May 24, 2018 - No. 041 In This Issue Happy Aviation Maintenance Technician Day Yeager Airport, Marshall to study feasibility of new aviation school Aviation Safety Team Ensures Embry-Riddle Exceeds Standards Bombardier Boosts its Worldwide Support Network Op-Ed: A woman's place is in the flight deck and the C-Suite BBA Aviation to Acquire EPIC Fuels Honeywell and AT&T Team Up for Connected Aircraft and Connected Freight Solutions GAMA Announces Aviation Design Challenge Winners ACJ320neo Family Enters Production This NASA Camera Melted During a SpaceX Rocket Launch, But the Photos Survived! Happy Aviation Maintenance Technician Day Today is recognized in this country as National AMT Day. May 24, 1868, 150 years ago, Charles Taylor, the Wright Brothers mechanic, was born. Now called the father of aircraft maintenance, we continue to celebrate this day every year. Taylor was a machinist working at the Dayton Electric Company when he was offered a job at the Wright's bicycle shop in 1901. And as they say, the rest is history. I encourage you to read the story in this newsletter titled, Charles E. Taylor: My Story. We ran this story a few years ago and wanted to publish it again. The article was written in 1948 while Taylor was living in retirement in California. It was first published in Collier's on Dec. 25, 1948, and was reprinted in Air Line Pilot, December 1978. Taylor died Jan. 30, 1956, at the age of 88. In 2008, a congressional resolution dedicated the date in honor of Taylor, establishing National Aviation Maintenance Technician Day. Around the country, maintenance organizations will be holding celebrations, picnics and parties to celebrate our chosen career path. How will you celebrate? Some of you may not celebrate. Others can't because they are diligently working to keep aircraft flying safely. You've heard me and a lot of other people in our industry mention or write about the necessity to do our part and promote aircraft maintenance as a career to the next generation. Talk with colleagues and friends about why you became a technician. Visit with students at a high school career fair and invite local students to tour your FBO, flight department, repair station, or maintenance organization. As you celebrate AMT Day also consider recommending someone who stands out in the industry. Our Next Gen Awards 40 Under 40 program is a way to do that. To learn more follow this link. Support our industry with any number of outreach activities. Charlie would have liked this. http://www.aviationpros.com/blog/12413897/happy-aviation-maintenance-technician-day Back to Top Yeager Airport, Marshall to study feasibility of new aviation school A Marshall University aviation school could take shape at Charleston's Yeager Airport, following a vote Wednesday by Yeager's governing board to study the possibility with MU officials for the next 12 months. The board authorized Yeager's executive director, Terry Sayre, to sign a memorandum of understanding with MU President Jerome Gilbert and MU Research Corporation Director John Maher calling for all parties to "determine the feasibility and sustainability of creating an aviation school" at Yeager. The MOU followed a May 3 meeting during which Sayre and other members of Yeager's staff met with Marshall and state Department of Education officials to share their plans for incorporating an aviation school into future developments at the Charleston airport. Fields of study to be offered at the aviation school could include pilot training, aeronautical science study, aviation maintenance training, air traffic control, unmanned aerial vehicle flight and other fields related to the aviation industry. Degrees offered could include bachelor's, associate's and nondegree certificates, according to the memorandum. The MOU also calls for exploring the possibility of collaborating with Huntington's Tri-State Airport to host some components of the aviation school's program. If the project is deemed feasible, the school and its curriculum would be developed through Marshall's Robert C. Byrd Institute of Advanced and Flexible Manufacturing, its Appalachian Transportation Institute, its College of Education and Professional Development and its College of Information Technology and Engineering. Sayre said the aviation school would be located adjacent to the east end of Yeager's now closed cross-wind runway, which primarily served smaller general aviation aircraft. That location is situated within a 25-acre patch of undeveloped airport-owned land that lies between and behind the Air National Guard and general aviation ramps. Assistant Director Nick Keller said Oak Hill High School, in Fayette County, is offering its students an aeronautical education component, which is likely to be incorporated by other schools in the region, providing a potential pipeline of students into a collegiate aviation program in Charleston. By developing an aviation college at Yeager in conjunction with Marshall, "We have the chance to make positive change in Southern West Virginia," Keller said. "It's an exciting opportunity for us," Sayre said. "We needed to do something about bringing jobs to the area. People who are trained here can work at airports across the state. There's a national shortage of pilots and aircraft mechanics." Construction of a new access road is needed, to open the 25-acre tract to development of the prospective MU aviation school, as well as a possible new aircraft maintenance facility and an air freight center that Sayre has been discussing with an unidentified airline and an as-yet unnamed cargo carrier. "Building the road is the key to all of this," Sayre said. An environmental study on the route of the road is expected to be finished in July, after which Yeager can apply for construction grants and put the project out to bid. In other developments: * The Charleston airport's governing board voted to give its finance committee the authority to accept the lowest qualified bidder for installing the first phase of a solar energy project funded by the Federal Aviation Administration. The initial 1.5-acre, 579 kilowatt development will take place on the roof of one of the airport's two parking buildings, followed by a 6.5- acre, 1.2 megawatt array on the Elk River side of its main runway. * Hercules, Yeager's recently purchased border collie, needs about two more months of training before he can begin a career of chasing birds and other forms of wildlife off the airport's runways and taxiways. In the meantime, a four-year-old border collie named Greg is on loan to the airport by Hercules' trainer. * Yeager Airport Police Chief Eric Johnson said items seized from the luggage of passengers at screening stations during the past month included a nine-inch section of capped pipe used to detonate shotgun shells, which initially appeared to be a pipe bomb, and four quarts of moonshine. https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/education/yeager-airport-marshall-to-study-feasibility-of- new-aviation-school/article_79b6c03b-3dca-54cc-b772-77f1a67d12b0.html Back to Top Aviation Safety Team Ensures Embry-Riddle Exceeds Standards When asked to explain his work, Jeremy Mammen, director of aviation safety on Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach, Fla., campus, proudly showed off several glossy blue and white "safety coins" emblazoned with the university logo. He cupped the coins delicately, as if he might be holding the welfare of every Embry-Riddle student-pilot in his hands. In a sense, he does - along with many other colleagues who are also laser-focused on aviation safety. Mammen's role is to serve as an objective, vigilant internal auditor for Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach flight operation and fleet maintenance team. Whenever safety events occur, Mammen and his six-person team independently conduct a thorough investigation, using all available information to identify trends and develop mitigation strategies for preventing any recurrences of the problem. "I give out these safety coins to mechanics, flight instructors and flight students," explained Mammen, an Embry-Riddle Worldwide graduate who has more than 15 years of experience in his field. "The idea is to recognize exemplary contributions to aviation safety, which supports our strong safety culture." Transparent Communication is Key Openly reporting aviation safety concerns - without fear of punishment or ridicule - is key to Embry-Riddle's safety culture, added Mammen. "Students, faculty and staff can down an aircraft at any time, no questions asked," he noted. "The caliber of our fleet maintenance efforts is beyond compare, and we fly newer, well-maintained equipment, but if someone spots any discrepancy that makes them uncomfortable, that aircraft's not going to leave the ground, period." Embry-Riddle re-fleets all aircraft approximately every seven years to ensure that students are always flying the latest technology, said Thomas Bruno, director of maintenance for the Daytona Beach fleet. Exceeding Industry and FAA Standards Bruno noted that Embry-Riddle operates a Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 145 repair facility, which is not a requirement for a flight training institution and requires many FAA inspections. "That means we use only FAA-certificated men and women to service all aircraft," he said. "It also means that all of our policies, procedures and even facilities have been approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). While our system is more labor-intensive, it ensures that at least two people review every aircraft before it is placed back into service." Across all aspects of its flight and fleet operations, Embry-Riddle adheres to industry-leading best practices. For example, Mammen said, some other operators might rely upon a kind of waiver known as a "minimum equipment list" or MEL. With an authorized minimum equipment list, Mammen noted, an organization can still fly an aircraft with a mechanical problem so long as it is not associated with airworthiness. In contrast, however, "At Embry-Riddle, we do not allow the use of MELs," Mammen said. "We require that our aircraft are absolutely perfect before we allow students to fly them." Bruno echoed Mammen's sentiments: "I have three daughters and I maintain each aircraft as if they were going out on the next training flight," he said. "Everyone in aircraft maintenance at Embry-Riddle takes their job very seriously." Going Above and Beyond Requirements In addition to having a strong internal safety management system, Embry-Riddle is also one of only a few flight training programs of its type that voluntarily participates in the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Action Program, or ASAP. Under this program, any Embry- Riddle pilot, maintenance technician, faculty or staff member who knows of a safety-related event can complete an ASAP report form. "Like Embry-Riddle," Mammen says, "the FAA wants to document any issues to make sure they never happen again." In addition to thorough reporting, Flight Data Monitoring Analysis allows Embry-Riddle to see what's happening during every moment of a flight. Those data, combined with self-reporting, provide Mammen with a highly detailed account of each flight. His analyses can then be used by Bruno as well as Daytona Beach Flight Chair Ken Byrnes to ensure that the operation is safe and to continuously improve all aspects of flight. "Safety is our absolute number one priority at Embry-Riddle," Byrnes said. "We have one of the most robust safety management systems in the flight training community and our people are committed to ensuring safety at the highest level possible." As a testament to Embry-Riddle's safety commitment, the Daytona Beach flight operation, which currently includes a fleet of 61 aircraft, achieved Stage II of an intense safety registration process - the International Standard Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) registration. This was something no other university flight operation had done. The IS-BAO registration is completely voluntary and requires the completion of a rigorous auditing program. Promoting Educational Excellence Chuck Horning, chair of Embry-Riddle's Department of Aviation Maintenance Science, noted that some of the 340 students in his program have played a key role in maintaining the university's Daytona Beach fleet - "under the close supervision of multiple layers of certificated inspectors." Roger Sonnenfeld, a 35-year veteran of Embry-Riddle, teaches a repair station operations class where students gain hands-on experience in working with airworthy engines - not just classroom models or out-of-service parts. "Our aviation maintenance science students are in a unique situation," he noted. "Being able to work with a real-world, airworthy product adds a level of seriousness to a capstone course that other programs can't offer." All maintenance projects undergo careful supervision by faculty as well as specialists like Leinardo "Ray" De Jesus Jr., an airframe and powerplant (A&P) certificated maintenance technician who graduated from Embry-Riddle this spring and now works in the Aviation Maintenance Science repair station. "We're just as important as the pilots," De Jesus said of his role in ensuring aviation safety. Sonnenfeld agreed. "In aviation maintenance, when we sign off on an engine log book, we're responsible," he said. "We're accountable for all the actions we took to maintain that aircraft." Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus offers both an associate's and a bachelor's degree in aviation maintenance science. The programs focus on the FAA A&P mechanic's certification program and encompass 48 credit hours of technical courses in Embry-Riddle's 48,000-square-foot Emil Buehler Aviation Maintenance Science Building. "The relationship between Embry-Riddle's academic program and its fleet maintenance operation is invaluable," Bruno said. "When we hire certificated A&P mechanics from that program, we know they've been trained by the very best." https://news.erau.edu/headlines/aviation-safety-team-ensures-embry-riddle-exceeds-standards/ Back to Top Bombardier Boosts its Worldwide Support Network Step inside any of Bombardier Business Aircraft's nine world-class service centers and you will be delighted by the new customer amenities. All the entrance foyers, offices and meeting rooms have been upgraded to a high standard to provide visiting flight crew and maintenance personnel with comfortable surroundings. With a focus on providing exceptional support, Bombardier set out to further heighten the customer experience by encouraging customers to bring their business jets to a highly skilled Bombardier service center where they will benefit from know-how only the OEM can provide. As a result, Bombardier embarked on a plan to ensure it reaches its customers - wherever and whenever - by expanding its worldwide footprint and enhancing processes. The new Bombardier Customer Experience organization, based on three functional teams - Products, Services and Delivery - offers Bombardier customers peace of mind and satisfaction knowing that their aircraft are in good hands at a Bombardier facility. One of the new Customer Experience team's first initiatives was to launch the "bring your jet home" campaign, encouraging customers to visit one of Bombardier's top-notch service centers around the world to benefit from the OEM's expertise, knowledge and new product offerings. CUSTOMER DRIVEN EXPANSION Chris Debergh, Vice President of Delivery for Customer Experience, Bombardier Business Aircraft, leads a 1,600-member team that supports the rapid growth of Bombardier's service centers, as well as the timely worldwide distribution of parts. "As the Bombardier fleet continues to grow, so does our service center network. We are currently focused on opening new facilities for scheduled maintenance and expanding existing ones, so we can provide our OEM expertise and knowledge, whenever and wherever customers need it," says Debergh. With its growing fleet in China, Bombardier opened the Tianjin Service Center in April 2017, and the facility has since received numerous certifications. The Tianjin Service Center recently completed its first 60-month inspection on a Global aircraft and a 120-month inspection on a Challenger aircraft. Another important step in Bombardier's commitment to reaching more of its customers around the world was the inauguration of its London Biggin Hill Service Center in May 2017. Less than a year after opening its Biggin Hill Service Center, Bombardier expanded the facility with an additional hangar, which is now operational. With an installed base of more than 600 Bombardier business aircraft in Europe, the London Biggin Hill Service Center is well positioned to provide world-class heavy maintenance and support services to Bombardier customers and operators in the region. The London Biggin Hill Service Center also offers numerous aftermarket products to further enhance the flight experience on board a Bombardier business jet, including Ka-band, Pro Line 21, Take-off Safety Enhancements and interior refurbishment modifications, among many others. "Bombardier's investment in, and efforts to ramp up capacity at, its services centers have made it possible to turn out aircraft faster and have brought greater value and peace of mind to customers," says Debergh. Bombardier is also driving global operational standardization across nine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities and three global parts distribution centers since implementing a Customer Experience protocol. According to Debergh, this keeps customers "in the loop when an aircraft visits our facilities." Customers can follow the progress and make real-time decisions regarding any new work that may arise. "We survey our customers constantly and move fast to address any concerns that are raised. We promote a culture of transparency, open communication and accountability. Many of our customers tell us they are so pleased, they would recommend Bombardier to colleagues," adds Debergh, highlighting the positive response to the service initiatives. Another of Bombardier initiatives in 2017 was to open a state-of-the-art interior-design center at Bombardier's Tucson Service Center - the largest support facility in its worldwide network - thereby replicating the refurbishment capabilities established in Singapore a couple of years ago. "Our interior designers work with you to understand your preferences to propose the best looking cabin for you and your needs," says Debergh. Bombardier continues to explore opportunities to further increase its footprint, "because any successful MRO business will eventually run out of hangar space," says Debergh, adding that more hangar space will also be required to maintain the new Bombardier Global 7000 aircraft - the industry's largest and longest-range business jet - which enters service in 2018. Just what facility will expand next will be "customer driven," adds Debergh. DELIVERING ADDED VALUE Design, technology and consumer electronics are constantly evolving - Bombardier believes business aircraft should do the same. In 2016, Bombardier became the first aircraft manufacturer to offer the revolutionary Ka-band high-speed internet connectivity system in a business aircraft cabin. The system is now available on new Challenger 650 aircraft and Global series aircraft, and as a retrofit on Challenger 604, Challenger 605, and Challenger 650 aircraft, as well as on all Global aircraft, through Bombardier's extensive service network. The aircraft maker also partnered with Duncan Aviation to bring to market Gogo Business Aviation's 4G next-generation air-to-ground (ATG) internet system, known as Gogo Avance L5, on new Bombardier business jets, and as a retrofit on in-service aircraft. The system uses the Gogo Biz 4G ground network of more than 250 towers, providing reliable connectivity over the continental U.S. and large parts of Canada and Alaska. Bombardier's service centers allow customers to optimize downtime on their aircraft by pairing the installation of products like Ka-band or Gogo Avance L5 installation with a scheduled maintenance check and other important upgrades, such as Automatic Dependent Surveillance- Broadcast (ADS-B Out V2). Aviation authorities such as FAA and EASA require all business aircraft to be equipped with ADS-B Out V2 by January 1, 2020, or face being grounded for non-compliance. Bombardier believes that if a customer waits too long, it might be too late. As such, it recommends combining the installation of ADS-B Out V2 with an upcoming maintenance event at one of its worldwide service centers to save time and money. "Our technicians combine upgrades with maintenance events to ensure minimal interruptions," explains Debergh. Customers have responded positively to the opportunity to have new flight deck and cabin upgrades installed while an aircraft is visiting Bombardier for maintenance or a 96- or 120-month inspection, Debergh adds. INCREASED RESPONSIVENESS In between service center visits for maintenance, inspections and upgrades, Bombardier Business Aircraft customers can rely on a multi-layered global network with more than 100 sites for support. Two large parts distribution hubs in Chicago and Frankfurt help create one of the most expansive parts distribution networks in the business aviation industry. The two facilities, strategically located at large airline hubs, have a combined footprint of 292,000 square feet (27,126 square meters) and ship more than 2,300 line items every day to customers around the world, as well as to nine regional parts depots and nine service center locations. The two new Maintenance Control Centers in Linz, Austria, and Wichita, Kansas, are connected to the centralized Customer Response Center and provide customers with a single point of contact to a team of aviation professionals with an in-depth understanding and knowledge of aircraft maintenance. The Customer Response Center is a one-stop resource that puts the proper team into motion to support a customer in any situation. The six new Line Maintenance Stations in Europe (Linz, Austria; Cannes and Nice, France; Milan and Olbia, Italy; and Luton, UK) are also successful. Staffed with expert technicians, they are equipped with specialized test equipment for in-depth troubleshooting and unscheduled maintenance. "The addition of the line maintenance stations is an integral part of our overall strategy to enhance OEM support for our European customers, including the opening of our brand-new heavy maintenance facility at London Biggin Hill Airport," explains Debergh. With 14 Mobile Response Team vehicles placed at strategic locations in the United States and nine in Europe, the team provides line maintenance support, complementing the tip-to-tail heavy maintenance services provided by Bombardier's service and support network in the region and worldwide. Bombardier's bolstered support network does not stop at service centers and its Mobile Response Team: the OEM is also looking to grow its team of technicians. "We are constantly on the lookout for the best of the best," says Debergh. "We are currently recruiting in all locations for avionics, interior, quality, project management, and more." https://www.ainonline.com/sponsored-content/business-aviation/2018-05-23/bombardier-boosts- its-worldwide-support-network Back to Top Op-Ed: A woman's place is in the flight deck and the C-Suite Last month, I received a letter from a high school student. She took me to task for the scarcity of female pilots and astronauts. As the president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, she felt I had a duty to do more to encourage women to enter the fields of aviation and aerospace. I answered that I shared her frustration that women have not yet closed the gap in aviation and engineering, as they have in medicine and law. I described our summer camps and STEM programs and mentorship opportunities and asked her for suggestions on how we could do a better job in reaching out to young women like her. In retrospect, I wish I had taken the opportunity to expand our conversation. If her heart is set on a career as a pilot, I respect that passion. I see it all around me on our campus. If she does enter our College of Aviation, she would meet some impressive role models, including the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Aviation and an instructor who was one of 25 women featured in a book and exhibit at Smithsonian on women and flight. But we don't just need more female pilots. We need more women in the entire aviation industry, from the maintenance hangar to the tower to the C-Suite. It is time for women to claim their futures in "all the flight places" - general, corporate, commercial, education, government and military. If she accepts my invitation to tour our campus, I will take her to our flight line to see our fleet of Cessnas and to our Advanced Flight Simulation Center. I will introduce her to College of Aviation students in the air traffic control labs and the aviation maintenance science building. But I also want her to meet the students in our aviation business administration programs, who will be running airlines and cargo carriers and operating airports. While the pilot shortage gets more press, there is also a looming shortage of air traffic controllers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a loss of 15,000 ATC workers in the next decade. Eighty percent of this workforce is male. What skills does the FAA exam for controllers emphasize? Ability to plan and prioritize, remain decisive in high-intensity situations, visualize solutions and detect movement. None of these characteristics is carried exclusively on the Y chromosome. Aviation maintenance is an increasingly complex field, with technicians working with nanotechnology, organic composites, sophisticated optics and scramjet propulsion. This is another segment of the industry where the demand is exceeding the supply of qualified workers. A bipartisan bill is in the works to encourage government, industry and academia to cultivate technical talent. It proposes that FAA will administer $500,000 grants for aviation maintenance workforce development. Women could definitely expand the pool of candidates for these jobs. While they are still underrepresented in automotive maintenance, that industry has made progress in diversifying its workforce thanks to scholarships, advocacy groups and targeted recruiting efforts by education and industry. We can adapt their model. If I get the chance to show her our College of Business, she could see students solving industry problems. Maybe she could imagine herself evaluating next-generation air traffic management strategies. Or identifying accident patterns. Or running simulations to identify optimal shipping strategies. She would meet undergrads who are strategizing ways to make boarding more efficient and developing an aviation weather database with the FAA. She might be intrigued by how our students are helping Continental improve manpower planning at maintenance stations in Newark or analyzing whether United should use tow tugs instead of tractors at LAX. I would want to introduce her to Madison Dietrich, one of our Business Eagles. The Business Eagles program helps high-performing students launch aviation careers by meeting with leaders from industry, including Boeing, United and Frontier. Madison is in her third year, focused on air transportation. This field is projected to grow by 25 percent through 2022. Other women in the program plan to work in airline operations, logistics, marketing, and financing. Madison says accompanying her father on sales trips sparked an early fascination with planes and airports. By the age of 13, she was watching "Shark Tank" and taking notes while her friends watched "Hannah Montana". She took flight lessons in high school with the goal of being a pilot. Eventually, she realized she could combine her interests in business and aviation and she applied to one university: Embry-Riddle. This summer, Madison is enjoying an internship that mirrors her dream job: working for United at San Francisco International Airport. (Her earliest career goal was to be CEO of United.) She hopes she may work for Emirates after she earns her MBA. You could say the future of aviation is female - but why wait? In addition to encouraging young women to focus on aviation-related programs, we should recognize the value mid-career women can contribute. We are among the institutions that offer online professional education programs that help people adapt and transfer skills to positions in demand by aviation, such as risk manager, digital security supervisor, customer experience officer, chief technologist and big data specialist. I do believe a woman's place is in the flight deck. I also believe it is anywhere she wants to apply her skills. I'm gratified that young women are thinking big when it comes to a career in aviation. I would just like to encourage them to think a little broader. There is so much opportunity to take the controls, in every aspect of the industry. https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2018/05/23/op-ed-a-womans-place-is-in-the-flight-deck-and-the-c- suite/ Back to Top BBA Aviation to Acquire EPIC Fuels BBA Aviation plc announced today that it will acquire EPIC Aviation LLC, DBA Epic Fuels, a privately- held company with headquarters in Irving, Texas; operations in Salem, Oregon and its subsidiary, QTpod in Boulder, CO. It is anticipated that EPIC Fuels will be a separate operating business within the BBA Aviation portfolio. This acquisition of EPIC Fuels, a leader in aviation fuel supply, logistics, transaction processing, and self-service fueling devices, complements BBA Aviation's FBO Network, Signature Flight Support. The addition of EPIC Fuels will generate opportunities for all BBA Aviation stakeholders, including an extensive network with complementary offerings benefiting its various customers. Mark Johnstone, BBA Aviation Chief Executive commented "We are pleased to have reached an agreement to acquire EPIC. This acquisition fully supports the strategic development of Signature through increasing our network relevance, extending the range of fuel and non-fuel services we offer our customers across our unique FBO network and continuing to establish a competitive cost structure through investment in technology and economies of scale." "We're proud to be joining BBA Aviation, a world-class company who is an acknowledged leader in aviation with whom we share aligned values," said Kevin Cox, EPIC Fuels President. "Over the past 78 years of continuous operations, EPIC has developed a loyal, diverse, and supportive customer base. This acquisition will generate significant opportunities for all of our customers who depend upon our team for fuel, services and award-winning fueling devices." Although FBOs within the EPIC Fuels network will remain independent and retain their current branding and fuel supply, the combined Signature Flight Support and EPIC Fuels networks will provide expanded choices for business and general aviation customers. EPIC provides fuel and fuel related services at 205 privately owned, independent FBO locations, 185 of these locations are branded EPIC and 20 are branded UVAir. The addition of EPIC's 205 FBO locations is complementary to the existing Signature Select® branded locations, establishing a virtual, non- owned, network to operate alongside Signature's market-leading, owned FBO network. This creates a total network of over 400 FBO locations significantly extending Signature's network relevance and the range of services it can offer. The acquisition expands an existing relationship between Signature Flight Support and EPIC Fuels to offer the Epic/Signature Multi Service Aviation Card. More than 529 merchants at 505 airports currently accept the EPIC/Signature Card within the networks; while the card is accepted at over 8,000 locations worldwide through U.S. Bank's Multi Service Aviation Network. QTpod manufactures and distributes self-serve fueling systems, with over 1,600 units already in service, it is poised to expand its footprint in the aviation industry with the recent development of the M4000, a state-of-the art, "Product of the Year" awarded, patent-pending, and cloud-based self-serve fueling terminal which was introduced in the market in June 2017. The acquisition is subject to certain governmental and regulatory approvals. Signature Flight Support, a BBA Aviation plc company, is the world's largest fixed-base operation (FBO) and distribution network for business aviation services. Signature services include fueling, hangar and office rentals, ground handling, maintenance and a wide range of crew and passenger amenities at strategic domestic and international locations. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Signature currently operates at more than 200 locations in the United States, Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. For more information, please visit:www.signatureflight.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/signatureflightsupport. Follow Signature Flight Support on Twitter: SignatureFBO BBA Aviation plc is a market leading, global aviation support and aftermarket services provider, primarily focused on servicing the Business and General Aviation (B&GA) market. We support our customers through three principal businesses: Signature Flight Support and Signature TECHNICAirTM which provide premium, full service flight and home base support including refuelling, ground handling, hangarage and MRO services through the world's largest fixed base operation (FBO) network for B&GA users with around 200 locations covering key destinations in North America, Europe, South America, Caribbean, Africa and Asia. Ontic is a leading provider of high-quality equipment and cost-effective solutions for the continuing support of maturing and legacy aerospace platforms with locations in the USA, Europe and Asia. Engine Repair & Overhaul/Global Engine Services is a leading independent engine service provider to global B&GA operators, the rotorcraft market and regional airline fleets with locations in the USA, Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.bbaaviation.com. EPIC Fuels is a major supplier of fuels and services to FBOs, commercial airlines, airports, ground fueling operators, the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and other government agencies around the world. Our largest customers include Fortune 500 flight departments, top-tier FBOs, major airlines, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), charter and cargo operators as well as all branches of the U.S. military. In addition, we offer the EPIC Card, an aviation fuel card for retail or contract fuel purchases and ancillary services. The EPIC Card is accepted both in and out of network, at over 8,000 locations worldwide. QTpod, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EPIC Fuels, has set the standard for self-serve fueling in the aviation and marine industries for over 25 years. With over 1,600 installations throughout North America, our self-serve fuel management systems are designed to operate in any climate, from Alaska to the Florida Keys. For more information about EPIC Fuels, visit www.epicfuels.com and for QTpod, visit www.qtpod.com http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12413771/bba-aviation-to-acquire-epic-fuels Back to Top Honeywell and AT&T Team Up for Connected Aircraft and Connected Freight Solutions Honeywell and AT&T recently announced that their collaborating to leverage the Internet of Things for a suite of solutions that enable companies to enhance reliability, asset performance, and productivity. Honeywell also added that it is working together with AT&T to deploy IoT to the former's Connected Freight and Connected Aircraft solutions. Sameer Agrawal, general manager of IIoT solutions for Honeywell's Safety and Productivity Solutions business, said, "Our IoT collaboration with AT&T is adding value to the transportation and logistics products we provide our customers across the globe. It gives logistics providers near real- time data insights about their shipments in-transit. And we can unleash a wide array of connected products and services for aircraft operators." he Connected Freight solution is a scalable platform that keeps an eye on crucial shipments while in transit. Assets, pallets or individual packages are tagged with cost-effective sensor tags that provide location information while also measuring a variety of condition changes like humidity, shock and tilt, temperature, pressure, and light. The sensors are interconnected via a mesh network protocol that allows them to share data back with a nearby centralized gateway device. With the Connected Aircraft, the company is leveraging AT&T's global network to connect aircraft services while on the ground. Honeywell's GoDirect family, a portfolio of over 50 value-adding aviation services and applications, provides critical information to flight crews, maintenance teams, and operators in order to enable them to manage their network and services. These services enhance flight safety, fleet management, maintenance, aircraft turnaround time, flight operations, passenger experience, and costs. Honeywell said utilizing AT&T's Control Center with the AT&T global network will allow it to better scale its aircraft as well as freight solutions in not only the U.S. but also abroad. https://www.readitquik.com/news/iot-2/honeywell-and-atampt-team-up-for-connected-aircraft- and-connected-freight-solutions/ Back to Top GAMA Announces Aviation Design Challenge Winners As the winners of this year's Aviation Design Challenge, four students and their teacher from Erie 1 BOCES Harkness Career and Technical Center in Cheektowaga, New York, will be traveling to Glasair Aviation to help build a plane at Glasair's Arlington, Washington, manufacturing facility, announced GAMA on Tuesday. The trip is scheduled to take place during the last two weeks in June and will be entirely funded by competition sponsors. The second-place team-St. Croix Lutheran Academy from St. Paul, Minnesota-gets a two-day Redbird Flight Simulations STEM Lab Camp to be held at their high school. Throughout the competition, teams followed the Fly to Learn STEM curriculum, using what they learned to modify a virtual Cessna 172SP. The design software, which is powered by X-Plane, also scored the aircraft based on payload, fuel burn and distance flown. GAMA engineers then evaluated the projects. "Programs like the Aviation Design Challenge and other STEM initiatives our member companies host and support are critical to ensuring we have the pilots, engineers, assembly and maintenance technicians, and leaders to keep the general aviation industry growing in the future," said GAMA CEO Pete Bunce. The design challenge, which has been held annually since 2013, was created to support STEM education in U.S. high schools. For the 2018 competition, 130 schools from 39 states registered, a significant growth from 2017's 93 entrants. Companies sponsoring the competition include Lycoming, Garmin, Cirrus, Textron and Hartzell. https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/GAMA-Announces-Aviation-Design-Challenge-Winners- 230864-1.html Back to Top ACJ320neo Family Enters Production 23rd May 2018 - Manufacture of the first ACJ320neo1 has begun, with elements taking shape across Europe and final assembly due to begin in June, followed by the first delivery of the "green" aircraft to Acropolis Aviation of the UK in the last quarter of this year. A second ACJ320neo will follow by year-end. Deliveries of the first ACJ319neo, for K5 Aviation, will begin in the second quarter of 2019, marking a further step in the creation of the new corporate jet family. Orders for the ACJ320 Family now total nine aircraft, comprising three ACJ319neo and six ACJ320neo aircraft. Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) is highlighting the ACJ320neo Family, which also includes the ACJ319neo, at the EBACE show2, where it will be present with a stand shared with Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH). Two of today's ACJ319s are also on display at EBACE. "New engines and Sharklets enable the ACJ320neo Family to link even more of the world nonstop, in a large and comfortable cabin that is the envy of other business jet manufacturers," says ACJ President Benoit Defforge. The ACJ319neo can fly eight passengers 6,750 nm/12,500 km or 15 hours, while the ACJ320neo can transport 25 passengers 6,000 nm/11,100 km or 13 hours. With wider and taller interiors than any other business jet, the ACJ320neo Family capitalises on the trend toward bigger cabins, delivering unmatched comfort, space and freedom in an aircraft of similar size and operating costs, with the modernity and value sought by customers today. All Airbus corporate jets are derived from the world's most modern aircraft family, delivering the benefits of an airliner heritage that is unmatched by traditional business jets. These include a robust reliability that comes from aircraft that are designed to fly many times a day in airline service, simplicity and efficiency in maintenance, and a worldwide support network that is sized to serve more than 500 customers and operators flying over 10,000 aircraft. ACJ customers also benefit from services tailored to their specific needs, such as the Airbus corporate jet customer-care centre (C4you) and ACJ Service Centre Network. For customers wanting even more passenger capacity plus nonstop to the world range, Airbus offers a complete family of VIP widebodies, which includes the new ACJ330neo and ACJ350 XWB families. More than 190 Airbus corporate jets are in service worldwide. They are flying on every continent, including Antarctica, highlighting their versatility around the clock around the world. Together, ACJ and ACH are uniquely well placed to provide modern and efficient combined solutions to the air travel needs of customers worldwide, being the only manufacturer offering both business jets and helicopters. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12413744/acj320neo-family-enters-production Back to Top This NASA Camera Melted During a SpaceX Rocket Launch, But the Photos Survived! Veteran NASA photographer Bill Ingalls is no stranger to rocket launches, but even he seemed surprised when one of his remote cameras melted in a fire sparked by a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch Tuesday but - wait for it - still managed to snap photos of the liftoff. "Well, one remote cam outside the pad perimeter was found to be a bit toast(y)," Ingalls wrote on Facebook after the launch, "and yes - it made pix until [its] demise." The "toasty" camera was a Canon DSLR that Ingalls placed about a quarter mile (1,320 feet, or 402 meters) from SpaceX's pad, called Space Launch Complex 4E, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It was one of six remote cameras that the photographer set up to chronicle the launch of NASA's twin GRACE-FO satellites on Tuesday (May 22). Five commercial Iridium Next communications satellites also rode the Falcon 9 into orbit. The camera melted in a brush fire triggered by the Falcon 9 launch, Ingalls told Space.com today (May 23). Vandenberg's fire department arrived to the launchpad after liftoff (which is typical of Vandenberg launches, to secure the site). A firefighter then found the camera and had it waiting for Ingalls when he arrived to collect his remote cameras. "The Vandenberg Fire Department put the fire out pretty quickly, but unfortunately my camera got toasted" before they got to it, Ingalls said. It was the first time that one of Ingalls' cameras has been melted during a launch, and he's been snapping photos for NASA since 1989. But despite being melted, the camera still managed to do its job. In one photo, the camera snapped a single frame of the SpaceX Falcon 9 as it began to lift off. "At least [it] got a frame before the camera bit the dust," Ingalls wrote. Then came the fire. The next photo clearly shows flames overtaking the camera. "Reason for the toasty remote camera," Ingalls wrote. One final photo by Ingalls shows the remains of the camera, its lens a charred mess of bubbled plastic. "Toasty remote camera," Ingalls wrote. The brush fire that scorched Ingalls' camera seems to have just been bad luck. He had four other remote cameras located much closer to the launchpad that made it through unscathed and worked flawlessly. The biggest worry for a remote camera near the launchpad is usually debris, Ingalls said. A rocket launch can kick up rocks and other bits of debris that can damage or destroy a camera. Cameras close to launchpads have protective housings, while lens filters can help protect cameras located farther away, he said. https://www.space.com/40685-spacex-rocket-launch-melts-camera.html Curt Lewis