Flight Safety Information June 14, 2017 - No. 119 Incident: Cathay Dragon A320 near Hong Kong on Jun 13th 2017, cabin did not pressurize Incident: KLM B737 near Amsterdam on Jun 13th 2017, flight control problem Incident: India A321 near Mumbai on Jun 13th 2017, burning odour in cockpit EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Boeing 737 Engine Flames Inflight Democrats Propose Stable Funding For FAA What self-driving car makers can learn from the aviation industry Senate Introduces Flight Act of 2017 Baines Simmons Wins Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) Consultancy Contract Here's what it takes to design the world's best airport Detained traveller drunk on aircraft Long term exposure to aircraft noise linked to high blood pressure Airbus Predicts Significant Aircraft Growth by 2036 Navy Student Pilots Enter 3rd Month Without T-45 Training Flights UK CAA to provide helicopter operations review for the Maldives CAA NTAS - 2017 Safeskies 2017 Conference Graduate Research Survey Request Incident: Cathay Dragon A320 near Hong Kong on Jun 13th 2017, cabin did not pressurize A Cathay Dragon Airbus A320-200, registration B-HSJ performing flight KA-318 from Hong Kong (China) to Busan (South Korea), was climbing out of Hong Kong when the crew stopped the climb at FL190 reporting a cabin pressurization problem. After working the checklists the crew decided to return to Hong Kong, descended the aircraft to 9000 feet to burn off fuel and landed safely back about 1:40 hours after departure. http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa4a00e&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: KLM B737 near Amsterdam on Jun 13th 2017, flight control problem A KLM Boeing 737-700, registration PH-BGF performing flight KL-1793 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Munich (Germany), was climbing out of Amsterdam when the crew reported a problem with the flight controls and consulted with company maintenance while continuing the climb. The crew reported the pitch control felt very heavy as if they were fighting against control wheel steering, which however was not active. After levelling off at cruise FL350 maintenance and dispatch decided that the aircraft should return to Amsterdam to avoid downtime in Munich. The crew turned the aircraft around about 10nm northwest of Dortmund (Germany) and returned to Amsterdam for a safe landing about one hour after departure. The flight was cancelled. http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa49db6&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: India A321 near Mumbai on Jun 13th 2017, burning odour in cockpit An Air India Airbus A321-200, registration VT-PPI performing flight AI-937 from Kozhikode (India) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with 62 people on board, was enroute at FL360 about 170nm south of Mumbai (India) when the crew reported a burning odour in the cockpit and decided to divert to Mumbai, where the aircraft landed safely on runway 27 about 35 minutes later. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 2:20 hours, then continued the journey and reached Dubai with a delay of 2:20 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4aa47239&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Boeing 737 Engine Flames Inflight Date: 13-JUN-2017 Time: 08:30 UTC Type: Boeing 737-78J (WL) Owner/operator: TAROM Registration: YR-BGG C/n / msn: 28442/827 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 100 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Brussels - Belgium Phase: Initial climb Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: EBBR Destination airport: LROP Narrative: TAROM flight RO372, scheduled from Brussels Zaventem to Bucharest Otopeni diverted back to Brussels Airport when flames were observed from engine no. 2 following a loud bang heard while the airplane was climbing to cruise altitude. The pilot landed the plane safely, 14 minutes after takeoff, and no one required medical assistance. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=196130 Back to Top Democrats Propose Stable Funding For FAA The Aviation Funding Stability Act (AFSA), introduced by Reps. Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen, Democrats on the House Aviation Subcommittee, would require Airport and Airway Trust Fund income to be paid over to the FAA, providing the air traffic agency with more direct access to revenue collected from ticket taxes. A key argument in favor of ATC privatization had been that the FAA has suffered from lack of stable funding as a result of congressional gridlock, government shutdowns and sequestration. The DeFazio and Larsen proposal would continue to have the FAA funded from government coffers, but make FAA appropriations mandatory rather than subject to the whims of annual appropriation acts. Rep. Larsen said in a press statement, "By providing certainty to the FAA's funding streams and boosting reforms to the FAA's personnel and procurement systems this bill presents an opportunity to accelerate modernization of the FAA, which is something I think folks on both sides of the aisle can get behind." The AFSA comes closely on the heels of President Trump's proposal to privatize the air traffic control system, which is supported by most of the major U.S. airlines-excluding Delta. A user fee funded system, like that proposed by President Trump, would likely reduce the costs now indirectly borne by airlines through ticket taxes as well as reduce airline delays by focusing air traffic management investment dollars on large commercial airports and reducing congestion from general aviation traffic. https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Democrats-Propose-Stable-Funding-for-FAA-229124-1.html Back to Top What self-driving car makers can learn from the aviation industry Autonomous vehicles (AVs), or driverless cars, are no longer a fantasy idea found only in sci-fi movies. With several car manufacturers already developing self-driving features, and a reported 10 million driverless cars set to hit the road by 2020, it is quickly becoming reality. While driverless cars offer a range of advantages both on a personal and a societal level, the most important is the technology's ability to improve safety and reduce the number of accidents on the road. Statistics show that as many as 94 percent of car accidents are caused by human error. By replacing drivers with algorithms, AV technology has the power to radically reduce the number of road accidents that are, in most cases, caused by human error. In order to accelerate the process to reach such autonomy, tried and tested methods would be highly useful. The aviation industry serves as a role model for the automotive industry, with its high level of automation and superior safety standards. The low number of accidents in aviation is, well, no accident. Pilots train in simulators and as a result there are fewer incidences. Here are some examples of what autonomous driving can learn from aviation: AI -- the driving force behind autonomous vehicles Statistically, commercial aviation is 10,000 times safer per mile than car traffic. There are several reasons why flying is deemed safer than driving, including the ability for aircrafts to communicate with each other electronically via a Traffic Collision Avoidance System, the use of onboard black boxes and the rigorous training pilots go through. In fact, one of the reasons pilots tend to make less errors than people behind the wheel is because their training includes sophisticated simulator practices -- an area the AV industry should definitely tap into. The rapid developments in the world of AVs are, to a large extent, driven by the equally rapid advancement in AI. It has long been assumed that AI will revolutionize driverless cars, but the challenge has been to find ways to develop technologies that are able to replicate the human driver's decisions and reactions -- or even surpass human ability in terms of precision and agility. Simulation is key Teaching AI the difference between another vehicle or the difference between objects such as a pedestrian, bike or building, is relatively straightforward. It is much harder, however, to train AI for the very real possibility of adverse driving conditions, weather, car accidents or other unpredictable phenomena. Acquiring quality, representative, diverse and well-labelled data is challenging. Since most of these situations happen randomly, it's almost impossible to find real-world ways of exposing AI to the types of road scenarios that drivers encounter every day. This is where simulation technology comes in. When compared to real life road testing, simulations are without a doubt more efficient, especially in terms of cost, time and most importantly safety. For example, instead of relying on real world situations such as an accident or weather change to happen, which in most cases just isn't feasible, simulation testing allows variables that are not accessible in real world testing to be further observed and the parameters to be easily changed. To achieve better safety on the roads and cut the number of car accidents radically, it is imperative that complex accident scenarios are simulated, much like in aviation, and algorithms are programmed in accordance with the lessons learned from those situations before AVs hit the road. One way to do this is by using video games and the principles of game mechanics to simulate the real driving experience. Black boxes as a prerequisite for safety Another reason flying is relatively risk-free is due to the existence of public databases that store aircraft safety records, stemming from onboard black boxes. According to the existing protocol, authorities have the power to put any airplane where an error is detected -- whether in relation to software, hardware or design -- on the ground. The AV industry can again learn something from aviation here. In fact autonomous driving is headed in the same black box-centered direction, with Germany having already announced they are considering making it mandatory for AV manufacturers to install such data recorders in their cars. This is a good start, but with the prediction of 10 million driverless cars on the road in the next few years, there will be even stronger need for over-the-air (OTA) updates. This way, just like in the case of smart phones, autonomous driving software can be regularly updated remotely. The OTA approach would also prove vital if a fatal technical error affecting a large pool of vehicles should occur. Physical recall of millions of cars would be very slow, not to mention extremely costly. Instead of recalls, authorities could order faulty self-driving cars to a permanent halt or to run with degraded functionalities like in aviation. The bottom line is that OTA updates for algorithms are not for convenience, but a requirement for safety, security and trust. Needless to say, such updates and online data collection will require proper cloud infrastructure and security, and privacy issues need to be handled as well. Getting ahead with over-the-air To put it all into perspective and help paint a picture of how simulated training of algorithms, black boxes and OTA can each come handy in out-of-the-blue occasions, imagine this: an elephant escapes from a circus and blocks your way on the road. Algorithms can see the animal, but are not trained to understand its behavior. Black box data could help reproduce the conditions of the encounter, where simulated training, under a wide range of conditions, can be used to update the algorithms. Since these can be delivered via OTA to all cars within days, public confidence in autonomous technology could be restored quickly. There is no doubt that developing driverless technology is extremely complex and a great number of things must be factored in during its development. But applying methods such as simulation widely used in aviation or OTA will ultimately lead to a safer autonomous driving experience, and in turn will continue to dramatically reduce the number of road accidents. https://betanews.com/2017/06/13/self-driving-cars-aviation-lessons/ Back to Top Senate Introduces Flight Act of 2017 Sen. James Inhofe spearheads the GA-friendly bill as experts point to $100 billion in needed airport infrastructure improvements in the next five years. Infrastructure investments at U.S. general aviation airports may become a lot more flexible thanks to a bipartisan bill introduced by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). S.1320, the Forward Looking Investment in General Aviation, Hangars, and Tarmacs (Flight) Act of 2017, among other things, moves to reform Non-Primary Entitlement (NPE) funding, cut red tape for environmental reviews for GA airport projects, and designates certain airports across the country as "Disaster Relief Airports." Inhofe, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and a certified pilot with over 11,000 hours, boasted many positive reasons for the legislation. "Our general aviation airports are vital to aviation safety and positively impact the efficiency of large commercial airports, emergency medical operations, law enforcement activities and agriculture and small businesses activities throughout the United States," Inhofe said in an announcement on his website. "These airports also manage military- related air operations, which directly supports the readiness of our armed services. To enjoy these benefits, it is vital that our GA airports are equipped to handle their day-to-day demands. "Oklahoma is home to 96 GA airports, which will need $303 million in critical infrastructure updates over the next five years. As a pilot myself, I know first-hand the needs of the GA community and the Flight Act makes a number of needed reforms to facilitate GA airport infrastructure investment. The Flight Act allows GA airports more FAA funding flexibility, expedites the environmental review process and incentivizes public private partnerships. This legislation builds upon past Congressional efforts to support GA airports and will ultimately grow the positive impact GA airports have on the larger airport ecosystem." Duckworth, who is also a pilot, said he also understands why small airports are a benefit. "As a general aviation pilot, I know how important small and rural airports are to communities across the state of Illinois," said Duckworth. "That's why I'm proud to help introduce this bipartisan legislation with Sen. Inhofe to ensure these airports have the resources they need to support local job growth and economic development." Most see it as a step in the right direction because of how crucial infrastructure improvement is at GA airports. "With U.S. airports in need of $100 billion in infrastructure improvements in the next five years, the Flight Act is a positive step forward in helping general aviation airports better serve their communities," said Kevin Burke, president and CEO of Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA). The bill also received positive feedback from AOPA President and CEO Mark Baker and others. "The Flight Act addresses the growing needs of our nation's system of airports by providing the FAA with long overdue flexibility it needs to fund important projects," said Baker. "Maintaining and upgrading runways, taxiways, and aprons and meeting the need for new hangars, helps keep airports and communities vibrant and competitive. This bill also takes a critically important step in recognizing the vital role that reliever airports play in natural disaster relief efforts." "We commend Sen. Inhofe's unwavering commitment to general aviation as the Flight Act - among other things - will reinvest much-needed funding into non-primary airports across the country," said Mark Kimberling, president and CEO of National Association of State Aviation Officials. "We look forward to continuing our work with the Senator and his colleagues throughout the legislative process and beyond to ensure that our national network of general aviation airports remains the envy of the world." Details of S. 1320, the Flight Act: Reforms Non-Primary Entitlement (NPE) funding by giving GA airports more time to accumulate FAA funding for projects and ensures available discretionary funding originally set aside for GA airports remains available for projects at GA airports through a nationally competitive process. Improves Project Delivery by extending to GA airport projects the same expedited and coordinated environmental review process used for projects at large congested airports. These reforms would empower GA airports with flexibility to devote needed resources to improving their infrastructure. Establishes a pilot program for Public Private Partnerships at GA Airports to attract private sector investment for the construction of private hangars, business hangars or investments in other facilities so general aviation airports can grow as hubs of economic activity and job growth. Designates certain airports across the country as "Disaster Relief Airports" and provides access to funding set aside for airports to use for required emergency planning activities, equipment, or facilities. This provision would help designated airports that lack the resources and personnel to adequately prepare for responding to disasters. Clarifies Aeronautical Activity at Airports by ensuring that the construction of recreational aircraft is an aeronautical activity at airports. http://www.flyingmag.com/senate-introduces-flight-act-2017 Back to Top Baines Simmons Wins Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) Consultancy Contract Eurofighter Typhoon Barvarian Cyber Tiger Air Partner's aviation safety consultancy company Baines Simmons has been awarded a contract to provide aviation safety consultancy services to the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO). The objective of the programme is to improve and safeguard the airworthiness of all RAFO aircraft for years to come. The contract supports the development of a new Continuing Airworthiness ruleset for the RAFO. The RAFO previously used a military regulatory system based on UK legacy requirements, but this will be updated to ensure that the RAFO operates in line with international modern military airworthiness standards. The programme is particularly pertinent following the arrival of new fleets of Typhoon and Hawk 200 aircraft in Oman. The Baines Simmons consultancy and training programme is based on the newly completed European Military Airworthiness Requirements (EMARs), as well as their source European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations. The Baines Simmons team comprises civil and military experience, including exUK CAA and MAA industry experts. When drafting and implementing the new regulatory system, Baines Simmons will use the expertise it has gained by supporting the EDA and the UK MAA, whose systems are based on the proven European civil regulatory model. Mark Briffa, Group CEO of Air Partner plc, commented: "When we acquired Baines Simmons in 2015, we knew its international role as a trusted advisor to more than 750 aviation organisations and more than 40 aviation authorities would fit well with Air Partner's international blue chip client base. Since the acquisition, Baines Simmons has secured several new contracts, including a 10-year contract with the Isle of Man, and I am delighted that we are now working with the Royal Air Force of Oman too. We look forward to building what I hope will be the start of a long-term relationship." Commenting on the contract win, Bob Simmons, Director at Baines Simmons, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be working with the RAFO on this contract, which is at the heart of Baines Simmons' core skillset. Our work for the RAFO will create the blueprint for the most up-to-date defence airworthiness regulatory system in the world." Baines Simmons, which was acquired by Air Partner in August 2015, has a long history of working with international military and government organisations, including the UK Military Aviation Authority (MAA), the Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Air Partner, which was founded in 1961 and has 20 offices worldwide, has a proud history of working with heads of state and governments, including six of the G7 group of governments. About Air Partner: Founded in 1961, Air Partner is a global aviation services group that provides worldwide solutions to industry, commerce, governments and private individuals. The Group has two divisions: Broking division, comprising air charter broking and remarketing; and the Consulting & Training division, comprising the aviation safety consultancies, Baines Simmons and Clockwork Research. For reporting purposes, the Group is structured into four divisions: Commercial Jets, Private Jets, Freight (Broking) and Consulting & Training (Baines Simmons and Clockwork Research). The Commercial Jet division charters large airliners to move groups of any size. Air Partner Remarketing, which is formed within the Commercial Jet division, provides comprehensive remarketing programmes for all types of commercial and corporate aircraft to a wide range of international clients. Private Jets offers the Company's unique pre-paid JetCard scheme and on-demand charter. Freight charters aircraft of every size to fly almost any cargo anywhere, at any time. Baines Simmons is a world leader in aviation safety consulting specialising in aviation regulation, compliance and safety management. Clockwork Research is a leading fatigue risk management consultancy. Air Partner is headquartered alongside Gatwick airport in the UK. Air Partner operates 24/7 year-round and has 20 offices globally. Air Partner is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIR) and is ISO 9001:2008 compliant for commercial airline and private jet solutions worldwide. www.airpartner.com About Baines Simmons: Founded in 2001, Baines Simmons is a world leader in aviation safety consulting, specialising in aviation regulation, compliance and safety management. It is a trusted advisor to more than 750 aviation organisations and more than 40 Aviation Authorities. Baines Simmons helps to advance best practice, shape safety thinking and drive continuous improvement to safety performance. This is achieved through its three service offerings: consulting, training and outsourced services. Through these services, Baines Simmons has helped develop the skills and expertise of more than 120,000 aviation professionals across multiple facets of the aviation industry. Clients include: KLM, SAS, Thomas Cook, Thomson, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, The Isle of Man Government, BAE Systems, MoD, Rolls Royce, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Airbus, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and UK Military Aviation Authority (MAA). www.bainessimmons.com About the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO): Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) was formed on 1st March 1959. The first aircraft were three PROVOST jet trainer and two Pioneer transport aircraft, operated from a small runway in Bait Alfalaj. RAFO came into its own as the dynamo of national defense as well as of national civil development. During the early years of the renaissance period, RAFO played a key part in the civil development efforts through conducting activities that make possible further advancement in the growth of the Nation. RAFO now operate a range of modern aircraft including Airbus A320's, Eurofighter Typhoon and NH Industries NH90 Helicopters from several bases throughout the Sultanate. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12343248/baines-simmons-wins-royal-air-force-of-oman-rafo- consultancy-contract Back to Top Here's what it takes to design the world's best airport An international airport with an indoor garden, butterflies, swimming pool and movie theater Singapore's Changi pulls out all the stops to stay atop rankings How to design the world's best airport How to design the world's best airport Singapore's Changi Airport recently unveiled plans to open a mixed-use complex in 2019, promising a five-story indoor garden, among other attractions. The pressure is on to maintain the title of world's best airport -- in which it's held for the past five years -- as ranked by Skytrax's World Airport Awards. It's also considered the best airport to sleep by many reviews and bloggers. The airport's offerings and amenities are far and wide ranging from a free movie theater, outdoor swimming pool and butterfly garden featuring more than 1,000 insects ranging from 40 different specifies. It's even marketed as its own destination within Singapore, where it's not uncommon to see families visit Changi to shop and dine on weekends. It's also known to be a hot spot for students looking for a coffee shop to study in. CNBC went behind the scenes to explore how the world's best airport is designed. 1) Real-time data Changi receives more than 1.8 million clicks of feedback each month from passengers ranking everything from restrooms, customer service agents and even the gardens. Some of the data is actually used to help inform real-time business operations. For example, passengers leaving the restroom have the choice between ranking the facilities between excellent, good, average, fair or poor. The operational staff monitors that data and deploys cleaning staff to any location that isn't rated highly. 2) Carpeting instead of tile It's not very common to see an airport decked out in carpet, but at Changi, it is the norm. This is done to increase the level of luxury, while also done to absorb many sounds that often make airports feel noisy and chaotic. A less-noisy airport, often means more relaxed passengers. 3) Bringing in natural elements Changi prides itself on its vast amount of greenery, which includes plants throughout its terminals, and five main gardens. It iss not easy to maintain. There's 10 offsite and full time plant specialists, and about 150 gardeners who work 24/7. http://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/14/heres-what-it-takes-to-design-the-worlds-best-airport.html Back to Top Detained traveller drunk on aircraft A MAN removed from an Albury to Sydney QantasLink flight by federal police was drunk and being disruptive. Australian Federal Police boarded the plane after it landed in Sydney on Tuesday night. The flight had left Albury airport about 5.20pm. The man was detained and questioned after the flight touched down. An AFP spokesman said the man had been released pending further enquiries. The action follows a Virgin plane passenger being charged over a note found aboard a flight from Sydney to Albury last week. Passengers were told to run from the Virgin Australia flight soon after it landed after a note was found in the toilet. A 30-year-old man was later charged with sending a document threatening death or grievous bodily harm, and giving false information person/property in danger. He granted bail and will face the Albury Local Court early next month. The AFP confirmed there were no links between the two incidents. Tuesday night's incident is still under investigation. It was unclear the if the passenger is from the Albury region. http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/4730797/detained-traveller-drunk-on-aircraft/ Back to Top Long term exposure to aircraft noise linked to high blood pressure * Night-time noise may be particularly influential, findings suggest Long term exposure to aircraft noise, particularly during the night, is linked to an increased risk of developing high blood pressure and possibly heart flutter and stroke as well, suggests research. Long term exposure to aircraft noise, particularly during the night, is linked to an increased risk of developing high blood pressure and possibly heart flutter and stroke as well, suggests research published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine. The research team drew on data from 420 people living near Athens International Airport in Greece, where up to 600 planes take off and land every day. They formed one of six groups of people living near six large European airports who had taken part in the HYENA study, which assessed the potential health impacts of aircraft noise in 2004-6. The aircraft and road traffic noise exposure levels estimated for their postcodes at that time -- less than 50 decibels to more than 60 dB -- were used for the current study in 2013. Daytime aircraft noise was defined as that occurring between 0700 and 2300 hours, and that occurring between 2300 and 0700 hours was defined as night-time aircraft noise. Around half of the participants (just under 49%) were exposed to more than 55 dB of daytime aircraft noise, while around one in four (just over 27%) were exposed to more than 45 dB of night-time aircraft noise. Only around one in 10 (11%) were exposed to significant road traffic noise of more than 55 dB. Between 2004-6 and 2013, 71 people were newly diagnosed with high blood pressure and 44 were diagnosed with heart flutter (cardiac arrhythmia). A further 18 had a heart attack. Exposure to aircraft noise, particularly at night, was associated with all cases of high blood pressure, and with new cases. When all cases of high blood pressure were included, every additional 10 dB of night-time aircraft noise was associated with a 69% heightened risk of the condition. When only new cases were included, every additional 10 dB was associated with a more than doubling in risk. Exposure to night-time aircraft noise was also associated with a doubling in risk of heart flutter diagnosed by a doctor, but this only reached statistical significance when all cases, not just new ones, were included in the calculations. A heightened risk of stroke was similarly linked to increasing aircraft noise exposure, but this was not statistically significant, possibly because of the small number of cases involved, suggest the researchers. The associations between road traffic noise and ill health were much weaker and less consistent, the findings showed. This is one of the first long term follow-up studies of aircraft noise so it's not possible to draw conclusions about cause and effect at this stage until more evidence/studies become available, say the researchers. They point out that they were unable to look at specific causes of death among the 78 people who died between 2004-6 and 2013. The numbers studied were also relatively small, and it wasn't possible to account for the potential effects of air pollution. Nevertheless, a growing body of evidence links noise exposure to ill health, they emphasize. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170613185148.htm Back to Top Airbus Predicts Significant Aircraft Growth by 2036 The Airbus A350XWB taxis at Chicago O'hare International Airport (Photo: Greg Linton) According to Airbus, the amount of aircraft seating between 100 passengers and 500 passengers will grow from close to 19,000 to over 40,000 by 2036. This would significantly exceed the current growth rate of 4.4% per year. However, according to the aircraft manufacturer, the quantity of new planes will not be the only numbers rising. The Airbus Global Market Forecast of 2017-2036 predicts the number of first-time flyers will rise, as well as the amount of tourism travel and new route possibilities. This, of course, leads to more income to airlines and manufacturers. "Air travel is remarkably resilient to external shocks and doubles every 15 years. Asia Pacific continues to be an engine for growth, with domestic China to become the world's largest market," stated Airbus' Chief Operating Officer for Customers, John Leahy. "Disposable incomes are growing and in emerging economies the number of people taking flight will nearly triple between now and 2036." In the next 20 years, the world is expected to need 34,899 new passenger aircraft along with 730 freighter aircraft. The French airframer predicts 24,807 of the passenger aircraft will be single-aisle jets while 8,686 will be twin-aisle. The remaining 1,406 are set to be large and jumbo aircraft. Since these new airplanes will need someone to fly them, Airbus is also expecting a need for 530,000 new pilots and over 550,000 new aircraft mechanics. Along with a predicted growth in new aircraft, Airbus has also predicated that the airline industry will most likely see more domestic travel within China. The company is expecting to see an increase of 3.6 times more domestic travelers in China alone by 2036. Coming in second place is the domestic United States, with travel at 1.5 times more travelers in 2036 than 2016. According to the Bristol Post, Asia Pacific will receive 41% of new aircraft deliveries, with Europe accounting for 20%, both spurred by low-cost carriers growing rapidly in each region. The United States falls third, receiving 16% of the predicated new aircraft. http://airlinegeeks.com/2017/06/13/airbus-predicts-significant-aircraft-growth-by-2036/ Back to Top Navy Student Pilots Enter 3rd Month Without T-45 Training Flights By the end of June, the number of student naval aviators to miss their planned end of training and transition to the next squadron will reach 75, the head of Naval Air Systems Command said Tuesday. Addressing a panel of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Vice Adm. Paul Grosklags said flights on the T-45 Goshawk trainer remain at a standstill, with students delayed in their transition to the fleet at the rate of 25 per month. Meanwhile, he said, the nebulous problem that caused the Navy to temporarily ground its entire T-45 fleet in the spring continues to puzzle investigators. "We are not doing well on the diagnosis," Grosklags told Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on seapower. As Fox News first reported in April, the Navy implemented an operational pause for its T-45s after 100 instructor pilots refused to fly, citing concerns about the safety of the aircraft after a spike in hypoxia-like cockpit incidents for the aircraft. Ultimately, the Navy would launch a 30-day review of both the T-45 and the F/A-18 Hornet, another platform for which "physiological episodes," as the service calls them, have been reported. While the service announced in late April that flight operations for the T-45 had resumed with a 5,000-foot altitude limit and a requirement that pilots pull no more than 2 Gs, Grosklags said that, to date, only currency flights for trainers had taken place. Actual training, he testified, remains at a standstill. "It would be far easier if we could find out what the root cause was, and then go after fixing that root cause," Grosklags said. "To date, we have been unable to find any smoking guns." He described Navy efforts to address the problem as running on two parallel paths. One effort has involved taking several of the affected aircraft from Naval Air Training Command and bringing them to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, where engineers have torn them apart looking for problems with the breathing apparatus. Technicians have inspected every component in the "gas path" of the aircraft, looking for toxins or contaminants, but without success, he said. "We've subjected each of those individual components to extremes of testing, extremes of environmental conditions, in excess of what we would ever expect to see in the aircraft," Grosklags said. "And we still have not been able to find what we would consider proximate cause of contamination or something being released into the gas path." Simultaneously, the Navy has zeroed in on "10 to 12" different protective or prophylactic measures for T-45 aircrew that would allow pilots and trainees to identify a potential episode before it becomes a crisis in mid-air. It's this effort that will likely enable student pilots to return to the air, which is expected to happen in a matter of weeks, he said. "Once ... we've got those individual items all in place for every single aircraft and aircrew down at [Naval Air Training Command, that is the point at which we will consider [resuming training]," Grosklags said. If the effort is delayed, it could begin to affect air operations in the fleet. Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, deputy commandant of aviation for the Marine Corps, said Tuesday that if T-45 training does not start up again by September, it will cause operational problems for the service's aviation enterprise. http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/06/13/navy-student-pilots-enter-3rd-month-without-t45-training- flights.html Back to Top UK CAA to provide helicopter operations review for the Maldives CAA The Maldives Civil Aviation Authority (MCAA) has appointed the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) to provide an in-depth review of MCAA's helicopter regulatory oversight capability. In December 2016, the Maldives government revealed their intentions to re-introduce commercial helicopter operations in the archipelago, more than 15 years since the island nation ceased using helicopters. The new helicopter operations could provide a significant boost for the tourism industry and provide transportation links to several new island resorts. Building on a long-standing relationship with the UK CAA and CAA International (CAAi), MCAA was eager to work with a fellow aviation regulator to assess MCAA's oversight capability and provide recommendations to enable effective safety oversight. Led by UK CAA flight operations specialists, the project will include a full helicopter operations risk assessment. UK CAA experts will support MCAA and AOC Accountable Managers to establish the intentions of the operations and recommend how these operations can be achieved safely. The project will also involve an offshore helideck review, to provide a complete "risk picture" of future helicopter operations. Maria Rueda, International Operations & Development Director of the UK CAA said, "We are delighted to once again, be able to provide our technical support to the Maldives CAA. This study will play an important role in ensuring that MCAA has a sound regulatory framework in place and the necessary technical capability to oversee commercial rotary flight operations in accordance with international standards". The project is expected to commence later in June 2017. For more information, please contact: stuart.coates@caainternational.com Back to Top 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