Flight Safety Information May 4, 2017 - No. 090 Incident: Etihad A332 at Abu Dhabi on May 2nd 2017, engine shut down in flight Incident: Nordwind A321 near Heraklion on May 3rd 2017, cabin did not pressurize Incident: Malaysia B738 at Kuala Lumpur on May 2nd 2017, two main tyres burst on landing Airbus A330-223 Birdstrike (Moscow) Video: Pilot, passenger walked away from dramatic Mukilteo plane crash Russia pilots appealed to ICAO upon Federal Air Transport Agency's arbitrariness FAA BasicMed Rule Now in Effect Nigeria plans to set up national airline, develop aviation capacity For the First Time, Allegiant Air Learns What it's Like to Configure a New Airplane Marine MV-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft Complete First Pacific Crossing Vistara may place order for around 100 aircraft by June AOPA PARTICIPATES IN CONGRESSIONAL AVIATION ROUNDTABLE Nevada Officials Say State Needs 200 More Pilots Chinese passenger jet prepares for maiden flight Cirrus Receives Vision Jet Production Certificate Back To The Future: Why The U.S. Needs A Light Turboprop Attack Aircraft Successful Launch Of Vector Rocket Is One Giant Leap For The Industry AIRCRAFT CABIN AIR CONFERENCE European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP) Human Factors in Flight Safety: SMS, Risk Management New Edition of Commercial Aviation Safety book just released Incident: Etihad A332 at Abu Dhabi on May 2nd 2017, engine shut down in flight An Etihad Airbus A330-200, registration A6-EYO performing flight EY-474 from Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) to Jakarta (Indonesia), was climbing out of Abu Dhabi's runway 31L when the left hand engine (Trent 772) emitted a huge bang and streaks of flames prompting the crew to level off at 3000 feet, shut the engine down and return to Abu Dhabi for a safe landing on runway 31R about 25 minutes after departure. A passenger reported the left hand engine emitted a big ball of fire and a huge bang. A replacement Airbus A330-200 registration A6-EYD reached Jakarta with a delay of 6 hours. The occurrence aircraft resumed service after about 36 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4a87bc06&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Nordwind A321 near Heraklion on May 3rd 2017, cabin did not pressurize A Nordwind Airbus A321-200, registration VP-BGH performing flight N4-1606 from Heraklion (Greece) to Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia), was climbing through FL250 out of Heraklion when the crew initiated an emergency descent to FL070 due to problem with the cabin pressure, the passenger oxygen masks were not released. The aircraft returned to Heraklion for a safe landing about 40 minutes after departure. A passenger reported children on board felt pressure on their ears while the aircraft was rapidly descending, the oxygen masks did not deploy. The passengers were rebooked onto other flights. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Heraklion about 14 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4a87b2e0&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Malaysia B738 at Kuala Lumpur on May 2nd 2017, two main tyres burst on landing A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration 9M-MXN performing flight MH-726 from Jakarta (Indonesia) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), landed on Kuala Lumpur's runway 32L at 07:14L (23:14Z) but came to a stop with both left hand main tyres burst and was disabled. The runway was closed, the passengers disembarked onto the runway via mobile stairs and were bussed to the terminal. http://avherald.com/h?article=4a86df53&opt=0 Back to Top Airbus A330-223 Birdstrike (Moscow) Date: 03-MAY-2017 Time: 04:45 Type: Airbus A330-223 Owner/operator: THY Turkish Airlines Registration: TC-JIP C/n / msn: 876 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Moskva-Vnukovo Airport (VKO/UUWW) - Russia Phase: Initial climb Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Moskva-Vnukovo Airport (VKO/UUWW) Destination airport: Antalya Airport (AYT/LTAI) Narrative: Turkish Airlines flight TK3999 returned to land at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport in Russia after sustaining a bird strike. The aircraft, an Airbus A330-223, took off at 04:43 LT (01:43 UTC). The climb was arrested at 5000 feet and the aircraft turned back to Vnukovo Airport for a safe landing at 05:02 LT. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=195207 Back to Top Video: Pilot, passenger walked away from dramatic Mukilteo plane crash This dash cam footage shows the small plane that crashed Tuesday afternoon in Mukilteo. (Courtesy of Guanting Li) The fiery crash of the single-engine plane was captured on a dashcam video. The pilot, 30, and a passenger did not report injuries, but two people on the ground had minor injuries, police say. An Oregon pilot and a passenger walked away from the fiery crash of a small plane on a Mukilteo street Tuesday despite hitting several cars, police said. Two people on the ground reported minor injuries, according to police. The pilot reported he had lost power just before the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday. The crash was captured on a driver's dashcam video, which showed the plane clipping a power line and sending sparks into the air before hitting the ground in a fireball. The single-engine plane had just taken off from nearby Paine Field airport when it crashed at about 3:30 p.m. at Harbour Pointe Boulevard Southwest and Mukilteo Speedway, according to Mukilteo police. Police say several cars were damaged in the crash and the subsequent fire. After striking the power line, the plane hit a traffic signal, rupturing a fuel cell and sparking a car fire, police said. After hitting the street the plane skidded to a stop at Harbour Pointe Boulevard Southwest east of Cyrus Way. The Snohomish County Public Utilities District said the crash also caused a widespread but brief power outage in the area. The 30-year-old pilot did not report injuries, police said. The Piper PA-32-260 is registered to Klamath Aviation LLC, in Klamath Falls, Ore., which appears to be owned by Justin Dunaway, who holds a student pilot certification, according to FAA airmen records. "We don't want to talk about it right now," Dunaway said on Wednesday morning. Dunaway said he was not piloting the plane. The crash is being investigated by the NTSB. "We recovered the airplane last night," said Eliott Simpson, an aviation accident investigator with the NTSB. "We're going to spend the next couple days gathering evidence." Simpson said a preliminary report should be out next week. He said investigators spoke to the pilot and a friend who was with him when the plane crashed. "They both reported they lost engine power on takeoff," Simpson said. http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/no-injuries-after-small-plane-crashes-on-mukilteo-street/ Back to Top Russia pilots appealed to ICAO upon Federal Air Transport Agency's arbitrariness The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviation) annulled hundreds of certificates of aviation specialists. The pilots are afraid that this will continue, so they complained to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on the arbitrariness of the department. Russian pilots and industry workers complained to the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) on the actions of Rosaviatsia. They demand "to stop arbitrariness on the part of Rosaviatsia regarding aviation experts and training centers." This is written by Kommersant with reference to the petition of the aviation industry employees. The document states that the agency annulled the service certificates of hundreds of aviation specialists, "often without explaining the reasons or differently interpreting the laws." The pilots are worried that another thousand certificates can be canceled in the next few days. The aviation industry officials state that Rosaviatsia actions affected former military pilots, navigators and flight engineers, as well as private pilots, who graduated from non-state aviation training centers (ATS). At the same time, complaining employees note that the agency itself allowed to create ATS, which training programs were approved by officials. The certificates obtained after the completion of the centers corresponded to the provisions of the ICAO and the requirements of the federal aviation regulations. A representative of Rosaviatsia told Kommersant that the courts had confirmed the legitimacy of annulling evidence. The Rosaviatsia believes that information about the carrier strike was forged in these documents; medical certificates were also forged. Rosaviatsia assure that the purpose of inspections is to improve flight safety, stressing that in 2015-2016 the number of accidents in general aviation increased. The pilots believe that the ICAO can resolve all disagreements. They demanded to attract foreign experts for an independent check of Rosaviatsia in organizing initial training and issuing pilot certificates. In addition, aviation employees require the return of recalled flight certificates. At the same time, the ICAO spokesman told Kommersant that "national or corporate labor issues in the air transport field should be decided by the relevant local institutions, companies and organizations." In Russia, you can become a pilot after graduating a primary program of secondary or higher education by the federal standard or go for additional professional retraining with technical secondary or higher education. State higher educational institutions are located in St. Petersburg and Ulyanovsk, where they study for five years. In schools (AUC) it is necessary to study two years and 10 months. AUC prepares private pilots, but they can re-qualify students from one type of aircraft to another. However, the petition states that even if the pilots underwent initial flight training at the AUC, and not at the state university, their licenses would be revoked. As a result of the work, "at least a quarter of all pilots in the Russian Federation" can be deprived of their right to flight, say the workers of the aviation industry. Tags: Rosaviatsia https://en.crimerussia.com/gromkie-dela/russia-pilots-appealed-to-icao-upon-federal-air-transport- agency-s-arbitrariness/ Back to Top FAA BasicMed Rule Now in Effect Under BasicMed, pilots can fly "any aircraft authorized under federal law to carry not more than 6 occupants," with a maximum certificated takeoff weight of not more than 6,000 pounds. With the FAA BasicMed rule now in effect, the agency has provided a medical exam checklist for physicians and authorized the first BasicMed online course. General aviation pilots are now able to fly under the new FAA BasicMed rule "without holding a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate as long as they meet certain requirements." The rule, which went into effect May 1, 2017, offers GA pilots an alternative to the FAA's medical qualification process for the third class medical certificate, though pilots can opt to continue using their valid FAA medical certificate. It is important to note, however, that for new/student pilots who have never held a medical certificate before, or pilots that have not held a valid medical certificate after July 15, 2006, they will need to obtain a third class medical through the traditional method before being eligible for BasicMed. BasicMed Requirements For a pilot to fly under BasicMed, they must: * Have a valid driver's license. * Consent to a National Driver Register check. * Have held a medical certificate that was valid at any time after July 15, 2006. * Have not had their most recently held medical certificate revoked, suspended or withdrawn. * Have not had their most recent airman medical certification application completed and denied. * Have completed a comprehensive medical exam with a state-licensed physician within the past 48 months, using the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist. * Have taken a BasicMed online medical education course within the past 24 calendar months, and save proof of completion. * When applicable, have been found eligible for the special issuance of a medical certificate for certain specified mental health, neurological, or cardiovascular conditions. * Not fly for compensation or hire * Under BasicMed, pilots can fly "any aircraft authorized under federal law to carry not more than 6 occupants," with a maximum certificated takeoff weight of not more than 6,000 pounds. The pilot also needs to comply with the following operating requirements: * Carries not more than five passengers. * Operates under VFR or IFR, within the United States, at less than 18,000 feet MSL, not exceeding 250 knots. For a complete overview of BasicMed, it is recommended you read the FAA's advisory circular 68-1. The FAA has also provided an FAQ page for BasicMed. BasicMed Online Course With the FAA BasicMed Rule now in place, the agency has also provided a link to the free, online AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) Self-Assessment Course that satisfies the BasicMed requirement for taking an online medical education course. The Mayo Clinic will also be providing an online course as well, which they say will be posted to the FAA's Basic Med page shortly. Speaking about the arrival of BasicMed, AOPA's President Mark Baker said, "We fought long and hard for this on behalf of our members, and we're excited that pilots can now start the BasicMed process." AOPA also noted1 that as of April 26, 2017, 529 pilots had complied with all the required steps and had received BasicMed completion certificates, that 2,495 had passed the quiz at the end of the online medical course, and that an additional 1,773 applicants had started the course. https://disciplesofflight.com/faa-basicmed-rule-starts/ Back to Top Nigeria plans to set up national airline, develop aviation capacity Hadi Sirika, Nigeria's minister of state on aviation, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Abuja, Nigeria, December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria has appointed advisers to help it set up a national airline and develop its aviation infrastructure -- currently seen as a barrier to economic growth -- to create a hub for West Africa, junior aviation minister Hadi Sirika said on Wednesday. Sirika said a group of six firms including German carrier Lufthansa would advise the government on setting up an airline, an aviation leasing company and a maintenance hanger, and on creating concessions to run the country's airports. A cabinet meeting on Wednesday chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had approved 1.52 billion naira ($4.99 million) of funding for the project, he added. President Muhammadu Buhari, who promised a national airline when campaigning for election, did not attend the weekly meeting, fuelling concerns about the state of his health. Decades of neglect and lack of investment have left Nigeria with low-quality infrastructure that is seen as a hurdle to prosperity and the government has already said that upgrading it will require private investment. The government set up a committee on establishing a national airline in 2015, in fulfillment of the campaign promises which brought Buhari's All Progressive Congress (APC) to power. An APC transition paper seen by Reuters in 2015 had proposed merging a dozen debt-laden airlines on the books of state-owned "bad bank" AMCON into a single carrier that would partner with a global airline to serve the West and Central African region. The single carrier would include Nigeria's biggest airline, Arik Air, which AMCON took over in February. AMCON has said it has no plans to convert Arik into a national carrier and that the government has no interest in doing so other than to ensure that the airline continues to fly. http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKBN1800NS-OZATP Back to Top For the First Time, Allegiant Air Learns What it's Like to Configure a New Airplane Did you know how much effort went into designing a plane's cabin? Skift got the scoop from Allegiant Air, which will take its first-ever new airplane from Airbus later this month. On 18 planes in Allegiant Air's fleet, a bright orange stripe runs along the overhead bins, stretching from front door to the rear bathrooms. It's an accent familiar to anyone who has flown EasyJet, the European discounter. For its 20-year history, Allegiant, one of three ultra low cost U.S. airlines, has bought used airplanes. First, the airline took gas-guzzling MD-80s, but more recently it has preferred newer and more fuel-efficient Airbus A319s and A320s. They often come from EasyJet and three other airlines - Iberia and Vueling in Spain, and Cebu Pacific in the Philippines. United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Delta Air Lines - all used-plane buyers - often spend months and significant sums reconfiguring cabins so they look identical to their other aircraft. But usually, planes join Allegiant's fleet looking as they did when they flew from Manila to Bhutan for Cebu Pacific, or from London to Palma de Majorca for EasyJet. Removing extras other airlines added - like orange stripes - is expensive, and Allegiant CEO Maury Gallagher figures passengers prefer cheap tickets more than matching interiors. Recently, Allegiant started retrofitting clear outliers, like one plane with an unusual tree pattern on its side walls. But when possible, it prefers only to paint the outside of planes, replace the carpet, and add seats and row numbers. Overhead bins don't get touched. "We just took what we could get," Brian Davis, Allegiant's vice president for marketing, said of the company's historic strategy. "Our customers didn't care." Given Gallagher's frugality, few expected Allegiant would buy new planes. But the used market can be tricky because airlines only can acquire aircraft when another carrier or a lessor will sell. Last year, Allegiant wanted planes faster so it ordered 12 new Airbus A320s, and the first delivery is May 15. They're not as cheap as used ones, but Allegiant likely got a good deal since Airbus soon will stop making the A320 in favor of a next-generation model, the A320neo. It's like buying last year's car model after it has been discontinued. As part of the purchase price, Airbus configures each plane as the customer wants, including sidewalls, seats, carpeting, bathrooms, door handles, and the languages on emergency exit signs. Airbus often offers hundreds of options for each choice - enough to overwhelm employees at an airline as small as Allegiant. It has fewer than 100 aircraft. "For every surface you see in an airplane," Davis said, "there is a room of swatches and color palates." Other airlines send teams to Airbus' Toulouse, France offices to ensure interiors meet the carrier's standards. But Allegiant had no team, so Davis tapped one person - Kimberly Schaefer, the public relations manager - to fly to Europe to make decisions. Some carriers spend years selecting options, but because Allegiant had less than a year from order to delivery, Schaefer had a compressed schedule. And as much as Airbus helped, the process was still daunting - less like buying a car and more like building a house, Davis said. "They kind of walk you through the process and say, 'Now its time to make these 14 decisions,"' Davis said. "That's when we open the catalogue and say, 'Oh, shit, there are many, many options.'" Before she left for France, Schaefer received advice from two executives. Davis asked her to match Allegiant's brand standards, while Jude Bricker, Allegiant's COO, reminded her she represented a "utilitarian brand," and told her to stay on budget. She would not be selecting in-seat television screens, nor onboard internet. "Don't go out and a spend a bunch of money," Bricker told her. EasyJet planes, including this Airbus A319, have a signature orange stripe along the bottom of the overhead bins. Adrian Pingstone/Wikipedia. HOW TO GET EASY ORANGE Davis and Schaefer tried to keep it simple. When feasible, Allegiant would select packages, and add features already on used planes, such as EasyJet's orange stripes. Davis likes them because the shade closely matches the color in Allegiant's sun logo. "It's not obnoxiously orange," he said. But getting the stripe was surprisingly complicated. After Schaefer asked Airbus for it, she learned the hue was called "Easy Orange," and Allegiant could not use it because Easy Group, the European airline's parent, owned it. Airbus sent Schaefer swatches of similar colors, but she didn't like them. "They were too yellow or too red," she said. Briefly, Schaefer considered orange mood lighting in place of stripes, but learned the lights are expensive. "The folks at Airbus were like, 'You definitely don't want to do that. It's going to be way outside your budget."' Eventually, Allegiant executives contacted Easy Group, and the two companies reached a deal. Easy Group sent Airbus a letter showing Allegiant could use "Easy Orange" below the bins. The rest of the interior was easier, since Airbus offers packages that include most of the basics. Schaefer picked one called the "Enhanced Cool," a conservative scheme featuring white sidewalls with a pattern of small gray squares. Most European and American airlines prefer something similar, and a version of this package is installed on all but eight of Allegiant's used Airbuses. Another package, called the "Enhanced Warm Scheme," is based on sand-like colors, and popular among Middle East and African airlines. The package covered many elements, including bins, window panels, flight attendant jump seats, the bathroom and cockpit doors, and the toilet. Had she not selected it, Schaefer might have customized everything - even bathroom door handles. "They could really do anything that you want as far as the design," Schaefer said. "The door itself is the door itself. But you can really have any door handle that you want. It can be made of solid gold covered in diamonds." Or, as Davis put it, "If you said, 'I want purple elephants on my side walls, they would do that for you."' HOW LONG SHOULD THE BATHROOM WATER RUN? Designing the bathrooms was a bigger challenge. First, Schaefer wanted an orange stripe in them because the former EasyJet planes have it. But she learned it would cost extra, so she skipped it. Then she turned her attention to choosing one of 111 options for "non-textile flooring." Airbus sent sample swatches, and she flipped through them - a task she likened to searching for wallpaper samples at Home Depot or Lowe's. She skipped fake wood, preferring a composite navy pattern called Atlantis, with raised round dots, an option she wanted for safety. "It's more slip resistant than a smooth surface," she said. The dots are small, and Schaefer is hopeful that'll make floors easier to clean. "The spaces between the dots are large enough that dirt or other material will not become embedded," she said. For counters, Schaefer picked a fake stone - one of 25 options offered by Airbus- called "duocolor white." For sinks, she preferred stainless- for simplicity sake. Stainless was the only option Airbus offered for all three bathrooms, two in the back, and one in front. Next, Schaefer determined how long sink water would flow from the automatic faucet. She went with 10 seconds - enough, she hopes, so passengers can wash their hands without wasting water. If that's not enough, it's possible to change the time to 15 seconds. She jokes that selecting the water run time made her a more discerning traveler. "I just flew back yesterday from Dallas on American on an A321," Schaefer said. "Their water seems to run a little longer. It's so weird. I have the weirdest job." ROW 13? For weeks, Airbus peppered Allegiant with minor questions. What light bulbs did it want? Would it have a row 13? Would exit and other signs be mounted only in English? Or Spanish, too? How would Airbus paint the aircraft's exterior? The row 13 question was easy. Allegiant will have one, though some carriers, including United Airlines, do not. "It makes the most sense," Davis said. "And nobody raised an objection." Spanish proved trickier. At first, Davis thought the answer was obvious. Allegiant flies charters to Mexico, and may add scheduled flights, so it wanted Spanish signs. Since some of the used planes already have Spanish, Davis figured new planes should match the old. "We thought, 'Oh, great, we already have Spanish, so we can fly to Mexico,'" he said. The problem? Mexican Spanish is slightly different than what's spoken in Europe, and Allegiant executives learned signs on the former Iberia planes weren't perfect for Latin America. After some discussion, though, they went with consistency. New planes will match Iberia's signs. Row numbering was another vexing issue. Some airlines only put numbers on a light above the seats, near the air vents, while others add them to overhead bins. Numbers on lights are a standard option, but Davis is 6 feet 2, and when he flies on an airplane with seat numbers on lights, he can't see them without bending down. Allegiant seeks to board planes quickly, and Davis said inconveniently placed numbers can confuse passengers and slow boarding. "They kind of stop at the front of the airplane as they are trying to figure out how to sit," he said. "You don't want it taking a few seconds to find your seat number." Allegiant not only will put numbers on bins, but it also will use more prominent placards than usual. Big numbers were among the few features Allegiant paid extra for, along with a public address system that can make recorded announcements in two languages. "It sounds crazy, but it makes a huge difference," Schaefer said of the row numbers. "That was a conscious decision. We thought if we could expedite boarding, it would help our turn times." Then there was exterior paint. Allegiant has a blue tail with a sun on it, and the sun fades from yellow, in the center, to orange at the edges. But it's not a true fade. Instead, Allegiant uses sets of hexagonal dots to create the yellow-to-orange fade. Airbus paints new planes, and it we wanted to give Allegiant's a real fade. Or, more specifically, it didn't like Allegiant's approach. "Their engineers refused to paint it with the hexagonal dots," Davis said, because they feared producing an "inferior product." Airbus would send photographs of other airline paint schemes, and Davis acknowledged Airbus' approach produced a better-looking airplane. But he didn't want customers in Orlando to notice two tails with an Airbus sunburst and six more with hexagonal dots. He also knew airlines and lessors who sell used planes to Allegiant would not follow Airbus' process in the future. Sellers paint aircraft in paint shops worldwide, and consistency is a challenge. Finally, Allegiant persuaded Airbus to match existing planes for the dozen new aircraft. "They believe their fade to be superior," Davis said. "We said, 'While your 12 may look better, they are also going to look different.'" https://skift.com/2017/05/04/for-the-first-time-allegiant-air-learns-what-its-like-to-configure-a-new- airplane/ Back to Top Marine MV-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft Complete First Pacific Crossing Four U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys Have Crossed the Pacific for the First Time. A flight of four U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft has completed a historic first ever long- range flight across the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin. The aircraft stopped on Guam and Wake Island during the multi-day long-range training deployment and were supported by Marine Corps KC-130 tanker aircraft. Total distance for the multi-flight deployment was approximately 6,000 miles. The four aircraft were part of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268, or VMM-268 the "Red Dragons" based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and operate under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 24 (MAG-24) and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW). Their ability to deploy over extended ranges proves additional capability for the unit throughout the Pacific theater. The Ospreys will be joined by five AH-1W Super Cobra gunships and four UH-1Y Venom tactical transport helicopters also from Hawaii's Kaneohe Bay. The aircraft are participating in a 6-month long Marine Rotational Force-Darwin training operation to build commonality between U.S. Marine and Australian operations and familiarize Marine assets with the operational area. The Red Dragons, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268, reached full operational capability this past January and are scheduled to receive another twelve MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors in 2018. The Marine Corps version of the Osprey, the MV-22, has an unrefueled range of 990 miles and cruises at 322 MPH. This fast, long-range reach, complemented by large capacity of 24 combat troops and a flight crew of 3, gives the Osprey capabilities unmatched by previous legacy vertical takeoff utility aircraft like the Marine CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters. This is not the first long-range deployment of Marine MV-22s. In 2013 a pair of MV-22 Ospreys completed a complex multi-stage deployment over the Pacific with stops at Clark AFB in the Philippines originating from Okinawa, Japan. The flight transited Darwin and continued to Townsville, Australia, for a total distance of more than 4,000 miles. An even longer MV-22 deployment took place in 2015 when three MV-22's flew over 6,000 miles from California to Brazil with crew breaks at various locations en route. MV-22 pilot, Capt. Manuel Torres, USMC, told media, "It's definitely exciting to be part of the history of this deployment." "Long hauls are definitely what the aircraft was designed for. This is going to prove the range and distance and speed of the Osprey and really shape the global reach we're looking for in the Pacific region," said Marine Corps MV-22 pilot, Capt. Aaron Brugman. One of Four MV-22 Ospreys from Marine Tiltrotor Squadron 268 arrive in Australia. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Damion Hatch). The primarily carbon-fiber composite MV-22 does have a very advanced fly-by-wire flight control system that incorporates an advanced autopilot to reduce crew workload during long flights. The autopilot is actually capable of transitioning the aircraft from level forward flight into a hover when programmed to do so. No doubt the advanced control features and avionics, along with the high-speed and long-range, contributed to the success of these long-range deployments. https://theaviationist.com/2017/05/03/marine-mv-22-osprey-tilt-rotor-aircraft-complete-first-pacific- crossing/ Back to Top Vistara may place order for around 100 aircraft by June: CAPA MUMBAI: Domestic full service airline Vistara is likely to place order for around 100 aircraft, including 50 widebody planes by the end of the current quarter, according to an industry report. The Centre for Asia Pacific (CAPA), the Sydney based aviation thinktank, in its report titled "Global Fleet and Financing Review 2017," also said that the airline is likely to opt for Boeing 777X for long haul operations. Vistara is a joint venture, in which Tata Sons owns 51 per cent stake and the rest is with Singapore Airlines. "Vistara is expected to be the next carrier to place a major order, of up to 100 aircraft before June, 2017, comprised of 50 narrowbodies and 50 widebodies," CAPA said in its report today. This assumes significance in the backdrop of Vistara mulling launching international operations from mid 2018. The airline is expected to stick with Airbus for singleaisel equipment and is likely to opt for the 777X for long haul operations, the report said. When contacted, a Vistara spokesperson said that the airline does not comment on market speculations. "We don't comment on market speculations," the spokesperson said in response to a PTI query on the issue. The Delhibased airline currently has 13 Airbus A320 aircraft in the fleet and it plans to take another seven (A320 Neo) planes by June 2018. The first of the seven A320 Neo planes is expected to be delivered to the airline this month. According to the report, the South Asia region is dominated by India, which accounts for 67 per cent of the total 742 aircraft in service. Also, India accounts for as much as 96 per cent of the 917 aircraft in the region, CAPA said adding India has one of the highest order book in service ratios in the world. Three of the eleven airlines Air India, IndiGo and Jet Airways have a fleets of more than 100 aircraft. Gurgaonbased Budget carrier IndiGo alone has placed orders for 430 planes (in two separate orders of 180 and 250) with Airbus, a few of them have already been delivered to the carrier, while the other budget carrier GoAir has also placed orders for 144 planes with the European aviation major. Besides, Ajay Singhpromoted SpiceJet has also announced that it will purchase up to 205 new aircraft from Boeing with the order valued at Rs 1,50,000 crore. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/58500711.cms Back to Top AOPA PARTICIPATES IN CONGRESSIONAL AVIATION ROUNDTABLE AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Jim Coon participated in a panel discussion about general aviation with other industry representatives and members of the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies on May 2. The Capitol is home to the U.S. Congress and its House and Senate governing bodies, two of the many government agencies that have influence over general aviation. Photo by David Tulis. The panel discussion in Washington, D.C., was moderated by subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.). The session was intended to help subcommittee members understand GA's needs when setting priorities for fiscal year 2018. Coon reviewed AOPA's advocacy priorities, giving subcommittee members a GA perspective on aviation- related decisions in which Congress could become involved in the next round of budget making. AOPA members have not expressed concerns about the air traffic control system, he said, noting that the system works well for GA despite calls from other segments of aviation for an ATC privatization effort. AOPA does not believe the FAA has a funding problem. At $16.1 billion, the committee has provided the agency with adequate resources to complete its mission, he said. He reiterated AOPA's long-held view that GA sees no need for additional revenues being extracted from users, and remains strongly opposed to user fees of any kind, on any segment of GA. The current fuel tax structure for funding aviation programs is fair and efficient, he said. Coon added that AOPA President Mark Baker serves on the NextGen Advisory Committee, and believes that the group, made up of airline, general aviation, government, and other representatives has done a good job helping direct the FAA in setting priorities and time lines for deployment of NextGen technologies. He urged the subcommittee to recognize the importance of protecting and funding the nation's "ecosystem of airports" that serve as "economic engines for many communities, provide GA access, and serve as gateways for companies to locate in small communities, creating job opportunities." Another example of the value of community airports is the role they play helping save lives and property in times of disaster, when airports quickly become transformed to staging areas for relief efforts, he said. He added that with many community airports served by a full or part-time air traffic control tower, the Contract Tower Program maintains a proven, cost effective solution for maintaining air safety. Coon explained how under Baker's leadership, AOPA in 2015 launched multiple efforts to help grow the pilot population with the You Can Fly initiative. You Can Fly is AOPA's umbrella program that pursues targeted efforts to build the pilot population by supporting flying clubs and flight schools; advancing high school science, technology, engineering, and math education; and getting lapsed aviators flying again through the seminars of the Rusty Pilots program. AOPA will examine all proposals to make sure they help the FAA become more efficient, less bureaucratic, and at the same time help GA grow, and will comment on specific proposals when they are available for review, he said. Other aviation associations participating in the roundtable included the National Business Aviation Association; the National Air Transportation Association; the Experimental Aircraft Association; Helicopter Association International; and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2017/may/02/aopa-participates-in-congressional- aviation-roundtable Back to Top Nevada Officials Say State Needs 200 More Pilots Nevada is short about 200 pilots due to a wave of retirements and high demand for flights. LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada is short about 200 pilots due to a wave of retirements and high demand for flights. KSNV-TV reported (http://bit.ly/2qp3i57 ) Monday that data from the Governor's Office of Economic Development shows the state needs to keep up with demand. Restrictions such as pilots only being able to fly until they are 65 years old makes hiring more difficult. Pilots must also log 1,500 flight hours before they can work commercially. The number of hours had been 250, but was changed in 2013. Tourism has been flourishing in Las Vegas. March was the busiest month on record at McCarran International Airport. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/nevada/articles/2017-05-02/nevada-officials-say-state-needs- 200-more-pilots Back to Top Chinese passenger jet prepares for maiden flight The maiden flight of the C919, China's first domestically-built large passenger jet, is scheduled for May 5, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) said on Wednesday China, Shanghai, Pudong International Airport, Boeing 737, Airbus 320 The maiden flight of the C919, China's first domestically-built large passenger jet, is scheduled for May 5, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) said on Wednesday (Image - Reuters) The maiden flight of the C919, China's first domestically-built large passenger jet, is scheduled for May 5, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) said on Wednesday. The flight will depart from Shanghai's Pudong International Airport and will be rescheduled if "weather conditions are not suitable", Xinhua news agency quoted COMAC as saying.The C919, China's answer to the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320, signals the country's entry into the global aviation market as a strong competitor, analysts said. In 2007, plans to develop a Chinese-built large passenger jet were approved by the State Council. In November 2015, the first C919 jet rolled off the assembly line."Engineers have completed over 118 tests and are prepared for the maiden flight," COMAC said. The plane passed an expert technical appraisal this March. It has 158 seats and a standard range of 4,075 km. COMAC has received 570 orders from 23 customers, including from China's national carrier Air China, and leasing company GE Capital Aviation Service. http://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/chinese-passenger-jet-prepares-for-maiden-flight/651989/ Back to Top Cirrus Receives Vision Jet Production Certificate The FAA approval allows the manufacturer to accelerate deliveries of the world's first single-engine personal jet. The FAA today awarded Cirrus Aircraft the production certificate for the SF50 Vision, the world's first single-engine "personal" jet aimed at pilots who want to fly themselves at turbine speeds in the flight levels. The approval will allow Cirrus to accelerate aircraft deliveries as Vision jets move down the production line at the company's headquarters in Duluth, Minnesota. Cirrus currently holds around 600 orders for the jet, which earned FAA certification last October and is expected to receive European approval from EASA soon. Senior FAA officials handed over the Vision's production certificate to Cirrus Aircraft president Pat Waddick at a press event in Duluth this afternoon. The approval will allow Cirrus to ramp up production to about one aircraft per week by the summer as the company works toward a goal of reaching an eventual production rate of around 125 Vision jets per year. The Vision is intended as a single-pilot-friendly personal airplane that has seven seats, a 300 ktas cruise speed, ceiling of 28,000 feet and the first full-airframe parachute in a jet. While the Vision will make for a great step-up platform for owners of the Cirrus SR22 and other high-performance piston models, it is expected to draw interest from commercial air-taxi operators seeking to provide economical regional transporations solutions. Priced at around $2 million, the Vision comes standard with the Perspective Touch cockpit based on Garmin's G3000 avionics system and a single, fadec-controlled Williams FJ33-5A turbofan engine. http://www.flyingmag.com/cirrus-receives-vision-jet-production-certificate Back to Top Back To The Future: Why The U.S. Needs A Light Turboprop Attack Aircraft GUEST POST WRITTEN BY Col. Michael Pietrucha The author is a member of the U.S. Air Force Strategic Studies Group. A Beechcraft AT-6C Wolverine light attack aircraft releases flares during an operational test Oct. 5, 2010, over the Southern Arizona desert. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Dave Neve) Throwback. Backwards. Illogical. Three words used recently to describe an emerging U.S. Air Force initiative to field light attack aircraft of a type not operated by U.S. forces since Vietnam. Aircraft that are compact, lethal, relatively inexpensive and easy to support in the field. Powered by a turboprop engine, looking remarkably like their forebears from the Second World War, they often inspire an emotional reaction that equates the design features negatively with older concepts, now long past. To some of the combat aviators who have been deeply embroiled in continuous conflict since 9/11, they're a no-brainer. This discussion of options for new airplanes is no longer academic. This summer, the Air Force will engage in a light attack experiment at Holloman AFB, which may be followed by a combat demonstration the likes of which has not been carried out by the Air Force since Vietnam. If you're prepared to take advice from individuals with no aviation background at all, this should worry you deeply. But if you're prepared to concede, maybe, that professional aviators with extensive combat experience haven't suddenly lost their minds, then it should become immediately obvious that there might be some utility in light attack. Certainly it has historical roots - The Navy, Marines and Air Force all used light attack aircraft in Vietnam. But just using the term doesn't adequately describe the aircraft, or the reasons to consider them. Why a light attack aircraft? Light attack aircraft were just that - smaller attack aircraft like the A-37 Dragonfly or Navy OV-10, with significant weapons loads but not designed to stand up in the front of the apocalyptic Soviet/NATO battlefield. For the Air Force, the long path to considering a new attack aircraft started in 2008. Faced with increasing airpower demand in Iraq and Afghanistan, the existing fighters were being wrung out. For the kind of air support we were providing for U.S. ground forces, the existing F-16, F-15E and Navy / Marine F-18 were a ridiculous overmatch. Recall that by 2008, the Air Force and Naval aviation had been in continuous combat since January 16, 1991, and a decade and a half later the strain was showing. Meeting airpower demand with expensive, high end aircraft was the only option we had, and we were flying their wings off. We still are. Figure 2: Navy OV-10 Bronco of VAL-4 "Black Ponies", firing a 5-inch Zuni rocket over the Mekong Delta U.S. Navy First, we had to define the aircraft. At Air Combat Command, a handful of aviators wrote the concept for OA-X, OA meaning observation/attack, and X meaning something we didn't have a number for yet (not meaning experimental, as some have written). We started with historical examples - the aircraft we used to fight an insurgency in the jungles of Vietnam. The first example was the A-1 Skyraider, a hulking behemoth of an airplane with a massive, 18-cylinder radial engine designed as a carrier aircraft and transferred to the Air Force in 1964 after the Navy retired them. Alongside, the OV-10. The OV-10 Bronco, a new-build, twin-turboprop observation aircraft used as a forward air controller by the Air Force and as an attack aircraft by the Navy and Marines. What the authors envisioned with OA-X was a modern turboprop aircraft with advanced sensors and precision weapons just like a modern fast jet. But we also wanted aircraft that could be forward deployed to austere airfields, fueled from 55-gallon drums, and supplied from the back of a pickup truck - none of which a jet can easily do. And we needed it to be relatively cheap to buy and to operate. In short, we envisioned an aircraft that looked like earlier designs, with the weapons and sensors of a modern jet. Figure 3: An Air Force A-1E Skyraider escorts an HH-3 Jolly Green Giant on a combat search & rescue (CSAR) mission, 1966 U.S. Air Force These aircraft existed. I had seen the A-29 Super Tucano in Colombia in 2007. Raytheon had a conversion of their T-6 trainer (the AT-6) that included a weapons capability. What we were looking for was off the shelf stuff, not needing a long development period. For combat operations in the Middle East, this seemed like a good match. The aircraft that existed were two-seaters with light armor, good day/night electro- optical sensors, guns, and precision munitions. Unrefeueled, they had twice the loiter time of the fast jets. They sipped fuel - the fuel they burned in an hour of flight approximated the fuel an F-15E used taxiing from parking to the runway. We were looking at traditional attack aircraft - combat aircraft that could be used for a wide array of missions from Close Air Support to interdiction to combat search & rescue. In 2009 these aircraft could have flown from a dozen US-operated airfields in Afghanistan that could not have supported fast jets. But making the case to an Air Force that had always been able to afford very high-end aircraft took time. The Air National Guard tested the AT-6 from 2010 to 2014 and judged it "operationally suitable and operationally effective." Ironically, it wasn't the combat capabilities of the aircraft that made the strongest case - it was the health of the rest of the fighter / attack enterprise. A quarter century of continuous operations was wrecking the force - readiness was the worst ever measured, aircraft sustainment costs were climbing, and the Air Force had long since run out of the cockpits we needed to turn freshly- graduated aviators into seasoned fighter pilots. The F-35, as capable as it is, could only provide a limited number of cockpits, and those not enough to "absorb" the new pilots to keep the force healthy. By 2016 we were short almost a thousand experienced fighter pilots, and the shortage was getting worse. The Air Force was buying fighter aircraft at a rate so slow that it was going to take us 200 years to recapitalize even the shrunken, post-drawdown force. We needed to return to a healthy balance - and that meant buying more aircraft. As the concept moved forward into a planned flying experiment in the summer of 2017, resistance mounted. https://www.forbes.com/sites/beltway/2017/05/03/back-to-the-future-why-the-u-s-needs-a-light- turboprop-attack-aircraft/#5862058d267d Back to Top Successful Launch Of Vector Rocket Is One Giant Leap For The Industry Vector launch Vector Space startup Vector successfully launched its Vector-R rocket for the first time on Wednesday. The company, which was founded by engineers from rockstar companies such as SpaceX, Virgin and Boeing, is setting its sights on small satellite startups by offering prices as low as $1.5 million per launch, with opportunities to get satellites to orbit at least once per week. That flexibility and low cost is important to this growing part of the commercial space industry. This means that today's successful launch isn't just a milestone for the company - it's a milestone for the industry. While there are a number of companies looking to enter the small payload launch market, including Virgin Orbit and the Los Angeles-based Rocket Lab. But no company has had a successful flight until today. "A successful launch by Vector may give potential customers and investors more confidence in the industry as a whole," said Bill Ostrove, a space industry analyst. "That said, each company will need to prove itself in order to continue getting contracts." Aerial view of Vector launch Vector Vector Space Systems was founded in April 2016 by Jim Cantrell, John Garvey, Ken Sunshine and Eric Besnard. Between government grants and venture funding, the company has raised a little less than $12 million so far to develop its rocket systems, which the company hopes to fly multiple times per week (compared to traditional launch companies, which aim for about a launch per month). It's target is the small satellite market, a growing part of the space industry that's taking advantage of technology to build smaller, and smaller satellites, which can be built for a fraction of the price of traditional satellites. The big holdup for small satellites, though, is that today's rockets are built to handle much, much larger payloads. Which means that launch costs are expensive - $60 million or more - forcing small satellite companies to be secondary passengers: hitching a ride on a launch of a much bigger satellite, or going up with supplies for astronauts on the International Space Station, where they are then launched from the ISS's satellite launcher as the astronauts' schedules permit. In both cases, that means that small satellite companies often have to wait months or years for their payloads to finally make it into orbit, as they are tied to the schedules of traditional satellite and launch companies. And while Vector's costs are a little bit higher than the going rate (secondary payload costs can be just a few hundred thousand dollars), its focus on the small satellite market enables a lot more flexibility. Because it intends to launch over 100 times per year, satellite companies can get their payloads to orbit much, much sooner. For Vector's founders, though, this is more than just about filling a market need. The small satellite industry is something they find personally appealing. "There are attractive things about the lower end of the market," Vector CEO Jim Cantrell told me last summer. "As soon as you can do real stuff with little satellites, it makes things cheaper. Which means you can find money to take bigger risks. Which in turn means you can be more innovative and far out in your business concept and application." Successful test fire of Vector rocket engine in December 2016 Vector Space Systems Vector is moving at a fast pace compared to many of its competitors. Its first successful engine test came in December of last year, along with the approvals it needed to build its rocket factory in Pima County, Arizona. Last month, the company announced a partnership with Citrix to build virtual machines that will operate as a platform for GalacticOS, an operating system that Vector is developing to act as a platform for satellite software. Ostrove notes that if Vector is successful at getting satellite companies to use their platform, "it will provide built in launch opportunities for the rocket side of the business." With the successful test, the company hopes to keep up the fast pace. It's working on developing the Vector-R, which launched today and can handle payloads of up to 60kg (about 132 pounds) as well as the Vector-H, which can handle payloads of up to 125kg (about 275.5 pounds). Costs for launch range from $1.5 million to 3.5 million. Launches of the Vector-R are currently scheduled to begin in 2018, with Vector-H launches to follow in 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2017/05/03/successful-launch-of-vector-space-systems-rocket- is-one-giant-leap-for-the-industry/#78d62392abb1 *************** ["5:35AM CDT - Just observed the ISS fly over Central Texas. What a great sight!" - cll] Back to Top Back to Top European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP) Human Factors in Flight Safety: SMS, Risk Management and Safety Investigation - Initial Training Course, Barcelona, 12-16 June, 2017 Special Note: An Early Bird discount of 200 EUR will apply to all registrations received by 12 May 2017. The course will be kindly hosted by GTD at their modern company headquarters located in 'El Poblenou', a beachside area just four kilometres from the centre of Barcelona. (GTD website: http://www.gtd.eu/) Full details of the course, including the Registration Form, are contained in the 2017 Course Information Brochure, which is available from the EAAP website: http://www.eaap.net/read/3566/initial-human- factors-in-flight-safety.html Please note that completion of this training course is recognised by EAAP as contributing towards certification requirements for those wishing to become an EAAP-certified Aviation Psychologist or Human Factors Specialist. The first of these EAAP training courses was conducted at Ispra, Italy, in 1999, and since then the course has been held regularly in locations including Luxembourg, Stockholm, Madrid, Lisbon, Interlaken, Dublin, Dubai and Barcelona, with more than 400 participants attending to date. Each year the course content is updated to reflect the latest thinking, and highlight future developments, in human factors and integrated safety management in both civil and military aviation. In 2017, the experienced team of Dr Rob Lee and Brent Hayward will conduct the course on behalf of EAAP. As detailed in the Course Registration Brochure, EAAP members are offered reduced registration fees for the course, and there is also a significant additional "Early Bird" discount for those who register by 12 May 2017. Course participant numbers are limited, so those wishing to attend are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Those with any questions about the course, please email Brent Hayward: bhayward@dedale.net Back to Top New Edition of Commercial Aviation Safety book just released. Available now through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Commercial-Aviation-Safety-Stephen- Cusick/dp/1259641821 Up-To-Date Coverage of Every Aspect of Commercial Aviation Safety. Completely revised edition to fully align with current U.S. and international regulations, this hands-on resource clearly explains the principles and practices of commercial aviation safety- from accident investigations to Safety Management Systems. Commercial Aviation Safety, Sixth Edition, delivers authoritative information on today's risk management on the ground and in the air. The book offers the latest procedures, flight technologies, and accident statistics. You will learn about new and evolving challenges, such as lasers, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), cyberattacks, aircraft icing, and software bugs. Chapter outlines, review questions, and real-world incident examples are featured throughout. Coverage includes: * ICAO, FAA, EPA, TSA, and OSHA regulations. * NTSB and ICAO accident investigation processes. * Recording and reporting of safety data. * U.S. and international aviation accident statistics. * Accident causation models. * The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS). * Crew Resource Management (CRM) and Threat and Error Management (TEM). * Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) and Flight Data Monitoring (FDM). * Aircraft and air traffic control technologies and safety systems. * Airport safety, including runway incursions. * Aviation security, including the threats of intentional harm and terrorism. * International and U.S. Aviation Safety Management Systems. Curt Lewis