Flight Safety Information August 11, 2017 - No. 161 In This Issue Incident: Easyjet A319 at Munich on Jul 3rd 2017, hard landing Incident: Canada A320 near Calgary on Jul 29th 2017, electrical odour in cockpit EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Incident: Avianca C.A. A321 at Santiago on Aug 10th 2017, engine shut down in flight Bell 206 Wire Strike (Algeria) Report: Serious incident: Wrong thrust setting, long takeoff of Boeing 747-8 at Tokyo- Narita Check Out These Photos of a Crippled F/A-18 Hornet That Flew Home Airplane with boarding door open makes emergency landing Strange odor prompts JetBlue flight from Boston to make emergency landing Global aviation body rejects Qatar's move to politicise airspace issue Union uses court ruling to push feds to tighten airline passenger safety rules (Canada) New Book Co-authored by Embry-Riddle Alum Focuses on the Crash of Air France Flight 447 Cabin Air Safety Act aimed at cleaning the air in the air FCC Warns Pilots Not to Mess Around on 121.5 MHz Today's pilots could operate multiple planes from the ground in the future, UBS analyst says 'The first time I ever stepped onto a plane, it was to fly it': Meet the youngest female commander of B777 Virginia Tech is looking for a UAS Safety Manager Airlines Should Decline to Participate in the Government's Airport Face Recognition Program Calling the Moon: Startup to Put Cellphone Tower on the Moon Upcoming IS-BAO and IS-BAH Education Events Keep the Skies Safe with IATA Safety & Auditing Training SMS360 and FDM360 Solutions CHC Safety 7 Quality Summit - 2017 (September 27-29; Grapevine, TX) ISASI 2017, San Diego CA...August 22 - 24. 2017 Incident: Easyjet A319 at Munich on Jul 3rd 2017, hard landing An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration G-EZAW performing flight U2-6913 from Edinburgh,SC (UK) to Munich (Germany), landed on Munich's runway 26L at 21:23L (19:23Z) but touched down hard. The aircraft rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron. The return flight was cancelled. On Aug 10th 2017 the UK AAIB reported that a post flight inspection revealed no damage, therefore the German BFU did not open an investigation. The AAIB however rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation into the occurrence. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Munich until Aug 2nd 2017, then positioned to Berlin Schoenefeld (Germany) and resumed service the following morning (Aug 3rd). http://avherald.com/h?article=4accba4a&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Canada A320 near Calgary on Jul 29th 2017, electrical odour in cockpit An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-FKCR performing flight AC-151 from Toronto,ON to Calgary,AB (Canada) with 149 people on board, was enroute at FL380 nearing the top of descent into Calgary when the crew noticed a faint electrical odour. The crew declared PAN and worked the related checklists, then noticed an ECAM message "VENT EXTRACT". The crew verified the odour was confined to the cockpit only. The aircraft continued to Calgary, during the approach advised the odour had dissipated and landed safely on Calgary's runway 17L. Emergency services did not detect evidence of fire, heat or smoke. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replaced an avionics cooling extract fan. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/ACA151/history/20170729/2245Z/CYYZ/CYYC http://avherald.com/h?article=4accddae&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Avianca C.A. A321 at Santiago on Aug 10th 2017, engine shut down in flight An Avianca Central America Airbus A321-200, registration N568TA performing flight LR-624 from Santiago (Chile) to Lima (Peru), was climbing out of Santiago's runway 17L when an engine emitted loud bangs and streaks of flames prompting the crew to stop the climb at 6000 feet, entered a hold to burn off fuel and return to Santiago for a safe landing on runway 17L about 50 minutes after departure. Chile's and Peru's media are reporting an engine fire. Passengers reported there was loud noise and one of the engine emitted streaks of flame (editorial note: indicative of engine surges/compressor stalls). http://avherald.com/h?article=4acce0ce&opt=0 Back to Top Bell 206 Wire Strike (Algeria) Date: 10-AUG-2017 Time: 10:45LT Type: Bell 206L-3 Long Ranger Owner/operator: Tassili Airlines Registration: 7T-WUF C/n / msn: 51264 Fatalities: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: 5 kms SW of Douera - Algeria Phase: En route Nature: Survey Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: The aircraft clipped power lines then crashed. Post crash fire. The 4 occupants died. According to press reports the helicopter was being used to film the new railway line between Zeralda and Algiers. The pilot had 30 years and 4000 hrs experience. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=197261 Back to Top Report: Serious incident: Wrong thrust setting, long takeoff of Boeing 747-8 at Tokyo- Narita, Japan Date: 15-JUL-2017 Time: 22:41 LT Type: Boeing 747-8F Owner/operator: Polar Air Cargo Worldwide Registration: N852GT C/n / msn: 37571/1462 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: None Category: Serious incident Location: Tokyo/Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA) - Japan Phase: Take off Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Tokyo/ Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA), Japan Destination airport: Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG/ZSPD), China Investigating agency: JTSB Narrative: A serious incident of a Boeing 747-8F of Polar Air Cargo was revealed on 9th August, 2017. In the night of 15th July, 2017, just 19 minutes before the curfew, flight PAC/PO213 to Shanghai Pudong International Airport was taking off from runway 16L (2500 m/8202 ft long) at Tokyo/Narita. The freighter became airborne just 85 m/279 ft from the departure end of the runway. However, the altitude should have been more than 10.7 m/35 ft at 326 m/1070 ft (15% length margin) from the departure end. No personal injuries were reported, and there were no further trouble for the rest of the flight. A fence near the runway 16L departure end was damaged by the engine exhaust. A resident under the departure course reported household effects were blown away by the plane. Polar Air Cargo explained that this occurrence was due to an erroneous thrust setting at the takeoff. JTSB launched an investigation as a serious incident similarly to overrun accidents. http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=197257 Back to Top Check Out These Photos of a Crippled F/A-18 Hornet That Flew Home This F/A-18 was severely damaged during a Nov. 9, 2016, collision with another Hornet off the coast of California, but the pilot was able to safely land the aircraft. The other aircraft was destroyed, but that pilot safely ejected. (Marine Corps photo) On a Nov. 9, 2016, two U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets collided during a routine training flight off the coast of California. As I reported today at Military.com, one of the aircraft erupted in flames - the pilot safely ejected - and the other was damaged but still able to fly home to Naval Station North Island, San Diego. (Marine Corps photo) An investigation into the incident concluded the pilots failed to see that they were on a collision course, a failure attributed in part to inexperience and not getting enough flying time. Despite all that, the pilot who landed this aircraft got high praise from Col. William Swan, the commanding officer of Marine Aircraft Group 11, who reviewed the report. (Marine Corps photo) "[The pilot] displayed exceptional airmanship when he successfully landed [the aircraft] after significant portions of its flight control surfaces were destroyed," Swan wrote. The pilot himself, whose name was redacted on the investigation, was understated about his own accomplishments. (Marine Corps photo) "I ... realized we were on a collision course and I immediately pushed the stick full forward in a last-ditch effort to miss his aircraft. Our left wings struck each other in a low-to-high merge," he wrote of the mishap. He saw an explosion from the other aircraft, he said, and pieces falling off - it wasn't clear from which of the two fighter jets. He assessed the damage to his own plane and saw that the "entire outboard section" of the left wing was gone. All the while, he kept a lookout for the other Hornet to see what happened to the pilot. (Marine Corps photo) The pilot called in to base and had his commander read the procedures for controllability checks, allowing him to ensure the aircraft was still good to fly. Then, on advisement from the skipper, he made contact with another aircraft, which flew in to inspect and confirm that the other pilot, who had ejected from his Hornet, had successfully deployed his parachute: "After inspection, I selected flaps half and could feel the jet change configuration but had no indication of flap position on my display. Next selected the gear down. With 3 down and locked indication, I continued to slow the jet in 10-knot increments and determined the jet was stabled at 180 knots at 15,000 feet. However, due to some light turbulence down low and the feel of the jet I made my approach at 200 knots. [The other aircraft called in] coordinated an arrested landing for me on Runway 36 at [Naval Air Station North Island, Halsey Field]. We discussed our hook-skip game plan and commenced approach. I utilized a 3-degree descent on approach for about 13 [nautical miles] straight in. At approximately 12:40 [Lima] I made a successful arrested landing which concluded the event." https://www.dodbuzz.com/2017/08/10/photos-crippled-fa-18-hornet-flew-home/ Back to Top Airplane with boarding door open makes emergency landing An airplane (Cessna 402) traveling from Maine to Boston has had to make an emergency landing because one of its cabin doors opened midflight. The Portland Press Herald reports nine passengers and the pilot were on a Cape Air flight traveling from Rockland on Wednesday when the top section of the boarding door opened. Cape Air spokeswoman Michelle Haynes says air rushed into the cabin but because the plane was flying at a low altitude it did not become pressurized and the passengers were not at risk. The plane made the emergency landing at Logan International Airport around 4:15 p.m. Haynes says the passengers on board made it safely to their destinations. She says Cape Air mechanics are working to determine why the door malfunctioned. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/airplane-boarding-door-open-makes-emergency-landing- 49140821 Back to Top Strange odor prompts JetBlue flight from Boston to make emergency landing Passengers traveling to the West Coast from Boston Thursday were temporarily delayed when their flight made an emergency landing. The aircraft was forced to land in Buffalo, New York on Thursday after crew members on-board the JetBlue flight became ill. In a video posted by a passenger on the flight, a crew member is heard announcing that the crew had smelled a strange odor and was landing the flight. "It started to become overpowering roughly 15 minutes to one-half hour before we made our descent. You could smell it and it became even worse when we landed," Michael Feuerstein, a passenger on the flight, told the Cheektowaga Chronicle. "When we landed, the firefighters walked on board with a carbon monoxide detector to the very back of the airplane where after that it started beeping, extremely, extremely, rapidly." The pilot and two flight attendants were taken to a nearby hospital after the flight landed at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. The flight left Boston Logan International Airport around 5 p.m. Thursday, headed towards San Diego. The 126 passengers onboard were taken onto their final destination later in the evening. An investigation into the cause of the odor is underway. http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2017/08/strange_odor_prompts_jetblue_f.html Back to Top Global aviation body rejects Qatar's move to politicise airspace issue 'The UAE's sovereign airspace is still close to Qatar-registered planes,' says Director-General of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority A man eats lunch outside the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) headquarters building is in Montreal, Quebec, Canada June 15, 2017. MONTREAL: The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has issued a series of resolutions regarding a complaint filed by Qatar against the four boycotting nations. ''The ICAO's Council acknowledged that political outstanding issues between these concerned states should be tackled in the international forums away from the ICAO after its council has taken note of the Qatari complaint, the reply of the four counter-terrorism nations and heard from the ICAO's Secretariat General about the flow of the air traffic over the international waters,'' according to a statement issued by the Montreal-based United Nations agency overseeing global air travel. Commenting on ICAO's resolutions, Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), said: ''These resolutions confirm the neutrality of ICAO and its commitment to its mandate, which it was founded for, to ensure the safety of civil aviation across the world.'' Al Suwaidi valued the ICAO and its Council's reluctance to be dragged and involved into political issues whereas member states emphasised that these matters should be discussed in specialised forums. While chairing the discussion session, the President of ICAO's Council affirmed that New York is just one hour away from Montreal in a reference to the UN headquarters. In its resolutions, the Council appreciated efforts being made by the Secretariat General and concerned states to prepare contingency measures in the Gulf region and asked the Secretariat General to continue coordination with these states and neighbouring states to ensure a swift implementation of precautionary measures. While explaining issues about emergency routes, Al Suwaidi said member states of the ICAO's Council commended the steps taken by the four nations to open new emergency routes to ensure smooth flow of air traffic overseas. ''These routes are temporary, which are granted in exceptional cases and during the increase of air traffic in specific area,'' Al Suwaidi said. ''The UAE's sovereign airspace is still close to Qatar-registered planes,'' he said. The ICAO's resolutions also welcomed commitment by the quartet to pursue technical consultations under the ICAO's umbrella to ensure implementation of the best technical solutions. The Council asked the Secretariat General to provide regular information and present an updated report for the upcoming session of the Council. The Council urged member states to continue cooperation so as to enhance safety, efficiency, security and sustainability of international air traffic safety. It also expressed appreciation to the four nations for the spirit of cooperation they have shown during the extraordinary session. http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/government/global-aviation-body-rejects-qatar-s-move-to- politicise-airspace-issue-1.2072308 Back to Top Union uses court ruling to push feds to tighten airline passenger safety rules (Canada) A Sunwing Boeing 737-800 passenger plane prepares to land at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Wednesday, August 2, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov) OTTAWA -- A recent court decision should come as a warning to the federal government to stop playing fast and loose with airline passenger safety rules, says the head of a union that represents thousands of flight attendants in Canada. In the wake of the ruling last week by the Federal Court of Appeal, the Canadian Union of Public Employees is urging the Liberal government to change federal rules about the ratio of crew to passengers on planes. The court disagreed with Transport Canada's conclusion that there was no impact on passenger or crew safety when it allowed Sunwing Airlines to increase the ratio of passengers to flight attendants on its aircraft. Under federal rules at the time, flights originating in Canada were required to have one attendant for every 40 passengers, unless the transport minister granted an exemption. In 2013, Sunwing asked to raise the ratio to 1-50 on its Boeing 737-800 aircraft -- each of which can seat 189 passengers, according to seating charts on the company's website. That ratio became the threshold for all carriers in Canada in June 2015. Sunwing also sought permission to change procedures for flight attendants during an emergency evacuation. However, the airline failed three separate tests of the new system, in which crews were required to perform a partial evacuation in just 15 seconds. A Transport Canada inspector was on hand for those tests. The inspector suggested the crew could save time by foregoing "blocking" orders, which calls for a passenger to block the aisle to allow a crew member to open an emergency exit. The advice worked; the crew passed the test. However, before the government could sign off on the change, Sunwing was told to provide a risk assessment showing that dropping the blocking order from its procedures wouldn't compromise safety. The resulting risk assessment said that it would be unlikely that passengers would block emergency exits during an evacuation. CUPE took the government to court over the decision to increase the ratio on Sunwing flights. The union represents more than 11,500 flight attendants at nine airlines. The Aug. 4 ruling said the risk assessment was "cursory and provides no indication of how this conclusion was reached." The judge also felt that testimony at trial showed that "no reliable testing was conducted to verify the accuracy of the conclusions." The inspector didn't review the assessment before giving his seal of approval, the judge added. The Supreme Court's test for government decisions requires that they be transparent, intelligible and justifiable; this decision met none of those benchmarks, the judge continued, saying there was no way to determine how the inspector reached such conclusions. "Not only did the inspector fail to review Sunwing's risk assessment, there is in addition no evidentiary basis to substantiate the assumption that passengers would not likely block a Sunwing flight attendant who needs to open an emergency exit to evacuate the aircraft," the ruling said. "It is impossible to see how the inspector could have been satisfied that the proposed amendment ... did not compromise safety." The government was also ordered to cover the union's legal costs of $3,000. "This is a major wake-up call for Transport Canada," CUPE national president Mark Hancock said in a statement. "The safety of passengers and crew must come first, before any other consideration." A Transport Canada spokeswoman said officials are reviewing the ruling. A June report from the House of Commons transport committee recommended the government review the 1-50 ratio with an eye to safety and security. The union wants the Liberal government to require all airlines to use the lower ratio of passengers to crew to promote safety. Transport Canada spokeswoman Sofie McCoy-Astell said the 1-50 ratio has been safely used in the United States and Europe for years and gives airlines greater flexibility to use the ratio best adapted to their unique operations. She said companies can and do still use a lower threshold. http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/union-uses-court-ruling-to-push-feds-to-tighten-airline- passenger-safety-rules-1.3540173 Back to Top New Book Co-authored by Embry-Riddle Alum Focuses on the Crash of Air France Flight 447 Air France 447 was on a routine night flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris in 2009 when it disappeared off radar. Embry-Riddle Alum Shem Malmquist has co-authored a book on the disappearance and investigation of the Airbus 330 that went from cruise altitude to the bottom of the South Atlantic Ocean in just over four minutes. Malmquist and co-author Roger Rapoport conducted more than 300 interviews for "Angle of Attack: Air France 447 and the Future of Aviation Safety." In the book, they tell the story of how this tragic accident happened and how this event has reshaped commercial aviation safety procedures with a renewed emphasis on hands-on pilot training in our automation age. A book for pilots and passengers, "Angle of Attack" inspired the acclaimed feature film "Pilot Error." Captain Shem Malmquist has worked in the aviation industry since 1976 and currently serves as a B-777 Captain. He received a BS in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Worldwide in 1999. His broad experience ranges from teaching aerobatics and instructing in a wide variety of both general aviation and transport aircraft to academic research and safety investigation. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a Member of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators. Learn more about "Angle of Attack: Air France 447 and the Future of Aviation Safety" by Shem Malmquist and Roger Rapoport. https://news.erau.edu/news-briefs/new-book-co-authored-by-embry-riddle-alum-on-the-crash- of-air-france-flight-447/ Back to Top Cabin Air Safety Act aimed at cleaning the air in the air It's not all that unusual these days to hear stories of "fume events" or incidents where unusual "odors in the cabin" have caused flights to be delayed, rerouted or to make emergency landings. In January, 2017, seven flight attendants were taken to the hospital after a fume event on an American Airlines flight that landed in Orlando. According to news reports, that Airbus A330 had experienced two previous fume events before that. Last week, a JetBlue plane on its way to Florida from California had to land instead in Oklahoma City due to an unknown odor that was coming from the cockpit. Ambulances met the plane and medics gave oxygen to some of the passengers who were having trouble breathing. Stories like this grab headlines, but airline crew members have been worried about, reporting and complaining about a wide variety of health concerns - everything from light-headedness and dizziness to vomiting and memory impairment - related to contaminated air on airplanes for years. There's been some disagreement in the aviation community over whether or not toxic cabin air is a real problem. According to Airlines for America (A4A), "Frequent studies over the years have consistently concluded that cabin air meets or exceeds health and safety standards, as aircraft have highly efficient environmental control systems that filter air as it is recirculated through the aircraft cabin." A4A also notes that "In a report that the Federal Aviation Administration provided to Congress two years ago, FAA expressly found risk of these issues to be extremely low, but confirmed that it would continue to monitor and sponsor research in this area." Still, a wide range of groups representing aviation workers, including the Allied Pilots Association, the International Union of Teamsters, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and others have come out in support of the Cabin Air Safety Act: legislation recently introduced (and amended to FAA reauthorization) to try to gain additional protection for crew members and airline passengers. "When your workplace is 30,000 feet above the ground, you can't step outside for a breath of fresh air," said APFA president Bob Ross in a statement. "Crew members and passengers must have a clean, healthy environment during air travel - and the Cabin Air Safety Act is a major step in the right direction." The proposed legislation was introduced by US Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and cites academic research suggesting that in the last decade alone there have been approximately 20,000 "toxic fume events" on aircraft involving air that enters the cabin through the jet engines and then becomes contaminated with engine oil, exhaust, fuel fumes, de-icing fluids or ozone before mixing with air entering the cabin. The act calls for: * Mandated pilot and flight attendant training regarding toxic fumes on aircraft; * Rules requiring the FAA to record and monitor reports of fume events through a standardized form and public database; * Assurance that thorough investigations will occur after fume events occur; and * The introduction of carbon monoxide sensors on aircraft set to alarm based on national air quality standards. "Most Americans go to work with the expectation of breathing clean air, but until we achieve better standards for cabin air quality, flight attendants don't have this guarantee," said AFA International President Sara Nelson in a statement. "Lawmakers need to act to prevent Flight Attendants, pilots or passengers from suffering the effects of breathing toxic fumes in the cabin." https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2017/08/07/cabin-air-safety-act-aimed-at-cleaning-the-air-in- the-air/ Back to Top FCC Warns Pilots Not to Mess Around on 121.5 MHz * Violators face stiff fines, confiscation of all radio equipment and possible criminal charges. The Federal Communications Commission is diligently working with the FAA to send a simple message to pilots and other users of the aviation emergency radio frequency. The FCC warns that 121.5 Mhz is for urgent messages that involve protection of people or property or both, and nothing else. Monitoring 121.5 for emergency radio traffic is, of course, just one of the FAA's roles in the National Airspace System. The agency said this week its ability to monitor the emergency frequency has been hampered in some areas by people using 121.5 for non-emergency purposes. The Enforcement Bureau of the FCC plans to step up action against frequency violators who could open themselves up to the penalties authorized by the Communications Act, and those fines are not cheap. A single violation could cost the perpetrator as much as $19,246 for the first misuse of the frequency, with ongoing violations fines running to as much as $144,000. The FCC will also confiscate the violator's radio equipment, and possibly file criminal charges for nefarious broadcasts over 121.5. The FAA reminds pilots that air-to-air communications are authorized on 122.750 Mhz. Additional information about the use of aircraft radio frequencies is available from the FCC. http://www.flyingmag.com/fcc-warns-pilots-not-to-mess-around-on-1215-mhz Back to Top Today's pilots could operate multiple planes from the ground in the future, UBS analyst says * Airlines in the future could "go from two pilots down to one with a ground control handler," one UBS analyst told CNBC * The British Air Line Pilots Association said that while this strategy could save airlines money, "huge investment" would be needed to make it safe * Three pilots used to work in the cockpit of a plane in the 1980s, though this number has since reduced to two Jobs being threatened, or at least dramatically altered, by automation is a hot topic - and airline pilots are no exception to the trend. One vision of the future role of pilots, put forward on CNBC's Squawk Box Thursday by UBS analyst Jarrod Castle, was that: "We'll go from two pilots down to one with a ground control handler" who could be monitoring up to 10-20 planes. "Who better to actually operate the controls but an ex-pilot?" said Castle, one of the analysts behind a recent report by the bank on pilotless planes. He also suggested that today's pilots could also ultimately move into aerospace or avionics instead. Castle pointed out that the number of pilots in the cockpit of a plane used to be three in the 1980s, though this number has since reduced to two. "70 percent of accidents are due to human error, not machine error," he added. Castle also said that pilots only actively fly planes for five to 10 percent of the time, and are "monitoring the systems" otherwise. Castle did preface his assertions by saying that, "At the moment, there's a very big demand for pilots actually given the global fleet delivery schedules." He added that in the coming two decades, the airline industry would likely demand up to half a million pilots. "There will always be a role for those kinds of individuals," he said. The U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority confirmed to CNBC via telephone that there were no planned changes regarding the number of pilots required for passenger planes. Regulation on the number of professionals in a cockpit has been a talking point in recent years, following a Germanwings tragedy in March 2015 in which one pilot locked his counterpart out of the cockpit and then deliberately crashed the plane into the French Alps. Many airlines subsequently introduced a rule stipulating that two people must be in the cockpit of a plane at any given time, though some have since abolished this. Steve Landells, safety specialist at the British Air Line Pilots Association, said in a statement that pilots operating planes from the ground was a possibility, but also clarified that his organisation did not believe that genuinely pilotless flight would ever be a reality. "Automation in the cockpit is not a new thing - it already supports operations. However, every single day pilots have to intervene when the automatics don't do what they're supposed to," he said. Landells also questioned the safety of remote pilots. "While moving pilots to a control tower on the ground might eventually save airlines money, there would need to be huge investment to make this possible, and even more to make it safe," he added. "Generally speaking, having a pilot on the aircraft who is as much at risk as the passengers is probably the surest guarantee of safety there can be," Landells said. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/11/future-pilots-operate-multiple-planes-from-ground-ubs.html Back to Top 'The first time I ever stepped onto a plane, it was to fly it': Meet the youngest female commander of a Boeing 777, who'd never been a passenger before she trained * Anny Divya, 30, is the youngest female pilot of the world's largest twin jet * She had never once been a passenger on a plane until she learned to fly one * The Air India pilot couldn't even speak English when she started training at 17 She may be one of the only pilots in the world who had never herself been a passenger. And at 30 years old, Anny Divya is also the youngest ever female commander of a Boeing 777 - an impressive feat given she grew up with few prospects, and had to learn English when she started training at 17. 'The first time I stepped onto an was aircraft to fly it,' the Mumbai-based Air India pilot tells MailOnline Travel. 'We belonged to a very humble background back then - we couldn't afford to travel in planes.' At 30 years old, Air India pilot Anny Divya (pictured) is the youngest ever female commander of a Boeing 777 Anny gradually climbed the ranks at Air India, eventually completing advanced training in London It was there that she first flew a Boeing 777 The Boeing 777 Anny commands is the world's largest twin jet, a model with the capacity for up to 396 passengers. But getting to fly it was no easy ride. Anny, who was raised in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, puts her initial success down to the support of her parents. 'From a very young age when I used to look up at the sky, I always wanted to touch it and fly through the clouds,' she says. 'But it was only after my mother said I should become pilot and that I started to realise the dream it was possible.' Anny attended flying school at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi when she was just 17, earning herself a scholarship and completing her training at 19 years old. Then she moved to Mumbai, where she landed a job at Air India. 'It was tough to adapt, to leave my parents and get out of my comfort zone,' she admits. 'Learning English and communicating with my peers was a struggle. But time and perseverance teaches you everything. So I am grateful to the people from whom I learnt every day.' Anny gradually climbed the ranks at Air India, eventually completing advanced training in London where she first flew a Boeing 777. 'Flying is one profession where you better be good at what you do,' she remarks. You better be good at what you do, because people's lives depend on you 'Because people's lives depend on you.' So what does it take to make a great pilot? Aside from having a good head for maths and physics, you need good motor skills, situational awareness, communication skills and multitasking abilities, Anny explains. Anny struggled to leave her parents and learn English at first, but knuckled down and soon impressed her bosses Asked whether it was harder to succeed as a woman, she remarks: 'I faced similar challenges as many other females in similar professions, so it was important to stay focused. 'Having a sense of professionalism at all times helped. Also I am blessed to have had good bosses - people with integrity and a very high sense of responsibility.' Anny, who flies 70 to 80 hours per month, says that the best aspect of her job aside from the travel and the flying itself, is the pride of wearing uniform. She's also made enough money to finance her siblings' studies abroad, and bought her parents a house. When asked whether passengers are ever shocked or wary when they realise someone so young is in control of their flight, she says no. 'To the contrary, they are pleasantly surprised,' she reveals. 'Most people have been very appreciative. 'Sometimes they are awestruck.' http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-4758018/Air-India-s-Anny-Divya- youngest-female-Boeing-777-pilot.html Back to Top Virginia Tech is looking for a UAS Safety Manager Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university, committed to teaching and learning, research, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world. Building on its motto of Ut Prosim (that I may serve), Virginia Tech is dedicated to InclusiveVT-serving in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. We seek candidates who adopt and practice the Principles of Community, which are fundamental to our on-going efforts to increase access and inclusion, and to create a community that nurtures learning and growth for all of its members. Virginia Tech actively seeks a broad spectrum of candidates to join our community in preparing leaders for the world. Position Summary The primary role of the UAS Safety Manager is to support and enable the use of unmanned aircraft systems at Virginia Tech by faculty, staff, and students. The UAS Safety Manager is responsible for overseeing the safety of the UAS flight operations conducted by Virginia Tech and reports to the Director of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP). The UAS Safety Manager will objectively implement and administer the UAS Policy approved by the university, manage the operation and use of the netted drone facility, and participate in safety management activities with various UAS user groups across campus. The incumbent will develop, maintain, and improve procedures and training that ensure safety for the UAS flight operations conducted by Virginia Tech affiliated students, faculty and staff. The UAS Safety Manager will manage staff and students directly supporting the operation of the netted drone facility and training programs. The UAS Safety Manager may also support funded research opportunities as a subject matter expert on aviation safety. The successful candidate will be a self-starter and have strong interpersonal, communications, and organizational skills. The UAS Safety Manager is also expected to be a team player that is willing to take on and solve challenging problems while working with a diverse team. Additional responsibilities include the following: * Oversee the development and maintenance of an online flight authorization tool to support the UAS policy and to provide centralized UAS information to the university community. * Manage expenditures to support the operation of the netted drone facility. * Support development and management of FAA Certifications of Authorizations (COAs) for faculty research efforts. * Manage group events conducted within the netted drone facility, such as drone races, flight demonstrations, academic class lab work, etc. * Externally promote Virginia Tech facilities for supporting UAS research and education. * Occasionally serve as a UAS pilot or safety officer in support of research or educational efforts. Required Qualifications: * Master's degree in an aviation, engineering, or safety management related field. An exception can be made for a Bachelors degree with significant training and experience. * Significant experience and knowledge of UAS operations in all environments. * Experience operating small UAS * FAA Remote Pilot-in-Command Certificate * Demonstrated thorough knowledge of aviation safety concepts and policy, Federal Aviation Regulations, and interpretation and application of those policies and regulations. Preferred Qualifications: * FAA Private Pilot Certificate or greater * FAA 2nd Class Medical Certificate * Experience in working with aviation safety management systems * Experience with academic, government or military aviation UAS operators * Proficient RC flying skills * Prior supervisory experience For more info see the job listing on Virginia Tech's website here. https://www.suasnews.com/2017/08/virginia-tech-looking-uas-safety-manager/ Back to Top Airlines Should Decline to Participate in the Government's Airport Face Recognition Program By: Neema Singh Guliani, ACLU Legislative Counsel & Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project Plane with Face Recognition Graphic Last week, we wrote about U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)'s plans to apply face recognition to every traveler who exits the country, including Americans. One aspect of the scheme that we did not discuss was the role of the airlines. The airlines' participation is significant because without it, the plan could not go forward, or at a minimum, its implementation would be significantly hampered. Given their role, the airlines have a responsibility to ensure that customers' rights are respected, yet they have not taken even some basic steps to fulfill this obligation. Until they have taken these steps-and received assurances from CBP that the agency will abide by certain privacy standards -they should not participate in these programs. What is the role of the airlines? CBP has launched a "Traveler Verification Service" (TVS) that envisions applying face recognition to all airline passengers, including U.S. citizens, boarding flights exiting the United States. JetBlue and Delta have been working closely with CBP on the plan. "Delta is always willing to partner with the CBP," a Delta spokesperson said in a corporate press release that also quoted a CBP official. JetBlue, in its press release announcing its intention to "collaborate" with CBP on the program, said it hoped to "make the boarding process simple and seamless for the traveler while enhancing U.S. national security." According to a DHS briefing that we attended last week, the agency is still working out which tasks will be performed by airlines' personnel-including whether the government or the airlines will own and operate the cameras that perform the face matching. In the Jetblue pilot, DHS says that the airline owns and operates the cameras, and DHS is in conversations with Delta about a similar arrangement. DHS also says the airlines do not keep copies of the photos for their own use, but that there's nothing stopping them if they decide to start doing so. Publicly, the airlines have largely framed their participation as an efficiency investment. JetBlue, for example, in its publicity and in uncritical media coverage, has cast the face recognition system as a matter of passenger convenience, with little mention of the program's role in CBP's larger biometric tracking vision. The company's press release, for example, states that the company hopes "to learn how we can further reduce friction points in the airport experience," with an airline executive claiming, "Self-boarding eliminates boarding pass scanning and manual passport checks. Just look into the camera and you're on your way." However, customer convenience seems like a fig leaf for whatever is really going on. Given the high error rate of face recognition-especially with many passengers inevitably smiling and laughing, wearing hats, and otherwise interfering with the optimal operation of this technology- it's hard to believe that boarding will be easier for passengers under this program than under the status quo, which involves the simple and easy act of scanning a highly reliable boarding pass barcode. CBP reports that in its tests so far the face recognition systems have had an error rate of around 4%, or 1 in 25 travelers, creating a disruptive process (disproportionately affecting African Americans and other groups) that we don't see with bar code scans. Remember as well that the real bottleneck in loading passengers onto an aircraft takes place in the boarding bridge and aisles of an aircraft. Even if face recognition did prove to be slightly faster and easier than scanning a bar code, that wouldn't get planes loaded any faster. What should airlines do before further participating in the program? Given the significant social ramifications of this program, the airlines should: * Provide transparency to their customers and demand that DHS do the same. JetBlue's presentation of this program as a customer convenience threatens to leave many passengers in the dark about the true scope and purpose of the face recognition infrastructure. The airlines should be more upfront with their customers. Not one of the airlines has information available on their website explaining the program, its risks, or facts about face recognition including the potential for differential inaccuracies. For example, Jetblue's one press release on this program includes only minimal information and does not even address whether and how individuals can opt out. Airlines should include clear information to customers in advance of their flight and in writing at the terminal. * Permit any passenger to opt out of the program. There is no clarity regarding whether and how passengers can opt out of the face recognition program. Some reporting has suggested the program is mandatory, the DHS Privacy Impact Assessment has ambiguous language, and the airlines have provided no additional information. For example, the Jetblue release suggests that only people who opt in will have their picture taken, but it's not clear that only passengers who explicitly indicate that they would like to participate are photographed. Even if that is the policy, it's not clear that it won't quickly become mandatory if this program expands. When asked about this during a DHS briefing, officials said they were unsure whether travelers were informed at the gate that they could opt out of the program and suggested that non-citizens did not have this option. Given the invasiveness of this technology, all travelers should be permitted to decline participation in this program. Airlines should provide opt-out information to travelers in writing in advance, and in large signs upon boarding. * Require clear Congressional authorization before expanding the program beyond the existing pilots: As we pointed out in our post last week, Congress has not explicitly authorized biometric exit for citizens. Congress has also not addressed the full scope of issues that come with use of face recognition, including how data should be treated. Airlines should decline to move forward with any expansion of the pilot without clear legislation from Congress-and reject any legal gymnastics DHS may employ to argue that such authorization is not needed. * Demand assurances from DHS that customers' rights will be protected. Last week we pointed out that a face recognition biometric exit program raises various concerns, including that data will be used for other purposes, photos will be stored for longer than is necessary, and information will be placed in the hands of CBP, a law enforcement agency that too often demonstrates a disturbing disrespect for the law. To address these concerns, airlines should demand that any data collected be purged in a timely fashion and not used for other purposes. In addition, they should ensure that CBP does not use the data to take agency actions that raise civil rights concerns, and puts in place a robust complaint system to address violations of such policies. * Promise not to leverage this program for data collection. The precise operation of this program has not yet been settled upon, including whether the airlines will own and operate the cameras. As The Identity Project points out, the program will give airlines the chance to compile photographs or other data from passengers that they can't now collect. CBP should ensure that can't happen. If it doesn't, the airlines should pledge not to retain any photographs of travelers, let alone use them for any other purposes, and should make such a pledge in legally binding privacy policies. * Agree to bear the cost of face recognition mismatches. What if someone gets pulled out of line or even misses their flight because of a face recognition matching failure? It hardly seems fair to make the individual pay the price for capricious and unpredictable failures by this inaccurate technology. Airlines should make clear to customers that they will compensate customers for any inconvenience caused by a face recognition error. https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-future/airlines-should-decline-participate-governments-airport- face-recognition-program Back to Top Calling the Moon: Startup to Put Cellphone Tower on the Moon PTScientists' Autonomous Landing and Navigation Module, or ALINA, lunar lander. Credit: PTScientists An astronaut wandering the moon next year could use a smartphone to call home. A German startup is preparing to set up the first telecommunication infrastructure on the lunar surface. The German company Part Time Scientists, which originally competed for the Google Lunar X Prize race to the moon, plans to send a lander with a rover in late 2018 to visit the landing site of Apollo 17. (Launched in 1972, this was NASA's final Apollo mission to the moon.) Instead of using a complex dedicated telecommunication system to relay data from the rover to the Earth, the company will rely on LTE technology - the same system used on Earth for mobile phone communications. "We are cooperating with Vodafone in order to provide LTE base stations on the moon," Karsten Becker, who heads embedded electronics development and integration for the startup, told Space.com. "What we are aiming to do is to provide commercial service to bring goods to the moon and also to provide services on the surface of the moon," Becker added. Part Time Scientists has a launch contract for late 2018 with Space X as a secondary payload on the Falcon 9 rocket. Becker said the company believes it will be the first private entity to reach the surface of the moon, suggesting that none of the Google Lunar X Prize participants are likely to meet the December 2017 deadline for the competition. (Part Time Scientists itself withdrew from the Google Lunar X Prize earlier this year due to the time constraints of the competition.) The Falcon 9 will carry the team's spacecraft, Alina, to the geostationary transfer orbit, a highly elliptical Earth orbit whose highest point is 26,000 miles (42,000 kilometers). From there, Alina will continue on its own to the moon. "We will soft-land on the moon and disembark our two rovers, the Audi Lunar Quatro rovers, with which we are going to drive up to Apollo 17," Becker said. "The two rovers are essentially mobile phones that will communicate our video stream to Alina, which serves as an LTE base station, and Alina will communicate the data to us," he said. The two rovers, which appeared in this year's "Alien: Covenant" film, will examine in detail the Apollo 17 spacecraft to see what has happened to it in its 45 years on the lunar surface. "Using the LTE modem to transmit our data is much more energy efficient than using direct Earth communication," Becker explained. The rover gets 90 watts of energy from its solar panel, half of which goes to driving, Becker said; previously, the other half would have to go to the modem for communicating directly to Earth. "With LTE, it's significantly less," he said. Additionally, relaying data via the base station rather than directly to Earth solves difficulties with pointing the rover's antenna in the rough lunar terrain, Becker said. He said Part Time Scientists does not expect Alina and the rovers to survive the lunar night because of the extreme low temperatures. However, the experience gained during the first mission will be used in subsequent missions that will aim to establish a permanent telecommunication infrastructure on the moon's surface, he said. "We are trying to show that you can use the most widespread means of communication, which is the mobile network and particularly the LTE network, on the surface of the moon, to execute missions there," said Becker. "We are aiming to provide cost-effective solutions to problems that are arising in terms of building the lunar village." According to Becker, Part Time Scientists plans to conduct a second mission around 2020 that would carry LTE terminals designed to survive in the harsh lunar environment for extended periods of time. The company is closely cooperating with the European Space Agency, which has proposed a lunar village concept that would lead to permanent human presence on the surface of the moon. The agency's plan would let all nations and entities contribute to the overall operations with their unique skills and expertise. The Alina spacecraft can carry up to 100 kilograms (220 lbs.) of payload. During its first mission, the craft will carry three customer payloads, including an experiment designed by NASA Ames. https://www.space.com/37753-calling-the-moon-cell-phone-tower.html Curt Lewis