Flight Safety Information March 21, 2018 - No. 058 In This Issue Incident: Frontier A320N near Las Vegas on Mar 20th 2018, navigation computer issue Incident: Fedex MD10 at Memphis on Mar 20th 2018, engine shut down in flight Incident: Nippon Cargo B748 at Tokyo on Mar 18th 2018, dropped panels in flight Incident: ANA Wings DH8D at Nakashibetsu on Mar 20th 2018, burst both right hand main tyres on landing Incident: Austral E190 near Posadas on Mar 20th 2018, smoke in cabin EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Russian authorities put Saratov Airlines on notice over safety issues Russia allows Azur Air to continue operations after it rectified safety shortcomings Eurocopter EC120B Colibri - Fatal Accident (Australia) ERA seeks increase to pilot retirement age First in the nation, drones to take flight at DFW Airport Lawmakers Address Bill To Boost Women's Aviation Careers How a Virus Spreads Through an Airplane Cabin Reports: Pratt & Whitney To Soon Resume Engine Deliveries In India Modelling the vortices in jet engines Scientists Narrow Down When China's Falling Space Station Will Burn Up in the Atmosphere ISASI -2018 - CALL FOR PAPERS RESEARCH SURVEY POSITION AVAILABLE: AVIATION OPERATIONS SAFETY SPECIALIST Incident: Frontier A320N near Las Vegas on Mar 20th 2018, navigation computer issue A Frontier Airlines Airbus A320-200N, registration N318FR performing flight F9-429 from Denver,CO to Reno,NV (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 280nm northnortheast of Las Vegas,NV (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Las Vegas due to a problem with one of the navigation computers. The aircraft landed safely in Las Vegas about 45 minutes later. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 3 hours, then continued the flight and is estimated to reach Reno with a delay of 4 hours. A passenger reported the captain announced a navigational glitch, they were diverting to Las Vegas. The aircraft continued with a new crew after one of the computers had been replaced. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/FFT429/history/20180320/1647Z/KDEN/KRNO http://avherald.com/h?article=4b653879&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Fedex MD10 at Memphis on Mar 20th 2018, engine shut down in flight A Fedex McDonnell Douglas MD-10, registration N372FE performing freight flight FX-1453 from Memphis,TN to New Orleans,LA (USA) with 2 crew, was climbing out of Memphis' runway 36L when the crew declared emergency reporting they had just "lost their #1 engine" (CF6, left hand) and wanted to return to Memphis. The aircraft stopped the climb at about 6000 feet and returned to Memphis for a safe landing on runway 36R about 20 minutes after departure. A replacement MD-11 registration N522FE reached New Orleans with a delay of about 2.5 hours. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/FDX1453/history/20180320/0825Z/KMEM/KMSY http://avherald.com/h?article=4b652b44&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Nippon Cargo B748 at Tokyo on Mar 18th 2018, dropped panels in flight A Nippon Cargo Airlines Boeing 747-800, registration JA11KZ performing flight KZ-89 (dep Mar 17th 2018) from Milan Malpensa (Italy) to Tokyo Narita (Japan), concluded a seemingly uneventful flight with a safe landing in Tokyo. The airline reported that two days earlier it had been discovered that a panel was missing from another B748, see Incident: Nippon Cargo B748 at Tokyo on Mar 16th 2018, dropped panel in flight, and initiated an inspection of all other same size aircraft. As result of the inspection of JA11KZ two panels (plastics, 0.05 by 0.013m, 0.005kg as well as plastics, 0.09 by 0.02m, 0.01kg) were found missing from the #2 engine cowl (GEnx, inboard left hand engine), in addition a screw was missing from the #3 engine (inboard right hand) cowl. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b652748&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: ANA Wings DH8D at Nakashibetsu on Mar 20th 2018, burst both right hand main tyres on landing An ANA Wings de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration JA461A performing flight NH-4881 from Sapporo to Nakashibetsu (Japan) with 35 passengers and 4 crew, burst both right hand main tyres while landing in Nakashibetsu and became disabled on the runway. The passengers disembarked onto the runway and were taken to the terminal. The aircraft was towed to the apron. The airport was closed for about 2 hours as result. A runway inspection found no anomaly of the runway surface. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b652483&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Austral E190 near Posadas on Mar 20th 2018, smoke in cabin An Austral Embraer ERJ-190 on behalf of Aerolineas Argentinas, registration LV-CHR performing flight AR-2714 from Buenos Aires Ezeiza,BA to Iguazu,MI (Argentina) with 68 people on board, was enroute at FL370 about 50nm southsouthwest of Posadas,MI (Argentina) when the crew reported smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to Posada where the aircraft landed safely about 20 minutes later. Argentina's JIAAC reported there were no injuries, investigators have been dispatched on site. The airline reported the flight crew received a smoke indication, cabin crew however did not see any smoke. The flight crew responded in accordance with security procedures and diverted the aircraft to Posadas. The passengers disembarked normally and are being bussed to Iguazu. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b650659&opt=256 Back to Top Back to Top Russian authorities put Saratov Airlines on notice over safety issues; ground airline's An-148 The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) decided to limit the validity of Saratov Airlines' Air Operator Certificate (AOC) until April 27, 2018 over safety issues. The authorities conducted an audit of the airline's operations following the February 11 fatal accident of one of the company's Antonov An-148 aircraft. Violations and inconsistencies were revealed in the airline's activities, causing the company to be put on notice. All comments must be addressed before April 27. Rosaviatsiya also sent a directive to the airline to suspend flights of their An-148 aircraft until the remarks and inconsistencies are fully addressed. https://news.aviation-safety.net/2018/03/20/russian-authorities-put-saratov-airlines-on-notice-over-safety-issues-and-suspend-the-airlines-antonov-an-148-operations/ Back to Top Russia allows Azur Air to continue operations after it rectified safety shortcomings The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) allowed Azur Air to continue operations after it rectified safety shortcomings. In the course of an inspection conducted by Rosaviatsiya in December 2017, the air carrier's activity revealed inconsistencies and shortcomings concerning the maintenance of airworthiness of aircraft and the organization of flight operations. On February the authority decided to limit the validity of the airline's Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to March 20, 2018. Rosaviatsiya conducted an inspection on 14-15 March and concluded that the safety issues had been resolved. Additionally, shareholders of Azur Air relieved the General Director of his post and newly appointed a Deputy Director General, a Head of Flight Safety and a Technical Director. And the airline made a principled decision to transfer the aircraft fleet from the Bermuda aircraft register, to the State Register of Civil Aircraft of the Russian Federation. https://news.aviation-safety.net/2018/03/21/russia-allows-azur-air-to-continue-operations-after-it-rectified-safety-shortcomings/ Back to Top Eurocopter EC120B Colibri - Fatal Accident (Australia) Date: 21-MAR-2018 Time: 16:15 LT Type: Eurocopter EC120B Colibri Owner/operator: Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 5 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Location: near Hardy Reef pontoon, off the Whitsunday islands, North Queensland - Australia Phase: Nature: Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: The helicopter crashed at sea 250 meters from remote Barrier Reef pontoon . 2 occupants died, 1 was seriouly injured, 2 others were slightly injured. A rescue Boat and helicopter are on the way. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=207951 Back to Top ERA seeks increase to pilot retirement age Regional airline lobby group European Regions Airline Association (ERA) wants to increase the pilot retirement age cap beyond 65, using case study work that is being performed by member carrier ASL Airlines Hungary. ASL Airlines Hungary is working with the Hungarian CAA and aircraft Hungarian aeromedical specialist Pharma Flight to collect data and benchmark the performance of older pilots. Once this data has been gathered, ASL Airlines Hungary and the Hungarian CAA plan to seek an exemption to employ active pilots over the age of 65 from European regulator EASA. ERA director general Montserrat Barriga said an exemption could potentially be secured within two years, compared with the lengthy five-year process needed for formal EASA rulemaking, setting a precedent for other airlines to follow. Barriga made the comments during a media briefing in London on March 20, suggesting this as a partial solution to the pilot shortage, which is a top concern for ERA's member airlines. While ASL Airlines Hungary is leading the process, Barriga said other ERA airlines have responded positively to the move. ERA president and ASL Airlines Hungary interim CEO Andrew Kelly said his airline has been in conversation with a Hungarian professor, who formerly headed the Hungarian CAA and is currently researching extensions to the pilot retirement age. "ASL Airlines Hungary has signed a cooperation with the Hungarian CAA. Under that, we have agreed to carry out tests on some of our pilots, who will wear monitors to measure medical data, like blood pressure, while flying. They will be various ages, including pilots who are 63 or 64, in their last couple of years of flying. We will cooperate on that and give the data to the CAA." Kelly added that Pharma Flight, which has a very large medical facility and operates Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 simulators, will contribute its specialist knowledge to the research. He said Pharma Flight will liaise with EASA on the research, measurements and data that it collects. "I had some pilots, who are 63 years of age and seem a lot fitter than I am, that did not want to give up flying in two years' time," Kelly said, explaining the rationale behind the project. He added that, to solve the skills crisis, solutions are needed at both ends of the spectrum by training new cadets and retaining older pilots in active operations. While ASL Airlines is specifically seeking the clearance to retain six pilots who are scheduled to retire around 2020, Kelly said: "We can lobby, support, drive and lead this for the sake of many members." He added the Hungarian CAA has already done some work on pilot retirement ages and EASA has also put out a tender for further research. http://atwonline.com/labor/era-seeks-increase-pilot-retirement-age Back to Top First in the nation, drones to take flight at DFW Airport DFW Airport first responders have received special approval from the federal government to operate drones directly over the airfield. DALLAS -- DFW Airport first responders have received special approval from the federal government to operate drones directly over the airfield. "The last thing that we want to do is have any kind of air collision with anything," said Garret Bryl of the North Texas USA Response Team. Bryl consulted with DFW Police and Fire as they worked to convince the Federal Aviation Administration and DFW Airport Operations on the benefit of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) could bring to public safety. "We spent several hours out here just running scenarios to see would these things work here," Bryl said. Bryl and his team produced a video as a proof of concept. In the video presented to airport operations staff, they show the zoom capabilities of drone cameras and utilize infrared technology to show engine hot spots on a running aircraft. It's not just on the tarmac. With a small drone, they can navigate the terminal, finding what could be a bomb threat. "Police and fire on the airport, they want to be able to use this technology to their advantage as well -- what this does is open the door for other airports that want to use this to their advantage to keep everyone safer," Bryl said. Late last month, the FAA approved drone operations by DFW Police and Fire below 50 feet provided the drone pilot maintains two-way communication with the control tower. Officials aren't saying how many drones are in their fleet or what type of aircraft they're operating, but WFAA confirmed they've been cleared to fly immediately. The message to everyone else with a drone is to stay away from the airport per FAA regulations. Hobbyist must remain five miles from any airport. http://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/first-in-the-nation-drones-to-take-flight-at-dfw-airport/287-529986450 Back to Top Lawmakers Address Bill To Boost Women's Aviation Careers The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee tomorrow is set to consider a bill designed to bolster careers for women in the aviation industry. The bill, Promoting Women in the Aviation Workforce Act (H.R. 4673), would create a Women in Aviation Advisory Board to support organizations and programs that provide education, training, mentorship, and recruitment of women in the aviation industry. Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-Connecticut) introduced the bill late last year, and the legislation has picked up 17 co-sponsors. Noting that women are significantly underrepresented in the aviation industry, Esty, in introducing the bill, said that the legislation "continues the important work of encouraging more people-and especially women-to consider careers in the high-skill field of aerospace. At a time when nearly a fifth of our aerospace engineers are able to consider retiring, we need to elevate the initiatives happening in the private sector to encourage women to join this important sector of the workforce." The bill is similar to legislation introduced in December by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and is one of a growing number of efforts to foster women's careers in aviation. In December the House approved by a vote of 409-17 the Women in Aerospace Act, designed to further open fellowship and grant opportunities to women. NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen endorsed the efforts, commending lawmakers for "recognizing the need for women to have greater representation in aviation, and taking this step to address the challenge." The House panel will consider the bill on the eve of the opening of the 29th Annual International Women in Aviation Conference in Reno, Nevada. That conference, to be held from March 22 to 24, will feature sessions designed to mentor women seeking to advance their careers in aviation, including a series of planned hiring briefings from operators and manufacturers. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-03-20/lawmakers-address-bill-boost-womens-aviation-careers Back to Top How a Virus Spreads Through an Airplane Cabin Traveling by plane greatly increases our chances of getting sick, or so many of us are wont to believe. To be fair, it's not uncommon to come down with a nasty illness after we return from a vacation or business trip. But is flying the culprit? The latest research suggests the answer is no-but much of it depends on where we sit. New research published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that airline passengers infected with influenza-a disease that spreads through the air-aren't likely to infect other passengers who sit more than two seats to the left or right, or more than two seats in front or back. In other words, your chances of contracting the flu from an infected passenger are slim-unless you're sitting within about three feet (one meter) of them. Given that three billion of us fly annually, combined with the popular conception that we often contract diseases inflight, it's surprising to learn that very few studies have looked into this issue in detail. Tracking the spread of viruses on planes, it seems, isn't easy. Tools like video cameras, RFID tags, ultrasound, infrared, and other technologies normally used to track human movements cannot be used in an airplane cabin during flight for safety and privacy concerns, frustrating efforts to study transmission patterns of disease on flights. "As far as we know, nobody had any quantitative understandings of the movements, behaviors or social contacts between individuals during flight. We also haven't seen any studies of testing cabin air and swabs of surfaces for respiratory viruses," Howard Weiss, Georgia Institute of Technology mathematician and co-author of the new study, told Gizmodo. Where you sit on a plane determines how often you get up and move around, new research suggests. To study how infectious diseases might spread during flights, Weiss, along with co-author Vicki Stover Hertzberg from the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, devised and tested a new observational technique which used paired observers (members of the research team) seated every five rows, each using an iPad app, and later aggregating these local "zone-by-zone" observations to chronicle all movements of passengers and crew within an airplane cabin. "We are proud of the success of this method," said Weiss. Armed with this protocol, the research team tracked the movement patterns of passengers and crew in single-aisle aircraft over the course of 10 intercontinental flights, eight of which took to the skies during flu season. For the purposes of this study, the researchers were primarily concerned with influenza, a respiratory infection which spreads via droplets (aerosols) through the air. Using this data, Weiss and Stover Hertzberg developed a model that allowed them to determine likelihood of infection during flights; importantly, the researchers did not track the spread of the flu per se, instead using pre-established models of influenza transmission. In addition to recording the movements of passengers and crew, the team also collected air and surface samples from areas most likely to host microbes. "This was the first study to quantify passenger movement, behaviors, and social contacts and to estimate transmission likelihood using a data-driven model," Weiss told Gizmodo. "The simulations provide compelling evidence that for influenza, if you are not seated within a meter of an infected passenger, and you practice careful hand hygiene, then you are unlikely to get infected during flight." In the new study, the authors used the example of an infected person sitting in the middle of the plane. According to their computer models, passengers who sat in the row directly in front or behind, or within two seats laterally (to the left and right), had an 80 percent or greater chance of becoming infected. But for everyone else, that number dropped all the way down to 3 percent. As for an infectious crewmember, they have the potential to infect an average of 4.6 passengers per flight, according to the new model. Interestingly, of the 229 environmental samples taken on the flights, not a single sample contained traces of 18 common respiratory viruses. Planes, it would seem, aren't the cesspool of germs we often make them out to be (still, be sure to wash your hands). The study was also interesting in what it revealed about seat designations and passenger movement, which is important because the more a passenger moves around a plane, the greater chance they have to come into contact with germs; or if they're infected, the more chances they have to spread the germs. Approximately 40 percent of passengers never leave their seats during transcontinental flights (which tend to be on the short side), another 40 percent get up at least once, and 20 percent get up two or more times. About 40 percent of passengers who sit next to the window will get up, compared to 60 percent in a middle seat and 80 percent with an aisle seat. Passengers who got up did so for an average of five minutes. So the rate of disease transmission is low, at least on short flights and on planes with a single, central aisle. But if this is the case, why do we seem to get sick so often when we travel? "Some transmissions may have occurred while waiting in the airport, while boarding, or while deplaning," write the authors in the study. "Alternatively, some passengers may have been infected by other sources before or after the flight. Three of the five flights in these case reports range from 9.5 to 14 [hours], providing many more opportunities for transmission." "This is a helpful study," Allison McGeer, a microbiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, told Gizmodo. "The risk calculations, however, are based on modelling and assumptions about droplet spread, which-as the authors point out-may not be realistic." Fair point. No data was collected over the course of this research to show influenza or any other disease actually spreading from passenger to passenger. "The study is a bit limited because they had no positive samples, making it difficult to know whether their transmission model accurately reflects real life," echoed Jason Burnham, an infectious diseases expert at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "The authors [also] state that sick crew members are unlikely to come to work, but we know from the healthcare industry that this is not always true. They also state that sick crew members would likely take cough suppressants, thereby minimizing disease spread. However, generally speaking cough suppressants do not work well. In addition, there was a recent study showing that just breathing can spread virus, [and that] people do not have to cough for viruses to spread," he told Gizmodo. Edsel Maurice Salvaņa, a molecular biologist at the National Institutes of Health at the University of the Philippines Manila, said the new study is important because we need to better understand how people get sick when they fly, and if they are sick, how they transmit the virus that is causing their illness. "The study team did a good job with mapping patient movements and going the extra step of testing for a panel of 18 respiratory viruses using highly sensitive nucleic acid testing," Salvaņa told Gizmodo. "This study was limited to flights that ran between two to five hours. It is also limited in that they were only looking at respiratory viruses such as influenza, which, despite the name, is transmitted through droplets within a one meter radius. It did not simulate more contagious viruses and bacteria like chicken pox, measles and tuberculosis which spread over bigger distances." All three of the outside experts we spoke to said this latest research shouldn't affect the average person's desire to fly on an airplane. As the new model suggests, and its many limitations aside, the risk of transmission appears to be low. "However, for patients with any immunocompromising condition, airplane travel during cold and flu season should be taken on with caution," said Burnham. "If they have to travel, they might want to wear a surgical mask to protect themselves. Everyone should get their influenza vaccination every year as it reduces the risk of contracting influenza, dying from influenza, and protects people who cannot get the influenza vaccination from getting the flu due to herd immunity." Burnham says this study should encourage people who are ill-both passengers and crew-to stay home when they are ill. In addition to wearing a surgical mask, "everyone should wash their hands," he said. "It is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from illness." https://gizmodo.com/how-a-virus-spreads-through-an-airplane-cabin-1823890231 Back to Top Reports: Pratt & Whitney To Soon Resume Engine Deliveries In India Pratt & Whitney will soon begin deliveries of spare engines to India's IndiGo airline that grounded eight of its Airbus A320neo aircraft last week after engine problems. The East Hartford-based jet engine subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. will deliver two engines Wednesday and the remaining within the next 40 days, Reuters and Bloomberg News reported, citing unidentified sources. Bloomberg reported that Pratt & Whitney will provide spare engines for all grounded Airbus SE A320neo aircraft at IndiGo. The first delivery is scheduled for Wednesday, Bloomberg said, quoting unidentified sources. Eleven aircraft were grounded last week, complying with an order from India's air-safety regulator. Hundreds of flights were canceled. Pratt & Whitney did not comment beyond what Robert Leduc, president of the jet engine maker, said last Friday at a meeting with industry analysts. The IndiGo fleet will be flying again by the end of April, Pratt & Whitney will retrofit and rework the 55 engines it has previously shipped to Airbus and it will make its full-year production commitment to Airbus, he said. IndiGo said Tuesday it had canceled between 35 and 45 flights a day, or 3 percent of its schedule, Reuters reported. Pratt planned to replace defective components by June for the latest snag caused by the so-called knife-edge compressor, requiring some planes to fly with one affected engine for almost three more months, Bloomberg reported. The company proposed a fix that would see at least one engine with an older seal reinstated on planes while it worked on a more permanent solution. India rejected that proposal, but the European Aviation Safety Agency, the primary regulator for Airbus, said again the jets are safe if they have a single affected turbine, Bloomberg reported. Pratt & Whitney has a backlog of 8,000 jet engines, promising tremendous profitability for years to come. But problems with production of the engine, involving a fan blade and seals, make it more difficult for UTC to persuade customers that the engine is trouble-free. The most recent problem with Pratt & Whitney's geared turbo fan engine occurred in February when a faulty seal on a compressor forced Airbus to suspend delivery of its A320neo jet on IndiGo. http://www.courant.com/business/hc-biz-pratt-engines-india-20180320-story.html Back to Top Modelling the vortices in jet engines Supersonic jet physics is hellishly complicated, but Chinese researchers are making gains in understanding it. Andrew Masterson reports. Illustrations showing the modelling of forces operating within a jet engine at supersonic speed. The physics of jet engines becomes significantly more complicated at supersonic speeds, presenting serious challenges for designers and engineers. Now, however, the task of understanding the complexities of the relationships between airflow, temperature and fuel has become a little clearer thanks to modelling work done by researchers led by Zhaoxin Ren of China's Northwestern Polytechnical University. At slowish speeds, jet engine functions are reasonably simple. Optimum performance arises from adjusting the airflow in order to increase temperature and pressure. This permits the ideal level of combustion: burning the right ratio of fuel and air produces appropriate energy to overcome drag and produce acceleration. At supersonic speeds above Mach 1, and especially at the super-high speeds achieved by modern scramjet technologies, the picture becomes much more complex. Gravity and drag are joined by supersonic shockwaves. The combination affects the development of the dynamic features created by turbulent flow - whirling masses of air called vortices - that in turn multiply the possible behaviours of all the particles within the system. The result is a very large number of variables, including things such as the mass fuel load, the intensity of shockwaves and the reflective properties of metal casings, all of which can affect the efficiency of the engines. Real-world analysis of all these possible permutations is by its nature a long, loud and expensive business. In an attempt to truncate the process, therefore, Ren and his colleagues turned to computer modelling. Using a combination of custom-made simulation codes and an approach to mapping two-phase flows in continuum mechanics known as the Eulerian-Lagrangian method. Despite the current and increasing importance of supersonic scramjet engines, the research comprised the first time such modelling had been attempted. "Currently, no commercial software can simulate the supersonic combustion problem because it requires high-order numerical schemes to compute supersonic flows with complicated evolved shocks, as well as corrected models to describe the droplet dynamics, both of which we carefully consider in our in-house simulation codes," says co-author Bing Wang. "Direct numerical simulation can capture the full scales of flows involved in the shock-vortex interaction." The results of the exercise provide unparalleled detail for understanding induced combustion modes and the behaviour of refracted waves combined with chemical refractions. The findings will help inform new engine designs. "The scramjet engine is the most favourable option for high-speed flight at Mach 6 or more," adds Wang. "Understanding the complicated physical mechanism of supersonic combustion and the impact of incident shock waves could help engineers choose the best combination of mixing and combustion through installing movable components in the combustor." The research is published in the journal Physics of Fluids. https://cosmosmagazine.com/physics/modelling-the-vortices-in-jet-engines Back to Top Scientists Narrow Down When China's Falling Space Station Will Burn Up in the Atmosphere Tiangong-1 started falling in 2016, but now we've got a date for its destruction-give or take a few days. China's Tiangong-1 space station has been in a pretty precarious position for the past several months. The defunct station was decommissioned and deorbited as it was replaced by the newer Tiangong-2, but seeing as how China appears to have lost control of the station in late 2016, nobody knows for sure when the station is going to reenter the atmosphere, or where it will land. As the station continues to drop ever lower in its orbit, it becomes easier to predict its reentry date. In early March scientists knew enough to pinpoint the reentry date at somewhere near the end of the month, and now better data has given us an even more accurate estimate: March 31, plus or minus a few days. But if predicting when Tiangong-1 will come down is hard, predicting where it will reenter is pretty much impossible. The station orbits the Earth several times per day, which means even a few minutes is enough time to bring the station over a completely different part of the planet. In effect, this means we won't know where the station is going to come down even right before it happens. Fortunately there's almost no chance that any part of the station will reach the ground and even if some parts of the station don't completely burn up in the atmosphere, most of the Earth is ocean. There's an extremely small chance a single piece of the satellite will ever hit land, let alone you specifically. However, if Tiangong-1 does enter the atmosphere near you, it will produce a pretty spectacular fireball. It might be worth keeping an eye on the status of the space station over the next few weeks, on the off chance that it comes down over your head. It won't hurt, but it should be a pretty amazing show. https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/satellites/a19494178/china-space-station-reentry-date-march-31/ RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Participants, You are being asked to participate in a research study of your opinions of criminalization in aviation accidents. This study is expected to take approximately 10 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must be at least 18 years old and a certified pilot. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you may choose to opt out of the study at any time. If you choose to opt out, your data will be immediately destroyed. We appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJKwrq6VG_2gRwoXEs7PLRIBBVQ48-d9k75CDD_Yyh6wlk0g/viewform?usp=sf_link For more information, please contact: Dr. Scott R. Winter winte25e@erau.edu We appreciate your interest and participation! Back to Top Position Reporting to the Executive Director, this individual works with air carriers to guide them through designing and implementing aviation safety management programs in accordance with Medallion standards under the Shield ProgramŪ. This specialist should have a broad working knowledge of part 121 and part 135 aviation practices and the general principles of aviation safety management system, a working knowledge of the FARs and good customer relation skills. The position is based in Alaska and requires some travel. The ideal candidate will also serve as the ASAP Facilitator. We manage all of the administrative aspects of the ASAP MOU with over 15 carriers. Applicants with previous part 119 credentials or recent FAA ASI background are strongly encouraged to apply Duties Guide development of documentation to support Medallion Shield programs Perform on-site visits to ensure basic compliance with an aviation operator's Medallion safety programs Interface with Medallion staff and Auditors on progress of programs and deficiencies Work with Medallion Auditors and operators to develop corrective action plans Develop and conduct classroom training in support of the Shield program Keep Medallion database up to date with customer information Other duties as assigned to support other Medallion programs and initiatives Job can be tailored to Part-time or Full-time Qualifications 10 Year Aviation preferred 5 years' experience in aviation safety Understand and apply general principles of aviation safety management systems Must have excellent communication skills and be able to interact with a wide variety of people Have basic computer skills Must have no travel restrictions Able to work with minimal supervision Must be able to lead people and accept responsibility Knowledge and understanding of the Federal Aviation Regulations Experience working with certificated aviation businesses Familiarity with Medallion Shield Program a plus Working knowledge of Safety Management System concepts Class Room Training as an Instructor Medallion is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Contact - info@medallionfoundation.org Curt Lewis