Flight Safety Information February 13, 2018 - No. 032 In This Issue Incident: Canada B772 over Pacific on Feb 4th 2018, cargo smoke indication EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Incident: United A319 at Portland on Feb 10th 2018, bird strike Accident: Western Air SF34 at Grand Bahamas on Feb 7th 2017, electrical problems, left main gear collapse BEA issues report on October 2013 Fokker F-27 loss of propeller and partial engine separation Smoke in San Jose-bound Southwest jet prompts emergency evacuation in Orange County Grand Canyon helicopter crash: Aircraft will be taken to Phoenix for examination Laser hits private jet, PPB airplane Pratt & Whitney Blames Seal As Source Of Latest Jet Engine Troubles Russian airline grounds several jets after crash left 71 dead No pilots: Chinese planes to sit idle (NEPAL) Pilots should check fuel: ATSB report (Australia) Tragic Russian Air Crash Raises Unsettling Memories Free Online Course in Aviation Maintenance Open to Public USHST names FAA's Wayne Fry as government co-chair NATA Statement on Trump Administration FY2019 Budget Blueprint Global Commercial Aircraft Angle of Attack Sensors Market 2017-2021 by Aircraft Type - Expected to Grow at a CAGR of 6.45% NASA Wants to Build a Super Quiet Supersonic Jet Graduate Survey Request SASS 2018..The Singapore Aviation Safety Seminar (SASS) BASS 2018...The Business Aviation Safety Summit (BASS) 2018 MU-2 Pilot's Review of Proficiency Seminar (PROP 2018) - April 19-20, 2018 Position Available: General Manager / Senior Flight Data Analyst NTSB Event - SAVE THE DATE for GA Loss of Control Roundtable (April 24, 2018) MRO Americas University European Society of Air Safety Investigators (ESASI) - 2018 - Call for Presentations Incident: Canada B772 over Pacific on Feb 4th 2018, cargo smoke indication An Air Canada Boeing 777-200, registration C-FIUF performing flight AC-34 (departure Feb 5th) from Sydney,NS (Australia) to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 247 people on board, was enroute at FL340 over the Pacific Ocean about 880nm southwest of Honolulu,HI (USA) when the crew received an aft cargo smoke indication, declared Mayday and decided to divert to Honolulu. The crew discharged two fire bottles into the cargo hold. The cabin was prepared for an abnormal landing at Honolulu. The aircraft landed safely in Honolulu about 105 minutes later. Emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke. The Canadian TSB reported the aft lower cargo smoke detector was replaced, the tube inspection however revealed no faults. The Arinc Signal Gateway P84 A15 and A12 was replaced, the circuit breakers closed (which were opened in step 1 of trouble shooting), a successful install test conducted. Due to the discharge of fire bottles the regulator filter as well as all 5 fire bottles were replaced. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Honolulu for about 24 hours, then continued the journey and reached Vancouver as flight AC-2134 with a delay of 24 hours. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ACA34/history/20180205/0131Z/YSSY/CYVR http://avherald.com/h?article=4b4d81eb&opt=256 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: United A319 at Portland on Feb 10th 2018, bird strike A United Airbus A319-100, registration N811UA performing flight UA-1884 from Houston Intercontinental,TX to Portland,OR (USA), was on approach to Portland's runway 28R when the aircraft received a bird strike. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 28R maintaining routine communication. The FAA reported the aircraft received damage due to a bird strike. The aircraft returned to service about 8 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b4d7b6b&opt=256 Back to Top Accident: Western Air SF34 at Grand Bahamas on Feb 7th 2017, electrical problems, left main gear collapse on landing back A Western Air Limited Saab 340, registration C6-HBW performing flight WT-708 from Grand Bahamas International to Nassau (Bahamas) with 33 passengers, was climbing out of Grand Bahamas International Airport at about 17:00L (22:00Z) when the crew observed abnormal indications for one of the electrical systems on board and decided to return to Grand Bahamas International Airport. During roll out on runway 06 the aircraft suffered the collapse of the left main gear, veered left off the runway and came to a stop off the runway. The airline reported: "Shortly after take off, the Captain noticed an indication pertaining to one of the electrical systems, he communicated with air traffic control (ATC) and followed protocol to return the aircraft back to the airport as a precaution. The aircraft made a normal landing with both landing gears in place, however once the aircraft proceeded down the runway and was preparing to turn onto the taxiway, the left gear malfunctioned, causing the aircraft to swerve off the runway. All passengers and crew were evacuated of the aircraft safely." According to local media reports two passengers were taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Bahamas' Air Accident Investigation Department reported that shortly after takeoff the aircraft C6-HBW suffered a problem with its landing gear. The aircraft returned to the Freeport (Grand Bahamas) International Airport, shortly after touchdown the left main gear collapsed causing the aircraft to leave the runway and come to a stop on soft ground amid bushes on the left side of runway 06. Minor injuries were reported. On Feb 12th 2018 Bahamas' Air Accident Investigation Department (BAAID) released their final report via the Swedish Haverikommission concluding the probable causes of the accident were: - Ineffective CRM, complacency and a complete departure from company standard operating procedures and regulatory requirements were evidently a contributing factor in this accident. - Inadequate training and systems knowledge of both airman greatly contributed to the accident. - Hurried approach to get on the ground and failure to explore all available options to remedy the gear unsafe situation encountered was also a contributory factor. The BAAID reported that about 2 minutes after the aircraft rotated for departure an alarm sounded, the crew commented "we lose all the avionics" and stated "right bus, left bus" consistent with the failure of both left and right main DC-busses as well as the left essential DC bus. Although the crew diagnosed the failure correctly, the unusual combination of failures resulted in confusion, which led to further confusion about the courses of action and situational awareness. Eventually the crew decided to return to Freeport but consulted the wrong checklist to work the faults at hand, the pilot monitoring (switched the QRH several times being unsure about which list was to be applied. All indications had been lost on the captain's (50, ATPL, 14,239 hours total, 1,832 hours on type) panel, the first officer's (54, ATPL, no hours known) instruments however remained working. The captain however assumed role as pilot flying instructing the first officer to feed him with the instrument readings while working the related checklists, which increased the workload of the first officer substantially. The BAAID wrote: The crew eventually realized that they were having indication problems with the landing gear. Unsure of the position of the landing gear when selected to the down position, the crew requested the assistance from Freeport Air Traffic Control (ATC), to verify the gear was in the down position. The crew was given permission to overfly the airfield and after ATC advised that the gears appeared to be down, the crew decided to prepare for landing. From CVR recording, the flight deck crew was overheard talking to the cabin attendant and advising her that a return to the field was imminent. No urgency or instructions on preparation for a possible gear up landing was captured on the CVR. The CVR also captured the crew discussing taking of photographic and video evidence of the abnormal indication "so that management could see what was occurring so that they won't blame us." This back and forth non-essential dialogue during a critical phase of flight, with system failures occurring without appropriate crew corrective input, continued for quite some time. While attempts were overheard to retrieve and complete the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) instructions and pre-landing checklist, the appropriate checklist for the abnormal failures were not captured on the CVR as being located or completed. The pre-landing checklist was called for, but, it also was not captured on the CVR as being completed as per company's SOPs, where checklist or QRH completion by the non-flying pilot is announced to the pilot flying as having been completed. Ineffective crew resource management led to confusion on the flight deck with locating and completing the appropriate QRH and before landing checklist. A missed approach procedure was executed on the first attempt at landing because the aircraft was aligned with the runway too late and too high for a safe landing. On the second attempt for a landing the aircraft was aligned with the runway, while still no safe gear indication was noted (as evidenced from the CVR recording). The approach was flown with a higher than normal airspeed as the landing flaps were not available due to the electrical failure as stated by the pilot flying. Confusion continued up until seconds before the aircraft touched down as evidenced from the CVR recording. Almost immediately upon touch down the left main landing gear collapsed, some 200 to 300 feet beyond the point on the runway where heavy tire marks were noted, which indicated initial touchdown point followed by immediate heavy right brake application. The aircraft touched down at a point almost half the length of the 10,979 foot useable runway at coordinates Latitude 26.557846 N and Longitude 78.698051W. The CVR captured at touchdown, the nonflying pilot announcing that "the light came on." However, within a second of that announcement, the crew experienced a gear failure on the left side followed by the aircraft propeller and wing making contact with the runway surface. The aircraft started to leave the runway to the left side shortly thereafter, travelling approximately 1,600 feet additionally from the point where the propeller and engine nacelle made contact with the runway. As a result of the touchdown impact, left gear collapse, and roll-out sequence, substantial damage was sustained by the left wing, left engine nacelle and left hand propeller. Extent of damage sustained by the left engine internally as a result of its propeller contact with the runway while power was still being produced, was not known. The aircraft came to rest in a marshy area on the northern (left) side of runway 06, approximately 200 feet from the runway edge. When the aircraft came to a stop, the cabin attendant was overheard initiating the evacuation. Due to the high angle of the right wing, it was reported that evacuation occurred through the main entrance door and evacuation using the right side emergency exits was not considered. The investigation team was advised that all emergency exits were opened, however, the additional openings occurred post evacuation. Failure to adequately diagnose and remedy the landing gear unsafe condition, (one of the resultant compound dependent failures), and a rush by the crew to get the aircraft on the ground, resulted in the crew failing to explore and utilize other available alternative methods to ensure the gears were secured in the down and locked position. No reason was given by the crew as to why they did not explore available QRH instructions for abnormal gear position indications and emergency extension prior to attempting to land. The BAAID analysed that the crew qualification and performance was questionable. The BAAID analysed that comparism between the aircraft manufacturer's checklists and operator's checklists revealed the operator had omitted several annotations and wrote: "This information may have been essential for the crew guidance and considerations. " The BAAID analysed that the captain was a new hire to the airline and did not receive sufficient training hours required by Bahama's laws. Editorial note: the final report did not work out why the electrical failures occurred. Metars: MYGF 080000Z 00000KT 99999 FEW020 SCT035 24/21 A2999 MYGF 072300Z 16003KT 9999 SCT020 25/19 A2999 MYGF 072200Z 15005KT 9999 BKN020 25/21 A2999 MYGF 072100Z 15008KT 9999 BKN020 26/21 A2999 MYGF 072000Z 17008KT 9999 BKN020 26/21 A3000 MYGF 071900Z 19007KT 9999 BKN020 27/21 A3002 MYGF 071800Z 14005KKT 9999 BKN025 27/21 A3005 The aircraft off the runway (Photo: Tribune242): http://avherald.com/h?article=4a49f3d4&opt=256 Back to Top BEA issues report on October 2013 Fokker F-27 loss of propeller and partial engine separation Status: Final Date: Friday 25 October 2013 Time: 01:25 Type: Fokker F-27 Friendship 500F Operated by: Miniliner On behalf of: Europe Airpost Registration: I-MLVT C/n / msn: 10373 First flight: 1968-10-04 (45 years 1 months) Engines: 2 Rolls-Royce Dart 532-7 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Airplane damage: Substantial Airplane fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) ( France) Phase: Initial climb (ICL) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG/LFPG), France Destination airport: Dole-Jura Airport (DLE/LFGJ), France Flightnumber: 5921 Narrative: A Fokker F-27 cargo plane was damaged in an accident near Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), France. Europe Airpost flight FPO5921 departed Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), France at 01:22 hours local time on a regular night time mail flight to Dole-Jura Airport (DLE), France. While climbing through an altitude of 1300 feet, the flight crew heard the sound of an explosion from the cargo hold. Visual and aural alarms warned the crew about an issue with the left hand (no. 1) Rolls-Royce Dart 532-7 engine. They declared an emergency and attempted to activated the fire extinguisher on the no.1 engine. However, this switch was blocked. The captain looked out the window and observed that the fire had stopped and the left engine was partially missing. The plane remained controllable and the crew turned back and landed without any further problems at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. The forward portion of the left engine and the multi-split propeller were found in a field beneath the initial climb centreline of runway 09R. Probable Cause: Fatigue failure of the blade root The no. 2 propeller blade root on the left engine failed due to fatigue, resulting in separation from the propeller hub and then interaction with the no. 1 blade and its disconnection from the propeller hub. The imbalance created by the loss of these two blades led to the front part of the engine being torn off. The cause of the fatigue cracking could not be determined with certainty. The following may have contributed to the fatigue fracture of the propeller blade root: - insufficient preloading of the propeller, increasing the stress exerted on it. The lack of maintenance documentation made it impossible to determine the preload values of the bearings during the last general overhaul; - the presence of manganese sulphide in a heavily charged area of the propeller. The presence of this sulphide may have generated a significant stress concentration factor, raising the local stress level. The tests and research carried out as part of this investigation show that the propeller blade root is made of a steel whose microstructure and composition are not optimal for fatigue resistance. However, the uniqueness of the rupture more than 50 years after commissioning makes it unlikely that the rate of inclusions, their distribution, size, or sulphur content of the propeller is a contributing factor in the accident. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20131025-0 Back to Top Smoke in San Jose-bound Southwest jet prompts emergency evacuation in Orange County SANTA ANA - A Southwest flight carrying 139 passengers and five crew members was evacuated Monday night, Feb. 12, just before takeoff at John Wayne Airport after smoke appeared in the cabin, an airport official said At about 7:30 p.m. Flight 2123 was about to depart for San Jose when the smoke appeared, said airport spokeswoman Deanne Thompson. The crew decided to deploy the inflatable chutes on the Boeing 737 to evacuate. A fire was extinguished when everyone got off of the plane. Some people got minor injuries during the evacuation. No one was hospitalized. Thompson said a preliminary investigation showed the blaze possibly began in an auxiliary power unit. https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/02/12/smoke-in-plane-cabin-prompts-evacuation-of-plane-just-before-takeoff-at-john-wayne-airport/ Back to Top Grand Canyon helicopter crash: Aircraft will be taken to Phoenix for examination National Transportation Safety Board investigator Stephen Stein holds a press conference in Boulder City, Nevada, on Saturday's fatal crash of a tourist helicopter in the Grand Canyon. Tom Tingle/azcentral.com Federal safety officials were on the scene of a downed helicopter in the Grand Canyon, and plan to move the aircraft itself to Phoenix soon for further investigation of what caused a fiery, fatal crash over the weekend. "This a very technical-heavy investigation," said Stephen Stein, air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, at a media conference Monday afternoon in Boulder City, Nev. "We have a lot of analysis to do - analysis of meteorological observations, engine and airframe examinations," he said. Five FAA representatives and three NTSB investigators were on the scene, Stein said, with assistance from the helicopter manufacturer and the flight operator, Papillon Airways. Deadly Grand Canyon helicopter crash Access to the area is difficult, as investigators must take a helicopter into the canyon and then hike to the crash itself. Investigators will spend a couple more days at the site before moving the remnants of the aircraft to Phoenix, where they will do further examination. A preliminary report will be available in 5-10 days, with analysis of the likely probable cause, Stein said. But a full investigation is expected to take 18 months. Victims and survivors The Eurocopter EC130 tour helicopter went down near Quartermaster Canyon in the western portion of the Grand Canyon after 5 p.m. Saturday. Officials have since identified the crash victims: Becky Dobson, 27; Jason Hill, 32; and Stuart Hill, 30, died. Pilot Scott Booth, 42, and passengers Ellie Milward, 29; Jonathan Udall, 32; and Jennifer Barham, 39, survived, and were taken to a Las Vegas hospital. Stein said investigators were in contact with the survivors and working to get info from them, but were waiting for those survivors to recover enough to provide statements. Federal officials encourage any witnesses to contact investigators at witness@ntsb.gov. Asked about whether the helicopter had a fire-resistant fuel system installed, Stein said the question was an important one, but declined to answer whether he knew. He said investigators would have to examine whether that model of helicopter has a history of fires. "That's something we're going to have to look at in our investigation," he said. "We're going through our archives right now." "There is evidence of a post-crash fire," he said. Photos from the scene show the area in flames. That area of the Canyon remains under a temporary flight restriction, he said, though flights will probably resume within the next day or two. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2018/02/12/grand-canyon-papillon-airways-az-helicopter-crash/330660002/ Back to Top Laser hits private jet, PPB airplane Shining a laser into an aircraft cockpit can blind a pilot and distract crew. (KOIN) PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) - Pilots from two separate aircraft reported having parts of their planes illuminated by a laser beam, federal officials confirmed. The first incident happened around 6:30 p.m. Sunday when a Falcon Jet FA50 was hit by a green laser while traveling north-northwest at 5,000 feet, 30 miles south of Portland International Airport (PDX), according to the FAA. The second strike was around 9 p.m. Sunday when Cessna 172 was hit by a green laser while circling at 3,500 feet 4 miles southeast of PDX. No injuries were reported in either incident. The Cessna 172, a fixed wing single-engine aircraft, is registered to the Portland Police Bureau's Air Support Unit, KOIN 6 News has learned. It was flying Sunday night as part of a mission to support patrol officers on the ground. PPB spokesperson Sgt. Chris Burley said the person believed to be responsible for hitting "Air 1" has been contacted and "there is no belief there will be further investigation or prosecution of the individual." Burley added, "based on information learned during the investigation and the statements made at the time of contact, the investigation would not continue. I was not provided information that suggested this person was responsible for additional reports of laser strikes." A spokesperson for the FBI in Portland was checking to see if special agents had been made aware of Sunday's incidents. According to the FBI, when aimed at an aircraft from the ground, the powerful beam of light from a handheld laser can travel more than a mile and illuminate a cockpit, disorienting and temporarily blinding pilots. Pilots who have been subject to such attacks have described them as the equivalent of a camera flash going off in a pitch black car at night, the FBI reported. Shining a laser at an aircraft is a violation of federal law. The crime carries a maximum of 20 years in federal prison and $250,000 fine. In addition, the FAA can impose a civil penalty of up to $11,000 for each violation. http://www.koin.com/news/local/multnomah-county/laser-hits-private-jet-ppb-airplane/970316164 Back to Top Pratt & Whitney Blames Seal As Source Of Latest Jet Engine Troubles European plane manufacturer Airbus staff members looking at the fist copy for test of the 200 medium-haul Airbus A320neo passenger plane leaves its hangar on July 1 in Saint-Martin-du-Touch, France. Jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney said Monday the edge of a high-pressure seal is the likely cause of engine problems that prompted Airbus to suspend deliveries. The East Hartford manufacturer also said it will join Airbus to present regulators this week with a plan to fix the problem. It's the latest in a series of headaches for parent company United Technologies Corp. as it rolls out the next-generation engine. Shares of UTC, which fell as markets opened Monday, rose following the announcement. Pratt & Whitney said that with the support of Airbus it's evaluating the impact of findings last week related to a "knife-edge seal" on the high pressure compressor on a "limited subpopulation" of the engine that powers the Airbus A320neo aircraft. "Pratt & Whitney implemented an engineering change in mid-2017 that was intended to improve the durability of the knife-edge seal for this engine," the company said. In late January and early February, four of these modified engines "did not perform as anticipated," it said. Pratt & Whitney said 43 engines installed on 32 aircraft are affected. In addition, it said it's working to assess an industrial and delivery plan to minimize customer disruption. Airbus suspended some deliveries of its A320neo jet following a problem with the engines on IndiGo, the Indian low-cost airline that is the plane's biggest customer. IndiGo disclosed Sunday three shutdowns and said pilots had to turn back before taking off three other times. It was the latest in a string of problems vexing UTC, which has spent $10 billion to develop the next-generation engine. The Farmington conglomerate, which also makes aerospace parts, elevators and building systems equipment, has touted the engine as quieter and more fuel-efficient than those produced by competitors. Gregory Hayes, chief executive officer of UTC, told industry analysts on a conference call Jan. 24 that Pratt & Whitney shipped 374 geared turbofan engines in 2017, the midpoint of its 350 to 400 target, and nearly triple the number of shipments in 2016. "And, of course, we successfully implemented the engine improvements that we promised to customers in 2017," he said. Analyst Nicholas Heymann of William Blair & Co. said in a note to clients that "there was growing reason to believe that the product deficiencies as well as the supply chain production ramp challenges that had affected (the engine) over the past 15 to 18 months had been resolved." However, the latest engine problem could now cloud the outlook for investors, Heymann said. "We believe upside in UTC's share price could be limited pending a clearer understanding of the most recent problem and how quickly it can be resolved," he wrote. "A cornerstone in UTC's ability to consistently generate positive earnings growth remains its ability to ramp up production of its GTF engine, which could be constrained until the latest defect on several of its most recently produced GTF engines is able to be resolved," Heymann said. Hayes acknowledged the jet engine maker's key role in UTC's financial outlook, telling analysts in January that "the preponderance of the growth will come from Pratt & Whitney in terms of overall UTC." http://www.courant.com/business/hc-biz-pratt-engine-troubles-20180212-story.html Back to Top Russian airline grounds several jets after crash left 71 dead • Workers comb snowy field for clues to crash near Moscow Investigators quickly ruled out a terrorist attack in Sunday's crash of the An-148 regional jet bound for Orsk in the southern Urals. The air disaster has reignited questions, however, about the twin-engine plane that was developed jointly by Russia and Ukraine but phased out of production amid the political crisis between the neighbours. The recovery operation could take a week because of heavy snow at the crash site near Moscow, Russian authorities say. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters) The model has a spotty safety record, with one previous crash and a string of major incidents in which pilots struggled to land safely. The carrier, Saratov Airlines, has grounded several other An-148s in its fleet pending the crash investigation. The plane crashed several minutes after taking off from Moscow's Domodedovo airport, and all 65 passengers and the crew of six were killed when the aircraft hit the ground and exploded in a giant fireball. Fuel tanks exploded on impact The Investigative Committee, Russia's top agency for looking into such disasters, said that before the crash, the plane was intact and there had been no fire on board. Officials would not speculate on possible causes. The plane's fuel tanks exploded on impact, gouging a deep crater and scattering wreckage across 30 hectares, according to the Emergencies Ministry, which used drones to direct the search. Pieces of the plane and human remains were buried in deep snow; some debris was found in nearby trees. A part of a Saratov Airlines Antonov An-148 plane that crashed after taking off from Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Sunday is seen at the crash scene. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told a cabinet meeting that emergency teams have found both flight data and cockpit voice recorders, key to determining the cause of the crash. Investigators said they already have started working on them. President Vladimir Putin put off a planned trip to Sochi and stayed in Moscow to monitor the investigation. The Kremlin said U.S. President Donald Trump called Putin to express his condolences. Victims as young as 5 Officials said the search for victims' remains will take a week. The passengers ranged in age from five to 79, according to a list from the Emergencies Ministry. Most victims were from Orsk, where authorities declared Monday to be an official day of mourning. Saratov Airlines said the jet had received proper maintenance and passed all the necessary checks before the flight. The plane was built in 2010 for a different airline that operated it for several years before putting it in storage. Saratov Airlines commissioned it last year. No survivors in Russian plane crash near Moscow, transport minister says The captain had more than 5,000 hours of flying time, 2,800 of them in an An-148, the airline said. The other pilot had 812 hours of experience, largely in that model. Another Russian operator that uses the plane, Angara, based in Irkutsk in eastern Siberia, said it will keep flying them. The Defence Ministry and other government agencies that also use the aircraft haven't grounded them either. Shortage of spare parts President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine also has used that model of plane for some of his trips. The An-148, developed by Ukraine's Antonov company in the early 2000s, once was touted as an example of Russian-Ukrainian co-operation, but it fell into trouble as relations between the two countries unravelled following Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. Emergency services work at the scene 40 kilometres from Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Sunday night. (Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters) Most of about 40 such planes built under the co-operative agreement were manufactured by a Russian manufacturer in Voronezh, with Ukraine providing the engines and many other components. Its production in Russia was halted last year, and media reports indicated that some carriers, including Saratov Airlines, experienced a shortage of spare parts. Some airlines reportedly had to cannibalize planes to keep others airworthy. Cutting corners Alexander Neradko, the head of Rosaviatsiya, the state agency overseeing civil aviation, said it will make a detailed scrutiny of Saratov Airlines' operations, but he added that the company had a decent record. Some regional carriers in Russia reportedly have cut corners on servicing aircraft. Pilot Andrei Litvinov told independent Dozhd TV that the government should help smaller carriers that are struggling to stay in business. "They are trying to save money on maintaining their planes to prevent going under," he said. Previous incidents One An-148 crashed during a training flight in Russia in March 2011, killing all six crew members on board. Investigators blamed pilot error. In 2010, another An-148 operated by a Russian carrier suffered a major failure of its control system, but its crew managed to land safely. In September, one engine of a Saratov Airlines An-148 shut down minutes after takeoff, but it landed safely. And in October, another An-148 that belonged to a different Russian carrier suffered an engine fire on takeoff but also managed to land. Engine shutdowns have occurred on several other occasions. The last major airline crash in Russia occurred on Dec. 25, 2016, when a Tu-154 operated by the Defence Ministry on its way to Syria crashed into the Black Sea minutes after takeoff from Sochi. All 92 people aboard were killed. The investigation into that crash is ongoing, but officials have indicated it was due to pilot error. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russian-plane-crash-investigation-1.4531347 Back to Top No pilots: Chinese planes to sit idle (NEPAL) The Y12e made by Harbin Aircraft Industry Group are scheduled to land at Tribhuvan International Airport at 2 pm on Tuesday Feb 13, 2018-State-owned Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) lacks enough pilots to fly its two new Y12e aircraft that will be arriving from China on Tuesday, and officials see increasing chances of their remaining parked at the airport for quite a while. The two 17-seater planes are the last of the six aircraft ordered from China. The Y12e made by Harbin Aircraft Industry Group are scheduled to land at Tribhuvan International Airport at 2 pm on Tuesday, NAC said. They will be coming via Dhaka, Bangladesh and will be flown by foreign pilots. "We have been looking for senior flying crews for the Y12e. We have also published an advertisement to hire foreign captains," said NAC spokesperson Rabindra Shrestha. The corporation is taking delivery of the two aircraft three years after they were manufactured. The manufacturer completed assembling the Y12e for Nepal in early 2015. They have been sitting in the factory hangar since then. NAC has produced only three captains to fly the Y12e aircraft in last three years. It has a dozen co-pilots and an instructor pilot. "Of the three captains, one is away on leave," Shrestha said. The national flag carrier will have four Y12e aircraft in its fleet, but it has only two captains to fly them. The shiny new planes will remain idle on the tarmac of the airport for an indefinite period, said a Tourism Ministry official. Although the corporation plans to resume flights on remote domestic routes that had been suspended due to lack of aircraft once the Y12e arrive, the plan does not look like materializing anytime soon. The first batch of two Y12e arrived in Kathmandu in 2014, and were intended to serve remote mountain airfields like Lukla, Jomsom, Manang, Simikot, Rara, Jumla and Dolpa. But the aircraft faced regulatory limits, which meant they could only fly to airports with a maximum grade of up to 2 percent or about 1.2 degrees of slope. As a result, the Y12e have been only operating on the Pokhara and Simara sectors, pending the issuance of a certificate by the manufacturer clearing them to serve airports with a slope of more than 2 degrees. Although the aviation regulator Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal had given clearance to NAC to conduct test flights with the aircraft to Lukla and other mountain airports on November 23, 2016, they have not happened. The runway at Lukla's Tenzing-Hillary Airport has an 11-degree slope. Most of the short take-off and landing (STOL) airfields in Nepal including Lukla in Khumbu are above the regulatory limit. In November 2012, NAC had signed a commercial agreement with AVIC, a Chinese government undertaking, to procure six aircraft: two 56-seater MA60 and four 17-seater Y12e. One 56-seater MA60 and one 17-seater Y12e arrived in Kathmandu in April and November 2014 respectively under this deal. These two aircraft were provided to Nepal as gifts. NAC put off taking delivery of the rest of the planes for two years following problems, including load restrictions, with the two that had joined its fleet in the first lot. In February 2017, the corporation received another MA60 and Y-12e aircraft after being assured by the manufacturer China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) that it would provide every help necessary to keep them flying in the Nepali skies. However, the process of bringing the remaining two Y12e stalled due to lack of flight crews. China has provided one MA60 and one Y12e worth Rs2.94 billion as gifts. The other aircraft are being bought with a soft loan of Rs3.72 billion provided by China's EXIM Bank. http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2018-02-13/no-pilots-chinese-planes-to-sit-idle.html Back to Top Pilots should check fuel: ATSB report (Australia) Pilots of small planes are being urged to check the fuel gauge before taking off after a light aircraft crash landed in Sydney's west last year. Pilots of small planes are being urged to check they have enough fuel before take-off after a light aircraft was forced to make a crash landing in Sydney last year. The pilot of the Piper PA-28-181 was forced to make an unexpected landing in a field after his left fuel tank ran dry about 15km from Bankstown Airport about 3pm on September 15, 2017. An Australian Transport and Safety Bureau investigation report on Tuesday found the pilot more likely than not mistook the plane he was flying with one he had refuelled earlier in the day. On its return flight from Wollongong, and at 1500 feet in the air with one passenger onboard, the engine began fluctuating. Rather than continue towards the heavily populated area of Bankstown, which is surrounded by schools, hospitals, main train lines and buildings, the pilot turned the plane towards the sparser area of Camden. The pilot had just enough time to do emergency checks before making a mayday call and advising his passenger to brace before landing the plane in a nearby field, the ATSB found. On the rough ground, the pilot concentrated on keeping the plane straight as it ran through a fence and stopped only after its wing struck a tree. The ATSB report also found the pilot did not flick the fuel selector switch from the empty left tank to the right, which still had about one-quarter of a tank of fuel, because he was prioritising flying the plane. The pilot received minor injuries and the passenger escaped unharmed but the plane was substantially damaged. The local fuel agent used by the operator reported the plane was not refuelled before the flight, the ATSB report said. The pilot had recently completed his private pilot licence from the flight school before hiring the plane for a return training trip to Wollongong. http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/pilots-should-check-fuel-atsb-report/news-story/84aa3df0fc03a32ca191e4d828473353 Back to Top Tragic Russian Air Crash Raises Unsettling Memories Gary Stoller , CONTRIBUTOR I write about consumer and business travel, transportation and safety Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. TheSaratov Airlines accident in Russia that killed all 71 aboard Sunday after takeoff from Moscow reminded me of my investigative reporting there in the 1990s. I was on assignment to determine the safety of Russian airlines for Condι Nast Traveler magazine, and my interpreter, Boris Zagoruiko, a Moscow resident who had also interpreted for CNN, told me about a disturbing event he had witnessed years before. He said he was at a Moscow airport watching the inaugural flight of a new Russian-built aircraft. The plane crashed immediately after takeoff, killing all the passengers, he said, but the next day's newspaper proclaimed a successful flight with no mention of the tragedy. Zagoruiko and I flew on a wide-body Ilyushin Il-86 jet operated by Aeroflot from Moscow's Vnukovo airport to Mineralnye Vody airport in southern Russia. As we sped down the runway during takeoff, I noticed that some passengers didn't have their seat belts buckled, and the plane rumbled so violently that an overhead luggage bin opened. After we reached cruise altitude, I walked to the rear of the cabin and saw passengers smoking outside the lavatories on our no-smoking flight. I asked a flight attendant whether movies were shown, and she replied, "Not anymore - someone stole the projector." Russia's Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov (third from left) talks to firefighters at the crash site of a Saratov Airlines Antonov An-148 plane. The passenger plane with 71 people on board bound for the city of Orsk crashed minutes after taking off from Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport on Feb. 11, 2018. (Photo by Maxim Grigoryev/TASS via Getty Images) There was no compartment for an oxygen mask above each seat, so I raised my concern with a flight attendant. She walked to the front of the plane, returned carrying a tangled mass of oxygen masks and said 47 masks were available. I asked her why just 47 when more than 300 passengers were on our flight, and she said Russia was a military country, with many landing strips that our flight could immediately descend to before oxygen was needed. As we prepared to land, the landing gear released with a bang. Our landing was rough, bouncing me in my seat and causing metal hangers to clang loudly in a nearby closet. Passengers ignored the pilot's warning to stay seated and lined up in the aisle as we taxied. The aircraft suddenly stopped short, and passengers in the aisle fell. The cabin lights went out, and we sat in darkness until we deplaned. Zagoruiko and I spent two days with Vasily Babaskin, the president of the local Aeroflot company in Mineralnye Vody, and were treated like royalty. Babaskin escorted us to our return flight to Moscow, and then, after takeoff, extraordinary events on the ground unfolded. Hijackers carrying submachine guns and grenades commandeered a bus and took 18 hostages with them to Mineralye Vody airport, where they demanded a flight to Iraq, Turkey or Jordan. Scant accounts later appeared in U.S. newspapers, but it was reported that the hijackers, after 25 hours, surrendered and released their hostages. While Zagoruiko and I were in-flight, another Aeroflot passenger jet - flying much further south of Mineralnye Vody over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region - was hit by an Azerbaijani heat-seeking missile. The plane made an emergency landing, and only minor injuries were suffered by some passengers. Since those days in the 1990s, Russia's airline industry has gone through many changes, and lots of new airlines have taken to the skies. The best-known airline, Aeroflot, continues to operate, but it is quite a different carrier today. The airline, which once flew only Russian-manufactured planes, now has many Airbus and Boeing planes and proclaims its fleet is "one of the youngest in the world." The average age of its aircraft is 4.1 years, the airline says. The Independent newspaper in the United Kingdom says aviation safety is "improving" in Russia, "with Aeroflot and S7 Airlines achieving global standards." The two airlines' marketing alliances with other carriers, SkyTeam and Oneworld, demand such standards, The Independent says. Two years ago, The Telegraph, another United Kingdom newspaper, called Aeroflot one of the world's safest airlines. The newspaper said "Aeroflot's safety record was once the stuff of nervous fliers' nightmares," but the airline was involved in only one fatal accident in the 20 years prior to 2016. Unlike Aeroflot, Saratov Airlines is a regional, relatively unknown airline. The Saratov plane that crashed Sunday after taking off from Moscow's Domodedovo Airport was a Russian-built Antonov AN-148, a small Russian-built jet manufactured in 2010. It was bound for Orsk, a city about 1,000 miles away from Moscow. The plane took off in limited visibility and light snow and crashed into a field with deep snow. Antonov, the jet's manufacturer, says the AN-148 seats 65 to 85 passengers and meets "all the modern world requirements, safety and ecological standards." The AN-148 "can be safely operated" on runways that are poorly equipped, made of pebbles, unpaved or covered with ice or snow, Antonov says. Saratov has temporarily suspended flights by the remaining five AN-148 jets in its fleet, according to FlightGlobal, a company that provides aviation data, analytics and intelligence. The airline says the jet that crashed passed a maintenance check in January, including a careful inspection of its wings, engines and airframe structures, FlightGlobal reports. Saratov says, according to FlightGlobal, that a routine check before Sunday's departure from Moscow revealed no issues or concerns, and the aircraft had completed other flights earlier that day. A new flight crew, including a captain who had logged 2,147 hours in AN-148 cockpits, took control of the plane before it left the Moscow airport, FlightGlobal reports. Saratov had no prior passenger flight accidents, but a training flight with an AN-148 crashed in 2011 after the flight crew exceeded the aircraft's maximum speed, according to The New York Times. Saratov is not listed in the ratings of airlineratings.com, which rates airlines based on various safety criteria. Airlines with the best safety rating are given seven stars. Of the 10 Russian airlines rated by airlineratings.com, Pobeda Airlines, a low-cost airline that's a subsidiary of Aeroflot, is the only carrier with seven stars. Aeroflot and seven other airlines have six stars, and two airlines, Nordavia and UTair, have five stars. https://www.forbes.com/sites/garystoller/2018/02/12/tragic-russian-air-crash-raises-unsettling-memories/#1735cdd37a31 Back to Top Free Online Course in Aviation Maintenance Open to Public Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Worldwide Campus will offer a free, two-week online class focusing on aircraft maintenance, inspections, safe and efficient integration of daily operations and how to effectively manage global challenges facing the industry. Scheduled to run from Feb. 26 to March 11, the Aviation Maintenance Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) will be taught by Embry-Riddle faculty as well as experts from the aviation industry and is open to the public. "As the industry changes and adapts to new environments, we have to educate ourselves on how to successfully navigate those challenges, to make the most out of potential opportunities," said Dr. Bettina Mrusek, lead faculty for the Aviation Maintenance MOOC. "Our students will get a real-world look at the industry, from multiple perspectives. We are not only focused on the maintenance technician, but also on those supervising and leading them." In addition to bachelor's and master's degrees in Aviation Maintenance offered through Embry-Riddle Worldwide, the university also offers a bachelor's degree in Aviation Maintenance Science at its residential campus in Daytona Beach, Fla. Registration is currently open at worldwide.erau.edu/massive-open-online-courses. https://news.erau.edu/news-briefs/free-online-course-in-aviation-maintenance-open-to-public/ Back to Top USHST names FAA's Wayne Fry as government co-chair Wayne Fry, FAA flight standards division manager for general aviation safety assurance, has been named the new government co-chairman of the United States Helicopter Safety Team. The USHST was formed in 2013 as a regional partner within the International Helicopter Safety Team to lead a government and industry cooperative effort to promote safety and work to reduce civil helicopter accidents and fatalities. From the FAA southwest regional office in Fort Worth, Texas, Fry oversees nine general aviation offices with an emphasis on helicopter operations. He is a 20-year veteran of the FAA, holding management positions in the flight standards regional offices in Seattle and Fort Worth; in the flight standards district offices in Oklahoma City, Houston and Baton Rouge; and in the aircraft maintenance division in Washington D.C. Prior to his service in the FAA, Fry worked for 17 years for oil-and-gas industry helicopter operator Air Logistics in the areas of maintenance and quality assurance. "Wayne Fry has extensive experience in the rotorcraft industry," said Jim Viola, FAA acting deputy associate administrator for aviation safety. "He is a perfect addition to the team's effort to enhance helicopter safety and an excellent fit in the government-industry partnership to reduce accidents and fatalities here in the United States." https://www.verticalmag.com/press-releases/ushst-names-faas-wayne-fry-government-co-chair/ Back to Top NATA Statement on Trump Administration FY2019 Budget Blueprint Budget Request Calls for Exploration of Corporatizing Air Traffic Control Washington, DC, February 12, 2018 - Today, the Trump Administration released a budget blueprint for Fiscal Year 2019, providing high level detail about the Administration's proposals related to federal discretionary funding. The budget proposal calls for investment into rural America, but also includes language outlining support for creating an air traffic control corporation - an idea that has been met with the collective resistance of NATA and hundreds of other leading general aviation organizations. The following is a statement by National Air Transportation Association President Martin H. Hiller: "Despite strong bipartisan opposition to the corporatization of our nation's air traffic control system, the 2019 budget blueprint contains language shifting the air traffic control function away from the FAA to a corporation. NATA will continue to fight this existential threat to general aviation and the businesses that support this vital community - supporting more than one million jobs nationwide. The association will work with the Administration and Congress toward a more efficient FAA, with a priority on educating them about the risks posed by handing over our nation's air traffic control system to special interests." # # # The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has been the voice of aviation business for over 75 years. Representing nearly 2,300 aviation businesses, NATA's member companies provide a broad range of services to general aviation, the airlines and the military and NATA serves as the public policy group representing the interests of aviation businesses before Congress and the federal agencies. For more information about NATA, please visit www.nata.aero, www.twitter.com/nataaero or www.facebook.com/nataaero. Back to Top Global Commercial Aircraft Angle of Attack Sensors Market 2017-2021 by Aircraft Type - Expected to Grow at a CAGR of 6.45% DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Commercial Aircraft Angle of Attack Sensors Market 2017-2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. "Global Commercial Aircraft Angle of Attack Sensors Market 2017-2021" One trend in the market is the emergence of sensor fusion technology. Sensor systems are gaining importance in new-generation aircraft. Collective information regarding load, temperature, pressure, and strain can provide detailed information on the health of aircraft components and indicate the defects in an early stage. One driver in the market is the growing demand for procurement of newer generation aircraft. Technological advancements in the aerospace industry have led to the development of fuel-efficient aircraft with decreased noise and carbon emission. Commercial aircraft manufacturers are facing high demand from airline operators for new-generation aircraft as these offer low-operational cost benefits. This demand will likely increase due to the growth in air travel in key countries such as China, India, Russia, and the US. The year-over-year growth in air traffic also essentialized the introduction of new aircraft to facilitate the demand. As all aircraft should be equipped with AoA sensors, the market is expected to grow parallelly with an increase in demand. The report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. Key Vendors Garmin Honeywell International Rockwell Collins Thales Transdigm United Technologies Corporation (UTC) Other Prominent Vendors https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180212006323/en/Global-Commercial-Aircraft-Angle-Attack-Sensors-Market Back to Top NASA Wants to Build a Super Quiet Supersonic Jet A NASA rendering shows an early vision of what the quiet supersonic X-plane might look like. Credit: NASA A very quiet plane could be coming very fast. The recent 2019 NASA budget request was, as Live Science sister site Space.com reported, light on science and funding for the International Space Station but heavy on commercialization and space exploration. In this proposed budget, President Donald Trump's administration also announced its intention to fully fund a new experimental supersonic airplane. The aircraft, the latest addition to the X-series dating back to Chuck Yeager's sound-barrier-breaking craft, the X-1, will be designed to be much quieter than previous faster-than-sound jets. The plane, called the Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator, would make its first flight in 2021 if the budget line is approved and the craft's development goes according to plan. It's meant as a test bed for technologies that could one day show up on commercial planes, the budget states. It would allow for faster-than-sound travel without the glass-shattering booms that characterize supersonic fighter jets and that enraged Queens, New York, residents during the era of the supersonic New York-to-Europe Concorde jet. Here's the problem the quiet supersonic craft could solve: When a plane moves slower than sound, the jet's sound waves arrive on the ground in pretty similar shape to how they left the engine (with perhaps a little distortion and pitch-shifting thanks to things like the Doppler effect.) But - as Pennsylvania State University's NoiseQuest lab explained on its website - when planes move faster than sound, they outrun their own engine noise, with the vibrations spreading out behind them through the air in a kind of invisible wake. [Supersonic! The 10 Fastest Military Airplanes] That wake crashes into the ground as a powerful shock wave, with all the vibrations of a supersonic engine's approach compressed together. They all arrive at each spot that they reach within moments of each other, so instead of the drawn-out whine of an aircraft approaching, observers below hear a single, teeth-rattling boom. People don't generally like normal airport noise, as the NoiseQuest lab notes, and people definitely don't like when that sound arrives in a series of shocking crashes. That's led to the 1973 Federal Aviation Administration regulation §91.817, which prohibits civilians from engaging in supersonic flight over land in the United States. No supersonic civilian jets have operated since the Concorde was retired in 2003, NASA wrote in a statement accompanying the budget. (The Concorde only flew at subsonic speeds overland in US territory.) Lockheed Martin has been awarded a preliminary budget to build the new quiet X-plane. The company aims, according to earlier reporting by Bloomberg on the project, to reach a NASA target of 60 to 65 decibels per boom (at least as heard from the ground) by designing a low-sound airframe shape and using engine placement that reduces noise. This would be much quieter than existing supersonic jets. In this statement, NASA said that the goal is a sonic boom "so quiet it hardly will be noticed by the public, if at all ... like distant thunder [or] the sound of your neighbor forcefully shutting his car door outside while you are inside." NASA is also requesting funds for research into "hypersonic" aircraft, machines that go many times the speed of sound. As Space.com reported, such planes have possible applications as weapons or for space travel. In a quote printed alongside the requests, Vice President Mike Pence put these goals in the context of a rose-tinted, Manifest Destiny-inflected vision of American history: "Like the railroads that brought American explorers, entrepreneurs and settlers to tame the Wild West, these groundbreaking new technologies will open untold opportunities to extend the range of American action and values into the new worlds of outer space," the vice president said. "And by fostering much stronger partnerships between the federal government and the realm of industry, and bringing the full force of our national interest to bear, American leadership in space will be assured." Victims of efforts to "tame the Wild West" like the Wounded Knee Massacre might not have seen them in quite the same terms as Pence. Historical evidence suggests that before European settlers arrived, the west just wasn't that wild, or violent. https://www.livescience.com/61739-x-plane-supersonic-boom-quiet.html Back to Top Graduate Survey Request My name is Carlos Enriquez and i am working on a thesis for my Masters in Aviation Science from Everglades University. My research is centered on the use of autopilot in helicopter operations. More specifically, Helicopter Emergency Medical Services accident rates due to flights into inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in their Safety Recommendation dated September 24, 2009 included the use of a second pilot or an autopilot. I created a survey with specific questions for helicopter pilots. Please find below, link to the survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6C3N9CL Thank you, Carlos Enriquez Back to Top SASS 2018 Building on the success of previous years, the Singapore Aviation Safety Seminar (SASS) will be held March 26-29, 2018, and will feature presentations from local and international speakers. The theme for SASS 2018 is "Stepping Up Safety: Enabling Growth, Embracing New Technologies." The program focuses on topics relating to recent safety challenges, human factors issues, organizational safety issues, lessons learned from recent accidents and the latest technological improvements for safety. Registration and program agenda can be found on the SASS event website. Back to Top BASS 2018 The Business Aviation Safety Summit (BASS) is a forum for the industry to meet in a collaborative environment to identify safety concerns, devise approaches to reduce risk and implement initiatives to improve safety. The summit, in its 63rd year, is organized by Flight Safety Foundation in partnership with the National Business Aviation Association. Content covers safety, training, practical solutions, management, human factors and other issues for every segment of the business aviation industry. The program agenda and registration information can be found on our event website. Back to Top Back to Top Job Title: General Manager / Senior Flight Data Analyst This position is open to all aviation safety professionals keen to manage a business at the forefront of safety technology. Desirable qualifications include: • flight deck experience • an aviation or business-related degree • experience in voluntary safety programs • commercial experience Job Description This position combines the freedom to run and develop a business in the US with potential to make a real impact on aviation safety. It will suit a pilot who is keen on aviation but tired of hotels. The office is based in Phoenix, Arizona and customers are based from Canada to Venezuela. You will also be supporting operators around the world as a part of the Flight Data Services group of companies. Location: The job holder must be based Monday to Friday on site at our Phoenix office. Supervision: 4 current staff members (3 in office, 1 remote) Salary: The range for this role is $50,000 to $70,000 per annum dependent on skills and experience. There is also a comprehensive benefits package. IMPORTANT NOTES: • Resume and Cover Letter must be received by midnight March 31st 2018 at hr@flightdataservices.com • Successful candidates will be required to complete testing prior to scheduling for interview. • Interviews will be scheduled April 9th thru 11th and must be attended IN PERSON at the Phoenix, Arizona office. Main Purpose of Job: As General Manager you will have overall charge of the business of Flight Data Services Inc, including: 1. Management of the Company's affairs and administration. 2. Management of the staff of FDS Inc. 3. Management of customer interfaces, including annual visits, monthly reports and ad hoc communications. 4. Promotion of the Company within the continents of North and South America. 5. Responsible for Company compliance with state and federal law. As Senior Flight Data Analyst you will promote aviation safety through: 1. Providing leadership for US analysts by: a. Providing training and guidance as needed. b. Task distribution & workload management. 2. Routine analysis of downloaded data. a. Review of abnormal operations and determine the cause. b. Report on findings to airlines. c. Compilation of monthly customer reports. d. Occasional emergency customer support and call-out on a roster basis. e. Responding to ad hoc requests for analysis or supply of data. 3. Contributing to the Safety Seminar and Training Courses a. Preparation and delivery of presentations. b. Attendance at the seminar. c. Ad hoc training of attendees. 4. Depending upon specialization, one or more of the following: a. Preparation of new Analysis Specifications. b. Amending analysis procedures to change thresholds etc. in consultation with the customer and Analysis Manager c. Customer training d. Support to Marketing 5. Liaise with IT Support on software maintenance. 6. Liaise with Software Development team on the POLARIS project. The above is not an exhaustive list of duties and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by your changing role within the organization and the overall business objectives of the organization. ************** About Flight Data Services Flight Data Services is an industry-leader in flight safety innovation. Our expert knowledge of flight data, aviation safety, and information technology is delivered to aircraft operators globally. We are the largest dedicated provider of flight data analysis services and our qualified and experienced flight safety specialists include the highest ratio of analysts to aircraft in the aviation industry. Flight Data Services are proud to be a global, independent and private company. In 2015 we were accredited with the 'Investors in People' award and in 2017 we earned ISO 9001:2015 accreditation. Curt Lewis