Flight Safety Information February 27, 2018 - No. 042 In This Issue Incident: Volaris A320 at Mexico City on Feb 24th 2018, smoke in cabin Incident: Flybe DH8D near Manchester on Feb 26th 2018, unusual odour in cockpit Airbus A300-608ST Beluga transport plane performed an emergency landing after smoke developed EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Incident: Southwest B737 at Salt Lake City on Feb 26th 2018, engine shut down in flight Newark Airport passenger arrested after deploying emergency chute on plane IATA aims for 1 billion passengers to fly on sustainable aviation fuel flights by 2025 DUBAI AIRPORT TO CLOSE ONE RUNWAY FOR 45 DAYS NEXT YEAR The FAA Is Facing Pressure To Regulate Airplane Seat Sizes Airbus, Delta, and Sprint Are on a Quest for In-Flight Wi-fi That Actually Works Skepticism reigns about putting Trump's pilot in charge of FAA 'Study now, pay later' as Cebu Pacific looks to train new pilots (Philippines) Stratolaunch conducts high-speed taxi tests on giant carrier aircraft There's still time to book your place on our Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance course IATA Safety and Flight Operations Conference Inspection Authorization Renewal S A F E T Y S E M I N A R Medallion Foundation - Providing Assurance In Your Systems Incident: Volaris A320 at Mexico City on Feb 24th 2018, smoke in cabin A Volaris Airbus A320-200, registration XA-VLN performing flight Y4-752 from Mexico City to Mexicali (Mexico), was climbing out of Mexico City's runway 05L when the crew stopped the climb at 11,000 feet reporting smoke in the cabin and returned to Mexico City for a safe landing on runway 23L about 50 minutes after departure. The airline reported the crew received an indication which prompted the captain to return to Mexico City as a precaution. Maintenance determined the indication was false. Passengers reported smoke entered the cabin, they were told by members of the crew there was a mechanical fault. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b568b27&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Flybe DH8D near Manchester on Feb 26th 2018, unusual odour in cockpit A Flybe de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration G-PRPL performing flight BE-1333 from Edinburgh,SC to London City,EN (UK) with 63 people on board, was enroute at FL250 about 80nm northnorthwest of Manchester,EN (UK) when the crew reported an unusual odour in the cockpit suspecting a technical fault as cause and decided to divert to Manchester. The aircraft landed safely in Manchester about 25 minutes later. The airline confirmed an unusual odour in the cockpit prompted the crew to suspect a technical fault and to divert to Manchester. The passengers were rebooked onto other flights. The occurrence aircraft returned to service after about 7 hours on the ground. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b56857e&opt=256 Back to Top Airbus A300-608ST Beluga transport plane performed an emergency landing after smoke developed in the cockpit Date: 26-FEB-2018 Time: ca 11:25 UTC Type: Airbus A300-608ST Beluga Owner/operator: Airbus Industrie Registration: F-GSTF C/n / msn: 796 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: N of Bremen - Germany Phase: En route Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Chester Airport (CEG/EGNR) Destination airport: Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport (XFW/EDHI) Narrative: An Airbus A300-608ST Beluga transport plane performed an emergency landing after smoke developed in the cockpit. The aircraft was en route from Chester Airport, U.K. to Hamburg-Finkenwerder, Germany. It was descending through FL200 to the north of Bremen, when the flight crew declared an emergency. A safe landing was carried out about 15 minutes later. An inspection revealed there had been a 'cable fire' on the flight deck, which had already extinguished. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=206776 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Southwest B737 at Salt Lake City on Feb 26th 2018, engine shut down in flight A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N431WN performing flight WN-604 from Salt Lake City,UT to Los Angeles,CA (USA) with 110 people on board, was climbing out Salt Lake City when the crew reported they had engine compressor stalls, there were streaks of flame but not engine fire indication. The crew levelled off at 10,000 feet, shut the engine down and returned to Salt Lake City for a safe landing about 25 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N701GS reached Los Angeles with a delay of 4 hours. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA604/history/20180226/1340Z/KSLC/KLAX Ground observer video: http://avherald.com/h?article=4b568451&opt=256 Back to Top Newark Airport passenger arrested after deploying emergency chute on plane A passenger on a flight at Newark Airport was arrested late Sunday night after he opened the emergency exit and activated the emergency chute. Port Authority police responded to the scene around 10 p.m. after they received a report that a passenger was being disorderly, said Joe Pentangelo, senior police public information officer. United Flight 1640 was bound for Tampa, Florida, and was at Terminal C, Gate 105, when Troy Fattun, 25, who lives in Micronesia and is a U.S. national, opened the exit and deployed the chute, Pentangelo said. Fattun was found about 50 feet away from the plane, walking toward the active runway, said Pentangelo. Before using the chute, Fattun believed there was a discrepancy with his ticket and approached flight attendants during the pre-flight checks. He told the attendants that he believed he had gotten on the wrong plane, but he failed to show his boarding pass when prompted. A United Airlines passenger plane lands at Newark Liberty International Airport. (Photo: Mel Evans/associated press file photo) Fattun pushed past the two attendants toward the rear exit and attempted to open the door. One of the attendants tried to stop the man, but he pushed her back into the aisle before he managed to open the door and activate the chute, Pentangelo said. Fattun slid down the chute and was arrested by police on the tarmac. https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/crime/2018/02/26/newark-airport-passenger-arrested-after-deploying-emergency-chute-plane/372125002/ Back to Top IATA aims for 1 billion passengers to fly on sustainable aviation fuel flights by 2025 GENEVA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Monday it is aiming for one billion passengers to fly on flights powered by a mix of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2025. This aspiration was identified on the 10th anniversary of the first flight to blend sustainable aviation fuel and ordinary jet fuel, said IATA. On Feb. 24, 2008, a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 flew from London to Amsterdam with sustainable aviation fuel in one of its engines. The flight demonstrated the viability of drop-in biofuels, which can be blended with traditional jet fuel, using existing airport infrastructure, IATA said in a statement from Geneva. "The momentum for sustainable aviation fuels is now unstoppable. From one flight in 2008, we passed the threshold of 100,000 flights in 2017, and we expect to hit one million flights during 2020," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's Director General and CEO. A flight completely powered by sustainable fuel has the potential to reduce the carbon emissions of that flight by up to 80 percent. De Juniac said IATA realizes that achieving a tally of one billion passengers flying on flights powered by a mix of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel will not be easy to achieve. "We need governments to set a framework to incentivize production of SAF and ensure it is as attractive to produce as automotive biofuels," he said. The push to increase uptake of SAF is being driven by the airline industry's commitment to achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and to cut net carbon emissions by 50 percent compared to 2005. Airlines, including Cathay Pacific, FedEx Express, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Qantas, and United, have made significant investments by forward-purchasing 1.5 billion gallons of SAF, said IATA. The air transport group said that on the present trajectory it is anticipated that half a billion passengers will have flown on a SAF-blend powered flight by 2025. But, IATA said, if governments, through effective policy, help the sustainable fuel industry to scale-up its production, it is possible that one billion passengers could experience an SAF flight by 2025. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-02/26/c_137001484.htm Back to Top DUBAI AIRPORT TO CLOSE ONE RUNWAY FOR 45 DAYS NEXT YEAR 'These upgrades are absolutely necessary to heighten safety, boost capacity and pave the way for future growth,' says Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports One of the two runways at the world's busiest airport for international passengers is to close for 45 days in April and May next year. Nearly half the normal flights could be grounded. The southern runway at Dubai International Airport, which last year handled over 88 million passengers, is "nearing the end of its design life". The airport, whose code is DXB, will close from 16 April to 30 May 2019 for resurfacing and replacement of ground lighting. The aim is "to boost safety, service and capacity levels". A spokesperson for Dubai Airports told The Independent: "In terms of flight movements, the reduction in capacity is estimated at this point to be approximately 43 per cent during the 45-day period." "It is too early to estimate the extent of the impact on passenger traffic as this will depend on how airlines respond to the capacity reduction. Some may decide to fly with a larger aircraft if possible, some could see their load factor increase both of which would influence passenger numbers." The airport's northern runway underwent a similar programme in 2014, but the passenger numbers were then around 65 million. Today, the airport handles more than one third as many people. Dubai is the hub for Emirates, which has an extensive operation from six UK airports: Gatwick, Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow. Emirates will launch flights from Stansted in summer 2018. British Airways normally schedules three Boeing 777s per day between Heathrow and Dubai. The airline could replace them with larger Boeing 747 or Airbus A380 aircraft, to carry a similar number of passengers in two flights. The timing has been chosen, according to the airport, "when passenger traffic historically ebbs due to a seasonal lull". Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, said: "While we regret any inconvenience this may cause to our airline customers and our passengers, these upgrades are absolutely necessary to heighten safety, boost capacity and pave the way for future growth." Dubai airport handles more passengers than Heathrow, but has significantly fewer take-offs and landings because the average size of aircraft is much higher. While Heathrow typically has 1,300 aircraft movements a day, Dubai has around 1,100. It also runs 24 hours a day, while Heathrow's night operations are severely constrained. Some flights will be switched to the emirate's second airport, Dubai World Central (DWC), which is expanding. http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/dubai-international-airport-closure-runway-southern-45-days-april-may-2019-diversions-a8228701.html Back to Top The FAA Is Facing Pressure To Regulate Airplane Seat Sizes Many passengers are angry over the discomfort caused by shrinking seats. The size of the average airplane seat has become a hot-button issue among travelers in recent years. Airlines have been shrinking seats at a rapid pace as a way to squeeze more passengers on flights and increase revenues. However, this hasn't gone unnoticed by passengers. Many passengers are angry over the discomfort caused by shrinking seats. The problem is that there are no rules in place regarding how much space passengers legally deserve when flying. The Federal Aviation Administration has decided to step in and make a formal determination regarding how much room passengers flying on commercial flights actually deserve. A court ruling was made back in July that required the Federal Aviation Administration to formally review seat size and legroom on commercial flights. The ruling was prompted by a case brought forth by a nonprofit group called the Flyers Rights Education Fund. The group advocates for the rights of airline customers. The Federal Aviation Administration had previously taken the position that only safety was a priority when it came to aircraft layouts. This meant that the agency would stay away from creating requirements regarding seat size and passenger comfort. However, the Flyers Rights Education Fund decided to take the agency to court over the issue. The group asserts that seat pitch has declined from an average of 35 inches to 31 inches in recent years. Some airlines have even reduced pitch size down to just 28 inches. A decision from the Federal Aviation Administration regarding a required minimum pitch size for seats on commercial airline planes is expected soon. https://news.get.com/faa-facing-pressure-regulate-airplane-seat-sizes/ Back to Top Airbus, Delta, and Sprint Are on a Quest for In-Flight Wi-fi That Actually Works It's 2018, so why is it still seemingly impossible to get a decent wi-fi on an airplane? Well, a lot of reasons, it turns out. The Wall Street Journal recently enumerated them: hardware, software, government regulation, aviation regulation, and rivalries between wireless and satellite companies. Despite the obstacles, a new alliance between Airbus, Delta Air Lines, Sprint, and two U.S. satellite companies is trying to find a way to provide faster Internet and a better user experience. Japan's SoftBank, which owns 80% of Sprint, and India's Bharti Airtel are also reportedly supporting the project. The group, which calls itself Seamless Air Alliance, envisions a world where a variety of devices could easily connect to the Internet while in flight at industry-leading speeds, rivaling cable and 5G. The businesses that are either involved in or backing the alliance pack a punch: they already serve about 150 million airline passengers and 450 million mobile users around the globe. Beyond developing new hardware and software, the alliance would reduce friction between airlines, mobile service providers, and satellite companies that can cause prices to go up while the quality of service goes down. But they may very well be in a race against time. The global satellite fleets that currently provide in-flight wi-fi are gaining capacity and reducing prices to consumers, which may prevent new entrants from offering a competitive solution. http://fortune.com/2018/02/26/airplane-wifi-inflight-airbus-delta-sprint/ Back to Top Skepticism reigns about putting Trump's pilot in charge of FAA • 'The only person that thinks it's a good idea, from what I gather, is the president,' one aviation lobbyist says. The private jet of then-President-elect Donald Trump is pictured. | Getty Images A federal agent walks past the private jet of then-President-elect Donald Trump at LaGuardia Airport in New York. | Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images President Donald Trump has had an unusually tangled relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration, which grounded one of his campaign planes for a paperwork violation, refused for decades to route jet traffic away from Mar-a-Lago, and even dumped his name from navigation points in the Florida skies after he described Mexican immigrants as rapists. Now the agency and the aviation industry are facing the prospect that the FAA's next chief could be Trump's personal pilot - a man who, according to the president, shares his opinion that the nation's top aircraft regulator has bungled a multibillion-dollar air traffic control upgrade. But the notion of Trump's pilot as FAA chief is drawing skepticism from people in the industry, who note that recent leaders of the technocratic, $16 billion-a-year agency have typically been people with long experience either in the government or running large organizations. In contrast, John Dunkin's experience since 1989, according to a Smithsonian documentary, has been working "on and off" for Trump as his personal pilot. Dunkin is the Trump Organization's director of aviation operations for a fleet that includes a Boeing 757, a Cessna Citation X business jet and three Sikorsky helicopters. "The only person that thinks it's a good idea, from what I gather, is the president," said one lobbyist with aviation clients, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to speak more freely about political matters. "I think it'd be a tough confirmation." Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.), who would take the lead in vetting any FAA nominations, said Monday evening that Dunkin may have a difficult road to confirmation if the White House chooses him. "I'd prefer that they send somebody up that we can confirm easily. I've conveyed that to them," Thune said. "I'm sure that the Democrats would probably want to make it challenging" for Dunkin. With Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) being treated for cancer away from Washington, and the Senate controlled by a threadbare 51-seat GOP majority, just one Republican can stop a nomination in its tracks if there is uniform Democratic opposition. "They say he's got good qualifications and all that," Thune said of Duncan. "But there are other people that I'm aware of that they've been vetting [who] would be very good in that position." An administration official confirmed Monday that Dunkin is on the list of potential FAA leaders, along with acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell and Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), both of whom are also pilots. Whoever wins Trump's blessing will oversee the safety of tens of millions of air travelers in the U.S., who have enjoyed an unusual decline in accidents for more than a decade - the country hasn't seen a fatal airline crash since 2013, and the last one involving a U.S. passenger airline was in 2009. Trump has also endorsed a major change for the agency, a controversial proposal that would split up the FAA and move its thousands of air traffic controllers into a private, nonprofit corporation. The White House refused Monday to say anything more about Dunkin's potential appointment, which Axios first reported Sunday night. But the rumor, which has been circulating for months, has left people in the industry puzzled about whether it's a serious possibility or a trial balloon that's now about to be deflated. A former FAA official said Dunkin's name has been floated on and off since Trump took office. "I thought we had heard the last of it but here we are again," he said. Indeed, Dunkin's name has been circulating amid insider chatter about the FAA slot for several months, though some in the industry had expressed doubt he was an actual contender. One lobbyist who attended a party with Dunkin some months ago told POLITICO that he heard that the pilot had been promoting himself for the job that night. Some were still skeptical of his chances Monday. "Imagine the heyday the Senate would have in confirmation hearings," another lobbyist said, also requesting anonymity to speak openly about a potential FAA administrator. "'Where did you fly Donald Trump? Who was on the plane with him?' I think it's very unlikely he makes the cut, but anything is possible in this administration." But an aviation official said Trump appears to be "very serious about Dunkin," though some in the administration hope Elwell will get the nod. "We do not know Dunkin personally yet," the official said. "However, we do believe he is a serious candidate as the prevailing thought is that if Trump can get him in there, without too much resistance, he will." In its comments to Axios, the administration played up Dunkin's other experience, saying he's "managed airline and corporate flight departments, certified airlines from start-up under FAA regulations, and oversaw the Trump presidential campaign's air fleet." Dunkin wrote at length about the challenges of managing Trump's campaign flights in a December article for Professional Pilot magazine. "I will never forget the day that Mr Trump, now the President, walked into the cockpit of his Boeing 757, sat down on the jump seat and said 'John, I am going to run for President,'" wrote Dunkin, who said that by the end of the campaign "we had visited 45 states, flown 370,725 miles, landed in 203 cities, operated 722 legs, burned over a million gallons of fuel and met some of the most incredible people along the way." Flying was just part of the job, however. "On every leg we cleaned 4 bathrooms, wiped down all the gold and wood, cleaned the seats, vacuumed the carpet, and re-stocked the snacks," he wrote. "We all had our designated tasks and worked in perfect harmony to get the job done." It didn't always go entirely smoothly, however: In April 2016, The New York Times revealed that Trump's Cessna had been ferrying him around to campaign stops for months even though its registration had lapsed in January. It's unclear whether Dunkin played any role in that error, which led to the jet being grounded temporarily. In February 2016, Trump's 757 - nicknamed Trump Force One - had to make an emergency landing in Nashville after the pilot aboard reported engine problems while the candidate was en route to a campaign stop in Arkansas. Trump has publicly said he thinks the top FAA job should go to a pilot. Obama-era Administrator Michael Huerta had previously been the FAA's deputy administrator, and before that held posts elsewhere in DOT, worked at port organizations for New York City and San Francisco, and been managing director of Salt Lake City's organizing committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics. "I think it maybe would be good to have a pilot, like a really good pilot who knows what's going on," Trump told a meeting of airline and airport executives a year ago. He added: "I would think you need a very sophisticated person in that job and somebody that, frankly, being a pilot would be helpful." Trump also praised "my pilot" - presumably Dunkin - during the same meeting, calling him "a real expert." And he portrayed the pilot as agreeing with him that the FAA has badly mismanaged a multibillion-dollar air traffic upgrade known as NextGen, a long-running project that aims to replace ground-based radar with a satellite-based system. "Because my pilot, he's a smart guy, and knows what's going on," said Trump, who would later cite NextGen as a reason for splitting up the FAA. "He said the government is using the wrong equipment and instituting a massive, multibillion-dollar project, but they're using the wrong type of equipment." The FAA - at the time still led by Huerta - immediately put out a news release implicitly contradicting Trump. "NextGen is one of the most ambitious infrastructure and modernization projects in U.S. history," the agency said, contending it "has resulted in $2.7 billion in benefits to passengers and the airlines to date." Huerta left the FAA last month after serving out his five-year term as administrator. Trump has had many more reasons over the years to be irked at the FAA. In 2015, shortly after he began his run for president with a swipe at Mexican immigrants, the FAA announced that it would be stripping Trump-themed names from three aerial navigation points near Palm Beach International Airport - "DONLD," "TRMMP" and "UFIRD" - in favor of more "noncontroversial" choices. Trump has also complained repeatedly over the decades about all the commercial jets that fly over his Palm Beach mansion from the nearby county-owned airport. Most recently he filed a $100 million lawsuit against the county in January 2015 in which he accused the airport director of "using his influence with the Federal Aviation Administration to get air traffic controllers to aim planes at Mar-a-Lago," The Palm Beach Post reported at the time. Trump claimed it was "revenge" for his previous litigation against the county. Trump's victory gave him a temporary win in that battle: The FAA forbids planes from flying over Mar-a-Lago while he's staying there. Like Dunkin, the other potential FAA nominees would fulfill Trump's demand for someone who has flown in a cockpit. Elwell, the agency's acting administrator, is a military and commercial pilot who was appointed deputy administrator in June. His resume includes stints at American Airlines, the Aerospace Industries Association and Airlines for America. He was the FAA's assistant administrator for policy, planning and environment in George W. Bush's administration. Of the names currently rumored to be on the short-list for administrator, Elwell seems to be most favored by the aviation industry. Graves, the Republican congressman from Missouri, is a pilot and long-time supporter of the general aviation industry. But he's also made it clear that he is seeking the House Transportation Committee chairmanship, now held by Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), who is retiring from Congress next year. A Graves spokeswoman said his office is "not aware that he is being considered" for the post. "However, I can see why folks may speculate that given his background," she said. Typically, FAA administrators have been aviation industry or federal government professionals, with patronage appointments few and far between in recent years. Huerta's immediate predecessor, Obama appointee Randy Babbitt, was a former airline pilot and executive in the Air Line Pilots Association, a major union for airline pilots. (Babbitt resigned from the FAA after being charged with drunken driving, but the charges were later dropped.) Babbitt replaced George W. Bush appointee Marion Blakey, who assumed the FAA's top post after stints at DOT, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. She replaced Jane Garvey, who had served at the Federal Highway Administration and as director of Boston's Logan International Airport. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/26/trump-pilot-faa-post-skepticism-366199 Back to Top 'Study now, pay later' as Cebu Pacific looks to train new pilots (Philippines) MANILA - The country's largest carrier Cebu Pacific on Monday said it is now accepting applications for the second batch of cadet-pilots under its "study now, pay later scheme." The airline will recruit 16 candidates for its 56-week Cebu Pacific Cadet Pilot Program, which includes a 52-week aviation course in Australia. Cadets will be sent to the Flight Training Adelaide campus in Australia where they will earn diplomas in aviation and then complete a 4-week training in Manila to obtain a pilot's license under the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Cebu pacific said. Successful candidates will get guaranteed employment with Cebu Pacific upon graduation while payment will be deducted from their salary at zero-interest for a maximum of 10 years, the airline said. "After completion of the program, the cadet-pilots become First Officers at Cebu Pacific, and join the corps of aviators at Cebu Pacific, flying domestic and international routes," the statement said. Filipino college graduates who are proficient in English and with passports valid for two years prior to the start of the program are eligible to apply. http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/02/26/18/study-now-pay-later-as-cebu-pacific-looks-to-train-new-pilots Back to Top Stratolaunch conducts high-speed taxi tests on giant carrier aircraft Last weekend, Stratolaunch Systems performed high-speed taxi tests of the world's largest aircraft by wingspan. The tests represent continued progress towards the maiden flight of the plane. The Stratolaunch carrier aircraft will serve as a mobile launch platform for rockets including Orbital ATK's Pegasus XL. Stratolaunch was founded in 2011 by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, with the goal of increasing access to Low Earth Orbit. The system uses an aircraft to launch rockets instead of the traditional launch pad. Air-launch comes with a few key advantages. For example, the launch vehicle has to fly through significantly less atmosphere. Also, weather delays are not as common, as the rocket is released from an altitude above most weather systems. Initially, Stratolaunch planned to work with SpaceX to develop a launch vehicle. The goal was to build a four or five engine variant of the Falcon rocket designed for air-launch. However, work between the companies ended in 2012, after SpaceX determined that too many modifications were required. As a result, Orbital Sciences (now Orbital ATK) was selected to replace SpaceX. Unlike SpaceX, Orbital already had a proven air-launch vehicle in the Pegasus - a rocket with 29 successful launches in a row. Orbital ATK's Stargazer carrier aircraft releases a Pegasus XL rocket carrying NASA's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System. Image by NASA. While Orbital ATK prepares to begin operations with Stratolaunch, the fate is unclear for launches from Orbital's Stargazer aircraft - the current carrier for Pegasus. There is only one Stargazer based launch remaining on the Pegasus manifest - the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) mission for NASA. Therefore, it is possible that all Pegasus missions will transition to Stratolaunch after ICON launches in 2018. Stratolaunch will carry the Pegasus from a carbon fiber aircraft designed by Scaled Composites - the same company that built WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) for Virgin Galactic. Like WK2, the Stratolaunch plane features a dual fuselage design. While both fuselages on the carrier have windows, the three-person crew will fly in the right fuselage. The left fuselage is not human rated and thus will only house electronics. The plane is propelled by six jet engines which have been salvaged from two 747s. Additional components from the 747s were also utilized, including landing gear, windows, avionics, and actuators. The Stratolaunch aircraft features three 747 jet engines on each side. Photo by Stratolaunch. The wingspan of the carrier aircraft is a world record breaking 385 feet (117 meters) - long enough for the Wright brothers to complete their historic flight three times. Additionally, it also makes the carrier wider than the Saturn V rocket is tall. In addition to the massive wingspan, Stratolaunch has a carrying capacity of 549,290 pounds (249,153 kilograms) and a 1,000 nautical mile mission radius. These metrics will enable up to three Pegasus rockets to be launched in a single flight. They also create the potential for larger launch vehicles to be launched from the aircraft, as the plane is not exclusively designed for Pegasus. A Stratolaunch visualization of their aircraft carrying three Pegasus rockets. In May 2017, the Stratolaunch plane rolled out of its hangar at the Mojave Air and Space Port for the first time to begin fuel tests. In the fall, Stratolaunch moved into stationary engine tests. These were incremental, with the engine's power gradually increasing over time. Around the same period, Stratolaunch also announced that it had conducted "prerequisite testing of the electrical, pneumatic, and fire detection systems." Finally, in December Stratolaunch capped off the year with a successful low-speed taxi test. During the taxi, the vehicle reached a top speed of 28 miles per hour (45 kilometers per hour) as it headed down the runway. Following the test, Aircraft Program Manager George Brugg stated, "This was another exciting milestone for our team and the program. Our crew was able to demonstrate ground directional control with nose gear steering, and our brake systems were exercised successfully on the runway. Our first low-speed taxi test is a very important step toward first flight." Last weekend, Sratolaunch kicked off 2018 with two days of additional taxi tests. Most notably, the tests included reaching the maximum taxi speed of 40 knots (46 miles per hour). According to Allen, these tests allowed the team to "verify control responses." After that, the path remains unclear. Stratolaunch likes to keep a low-profile in terms of scheduling. However, as of last year 2019 was the target for the first launch. During commercial operations, the aircraft will be capable of performing approximately one mission per week. Stratolaunch will primarily fly out of its base at the Mojave Air and Space Port. However, other airports can be utilized, as long as they can handle the large wingspan. Initially, Stratolaunch will carry one launch vehicle at a time. Flights with multiple rockets will occur once operations ramp up. Release will occur at approximately 35,000 feet (10,668 meters). https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/02/stratolaunch-high-speed-taxi-tests-carrier-aircraft/ Back to Top There's still time to book your place on our Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance course 19 - 23 Mar 2018 This course will provide you with in-depth knowledge of a wide range of human factors issues in aviation maintenance. You will also gain practical skills to manage human error, through the application of key theories and tools covered throughout the course. The challenges associated with practical application of currently-available safety tools are examined, together with the latest strategies to enhance understanding and management of maintenance error. Practical exercises will enable you to apply your knowledge and skills to real-life scenarios. By visiting Cranfield's B737-400 aircraft, you will have the opportunity to observe the specific features of the aircraft systems and understand the challenges faced by frontline operators. Groups are expected to conduct an investigation based on a specific maintenance error scenario by using well-known investigation tools and taxonomies such MEDA, HFACS etc. Key topics include: • The nature of the maintenance environment • Maintenance management • Designing for human factors • Human error management in maintenance The Cranfield Safety and Accident Investigation Centre (CSAIC) offers an extensive range of CPD programmes, which provide insight and knowledge to support accident investigators. We also provide safety and accident investigation consultancy services and would love to speak to you about your organisation's particular requirements. Read our blog: http://saiblog.cranfield.ac.uk/ Contact an advisor: shortcourse@cranfield.ac.uk T: +44 (0)1234 754189 Back to Top Incident: United B737 near Washington on Feb 18th 2018, dual autopilot failure A United Boeing 737-700, registration N29717 performing flight UA-1068 from Newark,NJ (USA) to Bogota (Colombia), was enroute at FL340 about 100nm eastsoutheast of Washington Dulles,DC (USA) when the crew descended the aircraft to FL280 out of RVSM airspace due to the failure of both autopilots. The aircraft initially continued towards Bogota, but about 30 minutes later turned aorund and diverted to Washington Dulles for a safe landing about 2 hours after leaving FL340. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N24702 reached Bogota with a delay of 3.5 hours. A passenger reported he noticed the aircraft descended to FL280 about 30 minutes into the flight. The flight attendants stopped cabin service and announced they were diverting to Washington, the flight crew was too busy to talk. Some time later the captain announced both autopilots had failed, the crew was in full command of the aircraft, however, protocol required them to divert to Washington. The aircraft burned off fuel with gear down, then landed still overweight. Emergency services checked the aircraft before the aircraft taxied to the apron. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL1068/history/20180218/2140Z/KEWR/SKBO http://avherald.com/h?article=4b521246&opt=256 Curt Lewis