Flight Safety Information February 8, 2018 - No. 029 In This Issue Incident: Cathay Dragon A333 near Bangkok on Feb 5th 2018, cabin pressure problems Incident: Aeroflot SU95 near Moscow on Feb 7th 2018, failure of spoilers Incident: Ameriflight SW4 at San Luis Obispo on Feb 6th 2018, runway excursion on landing Accident: Delta B763 over Greenland on Feb 5th 2018, 5 flight attendants becoming sick in flight 'Commercial decision': Why planes could still vanish into thin air like MH370 IATA, Singapore aviation authority join hands to set up safety analysis research center Correction:...CAAS...Inks New, Updated Civil Aviation Agreements (Singapore) The Lithuanian airline GetJet Airlines passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Southwest jet slides sideways at Baltimore airport Pilots Let Corporate Jet Slow Too Much Before Fiery Crash Naked passenger sends Alaska Airlines flight back to Anchorage Mary Frances Fagan, handled public relations for two Illinois governors, American Airlines, dies World Renown Aviation Safety Advocate, Archie L. Trammell, Jr MRO Americas University FAA Safety Briefing...Back to Basics | January/February 2018 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY European Society of Air Safety Investigators (ESASI) - 2018 - Call for Presentations Incident: Cathay Dragon A333 near Bangkok on Feb 5th 2018, cabin pressure problems A Cathay Dragon Airbus A330-300, registration B-HLA performing flight KA-215 from Phuket (Thailand) to Hong Kong (China), was enroute at FL390 about about 180nm south of Bangkok (Thailand) when the crew initiated an emergency descent to FL150 due to a cabin pressure advisory. The aircraft diverted to Bangkok for a safe landing on runway 01L about 35 minutes after leaving FL390. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Bangkok for 45 hours, then departed as flight KA-215D and reached Hong Kong with a delay of 2 days. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b4a3efb&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Aeroflot SU95 near Moscow on Feb 7th 2018, failure of spoilers An Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet 100-95, registration RA-89098 performing flight SU-1231 from Murmansk to Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) with 82 passengers and 6 crew, was on approach to Moscow when the crew stopped the descent at 7000 feet and entered a hold reporting the failure of the spoilers. The crew worked the related checklists and prepared the aircraft for landing without spoilers. The aircraft landed safely on Sheremetyevo's runway 24R about 45 minutes later. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Moscow about 8 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b4a3d36&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Ameriflight SW4 at San Luis Obispo on Feb 6th 2018, runway excursion on landing An Ameriflight Swearingen SA-227-AC Metro III on behalf of UPS, registration N529AF performing freight flight A8-1938 from Ontario,CA to San Luis Obispo,CA (USA), landed on San Luis Obispo's runway 11 at 09:49L (17:49Z) but went right off the runway about abeam the opposite aiming marker (for runway 29) and came to a stop with all gear on soft ground. There were no injuries and no damage. The aircraft was towed back onto paved surface, the runway re-opened again. Metars: KSBP 061856Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 24/06 A3003 RMK AO2 SLP167 T02440061= KSBP 061756Z 07005KT 10SM CLR 24/06 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP165 T02390061 10239 20128 51018= KSBP 061753Z VRB06KT 10SM CLR 23/06 A3002 RMK AO2= KSBP 061656Z 08007KT 10SM CLR 22/07 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP163 T02170072= KSBP 061556Z 19004KT 10SM CLR 17/05 A3000 RMK AO2 SLP156 T01670050= KSBP 061456Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 16/03 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP147 T01560033 53018= KSBP 061356Z 17004KT 10SM CLR 17/03 A2994 RMK AO2 SLP137 T01720028= https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AMF1938/history/20180206/1713Z/KONT/KSBP The aircraft off the runway being towed back (Photo: Alex Cole): http://avherald.com/h?article=4b4a20d3&opt=256 Back to Top Accident: Delta B763 over Greenland on Feb 5th 2018, 5 flight attendants becoming sick in flight A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N169DZ performing flight DL-87 from Frankfurt/Main (Germany) to Detroit,MI (USA) with 141 passengers and 11 crew, was enroute at FL360 over Greenland about 210nm northeast of Nuuk (Greenland) when the crew declared a medical emergency. The crew later advised with Montreal,QC (Canada) Area Center Control that they had one flight attend with symptoms of a heart attack and 4 flight attendants feeling light headed, dizzy and showing symptoms of poisoning, all five ill people were able to walk, the aircraft did not need to dump fuel and no emergency equipment was needed on standby for landing. The aircraft diverted to Iqaluit,NU (Canada) for a safe landing on runway 16 about 90 minutes later. The flight attendant showing symptoms of a heart attack was taken to the local hospital, the other flight attendants were treated at the airport and were able to continue duties. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 90 minutes, then continued the flight and reached Detroit with a delay of 2 hours. NAV Canada reported the crew declared medical emergency over Greenland and requested to divert to Iqaluit. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Detroit for about 10 hours, positioned to Atlanta as flight DL-9937 for a maintenance check and resumed service about 25 hours after landing in Detroit. On Feb 7th 2018 affected flight attendants reported that they felt there was low oxygen in the cabin air and there were issues with the cabin air quality. One flight attendant with extreme breathing issues (editorial note: supposedly the flight attendant the flight crew referred to as showing symptoms of a heart attack) was taken to a hospital, a high level of carbon monoxide was found in the blood samples taken by the hospital. 5 other flight attendants showed symptoms of dizziness, headaches and diarrhea. The aircraft was taken out of service and positioned to Atlanta for maintenance checks. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b4a1477&opt=256 Back to Top 'Commercial decision': Why planes could still vanish into thin air like MH370 The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 prompted a slew of safety proposals meant to prevent another jetliner from inexplicably vanishing. Yet four years later, that possibility remains. That's because international requirements for new planes to broadcast their locations every minute when they're in trouble don't take effect until January 2021. Malaysia has signed a deal with Houston-based private firm Ocean Infinity to pay it up to US$70 million if it can find missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 within 90 days. The jet went down in the Indian Ocean in 2014 and disappeared along with all 239 people on board. The disappearance of Flight 370 remains the biggest mystery in modern aviation, and the search to find it is the world's longest hunt for any jet. Last month, a new crew resumed scouring the Indian Ocean. In an era where people can track their iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices in real time, the world's most-advanced transportation industry still isn't obligated to do the same for craft carrying about 4 billion passengers a year. And that one-minute rule doesn't apply to the current fleet of 23,500 passenger planes and the thousands more joining them in the next three years - mostly in Asia. "You can't say MH370 won't ever happen again, because it will," said David Stupples, a professor of electronic and radio systems at City, University of London. "Until 2040 or 2050, there's going to be a large number of aircraft flying around that don't have that tracking system fitted." A gradual tightening starts in November, when airlines must track planes every 15 minutes under regulations adopted by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organisation. Some carriers already meeting this requirement are Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Qantas Airways and Qatar Airways. Still, a jet cruising at 500 knots (575 miles) an hour that disappears between 15-minute pings creates a potential search zone of about 170,000 square kilometres. That's equivalent to the size of Florida. Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014. There would be little chance of finding survivors in time, especially in the open ocean, and the sunken wreckage might escape detection for years, said Geoffrey Dell, an Australian safety scientist at Central Queensland University who's been an air-safety investigator since 1979. By comparison, the search zone for a plane that crashed between one-minute pings would be about 748 square kilometres - an area 227 times smaller. An Ihse employee looks at monitors displaying an air traffic control management system at the Singapore Airshow. "The industry takes strategic steps to ensure safety but moves very deliberately," Tom Schmutz, chief executive officer of Flyht Aerospace Solutions, said in an email. "Operators have typically pushed back on change because it can conflict with operational profits." Calgary-based Flyht sells off-the-shelf technology that tracks planes by satellite. Its Automated Flight Information Reporting System is about the size of a briefcase, costs less than $US60,000 and can pinpoint a plane's airborne location every 20 seconds. You can't say MH370 won't ever happen again, because it will. David Stupples, Professor at City, University of London About 1,800 aircraft have installed the product, Schmutz said. The slow rollout of more-frequent tracking comes during a period of sustained growth for the global aviation industry, especially in Asia. MH370 disappeared March 8, 2014, while flying to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 people on board. Experts mapped the Boeing 777's random route over the Indian Ocean after picking through its hourly data hookups with a satellite. Only a few pieces of wreckage washed up in Africa, and no bodies were recovered. US exploration company Ocean Infinity resumed searching last month with a promise of as much as $US70 million from the Malaysian government if successful. ICAO said it "moved quite rapidly" to develop new tracking intervals after the MH370 crash, and those rules contain an incentive for airlines to retrofit in-service craft to enable one-minute reporting. Under the rules taking effect in 2021, a plane would switch to one-minute tracking automatically when systems detected it was in distress because of turbulence, mechanical difficulties or an unexplained change in course, such as during a hijacking or if the crew became unconscious. Pilots couldn't turn the system off after it activates automatically, ICAO said. The system would deactivate itself once the plane was flying safely again. However, a pilot could turn off the system if it was manually activated. The challenges tied to minute-by-minute tracking include adding computing power and internet bandwidth to process larger volumes of data. The tighter system also may require reserving more space on the flurry of satellites being launched to satisfy demands for constant internet connectivity. The almost seven-year lag that will exist between the disappearance of MH370 and the institution of one-minute tracking shows the struggle going on within the industry. Airlines haven't immediately rolled out tamper-proof tracking technology on every commercial aircraft - potentially at a cost of more than $US1 billion - partly because an event like MH370 is so rare. "It always comes back to a commercial decision," said Dell, a former safety manager at Qantas. "Does it really justify it when that accident is not going to happen in your lifetime - statistically? It takes something like MH370 to change people's thinking." http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/commercial-decision-why-planes-could-still-vanish-into- thin-air-like-mh370-20180207-h0vq3h.html Back to Top IATA, Singapore aviation authority join hands to set up safety analysis research center SINGAPORE, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) announced here Wednesday to establish a Global Safety Predictive Analytics Research Center (SPARC) in Singapore. The center will work to identify potential aviation safety hazards and assess related risks by leveraging the research capabilities in Singapore, and operational flight data and safety information that are available under IATA's Global Aviation Data Management (GADM) initiative, according to a memorandum of collaboration signed by Alexandre de Juniac, director general and CEO of IATA, and Kevin Shum, director-general of CAAS. Among the top concern will be runway safety, such as runway excursions, which are the most frequent category of accidents in recent years, according to IATA's analysis. "Safety is aviation's highest priority and all stakeholders are committed to making flying even safer. The accident investigation process will continue to be a fundamental tool in improving safety. However, as the number of accidents declines, we need to take a system-based, data-driven, predictive approach to preventing accidents, including analyzing the more than 10,000 flights that operate safely every day," said Juniac. "The establishment of SPARC in Singapore is especially timely given the anticipated doubling of air traffic in the Asia Pacific by 2036. SPARC's predictive data analytics capabilities will help the aviation sector in Asia Pacific better anticipate, prioritise and address safety issues more effectively," Shum added. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-02/07/c_136957038.htm Back to Top Correction: CAAS 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 The Lithuanian airline GetJet Airlines passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). The airline was founded in 2016 and offers ACMI aircraft lease. The fleet currently consists of two Airbus A320's, two Boeing 737-300's and four Boeing 737-400's. The IOSA programme is an evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. IOSA uses internationally recognised quality audit principles and is designed to conduct audits in a standardised and consistent manner. It was created in 2003 by IATA. All IATA members are IOSA registered and must remain registered to maintain IATA membership. More information: * IATA Registry https://news.aviation-safety.net/2018/02/06/lithuanian-getjet-airlines-passes-iata-safety-audit/ Back to Top Southwest jet slides sideways at Baltimore airport A Southwest Airlines jet with 149 people on board skidded sideways on a taxiway Wednesday while preparing to depart from Baltimore's international airport, the FAA said. "#BWI personnel have worked to move passengers from an outbound aircraft that stopped on taxiway pavement," Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport said in a tweet. "There were no reported injuries." Flight 906, a Boeing 737, was bound for Montego Bay, Jamaica, when the incident occurred at about 10 a.m. ET. Southwest said the plane "traveled to the edge but did not exit" the taxiway. The 143 passengers and six crew members deplaned via airstairs and were bused back to the terminal, the airline said. The jet was towed, and an investigation was underway, the FAA said. "The customers onboard the flight will be accommodated on a different aircraft and are scheduled to arrive in Montego Bay approximately three hours behind schedule," Southwest said in a statement. "As always, the safety and support of our customers and employees remains our primary focus, and we are working to get them on their way as quickly as possible." No cause for the incident was immediately revealed, but Baltimore experienced a light, freezing mist early Wednesday as the temperature struggled to rise above freezing, the National Weather Service reported. The #FAA confirms that a @SouthwestAir airplane slid off a runway while taxing for departure at @BWI_Airport. The airplane was towed and all passengers had been safely deplaned. Hours before the incident, the FAA had warned that winter weather could delay flights in Baltimore as well as Boston, Chicago , Detroit and Philadelphia airports in addition to those in the New York and Washington areas. A massive storm system brought ice, snow and rain to the Northeast and Ohio Valley, causing most major carriers flying to the region to waive rebooking fees. Nationwide, more than 980 flights had been canceled and another 2,700 delayed as of 12:35 p.m. ET, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/07/southwest-jet-slides-sideways- baltimore-airport/315386002/ Back to Top Pilots Let Corporate Jet Slow Too Much Before Fiery Crash By Alan Levin and Ryan Beene A firefighter stands at the scene after a jet crashed into a building near Teterboro Airport on May 15, 2017. Photographer: Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Advance Media/Getty Images Two pilots flying a corporate jet that crashed last year near Teterboro Airport in New Jersey were too slow on their approach to the airport, according to investigation reports released on Wednesday. The Learjet 35A, a twin-engine jet often used for business or personal travel, plunged out of the sky on May 15 as the pilots were trying to land at Teterboro near New York City, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The crash killed both pilots. No one else was on the flight. The pilots allowed the plane to become too slow on the approach, causing an aerodynamic stall that left the wings unable to keep the plane aloft, according to the NTSB's preliminary data. "Airspeed, airspeed," the copilot said seconds before the crash as the captain uttered an unspecified curse. The NTSB transcribes cockpit recordings and notes where expletives were used, but does not identify the specific words. While the NTSB hasn't concluded the cause of the accident, the preliminary reports raise numerous questions about the pilots and their actions. They violated speed restrictions at least once on the short flight from Philadelphia to Teterboro, according to the reports. Both had also failed skills tests previously in their careers, according to NTSB. A recording of the cockpit conversations were laced with salty language, according to the NTSB transcript. Early in the flight, after an air-traffic controller asked the pilots how fast they were going and they had to slow the plane from 299 miles per hour to the legal limit of 288 miles per hour, the captain used two expletives when he said that he had "violated" airspace. The NTSB will issue its final report after analyzing the 829 pages of preliminary data released Wednesday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-07/pilots-let-corporate-jet-slow-too-much- before-fiery-crash Back to Top Naked passenger sends Alaska Airlines flight back to Anchorage An Alaska Airlines flight from Anchorage to Seattle was diverted back to Anchorage early Wednesday due to a naked passenger on board the jet, airport police said. Airport Police and Fire Sgt. Darcey Perry said officers responded at about 3 a.m. to Flight 146, which had taken off but returned to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. "There was a subject on the aircraft that had barricaded or locked himself in the bathroom, the lavatory," Perry said. "Flight attendants did find that the subject was naked." A flight status page on Alaska's website said the jet had been scheduled to take off at 1:25 a.m., but ultimately left on its scheduled flight at 6:37 a.m. A flight-status track of its initial trip posted on FlightAware.com showed the plane turning back to Anchorage near Prince William Sound. FBI agents responded to the airport and spoke with the naked passenger, Perry said, but it wasn't clear whether he was arrested. The Boeing 737's flight crew and other passengers who witnessed part of the incident were also interviewed. Alaska Airlines spokesman Tim Thompson confirmed Flight 146's delayed second takeoff, saying in an email that the plane was carrying 178 passengers when it turned around "due to a passenger not following flight attendants' instructions." "While no emergency was declared, pilots made the decision to return to Anchorage," Thompson wrote. "Flight 146 arrived at Anchorage International around 2:45 a.m. and was met by law enforcement officers at the gate. The passenger was escorted off the flight by officers." Chloe Martin, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney for Alaska Bryan Schroder, said no charges had been filed against the passenger as of Wednesday afternoon. http://www.ktva.com/story/37451580/naked-passenger-sends-alaska-airlines-flight-back-to- anchorage Back to Top Mary Frances Fagan, handled public relations for two Illinois governors, American Airlines, dies Mary Frances Fagan Mary Frances Fagan was a spokesperson for American Airlines for 23 years. (Jose More / Chicago Tribune) Mary Frances Fagan was a longtime publicist who served two Illinois governors and then worked in American Airlines' corporate communications department for 23 years. "Mary Frances, or 'MOF,' to those of us who were her friends, was an extraordinary person because she was able to combine smart policy with a wonderful attitude toward other people," said former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson. "And she was a friend to hundreds. She understood friendship better than most." Fagan, 63, died of complications from brain cancer Feb. 4 at the JourneyCare hospice center at Rush University Medical Center, said her friend Jan Grimes. Fagan had been a resident of the Gold Coast neighborhood. Born in Boston, Fagan grew up in downstate Champaign and graduated from Centennial High School in 1972. She earned a bachelor's degree in radio and television from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1976, also working at the campus radio station. She later earned a master's degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Early in her career, Fagan served as the statehouse bureau chief for WUIS-FM in Springfield - then known as WSSR-FM. Jim Howard, now a fill-in news anchor for NPR, worked at WSSR with Fagan. "I met 'MOF' when I was much younger, enthusiastic, excited to be in the capital, and bouncing off walls, and in the same way that a knowing mother tolerates a kid that's bouncing around, she was like that with me," Howard said. "She tolerated my lack of experience with a wonderful demeanor. And she was a terrific teacher." Schmich: At some deathbeds, like Mary Frances Fagan's, friends can be family » WLS-AM news anchor John Dempsey met Fagan when he was at WBEZ-FM. The two were part of a crew of public radio reporters at the 1988 Republican National Convention at the New Orleans Superdome. "She was such a delight to be around. She was such a great person and a great reporter," Dempsey said. In 1989, Fagan was hired to work as an assistant press secretary to then-Gov. Thompson. Fagan then briefly worked with Thompson's successor, Jim Edgar. In June 1991, Fagan left the state to work in corporate communications for American Airlines. She spent the next 23 years as a Chicago-based spokeswoman for the Texas-based airline, regularly explaining flight delays and issues at O'Hare International Airport to the news media. She also spent considerable time on proposals for a third airport in Peotone and expanded runways at O'Hare. Fagan's sweet demeanor and downstate drawl endeared her to reporters, as did her commitment to transparency and honesty, said former Tribune transportation reporter Jon Hilkevitch. "Whether it was a story about building new runways at O'Hare or about seven puppies that died from stifling hot temperatures inside an airplane cargo hold, Mary Frances Fagan's bosses at American trusted her to talk off the cuff to reporters because they knew her every word would be factual, measured and, if called for, sympathetic," Hilkevitch said. "That was in the days before everything got all lawyered up. But the point is that Mary Frances was the rare media relations professional who knew her company and knew her entire industry inside and out." Hilkevitch recalled Fagan's frequent confabs with reporters over gridlock at O'Hare owing to bad weather. In those situations, instead of overreaching, Fagan "told it from the airline perspective in the hope that people would at least understand the situation more fully," he said. "She understood our job and respected the public's right to know," Hilkevitch said. During her time at the airline, Fagan took a keen interest in American's sponsorship of Roger Ebert's film festival, which the late critic started in Champaign in 1999. Ebert's widow, Chaz, now the festival's producer and host, recalled Fagan's commitment to ensuring that international guests who were scheduled to attend the festival could make it. That sometimes meant rerouting guests hindered by travel delays, Chaz Ebert said. "Without her, the festival would have been more of a local or regional one rather than one with an international reputation," she said. "She was so dedicated. And she loved movies but also was loyal to the University of Illinois, and she and Roger had a very good relationship because she had grown up in Champaign and he was from Urbana and went to the university. She did everything she could to help us in a professional capacity but also personally, it meant a lot to her." In 2014, Fagan left American Airlines to start her own public relations firm, Fagan Communications. Fagan socialized regularly outside of work and "was just a lot of fun as a friend," Ebert said. "She had all kinds of parties for friends in her apartment and she loved decorating." In February 2017, Fagan was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. As her condition worsened, Fagan found herself surrounded by friends from every part of her life, providing support. "So many people reached out to her in the end. It's because we all felt like we had gotten something from her because she was so giving," Howard said. "I have never seen so many friends rally around someone," Ebert said. "She had more friends rally around to help her than anyone." Fagan is survived by a brother, George Fagan Jr. A memorial service is being planned for April. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obituaries/ct-met-mary-fagan-obituary-20180207-story.html Back to Top World Renown Aviation Safety Advocate, Archie L. Trammell, Jr. Aviation Journalist and Safety icon, Archie Trammell, Jr. died February 5, 2018 at his home in Mansfield, Texas. His background includes Senior Editor for Flying magazine, Editor-In-Chief of Business and Commercial Aviation magazine, and Executive Director of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. In 1976 he was awarded the distinguished Earl Osborn Award by the Aviation/Space Writers Association for his article "Weather Accidents". As an aviation journalist he flew hundreds of hours each year in all kinds of aircraft, from simple trainers to large corporate jets, often while they were still in the experimental stage. In 1979 he formed his own company and created a training program for pilots on the proper use of weather radar. The next year he began lecturing on the subject worldwide. His training has included the FAA, DEA, FBI, all military branches, many corporate flight departments and most major airlines. His dedication to aviation safety was acknowledged by the National Business Aviation Association by awarding him the Meritorious Service Award in 2006. The award is NBAA's most distinguished honor, presented to an individual who, by virtue of a lifetime of personal dedication, has made significant, identifiable contributions that have materially advanced aviation interests. He continued to publish a website free of charge to pilots, produced a new "Convective Weather Flying" training manual and write articles for professional pilots magazines through 2017. He consulted with radar engineers on his recommendations for their future radar designs. He was a most humble man, never taking full credit for his own research and knowledge; always giving credit to all the people that supported his efforts and the scientists that contributed to his work. Back to Top 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 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. Curt Lewis