Flight Safety Information August 4, 2017 - No. 156 In This Issue Incident: ANA A320 near Nagoya on Aug 3rd 2017, engine shut down in flight Accident: Jetblue A320 near Oklahoma City on Aug 2nd 2017, odour injures passengers EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Donier Do-228 Runway Excursion (Bangladesh) Sumwalt Confirmed As NTSB Chair NTSB Details Chaos on Burning Jet in Chicago Last Fall Brussels Airport becomes the first airport in Belgium to receive European EASA airport certificate Employees say Jacksonville International Airport has major rat infestation Airlines warn of EU airport delays Air France expands no-fly zone around North Korea after missile scare Jet Airways to phase out all expat pilots to save costs Why Pilots and Co-pilots Can't Eat the Same Thing on a Flight Prescott aviation student gets dream job offer GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY RESULTS This Pilot Is Headed To Space With Or Without NASA ISASI 2017, San Diego CA...August 22 - 24. 2017 Incident: ANA A320 near Nagoya on Aug 3rd 2017, engine shut down in flight An ANA All Nippon Airways Airbus A320-200, registration JA8300 performing flight NH-1101 from Tokyo Haneda to Tottori (Japan) with 144 people on board, was enroute at FL280 about 50nm eastnortheast of Nagoya (Japan) when the #2 engine (CFM56) failed prompting the crew to shut the engine down, drift the aircraft down to FL220 and divert to Nagoya where the aircraft landed safely about 35 minutes later. The remainder of the flight as well as the return flight were cancelled. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 17 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ac7d898&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Jetblue A320 near Oklahoma City on Aug 2nd 2017, odour injures passengers A Jetblue Airbus A320-200, registration N521JB performing flight B6-944 (dep Aug 1st) from Long Beach,CA to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA), was enroute at FL350 about 140nm west of Oklahoma City,OK (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Oklahoma City reporting an unknown odour on board caused about 20-25 passengers to suffer from breathing difficulties. The aircraft landed safely on Oklahoma's runway 17R about 25 minutes later. Emergency services including 8 ambulances awaited the aircraft, paramedics treated a number of passengers at the airport administering oxygen to them, an unknown number of passengers were taken to hospitals. Emergency services they were informed about 20-25 passengers suffering from breathing problems following an unknown odour on board. Authorities determined the odour came from the back of the aircraft. A replacement A320-200 registration N507JT departed about 8 hours after the occurrence aircraft landed in Oklahoma City and reached Fort Lauderdale with a delay of 9 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for 10 hours, then returned to service. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/JBU944/history/20170802/0430Z/KLGB/KFLL http://avherald.com/h?article=4ac7d6d0&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Donier Do-228 Runway Excursion ( Bangladesh) Date: 03-AUG-2017 Time: 17:47 LT Type: Dornier Do-228-212NG Owner/operator: Bangladesh Navy Aviation Wing Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Unknown Location: Chittagong airport - Bangladesh Phase: Landing Nature: Military Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: A Bangladesh Navy airplane is said to have skidded of the runway at Chittagong airport upon landing. There are no personal injuries. Operations at the airport were suspended for more than two hours. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=197103 Back to Top Sumwalt Confirmed As NTSB Chair As expected, Robert Sumwalt has been confirmed as the 14th chair of the National Transportation Safety Board and he brings a wealth of aviation experience to the job. Sumwalt was a pilot for Piedmont Airlines and US Airways for 24 years and his appointment is being met with enthusiasm from aviation groups. "Robert is committed to safety, not only for business aviation, but for all of aviation," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "His solid leadership and the resulting increase in implementation of safety programs benefits aircraft operators, travelers and the greater transportation industry. We look forward to working with him in his capacity as chair of the NTSB." He joined the NTSB in 2006 and served a two-year term as vice chair. He's led numerous aviation investigations and is committed to fostering a safety culture within aviation according to NBAA. "His focus on safety leadership has helped promote the importance of proactive safety management," NBAA said in its statement. "Further, his diligent work on safety awareness and leadership has greatly influenced business aviation, guiding the industry's voluntary adoption of safety programs that have demonstrated real value in helping improve business aviation safety." https://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/101/3757- full.html?ET=avweb:e3757:272360a:&st=email#229451 Back to Top NTSB Details Chaos on Burning Jet in Chicago Last Fall Newly released video obtained by NBC 5 Investigates shows just how close an American Airlines jetliner came to disaster when an engine exploded on takeoff last October. The aircraft, bound for Miami, was on its takeoff roll October 28, when a fan disk in the right engine flew apart, severing a fuel line and igniting a roaring fire. Observers agree the result would likely have been a fiery crash if the flight had actually gotten airborne. Instead, the crew brought the plane to a screeching stop on runway 28 Right, evacuating all passengers safely. At the time of the engine explosion, the aircraft was travelling at 128 knots (about 147 mph). The captain aborted the takeoff roll and brought the burning plane to a stop 26 seconds after the fan blade ruptured. Video from two different views of the field show the plane hurtling down the runway, as a puff of smoke belches out of the engine, then flames erupt as fuel begins gushing from the severed line. "Immediately, passengers were at her door, pleading to get off the airplane," the NTSB report stated. "The 4L slide deployed, but was blowing towards the rear of the airplane because the engine was still running." Multiple views from Chicago Fire Department crash trucks show the scene as firefighters arrived within seconds of the plane coming to a halt. Those planes apply fire retardant foam to the burning jet fuel, which reach as much as 2500 degrees farenheit. The official report depicted a remarkable evacuation. When the captain and first officer finished all of their emergency procedures, they opened the cockpit door, only to find that all passengers were already off the aircraft. The last occupant jumped into an evacuation slide, just 2 minutes and 21 seconds after the plane came to a stop. The reports make clear that there are two primary areas of concern. The first, the fan blade itself. Microscopic examination revealed that the disk had what is termed an "internal inclusion", foreign debris actually embedded in the metal. Secondly, investigators are clearly zeroing in on the design of the wing, where so-called "dry bays" above the engines designed to keep fuel tanks in the wing away from areas where shards of metal from an incident like this might lead to a catastrophic rupture. In this incident, pieces of the disk penetrated the dry bay of the right wing, severing a fuel line in the one area where it passed through. An estimated 2040 gallons of fuel gushed from the wing, engulfing the right side of the aircraft in flames. Source: NTSB Details Chaos on Burning Jet in Chicago Last Fall - NBC 6 South Florida http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Control-Tower-CFD-Video-Shows-Plane-Burn-at- OHare-Last-Year-438416823.html#ixzz4omjl4RxN http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Control-Tower-CFD-Video-Shows-Plane-Burn-at- OHare-Last-Year-438416823.html Back to Top Brussels Airport becomes the first airport in Belgium to receive European EASA airport certificate August 04, 2017: The Directorate General of Aviation (DGLV) has awarded the European EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) airport certificate to Brussels Airport Company. With this, it becomes the first airport in Belgium to receive the certification. Airports receive an EASA airport certificate, on the one hand, when the infrastructure and the operational aviation processes of the airport meet the legal and regulatory safety requirements and on the other when the airport works with a solid and adequate safety management system. This Safety Management System must allow the airport operator to permanently monitor and meet the safety requirements, and must also enable the airport to manage the risks using a pro-active safety policy. The Safety Management System at Brussels Airport consists, among other things, of daily inspections of and checks on the airport infrastructure and operations to assess whether all activities take place according to the international safety demands. "With the award of the EASA certificate, the regulators confirm that Brussels Airport Company is able to closely monitor its safety level and is working towards continuous improvement. All employees with a job that is safety critical are repeatedly trained and tested. For this Brussels Airport has, among other things, introduced innovative technology, such as vehicle simulators. Our working methods, training programmes and campaigns are regularly adopted as good practices by other airport operators in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia," says Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company. Brussels Airport Company also has an internal and external audit programme, whereby recognised auditors specialised in airport operations and safety carry out audits every 3 years. For this, sixty parties are audited. Any shortcomings that are found during the audits are followed up and solved using action plans. In total, 581 European airports must satisfy the requirements of the new EASA regulation and obtain the certificate before the end of this year. http://www.stattimes.com/brussels-airport-becomes-the-first-airport-in-belgium-aviation Back to Top Employees say Jacksonville International Airport has major rat infestation A Jacksonville airport employee says the airport is so infested with rats that they are falling through the ceiling and onto food prep stations. The employee says the rats are impacting nearly every restaurant, including where food is prepped and sent out to the rest of the airport. Employees told Action News Jax the rat infestation started two months ago in the lower level, but the rodents are now in the walls and ceilings. In video obtained by Action News Jax from a Jacksonville International Airport employee, black items appear to look like iPads to some, but the worker said they're actually rat traps. Traveler Michael Montalto noticed the rodent traps immediately when he saw the video. "Right by the food," he said. JIA employees told Action News Jax reporter Kaitlyn Chana that the rat traps are in the food prep area in the most popular spots for customers to buy food before going into security. Customers said the video makes them think twice about eating inside the airport. "Oh no, no, no, no, and no," Laytonya Fordham said. "I would be carrying my food. I will not be eating any food at any restaurant at JIA." Employees say the rat traps are in the back areas so customers can't see them, but some staff members say they have to walk over them in certain areas of the airport. "If that was a restaurant anywhere else that would be shut down. The health department should shut that down," Montalto said. JIA told Action News Jax that this is their first time hearing of the issue after we brought it to their attention. They said they're looking into the matter and will notify us as soon as they have a response. "I would think they need some serious exterminators here - just to stop them before they even get near that area," said Sharon Cathers. http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/employees-say-jacksonville-international- airport-has-major-rat-infestation/580886051 Back to Top Airlines warn of EU airport delays Easyjet plane British Airways and Easyjet have sent text alerts to customers warning of delays at EU border controls. BA said it is asking travellers to arrive early as it is expecting longer queues due to "enhanced immigration checks" across Europe. The airline has already sent text messages to customers flying back from Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona and Milan. Ryanair is also advising customers to arrive at least three hours before the scheduled departure time. A spokesman for Airlines for Europe (A4E), the airline lobby group, told the BBC: "It seems the governments - especially in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium - underestimated the situation of many passengers going through tighter passport checks and have not provided a sufficient amount of border control officers." He said passengers should expect delays at airports in Majorca, Malaga, Lisbon, Lyon, Brussels, Milan and Paris-Orly. Easyjet has also warned of strike action due at Barcelona airport every Friday, Sunday and Monday from August 4 throughout the summer. It is advising passengers to allow plenty of time to get through the airport. Record numbers The warning comes as airports prepare for one of the busiest weekends of the summer. Sean Tipton from the Association of British Travel Agents said already a record 2.4 million people set off in one weekend at the beginning of the school holidays. He said: "In most cases people are getting through passport control fairly swiftly but I think there might be an issue with certain airports where they haven't actually considered just dealing with the fact that: record numbers, August, plus these new requirements - they may be understaffed." The aviation minister has promised to urge his EU counterparts to "do all they can" A spokesman for Ryanair also blamed the delays on European border control authorities, claiming that the airline's operations are "running as normal". He said the delays are a matter for the European regulators to resolve, not the airlines. Easyjet advised passengers to check the latest travel information pages on its website, adding that it "strongly recommends" customers to allow extra time to get through the airport to the gate on time. Aviation minister Lord Callanan has said he would urge his counterparts in Portugal, Spain and Italy to "do all they can to reduce queues and allow travellers to get on with their holidays". Thomas Reynaert, managing director of A4E, told the BBC that the French and Spanish governments have promised extra staff but so far "we haven't seen any concrete improvement". 'Devastated passengers' The European Commission said the delays were "the price of security". Rule changes brought in after recent terror attacks in Paris and Brussels mean people entering and leaving the Schengen area, which allows passport-free movement across much of the EU, face more security checks. Under the new measures, details of passengers from non-Schengen countries, such as the UK, are run through databases to alert authorities if they are known to pose a threat. But A4E said that some passengers are facing delays of up to four hours, claiming that some European airports are producing "shameful pictures of devastated passengers in front of immigration booths". Mr Reynaert said member states "must take responsibility for this". He warned the regulations have not yet been fully implemented across all member states, which "may lead to even more disruption during the next few weeks". The member states have until 7 October to put the new rules in place. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40824027 Back to Top Air France expands no-fly zone around North Korea after missile scare North Korea has dramatically ramped up missile testing in recent months Flight data shows a July 29 missile came within miles of a passenger jet's flight path Hong Kong (CNN)Air France will expand its no-flyover zone around North Korea after concerns a recent missile test crossed a plane's flight path. The airline said the move was being taken as a "precautionary measure" after a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) splashed down near the route being taken by Air France flight 293 from Tokyo to Paris on July 28. "The information available to Air France at this stage indicates that the missile could have fallen into the sea at more than one hundred kilometers (62 miles) from the airplane's trajectory. Even if this distance was proven, it would not question the safety of the flight," spokesman Cédric Landais said. CNN reported this week that the Air France flight, which had 332 people on board, passed just east of where the ICBM splashed down in the sea around Japan roughly five to 10 minutes prior to the missile impacting the water. At the time of the splashdown, the Air France flight was approximately 60 to 70 miles north of where the missile landed, according to a review of flight data. In a statement Thursday, Air France reiterated that the flight was "operated in accordance with the flight plan and without any reported incident." "At this stage, as a precautionary measure, the company has decided to expand the non- flyover area around North Korea, a country that it does not overfly." The airline also said that it "constantly analyzes potentially dangerous flyover zones and adapts its flight plans accordingly." Lack of transparency While the Air France jet was not in any immediate danger from the missile, analysts have raised concerns about North Korea expanding its testing range near flight paths over Japanese waters -- as Pyongyang does not provide advanced warnings about its plans. Speaking to CNN Wednesday, US Defense Department spokesman Jeff Davis said "responsible nations" should give notice before conducting missile tests, adding not doing so put planes, ships and spacecraft at risk. "Irresponsible nations fire these things off without putting out notice," he said. Tillerson to North Korea: We are not your enemy Under guidelines issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN agency tasked with governing air safety and other matters, states have the "responsibility to issue risk advisories regarding any threats to the safety of civilian aircraft operating in their airspace." "Said threats may include, but are not limited to, armed conflicts, ash clouds due to volcanic eruptions, (and) missile tests and rocket launches," the guidelines state. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it issued a warning to all vessels and aircraft operating within its exclusive economic zone eight minutes after the launch of the North Korean missile. Air France confirmed it received the warning, but the message "did not specify any indication or instruction requiring an operational action on the part" of the airline. Two notices to airmen were published but not transmitted to the crew because "the event had already passed when they were sent by the Japanese authorities," the airline said. North Korea has ramped up its missile testing program this year and the missile launched on July 28 appeared to have the range to hit major US cities, experts said. http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/03/asia/north-korea-air-france/index.html Back to Top Jet Airways to phase out all expat pilots to save costs The carrier has around 60 expat commanders, operating its fleet of mainly Boeing 737 and ATR planes. Pilots of Indian nationality have previously alleged discrimination in the treatment of expat and local pilots. Jet Airways aircraft stand on tarmac at the domestic airport terminal in Mumbai.(Reuters) Jet Airways (India) Ltd is looking to phase out all its expatriate pilots to control costs, company executives told employees at a meeting on Thursday. "They (the management) said they are planning to do away with all the expat pilots to save costs," said D. Balaraman, president of the National Aviator's Guild (NAG). The expat pilots, he said, are paid a third more than their Indian counterparts. Spokespersons for Jet Airways, India's second largest airline by number of passengers flown, did not respond to an email, calls and text messages. The carrier has around 60 expat commanders, operating its fleet of mainly Boeing 737 and ATR planes. Pilots of Indian nationality have previously alleged discrimination in the treatment of expat and local pilots. On 15 April, NAG wrote to all members not to fly with the foreign pilots, alleging the latter have been making disparaging, inappropriate and racist comments against Indian pilots and that the carrier has been giving the local pilots a "step-motherly treatment". Peeyush Naidu, a partner at consulting firm Deloitte India, said phasing out the pilots is a necessity. "However, it will have to be done over a period of time as they need to be replaced with trained and experienced ones, which is a function of time," he said. The Naresh Goyal-controlled airline, part-owned by Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways, is facing intense cost pressures amid heightening competition, and a slowdown in the key Gulf region. On 20 July, the airline asked as many as 200 of its junior pilots to go on unpaid leave for 10 days every month that would shrink their salaries by 30%, Balaraman said. This issue will be taken up again in a meeting on 17 August, he added. Jet has close to 50 pilots in excess and the airline is "exploring all options," including placing them in other airlines, Balaraman said. This is not the first time Jet Airways is looking to place pilots at other airlines. Even in the past, it has placed pilots with Etihad and they have returned to Jet later, he added. In the fourth quarter ended 31 March, the airline had reported a 91% decline in net profit as higher revenue was more than offset by costlier fuel, lower airfares and weak demand from the Gulf region. To contain costs, the airline is also looking to sub-lease its smaller aircraft to regional airlines. Meanwhile, the management reiterated its intention of reviewing the salaries of senior pilots after the first quarter results, said Balaraman. Jet Airways on Tuesday informed stock exchanges that its financial results for the June quarter would be delayed since it is adopting new accounting standards from this fiscal. The airline proposes to hold its board meeting for approval of the financial results for the June quarter on or before 14 September. India's domestic air passenger traffic grew 20% in June from a year earlier, continuing the growth trajectory. Among major carriers, IndiGo continued to retains the largest market share of 40%, followed by Jet Airways (17.5%), SpiceJet Ltd (13.3%), Air India (13.1%), GoAir (8.4%), AirAsia (3.7%) and Vistara (3.6%). http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/jet-airways-to-phase-out-all-expat-pilots- to-save-costs/story-SPOXrQdr4qMFhH4MZW53NK.html Back to Top Why Pilots and Co-pilots Can't Eat the Same Thing on a Flight The safety of airline passengers relies on a calm, controlled flight deck. So when commercial airline pilots show up to work, they have very different rules than the rest of us on the ground. For example, pilots can request specific coworkers with whom they would rather not share a cockpit. And there's another rule that prevents pilots and co-pilots from eating the same meals while they are working. While the rule may seem arbitrary, there is actually very good reasoning behind it. If, for example, something goes wrong with one meal (Read: food poisoning). the other pilot will not have been affected and can take over duties. The practice is not mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration, however most airlines have their own rules about it. Pilots are also generally encouraged to avoid foods like raw fish before and during the flight, to avoid a situation like the one comically depicted in "Airplane!" But even in culinary options, seniority counts. In an interview with CNN, Captain Han Hee- seong of China Eastern Airlines said that the pilot usually receives the first class meal while the co-pilot will get a meal from business class. Although some pilots on Quora reported that a kind first officer will generally let the First Officer choose their meal first. Food poisoning onboard airplanes is rare, although it has happened. In 1982, some bad tapioca pudding incapacitated 10 crew members - including the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer - on a flight from Boston to Lisbon. The flight was able to turn around and land back in Boston without further incident. According to data from 2010, at least two pilots in the U.K. fell ill to food poisoning that year while in the cockpit, although the cause of food poisoning could have been from something eaten before boarding. http://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/pilots-co-pilots-cant-eat-same-meals Back to Top Prescott aviation student gets dream job offer Kristen Globe thought she was going through a candidate selection process only to find out she got a conditional job offer at Mokulele Airlines in Hawaii. PHOENIX, Ariz. - When Swayne Martin announced a partnership with Mokulele Airlines on his YouTube channel about a hiring project for young pilots, the feedback they got was immense. Martin was only expecting to hire two pilots but after reviewing over 100 applicants, his company chose 11 prospective pilots including one from Prescott, Arizona. "One stood out to our team in particular," said Martin. "Kristin Gibson from Prescott, Arizona mentioned in her application that she worked two jobs as a full-time college student while attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University." Martin contacted Kristin via FaceTime telling her it was part of the candidate selection process only to surprise her with a conditional dream job offer. "I've just worked so hard and didn't think I had a shot at getting this job," said Gibson. The move to the big island is no doubt an expense. Martin set up a gofundme account for Kristen to help with the big move saying any additional funds would go to flight training scholarships for young student pilots. http://www.12news.com/news/local/arizona/prescott-aviation-student-gets-dream-job- offer/461804970 Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY RESULTS Project completed: "Manual Flying Skills - Airline Procedures and their Effect on Pilot Proficiency" Dear fellow aviators, last year many of you took part in the Manual Flying Skills Online Survey, a core element of my MSc Air Safety Management thesis at City University of London. Now that the project is completed, I would like to say THANK YOU for your participation - based on your valuable contributions, I was able to use a broad data basis for my research. I have prepared a short presentation summarizing the key results of my research: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316738796_Presentation_Manual_Flying_Skills_- _Airline_Procedures_and_their_Effect_on_Pilot_Proficiency The complete paper can be found here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316734587_Manual_Flying_Skills_- _Airline_Procedures_and_their_Effect_on_Pilot_Proficiency Feel free to share the links or to contact me via moritz.hanusch.1@city.ac.uk - I am looking forward to discussing my project's results with you and other interested flight safety professionals! Best regards, Moritz Hanusch Back to Top This Pilot Is Headed To Space With Or Without NASA Wally Funk is one of the Mercury 13, a group of women who trained to be astronauts in the early 1960s. Wally Funk has spent her life in pursuit of a dream. The pilot, flight instructor and almost- astronaut longs to go to outer space. In 1961, she was part of a group of female pilots who took part in tests to determine if women were fit for space travel. The project was run by the same doctor who developed tests for NASA astronauts and the women became known as the Mercury 13. "I get a call said, 'Do you want to be an astronaut?' I said, 'Oh my gosh, yes!' And he said, 'Be here on Monday to take these tests,' " the 78-year-old Funk recounted to her friend and flight student, Mary Holsenbeck, during a recent visit to StoryCorps in Dallas. Mary Holsenbeck, left, and Wally Funk at StoryCorps in Dallas. The two friends talk every day at 10 p.m. and often take to the skies together. StoryCorps "I had needles stuck on every part of my body. Tubes running up my bottom. So I went along with it. It didn't bother me," she said. "And then they said, 'We want you to come with a swimsuit; you're going to go into the isolation tank.' Well I didn't know what that was. The lights come down, they said try not to move. Well, I didn't have a whole lot to think about. I'm 20, I had $10 in my pocket. And then finally they said, 'Wally, you were outstanding. You stayed in 10 hours and 35 minutes. You did the best of the guys that we've had and of the girls.' " Funk was preparing to go to Florida for more testing when she found out the program had been shut down. So, though they passed many of the same tests as the men, Funk and the other Mercury 13 women never got to go to space. "When we got the telegram, that was it, and I never heard anything more," she explained. "So I went on about my own business. I'm not going to sit back and pine over anything." No, Funk didn't pine; instead she applied to NASA four times, but they they turned her down because she didn't have an engineering degree. But Funk hasn't given up on going to space. "I never let anything stop me," she said. "I know that my body and my mind can take anything that any space outfit wants to give me - high altitude chamber test, which is fine ... centrifuge test, which I know I can do five and six Gs. These things are ... easy for me." Wally Funk poses in front of the Virgin Galactic spacecraft in 2015 in the Mojave Desert. Funk has a ticket and hopes to be on its first flight into space. Courtesy of Mary Holsenbeck Funk bought a ticket for Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic commercial spaceship and hopes to be on board its maiden voyage into space. Holsenbeck plans to be there, cheering Funk on when she finally blasts off. "You are probably the most fearless person I've ever known in my life," she told Funk, adding that the aspiring astronaut was not just her hero, but also her mentor. "I went through a very nasty divorce and you made a phone call at the right time one afternoon that saved my life," Holsenbeck said. "You said, 'Mary, let's go flying and I said, 'Wally, I can't afford to go flying.' And you said, 'I didn't ask you that - meet me at the airport.' "And taking me flying, you would pick out a cloud and you would say 'Mary, you see that cloud up there?' I'd say 'Yes, ma'am.' You said, 'Point the nose of this airplane toward that cloud and just fly to it.' And it was the most freeing feeling. I felt like I was in charge of something when I was in that airplane, and that helped me to put myself back in charge of my own life," Holsenbeck continued. "So yeah, you fix the problem." Wally Funk, right, and Mary Holsenbeck in 1993. Courtesy of Mary Holsenbeck The two women talk every day at 10 p.m., recounting their days. They call it their 10 o'clock flight. "So we go up into the clouds together because Wally, you've always told me, 'When you have problems? Go to the clouds.' " Audio produced for Morning Edition by John White. StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that gives people the chance to interview friends and loved ones about their lives. These conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, allowing participants to leave a legacy for future generations. Learn more, including how to interview someone in your life, at StoryCorps.org. http://www.npr.org/2017/08/04/541415269/this-pilot-is-headed-to-space-with-or-without- nasa Back to Top ISASI 2017, San Diego CA August 22 - 24. 2017 The International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) will hold their 48th annual seminar at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina from August 22 - 24, 2017. This year's theme is: "Investigations - Do They Really Make a Difference?" All up to date information including the link for registration and hotel reservations can be found at www.isasi.org. Dates to Remember Early Registration rate cut off is midnight July 5, 2017 PDT Seminar rate at the hotel will end on July 27. After that date there will be no guarantee that rooms will be available. We look forward to seeing many of you in San Diego Curt Lewis