Flight Safety Information October 12, 2017 - No. 203 In This Issue Incident: EAT Leipzig A306 at Amsterdam on Oct 10th 2017, rejected takeoff, crew suspected they had hit something ncident: Fiji B737 over Pacific on Oct 11th 2017, loss of cabin pressure Incident: PIA A320 near Lahore on Oct 11th 2017, cargo smoke indication EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection ikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion - Fire Onboard (Japan) Mitsubishi Strives For Better MU-2 Pilot Quals Citing safety concerns, airlines refuse to fly to Tununak Airport (Alaska) EASA Inaugurates Singapore Office China's COMAC says C919's third test flight delayed due to bad weather Emirates willing to cooperate with rival UAE airline Etihad Air India Takes Delivery Of 125th Boeing Airplane Jet positive on prospects in India, to order 75 aircraft Experimental jet flies in Mojave for the first time...Scaled Model 401 Yes, You Really Need to be FAA-Certified to Commercially Fly sUAS GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Incident: EAT Leipzig A306 at Amsterdam on Oct 10th 2017, rejected takeoff, crew suspected they had hit something An EAT Leipzig Airbus A300-600, registration D-AEAF performing freight flight QY-2197 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Leipzig (Germany), was accelerating for takeoff from Amsterdam's runway 24 when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed (about 125 knots over ground) reporting they suspected they had hit something or had burst a tyre. The crew requested emergency services to attend the aircraft. The aircraft came to a stop about half way down the runway, emergency services reported seeing nothing unusual, no burst tyre, no fire or smoke from the landing gear. The crew subsequently taxied the aircraft off the runway back to the apron. The occurrence aircraft departed about 3 hours later and reached Leipzig. http://avherald.com/h?article=4af905b2&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Fiji B737 over Pacific on Oct 11th 2017, loss of cabin pressure A Fiji Airways Boeing 737-700, registration DQ-FJF performing flight FJ-822 from Christmas Island (Kiribati) to Honolulu,HI (USA), was enroute over the Pacific Ocean about 950 to 600nm south of Honolulu when the crew needed to initiate an emergency descent to 10,000 feet due to the loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft continued to Honolulu for a safe landing about 2-3 hours later. The airline reported the crew followed standard emergency procedures due to the loss of cabin pressure, the passenger oxygen masks were released. http://avherald.com/h?article=4af9041f&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: PIA A320 near Lahore on Oct 11th 2017, cargo smoke indication A PIA Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration AP-BLU performing flight PK-755 from Sialkot (Pakistan) to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), was climbing through FL140 out of Sialkot when the crew received a cargo smoke indication and decided to divert to Lahore (Pakistan) where the aircraft landed safely about 25 minutes after departure. The crew instructed emergency services to not open the cargo hold until all passengers had disembarked. After all passengers had disembarked emergency services checked the hold and found no trace of fire, heat or smoke. The airline reported the crew followed standard procedures and discharged the fire suppression into the cargo hold. After landing the cargo hold was examined, no evidence of fire or smoke was discovered, some malfunction of the smoke detector is being suspected. Other than many Pakistani media reported there had been no (engine) fire and no smoke or smell of smoke on board. A replacement A320-200 registration AP-BLC reached Riyadh with a delay of 8 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service after about 13 hours on the ground. http://avherald.com/h?article=4af9018d&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion - Fire Onboard (Japan) Date: 11-OCT-2017 Time: 17:15 LT Type: Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion Owner/operator: United States Marine Corps (USMC) Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near North Training Area, Takae, Higashi village, Okinawa - Japan Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) Nature: Military Departure airport: Futenma Air base Destination airport: Futenma Air base Narrative: Burned on the land, close to sea. Fire erupted in the cabin, causing a forced landing at just outside of the training area, a civil grassy terrain. No personal injuries were reported. The Northern Training Area, straddling the villages of Higashi and Kunigami, has landing zones for helicopters, which are shared by the U.S. military's Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=200342 Back to Top Mitsubishi Strives For Better MU-2 Pilot Quals "Most MU-2 accidents involve attitudinal problems on the part of pilots," says pilot and instructor Pat Cannon. It's been more than a year since the FAA morphed SFAR 108, the jet-like initial and recurrent pilot type qualifications rules, into the new Subpart N of FAR Part 91 pertaining to MU-2 pilot qualifications. About the same time last year, the FAA also created AC 91- 89, which standardizes MU-2B series training programs. The changes resulted from a five-year campaign by TAS/Turbine Aircraft Services and MHIA/Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America's aircraft product support division to upgrade MU-2 pilot qualifications and proficiency. The MU-2 community was hopeful that more- stringent qualification and training requirements would slash the aircraft's fatal accident rate. Yet, apparently, a sizable portion of MU-2 pilots are not heeding lessons learned in training. On March 29, 2016, the pilot of an MU-2B-60 lost control of the aircraft and crashed a mile short of Runway 07 at Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec. Then on May 15, 2017, an MU-2B-40, en route from Aguadillo, Puerto Rico's Rafael Hernandez airport to Eleuthera, Bahamas, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Five minutes after takeoff from Buenos Aires' San Fernando airport on July 24, 2017, an MU-2 Marquise crashed into the delta of the Paraná River. And on Sept. 23, 2017, an MU- 2B-40 Marquise crashed 3 mi. northeast of the Ainsworth, Nebraska, airport. "Most MU-2 accidents involve attitudinal problems on the part of pilots," says Pat Cannon, one of the most experienced MU-2 pilots and instructors in the U.S. Pilots walk the walk during rigorous initial and recurrent training. Then, they go back to their old habit patterns once they climb back into their aircraft when they're not under the scrutiny of instructors. "It's Jekyll and Hyde. It's the normalization of deviance." Cannon notes that MU-2 pilots who also attend MHIA's Pilot's Review of Proficiency safety management and decision-making seminars, in addition to FAA-required training, have excellent safety records. PROP originated in 1982 as an initiative to improve safety. It has been effective in slashing the number of MU-2 accidents and incidents. Going forward, Cannon and MHIA officials look forward to the flexibility afforded to them in upgrading training standards as published in AC 91-89. The Advisory Circular can be amended, as needed, without going through the cumbersome public comment process that was necessary to make changes to SFAR 108. But there still are plenty of loopholes in MU-2 training systems. While CFIs are required to have 24-month letters of authorization in order to teach in the aircraft, the FAA doesn't have a top-notch standardization and evaluation system in place for holding instructors to the same standards. Teaching methods, focus points and minimum client qualifications standards can vary from instructor to instructor. Next, MU-2B series aircraft are equipped with a variety of instrument display systems, GPS navigators and autopilots. The differences between aircraft have potential to be challenges with respect to flight and sim instructor standardization. But Cannon notes that Alpha Systems angle-of-attack systems now are available for MU-2 aircraft. They're relatively inexpensive, and they can boost situational awareness during critical phases of flight, such as low-speed operations in airport landing patterns. And finally, MU-2 aircraft aren't required to be fitted with flight data recorders for most non-commercial operations. Most also lack quick access recorders that would support flight operations quality-assurance programs. FOQA tattletales have potential to rein in rogue pilots before their normalization of deviance. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America officials are quite aware of all these factors. They continue to push for tighter adherence to SOPs and cockpit discipline on the part of the MU-2 pilot community. http://aviationweek.com/nbaa-2017/mitsubishi-strives-better-mu-2-pilot-quals Back to Top Citing safety concerns, airlines refuse to fly to Tununak Airport (Alaska) Local airlines are no longer flying into Tununak's small airport. (Courtesy of Andrea Pokrzywinski) About a year ago, Tununak opened a $19 million, state-of-the-art airport. But now, local airlines are refusing to fly there. The village's shifting permafrost is buckling the runway, and both Ravn Alaska and Grant Aviation say that it's too dangerous for pilots to land on it safely. According to Gordon Tester, Tununak's school principal, the airport has been effectively shut down since last Thursday. Community members weren't really told what was happening. "We were calling the airlines [and] asking when the next plane was coming in," Tester said. "And they just said they're not landing until further notice. Well, then you have to ask, 'well what is further notice?'" It was only then, said Tester, that Tununak residents discovered that Ravn and Grant had stopped flying to their village altogether. Like most Alaskan communities off the road system, Tununak relies on air travel for many goods and services. "It's impacted the community because the shelves on the store are pretty much empty," Tester said. "We haven't received mail in over a week or so." According to Tribal Administrator James James, several elderly residents are concerned about receiving their medications, some of which need to be refilled by mail. For now, community members are driving across the tundra on four wheelers to pick up their groceries and mail in Toksook Bay. Tester drove himself there the other day to pick up vegetables and an order of plastic lunch trays for the school. People have been joking about their bumpy flights in and out of Tununak for a while now, and Tribal Administrator James James said that he notified the Department of Transportation about the faulty runway earlier this year. The lower third of it is riddled with potholes, and now it's starting to sink. According to Department of Transportation spokesperson Shannon McCarthy, the melting permafrost may be buckling under the airport's weight. "We do expect some of that settling whenever we're building on tundra or ice-rich soils," McCarthy said. "We did expect some, but we didn't expect this level of settling." Tununak's old airport didn't have these sorts of problems, but McCarthy said that it still needed to be replaced. The old runway was built near the coast, and winter weather conditions made it difficult for planes to land there. As far as the new airport is concerned, McCarthy said that the Department of Transportation is sending one of its expert grader operators to Tununak with construction workers to assess the situation, but that their flights have been delayed by the autumn storms. Because their assessment has been delayed, McCarthy said that the Department of Transportation does not have a timetable yet for when Tununak's runway will be fixed. https://www.alaskapublic.org/2017/10/11/citing-safety-concerns-airlines-refuse-to-fly-to- tununak-airport/ Back to Top EASA Inaugurates Singapore Office Singapore 11 October 2017 - The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) officially opened on 11 October 2017 a regional office in Singapore. EASA's Singapore office will strengthen the well-established partnership between the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and EASA, and will support the aviation industry from Singapore and Europe. The regional office will also be competent for the entire South-East Asia region. Singapore and the South-East Asia region have become key actors on the global aviation scene and key partners for Europe. In particular, the European aviation industry has significant manufacturing, training, maintenance, repair and overhaul activities and need support from the authorities in order to facilitate their business opportunities. Singapore is the 4th EASA regional office after Washington (USA), Montreal (Canada) and Beijing (China). The office will be composed of 2 permanent staff members. The inauguration took place in presence of Mr Loh Ngai Seng, Singapore Permanent Secretary of Transport, Ms Barbara Plinkert, Ambassador-designate of the EU Delegation to Singapore, Mr Henrik Hololei, Director General for Mobility and Transport at the European Commission and Mr Patrick Ky Executive Director of EASA. Mr Patrick Ky said: "We cooperate with CAAS on concrete aviation projects since 2012. We now go a step further. The opening of EASA's regional office in Singapore underlines the importance of Singapore and the entire ASEAN region as a strong partner for EASA and for the European Aviation Industry as a whole." Mr Henrik Hololei declared: "'I am very pleased to see that on the day we launch the first ever EU-ASEAN Transport Dialogue, we also open the EASA office in Singapore to work with the whole ASEAN block. This is a clear sign of our commitment to the region and further deepens our very good and close cooperation. No doubt this will further strengthen our well-established relations with our Singaporean partners and friends. It is also a recognition of the strategic importance of Singapore and our special bilateral relations. We have had shared successes in the past, and I look forward to much more shared success in the future. '' The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is the centerpiece of the European Union's strategy for aviation safety. Our mission is to promote and achieve the highest common standards of safety and environmental protection in civil aviation. Based in Cologne, the Agency currently employs more than 800 experts and administrators from all over Europe. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12373837/easa-inaugurates-singapore-office Back to Top China's COMAC says C919's third test flight delayed due to bad weather SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Plans to send China's home-built C919 passenger jet on its third test flight have been delayed due to bad weather, a Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd (COMAC) official told Reuters on Thursday. FILE PHOTO: China's domestically developed C919 passenger jet takes off on its second test flight at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China September 28, 2017. China Daily via REUTERS COMAC Vice President Shi Jianzhong said last month that the plane was expected to make its third test flight within two weeks of its second test flight on Sept. 28, suggesting the test flight would take place by the end of this week. A COMAC official, who declined to give his name due to company policy, said that plans for that flight had been pushed back due to bad weather. "No decision has yet been made on when the next flight will be," he said. The almost five month-gap between the C919's first and second flight was far longer than that of other new aircraft and had raised concerns that COMAC's plans to deliver the aircraft were running behind schedule. Shi had said the firm was being cautious over issues with the plane's technology and engine that had surfaced but that COMAC expected future test flights to be very close together. The narrow-body C919, which will compete with Boeing Co's 737 and the Airbus SE's A320, is a symbol of China's efforts to become a key player in the global civil aerospace market and also represents President Xi Jinping's ambitions to upgrade the country's manufacturing industry. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-aviation-comac/chinas-comac-says-c919s- third-test-flight-delayed-due-to-bad-weather-idUSKBN1CH0GS Back to Top Emirates willing to cooperate with rival UAE airline Etihad SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Emirates [EMIRA.UL] is open to cooperation with rival Etihad Airways in areas including procurement, its president Tim Clark said on Wednesday, adding a full merger between the pair was unlikely but up to the owners. Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airlines speaks at the 2016 International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit in Dublin, Ireland June 2, 2016. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Based in the United Arab Emirates, Emirates and Etihad have competed to build global networks from their respective hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, even as they battled overcapacity, security concerns and a fall in regional business travel. "I think there is value to be had working more closely with them," Clark told Reuters by phone, adding there might be concerns from regulators in some foreign markets. "There are many areas that the airlines could work together on like procurement. But we have to go the first jump first to understand what it is we could do and I'm simply the manager of one of the businesses," he said. "It is my superiors who have to make that call, not me." When asked if the pair could pursue a merger along the lines of Europe's Air France and KLM, Clark said: "I don't think that will be the case but it is not my call, really. It is whatever (the shareholders) may do in the future." Emirates is owned by the Dubai government while Etihad is owned by the Abu Dhabi government. Etihad, which has been hit by loss-making investments in Air Berlin (AB1.DE) and Italy's Alitalia [CAITLA.UL], said in response to Clark's remarks that it was common for airlines to leverage in-country expertise and economies of scale. "We constantly seek opportunities for innovative collaboration with other organisations, where it makes business and commercial sense," an Etihad spokesman said in an emailed statement. Last month, Etihad announced it would appoint Tony Douglas, former boss of Abu Dhabi's airport and London's Heathrow, as its CEO from January as it rethinks its expansion strategy. EMIRATES ORDER PLANS Emirates, a bigger airline than Etihad, is the largest customer for the Airbus SE (AIR.PA) A380, a plane facing slowing production rates due to a lack of sales. Clark said an order for more was under consideration, adding that any A380 order would help replace 25 A380s due to be retired in the mid-2020s. He did not give any details on the likely volume of any order or whether a deal would be signed at the Dubai Airshow next month. "Airbus would love us to do that but we've got a few things to sort out first so I'm not sure that we'll get there for the airshow," he said. The airline is separately looking at the Airbus A350 and the Boeing Co (BA.N) 787 to meet its needs in the 250-300 seat market, Clark said. Last month he told Aviation Week magazine that a planned order was "off the table for now". In 2014, Emirates canceled an order for 70 A350s. Clark said Emirates' procurement and operational groups were engaging with both manufacturers about potential orders. "I don't want to focus on the Dubai Airshow," he said of the timing. "The important thing is to get the right deal for the company at the time that suits us, not driven by a guillotine of the middle of November." https://www.reuters.com/article/us-emirates-airline/emirates-willing-to-cooperate-with- rival-uae-airline-etihad-idUSKBN1CG0PJ Back to Top Air India Takes Delivery Of 125th Boeing Airplane Air India has taken delivery of its 125th Boeing airplane. The airplane is the 27th 787-8 Dreamliner for the national carrier. Rajiv Bansal, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India said, "Boeing airplanes are, and always have been, the foundation of Air India's fleet, providing us with the very best in economics, fuel efficiency, flexibility and passenger comfort. Taking delivery of our 125th Boeing airplane, and 27th 787 Dreamliner marks an important day for Air India. The 787 has been integral to our expansion and competiveness, enabling us to open numerous new and nonstop routes and provide our customers with an unrivalled flying experience." Air India was an original member of the 787 Dreamliner launch group and took delivery of its first 787-8 in 2012. In all, the airline now operates 27 787-8 Dreamliners, along with 777-200LRs (Longer Range), 777-300ER (Extended Range), and 747-400s. Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president, Asia Pacific and India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes said, "Boeing and Air India have been strong partners in aviation for more than 70 years and it is a proud moment in our shared partnership to deliver their 125th airplane." Air India operates the 787 Dreamliner to all its destinations in Europe and to other cities in the Middle East, Asia and Australia. https://www.traveltrendstoday.in/news/aviation/item/5373-air-india-takes-delivery-of- 125th-boeing-airplane Back to Top Jet positive on prospects in India, to order 75 aircraft The airline is looking to increase domestic market share and expand in regional international routes. Jet AirwaysBSE 0.97 % will look at buying 75 aircraft, its chief executive Vinay Dube said Wednesday, as the airline looks to increase domestic market share and expand in regional international routes. "Reflecting its confidence in the long-term prospects of the Indian aviation sector, the airline is in the process of evaluating adding an equal number (75) narrow-body aircraft, a decision on which will be made over the coming few months," a Jet spokesperson confirmed in an email to ET. Jet currently has a fleet of 112 aircraft, which includes 76 narrow-bodied Boeing 737, 18 wide-bodies for long haul international operations and 18 ATR turboprops for short haul domestic flights. It has an order for 75 Boeing 737 Max aircraft that will start delivering from mid-2018. At list prices, one Boeing 737 Max costs between $110 million-$125 million (`716 crore- 814 crore) depending on the stretch. Dube however didn't elaborate the make of the plane Jet is looking to buy. Incremental capacity is crucial for Jet which has for several years ceded its historic number 1 position by market share to low fare airline IndiGo. The latter has been extremely aggressive in expansion, placing a total of 430 plane orders in several purchase agreements. India last accounted for 63 per cent of the fleet size of airlines in South Asia but its order constitutes 94 per cent of the region, according to figures from Sydney-based consultant CAPA-Centre for Aviation. But the problem of overcapacity looms large over the Indian aviation industry with limited airport infrastructure limiting air travel to a handful of airports. Further plane orders are only expected to aggravate the problem. ET recently analysed that 73 per cent of international traffic and 78 per cent of domestic still travel via Delhi Mumbai Bengaluru, Hyderabad Chennai and Kolkata. The overcapacity has led to cutthroat competition and price wars deeply impacting yields of airlines.Revenue per average seat kilometre (RASK) for Jet Airways in the April-June quarter remained flat, compared to the previous year. For IndiGo, which had suffered a dent in yields in previous quarters, it rose 5.5 per cent. Meanwhile, Jet has been expanding its long haul international network, too. Dube was speaking at the airline's launch flight from Chennai to Paris. It is also starting flights connecting Bengaluru to Amsterdam and Mumbai to London. Jet is also in advanced stages of talks to deepen its ties with Air France. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/jet-positive-on-prospects-in- india-to-order-75-aircraft/articleshow/61046681.cms Back to Top Experimental jet flies in Mojave for the first time Scaled Model 401 Kern County-based Scaled Composites announced Wednesday the rollout and first flight of its most recent project, the experimental aircraft Model 401. Scaled said it worked with a proprietary customer to build two of the aircraft. It declined to name the customer. Photo courtesy of Scaled Composites Aerospace developer Scaled Composites, based at Mojave Spaceport in eastern Kern County, is known for making possible the first privately funded human spaceflight with its design of SpaceShipOne. On Wednesday, the company founded by Burt Rutan and now owned by Northrop Grumman flew its newest experimental aircraft for the first time, the modestly named Model 401. The company said it is working with a "proprietary customer to build two vehicles to demonstrate advanced, low-cost manufacturing techniques and to provide aircraft for research flight services to industry partners and the United States government." Vague? Sure. But in the world of "bleeding edge" technology where risk is inherent and secrets are jealously protected, information is released in small, careful doses. The two vehicles, Scaled said, were designed to be identical in outer mold line and performance, with each aircraft powered by a single Pratt & Whitney engine with 3,045 pounds of thrust. The jets are capable of flying more than 400 mph at 30,000 feet. They have a wingspan of 38 feet and are 38 feet long. The sleek jets have an empty weight of 4,000 pounds and a maximum take-off weight of 8,000 pounds with a flight endurance of up to three hours. "This is such an exciting time for us," Project Engineer Aaron Cassebeer said in a statement. "Scaled is at the forefront of experimental aircraft development and I am fortunate enough to have a front row seat. "Today was a great day for our test team," he said. "We had a great flight and we are looking forward to the future test program." http://www.bakersfield.com/news/experimental-jet-flies-in-mojave-for-the-first- time/article_b73a9126-aee6-11e7-b7a8-13c481a7ffd7.html Back to Top Yes, You Really Need to be FAA-Certified to Commercially Fly sUAS People often pose the question, "What will happen if I get caught flying a commercial drone without a Remote Pilot Certificate?" This is a very valid question, considering answers found on the internet might not always be accurate. For example, there are online forums suggesting 1) you won't get caught by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); 2) you shouldn't bother getting a Remote Pilot Certificate; or 3) it's not worth it to invest in drone training or certification. This is not sound advice. The risk associated with non-certificated individuals can not only harm others but can also result in serious legal issues for both the individual and the hiring business. What Should Businesses Look for When Hiring a sUAS Service Provider? Whenever a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) is being used for a commercial - i.e., non-hobbyist - purpose, the FAA requires that the operator possess a specific authorization, most commonly in the form of a Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. The FAA published a new set of regulations in June 2016 known as Part 107. In addition to outlining the operational limitations of sUAS, Part 107 also provided requirements for the issuance of a commercial Remote Pilot Certificate with a sUAS rating for commercial drone pilots. A commercial Remote Pilot Certificate allows a person to get paid for flying a drone; the purpose is to ensure that a commercial drone pilot is familiar with and safely abides by the established rules of the sky. It is becoming more and more common for large commercial businesses to either integrate their own drone program or outsource for sUAS service providers. Whether a company is hiring a long-term drone operator or someone to fly for a single job, they must be sure to verify the legitimacy of the proposed sUAS service provider. Here are some main requirements: Proof of proper credentials to conduct commercial sUAS flights, including a Part 107 certificate, Section 333 exemption or another FAA-issued Certificate of Authorization (COA); Verifiable work experience in the form of imagery/data samples; and Up-to-date certification (a biannual flight review for Part 107 must be passed every two years). Why Would it Matter If They're Certified or Not? The insurance aspect alone should compel every commercial business seeking drone operations to verify the legitimacy of their sUAS service provider. Insurance companies will cover operations conducted by individuals only if they have the proper credentials to conduct the specified types of unmanned aircraft flights. If they do not, any coverage that they claim to have either doesn't exist or was most likely fraudulently obtained and, thus, will not apply if an accident does occur. Besides the risk associated from an insurance standpoint, there are legal concerns that come with hiring a drone operator for any commercial use without a Remote Pilot Certificate. Although the FAA is hardly able to police the entire commercial drone space at this time, they are, of course, trying to deter unauthorized operations. If a business is caught or turned in, the company or individual hiring/contracting them could face federal penalties for their role in the unauthorized flights. In addition to the hiring company's suffering from possible federal penalties, non-certified drone operators performing the commercial sUAS flights can also face heavy fines and potential jail time for non-compliance. For example, a Chicago-based company was fined $1.9 million by the FAA for embarking on unauthorized drone photography flights a couple years ago. The case recently settled at a $200,000 civil fine. Not only will getting a Remote Pilot Certificate dismiss many legal concerns, but it will also make the pilot more valuable and marketable to commercial businesses, resulting in more drone service jobs for the individual. The Bottom Line From a liability and legal standpoint, even if the FAA has not developed a solution to effectively address non-certificated individuals who conduct commercial drone flights, they eventually will. In the meantime, the potential impact in the event of an accident for both the business and the pilot should be enough to deter any commercial sUAS flights conducted by non-certificated operators. Colin Romberger is the chief pilot at Scranton, Pa.-headquartered DARTdrones Flight School. He graduated from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University as one of the first five students to earn a master's degree in unmanned aircraft systems, with a focus in flight operations and systems design. DARTdrones offers Part 107 test prep, as well as various drone training courses for enterprise clients across the U.S. Romberger can be reached at marketing@dartdrones.com or 800-264-3907. https://unmanned-aerial.com/qq-really-need-faa-certified-commercially-fly-suas Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY My name is Mark Patrick Collins. I am a master's student in aviation and transportation at Lewis University. I am writing my thesis on the future market for Large Unmanned Cargo Aircraft (LUCA) and have prepared a market research survey questionnaire. Please find a link to the market research questionnaire: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LargeUCA The objective of this thesis is to develop more discussion on this topic and explore the possible marketing potential so to help enable the industry to move forward at a faster pace. We would like to get as many participants as possible working in the aviation industry. This questionnaire should only take several minutes to complete and is completely anonymous and confidential. Thank you for your time and assistance in this project! Regards, Mark Patrick Collins MSAT Student Lewis University markpcollins@lewisu.edu Curt Lewis