Flight Safety Information April 17, 2018 - No. 077 In This Issue Incident: British Airways A319 at London on Apr 16th 2018, nose gear shock absorber fault Incident: Qantas A332 near Brisbane on Apr 15th 2018, loss of thrust Cessna 550 Citation Bravo hits Challenger 605 jet while taxiing on the ramp at Winnipeg Airport Pilot killed in Cessna 525 CitationJet accident near Crozet, Virginia NTSB takes over Crozet plane crash investigation 'Flight Deck LIBIK - Lithium-Ion Battery Incident Kit OMMENT PERIOD OPEN ON AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN ACS GA Pilots Need Better Weather Info, Study Finds PILOTS ALLOWED 'LADY FRIEND' INTO COCKPIT, IGNORED FLYING SUSPENSION: REPORT Senators demand information about FAA's handling of safety measures at Allegiant Air CAAB to receive ICAO certificate for progress in safety standards (Bangladesh) FAA To Lower Some Rolls-powered 787s' ETOPS Limits Will new standing-up airplane seat design take off? PAL to take 21 new aircraft by 2019, eyes secondary hub growth Stratolaunch planning first aircraft flight this summer Safety Operating Systems Air Safety Investigation Professional Education Course TU Delft University RESEARCH SURVEY - I RESEARCH SURVEY - II GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 1 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 2 Incident: British Airways A319 at London on Apr 16th 2018, nose gear shock absorber fault A British Airways Airbus A319-100, registration G-EUPU performing flight BA-766 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Oslo (Norway), was in the initial climb out of Heathrow's runway 27L when the crew received a nose landing gear shock absorber fault, stopped the climb at FL060 and decided to return to Heathrow. ATC subsequently informed other aircraft of an ongoing emergency involving flight control problems, the arrivals had to expect 5 to 10 minutes delay. The A319 positioned for an approach to runway 27R, landed safely about 30 minutes after departure and vacated the runway. According to information The Aviation Herald received both nose landing gear proximity sensors 24GA on LGCIU 1 and 25GA on LGCIU 2 showed a fault. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b767edb&opt=256 Back to Top Incident: Qantas A332 near Brisbane on Apr 15th 2018, loss of thrust A Qantas Airbus A330-200, registration VH-EBR performing flight QF-123 from Brisbane,QL (Australia) to Auckland (New Zealand) with 258 people on board, was climbing out of Brisbane's runway 19 when the crew declared PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN reporting they had a problem on the #1 engine (CF6, left hand) subsequently detailing there was possible damage on the engine. The crew decided to return to Brisbane for a safe landing on runway 01 about 40 minutes after departure. A replacement A330-200 registration VH-EBM reached Auckland with a delay of 3 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 31 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b766bd8&opt=256 Back to Top Cessna 550 Citation Bravo hits Challenger 605 jet while taxiing on the ramp at Winnipeg Airport, Canada Status: Preliminary - official Date: Sunday 15 April 2018 Time: 16:10 Type: Cessna 550 Citation Bravo Operator: David K. Gifford Registration: N4AT C/n / msn: 550-0805 First flight: 1997 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW530A Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Winnipeg-James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, MB (YWG) ( Canada) Phase: Taxi (TXI) Nature: Private Departure airport: Winnipeg-James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, MB (YWG/CYWG), Canada Destination airport: Bedford-Hanscom Field, MA (BED/KBED), United States of America Narrative: A privately registered Cessna 550 Citation Bravo aircraft, N4AT, was conducting a flight from Winnipeg International Airport, Canada to Bedford, Massachusetts, USA. After starting the engines on Apron II while under the guidance of a ground marshaller, N4AT began to taxi for the departure. During the initial turn from the parking area, aircraft control was lost and N4AT's right wing collided with the nose gear of C-FXWT, a Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 605 aircraft, which was parked. The pilot of N4AT subsequently shutdown the aircraft and exited with the passenger without injuries. The right wing of N4AT was substantially damaged, causing a fuel leak on the apron. The left wing of C-FXWT was also damaged in the collision by the nose of N4AT. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20180415-2 Back to Top Pilot killed in Cessna 525 CitationJet accident near Crozet, Virginia, USA Status: Preliminary Date: Sunday 15 April 2018 Time: ca 21:00 Type: Cessna 525 CitationJet Operator: Augusta Aviation Registration: N525P C/n / msn: 525-0165 First flight: 1996 Crew: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Airplane damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: NW of Crozet, VA ( United States of America) Phase: Unknown (UNK) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: ? Destination airport: ? Narrative: The aircraft hit a celltower and impacted mountainous terrain in Albemarle County, northwest of Crozet, Virginia. A fire ensued. The pilot and sole occupant died in the crash. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20180415-1 Back to Top NTSB takes over Crozet plane crash investigation ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are now investigating the crash of a small plane on a mountainside in western Albemarle County. The 1996 fixed-wing, twin-engine Cessna crashed at around 9 p.m. on Sunday along Saddle Hollow Road in Crozet, igniting a brush fire and killing the sole occupant of the plane. The victim's identity has not been released by Virginia State Police pending formal identification and notification of family. The crash site is remote and steep, and the heavy rain on Sunday resulted in ruts and runoff along the steep gravel drive that leads up to the wooded site. NTSB investigators arrived shortly before noon Monday to begin combing through a wreckage field that spread across a field. A vehicle with medical examiner tags arrived in the early afternoon. NTSB Air Safety Investigator Heidi Kemner said it was too early to conclude what path the plane was flying when it went down or what caused the crash. "Right now, I'm focused on documenting the accident site and photographing all the evidence, tree breaks, impact marks, things like that," she said. "Then I'll take that evidence back and I'll write the preliminary report." She said the NTSB is also collecting weather and radar data from the time of the crash. A preliminary report will be complete in 10 days. A final report, she said, could take up to two years. http://www.newsplex.com/content/news/NTSB-takes-over-plane-crash-investigation-479918473.html Back to Top Back to Top COMMENT PERIOD OPEN ON AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN ACS The FAA is continuing to replace its practical test standards publications with modernized airman certification standards (ACS), and has published a new draft set of certification standards for aviation maintenance technician (AMT) applicants. The Federal Aviation Administration is one of the many government agencies that have influence over general aviation. Photo by David Tulis. The draft AMT ACS may be reviewed on the Airman Testing page of the FAA website. Public comments will be accepted until May 31. "The industry-developed draft combines the General, Airframe, and Powerplant standards into one combined standard, using the same framework that the AOPA-chaired aviation rulemaking advisory committee's ACS working group developed for the pilot standards that are now in use," said David Oord, AOPA senior director of regulatory affairs. AOPA encourages members to review the draft and to email their comments to the FAA by May 31. As was the case when the ACS volumes that have already been approved were being drafted, the working group found that test material for AMT applicants had become dated, and sometimes irrelevant, leading applicants to prepare for exams "disconnected from the real skills and knowledge required for safe maintenance of today's equipment," Oord said. Like the other volumes now in use, the AMT ACS is an "enhanced" version of the PTS, connecting test standards to guidance and test questions, and providing a single set of standards for the AMT airman knowledge, oral, and practical tests. The ACS informs applicants, instructors, and evaluators what aeronautical knowledge the FAA expects AMT applicants to have, and how their aeronautical decision-making and proficiency will be examined. "Testing under the ACS remains comparable to the superseded PTS in terms of difficulty, time, and information required, but we've witnessed better prepared applicants because they clearly understand what they need to know, consider, and do for a particular certificate or rating," Oord said. The first ACS volumes took effect in June 2016 for the Private Pilot-Airplane certificate, and the Instrument-Airplane rating. Revised versions took effect in June 2017, as did the first ACS for the Commercial Pilot Airplane certificate. The FAA, working through the ARAC working group, plans eventually to replace PTS with ACS for all aircraft categories and classes. The initial ACS for the Remote Pilot Certificate took effect on August 29, 2016. Work on the airline transport pilot (ATP), instructor, and rotorcraft/powered-lift ACS volumes is in progress, along with finalizing the draft AMT ACS, once comments are reviewed and incorporated. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2018/april/11/comment-period-open-on-aviation-maintenance-technician-acs Back to Top GA Pilots Need Better Weather Info, Study Finds General-aviation pilots are not excelling when it comes to understanding weather information that's critical to flight safety, according to a recent study conducted at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The researchers tested 204 GA pilots to measure their ability to interpret weather information from various sources, including radar displays and written reports. The pilots correctly answered only about 58 percent of the questions. Pilot training is part of the problem, but according to researcher Elizabeth Blickensderfer, weather displays and reports that are difficult to interpret also contribute to the poor performance. "We have to improve how weather information is displayed so that pilots can easily and quickly interpret it," she said. "At the same time, of course, we can fine-tune pilot assessments to promote learning and inform training." As an example, Blickensderfer said, respondents were prompted to choose the correct interpretation of METAR (Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report) information, for example: "CB DSNT N MOV N." Pilots also were asked to interpret a ground-based radar cockpit display, which shows only recent thunderstorm activity - not current conditions. The test also asked pilots to look at an infrared (color) satellite image and determine where the highest-altitude clouds would most likely be found. Commercial pilots with instrument ratings scored highest, with an average of 65 percent; instrument-rated private pilots ranked second, at 62 percent, and non-instrument-rated private pilots scored 57 percent. https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/GA-Pilots-Need-Better-Weather-Info-Study-Finds-230682-1.html Back to Top PILOTS ALLOWED 'LADY FRIEND' INTO COCKPIT, IGNORED FLYING SUSPENSION: REPORT Jet Airways apologized after allowing two suspended pilots to fly, and chalked the error up to an "administrative oversight." The directorate general of civil aviation had suspended the two pilots for allowing a woman to ride in the cockpit of a flight from Goa, India, to Mumbai-about an hour and a half flight-on January 8, India Times reported. When the extra passenger, referred to as a "lady friend" in the report, was discovered by the pilots' superiors, the pilots were grounded, meaning they weren't supposed to fly commercially or during some training sessions. But according to the directorate general of civil aviation, the two ignored parts of their grounding period and suspension after Jet Airways asked them to fly again. In a statement, the airline said it had resolved the issue and conceded that neither pilot should have been asked to fly. "An administrative oversight led to a Jet Airways pilot, currently off flying duties, being assigned a training flight after completing a ground training session," an airline spokesman told the outlet. "The company has proactively reported the event to the DGCA and has already fixed the gap in the assignment process, to prevent its reoccurrence, following an internal investigation." The airline didn't provide any additional details. Jet Airways is the second largest airline in India and operates more than 300 flights every day. The company last made international headlines in early January, when a male pilot allegedly slapped a female copilot during a flight from London to Mumbai. Keep Up With This Story And More By Subscribing Now The airline confirmed that an incident had occurred inside one of its planes, but declined to elaborate on the "misunderstanding" to the BBC. "At Jet Airways, safety of guests, crew and assets is of paramount importance," said the spokesperson at the time. http://www.newsweek.com/pilots-ignored-suspension-flew-allowed-woman-cockpit-887905 Back to Top Senators demand information about FAA's handling of safety measures at Allegiant Air WASHINGTON - Three Democratic members of the Senate panel that oversees airlines called Monday for more information about how the Federal Aviation Administration handled safety concerns at Allegiant Air. The CBS program 60 Minutes reported Sunday that Allegiant had more than 100 mechanical issues from January 2016 to October 2017. But FAA officials have said they are vigilant monitoring safety efforts at all airlines, and found no systemic problems at Allegiant. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., asked the Transportation Department's inspector general to investigate FAA's handling of safety issues at the airline. "The traveling public deserves to know whether the FAA is conducting thorough safety oversight of Allegiant," wrote Nelson, the top Democrat on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. "Anything less could lead to disastrous consequences." Two other members of the committee, Sens. Edward Markey, D-Mass. and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also wrote to FAA demanding an explanation of how it enforces safety policies. "Despite Allegiant's high number of significant and repeated mechanical incidents, the investigation alleged the Federal Aviation Administration has not brought a single enforcement action against the company in three years," Markey and Blumenthal wrote. The FAA wrote a letter April 11 to CBS News explaining its oversight of Allegiant and noting that there have been no fatal crashes of U.S. passenger airlines since 2009. Because of pilot-labor issues in 2015, FAA moved up Allegiant's 2018 evaluation for its certificate to fly passengers to 2016. The review didn't find "any systemic safety or regulatory problems," although it did identify "a number of less serious issues, which Allegiant addressed." "The FAA is vigilant in scrutinizing the operations of all airlines and is prepared to act on new information brought to its attention from data, from inspectors' observations and findings, and from any reliable source about any carrier at any time," said the letter from Ali Bahrami, FAA associate administrator for aviation safety. Allegiant's vice president of operations, Capt. Eric Gust, issued a statement after the program that said the story was outdated and shows a "troubling misunderstanding" of the Federal Aviation Administration's safety oversight of airlines. "I want to tell you personally that I am outraged and astounded by the irresponsible, grossly misleading story aired by CBS 60 minutes," Gust said in a statement to customers. "To you, a member of our Allegiant family of travelers, I want to be very clear: safety is at the core of every aspect of our operation, every day." John Duncan, executive director of FAA's flight standards service, told 60 Minutes that the agency was satisfied with steps Allegiant took to remedy its mechanical problems. Allegiant's stock price fell 3% to about $146 Monday. The airline is an ultra-low-cost carrier based in Las Vegas with 99 planes flying to 120 destinations. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2018/04/16/senator-dot-inspector-general-should-investigate-faa-handling-allegiant-air/522204002/ Back to Top CAAB to receive ICAO certificate for progress in safety standards (Bangladesh) Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh will receive 'ICAO Council President Certificate' from International Civil Aviation Organization in recognition of implementing 75 percent of progress in optimising safety standards. The achievement crossed the global average of 60 percent making a 15 percent additional significant progress in optimising safety standards in Bangladesh, says a CAAB release. ICAO conducted a validation mission in Bangladesh in September 2017. This achievement will boost the aviation sector. Moreover, this will also facilitate Bangladesh to operate direct flight in between USA and Bangladesh in the near future which is a pledge of the government. A Category 1 rating by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) means that the state civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards. In 2012, CAAB was assessed as Category 2 rating by the FAA under the International Aviation Safety Assessment program (IASA). The purpose of the IASA program is to ensure that all foreign air carriers operating to and from the United States are properly licensed and with an appropriate safety oversight provided by a competent Civil Aviation Authority of the state pursuant to ICAO safety standards. The FAA conducted a Technical Review of the Safety Oversight provided by CAAB in February 2018. In its report, FAA has highlighted Bangladesh's effort as: "Bangladesh has taken significant steps towards developing and implementing an effective safety oversight system that meets ICAO requirements." The report adds: "The CAAB is to be commended for its continued commitment to the necessary corrective actions toward providing and sustaining an effective safety oversight system." Bangladesh will be evaluated through two more Technical Reviews by FAA Teams before the final assessment for attaining a Category 1 status is made. https://www.thedailystar.net/country/civil-aviation-authority-of-bangladesh-receive-icao-certificate-for-progress-in-safety-standards-1563247 Back to Top FAA To Lower Some Rolls-powered 787s' ETOPS Limits The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will publish an Advisory Directive on April 17 calling for a reduction of ETOPS (extended twin engine operations) limits for Boeing 787-8s and 787-9s powered by certain Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 turbofans from 330 to 140 minutes. The order follows reports from Rolls that prolonged operation at high thrust settings might result in an engine failure before completion of a diversion to an alternate airport. The posting on the Federal Register's public inspection page covers Package C engines, which have suffered several failures over the past year due to premature wear in their intermediate-pressure compressor and turbine blades and seals. Boeing reported to the FAA that Rolls-Royce recently determined that airflow conditions existing in the engine during operation at high thrust settings under certain temperature and altitude conditions excite resonant frequency in the intermediate pressure compressor (IPC) stage 2 blades. The resulting blade vibration can result in cumulative fatigue damage that can cause blade failure and consequent engine shutdown. In the event of a single engine in-flight shutdown during the cruise phase of flight, flight crew normally increase power to maximum continuous thrust on the remaining engine. During a diversion following a single engine shutdown under an ETOPS flight, the remaining engine might operate at MCT for a prolonged period, exposing the IPC stage 2 blades to the resonant frequency condition. Therefore, an ETOPS diversion will put the remaining engine at an operating condition that would significantly increase the likelihood of failure of the remaining engine, said the FAA. Furthermore, it added, if the remaining engine already had cracked IPC stage 2 blades, the likelihood of the remaining engine failing would increase during a diversion. The FAA estimates that the ruling will affect 14 airplanes under U.S. registry. Rolls-Royce reports that, globally, 380 Package C engines operate in service, while Boeing estimates that they power some 25 percent of all 787s in operation. The FAA's planned publication of the order follows an April 16 AD from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) that calls for more frequent inspections of Package C Trent 1000s. That order came three days after Rolls-Royce reported that it had advised operators of the need for further inspections. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2018-04-16/faa-lower-some-rolls-powered-787s-etops-limits Back to Top Will new standing-up airplane seat design take off? (CNN) - Fed up with limited leg room onboard airline cabins? Italian seat manufacturer Aviointeriors has come up with a design that allows passengers to stretch their legs as much as they want when they travel without any extra cost. The catch? The seats are so far upright that they'll be pretty much standing up. Unveiled at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2018 in Hamburg, the SkyRider 2.0 aims to help airlines squeeze in more passengers by allowing an "ultra-high density" and reducing the space between rows. It's a new and improved version of a design the manufacturer revealed in 2010 but failed to get off the ground. The original Skyrider, which was was not approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration, was designed in the style of a horse saddle. Aviointeriors compared the seating position to that of a horseback rider, pointing out that cowboys can sit on saddles for hours without feeling uncomfortable. The revised seats have extra padding, as well as poles to connect each row from the ceiling to the cabin floor. According to Aviointeriors, the SkyRider 2.0 "ensures an increased upright passenger position, allowing installation of the seat at a reduced pitch, while maintaining an adequate comfort." While it remains to be seen whether Aviointeriors' definition of "adequate comfort" matches the average person's, the company stresses that the seats, designed for short haul flights, have many benefits. "The design of this seat enables to increase the passenger number by 20% allowing increasing profits for airline companies," says a spokesperson for Aviointeriors. "Furthermore, Sky Rider 2.0 weighs 50% less than standard economy class seats and the reduced number of components enable minimum maintenance costs." The concept of vertical seats has been floating around for nearly two decades. Airbus proposed the idea of standing room flights as early as 2003 and in 2010, Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary announced that he was considering introducing special standing-room only areas of his airplanes. But the airline seems to have abandoned the idea for the time being. "We have no plans to trial or introduce standing flights," a spokesperson told CNN last year. While Aviointeriors has dubbed the Skyrider 2.0 "the new frontier of low cost tickets and passenger experience," aircraft specialists have pointed out various stumbling blocks ranging from potential evacuation delays due to limited space and the fact that there is no room under the seats for personal items. The innovative seat is yet to be snapped up by an airline. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/standing-up-airplane-seat/index.html Back to Top PAL to take 21 new aircraft by 2019, eyes secondary hub growth Philippine Airlines (PAL) will receive a total of 21 new aircraft by 2019, which will be used to boost its secondary hub operations of Cebu, Clark, and Davao. The carrier says it will take 15 aircraft in 2018, comprising six Airbus A321neos, four A350-900s, and five Bombardier Q400s. An additional six aircraft, comprising two A321neos, two A350s, and two Q400s will arrive in 2019. Five new services will be launched in 2018. These include a four-times weekly Davao-Siargao service, which began on 25 March. This will be followed by the launch of non-stop Manila-New York flights, along with Manila-Delhi, Manila-Mumbai, and Manila-Sapporo services in the fourth quarter of 2018. Rights to launch new services from Cebu and Puerto Princesa to points in China, South Korea, and Taiwan are being sought, while studies are underway on the possibility of starting new Europe and US services, such as Chicago and Seattle. International services from Davao are also being assessed, with Bangkok or a Japanese destination being considered. Frequency increases are also being made on a number of domestic services, most of which are redeployment of capacity on flights to Caticlan and Kalibo to other parts of the country, along with upgauging select Manila-Cebu and Manila-Davao flights to the A330s and A340s. The Cebu-Bangkok route also became a daily flight since 25 March. "Our current fleet of 85 aircraft is already the largest in the Philippines," says PAL president Jamie Bautista. "We are aiming for 100 aircraft by 2020, which places us in the category of a major carrier. But we are not merely adding more planes, we are constantly upgrading the cabins, seats, amenities, inflight entertainment and technology." PAL adds that it will continue to add aircraft in the years up to 2024, as well as attaining its goal of being a 5-star certified carrier. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pal-to-take-21-new-aircraft-by-2019-eyes-secondary-447727/ Back to Top Stratolaunch planning first aircraft flight this summer Stratolaunch's aircraft prepares for taxi tests at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California in February. The company expects the plane to be ready for its first flight this summer after three more taxi tests. Credit: Stratolaunch Systems Corp. COLORADO SPRINGS - Stratolaunch expects to conduct the first flight of its giant aircraft this summer as it develops a broad spectrum of launch services that will make use of it, the company said April 16. Stratolaunch has performed two taxi tests of the aircraft at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California so far, most recently in late February. Three more taxi tests of the vehicle are planned according to company officials, speaking on background during the 34th Space Symposium here. Those taxi tests will take place at progressively higher speeds. During the most recent test, the plane reached speeds of up to 74 kilometers per hour. The next test will reach speeds of nearly 130 kilometers per hour, with later tests going up to 220 kilometers per hour. If those tests are successful, Stratolaunch expects to be ready for a first flight of the aircraft some time this summer. Officials said they are not being more precise about the date of that flight because of the uncertainties of flight testing compounded by the one-of-a-kind nature of this airplane. Stratolaunch officials are confident, though, based on the progress during the previous test flights. The previous test was "highly successful," the company said, and required no modification to the plane. The plane will be "flight ready" during the upcoming series of tests, with no additional changes expected before first flight. While the plane's first flight may take place this summer, the first launch using the plane is still some time in the future. Stratolaunch says the plane will first have to go through an airworthiness process by the Federal Aviation Administration, which could take 18 to 24 months. Stratolaunch, after years of changes in the type of vehicle it would fly, is currently planning to initially use the Pegasus XL rocket from Orbital ATK. Flights will start with the plane carrying a single Pegasus rocket, but the company is still studying the ability to fly three rockets on a single flight, something it says is of particular interest to the national security community as a responsive launch capability. Stratolaunch believes Pegasus is a particularly good choice for an initial vehicle since it was designed for air launch. The company plans to use a pylon like that used on Orbital AKT's L-1011 aircraft currently used for Pegasus launches, so that the rocket requires no modifications to launch from Stratolaunch's plane. However, the company is making clear it has other uses for that aircraft than launching the Pegasus. Last September, the company signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA's Stennis Space Center "to support propulsion, vehicle, and ground support system development and testing activities," according to the agreement. That included use of an engine test stand at the center. "I can confirm we're working at Stennis Space Center on a project that is still in an early stage," a company spokesman said in November about the agreement to do testing at Stennis. "As we've said in the past, we're exploring a number of launch system possibilities to provide reliable access to space." In the recent book The Space Barons, Stratolaunch founder Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, said the company was studying a concept called Black Ice: a reusable spaceplane that would launch from the aircraft and with the option to be human-rated. Company officials at the conference confirmed that the Black Ice concept is still under study but offered few details about it. Those officials suggested there were other launch capabilities under consideration that would fall between Pegasus and Black Ice. Stratolaunch plans to release more details about that "spectrum of services" in the next several months leading up to the plane's first flight. http://spacenews.com/stratolaunch-planning-first-aircraft-flight-this-summer/ Back to Top Back to Top Air Safety Investigation Professional Education Course TU Delft University Are you interested in understanding the process behind an air safety investigation? Join TU Delft's professional education course and learn more about the challenges faced during an investigation. With a focus on the legal framework behind air safety investigations world-wide and the generic procedures followed during aviation occurrence, this course is intended for both technical and non-technical professionals. With the Air Safety Investigation course, you will have the opportunity to experience the accident investigation process and throughout a variety of learning activities you will be able to enhance your observation skills, fact-finding skills and analytical skills. If you want to learn more about this amazing professional course or to share with others, please visit: https://online-learning.tudelft.nl/courses/air-safety-investigation/ Back to Top RESEARCH SURVEY - I Dear Participants, I would like to have some help with a questionnaire I created (only 8 questions) aiming to find it if Aviation Industry understands Safety as an organizational or corporate value. I would be grateful if you could disseminate the surveymonkey link SURVEY LINK: Is Safety an Organisational Value? Survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/65MM65D) The Survey ends on April the 22nd and I will create and report with the findings and my opinion at May the 15th.I could send you also the report when is ready. Thank you in advance for your assistance Kind Regards Dimitrios Soukeras,MBA(ER) Lieutenant Colonel HAA(Ret.)-Helicopter Pilot SJSU Faculty Member Office:+302661054690 Mobile:+306947006664 Email: d.soukeras@yahoo.com P.O. BOX 391, 49100 CORFU , GREECE Back to Top RESEARCH SURVEY - II Dear Participants, You are being asked to participate in a research study of your experience on retaining your manual flying skills during flight. This survey study is expected to take approximately 5 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must be at least 18 years old and currently employed as an airline transport pilot in the United States. 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 destroyed. We appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R8NCDGC For more information, please contact: Gajapriya Tamilselvan: gtamilselvan2014@my.fit.edu Or Dr. Scott Winter: winte25e@erau.edu We appreciate your interest and participation! Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 1 Dear Participant: Graduate students at Lewis University have invited you to participate in a research project entitled: Evaluating, Attitudes, and Opinions on the Cyber Threat Vulnerabilities of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast. The purpose of this survey is to collect survey data from the aviation communities on beliefs of current ADS-B security and its present issues. This study has been approved by Lewis University's Institutional Review Board (IRB). The survey is anonymous. Participation in this research is completely voluntary and you may refuse to participate without consequence. The survey will take approximately ten minutes to complete. If you would like to know the results of this research, contact faculty advisor Dr. Erik Baker at bakerer@lewisu.edu. Thank you for your consideration. Your help is greatly appreciated. Survey link: https://goo.gl/forms/MP1833a6acHXBLGn2 Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 2 Dear Participant: Hello my name is DEREK HAYNES and I am an MSc student at City University of London and a Captain on the B787. However would you kindly please spare me a few minutes of your valuable time to complete my Air Transport Management MSc Jet Airline Pilot Survey - preferably by 30th April 2018, (it is anonymous). It takes <10 mins. Thanks a million, Derek. The survey can be completed here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/TWKHCFK Curt Lewis