Flight Safety Information February 7, 2018 - No. 028 In This Issue Incident: Zimbabwe B762 at Johannesburg on Feb 2nd 2018, two tyres deflated on landing Incident: Nordwind B772 near Delhi on Feb 4th 2018, engine trouble Piper PA-34 Forced Landing In River (Louisiana) GoAir 720 Ahmedabad-Delhi Flight Suffers Bird Hit Today, Flight Cancelled, All Passengers Safe (India) Boeing Working to Lift Vietnam's Air Safety Rating...FAA's Category 2 is now a hurdle CAAC Inks New, Updated Civil Aviation Agreements (Singapore) Officials offer Congress little explanation for physiological episodes in aircraft Was A Frontier Airlines Jet Almost Hit By A Drone Over Las Vegas? San Francisco Reaches Settlement with FF in Plane Crash Suit Orlando International Airport officials to discuss replacing TSA agents Ex-Alaska Airlines pilot will plead guilty to flying plane while drunk, prosecutors say NTSB cites alcohol, medications as probable causes of fatal southeast Colorado plane crash in 2016 FAA Safety Briefing...Back to Basics | January/February 2018 IBAC Mourns the Loss of Business Aviation Safety Icon Robert E. Breiling Honeywell Develops 'The Connected Airplane' ATR sells four turboprop aircraft to Bangkok Airways for over $100 million WestJet CEO says it hopes to recruit Swoop pilots from mainline operations The World Will Need 637,000 More Pilots in the Next Two Decades Chinese pilots are going to use US planes to learn how to fly Ready For Takeoff? Boeing Reportedly Presents Embraer Jet JV Plan PNG MINISTER FOR CIVIL AVIATION ATTENDS 2018 ASIA PACIFIC REGION MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE IN BEIJING, CHINA Space X Boosters Return From Flight - February 6, 2018 ( Video) GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Position: Manager, Safety Programs European Society of Air Safety Investigators (ESASI) - 2018 - Call for Presentations Incident: Zimbabwe B762 at Johannesburg on Feb 2nd 2018, two tyres deflated on landing An Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767-200, registration Z-WPE performing flight UM-303 from Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) to Johannesburg (South Africa), landed on Johannesburg's runway 21L, rolled out and vacated the runway. While taxiing towards the terminal two main tyres deflated. The airline reported due to uneven braking brakes overheated causing two tyres to deflate. The aircraft was unable to depart for the return flight, the passengers needed to be taken to hotels over night. Only one replacement wheel was available at Johannesburg, another one needed to be flown in. Z-WPE remained on the ground for about 19 hours, then departed for the return leg to Harare (Zimbabwe) as flight UM- 9462. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b499f18&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Nordwind B772 near Delhi on Feb 4th 2018, engine trouble A Nordwind Boeing 777-200, registration VQ-BUD performing flight N4-2477 (dep Feb 3rd) from Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) to Phuket (Thailand) with 380 passengers and 15 crew, was enroute at FL330 about 90nm northwest of Delhi (India) when the crew decided to divert to Delhi reporting problems with the right hand engine (GE90). The aircraft landed safely on Delhi's runway 28 about 30 minutes after leaving FL330. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration VP-BSP as well as a replacement Airbus A321-200 registration VP-BHN were dispatched to Delhi and reached Delhi about 20 hours after VQ-BUD landed. Both replacement aircraft departed about 29 hours after landing of VQ-BUD and took the passengers to Phuket. According to local and Russian media the 390 passengers were kept on board of VQ-BUD for about 9 hours until all Visa issues were sorted out and the passengers could be taken to hotels. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Delhi about 72 hours after landing. Rosaviatsia reported the right hand engine rolled back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b499bfb&opt=256 Back to Top Piper PA-34 Forced Landing In River (Louisiana) Date: 06-FEB-2018 Time: 05:00 p.m. Type: Piper PA-34 Owner/operator: Private Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Unknown Location: Atchafalaya River - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Private Departure airport: Slidell Destination airport: Patterson Narrative: After being low on fuel, the pilot of the plane performed an emergency landing into the river. The four occupants were rescued by the US Coast Guard. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=205748 Back to Top GoAir 720 Ahmedabad-Delhi Flight Suffers Bird Hit Today, Flight Cancelled, All Passengers Safe (India) Ahmedabad, February 7: GoAir's Ahmedabad-Delhi flight on Wednesday morning suffered a bird hit. There were about 166 passengers on board who had a close shave following a bird-strike. The incident took place when the Delhi-bound GoAir flight number 720 was climbing after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. As per reports, all the 166 passengers are safe and the flight. As a precautionary measure, the flight was cancelled. A bird-strike is an aviation terminology, which basically means a collision between a bird and an aircraft, which could happen during take-off or landing or mid-air. It must be noted that a bird hit is considered to be a threat to flight safety. In November 2017, a Patna-bound GoAir flight with 174 passengers onboard suffered a bird hit and returned to New Delhi. The incident took place as the flight took off from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport. According to a statement by GoAir, the Airbus A320neo plane suffered the bird hit when it was on the climb, forcing the pilot to discontinue the journey and return to New Delhi for an inspection of the plane. In January 2017, around 160 passengers, including Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren, had a close shave when their Air India plane suffered a bird hit while landing at the airport in Guwahati. The Delhi-Guwahati-Imphal flight was grounded on January 19 and passengers travelling to Imphal were left stranded. An Air India spokesperson confirmed the incident and said the flight carrying 160 passengers was grounded for inspection by a team of engineers. https://www.latestly.com/india/information/goair-720-ahmedabad-delhi-flight-suffers-bird-hit- today-flight-cancelled-all-passengers-safe-22090.html Back to Top Boeing Working to Lift Vietnam's Air Safety Rating * FAA's Category 2 is now a hurdle to adding U.S. destinations * Vietnam Airlines has initial agreement to buy Boeing 777 jets Boeing Co. is working with the U.S. and Vietnamese governments to lift the Southeast Asian nation's aviation safety rating and help enable its state-run carrier to operate flights to as far as Los Angeles, an executive said. "Right now, they don't have Category 1," Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Boeing's Asia Pacific and India sales, said in an interview at the Singapore Airshow on Wednesday, referring to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's rating system. "So we are working with the Vietnamese government and the U.S. government to open that up." Under the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, each country is responsible for the safety oversight of its own carriers, according to the FAA website. The agency assesses regulators of nations that have airlines operating to the U.S. to determine whether their oversight meets global standards. Vietnam has a Category 2 ranking, which means its safety processes fall short, and the FAA is reviewing it. Vietnam Airlines Corp. was considering flights to Los Angeles by late 2019 or early 2020, Chief Executive Officer Duong Tri Thanh said in November. The carrier has signed a preliminary agreement with Boeing to buy its widebody 777-8 jets, but a final order would depend on the country getting the upgrade, Keskar said, adding any airline needs to be sure of routes before placing large aircraft orders. "The investment is big and you should be able to fill that airplane," Keskar said. "We feel optimistic that this year will get them the Category 1." Vietnam Air is expanding its fleet in a market that the International Air Transport Association estimates will be among the world's top five in terms of growth in the next 20 years. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-07/boeing-working-with-u-s-to-lift-vietnam-s- air-safety-rating Back to Top CAAC Inks New, Updated Civil Aviation Agreements (Singapore) The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) announced signing several agreements at and in conjunction with the Singapore Airshow, underscoring the nation's commitment to modernizing and improving global civil aviation operations. Perhaps most importantly, Singapore and the United States signed a revised Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement-Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness (BASA-IPA), deepening the long- standing cooperation between the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the CAAS. The enhanced BASA-IPA follows the launch last December of the U.S.-Singapore Joint Aviation Steering Committee (JASC), created to manage and guide technical collaboration between the FAA and CAAS on issues involving international aviation safety, regional cooperation and development, air traffic management (ATM), environment, and cybersecurity. The revised BASA-IPA includes an expanded scope of allowable modifications and repairs beyond cabin interiors, and is expected to reduce redundant certification requirements for design approvals from both the U.S. and Singapore, providing significant time and cost savings. "Through many years of working together, both sides have enjoyed a strong relationship anchored on mutual trust and confidence in technical competence," said CAAS Deputy Director-General Tay Tiang Guan. Added FAA acting deputy administrator Carl Burleson, "The FAA values our strong U.S.-Singapore bilateral relationship, and we look forward to continued collaboration as we enhance our efforts this year through the development of the FAA-CAAS Joint Aviation Steering Committee." Other initiatives aimed at advancing ATM include: * CAAS, Singapore Electronics Limited and GomSpace signed a research collaboration agreement aimed at implementing space-based Very High Frequency (VHF) communications for air traffic management. * CAAS and the Mitre Corporation announced expanding their collaboration aimed at using Artificial Intelligence to improve ATM. * The Singaporean authority has also established a partnership with the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) to advance ATM in Singapore and Europe. * Under a tripartite agreement signed at the airshow, CAAS, the UK's NAT and Airways New Zealand will work to improve on-time performance of long haul air traffic, by managing arrivals over greater distances. * Meanwhile, on the eve of the airshow, Singapore concluded an Open Skies Agreement with Guyana, allowing the two countries' airlines to operate flights between them as well as beyond to any third country, without restrictions on capacity, frequency, aircraft type and routing. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2018-02-06/caac-inks-new-updated-civil- aviation-agreements Back to Top Officials offer Congress little explanation for physiological episodes in aircraft A subcommittee of the House Committee on Armed Forces heard testimony on episodes thought to stem from problems with oxygen systems in fighter, attack and trainer aircraft. Lt. Gen. Mark Nowland, the deputy chief of staff of operations for the Air Force, testifies before the House Armed Forces subcommittee on tactical air and land forces. Photo by U.S. House Armed Services Committee/YouTube/Screenshot Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Congressional lawmakers on Tuesday received an update on growing concerns over "physiological episodes" occurring in T-45 Goshawks, a military jet-training aircraft, and F/A-18 Super Hornets, as well as other assorted aircraft. The House Armed Forces subcommittee on tactical air and land forces heard testimony from Lt. Gen. Mark Nowland, the deputy chief of staff of operations for the Air Force, along with Navy Physiological Events Action Team Lead Rear. Adm. Sara A. Joyner, and Clinton H. Cragg, who is the principal engineer at NASA's Engineering and Safety Center. While the causes of the aviation mishaps are still being researched and investigated, early indicators are pointing to hypoxia as their root cause. Hypoxia-related incidents occur when there is an inadequate amount of oxygen traveling to the brain, with suggestions for recent issues placing blame on air systems in the planes. According to the Navy Physiological Events Action Team and NASA, however, Navy investigators are currently only looking at the problem from an engineering standpoint, rather than looking at the effects of flight on individual pilots. Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, chairman of the House subcommittee, scolded Lt. Gen. Nowland over his opening statement that asserted that the aviation mishaps are due to a lack of training, rather than the physical toll exerted on a pilot during flight. "I could not be more disappointed with your presentation," Turner said. "We have had hearing after hearing after hearing on this and we have this report in front of us and the presentation we have [from the Navy Physiological Events Action Team and NASA] is the human factor is not being taken into consideration, and your answer is training... the Secretary of the Air Force does not agree with you." Former Navy fighter pilot and F/A-18 standardization instructor and flight operations director Benjamin Kohlmann told UPI last year that hypoxia-related incidents were rare during his time in the Navy from 2004 to 2013, lamenting that the problem has only risen to prominence in the last few years. "At a certain attitude, the concentration of air is insufficient to provide someone with human cognition," Kohlmann said. "The rule of thumb is that above 10,000 feet, prolonged exposure isn't going to give you enough oxygen to do the day-to-day things that you need to survive, so we rely heavily on those oxygen systems." "I don't know what's causing it, maybe more attention is being paid to the issue, perhaps errors or mishaps that occurred in the past were not attributed to hypoxia-related incidents, but now are," Kohlmann said. "It's a mystery as to what the full extent of it is." https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2018/02/06/Officials-offer-Congress-little-explanation-for- physiological-episodes-in-aircraft/5301517936452/ Back to Top Was A Frontier Airlines Jet Almost Hit By A Drone Over Las Vegas? Michael Goldstein , CONTRIBUTOR Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. There was a lot going on in Las Vegas this week, from a gambler making $6 million betting on the Eagles in the Super Bowl to casino mogul Steve Wynn being accused of sexual harassment. And worryingly, a video showing a Frontier jetliner barely avoiding a collision with a drone in the skies over Las Vegas was also released. In an undated video you can see here, a drone treads water in the blue sky reportedly just 3.5 miles from McCarran Airport's runways. Suddenly a Frontier Airlines passenger jet from the Airbus A320 family passes BELOW the drone. The drone appears to dive towards the jet to keep it in the frame before it flies off. The video was reportedly originally posted to a Facebook group called "1% FPV" (first-person video) by a "James Jayo Older" with the caption: "Found the SD card, 1%ers only." The fact that there is a group of drone operators who call themselves 1%ers (hint: does NOT mean the wealthiest 1%) may be as worrisome as the video itself. The FAA has launched an investigation and also notified the FBI. Perhaps in response to this pressure, a person calling himself "James Jayo Older," who appears to be a Las Vegas high school student, posted a "public announcement' on Facebook February 1. "The plane video. I've done some stupid s*** over the years of flying but I can assure everyone the video is NOT mine. I'll stick to diving buildings and stuff. I'm taking the heat for it right now as a buddy uploaded it and I shared it to 1% FPV. Take it for what you want but the video is not mine. And I'm sorry for sharing it.-Jayo" While the still unidentified drone operator may regard his flight and video as harmless, experts (and the FBI) would disagree. "This is clearly and explicitly an illegal and reckless flight by a drone," noted Air Transport World. "The unmanned aircraft is above 400 ft., it is near an airport, and it is above another, manned aircraft-all gross violations of the rules that govern unmanned aviation." Drone hobbyist Richard Gilmore re-posted the video as a warning with the disclaimer "Not my video," identifying the drone as an FPV quad racer. He demanded that Drone U Leadership and the entire drone community "fully CONDEMN this reckless and criminal act." Condemnation or not, drones are here. The guy in front of me on line at Costco was buying a DJI Mavic Pro camera bundle for $899. He excitedly told me he was saving $300. More than a billion dollars' worth of drones were sold in 2017, and the chairman of the FAA, Michael Huerta, said in 2017 that 7 million drones might be sold by 2020. The FAA has enacted strict rules, including the need to register all hobbyist or commercial drones over half a pound, staying at least five miles from airports, keeping in line of sight, flying under 400 feet, keeping speed under 100mph, flying only during the day and yielding "right of way to manned aircraft." Clearly, the drone "1%er" who shot the Frontier Airlines video violated a number of these rules, making him subject to fines or even possible jail time. Despite the rules and penalties, it seems inevitable that of the hundreds of thousands of drones now in the hands of professionals and hobbyists, some will be operated in a dangerous manner. Drone strikes are serious business. FAA researchers have found that drone collisions can do more structural damage to an aircraft than bird strikes. As Professor Javid Bayandor, director of a crashworthiness lab at Virginia Tech, told Popular Mechanics last year, "Birds can disintegrate relatively easily... A drone can be like a rock going through the engine." In 2017, a man was convicted of reckless endangerment and sentenced to up to 30 days in jail for an incident at Seattle's Gay Pride Parade in 2015, when his drone crashed, injuring two pedestrians. Last fall a commercial aircraft was hit and scratched by a drone in Quebec, Canada. And in September 2017, a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter was hit by a drone flying 500 feet over Staten Island. A rotor was damaged in the collision, which the FAA calls the first confirmed drone/aircraft collision in the U.S. There are a number of countermeasures to drone collisions. One is geofencing, a GPS-based technology on many drones that detects the invisible boundaries around sensitive spots like airports, prisons, and so on. This technology, which will prevent the drone from entering restricted airspace, has already been implemented by many manufacturers. But like most technologies, it can be sidestepped or defeated. On the legal front, a law currently wending its way through the New Jersey state legislature (and many other states) that will criminalize "drunk droning" with fines up to $1,000 or six months in jail, will have an impact on rogue operators. At this point, the drone genie is out of the bottle. Hopefully, technology, regulation, legislation, operator good sense and constant vigilance will help keep airliners like the Frontier jet and its passengers safe. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2018/02/06/was-a-frontier-airlines-jet-almost-hit- by-a-drone-over-las-vegas/#3c8b019d774d Back to Top San Francisco Reaches Settlement with FF in Plane Crash Suit A tentative settlement for $250,000 has been reached in a lawsuit that alleges a San Francisco firefighter was wrongly blamed for the death of a passenger in a 2013 airplane crash. Attorneys said Firefighter Elyse Duckett became a "sacrificial lamb" for the San Francisco Fire Department after Ye Meng Yuan, 16, was run over by two fire apparatus at the July 6, 2013 Asiana Airlines crash, according to the San Francisco Examiner. Investigators later determined that Yuan, who was ejected when the plane hit the seawall, was covered by foam and run over by two fire apparatus responding to the crash and fire of Asiana Flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport. Attorney said the fire department leaked Duckett's name in retaliation for being outspoken against discrimination and harassment in the department. "As questions about SFFD leadership and training intensified, the brass attempted to shift blame and scapegoat an individual firefighter to minimize and downplay broader failures within the SFFD," the attorneys said in the lawsuit. In a court filing, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said she did not know who gave Duckett's name to the media. The chief was also unaware of previous discrimination against Duckett. "While The City has sound arguments and defenses in this matter, we believe this is a reasonable and prudent settlement given the facts, the legal claims and the inherent uncertainty of litigation," City Attorney's Office spokesman John Cote said. http://www.firehouse.com/news/12395852/san-francisco-reaches-settlement-with-firefighter-in- asiana-airplane-crash-suit-firefighter-news Back to Top Orlando International Airport officials to discuss replacing TSA agents Airport to detail proposal to replace TSA with private company ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando International Airport officials will soon discuss getting rid of Transportation Security Administration agents. It's something only a handful of airports have done but, on Wednesday, the Orlando International Airport will detail a proposal to replace TSA with a private company to secure checkpoints. "I would have to wait and see," Harvey Rubin said. "Most often, when something is privatized with profit motive, they might actually cut back on employees to save money." Harvey and Lynn Rubin said they travel in and out of OIA regularly and have never had a problem with TSA. They know the lines are long and they make sure to come early. "You don't know what the private company is going to do," Lynn Rubin said. "If they cut down on the number of employees, even though the service might be better, the lines might still be longer." The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority announced at its last monthly meeting that it is considering an idea to use contract employees in the future, hoping to provide travelers with better customer service and shorter wait times through security checkpoints. But not everyone agrees with the idea. "Private companies will tell you that all the time, to get the government jobs, and it usually doesn't work out that way," Donna McCollum said. Right now, 22 commercial airports in the country, out of 450, have made similar moves, but it's still unclear if the changes are noticeable enough for travelers. "The government is doing a good job now. Why change it? We use this airport all the time and we haven't had any issues," Jack Plante said. "I like it the way it is." OIA has had a record year for travel in 2017, with 44.6 million passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state. https://www.clickorlando.com/news/orlando-international-airport-officials-to-discuss-replacing-tsa- agents Back to Top Ex-Alaska Airlines pilot will plead guilty to flying plane while drunk, prosecutors say SANTA ANA, Calif. - A former Alaska Airlines pilot will plead guilty in California to a charge of flying a passenger plane while drunk. Federal prosecutors say David Hans Arntson of Newport Beach agreed Tuesday to enter the plea at a later hearing. He'll be sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison. In 2014, Arntson flew an Alaska Airlines flight from San Diego International Airport to Portland, Oregon, and then a second plane from Portland to John Wayne Airport in Southern California. After landing there, he underwent random testing that found his blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit for pilots. He retired, and his pilot's license was revoked. U.S. Attorney Nicola Hanna says Arntson never had an accident but his conduct could have led to a tragedy. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/06/alaska-airlines-pilot-drunk/313712002/ Back to Top NTSB cites alcohol, medications as probable causes of fatal southeast Colorado plane crash in 2016 * John Lee Stubblefield died in the 2016 crash near Sheridan Lake Federal air crash investigators believe an Idaho pilot's alcohol and medication intake probably caused him to fatally crash his single-engine plane in southeast Colorado in 2016. An NTSB photo of John Lee Stubblefield's crashed Cessna.Provided by the National Transportation Safety BoardAn NTSB photo of John Lee Stubblefield's crashed Cessna. The National Transportation Safety Board, in a final report on the crash near Sheridan Lake that killed 64-year-old John Lee Stubblefield, also said the combination of substances likely led him to attempt an aerobatic maneuver - called a "Muller" - just before going down that his plane was not approved for. Investigators say they found a half-full bottle of vodka in the wreckage of Stubblefield's Cessna P210. Air-traffic controllers also reported that he had impaired speech and made confusing statements just before crashing. "Toxicology testing on the pilot was positive for ethanol (alcohol) at ranges between 0.247 gm/dl and 0.335 gm/dl, which is significantly higher than the legal limit of 0.040 gm/dl," the NTSB report said. Stubblefield also had zoldipem (which is found in the sleeping medication Ambien), lorazepam (which can be in medication that treats anxiety or seizures) and diphenhydramine (which can be found in Benadryl) in his system, according to the NTSB. The crash happened on May 18, 2016, about four miles northeast of Sheridan Lake on the Eastern Plains. Stubblefield had departed from Rock Springs, Wyo., en route to Oklahoma City. An air-traffic controller initially believed that Stubblefield was possibly suffering from a medical emergency or a lack of oxygen after his radio communications became out-of-the-ordinary and his plane made a series of turns, climbs and descents. "Examination of the airframe, engine, and airplane pressurization system revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation," the NTSB report said. "Given that the airplane's descent did not improve the pilot's control of the airplane's heading or the quality of his communication with the controller, it is likely that the pilot's behavior was not the result of hypoxia." https://www.denverpost.com/2018/02/06/john-stubblefield-plane-crash-report/ Back to Top FAA Safety Briefing Back to Basics | January/February 2018 https://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2018/media/JanFeb2018.pdf Back to Top IBAC Mourns the Loss of Business Aviation Safety Icon Robert E. Breiling MONTREAL - 6 February 2018 - The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) joins the business aviation community in mourning the loss of Robert E. Breiling. Recognized around the world as the foremost expert on business aviation safety data, Robert Breiling provided analyses of aircraft accidents for more than four decades. In 2015, IBAC purchased the assets of the Robert E. Breiling Association and is incorporating the safety data and collection methodologies into their processes. "Bob was an industry leader, known for his work to promote business aviation safety and recognize risks," commented Kurt Edwards, IBAC Director General. "He will be missed, especially for his passion for identifying strengths in business aviation safety as well as areas that needed more attention. We at IBAC are determined to carry on Robert Breiling's vision well into the future and continue to share and learn from our industry's experiences," added Edwards. IBAC, its member associations, insurance companies, manufacturers, operators, and safety regulators, all consulted with Breiling's work since the 1960s. Breiling provided quarterly and annual reports and analyses on turboprop, turbine aircraft, and helicopter accidents. From these, the community understood better where and how occurrences happen, their causes, and the critical phases of operation of each aircraft. In addition, Breiling's data was the foundation for the IBAC Business Aviation Safety Brief compiled and published annually. The Brief informs regulators of the safety record of business aviation. For more information, please contact: Marj Rose, IBAC Communications Consultant, Mrose@market-lift.com About IBAC: IBAC represents the interests of business aviation worldwide. IBAC is a non-profit, international trade association with permanent observer status at the International Civil Aviation Organization, the UN Specialized Agency for aviation matters, in Montreal, Canada. IBAC promotes and manages the industry-leading standards for best safety practices through its International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAOTM); International Standard for Business Aviation Handling (IS-BAHTM); Safety Management Tool Kit; SMS eLearning training; and Aircrew Identification Card. www.ibac.org http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12395934/ibac-mourns-the-loss-of-business-aviation- safety-icon-robert-e-breiling Back to Top Honeywell Develops 'The Connected Airplane' As growth of air transport in Asia-Pacific and China outpaces the rest of the world, Honeywell Aerospace is developing ways to make flying the crowded skies more efficient and even safer. Honeywell is harvesting data and developing software across the whole of the organization, including Aerospace, as it evolves into a software driven, multinational company, says Brian Davis, vice president of airlines for Honeywell Aerospace, and aerospace leader for Honeywell International. Progress to date can be seen here at the Singapore Airshow, where Honeywell is talking up the next evolution of its popular RDR-4000 weather radar; greater connectivity between aircraft, their systems and the ground; the latest high-speed satellite communications; and developing aircraft into nodes on the Internet that can talk to the ground and each other. "A big part of the story . . . is going to be the mechanisms to move data; another is the concept of data itself" and how best to utilize it, Davis says. More Powerful Weather Radar Software upgrades to the RDR-4000 weather radar used by airlines around the world increase its ability to see through storms and predict hail, lightning and turbulence. "There's another 30 nmi of predictive turbulence awareness, and you get the nice software feature that it now paints a magenta color on the weather radar screen if the radar power is not enough to see what's behind a really bad storm. It will let you know that you can't see through there. "One of the problems in aviation safety is, with a pretty significant storm, there may be times where [the radar picture] looks black on the other side of the storm, and a lot of pilots will assume that means they can do a quick deviation and get around it. Unfortunately, that may not be the case. It may just be that the radar power is not enough to go through that heavy storm." These upgrades to the RDR-4000 are just one highlight of how Honeywell is applying software solutions to improve its products. Davis noted that radar and other cockpit displays feature touch-screen controls and the latest thinking in ease of use and human interface, which then company calls the Human User Experience. The displays can also be seen here at the show. Connected Aircraft Honeywell is featuring its success in improving airline efficiency with connected APUs (auxiliary power units) at Cathay Pacific, and trials in China with connected air cycle machines. "We are still the only one in the industry to proactively monitor the APU LRUs [line replaceable units] and go from 1.2 terabytes of data down to a single page that can be emailed to the customer that tells them, 'On aircraft 123, APU LRU part number 456 is going to fail within a very short time. Go out and change that.' So far, we've had less than a 1% a false positive rate. We have hard real numbers from Cathay Pacific that show we reduce their flight disruptions by 35% on their APU," says Davis. "Another way to say it is that plane is available 35% more without delay disruptions. And we're not stopping there," says Davis. "About 8% of airline revenue can be affected by plane disruptions, and technical issues and are a big portion of that 8%." So the next thing Honeywell did in data- connected aircraft was to monitor the air cycle machine with an airline that operates in China's heavily polluted skies. That development has now begun trials with one airline there. High-Speed Connectivity The partnership between Honeywell's JetWave hardware and Inmarsat's JetConneX advanced Ka- band high-throughput satellite network brings consistent global coverage to airline and business jet passengers alike, and enables data transfer to and from the aircraft. Airlines to sign up for the high- speed Wi-Fi so far include Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Vietnam Airlines and JAL. "When we brought our Boeing 757 demonstrator to the region, it was amazing watching passengers' reactions when . . . they were live onboard the airplane filming each other, messaging their families, doing live WeChat, live FaceTime with no interruption at the same time as other people were on Netflix and watching live video streams. It was just a very powerful flight demonstration across the region," says Davis. Honeywell is playing a leading role in the development of the connected airplane, Davis notes, pulling together many technologies and resources from throughout the company. "If you think about the end-to-end control of data, we're able to capture the data, we're able to review it, we're able to make our designs in the future more robust, and I think it's going to be that model that really works well for the industry. We're quite far ahead of everybody else right now." Honeywell Jetwave for Australian AF Honeywell's Jetwave communications system is finding military application too, as the system has been evaluated on C-130 Hercules aircraft operated by RAAF, the Royal Australian Air Force, using Inmarsat's Global Xpress satellite network. A fuselage-mount antenna enables live video streaming and encrypted file transfers. "The RAAF has been at the forefront of connectivity technologies, seeing the importance of having this type of connectivity for operators," said Honeywell Americas president Ben Driggs. "JetWave provided unparalleled situational awareness," he said. http://aviationweek.com/singapore-airshow-2018/honeywell-develops-connected-airplane Back to Top ATR sells four turboprop aircraft to Bangkok Airways for over $100 million SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Turboprop maker ATR said on Wednesday it had signed a deal worth more than $100 million to sell 4 ATR 72-600s to Bangkok Airways, in the first commercial aircraft deal agreed at the Singapore Airshow. FILE PHOTO: Bangkok Airways logo is seen at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok May 14, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom Bangkok Airways is one of the largest operators of ATR aircraft and currently runs a fleet of 15 ATR aircraft, including six ATR 72-500s which it said it would progressively replace with the new turboprops. Anawat Leelawatwatana, senior vice president of finance and accounting at Bangkok Airways, said the first of the four aircraft would be delivered at the end of this year with the rest by the first quarter of 2019. "ATR aircraft last year created 70 new routes in Asian countries, generating over one million additional seats and revenue opportunities for their operators," ATR's Chief Executive Christian Scherer said in a statement. ATR said last month that its orders had more than tripled in 2017 from a year ago, buoyed by a general pick-up in the aviation sector. The world's largest turboprop maker is jointly owned by Airbus and Italian aerospace group Leonardo. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-singapore-airshow-atr/atr-sells-four-turboprop-aircraft-to- bangkok-airways-for-over-100-million-idUSKBN1FR0K4 Back to Top WestJet CEO says it hopes to recruit Swoop pilots from mainline operations The Air Line Pilots Association union that represents the WestJet pilots are discussing the issue at the bargaining table WestJet Airlines plans to launch Swoop, the ultra-low-cost carrier in the summer. WestJet Airlines Ltd.'s chief executive said the airline hopes to recruit pilots from its mainline and Encore services to fly planes for its new ultra low-cost carrier Swoop, but that it will hire externally if necessary - a move that the company's new pilots union said it is against. "I will say, first and foremost, that it is Swoop's preference to hire as many pilots from WestJet and WestJet Encore as are interested in the career advancement opportunities that Swoop provides," CEO Gregg Saretsky said in a conference call with analysts after the company reported fourth- quarter results on Tuesday. "That matter is in the hands of (the Air Line Pilots Association, International). It is a matter that is being discussed at the bargaining table." More than 1,400 WestJet pilots joined the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), an international pilots union, after 62 per cent of the 97 per cent of eligible pilots voted in May to unionize. Saretsky said under WestJet's existing contract with pilots, which is in place until a new agreement is ratified, there is a provision that will allow those interested in flying for Swoop to take a leave of absence and do so. Those pilots would still be able to return to WestJet or WestJet Encore after flying Swoop planes, he said. "If there are an insufficient number of pilots that would like to pass on the opportunity ... we have no shortage of pilot applicants from across the Canadian jet marketplace," Saretsky said. But Capt. Rob McFadyen, chairman of the WestJet unit of ALPA, said the company has "not properly engaged" with the union when it comes to Swoop. "ALPA has been given a strong mandate from our membership that planes owned by the WestJet company should be flown by WestJet pilots," he said in an emailed statement to the Financial Post. "ALPA has been eager and willing to negotiate on this and other important pilot issues, but WestJet has not properly engaged ALPA as the certified representative of the pilots who have helped build this airline over the past 22 years." Saretsky said the company wants to maintain one seniority list for all of its pilots, which currently includes both WestJet mainline and Encore. "We don't know yet if ALPA intends to do that, so until that is clarified, we are offering the pilots the opportunity to move on a leave of absence to Swoop," he said. "But like Encore, Swoop will have different rates of pay and benefits which are commensurate with the ULCC space in which that carrier will compete." Chris Murray, an analyst with AltaCorp Capital, said the ongoing discussions between WestJet and its pilots union "presents some concern" when it comes to the launch of Swoop. "It doesn't seem as simple as just moving forward without any repercussions," he said. "However, the company suggested that it will meet the planned into-service date. We'll have to see, but it's an issue that presents some concern." When asked on the conference call by Murray about whether pilot recruitment could potentially delay the launch of Swoop, Saretsky said "absolutely not." "We will be airborne in June, one way or another," he said. Last week, WestJet began selling tickets for its ultra low-cost carrier, the first major step in the airline's plan to build up the price-sensitive segment of Canada's air travel market. Edward Sims, WestJet's vice president of commercial, told analysts on Tuesday that interest in Swoop is not coming at the expense of its mainline operations. "Clearly what we're seeing is Canadians like low fares," Sims said. "It's been six days since we went on sale, we're tracking Swoop's growth on an hourly basis, and we've seen no signs of cannibalization." WestJet will launch Swoop with three Boeing 737-800 jets flying between five destinations, before expanding to six aircraft in September and 10 jets in the spring. Saretsky said that based on the company's assessment of the size of the market, Swoop could eventually expand to flying between 30 and 40 aircraft. WestJet reported net earnings of $48.5 million, or 42 cents per diluted share, in the three-month period ending Dec. 31, a 12.2 per cent drop from the same time last year, as operating expenses increased due in part to rising fuel costs as well as incremental increases to staffing. Revenues in the fourth quarter hit $1.12 billion, up from $1.02 billion from last year. Operating expenses increased from $3.69 billion last year to $4.06 billion in 2017, driven by capacity growth and increased fuel costs. WestJet's fuel expense, which represented 23.4 per cent of its total operating expenses in 2017, jumped by 24 per cent from $765.9 million to $950 million this year. The company said the increase was due to the increase in the Canadian market price cost of fuel - from 54 cents per litre last year to 64 cents per litre this year - as well as capacity growth of 5.8 per cent. Going into the first quarter of 2018, WestJet said it expects fuel costs to range between 72 and 74 cents per litre, a year-over-year jump of 13 to 16 per cent. http://business.financialpost.com/transportation/westjet-ceo-says-it-hopes-to-recruit-swoop-pilots- from-mainline-operations Back to Top The World Will Need 637,000 More Pilots in the Next Two Decades More and more people are getting ready to travel by plane. Who is going to fly them? Airlines, especially those in Asia, have ordered new aircraft worth hundreds of billions of dollars in the past few years as rising incomes boost travel numbers to a record. This has led to a shortage of experienced pilots, a situation that looks set to worsen. The world will need 637,000 more pilots in the two decades through 2036, Boeing predicts. Most will be headed for Asia, which will account for 40 percent of the new pilots, surpassing levels for Europe and North America combined, according to Boeing. Fly Away Asia Pacific will need the largest chunk of new pilots by 2036 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-06/wanted-637-000-more-pilots-to-handle- travel-surge-in-20-years Back to Top Chinese pilots are going to use US planes to learn how to fly * U.S. general aviation aircraft maker Piper will sell 152 planes to China's Sichuan Fan-Mei Aviation Technologies. * The deal will run over seven years and is worth $75 million. * Sichuan Fan-Mei Aviation Technologies runs a pilot training program in the Chinese mainland. Piper Aircraft's Archer model that is commonly used to train new pilots. Source: Piper Aircraft U.S. airplane maker Piper Aircraft said Wednesday it will sell more than 150 trainer planes to China's Sichuan Fan-Mei Aviation Technologies, which runs a pilot training program in the mainland. Piper Aircraft, which makes small general aviation aircraft and is based in Vero Beach, Florida, will sell 152 planes over seven years in a deal worth $75 million. It includes the sale of 100 Archer TX single engine aircraft that are used to train new pilots. For the current year, Piper said it planned to deliver 20 planes, with the first delivery starting in March to the Fan-Mei flight school in Sichuan province. The deal was announced at the Singapore Airshow. Piper President and CEO, Simon Caldecott, told CNBC that Asia has become a key market for the company because there is a growing demand for new pilots in the region. "One of the things I've been looking at, and constantly monitoring, is the global shortage of new pilots," Caldecott said. He pointed to aircraft maker Boeing's predictions that Asia Pacific will eventually lead the global demand for pilots. Indeed, in its 2017 pilot outlook, Boeing said that, by 2036, the Asia Pacific region will have a demand for 253,000 new pilots - about 40 percent of the global demand. Meanwhile, North America is predicted to need about 117,000 pilots and Europe about 106,000. Overall, Boeing said, the aviation industry would need to supply more than 2 million new commercial airline pilots, maintenance technicians and cabin crew. "So there's a big demand, just in Asia, for new pilots," Caldecott said. "In the past, historically, most of those (pilots) trained in either the U.S., Australia, some in South Africa. But as countries like China develop, they want to train more of their own." Don Li, president of Sichuan Fan-Mei Aviation Technologies, told CNBC that the deal with Piper was the biggest ever in the company's history. He added that there were plans to order between 40 and 60 additional Piper aircraft over the next two to three years for short-haul air shuttle and personal use - that estimate could also increase according to "how we cultivate the market," Li said. The aircraft models that Li referred to - the Piper M-Class and Seneca - are awaiting certification in China at the moment. As the company is privately owned, Fan-Mei did not receive any government subsidies to make the purchase, Li said. Sichaun Fan-Mei Aviation Technologies is a subsidiary of Sichuan Fan-Mei Education Group which provides aviation education in China to about 40,000 students. That includes training for flight attendants, aviation mechanics, airport management and security. On top of the five locations the firm has in China, there are plans to set up in other parts of the country, Li added. Previously, Fan-Mei bought training aircraft from companies like Robinson Helicopters and Bell Helicopter, while Piper is the only fixed-wing company it has purchased aircraft from, Li said. He added the company was in talks with other companies to purchase different types of aircraft to continue investing in its pilot training efforts. "This is only the start. We want to become the full-spectrum service provider for the general aviation industry," he said. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/07/us-firm-piper-aircraft-will-sell-152-planes-to-chinese-flight- school.html Back to Top Ready For Takeoff? Boeing Reportedly Presents Embraer Jet JV Plan Boeing (BA) reportedly has presented a compromise plan to Brazil's government that will see it take an 80%-90% stake in a joint venture consisting of Embraer's (ERJ) commercial jet business. If it goes ahead, the plan will give the U.S. aerospace giant a leading share of the 70- to 130-seat market, allowing it to compete directly with Bombardier's[ticker symb=BDRBF] C-Series jets, which Europe's Airbus (EADSY) controls with a majority stake acquired last year. The new joint company would exclude the defense operations of Embraer, which is the world's third biggest maker of planes, fulfilling the demands of Brazilian lawmakers, according to details of the plan reported by Valor Economico, according to Reuters. Under the proposal, Boeing will pay Embraer in cash, with most of the proceeds being distributed to shareholders as dividends. According to Reuters, shareholders will have 10%-20% of the commercial activities transferred to the new company and be entitled to dividends. If approved by the Brazilian government and Embraer itself, the proposal could go before shareholders for approval as soon as the second quarter. However, talks with the government will be on hold until after the country's famous Carnival holiday, which ends next week. Boeing shares rose 3.7% to 341.03 on the stock market today. Embraer's U.S.-listed shares rose 6.8% and Airbus added 3.5%. Embraer is a former state-owned enterprise, and Brasilia holds veto power over some strategic decisions, including Boeing's push for a tie-up. A key part of the deal is the government wants to retain control over the firm's military jet unit, even though it generates almost nothing in earnings. It was previously reported Embraer had accepted Boeing's offer, while Brazil's defense minister said last month a Boeing-Embraer joint venture or partnership would have the government's "blessing" but not a Boeing takeover of control, despite earlier reports that such a move was on the table. A Boeing-Embraer deal would come just weeks after the U.S. International Trade Commission unanimously ruled that Boeing had not been harmed by Bombardier's C Series. Boeing had claimed it was the victim of price dumping in the U.S. due to Canadian government subsidies to Bombardier, prompting the Commerce Department to hit the C Series with a near- 300% duty on sales to American carriers. The massive tariff spurred Bombardier to sell a majority stake in the C Series jet to Boeing's archrival Airbus, which will use its global marketing heft to expand the C Series' reach in the aviation market. Following the favorable ITC ruling, Airbus maintained its pledge to build the C Series for American customers at a plant in Alabama. https://www.investors.com/news/ready-for-takeoff-boeing-reportedly-presents-embraer-jet-jv- plan/ Back to Top Back to Top Space X Boosters Return From Flight - February 6, 2018 ( Video) A Tesla Roadster, carrying a dummy passenger named "Starman," orbits the Earth after launching into space on the Falcon Heavy on Feb. 6, 2018. Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY 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 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. Curt Lewis