Flight Safety Information June 9, 2017 - No. 116 Incident: Delta B744 over Pacific on Jun 7th 2017, engine shut down in flight Incident: Jazz DH8D at Seattle on Jun 8th 2017, smoke in cabin EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection A320 Runway Excursion (India) FAA Redefines Slow Flight and Stall Procedures Diesel Cessna Skyhawk JT-A Awarded FAA Certification Bell 505 Jet Ranger X certified by FAA Glut of lessors fight for deals, aviation sector bosses warn First African-American pilot hired by Southwest took his final flight Facial recognition technology will soon make airport check-ins a breeze Nearly 35,000 aircraft valued at US$5.3 trillion required in the next 20 years Firms see big bucks in upgrade of U.S. air traffic control system Boeing revs up robots for 777X in Everett factory, signals that a 797 awaits Boeing barrels ahead on 787 and 777 cost reductions Boeing to Add Jobs Overseas, Investigates Pilotless Planes Skunk Works Just Revealed New Details About The SR-71 Blackbird's Ultra-Secret Successor NTAS - 2017 [Live Webinar] Using an Integrated Management System to Improve Business Performance for Airlines Positions Available:...Fleet Standards A330 & B777 and...Training Manager - B737. Safeskies 2017 Conference Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award Nominations Invited Graduate Research Survey Request Incident: Delta B744 over Pacific on Jun 7th 2017, engine shut down in flight A Delta Airlines Boeing 747-400, registration N668US performing flight DL-276 from Tokyo Narita (Japan) to Detroit,MI (USA) with 310 passengers and 17 crew, was enroute at FL320 over the Pacific Ocean about 1570nm northeast of Tokyo when the crew reported problems with the #1 engine (PW4056, outboard left hand), descended the aircraft to FL280 and decided to return to Tokyo Narita, where the aircraft landed back about 7 hours after departure. A passenger reported about 3.5 hours into the flight there was noise and vibrations. Soon after the aircraft descended to FL280 and turned around. The captain announced that one of the engines had ceased operation, Tokyo Narita was still the closest airport and they would return to Narita. The passengers were put into hotels and rebooked onto flight DL-9876 the following day, however, that flight was cancelled. A number of passengers have been rebooked onto DL-276 of Jun 8th. Japan's Ministry of Transport reported the aircraft declared emergency due to engine trouble. http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa12935&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Jazz DH8D at Seattle on Jun 8th 2017, smoke in cabin A Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration C-GJZD performing flight QK-8301 from Calgary,AB (Canada) to Seattle,WA (USA) with 78 people on board, was descending towards Seattle when cabin crew reported smoke in the cabin, the flight crew at the same time noticed smell of smoke on the flight deck and declared emergency. Cabin crew reported the smoke in the cabin was becoming thicker. The aircraft landed safely on runway 16R, taxied clear of the runway and performed an emergency evacuation onto the taxiway. The passengers were bussed to the terminal. The Canadian TSB reported emergency services inspected the aircraft and found no visible signs of fire. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/JZA8301/history/20170608/1340Z/CYYC/KSEA http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa112d4&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top A320 Runway Excursion (India) Date: 09-JUN-2017 Time: ca 06:35 UTC Type: Airbus A320-231 Owner/operator: Air India Registration: VT-ESL C/n / msn: 0499 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 134 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Jammu Airport (IXJ/VIJU) - India Phase: Landing Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL/VIDP) Destination airport: Jammu-Satwari Airport (IXJ/VIJU) Narrative: Air India flight AI821 suffered a runway excursion and tire burst incident after landing at Jammu Airport in India. The aircraft came to a stop with the main landing gear just off the paved runway surface. Jammu Airport has a single asphalt runway (18/36), 2042 m (6700 ft) long. Weather about the time of the incident (0635Z) was reported as: VIJU 090730Z VRB02KT 6000 FEW030 36/13 Q1004 NOSIG >> VIJU 090630Z 12004KT 6000 FEW030 SCT090 34/14 Q1004 NOSIG VIJU 090530Z 05003KT 6000 FEW030 SCT090 32/15 Q1005 NOSIG https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=196009 Back to Top FAA Redefines Slow Flight and Stall Procedures Agency considered industry feedback in recent ACS changes. With loss of control still the primary cause of aircraft fatalities, the FAA last year released the new Airmen Certification Standards, some aspects of it controversial, to replace the practical test standards for pilots seeking a private or an instrument rating. The goal was to create a better-trained pilot before they appeared for their flight test. Last week, the FAA released changes to the standards after considering industry feedback. The new safety alert for operators - 17009 - incorporates updates to the Private Pilot- Airplane and Commercial Pilot-Airplane ACS, both of which become effective on June 12. The new guide looks specifically at how designated pilot examiners will be expected to evaluate applicants during slow flight and stall-related maneuvers. Considering that slow flight is normally performed close to the ground, the topic was hotly debated last summer when the ACS first appeared. The agency believes applicants must become proficient in slow flight through practice at a safe altitude, while also mastering an understanding of the aerodynamics associated in various aircraft configurations and attitudes. Training must include recognizing aircraft cues and smoothly managing coordinated flight while maneuvering without sounding a stall warning alert. If the stall warning should occur, the applicant is expected to make a prompt and appropriate correction. The FAA believes the desired slow flight characteristics can be learned while climbing, turning, descending and performing straight and level flight again, all without the stall warning blaring. The FAA maintains that a pilot should not be evaluated on the ability to maneuver an airplane in slow flight while disregarding a stall warning, however. To address community feedback, the FAA modified the phrasing of the requirement to read: "Establish and maintain an airspeed at which any further increase in angle of attack, increase in load factor, or reduction in power, would result in a stall warning." The agency believes stall training should build on knowledge and skill acquired from slow flight maneuvers and cover the period from the initial stall warning to the actual stall. Pilots are expected to understand stall aerodynamics in various aircraft configurations, attitudes, and power settings, as well as how the airplane performs/responds as it approaches the critical angle of attack. Pilots must also understand factors that lead to a stall, as well as how to prevent them while recognizing the appropriate airplane cues in both impending and full stalls. Under this change to the ACS, the applicant will now be required to clearly acknowledge (verbally) aircraft stall warnings whether it's the buffet or a warning horn and be prepared to successfully demonstrate a complete stall recovery procedure. The new document shows the agency held fast to the commercial standards first released last year, such as recovery from accelerated stalls in a multi-engine aircraft, but showed flexibility when it came to recovery from power-on and power-off stalls. Initially, the agency wanted to see applicants initiate a full stall recovery at the first indication of the loss of lift, no matter what. After considerable industry criticism, the agency eventually modified the language to read, "Acknowledge the cues and recover promptly at the first indication of an impending stall (e.g., aircraft buffet, stall horn, etc.)." http://www.flyingmag.com/faa-redefines-slow-flight-and-stall-procedures Back to Top Diesel Cessna Skyhawk JT-A Awarded FAA Certification Jet-A burning 172 enters European and U.S. markets. The FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified the Cessna Turbo Skyhawk JT-A with next-generation Garmin G1000 NXi avionics. After more than five years of development, the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified the Cessna Turbo Skyhawk JT-A with next-generation Garmin G1000 NXi avionics, clearing the way for deliveries to customers in the United States and Europe. Manufacturer Textron Aviation in Wichita, Kansas said the new model, equipped with the Continental CD-155 turbodiesel engine, has exceeded initial performance targets including improved maximum range. The Turbo Skyhawk JT-A is a factory option that includes an integrated powerplant, propeller and cockpit upgrade package. Final performance figures include an improved range of 963 nautical miles, an increase of 78 nautical miles over original estimates and a 50 percent improvement over the gasoline-powered Skyhawk, a takeoff distance of 1,320 feet and a max climb rate of 767 feet per minute. Max speed is 134 knots. "The Skyhawk platform represents the most successful single-engine aircraft of all time, and we're excited to further enhance its capabilities with Jet-A powerplant technology," said Doug May, vice president, Piston Aircraft for Textron Aviation. The 155 horsepower turbodiesel Continental CD-155 includes direct fuel injection and a dual channel Fadec driven by a single power lever for around $450,000. http://www.flyingmag.com/diesel-cessna-skyhawk-awarded-faa-certification Back to Top Bell 505 Jet Ranger X certified by FAA The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Bell Helicopter has announced. During a media tour of Bell's facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, at the end of January, Bell said it hoped to eventually be able to produce between 150 and 200 505s each year at its facility in Mirabel, Quebec. At the time, Bell had received over 400 letters of intent for the aircraft, and it has been working to convert those into firm orders. Bell Photo The five-seat aircraft, which aims to builds off the legacy of success established by the Bell 206B JetRanger in the light single-engine market segment, received initial type certification from Transport Canada in December 2016. This was followed by production certification in February this year, and the first customer delivery - to private operator Scott Urschel, based in Chandler, Arizona - in March at HAI Heli-Expo 2017 in Dallas, Texas. "This is another significant milestone in our journey to market entry for the Bell 505," said Mitch Snyder, Bell Helicopter's president and CEO, in a press release marking the type's FAA certification. "This aircraft incorporates the latest advancements in safety and aviation technology and we are extremely proud of our return to the short light single class of helicopters." Powered by a single Safran Helicopter Engines Arrius 2R engine, the Bell 505 fills the void in Bell's product line that was created when the Bell 206B JetRanger ceased production in 2010. The 505 has a useful load of 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms), a range of 340 nautical miles (629 kilometers), and has been certified at a maximum cruise speed of 126 knots. It features the Garmin G1000H integrated avionics suite with dual 10.4-inch (26.4- centimeter) displays, and uses the same rotor system as the 206L-4 LongRanger - retaining that type's autorotational characteristics. When it announced Canadian approval of the 505 in December 2016, Bell said it anticipated FAA certification to follow "closely in 2017," and even in the first few months of 2017, believed it to be imminent. During a media call June 5 ahead of Bell's participation in the Paris Air Show, Michael Thacker, Bell's executive vice president of technology and innovation, said there wasn't anything specific delaying the FAA or European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approvals. "There's no particular hold up," he said. "Each of those validations is a process, and each of the agencies there is a little bit different to work with. We had great support with Transport Canada getting through initial certification, and they've continued to support us as we've worked the validations." Bell said it will continue to work with other certification authorities around the globe, with approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency expected to follow shortly. It said the 505 underwent rigorous certification activities throughout the flight test program, during which it achieved more than 1,000 flight test hours. Parallel to the aircraft's development, Bell has worked on the 505's training and support systems, with the Bell Helicopter Training Academy prepared for entry into service with customer training on the type, and a Level 7 flight training device and coursework "on track" according to the manufacturer. During a media tour of Bell's facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, at the end of January, Bell said it hoped to eventually be able to produce between 150 and 200 505s each year at its facility in Mirabel, Quebec. At the time, Bell had received over 400 letters of intent for the aircraft, and it has been working to convert those into firm orders. "We can't give you the numbers, but I would say that it's been a really healthy conversion," Snyder said during the media call on June 5. "We're doing extremely well getting through the list. . . . We're very pleased with where the 505 program is right now." https://www.verticalmag.com/news/bell-505-jet-ranger-x-certified- faa/#sthash.2XQhVFL8.dpuf Back to Top Glut of lessors fight for deals, aviation sector bosses warn Around half the world's leased planes are owned from Ireland. The global aircraft-leasing industry has likely hit a peak after dramatic expansion in recent decades, with competition from new Chinese players dragging down returns, senior industry executives said this week. Around half the world's leased planes are owned from Ireland. The sector, which accounts for 42pc of the global aircraft fleet, has so far been aided by lower interest rates and generous bank lending. But growing uncertainties in the Middle East, a firmer dollar and changes to accounting standards could curb growth and weed out the smaller players, they added. "This is a highly specialised, international, funding and technologically intensive business. I believe we will see many withdraw, or be forced by business problems to quit," said Wang Fuhou, president of Minsheng Commercial Aviation's aircraft leasing department, referring to the Chinese market. "We don't need this many (Chinese) aircraft leasing firms," Wang told the China Airfinance Conference in Shanghai. Hani Kuzbari, managing director at Novus Aviation Capital, agreed. "There is pressure from China which is resulting in severe pressure on leasing factors and returns ... All-time high liquidity and all-time low returns," he said. "On the industry cycle we're very much around the peak, or post the peak." The nearly $225bn (€200bn) global aircraft leasing sector was once the preserve of Western players. But Chinese firms like Bank of China, HNA Group, Bank of Communications and China Minsheng Banking Corp have muscled their way into deals at home and abroad - including buying up Irish businesses. Many Chinese local governments, including Tibet and Xiamen, as well as insurers have also launched leasing firms, helped by government measures to support the sector. In 2007, Chinese lessors owned 22 jets out of China's 430-strong leased fleet, according to ICBC Financial Leasing. By January 2017, these lessors owned 583 planes out of a 1,235 fleet, it said. Irena Badelska, head of business development at Dublin-based leasing company Amedeo, estimated there were 54 Chinese leasing firms trying to build expertise in the aviation space. This is driving fierce competition for clients and qualified staff, said Li Ru, senior vice president of BOCOM Leasing. "Profit margins are shrinking every year, rents are falling but our plane-buying costs are still growing annually." (Reuters) http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/glut-of-lessors-fight-for-deals-aviation-sector- bosses-warn-35804460.html Back to Top First African-American pilot hired by Southwest took his final flight DALLAS -- After nearly 40 years flying the skies for Southwest Airlines, Capt. Lou Freeman took the controls one last time Thursday for his final flight. Freeman was the first African American pilot hired by Southwest when he joined the company 37 years ago at age 25. He went on to serve as Chief Pilot for Southwest, the first African American chief pilot at any airline. "It never occurred to me that I was the first African American [at Southwest], but then I got here, and I was the only pilot of color," Freeman recalled. "It didn't take long to figure out." Capt. Freeman grew up in East Dallas near Fair Park. He got into flying through ROTC programs and then served in the Air Force for six years. When he joined Southwest, he knew he was setting an example. "I started putting pressure on myself to be perfect," Freeman said. "Because I wanted them to hire more of us." They did. Today many of the African American pilots he mentored showed up to say thanks to the man who lead the way. "There's just so many people [he's helped.] So many more people beyond pilots who are appreciative," said Larry 'Jet' Jackson who retired from Southwest as a captain last year and traveled to Dallas Love Field from Phoenix to be aboard Freeman's last flight. "I'm just here to help him go out in style," he said. Over the decades, Freeman flew to countless destinations. He said the most meaningful trip he ever made was flying Rosa Parks' remains to her funeral. "Just the most touching moment that I've had at Southwest Airlines," Freeman said, adding that he served as a pallbearer escorting Parks off his plane. For his last flight home to Chicago Midway, his 737-800 was full of friends and family, including his own grown children and his wife. In retirement, the couple plans to travel, but in a somewhat different style. "This time we'll be traveling together, and we'll be sitting in the back," said his wife Stephanie Woodfork, who he met when they were both in the Air Force. "He will miss this. He loves Southwest. He loves flying." Freeman turns 65 next Monday, the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots. For one last time, he boarded the plane and took the controls, a final flight for a pilot who will always be first. "I can say it's bittersweet, because I know that I'm not going to get a chance to do it anymore," Freeman said. "But I'm happy that I got a chance to do it." http://www.wfaa.com/features/first-african-american-pilot-hired-by-southwest-took-his- final-flight/447180894 Back to Top Facial recognition technology will soon make airport check-ins a breeze Delta Airlines plans to install bag-check kiosks - including one that has facial-recognition technology - allowing passengers to skip the line for an agent. Credit: Courtesy of Delta Airlines With stories of unhappy air travelers blanketing social media in recent months, one major airline is trying something new. Delta Air Lines plans to install special bag-check kiosks at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, giving customers the chance to skip waiting in line for an agent. One of the new kiosks will include facial-recognition technology, using a camera to confirm passengers' faces against their passport photos. Delta says the kiosks will save passengers time while freeing up agents to help out in other ways. In a statement to Engadget about the new kiosks, a Delta spokesperson confirmed that traveler images won't be stored after use and that the airline will comply with all privacy laws. "I think everybody wants to save time in the travel process," says Jennifer Lynch, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "It appears to be a system that just takes a picture of you one time and compares that picture against your passport ... so that's a pretty good use of face recognition as a verification process." But for Lynch, the technology raises concerns about passenger privacy in the future. "We've seen a lot of private companies that are interested in face recognition recently - both for verification purposes, like Delta, and for real-time identification, like retail stores and sports stadiums," she says. And if these private companies ever decide to change their terms of service and begin saving images, she warns, the technology could yield valuable information. "The data that accompanies these face scans - like where you were on a given date and time - could be aggregated and sold to banks and insurance companies and used to determine your creditworthiness or your insurance risk," she says. "And it could also be shared with law enforcement." Recently, Customs and Border Protection said it wants to expand its use of facial recognition at airports - including on US citizens. "That's from security to airport lounges to the boarding gates," Lynch says. When that happens, Customs and Border Protection will likely need help gathering all that traveler info, Lynch says. "It's going to need to rely on private partners like Delta and the airlines to get this kind of data." And, "one thing we do know is that data is never collected in a vacuum," she says. "Customs and Border Protection will likely share this kind of data - the face recognition data, and where you were on a given date and time - with the FBI and other law enforcement." "That could subject innocent people to unnecessary surveillance and potentially even criminal suspicion." https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-06-08/facial-recognition-technology-will-soon-make- airport-check-ins-breeze Back to Top Nearly 35,000 aircraft valued at US$5.3 trillion required in the next 20 years The world's passenger aircraft fleet above 100 seats is set to more than double in the next 20 years to over 40,000 planes as traffic is set to grow at 4.4 percent per year, according to Airbus' latest Global Market Forecast 2017-2036. Over this period, increasing numbers of first time flyers, rising disposable income spent on air travel, expanding tourism, industry liberalisation, new routes and evolving airline business models are driving a need for 34,170 passenger and 730 freighter aircraft worth a combined total of US$5.3 trillion. Over 70 percent of new units are single aisle with 60 percent for growth and 40 percent for replacement of less fuel efficient aircraft. A doubling in the commercial fleet over the next 20 years sees a need for 530,000 new pilots and 550,000 new maintenance engineers, and provides Airbus' global services business a catalyst to grow. Airbus has expanded its global network of training locations from five to 16 in the space of three years Air traffic growth is highest in emerging markets such as China, India, the rest of Asia and Latin America and almost double the 3.2 percent per year growth forecast in mature markets such as North America and Western Europe. Emerging markets currently home to 6.4 billion of the world's 7.4 billion population will account for nearly 50 percent of the world's private consumption by 2036. "Air travel is remarkably resilient to external shocks and doubles every 15 years," said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer - Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft. "Asia Pacific continues to be an engine for growth, with domestic China to become the world's largest market. Disposable incomes are growing and in emerging economies the number of people taking a flight will nearly triple between now and 2036." Over the next 20 years Asia Pacific is set to take 41 percent of new deliveries, followed by Europe with 20 percent and North America at 16 percent. Middle class numbers will almost double to nearly five billion as wealth creation makes aviation even more accessible particularly in emerging economies where spending on air travel services is set to double. In the twin aisle segment, such as the A330 Family, A350 XWB Family and the A380, Airbus forecasts a requirement for some 10,100 aircraft valued at US$2.9 trillion. In the single aisle segment, such at the A320neo Family, Airbus forecasts a requirement for some 24,810 aircraft valued at US$2.4 trillion. Airlines adding capacity by upsizing to the largest single aisle, the A321, will find even more business opportunities with the A321neo thanks to its range up to 4,000nm and unbeatable fuel efficiency. In 2016, the A321 represented over 40 percent of single aisle deliveries and over 60 percent of single aisle orders. http://www.arabianaerospace.aero/nearly-35-000-aircraft-valued-at-us-5-3-trillion- required-in-the-next-20-years.html Back to Top Firms see big bucks in upgrade of U.S. air traffic control system FILE PHOTO - A plane passes the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. on June 5, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Inside the control tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport, air traffic controllers can track planes traveling hundreds of miles away. But when it's time for a controller to hand off responsibility for watching a flight, the technology becomes decidedly last century: details are printed on a slip of paper and passed to a co-worker. President Donald Trump promised on Monday to sweep away such outmoded systems and replace them with "the best, newest and safest technology available." Trump's solution is to split air traffic control away from the Federal Aviation Administration and privatize it under a not-for-profit, independent corporation. Billions of dollars in government and private contracts ride on the conversion of the nation's air traffic control system to satellite-based GPS. A federal modernization program known as NextGen has already targeted traditional ground-based radar and other aging technologies for replacement. Still, the United States lags well behind other countries including Canada, Ireland and Denmark, whose satellite-based GPS systems are slated to go live next year. Private-sector companies angling for a piece of this business see wide commercial potential for products unleashed by the U.S. modernization effort, including digital cockpit messaging, live monitoring of aircraft engines and systems, advanced weather maps and faster internet service for passengers. "It's a big deal for us," said David Nieuwsma, a senior vice president in charge of such systems at Rockwell Collins Inc (COL.N). "We know it's the future." DELAY AND EXPENSE Congress gave the FAA $7.4 billion between 2004 and 2016 to develop and install NextGen systems. The aim was to boost the capacity of the U.S. aviation system to handle more planes, cut flight delays and improve safety, according to a Government Accountability Office report published in November. Airlines support NextGen and are expected to spend $15 billion upgrading their fleets to prepare for the new systems. But industry players have grown frustrated as the FAA missed implementation deadlines. The agency now estimates NextGen will cost another $14.8 billion to complete, with many major upgrades not due to be functional until 2025, the GAO said. Proponents say privatization will speed NextGen by freeing it from FAA bureaucracy. Modeled after Canada's widely praised 1996 privatization, which created an entity known as Nav Canada, the U.S. plan has the backing of most U.S. airlines as well as qualified support from the air traffic controllers union. Critics, including Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), the National Business Aviation Association and an organization of FAA safety inspectors and technicians, say Congress should instead enact a law to stabilize FAA's NextGen funding, which is controlled by Congress. "Privatizing the largest and most complex aviation system in the world is a risky and unnecessary step at this pivotal point in its modernization," said Mike Perrone, head of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a union of 11,000 FAA safety employees, after Trump's announcement. "This would slow down enhancements and possibly compromise safety to fix a system that's not broken." BOUNCING OFF THE SATELLITES Central to the modernization effort are global positioning satellites that can track planes more accurately than radar, enabling controllers to reduce the distance between aircraft during flight. That allows more takeoffs and landings, which is essential to meet rising global demand for air travel. That's creating opportunities for a host of U.S. firms. McLean, Virginia-based Iridium Communications (IRDM.O) owns a network of satellites for voice and data transmission. Through a joint venture known as Aireon, it has partnered with Nav Canada and several other air traffic control organizations to roll out a global satellite air navigation system planned to go into operation next year. Aireon recently began tests with the FAA on eight satellites Iridium launched in January. The consortium is among the top contenders for a multibillion-dollar contract that the agency is expected to award next year. Aireon already has contracts with 30 air navigation service providers. But FAA approval is "the gold standard" that likely would prompt more countries to sign up, Iridium Chief Executive Matt Desch said in an interview. Meanwhile, the increasing sophistication of commercial and private jets means more opportunities for aerospace manufacturers such as Honeywell International (HON.N). Headquartered in Morris Plains, New Jersey, Honeywell recently introduced a weather application that uses "crowdsourced" data from other planes in flight to give pilots a real- time map of turbulence and storms. "Those things didn't exist before. We're inventing them," said Carl Esposito, president of the Honeywell business that provides cockpit, navigation, space and safety systems. Systems by Honeywell and others, such as Chicago-based Gogo Inc (GOGO.O), are using satellites to give planes internet service fast enough for passengers to stream Netflix and similar services. Pilots can use the same pipeline to share data with each other and ground control. Rockwell Collins (COL.N), based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is working with Hawaiian Airlines and the FAA to certify the safety of a satellite system for aircraft status messages. The messages, known as ACARS, have been in use for decades. The satellite system would extend that reach. But pressure to modernize has not resolved the debate about the FAA's structure. Trump's spin-off plan mirrors one advocated by U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, the Pennsylvania Republican who chairs the House Transportation Committee. Critics say shifting some 14,000 controllers and other FAA employees to a new corporation could potentially compromise safety, hand airlines too much power and put technology upgrades even further behind schedule. Proponents say a private entity could tap capital markets and sign contracts quickly by avoiding the FAA's slow procurement process. It also gets workers off the federal payroll. Modernization could reduce the number of unionized controllers, who earn $130,000 to $180,000 a year according to online listings. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents the workers, says it supports a non-profit corporation as long as it preserves safety, provides stable funding and protects its workforce while ensuring airport access for all types of planes, including personal and business aircraft. Job loss appear inevitable as digital and satellite technology allow controllers to do more with less effort. Technology company Harris Corp (HRS.N) has set up a system in more than 50 U.S. airports that lets pilots load aircraft route changes directly into their onboard computers. That saves time, especially in bad weather when routes change frequently. "All of this is going to make the controller job more efficient and effective," Harris chief executive Bill Brown said in an interview. As for the paper strips, Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) won the $344 million contract last year to do away with them at 89 U.S. airports. The FAA says implementation will start in 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-airtraffic-analysis-idUSKBN1900GM Back to Top Boeing revs up robots for 777X in Everett factory, signals that a 797 awaits The Boeing 777 wings are attached to the wing box using three hydraulic jacks allowing more flexibility in attaching and working on the wings. (The 777X wings will also be attached using these jacks.) (Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times) Jason Clark, Boeing vice president of 777/777X operations, uses plastic models to explain building the 777X. Boeing has invested heavily in new, automated equipment for the 777X manufacturing equipment at the Everett plant. (Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times) Before this month's Paris Air Show, Boeing executives showed the complex refashioning of its Everett manufacturing facility for the forthcoming 777X has made rapid progress and offered strong hints that a medium-range 797 plane is waiting in the wings. In a business that plays out over decades, the attention of Boeing's leadership is unshakably fixed on two key future jet programs that will be critical to this region. In briefings before this month's Paris Air Show, Boeing executives showed that the complex refashioning of its Everett manufacturing facility for the forthcoming 777X has made rapid progress since December. It all needs to come together perfectly for the large new jet to successfully enter service in 2020. And a top executive offered strong hints that Boeing has made detailed plans for the future launch of an all-new 797 jet - built in a radically different way that will be "transformational" for the company and could have crucial ramifications for Washington state. New automated production methods for both jet programs are central to Boeing's thinking. In his first appearance before journalists, new Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Kevin McAllister said Boeing will look to technology - both on its airplanes and in its factories - to differentiate itself from European rival Airbus as well as the Canadian, Chinese and Russian contenders that have newly entered the large commercial jet business. "We have a very formidable competitor and we have emergent competitors," said McAllister. "We can never stand still." Heavy 777X investment A near-term glut of widebody aircraft has depressed orders for the biggest jets and forced Boeing to slash 777 jet production in Everett - and to cut more than 8,400 local jobs in the past year. Yet despite that near-term pain, Boeing remains confident in the long-term trend of air- traffic growth and is prepping now for a brighter future. So it has invested heavily in new, automated 777X manufacturing equipment in Everett. The first preproduction test parts have been produced, the system is being fine-tuned and engineers are gearing up to start building parts for the first airplane, which will be assembled next year and tested to breaking point on the ground. Inside the vast Composite Wing Center, robotic "automated fiber placement" machines - designed and built by Mukilteo-based engineering firm Electroimpact - are days away from laying down the carbon fiber to begin making the long single-piece composite spars for the first airplane. Other carbon-fiber lamination machines build the composite wing skins and the long stiffening rods called stringers. During a tour led by Eric Lindblad, vice president of 777X, the massive high-pressure oven called an autoclave was baking a set of stringers while nearby another automated machine was trimming and drilling a lower wing skin. In an adjacent building, two production lines of equipment are primed and ready in the next few months to take the freshly baked 777X spars and add the major fittings that will support the movable surfaces of the wing as well as the landing gear. Another robot - this one supplied by Spanish engineering firm MTorres - will drill and fasten the rib posts and stiffeners to the spars - each of them 105 feet long, 6 feet wide at the inboard end and a foot wide at the outboard end. In three subsequent stations, mechanics manually add the bigger complex fittings. Inside the main Everett assembly building, Boeing has set up the stations where the wings will be assembled. This equipment is another Electroimpact design, virtually identical to one it built for the Airbus A350 wing-assembly factory in Broughton, Wales - "but the next generation, with more capability," said Jason Clark, vice president of 777/777X operations. The front and rear spars of each wing are loaded lengthwise into the station along with crisscrossing metal wing ribs made in Frederickson, Pierce County, to form a ladderlike structure. Then a wing skin is placed on top or underneath and robots drill and fasten it all together. Lindblad said Boeing in the coming months will load a practice right-hand wing, one with the full geometric structure but without the internal systems installed, which it will use to make sure all the automated equipment works as it should. Changing everything All of this 777X-specific equipment is the relatively straightforward part of the project. Much trickier is that Boeing is simultaneously changing how it makes the current 777, so that the same final assembly equipment will handle either a current 777-300ER with a metal wing or a much bigger 777X with a carbon-fiber wing. It aims to seamlessly switch from one model to the next, with both current and next- generation versions going down the same line during the transition. But that entails completely changing everything. The wing's electrical, hydraulic and fuel systems are now installed with the wings laid flat on the factory floor, each wing sitting on jacks, instead of the former way of working on it as it hung vertically inside a four-story fixed jig. And those computer-controlled jacks move in unison to transport the wings along the floor to the center fuselage, where the wings are joined to the body. Whether it's a 777 wing or a 777X wing, which has a different sweep and meets the fuselage at a different angle - only the software instructions change. Since December, Boeing has successfully made 10 777s using this body-join system, which it continues to refine. The construction of the barrel-shaped fuselage sections is also completely changed. The large aluminum panels that arrive from Japan are now stitched together by robots instead of being manually fastened by mechanics as the panels are held in fixed jigs. Last year, this new robotic fuselage assembly was causing quality problems, with many fuselage barrels arriving at final assembly full of temporary fasteners or with mis-drilled holes. Now the fuselages built by robots are noticeably free of temporary fasteners. And the scaffolding that still surrounded them in December as mechanics struggled to fix the problems is gone. Brad Zaback, 777 deputy vice president and general manager, said fuselage robots are now producing every forward fuselage, every center fuselage and every other aft fuselage for the current 777s being built. He said the aft fuselage work will switch entirely to the robots later this year. Already, he said, the robotic-fuselage facility is producing high quality work, "as good as we've ever had" under the former fixed-jig assembly system. One 777 final-assembly mechanic agreed that the general quality of the robotic work had increased immensely since last year. Yet nothing in a factory setting is always perfect. When the aft fuselage barrel destined to be part of a 777 for Saudi Arabian Airlines arrived in the final-assembly bay last weekend, its circumferential joins were studded in temporary fasteners - a sign of significant unfinished work that was the result of a problem in fitting the floor. That was one of the aft sections built the old way in the fixed jigs, not by the robots, said Boeing spokeswoman Karen Crabtree. The 797 is coming The 777X transformation requires major construction and remodeling in 5 million square feet of Everett's factory space, even as production of the current planes continues. Clearly, it takes nerves of steel to undertake such a project. As if that were not difficult enough, Boeing's backroom engineers are getting ready for a further-out, all-new project. Though prosaically dubbed inside Boeing variously as the Middle of the Market (MOM) or New Mid-market Airplane (NMA), it's referred to already by outsiders as the 797. Boeing first publicly announced that it was studying this idea at the 2015 Paris Air Show. Two years on, Boeing has talked it over with 57 different airlines and clearly the project is much closer to reality. Mike Delaney, Boeing's vice president of new-airplane development, described the concept as a twin-aisle airplane seating 220 to 270 passengers with a medium range of 5,500 to 5,700 miles. This is a plane significantly bigger than the single-aisle 737. And though it has much less range than a 787 Dreamliner, it has enough to make it easily a transatlantic airplane. Boeing head of sales Ihssane Mounir said there's no airplane today fitting this specification, and many airlines are excited at the concept because it would allow them to open up entirely new and unserved routes - just as the 787 did in the ultralong-haul market. He cited Washington, D.C., to Budapest as an example. Such a plane could potentially entice low-cost carriers to open regional international flights such as routes around Southeast Asia or transatlantic. It might also replace many single-aisle jets flying the highly congested routes between China's three largest cities - Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. "I'm bullish about it," Mounir said. In his news briefing, new-airplane development chief Delaney made clear that the 797 study is far advanced. Most intriguingly, he said that the composite wing of this aircraft will look much like a smaller version of the tremendously slender and aerodynamically efficient 787 wing - but it will be built in a new way. "It's a radically different set of parts and assembly sequence and technology that is significantly lower cost," Delaney said, the result of what Boeing has learned from designing the 787, the first all-composite airplane, and then the composite wing of the 777X. He recalled that Walt Gillette, the lead engineer on the development of the 787, used to say that Boeing's first carbon-fiber composite airplane would be the most inefficient and heaviest composite jet that the company would ever build. "How right he was," said Delaney. "People don't understand the payback on investment we got on the 787 and how much we harvested on the 777X." Delaney added that the same learning curve applies to the airplane's fuselage, which suggests that Boeing may have in mind an all-composite design for the entire airframe. He hinted that he may reveal a few more details in Paris. Speaking about the potential 797, CEO McAllister said that details on who will build the pieces of it, and which sections Boeing will make itself rather than buy from a supplier, remain undecided - and may in the end diverge from what's been done in the past. "All of us are focused on the production-system transformation, on new engineering tools, new manufacturing tools," he said. He said Boeing has held detailed discussions on the proposed plane with the three major jet-engine makers but has not yet talked to any of its airframe-supplier partners. "We're taking a hard look at where the right competitive supply chain will be," McAllister said. "We're looking at make (versus) buy more strategically." Boeing's future in the Puget Sound region depends on the outcome of that hard look. As reassurance, McAllister cited the company's huge 777X investment here and the "great capability" in the local workforce. But he was also clear that Boeing must change, and nothing is guaranteed. He said that growing up in Bethlehem, Pa., "I remember very early in my life what happened when Bethlehem Steel lost the competitive advantage." He's hung a painting of that steel mill in his Boeing office. "It's a reminder that we have to reinvent ourselves every day," McAllister said. http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-revs-up-robots-for- 777x-in-everett-factory-signals-that-a-797-awaits/?hl=1&noRedirect=1 Back to Top Boeing barrels ahead on 787 and 777 cost reductions Boeing Co is streamlining its aircraft production systems at its largest factory, trying to cut costs to compete with rival Airbus and chip away at the near-$30 billion deficit created by its 787 Dreamliner. Dozens of complex robots are replacing humans for such mundane tasks as drilling and riveting. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-barrels-ahead-787-777-090000597.html Back to Top Boeing to Add Jobs Overseas, Investigates Pilotless Planes Boeing (BA) will send a portion of its aircraft completion work overseas, as a new production plant near Shanghai will focus on painting and furnishing jets to be used in China, according to the Wall Street Journal. CEO Dennis Muilenburg said that overseas facilities such as the plant it is building with a Chinese partner aren't directly harming U.S. jobs. He said the effort is an essential part of doing business in a China market that is expected to generate sales of 6,800 jets over the next 20 years. Still, Boeing has been cutting its U.S. workforce through buyouts and involuntary layoffs, with the aim of revamping its factories through increased automation and use of new technologies it says can lower the cost of jet and defense systems' production, the Journal noted. The number of Boeing's employees fell to about 145,000 at the end of May, down 30,000 from 2012, though it hired 11,000 new workers last year. Boeing is also testing the waters for automated, pilotless planes, according to Fox Business. Boeing's VP of product development Mike Sinnett said the "basic building blocks" are already available. Automated planes would implement artificial intelligence to make decisions pilots in the cockpit make now. Boeing shares traded up 1% to $189.98 by Thursday close. https://www.thestreet.com/story/14169830/1/boeing-to-move-jobs-overseas-investigate- pilotless-planes.html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO&yptr=yahoo Back to Top Skunk Works Just Revealed New Details About The SR-71 Blackbird's Ultra- Secret Successor The SR-71 Blackbird - the long-range Mach 3 recon and strike jet dreamed up by Lockheed Martin's legendary Skunk Works division, world's fastest jet-propelled aircraft, and preferred delivery craft for unusually talented multinational paramilitary squads - may be among the most awe-inspiring aircraft in the history of manned flight, engineered to literally outrun enemy missiles with the slip of a switch. And while the iconic hypersonic jet was retired by the Air Force in 1990, its successor's elegant design may scream across the horizon sooner than expected. In an interview with Aviation Week, Lockheed Martin Advanced Development Programs chief Rob Weiss revealed new details of the SR-72, the proposed ultra-secret Blackbird successor designed to reach Mach 6 with advanced hypersonic technology developed by Skunk Works and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. And according to the Skunk Works chief, the company is inching toward a "sufficiently mature" flight demonstrator. "We've been saying hypersonics is two years away for the last 20 years, but all I can say is the technology is mature and we, along with DARPA and the services, are working hard to get that capability into the hands of our warfighters as soon as possible," Weiss told Aviation Week. The revelations from Weiss are the first since Lockheed Martin and the Air Force announced the development of an SR-72 flight demonstrator in 2013. Over the last four years, Skunk Works has been busy. While technical details of the next- gen recon jet's engines are (obviously) scant, Aviation Week notes that Lockheed Martin partnered with aerospace and defense firm Aerojet Rocketdyne in 2006 to develop a combined cycle engine that, by incorporating the more advantageous functions of a scramjet, could accelerate the SR-72 to Mach 6 in minimal time. "The combined cycle work is still occurring and obviously a big breakthrough in the air- breathing side of hypersonics is the propulsion system," Weiss told Aviation Week. "So this is not just on combined cycle but on other elements of propulsion systems." According to Weiss, the SR-72 demonstrator's development is based on the HTV-3X reusable hypersonic demonstrator, developed as part of DARPA's Falcon program but scrapped by the Air Force in 2008. And following what Weiss described as "critical" ground tests, Lockheed Martin is "on track to begin development of an optionally piloted flight research vehicle (FRV)" by 2018, with flight testing by the late 2020s, according to Aviation Week. "I can't give you any timelines or any specifics on the capabilities. It is all very sensitive," Weiss told the magazine. "Some of our adversaries are moving along these lines pretty quickly and it is important we stay quiet about what is going on." http://taskandpurpose.com/sr-71-blackbird-successor/ 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 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 Curt Lewis