Flight Safety Information June 13, 2017 - No. 118 Incident: Southwest B737 at Chicago on Jun 12th 2017, engine shut down in flight Incident: THY B738 at Istanbul on Jun 12th 2017, bird strike Incident: American A333 near Shannon on Jun 12th 2017, smoke in cabin, electrical odour EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protectioon Antonov An-32B aircraft suffered a runway excursion GE Aviation acquires robotics maker Pilot error caused Swiss jet to crash in France June 14 Deadline for Safety Award Nominations NASA's TASAR Trial Takes Flight on Alaska Airlines With Installation of UTC Aerospace Systems' Qatar Airways CEO: U.S. 'fueling' the fire of Gulf crisis The Boeing 777 Aircraft Celebrates 23 Years of Flight Pilot text messages are saving you from flight delays Airbus eyeing new European fighter jet LM-100J Super Hercules to debut at Paris Air Show Flynas offers jobs to Saudi pilots, staff working with Qatar Airways Two Helo Pilots Among NASA Astronaut Candidates 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 Graduate Research Survey Request Incident: Southwest B737 at Chicago on Jun 12th 2017, engine shut down in flight A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N7825A performing flight WN-1914 from Chicago Midway,IL to Bradley,CT (USA) with 139 passengers and 5 crew, was in the initial climb out of Midway Airport's runway 22L when the crew reported the right hand engine (CFM56) had failed, they wanted to divert to Chicago O'Hare. The aircraft stopped the climb at 3000 feet and diverted to O'Hare Airport for a safe landing on runway 28R about 14 minutes after departure. The airline confirmed an engine issue, a replacement aircraft has been dispatched to O'Hare Airport. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA1914/history/20170612/1855Z/KMDW/KBDL http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa3f928&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: THY B738 at Istanbul on Jun 12th 2017, bird strike A THY Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration TC-JGI performing flight TK-2682 from Istanbul to Batman (Turkey), was in the initial climb out of Istanbul's runway 35L when the crew reported there was a flock of sea gulls, about 300 birds, on the runway. The crew continued the climb but then levelled off at FL220 and decided to return to Istanbul as result of a bird strike. The aircraft landed safely back on Istanbul's runway 05 about 45 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration TC-JGT reached Batman with a delay of 2.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground at Ataturk Airport about 19 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa3fd2c&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: American A333 near Shannon on Jun 12th 2017, smoke in cabin, electrical odour An American Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N275AY performing flight AA-759 from Athens (Greece) to Philadelphia,PA (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 70nm southwest of Shannon (Ireland) when the crew requested to divert to London Heathrow,EN (UK) reporting smoke in the cabin, but declining to declare emergency, subsequently advising it was an electrical odour. The aircraft landed safely on Heathrow's runway 27L about one hour later. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Heathrow about 7 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa3fbe8&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Antonov An-32B aircraft suffered a runway excursion Date: 11-JUN-2017 Time: Type: Antonov An-32B Owner/operator: Aer Caribe Registration: HK-4833 C/n / msn: 3404 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 43 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: None Category: Serious incident Location: Tarapacá Airport (TCD/SKRA) - Colombia Phase: Landing Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Destination airport: Tarapacá Airport (TCD/SKRA) Investigating agency: Aeronáutica Civil - Colombia Narrative: An Antonov An-32B aircraft suffered a runway excursion after landing at Tarapacá Airport in Colombia. It came to rest in the grass to the right of the runway. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=196106 Back to Top GE Aviation acquires robotics maker GE Aviation's headquarters in Evendale, Ohio. GE Aviation has acquired a United Kingdom-based manufacturer that builds snake-arm robots for work in confined and hazardous areas. Terms of the deal to acquire OC Robotics were not disclosed. The robots are typically used in hazardous and hard-to-get to confined areas for inspections, repairs and cleaning in the aerospace, construction, nuclear, petrochemical and security industries, GE said in a statement. GE will use the technology for work on jet engines, a company official said. The snake armed robots can stretch more than nine feet and bend more than 180 degrees, GE Aviation said. "OC Robotics will plan an important role in how we service our customers' engines," Jean Lydon-Rodgers, GE Aviation Services vice president and general manager, said in a statement Monday. Get the latest Dayton news you want, when you want, in this free app from the Dayton Daily News. Click a link below to get the app. OC Robotics, which started two decades ago and is located in Bristol, England, has worked for more than a decade to develop the technology, officials said. "For 15 years, OC Robotics invested heavily to develop snake-arm robot technologies, and the aviation industry has always been a target area for this technology," Andy Graham, OC Robotics director, said in a statement. GE Aviation operates the $51 million Electrical Power Integrated Services Center, opened in 2013, on the University of Dayton campus and produces aircraft parts at a facility in Vandalia. The company report revenues of $26 billion in 2016 and employs 44,000 employees, including 9,000 in southwest Ohio, said company spokeswoman Deborah Case. OC Robotics was a privately held company and revenues were not immediately released. http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/aviation-acquires-robotics- maker/2T3d7xZXvF9pFVvRAVvd2J/ Back to Top Pilot error caused Swiss jet to crash in France An officer walks next to the crash scene with pieces of a wreckage of a Swiss Army F/A-18 jet, in Glamondans, near Besancon,The Swiss F/A-18 jet fighter crashed on October 14, 2015 during a training exercise in eastern France (Keystone) The crash of a Swiss F/A-18 fighter jet in October 2015 in the French Jura region was caused by human error, a military investigation has revealed. The pilot, who survived with light injuries, failed to correctly carry out emergency procedures, it found. On October 14, 2015, an F/A-18 jet with one pilot on board was flying in airspace shared by the Swiss and French for training exercises when it crashed in a field near the village of Glamondans, east of the French city of Besançon. The accident occurred late in the morning during a training exercise with two F-5 Tiger planes, the government said in a statement external linkon Tuesday outlining their assessment of the event. It said a detailed investigation revealed that the jet's left engine had stalled, causing it to lose power. The plane had rolled to the left and rapidly lost altitude. The pilot had been unable to stabilize the plane and had activated his ejector seat several moments later. He injured himself slightly on landing. The government said the jet crash had been caused by pilot error. "The pilot ejected without having applied the necessary emergency measures required in the event of an engine stall and did not carry out - or at least not correctly - the manoeuvres specified when a plane starts to roll or lurch," it stated. Other reasons for the crash, such as a technical failure, pilot health or intervention of a third party could all be ruled out, it went on. The authorities said the pilot could have reduced the speed of the affected engine and lowered its pressure, which would have prevented it from stalling and allowing him to regain control. The pilot, who had over 3,000 hours of flying experience, is also accused of not having respected recognised safety flying altitudes. An investigation has been opened against the pilot, who is suspected of breaking military rules. Recent accidents Switzerland's F/A-18 jets have been involved in a series of recent accidents. An F/A-18 military jet also crashed into the mountains in central Switzerland in August 2016, while two F-5 fighter jets from the Patrouille Suisse aerobatic display team collided in the Netherlands in June. Another F/A-18 was written off after crashing near Lake Lucerne in 2013. In November 2016, Swiss Defence Minister Guy Parmelin announced a fighter jet strategy that involves spending half a billion francs to refurbish current planes, while laying the groundwork for purchasing new ones by 2025. According to the defence ministry, only 25 of its 53 F-5 Tiger fighter jets are air worthy, while 30 of 34 F/A-18 planes are operational. The acquisition of new fighter planes has stalled after the Swiss people voted against the acquisition of 22 JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets in 2014. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/final-report_pilot-error-caused-swiss-jet-to-crash-in- france/43255086 Back to Top June 14 Deadline for Safety Award Nominations A panel of top international aviation safety leaders will convene this coming week to review nominations for one of the world's most prestigious honors in the field. The deadline is June 14 for nominations for the 2017 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award. The award honors a "significant individual or group effort contributing to improving aviation safety, with emphasis on original contributions" that was "performed above and beyond normal responsibilities." It recognizes "notable achievement in the field of civil or military aviation safety in method, design, invention, study or other improvement." The Flight Safety Foundation and the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation administer the award, which has been presented since 1956 in memory of its namesake. She was one of 20 passengers and crewmembers killed in the April 14, 1945, crash of a Pennsylvania Central Airlines DC-3 near Morgantown, West Virginia. It has been presented since 1956. Self-nominations will not be considered. Past winners include Bristow Group's Bill Chiles (in 2014 for championing that company's Target Zero initiative), Bob Sheffield of Shell Aviation (in 2012 for advancing safety in offshore helicopter operations), Honeywell's Don Bateman (in 2006, as the "father of enhanced ground proximity warning systems") and Capt. Robert Sumwalt (in 2003 for his work at US Airways and the Air Line Pilots Assn.; he currently serves as acting chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board). http://www.rotorandwing.com/2017/06/09/june-14-deadline-safety-award-nominations/ Back to Top NASA's TASAR Trial Takes Flight on Alaska Airlines With Installation of UTC Aerospace Systems' Aircraft Data Management Solution CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- UTC Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), today announced that Alaska Airlines has completed installation of the company's advanced Aircraft Data Management (ADM) solution on three of its 737NG aircraft. The ADM system is designed to help aircraft save time and fuel through its family of software and hardware products, including the Tablet Interface Module (TIM®) and Aircraft Interface Device (AID), both of which have been installed on the Alaska planes. The ADM Alaska Airlines installation hosts NASA's Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests (TASAR) software which will enable flight crews to make trajectory change request decisions en route using near real-time weather information, special use airspace status and traffic conditions. A NASA analysis of 1,600 Alaska Airlines flights found that alternative trajectories suggested by TASAR could save the airline more than 1 million gallons of fuel, more than 110,000 minutes of flight time and $5.15 million annually. "The ADM system provides a low-cost, lightweight, flexible and scalable solution for deploying a wide range of aircraft information and performance optimization applications," said Melissa Jacob, Business Leader, Aircraft Data Management Solutions for UTC Aerospace Systems. "At UTC Aerospace Systems, we're committed to making aircraft more intelligent to help our customers save time and money, while improving performance. We're proud to work with NASA to enable testing of this game-changing software and look forward to continuing to working with both NASA and Alaska Airlines moving forward." The ADM system is certified on nearly all major commercial transport category aircraft to support a common aircraft data management solution across mixed fleets. The ADM is an open architecture system that supports all leading aviation mobile apps for both iOS and Windows tablets. In addition to the UTC Aerospace Systems OpsInsight™ Electronic Flight Folder (EFF) applications suite, a Software Development Kit is available to support development and deployment of third-party applications. For more information, please visit http://utcaerospacesystemsefb.com/. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news- releases/nasas-tasar-trial-takes-flight-on-alaska-airlines-with-installation-of-utc- aerospace-systems-aircraft-data-management-solution-300471949.html SOURCE UTC Aerospace Systems http://www.aviationpros.com/news/12343180/nasas-tasar-trial-takes-flight-on-alaska- airlines-with-installation-of-utc-aerospace-systems-aircraft-data-management-solution Back to Top Qatar Airways CEO: U.S. 'fueling' the fire of Gulf crisis The boss of Qatar Airways has accused the U.S. of fanning the flames of a dispute between the country and its Gulf neighbors. Akbar Al Baker told CNNMoney's Emerging Markets Editor John Defterios that the decision by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other states to sever diplomatic and transport links with Qatar amounted to an "illegal" blockade that the U.S. should be doing its best to resolve. President Trump has endorsed the decision of Gulf nations to ostracize Qatar, even as U.S. Cabinet officials have said it is hurting the campaign against ISIS. "I don't want to comment about President Trump," Al Baker said in an interview in Doha. "I am extremely disappointed." "[The U.S.] should be the leader trying to break this blockade and not sitting and watching what's going on and actually putting fuel on [the] fire." Qatar Airways is one of the world's biggest airlines and the Gulf state's best known global brand. Al Baker has previously described Trump as a friend and fellow businessman who would do what is best for the United States. The airline CEO said he did not expect Qatar to be treated in this way by a country "so dependent on its fight against terrorism." Qatar is home to the biggest U.S. military base in the Middle East. The sprawling compound 20 miles southwest of the Qatari capital of Doha has about 11,000 U.S. military personnel. Qatar has been accused by Saudi Arabia and the UAE of supporting terrorism, claims that the tiny state has rejected in the strongest terms. Qatar Airways has been hit hard by the dispute, with 18 destinations now out of bounds for the airline. Duty free sales at Doha airport are also suffering -- they fell 25% in the past week, said Al Baker. But his big rivals from the UAE -- Emirates and Etihad -- are taking a hit too, he added. "Yes we have a drop in our business, but so does Emirates and Etihad. They may try to behave [as if] everything is normal but they are being hurt as much as Qatar Airways from this illegal blockade." Despite a challenging year that included an electronics ban on flights to the U.S., Qatar Airways has just posted record profit of $541 million for the year through March, an increase of nearly 22%. Al Baker said the airline will press ahead with plans to add 24 new destinations in the coming 12 months. "We are now looking to increase our frequencies to markets that we couldn't operate because we had a capacity shortage. Now that we are not operating to those 18 [destinations], doesn't mean I'm going to shrink," he said. Related: Iran sends planes stuffed with food to Qatar In addition to closing their airspace to Qatar Airways, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain have also shut down the airline's offices. "It is actually a travesty of civilized behavior to close airline offices. Airlines offices are not political arms," said Al Baker. "We were sealed as if it was a criminal organization. We were not allowed to give refunds to our passengers." He accused the Gulf countries of violating a 1944 convention that the UAE and Bahrain have signed. Any country party to the convention should grant freedoms including "the privilege to fly across its territory without landing," according to the International Civil Aviation Organization, an agency of the United Nations which administers the Chicago convention. "We have legal channels to object to this," Al Baker said. "ICAO... should heavily get involved, put their weight behind this to declare this an illegal act." http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/12/news/qatar-airways-ceo-fuel-fire-gulf- crisis/index.html Back to Top The Boeing 777 Aircraft Celebrates 23 Years of Flight The Boeing 777-200LR in house colors arrives at London Heathrow (Photo: Boeing) June 12, marks 23 years of flight for the Boeing 777. The program for this aircraft was initially launched in October 1990 with an initial order from United Airlines. N7771, the first aircraft, took off at 11:45 a.m. on June 12, 1994 for the very first time, powered by Pratt and Whitney PW4074 turbofans. The aircraft which performed the first flight now flies for Cathay Pacific as B-HNL. The first flight was operated by Boeing Commercial Airplanes' Chief Test Pilot, John E. Cashman, and now-retired Boeing executive, Kenny Higgins. Cashman stated, "The whole 777 program has been the highlight of my career." Both pilots successfully flew the test aircraft for 3 hours and 48 minutes, marking the first flight of the Boeing 777. After the aircraft's first flight, Boeing delivered the first 777-200 to launch customer United Airlines on June 7, 1995. The airline initially placed an order for 34 Pratt and Whitney powered aircraft, valued at $11 billion, in October 1990. N777UA, the launch frame, still flies for the Chicago-based carrier today. Since the beginning of the new aircraft program, the 777 has been labeled a success. Between 1990 and 1994, the aircraft received 112 orders. Today, the 777 continues to be one of Boeing's best-selling models as it has received 1,911 orders to date, with 1,484 aircraft delivered. Shortly after the 777-200 entered service on June 26, 1995, Boeing authorized the production of the larger Boeing 777-300. Three years later in June 1998, Cathay Pacific received the first 777-300. This variant of the aircraft has been the most successful, with over 815 aircraft ordered and 725 delivered. Airlines around the world continue to use "the triple-seven" to fly long-haul transoceanic flights every day. Part of the aircraft's success can be attributed to Boeing working with major airlines to create a design they liked. The aircraft was built with input from eight major airlines: including All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines, Qantas, and United Airlines all played a role in helping develop the aircraft. A look at the 777's nose and door factory (Photo: Boeing) Emirates operates the largest 777 fleet in the world, with 158 passenger and freight aircraft. The aircraft makes up for over half of the airline's fleets and operates short, medium, and long haul routes. As airlines have started looking to replace aging 777s, Boeing recently announced the new 777X aircraft. The brand new aircraft has been designed to be the largest and most efficient twin-engine jet in the world, featuring 12 percent lower fuel consumption and 10 percent lower operating costs than its competitor. The aircraft currently has 306 orders for the -8 and -9 variant. As the Boeing 777 continues to be one of the safest and most successful aircraft flying in the skies today, the aircraft will continue to create new milestones and developments in the world of aviation. http://airlinegeeks.com/2017/06/12/the-boeing-777-aircraft-celebrates-23-years-of- flight/ Back to Top Pilot text messages are saving you from flight delays Using a new text-based communication technology called Data Comm, the FAA is helping speed up departures across the country. "Here is my new routing, from Newark to Newel, J60 to PSB, Q71 to GEFFS to HVQ," Capt. Gregg Kastman calmly rattles off, pointing at a monochrome computer screen to his left displaying rows of glowing green numbers and letters indecipherable to mere civilians. Through the cockpit windows in front of us, we could look out at the seemingly infinite airport apron of Louisville International below an expansive bright blue sky. Inside, amid the gentle rumble of avionics cooling fans, we are surrounded by hundreds of switches, hydraulic controls and electrical panels that can be summoned to lift this 284,000-pound MD-11 into the air. But it's that green screen on Kastman's navigation computer that holds our attention. "All of that just got updated automatically with one button push. I didn't have to type in every point like I would normally," he continues, as he manages to reroute his plane with a few taps at the computer. Kastman, a soft-spoken, bespectacled pilot for UPS Inc., is walking me through a demo of Data Comm, a new way for pilots and air traffic controllers to communicate ahead of departures. The technology, which works a lot like text messaging, is helping replace the slow and error-prone process of relaying messages via scratchy radio calls crammed with the NATO phonetic alphabet ("...direct romeo-lima-golf, direct sierra-november- yankee..."). Data Comm, a part of the Federal Aviation Administration's "NextGen" program to modernize its operations, should ensure that shippers like UPS and FedEx deliver your packages with fewer delays. Even better, the 27,000 Data Comm-enabled flights per week in the US are already speeding up takeoffs for passenger planes, cutting down on that irritating time-suck of waiting for your plane to leave the gate, then taxiing and waiting and taxiing and waiting to reach the runway. "The trick with these tools is a human being might not see something directly over time, but they might wake up one day and say, 'You know what, I'm not getting delayed as much as I used to before,'" said Jesse Wijntjes, the FAA's Data Comm program manager. Texting in the sky Using the current system without Data Comm, radio calls between controllers and pilots can take up valuable time, with a pilot writing the controller's message on a slip of paper, then reading back the information to ensure there are no mistakes. When necessary, a pilot then has to carefully punch the newly received routing information into his navigation computer. It's an ironically unsophisticated system used to direct tech-stuffed planes worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This traditional system works just fine when there are no curveballs. But when planes need to get rerouted because of bad weather, delays can easily pile up as controllers call each departing pilot with new instructions. Data Comm, officially called Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications, cuts out a lot of that process by just sending routing and departure information via text messages straight to a pilot's navigation computer. Once an electronic message with new routing information is received, Kastman showed me, he can update his flight in a matter of seconds by pressing a few buttons on the navigation computer. No need to make lengthy calls or punch in new routing information. Controllers are also able to send out Data Comm messages to multiple planes simultaneously, instead of having to make radio calls one by one over congested radio frequencies. These benefits can cut down the time for rerouting a line of planes, from 20 to 40 minutes to just 2 to 3 minutes, Wijntjes said. Inside the world's biggest automated package sorting facility "We really have a tight network that has to be on time," said Kastman, whose company was an early adopter of the new system. "I don't have to do as much writing down, communicating back. It frees up time for me so I can do other stuff." Thanks to Amazon Prime, e-commerce customers now expect their stuff to arrive faster than ever. But when something doesn't show up on time, customers typically blame their online retailer, not shipping companies, said Laura Behrens Wu, founder and CEO of Shippo, which makes shipping software for e-commerce companies. Her firm isn't involved in Data Comm's development. "Anything that can help minimize delays and help with delivery times is critical for e- commerce," she said, adding that a technology like Data Comm should allow online sellers to get more repeat customers. For now Data Comm is used only in domestic airspace for departures at 55 major airports, out of over 5,000 public airports in the US. Seven more towers are being added through next summer. By 2019, Data Comm capabilities will be used in-flight, which should allow for improved routing around weather, boosting safety and hopefully cutting down on turbulence during flights. The need for radio Considering all its benefits, which include reducing jet-fuel burn while waiting in line, you might be wondering why it took so long to roll out something like Data Comm. After all, text messaging has been around since the early '90s and the same technology powering Data Comm has been used for flights over oceans for the past 15 years. Much of the answer has to do with the cost and complexity of aerospace infrastructure. The massive expense of replacing the FAA's decades-old mainframes, which couldn't support the new technology, was a major hurdle. Plus, it can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $150,000 to modify domestic planes to use the new system. Since Data Comm is a voluntary program, carriers and private jets aren't required to foot that expense, though 12 US domestic airlines, 34 international carriers and hundreds of business jet operators have already decided to. So far, about 40 percent of the roughly 7,800 flights in national airspace use Data Comm, Wijntjes said. I ask Kastman whether he sees a future when all communications -- takeoff, in-flight and landing -- will be handled by the new system. Despite his four years of involvement in the technology's development, he's adamant that Data Comm could never replace radio calls entirely. "In, say, a five-hour flight, I would say it would be used for four hours," says Kastman. "But there will always need to be the ability for timely voice communication. Whenever we're getting clearance to land, those things are so timely that even a 10 second delay to send a text message could affect the safety of the flight." That means, he adds, that controllers and some version of those scratchy calls will always be needed, regardless of whatever new communication technologies come along. https://www.cnet.com/news/pilot-text-messages-are-saving-you-from-flight-delays/ Back to Top Airbus eyeing new European fighter jet European plane maker Airbus has indicated it's weighing the chances for building a new fighter jet for European allies. It is to replace military aircraft systems in place right now, such as the Tornado and the F16. Tornado jets (Getty Images/AFP/T. Schwarz) German business daily "Handelsblatt" reported in its Monday edition that the military arm of plane maker Airbus had started preparations for building a new European fighter jet. Airbus Military chief Fernando Alonso said in Toulouse that the company was currently working on some components for the jet at its locations in Germany and Spain, with funding coming from the respective governments "and hopefully other players in the future." As the EU executive aimed to define a joint foreign and defense policy in the 28-member bloc, Airbus said it would definitely make sense to drastically reduce the number of different weapons systems with a view to enhancing efficiency and ultimately saving costs. The plane maker noted that several nations, including Germany and Spain required new air defense systems mid-term, and a new integrated approach towards a pan-EU fighter jet combining the capabilities of drones, satellites and reconnaissance planes would be useful, Airbus argued. Alonso told the "Handelsblatt" there was no room for two to three different defense systems in Europe, adding that he hoped to convince the French governments and domestic companies such as Dassault of the need to participate in the program. Airbus' initiative should dovetail nicely with the German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen's call for a joint defense strategy, involving FCAS, the Future Combat Air System, to eventually replace the Eurofighter and the Tornado in Germany as well as the F16 in Spain. Another option would be the purchase of American F35 planes, which would be available right away, but would drastically reduce Europe's future sovereignty in air defense capabilities. Ahead of September's general election in Germany, the unpopular issue of a new fighter jet involving huge initial costs is being played down by policymakers in Berlin. The Defense Ministry in Berlin said no immediate decisions should be expected right now , citing "comprehensive market research going on." http://www.dw.com/en/airbus-eyeing-new-european-fighter-jet/a-39206909 Back to Top LM-100J Super Hercules to debut at Paris Air Show Lockheed Martin's new LM-100J commercial freighter will be on display at the 2017 Paris Air Show (Credit: Lockheed Martin/Todd R. McQueen) Almost 25 years after the original production run ended, the new civilian version of the Lockheed Martin Super Hercules will make its international debut at the Paris Air Show. Based on the military C-130J Super Hercules, the prop-driven LM-100J commercial freighter aircraft made its maiden flight on May 25 and will be a static display at the Paris- Le Bourget Airport from June 19 to 21. The LM-100J is the 17th variant of the civilian LM-100 Hercules transport that was in production from 1964 to 1992. By the time production ceased, 114 LM-100s were built with 55 still in service. The LM-100J is based on the current C-130J with many military features either removed or deactivated. It is designed to operate from short, unprepared airfields in remote locations that are unsuitable for jet aircraft and may not have proper ground equipment. The LM-100J has very similar features to its military counterpart, including its four Rolls- Royce AE2100D3 engines punching 4,637 bhp each with full-authority digital engine controllers and an automatic engine thrust control system that allows the aircraft to fly safely if one engine is out of service. These drive the Dowty R391 propellers with six scimitar-shaped composite blades that are considerably quieter than the previous LM-100. In the cockpit is a Northrop Grumman low-power color weather and ground-mapping radar, four head-down color displays, and two see-through head-up displays for primary flight information. There's even a microwave oven and optional coffeemaker. Meanwhile, the cargo deck is designed for fast loading and unloading with the ability to quickly shift between deck rollers and hard points. Lockheed says that the LM-100J is capable of carrying on a wide variety of jobs, including aerial spraying, fire fighting, search and rescue, air ambulance service, humanitarian airlifts, VIP transportation, oversized cargo delivery, and oil and gas exploration. "The LM-100J has performed remarkably well in flight tests just two weeks after its first flight. Because of this strong performance, we decided to fly the LM-100J to Paris to be on display at the world's greatest airshow," says George Shultz, vice president and general manager, Air Mobility & Maritime Missions at Lockheed Martin. "The LM-100J's presence at the Paris Air Show truly places it on the world's stage, offering an opportunity to highlight its proven capabilities and unmatched versatility to the global commercial marketplace. We are honored to introduce the world to the LM-100J." The video below is of the LM-100J's maiden flight Source: Lockheed Martin http://newatlas.com/lm-100j-super-hercules-paris-air-show/49997/ Back to Top Flynas offers jobs to Saudi pilots, staff working with Qatar Airways Flynas in January signed an $8.6-billion deal with Airbus to buy 80 A320neo single-aisle jets. (Photo: flynas) A Saudi Arabian airline on Monday tweeted a warm welcome to pilots and staff from Qatar Airways whom it hopes to poach after two Gulf and two Arab counttrsevered air links with Doha. On Twitter early Monday, budget carrier flynas said it "welcomes the Saudi employees working on Qatar Airways airbus A320, and invites anyone with the desire to join flynas and work among its crew". Flynas tweeted that it seeks not only pilots but also sales, security, maintenance and other personnel. Last week, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and others cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar after accusing it of supporting terrorist groups. Among the punitive measures Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed was a ban on Qatar Airways flights and a prohibition of the airline's use of surrounding airspace. Saudi carrier flynas, looking to expand in a growing domestic market, in January signed an $8.6-billion deal with European manufacturer Airbus to buy 80 A320neo single-aisle jets. http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/economy/2017/06/13/Flynas-offers-jobs-to- Saudi-pilots-staff-working-with-Qatar-Airways.html Back to Top Two Helo Pilots Among NASA Astronaut Candidates NASA's newest class of astronaut candidates includes a U.S. Marine helicopter test pilot and a U.S. Army battalion surgeon for airborne Special Forces who formerly flew Sikorsky Black Hawks. The U.S. aeronautics and space agency said a record number of people - more than 18,300 - applied for the open astronaut candidate slots that Marine Maj. Jasmin Moghbeli, Army Maj. Francisco "Frank" Rubio and 10 other men and women have been selected to fill. NASA said this is the largest class of "ascans" (as agency folks call the trainees) since the year 2000. Moghbeli, Rubio and their 10 classmates are to report to NASA's Johnson Space Center in August for two years of training, the completion of which will clear them for technical assignments with the Astronaut Office and a place on the roster of those eligible for spaceflight slots. Moghbeli is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School with more than 1,600 hours of flight time and 150 combat missions. The Baldwin, New York, native received a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering with information technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. At her selection, she had been testing Bell Helicopter H-1s and serving as the quality assurance and avionics officer for Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. Rubio graduated from the U.S. Military Academy with a bachelor's degree in international relations and went on to earn a doctorate of medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Before he went to medical school, Rubio served as a Sikorsky UH-60 pilot and flew more than 1,100 hours, including more than 600 hours of combat and "imminent danger" time during deployments to Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. A board-certified family physician and flight surgeon, he was serving at his selection, he was serving as a battalion surgeon for the 3rd Battalion of the Army's 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne). The astronaut candidates selected with Moghbeli and Rubio are U.S. Navy Lt. Kayla Barron, Penn State University geobiologist Zena Cardman, U.S. Air Force Raja Chari, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Dominick, NASA research pilot Bob Hines, assistant MIT aeronautics and astronautics professor Warren Hoburg, Navy Lt. Jonny Kim, SpaceX engineer Robb Kulin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research engineer Loral O'Hara and California Institute of Technology postdoctoral fellow Jessica Watkins. http://www.rotorandwing.com/2017/06/12/two-helo-pilots-among-nasa-astronaut- candidates/ 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 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