Flight Safety Information May 21, 2018 - No. 102 In This Issue Incident: Ryanair B738 near Milan on May 19th 2018, engine shut down in flight Incident: Easyjet A320 near Lyon on May 19th 2018, smoke in cabin and smoke indication on board Incident: PAL Express DH8D near Manila on May 19th 2018, smoke in cabin 8 passengers on ANA aircraft fall sick after smoke fills cabin EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Incident: Delta A320 at New York on May 16th 2018, engine failure on final approach Incident: United B764 near Zurich on May 20th 2018, cracked windshield Incident: ANZ A320 at Queenstown on May 20th 2018, lightning strike Incident: Southwest B737 near Indianapolis on May 19th 2018, cabin pressure problems Incident: Endeavor CRJ9 at Lexington on May 19th 2018, runway excursion on landing Incident: Skywest CRJ2 at Chattanooga on May 18th 2018, runway in need to be illuminated Incident: Laudamotion A320 near Thessaloniki on May 17th 2018, cracked windshield Crash: Global Damojh B732 at Havana on May 18th 2018, lost height shortly after takeoff Cuban Searchers Locate Black Box From Jet in Fatal Crash Gulfstream G200 Galaxy Runway Excursion (China) Cessna 560XL Citation XLS Runway Excursion (Brazil) 'Flight Deck LIBIK - Lithium-Ion Battery Incident Kit AUSTRALIAN SAFETY OVERSIGHT IN ICAO GLOBAL TOP SIX ICAO uphelds UAE's concerns about Qatari aviation safety violations How Airplane Windows Are Designed To Withstand Enormous Stresses, And How They Can Fail American Airlines Tulsa Flight Test Unit 'Not Compliant' With Safety Standards, FAA Says NTSB Backs FAA's Closure Of Texas MRO Shop Dubai's DAE said to be in talks to buy 400 aircraft Two Women Make History As First Black Female Pilots To Fly For Alaska Airlines China's space ambitions continue with reported launch of satellite to explore far side of the moon World Class Safety Management Systems from SCSI POSITION: Director of Safety POSITION: Flight Data Analyst Call for Nominations For 2018 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY RESEARCH SURVEY Incident: Ryanair B738 near Milan on May 19th 2018, engine shut down in flight A Ryanair Boeing 737-800, registration EI-FRX performing flight FR-8409 from Budapest (Hungary) to Milan Bergamo (Italy), was descending towards Milan Bergamo when the crew reported the right hand engine (CFM56) was off. The aircraft continued to Bergamo for a safe landing on runway 28. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Bergamo about 25 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b8d70c0&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Easyjet A320 near Lyon on May 19th 2018, smoke in cabin and smoke indication on board An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EZWE performing flight U2-2716 from Lisbon (Portugal) to Milan Malpensa (Italy), was enroute at FL360 about 60nm southwest of Lyon (France) when the crew donned their oxygen masks and decided to divert to Lyon reporting smoke in the cabin and a smoke indication on board. The aircraft landed safely on Lyon's runway 36L about 23 minutes later. The aircraft stopped on the runway, the crew advised they had no real indication of fire on board and would not evacuate, however would like to hear the opinion of the fire chief, they wanted to disembark the passengers as quickly as possible though. Emergency services cleared the aircraft to taxi, the aircraft taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail. The passengers disembarked normally. A replacement A320-200 registration G-EZWV reached Milan with a delay of 6 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Lyon 24 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b8d6cb4&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: PAL Express DH8D near Manila on May 19th 2018, smoke in cabin A PAL Express de Havilland Dash 8-400 on behalf of Philippine Airlines (PAL), registration RP-C3031 performing flight PR-2687 from Angeles City to Busuanga (Philippines) with 55 passengers, was enroute at FL200 when the crew decided to divert to Manila (Philippines) reporting smoke in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely in Manila. The airline reported flight PR-2687 performed an emergency landing into Manila. All 55 passengers disembarked normally and were rebooked onto other services. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b8c9b01&opt=0 Back to Top 8 passengers on ANA aircraft fall sick after smoke fills cabin An All Nippon Airways Co. aircraft is seen at a departure gate at Narita International Airport near Tokyo after smoke filled the cabin, on May 21, 2018 in Narita, Chiba Prefecture. (Mainichi) CHIBA, Japan (Kyodo) -- Over 100 passengers on an All Nippon Airways Co. flight bound for Hong Kong were evacuated from the plane at Narita airport and eight of them fell sick Monday after smoke filled the cabin, officials of the airline and the airport said. The trouble occurred at around 9:45 a.m. on a Boeing 767 aircraft with around 140 passengers and crew on board shortly before the plane's takeoff, they said. According to the airline known as ANA, oil from the aircraft's auxiliary power unit was sucked into the cabin through the air conditioner ducts after it had vaporized. While the cause of the leak has still not been determined, no fire occurred, ANA said. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180521/p2g/00m/0dm/054000c Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Delta A320 at New York on May 16th 2018, engine failure on final approach A Delta Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N312US performing flight DL-1888 from Orlando,FL to New York JFK,NY (USA), was on final approach to JFK's runway 04L when tower cleared another aircraft to cross runway 04L and instructed to expedite, but needed to instruct DL-1888 to go around. The aircraft went around, positioned for another approach to runway 04R and was on final approach to runway 04R when the crew reported the left hand engine (CFM56) had failed, they had veered off the localizer and were too high to make a landing, the crew initiated a go around. While emergency services responded and took their positions at runway 04R, the crew positioned for another approach to runway 04R and landed safely. The aircraft vacated the runway and stopped clear of the runway for an inspection by emergency services. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 77 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1888/history/20180516/1623Z/KMCO/KJFK http://avherald.com/h?article=4b8d691f&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: United B764 near Zurich on May 20th 2018, cracked windshield A United Boeing 767-400, registration N78060 performing flight UA-135 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Newark,NJ (USA), was enroute at FL300 about 290nm west of Zurich in French Airspace when the crew decided to return to Zurich due to a cracked windshield. The aircraft climbed to FL310 for the return, dumped fuel and landed safely on Zurich's runway 16 about 100 minutes after departure. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 9 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b8d6334&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: ANZ A320 at Queenstown on May 20th 2018, lightning strike An ANZ Air New Zealand Airbus A320-200, registration ZK-OAB performing flight NZ-621 from Auckland to Queenstown (New Zealand), was on approach to Queenstown when the crew aborted the approach at about 2700 feet MSL due to a lightning strike and decided to divert to Christchurch. The aircraft climbed to FL190 and landed safely in Christchurch about 40 minutes after aborting the approach to Queenstown. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Christchurch about 16 hours after landing. Another ANZ A320 had a lightning strike about 10 minutes earlier, too, see Incident: ANZ A320 at Queenstown on May 20th 2018, lightning strike. No METARs are available for Queenstown, the TAF for the arrival time at about 01:50Z read: TAF AMD NZQN 192152Z 1921/2012 05005KT 9999 -RA FEW030 BKN045 TEMPO 1921/2005 32010G20KT 6000 RA SCT040TCU BECMG 2004/2006 27012KT TEMPO 2005/2012 6000 SHRA FEW040TCU FM201100 18020G30KT 9999 -SHRA FEW020 BKN040= http://avherald.com/h?article=4b8d5b86&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Southwest B737 near Indianapolis on May 19th 2018, cabin pressure problems A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N732SW performing flight WN-5913 from Las Vegas,NV to Philadelphia,PA (USA), was enroute at FL390 about 50nm northeast of Indianapolis,IN (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Indianapolis due to problems with the cabin pressure. The aircraft performed a rapid descent and landed safely on Indianapolis' runway 23R about 30 minutes after leaving FL390. The airline reported the crew received indication of loss of cabin pressure, the aircraft however never actually lost cabin pressure. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N7731A reached Philadelphia with a delay of 4:20 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 5.5 hours, then positioned to Chicago Midway,IL (USA), but has not yet returned to service about 20 hours after landing in Indianapolis. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b8d54bb&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Endeavor CRJ9 at Lexington on May 19th 2018, runway excursion on landing An Endeavor Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N916XJ performing flight DL-3359 from Atlanta,GA to Lexington,KY (USA) with 73 passengers and 4 crew, performed an ILS approach to runway 22, a windshear alert (15 knots loss) was in effect, ATC reported moderate precipitation at the time after there had been heavy precipitation earlier while the aircraft was about to intercept the localizer. The crew reported on final approach they were pretty much in the clear, light to moderate rain, no windshear, tower advised there was heavy precipitation coming in about 1.5nm from the aerodrome. The aircraft landed on Lexington's runway 22 at 13:13L (17:13Z), the crew then advised they were just on the grass near taxiway A1 (last exit runway 22) and could not move, no other issues. Tower queried whether they were off the side of the runway or past the runway end, the crew reported again they were in the grass near A1. Emergency services responded and found the aircraft off the left edge of the runway short of taxiway A1 (between A2 and A1). The airport was closed while the passengers disembarked onto soft ground via stairs and were bussed to the terminal. Lexington Airport released a statement by Endeavor: "Upon landing in Lexington, KY., Endeavor Air flight 3359 from Atlanta, operating as Delta Connection, turned off the active runway and came to a stop in the grassy area between taxiways A2 and A1." http://avherald.com/h?article=4b8cd2f2&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Skywest CRJ2 at Chattanooga on May 18th 2018, runway in need to be illuminated A Skywest Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N477CA performing flight DL-4757 (dep May 17th) from Atlanta,GA to Chattanooga,TN (USA), was about to begin the approach to Chattanooga when the crew decided to stop the descent at 10,000 feet and return to Atlanta due to the runway lighting system being inoperative. The aircraft landed safely back in Atlanta about 45 minutes after departure. The FAA reported a controller had inadvertently turned the runway lighting off instead of switching it to pilot control enabling flight crew to turn the lighting on via radio, when he closed the tower at about 23:40L (about 30 minutes prior to the flight's arrival). The runway lighting was subsequently switched to pilot control and the flight was able to depart again and land in Chattanooga. The flight refueled in Atlanta, departed again after about 45 minutes on the ground and reached Chattanooga with a delay of about 1.5 hours. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL4757/history/20180518/0335Z/KATL/KCHA http://avherald.com/h?article=4b8cbee4&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Laudamotion A320 near Thessaloniki on May 17th 2018, cracked windshield A Laudamotion Airbus A320-200 on behalf of Eurowings, registration OE-LOC performing EW-4387 from Rhodes (Greece) to Salzburg (Austria), was enroute at FL360 about 70nm southeast of Thessaloniki (Greece) when the crew decided to divert to Thessaloniki due to a cracked windshield. The aircraft landed safely on Thessaloniki's runway 34 about 22 minutes later. A passenger reported the crew performed an emergency descent and diverted to Thessaloniki due to a cracked windshield. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 16 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b8c2089&opt=0 Back to Top Crash: Global Damojh B732 at Havana on May 18th 2018, lost height shortly after takeoff A Global Aerolineas Damojh Boeing 737-200 on behalf of Cubana de Aviacion, registration XA-UHZ performing flight CU-972 from Havana to Holguin (Cuba) with 107 passengers and 6 crew, lost height shortly after takeoff at 12:08L (16:08Z), contacted a house, trees and a railway track near position N22.9914 W82.3912 and burst into flames. Emergency services are responding. Three female passengers have been taken to hospitals in critical condition being the only survivors, 110 occupants perished in the crash.. Cuban Authorities confirmed an accident at Havana Airport, there is intense fire. A massive response by emergency services has been dispatched. Cuba's Ministry of Transport reported the aircraft belonged to Global Aerolineas Damojh based in Mexico. In the evening the Ministry confirmed XA-UHZ was involved in the accident. Cuba's President reported the aircraft carried 104 passengers and 9 crew. Mexico's Ministry of Transport reported a team of specialists of Mexico's DGCA is going to participate in the investigation of the accident of XA-UHZ belonging to Aerolineas Damojh and is going to depart for Havana on May 19th. Cubana de Aviacion posted phone numbers for relatives of flight DMJ-972 (Callsign confirming Global Aerolineas Damojh). Late evening (Cuban time) Authorities reported the aircraft carried 104 passengers, one infant and six crew. Three passengers were rescued alive and are being treated for very serious injuries. The hospital taking care of the survivors reported that the survivors have been stabilized, their fractures were fixed and stabilized permitting better hemodynamic control. Although the condition of the survivors has been stabilized, there is still danger for their lives. On May 19th 2018 Cuban Authorities reported identification of the victims, most of them Cuban citizens, has begun. Two days of national mourning have been decreed. Witnesses on the ground reported they saw the aircraft climb out of Havana, turn sharply to the right and go down. A large explosion occurred when the aircraft impacted the ground, the ground shook. On May 19th 2018 Cuba's Ministry of Transport reported 110 occupants including 102 Cubans, six Mexican crew, 2 Argentinian tourists, one Mexican and two Sahrawi residents of the Cuban Island were killed. The cockpit voice recorder was recovered in good condition, the search for the flight data recorder is continuing. The crew and 5 passengers were foreign nationality, the other passengers were Cubans. Cuban Media had reported a Blue Panorama Boeing 737 leased by Cubana de Aviacion crashed on takeoff. I-BPAC was seen operating flights CU-1976 and CU-1945 on May 18th 2018, was on the ground at Havana Airport at the time of the accident and was not involved in the accident. According to ATDB Global Aerolineas Damojh operate three Boeing 737s: a Boeing 737-200 registration XA-UHZ, a Boeing 737-200 XA-UMQ and a Boeing 737-500 XA-UZK. Neither aircraft appeared in Mode-S transponder data throughout May 18th 2018 until the accident. Later May 18th 2018 transponder data identifying XA-UMQ showed the aircraft operating near Mexico City. Metars: MUHA 181755Z 15005KT 070V200 9000 SCT026 OVC130 29/23 Q1015= MUHA 181655Z 13005KT 090V190 9000 SCT018 OVC130 29/23 Q1015= MUHA 181555Z 17004KT 140V220 9000 SCT017 OVC210 28/23 Q1015= MUHA 181455Z 17006KT 140V220 9000 SCT013 OVC130 27/24 Q1015= MUHA 181355Z 12004KT 080V150 9000 FEW030 BKN130 26/22 Q1015= MUHA 181255Z 13003KT 080V170 8000 FEW025 BKN130 24/21 Q1015= http://avherald.com/h?article=4b8bfb2d&opt=0 Back to Top Cuban Searchers Locate Black Box From Jet in Fatal Crash Officials likely to look at whether both engines were operating as expected, and movable panels on the wings were deployed to help the plane climb during takeoff Police and military personnel work among the wreckage of the Boeing-737 plane that crashed shortly after taking off from the Jose Marti airport in Havana on Friday. Cuban authorities on Saturday recovered a flight recorder from the Boeing 737 that crashed shortly after takeoff from the island's capital Havana the day before, killing 110 of the 113 people aboard. Cuba declared two days of national mourning for the victims of Friday's crash as rescue workers intensified efforts to identify the victims of one of the country's worst aviation disasters. The Boeing 737-200 en route to the city of Holguín in eastern Cuba crashed soon after takeoff around noon local time Friday. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who supervised rescue efforts at the scene of the accident, ordered the creation of a commission to investigate the cause. His government also ordered flags flown at half-mast at public buildings and military institutions on Saturday and Sunday as part of the national mourning. "The facts are being investigated and all the information will be given," Mr. Díaz-Canel told state media. Cuba's transport minister, Adel Yzquierdo, told local media on Saturday that 110 people were killed of the 113 passengers and crew aboard. The airline that operated the flight had said the plane was carrying 104 passengers and six crew members. Aviation authorities inspected the debris in search of clues of what could have caused the plane to crash and catch fire soon after taking off. Investigators are likely to look initially into whether both engines were operating as expected and whether movable panels on the wings were deployed to help the plane climb during takeoff. Mr. Yzquierdo, the transport minister, said the device recovered was in good condition and that he hoped that a second flight recorder would also soon be recovered. The flight recorders, known commonly as black boxes, keep flight data and cockpit communications and can help investigators determine the cause of accidents. Mexican investigators are participating in the probe, as the aircraft, built in 1979, was leased by a Mexican charter airline to flagship carrier Cubana de Aviación, which has an aging fleet and has recently taken many of its planes out of service. State media reported that most of the passengers were Cubans, except for about five and the Mexican crew. Argentina's government said late Friday that two of its citizens died in the disaster. Mexican authorities said one passenger was a Mexican national. Three women passengers were rescued and were reported in critical condition on Saturday at a hospital in Havana. Authorities identified the survivors as 19-year-old Mailén Díaz Almaguer and 39-year-old Emiley Sánchez de la O, both from Holguín, and 23-year-old Havana resident Gretel Landrovell Font. Cuba's Health Ministry set up an assistance center staffed by psychologists and professionals with experience in post-traumatic scenarios to support relatives of the victims. The Ministry of Tourism said it would guarantee accommodation in Havana for relatives of victims coming from Holguín. A flight to carry relatives to Havana from Holguín was canceled late Friday because of poor weather conditions, and instead the relatives were instead taken in buses. Gulfstream Air Charter, a Miami-based charter airline that flies to Cuba, is offering free transport to close relatives of victims of the disaster. Aldo Suárez, the company manager, said 11 people had contacted the company to fly to Cuba. The relatives are from Miami, Houston and Nebraska. "It's devastating for them," Mr. Suárez said. He said Gulfstream is working with the Cuban Embassy in Washington to facilitate entry to Cuba for relatives whose passports may not be in order. He said the plane that crashed was ultimately going to Georgetown, Guyana, where the U.S. this year transferred the processing of visas of Cubans who want to emigrate to the U.S. The U.S. cut much of the staffing at the Havana embassy in 2017 after a series of unexplained incidents raised health concerns among U.S. diplomats stationed there. The crash comes after a period of record commercial aviation safety world-wide, with 2017 the first year in the age of modern aviation in which there wasn't a single fatal accident involving a regularly scheduled passenger jetliner. https://www.wsj.com/articles/cuba-mexico-officials-probe-fatal-plane-crash-1526744679 Back to Top Gulfstream G200 Galaxy Runway Excursion (China) Status: Preliminary Date: Sunday 20 May 2018 Time: 15:07 Type: Gulfstream G200 Galaxy Operator: Star Jet Registration: B-8129 C/n / msn: 134 First flight: 2006 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Airplane damage: Substantial Location: Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport (YTY) ( China) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Training Departure airport: Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport (YTY/ZSYA), China Destination airport: Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport (YTY/ZSYA), China Narrative: A Gulfstream G200 Galaxy suffered a runway excursion during a training flight at Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport in China. A video of the accident shows the aircraft had touched down on runway 35. It went off the left side of the runway in the grass, shortly after passing taxiway B. It crossed a concrete turning pad, during which the nose turned to the right. The aircraft continued across the runway and into the grass on the right side of the runway, where it came to rest. During the ground slide, the main undercarriage separated and the aircraft sustained damage to the wings. Landing Distance Available (LDA) for runway 35 is 2400 meters. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20180520-0 Back to Top Cessna 560XL Citation XLS Runway Excursion (Brazil) Date: 20-MAY-2018 Time: 19:30 UTC Type: Cessna 560XL Citation XLS Owner/operator: Alok & Audiomix Prod. Artisticas Ltda Registration: PR-AAA C/n / msn: 560-5120 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 9 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Juiz de Fora-Francisco de Assis Airport, MG (JDF/SBJF) - Brazil Phase: Take off Nature: Executive Departure airport: Juiz de Fora-Francisco de Assis Airport, MG (JDF/SBJF) Destination airport: Belem, Pará Narrative: A Cessna 560XL, suffered a runway excursion following an apparent aborted takeoff at Juiz de Fora-Francisco de Assis Airport in Brazil. There were no injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=211265 Back to Top Back to Top AUSTRALIAN SAFETY OVERSIGHT IN ICAO GLOBAL TOP SIX. Australia's aviation system has been judged one of the world's safest after an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit ranked it sixth among member states for safety oversight. The UN-Backed organization audited Australia in 2017 on a range of issues including operations, airworthiness, accident investigations and air navigation services. It gave the nation a safety oversight score of 95 percent, according to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Australia achieved above average scores in all areas of ICAO's Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme with percentage scores for five of seven measures above 90 percent. Australia's safety oversight results versus the global average. Source: ICAO. The weakest score was in terms of aviation legislation, which has been a contentious issue among smaller Australian aviation organizations. But even here the score of just under 81 percent was higher than the global average of 71.77 percent. The nation achieved full marks for its civil aviation organizational structures and 99.42 percent for air navigation services. ICAO also rated its accident investigation capabilities highly at 97.06 percent. This was more than 40 percentage points ahead of the global average of 55.61 percent and marked the widest gap between the two scores across the seven safety measures. The aviation licensing system pulled a score of 97.5 percent, while aerodrome safety was rated at 95.71 percent and airworthiness at 93.16 percent. Operations narrowly missed out on being in the top 10 percent with a score of 89.08 percent. CASA director of aviation safety Shane Carmody said everyone in the aviation industry could be proud of the top six ranking. "The audit delivered a 95 percent safety oversight score, which we must now work to maintain,'' he said in a briefing note. "This means Australia currently ranks sixth out of International Civil Aviation Organization member states for effective safety oversight." Carmody said the ranking demonstrated Australia had a robust aviation safety system "supported by public sector agencies with a deep commitment to achieving the best possible safety outcomes". "Credit for the ranking also goes to the commitment to safety by the people and organizations who make up Australia's aviation community,'' he said. "It is your day-to-day work, delivering safety during every flight and every aviation activity, that makes Australian skies amongst the safest in the world." https://www.airlineratings.com/news/australian-safety-oversight-icao-global-top-six/ Back to Top ICAO uphelds UAE's concerns about Qatari aviation safety violations ICAO reaffirmed the importance of ensuring the safety of aviation and the protection of civilian lives on board. In view of the serious incidents of civil aviation safety violation by Qatar involving its military aircraft coming in close proximity to UAE-registered civilian aircraft since early 2018, the International Civil Aviation Organization Council (ICAO) has upheld the concerns of the UAE about the hazardous safety situation created by uncoordinated Qatari military Operations. This came during a session of the ICAO Council held today in the presence of the UAE Ambassador to Canada Fahad Al Raqbani and the Director General of UAE General Civil Aviation Authority Saif Al Suwaidi. In response to the UAE Government's request, ICAO reaffirmed the importance of ensuring the safety of aviation and the protection of civilian lives on board the aircraft. ICAO has highlighted the importance of the Civil and Military cooperation and the effective application of due regard to the safety of the civilian aircraft which is germane to maintaining the safety of air traffic in the region. ICAO will continue to monitor the situation to identify and implement technical solutions for enhanced safety in the region. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, welcomed the decision by the ICAO council, thanking the international body for recognizing "the validity of the UAE complaint and the recommendations that GCAA made in its working paper submitted to the Council." He expressed to the council during the hearing that the incidents reported by the UAE constitute a clear and serious violation by the State of Qatar of the Chicago Convention to ensure that the Military aircraft operate with "due regard" to the civil air navigation. The concrete and robust evidence presented to the Council by the UAE proved that the State of Qatar failed to notify risky activities in advance and coordinate between their military and civilian Air Traffic Services units on the one hand and with Bahrain Air Traffic Services units on the other. Most importantly, they failed to ensure that their military aircraft operate with due regard to the safety of civilian air traffic, there is no rational or logical justification for the reckless behavior of the state of Qatar" he pointed out, adding that the five incidents demonstrate the extent to which Qatar would go in its desperation to spite its neighbors and harm the passenger who hail from all parts of the globe, Al Suwaidi added. "UAE being an international aviation hub for passengers of almost all nationalities of the world, the willful perpetration of such callous violation of aviation safety standards by the State of Qatar should be seen as a threat not just to the people of the UAE and the Gulf, but to global security as a whole," He explained. "The ICAO position reaffirms the UAE's faith in international organizations and by whom the UAE has always stood in the spirit of global citizenship. UAE is committed to the collective safety and well-being of all peoples of the world. Each month, more than 50,000 flights transit safely and efficiently through the Bahraini airspace. Every year, Bahrain Air Traffic Control handles nearly 600,000 movements. Out of this significant number of flights, Qatar only targeted UAE registered aircraft," Al Suwaidi elaborated. Speaking about Qatar's provocative moves against UAE civilian aircraft, Mohammed Al Dossari, Director of Air Navigation and Aerodrome and a member of the UAE delegation to the ICAO Council, said: "Qatar has violated several articles of the International Convention on Civil Aviation that requires States to ensure that their military aircraft have due regard for the safety of the navigation of civil aircraft, and the lives of persons on board.The dangerous maneuvers by Qatari fighter jets also contravened the ICAO's stipulations regarding coordination between military authorities and responsible civilian authorities, in addition to constituting a grave violation of the bilateral agreements between Qatar and Bahrain in this respect." "In light of the above, we reiterate upon the international community to put pressure on the Qatari authorities to refrain from activities that endanger not only the citizens of the UAE, but also citizens of almost all countries in the world. The kind of violations perpetrated by Qatar will stop once and for all only if there is a strong reaction against its reckless behavior by the international community," Al Suwaidi concluded. https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/aviation/icao-backs-uaes-concerns-about-qatari-aviation-safety-violations Back to Top How Airplane Windows Are Designed To Withstand Enormous Stresses, And How They Can Fail A troubling string of incidents involving aircraft window failures has caught public attention over the past few weeks, including one where the cockpit windshield of a Sichuan Airlines A319 blew out at 30,000 feet, and the tragic death of a passenger on a Southwest 737 when an engine failed, ejecting metal shrapnel that shattered her window, causing her to be sucked partway out of the plane. It's raised questions for many over the safety of aircraft windows. Here's what you should know about the rules, standards and methods of design, and testing and manufacturing of these critical aircraft structures. Passenger windows on an Air Baltic Bombardier C-Series aircraft, parked at Hamburg Airport. Effectively, airplanes are not so different from submarines. Both involve structures that have to withstand a stark difference in pressure and temperature outside and in. In both cases, the outside environment is not hospitable to life. A tiny flaw or weak point can quickly spread and lead to tragedy. Airplanes face other challenges. They operate at very high speeds in an environment where other flying objects-birds or debris-may pose a threat. All of these risks are considered in the rules and standards governing the manufacture of aircraft structural parts and components. The guidelines on various accepted methods of composition and stress testing of aircraft windows can be found in the FAA's AC (Advisory Circular) 25.775-1. For anyone who, like this writer, really likes to deep dive into things like chemical treatments, material loads and other stress tests, this document is good reading material. In summary, the AC makes clear that aircraft windows undergo the same degree of stringent testing as aircraft fuselages or engines. They are all built to be tough. Brent Wright, PPG global business director for aerospace transparencies by 787 Dreamliner windshield One of the world's oldest manufacturers of aerospace transparencies (windows) is PPG PPG +0.52%, headquartered in Pittsburgh. It was founded as a specialist glass, paints, coatings and materials manufacturer in 1883, and their first aircraft windows were installed in 1926 on the Ford Trimotor. They have placed high-performance panes on planes ranging from commercial aircraft to fighter jets and business jets and specialize in flight deck windshields. PPG PPG +0.52% labs developed an Opticor Advanced Transparency Material with advanced impact and crack propagation resistance properties, which can be used in the manufacturing of both windshields and passenger windows. Brent Wright, PPG global business director for aerospace transparencies explains, "On the cockpit there are two primary purposes for the windshields. Number one, protect the crew from the outside harsh environment and number two allow the crew to see outside and in doing so. Getting to that, to protect the crew from the outside environment, the windshield has to be designed to be structurally capable and safe." Unlike many passenger cabin windows, flight deck windows are built with multiple plies of glass or stretched acrylic material. There are two structural plies, each capable of withstanding the pressure differential in the cabin. On the outside, there is a thin outer 'face ply' which also has a de-icing element. "On your car, in the back window, you'll see those lines for defog or defrost, and the aircraft window has something similar," Wright explains. "It has a film on the outer glass that is electrically heated. Power goes to the film and the film heats up and deices the window on the outside." Besides the wires that heat the window using electricity, there are also sensors to measure resistance and to control the heat-so that the window never becomes too hot or too cool for operating limits. The window heating system makes the necessary adjustments at varying altitudes and in varying weather. Stress Testing Like engines, fuselages, and other external structures, windows must undergo bird strike tests. Bird strikes are a serious problem for aviation, because we encroach on their airspace and have built airports near natural habitats and migratory routes. "Commercial aircraft are rated to withstand a birdstrike of a four-pound bird and anywhere from 250 to 350 knots," Wright says. "That, in turn, is driven by the flight envelope of the airplane and where the birds are in the airspace speed limits. For example, in the U.S. below 10,000 feet the speed limit is 250 knots. The aircraft may exceed that [speed] on descent and you build in a little more than the minimum for safety requirements." Besides pressure, temperature control, and bird strike testing, aircraft windows area also tested for chemical resistance to things like hydraulic fluid or jet fuel as well as abrasion including rust or rain erosion. "The windows have to withstand all of that," Wright says. "Not only that but they may be tested in different contentions...where one of the structural plies is damaged, to determine and certify the fail-safe aspect of the design." Like other aircraft components, not every part undergoes destructive testing-that would mean that no product would ever make it to the end of the line-but a new design must undergo all manner of tests before the methodology for manufacturing that part is approved. Raw materials and lots also have to have a sample part that is tested and destroyed in some way, to demonstrates that the build that follows complies with the standards set in the specification. Passenger Cabin Windows While passenger cabin windows don't have as much structural load resistance, forward force resistance, or the same visibility provisions as cockpit windows, they do have to preserve the pressure conditions in the cabin and they do have to have fail-safes. Most passenger windows are built from separate panels with airspace between them, including a fail-safe panel which can protect the interior even if the external panel fails. Passenger windows on Aeromexico Dreamliner, Amsterdam Some modern aircraft cabins-like the ones on the Boeing Dreamliner-have multi-ply transparencies. They are mounted on a composite fuselage which means they are built to withstand greater structural loads. Windshield Fasteners Some aircraft windshields are fastened with bolts. Others use a clamping system, but Wright says both methods are equally reliable. "The Airbus A320 and A340 are clamped-in design, without bolt holes. Boeing aircraft, on the other hand, are typically bolted-in designs. Both of them, just by virtue of the thousands upon thousands of flight hours that we see, are perfectly suitable for the application," Wright says. "There is a trade-off, however. If you want to make the window an integral part of the aircraft structure, then a bolted in design is the way to go because it transmits the aircraft loads right through window. The window becomes a structural part of the front of the fuselage. The alternative is to isolate the window from any possible loads being transmitted by the aircraft. What happens then is that to you have to have a heavy metal fuselage build-up, or frame, around the window to isolate it." When windows are damaged, they have to be replaced, except in certain cases of very minor damage-light scratches or scuffs-which must be repaired by experts. Wright says that pilots have a lot of say in deciding when a flight deck window needs to be swapped out. The typical service life of a flight deck window is ten years, nearly of the rated service lifetime of most aircraft, which is around 25 years. The majority of the aircraft flying today are much younger than that. With airlines buying more planes each year, the global fleet is expected to stay young on average-under 15 years. When things go wrong It may seem strange to say, but a cracked passenger window that prompted an emergency landing of a Southwest Airlines plane May 2 failed properly. With critical components, designers must engineer in failure mode performance. A backup system has to take over when one system fails. The fail-safe pane on this window ensured that when one pane cracked, it did not lead to a collapse of the other inner pane or to cabin depressurization. This is not an operating condition, and the pilot did the right thing by diverting the plane, but aircraft windows are designed to endure these unusual circumstances. The failure of a flight deck winshield on a Sichuan Airlines flight that sucked a co-pilot halfway out of the flight deck is still pending investigation. All we can do is speculate. But that incident may not have been caused by a window failure. As reported by Flight Safety Australia, the industry newsletter published by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority, the sudden cracking and explosive failure of the co-pilot's windshield is similar to a previous incident in 1990. In that case, investigators found a failure in maintenance where a mechanic used undersized bolts to fasten a new windscreen. Of course, what frightens people are events like the tragic death of Jennifer Riordan, who was pulled through her window after an engine failure on a Southwest Airlines LUV -0.53% flight April 17, which also led to cabin depressurization and an emergency landing. An event like this extremely rare. "Obviously people will say what can prevent that-would this material have helped or would that situation have helped. I don't know what happened with the engine. I suspect that that fragment of blade was moving at a ballistic speed," Wright says. "It would have been awful hard to withstand the threat there." National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) records show only 29 incidents involving aircraft windows on aircraft operated by commercial airlines over the past decade. The reason aviation maintains such a strong safety record, though, is that every incident is studied closely by independent investigators, by regulators and by manufacturers. The investigation will consider all possible scenarios, and identify a root cause. Any changes that need to be made to avoid something like this happening again will be made. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisagarcia/2018/05/19/airplane-windows-can-cope-with-more-stress-than-you-think-expert-explains/#53705699149f Back to Top American Airlines Tulsa Flight Test Unit 'Not Compliant' With Safety Standards, FAA Says The small American Airlines unit that test flies aircraft following heavy maintenance and inflight mechanical incidents got a harsh evaluation from the Federal Aviation Administration, which said the unit "has been allowed to mature into its current state that allows for hazards to be identified, yet not effectively mitigated." "The current program meets the intent of formal documentation and generally goes beyond any existing regulatory standard," the FAA said, in a December 2017 assessment of the carrier's flight test operations. However, the program is "not compliant with parts of the company program as currently written and even with some of the [agency's] requirements," the agency said. A copy of the assessment was provided to this reporter by a person who asked not to be named. The Tulsa-based unit is composed of 17 pilots. American spokesman Ross Feinstein said its shortcomings posed no threat to passenger safety. "We're addressing the open items in the report and expect to have that completed by summer," he said. The assessment reviewed the work of pilots, their instructors, mechanics and others. No violations were found in the maintenance area. There is no particular indication that the FAA assessment is among the factors that recently led the U.S. transportation department's inspector general to audit safety standards at American and Allegiant. "Our team is still working to understand why we are part of that [DOT] review," said American spokesman Ross Feinstein. "We're still shocked by our inclusion." The transportation department said in a memo issued May 9 that it narrowed the scope of a continuing airline audit to two carriers, American and Allegiant, where it found that the FAA has moved from "emphasizing enforcement actions to working with carriers to address the root causes for noncompliance of safety regulations." It said, "Our objectives now are to assess FAA's processes for investigating allegations of improper maintenance practices at two carriers," it said. American responded that it was "shocked" by the review, which seemed to be triggered by allegations of maintenance failures at Allegiant, reported in a 60 Minutes TV show investigation in May as well as in a Tampa Bay Times investigation in 2016. In its point by point review of the Tulsa operation, the FAA report concludes that it is "not possible to determine with any accuracy" whether American pilots are properly trained or current and qualified on their respective aircraft. "The initial training records are vague and inconsistent," the agency said. "Training materials are limited and not document controlled. Too much of the training material is captured in the cerebral memory of flight test culture." The training program lacks "conventional modern training controls," while "recurrent training is unsupervised and arbitrary," the FAA said. Initial flight training records are stored on paper at the Tulsa base maintenance facility and "it was challenging to compare specific training requirements to the actual training records because cross referencing a specific training event was not a clear process," the FAA said. Beyond the shortcomings in record keeping, the flight training curriculum is "subjective and available by mental recall from the chief pilot of flight test" and is "not documented or controlled," the FAA said. Also, "instructors are chosen at will and by availability" and "qualifications for the instructor position are not doctrine based or documented." As for maintenance and dispatch operations, the FAA praised the documentation of flight testing, saying that it "appears to be in line with documentation" that "no glaring shortcoming were identified" and that "no discrepancies or misunderstanding of policy was noted during the spot check." American unions decried the Tulsa flight testing shortcomings and questioned the airline's statement that it was shocked by the Transportation Department investigation. The FAA report "demonstrates that when American talks about inspector general's scrutiny and says they are 'shocked,' they are being totally disingenuous," said John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union, which represents maintenance workers jointly with the International Association of Machinists. Samuelsen said he knows of instances where American management has dismissed concerns raised by mechanics about the aspects of maintenance and has retaliated against the mechanics. Those cases have been brought to the FAA's attention, he said, and may be under investigation by the inspector general. "We call on the FAA and members of Congress to scrutinize these cases," Samuelsen said. "It has a chilling effect - other mechanics won't open their mouths." Airline spokesman Feinstein said, "If there are any concerns, there are ways to report them, and we take them seriously. "We stand by the safety record at American Airlines and we look forward to working with the department of transportation on the inspector general's report," Feinstein said. Dennis Tajer, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American pilots, said the flight test unit operated as "a good old boy network." He said that APA President Dan Carey wrote to then-president Scott Kirby in July 2016 calling attention to problems in the flight safety unit and asking for discussions, which did not occur. Additionally, Tajer said the inspector general's office had called on APA three times in 2017 and 2018 to discuss the Tulsa flight test issue, apparently prompted by a report to its hotline. Now we sit and look for a connection between the IG's audit and the flight test operation," Tajer said. "Whether it is related or not, the flight test system is the quality control core of our maintenance system, the last line of defense to ensure every AA airplane is as safe as possible for our passengers." https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedreed/2018/05/18/american-airlines-tulsa-flight-test-unit-not-compliant-with-safety-standards-faa-says/#42ca6e5529ea Back to Top NTSB Backs FAA's Closure Of Texas MRO Shop Board's view seems to set new 8130-3 tag standard. Three NTSB board members, in a 2-1 vote, have ruled that FAA's emergency revocation of a Texas-based repair station's certificate was justified, overturning an administrative law judge's (ALJ) opinion that FAA over-reacted. The shop, Arlington, Texas-based AeroBearings, filed an appeal. AeroBearings has been cited for not having complete data on a key machine it uses, and falsifying return-to-service documentation--8130-3 forms--related to work done on the machine. FAA revoked the shop's certificate on March 1, citing findings during a May 2017 inspection. AeroBearings appealed, putting the matter before the ALJ, which is part of the NTSB. FAA then appealed the ALJ's ruling, sending the matter to the board. AeroBearings uses an FAA-approved military specification, or mil-spec, to repair and overhaul engine bearings, and developed its own machine to use in the inspection process. But some data on the machine's specifications were on a computer that belonged to the shop's now-deceased co-founder, and AeroBearings said nobody can access the password-protected files. The shop relies on previous results to verify the machine is working correctly, but FAA determined that the data needs to be available to support AeroBearings's approved ratings. NTSB agreed. "The argument that the machines are working as designed because the bearings are repaired and inspected within acceptable ranges, is not persuasive," NTSB wrote. NTSB also found justification for FAA's records-falsification findings, based largely on what it said was "missing information" on four 8130-3s cited by the agency. The 8130-3s indicated that AeroBearings performed work based on engine maintenance instructions, citing specific sections in CFM International, GE, and Pratt & Whitney manuals. But the forms did not explicitly state that some work was also done based on the mil-spec. "The Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) require the records to be clear on their face," NTSB wrote in its decision. "It should not be up to the end user to have to request whether the maintenance records they possess are the complete set of records--that is the reason for maintaining scrupulously accurate records." Engine manufacturers do not recommend disassembling bearings for repair. Rather, bearings that do not pass inspections are sent back for full replacements. AeroBearings, seeing an opportunity to provide a service that costs less than replacement bearings, derived its repair process from mil-specs that the U.S. Air Force has used for decades. FAA signed off on AeroBearings's procedures in 2011. NTSB's linking of 8130-3s to a "complete set of records" is likely to raise eyebrows in the MRO community. Repair stations are required to include 8130-3s along with parts they have inspected or repaired. The one-page forms are not complete maintenance records, and are not meant to provide details on what was done to parts--they simply verify that the work performed is airworthy. NTSB's notion of an 8130-3's role as a complete set of records also appears to contrast with its view in a 1999 case against a mechanic who did not inspect work orders referenced on a return-to-service form. The mechanic believed the form itself, a yellow tag with hand-written notes including references to read work orders, signified the part was airworthy and installed it. But the work orders explained that the part would not comply with the manufacturer's specifications. NTSB faulted the mechanic for not referencing the rest of the maintenance records to see what was left off the form. "Had [the mechanic] taken the time to look at the work order referenced by the yellow tag, even if it might have been inconvenient to locate it, he would have immediately seen that the yellow tag in this instance did not signify a useable part," the board said in its decision. The board's dissenting vote came from NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt, who disagreed with the falsification charge as well as the decision to revoke the certificate. Sumwalt argued that an incomplete statement is not the same as a knowingly false one. "The majority would apparently find that any failure to be 'scrupulously accurate' in a mechanic's logbook would foreclose the ability of a respondent to subsequently argue that he or she did not knowingly make a false entry," Sumwalt wrote. He also said that AeroBearings's certificated should be suspended until it can demonstrate compliance with the FARs by reproducing the missing data lost on the computer--something the repair station says it could do. The revocation penalty requires a more involved certificate-reapplication process if the shop is cleared. FAA has not issued an official recall or safety-of-flight warning on bearings serviced by AeroBearings. But the agency confirmed that it is "advising operators to quarantine the parts that are still on the shelves" until further notice. http://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/ntsb-backs-faas-closure-texas-mro-shop Back to Top Dubai's DAE said to be in talks to buy 400 aircraft CEO Firoz Tarapore says interested in buying planes from both Airbus and Boeing Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) is reportedly in talks to buy 400 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing. The company, which is government-controlled, is prepared to expand its fleet through acquisition if talks fall through, its CEO Firoz Tarapore told Reuters. DAE is said to be interested in buying single-aisle Airbus A320neo-family and Boeing 737 MAX planes after its acquisition last year of Dublin-based lessor AWAS. Any deal would not necessarily be evenly split between the two planemakers, Tarapore was quoted as saying, adding that any order was still to be finalised. Reuters said an order for 400 single-aisle jets would be worth more than $40 billion at list prices, though discounts are common for large orders. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/transport/396859-dubais-dae-said-to-be-in-talks-to-buy-400-aircraft Back to Top Two Women Make History As First Black Female Pilots To Fly For Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines passengers were a part of history during a Portland-bound flight on Mother's Day. Captain Tara Wight emerged from the cockpit to make a special announcement to all aboard Flight 361: Wright and first officer Mallory Cave would be the first-ever Black female flight crew. "Finally, you're sharing a pretty interesting piece of Alaska Airlines history this morning," she told passengers, who cheered and applauded. "You'll be piloted by two female African-American pilots for the first time in the airline's history." According to KTVA, Alaska Airlines, where more than 72 percent of employees are white and 60 percent are male, posted the special announcement video to their Facebook page, adding that the two pilots were succeeding Bessie Coleman, the first black woman to make a public flight in 1922. To end her speech, Wright assured that each member in the cabin was included in the historic moment "whether you're awake or not." https://www.essence.com/news/black-women-history-first-black-female-pilots-alaska-airlines Back to Top China's space ambitions continue with reported launch of satellite to explore far side of the moon • "The launch is a key step for China to realise its goal of being the first country to send a probe to soft-land on and rove the far side of the moon," Xinhua quoted Zhang Lihua, manager of the relay satellite project, as saying. • It said the satellite, known as Queqiao, or Magpie Bridge, will settle in an orbit about 455,000 km (282,555 miles) from earth and will be the world's first communication satellite operating there. A communication satellite at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China on June 26, 2017. China launched a relay satellite early on Monday designed to establish a communication link between earth and a planned lunar probe that will explore the dark side of the moon, the official Xinhua news agency said. Citing the China National Space Administration, Xinhua said the satellite was launched at 5:28 a.m. (21:28 GMT Sunday) on a Long March-4C rocket from the Xichang launch centre in the southwest of the country. "The launch is a key step for China to realise its goal of being the first country to send a probe to soft-land on and rove the far side of the moon," Xinhua quoted Zhang Lihua, manager of the relay satellite project, as saying. It said the satellite, known as Queqiao, or Magpie Bridge, will settle in an orbit about 455,000 km (282,555 miles) from earth and will be the world's first communication satellite operating there. China aims to catch up with Russia and the United States to become a major space power by 2030. It is planning to launch construction of its own manned space station next year. However, while China has insisted its ambitions are purely peaceful, the U.S. Defense Department has accused it of pursuing activities aimed at preventing other nations from using space-based assets during a crisis. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/20/chinas-space-ambition-it-launches-satellite-to-explore-moon.html Back to Top Back to Top Helicopter Association International (HAI) is dedicated to providing its members with services that directly benefit their operations, and to advancing the international helicopter community by providing programs that enhance safety, encourage professionalism and economic viability while promoting the unique contributions vertical flight offers society. HAI has more than 3,800 member organizations and annually produces HAI HELI-EXPO®, the world's largest trade show and exposition dedicated to helicopters. Position: Director of Safety Overview: The Director of Safety is responsible for managing the association's existing aviation safety programs, and developing new safety initiatives to benefit HAI's membership and the international helicopter community. Essential Functions of the Position Include, but Are Not Limited To: • Serving as the HAI safety representative on various industry, government, and international boards, task forces, and meetings • Developing responses to proposed safety-related regulations and legislative initiatives • Collecting, researching, and analyzing helicopter safety and accident data for subsequent statistical reporting • Developing and implementing new HAI industry safety initiatives • Routinely interacting with the full spectrum of aviation related agencies and organizations in support of the rotorcraft industry • Managing all aspects of HAI's voluntary accreditation program that assists helicopter operators to reduce accident rates and improve safety cultures • Providing safety supervision for all flight activities at the association's annual trade show and exposition, HAI HELI-EXPO® • Managing and mentoring the deputy director of safety • Serving as staff liaison for assigned HAI committees • Contributing content for use in HAI's printed and electronic publications • Other duties as assigned The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. Desired Qualifications for the Position Include: • College or advanced degree related to aviation safety and/or management • Seven or more years of related helicopter safety background, training, and experience • Certificated helicopter pilot and/or maintenance technician • Previous experience with helicopter or other aviation-related organization(s) • Familiarization with auditing protocols and accreditation programs • A passionate commitment to the promotion of helicopter safety • Previous association or not-for-profit experience • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with significant experience in creating and delivering written proposals and public presentations • Advanced computer skills and proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite • Team player, with proven ability to manage, mentor, and motivate staff • Detail oriented, self-starter, with strong organizational and time management skills • Ability to travel The above qualifications are representative, but not all-inclusive, of the experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position. APPLY HERE Back to Top FLIGHT DATA ANALYST We are looking for someone who is passionate about aviation and excited about improving safety. As part of our team, you will help improve the safety of our customers' operations by analyzing their flight data and providing them with flight safety support and advice. If you know a TCAS from a GPWS, a B737 from an A320, and have good analytical skills, we would like to hear from you! Important Notes: Please send your Resume with Cover Letter to jobs@flightdataservices.com * Deadline for resume submission is June 1st 2018 * Pre-interview testing will be required. * Interviews will be held in our offices in Phoenix, Arizona, May 31st thru June 8th 2018 * This position requires the candidate to work in our offices in Phoenix, Arizona. Please be advised that we are only able to accept applications from candidates possessing US work authorization. Salary: Starting annual salary range is $30,000 - $40,000, negotiable depending on experience, and includes a generous benefits package. Primary Duties and Responsibilities: * Routine analysis of flight data. * Investigate abnormal operations and report on findings to airlines. * Compile statistical reports. * Manage ad hoc requests for analysis or supply of data. * Investigate and produce reports for customers on specific safety issues. * Occasional out of hours emergency support (organized on a roster basis). * Act as first point of contact and maintain regular communications with various assigned customer accounts. * Provide flight safety support and guidance to your customers. * Provide website training and advice to your customers, in particular those who are new to the service or when new website features and tools are released. * Compile monthly safety reports for your customers. * Customer visits, which may require international travel. * Write case study documents based on FDM findings. * Liaise with the Software Development Team and Customers on the continuous improvement and development of our web-based analysis platform Flight Data Connect. * Consult with customers to ensure that the most appropriate safety events and thresholds are in place. * Consult with software developers to improve safety event algorithms. * Participate in Flight Data Services training courses, safety seminars, and workshops. * Attend industry conferences, events, and exhibitions, as required. Experience: Experience in any of the following areas is considered beneficial to the applicant, although full training will be provided where necessary. * Flight deck experience * Commercial pilot license * Aviation qualification * Working with data analysis and formulation of professional reports Preferred Computer Skills: * MS Excel: sorting, basic formula use, importing data files, file format conversion, basic text cut/paste/format. * MS Word: professional communication for preparation of customer reports (spelling/grammar/punctuation), headers/footers, updating fields, importing graphs/photos/data fields. * Internet: general information searches, use of wiki, email. Personal Attributes: The successful candidate will have the ability to work as a team member and on their own initiative, prioritize workload, and meet deadlines under pressure. This position requires a competent communicator to present confidently to colleagues and multi-national audiences. Back to Top FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 25, 2018 CONTACT: Philip Barbour, 205-939-1700, 205-617-9007 Call for Nominations For 2018 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2018 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award, honoring a leader in global aviation safety. The award will be presented during the 71st Annual International Air Safety Summit, taking place Nov. 12-15 in Seattle, Wash. Presented since 1956, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award recognizes notable achievement in the field of civil or military aviation safety in method, design, invention, study or other improvement. The award's recipient is selected for a "significant individual or group effort contributing to improving aviation safety, with emphasis on original contributions," and a "significant individual or group effort performed above and beyond normal responsibilities." Mechanics, engineers and others outside of top administrative or research positions should be especially considered. The contribution need not be recent, especially if the nominee has not received adequate recognition. Nominations that were not selected as past winners of the Award can be submitted one additional time for consideration. Please note that self-nominations will not be considered. The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award's story dates back 70 years. On April 14, 1945, after visiting family in Pittsburgh, Laura Taber Barbour was aboard a Pennsylvania Central Airlines DC-3 when it crashed into the rugged terrain of Cheat Mountain near Morgantown, West Virginia. All passengers and crew were killed. In the years following, her husband, Dr. Clifford E. Barbour and son, Clifford E. Barbour, Jr., established the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award in her honor. The Award Board, composed of leaders in the field of aviation, meets in June of each year to conduct a final review of nominees and selection of the current year's recipient. Please help us honor this year's most deserving recipient. Nominations, including a 1-2-page narrative, can be submitted via the Laura Taber Barbour Foundation website at http://ltbaward.org/the-award/nomination-form/. Nominations will be accepted until June 14, 2018. For more information, including a complete history of Award recipients, see www.ltbaward.org. ABOUT THE LAURA TABER BARBOUR AIR SAFETY AWARD: The Award was established in 1956 through early association with the Flight Safety Foundation and from its founding has enjoyed a rich history of Award Board members, nominees and Award recipients. In 2013, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation was formed from members of the Award Board, the aviation community and the Barbour family. As the foundation plans to broaden the scope of its intent, with great purpose, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award will continue to spotlight those champions who pioneer breakthroughs in flight safety. Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear fellow professional pilots, As part of my Masters Degree in Aviation Management, I am conducting a survey on 'Operator Conversion Courses' (A Course taken by pilots in a new airline when moving from one airline to another but remaining on the same aircraft type) May I ask that commercial pilots amongst you take just 5 minutes to answer this short survey; it is only 10 questions. I would also ask that you pass on the link to as many of your professional pilot colleagues around the world who might also be able to provide valuable data to the survey. The survey is open until the 15th June 2016 and all data is de-identied and shall only be used for the purposes of this paper. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VJFHRSK If you have any questions, please feel free to email me on guy.farnfield.1@city.ac.uk Thank you Guy Farnfield Back to Top RESEARCH SURVEY Colleagues: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, University of Oklahoma, and Wichita State University, under the auspices of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Center of Excellence for Technical Training and Human Performance (COE TTHP), are requesting responses to a brief survey of experts in all areas of aviation. Our goal is to identify and understand shortcomings in current training and delivery mechanisms. Your input is very much appreciated. Please click on the link below to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CFA_22 Mark A. Friend, Ed.D., CSP Professor in the College of Aviation School of Graduate Studies Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Curt Lewis