Flight Safety Information November 21, 2017 - No. 231 In This Issue Incident: KLM B772 near Nice on Nov 20th 2017, cargo smoke indication EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Incident: Europa E195 at Madrid on Nov 19th 2017, rejected takeoff due to uncommanded yaw Accident: Horizon DH8D at Sacramento on Nov 19th 2017, bird strike Northrop T-38C Talon Impacted the Ground Crashed L-410 had no forward speed: investigation Eurocontrol published an update of the European Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions Disruptive Turkish jet passenger on Los Angeles-Honolulu flight sentenced to time served Unmanned Safety Institute launches elite certification program for remote pilots NTSB releases preliminary report on plane crash that killed Roy Halladay Singapore airport to trial $5M digital air traffic tower Tuvalu becomes ICAO's 192nd Member State Qantas Reveals New Biofuel Initiatives EDIBON Collaborates with Rey Juan Carlos University Equipping its Center of Excellence in Aviation Air Safety: Managing Risk Management Boeing's new '797' has taken a big leap toward becoming a reality NASA expects first Space Launch System flight to slip into 2020 NTSB Chairman to deliver Royal Aeronautical Society 14th annual Assad Kotaite Lecture at ICAO 9th ESASI Regional Seminar Position Available: Supervisor, Safety Management System Incident: KLM B772 near Nice on Nov 20th 2017, cargo smoke indication A KLM Boeing 777-200, registration PH-BVA performing flight KL-598 from Cape Town (South Africa) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was enroute at FL340 about 90nm south of Nice (France) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication and decided to divert to Nice. The aircraft landed safely on Nice's runway 04L about 18 minutes after leaving FL340. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 4 hours, then continued the journey and reached Amsterdam with a delay of 4:40 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b14e901&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Europa E195 at Madrid on Nov 19th 2017, rejected takeoff due to uncommanded yaw An Air Europa Embraer ERJ-195, registration EC-KXD performing flight UX-6027 from Madrid,SP to Ibiza,SP (Spain), was accelerating for takeoff when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed. The aircraft returned to the apron. Passengers reported the captain announced the aircraft veered to the right causing the takeoff to be rejected. The aircraft could not fly that way, another aircraft would carry out the flight. A replacement Embraer ERJ-195 registration EC-LKM reached Ibiza with a delay of 3 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b14e7af&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Horizon DH8D at Sacramento on Nov 19th 2017, bird strike A Horizon Air de Havilland Dash 8-400 on behalf of Alaska Airlines, registration N412QX performing flight QX-2119/AS- 2119 from Portland,OR to Sacramento,CA (USA), was on aproach to Sacramento's runway 34L when a bird impacted the nose of the aircraft. The aircraft continued for a safe landing. The FAA reported the aircraft sustained substantial damage and rated the occurrence an accident. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/QXE2119/history/20171120/0144Z/KPDX/KSMF http://avherald.com/h?article=4b14bb4d&opt=0 Back to Top Northrop T-38C Talon Impacted the Ground Date: 20-NOV-2017 Time: 16:00 Type: Northrop T-38C Talon Owner/operator: United States Air Force (USAF) Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Val Verde County, NNW of Del Rio, TX - United States of America Phase: Unknown Nature: Training Departure airport: Laughlin Air Force Base (KDLF) Destination airport: Narrative: The military training aircraft impacted the terrain in Val Verde County, north-northwest of Del Rio, Texas. The airplane was partially consumed by the post-impact fire and one of the two pilots onboard was fatally injured. One of the pilots onboard the aircraft ejected, receiving undetermined injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=201530 Back to Top Crashed L-410 had no forward speed: investigation Russian investigators probing the fatal crash of a Let L-410 turboprop on approach to Nelkan, in the eastern Khabarovsk territory, have disclosed that the aircraft had almost no forward speed at impact. The Khabarovsk Airlines aircraft (RA-67047) had been transporting five passengers and two crew members. Just one of those on board, a passenger, survived the accident. Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee says the aircraft came down some 1,200m (3,940ft) before the runway on 15 November. It states that the turboprop had "little or no" forward sped as it came down. Investigators have taken fuel samples from the aircraft with the aim of conducting analysis to determine whether the fuel contributed to the crash. Both the cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders have also been recovered and prepared for information retrieval. The recorders are in "satisfactory" condition, the inquiry adds. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top Eurocontrol published an update of the European Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions (EAPPRI v 3.0). Despite widespread implementation of the recommendations contained in the previous EAPPRI versions, the number of runway incursions affecting European and global airports remains a significant safety concern, Eurocontrol reports. The update v3.0 of the plan contains modifications to some existing recommendations to re-focus and re-energise ongoing actions being taken across the aviation industry to prevent runway incursions. In particular, EAPPRI v3.0 challenges the aviation industry to review the effectiveness of systemic runway incursion risk reduction activities associated with Safety Management Systems (SMS) and aerodrome local Runway Safety Teams. The updated plan also contains a number of new recommendations. These range from new measures to enhance the safety of airside drivers who need to access runways through to facilitating air traffic controllers' 'heads up' scanning so that, as far as practicable, they can maintain a continuous watch of aerodrome operations. Furthermore, there are recommendations encouraging State authorities to establish national runway safety teams and for the industry to move towards the graphical display of safety critical aerodrome information to pilots to improve their situational awareness. * Download EAPPRI v3.0 (PDF) https://news.aviation-safety.net/2017/11/20/eurocontrol-publishes-update-european-action-plan- prevention-runway-incursions/ Back to Top Disruptive Turkish jet passenger on Los Angeles-Honolulu flight sentenced to time served A Turkish man who disrupted a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu won't receive additional jail time and must pay American Airlines more than $8,500. An?l Uskanl? was sentenced on Nov. 20 to the six months that he has spent locked up. Prosecutors have said Uskanl? acted oddly on the May flight, including walking to the front of the plane with a blanket around his head. Crewmembers feared his laptop contained explosives. That prompted fighter jets to escort the plane to Honolulu. Uskanl? pleaded guilty last month to interfering with a flight crew. He said he was hallucinating on the plane and trying to catch a butterfly. He said he was ill and knows there was no butterfly. His immigration attorney Gary Singh says a deportation hearing is scheduled for next week. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/disruptive-turkish-jet-passenger-on-los-angeles-honolulu-flight- sentenced-to-time-served-122756 Back to Top Unmanned Safety Institute launches elite certification program for remote pilots The Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) - an organization providing remote pilot training and certification to individuals, organizations, and enterprises around the world - announced on Nov. 20 the launch of a new industry Professional Remote Operator (PRO) certification. The PRO certification program was designed to offer a credential to elite remote pilots who would like to differentiate themselves from other remote pilots who simply hold an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate. Sky Futures PhotoThe PRO certification program was designed to offer a credential to elite remote pilots who would like to differentiate themselves from other remote pilots who simply hold an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate. Sky Futures Photo Advertisement The PRO program differentiates individuals by certifying that remote pilots possess not only the knowledge to safely operate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), but also the skills and abilities to safely and proficiently operate UAS. PRO certificate holders are recognized by USI and the UAS community as elite professionals who have clearly demonstrated their knowledge and skills and have been independently verified by USI as an authoritative body. The specific prerequisites for a remote pilot to earn a PRO certification include: Learn - Meet all educational requirements that match the level of rating. Earn - Achieve the appropriate airmen certification from the FAA or equivalent civil aviation authority. Practice - Hone remote pilot skills by building flight hours and experience. Promote - Be an active member of the safety community, taking on higher levels of responsibility and continuing to learn through professional development. In addition to demonstrating proficiency through documented flight hours, all PRO applicants must complete at least 150 hours of educational units in aeronautical knowledge areas that include crew resource management (CRM), aeronautical decision making (ADM), and other essential subjects relating to UAS flight safety. USI offers the opportunity for the "Learn" requirements to be met online through its award-winning Small UAS Safety Certification, or in-person through USI's partnerships with many local colleges and universities. PRO certificate holders must also earn four continuing education units (CEUs) on an annual basis, to ensure they are up-to-date on changes in the industry. CEUs may be obtained through various workshops, education programs, industry trade shows, and much more. In conjunction with this announcement, USI has also announced that SkySkopes - a professional UAS flight operator with a large team of elite UAS pilots headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota - is the first company to have its remote pilots achieve a PRO certification. "Certifications such as PRO from the Unmanned Safety Institute set SkySkopes apart," said Matt Dunlevy, president and chief executive officer of SkySkopes. "With the ever-changing state of the UAS industry, complex new use-cases for UAS presenting themselves every day, and BVLOS looming, continuing education and certifications are a necessary framework for top-tier UAS flight operators. Being the launch partner for USI's PRO initiative is extremely important to SkySkopes and our University of North Dakota educated pilots as we continue to prove to end-users that ours is a world class UAS flight operator. I applaud USI for further promoting UAS safety and training throughout the industry with the advent of their PRO program." To learn more about SkySkopes, click here. USI offers four levels of PRO ratings dependent upon the number of hours a remote pilot has flown a UAS, ranging from 50 to 1,000, as well as the number of years in which the applicant was performing professional flight duties: PRO Basic Certification: Any individual who meets all the prerequisites and holds at least 50 flight hours on a specific UAS, may qualify for the USI PRO Basic Certification. PRO Level 1 (Bronze): Any individual who meets all the prerequisites and holds at least 250 flight hours on a specific or combination of UAS may qualify for the USI PRO Level 1 (Silver) Certification. PRO Level 2 (Silver): Any individual who meets all the prerequisites and holds at least 500 flight hours on a specific or combination of UAS may qualify for the USI PRO Level 2 (Bronze) Certification. PRO Level 3 (Gold): Any individual who meets all the prerequisites and holds at least 1,000 flight hours on a specific or combination of UAS may qualify for the USI PRO Level 3 (Gold) Certification Remote pilots interested in earning a PRO certification from USI and becoming leaders in their field, can apply online. https://www.verticalmag.com/press-releases/unmanned-safety-institute-launches-elite- certification-program-remote-pilots/ Back to Top NTSB releases preliminary report on plane crash that killed Roy Halladay PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) - The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report about the plane crash that killed former Major League Baseball pitcher Roy Halladay. The NTSB found that the aircraft operated by Halladay was "maneuvering at a low level near Port Richey, Florida." Investigators said Halladay left from a private lakeside home north of Lake Keystone in Odessa on Nov. 7. The report goes on to say Halladay's plane "climbed to a GPS altitude of 1,909 feet and tracked north for four miles before turning to the west toward the coastline. The airplane then flew for 10 miles and crossed over U.S. Highway 19 about 600 feet GPS altitude, then descended to 36 feet over the water before turning south. The airplane then flew on a southerly track past Green Key Beach at 11 feet GPS altitude and 92 knots. The airplane then performed a right 360 degree turn while climbing to about 100 feet. The airplane continued on a southerly track, flying as close as 75 feet to the Gulf Harbor South Beach houses. The last data point recovered indicated the airplane at an altitude of 200 feet, a speed of 87 knots and tracking 196 degrees." Video footage taken of the airplane before the accident shows the airplane in a descending left 45 degree banked turn and then maneuvering about 10 feet above the water, the report says. The airplane, an Icon A5, came to rest in about four feet of water, investigators said. Halladay was pronounced dead at the scene, sheriff's investigators told News Channel 8. The report said he received his plane in early October, just weeks before the crash. http://wfla.com/2017/11/20/ntsb-releases-preliminary-report-on-plane-crash-that-killed-roy- halladay/ Back to Top Singapore airport to trial $5M digital air traffic tower Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore awards S$7 million (US$5.16 million) contract to UK-based NATS to test a digital tower designed to improve air traffic management and operational safety. Singapore has awarded a S$7 million (US$5.16 million) contract to UK-based NATS to trial a digital tower at its international airport. To be tested over 22 months, the "smart" air traffic tower was designed to improve air traffic management, ground operations, and runway safety. Equipped with various assistive functionalities and features, the tower also would enhance operational efficiencies at the airport, said Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) in a statement Tuesday. The industry regulator said NATS won the tender, which was first launched in February 2017, beating out two other applicants. The UK company currently provided air traffic control services at 14 airports in its domestic market, including Heathrow, Gatwick, and Standsted. The service contract with Singapore encompassed the deployment of multiple fixed cameras to provide live video feed onto a wall, reflecting a similar view to what air traffic controllers currently see from a physical tower. Expected to begin next year, the trial would pilot the use of camera and video stitching technologies to better display information. "CAAS will then evaluate the operational feasibility before determining the suitability and robustness of such a smart digital tower for a busy airport like Changi Airport," said the local industry regulator. It noted that other development efforts on digital tower operations had been focused on airports with low to moderate air traffic volume. CAAS's director-general Kevin Shum said the announcement was in line with the country's smart nation ambition and initiatives to tap technology to transform the local aviation industry. Voted best airport this year by Skytrax, Singapore's Changi Airport currently serves more than 100 airlines flying to some 380 cities in some 90 countries and territories. Some 7,000 flights land or depart from the airport each week, carrying more than 58.7 million passengers through Changi. http://www.zdnet.com/article/singapore-airport-to-trial-5m-digital-air-traffic-tower/ Back to Top Tuvalu becomes ICAO's 192nd Member State 20-Nov-2017 Tuvalu has now become the 192nd Member State of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) following its official adherence to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention). ICAO was advised of the development by the Government of the United States of America, which serves as the depositary of the Chicago Convention. Tuvalu deposited its notification of adherence to the Convention on 19 October 2017, and its ICAO Member State status became effective thirty days after on 18 November 2017. ICAO Member States were advised separately of the development via a State Letter which was issued earlier today by the UN civil aviation specialized agency. "Membership in ICAO, and compliance with the 12,000-plus global Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for civil aviation which governments have adopted here, is key today for many States seeking to unlock the sustainable socio-economic development benefits which global route access delivers," noted the President of the ICAO Council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu. "Aviation is pivotal to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted under the UN's Agenda 2030, and particularly crucial to the sustainable economic prosperity and resilience of Small Island Developing States (SIDS)." Given that more than half of the world's billion-plus tourists travel by air to their destinations today, and that by 2034 the positive socio-economic employment and GDP impacts of international tourism are forecast to grow by 66% and 104% respectively, significant growth in air services and tourism represents a particularly important opportunity for island States like Tuvalu. "As an ICAO Member State, Tuvalu will now benefit from ICAO's global guidance and support in regard to the development of its aviation policies, capacity-building, and infrastructure development planning," said ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu. "This includes participation in aviation development opportunities such as the ICAO Air Services Negotiation Events and ICAO World Aviation Forums. It will also benefit from new international partnerships ICAO will help it to establish, the strategic guidance available under our global aviation safety, air navigation, and security plans, as well as inclusion in our critical aviation safety and security auditing programmes." Tuvalu is also among the Pacific region SIDS most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Under ICAO it will now be encouraged to develop a State Action Plan respective of its aviation emissions mitigation, and to participate in the ICAO Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), among other environmental programmes and targets for international air transport. https://centreforaviation.com/members/direct-news/tuvalu-becomes-icaos-192nd-member-state- 385206 Back to Top Qantas Reveals New Biofuel Initiatives Qantas plans to operate its first biofuel trial flight between the U.S. and Australia next year, and the carrier is also supporting the development of biofuel production in Australia. The trial flight will be on a Boeing 787-9 on the Los Angeles-Melbourne route in early 2018, in collaboration with World Fuel Services and Altair Fuels. The trial will use a blend of 30% biofuel and 70% jet fuel. So far this is the only trial flight planned by Qantas for 2018. The biofuel for this flight will be derived from an industrial type of mustard seed known as brassica carinata. Qantas has previously operated biofuel trial flights on domestic routes, although for those it used biofuel derived from used cooking oil with a 50% blend. Qantas announced a new partnership Nov. 18 with Canadian-based company Agrisoma, which is a producer of carinata-based biofuel. The airline and Agrisoma intend to work with Australian farmers to help develop the crop there. The airline said the long-term goal of the Agrisoma partnership is to have 400,000 hectares (988,000 acres) of carinata grown, which could yield more than 200 million liters (52.8 million gal.) of jet biofuel per year. This would potentially provide enough for a biorefinery for aviation fuel in Australia. By helping develop the feedstock supply chain, Qantas hopes to support the business case of a local refinery that can process carinata and other similar feedstocks. Export markets for the seed oil will allow the development of the business in Australia while the partnership works with governments and refiners to develop a local refining and supply capability. The University of Queensland has already trialed carinata crops in Queensland and South Australia in conjunction with Agrisoma. These trials were successful and will be scaled up in 2018, the university said. Agrisoma already has commercial biofuel operations in the U.S., South America and Europe. www.aviationweek.com Back to Top EDIBON Collaborates with Rey Juan Carlos University Equipping its Center of Excellence in Aviation Training MADRID, November 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) has opened in its campus of Fuenlabrada (Madrid) the Hangar Laboratory VI, an aeronautical training center developed by Aviation Group and equipped in part by the Spanish company EDIBON International. URJC Aeronautical Training Center equipped by EDIBON International (PRNewsfoto/EDIBON International) The new facilities, made up of 14 laboratories and valued at three million euros, cover an area of 1,500 m2 and will allow students in the Aeronautical Space Engineering and Aerospace Vehicle Engineering degrees to complete their studies. At the same time, it will be used as well to strengthen the training of professionals from commercial aviation companies, such as Iberia and Norwegian Airlines. This collaboration confirms EDIBON International's commitment to practical teaching, which will soon expand its areas of technological innovation and development in a new 30,000 m2 factory. Edibon is one of the world's five suppliers of simulators of industrial equipment for technical training and the first one to develop a SCADA simulator, now available for the internships of engineering students at Rey Juan Carlos University. Its Rector and chief architect, Javier Ramos, stressed that the Hangar Laboratory VI, the result of a public-private partnership agreement, is pioneer within Spanish universities and it "aspires to become a reference center in aeronautical training". For EDIBON International, this means the consolidation of its didactic work, strengthening its position as an international reference supplier for industrial equipment simulators and for the production and distribution of industrial equipment for technical training. "We consider this type of collaboration to be essential in order to improve the quality of training in a sector in constant evolution such as aeronautics, which requires the latest technological advances. All parts must be involved in order to offer an improved practical training for future engineers and technicians in the sector, favoring their professional development", said Elias Bonilla, president of EDIBON International. About EDIBON International Edibon International is a family-owned company dedicated since 1978 to design, manufacture, and sales of technical teaching equipment for a variety of technical disciplines which include Physics, Energy, Mechatronics, Aerodynamics, Thermodynamics, and Chemical Engineering. About Rey Juan Carlos University Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC), inaugurated in 1996, is the newest and most modern of the public universities in the Community of Madrid (Spain) and currently has 42,000 students spread over five campuses. The mission of the EIATA (European Institute for Aviation Training and Accreditation), an entity created to contribute to the improvement of the practices of URJC Aerospace Engineering students, is to promote training, research and industrial cooperation in the aerospace sector at an efficient cost. About Aviation Group Aviation Group leads the comprehensive aeronautical training with a methodology adapted to the student and needs of today's market that, supported by leading companies in their training specialties such as EDIBON, offers the latest technological advances in equipment and teaching tools. SOURCE EDIBON International https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/edibon-collaborates-with-rey-juan-carlos-university- equipping-its-center-of-excellence-in-aviation-training-659013103.html Back to Top Air Safety: Managing Risk Management Husch Blackwell LLP Alan B. Hoffman Risk Management principles have been applied in business and industry for years, becoming the subject of ISO/IEC Standard 31000:2009. They have also found their way into aviation, and particularly general aviation, where the layers of infrastructure and backup in airline operations are absent, and pilots must largely operate on their own. John and Martha King, the respected operators of the King Schools, have preached the gospel of applying risk management principles to GA. They offer a series of "Practical Risk Management" training materials covering a range of flying activities. They have also spoken and written widely on the subject, forthrightly addressing the hazards of GA flying by using mistakes they made during their long career to illustrate the factors that can result in bad decision making in the air and on the ground. Their efforts have helped make risk management become a subject of interest and discussion in the GA community. Until recently no standards existed for applying risk management to flying. After several years of study and input from instructors and pilots, in 2017 the Federal Aviation Administration adopted new Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards, commonly known as the ACS.[1] The ACS incorporates risk management into pilot testing, requiring applicants to demonstrate their ability to apply risk management, as well as their flying knowledge and skills. While the Kings have been advocates for the ACS, other respected GA figures have criticized it. Prominent among them are instructor and blogger Rod Machado, who has voiced objections on his Aviation Learning Center web site and in debates with John King, and beloved curmudgeon (and former FAA examiner) Martha Lunken in her Flying magazine column. In substance, they argue that risk management is "subjective" and can neither be taught nor tested; and that the ACS is too complicated and bureaucratic to be an effective teaching or testing guide. Machado writes, "The illusion here is based on the FAA's belief that student pilots can be taught risk management skills. Learning to manage risk, however, requires prerequisite knowledge that student pilots typically do not have, nor is that knowledge typically available in any FAA document." And he asserts, "Student pilots are fully capable of avoiding in-flight hazards with a little training. All that's needed is for their instructors to help them identify these hazards in specific and general terms"[2] (emphases in orginal). Lunken says, "I have never believed you could teach or test good judgment in itself . . . each person's judgment and his assessment of risk are highly subjective."[3] Both Machado and Lunken scorn the "Risk Assessment Matrix" in the FAA's Risk Management Handbook, which seeks to quantify risk based on four levels of "Severity" and "Likelihood:"[4] And Machado points out that the Handbook states, "Risk management is unique to each and every individual, since there are no two people exactly alike in skills, knowledge, training and abilities. An acceptable level of risk to one pilot may not necessarily be the same to another pilot . . . ." Are these commentators correct? Is attempting to train pilots about risk management and evaluate them on it futile? Does the fact that managing risks in flying requires the exercise of individual judgment mean that it cannot be trained, or assessed? The Kings say that risk management has two components: "The first is a habit of maintaining situational awareness by systematically thinking about risks. The second is coming up with mitigation strategies for the risks you have thought of."[5] Simply put, pilots should always strive to identify risks, and consider how to avoid or reduce them. It is true that good judgment cannot be taught. But the practice of consistently thinking about risks and how to cope with them can be taught and assessed-just as pilots are taught to do pre-flight inspections and use check lists, and instructors evaluate their performance. Adopting the practice of risk management surely benefits the cause of air safety. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=42860c83-7bd3-459e-9b6b-15cb8b16a7e4 Back to Top Boeing's new '797' has taken a big leap toward becoming a reality. The aerospace giant has named one of its top engineers to a leadership team responsible for the formation of what is likely to become its first all-new airliner since the 787 Dreamliner. Boeing has moved company veteran and 777X chief project engineer Terry Beezhold to the new '797' team, the company confirmed. Boeing has not yet assigned roles for members of the team. Boeing (BA) hasn't yet given the green light to build the small twin-aisle airplane, which will seat between 225 and 270, though the company in September formally created a program office to oversee the possible development. Beezhold is the second executive Boeing has publicly named to the team. The other is the program office's vice president. The jet is dryly called the New Mid- Market Airplane, but has already been dubbed the Boeing '797' by prospective customers. The airplane would be larger than Boeing's biggest single-aisle 737 Max jets, but would not have the flying endurance of its 787 Dreamliner. Airlines want to relieve congestion on busy routes currently flown with smaller jets. At the Paris Air Show in June 2017, Boeing gave a small peek in at what it's new 797 might look like. Analysts estimate the '797' project will cost between $10 billion and $15 billion to develop and the plane wouldn't be ready until 2024 or 2025. Beezhold is a long-time company veteran who in 2011 was in charge of developing new tools and processes to significantly reduce the cost of designing and manufacturing airliners. That work was put into action developing the 777X, which is manufactured using significantly more automation than previous Boeing airliners. http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/20/news/companies/boeing-797-nma-chief-engineer/index.html Back to Top NASA expects first Space Launch System flight to slip into 2020 Artist's illustration of the Space Launch System on launch pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA The maiden unpiloted flight of NASA's Space Launch System, a heavy-lift human-rated rocket and one of the agency's core programs, will likely not be ready for takeoff until 2020, officials said recently. NASA officials until earlier this year aimed to launch the first SLS test flight in late 2018, but the space agency acknowledged in April that the huge super-booster's first flight would be delayed until at least 2019. After a multi-month assessment of the program's recent progress, managers set a best-case launch target in December 2019. But engineers expect more development delays to materialize over the next couple of years during full-scale assembly and testing of the rocket's core stage and the Orion spacecraft slated to ride it on a round-trip flight to lunar orbit and back to Earth. Officials now expect the Space Launch System, Orion capsule and ground systems to be ready for the maiden flight - named Exploration Mission-1 - by June 2020. There is still some hope EM-1 could be ready sooner. "While the review of the possible manufacturing and production schedule risks indicate a launch date of June 2020, the agency is managing to December 2019," said acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot. "Since several of the key risks identified have not been actually realized, we are able to put in place mitigation strategies for those risks to protect the December 2019 date." A report by the Government Accountability Office released in April underlined several technical and schedule concerns responsible for EM-1's launch delay: A missed delivery date for the European- made service module set to power NASA's Orion crew capsule, snags in the welding of parts of the SLS core stage due to low weld strength, and a tornado that struck a production site in New Orleans in February. NASA concurred with the report's findings and set out to establish a new target launch date. The Trump administration also directed NASA early this year to study the feasibility of putting astronauts on EM-1, which will be the first launch of the SLS and the second flight of an Orion spacecraft, but the first with Orion's European-built power and propulsion module. NASA announced in May that EM-1 will remain an uncrewed test flight. NASA has completed major welding for the liquid hydrogen tank for the first Space Launch System mission at the agency's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The tank was the final piece of flight hardware completed for the deep-space rocket's first mission. All five of the structures that will be joined to form the 212-foot-tall core stage, the backbone of the SLS rocket, are built. The liquid hydrogen tank measures more than 130 feet tall, comprises almost two-thirds of the core stage and holds 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen cooled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit. Credits: NASA/MSFC/MAF/Jude Guidry Manufacturing of the SLS core stage at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans picked up pace this year, and all major structural components of the stage have completed fabrication in a giant 170-foot-tall (52-meter) welding device specially built for the Space Launch System. The liquid hydrogen tank - stretching more than 130 feet (39 meters) long - takes up most of the core stage. The SLS main stage also comprises a liquid oxygen tank, an aft engine section, an intertank section and a forward skirt. The welding techniques to fuse segments of the SLS core stage proved challenging. A misalignment of the giant weld tool at Michoud halted core stage manufacturing in 2014 and 2015, and engineers had to resolve concerns about the thickness of the aluminum welds. The SLS core stage will use the thickest structures ever assembled using friction stir welding, a process that uses heat from friction to forge materials together without melting them. The Boeing contractor team in charge of the SLS core stage manufactured several test articles before pressing on with welding of tanks destined to fly on EM-1. Technicians finished welding of EM-1's liquid hydrogen tank in September, marking the completion of all five pieces of the first core stage. The next step will be outfitting the pieces with plumbing, wiring, avionics, orange foam for thermal protection, and four RS-25 main engines left over from the space shuttle program. The five components will be assembled to create the 212-foot-tall (64-meter) core stage. "The big items are done, and the team is focused on the intricate details of outfitting the flight hardware to perform specific tasks for the most powerful rocket in the world," said Chad Bryant, the SLS core stage manufacturing lead at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "When assembled, the core stage will stand taller than a 20-story building and include hundreds of cables for everything from data collection to propulsion systems." Strength checks of SLS tank test articles will push the structures to their limits using two new test stands at Marshall in the coming months. "The majority of work on NASA's new deep space exploration systems is on track," NASA said in a statement. "The agency is using lessons learned from first time builds to drive efficiencies into overall production and operations planning." Officials have established new production performance milestones to ensure the quality of future SLS core stage builds, and NASA and ESA have re-planned the schedule for the Orion service module to account for late deliveries. In its maiden flight configuration, named Block 1, the heavy-lifter will be able to haul up to 77 tons (70 metric tons) of cargo to low Earth orbit, more than double the capacity of the most powerful launcher flying today - United Launch Alliance's Delta 4-Heavy. The Block 1 version of SLS will fly with an upper stage propelled by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engine, based on the Delta 4's second stage. SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, which could fly for the first time before the end of this year, will come in just shy of the SLS Block 1's capacity, assuming the commercial space company gave up recovering its booster stages. NASA plans to introduce a bigger four-engine second stage on the EM-2 launch, a configuration of the SLS named Block 1B. EM-2 will be the first SLS/Orion mission to carry astronauts to the vicinity of the moon, and is scheduled for launch around 2023, the agency said. By the end of the the current fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2018, NASA will have spent $23 billion on the SLS, Orion and associated ground systems, with $15 billion of that investment coming since 2012, according to a NASA inspector general report released in April. Those figures are on top of expenditures made by NASA on the Orion capsule, ground equipment and heavy-lift launcher concepts during the Constellation moon program, an initiative dating back to the George W. Bush administration that was canceled by President Obama in 2010 after cost overruns. NASA is working on a concept called a Deep Space Gateway, a mini-space station that could be positioned orbit around the moon, to serve as a staging point for future government and commercial landing sorties to the lunar surface. If approved and funded, the first piece of the deep space station could be launched with EM-2 in 2023. https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/11/20/nasa-expects-first-space-launch-system-flight-to-slip-into- 2020/ Back to Top NTSB Chairman to deliver Royal Aeronautical Society 14th annual Assad Kotaite Lecture at ICAO Back to Top 9th ESASI Regional Seminar We are pleased to announce that the 9th ESASI Regional Seminar will take place at the Baltic Beach Hotel in Jurmala / Riga, Latvia on 23-24 May 2018. In addition, the meeting of the military investigator group is scheduled to take place on the afternoon of 22 May 2018. The aim of the seminar is to keep the European air safety investigation community abreast of current developments and evolving best practice in aircraft safety investigation. As in previous years, the seminar will include presentations on case studies, the European environment, challenges of modern air safety investigations and human factors in aircraft accidents and incidents. ESASI welcomes proposals for presentations to be given during the 2018 seminar, which should last a maximum of 20 minutes with a further 5 minutes for questions. Presentations should address issues relating to air safety investigations; particular areas of interest are: * challenges faced by air safety investigators; * the environment, and culture, that air safety investigators operate in; * practical experience of applying investigation techniques; * new techniques to aid the investigation; * topical case studies. Details of proposed presentations should be sent to - presentations@esasi.eu. https://www.esasi.eu/ Back to Top Hong Kong Express Supervisor, Safety Management System Job no: 495933 Work type: Full time Location: Hong Kong Department: Quality, Safety & Security Role and Responsibilities: * Participate actively as projects team member to improve the SMS programs efficiency, reduce costs and assist in improvement of product through operational efficiency; * Support the MSMS cost saving development initiatives and delivery process improvements to the SMS program and its systems; * Provide MSMS with recommended solutions to identified deficiencies based on objective observations; * Assist the MSMS in Conducting the Safety Management Awareness training for HKE personnel; * Conduct audits/ inspections/ surveys as and when directed by MSMS and produce reports to ascertain operational safety is achieved; * Conduct investigations as and when directed by MSMS into accidents, incidents and/or irregularities affecting the safety of operations and produce reports; * Assist the MSMS and MFOQA in the administration of the the airlines FOQA program; * Conduct Gap Analysis; Risk Assessment; Change Management as and when directed by MSMS and produce reports; * Maintain the Safety Report, Hazard Registry and Corrective Action Plan (CAP) databases; * Liaise with departmental Safety representatives to ensure clear communication of safety events and effective CAPs are implemented; * Prepare periodic safety articles to promote safety awareness; * amongst employees and services providers; * Participate in IOSA program as and when directed by MSMS; * Maintain the currency and relevance of the Safety Management System Manual by proposing and drafting amendments. Qualifications: * At least 5 years relevant aviation work experience. * Supervisory and training delivery experience preferred. * Well versed with practical experience in Safety Management System and a strong understanding of CAD 712, 382, 739 Requirements . * Good command of written and spoken English; Chinese language is a plus; * Good computer literacy. Desirable Qualities: * Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; * Good Writing ability and organizational skills; * Strong analytical, decision making, time-management and problem- solving skills. APPLY HERE Curt Lewis