell at this stage whether the cause is from foreign object ingestion or from engine failure," she said. "Whatever the ultimate cause is found to be, the Saab 340 aircraft is designed to climb, cruise and land safely on one engine which explains why the General Electric engines on the Saab 340 have clocked over 30 million hours with an impeccable safety record." Polair operatives tracked down the propeller, which was later winched from its landing spot. After last week's incident, Rex temporarily grounded some of its planes as a precautionary measure and launched an investigation. The propeller from the plane was retrieved by a NSW PolAir helicopter from bushland in Revesby on Tuesday. Authorities are investigating what they have called the "highly unusual" incident. The only other recorded similar event was in 1991, when US carrier Comair's aircraft also landed safely after a separation of its propeller. Rex has a fleet of 55 Saab 340 aircraft and operates about 1500 weekly flights to 58 destinations across Australia. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/rex-airline-flight-to-sydney-turned-back-after-engine- malfunction/news-story/9287aa9d73633b1b61131c7cbd122a43 Back to Top Air safety violations by cabin crew triple (India) Air safety violations by cabin crew triple. Representative image Air safety violation by pilots and cabin crew tripled last year compared to 2015 with SpiceJet accounting for 40% of the 176 violations reported, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said. While there were 49 such incidents in 2015, they rose to 176 last year mainly due to reporting of violations of regulations regarding rest and Flight and Duty Time Limitations (FTDL). "In 2016, it has been observed that air safety violations of some of the airlines as compared to 2015 have increased mainly due to violations by flight crew. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken actions according to applicable Civil Aviation requirements," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said in the Lok Sabha last week. The year 2015 saw 49 violations, all of them related to failing the breath analyser test. The flight crew were selected randomly for such tests, before and after the service. Indigo and Jet Airways (13 each) and Air India (12) topped the list in 2015. Last year, the number of cases of failing breath analyser tests rose to 61 with Air India topping the list at 22, followed by Jet Airways (12) and IndiGo (9). However, in 2016, the biggest violation was the airlines putting crew on duty without providing them enough time for rest. There were 105 such cases last year, while in 2015 no such case was reported. Of the 105, SpiceJet crew violated FTDL in 62 cases. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/601265/air-safety-violations-cabin-crew.html Back to Top More airline pilots testing positive for drug use In 2015, the number of pilots who tested positive for drugs increased about 50 percent from the previous five-year average, according to a review of federal statistics. The number of pilots testing positive for one or more drugs increased nearly 50 percent in 2015 over the prior five-year average, according to federal data reviewed by the Dayton Daily News. The newspaper's reporting comes following the March 16 death of Spirit Airlines pilot Brian Halye, who is suspected of overdosing on fentanyl, according to the Montgomery County Coroner's Office. He and wife Courtney Halye were found dead in their bedroom by their children. Federal data show 38 pilots tested positive for one or more drugs in 2015, the most recent year available. An average 25.4 pilots tested positive in the five prior years, the Federal Aviation Administration data show, with the lowest number of positive tests occurring in 2010 at 23. The tests screen for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine (PCP), and amphetamines. Spirit Airlines has not said if the company tested Halye in the nine years he was employed at the ultra-low fare carrier, though the company said it followed federal regulations. Those regulations require carriers to test 25 percent of "safety sensitive" employees in a given year. In 2015, more than 1,500 drug tests were verified positive out of more than 218,000 tests on safety sensitive employees, which include pilots, mechanics, flight instructors, flight attendants, aircraft dispatchers, ground security coordinators, non-TSA aviation screeners, and non-FAA/military air traffic controllers. http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/national/more-airline-pilots-testing-positive-for-drug- use/EtEcb0AIqp9mR4SY8QuxLL/ Back to Top Boom Technology picks up $33 million in new funding to build supersonic jet Colorado-based Boom Technology has raised $33 million in a Series A round to build and fly its first supersonic jet, a one-third-scale prototype known as the XB-1 or "Baby Boom." Testing the XB-1 would blaze the trail for a full-scale jet capable of taking 40 passengers from New York to London in less than three and a half hours for a $2,500 one-way ticket. The round's investors include 8VC, Caffeinated Capital, Palm Drive Ventures, RRE Ventures and Y Combinator Continuity Fund, according to TechCrunch and The Denver Post. The Boom team includes veterans from Amazon, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney. Virgin Galactic and The SpaceShip Company are partnering with Boom and have dibs on the first 10 airframes. http://www.geekwire.com/2017/boom-supersonic-jet-33-million/ Back to Top Back to Top Research Survey Dear Aviation Colleague, my name is Arjun Rao. I am research associate at the Center for Aviation Studies at the Ohio State University. My colleagues and I would greatly appreciate your response to a short survey to better understand pilots's use of weather information products during flight. Participation in this survey is voluntary. All answers reported in the analysis will not bear any connection to you or any response that you might provide. Thank you very much in advance for your participation on this survey. Your responses are greatly appreciated and will help our efforts to improve GA safety. The link to the survey is : https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3yJ3oNLMYh4lO17 Please let me know if you have any questions/would like me to provide additional information. Once again, we appreciate your help. Regards, Arjun ************************************************** Arjun H. Rao, Ph.D. Research Specialist The Ohio State University Center for Aviation Studies Room 125, 140 West 19th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210 614-688-2634 rao.119@osu.edu https://aviation.osu.edu/ Curt Lewis