Flight Safety Information February 1, 2018 - No. 024 In This Issue Accident: Etihad B789 near Brisbane on Jan 30th 2018, turbulence causes injuries Incident: Mahan A343 at Delhi on Jan 31st 2018, engine shut down in flight Accident: American A332 near Charlotte on Jan 31st 2018, electrical odour on board EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Moscow flight diverted to Atlantic City International Airport Drone Safety and Insurance Platform SkyWatch Scores $2 Million in Seed Funding French Hope To Recover More AF66 Engine Parts In Greenland Major U.S. airlines donate to the National Air and Space Museum Google Flights will now predict airline delays - before the airlines do Boeing delivers first 737 MAX 8 aircraft to Oman Air Silver Air Adds Boeing Business Jet to Charter Fleet Boeing forecasts rising profit, sees end to job reductions These planes could jet you around the world at hypersonic speed Airbus A321LR long-range jet completes maiden flight Meet the 'airplane whisperer' of Silicon Valley, who just joined an $800 million fund GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 1 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 2 ISASI Kapustin Memorial Scholarship Applications Due in April Position: Assistant/Associate Professor - Tenure Track Faculty - Aviation Technology Position: Manager, Safety Programs 2018 ACSF Symposium ICAEA Conference -- Language as a Factor in Aviation Safety Accident: Etihad B789 near Brisbane on Jan 30th 2018, turbulence causes injuries An Etihad Boeing 787-900, registration A6-BLG performing flight EY-484 (dep Jan 29th) from Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) to Brisbane,QL (Australia), was enroute at FL390 nearing the top of descent when the aircraft encountered turbulence causing a number of injuries, the crew requested a number ambulances to meet the aircraft on arrival due to a few passengers and crew with head and neck injuries. The aircraft continued to Brisbane for a safe landing on runway 19 about 30 minutes later. Several passengers tweeted disappointed when the airline did not respond, when they asked about the condition of the injured crew. The passengers commented that it had been a wild ride in severe turbulence that caused multiple injuries. The occurrence aircraft departed for the return flight with a delay of 45 minutes. Infrared Satellite Image Himawari 8 Jan 30th 2018 07:00Z (Graphics: AVH/JMA): http://avherald.com/h?article=4b45806c&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Mahan A343 at Delhi on Jan 31st 2018, engine shut down in flight A Mahan Air Airbus A340-300, registration EP-MMA performing flight W5-70 from Delhi (India) to Tehran Imam Khomeini (Iran), was climbing out of Tehran when the crew needed to shut one of the four engines (CFM56) down, stopped the climb at FL260 and returned to Delhi for a safe landing on runway 28 about 45 minutes after departure. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b4575ff&opt=256 Back to Top Accident: American A332 near Charlotte on Jan 31st 2018, electrical odour on board An American Airlines Airbus A330-200, registration N284AY performing flight AA-1965 from Charlotte,NC (USA) to Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) with 183 passengers and 10 crew, was enroute at FL340 about 220nm south of Charlotte when the crew decided to return to Charlotte due to an electrical odour on board. The aircraft landed safely back in Charlotte about about 75 minutes after departure. Emergency services needed to take one member of the crew to a hospital, all other crew members were checked at the airport. Emergency services reported all crew members were checked at the airport, one member needed to be taken to a hospital. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL1965/history/20180131/1504Z/KCLT/MDPC http://avherald.com/h?article=4b457508&opt=256 Back to Top Back to Top Moscow flight diverted to Atlantic City International Airport Anext Tour plane at Atlantic City International Airport. Jan, 31, 2018 (Craig Matthews / Staff Photographer) EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - A Russian flight headed from Moscow to Cuba was diverted Wednesday morning to Atlantic City International Airport after it suddenly became low on fuel, according to the federal Customs and Border Protection agency. Mid-Atlantic spokesman Steve Sapp said the plane had to make an emergency landing in Atlantic City to refuel about 3:45 a.m. Once the plane landed, inspectors realized there was a fuel leak in the engine and it would not be able to take off again. Mechanics certified on the Boeing 767 worked to repair it, Sapp said. The airline, Azur Air, was taking 294 passengers and 14 crew members to Havana, Cuba, through the tour company, Anex Tours. A second jet arrived from Azur Air at about 7 p.m., and once loaded with passengers and baggage, it was scheduled to take the passengers Wednesday night to Cuba, Sapp said. "From what we we're told, the flight that is supposed to take them to Cuba will be leaving Atlantic City around 9 o'clock tonight," Sapp said Wednesday evening. The consulate general of the Russian Federation in New York had tweeted about the plane's status Wednesday. The South Jersey Transportation Authority and local and State Police, as well as the FBI were on the scene assisting Wednesday. Sapp said Border Protection, which maintains a presence at Atlantic City International, although there are no public international flights, is the lead agency in this incident. "We are because these are foreign nationals who do not have visas to enter the U.S.," he said. Sapp said that although the flight did not have FAA clearance to land in the United States, the health and safety of the passengers superseded that. "The passengers and crew are being taken care of right now. We have cots for them. People are bringing in food," Sapp said. "They're in generally good spirits. They just want to get on the next flight out to get their vacation started." The passengers rested in a secured section of the airport, Sapp said. Besides cots and food, officials from local and state agencies, the South Jersey Transportation Authority and local volunteers provided water, comfort and language assistance to the stranded passengers, Sapp said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers paroled the 14-person crew into this country to rest at a nearby hotel to prepare for their later Wednesday flight to Cuba, Sapp said. Rowan University history professor James Heinzen, a scholar of Russian history, was called in to serve as a translator. He said this situation is "a good example of people coming together to help people who need some help." http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/top_three/moscow-flight-diverted-to-atlantic-city- international-airport/article_494431ce-238f-52a9-9929-0adca49245d9.html Back to Top Drone Safety and Insurance Platform SkyWatch Scores $2 Million in Seed Funding SkyWatch, a "data analysis, risk-assessment and active risk-reduction platform for the drone industry," has announced $2 million in a Seed round. The funding comes from F2 Capital, Verizon Ventures and Kaedan Capital with "participation of former senior insurance executives from companies like Axa and Liberty Mutual, and world-class leaders in the drone industry," says a company announcement. "SkyWatch will use the financing to continue building its innovative platform, enabling drone service providers to track important safety metrics during flight planning, flight execution and post-flight, and build on-demand insurance solutions." SkyWatch has a unique offering. Unlike other on-demand insurance offerings, the SkyWatch solution uses AI-based algorithms to analyze the risk for drone missions, and offers discounts for safer pilots flying lower-risk missions. On a broader level, risk-based categories are how regulators plan to implement drone laws. At the application level, SkyWatch provides a flight safety tool for commercial and recreational pilots. "Goldman Sachs expects the drone industry to grow by $100 billion over the next five years as more businesses rely on them to complete tasks," said Tomer Kashi, CEO & Co-Founder of SkyWatch. "Safety is often cited as one of the top setbacks for the industry. SkyWatch will revolutionize drone safety by giving operators a holistic, one-stop solution to manage their flight safety. As more pilots improve their safety standards, regulators will lower the bar and open the skies to more operators, thus expanding this already emerging market." "SkyWatch's mobile application will be available on iOS and Android to both business and recreational operators in Q1 2018. The application will connect to most unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of choice and allow operators to get real-time hazard warnings based off of the drone's telemetry, calculating a proprietary "safety score" for each flight, based on the operator's behavior," says the announcement. "The "safety score" can be used to set an industry benchmark for operators, who will be more aware of how they fly, and will be able to improve their score as they practice better, safer flights. Additionally, the company plans to offer operators unique on- demand insurance solutions based on this proprietary safety score in coordination with leading insurance carriers." "As a global leader in fleet management and mobile workforce solutions, we appreciate the importance of AI driven solutions to planning, executing and analyzing mobility while mitigating risk and cutting costs," said Roni Burrell, Director at Verizon Ventures Israel. SkyWatch's software platform uses a variety of data sources and AI based algorithms to analyze risks. These include more than 30 drone sensors to predict and prevent potential failures before they ever occur, hyper-local weather mapping (wind, precipitation, and temperature), 3-D airspace and ground mapping, and crowd density mapping. "Our discussions with other drone industry leaders all point to the need and demand for the SkyWatch risk management and insurance solution," said Barak Rabinowitz, Managing Partner of F2 Capital. "2018 will be a big year for mainstream commercial adoption of drones and SkyWatch is well positioned to help pave the way." "We are very happy to join Ori, Ronny and Tomer on their journey," said Liad Rubin, Director on behalf of Kaedan Capital. "Their unique approach to problem-solving and their expertise in machine learning and data analytics is going to impact the way the drone industry deals with safety in the coming years". https://dronelife.com/2018/01/31/drone-safety-and-insurance-platform-skywatch-scores-2-million- seed-funding/ Back to Top French Hope To Recover More AF66 Engine Parts In Greenland LYON, France-France's Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses (BEA) may send a team to Greenland in search of engine parts to help shed light on what caused a Sept. 30 inflight powerplant failure on an Air France Airbus A380. The A380, operating as Flight AF66 and powered by Engine Alliance GP7200s, was en route from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Los Angeles when it diverted to Goose Bay, Labrador, following an uncontained engine failure while over Greenland. Some parts were recovered early in October and are being analyzed at the BEA's laboratories in Le Bourget, near Paris. "We are considering launching a new search campaign in Greenland to supplement [our] analyses," a BEA spokesman tells Aviation Daily. The engine itself, from which the fan and the inlet cowling separated in flight, is being examined at a GE site in Cardiff, Wales. In October, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive requiring a one-time visual inspection of the fan hub. With 3,527 cycles since new, the engine was described as "relatively high-cycle." The aircraft, registered F-HPJE, was fitted with a replacement engine and ferried back to France in early December. It has been back in service since mid-January, according to flight-tracking websites flightradar24.com and flightaware.com. www.aviatonweek.com Back to Top Major U.S. airlines donate to the National Air and Space Museum Nine major commercial airlines have donated money to the National Air and Space Museum. The total gift amounts to $28 million. The money will go towards a transformation of the Washington, D.C., building. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer. In support of the new "America by Air" gallery, American Airlines, The Delta Air Lines Foundation and United Airlines contributed as lead donors with Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Spirit Airlines also supporting the effort. In recognition of a gift from Southwest Airlines, the Welcome Center in the museum's "Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall" has been designated the Southwest Airlines Welcome Center. "These gifts help launch the museum on a trajectory to realizing the transformation of this important place," said Gen. J.R. "Jack" Dailey, the John and Adrienne Mars director of the National Air and Space Museum, in a written statement. "America by Air" is one of the three main halls at the museum's flagship building on the National Mall. It includes large aircraft and smaller artifacts such as uniforms, models and engines. It also features highlights such as a Douglas DC-3, the nose of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet that visitors can enter, a Ford 5-AT Tri-Motor and a Douglas DC-7. The new gallery is scheduled to close mid-2018. The new gallery will open in approximately 2021. http://www.kagstv.com/article/news/nation-now/major-us-airlines-donate-to-the-national-air-and- space-museum/465-5218de53-3b90-41ce-b875-fb83537d60d8 Back to Top Google Flights will now predict airline delays - before the airlines do Google is rolling out a few new features to its Google Flights search engine to help travelers tackle some of the more frustrating aspects of air travel - delays and the complexities of the cheaper, Basic Economy fares. With the regard to delays, Google Flights won't just be pulling in information from the airlines directly, however - it will take advantage of its understanding of historical data and its machine learning algorithms to predict delays that haven't yet been flagged by airlines themselves. Explains Google, the combination of data and A.I. technologies means it can predict some delays in advance of any sort of official confirmation. Google says that it won't actually flag these in the app until it's at least 80 percent confident in the prediction, though. (Of course, you should still get to the airport on time, but at least you'll know what you're about to face once there.) It will also provide reasons for the delays, like weather or an aircraft arriving late. You can track the status of your flight by searching for your flight number or the airline and flight route, notes Google. The delay information will then appear in the search results. The other new feature added today aims to help travelers make sense of what Basic Economy fares include and exclude with their ticket price. These low-cost fares are often the only option for travelers on a budget, but they have a number of restrictions that can vary by airline. Google Flights will now display the restrictions associated with these fares - like restrictions on using overhead space or the ability to select a seat, as well as the fare's additional baggage fees. It's initially doing so for American, Delta and United flights worldwide. These changes come only a month after Google Flights added price tracking and deals to Google Flights as well as hotel search features for web searchers. The additions seem especially targeted toward today's travel startups and businesses, like Hopper which had just added hotel search, and uses big data to analyze airline prices and other factors; or TripIt, a competitor of sorts to Google's own travel app Google Trips, which most recently introduced security checkpoint wait times. (Given that Google already knows the busy times for area businesses by tracking people's movement via Google Maps, it wouldn't be surprising to see it implement security wait times next.) The features are also a real-world demo of Google's machine learning and big data capabilities, especially in the case of predicting flight delays. Since you can't take action on the alerts until the airline makes an official announcement, they will largely just cause more anxiety on top of your already stressful travel experience. https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/31/google-flights-will-now-predict-airline-delays-before-the- airlines-do/ Back to Top Boeing delivers first 737 MAX 8 aircraft to Oman Air SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. leading aircraft manufacturer Boeing Company said Wednesday that Oman Air has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets, one of 30 aircraft to be operated by the West Asia country. "The aircraft will be a perfect complement to our 737 family as we continue to expand our operations and play an increasingly active role in promoting Oman for business as well as a unique tourism destination, which is growing rapidly in popularity with every passing year," said Abdulaziz Al-Raisi, acting CEO of Oman Air, the flag carrier of the Sultanate of Oman. "The 737 MAX is a family of airplanes that offers the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market," Boeing said in a statement on Wednesday. The 737 MAX 8 model delivered to Oman is configured with 162 seats in two classes, with 12 in business and 150 in economy. Oman Air ordered 20 MAX airplanes from Boeing in October 2015 and has since entered into a lease agreement for 10 more of the jets. The new airplanes will grow the Muscat-based Oman Air's fleet of 27 737s and seven 787 Dreamliners. Boeing said the 737 MAX family is the fastest-selling airplane in its history, accumulating more than 4,300 orders to date from 92 customers worldwide. In the Middle East, Boeing currently has a backlog of over 300 737 MAXs with four airlines. Boeing delivered a record 763 jets to its customers across the world in 2017, earned about 93.4 billion U.S. dollars in revenues for the full year throughout 2017. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-02/01/c_136942017.htm Back to Top Silver Air Adds Boeing Business Jet to Charter Fleet * Nation's Only Unrestricted Boeing Business Jet Service Starts Spring 2018 SANTA BARBARA, CA--(Marketwired - January 31, 2018) - Silver Air is adding a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) to its charter fleet, creating the nation's only unrestricted private charter service on a world- class BBJ. Starting spring 2018, the new Silver Air BBJ based in Southern California will begin serving global executive and entertainment markets. "This is an extremely unique opportunity for our charter clients to enjoy the ultimate private jet experience," said Jason Middleton, Silver Air's CEO. "Silver Air's BBJ features the absolute highest level of service, luxury and comfort available in private aviation. There simply isn't another charter operator in the country that has a BBJ of this caliber available on an unrestricted basis. It's a game changer for Silver Air and our clients." Silver Air has been disrupting private jet management for years through its transparent, owner- advocate approach, and the company is now disrupting the jet charter market by becoming the exclusive operator of this world-class Boeing Business Jet with unrestricted charter availability. The company expects executive management teams, big international music tours, and other VVIP individuals that require the ultimate in private travel to charter the BBJ. Silver Air's Boeing Business Jet (http://www.silverair.com/fleet-16-bbj.php) has a beautifully appointed 16-passenger VVIP cabin configuration that is more easily compared to a premium hotel suite than a business jet. For overnight flights, a 10-passenger sleeping arrangement is available, complete with a master bedroom suite and private bathroom with shower. "The BBJ buys you time -- gives back days wasted on less efficient travel logistics and hotel rooms," Middleton said. "Silver Air's BBJ can take an executive team to Europe or Asia nonstop. The clients can sleep, dine, relax, shower, and prepare on the plane -- then walk off rested and fully prepared for a meeting. No other charter aircraft provides that level of service and accommodation." Featuring the highest level of luxury and comfort, the Boeing Business Jet is capable of flying more than 6,000 uninterrupted miles and is equipped with the amenities one would expect on an aircraft of this caliber including: global Wi-Fi, a VIP private office, lounge area, a full service galley with private chef services, and a high-end assortment of DEAN & DELUCA snacks and a selection of world class wines. The Boeing Business Jet will be managed under Silver Air's PURE Jet Management program. "Silver Air is leading the transformation in private jet management towards a more transparent way of doing business and treating jet owners as partners instead of profit centers," said Chuck Stumpf, who was recently promoted to the newly created position of President of Business Development at Silver Air. "Adding the Boeing Business Jet to our expanding fleet illustrates that this model is scalable, sustainable, and expanding. Jet owners need partners who advocate for their best interest, and Silver Air is the best in the business through PURE Jet Management." Silver Air's PURE Management has resulted in the managed growth of the company's fleet and charter base through an owner-advocate approach and creating quality management plans at the best value. Silver Air manages privately owned aircraft from Southern California to the Bay Area and Dallas. In addition to the newly signed Boeing Business Jet, Silver Air's fleet features light to large-cabin jets including: Gulfstream GIV-SP, GIV, Dassault Falcon 2000, G200, Challenger 300, Phenom 100, Citation CJ3, Citation CJ2, and Citation X models. Silver Air is one of the largest Citation X carriers in the U.S. Silver Air's charter operations have earned the ARGUS Platinum and IS-BAO ratings for their demonstration of the industry's highest safety practices. The company is also a member of the Air Charter Safety Foundation. Silver Air recently launched a new website at SilverAir.com. For more information on Silver Air's fleet, or to request a quote, visit http://www.silverair.com/fleet.php. Follow Silver Air at www.facebook.com/FlySilverAir, www.twitter.com/FlySilverAir and https://www.instagram.com/flysilverair/. About Silver Air Silver Air is a pure private jet management service provider that delivers a transparent, owner- advocate approach to management creating valuable partnerships with private jet owners. Founded in 2008, the company is based in Southern California with corporate offices in Santa Barbara. Silver Air manages a comprehensive fleet of luxury aircraft from light to long-range heavy jets and a global network operating around the clock, 24-hours-a-day. Silver Air is ARGUS Platinum and IS- BAO rated and is a member of the National Business Aviation Association. http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/silver-air-adds-boeing-business-jet-to-charter-fleet- 2245280.htm Back to Top Boeing forecasts rising profit, sees end to job reductions NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) on Wednesday forecast full-year profit well above Wall Street estimates as it looks forward to its busiest year ever for plane deliveries, sending its shares up almost 5 percent. FILE PHOTO: The Boeing logo is seen on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane in Long Beach, California March 14, 2012. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo The world's biggest plane maker also said it would end years of job cuts in 2018, but would not now start hiring more people because of the recent reduction in the U.S. corporate tax rate. "More of an employment plateau in the near-term," Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg said on a conference call with analysts on Tuesday. Boeing has shed 20 percent of its workforce, or about 34,000 jobs, since employment peaked in 2012, in a bid to reduce costs and improve profits. Several U.S. companies have promised to boost hiring after December's new tax law slashed the corporate rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. Although Chicago-based Boeing delivered more aircraft to customers than Airbus SE (AIR.PA) last year, and is much more profitable, it is still in a dogfight to win orders after its European rival sold about 22 percent more planes last year. "Our focus is to make Boeing ever tougher," Muilenburg said. Boeing said it aims to ship between 810 and 815 commercial aircraft in 2018, as much as 7 percent more than the industry-record 763 jets it delivered in 2017, putting it ahead of Airbus for the sixth year in a row. Airbus delivered 718 jetliners last year. Both companies are speeding up production at their factories to chip away at the large backlog of orders for new jetliners, created over the past few years as airlines want new, fuel-efficient planes to cope with a surge in demand for air travel. Helped by the hunger for new jets, Boeing forecast core profit would rise to $13.80 to $14.00 a share in 2018, ahead of analysts' average estimate of $11.96, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. For the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, Boeing's core earnings nearly doubled to $4.80 per share from $2.47 a year earlier, buoyed by rising plane output and a $1.74 per share gain from changes to the U.S. tax law. Boeing shares, which have more than doubled in the past 12 months, rose 4.7 percent to $353.60 on the New York Stock Exchange. Boeing's commercial planes unit posted an 8 percent increase in revenue in the fourth quarter to $15.47 billion, while operating profit rose 50 percent to $1.78 billion. The company's smaller defense business grow more slowly. Revenue for the unit rose 5 percent to $5.54 billion while operating profit rose 6 percent to $553 million. Boeing's new services business - which maintains and overhauls planes for their owners - posted a 17 percent increase in revenue to $4 billion in the fourth quarter while operating profit rose 9 percent to $617 million. Boeing is aiming to hit $50 billion in revenue in that business by 2027. However, profit margins at the unit narrowed slightly to 15.4 percent, and Boeing said it expects margins near that level this year. "Margins weren't as good as I thought," said Sheila Kahyaoglu, an analyst at Jefferies LLC in New York. Boeing also forecast at least $12.8 billion in free cash flow this year, encouraging Wall Street analysts, who generally view the company's early targets as conservative. "Actual results could ultimately be higher," Seth Seifman, an analyst at JPMorgan, said in a note to clients. "As a result, we expect the stock to outperform despite its recent run now that management has set the table for a solid 2018." By raising production while holding down costs, Boeing and Airbus generate more profit and cash. Despite the rising output, their order backlogs have kept growing. Boeing said its total backlog, which includes military aircraft and other products, rose to $488 billion at year-end, compared with $474 billion at the end of the third quarter. Excluding the gain, Boeing reported earnings of $3.06 a share. On that basis, Wall Street had been expecting $2.89 a share. Muilenburg said Boeing still expects to increase operating profit margins to the mid-teens by 2020, from 9.6 percent last year, with most of the gain coming from reducing the cost of making 787 Dreamliners, while holding costs of its workhorse single-aisle 737 steady. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-results/boeing-forecasts-rising-profit-sees-end-to-job- reductions-idUSKBN1FK1QJ Back to Top These planes could jet you around the world at hypersonic speed * Aerospace firms aim to usher in a new era of supersonic travel. Boeing's concept for a jet-powered hypersonic aircraft.Boeing Commercial airliners haven't broken the sound barrier since the Concorde was retired in 2003. But now some aerospace firms hope to usher in a new era of supersonic air travel. Boom Supersonic, for one, plans to build 1,451-mile-per-hour planes that would be able to make the trip from New York to London in 3 hours and 15 minutes starting in 2023. Other firms aren't content with supersonic flight. They're designing so-called hypersonic aircraft capable of flying five times the speed of sound, or around 3,800 miles per hour. These ultra-fast planes would likely first be used by the military for strike and reconnaissance missions. But experts say hypersonic technology could make its way into commercial jets. It would then be possible to fly anywhere on Earth in under three hours. "It's certainly within the realm of possibility," says Dr. Kevin Bowcutt, senior technical fellow and chief scientist of hypersonics for Boeing Research & Technology. "I think we have the technology now where we could actually do it." BUILDING A FASTER JET It's no easy task to create a plane that can slice through the air at hypersonic speed. A few aircraft have flown that fast, including Boeing's experimental X-51A WaveRider. But all hypersonic planes built so far have been powered by rocket engines or used rocket boosters. Rockets are powerful but heavy because they have to carry the oxygen needed to burn fuel with them. "Rocket motors are great for going to space and powering missiles, but they're less than ideal for carrying people," Bowcutt says. That's why Boeing and Lockheed Martin are working to develop jet-powered hypersonic aircraft. So far, information about these incredibly fast aircraft is sparse; Lockheed Martin declined to provide details on their plane. Boeing unveiled a new design earlier this month at a conference in Orlando, Florida. At low speeds for takeoff and landing, the sleek plane would be powered by a turbine engine, much like a regular commercial plane. But for the main portion of flights, it would switch over to an engine called a dual-mode ramjet that can only operate at speeds above Mach 3. A regular turbine uses whirling fan blades to suck air into the engine and other blades to compress the air so more oxygen can come in contact with the fuel. But this equipment would melt if used at hypersonic speeds. The ramjet instead uses the shockwaves created by traveling at such high speeds to squeeze incoming air. Flying at such high speeds creates an incredible amount of friction, so a hypersonic aircraft would have to be made out of heat-resistant materials such as a nickel alloy, Bowcutt says. A hypersonic aircraft using this technology could be available within 10 to 20 years. What would it feel like to fly on one? You'd be pushed back into your seat as the plane accelerates to take off, just as with a regular passenger jet. "The only difference with a hypersonic plane is that the feeling of takeoff would persist for a few minutes until you got up to speed and altitude," Bowcutt says. "Then it would feel no different than any other airplane." You'd be traveling at 90,000 to 100,000 feet. That's much higher than today's airliners, which typically fly at altitudes around 35,000 feet, and high enough to see Earth's curvature below and the blackness of space above. To strengthen the fuselage, the plane might substitute virtual windows for real ones. Cameras mounted on the plane's exterior would feed video to the virtual windows, recreating what you'd see if you actually looked out of the plane. A SPEEDY FUTURE Both supersonic and hypersonic flight face many hurdles before they can be used for commercial air travel. One hurdle will be dealing with the environmental impacts of emissions at such high altitudes. Another will be finding enough of a market for this ultra-fast form of travel; to support its supersonic speed, the Concorde demanded four times as much fuel per passenger as other jets, which drove up ticket prices. When it comes to hypersonic passenger travel, "It's hard for me to see, at least in the next 15-20 years, that it's going to be so cost competitive that it's going to compel the airlines to take a stab at it," John Plueger, president and CEO of Air Lease Corporation, a company that leases aircraft around the world, told CNBC. And then there's the sonic boom that is created by aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms can startle humans and wildlife on the ground; to avoid that, the Federal Aviation Administration has forbidden supersonic flights over land. The Concorde used to go supersonic only over the ocean, limiting the routes it could fly. But engineers are hard at work on ways to quiet the sonic boom. NASA is hoping to create a supersonic plane that can fly quietly enough to convince the FAA to lift its ban, opening the door for airlines to offer supersonic commercial flights over land. The agency selected Lockheed Martin to create the preliminary design for its QueSST (Quiet Supersonic Technology) aircraft. The plane's shape would scatter the shockwaves produced at intense speeds so they couldn't combine to form a loud sonic boom. Instead they will create a soft thump, like the sound of a neighbor closing their car door. "If you were at a barbeque and there's people out there and you're chatting and there's potentially some music, you would never hear it," says Peter Iosifidis, the QueSST program manager at Lockheed Martin. Hopefully, this will inspire the FAA to update its rules around 2025, he says, allowing supersonic travel to become widespread within a few years. Supersonic speed would cut many journey times in half. But hypersonic flight could make commercial air travel still faster and more convenient. International day trips around the world could eventually become routine. You could travel from New York to London in about an hour. Or you might wake up and eat lunch in Los Angeles and then spend two hours flying to Tokyo. https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/these-planes-could-jet-you-around-world-hypersonic- speed-ncna843386 Back to Top Airbus A321LR long-range jet completes maiden flight HAMBURG (Reuters) - The A321LR, a long-range version of Airbus's (AIR.PA) largest and newest single-aisle jet, made its maiden flight on Wednesday as the European planemaker looks to retain part of the market where it has been outselling rival Boeing (BA.N). An Airbus A321LR takes off during a presentation of the company's new long range aircraft in Hamburg-Finkenwerder, Germany, January 31, 2018. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer The reconfigured version of the 185-230-seat A321neo is capable of carrying up to 240 people. It took off from Airbus' Hamburg factory in northern Germany shortly after 11 a.m. (1000 GMT) and landed just before 2 p.m. (1300 GMT), witnesses said. Airbus says the jet is the world's longest-range single-aisle aircraft, capable of flying up to 4,000 nautical miles when configured with 206 seats including lie-flat beds. That makes it a contender to replace long-serving Boeing 757s that are nearing retirement. But Boeing is studying proposals to leapfrog the plane with a compact new twin-aisle jet, designed to serve a broader market from 200 to 270 seats. A decision on whether to launch the so-called middle-of-the-market passenger jet is expected this year. Airbus has been outselling Boeing in the market for large single-aisle jets by a margin of four to one and says the new A321LR - with an improved takeoff weight of 97 tonnes - will meet demand to replace elderly 757s and some 767s. Boeing says the opportunity stretches beyond the 757 replacement market all the way up to planes with 270 seats and would be better served by a completely new airplane. It has, meanwhile, introduced a larger version of its 737 MAX, and last year outsold Airbus three to one in long-haul wide-body jets. Boeing officials concede the A321LR flies further but say it relies on three, space-absorbing auxiliary fuel tanks, instead of one for the 737 MAX 10 in its longest-range version. In an effort to pre-empt the possible launch of a new Boeing jet, Airbus is working on further enhancements to the A321 even as it stages the first test of the A321LR, industry sources say. A person familiar with the Airbus plans told Reuters last week that it was studying a further increase in the A321neo's take-off weight to 100 tonnes with the help of tweaks to the existing wing and stronger landing gear, requiring more engine thrust. A second option would include a lighter and larger new wing: something that saves on engine thrust but costs more to develop. Both options would involve stretching the aircraft slightly to accommodate one or two extra rows of seats, the person said. Airbus has declined to comment on the plans. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-airplane-a321lr/airbus-a321lr-long-range-jet- completes-maiden-flight-idUSKBN1FK1H3 Back to Top Meet the 'airplane whisperer' of Silicon Valley, who just joined an $800 million fund * Storm Ventures has hired Paul Willard, a rocket scientist, as its newest partner. * Willard is known as Silicon Valley's "airplane whisperer," the guy investors call to assess the startups promising to build a better plane. Storm Ventures Partner Paul Willard As venture investors shift their focus from marketplaces and mobile apps to more complex fare, like AI and rockets, vetting start-ups can prove more challenging. That's why they call Paul Willard, a former Boeing engineer and entrepreneur known as the "airplane whisperer" of Silicon Valley. A newly minted partner at Storm Ventures, Willard has helped design airplanes and neural networks since the early 1990s. At Boeing he worked on Dark Star, an auto-piloted robotic spy plane that took pictures -- the plane's existence is now declassified. "Some very bright engineers at Boeing in the early 90s decided to try to use a deep layered neural net to accurately predict drag on airplanes," Willard told CNBC. "I'm glad that I got that kind of exposure to 'AI' way back when. It's been instructive to everything I've done since." But he's also no stranger to start-ups. He began to work for software companies, usually in senior product and marketing roles, back in the dotcom era. At one point he was director of product management at NextCard, one of the first online issuers of credit cards. Most recently, he was the chief marketing officer for Atlassian, which makes software for employees to collaborate more easily. In 2013, when investors' interest in drones and space-tech was heating up, Willard began hearing from a number of Silicon Valley firms. Since then, he's advised at least a dozen funds, helping partners who don't have the same technical background to "due diligence" start-ups who promise to build a better aircraft, robot or satellite, for example. Investor Paul Willard and Zipline engineer Brian Boomgaard test a drone in a wind tunnel. This year, Willard predicts investors will lust after start-ups who want to make flying taxis, electric planes, quantum computing and autonomous vehicles a reality. Entrepreneurs may never stop believing they can "defy physics," he said. So he also hopes more rocket scientists and mechanical engineers will get in the VC business, a corner of finance otherwise dominated by software and IT brains. "I've worked on big commercial planes, VTOL planes that look a lot like flying cars, supersonic airplanes, even pedal powered airplanes. So, I have a detailed understanding of the challenges, and how they can be overcome or not. While I appreciate the enthusiasm of any airplane startup, it is just unfortunate when the numbers don't pencil out as far as flight," Willard said. His prior investments reflect Willard's diverse interests. As an angel, and via his prior fund Subtraction Capital, Willard has backed aviation start-ups like Boom, which is working on a supersonic passenger plane, and Zipline, a company using its drones to deliver medical supplies and other humanitarian aid. He's also backed software and services that relate very specifically to venture investing, including Carta (formerly eShares), which helps start-ups manage their cap tables, and Trusted Insight, a network for private family offices and other investors in venture funds. The fund Willard is joining, Storm Ventures, has a heavy enterprise focus, and $800 million in assets under management. Willard said he'll be looking for deals in health-tech, robotics-as-a- service, and of course, enterprise tech and business software. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/31/paul-willard-airplane-whisperer-joins-storm-ventures.html Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 1 Ph.D. Research Survey Request - Win a $100 Amazon Gift Card Research Title: General Aviation Pilot Acceptance and Adoption of Electronic Flight Bag Technology Researcher: Troy Techau If you are you a pilot and have flown in general aviation (14 CFR § 91) in the past year, you can fill out a survey and get a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. I'm Troy Techau, a Ph.D. Candidate at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and the title of my research is General Aviation Pilot Acceptance and Adoption of Electronic Flight Bag Technology. Why do some general aviation pilots choose to use electronic flight bags (EFBs), and others choose not to use EFBs during their flight operations? I'm interested in the opinions of pilots that use EFBs as well as those pilots that do not use EFBs. As an incentive for completing the survey, you'll have the option of entering a drawing to win a $100 Amazon gift card. The survey is anonymous, and should take at most 15-20 minutes. Please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/efb4 to get started! Questions? Contact me at techaut@my.erau.edu, or Dr. Steven Hampton at hamptons@erau.edu. Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 2 Attention pilots, I am currently a human factors graduate student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University conducting a study into the effects of voice gender on pilot perceptual processes as part of my thesis research. The study is aimed at further investigating how speaker voice gender can affect an individual's perception while task saturated, specifically how different air traffic controller voice genders can affect the time it takes a pilot to perceive their instructions. All potential participants should hold no more than a private pilot certificate, be non-professional pilots, have no prior military flight experience, and be at least 18 years of age. This study requires a 30-minute in-person data collection trial to be conducted at the San Carlos Airport (SQL) in San Carlos, CA, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, please visit www.bit.ly/2FKfORA, or email Tucker Lambert at lambert5@my.erau.edu Thank you, again. Your help is greatly appreciated. Kind regards, Tucker Lambert (650) 200-8426 Back to Top ISASI Kapustin Memorial Scholarship Applications Due in April Applications for the 2018 ISASI Rudolph Kapustin Memorial Scholarship must be submitted on or before April 15, 2018, says ISASI Secretary Chad Balentine, who serves as Scholarship Committee Chairman. Balentine noted that this worthy program is designed to encourage and assist college-level students interested in the field of aviation safety and aircraft occurrence investigation. ISASI funds the Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship through donations and will provide an annual allocation of funds for the scholarship if funds are available. Applicants must be enrolled as full time students in an ISASI recognized education program, which includes courses in aircraft engineering and/or operations, aviation psychology, aviation safety and/or aircraft occurrence investigation, etc. Applicants must have major or minor subjects that focus on aviation safety/investigation. A student who has received the annual ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship will not be eligible to apply for it again. Students who wish to apply should go to http://isasi.org/Documents/Forms/ISASI%20Rudolf%20Kapustin%20Memorial%20Scholarship%20Form%20Jan%2010%202018%200923.pdf for guidelines and the application form. Chad Balentine ISASI International Secretary Kapustin Scholarship Selection Committee Chairman email: chad.balentine@isasi.org Phone: 703.689.4225 Back to Top Assistant/Associate Professor - Tenure Track Faculty - Aviation Technology Job Duties: Indiana State University's Aviation Technology Department is seeking applications for a Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate Professor Faculty position. Duties include supporting the Unmanned Systems Program and teaching undergraduate courses in the Aviation Department degree programs. This is a nine-month position with the possibility of summer teaching assignments. Qualifications: Required Education: Master's degree in Aviation, Education, Electronics, Engineering, Engineering Technology, Robotics or an Unmanned Systems related field and demonstrated experience in UVS in academia. Must have a minimum of 18 graduate hours in aviation or unmanned systems related courses. Completion of an appropriate doctorate degree will be required within 5 years. Must have extensive knowledge in unmanned systems procedures, components, and applications. Must have extensive knowledge and demonstrated experience in unmanned systems operations to include land, marine, and aerial types. Must have demonstrated experience in operating unmanned systems in manual, semi- autonomous, and autonomous modes. Must have extensive knowledge of FAA airspace and regulatory issues. Department: The Aviation Technology Department in a part of the College of Technology and currently offers the following BS degrees: Professional Aviation Flight Technology, Aviation Management, and Unmanned Systems. Application Process: For full-consideration, please submit your application by March 1, 2018. To view the full description and to apply, please visit: http://jobs.indstate.edu/postings/20462. If you have questions please contact Dr. Richard Baker, Chair, Faculty Search Committee, Department of Aviation, Indiana State University, Terre Haute IN 47809. richard.baker@indstate.edu; (812) 237-2641 About the Institution: Established in 1865, Indiana State University is a four-year public university that integrates teaching, research, and creative activity in an engaging, challenging, and supportive learning environment to prepare productive citizens of the world. Indiana State is dedicated to teaching and the creation of knowledge while maintaining its longstanding commitment to inclusiveness. Located in Southwest Indiana, Indiana State University is conveniently located 10 minutes from I- 70 making trips to Indianapolis, St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati easily accessible. Indiana State University sits in the central part of downtown Terre Haute making the commute to shopping, food, housing, arts, sports and entertainment within 15 minutes to campus. Indiana State University has been listed by both Forbes and the Princeton Review as one of the top schools in the Midwest for the 5th and 13th year, respectively. U.S. News Best Colleges rankings describe Indiana State University as pedestrian friendly and beautifully landscaped, and has been recognized by Princeton Review as one the most environmentally responsible colleges. Indiana State University's commitment to community engagement and public service sets it apart. Students are motivated to apply both knowledge and creativity with local surrounding communities and counties. As a medium size public university, Indiana State University is known to have one of the most diverse student populations in the State of Indiana. With approximately 12,000 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students, our minority student population is nearly 25%. Indiana State University continues to grow in enrollment and is committed to student development, leadership, and success. Indiana State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All are encouraged to apply including women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. Back to Top OVERVIEW The Manager, Safety Programs is primarily responsible for the oversight and management of Endeavor Air's Voluntary Safety Programs, including the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP), Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA), Fatigue Risk Management, and Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA). Based in Minneapolis, MN; the Manager, Safety Programs plays a key role in identifying hazards that affect safety of flight, analyzing the hazards using a combination of traditional investigative methods and advanced data analysis techniques, and ensuring appropriate mitigation strategies are developed and implemented. RESPONSIBILITIES * Responsible for developing and executing a proactive and predictive data analysis plan to create industry leading safety programs * Directs and facilitates the identification and management of safety hazards in support of Endeavor's Safety Management System (SMS) * Oversees the collection, review, analysis, and mitigations of all reported safety events, as appropriate * Maintains the department safety reporting systems (Q-Pulse and WBAT) to ensure accurate and up-to-date incident tracking * Develops recommendations to enhance safety and compliance based on information derived from safety investigations * Utilizes industry data sources to calibrate Endeavor's safety programs against other airlines * Manages the monthly and quarterly safety newsletters to frontline employees * Produces FAA quarterly reports for the ASAP and FOQA programs * Ensures the proper functioning of GDRAS (Ground Data Replay and Analysis System) software, hardware, and associated programs * Oversees the data collection process from the aircraft in conjunction with Maintenance and Engineering * Works closely with employee unions to ensure proper staffing for participation in ASAP, FOQA, LOSA, and Fatigue programs * Maintains the FOQA system's organization, security, data storage, report retrieval, trending and event databases * Serves as the primary company contact for NTSB and FAA investigations * Participates as an active member of Endeavor Air's Accident Investigation team during NTSB investigations * Presents safety data to stakeholders inside and outside of the organization to include meetings with senior management, employee training events, and industry conferences * Identifies safety issues for review by management, including the CASS and Flight Standards Review Boards, communicating data trends, reports, and risk analyses * Ensure ongoing compliance with applicable rules, regulations, and corrective measures * Computer work, in a typical office environment for the majority of the day * Ability to work in a warehouse, industrial, airline hanger, or outdoor environment as required * This position is "on call" 24 hours per day * Must be willing, able and prepared to participate in extremely stressful work situations, such as aircraft accidents and incidents * Other duties as assigned JOB QUALIFICATIONS * Bachelor's degree in an aviation related field * 5 years of experience working in a safety management role * Previous experience providing work direction in a leadership role, motivating and mentoring employees * Experience working with federal or state regulatory agencies * Competency in FAA and NTSB regulations, FAA voluntary safety programs (ASAP, FOQA, LOSA), reporting requirements, and internal policy * Competency in the understanding of Safety Management Systems * Exceptional investigative, analytical, organizational and communications (written and verbal) skills are essential and required * Excellent organizational and analytical skills * Strong interpersonal skills with focus on communication and problem resolution * Strong work ethic, reliable, self-motivated with a positive attitude * Repetitive motion such as typing on the computer and phone work * Occasional physical exertion such as: pulling, pushing, reaching, bending, standing, walking, and light lifting of boxes, bags files, and electronic equipment not in excess of 30 lbs. APPLY HERE Curt Lewis