Flight Safety Information June 27, 2018 - No. 129 In This Issue Incident: Lufthansa A343 enroute on Jun 24th 2018, Power bank with too much power Incident: Expressjet E145 near Detroit on Jun 26th 2018, smell of smoke on board EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Russian-designed fighter jet crashes in India; pilots safe Woman arrested after pointing laser at landing aircraft American Airlines plane from D-FW makes emergency landing after flight attendant falls ill ATSB issues final report on airprox incident involving two Beech 200's in Australia LIBIK Fire Suppression Kits for the Cabin and Flight Deck. Ensuring aviation safety and safe use of drones: Council signs off on EASA reform FAA Prohibits Drone Flights Above Federal Prisons, US Coast Guard Bases Pairing pilots of Indian Airlines & Air India in same cockpit safety risk, warns IA union Florida Airport Will Be the First to Scan Every International Traveler's Face Air Wisconsin Announces New Airplane Maintenance Facility, Will Create About 80 New Jobs Rent-a-captain: South Africa plugs global pilot shortage VR PILOT TRAINING NOW COMES WITH A SENSE OF TOUCH India's Jet Buys $8.8 Billion More Boeing Planes to Match Rivals Boeing's concept jet could fly New York to London in 2 hours The Billionaire Space Race Is Making Life Difficult for Airlines AViCON 2018 64th Air Safety Forum - Join Us! Human Factors in Accident Investigation from SCSI HIGH ALTITUDE FLYING: WHAT EVERY PILOT NEEDS TO KNOW - New Online Course - Fall 2018 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 1 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 2 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 3 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 4 Incident: Lufthansa A343 enroute on Jun 24th 2018, Power bank with too much power A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300, registration D-AIFE performing flight LH-489 from San Jose,CA (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was enroute when the power bank of a passenger suffered a thermal runaway and ignited. Cabin crew quickly extinguished the flames, cooled the power bank down and secured it while the flight crew continued the flight to Frankfurt, where the aircraft landed on schedule. https://avherald.com/h?article=4ba5eb50&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Expressjet E145 near Detroit on Jun 26th 2018, smell of smoke on board An Expressjet Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of United, registration N14542 performing flight XE-4007/UA-4007 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Greenville/Spartanburg,SC (USA) with 44 people on board, was climbing through FL250 when the crew stopped the climb and declared emergency reporting the smell of smoke on board. The crew diverted the aircraft to Detroit,MI (USA), the smell dissipated and the aircraft landed safely on Detroit's runway 04R about 20 minutes after the climb was stopped at FL250. The crew advised emergency services the odour had dissipated by the time of touch down. A replacement ER-145 registration N15572 is estimated to reach Greenville with a delay of 7.5 hours. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL4007/history/20180626/1249Z/KORD/KGSP https://avherald.com/h?article=4ba5e5e5&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Russian-designed fighter jet crashes in India; pilots safe NEW DELHI - A Russian-designed Sukhoi fighter jet crashed Wednesday during a test flight ahead of its induction into the Indian air force, but there were no casualties, an official said. Air force spokesman Wing Commander Arvind Sinha said both pilots ejected safely from the newly built aircraft, which crashed into a farm near Nasik in western India's Maharasthra state. He said the cause of the crash is being investigated. The Sukhoi Su-30MKI twinjet aircraft is produced under license by India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. In recent years the Indian air force has suffered a series of crashes of helicopters and MiG aircraft acquired from the former Soviet Union. The government says the accidents were caused by human error and mechanical problems. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article213901879.html Back to Top Woman arrested after pointing laser at landing aircraft A woman was taken into custody Friday for allegedly aiming a laser pointer at several aircraft attempting to land at McAllen-Miller International Airport, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick. A criminal complaint says Ruth Ann Hopp, 46, used the laser pointer on several airplanes during the landing portion of various flights, a point when it is most crucial for pilots to be alert. Several pilots reported similar incidents, all involving a laser. https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/woman-arrested-after-pointing-laser-at-landing-aircraft/article_26cbabf2-3347-5500-bede-e934505e672c.html Back to Top American Airlines plane from D-FW makes emergency landing after flight attendant falls ill An American Airlines flight from DFW International Airport was diverted Tuesday evening after a flight attendant became ill on board, the airline said. Flight AA70 left DFW Airport for Frankfurt Airport about 4:30 p.m. and was in the air for about two hours before a flight attendant experienced a medical issue, airline spokesman Ross Feinstein said. The Boeing 777-200 made an emergency landing at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The flight attendant, who was accompanied by a colleague from the airlines' Cleveland team, was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and was doing well, Feinstein said. The flight, which had 261 passengers and 13 crew on board, was initially scheduled to arrive in Frankfurt shortly after 9 a.m. It re-departed from Cleveland on Tuesday night without the ill flight attendant, Feinstein said. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/american-airlines/2018/06/26/american-airlines-plane-d-fw-makes-emergency-landing-after-flight-attendant-falls Back to Top ATSB issues final report on airprox incident involving two Beech 200's in Australia Date: 03-SEP-2015 Time: 08:53 LT Type: Beechcraft B200 Super King Air Owner/operator: Corporate and Leisure Aviation Registration: VH-OWN C/n / msn: BB-936 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 9 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: None Category: Serious incident Location: near Mount Hotham, VIC (MHU/YHOT) - Australia Phase: Approach Nature: Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Melbourne-Essendon Airport, VIC (MEB/YMEN) Destination airport: Mount Hotham, VIC (MHU/YHOT) Investigating agency: ATSB Narrative: At about 08:25 LT on 3 September 2015, five low-capacity twin-engine turboprop aircraft flew from differing originating aerodromes towards Mount Hotham Airport, Victoria, as part of a passenger charter involving a number of different operators. As the weather on arrival at Mount Hotham was below that required for a visual approach, the aircraft needed to carry out the published area navigation (RNAV) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) instrument approach in order to navigate clear of cloud before landing. The first aircraft to arrive in the Mount Hotham area was a Beech B200 King Air, registered VH-OWN. At about 08:29, the pilot of VH-OWN commenced the RNAV (GNSS) approach for runway 29 from the south via the initial approach fix (IAF) waypoint HOTEC using the autopilot, but experienced tracking difficulties on reaching the intermediate fix waypoint HOTEI. Radar data showed that from HOTEC to HOTEI, VH-OWN descended to 7,300 ft, 400 ft below the minimum permitted safe altitude. At 08:30 the aircraft did not turn to intercept the inbound approach track at HOTEI, but instead continued tracking to the north of the prescribed approach path and continued to descend to 6,300 ft. In response to the tracking difficulties, the pilot eventually discontinued the approach. The pilot then climbed the aircraft to the minimum safe altitude of 7,700 ft while still tracking towards the north, rather than via the prescribed missed approach track. At 08:34, the pilot of VH-OWN advised the air traffic controller that he was in the missed approach, and commenced manoeuvring in the airspace in the Mount Hotham area, as the other charter aircraft progressively arrived for the RNAV (GNSS) approach for runway 29. Due to surveillance limitations to the north of Mount Hotham, surveillance data for VH-OWN was not available to the controller from 08:32 to 08:38. During that time, the aircraft tracked from the east of Mount Hotham at 6,400 ft, to a position about 4 NM (7 km) east of the airfield at 7,900 ft. At 08:38, the aircraft's position did not match the pilot's reported tracking details, though the controller did not comment on the erroneous tracking when providing the pilot with position information. The second aircraft, also a King Air, arrived at Mount Hotham on the same track as VH-OWN, commencing the approach at 08:41 as the pilot of VH-OWN reported that he would track to waypoint HOTEB and hold. The pilot of that aircraft conducted the RNAV (GNSS) approach from waypoint HOTEC and landed on runway 29 at about 08:46, having become visual with the ground close to the approach minimum altitude (741 ft above the runway). Shortly after the pilot of VH-OWN reported tracking for HOTEB, the pilot of another aircraft tracking for Mount Hotham advised him on the area radio frequency that they were trying to talk to him on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF). The CTAF at Mount Hotham was not recorded, nor was it monitored by air traffic control. The third aircraft to commence the approach was another King Air, registered VH-LQR. On receiving advice from the pilot of VH-OWN on the CTAF that he was to the west of Mount Hotham, the pilot of VH-LQR tracked inbound from the north-east on descent to 7,700 ft to commence the approach at the IAF HOTEA. It was reported that subsequent broadcasts from the pilot of VH-OWN on the CTAF indicated that the pilot was unsure of his position. Consequently, the pilot of VH-LQR stopped descent at 8,000 ft while still to the north of HOTEA. At 08:48, the controller attempted to contact the pilot of VH-OWN and, when not successful, advised the pilot of VH-LQR that VH-OWN was going to conduct an approach in front of VH-LQR. This information was surmised by the controller from the observed track of VH-OWN. The pilot of VH-LQR advised the controller that he believed the pilot of VH-OWN was 'on the approach' but he was unable to contact him. Shortly afterwards, the pilot of VH-LQR advised the controller that VH-OWN was 'turning inbound at HOTEB for the approach'. However, surveillance data showed that, at that time, VH-OWN was just to the south of HOTEI at 7,700 ft tracking in a north-easterly direction. From 08:49, when VH-LQR was about 18 NM (33 km) north of HOTEA at flight level (FL) 141 to 08:54 when the aircraft was about 1 NM (2 km) north of HOTEA at 8,200 ft, surveillance data for VH-LQR was not available to the controller. Surveillance data remained available for VH-OWN during that period that showed the aircraft tracked to the east of HOTEI and towards HOTEA at 7,700 ft. Although not available on the controller's surveillance display, data from the Department of Defence radar to the south of Mount Hotham at East Sale, Victoria, showed that VH-OWN passed 300 ft below VH-LQR, just north of HOTEA at 08:53. The pilot of VH-OWN then attempted another approach and experienced similar tracking difficulties. Radar data shows that the pilot again continued to descend to the north of the RNAV (GNSS) approach track to 5,800 ft, with the pilot later stating that he became visual and clear of cloud during the descent. The aircraft was then observed to carry out significant manoeuvring close to the ground while establishing the aircraft on short final to the runway before landing at about 09:18. Contributing factors: - Due to difficulties with the operation of the GPS and coupled autopilot, VH-OWN did not turn at the intermediate fix to intercept the final approach course. As these difficulties were not corrected by the pilot, the aircraft deviated outside of the tracking tolerances of the approach, while descending below the lowest safe altitude during each of the multiple approach attempts. - Due to high workload and difficulties with the operation of GPS/autopilot system, the pilot of VH-OWN did not broadcast accurate position reports, resulting in reduced separation, and a near-collision, with VH-LQR. - The pilot's ability to follow established tracks and accurately communicate the aircraft's position was likely adversely affected by experiencing a high workload, due to factors including singlepilot IFR operations while conducting an area navigation (RNAV) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) approach, existing weather minimums and the reduced available flight automation. - Despite intermittent surveillance coverage in the area of the Mount Hotham Airport, there was sufficient radar data to identify that the pilot of VH-OWN was having tracking difficulties and that the aircraft was tracking towards the expected position of VH-LQR. Due possibly to a focus on higher priority tasks, this information was not communicated to the affected pilots contrary to the intent of the traffic information service they were receiving. Sources: ATSB Accident investigation: Investigating agency: ATSB Status: Investigation completed Duration: 2 years and 9 months Download report: Final report https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=212663 Back to Top Back to Top Ensuring aviation safety and safe use of drones: Council signs off on EASA reform The Council today adopted updated aviation safety rules, which include a revised mandate for the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the first ever EU-wide rules for civil drones of all sizes. The reform introduces proportionate and risk-based rules designed to enable the EU aviation sector to grow, make it more competitive and encourage innovation. A provisional deal was concluded with the European Parliament on 29 November 2017. "These rules will ensure that flying remains safe even when our skies become increasingly busy," said Ivaylo Moskovski, Bulgarian Minister for Transport, Information Technology and Communications. The rules on drones lay down the basic principles to ensure safety, security, privacy, data protection and environmental protection. The text establishes the registration threshold for drone operators: operators must be registered if their drones are capable of transferring more than 80 Joules of kinetic energy upon impact with a person. The other detailed rules on drones will be set by the Commission with help from EASA, on the basis of the principles outlined in this regulation. Today's Council vote concludes the legislative procedure at first reading. The European Parliament voted on 12 June 2018. The regulation will be signed by both institutions and published in the EU Official Journal, probably by the end of July. It will enter into force 20 days after publication. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2018/06/26/ensuring-aviation-safety-and-safe-use-of-drones-council-signs-off-on-easa-reform/ Back to Top FAA Prohibits Drone Flights Above Federal Prisons, US Coast Guard Bases The federal agency announced drone flights will be prohibited within 400 feet of 29 newly designated prisons and Coast Guard facilities in U.S. The hobby drone market has grown substantially during the past few years. While the affordability of unmanned aerial vehicles is great to witness, it has also lead to criminal drone use, which provoked further regulation. Fortunately, flying drones within 400 feet of a federal prison or U.S. Coast Guard facility seems like something only a criminal would do, which makes the Federal Aviation Administration's announcement Tuesday adding 29 sites to the federal no-fly list easier to swallow. According to USA Today, the restrictions go into effect July 7. In an ever-increasingly complex world, prison officials aren't the only ones worried about drones above the critical infrastructures they guard. Public sporting event officials, too, are concerned about the potential for mass-violence caused by unexpected terroristic drone use. The American Civil Liberties Union is concerned that drones surveilling anti-establishment protests could illegally be used against citizens who take part in protests. Most recently, the FAA considered making drone users display their UAV identification externally, in an effort of more transparent, trustworthy drone use. When it comes to hobby drones jeopardizing the integrity of federal prisons and Coast Guard facilities across the U.S., however, the FAA seems clear on the best preventative measure: banning, prohibiting, criminalizing their presence in that airspace. It was in September 2017 that the FAA restricted drone flights over 10 major national landmarks. A mere three months later, the FAA added seven Department of Energy facilities to that list. Today's announcement expanded the list adding 19 prisons and 10 U.S. Coast Guard facilities to restricted airspace. "This is the first time the agency has placed specific restrictions for unmanned aircraft, or drones, over Federal Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Coast Guard facilities," said the FAA in a statement. "Operators who violate the flight restrictions may be subject to enforcement action, including potential civil penalties and criminal charges," which include up to a year in prison. From smuggling drugs over the U.S.-Mexico border or aerially delivering drugs to a parking lot, the UAV has simply become a tool, like any other, that can ingeniously be employed in a vast array of methods, legal or not. When dangerous contraband such as drugs, cell phones, or wire cutters can be delivered to prison yards with ease, and prison officials have yet to acclimate to drones as a new criminal tool, a simple ban above certain facilities makes absolute sense. Just make sure you keep your drone away from the spots designated as restricted in the FAA's interactive map. http://www.thedrive.com/tech/21780/faa-prohibits-drone-flights-above-federal-prisons-us-coast-guard-bases Back to Top Pairing pilots of Indian Airlines & Air India in same cockpit safety risk, warns IA union The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA, union of IA pilots) has warned that making AI and IA pilots together is a "safety issue" and that they should not be paired together for operating a flight Over a decade after the merger of the two airlines, the issue of seniority and basic pay of pilots flying the same plane is yet to be sorted out NEW DELHI: Air India may be struggling to survive but the pilots of erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India which were merged in 2007 have no love lost between them. The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA, union of IA pilots) has warned that making AI and IA pilots together is a "safety issue" and that they should not be paired together for operating a flight. "There has been a recent instance where an erstwhile Air India commander and co-pilot were rostered for a flight with an erstwhile Indian Airlines commander and co-pilot on the Boeing 787 fleet. In the past there has been an understanding on the issue. The implications and associated risk of common roster have been respected till now and management has refrained from rostering the pilots of erstwhile airlines together pending settlement of seniority issues," ICPA general secretary Captain Deepankar Gupta has written to the airline management on Wednesday. Over a decade after the merger of the two airlines, the issue of seniority and basic pay of pilots flying the same plane is yet to be sorted out. "Even though we managed to avert the situation this time... In the interest of flight safety, ICPA would like to place on record its strong objection to any further such actions which has potential of causing severe cockpit resource management issue. During this period of turmoil, when the airline is barely being able to compensate the employees of the complete salary, we question the intent of the management and the reason they choose to touch this aspect. The entire purpose of the merger was to have synergy and to use the resources as one airline. However, till the time the management is unable to propose a common seniority list and mitigate the risk associated with the same, we sincerely expect you to understand the sensitive nature of the issue and henceforth refrain from such activities, so as not to adversely affect the cordial industrial relations which exist as of date," ICPA has told the management. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/pairing-pilots-of-indian-airlines-air-india-in-same-cockpit-safety-risk-warns-ia-union/articleshow/64761112.cms Back to Top Florida Airport Will Be the First to Scan Every International Traveler's Face Passengers line up at security check points before heading to their departure gates at Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Fla. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is doing it to meet a Congressional mandate to speed up security lines. Officials with Customs and Border Protection's Entry/Exit have a way to shorten the long lines at airline gates while improving security and meeting an almost 15-year-old mandate from Congress. Officials announced June 21 that Orlando International would be the first airport in the country to screen every international passenger using facial recognition technology. CBP has been running biometric pilots-including facial recognition-at 13 airports across the country but Orlando will be the first to use the system on all travelers. In 2004, Congress charged the CBP with finding a way to apply biometric screening at all border crossings-including land, air and sea. The agency has struggled to comply, citing difficulties in finding the right technology to improve security without adding significant travel delays. "We are at a critical turning point in the implementation of a biometric entry-exit system, and we've found a path forward that transforms travel for all travelers," CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said at a June 21 press conference. "The valuable collaboration with stakeholder partners like [the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority] has resulted in real momentum and it has brought us to where we are today, the first fully biometric entry-exit deployment at an airport." Currently, at airports across the country, inbound passengers on international flights had to stop at a kiosk to scan their passports, have their photos taken and answer customs inspection questions before getting in line to see a security officer. For foreign nationals that process is even longer, as CBP takes a fingerprint scan to match against passport records. At Orlando International, the kiosks are gone, replaced by cameras behind security officials that take pictures of arriving passengers and matches those with passport photos on file in a matter of seconds. The cameras have a 99 percent accuracy rate and have eliminated the need for foreign nationals to go through fingerprinting, as facial recognition suffices for the biometric mandate, John Wagner, CBP deputy assistant commissioner and the senior executive overseeing Entry/Exit, told Nextgov. On average, the kiosk system took one minute for U.S. citizen and two minutes and 30 seconds for non-citizens. Using the facial recognition cameras has brought the average down to 15 to 20 seconds, according to Wagner. The system for departing passengers is not set up yet but has the potential to drastically improve customer experience at the gate. Once established, the biometric cameras will register each passenger as they approach the gate and match their face to the passport and boarding information on record. This will allow passengers to walk right onto the gangway without an airline representative scanning and verifying each boarding pass. During an initial pilot, one airline was able to board an entire plane in under 20 minutes. "It's a faster process and, on our end, it meets the biometric departure mandate," Wagner said. Wagner said Entry/Exit officials were having trouble figuring out how best to meet that mandate until they started looking at the problem from the perspective of the customers: both travelers and the airlines. While working with the airlines, officials found that installing facial recognition cameras that integrated with the airlines' infrastructure would make for a seamless process that met everyone's needs. "We could have just put up gates and put it on the airports and airlines" to deal with the longer wait times and, inevitably, angrier passengers, Wagner said. Luckily for everyone, the facial recognition solution is expected to shorten wait times while meeting Entry/Exit's mission. For those with privacy concerns, Wagner noted that the data being collected through the facial recognition program is information passengers give to the airlines and federal security personnel already. "We're just using it in a way that makes it easier for you to travel," he said. Currently, the photos of U.S. citizens are stored for 14 days in order for CBP to run analytics on the program. Soon, those photos will be deleted immediately after the security official clears that passenger, Wagner said. Photos of foreign nationals are kept in the IDENT database for 75 years as part of their travel record. CBP designed the underlying system and infrastructure in-house, then purchased the recognition algorithm from a third-party vendor. The algorithm is able to adjust for changes in a person's appearance, including glasses, hair color, changes to facial hair and even plastic surgery, Wagner said. "We are committed to delivering a premier travel experience to Orlando International Airport's more than 5 million annual international passengers," Phil Brown, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, said during the press conference. "By incorporating biometric technology into our entry and exit processes, safety, security and speed are optimized so customers can enjoy a more streamlined and comfortable journey through Florida's busiest airport." https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2018/06/florida-airport-will-be-first-scan-every-international-travelers-face/149264/?oref=d-channelriver Back to Top Air Wisconsin Announces New Airplane Maintenance Facility, Will Create About 80 New Jobs APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) - Governor Scott Walker was in the Fox Cities Tuesday as part of an expansion announcement from Air Wisconsin Airlines that will add dozens of new jobs to the area. At a press conference at the Appleton International Airport's Platinum Flight Center, the airline announced that they're building a new 30,000 square foot maintenance facility with a hangar that will house 4 planes. The press conference included remarks from Governor Walker, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, and Air Wisconsin President and CEO Christine Deister. The new facility will be used for routine aircraft maintenance and cleaning, and will create about 80 high-skilled, high-paying jobs, like aircraft technicians and mechanics. The planes will be United Express planes operated by Air Wisconsin, three of which fly to Chicago, and one of which flies to Denver. The expansion is the direct result of an economic boom in the area. "With the economic growth here in the valley, its demanding more passenger air transportation, both business and leisure," Deister said. A groundbreaking for the new facility will be held in July, and it is expected to be completely built by the end of the year. https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/air-wisconsin-announces-new-airplane-maintenance-facility-will-create-about-80-new-jobs/1265841723 Back to Top Rent-a-captain: South Africa plugs global pilot shortage South Africa's flag carrier has been running at a loss for a decade and is grappling with a $680 million (580-million-euro) debt mountain. The next time you stow your tray table, fasten your seatbelt and prepare for take-off, there's a good chance your pilot could be South African. South African Airways (SAA) is being buffeted by financial turbulence and new chief executive Vuyani Jarana says he has ambitious plans to steer the company to safety. One of his bold cost-cutting schemes involves leasing out SAA's pilots and cabin crew to foreign airlines battling a global shortage of flight staff. South Africa's flag carrier has been running at a loss for a decade and is grappling with a $680 million (580-million-euro) debt mountain. It lost 5.6 billion rand ($420 million) in 2017-18. "We are concerned about the survival of the airline," said SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali, referring to the dire figures. Tlali added that Jarana's key objective was to protect SAA's "employees and return to positive financial performance" -- in other words, reduce overheads without laying off staff. Sackings would be hugely unpopular with the flying public and the government, so the idea of contracting out under-used pilots and first officers could be just the ticket. It could also help major airlines avoid cancellations such as those that plagued Europe's biggest airline Ryanair which had to cancel thousands of flights from November because of an admin error that led to pilot shortages. 'Poor controls': The crisis facing the industry has become so acute that Japan previously raised the age limit for commercial pilots to 67 to keep planes in the air. Some Chinese airlines have even sought to lure experienced captains with pay of up to $500,000. The shortage is "becoming a crisis at some carriers, resulting in the cancellation of flights and other serious disruptions," said Patrick Smith, a pilot who runs the "Ask the Pilot" aviation blog. Seasoned SAA pilot Barry Elsip is one of those in line to be lent out -- to Air Japan. To sweeten the deal, he has been offered a "very lucrative salary" in US dollars as well as business class flights home every three weeks. But despite the perks on offer, Jarana's plan to lend pilots to airlines that may include Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways has been met with dismay from SAA's pilots body. SAA's Pilots' Association said it was "disappointed and dismayed" that some of its members, it claimed, would be forced to take a contract or take unpaid leave "as a result of extremely poor fiscal control and mismanagement". The association's vice-chair, Captain Grant Back, said it would be preferable for SAA to put its pilots to use within its own network. He said the destination airlines were badly short of pilots because of poor conditions, unfavourable work-life balance or in some cases labour relations problems. 'Family left behind' Despite acknowledging the higher salaries on offer, Back warned some pilots would not see their families for three or four weeks at a time. Others would have to move abroad "with children taken out of schools, friends and family left behind", he said. Something will have to give, as the airline is reputed to be chronically over-staffed at every level compared to competitors like British Airways. Local media report that the carrier has 50 pilots and cabin crew on the payroll with "nothing to do". Aviation analyst Joachim Vermooten said there were many countries with a shortage of pilots and SAA had many skilled staff ready to fill the gaps. "It's a good way to reduce the cost base, which SAA desperately needs to do," he told AFP. Other cost-cutting measures will include slashing routes and flight frequencies. But Jarana has warned that employee cuts will be unavoidable with unions criticising SAA's catering arm, Air Chefs, for preparing to lay-off 118 workers. Time might be running out to rescue the ailing airline -- President Cyril Ramaphosa hinted recently that state support will not be limitless. The country's treasury was forced to hand SAA five billion rand earlier this year to keep it airborne, the latest in a string of handouts. Failure could cost Jarana dearly: he has vowed to hand 100,000 rand of his own money to charity if the rescue plan fails to take off. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/rent-a-captain-south-africa-plugs-global-pilot-shortage/articleshow/64762128.cms Back to Top VR PILOT TRAINING NOW COMES WITH A SENSE OF TOUCH For training pilots, the more realistic the simulator, the better. So it's about time virtual reality-based systems came with a sense of touch. Aviation simulators-the most valuable training tool pilots have-have to get things right. The instrument panel. The wind and the rain. The response of the aircraft when you flip a switch or pull on the yoke. It all must be as high fidelity, as true to life, as possible. Otherwise, pilots risk uncertainty or disorientation when transferring their simulated experience to the real world. With the rise of virtual reality-based simulation, in which users wear headsets instead of sitting in a cockpit where everything is real but the view out the windshield, the challenge of maintaining that verisimilitude has really taken off. These systems cost just a few thousand dollars, instead of the tens or hundreds of thousands you pay for a full-size cockpit mockup. They're smaller and more portable too, a plus for clients like militaries who like the option of training pilots in remote locations. The downside is that in today's systems, beside the joystick, rudder pedals, and maybe a throttle lever, all the controls are digital renderings. You "activate" the switches and dials by poking and jabbing into thin air. That amplifies the challenge of VR-based training, where the nuances of touch and movement are essential to programming the pilot's brain. One solution-long pursued across many virtual-reality applications, from gaming and design to sex-is haptic feedback. Mechanical actuators placed in contact with different areas of the user's body, most notably the hands and fingertips, add the sensation of touch to these computer-generated worlds. Now, a French company called Go Touch VR is putting it into action. Working with US virtual-reality simulation software developer FlyInside, Go Touch VR has adapted its fingertip-mounted technology for aviation. The goal is to give pilots using virtual-reality flight simulators that touch-based confirmation with every switch and dial used on their flights, just as they would experience in the kind of full-sized cockpit mockups found in large, commercial multimillion-dollar motion simulators. "You should only have to give a glance to button that you need to press during an operation, while all the rest of the action is confirmed by the touch sensation-the 'click' that you have from the virtual switch," says Eric Vezzoli, Go Touch's co-founder and CEO. "Without that fundamental confirmation, you must look back and check if the action was performed, and spend precious time and attention that you need to dedicate to flying operations." The trick is fine-tuning the subtle mechanical interactions-what Vezzoli calls the "cutaneous force feedback through skin indentation"-so they feel natural. In Go Touch VR's new system, derived from its engineers' expertise in haptic feedback, the user wears three sensors on each hand, which resemble the things look like the blood-pressure sensors doctors place on your fingertips. By applying pressure to your fingertips, the actuators can replicate object stiffness, coarse textures, and the sensation of holding physical objects in your hands. The devices contain numerous actuators beneath a flexible rubber cover, and they can be individually controlled and varied in pressure to simulate light touches up through more pronounced contact. Though clunky in appearance, they're lightweight and designed not to interfere with natural hand and finger movements. (The company is working to miniaturize them further before starting production.) The view from the headset omits the attachments from its representation of the user's hands, so they're easy to forget about. All the pilot in training knows is that when she flips her finger, she can feel the switch move as well as see it. Part of the effectiveness, the company explains, comes from the user's brain amplifying the sensors' work by merely anticipating and recognizing the physical contact. In Go Touch VR's new system, derived from its engineers' expertise in haptic feedback, the user wears three sensors on each hand, which resemble the things look like the blood-pressure sensors doctors place on your fingertips. The trick is fine-tuning the subtle mechanical interactions-what Vezzoli calls the "cutaneous force feedback through skin indentation"-so they feel natural. "The technology reproduces the exact skin stimulation that you perceive when you are interacting with real objects," he says. "We are concentrating in the area that you use to interact most, the fingertips. When we couple it with a visual rendering in virtual or augmented reality, you reach out your hand toward an object, activating the skin pressure, the brain 'clicks' and let you perceive the virtual object in front of your eyes as real, because it is feeling a sensation that it is expecting." The system, and has potential far beyond aviation. According to the company, the technology can improve a wide variety of VR interactions, including, for example, catching and throwing balls with greater accuracy than other control systems. The company exhibited the product, which is still in the development kit phase, at the European defense and security conference Eurosatory in mid-June. It says pilots and engineers who tried it out affirmed its effectiveness, and that some noted the portability benefits for military personnel and others the ease of use. In addition, the technology has potential benefits beyond aviation, including retail contexts, allowing consumers to "touch" products remotely before buying them, and manufacturing training roles, where manual skills need to be taught and practiced before being applied in the real world. Beyond that, the sky is pretty clearly the limit. https://www.wired.com/story/pilot-training-simulator-vr-haptic-touch/ Back to Top India's Jet Buys $8.8 Billion More Boeing Planes to Match Rivals Jet Airways India Ltd. purchased another 75 of Boeing Co.'s 737 Max aircraft for about $8.8 billion as it looks to continue rapid expansion in the world's fastest-growing major aviation market. The latest purchase brings the airline's backlog for the narrowbody plane to 225, Jet said in a statement Monday. It already placed two 75-plane orders, the most recent in April, with the first 737 Max delivery arriving last week. Mumbai-based Jet and rivals are expanding fleets as demand for domestic flights surges. Rival SpiceJet Ltd. has ordered more than 200 single-aisle aircraft from Boeing, while market leader IndiGo, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., is the biggest customer for Airbus SE's competing A320neo plane. Jet, which didn't detail which 737 variant it opted for, has historically gone with the best-selling -8 model, though its Chairman Naresh Goyal said last month it has the flexibility to upscale to bigger versions. The carrier also has ten 787 wide-body jetliners on order though the airline may not take the aircraft as it reviews its network. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-25/india-s-jet-buys-8-8-billion-more-boeing-planes-to-match-rivals Back to Top Boeing's concept jet could fly New York to London in 2 hours Boeing has unveiled a concept jet that will be capable of whisking passengers from New York to London at a blistering Mach 5 - making it capable of crossing the pond in just two hours. The hypersonic plane would fly almost three times faster than the legendary Concorde - which was decommissioned in 2003 - and cruise at 95,000 feet, about 3,000 feet higher than its supersonic predecessor, according to Aviation Week. The concept aircraft, which was unveiled at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aviation 2018 conference in Atlanta, is part of a long-range development plan with both commercial and military applications, the news outlet reported. "We're excited about the potential of hypersonic technology to connect the world faster than ever before," Kevin Bowcutt, chief scientist of hypersonics at Boeing, said in a news release. "Boeing is building upon a foundation of six decades of work designing, developing and flying experimental hypersonic vehicles, which makes us the right company to lead the effort in bringing this technology to market in the future." The swooping, streamlined aircraft will accommodate more passengers than a typical long-range business jet, but will be smaller than Boeing's popular 737 narrow-body airliner. But don't plan on making reservations anytime soon - the jet is only expected to enter service in the late 2030s. According to Boeing's studies, Mach 5 - five times the speed of sound, or almost 4,000 mph - is the watershed velocity between civil and most nontransport military operations, Aviation Week reported. "When you look at the problem of getting from Point A to Point B anywhere in the world, the question is how fast do you want to go and how fast is fast enough?" Bowcutt said. "Supersonic isn't really fast enough to go overseas and back in one day. For the business traveler or the military, where time is really important, that's an interesting point. Mach 5 is where you can do that. You can get across the Atlantic in about 2 hours and across the Pacific in about 3 hours." https://nypost.com/2018/06/26/boeings-concept-jet-could-fly-new-york-to-london-in-2-hours/ Back to Top The Billionaire Space Race Is Making Life Difficult for Airlines More launches mean more closed airspace, and more delays. The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 6. Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images On Feb. 6, Elon Musk's SpaceX launched its largest rocket into the blue Florida sky. Onboard was "Starman," a dummy strapped into the billionaire's cherry red Tesla roadster. Minutes later, fans cheered as Musk topped himself by nailing a simultaneous landing of the Falcon Heavy's boosters. It was arguably a turning point for the commercial space age. Airlines were somewhat less thrilled. On that day, 563 flights were delayed and 62 extra miles added to flights in the southeast region of the U.S., according to Federal Aviation Administration data released Tuesday by the Air Line Pilots Association, or ALPA. America's airspace is a finite resource, and the growth of commercial launches has U.S. airlines worried. Whenever Musk or one of his rivals sends up a spacecraft, the carriers which operate closer to the ground must avoid large swaths of territory and incur sizable expenses. Most of the commercial activity to date has been focused on Cape Canaveral, the Air Force post on Florida's Atlantic coast, where Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin LLC base their stellar operations. It is one of 22 active U.S. launch sites, and a number of other locales-including Brownsville, Texas; Watkins, Colorado; and Camden County, Georgia-are pursuing new spaceport ventures to capitalize on commercial space activity. Bezos is blasting off from land he owns in West Texas; Virgin Group founder Richard Branson plans to launch tourists from southern New Mexico as early as next year; and Musk is planning an eventual new SpaceX launchpad in extreme southern Texas, near South Padre Island. While this trio of space tycoons currently dominate the nascent industry, more companies will soon join the party. And the potential for what may eventually be daily launches carries major implications for air travel. Musk's Tesla roadster launched from the Falcon Heavy rocket heads to Mars. Source: SpaceX via Getty Images "Commercial space launch needs to be better integrated into the national airspace," noted Caryn Schenewerk, Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX's senior counsel and director of government affairs. The Falcon 9 exceeds 60,000 feet on launch "in a quick 90 seconds," with its reusable rocket boosters only requiring use of the airspace for one minute before landing. Tim Canoll is president of ALPA, the union which represents 60,000 U.S. and Canadian pilots. He cautions that work is needed to make the two industries operate seamlessly, saying Tuesday at a hearing of a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee in Washington that FAA operations don't have "real-time data" on rockets' movements. The U.S. licensed only 23 commercial launches last year, but that's likely to increase. As the launch industry matures, the ultimate goal is to incorporate spacecraft into the routine flow of the 42,000 daily aircraft that the FAA controls, making a SpaceX Falcon 9 bound for the International Space Station no different than an American A321 headed to Miami. "The next step," said Canoll, is to put space travel and air travel together, so rockets "can operate along with us." There is a lot of money at stake. Airlines say their average cost of "block time," the industry metric for the period when an aircraft is taxiing or flying, was $68.48 per minute in 2017, or $4,109 hourly, led by crew and jet fuel expenses. The average delay of those 563 flights on Feb. 6 was 8 minutes. For perspective, 10 flights delayed by 10 minutes costs about $70,000, ALPA noted. To make matters worse, the block time average is likely to rise this year-further aggravating airline executives and pilots whenever a SpaceX or United Launch Alliance LLC rocket closes airspace. "These restrictions have led to extensive and expensive delays to commercial air traffic that are unsustainable," ALPA said in a white paper released Tuesday. "We are smart enough to solve this problem." The U.S. airlines' trade group, Airlines for America (A4A), has urged the FAA to "carefully consider the safety and efficiency impacts to the traveling public" in crafting an integration plan, spokeswoman Alison McAfee said in an email. For example, the group expressed "grave concerns" this month about a proposed Spaceport Colorado, which would be located at a small airport less than 10 miles southeast of Denver International, the fifth-busiest U.S. airport. This kind of uneasy coexistence has become the norm as the FAA continues to restrict airspace for commercial launches and re-entry, often for an hour or more. The closed space can extend for hundreds of miles along a rocket's planned flight path, given the potential risks if a craft explodes in flight. That area will need to decrease over time to minimize airline disruptions, industry experts told Congress. Specifically, they said computer simulations of such disasters block off more airspace than necessary. In March, the FAA formed an aviation committee to assemble recommendations for a regulatory approach to the commercial launch industry. The new rules will offer safety objectives while not dictating any vehicle design or operational mandates for space firms. Tests have shown that rocket telemetry data can flow into current air-traffic control systems and give controllers real-time awareness on the vehicle's movement. Of course, air traffic controllers direct an aircraft's course and speed-a power they won't have with space vehicles. Audrey Powers, Blue Origin's deputy general counsel, told the House panel "this is a very solvable problem." The industry and regulators need to develop tools to help further existing efforts to build a space data integrator system, designed to automate the flow of real-time rocket data and the release of blocked airspace because, she said, "we are smart enough to solve this problem." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-27/the-billionaire-space-race-is-making-life-difficult-for-airlines Back to Top Back to Top 64th Air Safety Forum - Join Us! safetyforum.alpa.org July 30 - August 2, 2018 | Washington, DC CONFIRMED KEYNOTES INCLUDE • Senator Tammy Duckworth • Capt. Tim Canoll - President, Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l • The Honorable Dan Elwell - Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration • The Honorable Howard "Skip" Elliott - Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) • Mr. Paul Rinaldi - President, National Air Traffic Controllers Association PANELS INCLUDE(visit safetyforum.alpa.org for panel descriptions) • Fire In The Hold: Anticipating/Preventing Fires from Passenger Checked Baggage • Meet the Doctors • Pilot Peer Support: The Next Phase In ALPA's Approach to Pilot Wellness • Disruptive Passengers: Keeping Problems Off the Airplane • Data Mining for Safer Skies • Flight Deck Access in the Post 9/11 Age • Pilots & Controllers -- Managing Change in an Evolving NAS AGENDA AT A GLANCE (visit safetyforum.alpa.org for agenda details) MONDAY, JULY 30 (all Monday sessions are invite only) 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. General Session (Open only to ALPA Members) 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. ASO Workshops, Council Meetings, Trainings, Jumpseat Forum & Aviation Security Forum TUESDAY, JULY 31 (all Tuesday sessions are invite only) 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. - ASO Workshops, Council Meetings, Trainings, Jumpseat Forum & Aviation Security Forum WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. - Jumpseat Council Meeting (ALPA members only) 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Ask Your ASO (ALPA members only) 12:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Air Safety Forum (open to the public) THURSDAY, AUGUST 2 (open to the public) 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Air Safety Forum 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - ALPA Air Safety Forum Awards Reception 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. - ALPA Air Safety Forum Awards Banquet THANK YOU SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS! Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities available. Email airsafetyforum@alpa.org for more information. Back to Top Back to Top This course was created in collaboration with Curt Lewis's Flight Safety Information. Learn more from Beyond Risk Management Producer, Captain Elaine Parker, at https://vimeo.com/273989821 Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 1 I am a student of Air Safety Management in City University of London and I am passionate about Human Factors and Psychology in Aviation. I designed a questionnaire which measures the level of self-control in pilots and cabin crew. The questionnaire is part of my research for Final Project titled: "The Role of Self-Control in Aircrew Performance Managing emotional responses to enhance rational decision-making". The Final Project aims to address the subject of self-control - an acquired cognitive skill that enhances the ability to take intelligent decisions and promotes rational choices in both daily operations and emergencies by pilots and cabin crew. Survey Links: Flight Crew - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KWB6NKV Cabin Crew - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KSDY9DK regards, Malgorzata Wroblewska Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 2 Dear Airline Pilots, My name is David Carroll. I am a doctoral candidate in the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University PhD in Aviation program, and I am working on my dissertation under the guidance of Dr. David Esser. We would like to find out a bit about how airline pilots learn in order to enhance the effectiveness of training. You can help out by participating in this survey. My dissertation topic entails investigating ways that FOQA data might be used to identify pilots at increased risk for Unstable Approaches. By capturing trend information regarding poor energy management practices that may lead to unstable approaches, the FOQA system may be ale to assign interventional training modules. These is research that indicates that these training events would be more effective if presented in a manner that is preferred by the learner. This survey supports the study by helping to determine if the population of airline pilots has a preferred learning modality. The survey also contains a set of energy management questions to examine pilot perceptions on energy management and stabilized approaches in several scenarios and situations. Participants are asked to select responses that are closest to how they would understand the situation if experienced in their current primary aircraft. Finally, the survey collects demographic information that will provide an understanding of how the body of respondents represents the study population. Respondents must be 18 years of age to participate, and we would like to limit the respondents to those currently employed in scheduled air carrier operations (Part 121, 135, or similar). Thank you in advance for your participation. Your inputs will be invaluable in helping to increase the level of safety in air carrier operations. Providing immediate interventional training for pilots who are demonstrating a need, while maintaining the anonymity of the FOQA concept, should provide such a benefit. If you have any questions regarding the study in general, or the survey in particular, please contact the researcher, David Carroll, at david.carroll@erau.edu or the dissertation committee chair, Dr. David Esser, at esserd@erau.edu. Please find the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/V532B9J David A. Carroll, Doctoral Candidate ERAU PhD in Aviation Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 3 Dear Aviation Colleague, My name is Nicoletta Fala, and I am a Ph.D. candidate working with Prof. Karen Marais at the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. We are seeking your input on post-flight debrief feedback in this survey. The motivation behind this research is the unacceptably high number of general aviation accidents. Our overall goal is to use flight data of various sources to help improve general aviation safety. We are trying to understand how different kinds of safety feedback affect risk perception among general aviation pilots. During the survey, you will be asked to review flight data from four flights and answer specific questions on the safety of each flight. We will then ask you a few demographic questions. The survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. During the survey, you will not be able to go back to the previous flight safety questions. You will, however, have the opportunity to review and change the demographic questions as you wish. You may choose to not answer some questions and you may stop the survey at any time without any repercussion to you. If you do not wish to complete the survey in one sitting, you may save your progress and return where you left off if you use the same computer to re-access the link. No personally identifiable information is being asked, analyzed or reported. All responses will be anonymous and in aggregate at the end of the study. Your participation in this survey is voluntary. You must be at least 18 years old to participate in this research. Thank you for your time and your cooperation. Your responses are greatly appreciated and will hopefully enable the general aviation community to improve their safety record. If you have any questions regarding the survey or the information contained within, please feel free to contact the researchers directly either at nfala@purdue.edu or kmarais@purdue.edu. Survey Link: www.nicolettafala.com/survey Nicoletta Fala Purdue Pilots, Inc. President Ph.D. Candidate School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Purdue University || College of Engineering http://nicolettafala.com/ Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY - 4 Dear pilots, My name is Koen Scheers, First Officer and postgraduate student 'Air Transport Management' at City University of London. Currently, I am working on my research project, which is the final part of my studies at City to gain a Master of Science (MSc) degree. My research project, entitled 'A sustainable model for pilot retention', aims to establish a model of organisational practices to keep pilots in the airline they are working for. To support my research project with data I have created a web survey for pilots, and via this way, I kindly ask your help by participating in the survey. The survey is not affiliated with any airline, training organisation, or any other. Participation in the survey is voluntary and anonymous. The survey will take about 10 minutes of your time to complete and is open for participation until 15 July 2018. Also, I would be very grateful if you could forward this message to other pilots in your contact list or spread the word in the airline you are working for. Please click the link below to enter the survey: SURVEY WEB LINK: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/pilotretention Your participation is highly appreciated, kind regards, Koen Scheers +32 486 85 07 91 Koen.scheers@city.ac.uk Curt Lewis