Flight Safety Information December 18, 2017 - No. 250 In This Issue Incident: XL France A333 at Punta Cana on Dec 15th 2017, gear problem on departure Incident: Ryanair B738 near Milan on Dec 16th 2017, fuel leak Accident: ANA B788 near Okinawa on Dec 15th 2017, fumes in cockpit and cabin Incident: Easyjet A319 near Berlin on Dec 13th 2017, smell of smoke in cockpit EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protecton Incident: United B763 at Geneva on Dec 17th 2017, flap problem Eurocopter AS 350B3 Écureuil Fatal Accident (Honduras) Hobart chopper crash: Pilots doing emergency drills before fatal fall, preliminary report confirms Following SFO runway close calls, Bay Area congressman wants pilot conversations saved Electricity Restored to Atlanta International Airport Tail-struck A320's crew originally chose to continue flight West Wind grounds ATRs as Canadian crash probe begins Sun Country Airlines sold to N.Y. investment group Paul Allen's Stratolaunch space venture puts monster plane through first taxi test Planned Supersonic Business Jet Gets a Lift from Lockheed Martin Pilot Describes Mysterious Wingless Aircraft that Outran his Fighter Jet (Video) This is the airline with the worst in-flight wi-fi SpaceX Delivers Orbital-Debris Sensor to the ISS Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship ESASI Annual Seminar - Jurmala / Riga 2018 Bow Tie Method of Safety Risk Management - Course Upcoming USC Courses Incident: XL France A333 at Punta Cana on Dec 15th 2017, gear problem on departure An XL Airways France Airbus A330-300, registration F-HXLF performing flight SE-55 from Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) with 365 passengers and 12 crew, was in the initial climb out of Punta Cana's runway 08 when the crew stopped the climb at 5000 feet reporting a problem with the landing gear. The aircraft burned off fuel at 4000 feet and landed safely back on runway 08 about 2:15 hours after departure. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Punta Cana about 14 hours after landing back. The airport reported initially there was a problem with the nose gear, later reported there was problem with the hydraulic system driving the main gear. The passengers were taken to hotels. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b26772b&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Ryanair B738 near Milan on Dec 16th 2017, fuel leak A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-EMA performing flight FR-1438 from Milan Malpensa to Palermo (Italy), was climbing through FL330 out of Milan when the crew decided to return to Milan Malpensa due to indications of a fuel leak. The aircraft landed safely back on Malpensa's runway about 30 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration EI-EVM reached Palermo as flight FR-1498 with a delay of 2:20 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 12 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b2674d8&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: ANA B788 near Okinawa on Dec 15th 2017, fumes in cockpit and cabin An ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-800, registration JA832A performing flight NH-805 from Tokyo Narita (Japan) to Bangkok (Thailand) with 242 people on board, was enroute at FL380 about 90nm north of Okinawa (Japan) when the crew decided to divert to Okinawa reporting an unusual odour in cockpit and cabin. A passenger, an elderly non-Japanese lady was suffering from pain in her eyes. The aircraft landed safely on Okinawa's runway 36 about 22 minutes after leaving FL380. The elderly lady was taken to a hospital. The airline confirmed an unusual odour on board, a malfunction of the air conditioning system is being suspected, the aircraft is being examined. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Okinawa about 30 hours after landing in Okinawa. A replacement Boeing 787-800 registration JA808A was dispatched to Okinawa as NH-9373, resumed the flight the following day as NH-805D and reached Bangkok with a delay of about 19.5 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b267399&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Easyjet A319 near Berlin on Dec 13th 2017, smell of smoke in cockpit An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration G-EZFE performing flight U2-4557 from Berlin Schoenefeld (Germany) to Copenhagen (Denmark), was climbing through FL270 out of Berlin just about to reach the top of climb when the crew decided to return to Berlin. The aircraft landed safely on Schoenefeld's runway 25R about 30 minutes after departure. A replacement Easyjet Europe Airbus A320-200 registration OE-IVO reached Copenhagen with a delay of 5:45 hours. A passenger reported the aircraft turned around to return to Berlin about 15 minutes into the flight. After landing the captain announced the return was due to smell of smoke in the cockpit. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b25d5ca&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: United B763 at Geneva on Dec 17th 2017, flap problem A United Boeing 767-300, registration N665UA performing flight UA-956 (Dep Dec 16th) from Newark,NJ (USA) to Geneva (Switzerland) with 213 people on board, was on a baseleg at 7000 feet to intercept the localizer for runway 23 when the crew reported a flaps problem and requested to do a 360 degrees orbit. Approach turned the aircraft off the approach with the intention to send the aircraft into a hold at 7000 feet, then issued vectors to keep the aircraft near the approach area. After about 10 minutes the crew declared PAN reporting they could not resolve the flaps problem, needed to land at a higher than normal speed and requested the trucks out. The aircraft subsequently positioned for another approach to runway 23 and landed safely at a higher than normal speed (about 175 knots over ground). A passenger reported: "After intercepting the localizer for the final approach, the aircraft turned 180 and performed another approach although not aligned on the runway. The aircraft performed another 180 and then reintercepted the localizer and landed facing west, 15min behind schedule. Upon arrival, the aircraft taxied and parked on a separate area from the terminal, accompanied by firefighters and policemen. When disembarking, the aircraft was being inspected by the emergency services. Would love to know what happened!" The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 4.5 hours, then was able to depart for the flight UA-975 to Washington Dulles,DC (USA). http://avherald.com/h?article=4b271ad3&opt=0 Back to Top Eurocopter AS 350B3 Écureuil Fatal Accident (Honduras) Date: 16-DEC-2017 Time: Type: Eurocopter AS 350B3 Écureuil Owner/operator: Fuerza Aérea Hondureña (FAH) Registration: FAH-905 C/n / msn: 4699 Fatalities: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Yerbabuena Mountain - Honduras Phase: En route Nature: Military Departure airport: Toncontin airport Destination airport: Soto Cano Air Base (XPL/MHSC) Narrative: The helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances, in adverse weather conditions. All six occupants died in the crash. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=203025 Back to Top Hobart chopper crash: Pilots doing emergency drills before fatal fall, preliminary report confirms (Australia) RotorLift chopper wreck PHOTO: The preliminary ATSB report said the pilots were practising emergency situations before crashing. (Supplied: ATSB) A report on the helicopter crash which killed 57-year-old pilot Roger Corbin has revealed the chopper was performing a simulated hydraulic system failure before it nose-dived from around 30 feet. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the cause of the November 7 crash at Hobart Airport and is expected to release its findings towards the end of next year. In a preliminary report today, the ATSB said Mr Corbin had been instructing his licensed co-pilot, 33-year-old John Osborne, on emergency procedures just before the crash. It said the pair had been practising general helicopter handling and low-level flying before requesting air traffic control clearance to conduct practice emergencies next to the main airport runway at around 5:15pm. "The approach to the airport reportedly involved conducting a simulated hydraulic system failure to the helicopter training area," the report said. "The instructor reportedly announced the simulated failure to the pilot just prior to commencing the approach. "The pilot responded to the simulated failure by stabilising the helicopter and reducing the airspeed to about 60 knots, in accordance with the manufacturer's hydraulic failure procedure detailed in the aircraft's flight manual." A video camera recorded the helicopter's final approach to the airport. "As the helicopter descended toward training area X-Ray, it initially appeared to be controlled and in a flatter than normal approach profile. "The helicopter then appeared to slow into a high hover about 30 feet above the ground. Seconds later, it commenced an abrupt nose-down turn to the left and impacted the ground." Mr Corbin died at the scene and Mr Osborne was admitted to hospital in a serious but stable condition, before being released a few days later. RotorLift chopper crash flight path PHOTO: The chopper nose-dived into the helicopter training area on the runway apron. (Supplied: ATSB) Training manual warns of 'possible loss of control' The ATSB said the training section of the helicopter's flight manual cautioned pilots against carrying out hover flight or low-speed manoeuvres without hydraulic pressure assistance. "The intensity and direction of the control feedback forces will change rapidly," the manual said. "This will result in excessive pilot workload, poor aircraft control, and possible loss of control." The remainder of the investigation will focus on reviewing evidence gathered from the scene, the conduct of training operations and helicopter systems. It will also consider any environmental influences which may have affected the helicopter's operation at the time of the crash. "Our job now is to continue to work through the analysis phase of the investigation to find out exactly what happened with the view to reducing the risk of it happening again," said ATSB chief commissioner Greg Hood. Mr Corbin is credited with saving many lives, as Rotorlift holds the contract for Tasmania's police search and rescue operations. In 2007, he won the National Search and Rescue Award for his work in more than 700 rescue missions across Tasmania and its surrounding oceans, including the rescue of a solo Japanese sailor 120 nautical miles south-west of the state. He was an experienced pilot and instructor with 14,000 flying hours in his 35 years of experience. He was farewelled by about 1,000 people at a service held at Hobart's Regatta Grounds. Mr Osborne runs Osborne Aviation, which promotes itself as being available for charters for "forestry, mining, agricultural, utility and film work in some of the world's most challenging operational environments". http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-18/preliminary-atsb-report-into-fatal-hobart-chopper- crash/9267648 Back to Top Following SFO runway close calls, Bay Area congressman wants pilot conversations saved Cockpit voice recorders, like the one seen here, have not been saved after recent incidents at San Francisco International Airport and elsewhere leading critics to ask why more is not being done to save such critical evidence. SAN FRANCISCO - After two San Francisco airport close calls earlier this year and yet another plane nearly landing on an occupied taxiway last month in Atlanta, investigators now say the pilot conversations in all three incidents were lost because the cockpit voice recorders were not removed from the planes in a timely manner, this news agency has learned. Congressman Mark DeSaulnier wants to know what it will take to preserve the piece of evidence that aviation experts call critical. He has proposed new legislation to find a way to safeguard cockpit voice recorders, but finds himself up against the very federal agency that investigates such evidence and aviation incidents - the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB calls it unnecessary. "It was shocking to me that in this day and age with technology as it is how they don't store almost everything. It's just crazy to me," DeSaulnier said by phone Friday. "It seems so corrective and it would be such an advantage for the NTSB to access." A challenging loophole also muddies when airlines must immediately save cockpit voice recorders. Because these airplanes didn't actually land on the crowded taxiways - potentially killing thousands of people - the events are not classified as "serious incidents" which would require archiving of the pilot conversations. In October, DeSaulnier filed amendments to the proposed 21st Century AIRR Act, calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to issue guidance for air carriers on best practices for removing and saving cockpit voice recorders, as well as asking the federal agency to provide recommendations to prevent the loss of cockpit voice recorders. However, it's unclear when Republicans will bring the wide-ranging bill, which would privatize air traffic control, among other aviation measures, to the floor, the congressman said. On Nov. 15, DeSaulnier wrote to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta asking the agency to take action to prevent the future loss of cockpit voice recorders in light of the July 7 incident at SFO. He has not heard back. "From a public safety perspective, this is unacceptable, and I am concerned that we are missing opportunities to learn from all of the facts when safety issues arise," DeSaulnier wrote. He specifically wrote about the valuable information lost in the SFO incidents. In July, an Air Canada flight mistook a crowded SFO taxiway for a runway, barely missing four fully loaded planes awaiting takeoff on the ground. In October, another Air Canada flight crew landed on a SFO runway despite repeated warnings by an air traffic controller to abort because he believed another airplane had not left the area yet. On Nov. 29, a Delta Air Lines plane lined up toward a taxiway at an Atlanta airport before performing a late go-around. A NTSB official told this news agency Thursday the cockpit voice recorder was not recovered following the latest incident last month. All three incidents are under federal investigation without the dialogue between pilots available that might explain the confusion. Cockpit voice recorders tape the dialogue among the flight crew and newer planes must have a two-hour tape limit, while older models are only required to have 30 minutes of tape. The recorder runs as long as the plane is powered, but once the recording reaches the end, it begins taping over at the beginning. "We believe that we get all the information that we need when it's reportable. We don't think anything else needs to be done than what is currently being done," NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said, adding the NTSB is not recommending any changes to regulations. He called the cockpit voice recorder an "added bonus, but not the end-all-be-all." He also said the surviving pilots provided valuable information and can be compared to flight data, making the voice recorder less important. Jim Hall, former NTSB chairman, disagreed in an interview earlier this year, calling the cockpit conversations "critical," especially in such close-calls. "It reflects the conversation in the cockpit of how this airplane might have ended up in this position," he said, adding that requirements on saving cockpit conversations must tighten. DeSaulnier also argued that relying on the crew is not ideal. "The pilot is often the person who is the culprit in making the mistake and humans memories are not perfect," he said. Holloway stressed that the SFO and Atlanta incidents did not reach the threshold of a "reportable incident," which requires airline notification when a plane "lands or departs on a taxiway, incorrect runway, or other area not designed as a runway." Even for those, the NTSB must put in a request for the cockpit voice recorder to be saved, which can take time in during the short window before it gets overwritten. In 2002, the NTSB sent a safety recommendation to the FAA saying it had a "longstanding concerns" about the availability of cockpit voice recorders, saying it's one of the most valuable tools in investigations. During catastrophic accidents the plane's electrical system cuts out which preserves the recorder, many investigations occur after incidents where the plane's electrical system is operational, such as runway and taxiway incursions, rejected takeoffs or runway overruns. In that 2002 memo, the NTSB said in those incidents "nearly every" CVR was overwritten. Often the only sound they get is background noise from an unoccupied cockpit from the plane sitting at a gate well after the incident. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/12/17/following-sfo-runway-close-calls-bay-area- congressman-wants-pilot-conversations-saved/ Back to Top Electricity Restored to Atlanta International Airport * Effects of the outage at Hartsfield-Jackson, the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic, are expected to spill into Monday's flights Passengers wait in long lines during a power outage at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta. Electricity has been restored to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport late Sunday, hours after an outage unleashed havoc on travelers around the country, leading to hundreds of flight cancellations during one of the most hectic travel periods of the year. The power went out at Hartsfield-Jackson-the busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic, with an average of 275,000 passengers daily-shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday, according to airport officials. Shortly before midnight, Georgia Power tweeted that power had been restored to all essential services at the airport, including all concourses and flight operations. The outage may be linked to a fire that caused extensive damage to a Georgia Power underground electrical facility, the utility said in a press release. The effects of the outage are likely to spill into Monday's flights, given that aircraft and crew won't be in position to operate as scheduled and displaced passengers will need to be accommodated. As a result of Sunday's outage, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all flights bound for Atlanta held on the ground. International flights bound for the airport were diverted elsewhere, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. "The cause of the incident remains under investigation," according to a message on the airport's Twitter page, posted Sunday afternoon. "ATL officials are working with Georgia Power to identify the cause and remedy the situation." In a statement, the FAA said, "The FAA Tower can operate normally, however, departures are delayed because airport equipment in the terminals is not working." The outage affected "all concourses and terminal buildings," according to Twitter posts from Delta Air Lines Inc., which has a major hub in Atlanta. Delta said it canceled 900 flights on Sunday. The airline said in a tweet that it expected to operate a nearly full schedule on Monday, pending the resumption of power. Southwest Airlines canceled all flights to or from Atlanta for the rest of the day on Sunday. American Airlines Group Inc., the largest airline by traffic, isn't big in Atlanta. The airline said it had 47 fights scheduled to depart Sunday from the city, 24 of which were canceled, and a similar number of arrivals. Three arriving planes were unloaded and three planes were diverted to other airports. This weekend marks the beginning of the hectic holiday travel season. Airlines for America, a trade group, estimated that 51 million passengers would fly on U.S. carriers globally from Dec. 15 to Jan. 4, up 3.5% from a year ago. Corrections & Amplifications The name of the airport is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. An earlier version of the deck headline on this article incorrectly spelled the airport as Harstfield-Jackson. (Dec. 17, 2017) https://www.wsj.com/articles/power-outage-halts-flights-at-atlanta-international-airport- 1513543883 Back to Top Tail-struck A320's crew originally chose to continue flight Investigators have disclosed that the crew of an unbalanced Airbus A320 which sustained several violent tail-strikes during take-off from Verona initially chose to continue the flight in breach of operating regulations. Italian investigation authority ANSV had previously determined that 77 passengers had disembarked at Verona, after the BH Air jet arrived from Hurghada, but that the remaining 87 passengers flying onwards to Rome were not redistributed. Fifty-eight of these passengers had been in the aft cabin and another 25 in the centre cabin, with just four up front. The passengers were supposed to be redistributed with 29 seated in each cabin. This would have fixed the centre of gravity at 29.1% of mean aerodynamic chord, within the appropriate limits for a 56t take-off weight. But although the ramp agent told ANSV that he had submitted a load and trim sheet to the captain, and had told the cabin manager that passengers need to be reseated, this redistribution was not carried out - possibly owing to a language misunderstanding. The captain nevertheless approved and signed the load sheet. ANSV's full inquiry into the event states that the pilots used the 'flex' thrust setting for departure on runway 04 but, against normal procedures, did not apply forward side-stick pressure as the aircraft began to roll. The aircraft, with flaps at 10° and slats at 18°, began to lift its nose at just 30kt and both pilots pushed their side-sticks fully forward as the pitch reached 11°. Seven seconds into the take-off roll the captain momentarily reduced thrust before instantly increasing it to maximum. As the aircraft reached 60kt it struck its tail on the runway, and further fluctuations, with lower intensity, showed the jet suffered "repeated" strikes, says the inquiry. With its high nose-up attitude of 15° the aircraft, having gained sufficient lift, became airborne at an airspeed of around 110kt. The pitch increased to 23° and, at 125kt, a stall warning sounded for 5s. The jet switched from direct to alternate flight-control law and a cabin altitude warning, indicating pressurisation problems from the damaged fuselage, sounded as it climbed through 9,750ft. ANSV says that the crew had decided to continue the flight, "contrary" to operating procedures which required an immediate return to the airport in case of tail-strike, and had requested to maintain 10,000ft and proceed to Rome. The crew opted to return to Verona "only after the activation of [the pressurisation warning]", the inquiry adds, and did not specify the reason to air traffic control. Airbus analysed the aircraft's load distribution and calculated that its centre of gravity would have been 43.75% of mean aerodynamic chord, outside the operating limit. The inquiry says the crew's choosing initially to continue the flight suggests the decision-making process was influenced by "factors unrelated to the simple objective of flight safety". While assessing the extent of tail-strike damage in flight is "not easy", it states, the pilots must have realised that the impact occurred during take-off. The precise decision-making situation could not be clarified because the cockpit-voice recorder data for the initial part of the flight was unavailable. None of the occupants was seriously injured in the event, on 1 September 2009, although four of those in the rearmost row were treated for whiplash. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/tail-struck-a320s-crew-originally-chose-to-continue- 444260/ Back to Top West Wind grounds ATRs as Canadian crash probe begins Canadian carrier West Wind Aviation has temporarily grounded its remaining ATR fleet after the crash of an ATR 42-300 as it departed on a domestic service. Investigators probing the crash have sent the cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders to an analysis laboratory in Ottawa. All 22 passengers and three crew members survived the accident - although several occupants sustained serious injuries - after the aircraft descended into trees and struck the ground shortly after taking off from Fond-du-Lac airport on 13 December. Transportation Safety Board of Canada says the turboprop (C-GWEA) carved an 800m (2,600ft) wreckage path as it came down. The aircraft was badly damaged. It came to rest upright but "tilted steeply" to its right side, says the investigation board, with the left side having appeared to suffer the worst damage. The fuselage "ruptured", it adds, around the third row of seats. West Wind, which is based at Saskatoon, has grounded its other ATRs "for the time being", says the inquiry. As well as the two flight recorders the probe has retrieved the emergency locator transmitter and carried out an initial survey of the crash site. Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada, along with ATR and French investigation authority BEA, is participating in the inquiry. While freezing meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, investigators have not disclosed whether the aircraft had been de-iced, or indicated whether external conditions contributed in any way to the crash. Nor has the probe given any details of the configuration during take-off or the flight profile. Analysis of weather and surveillance data, as well as maintenance records, will form part of the inquiry. Flight Fleets Analyzer lists C-GWEA as a 26-year old airframe originally delivered to Mexican carrier Aviacion del Noroeste, and serving with operators including Africa's Fly540, before being transferred to West Wind in 2012. www.flghtglobal.com Back to Top Sun Country Airlines sold to N.Y. investment group A Sun Country Boeing 737 takes off from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport in January 2017. (Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAY) EAGAN, Minn. (AP) - Eagan-based Sun Country Airlines is being sold to a New York-based investment group. Apollo Global Management will purchase the airline for an undisclosed amount. Current owners Mitch and Marty Davis say they decided to sell Sun Country to a group that could help the company grow faster. Sun Country's headquarters will stay in Minnesota. Jude Bricker will remain president and chief executive. The Star Tribune of Minneapolis reports the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018. Sun Country's flights are anchored at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and are primarily set up for leisure travelers to reach warm-weather destinations, including resorts in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The Davis brothers also own Cambria, Davis Family Dairies and Cambria Mortgage and Title. They bought Sun Country in 2011. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2017/12/16/sun-country-airlines- sold-n-y-investment-group/954782001/ Back to Top Paul Allen's Stratolaunch space venture puts monster plane through first taxi test Stratolaunch plane The world's biggest airplane taxis along the Mojave Air and Space Port's runway during a ground test conducted by Stratolaunch. For a size comparison, note the pickup truck driving between the plane's twin fuselages. (Paul Allen via Twitter) That's one more not-so-small step for Stratolaunch's giant airplane: The space venture's founder, software billionaire Paul Allen, is showing off a 34-second video of the twin-fuselage aircraft as it aced its first taxi test on the runway at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Allen said the test was conducted Saturday, marking a rare outing for the plane that's destined to serve as a flying platform for launching rockets into space. In tonight's tweet, he promised that there'd be "more to share soon": Allen, one of Microsoft's co-founders, created Stratolaunch six years ago as a follow-up to the SpaceShipOne private spaceflight venture he backed in Mojave. The program has gone through a series of strategic twists and turns, but the fact that the plane has begun rolling down the runway suggests it could start flight tests in earnest next year. Stratolaunch's plane, nicknamed Roc, has the widest wingspan in the aviation world at 385 feet. That's 50 percent wider than the wings of a Boeing 747 - which probably shouldn't be surprising, considering that parts from two 747s went into building the plane. Mojave-based Scaled Composites aided in the fabrication of the plane's carbon composite components. The plane is designed to carry one or more rockets to high altitude, then drop them in midflight for launch. The benefit of air launch is that satellite payloads could be sent into any orbital inclination from a wide range of locations. Orbital ATK is one of Stratolaunch's partners, and U.S. governmental and military officials have sent signals that they might be interested in what Stratolaunch has to offer. If all goes according to plan, Stratolaunch could start launching by as early as 2019. And if there's more to share on Monday, we'll update this item. https://www.geekwire.com/2017/paul-allens-stratolaunch-space-venture-puts-monster-airplane- first-taxi-test/ Back to Top Planned Supersonic Business Jet Gets a Lift from Lockheed Martin Dec. 16--Military-aviation giant Lockheed Martin is adding the expertise and reputation of its famed Skunk Works research unit to a commercial-airplane project, the Aerion AS2 supersonic business jet. Lockheed is joining Aerion Corp. of Reno, Nevada, to develop the sleek, needle-nosed plane, which is intended to fly 10 to 12 passengers at speeds up to Mach 1.4. That's about 55 percent faster than today's fastest commercial jets, equivalent to greater than 1,000 miles per hour. First flight is planned for 2023 with certification and entry into service in 2025. At a Washington, D.C., news conference Friday, Aerion Executive Chairman Brian Barents suggested that the AS2 is just the first step toward future supersonic-commercial airliners. He said Aerion chose to initially target the business-jet market because the wealthy individuals who buy high-end, private jets "are early adopters not sensitive to price." But the company sees itself building larger jets later. "Speed is the next frontier in civil aviation," Barents said. The AS2 "will allow later development of various airliner configurations." Orlando Carvalho, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, said that in addition to providing detailed engineering support to develop the airframe and certify the jet, his engineers will work on the best way to build the plane. He added that Lockheed's jet fighter manufacturing base in Marietta, Georgia, -- where the Lockheed Jetstar, the world's first successful business jet, was built in the 1960s and '70s -- is a prime candidate for an AS2 assembly plant. However, Barents also noted a preference for a coastal site to allow supersonic flight tests over the ocean. Supersonic team Lockheed joins a project that already has engine-maker GE Aviation on the team. Because flying at supersonic speed generates great heat, GE business aviation Vice President Brad Mottier said, his engineers plan to use an existing, fuel-efficient commercial airplane engine core -- the hot, combustion part of the power plant -- but to wrap around that a newly designed, low- pressure system "more like a military aircraft," to control the heat at the engine inlet. Boeing rival Airbus earlier helped Aerion with initial structural design and system integration and remains a partner. It appears that further airframe design work will fall to Lockheed. But Barents said Airbus will potentially be a major supplier to the program. Barents was dismissive of the two rival supersonic business jets currently in development, both startups founded by IT entrepreneurs: Boom, based in Denver; and Spike Aerospace, based in Boston. Boom recently announced a 20-jet order from Japan Airlines. Barents said Aerion's rivals lack partners with the pedigree of Lockheed and GE. Citing the F-22 and F-35 fighter jets as well as the legendary SR-71 spy plane that flew at Mach 3, Barents said, "Lockheed has designed and built more supersonic aircraft than any company in the world." Still, despite all the enthusiasm at Friday's news conference, which was streamed online, the accompanying news release made clear that Lockheed has signed a memorandum of understanding, not a formal contract, "to explore the feasibility of a joint development of the world's first supersonic business jet." Two years ago, Flexjet, which offers fractional private jet ownership, ordered 20 Aerion AS2s. Although the down payments on such an advance order must have been minimal, Barents cited the value of that order as $2.4 billion, which implies a list price of $120 million per jet -- about the same as a 220-seat Boeing 737 MAX 9. http://www.aviationpros.com/news/12387121/planned-supersonic-business-jet-gets-a-lift-from- lockheed-martin Back to Top Pilot Describes Mysterious Wingless Aircraft that Outran his Fighter Jet Commander David Fravor saw a wingless aircraft during a 'routine' mission that then whizzed away. U.S. government officials are now verifying his story. In 2004, Commander David Fravor thought he would just be conducting a standard training mission off the coast of San Diego. What happened was way more mysterious, and now a story that needs to be told. Fravor and another pilot Lt. Cmdr. Jim Slaight were flying their routine training mission over 100 miles out into the Pacific ocean. During the flight, a radio operator asked him to investigate a white floating object hovering over the sea. Fravor flew toward what he described as a 40-foot, oval- shaped object. According to Fravor in an interview with the New York Times, the objects appeared at 80,000 feet and then 'hurtled' toward the sea before stopping at 20,000 feet and hovering. Then, Fravor recalled, the object (or objects) disappeared. "It accelerated like nothing I've ever seen," he told the Times, adding that he was "pretty weirded out," and that although he had no idea what he saw, all he could tell was that "it had no plumes, wings or rotors and outran our F-18s." The Group Behind the Research Fravor's incident comes right after The New York Times and Politico both published unique and detailed reports about the Pentagon's UFO exploration missions. Then-Nevada Senator Harry Reid requested the establishment of the secret government program called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. At a recent press conference, former Democratic staff director for the Senate Intelligence Committee Chris Mellon affirmed Fravor's story. He even further described the "It is white, oblong, some 40 feet long and perhaps 12 feet thick...The pilots are astonished to see the object suddenly reorient itself toward the approaching F/A-18," Mellon said. "In a series of discreet tumbling maneuvers that seem to defy the laws of physics. The object takes a position directly behind the approaching F/A-18. The pilots capture gun camera footage and infrared imagery of the object. They are outmatched by a technology they've never seen." As the New York Times staff pointed out in the story's introduction, "not knowing the explanation does not mean that the event has interstellar origins." Politico developed a report that released around the same time. One former Pentagon staff member told Politico on the condition of anonymity that a foreign power could've developed next-generation technologies. "Was this China or Russia trying to do something or has some propulsion system we are not familiar with?" said the unnamed staffer. Luis Elizondo served as the career intelligence officer who ran the initiative. He told Politico that in his resignation letter, the research being conducted by the institute was not being taken seriously. "We tried to work within the system," Elizondo told Politico. "We were trying to take the voodoo out of voodoo science." Elizondo also spoke about Fravor's encounter in a recent interview. "They [the mysterious crafts] did not exhibit overt hostility," Elizondo explained. "But something unexplained is always assumed to be a potential threat until we are certain it isn't. On the bright side, I believe we are closer than ever before in our understanding of how it operates." https://interestingengineering.com/pilot-describes-mysterious-wingless-aircraft-that-outran-his- fighter-jet Back to Top This is the airline with the worst in-flight wi-fi These days, it's pretty easy to find wi-fi almost anywhere, from coffee shops to grocery stores. But what about wi-fi access when we're flying across the country? Some airlines are more reliable than others. And the airline with the worst in-flight wi-fi? United. So you may want to keep that in mind when you book your holiday travel or your next flight. HighSpeedInternet.com did some research to find out which domestic airlines have the best in- flight wi-fi, and which ones have the worst. After all, holiday travel can be stressful enough without throwing a bad internet connection into the mix. And, even though you may not have to work over Christmas, it's still nice to get online while flying home to see your parents. Maybe you want to catch up on personal emails or have a Netflix marathon. Whatever the case may be, you don't want to worry about spotty wi-fi. To gather the data, HighSpeedInternet.com scoured the internet, called in-flight wi-fi providers, and tweeted airlines. All so we can make more informed decisions as we compare flight options from different carriers. Their report is the first to gather price, availability, and speed data from all major domestic airlines and compare each airline's specs using an algorithm created by a data science team, their report states. Here are the in-flight wi-fi rankings for domestic carriers. As you can see, United is at the bottom of the list. HighSpeedInternet.com / HighSpeedInternet.com If in-flight wi-fi speed is important to you, as you can see below, United, American, Alaska Airlines, and Southwest report slower connection speeds than Delta, JetBlue, and Virgin America. HighSpeedInternet.com / HighSpeedInternet.com And then, there are the domestic airlines that don't offer in-flight wi-fi at all. HighSpeedInternet.com / HighSpeedInternet.com When you're booking your next domestic flight, if you think you'll need to get online, keep this report in mind. Meanwhile, safe holiday travels, in-flight wi-fi or not! https://hellogiggles.com/lifestyle/technology/airline-with-worst-in-flight-wi-fi/ Back to Top SpaceX Delivers Orbital-Debris Sensor to the ISS The Dragon resupply ship pictured 10 m away from the ISS robotic arm. Credit: NASA HOUSTON-The International Space Station (ISS) received new opportunities to display its versatility as an orbiting testbed early Dec. 17 with the berthing of SpaceX's 13th NASA-contracted Dragon resupply vessel and 4,800 lb. of crew supplies, science experiments and technology demonstrations. The cargo includes first-time ISS external sensors developed to assess the small-scale orbital debris environment as well as climate-influencing levels of solar energy reaching the Earth. Both are to be deployed with Canadian robotic-arm operations during the Dragon's month-long stay. The capsule's cargo includes the makings for a high-quality ZBLAN fiber-optic cable, production of which Made in Space Inc. bid to demonstrate within the ISS, an effort that could support a business case for future commercial production in Earth orbit. The automated Dragon freighter, launched from Cape Canaveral AFS on Dec. 15, maneuvered within reach of the orbiting lab's 58-ft.-long Canadian robotic arm, enabling NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba to command a grapple at 5:57 a.m. EST. Subsequent berthing (at 8:26 a.m. EST) of the capsule to the station's U.S. segment Harmony module completed the delivery of nearly three dozen new science investigations and technology demonstrations. While Dragon is berthed, the external robot arms will "unpack" two payloads from the freighter's unpressurized trunk for installations. NASA's own Space-Debris Sensor, a 1-m2, sensor-laden platform will be attached outside the European Columbus module to characterize the smallest-scale manmade orbital-debris environment at the station's 250-mi. (400-km) altitude and 51.6-deg. orbital inclination, findings that could be critical to the deployment of successor commercial space stations as well as an extension of the ISS beyond its current 2024 operational deadline. "Space debris is a significant issue," NASA's Kirk Shireman, the ISS program manager, told a pre- launch news briefing. "It will continue to be a significant issue. This experiment we are flying is a really important experiment. It will help us gather some additional data and be smarter, not only for the ISS but for future human spaceflight and even commercial spaceflight in low Earth orbit." The Space-Debris Sensor will log impacts that will enable NASA's ground-based experts to determine the speed, direction, size and density of impact particles in order to update their orbital- debris models. The sensor is to remain active for at least 2-3 years, while shaping the development of a dedicated spacecraft replacement sensor, according to Joseph Hamilton, the device's principal investigator from NASA's Johnson Space Center. An increasing orbital-debris environment in low Earth orbit is attributed to spent rocket stages, decaying inactive satellites, fragments from previous spacecraft fuel-tank and battery explosions and antisatellite tests. Collisions within the growing debris environment, the Kessler Effect, threatens to pose an even greater risk to future orbital operations. The Pentagon's Joint Space Operations Center uses ground radar and optical assets to track about 18,000 objects 10 cm (3.9 in.) or larger to provide collision warnings to NASA and commercial satellite operators. However, the orbital realm is believed to host about 500,000 fragments 1 cm or larger, the vast majority of which cannot be tracked. The Space-Debris Sensor is designed to better characterize the population of high density 1-1.5- mm metal fragments that can pose a risk because of their high velocity but also cannot be tracked from the ground. ISS shielding is designed to withstand impacts from objects smaller than 2.5 cm, though impacts with smaller fragments have created jagged and sharp edges on handrails and other external hardware that can damage the protective gloves worn by space-suited astronauts working outside the ISS. When warned of a possible impact between the ISS and debris greater than 10 cm, NASA and its international partners coordinate for evasive maneuvers of the six-person, football-field-sized orbital outpost, something the agency's Mission Control has orchestrated 23 times since 1998, which marked the start of a continuous human presence, said Shireman. However, an increased likelihood of collisions between existing objects at higher altitudes than the ISS that will gradually decline in altitude pose a concern for future operations in the station's well- established orbital neighborhood. "Even with no new launches, there will continue to be more collisions on-orbit, unless a significant amount of large debris is removed from orbit," Ivonne Rodriquez, an orbital-debris expert at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, told a Dec. 6 Future in Space Operations forum on the topic. Rodriquez assesses the risk to Earth-observing satellites from orbital debris at higher altitudes than the ISS. "We don't have enough [debris] now to have frequent impacts," Rodriquez told the forum. "But it is enough to prevent the future use of important orbits. When we see more collisions, it will be more difficult to work." The station's robotic arm will also be used to unpack NASA's Total and Spectral solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS-1), which will be attached to an external stowage platform on the station's solar power truss for a five-year assessment of the solar energy reaching the top of the Earth's atmosphere, an endeavor that began nearly 40 years ago with less sophisticated satellite sensors. TSIS-1 will assess the subtle energy fluctuations that accompany changes over the 11-year solar cycle, which is currently approaching "solar minimum," across 1,000-wavelength bands, Those include ultraviolet bands shielded from reaching the Earth's surface by the Earth's high-altitude ozone layer, which is being gradually restored from decades of damage attributed to manmade chemicals found in refrigerants and aerosol products. Solar UV energy also affects the circulation of air in the stratosphere, which can influence climate. When reaching the Earth's surface, UV radiation is harmful to animals and plants. "We don't know what the next solar cycle is going to bring, but we've had a couple of solar cycles that have been weaker than we've had in quite a while, so who knows," NASA's Dong Wu, the TSIS-1 project scientist, noted in a primer on the sensor furnished by the space agency. Made in Space, based at Moffett Field in California, broke new ground aboard the ISS in 2014 with the delivery of a prototype 3D printer to experiment with in space additive manufacturing. The self-contained fiber-optic production experiment is based on the premise that in the absence of gravity, ZBLAN, a metal fluoride glass, can be used to produce a superior fiber-optic cable in space, minus the crystal structure impurities that form as the material is manufactured into cable while under the influence of Earth's gravity. The demonstration was launched by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, the nonprofit that oversees U.S. National Laboratory activities aboard the ISS. www.avaionweek.com Back to Top Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship The Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship was established by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to shape the next generation of aviation researchers, honoring the late Najeeb Elias Halaby, an eminent aviator and administrator, for his vision and more than five decades of extraordinary contributions to aviation (https://ral.ucar.edu/opportunity/halaby-fellowship). The Fellowship The recipient of a Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship will spend three months (in 2018 or early 2019) in residence with NCAR's Aviation Weather Research Program, which Mr. Halaby was instrumental in establishing in the 1980s. As the nation's leader in addressing aviation weather research, NCAR plays a unique role in meeting user needs by transferring research results to operations through its Research Application Laboratory (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/). The Fellow will conduct research broadly aimed at improving the integration of weather into decision support tools for enhanced mitigation of weather sensitivities (e.g., weather impact avoidance) and management of air traffic. The Fellowship will provide: * a monthly stipend for three months, including temporary living expenses * round-trip travel expenses to and from Boulder, CO * travel to a conference to present results * page charges for one publication of key results Eligibility and Application The Halaby Fellowship targets graduate students (late Masters or early PhD level) enrolled in an aviation-relevant department or program of a domestic or international university. Interested candidates should have advanced research skills, far-reaching vision, and dedication to get things accomplished. Consideration for this Fellowship will be given to candidates based on the following submitted material: * Curriculum vitae * Proposal (maximum five pages) presenting the research to be conducted at NCAR, the anticipated outcome of that, and how the proposed effort ties into the candidate's ongoing graduate research project(s) * Contact information for three references (one of which should be the student's primary advisor) NCAR will accept applications for the Halaby Fellowship each year. Email Applications by February 28, 2018 to halabyfellowship@ucar.edu Back to Top The European Society of Air Safety Investigators (ESASI) is pleased to announce that REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for the next ESASI seminar which will be held in Riga, Latvia on the 23rd and 24th May 2018. Further details regarding the 2018 seminar and previous seminars, can be found at - www.ESASI.eu ESASI still welcomes proposals for presentations to be given during the 2018 seminar. The presentations 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, and * topical case studies. Details of proposed presentations should be sent to Brian McDermid, by the 6th February 2018, at presentations@esasi.eu. The ESASI committee will select the presentations in late February 2018. Steve - ESASI Secretary Steve Hull IEng FRAeS FISASI Aviation Director & Head of Training Annapolis, MD USA || San Francisco, CA USA || London, UK || Panama City, Panama RTI 34 Lime Street London EC3M 7AT Tel: +44 (0) 20 7481 2150 Mobile: +44 (0) 07800 608933 Steve.hull@rtiforensics.com www.rtiforensics.com Back to Top Back to Top This ad will run 11/6, 11/8, 11/10, 11/13, 11/15, and 11/17 Upcoming USC Courses Safety Management for Aviation Maintenance Maintenance Safety Principles and Guidelines for Developing Effective Maintenance Safety Programs January 8-12, 2018 4.5 Days Safety Program Administration Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FEMA) Process Prediction, Communication, and Influencing Management Safety Program Organization Safety Climates/Management Styles Reporting Systems Accident Response Planning Tuition: $2500 Data for Aviation Safety Management Creating a Data-Based Safety Case for All Aviation Operations January 8-12, 2018 4.5 Days Evolution of Flight Data Analysis Flight Data Recorders, types, capabilities, and history International Regulatory Standards Relationship to SMS FOQA, ASAP, and ASRS Video and Audio Analysis Commercial Safety Data Services Animation of Flight Data ADS-B Practical Exercise Tuition: $2500 Threat and Error Management Integrating Threat and Error Management into a Safety Management System January 17-19, 2018 2.5 Days Introduction to Threats and Errors Performance and Loss of Situation Awareness Threat Recognition and Error Avoidance Building Barriers to Error Distraction and Interruption Management SOPs role in Threat and Error Management Tuition: $1250 For further details, please visit our website or use the contact information below. Email: aviation@usc.edu Telephone: +1 (310) 342-1345 Curt Lewis