Flight Safety Information January 15, 2018 - No. 011 In This Issue Incident: El Al B744 near Goose Bay on Jan 14th 2018, wheel well fire indication EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Accident: Lufthansa CRJ9 at Munich on Jan 13th 2018, rejected takeoff due to blown tyre Accident: Pegasus B738 at Trabzon on Jan 13th 2018, runway excursion Incident: Easyjet A319 at Zurich on Jan 10th 2018, suspected to have burst tyre on departure Incident: Flybe DH8D at Knock on Jan 14th 2018, flaps problem Incident: Kuwait A320 at Lahore on Jan 11th 2018, cabin overpressure Plane Truths and Knee-jerk Reporting...The investigation of the fatal Hawkesbury floatplane crash Costa Rica suspends Nature Air during ongoing investigation of fatal Cessna Caravan accident Sydney Seaplanes set to resume flights after fatal Hawkesbury River crash New Report on Air France Rio-Paris Crash Report Blames Pilots Australian Transport Safety Bureau report reveals 230 plane accidents in 2016 Ravn Alaska's safety management system gets FAA approval U.S. Experts Split On Drivers Of Airline Safety Record Mitsubishi Aircraft Nears Completion Of MRJ Redesign No Deal With Emirates Would Shut Down A380 Program, Predicts Leahy FAA Drone Registry Tops 1 Million Pakistan aims to sell national airline before election Iceland Spending $1 Billion on Boosting Airport Capacity Turkish Airlines commits to buying 20 Airbus widebody aircraft Interest-free loan program takes off to aid Japan's future pilots Hope for the A380? French Government Pitch Super-Jumbo Jet to Chinese Officials During State Visit China in talks for sale of jet engine technology to Germany Boeing unveils conceptual hypersonic jet design to replace the SR-71 Blackbird SpaceX and Boeing Slated for Manned Space Missions By Year's End GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Call for Papers - ISASI 2018 Cabin Operations Safety Conference MITRE - SMS Course - March 2018 Incident: El Al B744 near Goose Bay on Jan 14th 2018, wheel well fire indication An El Al Boeing 747-400, registration 4X-ELA performing flight LY-8 (sched. dep Jan 13th, act. dep Jan 14th) from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Tel Aviv (Israel), was enroute at FL330 about 220nm east of Goose Bay,NL (Canada) when the crew declared emergency, descended the aircraft to FL180 and lowered the gear. The crew subsequently advised that they did receive a wheel well fire indication, they were unable to determine which wheel well, there was no associated temperature indication. The aircraft diverted to Goose Bay for a safe landing about 70 minutes later. A replacement Boeing 747-400 registration 4X-ELC was dispatched from New York to Goose Bay as flight LY-1008 and is estimated to depart Goose Bay for Tel Aviv any time. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ELY8/history/20180114/0450Z/KJFK/LLBG http://avherald.com/h?article=4b3a5fd2&opt=256 Back to Top Back to Top Accident: Lufthansa CRJ9 at Munich on Jan 13th 2018, rejected takeoff due to blown tyre A Lufthansa Canadair CRJ-900, registration D-ACNM performing flight LH-2252 from Munich (Germany) to Lyon (France), was accelerating for takeoff from Munich's runway 08R when the crew rejected takeoff due to at least one blown tyre. The aircraft slowed safely but became disabled on the runway. Tower instructed a number of aircraft on approach to go around. Emergency services responded to provide fire cover, the passengers disembarked onto the runway and were bussed to the terminal. The aircraft received substantial damage. The runway was closed due to the disabled aircraft and debris along the runway. A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration D-AIPA reached Lyon with a delay of 100 minutes. On Jan 14th 2018 The Aviation Herald learned that the aircraft burst both right hand main tyres and received substantial damage due to tyre debris damaging the gear doors and impacting the underside of the right hand wing causing damage to the flaps as well as penetrating the underside of the wing (the wing tank remained undamaged). Related NOTAM: A0162/18 NOTAMN Q) EDMM/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A /000/999/4821N01147E005 A) EDDM B) 1801131812 C) 1801132000 E) RWY 08R/26L CLSD. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b39a06e&opt=256 Back to Top Accident: Pegasus B738 at Trabzon on Jan 13th 2018, runway excursion A Pegasus Boeing 737-800, registration TC-CPF performing flight PC-8622 from Ankara to Trabzon (Turkey) with 162 passengers and 6 crew, landed on Trabzon's runway 11 at 23:26L (20:26Z) but veered left off the runway, went down a slope and came to a stop on soft ground just short of the sea about 60 meters before the runway end and about 60 meters to the left of the left runway edge. The aircraft was evacuated. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The airline confirmed the flight had a runway excursion incident while landing in Trabon. The aircraft carried 162 passengers, 2 pilots and 4 crew, all of them disembarked safely, there were no injuries. The governor of Trabzon reported there were no injuries. Local emergency services reported 3 people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. Mode-S data suggest the aircraft touched down normally at 143 knots over ground. Related NOTAMs: A0274/18 - RWY 11/29, AIRCRAFT WRECK -60M AWAY FROM RWY 29 THR -60M AWAY FROM RWY CENTERLINE -5M HEIGHT. 13 JAN 22:00 2018 UNTIL 29 JAN 14:00 2018. CREATED: 13 JAN 22:31 2018 A0273/18 - RWY 11/29 CLOSED TO TRAFFIC. 13 JAN 20:50 2018 UNTIL 14 JAN 05:00 2018. CREATED: 13 JAN 20:57 2018 Metars: LTCG 132200Z 33002KT 2000 -RA BR BKN006 BKN025 08/08 Q1020 BECMG 6000 RMK RWY29 30003KT= LTCG 132150Z VRB01KT 4000 -RA BR BKN003 BKN025 08/08 Q1020 BECMG 6000 BKN008 BKN028= COR LTCG 132120Z VRB01KT 4400 -RA BR BKN002 BKN025 08/08 Q1021 BECMG TL2200 BKN004 BKN025= LTCG 132109Z VRB01KT 4000 -RA BR BKN002 BKN025 08/08 Q1021 BECMG TL2100 BKN004 BKN025 RMK RWY29 31002KT= LTCG 132050Z 25001KT 2800 -RA BR BKN004 BKN025 08/07 Q1021 BECMG TL2100 3200= LTCG 132020Z 24001KT 4000 -RA BR BKN003 BKN025 08/07 Q1021 NOSIG= LTCG 132014Z 00000KT 4000 -RA BR BKN002 BKN025 08/07 Q1021 NOSIG RMK RWY29 VRB01KT= LTCG 131950Z 00000KT 3700 -RA BR BKN003 BKN028 08/07 Q1021 BECMG 9999 NSW BKN011 BKN028= LTCG 131920Z VRB01KT 5000 -RA BR BKN008 BKN025 08/07 Q1021 BECMG 9999 NSW BKN011 BKN028= LTCG 131910Z 02003KT 320V060 6000 -RA BKN007 BKN028 08/07 Q1021 BECMG BKN011 BKN028 RMK RWY29 27002KT= LTCG 131850Z 31003KT 280V020 9999 BKN011 BKN028 08/07 Q1021 NOSIG= LTCG 131820Z 27002KT 9999 BKN011 BKN028 09/07 Q1021 NOSIG= LTCG 131750Z 31003KT 280V350 9999 BKN011 BKN028 08/07 Q1022 NOSIG= LTCG 131720Z VRB02KT 9999 BKN011 BKN028 09/06 Q1022 NOSIG= LTCG 131650Z 15005KT 9999 BKN013 BKN028 09/06 Q1022 NOSIG= LTCG 131620Z 20003KT 150V210 9999 BKN009 BKN028 09/07 Q1022 NOSIG= Video of the aftermath (Video: Barýs Tekdemir): http://avherald.com/h?article=4b39bd2e&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Easyjet A319 at Zurich on Jan 10th 2018, suspected to have burst tyre on departure An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration G-EZNC performing flight U2-7904 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), departed Zurich's runway 28 when the crew advised tower just before being handed off to departure that they had possibly blown a tyre. A runway inspection did not find any debris on the runway. The crew stopped the climb at FL130 and entered a hold to burn off fuel advising a tyre on the right hand main gear appears to be blown. The aircraft returned to Zurich for a safe landing on runway 16 about 50 minutes after departure. Emergency services reported that there was no damaged/blown tyre. The aircraft taxied to the apron. A replacement A319-100 registration G-EZBE reached Amsterdam with a delay of 5:20 hours. The occurrence aircraft attempted to depart Zurich about 3 hours after landing back, however, rejected takeoff at high speed (about 130 knots over ground) due to hot brakes. Emergency services reported all brakes were handwarm, not hot. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b38ec58&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Flybe DH8D at Knock on Jan 14th 2018, flaps problem A Flybe de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration G-JECO performing flight BE-653 from Birmingham,EN (UK) to Knock (Ireland), was on final approach to Knock's runway 27 when the crew initiated a go around advising their approach had become unstable. While in the hold, with deteriorating weather changing from Cat I to Cat II conditions, the crew advised they were working on another issue, a flaps issue. After working the checklists the crew consulted with dispatch with respect whether to divert to Shannon (Ireland) or elsewhere stating they had a flaps power problem with the flaps stuck at 4 degrees, on recommendation by dispatch the crew decided to divert to Belfast Aldergrove,NI (UK), climbed the aircraft to FL090 and landed safely on Aldergrove's runway 25 about one hour after the go around. The passengers, including a Rugby team, were bussed to Knock. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b3a370e&opt=256 Back to Top Eurocopter AS 365N3 Dauphin 2 Accident (India) Date: 13-JAN-2018 Time: c10:30 LT Type: Eurocopter AS 365N3 Dauphin 2 Owner/operator: Pawan Hans Registration: VT-PWA C/n / msn: 6929 Fatalities: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: c37 nm offshore Mumbai - India Phase: En route Nature: Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Juhu Airport (VAJJ) Destination airport: offshore installation, Mumbai High North Field Narrative: The helicopter did not arrive at its destination, an ONGC offshore installation in the Indian Ocean. Debris of the crashed helicopter has been found and 6 bodies have been retrieved from the water. After 48 hours one person, one of the two pilots, is still missing presumed dead. The wreckage has been located by sonar on the sea bed and a data recorder recovered. Departed 10:14. Contact lost c10:30. ETA was 10:58. The aircraft had recently been subject to a 500 hour inspection. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=204272 Back to Top Plane Truths and Knee-jerk Reporting The investigation of the fatal Hawkesbury floatplane crash, which killed six people, has only just begun, but already two things are evident: it is most unlikely the plane's structural integrity prompted the tragedy and near-certain that journalists will persist in advertising their incurious ignorance Now that the wreckage of the Beaver floatplane has been fished out of the waters of Jerusalem Bay, in Sydney's Hawkesbury River system, it will be only a short time before the Australian Transport Safety Board investigators determine that the plane stalled at a low level and went into an incipient spin. The crushed noses of the two floats indicate that the Beaver dived almost vertically to the bottom of the bay. While the front of the plane including the cabin has been crushed, the rear fuselage and tailplane are almost intact. There's nothing like an air accident to reveal the ignorance and lack of experience in what passes for daily journalism today. A clutch of ABC tyros repeatedly referred to the crash as a 'ditching' - the technical term for a pilot setting an aircraft down on water in an emergency as carefully as possible. But that was eclipsed by a Channel 9 report that had police divers hoping to recover the 'black box' - a device not carried, or required to be carried, in such a light aircraft. The Guardian reported that Sydney Seaplanes had been operating joy flights for eighty years. When the Sydney Morning Herald turned up the fact that the floatplane, registered VH-NOO, had been written off as 'destroyed' 21 years ago when in its previous incarnation as a crop-duster landplane, VH-IDI, it was the signal for the ignorant to pontificate about the dangers of 'old' aeroplanes. 'Destroyed' in the ATSB summary merely meant that the plane had suffered substantial damage when it flipped onto its back and was no longer airworthy. It was certified recoverable by an aeronautical engineer, and was neither too difficult nor expensive to re-construct to certifiable condition. What is more than likely is that aircraft in the Sydney Seaplanes fleet of Beavers and Cessna Caravans were maintained to standard and as good as new for the light duty sight-seeing tasks they are called upon to perform. From witness descriptions, engine failure and aircraft break-up in mid-aid could immediately be ruled out as causes of the accident, which claimed six lives. The dive to the water immediately after making a banking turn to the right strongly suggested a stall common to the Beaver type. Like the venerable DC-3 Dakota of even greater vintage, the Beaver has had an enduring place in civil and military aviation. Designed and built by De Havilland Canada as a rugged short-take off and landing (STOL) aircraft for the Canadian outback, the Beaver quickly earned its place worldwide. A total of 1,657 planes were built, and 980 of them were supplied to the U.S. Forces. Some went also to the British Army before production ended in the mid-1960s. VH-NOO was among the last off the line, first taking to the air in 1964. In any air accident, the place to start is with the flight manual, often referred to as pilot's notes. The manual sets out all the specifications, dimensions, fittings and instruments of the aircraft - and, importantly, advice on its flying characteristics. For the Beaver, the relevant numbers specify normal operating speed limit is given as 243kph, landing speed of 72kph and stalling speed with flaps up (as in normal flight) of 96kph. Paragraph 4.11 helps to explain the Beaver's popularity with pilots and why hundreds remain in use: "Stability is good about all axes. The aircraft is easy to fly and is docile down to the stall. Controls are normally effective throughout the airspeed range. The aircraft can be trimmed to fly hands-off from climb to maximum speeds." But there's a warning in Paragraph 4.11.5: "The stall is gentle at all normal conditions of load and flap and may be anticipated by a slight vibration which increases as flap is lowered. The aircraft will pitch if no yaw (sideways swing) is present. If yaw is permitted, the aircraft has a tendency to roll. Prompt corrective action must be initiated to prevent the roll from developing." As every pilot knows, there is an inherent relationship between speed, angle of bank and the load factor the airframe can withstand. The tighter the turn, the greater the angle of bank has to be, the more stress on the structure, particularly the wings. But because the wings are no longer horizontal, the lift generated by the inner (lower) wing is reduced, and that wing may stall. The Beaver Manual gives pilots a neat table which warns to beware of steep turns. What it all means is the steeper the turn, the higher the speed has to be to avoid a stall. And as both increase, so does the load factor, which may reach the design limit for the plane. When Nat Nagy, director of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, was interviewed on television, he was at pains not to draw comparisons with other Beaver accidents. But there is no doubt this is one of the first things his investigators will look at. They will know, as I was soon able to learn, that in Canada there were twelve similar accidents in which Beaver floatplanes stalled, spun and crashed. A total of 31 people lost their lives and another 19 were injured. The most recent accident, in August 2015, was analysed in great detail by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada in Report A15Q0120. This summary quote seems apposite to the Sydney Seaplanes crash: "In the controlled conditions of certification, the stalling of the DHC-2 was described as gentle. However, as is the case of many other aircraft, a stall in a steep turn under power triggers an incipient spin with few or no signs of an impending stall, and the flight path changes from horizontal to vertical. In low-altitude flight, stalling followed by incipient spin, no matter how brief, prevents the pilot from regaining control of the aircraft before impact with the ground." It's only fair to point out that in the Canadian accident cited above, the pilot lost control while circling at a dangerous and illegally low level at a spot where a family of bears had been seen All indications are the Beaver that crashed into Jerusalem Bay was only banking, and not necessarily steeply. The questions to be answered relate to the speed and power setting for the angle of bank. In their investigation, the Canadians had the benefit of the pilot's GPS device which had recorded the position of the aircraft every five seconds on the last twenty flights he had made. From it, they were able to construct a three-dimensional graph of the flight, and calculate his likely angle of bank. They were also able to compare his fatal flight with previous trips. They found he had flown almost exactly the same route many times before; only the last time he banked a little too steeply, and stalled. So one of the critical things for a pilot to watch in his turns is his air speed. The airspeed indicator in a Beaver is a dial in which the needle moves clockwise from zero mph at the 12 o'clock position to 250 mph at 11.30. But the gradations are not evenly spaced. For most of the instrument, there are marks every 25 mph, but between 0 and 75 mph the gradations are compressed. This makes it difficult to easily read speeds in the critical stalling zone. Several observers have commented on this and asked if it contributes to a pilot's lack of awareness of his speed. Several public statements have appeared to the effect that the investigators hope to recover video or photography from the passengers' phones, but this is unlikely to help. What they will be looking for include: the position of the flaps (flaps are lowered for takeoff; if still down, they reduce the risk of stalling in a turn); the needle of the turn and bank indicator; the reading on the airspeed indicator; the throttle setting and any GPS recording. They may also try to find where the passengers were seated; three of them were heavy men who could have affected the centre of gravity if sitting in the rear seats. In 2009, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suggested that the Beaver's stall characteristics in an "aft CG "(centre of gravity) condition are unstable and unpredictable, and that what it called 'flight excursions' with an aft CG are often unrecoverable at low altitude. These, and many other clues will give the ATSB much to work on to determine the cause of the crash. Geoffrey Luck, a pilot and former ABC journalist, wrote memorably in 2014 for Quadrant Online of his own brush with death as a novice aviator. Follow this link to his memoir, Down to the Wire http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2018/01/plane-truths-knee-jerk-reporting/ Back to Top Costa Rica suspends Nature Air during ongoing investigation of fatal Cessna Caravan accident Costa Rica's aviation authority (Dirección General de Aviación Civil) suspended the Nature Air's AOC on January 12, 2018, over safety issues. DGAC Costa Rica made this decision because several key employees were no longer with the company. Nature Air's pilot training director died in the accident on December 31 while the operations manager quit and the safety manager had requested a leave of absence. DGAC states that Nature Air only has 3 crews for the coverage of all flight routes, including the safety manager who is currently on sick leave. https://news.aviation-safety.net/2018/01/13/costa-rica-suspends-nature-air-ongoing-investigation- fatal-cessna-caravan-accident/ Back to Top Sydney Seaplanes set to resume flights after fatal Hawkesbury River crash A de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver seaplane operated by Sydney Seaplanes. Sydney Seaplanes will resume flights this week after the New Year's Eve crash which claimed the lives of six people in the city's north. Pilot Gareth Morgan and five British passengers were killed when their charter flight hit the water at Jerusalem Bay on the Hawkesbury River. In a statement, Sydney Seaplanes' managing director Aaron Shaw said it was necessary to start operating again. "There is never a perfect time to recommence flying after an incident of this nature however getting back in the air is a necessary step given the range of people, tourism and hospitality businesses in Sydney that rely on Sydney Seaplanes," he said. "It's also what our late colleague Gareth Morgan, a passionate seaplane pilot for all of his adult life, would have wanted." Flights were scheduled to restart today but were cancelled due to strong winds. "Our flight schedule will return to normal once flying conditions are favourable," Mr Shaw said. The company will not fly its remaining De Havilland Beaver DHC-2 aircraft - the type of plane involved in the crash - ahead of the release of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's preliminary factual report, due by the end of the month. Instead, services will commence with the company's Cessna C-208 Caravan aircraft. All flights will be manned by two pilots for an interim period. "Safety has and always will be our absolute priority and we continue to abide by relevant aviation safety guidelines," Mr Shaw said. "Our decision to increase pilot numbers exceeds any safety regulation, but will give our customers additional peace of mind and allow them to concentrate on enjoying their flights around Sydney's beautiful harbour." The company said it was confident there were no systemic failings in its aircraft and it had always exceeded the highest maintenance standards and employed highly skilled pilots. Until the recent tragedy, Sydney Seaplanes had an unblemished record, carrying out 70,000 flights since it began operating in 2006. "Sydney Seaplanes is an excellent operation with some of the most experienced pilots in the world," Kevin Bowe, vice president of the Seaplane Pilots Association Australia, said. "The company has always exceeded best practice industry standards. The company is a crucial pillar of the seaplane community in Australia." The company said it would continue to support the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and other authorities as they investigated the fatal crash and prepare their report. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-15/sydney-seaplanes-resume-operations-after-hawkesbury- crash/9329242 Back to Top New Report on Air France Rio-Paris Crash Report Blames Pilots FILE PHOTO - The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), one of two flight recorders from the Rio-Paris Air France flight which crashed in 2009, is displayed for the media before a news conference at the BEA headquarters in Le Bourget, northern Paris, May 12, 2011. REUTERS/Charles Platiau Reuters PARIS (Reuters) - Pilots of an Air France jet which plunged into the Atlantic in 2009, killing all 228 people onboard, lost control of the plane after failing to apply appropriate procedures, a new crash investigation report showed on Friday. The inquiry into the flight AF447 crash confirmed previous findings that the captain was away from the cabin when the incident occurred and had left without giving clear operational instructions, the report, seen by Reuters, showed. Representatives of an association of families of victims said the report minimised Air France and Airbus' responsibilities in the crash. Parties have two months to comment on the report, which is part of a judicial investigation into the crash. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2018-01-12/new-report-on-air-france-rio-paris- crash-report-blames-pilots Back to Top Australian Transport Safety Bureau report reveals 230 plane accidents in 2016 WHILE flying in a pure jet-powered aircraft has a perfect fatality-free safety record in Australia, other types of flying machines carry some risk. In its highly detailed 2016 industry scorecard Aviation Occurrence Statistics 2017-2016 the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has reported there were nearly 230 aircraft involved in accidents in Australia, with 291 involved in a serious incident. And, sadly there were 21 fatalities in the aviation sector in 2016, although fewer than any previous year recorded by the ATSB. Commercial air transport operations experienced one fatality from 15 accidents; general aviation experienced 10 fatalities from 119 accidents; and recreational aviation had 10 fatalities from 63 accidents. The ATSB report found that hitting the ground was the most common accident or serious incident for general aviation aircraft, recreational aviation and remotely piloted aircraft in 2016. Aircraft control was the most common cause of an accident or serious incident for air transport operators. Wildlife, including bird strikes, were again the most common type of incident involving air transport and general aviation operations, with runway events the most common type of incident for recreational aviation. In 2016, there were a massive 1,581 incidents involving wildlife but that number has be balanced against the number of flights, which topped two million. The ATSB said the "accident and fatal accident rates for general and recreational aviation reflect the higher-risk operational activity when compared to air transport operations". "The total accident rate, per hours flown, indicates general aviation operations are 10 times more likely to have an accident than commercial operations, with recreational aircraft around twice as likely to experience an accident than general aviation." The report said the fatal accident rate per hours flown indicates general aviation operations are around 20 times more likely to experience a fatal accident than commercial air transport, and recreational operations are almost 40 times more likely to experience a fatal accident than air transport. Recreational gyrocopters experienced the highest fatal accident rate for any aircraft or operation type, whereas recreational balloon operations had the highest total accident rate; almost four times as high as any other aircraft operation type. https://www.perthnow.com.au/travel/air-aviation/australian-transport-safety-bureau-report- reveals-230-plane-accidents-in-2016-ng-b88714501z Back to Top Ravn Alaska's safety management system gets FAA approval ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Alaska's largest regional airline said its safety management system (SMS) has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). According to Ravn Alaska, the recent approval means the airline carrier is meeting the same standards and processes required for much larger airlines across the country. "It's a complete rewrite of how Airlines assess risks, manage that risk and make sure the airline operates more safely," President and CEO Dave Pflieger said in a phone interview with Channel 2 News. Ravn operates more than 400 flights daily from hubs across Alaska. The company wrote in a release, a SMS program is to identify and mitigate safety issues proactively. "It ensures safety is folded into every facet of an airline's operation, informing the policies and procedures that are put in place." Pflieger said all large carriers have been asked to meet the new standard and Ravn finished two to three months ahead of schedule. Monthly meetings with groups inside the company called safety action groups will examine safety trends, isolated events and risks as part of the new plan, Pflieger said. http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Ravn-Alaskas-safety-management-system-gets-FAA-approval- 469275823.html Back to Top U.S. Experts Split On Drivers Of Airline Safety Record Airline safety experts concur that the aviation industry's unwavering commitment to safety, and the efforts of international organizations over years, have reduced the occurrence of major airline accidents, even as air traffic increased. But in the U.S., which in 2017 achieved a fourth straight year without a passenger airline fatality, there are differences of opinion over the best approaches to maintaining safe operations. In a widely reported release earlier this month, the Aviation Safety Network (ASN) declared last year the safest on record as measured by worldwide airline fatal accidents and number of fatalities, with an estimated one fatal passenger flight accident per 7.36 million flights. The Netherlands- based organization counted 10 fatal accidents involving commercial jetliners and regional and utility turboprops, resulting in a total of 44 passenger and crew deaths. This was the first time annual fatalities dipped below 100 since 1946, according to ASN records. There were two fatal nonpassenger accidents in the U.S. in 2017. The first was the crash of a Grant Aviation Cessna 208B Grand Caravan single-engine turboprop in Alaska in May that killed the pilot, the aircraft's sole occupant. The same month, both crewmembers were killed when their Air Cargo Carriers Shorts 330-200 twin-engine turboprop crashed while landing at Charleston-Yeager Airport, West Virginia. * Last year was safest on record for airline fatal accidents * 1,500-hr. pilot qualification rule helped, ALPA says * Atlas Air pilot says airspace complexity is biggest demand Since 1997, the average number of airliner accidents worldwide "has shown a steady and persistent decline," says the ASN, which credited ongoing safety efforts by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Air Transport Association, the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) and aviation manufacturers and aircraft operators. In the U.S., three passengers died in July 2013 after an Asiana AirlinesBoeing 777-200ER crashed on final approach to San Francisco International Airport. But U.S.-based passenger airlines as of 2017 had not suffered a fatal accident since a Colgan AirBombardier DHC-8-400 twin-engine turboprop crashed near Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, New York, in February 2009, killing 49 people on the aircraft and one on the ground. Following the Colgan crash, then-FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt and then-Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood conducted a series of "call to action" meetings with airlines and labor unions aimed at strengthening safety standards. In the Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act of 2010, Congress required the agency to implement new regulations for pilot qualification, flight duty and rest requirements and training. Reacting to the 2017 safety results, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) cited the FAA's pilot qualification regulation, released in July 2013, requiring that new first officers hold an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate with 1,500 flight hours as a pilot; previously they needed only a commercial pilot certificate with 250 hr. of flight time. There is allowance for military pilots and college graduates with less than 1,500 hr. to obtain a "restricted privileges" ATP certificate. The pilots' association opposes attempts to change the rule, including a proposal made last year by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, in FAA reauthorization legislation. "Since new pilot training requirements were enacted in 2010, there has not been a single passenger fatality on a U.S. commercial airliner. That is an extraordinary achievement that everyone should be committed to maintaining," ALPA said in an emailed statement to Aviation Week. "Unfortunately, there are some special interests in Washington who are trying to weaken these aviation safety rules and make our skies less safe. We look forward to continuing our work with the Trump administration, Congress and safety-minded stakeholders to stop special interests from undermining aviation safety in 2018." Not all pilots agree that the 1,500-hr. rule drives safety. "In my opinion, 1,500 hr. is a number," says Scott Schleiffer, a Boeing 747 captain with cargo carrier Atlas Air who has served as safety chairman for the Airline Professionals Association, Teamsters Local 1224 union. "You can get 1,500 low-quality hours and be no better prepared to be an airline pilot than a guy with 700 high-quality hours, in terms of the type of operation you are involved in and the instruction or training you're given from beginning through training at the level of preparing for operations at some kind of carrier," he says. Bill Voss, a former ICAO air navigation commissioner and FSF president and CEO, said there is no relationship between the 1,500-hr. rule and the present safety record. The rule is "a distraction from the real question of how we train to achieve the level of competencies in flight crews," he said. "I'm not sure how the 1,500-hr. requirement of a first officer overcomes a captain without competence." Schleiffer believes the biggest demand pilots face is the increasing complexity of airspace operations. Specifically, he mentioned the pressure of monitoring systems to comply with precise, area navigation-based departures and arrivals, which include fixes for lateral, vertical and speed constraints. "Those things [require an] extraordinarily high level of attention, higher than it used to be," says Schleiffer. "The unforeseen circumstance there is we do have some erosion of basic hands-on flying skills because we get to hands-on fly less than we used to. There is a tradeoff; if we want to have more aircraft in the airspace and have a higher rate of departures and arrivals, we do not have any choice but to use these higher-precision procedures." www.aviationweek.com Back to Top Mitsubishi Aircraft Nears Completion Of MRJ Redesign BEIJING-Mitsubishi Aircraft has almost completed the design changes that a year ago forced it to delay first delivery of its MRJ regional jet to mid-2020. The company is sticking by that latest schedule, though there are signs that redesigning parts of the aircraft is taking longer than expected. With four aircraft in the air and a fifth being used for ground testing, the company is completing another two units, at least one of which will join the development effort. The manufacturing set-up is well into production of delivery aircraft. Belated understanding of airworthinesses rules forced the company in January 2017 to add two years to its already badly delayed schedule. It discovered that the design was not adequate in case of extreme events such as bomb explosions or water ingress into compartments under the cabin floor. Items in the avionics bay needed rearranging, and wiring had to be rerouted. Design changes for the avionics rearrangement were completed and parts fabrication began in October 2017, the company said. As for the wiring, "We are working closely with our partner Latecoere Interconnection Systems," Mitsubishi Aircraft explained. "As we have completed the configuration of the avionics bay, we now have an overall picture of how to reroute electrical wire harnesses and are working on finalizing the details." All of the changes will go into the sixth and seventh aircraft.The fifth aircraft will be modified to incorporate at least some of the redesign. The four aircraft that are flying, all based at Moses Lake, Washington, have the original design. This has not invalidated their testing, because the changes are not expected to affect performance, fuel consumption or systems functionality. "Around two" extra flight-test aircraft will be used, Mitsubishi Aircraft has said since the latest delay was announced. If there are two aircraft, they will be the sixth and seventh units built, which in December became the first aircraft to be put through a paint hangar constructed next to the final- assembly building at the program's base in Nagoya, Japan. When the latest delay was announced, the first redesigned aircraft was to join flight testing in the second quarter of this year. That has now slipped to "toward the end of" 2018. The company said: "These updates are made reflecting the latest progress." It gave no details, but presumably referred to progress in the design changes-implicitly, slow progress. If that engineering work has indeed taken longer than expected, customers might well wonder whether there will be a further delay to the first delivery. Asked whether certification was still due in 2019, as stated a year ago, the company did not directly respond. But it did reiterate its mid- 2020 delivery target. That target need not be imperiled by certification slipping into 2020, however, since a manufacturer should not need six months between receiving its type certificate and delivering the first aircraft to a customer. A few weeks could be enough. So, the long post-certification period in the schedule evidently includes a buffer, some of which may have been used. The availability of a buffer is consistent with the adoption in 2017 of an internal goal to make the first delivery ahead of schedule, in 2019. The four aircraft that are flying have spent more than 1,500 hr. in the air, which Alex Bellamy, head of the program-management division, says is half of the planned flight testing. All flights so far have been company tests. At some point, which Mitsubishi Aircraft said it cannot discuss, certification testing will begin under the supervision of the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. Pilots from the bureau performed four familiarization flights in one of the prototypes in August 2017. The prototypes have been remarkably reliable. Since flying in the U.S. began in October 2016, only 1% of scheduled operations there have been canceled due to technical problems. The MRJ is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1200G geared turbofan engines. All aircraft so far have been built to the design of the MRJ90 version, which will seat 88 passengers in an all-economy cabin arrangement. The Embraer E175-E2, due to enter service in 2021, is a close competitor, with the same seating capacity and the same engine (called PW1700G for that program). Mitsubishi Aircraft also is developing the 76-seat MRJ70 and has proposed a 100-seater, the MRJ100. At the time of program launch in 2008, initial customer All Nippon Airways was supposed to receive its first MRJ90 in the fourth quarter of 2013. The slippage to mid-2020 came in five delays, all but the first arising from challenges to achieving certification. Testing in 2017 was intended to assess the MRJ's response to natural icing in flight and high ambient temperatures on the ground, the latter explored in Arizona at up to 42C (108F). High- speed flutter characteristics and cargo-area smoke containment also were verified. The fifth flight-test aircraft, kept at Nagoya, has not flown. The company said it does not yet know when that unit will fly, but its primary purpose is on the ground. In November, the aircraft was used to assess noise from the auxiliary power unit. Mitsubishi Aircraft majority owner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is building the MRJ airframes at plants configured or retooled for the program; most are in or around Nagoya. Because of the development delays, the factories must be comfortably ready to meet initially required production rates. They have the equipment and trained workers. The factories are no longer making trial parts; their current output is intended for delivery to customers. The Oye works, the first plant to move into delivery production, did so three years ago. Despite the maturity of the production setup, Mitsubishi Aircraft says it has not decided how many MRJs it will complete this year or in 2019. "We are now moving forward with manufacturing in a phased manner," the company said, without elaborating. It also has not decided how many of the flight-test aircraft will be delivered to customers. www.aviationweek.com Back to Top No Deal With Emirates Would Shut Down A380 Program, Predicts Leahy Airbus will have "no choice but to shut down the A380 program" if it cannot work out an additional deal with Emirates, departing Airbus sales chief John Leahy predicted Jan. 15. Leahy said Emirates was the only prospective customer in a position to take six or more aircraft for a period of up to ten years, even though talks with other customers are ongoing. Airbus had hoped to secure a large A380 order from Emirates at the November 2017 Dubai Airshow, but the deal fell through at the last minute. Leahy believes the A380 is an "aircraft whose time will come," but it needs to go through a period of low demand before additional orders for replacements and new customers emerge. Airbus Commercial Aircraft President Fabrice Bregier said Airbus will produce 12 A380s in 2018 and cut output to eight in 2018. Airbus will be able to sustain a production of as few as six A380s per year for an extended period of time. "We will never produce white tails," Bregier stressed. Leahy hopes that Airbus will eventually be able to deliver 25 A380s per year once demand returns. Supported by stronger than expected orders in 2017 and a production ramp-up broadly performing as planned, Airbus plans to raise output further this year. Bregier, who departs the company at the end of the month, said Airbus will deliver close to 800 aircraft this year, significantly more than the 718 reached in 2017. The biggest growth driver will be accelerated output of the A320neo family where "we managed to go through the toughest times." Deliveries in 2017 were slowed down massively by technical glitches in the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engine program, which are "behind us" since November, according to Bregier. All aircraft delivered in 2018 will have engines with fixes developed for the bearing 3 seal and the combustion chamber. While about two-thirds of the A320 family aircraft deliveries in 2017 were A320 classics (and one-third A320neo family variants), the share will flip to two-thirds A320neos in 2018. Airbus fell short of its target to deliver 200 A320neo family aircraft in 2017 by handing over just 181. 71 of the aircraft were equipped with Pratt's geared turbofan engines. Bregier said Airbus had parked up to 60 narrowbodies without engines on the aprons in Toulouse and Hamburg at peak times. Overall, Airbus delivered 718 aircraft in 2017 - 558 narrowbodies, 67 A330s, 78 A350s and 15 A380s. Orders were much stronger than expected at 1,109. Demand was very strong for narrowbodies (1,054 net orders), but weak for widebodies. Airbus scored only 21 new orders for the A330 family and only 36 for the A350. There was only one additional commitment for the A350- 1000, which was certified late last year. Airbus delivered less aircraft than Boeing (763) but had 78 additional orders overall. However, Airbus' widebody market share was just 25%, with Boeing's 777 and 787 lines reaching 167 orders in 2017. Leahy believes, however, that "one year does not make a trend" and pointed out that Airbus had outsold Boeing in seven of the past ten years. Airbus managed to increase production for the 15th consecutive year. Output was up by 4%. Over the past five years, deliveries increased by 22%. Bregier believes the A350 introduction is the "most successful ramp-up in aerospace history. The A350 will become a very boring program industrially." Airbus plans to raise production to ten aircraft per month at the end of 2019. According to Bregier, the A350-1000 will become "the vector of growth for Airbus after 2020." Leahy pointed out that "both manufacturers did well in 2017" as the global economy did better than expected and air traffic continues to grow above long-term trends. He predicted that Airbus may deliver more aircraft than Boeing in 2019 - "it is only a matter of time." He rejected the notion that Airbus would have to develop its own aircraft for the middle of the market. "We don't need to do anything," he said. In his view, the A321neo has the capabilities to perform most of the missions needed and the A330neo can fulfil the requirements for greater range and capacity in the segment. www.aviationweek.com Back to Top FAA Drone Registry Tops 1 Million The 1,000,000 total registration figure includes 878,000 hobbyists, who receive one identification number for all of the drones they own, and 122,000 commercial, public, and other drones, which are individually registered. The Federal Aviation Administration's drone registry has topped 1 million, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. She said the 1,000,000 total registration figure includes 878,000 hobbyists, who receive one identification number for all of the drones they own, and 122,000 commercial, public, and other drones, which are individually registered. "The tremendous growth in drone registration reflects the fact that they are more than tools for commerce and trade, but can save lives, detect hazardous situations, and assist with disaster recovery," Chao said. "The challenge is to remove unnecessary hurdles to enable the safe testing and integration of this technology into our country's airspace." Registration helps to educate drone operators who are new to aviation by having them agree to FAA's operating rules, and it increases airspace security by identifying drones with their owner, according to FAA, which reported it has used the registration database to push important safety messages to drone users. Registration was originally required under FAA's small drone registration rule effective Dec. 21, 2015. Under this rule, aircraft weighing more than 0.55 pounds and less than 55 pounds, including payloads such as cameras, must be registered. Though it was overturned by a court decision in 2017, the rule was recently reinstated in the National Defense Authorization Act passed last December. Registration costs $5 and is valid for three years. https://ohsonline.com/articles/2018/01/15/faa-drone-registry-tops-1-million.aspx?admgarea=news Back to Top Pakistan aims to sell national airline before election ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan will try to privatize its national airline before general elections due this year, privatization minister Daniyal Aziz said, as the ruling party seeks to restart sales of state- run businesses. Pakistan International Airlines (PIAa.KA)(PIA), hemorrhaging money and losing market share to Gulf-based rivals such as Etihad and Emirates, has been hit by management turmoil in recent years and a 2016 plane crash that led to 47 deaths. The privatization of loss-making entities that were draining the exchequer was a key priority for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party when it swept to power in 2013. PIA was among 68 state-owned companies earmaked for privatization in return for a $6.7 billion International Monetary Fund package that helped Pakistan to stave off a default in 2013. Despite some initial success, the process stalled in 2016 after staff protests caused havoc with PIA operations and the government passed a law that effectively made it impossible to privatize the airline. But Aziz, chairman of the Privatisation Commission, told Reuters that new plans have been drawn up to sell off PIA and he would take the proposals to the cabinet committee on privatization, chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. "Next step would be going to the cabinet committee ... and that's imminent, maybe even next week," Aziz said in his Islamabad office this week. The new plans focus on splitting up the carrier, with the core airline business being separated from vast peripheral operations such as catering, hotels and maintenance, Aziz said. The core airline would then be sold. HEAVY LOSSES But to complete the transaction, Aziz said, the government would have to pass laws in parliament to reverse the 2016 legislation that converted PIA into a limited company and effectively barred the government from giving up management control. The impetus to sell PIA has grown as the airline has piled up huge losses estimated by its former CEO in March at about $30 million a month. Total debt stood at 186 billion rupees ($1.8 billion) at the end of 2016. When asked how soon could a buyer could acquire PIA, Aziz said: "Tomorrow morning. If you have the money, come and buy it." Aziz gave no indication of an expected valuation. Both Emirates and Etihad had shown interest in buying PIA before the government backed down from privatization in 2016, the English-language Express Tribune newspaper reported, citing an unnamed official. Analysts have been skeptical about the government's ability, or willingness, to take on powerful unions and embark on a privatization process so close to general elections likely in July or August. Aziz said that, owing to time restraints ahead of the elections, the privatization commission will focus on one state company per sector, including a bank and an energy company. He added that there has been "huge interest" in buying Pakistan Steel Mills, once the pride of Pakistan's industrial output but now shut and bleeding cash. "We will get runs on the board, but the real challenge is to bring to fruition the two big animals: one is PIA and the other one is Steel Mills," Aziz said. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-airlines-pakistan-intl/pakistan-aims-to-sell-national- airline-before-election-idUSKBN1F30NX Back to Top Iceland Spending $1 Billion on Boosting Airport Capacity * Iceland investments seen rising 21% over the next five years * Country is rebuilding infrastructure after years of neglect A tourist boom has caused traffic at Iceland's Keflavik airport to grow more than five-fold over the past nine years, with a predicted 10 million passengers this year. Now Iceland's main entry point to the world is preparing to accommodate twice as many. The airport expects to invest about $1 billion over the next 7 to 8 years to make room for new airlines and routes as it touts itself as a hub between Europe and the U.S. Domestic carriers Icelandair and Wow Air have opened routes to mid-size cities in North America, while Delta, United, American Airlines and Air Canada have or will soon start flying out of Keflavik, which was built by the U.S. military during World War II. The airport will pick up the pace of investments after spending about 39 billion kronur ($372 million) since 2011, and will need the help of foreign investors as it takes its biggest steps, according to Bjorn Oli Hauksson, managing director of ISAVIA, the state-owned company that operates all airports in Iceland. This could involve issuing bonds, he said. "It is simply a question of when in the next three to four years we will give the signal for the biggest step which will be a new finger for Keflavik," he said in an interview. Surrounded by black, barren lava fields, there's plenty of room for Keflavik and other operations to grow. Its vision of the future includes an "Aerotropolis" that would stretch all the way to Reykjavik, some 30 kilometers away. 'Family Silver' Hauksson says this expansion will require a broad slate of investments. "There are many ways to choose from but it is clear that foreign investors will play a part in the build up in Keflavik," he said. The government has been refraining from taking out dividends to allow for investments and has, in that sense, increased its equity each year in a valuable asset, Hauksson said. "It is up to them what they want do," he said. "They could decide to keep it or they could decide to put it on the market. You may say that Keflavik airport is like the family silver." As a gateway, Keflavik is a key part of Iceland's tourism boom, which has been instrumental in helping the country resurrect itself after the 2008 economic collapse. The central bank expects economic growth have expanded 3.7 percent last year, after a blistering 7.4 percent in 2016. While serving as a hub for travelers from Europe to North America, the airport operator is also looking to develop Keflavik as a cargo airport, according to Hauksson. Neglect Building cranes are now one of the main features of the landscape. Total public investment has not been greater since at least 2004, according to Statistics Iceland. Government investment increased 30 percent in past three quarters from a year earlier and municipalities invested 50 percent more in the same period, with the city of Reykjavik almost doubling its investments in 2017. Icelanders are pouring on spending after it exited capital controls last year. There's a pent-up demand of at least 400 billion kronur to fix infrastructure after years of neglect following the economic collapse. The government, which took office in November, expects investments to increase by 21 percent over the next five years, but has also flagged that it's aware that too much spending could breath too much life into an already hot economy. Hauksson says he's optimistic that the new government will be on board to expand Keflavik but that the size of the projects demand caution. "We haven't before experienced an infrastructure build-up on this scale within one company in Iceland," he said. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-15/booming-iceland-has-airport-spending-1- billion-on-capacity Back to Top Turkish Airlines commits to buying 20 Airbus widebody aircraft Signed last week, the agreement is for 20 A350-900 XWB and could include five more aircraft at a later date Turkish Airlines announced last week that it intends to order 20 Airbus A350-900 aircraft with the option of adding five more of the aircraft at a later date. The A350 XWB is the European manufacturer's latest widebody aircraft and is capable of long range flight while typically carrying approximately 300 passengers. Turkey's national carrier had earlier also comitted to buying 40 of Boeing's 787 Dreamliners. Both orders indicate the airline wants to keep a mix of aircraft from both manufacturers in its fleet as it charts its aggressive growth plans. "This order is set to play a key role in our growing business in the years to come," said the airline's charman M. ?lker Ayc?. "The increased business volume for the local Turkish supplier industry [as a result of the order] will [also] be a great gain for the sector." The carrier's CEO, Bilal Eksi, had told Arabian Business in an interview last month, that the airline was constrained in terms of runway capacity at the two airports it currently operates out of in Istanbul. The imminent completion of Istanbul's third airport, projected to be the world's largest airport when completed, will allow the carrier to expand to new destinations with a larger fleet. "Once this vision is made into reality, the game will be changed," Eksi said. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/transport/387501-turkish-airlines-commits-to-buying-20-airbus- widebody-aircraft Back to Top Interest-free loan program takes off to aid Japan's future pilots Starting from next academic year, a select number of students dreaming of becoming airline pilots will be eligible to borrow a total of 5 million yen interest free under a new financial aid system called "mirai no pilot" (future pilots). The funds are being provided by the freshly founded aircraft pilot scholarship foundation, whose representatives include four private universities offering piloting courses -- J. F. Oberlin University, Tokai University, Sojo University and the Chiba Institute of Science -- together with vocational school Japan Aviation Professional College, and New Japan Aviation Co., which offers flight training programs. ANA Holdings Inc. and Japan Airlines Co. will partly cover the cost of operating the foundation and will help select students for the program based on entrance exam scores, English language ability and other factors. The aid is to be repaid 10 years after graduation. It is hoped the system will help to secure urgently needed pilots as the popularity of low-cost carriers (LCC) and airlines' demands grow. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Flight Standards Division, there were 6,389 pilots belonging to Japan's main domestic airlines as of January 2017. In order to meet the central government's goal of having 60 million foreign tourists visit Japan annually by around 2030, Japan will need an estimated 8,500 pilots by then. However, 54 percent of current pilots are aged 45 or older, and are expected to retire in large numbers around 2030. In expanding their operations, LCCs have already experienced a widespread pilot shortage. Companies including Osaka Prefecture-based Peach Aviation Ltd. and Chiba Prefecture-based Vanilla Air Inc. had to cut at least 2,000 flights in 2014 due to aircraft captains taking sick leave or retiring. Sapporo-based AIRDO Co. also announced a plan to suspend a total of 60 flights in November 2017 and this February due to losing aircraft captains and other pilots to retirement. As for aviation schools at private universities, Tokai University became the first to offer a course in 2006, with Oberlin, Sojo and the others following its lead. In order to operate a plane, pilot candidates need to acquire a license for each type of aircraft, a commercial pilot license requiring 200 hours of flight experience, among other conditions, as well as an instrument rating to follow the directions of air traffic controllers. Through the six organizations that created the financial aid system, it is possible to acquire a commercial pilot license and other required certifications, but the cost of training at both domestic and international facilities -- not included in tuition costs -- can run from 9 million to 15 million yen, which is an extremely heavy burden for many students to bear. "It takes years to raise students to become aircraft captains," says foundation representative and J. F. Oberlin University Chancellor Toyoshi Satow. "Using this system, we would like to cultivate outstanding pilots who fly safely." https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180114/p2a/00m/0na/006000c Back to Top Hope for the A380? French Government Pitch Super-Jumbo Jet to Chinese Officials During State Visit China Southern became China's first A380 operator in 2011 (Photo: Airbus) French president Emmanuel Macron visited China this week. Part of his agenda is an attempt to attract Chinese interest for the Airbus A380 aircraft. He was joined by Airbus' CEO Fabrice Brégier in what may be a last-ditch attempt to find new customers for the world's largest commercial airliner. Airbus has seen little success selling its flagship for a number of years. The aircraft has a reputation for being a wonder of modern engineering but is increasingly struggling to convince customers of its advantages. Airlines consider the A380 to be too large, too impractical and too fuel guzzling. While the original A380 appeared to catch on well at first, the move to more flexible and efficient aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350 have made the giant airplane less popular. Even a revamped A380plus, which is supposed to be more fuel efficient and have even more carrying capacity is proving to be a tough sell. Airbus, however, is not yet willing to give up on the jet. To win over Chinese customers as well as the government, Brégier offered to move additional Airbus production capacities to China. His condition: that Chinese airlines order A380 jets. Chinese customers are rumored to be interested in ordering up to 100 new A380 aircraft. To date, the only Chinese airline to use the A380 is China Southern Airlines. Airbus already has a base in Tianjin, where some of the A320 family aircraft are being built since 2008. The plan is to increase annual production of A320s in China from four to five, should the deal go through. Neither side has commented on the possible deal or details of it. Macron concluded his visit on Saturday with no announcement being made immediately upon his return. It is, however, unusual that a government makes the sale of a commercial aircraft part of a state visit agenda. While Airbus receives a lot of support from the French and German governments, politicians have so far been hesitant to engage in sales pitches themselves. https://airlinegeeks.com/2018/01/14/hope-for-the-a380-french-government-pitching-super-jumbo- jet-to-chinese-officials-during-state-visit/ Back to Top China in talks for sale of jet engine technology to Germany Export of state-of-the-art machinery to a country known for its high-quality products would improve the international image of China's manufacturing industry China is in talks to sell Germany state-of-the-art machinery and technology critical in the manufacture of high-performance jet engines, a senior government scientist has revealed. The machinery produced turbine blades capable of withstanding temperatures several hundred degrees Celsius higher than the melting point of metallic alloys, the scientist said. The scientist, who is involved in the negotiations, asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. Turbine blades convert heat generated by combusted fuel into the energy that propels a plane. The blades are one of the most important components in modern aircraft, both military and civilian, and their quality determines how safe, powerful and durable a jet engine will be. The technological progress could be a very important step for made-in-China jet engines, with China now the world's largest market for commercial aircraft. Thousands of planes are on order from Airbus and Boeing, and China is also developing its own C919 passenger jet. Sino-Russian widebody jet to use self-developed engines In recent years, tremendous leaps in blade-processing technology, combined with breakthroughs in alloy casting and aerodynamic design, have allowed China to produce a brand-new series of powerful military jet engines. The most notable example is the WS-15 turbofan jet engine, designed for use in China's J-20 stealth fighter. The WS-15 has experienced reliability problems, but state media boasted last year that its performance matched that of the Pratt & Whitney F119, the world's most advanced jet engine in military service, which was developed in the United States for the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighter. China and the US are the only countries in the world with tactical stealth jets in service. "We are willing to share with industrial partners in Germany our latest hardware and technology," the scientist said. "Industrial representatives from the two sides have finished the first round of contact." The export of state-of-the-art machinery to Germany - traditionally known for its high-quality products - would improve the international image of China's manufacturing industry, he said. A delegation from Xian, the capital of China's northwestern Shaanxi province and the main production base for China's military aircraft engines, would visit Berlin early this year to draft an export proposal with German counterparts, the scientist said. Rolls-Royce chairman predicts Chinese-made jet engines coming soon The scientist asked that the government and business bodies involved not be named because the negotiations were still in their initial stage. The deal would require both Chinese and German government approval given the sensitivity of the machinery and technology involved, which could be used for both military and civilian purposes. Beijing has expressed support for the possible deal. "The collaboration between China and Germany is continuing to deepen in multiple sectors, the positive progress achieved is broadly recognised, which reflected the high level of Sino-German relations," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday in response to South China Morning Post questions about the negotiations. "The prospects for cooperation between the two sides in the fields of hi-tech and intellectual property are very promising ... we would like to work together with Germany to promote new progress in cooperation in the relevant fields under the principle of mutual openness, mutual benefits and mutual development." The German embassy in Beijing did not respond to a request for comment. Professor Chen Jiang, from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, who was involved in the development of new jet engines for China's air force, said he would not be surprised if China provided military jet engine technology to Germany, which built the world's first jet fighter at the end of the second world war and supplies many jet engine components, including turbine blades, to American and British manufacturers. China powers up military jet engine tech to wean itself off Russian imports "It is quite possible," he said. "China's manufacturing has achieved some remarkable progress on numerous strategic sectors in recent years." But another Beijing-based jet engine scientist, who worked in Germany for years, said the deal might not eventuate. "Germany is an ally of the United States," he said. "It will face many restrictions to work with China in this sensitive field of technology." The German government and German companies had also voiced concerns about China's infringement of intellectual property rights through reverse engineering or direct copying, he said. China's turbine blade breakthroughs have won numerous top national science and technology prizes since 2010. They include the development of a unique hollow structure to make lighter and stronger blades; new single-crystal alloys capable of withstanding high temperatures; and a special membrane that can be applied to a blade's surface to accelerate cooling. Two of the national science and technology prizes announced by Beijing this week were awarded for work on turbine blades: one for single crystal alloys and the other to do with mechanical grinding. The Chinese machinery being discussed with the Germans uses ultra-fast laser beams to bore extremely small holes or other fine structures on a turbine blade that allow air to flow through it and take away harmful heat. After stealth fighters and jumbo jets at Zhuhai Air Show, China's 'secret weapon': jet engines The scientist in Xian said laser processing was widely used in making jet engines, but China was using a new technical approach that differed from the traditional methods adopted in the US and Britain. The US, Britain and France are home to the world's four dominant jet engine makers: General Electric (GE), Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and CFM. He said one challenge was to achieve high output while keeping defect rates low. GE, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce had been researching the manufacture of turbine blades for decades and guarded the technology as one of their top business secrets. "Our machine has outperformed theirs on some benchmarks," the scientist said. "The Germans have seen and grown interested in our technology." A technician helps build LEAP engines for jetliners at a highly automated General Electric factory in Lafayette, Indiana, in March last year. Photo: Reuters Another researcher involved in the negotiations said the export of the blade processing machine would be part of wider jet engine collaboration between the two countries. "We will buy something else from them in return," he said. "It can be either hardware or technology. The Germans are very good at the design and engineering of compressors [which send fresh air into the combustion chamber]." Professor Peng Jiahui, who studied laser processing technology in Huazhong University of Science and Technology, said many Chinese researchers and engineers who had worked at GE, Pratt &Whitney and Rolls-Royce had returned to China and significantly increased the pace of jet engine development. But a more important factor driving China's technical innovation was the size of market, he said. China had more than 1,700 military planes in service, second only to the US. The demand for turbine blades from China's air force, which was still expanding rapidly, required the industry to come up with better manufacturing methods. "China can make the best mobile phones because there is huge demand," Peng said. "The same applies to jet engines." http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2127796/china-talks-sale-jet-engine-technology- germany Back to Top Boeing unveils conceptual hypersonic jet design to replace the SR-71 Blackbird Boeing hypersonic concept SR-71 Boeing Boeing unveiled a conceptual model for a hypersonic jet that would replace the SR-71 Blackbird. The jet would hit speeds of more than Mach 5 No one has committed to building it yet. Boeing recently unveiled a conceptual model for a new hypersonic jet that would replace the SR-71 Blackbird, according to Aviation Week Aerospace Daily. The conceptual model was displayed at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SciTech forum in Orlando. The "airplane concept and associated technology are targeted for a hypersonic ISR (reconnaissance)/strike aircraft that would have the same type of mission as the SR-71," Boeing spokeswoman Sandra Angers told Business Insider in an emailed statement. "In that sense it could be a future replacement for the SR-71." "It's a conceptual model for an eventual demonstrator, but no one has committed to building a reusable hypersonic demonstrator yet," Angers added. "We're constantly looking to advance concept in technology areas that could someday be asked for by the customer." Boeing is one of the largest defense contractors and political donors in the US. Angers also told Business Insider over the phone that the future generation concept would be able to hit speeds of more than Mach 5. Boeing's chief scientist for hypersonics, Kevin Bowcutt, told Aviation Week that the twin-tailed, waverider configuration is an evolving yet feasible hypersonic design. SR-71 Aviation Week also reported that Boeing "envisions a two-step process beginning with flight tests of an F-16-sized, single-engine proof-of-concept precursor vehicle leading to a twin-engine, full-scale operational vehicle with about the same dimensions as the 107-ft.-long SR-71." Boeing has already experimented with two unmanned hypersonic planes, the X-43 and X-51, according to Popular Mechanics. In 2013, Boeing tested the small X-51, which hit speeds of Mach 5.1 for more than three minutes before crashing into the ocean, Popular Mechanics reported. The X-51, however, was dropped from a B-52 and used a jettisoned booster to reach Mach 5.1. Boeing's conceptual design will have to take off and land on its own, which is much harder, Popular Mechanics reported. Lockheed Martin is also developing a successor to the SR-71 - the SR-72, which it expects to test in 2020. http://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-unveils-sr-71-conceptual-hypersonic-jet-design-2018-1 Back to Top SpaceX and Boeing Slated for Manned Space Missions By Year's End On Saturday afternoon, SpaceX successfully recovered a Dragon capsule that had returned from a cargo delivery to the International Space Station. The Dragon has so far been used mostly for those cargo runs, but it was also designed to carry crew - and NASA announced last week that it expects SpaceX to conduct a crewed test flight by the end of the year. SpaceX's crewed test flight is slated for December, after an uncrewed flight in August. Boeing will also be demonstrating its CST-100 Starliner capsule, with a crewed flight in November following an uncrewed flight in August. NASA's goal is to launch crews to the ISS from U.S. soil, a task that has fallen to Russia's space program since the retirement of the U.S. Space Shuttle program in 2011. NASA began looking for private launch companies to take over starting in 2010, and contracted both SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to pursue crewed launches. The push to restore America's crewed spaceflight capacity has been delayed in part, according to a detailed survey by Ars Technica, by Congress redirecting funds in subsequent years. The test flights could determine whether Boeing or SpaceX conducts the first U.S. commercial space launch to the ISS. Whichever company gets that honor may also claim a symbolic U.S. flag stuck to a hatch on the space station. Sources speaking to Ars describe the race between the two companies as too close to call, and say that a push to early 2019 is entirely possible. But in an apparent vote of confidence, NASA has already begun naming astronauts to helm the flights. SpaceX did experience an unfortunately timed failure just after NASA's timeline announcement. Despite a successful launch, the secretive Zuma mission appears to have failed at the deployment stage. Though causes of the failure are still unclear, one SpaceX customer has blamed it on contractor Northrup Grumman, rather than on SpaceX. http://fortune.com/2018/01/14/spacex-boeing-crewed-space-missions/ Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY I am a student with City University in London doing my MSc in Air Transport Management and conducting a survey for academic research on the Importance of Pilot Mental Health and Peer Support Group and would be grateful if you could complete the survey below: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/B3HGHVV Thank you in advance! Bilal Farid Curt Lewis