Flight Safety Information April 13, 2017 - No. 075 Incident: United B752 near Austin on Apr 11th 2017, fumes in cockpit Incident: American B772 near Santiago de Compostela on Apr 12th 2017, smoke in cabin Qantas mid-air incident injures 15 on flight from Melbourne to Hong Kong Ethiopia: ICAO Lauds Ethiopian Aviation Growth Compass Airlines, which flies for Delta, moving most operations out of Twin Cities. Incident: Alaska B739 near Portland on Apr 10th 2017, cabin pressure problems Zunum Aero Could Be The Tesla Of Aircraft Air Force Won't Use Stop-Loss to Keep Pilots, Top General Says Official: Pilots not tested for fentanyl due to system 'lag' Shree Airlines acquires first jet to begin fixed-wing operations (Nepal) Chicago suspends more security officers after man dragged from United jet EVICTED Frank Whittle and the invention of the jet engine: Six places to trace his genius Graduate Research Survey Request SAFE Encourages Pilot Input on GA Runway Incursions (Survey) Incident: United B752 near Austin on Apr 11th 2017, fumes in cockpit A United Boeing 757-200, registration N41135 performing flight UA-118 from Houston Intercontinental,TX to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was enroute at FL340 about 50nm west of Austin,TX when the crew reported fumes in the cockpit and diverted to Austin for a safe landing about 16 minutes later. The airport reported nobody needed medical assistance, the source of the fumes remained unclear. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Austin for about 4 hours, then continued the journey but did not climb above FL280. The aircraft reached Los Angeles with a delay of 5 hours. Following arrival in Los Angeles the aircraft remained on the ground for about 90 minutes, then continued normal service climbing to FL370 the next flight. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL118/history/20170411/1815Z/KIAH/KLAX http://avherald.com/h?article=4a78a07a&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: American B772 near Santiago de Compostela on Apr 12th 2017, smoke in cabin An American Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N787AL performing flight AA-63 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Miami,FL (USA), was enroute at FL340 over the Bay of Biscay about 240nm north of Santiao de Compostela,SP (Spain) when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and diverted to Santiago de Compostela for a safe landing about 45 minutes later. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Santiago de Compostela about 4 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4a7884d5&opt=0 Back to Top Qantas mid-air incident injures 15 on flight from Melbourne to Hong Kong Australia's air safety watchdog is investigating a serious mid-air incident involving a Qantas jet, after 15 people were injured when it suffered a so-called "stick shaker" warning. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau launches an investigation after 15 passengers were injured during a flight from Melbourne to Hong Kong last week. Vision: Seven News. The drama unfolded about 110km southeast of Hong Kong on April 7, after flight QF29 took off from Melbourne. Pilots reported feeling "airframe buffeting", a potential warning the plane is about to stall, while "holding" at 22,000 feet. A Qantas 747 was involved in a "serious" mid-air incident between Melbourne and Hong Kong. The flight crew also received a "stick shaker activation", the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said. The stick shaker device causes the aircraft's control stick to vibrate noisily to warn the pilot of an imminent stall. It takes a physical, rather than visual, form so the crew will be alerted even if they are not looking at the panel. The ATSB classified the Boeing 747's incident as serious and said a report would be released "within several months" after it interviewed the flight crew. "The flight crew disconnected the autopilot and manoeuvred the aircraft in response," it said. "Fifteen passengers received minor injuries." The incident is understood to have lasted about two minutes and while the flight landed normally in Hong Kong, an ambulance met passengers as a precaution and one person was taken to hospital for assessment. Qantas said customers experienced "unexpected in-flight turbulence" during the trip. "We notified the ATSB of the occurrence, and our own teams are also reviewing the event," a spokeswoman said. The plane was inspected by engineers before it flew out of Hong Kong again that night. http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/qantas-midair-incident-injures-15-on-flight-from-melbourne- to-hong-kong-20170412-gvjz5k.html Back to Top Ethiopia: ICAO Lauds Ethiopian Aviation Growth International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu commended Ethiopian for its growing aviation training and transport services saying it has already become a number one of African airline with increasing capacity in all spheres. Addressing media professionals on the sideline of the forth International Civil Aviation Organization Training and Trainer Plus Symposium being held here for the first time in African continent, she said: "I am impressed by the Ethiopia for the increased attention it attached to promote civil aviation industry. Ethiopian has grown dramatically and become influential in terms of building its capacity. The national carrier also sets benchmarks to the continent's aviation industry," she added. ICAO encourages member states to invest more in the industry to address shortage of aviation experts. In this regard, the organization established next generation aviation program dedicated to produce efficient and young professionals. "ICAO is availing fund and coordinating global efforts to modernize and help the aviation industry growth." The symposium host, Ethiopian, has joined Full Plus Trainer Membership after a two-year preparation. Ethiopian training academy has been at service for the last seven decades and working to get a full plus trainer membership and has now officially joined, said Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority Director General Col. Wesenyeleh Hunegnaw This membership would enable the airlines to offer accredited and better aviation training not just for local personnel but for foreign nationals as well. The membership also expands the airlines' field of training. Through provision of international training, Ethiopian can generate foreign currency. Being member of the full plus trainer , the airlines will also have access to global aviation training curriculum and courses,he added The Aviation academy has cabin crew, commercial, pilot and aviation maintenance and technician training schools giving services to foreign nationals besides local trainees. Currently, the academy is training 20 foreign nationals in various disciplines. The success of airliner depends on the human skill and training capacity, which Ethiopian places great emphasis on. It has so far trained sufficient and qualified personnel. It currently trains over 1,000 trainees with annul intake capacity of 4,000, said Solomon Debebe, Ethiopian Aviation Academy Managing Director. There is a growing demand from other countries to train their professionals in the Ethiopian academy. "We provide various training to foreign nationals but withhold pilot training requests due to excess demands." The academy allots up to 25% of its training schemes for foreign nationals. Over 500 participants from aviation academy, training center, airliner, tourism organization and others are taking part in the three-day symposium themed: 'Together Enhancing Training to Build Capacity'. http://allafrica.com/stories/201704120766.html Back to Top Compass Airlines, which flies for Delta, moving most operations out of Twin Cities ST. PAUL - Compass Airlines - which flies for Delta Air Lines out of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport - intends to move possibly hundreds of workers to the West Coast by the end of the year. Workers were told recently that the airline would move all its pilots, flight attendants and mechanics from the Twin Cities to the company's other crew bases in Seattle and Los Angeles. Compass said its corporate office will remain in the Twin Cities. "The majority of our flying is already on the West Coast, with the remainder of our Midwest flying scheduled to transition to the West Coast before the end of the year," Stacey Putnam Ross, a Compass spokeswoman, said in a written statement Tuesday, April 11. "As Minneapolis is not geographically situated to provide support to West Coast operations, we had to look at where it made sense for our crew members and mechanics to be based," the statement went on. "All Minneapolis pilots, flight attendants and mechanics will be given the opportunity to transfer to one of our other locations." A spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association, the union that represents Compass' pilots, declined to comment, referring questions to the airline. A representative from the Association of Flight Attendants, Taylor Garland, issued a statement: "AFA will work through our collective bargaining agreement to minimize the impact to Flight Attendants and their families affected by the company's decision." Compass easily hires hundreds of pilots, flight attendants and mechanics locally, according to those familiar with the airline's local operations, although the exact number was not provided by the airline or the unions on Tuesday. The move has worried the company's remaining Twin Cities employees, including dozens of dispatchers, crew schedulers and commissary coordinators operating out of Delta's "Building C." Compass is contracted by Delta Air Lines, and operates both a maintenance and crew base for Delta here. Their planes are painted with Delta logos, though they are owned by another company, Trans States Holdings, which owns several smaller, regional airlines. Trans States purchased the company from Delta in 2010. Delta, based in Atlanta, is the Twin Cities dominant airline. Some local workers have speculated whether the decision to move is related to Delta's desire to build up a hub in Seattle. "They (Delta) have certainly been building up Seattle for years. But they're also trying to compete in Los Angeles," said Robert Mann, an airline industry analyst and former executive for several airlines. "Los Angeles has become a multicarrier mosh pit of competitive activity." It's fairly typically for larger carriers to move the regional carriers they contract with where they need them - both the aircraft and those that fly and maintain them, Mann added. In the 1980s, Delta made a push to dominate the airport in Los Angeles. "I think they're going back for kind of round two. I think they've kind of fancied the idea of LAX as a focus city," Mann added. http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/business/4249568-compass-airlines-which-flies-delta-moving- most-operations-out-twin-cities Back to Top Quiet rooms for autistic children popping up at airports This March 29, 2017 photo shows Ryan Cunningham in the Sensory Room at Shannon Airport in Shannon, Ireland. Shannon is one of several airports offering quiet rooms for travelers on the autism spectrum. Quiet rooms for children on the autism spectrum are popping up at airports. Shannon Airport, which serves the southwestern region of Ireland, opened a "sensory room" for children and adults with neurodevelopmental challenges, including autism, on March 29. The room is located off the airport's departure lounge. It's designed to be a soothing place, with features like a wavy wall and color- changing lights. The official opening of the room came ahead of World Autism Day on April 2. On this side of the Atlantic, there are quiet rooms at airports in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and in Atlanta. Delta opened a multisensory room at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in April 2016 in partnership with The Arc, an autism advocacy group. The room, located in a quiet space on F Concourse, contains a mini-ball pit, bubbling water sculpture, a tactile activity panel and other calming features. The quiet room at the Myrtle Beach airport also opened in April 2016. It came about after a local mom, Becky Large, approached airport administrators about providing "some sort of support for families." "We came up with a quiet room at baggage claim, which has worked out wonderfully," said Large, who runs a group called Champion Autism Network and has two children, one of whom has Asperger's. A caregiver can stay with a child in the room while someone else "retrieves bags and rental cars. There are cubbies and seating and a glass door so the child can be cordoned off and can't run away. It gives them a place to decompress." London Heathrow opened a quiet room in 2013 as part of a family lounge in Terminal 3. Though it's mainly for children, it's not necessarily for those with autism. It's open to any family that would like to use it. Some airports and airlines also offer families with travelers on the spectrum opportunities to become familiar with airport experiences that may be stressful. Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania, for example, offers a "Wings for All" program that allows children with autism and sensory processing disorder to experience a run-through of what it's like getting on a plane, getting ticketed and getting seated so that they'll know what to expect when it's time for a real trip. A similar program took place at Myrtle Beach earlier this year, and Shannon launched a customer care program last year, providing special caps and wristbands for travelers with autism and other special needs so staff can identify them and interact appropriately. "Going through security even for those without autism can be challenging," said Michael Schiferl of Chicago, whose daughter is on the spectrum, but it's even more challenging for kids who are easily overwhelmed by beeping machines, taking off shoes and crowds. He said TSA workers have been "very helpful" when told of his daughter's special needs. Large also had her hometown, Surfside Beach, which is near Myrtle Beach, declared an "autism-friendly destination" last year, after restaurants, hotels, parks and other venues participated in training on how to interact with children with autism. For example, she said, they may "become overstimulated by light, sounds, smells, crowds," so a restaurant might seat their family in a "low-traffic area away from the kitchen." Large said a bigger goal is to increase understanding at all levels for special-needs children who may exhibit unusual or awkward behavior. "Many times when we leave the house with our kids, people look at you like you're a horrible parent," she said. "It results in a lot of judgment. Many people stay home. Our mission is to have them come out and play with us." http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/quiet-rooms-autistic-children-popping-airports-46750679 Back to Top Zunum Aero Could Be The Tesla Of Aircraft A new airline startup based out of Kirkland, Washington, could soon bring electric aircraft to mainstream consumer travel. Zunum Aero, which came out of stealth mode yesterday, just unveiled plans to develop a series of electric and hybrid aircraft that could bring simplicity and efficiency to both airlines and passengers. Zunum's concept is to develop a series of aircraft that can run off of a variety of electrical sources, lowering the cost of air travel significantly and the carbon footprint that goes along with it (the company claims that 40% of all airline pollution comes from regional flights). With initial funding from Boeing and JetBlue Technology Ventures, Zunum plans to start that process with smaller, 10-passenger aircraft and then scale up the airframes as technology improves. At the rate of battery development, that may not be too long. Just last year, the Solar Impulse team became the first to circumnavigate the globe fueled entirely by solar energy. NASA and Airbus have also developed electric aircraft concepts, though each is only capable of carrying one or two passengers. If successful, Zunum would be the first manufacturer to deliver an electric aircraft suitable for regional consumer travel, potentially disrupting a space currently dominated by Bombardier and Embraer. By taking advantage of smaller regional airports, the company also claims that further savings can be baked into the passenger experience, potentially pushing down the cost of regional flights to $100 round trip. It'll still be a while until consumers can buy those $100 fares though. As a venture-backed startup, Zunum undoubtedly has years of prototyping and developing to endure as well as lengthy inspection and oversight by the FAA. Initial concepts of the aircraft, according to The Verge, are slated to begin testing "by the early 2020s," while larger-scale models will develop in the decade following. Along the way, Zunum will also have peers. Earlier this year, Boom, which promises to bring supersonic travel back to the consumer marketplace, raised over $30M to bring its aircraft to market. Virgin Atlantic is on board to be the launch customer for that airframe. Despite the challenges that lie ahead, Zunum seems to have attracted a solid series of investors and is entering the market at a point when electric vehicles are really gaining traction. Like Tesla's value now exceeds Ford's, Zunum may some day overtake Boeing. https://www.forbes.com/sites/grantmartin/2017/04/06/zunum-aero-could-be-the-tesla-of- aircraft/#8cd04d35527a Back to Top Air Force Won't Use Stop-Loss to Keep Pilots, Top General Says 77th Fighter Squadron pilots, depart the Shaw AFB flightline after returning from Afghanistan Apr. 13, 2013. (U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Krystal M. Jeffers) The Air Force's top general said he's not considering using the service's stop-loss policy to keep pilots from leaving the ranks despite recent discussions about the option. "I want to make it as clear as I possibly can: I am not considering stop loss," Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said Wednesday during a discussion at the Heritage Foundation, a think tank in Washington, D.C. The defense secretary and president would decide whether to review stop-loss in "times of emergency," he said. "It's a tool, and a secretary's tool in the tool bag when we're in a state of emergency, and we're not in a state of emergency," he said. Goldfein described the service's pilot shortage as "a challenge but it's also a great opportunity." "This is an opportunity to get out there and squint with our ears and listen to the force and figure out what are the irritants that's keeping them from being the very best they can be," he said As Goldfein proposed back when he took over the job last summer, one way to deal with the personnel issue might be to improve morale in squadrons, he said. "I want the airmen to their right and to their left to know they are the finest men and women they will ever serve with," he said, "and this is the time of their lives they're doing something much bigger than themselves." In August, Goldfein said the squadron is "the beating heart of the United States Air Force." Improving morale among airmen in the squadrons could take the form of reducing their paperwork demands, for example, and better listening to their complaints or concerns, the general has said. For the fighter pilot community, "the largest incentive to getting pilots to stay is where I'm focused," Goldfein said on Wednesday. "And there's not going to be one, big program or thing we're going to do to make pilots stay with us -- it's going to be 100 little things, and it's going to be a journey we're going to be on for the next 10 years." Earlier this week, officials told Military.com the Air Force may have to use a stop-loss measure -- an involuntary extension of service -- to retain as many trained pilots as it can without losing them to the civilian airlines. But it would do so only as a last resort. "Every idea is on the table and worthy of discussion," said Col. Chris Karns, spokesman for Air Mobility Command, said Tuesday. His comments came after an article in CQ Roll Call quoted AMC's commander, Gen. Carlton Everhart II, saying, "I said to the industry ... if we can't meet the requirements, the chief could drop in a stop-loss -- and you need to understand that." Karns reiterated what Everhart said last week during a discussion with reporters that the airline industry needs to take the lead in providing options for sharing pilots. "Industry could serve as potential partners in a range of possible ideas to include sabbaticals, debt forgiveness, or possibly the establishment of simulator campuses to offset the number of flying hours required to be a commercial airline pilot," he said. "The meeting will help determine the realm of possible." Everhart has discussed similar ideas, and hopes to bring them to the airline industry during a meeting with officials May 18 at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/04/12/air-force-wont-use-stop-loss-keep-pilots-top-general- says.html Back to Top Official: Pilots not tested for fentanyl due to system 'lag' CENTERVILLE, Ohio - A federal transportation safety official says screening commercial pilots for fentanyl is not yet under consideration, even after one fatally overdosed on the painkiller at his Ohio home. Mary Pat McKay, chief medical officer for the National Transportation Safety Board, told the Dayton Daily News (http://bit.ly/2osYpWZ ) that some board members would support fentanyl testing if federal health officials certify screening protocols. She spoke to the newspaper after a Spirit Airlines pilot overdosed in Centerville, about 49 miles (79 kilometers) north of Cincinnati. Many transportation employees are screened for drugs including marijuana and cocaine. The Department of Transportation is currently considering adding tests for some opioids that don't include fentanyl. McKay says fentanyl wasn't as widespread when the proposal was drafted. She says "the system is always going to lag behind." http://www.startribune.com/official-pilots-not-tested-for-fentanyl-due-to-system-lag/419340344/ Back to Top Shree Airlines acquires first jet to begin fixed-wing operations (Nepal) Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets (CRJ-200) Nepal's largest helicopter operator, Shree Airlines on Wednesday welcomed its first 50-seater Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ-200) as part of its plan to diversify and tap into Nepal's expanding air travel market. The aircraft was flown from Japan via China. The airline plans to begin commercial passenger service soon. Shree Airlines has become the second Nepali carrier to fly Bombardier aircraft after Saurya Airlines. The airlines said its other two jets-78-seater CRJ-700 and 50-seater CRJ-200-will arrive next week. Shree has been allotted six sectors-Bhadrapur, Biratnagar, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi and mountain flight. Airline officials said the reduced travel time offered by jet aircraft would help them to attract travellers and break the duopoly of Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines on trunk routes. Currently, Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines, Simrik Airlines, Saurya Airlines and Nepal Airlines serve domestic trunk routes. Shree will be hiring at least 200 more personnel for its expansion project. Started in 1999, it currently has six MI-17 and four Eurocopter AS350 B3e helicopters. Shree had received a no objection certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) in March to buy or lease aircraft, eight months after the carrier applied to begin fixed-wing operations. Although, Shree had planned to launch commercial operations by the end of 2016, stringent AOC requirements forced it to push back its launch date. The airline said it would be spending Rs2 billion on its expansion project that is expected to shake up the domestic aviation sector which seems to have quietened down of late. According to Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Nepal's domestic air passenger movement jumped 28.85 percent to 1.75 million in 2016, as travellers chose to fly rather than drive over bone-jarring national highways. http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-04-13/shree-airlines-acquires-first-jet-to-begin-fixed- wing-operations.html Back to Top Chicago suspends more security officers after man dragged from United jet This image made from a video provided by a passenger shows David Dao being removed Sunday from a United Airlines flight in Chicago. Two more Chicago Department of Aviation security officers were placed on leave Wednesday as outrage grows after a 69-year-old man was injured as he was dragged off an overbooked United Airlines flight at O'Hare International Airport. The department had already put one officer on leave pending an investigation into how physician David Dao's refusal to give up his seat Sunday spiraled into a scuffle that sent him to the hospital and sparked international outrage over the erosion of flyers' rights. The CDA is "reviewing the details surrounding the incident. As part of our review, two additional officers have been placed on administrative leave until further notice. The employees' collective bargaining agreement prohibits the CDA from releasing their names at this time," spokeswoman Karen Pride said. The debacle started after United Airlines gate agents started to draft passengers after no volunteers stepped up to give up their seats on Flight 3411 to Louisville. Video taken by flyers shows three officers converging on Dao, yanking him out of his seat and dragging him down the aisle. His face is bleeding with bruises or cuts. Dao is recovering from his injuries in a Chicago hospital and a news conference is planned Thursday with his attorneys and a family member. Dao's daughter lives in Barrington. The event sent United into damage control-mode after CEO Oscar Munoz initially told employees they had acted appropriately and followed standard procedures. He quickly shifted amid threats of congressional action and public outcries, apologizing profusely on Tuesday for the "horrific event." Meanwhile suburban Democratic U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston and Daniel Lipinski of Western Springs are considering legislation to prevent forcible evictions from airplanes in such cases. Activists protested Tuesday night at the United terminal at O'Hare saying the violence represented a pattern of abuse against minorities by the aviation industry. http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170412/news/170419530/ Back to Top EVICTED An FSI Commentary By Roger Rapoport Contributing Editor Every day airlines engage in a delicate balancing act. Tall passengers who always stretch their legs out under the cramped seat in front of them suddenly discover that their brand new state of the art Airbus has added a metal bar that blocks their feet. The mother of a newborn can't afford the cost of an extra seat and must carry a baby on her lap for a long flight. A passenger with a modest backpack and a laptop is forced to put one item beneath their seat to make room overhead for someone with a 40 pound rollerbag that flight attendants must wrestle into a bin. These are everyday stories that never make the news as airlines struggle to deal with increasingly crowded flights, long lines for the bathrooms, and computer algorithms that overbook too many flights. Only when a passenger is forcibly evicted from a flight, as happened this week on a United Express plane bound from Chicago to Louisville, does this issue get the attention it deserves. Overbooking is just one of a series of issues that forces passengers to make difficult choices. Last week, when horrible weather shut down the Atlanta Airport for a few hours, Delta Airlines was ultimately forced to cancel over 3,500 flights as it struggle to rebook, reschedule and resume normal schedules. Cancelled flights, flight crews that had timed out, thousands of bags separated from their owners and missed connections took days to sort out. Passengers on tight schedules were forced to cancel, rebook, reschedule or use alternate transportation at considerable expense to make crucial appointments, or reach weddings. Exhausted flight crews doing their best to restore normalcy struggled to pack bags into overheads lest they have to be gate checked. While Delta did its best to help out its passengers, weather, fully booked aircraft and the lack of alternatives for victims of cancelled flights unraveled a great airline's network. While the story of one United Express passenger's well documented nightmare dominated the news, the fact is that the airlines have unfortunately become victims of their own poorly thought out policies that need to be reexamined. Let's begin with passenger comfort. To keep fares low airlines have squeezed their passengers into seats that don't have enough leg room for tall customers. Deep Vein Thrombosis can potentially be one of the consequences of insufficient leg room and cramped seating that prevents passengers from moving about. Charging $25 to check luggage slows down the boarding process as more and more customers, except on Southwest which doesn't charge to check bags, carry them on. On too many flights, a shortage of overhead space means these bags have to be gate checked which is a hassle for everyone and distracts flight attendants from their principal job, passenger safety. The industry's failure to discount seats for infants or just give them away, is dangerous and short sighted. For many years the National Transportation Safety Board, Flight attendant's unions and other safety groups have called for an end to this policy. Wearing a seat belt on a plane is a requirement for all passengers and young children should be required to ride in car seats. The issue of overbooking is a direct result of the industry's own failure to deal with the consequences of a hub system where missed connections can play havoc with schedules. Large hubs like Chicago are critical to airline operations because they are home base for many flight crews who commute to work elsewhere. Bumping passengers to make room for a flight crew that needed to get to Louisville triggered the United Express incident this week. One possible answer to this problem is for the airlines to broaden their route system with more direct flights. Bumping passengers to make room for flight crews suggests that the industry's reliance on smaller commuter planes like the United Express aircraft headed from Chicago to Louisville, can be self-defeating. Larger aircraft would help the airlines accommodate more passengers. When these bigger planes end up with a few empty seats, they should be given away to parents of children under 2. Finally, the incident that erupted on the United Express flight suggests a lack of communication between airport security and airline operations. Clearly this overreach prompted a distraught passenger to fight for his rights, something that is not all that easy to do on an aircraft ready to leave the gate. Despite United's profuse apologies, the fact remains that all passengers are firmly in control of their airline and can be evicted whether or not a flight is overbooked. The right of an airline to get its flight crew to work in another city apparently takes priority over a Kentucky doctor trying to get home to treat his patients. The airline's failure to pay enough money to persuade passengers to take another flight suggests that carriers can no longer simply depend on computer algorithms to determine who can fly. Sometimes it's better to let human beings make the big decisions. Roger Rapoport, an FSI Contributing Editor is the author of the forthcoming book Angle of Attack: Air France 447 and The Future of Aviation Safety with Shem Malmquist. He is the producer of Pilot Error. Back to Top Frank Whittle and the invention of the jet engine: Six places to trace his genius Frank Whittle triumphed despite indifference and adversity It was, in many ways, a very British sort of achievement. When the turbine began to spin on the "WU" - the prototype jet engine developed by the Coventry-born engineer Frank Whittle - it was a moment which changed the world. Had you been passing through the byways of Rugby, in Warwickshire, 80 years ago today, you might even have heard it. A thrum of mechanics in sync, building and building, growing in intensity to become a roar; a giddy howl which would permanently alter the way we journey around our planet. And yet it might so easily not have happened. Whittle's triumph - on April 12 1937 - was garnered in the face of official indifference and scientific doubt, and was only pulled off by a merest financial hair's breadth, with the Second World War crowding in on all sides. Such is the modern ubiquity of an aircraft traversing the firmament that it is more than possible to forget the struggles of the genius who helped to put these miracles of motion in their lofty place. Here was a man who was obsessed with aviation from an early age, but failed his RAF medical in 1923 due to a lack of height and physique. Whittle's achievements have long been recognised Here was a visionary who began fomenting his design for a jet engine as early as 1927, and patented it in 1930, yet had to swim against the current after seeing his idea pooh-poohed by the UK's Air Ministry - which, upon seeing the blueprint in 1929, deemed it "impracticable." Undeterred, Whittle took his own path. In January 1936, he founded a private company, Power Jets Ltd, with aeronautical engineer Rolf Dudley Williams and retired RAF officer James Collingwood Tinling. With £2,000 of funding from O.T. Falk & Partners - an investment bank which was known for taking risks - the trio began converting what had been decried as fantasy into reality. That first blur of blades as the WU (Whittle Unit) screamed into life was followed by a series of leaps forward. The Air Ministry placed its first order for Whittle's brainwave in January 1940. The first jet- powered British plane took off from RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, on May 15 1941. The rest is so much history. None of this occurred in isolation. The story of the jet engine can never be told without mentions of Maxime Guillaume, who secured a French patent for a jet engine with a gas turbine in 1921 (no prototype was ever produced as it was beyond the scope of existing technology), and of Hans Von Ohain, who beat Whittle to the punch by building the first fully operational jet engine in 1939 as Germany chased advantages in the global conflict. The Frank Whittle Monument, Lutterworth But it was Whittle who first conjured the improbable into whirring, purring operation. And if you want to trace his legacy (the pressure of his work wreaked havoc on his health, causing a nervous breakdown in 1940, although he lived to 89, his love of cigarettes claiming him in 1996) you can do so in more detail than via a glance at the sky. The following six locations all bear compelling witness to his persistence and endeavour. Midland Air Museum Located at Coventry Airport - in Baginton, in Whittle's native Warwickshire - this intriguing nugget of aviation ephemera shines a dedicated spotlight on one of the region's most celebrated sons. It plays host to the Sir Frank Whittle Jet Heritage Centre, which dissects Whittle's journey via photos, archive video footage and first-hand testimony. The museum's aircraft collection includes a pair of Gloster Meteor jet-fighters - direct results of Whittle's labours, which were soaring into the skies above Britain as early as 1943. One of the museum's Meteors is the second oldest version of the plane still in existence. midlandairmuseum.co.uk Lutterworth Museum In 1938, the thrust of Power Jets Ltd's research shifted eight miles north to Lutterworth in Leicestershire. Seventy-nine years on, this market town celebrates the pioneering toil which went on in its pretty environs - not least at the Lutterworth Museum, which boasts a wealth of papers and documents from the era, including the (renewed) 1936 patent for Whittle's design, and a champagne bottle, signed by the great man, from a party held at RAF Cranwell on the evening of those first British jet flights. The National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC Just in case you overlook the town's link to such swashbuckling heritage, a roundabout on its outskirts (the junction of the A4303 and Rugby Road) repeats the point with a monument of a plane in take-off. lutterworthmuseum.com Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Museum Set up next to Farnborough Airfield in Hampshire, the FAST Museum is another guardian of Britain's contribution to modern aviation. It shelters two of Whittle's earliest engines, and takes an endearingly focused approach to the maths and science of flying, with a fully functioning demonstration wind tunnel. It also has exhibits on more modern facets of travels through the heavens - including the role of carbon fibre in 21st century aircraft. airsciences.org.uk The Jet Age Museum Pitched next to Gloucestershire Airport, just outside Gloucester, the Jet Age Museum is another piece of the UK's air-heritage jigsaw, directing a bright beam onto the area's role in the development of the jet engine. It was the Gloster Aircraft Company - which existed between 1917 and 1963 - which constructed the early Meteor planes that soared upwards, powered by Whittle's ingenuity (these would prove to be the only jet-fighters used by Allied forces during the Second World War). Two of them are here - a Meteor T7 and a Meteor F8 - along with other makes and models from the firm's mould-breaking half-century. A replica of the Gloster E28/39 - Britain's first jet aircraft - is also visible inside. jetagemuseum.org Science Museum, London And the reason for the use of said replica Gloster E28/39 in Gloucestershire is that the original is 100 miles away in the Science Museum in London - alongside other ghosts of the past like the Vickers Vimy, a heavy British bomber which flew in the First World War. sciencemuseum.org.uk/ National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC Seeing as Whittle's skill enabled trips between the UK and the USA (and indeed, everywhere else) to become so much quicker than they had ever been, it is only fair that he is saluted in America's capital city. The National Air and Space Museum - part of the excellent Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC - is host to a Whittle W.1X engine. It sits in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall with other fundamental fragments of the jump to high altitude - such as Spirit of St Louis, the aircraft with which Charles Lindbergh, foreshadowing Whittle, managed the first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic, in May 1927. airandspace.si.edu http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/articles/frank-whittle- and-the-birth-of-the-jet-engine/ Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Request My name is Mohamed Sheryenna. I'm a student at the University of South wales (UK), MSc. Aircraft Maintenance System. I'm conducting this research about Importance of Implementation SMS to Aircraft Maintenance: For reducing accidents. This study would look to understand the approaches and benefits of implementation SMS in Aircraft maintenance organization to reduce risk of accidents or at least mitigate it by identify and manage risks in predictive phase. Moreover, the study sought to determine the influence of the organizational culture and its effective on maintenance. In addition, to assess some tools used by SMS to support maintenance and engineering to obtain optimal aircraft maintenance. Ultimately, the effectiveness of an SMS implementation means the organization can manage the complexity of these mechanisms to defend against risk incubation. All the information will be treated confidentially and reported in the aggregate. The resultant data will be analyzed as part of my master degree's thesis. I will strictly respect the confidentiality of all participants' input. If you are a participant, and if you desire, I will provide you with a copy of the outcomes of my study. Please return the survey with your business card or contact information to indicate your interest in receiving a copy of the results. I would greatly appreciate your input to my survey. I realize that you are very busy; and completion of the survey should require not more than 10 minutes of your time. These questionnaires are intended to explore SMS in Aircraft maintenance and are purely for academic purpose. Your participation in this research will be highly appreciated. please click the link below to go through the survey http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/8YYUA/ Thank you very much for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, Mohamed Sheryenna 15050033@students.southwales.ac.uk Tel. 00447459876975 Back to Top SAFE Encourages Pilot Input on GA Runway Incursions (Survey) Active general aviation (GA) pilots are being asked to help an ongoing study of GA runway incursions by completing a new online questionnaire. The FAA has said that runway incursions - a vehicle or aircraft on the ground endangering aircraft landing or taking off - average three per day and are a "serious safety concern." GA pilots are involved in about 80 percent of runway incursions. "The question is, what are GA pilots doing, or not doing, that results in so many runway incursions?" said Professor Donna F. Wilt of the Florida Institute of Technology College of Aeronautics. "By analyzing such occurrences we can help mitigate those dangerous situations." The study is being conducted by the FIT College of Aeronautics, Hampton University Department of Aviation and Purdue University Department of Aviation Technology. It is funded through the Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility and Sustainability (PEGASAS), and the FAA Center of Excellence for GA. SAFE is a partner of PEGASAS. The questionnaire will be available from April 1 through April 30, 2017. To take the new questionnaire, click here or click on or copy and past the URL below. The questionnaire is also available on the SAFE web site at www.SAFEPilots.org and will be available at the SAFE booth at Sun 'n Fun. SAFE is encouraging its members to participate in the project. Direct Link URL: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeiJFFh52kh_afnEN7qoBRoliQvqLSUhksMQAGDGbO- EcDweg/viewform?usp=sf_link For more information, contact the project's Principal Investigator, Dr. Scott Winter. SAFE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting aviation education at all levels of learning. SAFE is a recognized leader in pilot training reform, safety education, and the mentoring of aviation educators. For information on free resource materials and membership, go to www.safepilots.org. Scott Winter Assistant Professor of Aviation Science College of Aeronautics, Florida Institute of Technology 321-674-7639 (Office) 218-269-9376 (Cell) 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