Flight Safety Information October 16, 2017 - No. 205 In This Issue Incident: Lingus A320 near Cardiff on Oct 12th 2017, fumes in cockpit Incident: Etihad B773 near Adelaide on Oct 14th 2017, cargo smoke indication Incident: UTAir B738 near Moscow on Oct 15th 2017, smoke in cockpit Incident: Easyjet A319 near Hanover on Oct 15th 2017, smoke in cockpit EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Crash: Guicango E120 near Dundo on Oct 12th 2017, engine failure, fire Accident: Cebu Pacific A320 at Iloilo on Oct 13th 2017, runway excursion Accident: Valan AN26 at Abidjan on Oct 14th 2017, came to stop in the sea Beech 100 King Air impacted drone during approach to Québec City Airport, Canada Pilots Targeted By Laser Pointers North Of Logan Airport Minnesota man put a bullet hole in passing plane, charges say Aviation safety in India: A matter of concern FAA Can't Keep Up with Requests for Drone Flights in Restricted Areas HOW AIR FRANCE WILL RESCUE ITS A380 WITH A SHATTERED ENGINE Winds keep pilots from flying at Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Honeywell raises the bar for Asean aviation safety The average week in the life of a modern aircraft: 58,000 miles, 46 flights and 19 destinations Ion Thruster Prototype Breaks Records in Tests, Could Send Humans to Mars GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST 2017 FORAS Workshop - November 29-30, 2017, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Organized by Flight Safety Foundation and EVA Air MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING SIGNED BY PAPUA NEW GUINEA SAFETY AGENCIES Air Traffic Control Investigation from SCSI POSITION AVAILABLE: General Manager & Senior Flight Data Analyst POSITION AVAILABLE: Associate Air Safety Coordinator Incident: Lingus A320 near Cardiff on Oct 12th 2017, fumes in cockpit An Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200, registration EI-DEM performing flight EI-845 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Cork (Ireland) with 169 people on board, was enroute at FL360 about 40nm northwest of Cardiff,WL (UK) when the crew reported fumes in the cockpit and decided to divert to Cardiff. The crew turned the aircraft around and landed safely on Cardiff's runway 30 about 20 minutes later. A replacement A320-200 registration EI-DEG reached Cork with a delay of 4 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4afa6e03&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Etihad B773 near Adelaide on Oct 14th 2017, cargo smoke indication An Etihad Boeing 777-300, registration A6-ETR performing flight EY-450 (dep Oct 13th) from Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) to Sydney,NS (Australia) with 349 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 290nm northnorthwest of Adelaide,SA (Australia) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication and diverted the aircraft to Adelaide. Cabin crew were just serving breakfast when they terminated the service and rapidly prepared the cabin for landing. The aircraft landed on Adelaide's runway 23 about 50 minutes later. The aircraft vacated the runway and stopped on a taxiway, where passengers disembarked via stairs. The passengers were rebooked onto other domestic flights from Adelaide to Sydney. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Adelaide about 25 hours after landing. The airline reported a recirculation fan in the cargo hold caused the smoke indication. http://avherald.com/h?article=4afb0bdf&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: UTAir B738 near Moscow on Oct 15th 2017, smoke in cockpit A UTAir Boeing 737-800, registration VQ-BQR performing flight UT-295 from Moscow Vnukovo to Surgut (Russia) with 175 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 260nm northeast of Moscow's Vnukovo Airport when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and initiated an emergency descent initially to FL140, then FL100. The crew subsequently reported the smoke had dissipated. The aircraft returned to Moscow's Vnukovo Airport for a safe landing about 100 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration VQ-BQS reached Surgut with a delay of 7 hours. The airline reported the crew received a smoke detector indication. http://avherald.com/h?article=4afbc47b&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Easyjet A319 near Hanover on Oct 15th 2017, smoke in cockpit An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration HB-JYM performing flight U2-1466 from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Geneva (Switzerland) with 145 people on board, was enroute at FL330 about 40nm northeast of Hanover (Germany) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to Hanover. The aircraft landed safely on Hanover's runway 27R and taxied to the apron. The airport reported the crew noticed smoke in the cockpit, the cause of the smoke was unclear. The aircraft was being repaired and was estimated to continue the flight. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 7 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4afbbbd9&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Crash: Guicango E120 near Dundo on Oct 12th 2017, engine failure, fire, missing aircraft found An Air Guicango Embraer EMB-120, registration D2-FDO performing a charter flight from Dundo to Luanda (Angola) with 4 passengers and 3 crew, was enroute about 15 minutes into the flight when the crew declared emergency reporting an engine (PW118) failure followed by fire. About 20 minutes after departure radio contact was lost, the aircraft did not land on any airport in reach of the aircraft. The aircraft was found the following day, there were no survivors. Angola's Air Force initiated a search involving several helicopters. On Oct 13th 2017 one of the helicopters spotted the wreckage but did not find any survivors. Two helicopters have been dispatched to the wreckage site. Portugal's government confirmed the aircraft crashed about 20 minutes after departure from Dundo killing a Portugese citizen on board of the aircraft. Angola's Accident Investigation Board GPIAA reported the aircraft was found 320km/173nm from Dundo. The aircraft had departed Dundo at 16:58L (15:58Z). About 15 minutes after departure from Dundo the crew reported problems with the aircraft, an engine failure followed by fire. Around the position of the aircraft there was adverse weather. http://avherald.com/h?article=4afa5ef2&opt=0 **************** Status: Preliminary Date: Thursday 12 October 2017 Time: ca 17:15 Type: Embraer EMB-120ER Operator: Guicango Registration: D2-FDO C/n / msn: 120082 First flight: 1988 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW118 Crew: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 Passengers: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Total: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 Airplane damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: near Cuílo ( Angola) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Dundo Airport (DUE/FNDU), Angola Destination airport: Luanda Airport (LAD/FNLU), Angola Narrative: An Embraer EMB-120ER, operated by Guicango, reportedly crashed while on a domestic flight from Dundo to Luanda, Angola. The flight took off from Dundo at 16:58 with three crew and four passengers on board. Preliminary reports suggest contact with the flight was lost about 15 minutes after departure, shortly after the pilot reported a malfunction in the engine, followed by fire. Preliminary reports indicate that the wreckage was found near Cuilo, 170 kilometers from Dundo Airport. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20171012-0 Back to Top Accident: Cebu Pacific A320 at Iloilo on Oct 13th 2017, runway excursion A Cebu Pacific Airbus A320-200, registration RP-C3237 performing flight 5J-461 from Manila to Iloilo (Philippines) with 180 people on board, landed on Iloilo's runway 20 but veered right off the runway and came to a stop on soft ground with the nose gear collapsed. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The airline reported an emergency evacuation was initiated after landing, all occupants have been accounted for without injuries. The CAAP reported the runway is being closed until Sunday (Oct 15th 2017) 7pm for the recovery of the aircraft. No Metars or weather data are available. Related NOTAM: C0807/17 - RWY02/20 CLSD DUE DISABLED ACFT ON RWY. 14 OCT 09:44 2017 UNTIL 15 OCT 11:00 2017. CREATED: 14 OCT 09:44 2017 The aircraft seen after landing: http://avherald.com/h?article=4afa6a04&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Valan AN26 at Abidjan on Oct 14th 2017, came to stop in the sea A Valan Air Cargo Antonov AN-26, registration ER-AVB performing a charter freight flight from Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) to Abidjan (Cote de Ivoire) with 4 crew and 6 passengers, was on approach to Abidjan's runway 03 at 09:45L (09:45Z) in poor weather when the aircraft came to a stop in the sea about 650 meters/2130 feet ahead of the runway threshold. Four occupants were killed, six occupants were taken to hospitals with injuries. Initial reports by the airport had suggested the aircraft had just attempted to depart but overran runway 21. Later emergency services reported the aircraft was arriving from Burkina Faso on approach from the sea side in thunderstorms, gusting winds and lightning when the aircraft ended up in the waters ahead of the runway. Cote de Ivoire's Minister of Interior reported there were 4 fatalities and 6 injured. 6 occupants were Moldovans, 4 were French, all French are amongst the survivors. On Oct 15th 2017 the airline reported after talking to their technician on board and surviving the accident, that the aircraft was on final approach to Abidjan arriving from Ouagadougou, both engines were working normally, when the aircraft impacted waters. It is unclear why the aircraft fell into the waters, the weather characterized by thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and heavy precipitation may have played a role. The captain (63) had accumulated more than 24,000 hours of total flying experience, 13,000 of which were on the AN-26, the first officer - youngest crew member - had accumulated 2,200 hours of flying experience. Both were killed in the accident, in addition to the flight engineer and another company technician. The black boxes were recovered, the Moldovian CAA is going to join the investigation. The aircraft had last been at the Antonov facilities in February 2017 and had been issued a certificate of airworthiness by Antonov. According to the aircraft registry by the CAA Moldova (list compiled on Oct 10th 2017) Valan Air operates AN- 26s with the tailnumbers ER-AVA, ER-AVB and ER-AZO. http://avherald.com/h?article=4afac6ce&opt=0 ***************** Status: Preliminary Date: Saturday 14 October 2017 Time: ca 08:30 Type: Antonov An-26-100 Operator: Valan International Cargo Charter Registration: ER-AVB C/n / msn: 3204 First flight: 1975 Crew: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 6 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Total: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 10 Airplane damage: Destroyed Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: off Abidjan-Felix Houphouet Boigny Airport (ABJ) ( Cote d'Ivoire) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Ouagadougou Airport (OUA/DFFD), Burkina Faso Destination airport: Abidjan-Felix Houphouet Boigny Airport (ABJ/DIAP), Cote d'Ivoire Narrative: An Antonov An-26-100 cargo plane impacted the shoreline, while on final approach to runway 03 at Abidjan-Felix Houphouet Boigny Airport, Cote d'Ivoire. The aircraft came down in the sea, about 650 meters short of the threshold of runway 03. The aircraft broke in three upon impact. The aircraft was chartered by the French Army. On board were six Moldovan crew members and four French army personnel, part of the anti-terrorist operation Barkhane. Four crew members died in the accident. Weather reports indicate that a thunderstorm was passing the airport at the time of the accident. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20171014-0 Back to Top Beech 100 King Air impacted drone during approach to Québec City Airport, Canada Date: 12-OCT-2017 Time: 18:02 LT Type: Beechcraft A100 King Air Owner/operator: SkyJet Registration: C-GJBV C/n / msn: B-100 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: 7 miles from Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, QC (YQB/CY - Canada Phase: Approach Nature: Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Rouyn-Noranda Airport, QC (YUY/CYUY) Destination airport: Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, QC (YQB/CYQB) Narrative: A Beechcraft A100 King Air operated by SkyJet as flight SJ512, was struck by a drone while inbound to Jean Lesage International Airport in Québec City. A safe landing was carried out on runway 24. The aircraft was 7 miles out and at 2400 feet when it hit the drone. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=200405 Back to Top Pilots Targeted By Laser Pointers North Of Logan Airport BOSTON (CBS) - Pilots of two commercial flights reported laser pointers being pointed at their planes north of Logan Airport on Friday night. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said one Air Wisconsin pilot reported a laser illumination around 7:45 p.m. after departing Portland International Airport. Another Air Wisconsin pilot was en route to Portland when they spotted the laser. Both incidents happened about 30 miles north of Boston. Local police were notified of the laser strikes, which can fill the cockpit with light and make flying more difficult. The FAA will investigate the incidents. http://boston.cbslocal.com/2017/10/14/air-wisconsin-laser-pointers-logan-airport/ Back to Top Minnesota man put a bullet hole in passing plane, charges say FERTILE, Minn. - A northwest Minnesota man has been charged with second-degree attempted murder for shooting an airplane flying over his property last week, according to court documents. Chad Lynndell Olson, 51, was charged Thursday in district court in Polk County for allegedly shooting a Cessna small aircraft with a high-powered rifle from his property on Highway 32 northeast of the Fertile airfield on Oct. 6. Chad Lynndell Olson was charged Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017, in Polk County District Court for allegedly shooting a small aircraft with a high-powered rifle from his property northeast of the Fertile, Minn. (Courtesy of the Polk County sheriff's office)Chad Lynndell Olson Olson has a history of making threats and shooting at planes flying over his home, according to a criminal complaint against him. On Oct. 7, an area pilot told a Polk County Sheriff's deputy that he heard an odd "twang" sound while flying his 1974 Cessna Skywagon the previous day in the area of Minnesota highways 32 and 102 near the Fertile airfield. While washing his plane the next day, he found a bullet hole in the fuselage that had not been there when he did a preflight check of the plane the day before. The bullet entered near cables and pulls and could have caused structural failure if they were damaged, the pilot said. He estimated the damage to be $20,000. On Oct. 9, an investigator spoke with a man who said he was at Olson's property on Oct. 2 when he saw Olson shooting a .30-06 rifle as a plane flew overhead, according to the complaint. The witness later told investigators he had seen Olson shoot at planes on four occasions earlier this year and that Olson had told him about three other times he had shot at airplanes. Olson said he was using lethal force to defend himself because the airplanes were "engaged in terrorism." Olson was arrested Thursday and made his first appearance Friday. He faces one count of second-degree attempted murder, one count of second-degree assault and two counts of criminal damage to property. The attempted murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and the assault charge has a maximum of seven years in prison. http://www.twincities.com/2017/10/14/minnesota-man-put-a-bullet-hole-in-passing- plane-charges-say/ Back to Top Aviation safety in India: A matter of concern A sharp rise in the cases of engine failure in aircrafts has raised serious questions about the aviation safety in India. According to the civil aviation regulator's data till August this year, as many as 15 passenger aircrafts suffered midflight engine damage. Although the probe is on to find out the reasons for such failures, the data is worrying as the numbers are the highest for six years. The engine manufacturers have been approached and engines which encountered problems were sent for strip examination to pinpoint the cause. In a case pertaining to a suspected engine fire in an Airbus 320neo aircraft of GoAir in February, the civil aviation ministry has asked the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to probe the incident. The case was initially to be probed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), but the ministry asked DGCA to investigate. There were conflicting reports as to whether there was a fire in the engine or not. Civil aviation secretary RN Choubey had said that it was a case of engine failure and not fire. Airbus A320neo planes, which are fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines, are operated by IndiGo and GoAir in India. The six-year data obtained through the right to information law show only seven aircraft reported engine snags during flights in 2016, said an HT report. Of the 15 cases so far this year, seven engines were manufactured by CFM International while half a dozen was made by Pratt & Whitney. According to reports, Pratt & Whitney has acknowledged that there were some issues with the engine, but maintained that none were serious. The civil aviation has, meanwhile, assured that all aspects of air safety are being looked into. https://www.oneindia.com/india/aviation-safety-india-matter-concern-2564161.html Back to Top FAA Can't Keep Up with Requests for Drone Flights in Restricted Areas By Alan Levin Reports of safety incidents involving civilian drones have surged to an average of 250 a month, leading to a federal "emergency" action to approve drone flights in restricted areas, according to a government notice seeking new procedures for the craft. There is so much pent-up demand for obtaining special permission to fly drones in restricted airspace, that the Federal Aviation Administration says it can't keep up. The FAA says drone users are flying without approval because of the delays. "The time necessary to process these requests has resulted in an increase in safety reports due to non-compliant operations," the agency said in its notice. Drone safety incidents are up compared to last year, according to FAA's notice. Reports of drones flying improperly or getting too close to other aircraft are averaging 250 a month, this year, up by more than 50 percent from last year. They averaged 159 per month from February through September 2016, according to the FAA. Soaring demand for drone flights made possible by regulations finalized last year have created a backlog of requests to the FAA and have become a nuisance to the agency's air- traffic controllers, who often receive direct telephone requests to operate the craft. "These calls create distractions for air traffic control management," the agency said in the Federal Register notice this week. Mid-Air Collision The FAA notice comes just days after the first documented mid-air collision between a drone and a traditional aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a Sept. 21 incident that occurred near Staten Island, New York, when an Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter struck a small drone. While the investigation is in the early stages and no enforcement action has been announced, the drone was almost certainly in violation of FAA rules when the impact occurred. Civilian drones are supposed to stay within 400 feet of the surface, but preliminary information from the pilots indicates they were at about 500 feet, according to Lieutenant Colonel Joe Buccino, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In addition, almost all areas around New York City are off limits for routine drone flights because of the proximity to the area's four busy airports and local helicopter traffic. The device was a Phantom 4, a roughly three-pound (1.38 kilograms) model made by SZ DJI Technology Co., the China-based company that is the world's largest civilian drone manufacturer. The FAA said it wants to sidestep normal regulatory requirements so it can more quickly adopt an automated system for approving low-level drone flights in restricted areas. The agency has created what it calls the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, which takes five minutes for approval via computer instead of months. Since adopting new regulations expanding drone flights last year, the FAA has received 20,566 requests for special flight authorizations. The agency has more than 6,000 pending requests because it can take 60 to 90 days to process them, it said in the notice. That could swell to 25,000 pending requests within the next six months, FAA predicted. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2017/10/16/467539.htm Back to Top HOW AIR FRANCE WILL RESCUE ITS A380 WITH A SHATTERED ENGINE THE AIRBUS A380 is a beast. It's a double-decker, superjumbo passenger plane, with four engines and a wingspan greater than two Boeing 737s side by side. When it first started flying in 2007, airports had to upgrade their facilities to deal with it. So imagine the nightmare of dealing with this plane at an airfield where it was never meant to land. Such is the plight of Air France engineers and French investigators, who must bring the airline's damaged A380 back to Europe. The plane had to make an emergency landing at a remote military airport in Canada last month. The experience sounds harrowing: As the plane flew over Greenland on its way between Paris and Los Angeles, passengers said they heard a loud bang. The front fan of one of the Airbus' four massive engines had disintegrated. Flyers felt some serious shaking before the plane settled down and flew on for two hours on the remaining three engines. It landed at tiny, remote Goose Bay Airport-a mostly military airfield on the first bit of land the pilots came to. Passengers waited onboard for two hours-the facility didn't have stairs large enough to accommodate the A380. Eventually, they caught two replacement jets to their final destinations. Which is when the complicated logistics come in. One group of investigators raced by helicopter to collect pieces of the failed engines before they were covered in Greenland snow. The plane itself, meanwhile, is still stranded in Canada. The first task there, for investigators from France's air safety body, BEA, is to arrange for the mangled remains of the engine to be removed from the plane. Teams from Air France and Airbus will carefully separate that from the underside of the wing. They'll fly that engine, which is about 10 feet in diameter, back to its manufacturers, General Electric, in Cardiff, Wales. It needs to be preserved for forensic analysis, so shipping it, rather than keeping it on the plane as it flies back to France, makes sense. "If the engine is out there in the air stream, unless you put something over the inlet, it's going to rotate, and it's going to do further damage," says Chuck Horning, who was an airline maintenance tech for 18 years, and now teaches the science of it at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Then the team will mount a spare engine in its place on the right wing. Here's the weird thing, though: The airline probably won't use it to power the plane back to France. The stand-in is there for weight balance, and won't actually work, according to Reuters. BEA says the exact plan is still being studied. A remote engine swap, away from an airline's home maintenance base, isn't an unusual procedure, and won't take more than a couple of days. The new engine will arrive on a giant cart, but the trained crew sent to do the swap might have to rent equipment like cranes locally-Goose Bay might not have tools tall enough. Sure, Horning says: It would be simple enough to fire up the new engine for a few ground tests, check for leaks, and then use four operational engines to return to the continent. But it's possible the repair crew doesn't want to do that until the wing structure has been thoroughly inspected for damage. Instead, they might leave the replacement in "windmill" mode, so it just spins. The downside is that this will leave the engine in need of constant lubrication, which will limit flight time, so it might not make it all the way to Paris in one stop. Or the spinny bits could be removed, leaving a hollowed-out engine shell. Captain Dave Wallsworth, who flies A380s for British Airways, says the flight crew that gets the plane back into the air will have completed training on flying on three engines, which includes tests in a simulator. "There's a set procedure for accelerating the engines in a different way to a normal takeoff, due to the thrust asymmetry," he said on Twitter. And bad news for you, thrill-seekers: No passengers or cargo will be on board, to keep weight low. The crew's main concern will be another engine failure, leaving the plane with just two. They'll plot the flight path to make sure they're always in range of an emergency landing strip. Back on land, the engine's failure led the US's Federal Aviation Administration to issue an emergency directive telling all airlines that fly the A380 with that make of engine to do a visual inspection. Sixty percent of A380s (flown by Air France, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, and Korean Airways) do. The main thing that all parties want is answers: What went wrong? Is there any risk to other engines? BEA cautions getting the plane and engine back to Europe could take weeks, and only then will the real investigation start. Eventually, Air France will repair the plane, so it can go back into service. And checks, like those mandated by the FAA, should keep the rest of the fleet safe. https://www.wired.com/story/how-air-france-will-rescue-its-a380-with-a-shattered- engine Back to Top Winds keep pilots from flying at Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Windy conditions have prevented pilots from flying on the final day of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. KOB-TV reports that event officials raised the red flag around 8:40 a.m. Sunday, canceling all flying events at Balloon Fiesta Park. The station says visitors at the park saw a static display on the last day of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, and those balloons that inflated did not stay up for long before the red flag went up. Sunday was the only day over the nine-day event where a mass ascension didn't take place. However, KOB says some balloons not associated with the Balloon Fiesta did take off away from the park grounds. The 46th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta was expected to draw close to a million visitors to central New Mexico. https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/winds-keep-pilots-from-flying-at- albuquerque-balloon-fiesta/ Back to Top Honeywell raises the bar for Asean aviation safety KUALA LUMPUR: Safety enhancements are often associated with higher expenditure on preventive amenities for the aviation business, but US-based Honeywell International Inc is out to change the notion with its "connected aircraft" solutions. The solutions keep aircraft away from hazards, while helping airlines to be more economical. Honeywell's air transport and regional commercial aerospace vice-president for Asia- Pacific, Brian Davis, said the solutions are particularly relevant in the rapidly growing aviation industry in Southeast Asia as air travel demand increases. "In terms of passengers and planes, our statistics showed that Malaysia was up 10.4% year-on-year in the first three months of this year. Think about it, [assuming the remaining] three quarters of 2017 also show about 10% in growth rate, that is just a great amount of surge in growth for Malaysia, as well as the Asean region," he told The Edge Financial Daily in an interview. Aviation safety has been a widely discussed topic in Malaysia over the past few months after a spate of incidents involving Malaysian aircraft at a time when Chinese tourists are coming to Malaysia in droves. On June 25, an AirAsia X Bhd flight bound for Kuala Lumpur from Perth, Australia, turned around due to technical issues. While investigations are still ongoing, the Australian investigator's interim report in August blamed metal fatigue of a fan blade as the cause for the Airbus A330's engine failure. In early July, two Malindo Airways Sdn Bhd aircraft were grounded in Bangladesh and India due to technical issues. The incident gained traction in the media as disgruntled passengers took to social media to complain about the disruption to their flights. Davis said the connected aircraft solutions work by using satellite connection on the plane to download parts maintenance and fault data to predict impending hardware failures. Such fault data is then shared with Honeywell and analysed before being presented to the airline's maintenance team in an easy-to-understand, visual manner. He added that this analysis identifies what maintenance actions are required to fix the parts and avoid an unscheduled maintenance event. "Take Cathay Pacific Airways as an example. The Hong Kong-based airline signed an agreement with us last year to have us monitor their Airbus A330 fleet's auxiliary power units (APUs) - the engine at the back [of an aircraft] that cools the aircraft on the ground and gives it electrical power," said Davis. "In the last 30 years, APUs have always been around. The technology is not new, but what is new is we have found a way to connect to the aircraft and now we can look at different things on that APU that may cause it to fail. And, before it fails, we will send a message to the airline, telling them that they should proactively replace the parts that our system has pointed out," he said. Davis said Honeywell's solution has resulted in a 35% reduction in operational disruptions at Cathay Pacific. "Managing unscheduled maintenance events can be both costly and time-consuming for airlines. The APU monitoring system can save Cathay Pacific several hundreds [of] thousands of dollars in operations and maintenance costs on a single aircraft system," he said. Meanwhile, Honeywell has chosen Kuala Lumpur as its aftermarket headquarters to further strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia. Davis said Honeywell's newly established aftermarket headquarters in Kuala Lumpur will house decision-making level executives to accelerate response time to customers. "We thought that it was important to support the growth in Asean, as well as Malaysia, while making sure that we have not only the leadership, but we have all of the [relevant] decision-makers in the region, and that is of significant difference. A very important part of our growth in Asia is to make sure that we have all of these people and in the right time zone," he added. Davis noted that going forward, Honeywell is expecting 50% of its future growth to come from high growth regions, including Asean. "You've got to have people that are proud of the Honeywell brand, our integrity and our high compliance standard, and there is no way that you are ever going to get that message across to customers if you do that out of the US or Europe. So, we have to be here with the people to take advantage of the growth," he said. Honeywell currently employs 400 people at the headquarters, who form part of the diversified group's total workforce of 1,500 in Malaysia. The other staff work at its production facility in Penang and a regional distribution centre in Kuala Lumpur. Aerospace is Honeywell's largest revenue contributor globally. In the first half of its financial year ending Dec 31, 2017, the Fortune 100 company recorded US$7.22 billion (RM30.47 billion) sales from its aerospace business, equivalent to 36.89% of the US$19.57 billion total turnover. This was followed by US$5.23 billion from home and building technologies businesses, US$4.31 billion from performance materials and technologies division, and lastly US$2.16 billion from the provision of safety and productivity solutions. http://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/honeywell-raises-bar-asean-aviation-safety Back to Top The average week in the life of a modern aircraft: 58,000 miles, 46 flights and 19 destinations As you sink deep into your window seat in anticipation of jetting off somewhere exotic, spare a thought for your poor plane (and the flight attendants serving you drinks). It is entirely likely the aircraft you are on has already flown that day, perhaps as many as three or four times, and that week has already spent hours and hours in the air covering tens of thousands of kilometres. Your special trip is a drop in the ocean. In an effort to understand the extraordinary workload the average Boeing or Airbus handles over the course of its lifetime, we used data from FlightRadar24.com to chart an average week in the life of a passenger jet - and the figures are remarkable. Qantas A380 super-jumbo flies approximately 58,515 miles a week according to data from FlightRadar24.com. Selecting five aircraft from five different airlines, covering a blend of long and short haul, we calculated that those five planes, over just seven days, flew a total of 314,697km - the equivalent of around the world nearly eight times. See below for a breakdown of the extraordinary lives of these aircraft, from October 2 to 9. 1. EasyJet G-EZPT EasyJet's A320 used London Gatwick as a base, completed precisely four flights a day over the course of the week (including an additional hop from Athens to Pafos when the original flight was diverted to the Greek capital. It covered destinations from Mallorca to Hurghada. It flew nearly one-and-a-half times around the world in just seven days, staying in the air for nearly 90 hours. Airline: EasyJet Aircraft: A320 Flights: 29 Destinations: 14 Distance travelled: 39,438 miles 2. Qantas VH-OQJ The A380, the world's largest passenger jet, is used on the Aussie airline's long-haul services, covering some of the longest flight routes on the planet, between the UK and Australia. Accordingly, it flew the furthest and spent the longest time in the air, despite flying the fewest number of flights. Plus, it took in only five different airports, and did not travel back and forth as much as the other aircraft. Its longest flight, Los Angeles to Sydney, lasted 14 hours and 17 minutes and covered more than 12,000km. Airline: Qantas Aircraft: A380 Flights: 11 Destinations: 5 Distance travelled: 58,515 miles Advertisement 3. British Airways G-CIVF BA is the largest operator of the 747, using the famed "jumbo jet" on its transatlantic routes, as evidenced by this aircraft's eight trips across the pond in a week, visiting New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. The aircraft flew fewer than half the flights of its EasyJet rival, but travelled 10,000km further. It also enjoyed a foray down to Johannesburg. Airline: BA Aircraft : 747 Flights: 12 Destinations: 7 Distance travelled: 45,487 miles 4. Jet2 G-CELK Using Leeds Bradford as a base, this Jet2 737 flew a number of particularly short flights, hopping from the north of England to Amsterdam, less than an hour away. However, it spread its net, covering 13 destinations in the week and spending nearly 50 hours in the air. Airline: Jet2 Aircraft : 737 Flights: 27 Destinations: 13 Distance travelled: 23,777 miles 5. Ryanair EI-DAC Ryanair's aircraft, a Boeing 737, worked the hardest in the week, exhausting itself over 46 flights and taking in 19 different airports. We chose an aircraft that seemed to be based at Barcelona to add a bit of variety to the proceedings, and many of this aircraft's flights included short hops around the Iberian peninsula, and to Ibiza. The aircraft flew only two-thirds the distance of its EasyJet counterpart, however. Airline: Ryanair Aircraft : 737 Flights: 46 Destinations: 19 Distance travelled: 28,326 miles http://www.traveller.com.au/the-average-week-in-the-life-of-a-modern-aircraft-58000- miles-46-flights-and-19-destinations-gz1iel#ixzz4vf0CsqYO Back to Top Ion Thruster Prototype Breaks Records in Tests, Could Send Humans to Mars * Ion Thruster Prototype Breaks Records in Tests, Could Send Humans to Mars Scott Hall makes some final adjustments to the X3 ion thruster at the University of Michigan before a test. Credit: NASA A thruster that's being developed for a future NASA mission to Mars broke several records during recent tests, suggesting that the technology is on track to take humans to the Red Planet within the next 20 years, project team members said. The X3 thruster, which was designed by researchers at the University of Michigan in cooperation with NASA and the U.S. Air Force, is a Hall thruster - a system that propels spacecraft by accelerating a stream of electrically charged atoms, known as ions. In the recent demonstration conducted at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio, the X3 broke records for the maximum power output, thrust and operating current achieved by a Hall thruster to date, according to the research team at the University of Michigan and representatives from NASA. "We have shown that X3 can operate at over 100 kW of power," said Alec Gallimore, who is leading the project, in an interview with Space.com. "It operated at a huge range of power from 5 kW to 102 kW, with electrical current of up to 260 amperes. It generated 5.4 Newtons of thrust, which is the highest level of thrust achieved by any plasma thruster to date," added Gallimore, who is dean of engineering at the University of Michigan. The previous record was 3.3 Newtons, according to the school. Hall thrusters and other types of ion engines use electricity (usually generated by solar panels) to expel plasma - a gas-like cloud of charged particles - out a nozzle, thus generating thrust. This technique can propel spacecraft to much greater speeds than chemical propulsion rockets can, according to NASA. That's why researchers are so interested in ion propulsion's potential application for long- distance space travel. Whereas the maximum velocity that can be achieved by a chemical rocket is about 5 kilometers per second, a Hall thruster could get a craft up to 40 kilometers per second, Gallimore said. Ion engines are also known to be more efficient than chemical-powered rockets, featuring what Gallimore described as a better "miles per gallon" ratio. A Hall-thruster-powered spacecraft would get cargo and astronauts to Mars using much less propellant than a chemical rocket, he said. (A common propellant for ion thrusters is xenon; indeed, NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which is currently orbiting the dwarf planet Ceres, uses this gas.) A head-on shot of the X3 ion thruster firing at 50 kilowatts, viewed through a warped mirror in the vacuum chamber. "You can think of electric propulsion as having 10 times the miles per gallon compared to chemical propulsion," Gallimore told Space.com. The trade-off with ion thrusters, however, is that they are very low thrust and therefore must operate for a long time to accelerate a spacecraft to high speeds, according to NASA. (In addition, ion thrusters aren't powerful enough to overcome Earth's gravitational pull, so they cannot be used to launch spacecraft.) "Chemical propulsion systems can generate millions of kilowatts of power, while the existing electrical systems only achieve 3 to 4 kilowatts," Gallimore said. Commercially available Hall thrusters are not nearly powerful enough to propel a crewed Mars spacecraft, he added. "What we would need for human exploration is a system that can process something like 500,000 watts (500 kW), or even a million watts or more," Gallimore said. "That's something like 20, 30 or even 40 times the power of conventional electric propulsion systems." That's where the X3 comes in. Gallimore and his team are addressing the power problem by making the thruster bigger than these other systems and by developing a design that addresses one of the technology's shortcomings. "We figured out that instead of having one channel of plasma, where the plasma generated is exhausted from the thruster and produces thrust, we would have multiple channels in the same thruster," Gallimore said. "We call it a nested channel." According to Gallimore, using three channels allowed the engineers to make X3 much smaller and more compact than an equivalent single channel Hall thruster would have to be. A side shot of the X3 ion thruster firing at 50 kilowatts. The University of Michigan team has been working on the technology in cooperation with the Air Force since 2009. First, the researchers developed a two-channel thruster, the X2, before moving on to the more powerful X3, which has three channels. In February 2016, the team partnered with California-based rocket-maker Aerojet Rocketdyne, which is developing a new electrical propulsion system, called XR-100, for NASA's Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships, or NextSTEP program. The X3 thruster is a central part of the XR-100 system. Scott Hall, a Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan who has worked on the X3 project for the past five years, said the work has been rather challenging because of the thruster's size. "It's heavy - 500 pounds [227 kilograms]. It's almost a meter in diameter," Hall said. "Most Hall thrusters are the kind of thing that one or two people can pick up and carry around the lab. We need a crane to move X3 around." Next year, the team will run an even bigger test, which aims to prove that the thruster can operate at full power for 100 hours. Gallimore said the engineers are also designing a special magnetic shielding system that would keep the plasma away from the walls of the thruster to prevent damage and enable the thruster to operate reliably for even longer periods of time. Gallimore said that without the shielding a flight version X3 would probably start experiencing problems after several thousand hours of operations. A magnetically-shielded version could run for several years at full power, according to Gallimore. https://www.space.com/38444-mars-thruster-design-breaks-records.html Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST I am a student of Air Transport Management at City University of London. I am in the final stage of writing my dissertation on Human Machine Interaction. However, I am looking for some data in order to have a better understanding of the real issues among pilots. I would like to kindly ask, if you could complete my survey attached: https://it.surveymonkey.com/r/JBZG6FJ Thank you. Kind Regards, Yari Franciosa Back to Top 2017 FORAS Workshop - November 29-30, 2017, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Organized by Flight Safety Foundation and EVA AIR. The Workshop will introduce Flight Operations Risk Assessment System / FORAS, which is a proactive and predictive tool on hazard identification and risk management on flight operations. FORAS is an essential tool for SMS implementation. The FORAS functionalities and set up requirements and other details will be briefed at this two days workshop. FORAS Workshop will be held on November 29-30 at EVA AIR Training Center in Taoyuan, Taiwan. There is no registration fee for the workshop, details can be accessed from the FORAS website, including links for the workshop, agenda, registration, hotel and other relevant information. http://foras.com.tw/foras-workshop/ Back to Top Back to Top World class aviation safety training from SCSI Southern California Safety Institute Excellence in Aviation Safety Training for over 30 Years Air Traffic Control Investigation Counts as credit toward the SCSI AAI Certificate Air Traffic Control Investigation 30 October-3 November 2017 Long Beach, California A course for anyone involved in aircraft accident or incident investigation who desires a more comprehensive understanding of information available from Air Traffic Services/Air Traffic Control. This course provides a comprehensive look at ATS/ATC and provides investigators the knowledge necessary to retrieve accident or incident data to aid in an investigation. Equipment, operational limitations, enroute, terminal and flight service and advisory facilities and airborne equipment will be presented. Terminal, enroute, hybrid, and military systems will be discussed. Case studies and practical exercises reinforce and illustrate the subjects covered in the course. Course Topics * Basics of Air Traffic Control * Historical Perspective * Air Traffic Services Types and Functions * Equipment and Automation and ATC Automation Systems * Procedures * Human Factors * Conducting ATS Investigations * Initial Activities * Facility Orientation * Information Gathering * Requesting ATS Data * ATS Maintenance Issues and Maintenance Consequences * Personnel Interviews * Follow up Activities and Information Gathering * Case Studies and Practical Exercises For more information, please visit the course information page at www.scsi-inc.com. Location: the Marriott Hotel in Long Beach, California These courses will be held at the Marriott Hotel in Long Beach, California next to the Long Beach Airport (LGB). Or contact our registrar Denise Davalloo for the SCSI hotel discount rate and receive great savings on your stay! Registration Telephone: 800-545-3766 or 310-517-8844 ext. 104 Email: denise.davalloo@scsi-inc.com Web: http://www.scsi-inc.com/registration.php POSITION AVAILABLE: General Manager & Senior Flight Data Analyst Job Description Job Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA Supervision: 4 current staff members (3 in office, 1 remote) Salary: Competitive base wage with outstanding benefits Job Title: General Manager & Senior Flight Data Analyst This position combines the freedom to run and develop a business in the US with potential to make a real impact on aviation safety. It will suit a pilot who is keen on aviation but tired of hotels. Based in Phoenix, customers are based from Canada to Venezuela and you will be supporting operators around the world as a part of the Flight Data Services group of companies. This position is open to all aviation safety professionals keen to manage a business at the forefront of safety technology. Desirable qualifications include: * flight deck experience * an aviation or business-related degree * experience of voluntary safety programs * commercial experience * competence in business software (MS Word, Excel, internet use, email, etc.) Main Purpose of Job: As General Manager you will have overall charge of the business of FDS Inc, including: 1. Management of the Company's affairs and administration. 2. Management of the staff of FDS Inc. 3. Management of customer interfaces, including annual visits, monthly reports and ad hoc communications. 4. Promotion of the Company within the continents of North and South America. 5. Responsible for Company compliance with state and federal law. As Senior Flight Data Analyst your tasks are: 1. Provide leadership for US analysts by: a. Providing training and guidance as needed. b. Task distribution & workload management. 2. Routine analysis of downloaded data. a. Review of abnormal operations and determine the cause. b. Report on findings to airlines. c. Compilation of monthly customer reports. d. Occasional emergency customer support and call-out on a roster basis. e. Responding to ad hoc requests for analysis or supply of data. 3. Contributing to the Safety Seminar a. Preparation and delivery of presentations. b. Attendance at the seminar. c. Ad hoc training of attendees. 4. Depending upon specialization, one or more of the following: a. Preparation of new Analysis Specifications. b. Amending analysis procedures to change thresholds etc. in consultation with the customer and Analysis Manager c. Customer training d. Support to Marketing 5. Liaise with IT Support on software maintenance. 6. Liaise with Software Development team on the POLARIS project. The above is not an exhaustive list of duties and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by your changing role within the organization and the overall business objectives of the organization. IMPORTANT NOTES: Please send your Resume with cover letter to jobs@flightdataservices.com * All resumes must be received by midnight November 5th. * Successful candidates will be required to complete testing prior to scheduling for interview. * Interviews will be scheduled November 13th & 14th and must be attended IN PERSON at the Phoenix, Arizona office. ************** About Flight Data Services Flight Data Services is an industry-leader in flight safety innovation. Our expert knowledge of flight data, aviation safety, and information technology is delivered to aircraft operators globally. We are the largest dedicated provider of flight data analysis services and our qualified and experienced flight safety specialists include the highest ratio of analysts to aircraft in the aviation industry. Flight Data Services are proud to be a global, independent and private company. In 2015 we were accredited with the 'Investors in People' award and in 2017 we earned ISO 9001:2015 accreditation. Associate Air Safety Coordinator The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), the largest airline pilot union in the world and the largest non-governmental aviation safety organization in the world seeks an Associate Air Safety Coordinatorfor our Herndon, Virginia, office. ALPA represents over 57,000 pilots at 33 U.S. and Canadian airlines. The Associate Air Safety Coordinatorworks on different aspects of safety, security, and pilot health, particularly in regard to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transport Canada (TC) on matters related to proactive safety/security programs and Safety Management Systems (SMS). S/he provides staff coordination and acts as a liaison to government, industry, and professional groups on behalf of the Air Safety Organization (ASO), other Association committees and MECs, and the Engineering & Air Safety department, as assigned by the department Director or Manager. S/he provides coordination and support for a wide variety of areas across proactive initiatives such as the safe introduction of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, air traffic control modernization, and proactive safety programs such as Aviation Safety Action Programs (ASAP), Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) programs, and Safety Management Systems. S/he must be able to learn, understand, and communicate the benefits and concerns that emerge from changes in safety data programs; effectively represent the Association by interacting with government and industry safety officials on a continual basis and build and maintain a network of contacts; and, in coordination with pilots, department management, and other staff, develop and coordinate written communications to membership, government, and industry groups outlining ALPA positions on a wide variety of air traffic-related and other issues. Local, national, and international travel: 5 - 10 %. Minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Minimum Requirements: * Bachelor's degree in relevant area, e.g., unmanned aircraft systems, air traffic control, airline management, aviation safety, aviation science, or other related discipline, from an accredited college or university; or, the equivalent combination of education and practical experience. Additional airline-related experience may be substituted for the academic requirement. * Minimum three (3) years of related experience in the aviation industry, five (5) years preferred. * Knowledge of aviation and flight terminology as well as airline operations environment strongly preferred. * Basic understanding of the SMS concept and ASAP and FOQA programs preferred. * Former employment at airlines and/or the FAA in a relevant capacity a plus. * Special expertise in U.S. and Canadian Aviation Regulations (FARs and CARs) and knowledge of ICAO and/or international safety data systems a plus. * Understanding of aviation safety concepts; air traffic control; the airline industry, domestic and international; airline pilots; and, the laws that affect aviation safety and the airline industry desired. * Knowledge of FAA/TC regulations and guidance helpful. * Understanding of how safety initiatives and data analysis processes are used for advancing safety is beneficial. * Ability to learn quickly and adapt to changing demands required. * Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, oral and written, for effective interaction with staff, pilot members, and external contacts. * A pilot's license and/or air traffic control certification is preferred. * Software: Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel. Physical Demands: Note: The physical demands described herein are characteristic of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential physical activities of this position described below. Constantly operates a computer/smartphone/tablet. Regularly required to maintain a stationary position, move about the office and the local metropolitan area, determine what others have said or written, and converse with others and exchange accurate information. Regularly required to sit, stand, bend, reach, and move about the office and travel (locally, nationally, and sometimes internationally). Also includes occasional bending, stooping, squatting, and/or pushing and pulling or moving, e.g., to pack, unpack, and/or move cases. Occasionally required to move, raise, reach, and/or retrieve binders, books, boxes, and files up to ten (10) pounds (lbs.). While on travel, could be responsible to move, raise, reach, and/or retrieve binders, boxes, cases, and/or files weighing as much as 50 lbs. (Assistance may not always be available.) Please apply online at https://jobs-alpa.icims.com/jobs/1266/associate--air- safety-coordinator/job ALPA offers competitive salaries with excellent benefits, including: * 26 days paid vacation and holidays per year; * Generous sick and bereavement leave; * Generous health care benefits - PPO, two HMO's (where available) and a High Deductible Health Plan which includes coverage for medical, dental, and vision benefits for employee, spouse, and/or dependent children; * Company-paid premiums for disability and life insurance; * $2 for $1 matching 401(k) retirement savings plan; Roth 401k; * Flexible Spending and Health Savings accounts; and * Retiree health plan. The Air Line Pilots Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Relocation Not Provided Curt Lewis