Flight Safety Information September 29, 2017 - No. 195 In This Issue Incident: ANA B763 near Tokyo on Sep 27th 2017, dropped panel in flight Accident: Ural A321 at St. Petersburg on Sep 28th 2017, mother and infant fell through stairs Smoke in cockpit prompts Westchester police helicopter emergency landing EVAS - Cockpi Smoke Protection Serious incident: Swiftair ATR 72-500 stalled in icing conditions en route to Madrid, Spain FAA will restrict drones from flying around the Statue of Liberty GAMA Welcomes Landmark Bilateral Aviation Safety Procedures CASA threatens to get heavy on repeat offenders (Australia) UN aviation agency urges Security Council to back its global security plan Secretary Elaine L. Chao Names Newest FAA Management Advisory Council Members American to concentrate 767s in east coast bases American Airlines flight attendants sue after claiming their uniforms made them violently ill AIR PARTNER SWOOPS FOR AIR TRAFFIC SAFETY SPECIALIST Rush To China...Chinese Airlines are Hiring More and More Korean Pilots Ryanair crisis: aviation industry expert warns 600,000 new pilots needed in next 20 years Tiny robots will inspect and fix jet engines from the inside Hypersonic SR-72 Demonstrator Reportedly Spotted at Skunk Works SpaceX unveils Mars city plan, will fly two cargo missions by 2022 How long can you hold your breath? Position Available: Deputy Director of Safety GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY. Incident: ANA B763 near Tokyo on Sep 27th 2017, dropped panel in flight An ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 767-300, registration JA616A performing flight NH-936 from Xiamen (China) to Tokyo Narita (Japan), was descending towards Tokyo when a panel separated from the aircraft and fell into the site of a steel factory. The aircraft continued for a safe landing at Tokyo's Narita Airport. The airline reported the panel was covering an emergency slide, due to the leakage of gas used to deploy the slide, the panel was pushed off. Another panel had also separated from the same aircraft same location on Sep 8th 2017, however, has not been found so far. A steel worker showing the panel: http://avherald.com/h?article=4aeff71a&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Ural A321 at St. Petersburg on Sep 28th 2017, mother and infant fell through stairs An Ural Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration VQ-BOB performing flight U6-91 from Moscow Domodedovo to St. Petersburg (Russia), completed an uneventful flight with a safe landing in St. Petersburg and taxied to the apron. The passengers disembarked via stairs at the front left main door, 90 passengers disembarked without problem, however, when a mother with her one year old infant stepped onto the stairs the platform collapsed and mother and infant fell down onto the concrete apron. The infant is reported in critical condition with traumatic brain injuries, the mother received serious injuries (fractures of her legs), both were taken to a hospital. The collapsed platform hanging off the stairs: http://avherald.com/h?article=4aefef72&opt=0 Back to Top Smoke in cockpit prompts Westchester police helicopter emergency landing The helicopter landed in New Jersey. Smoke in the cockpit prompted a Westchester County police helicopter to make an emergency landing in New Jersey this morning, Thursday officials said. The helicopter crew was helping the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police search for a lost hiker when the pilot smelled smoke around 10:15 a.m., Westchester County police spokesman Kieran O'Leary said. The pilot then saw some smoke in the cockpit and decided to find a safe place to land, O'Leary said. The helicopter landed safely in a parking lot at State Line Lookout in Alpine, he said. The pilot and tactical flight officer in the helicopter were not injured. Palisades Interstate Parkway Police said the helicopter made a "hard landing, skidding approximately 30 feet before coming to rest." The local Alpine Fire Department arrived to the scene and found no fire. The cause of the smoke has not yet been determined. The helicopter will be towed back to Westchester, O'Leary said. http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2017/09/28/westchester-police-helicopter- emergency-landing/712298001/ Back to Top Back to Top Serious incident: Swiftair ATR 72-500 stalled in icing conditions en route to Madrid, Spain, 9 Sept. Date: 09-SEP-2017 Time: ca 19:26 LT Type: ATR 72-500 (72-212A) Owner/operator: Swiftair, opf Air Europa Registration: EC-KKQ C/n / msn: 763 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: None Category: Serious incident Location: between Alicante and Madrid - Spain Phase: En route Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Alicante Airport (ALC/LEAL) Destination airport: Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD/LEMD) Investigating agency: CIAIAC Narrative: Air Europa flight UX4050, operated by a Swiftair ATR 72-500, was involved in a stall incident. During climb to FL170, the aircraft suffered a stall after entering an icing zone. The crew recovered the stall and declared emergency. An uneventful landing was carried out at Madrid Airport at 20:06 local time. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=200008 Back to Top FAA will restrict drones from flying around the Statue of Liberty On October 5th, hobbyists will no longer be able to fly their drones around ten US landmarks. The Department of the Interior and the FAA have restricted UAV flights within 400 feet of the monuments, which include the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore and the Hoover Dam. No reason was given for the new restrictions on the FAA post announcing them, though the department's data website notes it was by request of the Department of Defense along with federal intelligence agencies due to "National Security, or Intel Agency or National Defense" concerns. Regardless, the restriction is classified as temporary, and it's the first time the department has banned hobbyist UAVs from flying over monuments, though the FAA has long banned them from military bases. Individuals can request an exemption from each landmark's staff and/or the FAA itself. The ban goes into effect on October 5th, and the list of monuments will be added to the FAA's B4UFLY app. Here are all ten landmarks you can no longer fly within 400 feet of when making your sweet long-exposure YouTube vids: Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York, NY Boston National Historical Park (U.S.S. Constitution), Boston, MA Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, PA Folsom Dam; Folsom, CA Glen Canyon Dam; Lake Powell, AZ Grand Coulee Dam; Grand Coulee, WA Hoover Dam; Boulder City, NV Jefferson National Expansion Memorial; St. Louis, MO Mount Rushmore National Memorial; Keystone, SD Shasta Dam; Shasta Lake, CA https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/faa-restrict-drones-flying-around-223600589.html Back to Top GAMA Welcomes Landmark Bilateral Aviation Safety Procedures Washington, DC - The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) today welcomed the signing of two new agreements between the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and its partner regulators, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), during the annual Certification Management Team (CMT) Meeting in Ottawa, Canada. These new agreements form the first major steps in the implementation of the CMT Collaboration Strategy, published in 2016, to increase the level of safety cooperation among aviation safety regulators from the European Union, the United States and Canada. "These are landmark agreements that significantly improve the acceptance of aviation products and approvals among our industry's key safety regulators," said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. "The global general aviation manufacturing industry will benefit from these new provisions, which will reduce costs and delivery lead-times for aircraft exports in both directions across the Atlantic, while maintaining the highest levels of safety." Revision 6 of the EASA-FAA Technical Implementation Procedures for airworthiness and environmental certification (TIP) is a significant milestone toward a risk-based approach to reduce and further eliminate redundant authority involvement. It establishes a three-tiered approach for all projects based on mutual confidence and safety risk: reciprocal acceptance, including all Technical Standard Orders for equipment, maintenance repair data and alterations on import aircraft; streamlined validation for basic design approvals, including all piston engine and propeller type certificates; and introduction of a new validation work plan approach to manage projects to focus Validating Authority technical involvement only in appropriate areas defined up front, based on risk. Revision 3 of the EASA-TCCA Technical Implementation Procedures for airworthiness and environmental certification (TIP) was also signed during the CMT meeting. This agreement increases cooperation during certification and validation projects, and increases data sharing for in-service aircraft operations. "GAMA looks forward to working with regulators to ensure a smooth and effective transition to the new processes during the six-month implementation period," added Bunce. "We also look forward to seeing these provisions enacted with other bilateral partners, such as Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency." http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12371085/gama-welcomes-landmark-bilateral-aviation- safety-procedures Back to Top CASA threatens to get heavy on repeat offenders (Australia) Civil Aviation Safety Authority chief executive and director of aviation safety Shane Carmody. The nation's aviation safety watchdog has moved to spell out how it will use safety information when making decisions about taking enforcement action, declaring it will strike when the rules are deliberately flouted. But Civil Aviation Safety Authority chief executive and director of aviation safety Shane Carmody said action would be taken only when breaches of the aviation safety rules were "wilful, deliberate or reckless"; there was a pattern; or a failure to move to rectify deficiencies. Mr Carmody said: "Our rational 'just culture' approach means that where honest errors or mistakes are made, CASA looks to support the efforts of individuals and organisations to make necessary improvements, correct identified problems and ensure safety risks are effectively managed in the process. "Individuals and organisations with an understanding and commitment to safety need to take responsibility for addressing safety shortcomings and where they demonstrate the ability and willingness to do this, CASA needs not take action." CASA declared in 2015 that it would demonstrate a "just culture" approach. This approach was one of the recommendations of the Forsyth review on aviation safety regulation, which said regulators in most jurisdictions had moved this way. The Forsyth review, which was released in 2014, had warned that the aviation industry "does not consider just culture principles are adequately applied in Australia and, as a result, is reluctant to disclose information to CASA". Under a "just culture" approach, pilots, engineers and others who report incidents are not normally pursued unless the action was wilful or grossly negligent. Regional Aviation Association of Australia chief executive Mike Higgins said it was "critical" that aviation staff felt they could report safety occurrences without fearing being punished for genuine mistakes. Last month, Mr Carmody issued a directive on limitations on the use of safety information that CASA gets from its normal surveillance and audit processes. This extended the approach beyond reporting programs where "just culture" normally applied. The RAAA, whose members include Rex, Alliance Airlines and Sharp Airlines, backed the move to explain where safety information would be used to cancel or suspend a licence. But the association said CASA needed to "refine" what it classified as unacceptable conduct, saying that getting counselling once in the past three years for similar conduct would not of itself comprise a wilful violation or gross negligence. "The RAAA would like to work with CASA to better refine the boundaries of what is and is not acceptable conduct," Mr Higgins said. "Clear and fair boundaries will maintain a healthy culture of reporting that is so fundamental to safety management." Mr Carmody said CASA wanted to encourage a proactive approach to safety. "Of course, if the safety rules are deliberately flouted or action is not taken to address safety issues, then CASA must and will take appropriate action," he said. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/casa-threatens-to-get-heavy-on-repeat- offenders/news-story/90ea3a9beb8bf8291f0f1ae587c0a670 Back to Top UN aviation agency urges Security Council to back its global security plan MONTREAL, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Thursday called on the UN Security Council to promote greater international awareness and implementation of ICAO's new Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP). "This pivotal document, which focuses extensively on the threat of terrorism to civil aviation, has benefitted from extensive inputs on behalf of both governments and industry," ICAO's Secretary- General Liu Fang said. "Its objectives align with those of UN Security Council Resolution 2309, and once finalized it will be the primary tool by which the aviation security community fulfills its diverse roles," she said. The ICAO is a UN specialized agency, established in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. GASeP is seen as a natural outcome arising from the UN aviation agency's global leadership role in air transport security coordination. GASeP's core objectives are to enhance risk awareness and response, establish a better-defined security culture, refine related technologies while fostering innovations, and improve oversight and quality assurance while increasing cooperation among member states, global and local organizations. It is currently expected to be approved by the ICAO Council at its next session in November, and in the ensuing months a key priority will be to ramp up related global commitments and outreach. Adding to her call for the UN Security Council's support for the GASeP, Liu highlighted that "obtaining financial support is another major area where UN entities can assist ICAO. To meet the security targets identified in the GASeP, and its associated regional roadmaps, capacity development and technology assistance programs must expand significantly." "In addition to these developments, this year's adoption of an Advance Passenger Information (API) Standard, which becomes effective on Oct. 23, 2017, will now make it harder for foreign terrorist fighters to move between states," she said. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-09/29/c_136647826.htm Back to Top Secretary Elaine L. Chao Names Newest FAA Management Advisory Council Members WASHINGTON, DC-U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao today announced the appointment of seven new members to the Federal Aviation Administration's 13-member Management Advisory Council (MAC). The MAC advises the FAA's senior management on policy, spending, long-range planning, and regulatory matters. The MAC's newest members continue to represent a cross section of public and private sector transportation and business leaders. They include: Phillip Trenary, former CEO, Pinnacle Airlines Brian Wynne, CEO, Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) William Ris, former Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, American Airlines Donna McLean, former U.S. Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs and Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Shane, former U.S. Department of Transportation Undersecretary for Policy Huntley Lawrence, Director, Aviation Department, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Richard DeVos, President, Windquest Group and former CEO, Amway "These new members bring extensive experience and over a century of combined expertise in the operation, business, and policy of aviation that will be invaluable to improving the FAA," said Secretary Chao. "Each individual is a widely respected leader in their field and brings an established record of achievement that will help ensure our airspace remains one of the safest and most efficient in the world." Today's MAC appointees join six remaining incumbent members: Jeffrey A. Rosen, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation; Maj. Gen. (ret.) Rowayne Schatz, Associate Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, U.S. Air Force; Paul Rinaldi, President, National Air Traffic Controllers Association; Steve Alterman, President, Cargo Airline Association; John E. "Jack" Potter, President, CEO, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority; and, Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO, SpaceX. Secretary Chao thanked departing MAC members whose terms have expired for their service: Jane Garvey, former FAA Administrator and Meridian Infrastructure/MITRE board member; Craig Fuller, President, the Fuller Co., and former President, AOPA; William Ayer, former Chairman, Alaska Air Group; Montie Brewer, former President and CEO, Air Canada; Lee Moak, former President, ALPA; Ray Conner, Vice Chairman, Boeing Co.; and, Michael Hancock, Mayor of Denver, Colorado. "We are grateful for their contribution and know our aviation system is stronger because of their service," continued Secretary Chao. Created by the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996, the MAC meets quarterly. MAC members serve three-year terms in a voluntary capacity and retain their public and private sector positions. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12371101/secretary-elaine-l-chao-names-newest-faa- management-advisory-council-members Back to Top American to concentrate 767s in east coast bases American Airlines will concentrate its Boeing 767-300ER fleet at its Miami and Philadelphia bases from 2018, a move that it expects will improve reliability and enable expansion. Concentrating the aircraft in its two main east coast international gateways will allow the Fort Worth- based carrier to focus maintenance resources for the ageing 767s, improving reliability and, in turn, allowing it to open new markets, says Vasu Raja, vice-president of network and schedule planning at the airline. American has already announced a number of new 767 services from Philadelphia in 2018. Routes to Budapest and Prague will begin in May, and Zurich in March; and flights to Glasgow, Lisbon and Shannon will shift to the aircraft from smaller 757-200s. These changes will create additional connections for passengers over Philadelphia and strengthen the hub, says Raja speaking at the airline's media and investor day in Dallas on 28 September. American operates 767s on long-haul routes from four of its hubs: Chicago O'Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami and New York John F Kennedy, FlightGlobal schedules show. This will shrink to just Miami and Philadelphia by June 2018. Raja says operating the aircraft from at least four hubs is inefficient and costly for the airline, citing the need to keep spares and staff maintenance personnel in each hub. American was unable to move the 767s, a legacy American aircraft, to the legacy US Airways Philadelphia hub until it integrated certain crew systems, he says. Those integration milestones will allow the fleet type concentration from 2018. The carrier operates 28 767-300ERs with an average age of 20.6 years, the Flight Fleets Analyzer shows. American has yet to identify a replacement for the 767, which is smaller than the Airbus A330-200s and 787-8s in its fleet. Boeing's New Mid-market Airplane could possibly replace the 767s, however, it is not expected until the mid-2020s. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top American Airlines flight attendants sue after claiming their uniforms made them violently ill A group of more than 100 American Airlines flight attendants have filed suit against uniform maker Twin Hill and its parent company Tailored Brands. The flight attendants claim their Twin Hill uniforms have caused them severe health problems. According to several American Airlines flight attendants who have spoken with Business Insider, symptoms include extreme respiratory distress, nausea, headaches, cognitive issues, and full-body rashes. Extreme cases have even seen at least one instance of heavy metal poisoning. This has forced some of the affected flight attendants to put their careers on hold to seek medical attention. The lawsuit, filed in California, claims that the fabric used in Twin Hill uniforms is "dangerously defective" therefore creating an unreasonable risk for people who are exposed to them. The flight attendants and their lawyers claim the chemicals such as formaldehyde, toluene, cobalt, cadmium, captafol, chromium, copper, nickel, antimony, benzyl benzoate, hexyl cinnamic aldehyde, and benzaldehyde have been detected in the fabric. http://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-flight-attendants-sue-twin-hill-claiming-uniforms- made-them-ill-2017-9 Back to Top AIR PARTNER SWOOPS FOR AIR TRAFFIC SAFETY SPECIALIST A High Wycombe-based environmental and air traffic control services provider has been acquired by Air Partner, the aviation group. SafeSkys was founded in 1993 by Richard Barber and now works across 16 civilian and military airports in the UK, employing more than 80 trained staff working every day onsite at the customer airport. The business provides wildlife hazard management and bird control services and also trains customers in this area, alongside air traffic control services. The acquisition has been funded from Air Partner's existing cash resources, aligns to Air Partner's long-term strategy and objectives, and is expected to be earnings enhancing in its first full year of ownership. SafeSkys reported revenue of about £1.8m for the year ended 31 July 2016. As part of Air Partner's Consulting & Training division, SafeSkys activities will extend the group's capabilities, scale and international presence. Once integrated, SafeSkys will rebrand as Air Partner SafeSkys. Taurus London acted as lead adviser to Air Partner plc. Mark Briffa, chief executive of Air Partner, said: "We look forward to supporting SafeSkys UK and International growth in the years ahead with investment in organic initiatives and complementary acquisition." SafeSkys founder Richard Barber added: "This is an exciting opportunity for the great team at SafeSkys and for our customers, and it is a natural development for the company after 24 years of successful operation and growth at the forefront of the industry." https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/central-and-east/air-partner-wings-in-for-air-traffic-safety- specialist Back to Top Rush To China Chinese Airlines are Hiring More and More Korean Pilots China was the destination for 84 out of the 90 pilots who moved to other companies According to The Minjoo Party lawmaker Hwang Hee and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, a total of 90 South Korean pilots moved to other companies this year and China was the destination for 84 out of the 90 pilots. The ratio was 90% last year and 91% in 2015. During the most recent five years, 330 South Korean pilots left their companies, including 289 who headed to China. South Korean pilots' rush to China began in 2015. In 2013, only 24 changed their jobs, including 14 who landed in China. In 2014, the numbers stood at 24 and 17, respectively. Then, Chinese airlines began to attract South Korean pilots on a large scale. "The Chinese airline industry is showing a rapid growth these days along with the lack of experienced pilots, which has resulted in more and more pilot recruitment from South Korea," the lawmaker explained, adding, "The government would be well advised to take measures with exactly the same thing occurring in South Korea." He went on to say, "The government's plan for pilot training focuses only on new pilots, but not only that but also measures for preventing outflow are urgently required now." http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/english/news/insight/19467-rush-china-chinese-airlines-are-hiring- more-and-more-korean-pilots Back to Top Ryanair crisis: aviation industry expert warns 600,000 new pilots needed in next 20 years Tilmann Gabriel Senior Lecturer, City, University of London Tilmann Gabriel is Executive Chairman and President of the International Pilot Training Association. Ryanair's announcement that it is cancelling 18,000 flights between November and March has understandably evoked the ire of the 400,000 customers affected. And, hot on the heels of news that it was cancelling up to 50 flights a day from mid-September to the end of October, it is facing a PR nightmare and trouble with regulators. Amid the outrage, the reason for the cancellations has been largely lost. The airline said it "messed up in the planning of pilot holidays". But this is part of a major industry-wide problem. Ryanair might be one of the first to feel the pinch in Europe, but there is a global pilot shortage which has been a long time in the making. The industry currently employs 500,000 professional pilots worldwide and reportedly needs another 600,000 in the next 20 years to cover the retirement of pilots and the 6% growth of another 35,000 airliners entering the global market. Shortfalls of pilots have already hit US airlines this year, starting with small regional ones, and have been visible in India and China for a while now. Ryanair is the first European airline to be hit. The food chain of aircraft type, airline, salary, benefits and personal lifestyle preferences for pilots determines where they look to work. Long gone are the times where pilots were employed for life by one airline. Like employees in most industries these days, pilots are choosing and managing their careers. The pilot shortfall spiral Low-cost carriers such as Ryanair actually do a superior job in training new pilots into their first airline job, training far more than most other airlines. But the task for Ryanair is never ending, as many pilots will leave after three years - at the end of their initial commitment - when they have gained enough experience. Pilots tend to move on to airlines which give them better pay or working conditions, or offer a more suiting lifestyle such as long-haul flying or different home bases. As Ryanair expands, the demand for pilots is continually growing. Airlines can manage occasional shortfalls with vacation embargoes - where crew are not allowed to take their holiday over a certain period. Sometimes, pilots have accrued several years of vacation and the airline can pay some of it off. But labour laws in Europe provide strong support for employees who want to take their holiday. Plus, when a pilot resigns for a new job, they often leave the next day as they have so many vacation days left, which can cause unforeseen gaps in scheduling. This is a spiral which is hard for an airline to get out of when things get tough. It is a problem clearly forecast but often ignored, resulting in the need for airlines to apply quick and costly solutions. An industry which is producing US$5.6 trillion worth of aircraft in the next 20 years will have to get serious about tackling this shortfall as a combined and global challenge. Immediate bonus payments after a certain commitment time are already common practice. So the salary structure and the benefits of a pilot will need to quickly improve. The costs of training Pilots take a long time to train. Next to finding a large number of interested students for the recruitment and assessment, each student has to currently bring £100,000 to the flight school for the 18-24 month training programme, which they pay for themselves. They then have to undergo specific type-training (each aircraft type needs a specific license) and gain 1,500 hours in a multi-crew environment to earn a full professional Airline Transport Pilot license. Typically, this takes two to three years, where the airline pays a reduced salary, covers the initial type rating costs of £30,000 and commits the pilot to the airline that pays for it. The cost for the initial training is prohibitive for many students who would like to get into the pilot profession. Solutions such as sponsorship and bank credits could be explored. In the past this career choice was left completely to the interested student. But not enough pilots are being trained this way, for example new professional licenses declined from 2015 to 2016 by 9% in the UK. Then there's a further issue that not all students go on to get jobs immediately, as airline assessments happen only after pilot training is completed and a proportion of students fail. It's clear that training schools, airlines and other related institutions must work together to find sustainable solutions to this crisis. The attractiveness of careers as an airline pilot as well as job opportunities and mentoring for new pilots must be addressed. Young people have a range of opportunities for interesting careers. So it must remain attractive from a regional and global perspective. The salaries and benefits from airlines are part of this, as is support for training costs, either direct or via industry-based funding institutions. Otherwise airlines will pay for the shortfall in the long run. An aircraft which is parked due to a shortfall of pilots is costly. The monthly lease rate of US$200,000 to US$700,000 per aircraft still has to be paid, which, together with the lost revenues and other provisional costs, easily amounts to a few million dollars per parked aircraft each month. Not to mention the PR nightmare from flight cancellations. Ryanair must develop a strategy which secures a regular intake of pilots, acknowledging that these employees are key to its operations and need to be looked after and mentored. The fact that its main competitor EasyJet has no pilot problems at this time is a clear sign that a well-treated pilot workforce is proof of success. http://theconversation.com/ryanair-crisis-aviation-industry-expert-warns-600-000-new-pilots- needed-in-next-20-years-84852 Back to Top Tiny robots will inspect and fix jet engines from the inside Robotic mechanics can go anywhere IF YOU are reading this while sitting in an aircraft and are of a nervous disposition, do not be alarmed, but the temperature inside the jet engines keeping you aloft probably exceeds the melting point of the materials that those engines are made from. That they do not consequently turn into a molten mess is a feat of modern engineering. It involves a combination of tough alloys and advanced production techniques, such as 3D printing, which allow components to be made with tiny channels through which cooling air circulates. Parts exposed to the most extreme temperatures, which can reach more than 1,300°C, are given additional protection with a coating of special heat-resisting ceramics. New jet engines are designed to run hot because that results in a more complete combustion, which lowers fuel consumption and cuts emissions. Hot engines, though, need nurturing. Nowadays the three big aircraft-engine makers, General Electric (GE), Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney, usually include servicing as part of their sales, and many jet engines are leased on a "power-by-the-hour" contract. This means regular check-ups and maintenance are in the interests of airlines and producers alike. The difficult bit is inspecting an engine without dismantling it. That requires taking the aircraft to which the engine is attached out of service. And, with a power-by-the-hour contract, when a plane disappears into the workshop, it is not just the airline that loses money, but the engine maker, too. The hunt is therefore on for faster and more efficient ways to keep engines in tip-top condition. Don Lipkin, a chief scientist at GE Global Research in Niskayuna, New York, and his colleagues Todd Danko and Kori Macdonald, think they have come up with one. They are developing tiny robots which can venture inside an engine to inspect its innards and carry out any necessary repairs. Eventually, these robots may be able to work while a plane is waiting at a gate between flights. Send in the microbots Dr Lipkin's robots are being tested in a laboratory, but he hopes to have them ready to go inside operating aircraft by the end of the year. To start with, they will conduct inspections. Later, once techniques are perfected, they will begin making repairs. Such robots will also be used to inspect and repair GE's gas turbines. These are jet engines used in power plants to generate electricity, rather than as propulsion devices. But they, too, would benefit from reduced downtime for maintenance. Inspecting the fan blades that draw air into the front of an engine is reasonably straightforward, because those blades are large and visible. But things get harder the deeper you go. Following the fan are a series of closely packed blades that compress the air before it arrives at the combustion chamber. When the compressed air reaches that chamber, and is mixed with fuel and ignited, the resulting hot gases then blast out of the rear, providing thrust. Some of those gases are diverted through a series of stubby turbine blades near the back of the engine. These, via shafts, turn the fan and the compressor, and thus keep the whole arrangement running. In a working engine, all of these components are so tightly packed together that sometimes the only way to peek inside is by inserting an endoscope (a camera on a flexible tube) through a hole in the engine's casing. But the view is limited. The researchers' robots, however, are small enough to navigate their way around all the various blades, photographing everything they see and relaying the pictures wirelessly to technicians. Then, once the pictures have been analysed, the robot itself can often effect a repair. The team's robots come in several varieties. One is about the size of a small envelope and is flexible. It runs along a sort of rack-and-pinion track that is inserted into the back of the engine. The track is made from a long strip of plastic which, with a twisting action, can be flicked between the blades. The robot is attached to the track and employs a toothed drive-mechanism which connects to a series of holes in the plastic strip and permits the device to propel itself along. Once it has arrived at its destination, it expands so that it is gripped between a pair of blades. The track is withdrawn and the robot hitches a ride on the blades as these are rotated manually by technicians. That way it can photograph internal surfaces adjacent to the blades as it passes. Once its job is done, it can be pulled out on a cord. Another type of robot, a few centimetres square, crawls inside an engine on caterpillar tracks. A third version uses magnetic wheels. These let it grip surfaces made with specialised steels in the cold front section of ground-based gas turbines, and thus work upside down if necessary. All the robots are driven by a human operator using a tablet computer. To repair things, the machines are fitted with tiny arms that reach out and inject ceramic coatings from a cartridge of material to fill in any damaged areas. The robots can also carry small grinding tools, to smooth down ragged surfaces. Such repairs may not be as permanent as those during a full rebuild, but they are good enough to extend the time an engine can operate between major overhauls. Moreover, data collected by the robots would be used by GE to update the engine's "digital twin". These twins are virtual replicas, held on a computer, and contain the latest operating data sent via satellites from sensors mounted inside engines. The twins serve as test beds for spotting problems before they get serious. This means preventive maintenance can be carried out and unscheduled visits to the workshop avoided. Robots will allow much finer monitoring of an engine's wear and tear. That varies, according to how aircraft are used-even by particular pilots, some of whom push aircraft engines harder than others do-and where in the world a plane most often operates. Airborne particles, particularly in polluted regions, can block the tiny cooling channels that help stop an engine melting. Wind-blown sand grains in places such as the Middle East subject blades to increased abrasion. Jet engines are already remarkably reliable, with the need for an in-flight shutdown now in the order of once in 20,000 hours of operation, which means a pilot may never experience a failure in his entire career. Tiny robots will make them more so. https://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21729737-robotic-mechanics-can-go- anywhere-tiny-robots-will-inspect-and-fix-jet-engines Back to Top Hypersonic SR-72 Demonstrator Reportedly Spotted at Skunk Works Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs, better known as Skunk Works, might be further along in the development process for the SR-72 than it has let on. A proposed hypersonic reconnaissance and strike aircraft, the SR-72 would serve as a replacement for the famed SR-71 Blackbird, which was retired by the Air Force back in 1998. In June, Lockheed announced early progress on the program, and now a source told Aviation Week that they spotted a small demonstrator aircraft landing at Skunk Works facilities in Palmdale, California, possibly associated with early tests for the unmanned SR-72 program. The reported sighting corresponds with announcements from Lockheed regarding progress in hypersonic aircraft research. The aerospace firm previously reported work on a combined-cycle engine that uses elements of both a turbine and a scramjet to achieve hypersonic speeds, something Lockheed Martin tested with partner Aerojet Rocketdyne from 2013 to 2017. Two combined-cycle engines are planned to power the SR-72, which is designed to be about the same size of the SR-71 and could achieve first flight in the late 2020s. An optionally piloted flight research vehicle (FRV) is also in the works to flight test elements of the SR-72 design. The FRV will be about the size of an F-22 and use a single combined-cycle engine for propulsion. Development of the FRV is expected to begin next year and first flights could occur as soon as 2020. Leading up to the FRV, Lockheed could be conducting ground and flight tests on even smaller demonstrators, which might explain the small aircraft that was reportedly spotted landing at Lockheed Martin facilities in California. From Aviation Week: According to information provided to Aviation Week, one such technology demonstrator, believed to be an unmanned subscale aircraft, was observed flying into the U.S. Air Force's Plant 42 at Palmdale, where Skunk Works is headquartered. The vehicle, which was noted landing in the early hours at an unspecified date in late July, was seen with two T-38 escorts. Lockheed Martin declined to comment directly on the sighting. In addition to the sighting, Orlando Carvalho, executive vice president of aeronautics at Lockheed Martin, alluded to the SR-72 program at this week's SAE International Aerotech Congress and Exhibition in Fort Worth, Texas. "Although I can't go into specifics, let us just say the Skunk Works team in Palmdale, California, is doubling down on our commitment to speed," he said, as reported by Aviation Week. Carvalho went on to say, "Hypersonics is like stealth. It is a disruptive technology and will enable various platforms to operate at two to three times the speed of the Blackbird... Security classification guidance will only allow us to say the speed is greater than Mach 5." With classified military aircraft development, it has historically been the case that systems and flight testing begin years before the full details of the program are made public. Such was the case with the original SR-71, as well as the F-117 Nighthawk and the B-2 Spirit stealth aircraft. The fact that Skunk Works is letting some information slip about the SR-72 program, combined with the possible subscale demonstrator sighting in Palmdale, suggests the Blackbird's hypersonic successor could only be a matter of time. Source: Aviation Week https://www.yahoo.com/tech/hypersonic-sr-72-demonstrator-reportedly-150008930.html Back to Top SpaceX unveils Mars city plan, will fly two cargo missions by 2022 SpaceX hopes to land at least two cargo missions to Mars a mere five years from now. The aerospace company's chief, Elon Musk, has discussed its plans at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Australia. He talked about how SpaceX intends to use the BFR, the massive rocket it's developing, to fly Martian settlers to their new home and to take people anywhere on Earth in under an hour. In addition to landing two cargo missions on the red planet by 2022, it hopes to be able to confirm sources of water and potential hazards by that time. SpaceX also plans to start building mining, power and life support infrastructure that year to prepare for the first settlers that could arrive as soon as 2024. Musk said SpaceX aims to take the first settlers aboard two crewed flights to the red planet by 2024. Their supplies will be loaded onto two separate cargo flights also slated to land within that year. The first wave of settlers will have to set up the base to prepare for future waves who will work on expanding it further and terraforming their new home. These are, however, very ambitious goals -- we could probably expect delays as SpaceX develops the technologies needed to make them happen. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/spacex-aims-land-two-apos-054000702.html Back to Top Back to Top Deputy Director of Safety Overview: The Deputy Director of Safety is responsible for supporting the association's existing aviation safety programs, and developing new safety initiatives to benefit HAI's membership. Essential Functions of the Position Include, but Are Not Limited To: * Providing auxiliary support to the Director of Safety * Serving as the HAI safety representative on various industry, government, and international boards, task forces, and meetings * Providing feedback for the association's response to proposed safety-related regulations and legislative initiatives * Collecting, researching, and analyzing safety and accident data for subsequent statistical reporting * Developing and implementing new HAI industry safety initiatives * Routinely interacting with aviation related agencies and organizations in support of the rotorcraft industry * Supporting all aspects of HAI's voluntary accreditation programs (IS-BAO & HAI APS) that assist helicopter operators in reducing incidents and accidents, while improving industry safety culture * Providing safety supervision for flight activities at the association's annual trade show and exposition, HAI HELI-EXPO® * Responding to requests for rotorcraft safety assistance from HAI members and the general public * Serving as staff liaison for assigned HAI committees * Contributing content for use in HAI's printed and electronic publications * Making safety presentations on behalf of HAI as necessary * Other duties as assigned The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. Desired Qualifications for the Position Include: * College or advanced degree related to aviation safety and/or management * Five or more years of related helicopter safety background, training, and experience * Certificated helicopter pilot and/or maintenance technician * Previous experience with helicopter or other aviation-related organization * Prior international experience preferred * Familiarization with auditing protocols and accreditation programs * A passionate commitment to the promotion of helicopter safety * Highly motivated, able to work independently and in a team environment * Excellent written and verbal communication skills with prior experience in creating and delivering written proposals and public presentations * Research, data analysis, and report writing experience * Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite * Detail oriented, self-starter, with strong organizational and time management skills * Ability to travel The above qualifications are representative, but not all-inclusive, of the experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position. APPLY HERE https://www.rotor.org/portals/1/eblast/deuty_d.html Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Participants, You are being requested to participate in a research study of your information on factors contributing to the decision to quit flying from Part 121 commercial aviation. This study is expected to take approximately 8 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must be at least 18 years old and currently employed as a Part 121 pilot in the United States. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you may choose to opt out of the study at any time. If you choose to opt out, your data will be destroyed. We appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8FNJBHZ For more information, please contact: Gajapriya Tamilselvan gtamilselvan2014@my.fit.edu We appreciate your interest and participation! Curt Lewis