August 28, 2017 - No. 068 In This Issue Crashes prompt Blumenthal to push for higher stands for pilots, planes Marine Corps Taps General Dynamics Unit for $105M Aviation C2 System Production Contract New advanced imaging technology installed at DuBois Regional Airport in Pennsylvania Remote air traffic controllers a possibility in India TCR Acquires Emerge Engineering and Maintenance AirAsia sells off aviation centre stake to CAE Parting Out PART Eastern Florida State College's First Aviation Class Graduates Airbus Production Cuts Could Impact A380 Aftermarket, Analyst Predicts Airbus Modifying A350 Software To Fix Hydraulic Overheat Issue SpaceX Launches FORMOSAT-5 Crashes prompt Blumenthal to push for higher stands for pilots, planes The number of fatal airplane crashes in the state this year has prompted U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal to ask the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate pilot training, maintenance and other measures. In one year, eight small planes have crashed in the state, with six resulting in death. Blumenthal's letter to the FAA seeks improved standards. "They have the power," Blumenthal said about the FAA. "We're demanding action under existing authority, and responsibility to set higher standards and improve enforcement." A flight instructor was killed and two other people were injured this month when a single-engine Cessna crashed at an airport in New Milford. On July 30, Mark Stern, 63, of Redding, died after a crash at Danbury Municipal Airport. The plane was also a Cessna 172. On April 24, Joseph Tomanelli, a Cheshire physician, was killed in a Wallingford crash near Meriden- Markham Airport. His son, 21-year-old Daniel Tomanelli, was seriously injured. Student pilot Pablo Campos Isona, 31, was killed in a plane crash in East Haven on Feb. 22. Authorities say one person suffered serious injuries in an ultralight aircraft crash in Eastford in July, in August, a single-engine plane crashed in Salisbury, resulting in one person having minor injuries. All the crashes are under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA. Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, said through a spokeswoman it would be inappropriate for the authority to comment until the final reports have been issued and analyzed. Blumenthal's letter urged the FAA to broaden its investigation into whether more training, medical vetting, or more maintenance, would improve safety at all U.S. airports. He praised the commercial aviation industry as among the safest in the world, but said more can be done to improve the number of crashes in general aviation. "General aviation presents a troubling tale that consists of hundreds of deadly crashes each year, including a half dozen in Connecticut," Blumenthal said. "It is imperative that we bring the same level of safety that exists in commercial aviation to the general aviation sector." In addition to increased training hours - some only receive 40 hours before receiving a license - Blumenthal would like to see medical vetting, both physical and mental, and better aircraft maintenance. Pilots are now required to take a physical, but a student pilot killed in an East Hartford crash last year was suicidal, he said. The National Transportation Safety Board has 12 recommendations submitted to the FAA that concern general aviation safety. Blumenthal wants to see them satisfied. Connie Castillo, airport manager at Meriden-Markam Airport, said she supports the ideas of implementing more precautionary measures. She said pilots average about 75 hours of training before they receive licenses, and are given an FAA physical. "Certainly, anything to increase safety is a great idea," Castillo said. http://www.myrecordjournal.com/news/meriden/meridennews/10776513-154/crashes-prompt- blumenthal-to-push-for-higher-stands-for-pilots.html Back to Top Marine Corps Taps General Dynamics Unit for $105M Aviation C2 System Production Contract General Dynamics' (NYSE: GD) missions systems business has won a potential $104.9 million contract to produce common aviation command-and-control systems for the U.S. Marine Corps. The contract includes three one-year options and covers 41 CAC2S full deployment units as well as quarterly software maintenance releases, the Defense Department said Thursday. DoD noted the company will deliver CAC2S systems in four lots along with servers, network switches, network routers, radios and ancillary equipment from fiscal 2017 through fiscal 2020. The Marine Corps Systems Command received five proposals for the contract via a competitive procurement on FedBizOpps and obligated the contract's base amount of $37.1 million at the time of award from the military branch's fiscal 2017 procurement and operations and maintenance funds. GDMS will carry out work in Scottsdale, Arizona; Fulton, Maryland; Huntsville, Alabama; and San Diego, California through Jan. 26, 2022. https://www.govconwire.com/2017/08/marine-corps-taps-general-dynamics-unit-for-105m- aviation-c2-system-production-contract/ Back to Top New advanced imaging technology installed at DuBois Regional Airport in Pennsylvania A new advanced imaging technology (AIT) machine was recently installed at the DuBois Regional Airport (DUJ) in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The state-of-the-art machine's target recognition software enables passengers a more private experience by eliminating passenger-specific images during scanning while enhancing throughput capabilities that streamline the checkpoint process. AIT specifically works by safely screening travelers for metallic and nonmetallic threats which include guns, explosives, knives, and other dangerous objects that may be concealed within a person's clothing. When a passenger passes through the system, a generic image in displayed to TSA personnel that is standardized for all travelers for privacy purposes. Should a person be carrying a suspicious item, an area is highlighted on the generic image's body for TSA to examine. "Advanced imaging technology remains TSA's best opportunity to detect the aviation security threats of tomorrow," Karen Keys-Turner, TSA's federal security director for Western Pennsylvania, said. "We remain committed to deploying this integral counterterrorism tool in order to ensure the highest level of security for the traveling public." According to TSA, the technology is safe for all travelers and it meets all known national and international health and safety standards. The energy emitted by millimeter wave technology is approximately 1,000 times less than the international limit guidelines. https://homelandprepnews.com/stories/23886-new-advanced-imaging-technology-installed-dubois- regional-airport-pennsylvania/ Back to Top Remote air traffic controllers a possibility in India INTERNATIONAL - India is considering setting up remote air traffic control (ATC) towers to cut costs and overcome labour shortages, government sources said, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks to open dozens of regional airports to boost air travel. Remote monitoring allows traditional concrete control towers to be replaced with dozens of high resolution, infra-red cameras around runways that feed live images to screens in buildings far from the airport. The technology, used in countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland and Sweden, enables flights at multiple airports to be monitored from one location, reducing the need for air traffic controllers and physical towers at every airport. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has initiated a study on remote monitoring of flights, with a recommendation expected in September, one of the sources said. A decision to proceed could be a boost to companies like Sweden's Saab and Canada-based Searidge Technologies that are in talks with the airport regulator to bring the technology to India. "India is one of the biggest opportunities in terms of the business potential," said Varun Singh, marketing director at Saab India, adding that it has held several discussions with the airport regulator. Searidge, which has set up remote digital towers in Hungary, Albania and Azerbaijan, said it has also presented its technology to the airport regulator. Air passenger traffic in India, the world's fourth biggest market, is growing at more than 20percent annually. Plans are under way to revive 50 regional airports in the next two years under a new scheme to boost connectivity between small cities. Low-cost carriers IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe, and SpiceJet have ordered dozens of new, small planes from European turboprop maker ATR and Canada's Bombardier to fly regional routes. Regulations The AAI is working with India's aviation safety watchdog, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on the study and has sought information from countries where remote towers are in use, one source said. The plan hinges on the DGCA's approval, because remote tower technology is not standardised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which is still drawing up regulations. In the meantime, countries follow their own safety guidelines. "Remote ATC is all the more needed for India given our vast area, low traffic at regional airports and the need to keep airfares low," said Amber Dubey, India's head of aerospace and defence at consultancy, KPMG. However, in several parts of India availability of reliable power and telecom connectivity are a challenge, said Dubey. While there have been power failures at ATC towers at two of India's biggest and busiest airports - Delhi and Mumbai - in the past, no incidents or accidents occurred as a result, according to local media reports. The bigger concern, however, is the transfer of data from the airport to the remote tower. An ATC official at India's airport regulator said they are yet to understand how the data transfer will work, what medium will be used and what the backup will be. "If the (data transfer) medium goes blank, the airport will be cut off," said the official, who did not wish to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media. Controllers would also need to be trained to recognise and adapt to local conditions, including weather and topography, of multiple airports instead of just one, the source added. Challenges The economics are appealing, however. The cost of servicing a regional airport with remote monitoring could be between 15-50percent of building individual concrete towers, depending on how many airports are monitored, according to estimates. Savings also come from not having to station air traffic controllers, who are in short supply, in remote parts of the country for only a couple of flights a day. India has more than 3100 controllers but needs close to 3900 and with more airports planned, the demand is set to rise. "With low traffic levels, controllers can monitor flights from multiple airports," said Neil Bowles, head of Air Traffic Management at Searidge. Saab, which has been operating remote towers in Sweden for two years, is in talks with about 10 other countries. https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/remote-air-traffic-controllers-a-possibility-in-india-10933821 Back to Top TCR Acquires Emerge Engineering and Maintenance TCR is pleased to announce the acquisition of Emerge Engineering & Maintenance, an Australian based airport Ground Support Equipment (GSE) services company. Emerge is an Australian market leader in GSE services, with an operation spanning across 36 airports including 6 workshops at major airports and staffing over 60 employees' countrywide. In total, Emerge currently performs GSE services on more than 5,400 GSE assets nationally for key ground handling, airline and general aviation customers. GSE services offered by Emerge include repair and maintenance (R&M), breakdown recovery, GSE spare parts and GSE fleet management. As a world leader in GSE services, this acquisition is viewed as an important step in TCR's growth in the Asia-Pacific region. Australia is a key market and TCR is hoping to develop close partnerships with local Australian customers and with global TCR customers that are already operating within Australia. The company is proud to welcome the Emerge team into the TCR family. TCR aims to combine Emerges' solid foundation and market position, with TCR's global expertise, relationships and resources to provide a bright future for the Australian business moving forward. Day to day, the Australian business will continue to be managed by the existing executive directors of Emerge, Craig Ward and Martin Oldfield, with the continued focus on delivering added value to customers that has led to Emerges' growth over recent years. In addition and with TCR's investment in Emerge, extended services can be offered to further meet our partners' requirements. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12362918/tcr-acquires-emerge-engineering-and- maintenance Back to Top AirAsia sells off aviation centre stake to CAE KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Bhd have disposed off its stake Asian Aviation Centre of Excellence (AACE) to Canadian aviation company, CAE, giving full control to the latter. AirAsia and CAE have concluded a sale and purchase agreement concerning the aviation centre, which is currently a 50:50 CAE-AirAsia joint venture. The transaction of US$100 million (including earn-out) will give CAE full control over AACE's three training centres - located in Sepang, Malaysia; Singapore; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - as well as its share of the Philippine Academy of Aviation Training (PAAT), a joint-venture training centre between AACE and Cebu Pacific, located in Manila, Philippines. "CAE and AirAsia have been close partners since 2004, and we created AACE together in 2011. This new agreement is a natural evolution of our relationship and a win-win for both organisations," said Marc Parent, CAE President and Chief Executive Officer. "It allows AirAsia to concentrate on its core business by completely outsourcing its training needs to CAE, and it allows CAE to expand its footprint in Asia Pacific, the fastest-growing aviation market." CAE will remain AirAsia Group's exclusive training partner. The largest low-cost carrier in Asia has extended its existing contract for all training requirements for AirAsia and for that of its affiliates in support of all aircraft types it operates up until 2036. "We've had CAE as our training partner of choice for many years now and it has been a great success. Our first MPL cadets trained by CAE are now flying as captains, and we put our full trust in CAE to fulfill our training needs at the highest quality level, as we continue to grow," said Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia. "AirAsia is rich in assets but our core business is passenger service and ancillary, and we will continue to regularly dispose of non-core investments and dividend most of it out, subject to board approval. "This stake sale is just part of our long-term plan to monetize all our assets. We are also working on several other divestments of valuable assets including our leasing arm, which is imminent." Marc added: "We are very proud of what we have accomplished with AirAsia in creating AACE. We'd like to thank AACE employees for setting the standard and creating a great training experience, and we welcome them to CAE. Together we will continue to shape the future of training." AACE offers training for pilots, cabin crew, maintenance engineers, technicians and ground services personnel on the Airbus A320, A330 and Boeing B737NG platforms. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. TD Securities acted as financial advisor to CAE. https://www.nst.com.my/business/2017/08/272531/airasia-sells-aviation-centre-stake-cae Back to Top Parting Out PART Not often does an entire MRO company, complete with its maintenance facilities and specialist shops, entire parts inventory, tooling, equipment, rolling stock and even ready access to a vast fleet of aircraft potentially available for parting out and recycling, come up for auction as a going concern to help pay off creditors. But that's precisely what is happening to Pacific Aerospace Resources & Technologies LLC (PART), a subsidiary of Las Vegas-based ARC Aerospace Industries. ARC specializes in aircraft recycling, producing high-end furniture from recycled aircraft materials and until now, through PART, commercial-aircraft MRO and storage. The assignee for the benefit of creditors retained company asset-sale firm Tiger Group--in cooperation with aerospace-industry sale and auction specialist Cloud Investment Partners--to conduct a sealed-bid offering for the turnkey sale of all of PART's assets. PART--which is a Boeing fleet services partner with multiple certifications that include International Aerospace Quality Group AS9110B, FAA Part 145, EASA, Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association certifications, and approvals from the Brazilian, Mexican, Bermudian and other CAAs--provides a full range of aircraft MRO services. These include "aircraft maintenance and modifications, advanced composite repairs, in-house Level 3 NDT services, aircraft preservation, storage and disassembly, and AOG field team support," according to Jeff Tanenbaum, executive managing director of Tiger Group's Commercial & Industrial division. The sealed-bid offering of the PART MRO facility includes "favourable" leases for three hangars and office space, extensive tooling, a vast parts inventory, equipment, rolling stock, and a composite shop, according to Tiger Group. Bids are due on September 7 and the auction is scheduled to take place on September 21. PART is located at Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA, also known as Victorville Airport), a massive complex of long runways, maintenance hangars, cargo warehousing and distribution facilities and business-aviation fixed base operators located in Victorville. This southern California city is sited about 80 miles east of Los Angeles and some 20 miles north of San Bernardino astride the I-15 freeway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, in desert country which sees lots of clear, dry, warm weather. SCLA--which was George Air Force Base, a large US Air Force training facility, until 1992--is notable as an important commercial-aviation facility on two counts. Although the airport doesn't host commercial passenger flights (it does see freighter flights), it is home to Southern California Aviation, which provides one of the largest short- and long-term storage facilities in the USA for commercial aircraft. Because of SCLA's 360 days of sunshine annually and its 10 percent average humidity level, dozens to hundreds of stored commercial aircraft are in residence there at any given time. Many of those aircraft may not fly again and potentially they are available for parting out and recyling. There are more than 250 commercial aircraft storied at SCLA at present, says, David Weiss, partner at Cloud Investment Partners LLP, adding that the PART facility "will give the purchaser instant access to a much-sought aftermarket in aircraft storage and end-of-life aircraft solutions". Because its longest runway is 15,050 feet in length (making the runway, 17/35, the second-longest public-use runway in the country), SCLA attracts plenty of outsize-cargo flights by Antonov An-124 freighters and also various specialized operators call the airport home. Boeing, GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney all conduct test-flying from SCLA and at least one large water-tanker aircraft used in fighting wildfires throughout the southwestern USA is based there. PART's facility at SCLA includes two widebody hangars and one narrowbody hangar, the largest and newest of which was built in 2007 and offers 90,000 square feet of hangar space plus an additional 30,000 square feet of administrative and customer offices. The largest hangar can house multiple configurations of both widebody and narrowbody aircraft, according to Tiger Group. The facility includes extensive tooling for Boeing 737NGs and other commercial-aircraft models. Parts and equipment in the turnkey package to be auctioned include more than 9,000 line items and total approximately 600,000 new consumable parts. There are also 13,000 line items of rotable parts, including landing gears, valves, computers and other components, for Boeing types including the 767, 757, 737 and others, as well as Airbus and Bombardier CRJ aircraft. In addition to a recently built, fully equipped composite shop, the offering includes many ground support equipment (GSE) items, including trucks, tugs, ground power units, tow bars, stands, jacks, motors, hydraulic pumps, carts, and other types of equipment. http://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/parting-out-part Back to Top Eastern Florida State College's First Aviation Class Graduates The FAA-approved A&P program, based at the college's Aviation Center at Melbourne International Airport, serves as a pipeline to provide highly-skilled workers to companies such as Embraer, AAR and others that are fueling the airport's rapidly expanding commercial aviation sector. Students also have job opportunities at companies such as SpaceX, Boeing and Blue Origin that are launching the next-generation of human spaceflight at Kennedy Space Center. "This is a very important day for all of us," said Lanny Schott, Director of Aviation Programs. "This first group has gone through a lot to get here and I'm proud of them. "This is an incredible time to be coming into the job market because companies are searching for qualified employees like them. I am excited to see what the future holds for each and every one of them." Among those honored during a ceremony at the King Center for the Performing Arts on the Melbourne campus was Luke Smegal, who is looking forward to putting what he learned to work in aviation. "We are breaking ground here. It is just nice to be able to graduate and become a good mechanic," Smegal said. Graduate Gabriel Castillo grew up in Rockledge and is hoping his training leads to a job in aerospace. "It means a lot," Castillo said. "This is the first class coming from the Space Coast and this area has a lot of opportunities in aviation. "This is a great program and it means a lot to me to be a part of this first class." Castillo enrolled in the program after he saw a sign for an Open House informational session at the Aviation Center. The next thing he knew, he was one of the 17 students to receive his certificate Thursday. "I was looking for a new career and aviation was one of my thoughts," Castillo said. "I went to the Open House and here I am." To learn more about the Aviation Center and its programs, visit easternflorida.edu/go/aviation http://spacecoastdaily.com/2017/08/eastern-florida-state-colleges-first-aviation-class-graduates/ Back to Top Airbus Production Cuts Could Impact A380 Aftermarket, Analyst Predicts Airbus' decision to reduce A380 deliveries from 15 this year to 12 in 2018 and eight in 2019 will have noticeable effects on the aftermarket in the near-future, an industry analyst has forecast. Jonathan Berger, managing director of Alton Aviation Consultancy, says the cuts announced in July 2017 will present a barrier to entry for MRO providers assessing whether to enter the A380 market for a few reasons. "It could be difficult to achieve economies of scale and meet shareholder return on invested capital requirements," says Berger. "A significant capital investment is required for facilities, training, tooling, and inventory in order to enter the A380 MRO market." As a result, Berger feels that existing MRO providers for the superjumbo who invested early should benefit from greater leverage and pricing power. Conversely, Berger says that because a secondary market for the aircraft has yet to develop, "significant challenges" do exist for MRO providers. http://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/airbus-production-cuts-could-impact- a380-aftermarket-analyst-predicts Back to Top Airbus Modifying A350 Software To Fix Hydraulic Overheat Issue Airbus is working on a software modification that is expected to address a hydraulic engine driven pump (EDP) failure mode that the manufacturer and regulators have determined poses a fuel tank flammability risk. The issue centers on "a fast temperature rise of [EDP] hydraulic fluid," the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) explains in a related emergency airworthiness directive (AD) issued Aug. 22. "This condition, if not detected and corrected, combined with an inoperative Fuel Tank Inerting System (FTIS), could lead to an uncontrolled overheat of the hydraulic fluid, possibly resulting in ignition of the fuel-air mixture in the affected fuel tank." The AD, effective Aug. 24, orders A350 operators to revise their master minimum equipment lists (MMELs) immediately to reflect the risk. The update, which Airbus recommended in an Aug. 21 MMEL-revision operator alert, changes 24 MMEL items to "no-go," meaning they must be fixed before the affected aircraft can fly in revenue service. Airbus says it detected the issue in an operator's data gathered as part of routine, entry-into- service monitoring using the A350's aircraft condition monitoring system. Analysis of other operators' data confirmed that it was not a one-off event, prompting the OEM to act. "Going forward and in line with the continued airworthiness process to mitigate any risk to safe operation, Airbus' experts are working short-term on an easy retrofit-able software fix to the monitoring and control system," the OEM says. It did not provide a timeline for the fixes. http://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/airbus-modifying-a350-software-fix- hydraulic-overheat-issue Back to Top SpaceX Launches FORMOSAT-5 "The 30th Space Wing takes great pride in supporting another successful SpaceX launch," said Wood. "It is a sterling example of the wing's commitment to public safety and mission success on the Western Range." SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket delivers FORMOSAT-5, an Earth observation satellite for Taiwan's National Space Organization, to a low-Earth orbit. "The Falcon 9 launch of Formosat-5 was an incredible mission to be a part of! This was the first satellite manufactured and integrated entirely by Taiwan and it was also the fastest turn-around time between Falcon launches here at Space Launch Complex-4," said Capt. Kylie Prachar, Air Force Launch Commander for F9-40 Formosat-5 mission, 1st Air and Space Test Squadron. "Our Air Force team put in a lot of work to support the mission and provide Fleet Surveillance on behalf of the Space and Missile Systems Center." FORMOSAT-5 will operate in a sun synchronous orbit at an altitude of 720-km with a 98.28 degree inclination angle. As with the FORMOSAT-2 satellite, the primary payload on FORMOSAT-5 is an optical Remote Sensing Instrument (RSI), which provides 2-meter resolution panchromatic (black & white) and 4-meter resolution multi-spectral (color) images. FORMOSAT-5 also hosts a secondary scientific payload, an Advanced Ionospheric Probe, developed by Taiwan's National Central University. https://spacefellowship.com/news/art51454/spacex-launches-formosat-5.html Curt Lewis