Flight Safety Information June 8, 2017 - No. 115 Accident: Kulula B738 at Cape Town on Jun 7th 2017, turbulence injures passenger Shaanxi Y-8F-200W Aircraft Accident (Myanmar) U.S.-Cuba Policy Looms at Aviation Industry Conference EASA and Italian Ministry of Defence Sign Cooperation Arrangement on Aviation Safety Shane Carmody confirmed as permanent CASA DAS Team from IATA, US Aviation Safety Agency to visit Kuwait next month All-you-can-fly airline Surf Air acquires Texas carrier and plans big expansion Four 40mm grenade rounds removed from passenger's bag at Birmingham airport Pilot hits alligator while landing plane at Orlando Executive Airport Aircraft damaged in 'minor incident' at Boston's Logan Ravn Alaska Seeks International Air Safety Certification Boeing studies planes without pilots, plans experiments next year Airbus Superjumbo May Get Lifeline as Emirates Mulls 20-Jet Deal DFW ISASI Meeting/Diner - June 15, 2017 [Live Webinar] Using an Integrated Management System to Improve Business Performance for Airlines Positions Available:...Fleet Standards A330 & B777 and...Training Manager - B737. Position Available: Assistant/Associate Professor - Tenure Track Faculty - Aviation Technology. Safeskies 2017 Conference Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award Nominations Invited Graduate Research Survey Request Research Survey Accident: Kulula B738 at Cape Town on Jun 7th 2017, turbulence injures passenger A Kulula Boeing 737-800, registration ZS-ZWB performing flight MN-111 from Johannesburg to Cape Town (South Africa), was on approach to Cape Town in adverse weather conditions when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing injuries to one passenger. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Cape Town's runway 01. The airline reported the aircraft was about 20 minutes before landing in clear weather when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing injuries to a passenger. Cabin crew assisted the passenger. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/CAW111/history/20170607/0800Z/FAOR/FACT http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa06bc7&opt=0 Back to Top Shaanxi Y-8F-200W Aircraft Accident (Myanmar) Date: Wednesday 7 June 2017 Time: 13:35 Type: Shaanxi Y-8F-200W Operator: Tatmadaw Lei (Myanmar Air Force) Registration: 5820 C/n / msn: First flight: 2016 Total airframe hrs: 809 Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: 14 Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: 108 Total: Fatalities: / Occupants: 122 Airplane damage: Missing Airplane fate: Presumed damaged beyond repair Location: off Dawei ( Myanmar) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: Military Departure airport: Myeik Airport (MGZ/VYME), Myanmar Destination airport: Yangon-Mingaladon Airport (RGN/VYYY), Myanmar Narrative: A Shaanxi Y-8-200F transport plane operated by the Myanmar Air Force was reported missing during a flight from Myeik to Yangon in Myanmar. Last contact with the flight was about 20 miles west of Dawei. The aircraft carried military personnel and family members and had departed Yangon on a flight to Dawei, Myeik and Bokpyin and back to Yangon via Myeik. On its return, it arrived in Myeik at 11:55, and departed for Yangon at 13:06 local time. The aircraft climbed to FL180 and proceded along the coast. Last contact was lost at 13:35 hours when the aircraft was at coordinates 13.48, 98.02. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20170607-0 *************** Bodies, aircraft parts found in search for Myanmar plane YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - A navy ship found bodies and aircraft parts in the seas off Myanmar while searching Thursday morning for a military transport plane carrying 120 people, a spokesman said. The Chinese-made Y-8 turboprop aircraft disappeared Wednesday afternoon about a half-hour after leaving Myeik, also known as Mergui, for Yangon on a route that would have taken it over the Andaman Sea. It was raining, but not heavily, at the time. Nine naval ships, five army aircraft and three helicopters were searching for the plane Thursday morning, a military spokesman said. Gen. Myat Min Oo said the ship found two life jackets, three bodies and a tire that was part of an aircraft wheel. The bodies were of a man, a woman and a child. The wreckage was found in the sea west of the town of Laung Lone. The plane carried 106 passengers - mostly families of military personnel - and 14 crew members. Fifteen of the passengers were children. It is not unusual for such flights to carry civilians to offset transportation costs for military families stationed in the somewhat remote south. An announcement posted on the Facebook page of the commander of the military, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said contact was lost when the plane was believed to be about 32 kilometers (20 miles) to the west of Dawei, formerly known as Tavoy. The military said Myanmar received the Y-8 plane in March last year, and since then it had logged 809 flying hours. The area is about 440 miles (700 kilometers) north of the last primary radar contact with Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished on a flight from Malaysia to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board. That plane is believed to have flown far off course and crashed into a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean. https://www.yahoo.com/news/myanmar-military-plane-104-aboard-goes-missing-115123895.html Back to Top U.S.-Cuba Policy Looms at Aviation Industry Conference People wait for passengers to arrive at the airport in Havana January 15, 2015. CANCUN (Reuters) - Less than a year after passenger flights restarted between the United States and Cuba, the future of Cuban travel is once again up in the air. Aviation sector leaders gathered in Cancun, Mexico said they are concerned that President Donald Trump may reinstate some political and economic restrictions between the two Cold War-era foes. The Trump administration is reviewing the Obama administration's moves to ease restrictions on travel and investment in Cuba. Trump has criticized the agreements by Obama to thaw relations with the Cuban government. Airlines, facing uncertainty about a U.S. policy that could make moot millions in recent investments, are loath to criticize the Trump administration's unpredictability, but the industry is unified in saying the thaw should continue. "Restricting the network of aviation and access to Cuba would be bad news for aviation. Generally we welcome the extension of access to any country by plane," IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac told reporters ahead of the June 4-6 conference. The initial opening prompted a dash to launch flights into Cuba in mid-2016. Some of the early entrants have pulled out, including smaller carriers Frontier Airlines, Silver Airways and Spirit Airlines. Larger U.S. carriers have pared back flights to smaller Cuban cities to focus on service to the capital, Havana. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue have all requested increased frequency on various Havana routes. Those requests are in limbo pending the administration's review. U.S. cruise operators and airlines stand to lose around $712 million in annual revenues if the Trump administration fully reinstates restrictions on travel to Cuba, Washington lobby group Engage Cuba said in a report last week. When the application process first opened in 2016, an arrangement between the two governments allowed for 20 daily flights to Havana. Cuba reported 4 million arrivals last year, of which 285,000 were Americans. Another 300,000 Cuban Americans visited but are not considered tourists. 'AMERICANS ARE GOOD TIPPERS' Eased travel restrictions have already dramatically reshaped Cuba's tourism scene, including the Nacional Hotel, which overlooks the Gulf of Mexico and entry to Havana Bay. Tourists now flood the back veranda of the iconic mammoth structure, paying triple the prices and spilling out of the previously half-empty space. Cruise ships, once a rarity in the Bay, now dot the shoreline, and Americans are no longer an unusual sight among visitors. Meleny, a state tour guide, who asked her last name not be used, says she worries about Trump every night. "We will see what he does, but it would be a shame if he drops a bomb on all this. This job isn't great, but the Americans are good tippers and that is how I feed my kids and buy them shoes," she said. American visitors to Cuba could increase as much as sevenfold by 2025, according to a report by the Boston Consulting Group. Given tourism infrastructure is already creaking, that means there are business opportunities aplenty but U.S companies must learn to navigate a centrally-planned economy. The United States still officially prohibits its citizens from visiting Cuba as tourists. However, travel between the two countries is easier now than it has been in more than half a century thanks to exceptions to that ban, which allow travelers to claim they are visiting family or engaging in business, cultural, religious or educational activities. In a tweet shortly after his November election win, Trump threatened to "terminate" the relationship unless the Cuban government agreed to a number of political concessions. The administration could announce its review's findings as early as this month. Business industry leaders, particularly in the airline and travel industry, have been fearful of a repeal of Obama-era policies, appealing to Trump's pledge to keep "America First" by allowing continued business with the Caribbean island. Airlines have praised the opening of the travel market, under which general tourism is still restricted but a number of visa options exist for those seeking to visit the island. "The Caribbean is so core to JetBlue that we see Cuba as very important to us, longer term," JetBlue, which has twice requested and been denied a Boston to Havana route, CEO Robin Hayes told Reuters. Cuba continues to present many opportunities in the near- and long-term, said Peter Cerda, IATA regional VP for the Americas. "IATA has been working closely with the authorities in Cuba to launch a (billing and settlement plan), which will help with the selling of tickets to Cuban citizens ... within the timeframe of 2017." https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2017-06-07/us-cuba-policy-looms-at-aviation-industry- conference Back to Top EASA and Italian Ministry of Defence Sign Cooperation Arrangement on Aviation Safety The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Directorate for Air Armaments and Airworthiness (DAAA) of the Italian Ministry of Defence signed on 12 May 2017 in Cologne a Cooperation Arrangement on Aviation Safety. Both entities have agreed to cooperate, within the airworthiness domain, on areas such as drones including airworthiness certification and insertion into civil airspace, aviation safety, cybersecurity and environment. The Arrangement, which enters into force immediately, was signed by Patrick Ky, EASA Executive Director and Lieutenant General Francesco Langella, Director of the DAAA. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12335636/easa-and-italian-ministry-of-defence-sign- cooperation-arrangement-on-aviation-safety Back to Top Shane Carmody confirmed as permanent CASA DAS Shane Carmody has been appointed director of aviation safety at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for a five year term. Carmody, who was deputy chief executive of CASA between October 2006 and October 2009, has been acting in the role since October 2016, following previous CASA director of aviation safety and CEO Mark Skidmore's resignation from the position in August 2016. "The new Director of Aviation Safety was chosen after an international search for the best available person to further develop CASA as a world leader in aviation safety regulation," CASA chairman Jeff Boyd said in a statement on Wednesday. "CASA's board has full confidence that under the continued leadership of Shane Carmody, Australia's excellent aviation safety record can be further enhanced." Carmody has previously committed to leading a CASA that is "firm, fair and balanced". "My focus is on delivering a firm, fair and balanced aviation safety regulation system, promoting a positive and collaborative approach," Carmody told the Regional Aviation Association of Australia's annual convention last October. "Many would argue that CASA doesn't always get this right and I agree absolutely. But the industry doesn't always get it right either and a lot of you would agree with that." "So somewhere in between is the reality." Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said Carmody's appointment will ensure CASA "retains strong leadership into the future". "Under Mr Carmody CASA has already commenced the examination of a number of priority issues raised by industry including fatigue rules, aviation medical, and targeted regulatory reform," the Minister said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to work with Mr Carmody and the CASA board to ensure that CASA implements the government's recently announced Statement of Expectations which will focus on regulatory activity that is pragmatic, practical and proportionate, and continues to maintain Australia's strong aviation safety record." Shane Carmody career highlights October 2016 - Acting Chief Executive Officer and Director of Aviation Safety April 2016 - October 2016 Deputy Secretary, Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. June 2014 - April 2016 Deputy Secretary / Chief Executive Officer, Department of Veterans' Affairs June 2009 - June 2014 Deputy President of the Repatriation Commission; member Military, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission October 2006 - October 2009 Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Civil Aviation Safety Authority January - October 2006 Deputy Secretary Intelligence and Security, Department of Defence July 2002 - December 2005 Deputy Secretary Strategy, Department of Defence June 2001 - January 2002 Deputy Secretary Intelligence and Security, Department of Defence http://australianaviation.com.au/2017/06/shane-carmody-confirmed-as-permanent-casa-das/ Back to Top Team from IATA, US Aviation Safety Agency to visit Kuwait next month KUWAIT CITY, June 7: A delegation from International Air Travel Agency (IATA) and US Aviation Safety Agency will visit Kuwait in July for the final evaluation of Kuwait International Airport. The delegation is expected to review security procedures to determine the rate at which the airport complies with international safety and security conditions, reports Al-Rai daily. The daily quoting a source said conditions were laid down to determine the restoration of direct flights from Kuwait to America and some European countries. He added the upcoming visit will be the last upon which a report will be prepared in detail, as required by the two agencies. He said the country has done the needful and even appointed an internationally reputable British company to take over security procedures. He stressed the number of security operatives at the gates have been increased to four, in addition to special security officers assigned to the airport to reinforce interior and exterior security procedures before and after the departure of flights. http://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/team-iata-us-aviation-safety-agency-visit-kuwait-next-month/ Back to Top All-you-can-fly airline Surf Air acquires Texas carrier and plans big expansion A Surf Air plane parked at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Calif., is shown. Surf Air has acquired a Texas competitor, Rise. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune) Surf Air, the membership airline based in Santa Monica, has acquired a Texas counterpart and announced plans to expand to nearly a dozen new destinations. Surf Air declined to reveal how much it paid for Dallas-based Rise airline. The deal adds Rise's 1,000 members to Surf Air's 3,000 members and adds six Texas locations to Surf Air's current 12 destinations in California. Over the next 18 months, the combined carriers expect to add nearly a dozen new destinations, including Las Vegas, Seattle and New Orleans, plus weekend service to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, and Aspen and Vail in Colorado. "This is the first step in our global expansion plan," Surf Air Chief Executive Sudhin Shahani said. The two companies operate nearly identical businesses, charging a monthly fee to fly busy executives, entrepreneurs and celebrities as often as needed on small planes between a handful of destinations. Both charge a monthly membership fee starting at $1,950. The primary difference has been that Surf Air owns its aircraft while Rise charters its planes from local operators. Under the acquisition deal, Rise aircraft will be replaced by Surf Air planes, with the headquarters for the new consolidated company based in Santa Monica. Members of Rise will automatically get their memberships transferred to Surf Air. Rise Chief Executive Nick Kennedy will become president of Surf Air's Texas and southeast region, reporting to Shahani. Shahani attributed the success of Surf Air to the convenience the service provides for busy business travelers who don't want to hassle with long lines, security pat-downs and cramped seats offered by traditional airlines. "We have created an experience which the airlines can't match," he said. Under the company's plans for expansion, Shahani said Surf Air will look to serve pairs of cities around the world that are approximately 400 miles apart and feature high demand by business executives. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-surf-air-20170607-story.html Back to Top Four 40mm grenade rounds removed from passenger's bag at Birmingham airport According to TSA spokesman Mark Howell, four 40mm grenade rounds were discovered in a passenger's bag at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport. (TSA Mark Howell) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - According to TSA spokesman Mark Howell, four 40mm grenade rounds were discovered in a passenger's bag at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport. Checked baggage operations were temporarily suspended at the airport, but operations returned to normal as of 10 a.m. FBI agents removed the rounds and decided it was not necessary to close the security checkpoint. Most passengers know weapons aren't allowed in carry-on bags, but they might not understand some weapons are allowed to be checked - unless they're things like grenade rounds. A TSA spokesperson said all weapons must be kept in a checked bag, and if further inspection is necessary, it'll be looked at by hand - as was the case for the four 40-mm grenade rounds. "They opened it up, noticed rounds were in it and immediately notified the transportation security and explosive specialist who came down to verify what it was," said the spokesperson. Tina Yovino, the mother of a passenger said "it makes you feel a little more secure. I am thankful they do that and thankful for the job they do." Yovino believes safety is paramount, but had no idea agents had just found four grenade rounds. "It's pretty scary, especially when my child is traveling," said Yovino. The mother is grateful agents working in the under-belly were paying attention to the machines. http://abc3340.com/news/local/four-40mm-grenade-rounds-discovered-in-passengers-bag-at- birmingham-airport Back to Top Pilot hits alligator while landing plane at Orlando Executive Airport A local pilot hit an 11-foot alligator which was crossing runway 7/25 at Orlando Executive Airport (KORL). I was told the pilot was flying a Navajo and the gator jumped up and struck the wing during his landing. The gator was killed instantly and the aircraft sustained damage to the wing. One of the craziest things I've ever seen in all my years in aviation. ORLANDO, Fla. - Only in Florida: A pilot fatally struck an alligator last week while landing a plane at Orlando Executive Airport. The pilot said his plane hit the gator, but he wouldn't provide further details because he said the Federal Aviation Administration is still investigating the incident. Another pilot, Brad Pierce, posted a photo on Facebook, calling the incident "one of the craziest things I've ever seen in all my years in aviation." http://www.wftv.com/news/local/pilot-hits-alligator-while-landing-plane-at-orlando-executive- airport/530785314 Back to Top Aircraft damaged in 'minor incident' at Boston's Logan An aircraft scheduled to make a trans-Atlantic flight was damaged when a piece of ground equipment struck an engine in the gate area of Boston's airport, forcing passengers to spend the night on cots in a terminal. A spokeswoman for Logan International Airport said no injuries were reported late Tuesday night. Azores Airlines said the flight was canceled and the A310 jet is scheduled to be inspected on Wednesday. The flight was headed to Ponta Delgada in the Azores, followed by Lisbon and Barcelona. The airline said because of the late hour, about 200 people had to stay in the terminal. Passengers told WFXT-TV they felt a sudden jolt. Passenger Adam Morrow says "we hit something or something hit us and we were just told to get off the plane." http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article154794034.html Back to Top Ravn Alaska Seeks International Air Safety Certification Ravn passengers can now fly directly to Kotzebue from Anchorage and back. Photo Credit: Davis Hovey, KNOM (2017). RAVN ALASKA could be the first Alaska-based airline to be certified under international safety standards. Bruce Joseph is Ravn Alaska's Executive Vice President of Safety, Security, and Compliance. He says the airline has begun the process of becoming certified with the International Air Transport Association's Operational Safety Audit (I-OSA): "One of the things that is noteworthy about the I-OSA standard is that it is the gold standard worldwide. It is worldwide best practices and operation. It's many, many years of history and cycles and repetition by some pretty major hitters around the world: British Airways, Cathay Pacific, those kind of operations. And what it does is, it brings the benefit of their experience from worldwide best practices to us." If Ravn Alaska is successfully I-OSA certified, then they will be the first Alaska-based airline to have that status. Joseph says Ravn and other Alaska planes need these specific safety requirements to reduce the number of future crashes: "The decision was made before a couple of those accidents that just helped shed some light on the need to enhance safety all around. The interesting statistic that goes with it that I've heard is, although only a quarter of 1% of the U.S. population lives in the State of Alaska, 20% of aviation accidents occur here. That's somewhat of a skewed statistic, because it doesn't take into consideration that there's probably 50% more aviation in Alaska than there is in every other state in the lower 48." Joseph believes other Alaska-based airlines haven't gone through the International certification yet because I-OSA imposes "rigorous" standards on their operations. "It's every aspect of the operation, from flight maintenance, cabin flight attendants, how we handle airplanes on the ground, how we ship cargo, how we handle the luggage that our passengers check, how we fuel the airplane, how we de-ice the plane. It is a top-to-bottom, very rigorous standard." For Ravn Alaska passengers, Joseph says these standards and audits will make for a more consistently operated flight from any Ravn terminal, including Ted Stevens International Airport and the Ravn terminal in Nome. It is expected that the IOSA certification could be a year-long process for Ravn, and Joseph says the airline took its first steps towards this international safety status three weeks ago. http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2017/06/07/ravn-alaska-seeks-international-air-safety-certification/ Back to Top Boeing studies planes without pilots, plans experiments next year Boeing is researching the possibility of commercial-passenger jets that will rely on artificial intelligence rather than pilots. Initial experimental flights, without passengers, are planned next year, with such systems taking over some of the pilot decisions. Boeing has begun researching the possibility of commercial-passenger jets that will fly without pilots, using artificial intelligence guiding automated controls to make decisions in flight. "The basic building blocks of the technology are clearly available," said Mike Sinnett, former chief systems engineer on the 787 Dreamliner and now vice president at Boeing responsible for innovative future technologies, at a briefing before the Paris Air Show. "There's going to be a transition from the requirement to have a skilled aviator operate the airplane to having a system that operates the vehicle autonomously, if we can do that with the same level of safety," Sinnett said. "That's a really big if," he added. It sure is. Think about a machine that could do what US Airways Capt. Chesley Sullenberger did in New York City in 2009. When a flock of geese took out both engines on an Airbus A320 with 155 people on board as it took off out of La Guardia, Sullenberger communicated with ground controllers, rapidly sized up his limited options within two minutes and guided the plane to a safe ditching in the Hudson River. Sinnett, who plans a June 21 presentation on the subject at the Paris Air Show, agreed that the Sullenberger scenario is the standard that has to be achieved. It also underscores the challenge Boeing faces in attempting to take the human out of the flight deck. "We are not smart enough to preprogram all those things. The machine has to be capable of making the same set of decisions," Sinnett said. "If it can't, we cannot go there." Sinnett said his team will fly a simulator this year with an artificial-intelligence system making some of the piloting decisions. Next year, he said, they'll fly the system on a real plane. Those would be experimental flights, with engineers and pilots on board, but no passengers. Wild as it sounds to consider a commercial jet flying without a pilot, the times are ripe for such thinking. Sinnett said Boeing's research is driven by the pilot shortage worldwide that is only going to become more acute. In the next two decades, Boeing forecasts a demand for about 40,000 new commercial jets, roughly doubling the world fleet. "Where will the experienced pilots come from?" Sinnett asked. Meanwhile, small autonomous drones are flown by the military and are being tested by Amazon for package delivery. And the public increasingly accepts the notion of driverless cars navigating the public roads. Yet Sinnett understands why it seems more radical to think of the same for a passenger jet. Last year 40,000 people died in road accidents in the U.S. - leaving lots of room for potential improvement by autonomous, driverless cars. By contrast, Sinnett said, there were zero deaths in the U.S. last year on scheduled jet aircraft. To make autonomous aircraft as safe as flying commercial is today, "We've got to be as good as zero," he said. Autopilot systems Some of the technological building blocks of autonomous flight are already embedded in today's aircraft. On long flights, airline pilots will switch to autopilot as they cruise for hours. What's less well known is that commercial jets often auto-land, which is what makes landing possible in conditions of very low visibility due to weather. The auto-land is the closest thing today to autonomous flight because the system reacts to changes in the environment as it comes in, adjusting for small changes in the winds. Sinnett said that when he was developing the 787, the eighth landing the aircraft made was an auto-land without pilot input. Auto-takeoff is not allowed, but today's airplanes can do that too. "If you want to end your career, you could take a 777 out and do an automatic takeoff," Sinnett said. "The airplane is capable of doing it, but not capable at the same levels of integrity we have today. So we have pilots in the loop." The pilots always are expected to monitor the functions of the automated systems. Because of the multiple redundant systems on aircraft, airplane accidents are almost always the result of a series of mishaps, any one of which would not alone have caused the accident. So, if say, an autopilot does something unexpected, a crucial function of the pilot is to step in and catch that first piece of unintended behavior before the next step in any chain that could lead to disaster. Artificial intelligence Could a machine do the same? If a passenger has a heart attack, will it divert? If one engine goes out, will it know the best response given its position? What about both engines? Sinnett points out that a primary requirement for certification of commercial jets today is that the systems operate deterministically: given a set of inputs you must always get the same result. But he said because no one is likely to be able to predict all the potential things that could happen during all phases of a flight anywhere in the world, an autonomous flying machine has to be able to respond non- deterministically - to react to a situation that has not been preprogrammed into the software. "So we are doing early exploration with machine learning and artificial intelligence," Sinnett said. When safety regulators tell him that they cannot certify non-deterministic systems - as they have - he responds that yes they can, because they certify pilots. Humans inevitably react differently to one another. An individual may even react differently to the same circumstances at different times. Still, don't expect pilotless passenger jets anytime soon. Sinnett sees this problem of building a system - a machine - capable of intelligent, non-deterministic behavior as the toughest challenge. "I have no idea how we'll do that," he said, with a laugh. "But we are studying it right now and developing those algorithms." http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-studies-planes-without-pilots-plans- experiments-next-year/ Back to Top Airbus Superjumbo May Get Lifeline as Emirates Mulls 20-Jet Deal * Order would hand manufacturer lifeline in prolonging program * Discussions with Persian Gulf carrier still at an early stage Emirates, the biggest operator of Airbus SE's A380 superjumbo, is in talks about the purchase of 20 more of the double-decker jets in a move that could extend the lifespan of a program dogged by slow sales, people familiar with the discussions said. The contract would be worth $8.7 billion before discounts, though negotiations are at an early stage and it hasn't been established exactly how many aircraft the Persian Gulf carrier requires, according to the people, who asked not to be named because the talks are private. Airbus might also be required to commit to measures to make the A380 more efficient before a deal is signed. Dubai-based Emirates could reach an agreement to acquire the planes before the end of 2017 for deliveries starting in 2020, two people said. That would hand Airbus a lifeline in maintaining production at a level where it can break even on each jet, after the company warned this week it would have to cut output further in the absence of new orders this year. Emirates said an email it has no plans "at this time" to buy more A380s, though regularly engages with manufacturers on "product updates and enhancement of current and future aircraft." A spokesman for Toulouse, France-based Airbus said it doesn't comment on confidential client discussions. Shares of Airbus pared loses, and were priced 0.4 percent lower as of 2 p.m. in Paris after earlier trading down as much as 1.4 percent. That values the company at almost 58 billion euros ($65 billion). Performance Gains Emirates, the world's leading long-haul carrier, is by far the biggest buyer and operator of the A380, with orders for more than 140 planes configured for 489 to 615 seats. Tim Clark, the airline's president, had indicated that it would buy as many as 200 more superjumbos if Airbus and engine supplier Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc agreed to develop an upgraded version equipped with more efficient turbines. That's something the planemaker is reluctant to do given the lack of demand from other carriers, though Emirates is still pushing for performance improvements, according to one of the people. The purchase under discussion, which could be split between firm orders and options, may be intended to replace A380s on leases that are set to expire in coming years, rather than to boost capacity at a time when regional demand is at a low ebb. Emirates will decide in 2018 whether to extend those leases or dispose of the aircraft into the second- hand market, one person said. The carrier posted its first decline in annual profit for five years in the 12 months ended March 31 as the low oil price weighed on Gulf economies. Airbus sold no superjumbos in 2016 after Iran scrapped an outline deal, and Didier Evrard, the company's head of programs, said Monday that a decision would need to be taken on how best to slow output below the level of one plane a month that it said last year should be sustainable from 2018. Sales chief John Leahy, speaking with Evrard, said Airbus remained in talks that could secure fresh commitments for the A380. He added that he hadn't given up on maintaining the agreed build rate, which is intended to prolong the program until a hoped-for revival in demand for bigger jets fired by Asian economic growth and crowded runways at major hubs. While Airbus delivered 27 superjumbo aircraft in 2015 and 28 last year, the dearth of orders had reduced the backlog to 107 planes as of April 30. Some of those orders may be vulnerable to cancellation or deferral. Adding 20 aircraft to the tally would therefore help sustain the program only in the short-term. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-07/emirates-said-in-talks-over-deal-for-20-airbus- a380-superjumbos Back to Top Back to Top Safety, Risk and Quality Management for Airlines: Using an Integrated Management System to Improve Business Performance Join us on Wednesday, June 14 - 2:00 PM ET Please make sure you adjust the time for your time zone. Safety, Risk, and Quality is a top priority among airlines. Now, more than ever, stakeholders are putting forth SMS, EHS and QMS initiatives that leverage common management frameworks like ISO. An Integrated Management System (IAMS) can provide a single information management solution to centralize data management and reporting. In this session, we will demonstrate EtQ Reliance and its ability to be a single solution for SMS, EHS, and QMS. EtQ will explore the technology considerations when implementing an IAMS for your business, how to integrate it with other business systems, and how to generate meaningful reports and dashboards. Speakers: Sean Salvas, HSEQ Product Manager, EtQ Tom Barlow, Pre-Sales Engineer, EtQ Can't attend, but still want a copy of the recording? Register anyway and we'll email it to you following the webinar. Register for the Webinar Now EtQ, Inc. is a complete Aviation Safety, Quality, and Environmental Health and Safety Management provider dedicated to delivering leading edge software solutions. EtQ is focused on emerging technologies and dedicating resources to assure that EtQ software maintains compatibility with industry leading standards and best-of-breed functionality. www.etq.com Back to Top Positions Available: * Fleet Standards A330 & B777 and * Training Manager - B737 Join an internationally recognised and respected brand - Have a direct impact on our standards and training programs and regulatory requirements Working within the Flight Training & Standards unit of Flight Operations, lead the management of Virgin Australia Operational Crew Standards & Training on our fleets in accordance with the latest regulatory requirements, including CAR (1998) 217 and Part 142 and company approved operations manuals. To be successful in this role you will have a passion for training and demonstrate strong leadership behaviours. Key responsibilities in this role are: * Assist the Flight Standards/Flight Training Manager with the management of the Virgin Australia check/training organisation * Management of the fleet specific area of the CAR 217 and Part 142 organisation * Within the privileges of any approvals held, train and / or conduct of competency checks of operational crews as required by Virgin Australia and regulatory requirements * Assist in the monitoring of crew activities and line operations to ensure crews are trained to, and operate to the required company standards of safety, technical competence and commercial awareness * Work with other Training & Standards managers on the development of training syllabi, material and tools. * Assist with the development, provision and standardisation of appropriate training material for operational crew to ensure they maintain recency and competency in accordance with any orders and instructions issued by CASA, or as required by the company operations manuals * Assist with the training, assessment, development and review of flight crew proficiency to enable: - The recommendation for command upgrade of first officers - Working with the fleet standards manager to recommend and train Training Captains, Check Captains & Training FOs. * Maintain line pilot and Training Captain proficiency * Undertake other flight operations duties as directed by the Head of Training & Standards. Deputise for the FSM/FTM, or other Fleet Training/Standards Managers as required * Regulatory Accountability: Support Head of Training & Standards in their responsibilities to CASA To be successful in this role you will have: * 5000 hours of flight time of high-capacity (airline) operations or equivalent * 3000 hours Pilot in Command on large jet aircraft * 3 years Check or Training experience in high capacity operations or equivalent * Experience of international and domestic/shorthaul operations on a similar aircraft type * Experience of working with regulatory authorities * Experience of authoring Airline Training Manuals * An understanding of electronic grade scoring & trending data * Previous experience of managing high performing, remote teams * Acceptable to CASA for holding the position APPLY HERE Back to Top Assistant/Associate Professor - Tenure Track Faculty - Aviation Technology Position: Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate Professor in Aviation Technology; Starting date: August 2017 Qualifications: Master's degree in any of the following: Aviation, Business, Education, Engineering, or aviation management related discipline. Must have a minimum of 18 graduate hours in aviation related courses. Three years aviation industry experience. Completion of an appropriate doctorate degree will be required within 5-years. Responsibilities: Teaching undergraduate courses and assuming a leadership role in the management of the department's Aviation Technology degree programs. Other responsibilities include serving on University committees, curriculum development, academic advisement and performing appropriate scholarly research and professional service within the guidelines of the University. Salary: Commensurate with qualifications The University: Indiana State University enrolls approximately 14,000 students in six colleges/schools. Please visit the University homepage at http://www.indstate.edu for details. Department: The Aviation Technology Department in a part of the College of Technology and currently offers the following BS degrees: Professional Aviation Flight Technology, Aviation Management, and Unmanned Systems. Application: Attach a letter of application, cover letter, vitae/resume, and your B.S. and Master's transcripts to the online application at http://jobs.indstate.edu/postings/16411. For full consideration, applications must be submitted by June 15, 2017. The position will remain open until on-campus interviews have been scheduled. If you have questions please contact Dr. Richard Baker, Chair, Faculty Search Committee, Department of Aviation, Indiana State University, Terre Haute IN 47809. richard.baker@indstate.edu; (812)237-2641 Indiana State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All are encouraged to apply including women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. Back to Top Safeskies 2017 Conference The thirteenth biennial Safeskies aviation safety conference, Safeskies 2017, will be held from October 3 to 5, at the National Convention Centre, Canberra, Australia. Visit www.SafeskiesAustralia.org for details of program and registration. Back to Top Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award Nominations Invited The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation and Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) are accepting nominations for the 2017 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award. Presented since 1956, the honor recognizes notable achievement in method, design, invention, study or other improvement in aviation safety. The award's recipient is selected for a "significant individual or group effort contributing to improving aviation safety, with emphasis on original contributions," and a "significant individual or group effort performed above and beyond normal responsibilities." www.ltbaward.com Nominations, which should include a one- to two-page narrative, can be submitted via the Laura Taber Barbour Foundation website. Nominations will be accepted through June 14. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2017-05-11/laura-taber-barbour-air-safety- award-nominations-invited Back to Top Graduate Research Survey Request Dear Participants, I am writing to you in connection with my final thesis that is part of a masters degree Air Transport Management at City University London (School of Engineering and Mathematical Studies). The topic of the thesis is "Flight Crew Engagement". I am asking pilots to take part in a survey (10 minutes only). The general definition of engagement taken into account for this study evolves around the state of mind we have in our jobs as pilots; in other words, the amount of energy we feel we can put into, how dedicated we are to it and finally how much capacity we have to absorb and take into account all the different facets and frustrations of our day to day job. The way a company deals with staff in general (company DNA) and the pilot population in particular, influences (positive and negative) this engagement level and thus our daily lives and the company performance. The main aim of the study is to define engagement in the context of our job as pilots. The key results of this definition should clearly specify what drives pilots to be engaged. Where I understand that FRMS has to focus on sleep and work patterns; the energy that we as pilots can bring to the job, does not just depend on how much we sleep but also very much on our state of mind. Finally, the airline industry has been sub-marginal for the last 25 years and will remain so for the coming decades. The airlines that can ultimately survive will be the ones that can pull all of the business levers, instead of only one, such as only cost side improvements, only government subsidies or only cheap fuel. Flight Crew Engagement is something I am exploring in this thesis, which I hope will be of benefit to us all and give airlines another tool to holistically optimise the business model. For this study I am soliciting your help: validating assumptions and conclusions are an integral part of an academic study. This validation is done by means of a survey, determining exactly what the perceptions and engagement levels are of Pilots. This survey is completely anonymous (has been approved by the ethics commission of City University London) and confidential. Following is the link. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/pilotsengagementS Best regards, Hendrik van Griethuysen Back to Top Research Survey Dear Participants, You are being requested to participate in a research study on risk. This study is expected to take approximately 5 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must be at least 18 years old and a pilot. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you may choose to opt out of the study at any time. If you choose to opt out before study completion, your data will be destroyed immediately. We appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYQv1wQ7ti8p8uE6rjWsAsoTvRe23hvVCR4LSvJheUNMt72Q/viewform?usp=sf_link For more information, please contact: Dr. Stephen Rice Stephen.rice2@erau.edu We appreciate your interest and participation! Dr. Stephen Rice, Associate Professor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Curt Lewis