Flight Safety Information May 8, 2017 - No. 092 Crash: Cargo Carriers SH33 at Charleston on May 5th 2017, wing tip strike on landing Accident: AirAsia X A333 enroute on May 5th 2017, turbulence injures 5 Trainee pilot flew Pakistani jet with 300 on board as captain slept in 1st class U.S. Navy Pilots Suffering from Oxygen Deficiency Hampering the Fight Against ISIS Nigeria: Pilots Warn of Imminent Disaster Over Poor Landing Aids Two Jet Airways aircraft collide while taxiing on runway at Delhi Airport IndiGo flight collides with aerobridge at Jaipur Airport, no injury reported NTSB: Klamath Aviation aircraft lost engine power Etihad Airways appoints interim group chief executive as Hogan stands down GAMA Praises U.S. Congress for Protecting and Funding Important Aviation Priorities Will American Airlines Ever Buy the Airbus A350? Bee supplier says airline won't ship more bees to Alaska after packages damaged Embraer Delivers 1,100th Business Jet SolarStratos Solar Airplane Aims For The Stratosphere Fueled By Sunshine Crash: Cargo Carriers SH33 at Charleston on May 5th 2017, wing tip strike on landing An Air Cargo Carriers Short SD-330 on behalf of UPS, registration N334AC performing flight 2Q-1260 from Louisville,KY to Charleston,WV (USA) with 2 crew, performed a VOR-A approach to and was on final approach to Charleston Chuck Yeager Airport's runway 05 at 06:53L (10:53Z) when the aircraft impacted trees and went down the hill to the left of the runway located on top of the hill. The aircraft was destroyed. Both crew perished in the crash. The airport reported it appeared one of the aircraft's wings hit the runway surface and the aircraft went off to the left of the runway into a hill. It was difficult to reach the aircraft, tail number N334AC, due to the steep terrain. The aircraft did not burst into flames. The FAA reported the aircraft struck its left wing onto runway 05 and veered off the runway. The NTSB have opened an investigation. The NTSB reported they are investigating the crash of a Short 330 at Charleston Airport. Six investigators plus support staff have been dispatched to Charleston. Emergency Services reported, Barlow Drive (north of the aerodrome, left of and parallel to the runway) and Keystone Drive (short of runway 05) remaine closed. Tower advised emergency services after issuing the crash alert, that the aircraft had hit runway 05 and the fuselage had gone off the left side of the runway. Emergency services reported debris on the runway. Emergency services were crossing runway 05 to access the crash site mainly via taxiway A3. On May 6th 2017 the NTSB reported they have a surveillance video showing the crash and are currently examining the video. The main wreckage is about 25 yards down the hill, a couple of parts were on the grass on the side of the runway, there are witness marks and gouge marks on the runway where the aircraft struck the runway. According to preliminary information the aircraft was in a left bank at the time of first contact with the runway. On May 6th 2017 noon the NTSB released the runway to the airport. The airport carried out the needed repairs due to the gouge marks and returned the runway to service. On May 6th 2017 afternoon the NTSB reported the aircraft impacted the runway about 340 feet past the runway threshold about 650 feet from the point of first impact at a heading of about 40 degrees off the point of impact, the main wreckage came to rest in the ravine off the runway about 100 feet below the runway on its left side, all parts except left wing and left gear are together, some parts of the stabilizer have broken off and are close to the fuselage, the right hand wing has folded over the aircraft. The left main wing and left main gear were removed from the runway, the runway was returned to the airport afterwards. All major components of the aircraft have been accounted for. The aircraft was not equipped with black boxes and was not required to carry cockpit voice or flight data recorders. Other electronic equipment is currently being checked for possibly stored data. The cargo has been off-loaded. On May 7th 2017 Officials reported the male captain (47) and female first officer (31) have been identified. The families have been informed. http://avherald.com/h?article=4a88f341&opt=0 ****************** Status: Preliminary Date: Friday 5 May 2017 Time: 06:53 Type: Shorts 330-200 Operator: Air Cargo Carriers Registration: N334AC C/n / msn: SH.3029 First flight: 1979-05-31 (38 years) Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45R Crew: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Charleston-Yeager Airport, WV (CRW) ( United States of America) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Louisville International Airport, KY (SDF/KSDF), United States of America Destination airport: Charleston-Yeager Airport, WV (CRW/KCRW), United States of America Flightnumber: 2Q1260 Narrative: A Shorts 330 cargo plane was destroyed in an accident while landing at Charleston-Yeager Airport, West Virginia, USA. Both crew members suffered fatal injuries. The aircraft originated from Louisville International Airport, Kentucky at 05:41 hours. The flight was cleared to land on runway 05 Charleston-Yeager Airport. and crashed while attempting to land on runway 05 at Charleston-Yeager Airport at 06:53. An airport spokesman reported that the aircraft touched down hard, after which it went off the left side of the runway. The NTSB reported that the aircraft touched down 340 feet past the runway threshold. The airplane then continued on a 40 degree angle relative to the runway heading over an area of grass. The left hand wing and left hand main gear separated, after which the aircraft fell down a wooded ravine. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20170505-0 Back to Top Accident: AirAsia X A333 enroute on May 5th 2017, turbulence injures 5 An AirAsia X Airbus A330-300, registration 9M-XXK performing flight D7-377 from Taipei (Taiwan) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) with 291 passengers and 11 crew, was enroute (initial FL360, stepclimbing via FL380 to FL400) when the aircraft encountered turbulence causing injuries to 5 people on board. The aircraft continued to Kuala Lumpur for a safe landing on Kuala Lumpur's runway 33 about 4 hours after departure from Taipei. The five injured people were treated at the airport. The airline confirmed the aircraft encountered turbulence enroute causing 5 injuries. The injured were treated at the airport. Reports on social media of 20 injuries are not correct. http://avherald.com/h?article=4a890d51&opt=0 Back to Top Trainee pilot flew Pakistani jet with 300 on board as captain slept in 1st class A London-bound Pakistan International Airlines flight with over 300 people on board was left in the hands of a trainee pilot for more than two hours while his captain was in the first-class cabin grabbing some shuteye, local media revealed. Amir Akhtar Hashmi, a senior pilot for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), was supposed to train his first officer, Ali Hassan Yazdani, during the flight. The young trainee was joined in the cockpit by another first officer, Mohammad Asad Ali. Shortly after flight PK-785 departed from Islamabad, Hashmi, a former president of Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (PALPA), handed over the controls to Yazdani and left the cockpit for the first-class cabin, Dawn newspaper reported. The London-bound flight was carrying over 305 people, including 293 passengers in economy class and 12 in first class. According to the newspaper, one of the passengers spotted the uniformed pilot sleeping peacefully in the flat bed seat. Fearing that a sleeping captain was a danger to flight safety, the passenger raised the issue with a senior flight attendant, who had to mention it in her report. "Passenger (Seat 1D) complained that while the captain was sleeping in the business class cabin, [the passenger did not] feel safe. It had been explained that two other crew members were in the cockpit, but he said that he would follow the matter and write down a complaint card as well," said the flight report cited by the newspaper. Neither co-pilot reported the incident to management in order to protect Hashmi from an inquiry. PIA, Pakistan's flag carrier airline, was also reluctant to look into the matter, but eventually caved in to pressure from superior authorities. Hashmi was taken off flight duty as a result, according to the airline's spokesperson, Danyal Gilani. Earlier in March, a somewhat similar incident occurred on a British Airways transatlantic flight departing from Houston, Texas. As the Boeing 747 was taxiing to the runway, one of the pilots left the cockpit to help the cabin crew point out the emergency exits during the safety demonstration. According to the Daily Mail, the captain of the plane told passengers: "We're short of crew today so the pilot is helping with the safety demo." He then returned to the cockpit just before the plane was ready to take off. PIA pilot sleeps during international flight, leaving trainee to handle aircraft https://goo.gl/8qSZxu A BA spokesman later said that all of the airline's flights are manned by sufficient crews, adding, "our cabin crew and pilots always work as a team to ensure the safety of our customers." The incident on the PIA flight may have also been caused by pilot fatigue - an issue believed to be widespread in the aviation industry. Last year, numerous pilots working for some of the world's most prominent airlines, including Emirates, told RT they had experienced runs of several sleepless nights at a time because of tight flight schedules. One whistleblower from flydubai - a UAE-based low-cost airline - sent documents to RT showing that pilots, particularly young ones, were being assigned multiple flight shifts in a row, saying that crew members often did not have enough time to sort out their sleep cycles. "Everybody at the company has these dangerous shifts from day flight to night flight, and then back to a day flight, and then back to a night flight, and it has definitely been a big issue for a long time," the whistleblower said. https://www.rt.com/news/387446-pakistan-pilot-sleep-flight/ Back to Top U.S. Navy Pilots Suffering from Oxygen Deficiency Hampering the Fight Against ISIS Oxygen deficiency issues have forced Navy pilots into hyperbaric chambers, temporarily sidelining them in the fight against the Islamic State. In the last four months on board the USS George H. W. Bush in the Persian Gulf, there have been two instances in which Navy pilots required treatment after suffering hypoxia-like symptoms, due to failures of environmental control systems built into the aircraft, Military.com reports. Navy Capt. James McCall stated that the first incident took place in February, when the crew of an E/A-18 Growler was hit by an issue with air supply and pressurization, prompting a quick landing onto the aircraft carrier. The USS George H. W. Bush is outfitted with a $250,000 dollar hyperbaric chamber that is shaped like an egg and extends about six to seven feet in length. "The decision was made to put them in the hyperbaric chamber, with the resolution of their symptoms immediately," McCall said. "And [they were kept] in a down status for a period of time per medical protocol. Both those aircrew are back flying today." Hyperbaric oxygen chambers have traditionally been used to help treat Navy divers, but it turns out the systems help pilots, as well. The second incident occurred in April shortly after a flight takeoff. This time, after the pilot sensed a change in environmental controls, he immediately turned around and returned to the aircraft carrier, at which point doctors moved him into the hyperbaric chamber for recovery. So far, the Navy has been incredibly lucky that both lapses of environmental controls happened relatively close to the aircraft carrier. Had the pilots been flying over ISIS positions in Syria or Iraq, these dangerous events could have turned into crises. Service testimony obtained by Bloomberg News shows that these "physiological episodes," oxygen deprivation and cabin decompression are increasing every year in all Hornet models and also E/A-18 Growlers. Cockpit decompression, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, can cause seizures, chest pain and loss of consciousness. Navy officials have told the Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee of the House Committee on Armed Services that the problem constitutes the "No. 1 safety issue." http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/us-navy-pilots-suffering-oxygen-deficiency-hampering-the- 20544 Back to Top Nigeria: Pilots Warn of Imminent Disaster Over Poor Landing Aids Nigerian pilots have warned of looming tragic accidents at the nation's airports due to poor, obsolete or lack of critical landing aids. Some of the pilots who spoke to THISDAY complained of incessant failure of air navigational facilities at airports, the undulating nature of many runways and lack of or obsolete instrument landing system (ILS). They warned that if no urgent measures were taken to improve these facilities, flight operations would be impaired and the situation would be exacerbated as the rains set in. Members of Senate Committee on Aviation, who visited Lagos for facility inspection late last year had confirmed the pilots' complaints and noted that the pilots have consistently complained of their inability to communicate in the Nigerian airspace due to epileptic network radio frequency. Over the years, the pilots had complained of poor communications between them and Air Traffic Controllers to the extent that at some sections of the airspace there won't be any communications at all. THISDAY learnt that besides that Nigeria does not have Category two and three ILS, which could land aircraft in bad weather; most of the existing ILS are either malfunctioning or are epileptic in performance. With such landing aids, it is difficult to operate flights in the night, said a pilot who spoke to THISDAY, noting that coupled with lack of airfield lighting at most of the airports, "flying in the Nigerian airspace is simply a nightmare and an accident waiting to happen." This was corroborated by the controllers who once said in a joint statement that the Instrument Landing System serving the Lagos Runway 18R has been unserviceable for close to three months while the one serving the Second Runway (18L) have been epileptic for more than one month. "The distance measuring equipment located with the VOR (voice ominidirectional radio range) in Lagos has been out of service for a long time as well. Equipment in many airports including communication facilities suffers that same fate," the controllers said. The pilots who spoke to THISDAY were irked that instead of improving, the landing infrastructure is degenerating "because anyone that breaks down never gets repaired and when air crash happens, government will set up a committee and a task force. We cannot continue like this," said a pilot who spoke to THISDAY on condition of anonymity. The pilots complained severely about the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Runway 18L, known as the domestic runway and noted that after the facility was rehabilitated few years ago, it still lacked basic amenities that aircraft no longer arrive at the runway from 6:00 pm due to inadequate airfield lighting and other aids; yet, the runway is one of the busiest in the country. A former Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed Airport and the Secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART), Group Captain John Ojikutu while reacting to the pilots complaints said: "We don't need better information than the recent experiences at Abuja and Kaduna. If the runway and airfield approach aids at Abuja the nation's capital was at the level it was before the airport was closed for its repairs, you can imagine what could be happening to those at other airports. If navigational aids including the ILS for Kaduna an alternate to Abuja were hurriedly bought to prepare it for the Abuja diverted traffic, you can imagine the level of decays in other airports. "Most airports don't have night landing facilities. Ilorin for instance is the alternate to Lagos but does not have night landing facilities. Last December, when the harmattan weather was becoming inclement in reduced visibility, domestic airlines were virtually grounded because most ILS have exceeded their tolerant limits and needed calibration. The good news however, is that, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) now has a plan to calibrate the navigational aids in ten airports following the successful calibration of those at Abuja and the installations of new ones at Kaduna", he said. Last week the Minister of State, Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika said government has set plans in motion to acquire and install landing aids that could allow aircraft to land in low visibility and NAMA new management has kicked off a programme that aimed to improve landing facilities but the Nigerian government is always full of promises and less action. http://allafrica.com/stories/201705050907.html Back to Top Two Jet Airways aircraft collide while taxiing on runway at Delhi Airport "All guests and crew on-board both aircraft are safe," an airline spokesperson said. Air passenger carrier Jet Airways on Sunday grounded two of its aircraft after they were involved in a minor collision at the IGI airport in New Delhi. An airport official said the incident occurred in the afternoon when the two aircraft, belonging to Jet Airways, brushed against each other while "taxiing out" to runway 29. The official said the passengers and crew on-board both the flights numbered over 200. According to a Jet Airways spokesperson, the two Jet Airways aircraft -- operating flight 9W 603 from Delhi-Srinagar and 9W 730 from Delhi-Patna -- were involved in a ground incident during taxi, while preparing for departure from IGI Airport. "All guests and crew on-board both aircraft are safe and are being taken to the terminal for re- accommodation in subsequent flights," the spokesperson said. "The aircraft are currently being inspected by the Jet Airways engineering team. The airline has reported the event to the regulatory authorities. Both sets of crew have been de-rostered pending investigation." The aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, has ordered an enquiry into the incident. http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/two-jet-airways-aircraft-collide-while-taxiing-runway-delhi-airport- 61681 Back to Top IndiGo flight collides with aerobridge at Jaipur Airport, no injury reported An Indigo aircraft suffered damage to one of its wings when it hit an aerobridge while being marshalled to the parking spot at Sanganer airport in Jaipur on Saturday. | PTI NEW DELHI: An Indigo aircraft suffered damage to one of its wings when it hit an aerobridge while being marshalled to the parking spot at Sanganer airport here. Officials said no one was injured in the incident. Flight 6E-962 from Delhi with 174 passengers on board landed at the airport this morning. One of the wings of the plane collided with the aerobridge when the pilot was parking it on the apron, M P Bansal, the acting director of the airport, told PTI. The airline in a statement said, "The aircraft came in contact with the aerobridge while being marshalled to the parking spot at the airport." "There was no injury reported to anyone. Indigo has voluntarily reported the matter to the regulator. It is also being investigated by our internal safety department." http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/may/06/indigo-flight-collides-with-aerobridge-at-jaipur- airport-no-injury-reported-1601812.html Back to Top NTSB: Klamath Aviation aircraft lost engine power A firefighter and two Snohomosh County Airport workers look over a plane that crashed on Harbor Point Boulevard Southwest and Mukilteo Speedway, after losing power on takeoff from Paine Field on Tuesday, May 2, in Mukilteo, Wash. Police say there are no injuries but several vehicles were damaged. The 30-year-old Oregon pilot of a Klamath Aviation single-engine Piper aircraft told the National Transportation Safety Board that his engine lost power before crash landing in an intersection in Mukilteo, Wash., on Tuesday afternoon. Mukilteo Police Department and Mukilteo Fire Department responded to the scene of the crash at the intersection of Harbour Pointe Boulevard Southwest and Mukilteo Speedway in Mukilteo at approximately 3:30 p.m., police said. The Piper lost altitude immediately after takeoff from Paine Field, before it descending onto Harbour Pointe Boulevard Southwest, east of Cyrus Way. No injuries were reported by the pilot, though the passenger was transported to a local hospital for precaution, according to Mukilteo police. Neither the pilot's name nor the passenger's names have been released as of press time. "We're not releasing any names that we have since it isn't our investigation," said Myron Travis, crime prevention officer for Mukilteo Police Department. The aircraft is registered to Klamath Aviation LLC under Basin Flyers LLC agent Justin Dunaway, according to the Oregon Secretary of State's website. Century Aviation is the fixed-based operator (FBO) and offers maintenance assistance such as fuel for Klamath Aviation, according to Klamath Falls airport administration. Century Aviation on Thursday declined to comment on the incident. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the NTSB, which never releases names in its reports, according to Eliott Simpson, aviation accident investigator for the NTSB. "The pilot reported that he had a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff," Simpson said. "The airplane was removed and it's been taken to a remote storage facility in the Seattle area," Simpson added. "We pretty much have to gather all the evidence we need at this point." A preliminary report could be expected on the NTSB's website as early as next week. "The final report is going to take anything from six to 12 months to complete, it depends on what we find in the next few weeks," Simpson said. Brian McMahan, assistant fire chief for Mukilteo Fire Department, confirmed that the crash also started a car on fire at the intersection. Fuel from the aircraft landed on a vehicle located in the first turn lane at the intersection at the time, catching fire, and causing injury to at least one individual in the vehicle, according to McMahan. The individual in the vehicle was treated for a burn at the scene of the incident and released, according to McMahan. "Our engine crew went and extinguished the car fire," McMahan said. Power was lost to a portion of the city after the time of the crash, including the fire deparment, according to city officials in Mukilteo. McMahan said he and his crew members noticed the power shut off at the station even before being dispatched to the scene of the crash. "We were actually moving towards the rigs before our pagers went off," McMahan said on Thursday. "We knew something was up." Marko Liias, public information officer and policy analyst for the City of Mukilteo, confirmed the crash occurred about a half block from Mukilteo City Hall. "There was a great deal of traffic backup as well," Liias said. John Barsalou, manager of the Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport, said he had little information other what has already been reported. "When you watch the video from the (dash) cam, it was quite incredible that everybody walked away," Barsalou said. http://www.heraldandnews.com/news/local_news/ntsb-klamath-aviation-aircraft-lost-engine- power/article_78476bf2-205c-5a3c-a3c2-0eacdb258214.html Back to Top Etihad Airways appoints interim group chief executive as Hogan stands down Etihad Airways said on Monday it has appointed Ray Gammell as interim group chief executive to replace outgoing James Hogan who will leave the company on July 1. The Abu Dhabi-owned airline has also appointed Ricky Thirion as group chief financial officer, replacing James Rigney who will also leave on July 1, according to a company statement. Mr Gammell has been Etihad Aviation Group's chief people & performance officer and has been a member of the executive leadership since joining the business in 2009, where he led the creation of a performance culture across the group, Etihad said. "Ray and Ricky are experienced leaders and have the complete confidence of the Board," said Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, chairman of the board of the Etihad Aviation Group. "Ray will now take full management responsibility for the Etihad Aviation Group, ensure a coordinated group approach, and continue to advance the strategic review that was initiated by the Board in 2016 to reposition the business for continued development in what we anticipate being a prolonged period of challenges for global aviation." Mr Al Mazrouei added that the company is now in the "advanced stages" of recruiting a new group CEO with an announcement expected to be made "in the next few weeks". Mr Gammell previously held executive positions for the Intel Corporation in the US and Ireland, Royal Bank of Scotland, and was an officer in the Irish Armed Forces. He has been a chief officer at Etihad Airways for more than eight years. http://www.thenational.ae/business/aviation/etihad-airways-appoints-interim-group-chief-executive-as- hogan-stands-down Back to Top GAMA Praises U.S. Congress for Protecting and Funding Important Aviation Priorities Washington, DC - The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) today praised the U.S. Congress for passing the Fiscal Year 2017 Omnibus, providing key funding for general aviation manufacturers in safety, certification, and alternative fuels. The bill, which now heads to President Trump for his signature, will fund the U.S. government through September 30, 2017. The bill provides $1.29 billion for aviation safety activities, including $1.5 million of that amount for six additional full time equivalent (FTE) positions to support the certification of new technologies. The measure also directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to work with industry to achieve the goal of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of product certification, including fuller utilization of organization designation authorization (ODA), something for which GAMA has strongly advocated. Additionally, the measure emphasizes the importance for FAA to continue to "strengthen international aviation safety cooperation and improve the flow of aviation products globally through strategic engagement with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), and National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC)." These efforts should leverage the respective safety competencies of bilateral safety partners to streamline validations of products and reduce burdensome and duplicative work by regulatory specialists. The bill also provides $7 million for NextGen - Alternative Fuels for General Aviation, $1.2 million more than the request. This funding will ensure that the necessary aircraft and engine testing is undertaken to support required FAA approvals and authorizations for the transition of the piston aircraft fleet to an unleaded aviation fuel. The explanatory statement accompanying the bill includes by reference language that raises concerns about the removal of the U.S. air traffic control system from the Federal Aviation Administration, citing removal as "fraught with risk, could lead to uncontrollable cost increases to consumers, and could ultimately harm users of and operators in the system, including the flying public, the aviation community, FAA's workforce, and the small towns in rural America that rely on access to the national air space." "We appreciate the strong support shown by Congress in this omnibus measure for general aviation, especially in the critical areas of safety, certification, and the transition to an unleaded avgas and in raising strong concerns about the attempt to remove the U.S. air traffic control system from the FAA," GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12332022/gama-praises-us-congress-for-protecting-and- funding-important-aviation-priorities Back to Top Will American Airlines Ever Buy the Airbus A350? American Airlines just deferred its order for 22 Airbus A350s for the second time in less than a year. Is there still a place in its fleet for the A350? Adam Levine-Weinberg (TMFGemHunter) May 6, 2017 at 9:50AM American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) is one of Airbus' (NASDAQOTH:EADSY) top customers. However, its commitment to one of Airbus' key models seems to be wavering. Less than a year ago, American Airlines deferred its order for 22 A350 widebodies. The largest U.S. airline had originally planned to take delivery of 14 A350s in the 2017-2018 period. This deferral pushed back its first two deliveries to late 2018, with the rest scheduled to arrive between 2019 and 2022. An Airbus A350 plane AMERICAN AIRLINES HAS DEFERRED ITS AIRBUS A350 ORDERS AGAIN. IMAGE SOURCE: AIRBUS. Late last month, American Airlines announced that it had deferred its entire A350 order by another two years. While the company still claims that it will eventually add the A350 to its fleet, it's not clear that it will ever make sense for American to go through with the order. Reducing capital expenditures For the past few years, American Airlines has spent heavily to modernize its fleet. But in the past year or so, as its profitability has come under pressure, the company has started to focus more on keeping capex in check. (American has also needed to reduce its international growth in light of challenging market conditions.) Holding down capex will be particularly important in the next few years, as American Airlines has scheduled debt maturities totaling $12 billion between 2018 and 2021. According to American Airlines CFO Derek Kerr, last year's A350 deferral reduced the company's capex by roughly $500 million in 2017 and $700 million in 2018. The more recent deferral will save another $500 million in 2018 and $300 million each in 2019 and 2020. Does American Airlines need more widebodies? Even after the most recent deferral, it's not clear that American Airlines will need the A350s when they are scheduled to arrive. Thanks to its recent fleet modernization program, the carrier doesn't have many planes left that need to be retired in the near term. An American Airlines plane AMERICAN AIRLINES HAS A RELATIVELY YOUNG AIRCRAFT FLEET TODAY. IMAGE SOURCE: AMERICAN AIRLINES. The Airbus A350 could be a good replacement for American's fleet of 47 Boeing (NYSE:BA) 777-200ERs. However, those planes are just 16 years old, on average. Furthermore, the Boeing 777 is an exceptionally reliable model, and American is in the midst of refurbishing this fleet to add seats to each plane (and thus reduce unit costs). All in all, these planes probably still have a decade of life left. Alternatively, American Airlines may plan to use its A350s for growth rather than replacement. But future long-haul growth is contingent on a better supply-demand balance in international markets. If international routes remain flooded with excess capacity a couple of years from now, American might just kick the can further down the road by deferring the A350s again. The A350-900 has a lot of overlap with Boeing's widebodies Another issue that American Airlines must consider is the overlap between the A350 and its Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 fleets. While American has deferred its A350 deliveries twice in the past year, it has kept its order for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner more or less intact. By early 2019, it will have 42 Dreamliners in its fleet. Given that American Airlines operates lots of 777s and 787s, it doesn't necessarily need to fly the A350 as well. The 777s and 787s are suited to the same types of long-haul markets as the A350. By contrast, most of American's international flights are about 3,500-4,500 miles in length, such as flights from Miami to South America or from the Northeast to Europe. American Airlines might be better off converting its A350 order to the cheaper A330neo, which has plenty of range and competitive unit costs for routes of this length. This would further reduce its future capex commitments. Airbus can afford the loss It wouldn't necessarily be bad for Airbus if American Airlines chooses to convert its A350 order to the A330neo. The A350 has a long backlog, with more than 700 unfilled orders. And while Airbus only received three A350 orders during the first quarter, it recently bagged an order for 20 A350-900s from China Southern Airlines, indicating that demand remains healthy. By contrast, Airbus has just over 200 A330neo orders, and many of those are scheduled for far in the future. In short, Airbus has much more of a need to sell A330neos than A350s. As a result, both sides could benefit from making a deal to swap American's endlessly deferred A350 orders for A330neos. 10 stocks we like better than American Airlines Group When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and American Airlines Group wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/05/06/will-american-airlines-ever-buy-the-airbus-a350.aspx Back to Top Bee supplier says airline won't ship more bees to Alaska after packages damaged ANCHORAGE (KTUU) Hundreds of beekeeprs in Alaska may not be receiving their orders of bees. According to a bee supplier out of Washington, two boxes of bees broke while in transit on Alaska Airlines and the company was told the airline would not be shipping any more bees this year. A May 4th post to Northwest Bee Supply's website said the problem started when one of the shipments arrived in Anchorage with several bees outside of a damaged package. Northwest Bee Supply said Alaska Airlines has now discontinued the service to Alaska that contains bees. On Sunday, a spokesperson from Alaska Airlines told Channel 2 our request for information about the issue would be processed this week. Nathan Broumley, a beekeeper who orders bees through the supplier said over 90 percent of his orders made it in earlier this year, but now he's dealing with a financial loss. "It's a heartbreaking loss, it's a big financial loss for myself and for the supplier and it's a major bummer for all the bee keepers, but I do believe we're gonna be able to recover from this and figure it out," Broumley said. "I'm hoping we can still get them up here safely and I'm 99 percent sure we can, it just might be different next year." http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Bee-supplier-says-airline-wont-ship-more-bees-to-Alaska-after- packages-damaged-421574144.html Back to Top Embraer Delivers 1,100th Business Jet On May 4, Embraer delivered its 1,100th business jet-a Phenom 300 that was handed over to fractional provider NetJets. (Photo: Embraer Executive Jets) Embraer delivered its 1,100th business jet on May 4, some 15 years after delivering the first Legacy (it did not use model number designations at that time, but it later would be known as the Legacy 600). The milestone aircraft-a Phenom 300-was handed over to fractional provider NetJets at Embraer Executive Jets' customer delivery center in Melbourne, Florida. "Embraer scored the four-digit mark in business jet deliveries in an impressively short period of time," said Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Michael Amalfitano. "NetJets has been integral to our success story by co-creating a premium product to meet the tastes of their owners." Notably, Embraer's business aviation division has expanded at an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19 percent since 2002. Last year, Embraer Executive Jets garnered 18 percent market share of business jet deliveries. Its Phenom 300 has also earned the distinction of being the best-selling light business jet for the past four consecutive years. To date, more than 670 customers are flying 1,100 Embraer business jets-ranging from the entry-level Phenom 100 to the Lineage 1000 bizliner-in more than 70 countries. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2017-05-05/embraer-delivers-1100th- business-jet Back to Top SolarStratos Solar Airplane Aims For The Stratosphere Fueled By Sunshine Another week, another nail in the fossil fuel world of transportation, but this time from the air. We've covered a few electric airplanes that have taken to the sky with various energy systems. Battery operated and even hydrogen fuel cell aircraft are pushing the boundaries of air travel, but the SolarStratos is different in its approach. It fuels up on nothing but pure sunshine in order to reach the stratosphere. Challenge accepted! SolarStratos The SolarStratos Stratospheric Solar Airplane Takes Its Maiden Flight The SolarStratos Stratospheric Solar Airplane from Payerne, Switzerland, is an ambitious project taking to the stratosphere on nothing more than pure sunshine. This very light electric two-seater aircraft uses a wide array of photovoltaic (PV) panels on its wings and just made its initial low-altitude test flight on Friday, the 5th of May 2017. Designed by Calin Gologan from Elektra-Solar GmbH, who is also a technical partner, the SolarStratos' challenge is to demonstrate that it is possible to fly a solar-powered electric autonomous airplane up to the stratosphere and do away with fossil fuels. After previously achieving the first round-the-world trip powered by solar energy when crossing the Atlantic on board the PlanetSolar, the challenge now was to get as close to the mythical flight of Icarus. SolarStratos Test pilot Damian Hischier got in the SolarStratos and taxied on the tarmac after the Federal Office of Civil Aviation issued the group its 'permit to fly'. It then took off from Payerne at 8:00 am local time for an initial flight that will test its capacity to reach the stratosphere. With no wind, Hischier engaged the full power of the electric motors and took the SolarStratos on a seven-minute test flight. He reached an altitude of 300 meters (about 1,000 feet). After its successful initial flight, it will next test longer flights at higher altitudes, eventually achieving its goal of flying at 25,000 meters, or about 82,000 feet. The team aims to take the plane into the stratospheric by next year. At the head of the project is Raphael Domjan, who is quoted as having said: "We must continue to work hard to learn how to harness the potential of this solar-powered treasure." SolarStratos Stratospheric Solar Airplane, Technically Speaking SolarStratos The SolarStratos is only 8.5 meters, or about 28 feet long, and includes 22 square meters, roughly 238 square feet, of PVs on its wings. This gives the little electric airplane a 24-hour flight autonomy. The PV powers a 20 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with a cell efficiency of around 22-24%. Weighing in at just 450 kilos, about 992 lb, the SolarStratos uses a 2.2 m (7.21 ft) 4-blade propeller powered by a 32 kW electric motor spinning at 2200 rpm. They estimate the SolarStratos to be 90% efficient. Why is it a feat? Slated as the first commercial two-seater solar plane in history, in many ways, this project tests the limits of solar energy, lithium-ion batteries and electric motors in flight. In order to reach the stratosphere, the SolarStratos will not be pressurized. This means Domjan will have to wear a spacesuit to deal with the blistering cold -70 Celsius, -94 Fahrenheit temperatures. To complicate things further, there is no way to use a parachute in the case of an emergency. Challenge Mission SolarStratos, Accepted SolarStratos You can follow the SolarStratos mission on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, and YouTube. Congratulations to the SolarStratos stratospheric solar airplane team and thank you for getting us closer to the stars in a healthy manner. Merci et a bientot! https://cleantechnica.com/2017/05/06/solarstratos-solar-airplane-aims-stratosphere-fueled-sunshine/ Curt Lewis